Literary Scene: Three Books for Tweens and Teens

By Ryan G. Van Cleave | March 2023

The Enchanted Life of Valentina Mejía

by Alexandra Alessandri
(Atheneum Books for Young Readers, February 2023)

If you pitch me a middle grade fantasy that’s “Encanto meets The Chronicles of Narnia by way of Colombian folklore,” I’m in, and that’s why I jumped at a shot to read The Enchanted Life of Valentina Mejía. The story’s main character is twelve-year-old Valentina who simply wants to get into art school one day. Her father, however, is always on the hunt to prove the existence of magical creatures. When he learns about the possible sighting of a patasola—a one-legged vampire woman—deep in the Andes, off he goes, and he takes along Valentina and her younger brother Julián. They’re absolutely unthrilled to be part of this quest.

Things get wild when an earthquake swallows their father, and also opens up a pathway to a Colombia-not-Colombia that’s teaming with magic and is untouched by drought and other natural disasters. In this strange place, the two siblings must find a way to get along and work with distrustful creatures of the realm to rescue their father and get back home. The real challenge is that in this realm, humans are the intruders, so no one’s that eager to help out.

Valentina’s a plucky character well worth following, and the author’s handling of family and myth is skillful. In short, it’s a fast-paced adventure that could be enjoyed by people far beyond the intended middle grade audience. The ending, too, is a crowd-pleaser that I’ll say nothing more about—discover it on your own!

Ryan’s Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Not an Easy Win

by Chrystal D. Giles
(Joy Revolution, January 2023)

In Not an Easy Win—author Chrystal D. Giles’ second book—we follow Lawrence as he moves with his sister and mom from Charlotte, NC, to Larenville, NC to live with his unwelcoming granny. Lawrence has it pretty rough beyond the living situation. His father’s in prison, and while his former school mostly had Black kids, the new school is the opposite. He just doesn’t fit in anywhere, and even worse, a fight he didn’t start gets him expelled from that new school. Welcome to the world of online education, where you can’t cause problems for others because you’re stuck at home!

His gran doesn’t want him loafing around, though, so she connects him with a neighbor, Mr. Dennis, who could use help at the rec center. Lawrence gives it a shot. He avoids another fight at the rec center and manages to make a friend of this potential enemy. He also meets Twyla, a potential love interest. She’s into chess, so he gives it a shot as a way to impress her and gets good enough to be invited to be part of a team that’ll participate in a tournament back in Charlotte. 

Eventually, it’s clear that Lawrence isn’t the lost cause so many believe. It takes time, but in the right situation with the right support, Lawrence learns how to make better moves both in chess and in his own life. 

Along the way, readers discover what it’s like to be part of a family that struggles to put food on the table and how a pretty good kid might reasonably struggle with his emotions when the deck is stacked against him. As the title promise, the wins aren’t easy, but the ones in this story are authentic and heartwarming. Lawrence is someone you can’t help but root for from the start.

Ryan’s Rating: 4.25 out of 5

Lasagna Means I Love You

by Kate O’Shaughnessy
(Knopf, February 2023)

This book is about the recipes that makes up family, and for eleven-year-old Mo, nothing could be more important. Having just lost Nan, Mo ends up in foster care because Uncle Billy’s in the military and doesn’t want to give that up to care for her. 

Her foster family isn’t all that bad, but it’s not the same at all as having a REAL family. So, all Mo has are memories and Nan’s advice for her to get a hobby. At one point, Mo discovers an old recipe book and becomes fascinated not so much by the actual recipes but the stories around them. She even begins a website to showcase the stories around family recipes of anyone who’ll talk to her. It seems clear that by doing this, she’s hoping for a family recipe of her own.

Mo’s online success comes a little more easily than most find in the real world, and the book’s resolution feels bullseyed early on, but most readers will be taken by the tenderness of the plot and Mo’s earnestness to the point that those things won’t be an issue. Did I mention that the book is told entirely in “Dear Nan” letters? Or that recipes are included throughout the book? Insert the heartfelt “Awwwwww” now.

Following Mo’s journey to the new beginning she wants for herself is a rewarding, pleasurable read.

Ryan’s Rating: 4.25 out of 5