January’s Result – The House with Chicken Legs by Sophie Anderson
This ended up being my second Sophie Anderson read in three months! I read The Castle of Tangled Magic in October 2022 as part of Cybils judging. The House with Chicken Legs, however, had been on my TBR for over four years.
I think I can confidentally say at this point, having read Anderson’s debut and her latest, that her books are not for me. The covers are lovely, the premises sound like just my thing, but the protagonists, writing style and plots do little for me. Although nothing wowed or moved or delighted me, there’s nothing particularly bad about either book. I enjoyed the bit where Marinka learns more about herself, but found the rest of the story poorly paced.
It can be difficult to describe the abscence of something. Now that I’m reading Kelly Barnhill’s The Witch’s Boy, I can identify much more clearly what I love in middle grade fantasy that is missing in The House with Chicken Legs. But I think I’ll save that for its own post ;P Anway, I may yet recommend The House with Chicken Legs to readers who are particularly keen on Slavic folk/fairy tale reimaginings.
June’s Selection
Continuing on with middle grade, June’s theme is Bit About Books Summer Reading Challenge. This is a bit of a departure from the “I can’t believe I haven’t read that yet” ethos as most of these books are 2023 releases but whatever~ I have selected four books from Laurie and Kathie’s suggested titles which are also on my TBR. I haven’t exactly pinned down how I’m going to participate in this challenge (see image on the right for options) or what my goal is for middle grade reading over the summer, so this should be a good start!
- The Circus of Stolen Dreams by Lorelei Savaryn (Pandemic Promotions)
- A Season Most Unfair by J. Anderson Coats (Historical)
- The Song of Us by Kate Fussner (Novels in Verse)
- Turtles of the Midnight Moon by Maria Jose Fitzgerald (Debut)
Which book should I read in June? Or more likely July, as three of these titles are currently ‘on order’ at my library, though my most recent holds came in just six weeks after the publication date, so maybe the library is catching up 🙃 Vote on the poll below or by leaving a comment on this post. I can’t tell who voted on Twitter, so if you’re really keen you can vote in the comments AND on Twitter 😜 Voting closes on 6 June.
So many great covers in these ones and also I’ve heard of none of them before! So look forward to your thoughts. My vote is for Turtles of the Midnight Moon
It’s a tie between CIRCUS and TURTLES! Going to do another quick poll on Twitter.
I liked Spindle and Dagger by J. Anderson Coats and I’d read another book by this author. I don’t know any of the others so I’m going to vote for “A Season Most Unfair” (although I am not wild about the title).
Thanks Lory! I ended up reading THE CIRCUS OF STOLEN DREAMS, but I still have A SEASON MOST UNFAIR on hold at the library. The only other book I read by Coats is THE GREEN CHILDREN OF WOOLPIT, which I loved and recommended if you’d like some middle grade historical fantasy.