Let’s go back to the future! We’ll travel forward and backward this month with compelling fiction for all ages—this first one is a prose poem narrative for young readers written by a local writer.
D-39 a Robodog’s Journey by Irene Latham
This dystopian, yet heartwarming, novel-in-verse is by local writer Irene Latham. It’s a fable set in a civil war-torn future U.S. in an imaginary place called Worselands, and things are pretty awful there. Real pet dogs have been outlawed, freedoms are being taken away, too, and violence is everywhere. One day, 12-year-old Klynt Tovis is restoring artifacts in her Museum of Fond Memories when an intriguing antique shows up—a D-39 robodog (the Dog Alive™ company named it that because dogs have 39 chromosomes). As the war makes its way closer, Klynt and D-39 must undertake an epic journey to survive.
Irene says, “When I started this book it was in free verse, with jagged lines. But as I kept tinkering with the story—the same way main character Klynt likes to tinker with the objects in her Museum of Fond Memories, (which was named after the iconic Reed Books in downtown Birmingham). I wasn’t satisfied. I could hear the story whispering to me to try something different … and when the poems settled themselves into prose poems, I knew it was exactly what the book needed!” She adds, “Writing this book was FUN. Poetry is a playground, and this book allowed me to explore. And I got to make up words… A LOT of words! Like greenseason (spring), deathstretch (war), joyslammed (happy) and quirkface (smile). There’s a Glossary at the end of the book, but you probably won’t need it, as context reveals their meanings.”
In addition to being an accomplished poet, Irene is a fantastic teacher. She offers these activities for her young readers: Explore the Discussion Guide that includes activities across the curriculum—and “Poem-Friends” for D-39! Invent Your Own Robodog Activity Sheet, Create Your Own D-39 Junk Journal and Invent Your Own Words Activity Sheet.
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
This is the brand-new, New York Times bestseller by the author of The Martian (which was made into a 2015 movie starring Matt Damon). In Project Hail Mary, a junior high school science teacher becomes an unlikely hero when Earth is threatened by a microscopic lifeform that is draining the Sun of its energy. Dr. Ryland Grace awakens from a medically induced coma lightyears from home—he’s alone on a spaceship except for the corpses of his two crewmates. As his memories slowly return, Dr. Grace realizes that the fate of his planet depends solely on him … or does it? He soon discovers he has company in deep space. Full of cool facts and fun science, this page-turner of an interstellar adventure novel ultimately is a story of friendship and courage and redemption.
The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner
This highly anticipated new novel did not disappoint. With three heroines and two timelines, this is a tale of poison and empowerment. In the twisted alleys of 18th century London, a dark apothecary shop caters to a certain clientele—women who need to get rid of the abusive, oppressive men in their lives. A shadowy figure named Neila compounds what they want—poisons of all sorts. Her business is steady and stealthy until her newest client—a precocious 12-year-old girl makes a grave mistake. Meanwhile, in the present day, an aspiring historian named Caroline is spending her 10th wedding anniversary alone in London, having discovered her husband was cheating on her. While looking for artifacts along the River Thames one day, she stumbles onto a clue to the unsolved apothecary murders that took place in the city 200 years ago. Suddenly ,her life and those of the two women from long ago are intertwined in ways she never could have imagined.
Sweet Lamb of Heaven by Lydia Millet
This is an older novel (2016), but it reads like it was written last year. Told in intimate first person, it’s a creepy, apocalyptic story of a young mother named Anna who is fleeing her cold and controlling and unfaithful husband, a successful businessman who is now running for public office. Ned chases Anna and their six-year-old daughter from Alaska to a dingy motel in Maine so the three can appear as a normal, happy family for his campaign. But not much is normal here—certainly not Ned, who becomes more and more threatening, and unpredictable, not the other motel guests who are united by more than their desire for a relaxing seaside vacation, and not even Anna who has a history of hearing voices. When Ned’s efforts go from creepy to criminal, Anna begins to lose her grip on reality. The kindness of strangers is the only thing that will ultimately save her and her daughter. Millet is the bestselling author of a dozen award-winning books including A Children’s Bible.
I link to Amazon to show you exactly what book I’m talking about, but I love to shop locally at Church Street Coffee and Books, The Alabama Booksmith, Little Professor Book Center, and I often visit my local library.
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