Kathryn Reiss

When I started this, I thought "oh man, American Girl's about to teach kids about communes: let's see how well this goes in chapterbook format" but, it was really well crafted- a mystery with multiple potential suspects (and enough tells to indicate some obvious ones were red herrings but still stringing the reader along) and planting some seeds for young readers to think about how farm communities can change to stay afloat while not betraying their structure. Like [b:The Tangled Web: A show more Julie Mystery|4520292|The Tangled Web A Julie Mystery (American Girl Mysteries)|Kathryn Reiss|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1416035167l/4520292._SX50_.jpg|4569374], the Vietnam War floats indirectly as the reason why some of the adults have made certain choices, but as Julie is a 10 year old, she doesn't know the nitty gritty details of that. show less

One of the unintentional themes of my 2019 reading is a review of juvenile Asian American historical fiction that I've read or wish I could've read when I was younger, and this is the third book so far that's covered the Angel Island detainment experience ([b:The Fire Horse Girl|14746310|The Fire Horse Girl|Kay Honeyman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1358879637l/14746310._SX50_.jpg|20395318] is decidedly YA; [b:The Dragon's Child: A Story of Angel show more Island|2651237|The Dragon's Child A Story of Angel Island|Laurence Yep|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348607341l/2651237._SY75_.jpg|2097030] is biographical and I feel like the Jimmy Yep character might be a nod to Laurence here).

As with the other Julie books, I really wish Ivy had been the lead here- while I do respect Julie as a character, and she's the perfect proxy for most readers (who I assume are predominantly white and/or not aware of Asian American history) it's a little strange that she's putting forth all this effort and energy into solving the mystery behind what happened to Ivy's grandmother's friend. Maybe because it's a distraction from the kinda-on-the-nose parallel in her own home with a newcomer coming to stay with them for a few months? I haven't read the Marie Grace and Cecile books yet, but I do wonder if a co-lead series would've worked here. Ivy was/is the only Asian American historical character (something I desperately wanted as a kid in the '90s), but isn't currently available except via this and her own bonus book. It sometimes feels like there's an assumption that Asian Americans are recent immigrant waves with no discernible history, but we've had a presence in North America for over a century and a half despite the "best" efforts of xenophobic policy makers attempting to block immigration.

Still, this book is well-written and the Chinatown elders being reluctant to revisit painful parts of the past rings true to the tight lips encountered when asking my aunties questions about my own Gung-gung and Po-po who passed before I was born. Early on we get a good introduction to the kind of questions immigration officials asked detainees with Po Po's crib sheet from her mother- how many steps in the stairs of your house? How many houses on your street? Who was your teacher, and where did they live? I've read the transcripts for one of my great-grandfather's interview and they really WERE that intense. Introducing young readers to the first immigration restrictions in the United States is a crucial reminder as we repeat history of detaining some immigrants for unspecified amounts of time in an unnecessarily cruel and arbitrary system.

Probably should have some more words for Julie herself here too- unlike [b:Good Luck, Ivy|976423|Good Luck, Ivy (American Girls Julie)|Lisa Yee|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348021531l/976423._SX50_.jpg|961319] or [b:Happy New Year, Julie 1974|1840745|Happy New Year, Julie 1974 (American Girls Julie #3)|Megan McDonald|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1347806474l/1840745._SX50_.jpg|1840961] it definitely has the period vibe (Julie's sister Tracy is on the school committee for the Valentine Disco, one of Andrew Ling's friends is really into the Green Hornet (but why not Kato? Though I'd guess that's probably Andrew's fave because he was played by Bruce Lee!), phone accessibility, etc.) How groovy. I didn't recognize two of Julie's school friends, and I wonder if they're from the other Julie mystery books? There wasn't a specific order so I kind of went specifically for the one that I knew I'd be interested in.

tl;dr I really liked this but I'm still frustrated that Ivy isn't the main character and that this also could've been an #ownvoices book (and sure, to answer an inevitable "why don't you write what you want to see" I could try but cribbing from family history would take some digging and I know that's not entirely mine to share, but! I know I'm far from the only 3 gen ABC) show less

Violet, the youngest of the triplets, wants nothing more than to be just like her sisters. But to the rest of her family, she will always be Baby, the one who needs looking after because of her weak heart. And, now that a series of earthquakes is hitting the Bay Area, she’s the one that’s terrified of quakes. However, when each quake hit, Violet receives a mysterious message written during the months surrounding the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Each letter takes Violet a step closer to show more solving the mystery of “V” and Hal’s romance. As Violet gathers more clues, she becomes more confident and self-reliant. In the end, Violet must prevent a tragedy from happening and face her fears.

PaperQuake is a slow-paced mystery that takes some time to really capture the reader’s attention. Violet is somewhat flat at the start of the book, focusing only on her sisters and how she compares to them. However, as the plot develops, we begin to see more of Violet’s relationships with other characters – her parents, her best friend, and her new neighbor, Sam – and as a result, Violet grows as a person. Readers may have trouble with the dialogue, if only because it seems somewhat forced at times. The mystery, which has supernatural elements, is intriguing and will keep readers guessing. The ending is also somewhat open, leaving readers to decide for themselves about Laela’s actions in the past. Though it has its weak spots, PaperQuake is a fun read and an involving mystery. show less

Cleaning through my library pile for the end of the year! Also feeling a tad completionist since i've read other Julie mysteries and should just get through them all.

The Silver Guitar is a classic whodunnit when a precious cultural artifact (not!JimiHendrix's guitar) goes missing before an auction to benefit sea birds dying from an oil spill in San Francisco's bay. Suspects include the rich people's live-in nephew, the nosy neighbor, the housekeeper, and the skateboard kid, among others. show more Julie also learns that the world isn't black and white and even though it'd be nice to paint the oil tankers as evil, maybe they had a bad day doing their jobs so society can continue to be fueled (but also heyyyy oil companies have definitely contributed to stifling moves to prevent climate catastrophe so maybe a mixed lesson here). show less