Who doesn't want to read about possible heretics in the 1240s? Well, I certainly didn't know that I did! Dolssa's life is thrown into chaos when the Catholic Church finds out about her Beloved and how she speaks about Him. They burn her mother at the stake and she is on the run. A young woman with two sisters, Botille, finds Dolssa and rescues her. They still are not safe, because Friar Lucien will not stop until she is brought to justice for her "heresy."

Berry chose to tell her story from many different perspectives. You hear from Botille and Dolssa most often, but you also hear from Lucien and different witnesses to Dolssa's life on the run and her actions. This gives us an all-around view of the story, which I appreciated. It also helped to humanize characters like Lucien a bit, who otherwise we would all rail on for stupidity (forgetting historical accuracy.) The book also describes a genocide I had never heard of (Albigensian), part of the Crusades of the Catholic Church. It brings the Crusades to horrifying life, where it's not just your life at stake, but your family and anyone who has ever helped you. These are themes we see repeated throughout history.

The other thing I really liked about this book were the female characters. When I think about this time period, I often think life was hard and boring for women. Botille, Sazia, and Plazensa, along with Astruga and Sapdalina and all these others, illuminated for me that yes, life was hard for peasants, but they also had fun and joy and love and their life was not that different from our own.

I also really loved the end matter. As a librarian on a book review committee, I very much appreciate glossaries, sources cited, bibliography, etc. Berry gives you an overview of the Crusades and Provensa, definitions of non-English words used, as well as where to look for continued reading. Excellent!

It was fun to revisit this world and get a sneak peek at Heartless. Fun!

It moves along quickly and is easy to read. However, I wasn't afraid of going to the dentist before, but I am now! So apparently we can add "teeth stuff" to "eye stuff" on the list of things that very much squick me out.

I personally did not find this book to be all that funny. Scary, madcap, yes, but I felt I had been told to expect a lot of fart jokes and I just didn't find that many. I do think that if I were younger and reading this, I would like it a lot more. And also never go to the dentist.

In this year of the fox (or at least, since [b:Pax|22098550|Pax|Sara Pennypacker|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1434493048s/22098550.jpg|41443759] got so much attention it feels like a year of the fox, this one might be my favorite. I am one of those who did not like the ending of Pax, but I did like the ending of this one.

Jules and Sylvie live in Vermont with their father. One day, after making a snow family complete with fox, Sylvie runs off to the Slip to make a wish and never comes back. Jules is heartbroken, convinced that she could have stopped her sister somehow. Not long after this, a fox named Senna is born who can sense Jules' sadness. Can the two connect somehow? What is the meaning of their connection?

I found this book to be dream-like, which I enjoyed. It helped mediate the sadness for me, for it is a sad book. There is a lot of loss. It also discusses moving on, and I think the gentle dream-like quality helps in that instance as well. I also find the cover to be gorgeous and would love to see it without the dust-jacket (my copy being graciously provided by a local library.)

Diverting enough. I'm not going to rush out and read "The Glass Sword," but I'll give it a try eventually. I see why people love it and also don't get it. I'm neutral on it.

I didn't know anything about Dorothea Lange beyond her famous photograph. I was surprised to learn that she had polio as a child and suffered from its aftereffects her whole life. I love that this biography used faces as a way to draw people into the story. It is a trademark of her work.

Thank you Calkins Creek for sending me a copy to review.

I didn't enjoy this one quite as much as the first. This one I had to read a bit more slowly, because the Aztec names and stories were not familiar to me. I almost wish the glossary had been in the front of the book, but that would have spoiled some of the surprise. I do like that the translations of Spanish phrases continues at the bottom of the page. I also feel like I learned a bit about Aztec mythology, which was interesting. Maybe if the pronunciations had been in there as we were going along?

I will say that I still very much enjoy Raul the Third's pen illustrations. They are so unique and interesting. I'm glad I purchased it for my library.