Mar 12 2025

Bitsy Bat, Team Star by Kaz Windness

Bitsy Bat loves school, but is a little worried when new kid Enzo Owl threatens to take the Fastest Flier title away from her. Concerned that her friends will no longer think she’s special, she hyperfocuses on proving that she’s the best. But when race day comes and one of her classmates winds up in trouble, will she be able to sacrifice her ego and remember the importance of being a good friend?

Fairly standard description of any kids’ book trying to teach its readers the importance of being a good team player. What makes Bitsy Bat, Team Star stand out, however, is the fact that both Bitsy and Enzo are neurodivergent in ways that present differently, with classmates who may also have different learning challenges. I never really realized until reading this how few kids’ books feature multiple children with special needs. At best, you can find just one such child navigating everyday life, but that’s definitely not the case in the real world. I’m not even the most involved parent when it comes to my kids’ school life, but I do know that there are entire classes of sweet, hard-working kids who just need some extra support in getting through the school day.

So it’s super refreshing to read this picture book and find such excellent representation of autistic kids and kids with disabilities. The challenges they face are pretty universal — in this case, fighting insecurity, jealousy and selfishness — but with care taken to show how neurodivergency makes it harder for some kids to self-regulate their involuntary responses. More importantly, it models the sensible way to help kids learn how to cope with their big feelings, so that they can grow up to be better adjusted friends and adults.

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/03/12/bitsy-bat-team-star-by-kaz-windness/

Mar 11 2025

Dreamover by Dani Diaz

Oh, young love! Amber and Nico have been best friends since the third grade, along with the other member of their little trio, Drew. During the last week of eighth grade, all three of them go on a field trip to Funnerland with the rest of their class. Their good friends Stella and Grace (who happen to be a couple as well) hang out with them as they enjoy the beach and boardwalk.

While Drew, Stella and Grace snooze on the sand, Amber and Nico hit the arcades, where they eventually (and adorably) admit their feelings for one another. The summer that follows is the best of their young lives, as they sink into the wonders of young love and first romance. Amber wistfully wishes that that summer could last forever.

Alas, high school is both imminent and inevitable. The upperclassmen make fun of all five of them, and Nico withdraws even further into himself. But perhaps of more concern for their friendships is the way that Amber and Nico begin cutting themselves off from the rest of their friends. Texts go unanswered, and group hangs devolve into one absenting themself to spend time with the other. Their friends try to be understanding, but the tension is still there.

Amber and Nico are happy to continue their tradition of sleepovers from back before they were romantically involved, tho their parents still do keep a weather eye on them. But one night, after a particularly intense video game session, the couple falls asleep on the couch in the basement. They wake to find themselves in the video game, and set off on a series of adventures that, at first, seem like everything they’ve ever wanted. As real world concerns filter into their dreams, however, the young lovers’ fears and insecurities will come to the forefront. Will they and their relationship be able to survive what they discover about one another?

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/03/11/dreamover-by-dani-diaz/

Mar 10 2025

True Gretch: Young Adult Edition by Gretchen Whitmer

with Lisa Dickey. Subtitled Lessons for Anyone Who Wants to Make a Difference.

Despite being fairly politically informed, I wasn’t super familiar with Governor Gretchen Whitmer until the news of her attempted kidnapping and murder made national headlines. Even then, her policies didn’t (and still don’t, as most if not all of my Midwestern friends are from every state but Michigan) affect my daily life, so I didn’t pay much attention beyond acknowledging that she’s thankfully on the right side of history in her continued dedication to progressive causes.

And then this book landed on my desk, and y’all! I have a crush!

Because Big Gretch, as she’s fondly known on social media, is delightful! Granted, this is an autobiography, where the charm is of necessity turned up to 11. But in addition to the usual flattering chapters about herself and her life and career to date, she takes on a surprising number of honest but unfashionable stances that she simply doesn’t have to. Whether it’s about admitting mistakes or being able to say “I’m sorry”, her honesty, decency and commitment to public service shine through in a way that feels both genuine and unfortunately rare in this current political climate.

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/03/10/true-gretch-young-adult-edition-by-gretchen-whitmer/

Mar 07 2025

Whatever Happened To Frankie King by Jay Neugeboren & Eli Neugeboren

I don’t even remember how I first heard about Frankie King, the 1950s basketball phenom who seemingly disappeared from his own life before being revealed decades later as the bestselling author of cozy cat mysteries written under a female pen name. But I did read Jay Neugeboren’s terrific article for The American Scholar on the subject, and was absolutely enthralled by the mystery of it all. I was thus super excited to hear that Mr Neugeboren was coming up with a graphic biography that would dive even deeper into the subject.

So it’s a pity that the graphic format does not end up serving the story that Mr Neugeboren chooses to tell in these pages. I hesitate to blame this on the format, especially as the book has terrific momentum in the beginning before stalling out around the time that Frankie quits basketball, almost as if echoing its subject’s trajectory. Writing for comics is not an easy or necessarily intuitive skill, after all. The decision to cut from perspective to perspective is executed in a way that’s nowhere near as smoothly done as in Mr Neugeboren’s original article, especially given how the narrative also shifts haphazardly back and forth in time in this longer-form book. Capping the story after Frankie’s death with another oral history from someone who went to school with him could be considered a recapitulation of the theme… if there wasn’t then a coda specifically about a scene from one of his books, followed by an arguably unnecessary synopsis of the entire biography. Sure this is a great way to write a symphony — and arguably a standard way to write a scholarly paper — but for the graphic novel format, it feels weirdly condescending both to readers and to itself. It’s as if the author did not expect to be able to grip the reader’s attention enough with the many diversions in the body of the text, thereby necessitating multiple recaps. The organization of the book is all a bit of a head-scratcher, and one that only highlights how little we really know about our protagonist and the seemingly odd choices he made throughout his relatively long and storied life.

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/03/07/whatever-happened-to-frankie-king-by-jay-neugeboren-eli-neugeboren/

Mar 06 2025

I’m Lucky To Have My Parents by Radostina Nikolova & Yana Popova

What a moving, necessary book. I fully admit that I’m not terribly cognizant of the existing literature on the topic in the English language, but I’m super glad that Papercutz had this translated from the original Bulgarian (courtesy of Borislava Pancheva) in order to reach a wider audience.

That topic is how kids can deal with parents who no longer want to be married to each other and who, indeed, go on to start new families with other people. The book begins simply enough with a young girl enjoying spending time with each of her parents, who have their strengths and weaknesses but who nonetheless love their daughter with all their hearts. Their child narrates how sometimes her parents get along, but more often don’t. She does her best to bridge the gap between them, and is heartbroken when that isn’t enough to keep them together.

Their separation makes her sad and angry, and has her questioning why they can’t all be happy again together. Mom does her best to explain that sometimes people want different things, but it doesn’t mean that they don’t love their daughter very much. More importantly, Mom tells her that it’s okay to feel all her feelings and to express them.

And soon our narrator does find herself experiencing happiness again, as her parents move on from one another but always, always ensure that their daughter knows that she is loved and supported, no matter how their family changes and grows. It’s a very important lesson, not only for kids but for parents who might need reminding that kids are people in their own right, not just vestiges of former partners and relationships. Don’t even get me started on people who leave kids behind when they split up. As Cher’s dad said in Clueless, one of the best movies ever, “You divorce wives, not children.”

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/03/06/im-lucky-to-have-my-parents-by-radostina-nikolova-yana-popova/

Mar 05 2025

A Song for You and I, by K. O’Neill

on the cover of A Song for You and I by K O'Neill, two smiling figures lean against eachother on a flowering hillside. One plays the fiddle and one holds a bow, as a pegasus flies above them A Song for You and I, the enchanting new graphic novel by K. O’Neill, is now available! As in O’Neill’s previous graphic novels, such as the Tea Dragon trilogy and The Moth Keeper, lush and quiet worldbuilding is balanced with characters who are searching for meaning in their own lives, finding connection with each other and the natural world.

In A Song for You and I, we meet a novice ranger named Rose, who is absolutely at the top of the class. We learn pretty early on that this novice ranger would prefer to be called Rowan, so that’s what I’ll call them for the rest of the review, even though that shift doesn’t happen immediately in the book.

As the novice rangers are assigned their final postings before inscribing their names on the gate and becoming full rangers, Rowan chafes a bit to be assigned an easy posting—because unlike the rest of the class, Rowan doesn’t really need to prove anything at this point.

Rowan’s job is to soar around a beautiful meadow on their flying horse, keeping an eye out for any dangers. It’s a sweet gig, and Rowan is very bored with it. It seems a young shepherd in the meadow is also bored with his own duties, as he frequently ignores them to play his violin instead.

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/03/05/a-song-for-you-and-i-by-k-oneill/

Mar 04 2025

The Tides Of Time by Sarah M Eden (EXCERPT)

Hi, readers! Today we have an excerpt from a terrific time-travel romance (rated G!) by USA Today bestselling author Sarah M Eden. The Tides of Time is the first in a proposed series of swoony historical novels perfect for anyone looking for an escape from the nightmare of the modern day.

In 1793 France, Lili Minet boards a ship bound for England, making a desperate escape from the clutches of Robespierre’s Revolutionary Tribunal. When a violent storm hits, it not only throws Lili overboard but launches her eighty years into the future, leaving her stranded in unfamiliar 1873 England.

Rescued from the sea by lighthouse keeper Armitage Pierce, Lili struggles to trust her savior while guarding the secrets of her extraordinary journey. Armitage does not anticipate her silent, cold response to his gallant efforts. As Armitage’s grandfather offers her solace and understanding, Lili begins to heal, and a fragile bond grows between her and Armitage.

But the shadows of her past refuse to stay buried. The same danger that forced Lili to flee Revolutionary France threatens her new life, putting her love and her future at risk. Together, Lili and Armitage must face the ultimate challenge: whether their bond is strong enough to overcome the perils of time and history itself.

Read on for an excerpt, which reveals intriguing secrets about Lili’s journey!

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/03/04/the-tides-of-time-by-sarah-m-eden-excerpt/

Mar 03 2025

Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito

Happy Women’s History Month, readers! To begin with, let’s look at an arresting novella about a young woman who refuses to play by the rules of Victorian England, no matter the cost to herself or to anyone around her.

Winifred Notty is a troubled soul. Raised by a mother driven to madness by the intolerable pressures of society and a father who cannot reconcile Winifred’s intractable nature with his own belief in God, she’s made her way from one governess posting to the next, indulging her predilection for gore and violence while nimbly eluding justice. When she arrives at the countryside estate of the Pounds family, it’s with a hidden agenda that she readily hides behind a simpering smile and a dedication to proving herself as agreeable to everyone as she’d advertised when she first began maneuvering for this position.

The ancestral home of the Pounds is inhabited by the phrenology-obsessed Mr Pounds, the self-absorbed Mrs Pounds, the anemic teenager Drusilla and the younger, coddled heir Andrew. In addition to pretending to teach the children skills deemed useful by their social set, Winifred has to balance Mr Pounds’ undue interest in her with Mrs Pounds’ simmering jealousy. At night, Winifred explores Ensor Hall, examining portraits of ancestors and searching for hidden passageways. Through it all, she tamps down the darkness that keeps urging her to bite and to kill, as she waits for the perfect time to launch her surprise for the Pounds, their houseguests and assorted servants, all gathered at the manor for Christmas.

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/03/03/victorian-psycho-by-virginia-feito/

Mar 02 2025

Autocracy, Inc. by Anne Applebaum

Agreeing with Anne Applebaum tends to worry me. Her book Gulag is well regarded (Pulitzer Prize, for example), but I found that the closer it got to the present day and events that I knew a fair amount about, the more tendentious and rightward-slanted I thought her account. That made me uncertain about the earlier parts of the book. She’s published a large amount of reporting and opinion, which in my view also ranges from further right than I agree with to tendentious misreading of events and deliberate misconstruing opposing positions. But credit where credit is due: in Autocracy, Inc. she offers a clear-eyed assessment of the kleptocratic dictators who rule numerous and occasionally important countries, and who would like to extend their influence over a much greater swathe of the world. Some are notionally leftist, such as Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela; others are unabashedly rightist, such as Vladimir Putin; traits that they share include contempt for liberal democracy, commitment to using state resources for personal enrichment, indifference to the lives of their countries’ citizens, and a willingness to support and learn from fellow autocrats.

Autocracy Inc. by Anne Applebaum

Autocracy, Inc. zips through the background, examples and ideas in 150 pages. In the book’s final 25 pages, Applebaum describes what she thinks citizens can do to stop Autocracy Incorporated. This brevity and directness are two of the book’s virtues. Though it describes how global interdependence has been turned into a weapon by this era’s autocrats, it is not a scholarly tome, nor even an accessible version of academic work on the subject. While I think Oilver Bullough is a better storyteller, his two books on autocracy-adjacent subjects — Moneyland and Butler to the World — have a more narrow focus. Applebaum is painting the big picture. Further, both of Bullough’s books pre-date Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. That war has tightened connections among the autocrats and sped up their learning, and Applebaum’s account is a better description of the current situation.

Applebaum gives her readers one of the key insights right at the beginning: contemporary dictators are no longer stand-alone villains. Though there is no overarching ideology as there was among Communists during the Cold War, the autocrats work with each other for mutual benefit. They may be more a syndicate than a corporation, but the different branches of Autocracy Inc. know they have more in common with each other than any of them do with liberal democracies, and they act on that knowledge. That makes overturning any one of them difficult for strictly domestic opposition.

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/03/02/autocracy-inc-by-anne-applebaum/

Mar 01 2025

From a Far and Lovely Country by Alexander McCall Smith

Stop in and have some tea with Mma Ramotswe, or maybe head out to the orphan farm for a piece of Mma Potokwani’s fruitcake, or perhaps head into downtown Gaborone for lunch at the President Hotel with a side order of people-watching. In many ways, the books of the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series are extended periods of people-watching in a part of a big city that’s small enough to be a village. Readers don’t see every person in every novel, but the village’s leading characters will be there, as will some new people who have come to visit, or to present the agency with a new case.

From a Far and Lovely Country by Alexander McCall Smith

In From a Far and Lovely Country, one of the new cases turns up unexpectedly, outside of office hours, and outside of the office for that matter. Mr J.L.B. Matekoni has taken Mma Ramotswe to a new peri-peri restaurant for her birthday, a birthday that he and apparently everyone else in Mma Ramotswe’s immediate circle spent the first couple of chapters forgetting. “And that is not what a good husband does.” (p. 41) Not quite everyone: Mma Potokwani had made a fruitcake for her, and it is in some way thanks to her that the woman with case came over and spoke to Mma Ramotswe in the restaurant.

As the proprietor went off to fetch the other customer [who had told him she would like to speak to the detective], Mr J.L.B. Matekoni lowered his voice and said to Mma Ramotswe, “You are too soft-hearted, Mma. You cannot take all the problems of the world onto your shoulders.”
“You cannot be sure that this lady wants to talk to me about a problem.”
He shook his head in disbelief. “But she must do,” he argued. “Why else would somebody who doesn’t know you want to speak to you in the middle of a restaurant?2
“For any number of reasons,” said Mma Ramotswe, although she was struggling to think of one. (p. 47)

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/03/01/from-a-far-and-lovely-country-by-alexander-mccall-smith/