monday minis: The Great Hibernation & Pashmina

The most important tradition in tiny St. Polonius-on-the-Fjord is the annual Tasting of the Sacred Bear Liver. Each citizen over twelve must eat one bite of liver to prevent the recurrence of the Great Hibernation, when the town founder's fell asleep for months.

This year is Jean Huddy's first time to taste the liver. It doesn't go well. A few hours later, all the adults fall asleep. And no one can wake them.
The kids are left to run things, and they're having a blast. That is, until the town bullies take over the mayor's office and the police force.

Jean suspects that this "hibernation" was actually engineered by someone in town. She starts to investigate, and inspires other kids to join her in a secret plan to save St. Polonius. ~ Goodreads (Mid-Grade)

Source: ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

My thoughts: I adore Dairman’s mid-grade All Four Stars trilogy about a pint sized chef becoming an undercover food critic so I was excited to dive in her latest mid-grade, stand alone novel.

Combining folklore, tradition, science, and of course…food, Dairman has crafted an exciting mystery after all the adults fall into a coma like sleep after the annual Tasting of the Sacred Bear Liver festival.

The children are left to keep the town running, assuming their parents positions in society. Some let the power go to their head, others want to make their parents proud and a few want to forge a new path and break free of expectations.

This got a little darker than I was expecting at times. A little Lord of the Flies-ish – albeit at a mid-grade level so nothing too dark and there are also references to killing and eating endangered species. All can be used as a starting point for important conversations, but something to keep in mind for sensitive readers.

One thing I love about Dairman’s writing is that she never talks down to children and she seemlessly weaves new vocabulary, cultures and ideas throughout.



Pashmina tells the story of an Indian-American girl who struggles to fit in at high school, then discovers more about her family's history with the help of her mother's magical pashmina. ~ Goodreads (YA)

My thoughts: This was my first graphic novel and what a sweet little story. An Indian American girl named Priyanka lives in the US with her mother, who left India at Priyanka’s age and is reluctant to tell Pri about her Indian heritage or her father. Pri’s imagination of a vibrant India vs her mother’s not so happy memories lead them to clash quite often.

Pri discovers a pashmina in her mom's belongings that allows her to magically travel to India and experience it as Pri imagines it to be.

The illustrations are  beautiful and switch from color panels for Pri in the real world to monotone – grays for the fantasy world, although there are whimsical animals that act as her guide. This seems like an odd choice, since Priyanka’s idea of India is bursting with color and life but it works, especially after she realizes her dream of visiting India in real life.

When Pri finally does make it to India and finds out the truth about the country and her mom's difficult past, the story takes a wonderful turn that explores culture, feminism and familial bonds.

If I have any negatives they would be that there were abrupt turns in the story at times without adequate transitions. Maybe this is a common thing with graphic novels and I need to learn the how they flow a bit more or a genuine issue – I haven’t read enough graphic novels to make that call and the story read a little young, almost mid-grade, at times but that's a very minor issue.