Willodeen by Katherine Applegate

Who read Katherine Applegate's The One and Only Ivan and didn't love it? No one that I know. Applegate is fantastic at getting into the hearts of her readers. Her most recent release, Willodeen, is a fantasy novel that follows a young girl named Willodeen whose life has been devastated by a fire. Taken in by a couple of lovely old women, she is nursed back to health and loved just as she is, quirks and all. Rounding out their odd family is an injured hummingbear, a sweet little creature covered in light fur, but whose wings no longer fly. Willodeen is obsessed with learning about the beast everyone in town hates, the screechers. When the fragile ecosystem supporting the town begins to fail, it is Willodeen and her new friend Connor who uncover the cause.

This book was cute and a short read, but I didn't connect with it the same way I did with Ivan. There is a clear message about preserving the environment and how our actions affect the world around us. I think that is really good for children to learn in a way that isn't too harsh. There is plenty of charm within these pages.

 

The Lions of Fifth Avenue by Fiona Davis

In Fiona Davis's The Lions of Fifth Avenue, we meet Laura, a wife and mother in 1913 whose family is living in the recently opened New York Public Library. We also meet her granddaughter, Sadie, eighty years later who is a curator at the same library. The two never met but Sadie is intrigued with her grandmother's reputation as a famous feminist essayist. When books begin going missing in Sadie's timeline, she is surprised to find that there were also book thefts at the time her grandmother and mother lived in the library. She dives headfirst into the mystery with the hope of rescuing some of the world's most important pieces of literature.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a quick read and I was very curious where the mystery would lead us. Davis did an excellent job balancing the two different timelines and points of view and each chapter ending had me wanting to keep the pages turning. I loved reading about turn-of-the-century feminism and the challenges that women of the time faced in their desires to pursue their own passions. I also enjoyed hearing about the NY Public Library and now it is on my list of places to visit. This was my first Fiona Davis novel, but I can't wait to read more!

 

If the Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy

I have really enjoyed Julie Murphy's books, especially Dumplin', and her latest offering may be my favorite yet. If the Shoe Fits is a Cinderella retelling set in a Bachelor-type matchmaking television show. Cindy has recently graduated from fashion school where her focus was shoe design, but with no job prospects, she moves back home to live with her stepmother, two stepsisters, and triplet half-siblings. When the last-minute opportunity arises to appear on the show, Cindy doesn't let herself consider if her curves will make her a target for trolls. Instead, she focuses on the exposure her designs will receive... and the cash prize at the end. It's a risk, but one she's willing to take.

This was an adorable adventure into a very familiar fairytale. The characters were darling and I really enjoyed the relationships between the women. The real world is a bit chaotic right now and this was a sweet escape into fantasy land. I highly recommend you add it to your list of fun reads.