Book Review: The Book of Boy

"The Book of Boy," by Catherine Gilbert Murdock is an adventurous middle grade novel that dabbles in religion, fantasy, history, and a touch of philosophy.

Boy is a humble goat herder who is ridiculed for the hump on his back.  Boy is called a monster wherever he goes, and he believes them. He doesn't touch his hump or even look at it, keeping it covered by his cloak day and night.

When a pilgrim arrives and asks him to join him on a quest to steal the relics of St. Peter, Boy doesn't want to go. That quickly changes and their journey becomes a quest for salvation, for both of them.

Boy is a lovable character who goes through a miraculous transition. And we are cheering for him all along the way, along with the herds of animals who stop to help him. Who wouldn't want to wake up in a pile of sheep?

Book Review: What the Night Sings

"What the Night Sings," by Vesper Stamper, was a finalist for the William C. Morris Debut YA Award in 2019.  In addition to being the author, Vesper produced the illustrations for this novel, adding to the feel that this isn't just a book, but a work of art.

It isn't a happy tale as we follow Gerta and her father into Auschwitz and another camp during the Holocaust. It's heartbreaking. But this isn't about the Holocaust, but what comes after, because Gerta is freed.

What happens after you leave a concentration camp? How did Holocaust survivors re-enter society after such terrible treatment?  It's a question I haven't seen before in literature, and this book is a lovely, if not painful, exploration.

My local library says this is YA fiction, and Gerta is a teenager, but the story feels very adult-like with romance and marriage a central theme.