Not since Harry Potter have I enjoyed a magical book this much! The protagonist is 12 year old Vicky or Victoria once her emotions have been removed to ease the pain over her family’s murders. Victoria is bound and determined to find who murdered her family and why.

Vicky’s mother, Kat, had once been the chief guard of the Glass Queen, but the loving queen changed years ago. Kat’s friends from her younger days, will help Vicky achieve her goal.

Oh, did I mention, there are gargoyles and kelpies in this story to help Vicky, along with the use of protection spells.

Victoria is one formidable young lady. She does not mince words in dealing with those who try to keep her from her goal. Victoria does acquire some help from a few students who have been instructed to watch out for her, but she does not make working with her enjoyable, at first.

Enjoy the murder mystery, the friendships, the personal strengths, and the magical animals from the Netherwhere – “Small acts of love, of loyalty, of justice were adding up…like ripples. A small act flowed into a towering wave–and that was true in any world.” (256)

Dog scientist, Alexandra Horowitz, provides background on the relationship between dogs and humans. Basically A. Horowitz tells us people like to have dogs around them and people often thrust their own feelings and wants into thinking that is what their dog is feeling/ thinking. “As a scientist, I don’t yet have a way to test what a dog is feeling. Instead, I can observe what a dog does.” (138) Scientific method is outlined with an example from one of her studies. No amazing results revealed. I understand that science is slow, too slow though for what I would have liked to have learned from spending my time reading this book. There are a few themes repeated several times through the course of this book: breeding pure bred dogs more often than not is harmful to the dogs’ health and well-being. A second one, being as much as we like to think of our dog as a member of our family, under the law, a dog is a piece of property having no rights. The first time through these themes are thought provoking, but then become redundant.

I can only hope the adult version of this book has more weight to it.

“We must figure out if some of our ideas about dogs are out-of-date or simply wrong.” (165) I felt the time I spent on this book was simply wrong for the amount of wishful thinking for new information I hoped would be revealed.

This is the super deluxe version of the plot- tween girl gets placed with unknown relative because her own mother is currently not capable of caring for her.

Super deluxe because there are two similar parallel plots lines taking place simultaneously and intertwined between the two main characters, Reenie and Rufus. This is a gourmet read.

The first plot line begins in the Prologue with a hatchling Great Horned Owl. The second plot line deals with Reenie who is being placed with her father’s aunt (there is no other mention of a father in the entire book). The chapters go back and forth between Reenie and Rufus (a Great Horned Owl hatchling) who have both temporarily lost their mothers.

Rufus’s chapters are written from his point-of-view using such words as: wing-toes for fingers, human nest for house, monster for motor vehicle, furless creatures for humans, and Brown Frizz for Reenie.

Along the way, Reenie must move to a new school where she very cautiously makes two friends, something she has not had, due to trust issues, in quite some time. The new friends are grouped together on a research project. Here the two plots intertwine in a new way when Reenie’s Great Aunt Bea, a falconer who works as a vet tech, rescues a young injured great horned owl, and Reenie’s portion of the project will involve falconry, and Rufus.

“I’m smiling and crying, happy and sad, so many feelings, all real, all at once.” (272)

Middle school is a tough time for many students, but especially if they have problems with social anxiety. Mix that in with having a father who just began running from the police for dealing marijuana (this story is set in Halifax, Nova Scotia) and a mentally unstable mother who entered the hospital, both on your thirteenth birthday. Oh, so sorry Brian. Now Brian and his younger brother are being put into foster care, at least for the time being.

Brian and Ezra were on the same basketball team last winter. They think they can call each other a friend, but Brian is so quiet, shy even, that it is difficult to tell. Ezra does say, “Hi,” to Brian and Brian will try to give a response back.

Then, there is Ezra who is figuring out his sexual orientation is different from his other friends from grade school. How will Ezra’s friends react if-and-when Ezra tells them. One of these friends is all about having a girl friend and wants Ezra to notice a specific girl who is interested in him. Oh, Ezra.

Fate has put Brian and Ezra together just as author Chad Lucas has by assigning all odd numbered chapters to Brian and all even numbered chapters to Ezra. Fate has been kind to both Brian and Ezra in doing this.

When foster care is extremely difficult to handle, especially because of Brian’s past birthday and Brian stands up for himself to a school bully, Brian finally takes matters into his own hands. Brian and his younger brother run away. While Brian’s running away is on a ‘need-to-know’ basis at school, the police officer and his social worker, are involved. Brian’s mother, Brian’s father’s good friend, and eventually Ezra round out the team who convince Brian to return ‘home’.

“A little kindness goes a long way” (p. 124) and this story will definitely have readers wanting kindness to win!

Two little ants, Leaf and Lou, learn from their friend Gramma Tinker the second half of a Lappert Moth’s life cycle from caterpillar to adult moth. (So this is not your typical gorgeous butterfly getting all the ‘ooohs’ and ‘aaaahs’.) The WINGMAKER in the title refers to the metamorphosis, inventor and caterpillar, Gramma Tinker is about to undergo on her way to becoming an adult moth. Illustrator David Huyck helps fill us in on the information Gramma Tinker learns along the way from her guests a fly, a hummingbird, and a bat in the notes she is writing down in her notebook. The facial expressions are cute but I was not always quite up to speed on the silk weaving Gramma Tinker was doing do prepare herself for her two week sleep into mothhood.

People of color usually come to mind when I think of Diverse Books, but while this novel has some of that, it is mostly about a person with a disability – wheelchair bound from the age of two by way of a car accident.

Natalie Beacon, age 13 years, has just arrived in New Jersey with her parents from San Francisco, CA. This family move leaves the Beacons not knowing anyone in this new town. While Nat’s father is busy talking with the Redker’s College wheelchair racing team coach to get Nat signed up for the team and thus a new set of friends, Nat discovers a poster calling for open auditions to the summer production of WICKED. Nat loves musicals and wants to be in one in the worst way. Obstacle, Nat. You are in a wheelchair. Do not try something new that is going to let you down and get your feelings hurt. Stay with wheelchair racing. You are good at that.

The Chance to Fly is a coming of age story with the obstacles of over protective parents, making new friends in a new town, trying something new (live theater) you have wanted for a long time, and how to make people see Natalie the person and not just see a girl in a wheelchair. Obstacle after obstacle Nat takes them on, sometimes secretly, sometimes with her heart in her throat, and sometimes with a yell and a scream. Sounds like a thirteen year old right?

Co-written by Stacy Davidowitz, of the Camp Rolling Hills series, and Ali Stroker, a Tony Award winning actor bound to a wheelchair herself, this book is a shear delight for tweens, extra especially if they enjoy live theater.