Elana K. Arnold

First-person narrator Harriet Wermer was looking forward to her summer, but there's a surprise change in plans: her mother, pregnant with the baby sibling no one asked Harriet if she wanted, has to be on bed rest, so Harriet's dad is taking her to Marble Island, where his mom lives. Harriet - and her cat Matzo Ball - will stay with Nanu and help run the B&B, whether she wants to or not.

Harriet is justifiably upset about this change in plans, equal parts mad and sad - but mad is easier. show more Crabby Harriet doesn't always treat those around her with kindness, and she sometimes lies, but she becomes intrigued by a key she finds cleaning out her Nanu's shed, and is determined to find out what it opens.

A story of acceptance, curiosity, and growth, with a flawed but lovable protagonist, an interesting setting (Marble Island is off the coast of California), and a minor subplot about birds and how one of their major predators is housecats.

Quotes

I don't understand; weren't grown-ups kids, before they were grown-ups? Do they all get, like, grown-up amnesia or something? (4)

A key that doesn't have a lock to open is a pretty sad thing, if you ask me. (138)

It seemed that every mystery I solved led to even bigger mysteries. (163)

"...sometimes, a key fits more than one lock." (Mable Marble, 186)

Why is it sometimes so much easier to say things that aren't true than to say things that are true, that are the most true? (191)

None of this was what I thought my summer would be like.....Yet here I was.
I could be mad about it. Or maybe I could be curious instead. (195) show less

Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book, I received a copy from Edelweiss for review.

Story (5/5): Okay, at first when I started this I wondered what I had gotten myself into...this is marketed as YA but has very adult descriptions of blood, gore, sex acts, and some brutal bullying. There is definitely a heavy theme of both strong women and how society has constantly subdued women throughout the ages. This book really makes you think, even as is draws you into a very visceral story of show more friendship, family, and what happens to boys that just go wrong. The boys turning into wolves seems to be both a magical and metaphorical thing throughout this story. I also loved all the parallels between this and Little Red Riding Hood as well as other fairy tales.

Characters (5/5): I loved Bisou's character, she is brave and fierce in a quiet way. I loved her sweet boyfriend and her lonely, yet strong, Aunt who takes care of her. I also loved the troubled and strong girls/woman Bisou ends up befriending.

Setting (4/5): This book is set in a contemporary small town setting and in the woods surrounding that town. The setting was well done but not the focus of the story.

Writing Style (5/5): The deeper I got into this book, the more I was impressed by Arnold's writing style and the way she didn't flinch from anything. I could not put this down and was completely invested in this book very quickly.

Summary (5/5): Overall this was an incredibly intense read that was brutal and not all comfortable to read. However, it was also thought-provoking, engaging, and absolutely masterfully written. I loved it and plan on picking up more of Arnold's books. First I think I will pick up Damsel, which I know garnered a lot of controversy for a number of reasons. It's so refreshing to run across an author that is so unflinching, so artistically talented, and not scared to cut right to the heart of things. show less

I'm planning to read a trio of Red Riding Hood retellings this month, and this one is first. To my surprise, the first section of this novel is a second person narrative, and this is the best version of a second person I've read! I was a huge fan of all of the main characters (even the boy!), the multigenerational family, and the wisdom passed from grandmother to mother to daughter. I will place this in a group with Jane Doe and The Last Mrs. Parrish and Cackle as a certain kind of thriller show more and girl energy that I just adore. As Sybil says, "Let's not keep the secrets of bad men." INDEED. This is a contemporary story woven through with magic both dark and bright. Recommend for all who love a fierce girl/a fierce grandma who has simply had enough toxic masculinity! Audio narration by January LaVoy was absolutely perfect. show less

Confined to their home during Covid-19 lockdowns in this engaging picture book from author Elana K. Arnold and illustrator Doug Salati, a family becomes bored and restless, and takes a walk in the park to relieve the tedium. Here they discover two abandoned duck eggs in the lake, and taking them home, place them in an incubator provided by their neighbor. With wildlife rehabilitation shelters only open in emergencies, they must try to hatch the eggs themselves, waiting and watching for the show more duckling to emerge...

Published in 2022 but set a little earlier, and based on something which happened in the author's family, Pip and Zip depicts that crazy time when the whole world was on lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and many of us were mostly homebound. Arnold captures the sense of tedium during that period, as well as the sense of waiting and watching, and highlights how important something as simple as getting out and taking a walk could be. While the cultural and historical settings is of interest here, so too is the narrative around Pip and Zip, and how the family takes good care of the eggs they find. With the note at the end emphasizing the importance of taking found eggs and animals to rehabilitators, this title would make an excellent addition to a unit on humane education, teaching how to behave responsibly and help wildlife. The accompanying illustrations, drawn in pencil and colored digitally, impressed me more in its animal depictions than human ones, which is consistent with my experience of Salati's artwork. Recommended to picture book readers looking for stories set during the Covid-19 pandemic and/or dealing with helping wildlife. show less