First sentence: I'm only going out to get the fire started, but already the cats have assembled.

Premise/plot: A Season Most Unfair is set in medieval England. (Presumably because one of the settings is Cambridge.) The dates are fuzzy. The day-to-day details are fuzzy. But the main story is solid. Scholastica "Tick" is a young girl/young woman who's grown up helping her father, a chandler (or candlestick maker). But this year he's got an apprentice, Henry, the son of a friend. Henry is now learning the trade and taking over ALL her jobs. Not a single job left behind. Tick knows that she's got all the skills. She knows exactly what to do and how to make the best of the best. But her father--who's going blind--needs an apprentice, a BOY. Tick is VERY, well, ticked. She's not a happy camper. So how will she respond to all the dozens of changes going on in her life????

My thoughts: I didn't love this one. I really liked elements of it. I'm glad that Tick and Henry progressed to friendly. She was SO angry at the situation at the beginning. I loved that even though we see the events unfold through her eyes, her perspective, the characters are fleshed-out. I enjoyed getting to know all the characters better. The context could have been developed more. But I liked this one well enough. ( )

J. Anderson Coats is a great and worthy successor to Karen Cushman in the arena of medieval kids books. I loved the details of everyday life and of the traders and the fair. I loved the characters -- both Scholastica's rebellious spirit and Henry's kind and malleable one. I loved how a good portion of the story is about how to navigate relationships that seem to be going sideways. Lots of great story, great characters, great tools for living and introspection. That said, it is unfair. And so much of it is unfair that I found it hard to get through at times. Too realistic? But hopeful in its way.

Advanced Reader's Copy provided by Edelweiss. ( )