Book Reviews for September 2024

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Discover which books I recommend for
kids, teens, and adults, based on my reading this month.

Every September, when the homeschool year begins, I also begin teaching online book clubs.

I love it, but it means that the book lists for my classes consume my reading time. Thankfully, I love reading great children’s literature, and I still try to read a few books just for me!

I’ve included all of my reviews below, so keep scrolling and share what you read this month in the comments!

This post contains affiliate links. Read my full disclosure.

Children’s Books for September 2024

I teach online book clubs for kids, so I always have a list of children’s books that I read for either a current book club or to preview for a future book club.

This month, I added another Christmas book to my reading list so I could preview it for December.

Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow
by Jessica Townsend
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Morrigan Crow was born on Eventide, a most unlucky day, which means she will live a cursed life and then die at midnight on her 11th birthday. She never expects Jupiter North, a strange and remarkable man, to appear on her 11th birthday and rescue her from her horrible fate. He whisks her away to Nevermoor so she can compete for a spot in the Wundrous Society. Now, she must compete in four dangerous and difficult trials, or she’ll be sent back home to face her death.

This was a fun, exciting, and adventurous fantasy story. It has plenty of whimsy, magic, and a unique “cursed child,” which makes it somewhat reminiscent of Harry Potter, but it is also very unique and original. There was plenty of mystery to keep you reading as different pieces of the puzzle continued to unfold. At times, this made Jupiter North a bit frustrating because he wouldn’t answer any of Morrigan’s questions, but it worked to create the mysterious plot in this case.

Plenty of tension exists between various characters as “sides” are forming. Morrigan was a likable main character – conflicted, insecure, hopeful – and I cheered for her. If I didn’t have a stack of books to read, I would dive into book two and continue the adventure. I am sure middle-grade readers will be ready to do just that!

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Diana and Nubia:
Princesses of the Amazons
by Victoria Ying
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Princess Nubia is lonely as the only kid around, so she makes a wish in Hera’s Ear on the night of the solstice. The following day, a strange person is in her bedroom! But no one else thinks that Diana is a stranger. Nubia’s wish seems to have created a new reality, but will she regret it?

I thought this was a fun and creative graphic novel. This simple but fun story includes some great lessons about friendship and teamwork, making it perfect for elementary school students.

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The Wild Robot
by Peter Brown
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

When Roz, the robot, opens her eyes for the first time, she finds herself on a small island with no other robots like herself. They were all destroyed when their cargo boxes washed ashore. Now, she must learn to adapt to the world around her and face the island’s animal inhabitants.

I adore this story and my time on the island with Roz. Watching Roz transform from a lost robot to a vital community member on the island is so much fun. We get to see nature and the animal kingdom through the eyes of a robot, and we learn alongside her. It’s an excellent companion book to any study elementary school study of ecology.

Ultimately, this book is about connection. While Roz isn’t human, she wants to experience a connection to the other creatures on the island, even though they are nothing like her. Slowly, she transforms and becomes more and more like the creatures on the island – she becomes a “wild robot.”

The ending reveals how “compassionate” Roz has become as she thinks of the animals above herself. It was a surprising ending, but it leaves us with hope for what will come in the sequel.

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The Night I Met Father Christmas
Ben Miller
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Jackson wants to know how Father Christmas became Father Christmas, so when he hears him in the house on Christmas Eve, he jumps at the chance to ask! Father Christmas invites Jackson to spend the evening with him and hear the story of Torvil, a mean-spirited elf who discovered the true meaning of Christmas when three visitors gave him a magical glimpse at his life – past, present, and even future!

I loved this “retelling” of A Christmas Carol with its own unique twist. Not only does it make the storyline (and ghosts) more child-friendly, but it’s told using a framed story with Father Christmas as the narrator, which was a ton of fun, too!

The “scary” snowman from the past happens in Chapters 22-25 if parents want to preview that section for their more sensitive readers. I thought it would work for ages 8+ and maybe even younger as a family read-aloud.

This is a wonderful book to add to your holiday children’s collection—it might even become a favorite for years to come!

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Merci Suàrez Changes Gears
Meg Medina
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Merci Suárez begins sixth grade at a private school where she and her brother, Roli, are scholarship students. Merci will navigate the ins and outs of middle school friendships while balancing some situations at home. The book does an excellent job of exploring class, family, friendship, and aging themes.

I picked this one up because it won the Newberry a few years ago, and I am reading Newberry winners currently. I can understand why it won. Merci is a likable character who faces a lot of unique and relatable situations for kids navigating middle school. She lives with her family and her extended family at home, where her grandfather is showing signs of illness that no one will talk about honestly. She struggles with a mean girl at school, a situation with a boy, and feeling left out. Yep, it’s hard being a tween.

It was a little hard for me to get started with this one, but once I got to know everyone and the story was going, I found myself immersed in Merci’s world. Clearly, I am not the audience for the book, so that might have made it more challenging to get into in the beginning, as I was taken back to school picture day—HA!

I enjoyed Merci’s relationship with her family as she navigated a situation with her grandfather. She is trying to figure out what is happening while staying loyal to her granddad. It’s a tricky situation, and I thought it was portrayed very realistically. So many kids feel ready to be included in adult conversations before the adults are ready for them to be included – which is what happens here.

Her family was full of complex characters, each with quirks and personalities. I enjoyed them and their interactions with Merci.

I loved the bike connection in the title, the ending lines, and her mode of transportation in the book. That was fun and will lead to a good online book club discussion with my students.

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YA Books for September 2024

These books are typically for ages 14 and up. Websites such as Common Sense Media can help you make the best decision about the content for your children. I also include a few warnings when needed.

The Martian
Andy Weir
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

The Ares 3 crew of six astronauts must make an emergency evacuation of Mars due to an unusually high wind dust storm. Unfortunately, one crew member, Mark Watney, is impaled by equipment on Mars and left behind by the rest of the crew when his biosensors confirm his death. There is only one problem – Mark didn’t die. Now, he is left to fend for himself on Mars with only the supplies left behind by his crew.

This book is still one of our favorite family read-alouds in this house (for teens). I read it out loud to my 17, 15, and 13-year-olds, and we all loved it. Because I was reading it out loud, I could edit the language, but you can get the classroom edition, which edits it for you.

Mark’s dark and funny sense of humor makes him a likable and relatable character, even though very little about the reality of his situation is relatable. As he works through his problems and finds potential solutions, we come along for the mathematical and scientific ride. While science is complex, the author makes it realistic without feeling overwhelmed.

Love this book and included it in my book club for 14-15 year olds online.

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Adult Books I Read in September 2024

Not one adult book I read this month was a five-star read for me! I hope next month fairs better.

The Lost Story
Meg Shaffer
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Jeremy Cox and Rafe Howell were best friends as young boys. That changed after they went missing for months in a West Virginia State Forest and had no explanation for what happened or how they survived so long in the forest. Now, Rafe is a recluse, while Jeremy has developed an uncanny ability to find missing people. It turns out that Jeremy knows the unbelievable truth about their disappearance, and to save another missing girl, he and Rafe will have to return to the forest again.

I was instantly in love with this fantasy story and the characters. I particularly enjoyed the narrator who interrupted the narrative to fill in with their thoughts and side notes. I was intrigued by the fantasy world – similar to the idea of Narnia. The parallels were very apparent.

The LGBTQ romance was adorable. I’m not a huge fan of romance, but this one was well done and wasn’t graphic. (I am not a fan of spicy details)

This story was such a great read, though the last 1/4 of the book seemed to drag more than the earlier sections. I was also not prepared for the abuse and domestic violence thread that became part of the story at the end. I understand the connections to the larger story and the point of everything, but it was quite a jarring and dark turn.

Overall, I enjoyed the first three-quarters of the book immensely, and I appreciate what the author did with the story in the last quarter. The ending was fun and hopeful, and it left room for your own imagination of what comes next.

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Listen for the Lie
Amy Tintera
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Years ago Lucy was found wandering the streets covered in her best friend’s blood. Everyone is sure she is the killer, but there was never enough evidence found. Now, years later, a popular true-crime podcaster is diving into Lucy’s story for season two. It’s time for Lucy and everyone else in town to revisit that night and discover what really happened.

This book was a fun read, and it kept me engaged throughout the story. I loved the snarky and funny central character. Her great self-deprecating wit entertained me throughout the story.

I also appreciated that there wasn’t a lot of graphic violence or spice, which has become hard to find in many of the adult mysteries and thrillers that I read. There were some, but they weren’t too descriptive for me.

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The Thursday Murder Club
Richard Osman
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

I almost didn’t finish this one, but I pressed through.

DIFFICULTIES:
The narrative jumps around a lot, so keeping track of characters and storylines is hard, especially as you get to know them. And there are quite a few characters to keep track of! More than one murder occurs, so several story threads are going at once, and they cross over, which would be tons of fun if you had time to sort everyone out first.

The storylines drop off suddenly, and you jump to another situation and another person in that situation. Again, it’s interesting once you know who is who, but it’s very difficult in the first half of the book.

PROS:
It was amusing to have a group of retirees solve crimes. Once I got to know them, I enjoyed their personalities and their perspectives on the situations.
—
By the final 1/4 of the book, I was enjoying the story and knew everyone well enough to follow the plot. At that point, I could see myself trying the next book in the series, especially since their ratings are so much higher – possibly due to the same experience I had trying to get to know everyone.

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Mickey 7
Edward Ashton
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

In the future, the human race sends expeditions to attempt to colonize other planets. Mickey joined one of those expeditions as an expendable – an employee who handled dangerous jobs because if he died, a new version could be created using the bioprinter.

Due to a series of unpredictable events, Mickey7 doesn’t die before Mickey8 is created, leading to a complicated problem without an easy solution. In the meantime, life on the new planet isn’t going well as the native species is beginning to make itself known. Mickey7 will be the key to solving both problems.

I thought the premise of this sci-fi was intriguing, especially the technology to reprint human beings, basically making them immortal. It felt realistic, even down to the fact that the process was fraught with religious controversy.

I liked Mickey as a narrator. He was thoughtful and honest. The author did a great job of letting Mickey tell the story while keeping things from the reader that worked better to reveal later in the story.

In the end, this story made me think of Ender’s Game. I don’t want to give away too much, but the theme and conclusion felt similar.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. There were a few odd sexual moments in the story that were not described in any detail, but the actions (such as a threesome) were mentioned. It’s not an issue for an adult, but it would give me pause for a YA reader under 16.

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God of the Woods
Liz Moore
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

A child has gone missing from a summer camp in the Adirondack mountains. As the camp counselors, family, police, and the community begin to search for her, it becomes clear that there is more to the story. In fact, this isn’t the first child from this family to disappear at this same camp. Her brother disappeared fourteen years ago, and there are still questions about his case even though it was closed. Now, several timelines will collide as this mystery (and family drama) unfolds.

I was really looking forward to this one, but I thought it would be more of an “edge-of-your-seat” thriller. While that was my mistake, it set me up mentally for a bit of a letdown. While this story is a mystery/detective, it isn’t a thriller. Instead, it meanders quite a bit and feels unnecessarily wordy.

There are a lot of people to keep track of, but once I had the various timelines and characters straight in my mind, I was pretty engaged in the story. Then it just kept going and going. Personal lives and details were shared about different characters that never really connected to anything. The story began to feel more like a family drama than a mystery.

In the end, the mystery was solved, but it felt pretty unrealistic and unsatisfying (to me). Overall, the writing was beautiful, but I am not into wordy, meandering stories. I am definitely in the minority on this one but it only just made it to three stars for me.

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Mary Wilson

Mary is a writer and mother to four kids ranging from elementary to high school.

She believes that creativity, laughter, and fun are the backbone for engaging and inspiring homeschools. You can find her encouragement and tips on this blog, Mary Hanna Wilson.

She is an enneagram 7 and an extrovert. She enjoys traveling, tea (iced or hot), good conversations, and books. You can connect with her on Instagram and Facebook.

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Book Reviews for September 2024

Children’s Books for September 2024

Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow
by Jessica Townsend
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Diana and Nubia:
Princesses of the Amazons
by Victoria Ying
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

The Wild Robot
by Peter Brown
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

The Night I Met Father Christmas
Ben Miller
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Merci Suàrez Changes Gears
Meg Medina
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️