Margin Notes

The YA novel  is the perfect spooky-season read for anyone who prefers whimsy and cozy cottagecore to darkness and fright.

After being locked out of her house, Margo finds herself at a bizarre and impossibly expansive bed and breakfast that exists between worlds. The inn also sits outside of time: Margo can stay as long as she likes, and no time will have passed when she returns to the human world.

And honestly, who wouldn’t want to check in for a while?

I thoroughly enjoyed my stay with Margo at The Between Worlds B&B. Each time I returned to the book after reluctantly rejoining the real world, it felt like wrapping myself in a cozy blanket and settling in for delightful shenanigans with my besties. I had such a wonderful time reading this book that I can’t help smiling as I write about it.

Although Margo does not realize it at first, every part of her stay has been shaped around what she needs and wants, even the things she has not yet figured out for herself. Along the way, she meets some of the most amazing magical beings, a not-so-evil demon, a woodland fairie, a wizard, and a ghost, and some equally amazing magical animals. Even though the inn is highly unusual, it’s amazing how quickly it feels like home.

Margo not only learns so much about who she is and what is important to her, she helps the other guest staying at the inn do the same. She forms intergenerational and interspecies friendships that are sure to last a lifetime.

Although this coming-of-age tale fits neatly in the YA fantasy genre, I am sure that any reader who loves a good cozy read will find this story as delightful as I did. After reading a more serious and violent historical fantasy with a complicated world building, The Between Worlds B&B was the perfect comfort read.

This would be a fantastic addition to a middle or high school classroom library, especially for readers who enjoy cozy fantasy, found family, magical creatures, and stories that are full of hope. It could also lend itself to conversations about belonging, identity, friendship, and the ways people can help each other grow.

After finishing a serious and violent historical fantasy with complicated world-building, The Between Worlds B&B was exactly the comfort read I needed. It is gentle, funny, imaginative, and full of heart.

I absolutely loved this title.

Oh Brother is a graphic memoir by Georgina (Gina) Chadderton. As the story opens, Gina is spending the summer before she starts middle school moving into a new house with her family. Her brother, Rob, is autistic and has high support needs, so their home has to be set up in very specific ways to keep him safe. Doors and cupboards are secured, and even the fridge and windows have added safety measures. Early in the story, we see exactly why. Shortly after the family moves in, the new neighbours come over to let them know that Rob has somehow made his way into their living room.

You also learn so much about autism simply through the way Chadderton tells the story. Rob does not use many spoken words, but he communicates constantly through sounds, gestures, pointing, signing, and routines his family has learned to understand. The memoir gives readers a real sense of how frustrating it can be to know what you want or how you are feeling but not always be able to make other people understand.

But this is also very much Gina’s story. We experience life with Rob through the perspective of a sister who loves him deeply and can also feel embarrassed, worried, frustrated, protective, and completely overwhelmed. That honesty is part of what made the book feel so vulnerable and important.

There is another layer, too. In the back matter, Chadderton shares that she herself was diagnosed with autism as an adult. Knowing that makes you look back at Gina’s experiences differently and further challenges any narrow idea of what autism looks like.

Published as a middle grade graphic memoir, Oh Brother could be a powerful mirror for students who have neurodivergent siblings and an equally important window for readers who want to better understand autism, communication, family, and the complicated ways we love the people closest to us.

When I saw Jason Reynolds call this book a gift, I knew I was going to love it.

Shook follows Malik “Shake” Page, an eighth grader whose life revolves around basketball. Like many athletes, he knows exactly who he is: a ball player. Then he gets injured and can’t play. Shake is confronted with anxiety, changing relationships, and questions about who he is without the sport he loves. As much as this is a story about basketball, it is also a story about identity, mental health, and resilience.

One of the strengths of Shook is its portrayal of anxiety in the context of sports. Taking away the sport around which his life revolves brings underlying anxiety to the forefront. Randall captures anxiety through both emotional and physical experiences. This helps show that feelings can be difficult to name, especially for young people experiencing them for the first time. I also appreciated the inclusion of therapy, which is presented as a normal and helpful tool for working through challenges.

This is a novel in verse that uses space purposefully. Spacing, shape, font changes, and other visual elements reinforce emotions and experiences while drawing readers into the story. These features make the book accessible while also serving as a mentor text for how writers can use text structure meaningfully and intentionally.

I would recommend Shook to readers who enjoy novels in verse, sports stories, and realistic fiction. It will resonate with athletes, students navigating anxiety, and fans of authors such as Kwame Alexander and Jason Reynolds.

“It was like the magic of a library, the way the stories there made you feel connected to characters you’ve never met…Maybe that magic worked in real life, too, letting you see the layers underneath real-life people you thought were one-dimensional. It was so unexpected. Like how you weren’t supposed to judge a book by its cover, something I was guilty of doing.” (103)

This book is a love letter to librarians. It is a letter of hope to middle school students who are figuring out who they are in the mix of their parents, siblings, friends and classmates. In ROOHI AND NATE ARE NOT ON THE SAME PAGE, readers meet over-achiever Roohi, who spends her time in the library to avoid the jealousy of seeing her friends move on without her, and Nate, who spends his time skateboarding and trying to dodge the comparisons to his genius older brother. This unlikely pair find themselves joining a lunch book club and connecting through the pages of a fictional text. And, yes, the book is about Roohi and Nate; but, it’s really about how libraries and books are a place for finding yourself, interpreting the world around you and (can be) a refuge from everyday pressures.

The storytelling uses dual first-person narration. Roohi’s chapters are written by Kelkar, while Nate’s are written and illustrated by Lerner. The book is filled with doodles and sketches that reflect each character’s specific style. Beyond the unlikely friends trope, the plot explores student activism. When the group learns that their librarian’s job is being cut due to budget constraints, they take action, showing how young people can use their voices to advocate for change. I also appreciated that the ending doesn’t tie everything up neatly, which reflects the complexities of real life.

Roohi’s storyline will appeal to avid readers who are always reaching for their next book, while Nate’s perspective is perfect for students who haven’t yet found themselves in reading. This book would also make an excellent read-aloud, opening up conversations about books and libraries, but also about the value of different voices, the experiences students bring with them, and what it means to shape your own story.

An Octopus Named Houdini by Zana Fraillon is a hug in book form, a slimy, wet, eight-armed, nine-brained, three-hearted, 3,154 suckered hug.

Through a tenacious octopus aptly named Houdini, this sweet, illustrated middle-grade novel in verse explores some surprisingly big questions. Is captivity ever the right choice for wild animals? Is safety always more important than happiness and freedom? Just because humans can make these decisions for other creatures, does that give us the right?

These are heavy topics, but Fraillon makes them easy to understand through the story of Houdini, an aquarium octopus with a talent for escaping, and Juno, the aquarium owner’s daughter. Before the two meet, Houdini spends their nights slipping out of the tank, collecting treasures for their den, spraying Joe, the nighttime cleaner, and making messes just to hear him roar. But Houdini is always drawn to the washroom drain, where they can hear the sea calling.

When Juno is suspended from school and has to go to work with her father, an unlikely friendship begins. Juno seems to understand Houdini in a way most others cannot. The two share an almost inexplicable, soul-level connection. Juno recognizes that humans and other creatures experience the world differently and that we could learn something by being open to new perspectives: “Sometimes Houds, people need to be shown a different way of seeing.”

Juno imagines a new kind of aquarium that might keep Houdini without depriving them of the freedom that comes from a life lived in their natural habitat. Unfortunately, like many great ideas, her plan costs too much money. But the story does not leave us without hope. The people in Houdini’s life may see things differently, but each of them cares about what is best for Houdini.

One thing I especially love, and think students will too, is the collection of fascinating octopus facts included at the beginning and end of the book. Did you know octopuses can solve problems, navigate mazes, use tools, plan ahead, and even predict what might happen to them? I didn’t.

With its short verse format, illustrations, humour, and unforgettable main character, An Octopus Named Houdini is an inviting choice for middle-school readers. It would also open up rich conversations about animal captivity, empathy, freedom, and what can happen when we learn to see the world through someone else’s eyes. Students are sure to fall in love with Houdini and root for them all the way through.

Releases October 20, 2026