Non-fiction book review - Lies My Teacher Told Me

 

Lies My Teacher Told Me by James W. Loewen; adapted by Nate Powell

The simple existence of the original book shook up our understanding of history education and became considered essential reading. It's a bit to my chagrin that I've never managed to read the book. But when I learned that Powell was adapting the text into the graphic novel format I knew my chance had come. Now to be clear, this is still an incredibly text heavy book. In fact, if it were not an adaptation that would be a significant criticism. Instead I understand that Powell is doing his best to illustrate and include as much of the original language as possible since it was all carefully selected in the first place to convey essential information. This is not a graphic novel that you're going to fly through but rather read carefully. The illustrations highlight the text, assisting in understanding. 

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Book review - Maybe It's a Sign

 

Title: Maybe It's a Sign

Author: E. L. SHen

Genre: realistic fiction

Similar books: When Sea Becomes Sky by Gillian McDunn

                      A Duet For Home by Karina Yan Glaser

Rating:

 

nicely reflective

Summary (provided by publisher): Seventh-grader Freya June Sun has always believed in the Chinese superstitions spoon-fed to her since birth. Ever since her dad’s death a year ago, she’s become obsessed with them, and believes that her father is sending her messages from beyond. Like how, on her way to an orchestra concert where she’s dreading her viola solo, a pair of lucky red birds appear—a sure indication that Dad wants Freya to stick with the instrument and make him proud.
Then Freya is partnered with Gus Choi, a goofy and super annoying classmate, for a home economics project. To her surprise, as they experiment with recipes and get to know each other, Freya finds that she may love baking more than music. It could be time for a big change in her life, even though her dad hasn’t sent a single sign. But with the help of her family, Gus (who might not be so annoying after all), and two maybe-magical birds, Freya learns that to be her own person, she might just have to make her own luck.

My opinion: This could have been a simple story of a kid finding her way out of grief. It manages to transcend that. Certainly grief is a large element. It's also about parental expectations, both explicit and assumed, complex family dynamics, and self discovery. It's about learning to know yourself and the things that matter to you. This is not always a comfortable, relaxing read but it is an engaging one and it could spark a good conversation with a middle grade reader.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

WWW Wednesday

What are you currently reading?

Tales From Cabin 23: The Boo Hag Flex by Justina Ireland - After her mother's death a girl moves in with her father and grandmother in a trailer park where strange things are happening.

What did you recently finish reading?

With Just One Wing by Brenda Woods - A boy and his friend adopt a baby mockingbird that was born with only one wing. Learning about birds teaches him about himself.

What do you think you'll read next?

Picture a Girl by Jenny Manzer

Yarn bowl

 Last year I decided to experiment with growing birdhouse gourds and the results were ... startling.

They spent the winter curing and drying and they're finally ready to work with. I finished my first experiment this week - a yarn bowl. 

 

I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out and I'm thinking about doing a more detailed how to if that's something you'd be interested in seeing. Let me know in the comments.

Book review - Benny Ramirez and the Nearly Departed

 

Title: Benny Ramirez and the Nearly Departed

Author: Jose Pablo Iriarte

Genre: magical realism

Similar books: Call Me Iggy by Jorge Aguirre

                      Almost There and Almost Not by Linda Urban

Rating:

 

some solid ideas

Summary (provided by publisher): After moving cross-country into his late grandfather’s Miami mansion, Benny discovers that the ghost of his famous trumpet-playing abuelo, the great Ignacio Ramírez, is still there . . . and isn’t too thrilled about it. He’s been barred from the afterlife, and no one can see him except his grandson. But Benny’s got problems of his own. He’s enrolled in a performing arts school with his siblings, despite having no obvious talent.
 Luckily, Abuelo believes they can help each other. Abuelo has until New Year’s Eve to do some good in the world and thinks that teaching Benny how to play the trumpet and become a school celebrity might be the key to earning his wings. Having no better ideas, Benny finds himself taking Abuelo's advice—to disastrous and hilarious results.

My opinion: With this book Iriarte takes a hard look at the mixed bag of fame and skill. We have the obvious lesson of Abuelo's fame and ego, the way he prioritized himself over everyone else in his life. But there's also the example of Benny's siblings who have always excelled, been the best in their art, and are struggling with finding their place. There's a focus on doing the things that you love, not just because you are good at them. Some of the attitudes are a bit of a mixed bag and the ending is perhaps overly idealized but for the most part it asks good questions for a middle grader to consider.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Pick 6: multiple perspectives

One of the best things about fiction is the way that it opens up your world to perspectives you wouldn't otherwise understand. It's even better when a single book gives you multiple perspectives at once. Here are six book published in the past six months that are presented from more than one perspective.

6 new multiple perspective narratives

1. Every Time You Go Away by Abigail Johnsen
2. The Thirteenth Circle by Marcy Kate Connolly
3. Across So Many Seas by Ruth Beher
4. A Drop of Venom by Sajni Patel
5. Kindling by Traci Chee
6. One Big Open Sky by Ashley Schumacher
   

Book review - A Game of Noctis

 

Title: A Game of Noctis

Author: Deva Fagan

Genre: fantasy

Similar books: Curse of the Night Witch by Alex Aster

                      Where the Lockwood Grows by Olivia A Cole

Rating:

 

digs deeper than I expected

Summary (provided by publisher): In the opulent, sinking city of Dantessa, the Great Game rules all. Pia Paro believes that so long as you follow the rules, you always have a chance at winning. But after her beloved Gramps is sentenced to a life of servitude, Pia accepts a dangerous offer and joins a team of players seeking to win the most perilous game of all: Noctis.
The Seafoxes—Pia’s new teammates—are unlike anyone she’s ever met. There’s brash, bold Carlo; macabre Serafina; kindhearted Pasquale; and their dashing ringleader, Vittoria. Each has their own reason for playing, and soon, Pia begins to question all her long-held beliefs. Maybe the rules Pia once trusted to lift her up have only been keeping her—and thousands of others like her—down.
As she struggles with these revelations, Pia must survive a gauntlet of clockwork soldiers, perilous underwater adventures, and even a game against Death herself. But with Pia’s grandfather’s life at stake, Pia must finally decide whether she’s brave enough to not just break the rules, but to change the very nature of the Game.

My opinion: There's a little bit of a slow start to this book, not because it doesn't jump into action but because it takes a little bit to understand how this world works. Once you have that under your belt, though, it's pretty engaging. The structure of games with high stakes is reminiscent of any number of dystopian novels but with an air of magic. And the exploration of the world digs deep into class systems and our often skewed story of history. While the conclusions are what you would expect, the conversation is worth having with a middle grade reader and the pacing is spot on.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

WWW Wednesday

What are you currently reading?

Maybe It's a Sign by E L Shen - A girl looks for signs from her recently dead father, superstitions, and luck to direct her decisions in life while having increasing encounters with an annoying classmate.

What did you recently finish reading?

The Notes by Catherine Con Morse - A girl at a prestigious art school is influenced by a fascinating new teacher, exploring her abilities and taking on increasing pressures.

What do you think you'll read next?

And Then, Boom! by Lisa Fipps