BOOK REVIEW: Maysoon Zayid, the Girl Who Can Can

 

MAYSOON ZAYID, THE GIRL WHO CAN CAN
by Dr. Seema Yasmin
Available February 10

I'm going to be honest — two things I know next to nothing about are cerebral palsy (CP) and General Hospital. But they are two of the most influential things in comedian Maysoon Zayid's life... one whether she likes it or not. And I got a lot more insight into this condition, and into Maysoon's dreams of stardom, in this nonfiction chapter book for young readers.

The book is a quick read, covering the high (and low points) of Zayid's childhood as she dreamed of becoming a multitalented star. CP didn't stand in her way, at least not directly. But indirectly, it led to many people around her deciding for her what she could and couldn't do. This book does a great job of explaining, in terms young people can understand, that disability is not a monolith, even for people with the same disability.

Better still is the fact that this book addresses the other extreme of living with a disability: being deemed "inspirational" and having everything you do viewed through the lens of what you live with. It's something I've encountered both in my own life and while working with medical school applicants, and it's reassuring to see it addressed so plainly for young people. 

While I personally am unfamiliar with Zayid's work, I did enjoy this couching of her childhood and first major role as a story that's inspirational for the right reasons. It's a reminder that, while we can't necessarily have everything we want at all times, we can still push to accomplish our dreams. And for every person who decides for us what we can and can't do, there's someone else out there with actual helpful advice.

TEA PAIRING: At the Waterfront
Inspired by Little Women, about a loving and supportive family, this herbal tea feels like a good fit for the story of another woman whose family was equally supportive. Use my code KARA15 for 15% off this and other teas from Chapters Tea & Co.!

BOOK REVIEW: City Spies: Europa

 

CITY SPIES: EUROPA
by James Ponti
Available February 10

My first encounter with James Ponti's City Spies series was two installments ago, and I was hooked from the very beginning. I'm a huge fan of books for young people that are accessible without being condescending, and that are educational without being dry. This series blends the learning value of Carmen Sandiego with a crash course in both spycraft and how to appreciate spy fiction, all while actually telling a great story. And Europa continues this trend.

The City Spies are Paris, Sydney, Brooklyn, Rio, Kat(hmandu), and Cairo: six youngsters with skill sets ranging from codebreaking to hacking to explosives. They operate as a unique branch of MI6, working in scenarios where adult spies would stand out too much. They're also the adopted children of their overseer, a man codenamed "Mother," with the exception of his biological son Cairo. Everything seems to be going well, with a new home base nearly completed and their archenemy Le Fantôme in prison. But things turn dangerous when the organization known as Umbra threatens to bomb several high-profile locations across Europe. Which ones? The spies will have to figure that out themselves!

The mission will require the team to flex their mental muscles in art history, sports trivia, and more to find where and when these attacks will take place. But the bigger question is why, and discovering that could lead to problems that hit very close to home for both Mother and Cairo.

Europa, like the rest of the City Spies series, gives its young readers credit for their intelligence. The puzzles are laid out in a way that allows readers to solve them alongside the characters. Spy fiction fans of all ages will love all the real-world and movie trivia mixed in, too; I stopped more than once to look up a location or historical figure mentioned in the story.

While I recommend starting from the beginning, Europa offers enough context for new readers to jump in. That said, the ending of this book shows that the team as we know it may be changing... and not just because they're getting older! If you love spy fiction, and you want the kids in your life to love it too, this is a must-read.

TEA PAIRING: Poet's Study
I feel like Tru, the MI6 operative giving the City Spies their crash course in high-end spycraft, would approve of this bold Earl Grey. It's one I love to recommend whenever I can. Use my code KARA15 to get 15% off this and other teas from Chapters Tea & Co.!

COMIC REVIEW: Huge Detective

HUGE DETECTIVE
by Adam Rose; illustrated by Magenta King
Available now

There's nothing quite like an odd couple solving crimes, and I will always be here for it. I could go into the deeper symbolism of these two at-odds personalities joining forces and finding understanding to solve a crime, but that's a dissertation for another day. Right now, we have Huge Detective: a comic that takes place in an alternate world where giants live in Australia and there are huge fossils on the moon.

Human detective Tamaki and huge detective Gyant have an odd case on their hands: a human ("doll" in huge slang) who believes he's one of the big people. But his point of view and unconventional background might be just what this team needs to get to the bottom of their current case. As they dig deeper, though, they discover a scheme that could shake the very foundations the human/huge truce is built on.

The worldbuilding of Huge Detective is fantastic, with each chapter including a file offering more background into the world of the comic. This feels like a world that exists and is lived in, not just a concept created to support a conceit. Best of all, it explores concerns that could arise in such a society: industry, societal norms, even the shape that microaggressions take in both directions. The story is great; the art equally so. But it matters that it lives in a world that feels alive.

TEA PAIRING: Picnic at Pemberley
I like to think our detectives would have better luck with this jasmine green tea blend than the tea they're served later in the book. It's one of my favorite blends, perfect for unwinding after a rainy day spent solving crimes. Use my code KARA15 to save 15% on this and other tea blends from Chapters Tea & Co.!

BOOK REVIEW: The Aftermyth

THE AFTERMYTH
by Tracy Wolff
Available February 3

Penelope and her twin brother Paris are about to start a new life at the prestigious Anaximander's Academy, whose attendees study the great Greek myths and train in the fields most important to the gods of Olympus. Thus, each attendee is chosen by one of the deities: Zeus, Athena, Poseidon, Aphrodite, or Hades. Penelope has dreamed of being another Athena, like everyone in her family before her, and her commitment to study and perfect seem to be pointing her in that direction... until everything starts falling apart.

After an impossibly imperfect entry, Penelope finds herself sorted in with the other devotees of Aphrodite: a house dedicate to the exact sort of glittery, beautiful chaos she can't stand. But after being forcibly befriended by fellow Aphrodites Fifi and Arjun, she starts to feel at home, even as she considers how she might undo the "mistake" of not being chosen as an Athena. As the year progresses, every new step seems fraught with impossible perils, and Penelope begins to see things others can't. Why does the very school itself seem to have it out for her? Who is the mysterious woman she sees in her visions? And why does lightning always strike when she questions the old myths?

The Aftermyth absolutely has the trappings of "magic school" stories, right down to supernatural sorting by personality. But in spite of everything it has in common with these stories and with mythologically-inspired stories, there's a key bit of worldbuilding that grabbed my attention. I won't say what it is, because it is the big secret of this first book. But a shrewd classics enjoyer should be able to see that something is amiss in this world that alleges to live by the gods. It's a great first entry in a promising new series, encouraging readers to challenge preconceptions even — and especially — when discouraged. I can't wait to see where Ellie, Fifi, and the rest go next.

This is definitely a middle grade book, meaning that some mysteries will jump out relatively quickly for older and more astute readers. Fortunately, Penelope never feels foolish for not getting there immediately. It's paced well for middle-grade readers, especially those just getting their feet wet in the world of Greek mythology.

Also, the limited first edition of this book is gorgeous. I'm not a big "sprayed edges" fiend (I can take them or leave them), but the snake patterning is really lovely on these. It's always nice to read a book that's also just lovely to look at.

TEA PAIRING: Magical Library Butterbrew
From Penelope's love of books to a certain scene later in the novel, this butterscotch blend inspired by mystical tomes feels like a perfect fit. It's one of my favorite mainstays in the Chapters catalogue. Use my code KARA15 for 15% off this and other teas from Chapters Tea & Co.!

BOOK REVIEW: Murder at the Duomo

MURDER AT THE DUOMO
by T.A. Williams
Available February 2

Dan Armstrong and his trusty lab Oscar are back to solve more mysteries in sunny Florence. And as Murder at the Duomo begins, the main mystery on Armstrong's mind is how he's going to juggle planning (and paying for) two weddings — his own and his daughter's. But a new problem emerges when a body is found in the confessional at the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore (colloquially known as the Duomo). Someone was shot dead, and the "someone" is a major player in the world of arms dealing.

Finding someone who'd want to kill Tristan Angel is the easy part: his villa is packed with associates, each seeming to have a pretty strong motive. But in the midst of picking through the roster, the killer strikes again. With two weddings on the horizon and the potential for an international incident looming, Armstrong and Oscar will be hard pressed to solve every problem on their plates.

I've read a few of these Armstrong and Oscar cozy mysteries, though I came in somewhere around the middle. The lives of the core cast of characters — the title sleuths, Armstrong's fiancée Anna, Commissario Virgilio, and others — move forward constantly, but it's always relatively easy to join them where they are. It's also very pleasing to see Williams's writing strengthen with each new volume. The mystery this time is far more intricate, with a Knives Out-sized cast and political intrigue woven in. Without giving anything away, the answer to "whodunit" isn't all that simple... just not for the reasons you might expect.

Cozy mysteries are a mixed bag, and I've discovered that much of what sets the strong ones apart is how the "coziness" is expressed. Food and dogs are two big constants in these books, and a lot of times both of those aspects come across as twee and Hallmark-ish. But here, they work. Stops for food are a master class in Tuscan cuisine and, rather than being constant, come at believable breaks in the story. As for Oscar... he acts like a dog. There's never any real pretense that he knows what's going on beyond living his best life, but he just happens to be extremely helpful while doing so. And funnily enough, the fact that Oscar is just a good boy doing good boy things makes him more lovable, and believable, than a lot of dogs in cozy mysteries.

T.A. Williams started good, but each book gets better. It's gratifying to follow this duo through each new mystery.

TEA PAIRING: Beach Reads
It's cold as all get-out here right now, but sunny Florence demands something summery. This blend of hibiscus, raspberry, and lemon makes a great iced tea. And while I can't vouch for how it would go with Tuscan fare, I imagine it would fit right in. Use my code KARA15 for 15% off this and other teas from Chapters Tea & Co.!

COMIC REVIEW: Before We Sail

BEFORE WE SAIL
by Carlos Yacolca, illustrated by Michelle Lino
Available now

Digital publishing will always be a double-edged sword; but, more than anything, it's a promising tool to help new voices get their work out there. V for Vendetta co-creator David Lloyd uses this to good advantage in his digital magazine Aces Weekly, presenting serialized fiction and comics for a low weekly price. Among the recent stories to appear in its metaphorical pages is Before We Sail, the inaugural work of writer Carlos Yacolca. And this apocalyptic one-shot packs a punch.

The comic follows Jonathan and Kath, two survivors of a globe-spanning apocalypse. Their best hope for survival is to escape Lima and take to the seas. Together, the pair brave pirates, monsters, and (chiefly) their own trauma. Because even if they do make it to safety, is there really a point to it all when the world is falling apart? The story takes place alongside Jonathan's own letters as he ponders this exact question.

As someone who began my tenure as Sci Fi Magazine's book reviewer right in the thick of lockdown, I have read a lot of "COVID Narratives." So I come from a time professionally when zombie and plague metaphors were thick on the ground and, by and large, got very samey. But Before We Sail dodges this in two important ways. First, it's a localized story: while our heroes may be escaping Peru, it's still rooted there - in a place where, frankly, I haven't seen a lot of stories told in English.

Secondly, and most importantly, Before We Sail is timeless. There will always be something happening in the world, and nowadays it feels more than ever like the world is falling apart. But Jonathan and Kath's story never feels like a "period piece" that echoes one tragedy too much. Rather, it looks inward to the effects of those tragedies. Sadly, depression and hopelessness will always be with us. And no matter what we face down, we will always wonder if there's a point to going on. Before We Sail examines those feelings unflinchingly, but it also comes away with an answer of sorts.

Stories like these are why amplifying indie art is so important. Before We Sail will reach you no matter what you're afraid of or what you're going through.

TEA PAIRING: A Dream Within a Dream
There's really not a tea that goes with the end of the world, but this sleepytime blend is very helpful when you need to calm down at the end of a difficult day. Use my code KARA15 for 15% off this and other teas from Chapters Tea & Co.!