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Gus Grissom flew a mission into space to see what flying a test shuttle was like in low / zero gravity.

It's interesting that the poster in Lina's school says "Books are sliding doors and mirrors." This is from the work of Dr. Rodine Sims Bishop. MIRRORS are books that show you characters like yourself. WINDOWS are books that help you understand people who are different from you. SLIDING GLASS DOORS are books that let you enter other worlds in your imagination.

But I wonder why that poster only uses 2 of those 3.

I'm kind of salty about the fact that in addition to ACTUAL books that the MC is reading, the author includes a made-up book. I was having so much difficulty finding it here on Goodreads and was getting pretty salty! XD

Loved the bit about the spiders being excited to move to the outhouse!

Nathan was supposed to spend the summer with his dad, but when he learns that his dad has invited his girlfriend, Nathan asks to stay with his grandmother on the Navajo reservation instead. It's very different from Phoenix, and he's homesick, but at the same time he enjoys being with his grandmother.

The four teams racing to the South Pole encountered a lot of challenges; some of their team members had to stay in the safer areas. One of the teams had some of their sled dogs die.

Octavia Butler was a horse girl and I love that so much! XD

Nothing much is mentioned of Amal's escalation in the fight he got into when he was a munchkin. I keep wondering -

Why did it take so long for a teacher to get there?

and

Is that how a kids' fight usually goes? like you get an edge and you just keep beating the snot out of them until you're dragged apart, regardless?

I haven't felt submerged by a book in quite some time!

Excellent action sequence early on. Vivid, tight description allows me to visualize what's going on and get the sense of the crowd's panicked reaction, but it doesn't drag at all.

Curious how the current residents took possession of this region, given the apparent power of the Dames Blanches. Why couldn't (or why didn't) they prevent it?

I'm really appreciating how well-layered this is. I'm glad it's available in our public library already!

It's REALLY good.

Donte's mom, a lawyer arrives to pick him up first. The police don't reassure her or do anything other than take Donte out of his cell. When his dad arrives, they smile, shake his hand, and have him sign the paperwork, saying, "boys will be boys."

What do you think Donte looks like? Which of his parents does he look more like?

Donte, a biracial student, gets blamed for something that someone else did. In the office, he points out that this isn't the first time this has happened. Because he "talks back," the administrator calls for security, and then the police.