"Savvy" by Ingrid Law

Took me long enough to read this book!  This fast-paced award winner is an enjoyable read with remarkable similarities in theme to Lisa Graff's "A Tangle of Knots" (which was published four years later than this book). 


This book injects magical realism into the horrors of turning 13 and having your body basically betray you.  In this tale there are those who get psychic "gifts" on their 13th birthday.  The gifts are often unexpected and sometimes unwanted but, like any gift of this kind, have a silver lining.  Mississippi (aka Mibs) is dealing with many things at once -- her father has been in a car accident, her 13th birthday is approaching and a boy likes her.  The do-good parson's wife decides to take on the birthday party with a tumultuous tale ensuing.  Written in a highly accessible way with a compelling first person voice this story has had broad appeal for readers.  And yes, there are sequels.

"Save Me a Seat" by Sarah Weeks and Gita Varadarajan

This delightful upper Elementary/lower Middle School title takes place in only one week -- punctuated by five days of the cafeteria menu.  Ravi and Joe tell the tale in alternating chapters.  It is the first week of school and each is struggling with 6th grade.  Joe is an observant boy with a learning challenge.  Ravi is a "new to America" immigrant who doesn't understand the cultural norms.  There is, of course, a bully and there are some "lessons" which are clearly punctuated here and there but the story avoids cliché by being real.  The inner voices of each boy are compelling and resonate.  It is a great "point of view" book as the two boys learn to understand each other as they see the same events very differently.  This is the kind of book kids will greatly enjoy and will identify with.  Brava to both authors, who make the flow of the novel seamless.

"All's Faire in Middle School" by Victoria Jamieson

Fans of "Roller Girl" will enjoy Ms. Jamieson's latest work, which also features a girl "in search of" herself.  Imogene, aka "Impy" has parents who work the Florida Renaissance Festival each year (eight weekends in the fall) and Impy works to tolerate an annoying younger brother.  She has been home-schooled up until now and is beginning public school as a sixth grader.  Like the previous book, this one has bold artwork and the facial expressions which add to the story.  The artwork helps make the characters, which could be stock from any CW TV show, more dimensional.  Students will identify with the pre-teen girl drama, even if the tale was a bit too familiar for me.  On the plus side, Ms. Jamieson gets ren-fest right, clearly having done her research.  She touches, ever so briefly, on the challenges of racial identity these days (Impy's father is a man of color) but the references are so subtle that it is unclear if the typical reader would get them.  The darker-skinned father always plays the "bad guy" at the festival, an unhappy client at the retail store where he works intimates he doesn't belong.  Ms. Jamieson also doesn't shy away from the misery of life's mistakes and takes her time letting Impy dig a her own hole and suffer the consequences.  It is that part, two-thirds of the way through the book, which saved it for me.  On the negative side the plot was screamingly predictable and the ren-fest school allusions forced (hugely forced, Incredible Hulk forced).  The ending was very neatly tied up, which, again, will make this a win for younger readers.  The book is very "palatable."  It isn't brilliant or memorable but it should please the audience it was designed for. 

"Bone Gap" by Laura Ruby

This big deal award winner is one of the strangest books I have read in a very long time.  Literary, lyric, metaphorical and symbolic, there is a lot here.  So much that I struggle to identify a theme.  Was it a page turner?  Yes.  Could I tell you what it was about?  Um, not sure.  Set in Bone Gap, Illinois (yes, it is a real place) it has more of an Appalachian feel to it than Midwest.  There is a girl, a boy, another girl, another boy.  There is a kidnapping of sorts.  There are prescient animals and enough magical realism to evoke a sense of "other" rather than here and now.  There is pain for many and an undiagnosed illness.  There is healing.  The timeline is ... fluid.  This is just "different" -- but in a good way.  Don't read it the way I did, over 30 minute lunch blocks.  Sit in a chair by a window and delve in.  The world Ms. Ruby has created needs to be digested carefully.

"Gabi, A Girl in Pieces" by Isabel Quintero

This wide-ranging and mature story of high school Senior Gabi's big year is a real winner and has jumped into one of my "favorites of all time."  Gabi loves food, she loves boys, and she is hopelessly lost trying to navigate the complexities of life.  One best friend is pregnant, the other has just come out as gay.  Her father is a meth addict and her mother believes she is not a good girl (she is) and is becoming too "American" (maybe).  Told in nearly poetic prose, with actual poetry and a stunning, feminist "zine" imbedded, this book is a treasure.  It is stark and to the point in language, which will make it a bit much for younger readers, but the authenticity of Gabi's voice, her city, her life, make this a novel which springs off the page.  I really could find no fault with the book, which is very rare.  Brava, Gabi, and all the young people trying to navigate the world.  In this tale, you have a companion who gets it.

"Fuzzy Mud" by Louis Sachar

Louis Sachar doesn't crank them out quickly but when he does put a book out it is very good.  Such is the case with "Fuzzy Mud" which has bits of "Wolf Hollow" and A.S. King's "Me and Marvin Gardens" in it.  Delightful, simple and short it is the story of a bully, a forest and an ecological disaster.  With a strong page-turning quotient and somewhat unique characters there is something for everyone to enjoy.  Adults will like the subtle sarcasm in the "transcripts of Senate Hearings" while kids will appreciate the reality of school life.  The lead characters, Tamaya and Marshall, are inquisitive, dimensional characters and the bully, as usual, has pain behind his actions.  Could breeze through this in an afternoon.  Another worthy addition to the Sachar canon.

"Salt to the Sea" by Ruta Sepetys

"Between Shades of Gray" was quite good.  This book is brilliant.  Ms. Sepetys writes historical fiction about World War II, often focusing on the forgotten Eastern Front.  This searing tale, told in four voices, is about those brutal final months when Russia's advance and the collapse of Germany's power sent millions scrambling for safety.  The cover image and title reference the climax of the book. a true story somehow lost amidst the "romance" of other similar events.  While "Between Shades of Gray" maintained light strokes and some emotional distance, this book does not.  The brutality of the time is listed with clear detail -- not too much but "enough."  It became haunting for me.  It was a novel I could not stop thinking about long after I had put it down.  It is also very literary in structure and flow.  Again, Ms. Sepetys finds the right balance, making the novel readable and yet poetic.  It is powerful, difficult, worthwhile and sadly beautiful.  Worthy of the Carnegie Medal and other honors places upon it.  Brava.

"Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote: A Migrant's Tale" by Duncan Tonatiuh

Umm ...

"Quiet Power: The Secret Strengths of Introverted Kids" by Susan Cain with Gregory Mone and Erica Moroz

So, I selected this book for a bookclub with staff because I am not an introvert but I work with a good many introverts so I wanted to understand them better.  From that perspective the book didn't quite succeed as it is directed at introverted youth and is kind of like a little "rah-rah" tome to help them cope.  That being said, there were nuggets and takeaways.  First, the quiz at the beginning made me think -- am I really the extrovert I think I am?  I landed right in the 50/50 bucket with the questions, so that stood out.  There isn't much research presented but what they do cover is interesting.  Who knew that there are actual brain differences between introverts and extroverts?  The book did make me rethink, as an instructor, about calling on kids and how I lump in "participation" as a vital part of engagement.  Throughout, the insistence that being shy is different than being introverted was kind of lost on me as the point was not well-made.  A breezy, light read, it only fell into the lecture-trap a couple times ("don't do drugs") and was a worthwhile exploration.  My major issue with the book was the constant characterization of extroverts as "popular", "charismatic" and "pretty".  I'm not sure character traits have anything to do with physical appearance and I can assure you, as someone who has always been called an extrovert I have rarely been considered popular (the words "strident" and "outspoken" have been used.) Maybe I need to write my own book to combat these stereotypes!  In any case, I can see this book being a solace to those who struggle with large social interactions -- the very center of school life. 

"The Anatomy of Peace: Resolving the Heart of Conflict" by the Arbinger Institute

I really liked this.  One thing bugged me a bit but overall the book made the kind of impact that has had me thinking a good week after finishing it.  Presented as a nonfiction work, it seeks to help people see their role in negative interactions by finding a "peaceful heart" which allows them to see others with understanding and empathy.  The lessons are right on and easy to grasp.  The format is hugely readable as it is set in the framework of a kind of group encounter -- parents spending two days working with facilitators after dropping their addicted children off at a treatment center.  The format is where the book excels and stumbles.  By putting the points into a story, a narrative, it makes it infinitely readable and, in some ways, a page turner.  The problem is, this isn't a real encounter group.  It couldn't be, given the specificity of each character's inner voice.  It may have been cobbled together from various counseling sessions but it is inherently unreal and therefore comes off feeling a bit staged.  Nonetheless it mostly worked for me.  I was going through a significantly negative event while reading it and I actually felt myself becoming calmer, breathing more deeply, just by taking it in.  Bordering on Pop Pysch without being too saccharine, there were many take-aways with lasting impact.  A short, worthwhile book.

"Bright Lights, Dark Nights" by Stephen Emond

Much like "Winter Town", another book of Mr. Emond's which I read four years back, I was kind of so-so on this.  There are two storylines.  One is a love story between Walter Wilcox and his best friend's sister, Naomi.  The other is the tale of Walter's father, a struggling divorcee cop who is accused of racial profiling.  The love story feels real.  Walter's inner voice is compelling and powerful.  The cop story feels more like something the author read about and it comes off didactic and moralistic.  As with his other book, this is clearly drawing from the author's own life.  The screaming dissonance of teens buying music CDs, Facebook use and "Instant Messaging" distracts in a tale supposedly set in the modern age.  The story is equally messy with threads which don't go anywhere.  Dad has an emotional bounce when he begins a friendship with a nice neighbor lady but it doesn't develop.  Walter's sister drifts in and out of the narrative but doesn't seem to have a purpose.  Unlike "Winter Town" the drawings don't really add to the story.  While they contribute a sense of darkness they sometimes clash with the narrative.  A picture of the high school party looks like a kid's birthday celebration, the set of the hospital looks like an elegant hotel lobby.  The characters in the artwork are mostly faceless leaving only a sense of despair and loneliness, which is odd for a love story.  In any case, it ain't bad but it ain't great.  Fans of angst will continue to enjoy the work of Stephen Emond but I'm ready to move on.

"Me and Marvin Gardens" by Amy Sarig King

In a major departure from her high school level novels, Ms. King writes a sweet little book about a boy named Obe who is losing much but gains a friend in the form of an unusual creature. (And a girl.  And a teacher.)  Obe's voice is strong and the story has enough levels to be interesting.  Obe feels the loss of his family land, is bullied by his former best friend and is obsessed with the Science facts recited daily at his school about the loss of habitat.  It is readable and engaging but, for readers of Ms. King's other books, somewhat simplistic.  No matter.  The intended audience will enjoy it.  As an adult reader my only beef was that, once again, we have clear biography disguised as fiction.  While the story is supposedly set today, it reads somewhat like it was set in the 1970s or 1980s.  The author's voice comes through more often than it should and the parents are somewhat under-drawn.  Those complaints are minor and will not stand out to an Elementary reader.  A solid ecological tale which will touch the heart of any animal lover, I finished it in record time. 

"Air" by Ryan Gattis

Initially, I liked this book more than "The Hate U Give" because it is just better written.  The lead character, Grey, has a story to tell and I found that more compelling than Starr, who has a point to make.  SPOILER ALERT  The tale begins powerfully, with Grey arriving home with his brother and sisters to find his mother murdered, his estranged father covered in blood and being taken away by the police.  The family is split up and Grey is sent to live with his dowager aunt in Baltimore.  Feeling at loose ends he faces neighborhood bullies and finds a soul-mate in a young man who elevates Grey's skills with BMX bikes to illegal street acts on a dirt bike.  From there, the tale actually drags a bit.  Gattis delves into very specific details about the art of dirt bike and BMX stunts without advancing the storyline much.  There are the evil white cops who are out to get them (as black teens) which was one of the plot-points I struggled with.  I'm not saying this isn't an issue.  In Baltimore, it absolutely is (um, the main character is named Grey -- duh, the author is pointing directly at Freddie Gray), but the cops are drawn with such a broad stroke that they seem about as dimensional as the mustachioed villain of a 1920s melodrama.  Grey, who is a bright young man and stellar student, doesn't seem to be the sharpest tool in the box.  He is actually surprised when the cops show up at his school and ID him, despite the fact that his image is all over YouTube.  But the cops don't actually ID him -- they know his alias and what school he goes to but can't seem to figure out his real name or address.  It is one of several places in the book where Gattis relies on the letter of the law (schools can't give out student info to police without a warrant) but is ignorant of the reality.  If a cop shows up on campus and points at a kid and asks what his name is, a student, teacher or administrator is going to tell him the kid's name.  It creates an artificiality to the novel which doesn't need to be there.  There are powerful story-lines to explore but Gattis gets caught up in driving the tale to a specific end which feels more contrived than real.  Grey himself has many issues -- the loss of his siblings, his mother, his father's guilt, his own multiracial heritage and how that makes him feel separate from everyone.  These issues are all touched on but not really addressed in depth.  Instead, we watch Grey spiral down into bigger, more dangerous stunts until he literally risks his life.  At this point, I'm thinking I'm getting too old to be reading YA novels anymore.  Grey is acting like almost every 17 year old boy.  Instead of dealing with his feelings, understanding the repercussions of his actions, he acts on impulse and in the moment.  I found myself agreeing with his Aunt Blue's point of view more than Grey's insistence on "freedom" which seemed like a juvenile version of "I can do whatever I want and screw the laws and the cops and everyone".  I might have been able to live with it if he grew up a little and learned from his experiences at the end but the resolution (which is somewhat vague) seems to be dropping out of school, living on the run and continuing his illegal, dangerous exploits.  The novel gets snaps for heart (Aunt Blue states, several times, that she can love the kid without loving his choices) and most teens will revel in the anarchist message but I just kept wishing the guy would wear a helmet.  Oh well. 

"The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas

Titled from a Tupac Shakur quote, this novel has been the talk of the town with it's ripped-from-the-headlines tale of a black teen shot and killed by a white police officer.  SPOILER ALERT.  Told from the viewpoint of Starr, a friend of the boy and the only witness, the book is ... complicated.  The essence is excellent.  The characters and setting are tremendously real.  Starr's inner monologue and struggles are engaging and enlightening.  Structurally, however, there are significant issues.  It is clear this is a first novel, is somewhat biographical and could seriously have used a much better editor.  There isn't a lot of flow to the writing, and, from a literary standpoint, the build of the book is at times awkward.  Important parts of the tale (such as the actual shooting) are covered with light strokes while other parts (Starr's interactions with friends and her obsession with sneakers) are drawn out.  For the shooting, covered in a scant four pages, it is like snapshots.  Starr is in the car, her friend is shot, she is outside by his side, she is sitting in an ambulance.  It went by so fast I had to backtrack and re-read it.  Throughout the book, there is a tendency to present a situation which is somewhat unclear and then reveal the details many (many many) pages later.  It gives the whole thing a fuzzy feel.  The lengthy chapters also created some reader fatigue.  In many ways, "All American Boys" felt more organic to me but that book was designed to bring outside readers in.  This story is about Starr -- her choices, her role, her voice.  (I do have to admit that, as a middle-aged white woman, a great number of references were not clear to me.  Yes, I did have to look up "do the Nae-Nae" and the slang term "bougie".)


So it's not a perfect book, but I don't want to downgrade the importance of this story.  We are at a point right now when a novel like this can spur some real discussions -- discussions we don't know how to have, conversations we are afraid to have.  It is an uncomfortable book in some ways, challenging ideas that may or may not reside with those who live outside of this culture.  The book is strong enough to start us down a path of understanding and speaks to the teen world well enough (replete with lots of F words) to allow teen readers to get it.  Worth the attention and worth a read.

"The Sun Is Also a Star" by Nicola Yoon

By a chance of fate, this is the second Nicola Yoon book I have read recently.  The woman is seriously making me rethink my hatred of Romance fiction.  I have never liked wimpy whiney gooey Romance stories which have some low self-esteem girl pining for a guy she can't have.  But that isn't what Ms. Yoon writes.  Her romances are passionate, visceral, involve so much more than love and require a kind of courage and strength by her female protagonists to survive an unkind world.  This one was even better than the last, mixing in ripped-from-the-headlines storylines about immigration and the American dream.  The premise is simple, yet not.  Can you fall in love with someone in an instant?  Daniel and Natasha have an unpredictable day where they will find out.  There is also a lot about the complicated dynamics of family, the role of fate over choice and the impact of the people who cross our path ... even briefly, and sometimes only once.  Ms.  Yoon manages a kind of grace in her literary style without being arch.  Her books are both accessible and real, yet filled with metaphor and symbolism.  Another terrific book I couldn't put down and another hearty Brava.

"Ghosts" by Raina Telgemeier

Straying from her autobiographical trilogy, Ms. Telgemeier writes a surprising and touching story.  Cat is not happy about moving to a northern California town which seems to be wrapped in fog.  The reason for the move, her sister's battle with Cystic Fibrosis, makes it even harder to accept.  The town holds a secret, however -- it is stock full of ghosts.  Cat must come to terms with her sister's mortality, facing her fear, anger and sadness in a strange new place.  Telgemeier uses the ghosts and Mexican culture to address Cat's sense of loss, with the culminating event being a huge celebration of Day of the Dead.  The mythical town of Bahia de la Luna is palpable and the artwork manages to evoke both emotion and a sense of "otherwhere".  It is another sweet yet poignant tale by Telgemeier, who seems to have a real knack at portraying the realities of family bonds and growing up.  As popular as her previous graphic novels, this one continues the tradition of making you smile, cry and feel all warm and fuzzy, all at the same time.  Brava.

"Nimona" by Noelle Stevenson

This graphic novel romp is another delightful pick for this year's Books for the Beast conference.  A popular title, I have had difficulty getting it as the book is rarely on school shelves.  It reminds me a little of Saturday Night Live -- a kind of wild improv which gets funnier late at night.  Start with:  a medieval fantasy which includes eponymously named characters in the form of a villain and a hero.  Enter:  A foul-mouthed girl who has a deep desire to be evil.  She also has tremendous powers.  Mix in:  Contemporary technology, alchemy style Science and an evil government corporation.  This isn't so much a book to take seriously as a tale to laugh out loud at (I did, many times).  It's silly and raucous and races to several unexpected places.  There is even a teensy lesson or two embedded in the crazy.  Points to Ms. Stevenson, who writes her lead character with full curves and clothing which doesn't bare, well, anything.  In fact, the only Barbie-like characters here are the men, who are tall, angular, have flowing locks of hair and impossibly thin waists.  In many ways the book feels like a deliberate parody, turning the typical tome of this type on its head.  It is for that reason, the lack of sexism, the real-world diversity, the unexpected twists and the simple yet engaging artwork that this graphic novel well deserved its placement on the National Book Award short list last year.  Thoroughly enjoyable. 

"Intentional Interruption: Breaking Down Learning Barriers to Transform Professional Practice" by Steven Katz and Lisa Ain Dack

This isn't one of those books trying to sell a particular educational idea as much as it is about saying most initiatives don't work.  And they don't.  The slim treatise (93 pages) maintains a few absolutes.  1) Professional Development must create permanent change in order to be considered successful.  2) Human beings are hard-wired not to think deeply and to change how they operate.  3) A significant challenge to PD is that many do not take enough time to understand the problem before jumping into action, which results in a lot of action but not results.


The authors aren't wrong.  They make their point in clear, clean points which are interesting if not incredibly engaging.  The book reads like a TED Talk.  Lots of quick, pithy points with a strong example here and there.  Thankfully, because of the nature of the topic there aren't a lot of graphs, charts, etc.  The one drawback is a lot of repetition.  They tell you what they are going to tell you in the Preface, then they tell you again what they are going to tell you in Chapter 1, then repeat the whole thing at the beginning and end of each chapter.  (It made for fast reading when you realize you can kind of skip the opening and closing section of each paragraph).  Worth the time to read it but could also get the gist from a well-crafted Powerpoint. 

"How Kate Warne Saved President Lincoln" by Elizabeth Van Steenwyk, pictures by Valentina Belloni

This picture book was lent to me by a librarian after I told her of a story idea I had about a woman detective in the 19th Century.  A fairly innocuous little tome it covers the virtually unknown first woman to be a detective with the Pinkerton agency, a precursor to today's U.S. Secret Service.  It does a nice job with subtle jabs at the male-dominated society of the time, letting the readers know that women had skill sets men didn't have in this arena and how they didn't get credit when they did succeed.  Apparently Ms. Warne was instrumental in stopping an assassination attempt on then President-Elect Lincoln but history (as it often does) allowed her contributions to fade away.  Like many nonfiction picture books the various plotlines are boiled down a good deal which can create difficulties in having a clean narrative and the inclusion of occasional vocabulary which is not likely to be in the readers' reach.  The assumption is that a librarian (or parent) reading this to a child would put the story in context.  The artwork is somewhat flat, making it difficult to distinguish one character from another, but has bright colors and mimics collage.  An end note provides more details (although some, like her age, are in dispute) and leaves me intrigued to find out more about this woman.  While not a remarkable work it is another important story of the forgotten contributions to our history of the silent majority.

"Scythe" by Neal Shusterman

Like all Shusterman novels this is engaging, unique and accessible.  I flew through the 435 pages in less than a week, a new record for me.  Neal Shusterman begins this series by envisioning a near future where death has been eliminated for humankind.  To keep the population to bearable numbers society tolerates and has codified "Scythes" who randomly select people for permanent death.  The novel has everything from action to romance but most importantly it has really good philosophical underpinnings challenging the reader which are in no way high-falutin' or moralistic.  Mr. Shusterman does a terrific job at simply putting forth the ideas and letting you decide.  What happens to humanity when we no longer fear death?  There is "ultimate power ultimately corrupts" of course but many of the ideas are far more subtle than that.  I really loved this story, as I do with all of Shusterman's writing, which I find fresh and different.  It is nice to see him consistently producing strong books.  So many futuristic books focus on the tech, which can push non-Scifi readers away.  Shusterman gets it right by keeping the focus on the people, and how their world changes who they are (or doesn't).  Bravo.  Worthy of the Printz Honor and other praises heaped upon it.

"The Porcupine of Truth" by Bill Konigsberg

The third of my Books for the Beast books, I haven't hit a clunker yet.  This engaging, heart-wringing book was pure delight.  It was like an Ice Cream Sundae with all the good stuff and some of the bad.  Carson, a loner teen boy, is hauled out to Montana by his psychologist Mom for the summer to be with his dying, alcoholic, estranged Dad.  It is a trip full of emotional minefields.  But that's just the beginning.  Carson meets Aisha, one of those soul-mates who feel like your best friend the first time you talk, and two journeys begin -- one internal and one external.  They weave together beautifully.  The prose is not flowery but it is strong and draws you in.  To say that the characters are multi-dimensional is an understatement.  It is a spiritual tale and the people Carson and Aisha interact with are steps in his journey to understand God.  Powerful and with a turn or two, this one had me sniffling at the end.  It can be faulted for a rosier outcome than one might get -- only because my own family, which had some parallels, didn't end so well -- but the "realness" of the people and the messages just rang so true that they bore their way into my heart.  Bravo, Mr. Konigsberg, for writing a simple story with tremendously complex undertones.  It is the kind of book you can read over and over again.

"Lucy and Linh" by Alice Pung

What saves this coming-of-age novel from being one big whine is an incredible level of literary merit.  It's not flowery or "high lit" but there is a tremendous richness to the prose, a kind of going deeper with every paragraph.  Part of this is the vocabulary which is not only full of colloquial Australian speak but has enough $1 words to fill a piggy bank.  It is a story told in first person, with letters interspersed.  The main character, Lucy, is trying to make sense of her surroundings and the letters become a tool for her introspection in terms of figuring out a world she does not feel she fits into.  A poor Vietnamese/Australian girl, she gets accepted to a prestigious private school and finds herself awash in a setting where none of the rules make sense.  A good student with a creative mind, she finds herself in constant observation, attempting to understand a society completely different from the one she lives in.  Ms. Pung gets snaps for dealing with bullying in a somewhat new way.  Lucy is pulled along and has to work to extricate herself from being one of the followers who allows things to happen.  It isn't easy as some of the adults around her aren't into making waves.  Lucy's voice is strong without being strident and she comes off real, with all of the blemishes typical in a teen girl.  What comes through is a young woman balanced between many sword-points, determined to succeed.  Lucy does feel somewhat older than the (presumably) 9th grader in the book but since the entire thing is told in past tense the reader can assume this is a way of looking back at what she learned.  One twist near the end will have many readers stunned but fit well with the overall theme and tone.  A solid read for my second "Books for the Beast" book.  I look forward to the next eight ...

"Tap, Click, Read: Growing Readers in a World of Screens" by Lisa Guernsey and Michael H. Levine

This breezy, accessible book doesn't have a lot of original thought but summarizes some of the major trends and studies of the past few years into nuggets of interest.  Freely flowing from one topic to the next, it comes off like a conversation you might have with a group of parents after a long lunch, lingering over a glass of wine.  The book wheels from a serious concern about the lack of efficacy with so-called educational apps to how parents can grow literacy by working with their children.  Early on, the authors explore what "media" really means.  This becomes one of the few clunkers in the narrative.  The authors describe all the things encompassed by the term "media" and then proceed to create a new term for the student graduates of 2030 (today's Kindergarten class).  They call it "Readialand".  It's too saccharin and arch and brought me back to the idea of a conversation fueled by fermented grape drinks.  In any case, the book is clearly designed for skimming with its short stand-alone chapters.  Beyond the occasional a-ha moments one could get most of this content by attending a conference seminar and delving deep into the Tap, Click, Read website.  Since I was familiar with many of the studies mentioned and had seen Ms. Guernsey speaking recently, I found it somewhat difficult to focus on the narrative and often raced through, hoping to finish a chapter before lunch was up.  I didn't feel it was a bad book but it seemed "so-so".  I may not be the intended audience, however.  The book speaks heavily to parents, trying to determine which materials and practices will best help their children.  There is a lengthy list of resources at the end.  For someone who is just "curious" I would start with that.  One warning -- this book is already a few years old.  With the pace of technology there were elements already out-of-date.  I suspect it will have a short shelf-life.

"Pax" by Sara Pennypacker, illustrated by Jon Klassen

This is a difficult, sad, beautiful, simplistically powerful novel.  There is Peter, a boy without a mother who loves his pet fox.  There is Pax, a fox who loves his boy.  There is a father who is a soldier and war is coming.  Pax and Peter are separated, with each facing a kind of crucible.  As they fight to get back to one another there are many stories about how war destroys not only land but living creatures great and small, in body and in spirit.  At its core, this is a book about the pointlessness and destructiveness of war.  The book is symbolism, metaphor and allegory.  The place and time are ambiguous.  The time period could be now or then, the location here or there.  The generic setting is meant to let the reader focus on the voices -- those of Peter and Pax, as they grow to see a world they never expected.  For any animal lover, this novel pulls at the heart-strings.  The conclusion, one which makes sense yet is hard, will leave you reaching for the Kleenex.  The story ends with many questions about the future.  Again, this harkens to the uncertainty of war, the "not knowing" what may come.  A saving grace in the darkness seems to be the connections we have with one another, how we are separate but can learn to care, learn to love.  It is easy to see why this one made the National Book Award Longlist and is a New York Times Bestseller.  A good read, with an important message.

"Absolutely Almost" by Lisa Graff

This is the book "Fish in a Tree" should have been.  Albie struggles in school.  He is an "Almost" in the sense that he isn't really good at anything, just "almost good".  His overachieving parents believe he can overcome with a little more effort but no matter how hard he tries, it never gets better.  The beauty of this book (over the aforementioned title by Ms. Hunt) is that it isn't clean.  A series of complex threads intertwine to make a kind of messy, slice-of-life story with fits and starts but not simple answers.  Albie transfers schools, deals with bullies, gets a new nanny and struggles with his one significant friendship while simultaneously working to create more.  The adults are not black and white.  His nanny is great but has her flaws, his parents care but don't seemingly have the time to really understand who their son is.  His teachers are aware of the bullying but don't stop it.  In one of the Kleenex moments in the book, one teacher gives Albie advice which changes his perspective.  It doesn't solve the problem but is one of the baby steps in growing up.  The end comes suddenly and not with the kind of neat conclusion you might expect.  Albie has made some progress but still struggles, questions remain.  The "absolutely real" voice of Albie and the urban NYC setting should make this a good read for many students.  Not as upbeat as "Tangle of Knots" (my Lisa Graff fave) but hugely accessible.  Another strong hit from an up-and-coming author to watch.

"The Girl Who Drank the Moon" by Kelly Barnhill

I don't even know where to start with this delightful fantasy which brings a kind of freshness to the genre.  First and foremost, Brava/Bravo to the Newbery committee for going outside their Historical American Fiction comfort zone to recognize an unusual, engaging book.  A page-turner from the beginning, it kept me up at night to finish it.  There are so many threads -- a story being told from mother to child, a madwoman, babies left in the woods by leaders with a hidden agenda, an apprentice who is more than he seems, a nice witch, a child who drinks moonlight, an adorable dragon, a sweet swamp monster, a sorrow eater, paper birds and MAGIC.  Lots of it.  There are varied voices as the story veers from one character to the next, all embedded with rich vocabulary and beautiful descriptions.  Luna, aka "the girl" in the title, has a real voice and one never doubts that she is an eleven/twelve year old child even though what awaits her is stupendous.  Ancient mythology weaves in with poetry and symbolism and yet the whole thing is quite readable.  It is a strong book in any category and will hopefully be one of those Newbery winners which actually has appeal for the kids willing to tackle it. 

"Lily and Dunkin" by Donna Gephart

What saves this from being your standard problem novel are some very solid characterizations, Ms. Gephart's ability to avoid the obvious in plot development and a kind of unique "layering" of the various issues.  There isn't one issue, there are many.  Lily needs her Dad to see her as she is, but she also needs to deal with bullies at school.  Dunkin needs to be true to himself but also be honest about his own challenges.  There is a tree that needs saving and a few lessons learned along the way which are just subtle enough to make an impact without hitting you over the head.  The extensive afterwards in the book makes for some good learning.  I was surprised by information on topics about being transgender and living with bipolar issues which I was unaware of.  Don't let kids turn away from this book because of the blah cover art and the sense that this is a romance.  It isn't.  This is a novel of exploration of self.  The eighth grade age is perfect for this kind of discussion and the back-and-forth internal struggles of the two protagonists absolutely hit the right mark in terms of being realistic.  The one unrealistic part may have been the "all is well/neatly tied up" ending, but by then I cared so much about the characters that I really wanted things to work out.  It's a great read and about more topics than you might expect, given it's status as an "LGBT" title.  It's rounded -- just like life.  Enjoy.

"Juana and Lucas" by Juana Medina

This Pura Belpre Award winner is an interesting but complicated little tome.  First, it looks like a picture book but is actually a step-up chapter book.  Second, the title is somewhat misleading, in that you might think it is about a girl and her dog, but it isn't.  It is about a girl and her family and her English classes and her friends and her neighbors and her city ~~and~~ her dog.  The dog doesn't actually appear in some chapters beyond a mention.  On one hand, it gives a nice "flipped view" of what English feels like to someone who lives in another nation (it also, coincidently, gives a nice overview of life in Bogota, Colombia).  It also mixes Spanish words in, sometimes defining them, sometimes not, so that readers get a good flavor of the language without being overwhelmed.  On the other hand, this feels like one of those "preachy" books which adults write for kids to teach them something.  The vocabulary is, at times, a little high-falutin' for the audience (i.e. "illuminated", "eternally" and "neurotic").  Juana doesn't want to learn English and all the adults tell her why she should.  Near the end of the book she learns another "lesson" about idolizing an action figure who isn't what she imagined.  Like oh-so-many books, this looks like a childhood memoir in disguise, which I rarely care for and often comes off with too much adult perspective.  None-the-less, the book is saved by the artwork and layout.  Ms. Medina creates engaging child-like figures in bright colors to illustrate the tale, but beyond that she turns the text into an "almost" concrete poem, playing with word font, size and direction.  It makes the story more engaging and exciting as phrases literally jump off the page at you.  Kids will enjoy this even if I found it slightly lacking.

"Everything Everything" by Nicola Yoon

Huge kudos to Nicola Yoon for an unexpected, delightful, amazing novel.  Huge thumbs down to the Hollywood hype factory which exposes a MAJOR PLOT POINT in their 30 second commercials of a movie based on the book.  Unfortunately, knowing that plot point did reduce some of the joy in reading it, although there is much to appreciate.  Ms. Yoon writes in such a way as to be both simple and complex at the same time.  The voice of Madeline is strong, the settings vivid.  While this is a love story, and I don't particularly like love stories, Madeline's yearnings go beyond to boy to the world, to life.  Her passion isn't just about her body awakening, it is about her mind awakening to hopes, dreams and thoughts which she never dared to let herself have.  Ever take a bite of something simple, like pudding, and discover a half-dozen subtle flavors dancing around which you didn't expect?  It is kind of like that.  With echoes of Emma Donoghue's "Room" this story drew me in and didn't let go.  A page-turner I tore through in two days, it is the kind of writing which makes me eager to read her next novel, "The Sun is Also a Star" (preview provided at the end of this book).  Definitely a new talent worthy of her NY Times Bestseller status.  Brava.

"Jack Strong Takes a Stand" by Tommy Greenwald

Jack Strong has had it.  There is Cello, Chinese, Baseball, Karate, there are "volunteer" activities, tutors and more.  His schedule (listed neatly at the front of the book) is so packed that he literally doesn't have time to play a single computer game, much less hang out on the couch with his beloved grandmother.  So, he takes a stand.  By sitting down.  What could be a preachy, pedantic novel with a "POINT" is very accessible and warm.  Mr. Greenwald takes a modern issue many readers will readily identify with and embeds it with good characterizations and lots of humor.  Jack feels real.  His honest surprise at how his impulsive 7th grade behavior manifests into something he doesn't predict is genuine and keeps the novel from being a "lesson tome."  Family members and school friends have layers which create some unexpected twists.  The story as a whole is short and enjoyable. As a minor quibble, the drama at the end seems to be a bit much, but willing suspension of disbelief should suffice in letting any doubts go.  Greenwald again gets kudos for making the resolution more about complexities than a simple wrap-up.  The cartoonish drawings didn't add much to the narrative as far as I was concerned but will make the book more appealing to hesitant readers.  Overall a great little read which I wish I could recommend to a parent or two.

"Mexican White Boy" by Matt de la Pena

This book is ostensibly about "Mexican White Boy" Danny Lopez, but it is also about a "Mexican Black Boy" named Uno.  The chapters swing between the two young men who have a lot in common and nothing in common.  Both are lovers of baseball and both feel a certain disconnect within their communities due to their mixed heritage.  Both want a stronger connection with their fathers.  But Uno is a talker, a deal-maker, an entrepreneur in the making.  Danny is troubled, lost and a true phenom.  While I found the book difficult to get into (baseball ... I am ~~so~~ not a sports person) it was the relationship between these guys and their inner struggles which finally got me hooked.  Worried about the stereotypes depicted in the opening pages I began to see deeper through Danny's eyes -- what that community is like when they are amongst themselves.  A minor quibble with the book included a violent act which comes out of nowhere near the end of the story and disappears just as quickly, seemingly put there for no other reason than to advance the plot.  The characters and the setting, however, feel real.  This is what you might see driving through a Latino neighborhood which is less well off, but Matt de la Pena is gently asking the reader to see the full dimensions of the people who live here.  His characters are complicated, tremendously imperfect and he doesn't clean anything up.  Many threads in the story are left unanswered.  But, in the end, that is real life.

"Flying Lessons & Other Stories" edited by Ellen Oh, Cofounder of WE NEED DIVERSE BOOKS

True to their word, the creators of the "We Need Diverse Books" campaign created this anthology of short stories by some of the hottest, and most diverse, YA authors out there today.  In the forward, Ellen Oh writes a short introduction, which is both amusing and abstract.  It sets the tone for ten tales which range widely across time and place.  All of these vignettes deal with being the odd one out and most feature Middle School aged protagonists, but the concepts and vocabulary can be quite complex.  This is one of those situations where Middle School readers will read and enjoy the book, but an older reader might see some subtleties which could otherwise be missed.  As a tribute to the late, great Walter Dean Myers, the final story is his.  Ms. Oh explains how he was a mentor and inspiration to so many.  The bad news is that these stories are short -- many end right when you want to find out more.  The good news is that each tale gives a strong flavor of that particular author's works -- which will hopefully lead readers to their full-length novels.  My only comment to the folks from the "We Need Diverse Books" campaign on this first effort is "More, Please".

"Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library" by Chris Grabenstein

Took forever for me to get to this uber-popular book.  I can see the reason why it is such a large draw.  Funny, smart and fast-paced with a clever plot you can't quite predict, it is an accessible page-turner which left me with a lot of smiles and an overall "good" feeling.  Okay, it is a very obvious suck-up to librarians everywhere but there is enough real kid action to entice almost any reader.  Mix a G-Rated "Hunger Games" with "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" and "From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler" and you have a book which is a bit of a romp.  Our lead is Kyle Keeley, a typical 12 year old boy who acts first, thinks later and doesn't like to read.  The thing is, Kyle is street-smart and he is kind.  He just feels a little lost in the shadows of his two older brothers -- the jock and the brain.  He ends up locked up in the town's new library with 11 other kids in a game-filled maze.  With 24 hours to solve the riddles and tremendous prizes awaiting, Kyle must figure out how to solve the puzzles.  This is, quite simply, a delightful book which will draw in almost any reader.  Bravo to Mr. Grabenstein for his adorable book and library homage.

"Roller Girl" by Victoria Jamieson

Another obvious "autobiography as novel" this one, too, has been extremely popular with young readers.  Told in graphic novel form, the art isn't particularly dynamic (although it is very colorful) nor the tale particularly lyric, but I can see the appeal.  In many ways, it was more simplistic than I expected, but since it rings true, the attraction will be there for any kid who ever struggled with the changes which accompany growing up, including losing a friend as they move from Elementary to the overly-social, cliquey world of Middle School (in this case, Junior High).  Astrid, a girl who likes black and tends to be a different drummer, finds herself alone one summer when best friend Nicole goes the way of ballet camp and other bottle blondes.  Astrid finds herself struggling at Roller Derby camp and oblivious to the skills required to make and keep friends.  What follows is a good lesson or two which isn't preachy in the slightest.  One of the most important lessons is about resilience.  Astrid is way behind the other skaters in ability level and doesn't think she can make it past day one.  But she is somehow determined.  She gets knocked down (actually, physically, a lot, like, a whole lot) but gets up every time.  And that is the point.  Getting up.  It's a celebration of inner strength which any pre-teen will identify with.  Throw in the kind of diversity which is part of the real world (Astrid's mom is Puerto Rican and her idol is African American) as well as a journey for identity and you have a story which feels like "us."  For fans of Raina Telgemeier's work, this makes a solid follow-up.

"Counting By 7s" by Holly Goldberg Sloan

A huge favorite among student readers, it has taken me a while to get to this one as it has been checked out every time I have looked for it in the past year or so.  So very glad I finally got hold of it.  "Heartwarming", "Bittersweet", "Charming" and "Smart" don't even begin to describe this absolutely delightful book which is not only good but one I could see kids re-reading over and over.  It's a tough opening when Willow Chance, a "different" kind of kid, has her life literally upended in a single moment.  The path of the tale after that winds in lots of directions (hint:  seven is a major theme), some of them being what you might expect, others being nothing like what you would expect.  Ms. Sloan gets major props here for writing a really layered story, building in metaphor and symbolism not so much with a heavy hand but the delicate strokes of an artist.  She doesn't let anything go and she doesn't shy away from the many sides to, well, everything and everyone.  She creates a rich, real tapestry of complex, human characters, including Willow herself.  Much like Fleischman's "Seedfolks" this is a tale of how our interconnectedness as people is both spiritual and undefinable.  I laughed, I cried, I couldn't put it down.  Absolutely one of the best I have read this year.  Brava.  Grab the hankies and get ready for a book which will not leave you even after you finish the last page.

"Wolf Hollow" by Lauren Wolk

This award winner seems to have more detractors than fans, so I was curious.  After reading a book which starts off as "Calpurnia Tate meets Nancy Drew" I get it.  Set in western Pennsylvania in the early 1940s, the novel starts off like a simple historical fiction tale.  But then it kind of takes an odd turn.  And then another.  ***SPOILER ALERT***  First, we are introduced to a homeless vet who wanders in the area.  Our heroine, Annabelle, describes him, well, not as 12 year-old might, including one section where she speaks of his nice "smell".  Ummm.  Okay, and then we get a bully.  Except it isn't exactly a bully, but a 14 year-old sociopath in the making.  Things go dark from there.  Very dark.  All of this tried me in reading this book but the over-arching issue was that the clear goal of the author to MAKE A POINT actually didn't happen.  The novel begins with the protagonist stating that this was the year she learned to lie.  But she doesn't.  The actual story is of her trying to keep lies and not keeping them at all.  The author's afterword talks about how she admires her hero's bravery, but I'm not sure there was any significant character growth.  Annabelle seems fairly unchanged from the beginning of this journey to the end.  In the end, if there was meaning in her sitting next to a grave talking to the air, I missed it.  This, and general sloppiness (am I to believe this community in the foothills of the Appalachia mountains has moderate temperatures and gets no snow in November/December?) made this one a "fail" for me.  The only possible plus was the cover, which cleverly used the actual opening words to create a powerful image.  I can only imagine well-meaning adults selected this title for a Newbery Honor and other awards because the theme of bullying is so prevalent right now.  Unfortunately, I have never been one who felt like books with a heavy moral lesson worked for me.  For this same reason, I disliked "Fish in a Tree".  Books of this type seem to appeal to grown-ups seeking to solve problems more than readers looking for something engaging and realistic.  Sorry, folks, I'll pass.

"Egg & Spoon" by Gregory Maguire

Once upon a time, I thought the trippiest YA novel I had ever read was Libba Bray's "Going Bovine".  That book has just lost the crown to this one.  Drawing on Russian history, Russian myth, and a fair number of archetypes, this wild adventure/allegory roars through a moment at the end of the Tsars' reign to tell a story which seems appropriate to children and yet is inexplicably dense.  Maguire weaves in so many threads I often had to pause and backtrack.  His prose is so dense I had to look up quite a number of words (me! that's rare) An omniscient narrative voice reminiscent of the ones in Zusak's "Book Thief" and DiCamillo's "The Tale of Despereaux" paints a vibrant picture of a dying nation, even as three children come together to put magic back into the world.  There are other literary parallels.  Peasant girl Elena and noblewoman Ekaterina have a Mark Twain moment while a prince hides -- not to find his princess but to escape from her.  There are themes about monarchies, communism, belief, hope and global warming.  There is a firebird, a dragon, and, of course, Baba Yaga!  One could not have a tale of Russia without Baba Yaga.  Here is where I had my one and only complaint.  The crotchety old witch is a personal favorite but this particular rendition of the character makes her into a time-traveler of sorts.  She rambles on constantly, using phrases and references of the modern era (at one point, she serves a child some Cheerios).  I think it was meant as humor but became a distraction which pulled me out of the narrative.  Nonetheless, this is a rich, remarkable story which satisfied and transported me.  Highly recommended.

"Amplify: Digital Teaching and Learning in the K-6 Classroom" by Katie Muhtaris and Kristin Ziemke

For one of "these kinds" of books, this is quite good.  Succinct, to-the-point, and free of eduspeak jargon, the book is written by two teachers who use their classroom examples to get right to the heart of things.  Rather than theory, this is practical.  They talk about a lesson they did, how it worked with their students, and then provide sample worksheets and questions.  Each chapter ends with a terrific "Things to try tomorrow" section.  The six chapters run about 20 pages each, making the book easy to read in short bursts.  Highly applicable, the messages are common-sense.  Message #1 -- You can dip your toe in.  You don't need to go whole hog and up-end your classroom.  Just take one thing that looks interesting and give it a try.  Message #2 resonates throughout every page of the book -- Technology is useless if not grounded in solid classroom instruction.  In many ways, this is a book about good classroom practices more than it is a book about technology use, as many of the lessons "use" tech, but aren't "about" tech.  An added bonus to this brief little tome are QR codes throughout, which link to videos of the actual lessons and practices taking place.  This is the kind of professional reading I like, something you can "apply" rather than "discuss".

"I'll Give You the Sun" by Jandy Nelson

Oh my -- my, my, my.  We often talk about books with food adjectives.  One book might be "popcorn", another, an "appetizer".  This one is a veritable feast.  My first adult book in a while, it is right up there with "Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore" as an all-time favorite.  A flowing, lyrical novel which pushes prose to the very edge of poetry, it is the tale of family, loss, love, art, madness, mysticism, death, creation, and more.  A set of twins tell the story in alternating chapters.  There is the boy, Noah, who begins his narrative at 13, while his sister, Jude, speaks from age 16.  The sometimes dizzying threads interwoven between the them create a rich, deep kaleidoscope of pain and redemption in many shades of grey.  This is not a novel that has clear black and white delineations.  It was a long story, and one I really had to focus on, but it was a book I could barely put down.  I laughed, I cried, and I was drawn in.  A good background in artists and their respective styles will help, as the references are plentiful.  The lessons are frequent, and each carries a bit of poignancy (there is a good deal of fan art online highlighting the great number of memorable quotes).  Already in my "top 20 of all time", it is easy to see the appeal for teens, not to mention the New York Times Bestseller ranking and numerous awards.  Make time for this one.  It transports and transforms the reader.  Brava, Ms. Nelson.

"Shh! We Have a Plan" by Chris Haughton

Reading like a Marx Brothers comedy, some will find the ineptitude of these characters hysterical, while others may raise an eyebrow.  Told primarily in blue tones, the book chronicles the efforts of four (seeming?) hunters as they try to catch a bright pink bird in the forest.  Each plan results in slapstick failure.  With limited text, readers are primarily left to determine plotlines for themselves, including a great moment when the page fills with birds.  It's a subtle message younger readers might not get, but librarians and teachers can use the book as a prompt for questions and digging deeper.

"Found" by Salina Yoon

This adorable board book which is part of this year's Virginia Readers' Choice selections will make a fun read for the very youngest.  With large, simple drawings and a theme which all children will recognize, it pulls at the heartstrings.  Told with the kind of repetition used in many books for primary children, there is a rhythm to the book, if not rhyme.  The lesson is gentle and sweet, and one that kids will identify with.  Adults need not fear boredom, either.  A close reading of the end pages will result in a giggle or two which only those over a certain age will get.  Nice, solid little book, one which children will likely request over and over.

"The Seventh Wish" by Kate Messner

Typically, I pick up books without knowing much about them.  I saw Ms. Messner speak, earlier this year, about this novel, so I knew what I was in for.  There have been concerns voiced about the cover, which seems to indicate something light and juvenile.  There are dark threads in this tale, but the cover isn't that off.  The story, of young Charlie, a girl who wants more than anything to be a really awesome Irish dancer, is both simple and complex.  What works in this book is the sense of everyday life.  Charlie has a life filled with dance, school, friends, family and fears.  She is learning to ice fish, in the hope of earning enough money for a new Irish dance dress, and she has an older sister at college who is suddenly not the academic superstar she was previously. 


***Spoiler Alert***  What isn't obvious about this book is that Charlie's sister has become hooked on heroin, and that begins to color everything around Charlie's life.  There is confusion, anger and more.  Priorities shift, and Charlie has some of those "moments" when she grows up a lot and understands the world better.  Not to be overlooked, the fish on the cover is a magic fish who grants wishes (drawing from the fable about "The Fisherman and His Wife").  Ms. Messner could have easily left it at that, and made this whole thing a magical realism parable, but instead she lets our protagonist reflect and learn from the outcomes of her wishes.  My one and only complaint is that for all the research Ms. Messner did (ice fishing, addiction and recovery, Irish dance), she missed one important thing -- Science Fair Projects are experiments, not "report style presentations" as shown in the book.  It is a minor quibble.  Some may see the book as pat -- it is not particularly lyric and doesn't have an abundance of flow -- but I like the normality of the day-to-day intermixed with a struggle which has become a national epidemic.  It puts in perspective, in a very age-appropriate way, the issues which arise in families when addiction takes hold.  Charlie and her life are multi-dimensional, and, in the end, things come to a resolution with a clear understanding that the path ahead is unknown.  I think, if you were to write a book for kids of this age about this topic, this is the perfect book to do it.

"The Book Itch: Freedom, Truth & Harlem's Greatest Bookstore" by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie and "Freedom in Congo Square" by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie

I had the honor of reading these two books for an African American Read-In Day.  Both are illustrated by R. Gregory Christie, and both taught me things I did not know. 


In "The Book Itch" a young boy enjoys the active social center which is his father's bookstore in Harlem in the 1960s.  The historical significance of this store was new to me.  Beyond this, the picture book is strong on a number of fronts.  It doesn't shy away from the police presence at rallies, and there is real heart in the boy's love and admiration for his father.  The book talks in detail about Malcolm X, which I also think is important.  We focus so heavily on Martin Luther King, Jr., but forget that there were other leaders in the Black Rights movement.  I have become concerned about a PC philosophy which sometimes ignores the more vocal parts of our civil rights struggles.  Yes, MLK preached the lessons of Gandhi, but much of the struggle had violence and darkness.  We should, when looking at our history, see it all.


"Freedom in Congo Square" is an extremely short picture book, told in rhymed couplets, about slave life in New Orleans.  Again, I did not know that slaves of the area were given time to congregate on their own one day of the week -- on Sundays, in a place called Congo Square.  This spot became the beginning of the New Orleans music culture and helped build up Jazz from the myriad of musical styles that blended there.  One student, while I was reading the book, was surprised the slaves didn't use this opportunity to run away.  While some did (the book acknowledges) I said that many may have been too afraid.  Capture would mean death in many cases, so slavery, while horrific, may have felt like their only option.  Again, the book doesn't shy away from the more difficult parts of our history, with a couplet talking about "using the lash" (also depicted).

Mr. Christie's artwork adds substantially to both books.  In "Freedom in Congo Square" the work is primitive, with the slaves symbolically depersonalized into stick figures.  One of the most powerful images is the page showing cabins with figures stacked on figures, representing the packed slave quarters.  Also striking are the final pages, with dancers leaping and twisting to music, their bodies filling the space, legs and arms stretching up towards the sky with a powerful sense of celebration and release.  In "The Book Itch" Mr. Christie's work becomes more impressionistic, watercolors bringing subtle variety to the people and events.  A kind of block typeface is used for the father's quotes, and pamphlets/quotes are interspersed throughout which help to set tone, place and message.


Both books were great reads for upper elementary, and there is enough complexity in them to feed into a good class discussion or two.  Most of the information in "Freedom in Congo Square" was in the foreword and afterword.  I chose to show videos of African Music and Jazz to help set context, but in a full lesson, more scaffolding would be helpful.  Great to move from the expected to the thoughtful for this annual celebration of Black History.

"The Turtle of Oman" by Naomi Shihab Nye

A colleague said of this book that it was "an impossible sell" to kids, because "nothing happens."  She's not wrong.  Ms. Nye, a poet, has written a soft, quiet, gentle little book which doesn't do much.  This is one of those rare children's books where the action is significantly more internal than external (think "The Wanderer" by Sharon Creech).  Aref is a young boy in Oman (8 or 9) who is about to move to the United States with his family for three years.  He is bereft and in denial about having to pull up stakes from his beloved home, his cat, and his grandfather.  The story chronicles the last five days, as he reluctantly packs his bags.  A bit underfoot, his mother sends him out of the house to have adventures with Grandfather.  Everything is described in detail -- sights, smells, sensations.  It is as if Aref is trying to make a film of every moment, sharing with the reader these memories of everyday life.  The novel is metaphor.  Aref loves turtles, and, like a turtle, he must feel comfortable and move in his own pace to accept the change coming into his life.  Readers can "see" Oman in Aref's beloved words.  I searched online after reading the tale and it looked exactly as I expected it to, now with a familiarity, having had Aref invite me into his world.  Children who have moved a good deal with recognize Aref's pain and sympathize with it, but a page-turning action story it isn't.  A nice way to become familiar with another culture in a non-preachy way, it is.  Don't know that the book will have a huge audience, but for the more mature readers, there will be an appreciation of the subtleties.  Ms. Nye just won the Arbuthnot Lecture award from ALA, a coveted speech opportunity for a select few, so clearly, her words have value.

"All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook" by Leslie Connor

This was one of those books where the cover really doesn't give you a clue.  The smiling cartoon kid is looking up through a window.  Yes, there is something slightly menacing about the angle, the size of the child and the darkness around the window's light, but I pretty much guessed this was about a kid who wanted to grow up to be a judge or something.  Not even close.  This book is about Perry T. Cook, a child of an inmate at a fictional prison, who is allowed to live "inside" until his situation is discovered.  The book isn't dark, but it isn't exactly the light-hearted humor novel I was expecting.  Very readable and with strong characterizations, most of the story is told by Perry, in a first person narrative.  His mother fills in some of the blanks in alternating chapters, but hers are written in third person narrative, which was ... odd?  In any case, huge kudos to Leslie Connor, who doesn't preach and allows the tale to speak for itself.  She has a point to make, about prisons and families, but she isn't heavy handed, and provides viewpoints on all sides, making the questions and answers more grey than black and white.  The big bad guy isn't totally a bad guy, and even Perry's situation is fluid -- one could argue the merits of his staying close to mom, but also note what he misses out on as a result of that.  It is a novel which is both simple and complex in this way, and should have broad appeal, as, in the end, it reads "human."  Good work, thoughtful premise (but get a new cover).