Custom llama

In my family, we are fond of giving craft kits as gifts. And I have a well known fondness for llamas. So, it should come as no surprise that my Christmas gifts this year included this kit.

The kit included a sheet of felt, three colors of paint, pom poms, and some floss. To get the look that I wanted, I needed to add a little paint of my own. She's a pretty sweet creature.

Book review - You Can't Just Kiss Anyone You Want

Title: You Can't Just Kiss Anyone You Want
Author: Marzena Sowa
Genre: historical fiction/graphic novel
Similar books: The Silence of Our Friends by Mark Long
                      The Other Side of the Wall by Simon Schwartz
Rating:

Contemplative

Summary (provided by publisher): A little boy tries to kiss a little girl. No big deal. The little girl gets away and sends the little boy packing. Nothing more than an anecdote amongst many others of any normal childhood. But if this event takes place at school in a Socialist republic, half way through a propaganda movie, years before the wall is even showing the slightest sign of giving out... Well, it's asking for trouble. This is the story of two children in a society in which paranoia and obsessive control mean that even the most innocent gesture can be blown completely out of proportion.

My opinion: There are plenty of stories about life in Socialist countries and I applaud them all, especially those like this one. We need to see the dangers of totalitarian government, where your every actions is watched and questioned. Where people simply disappear and everyone just accepts it as normal. Even more than the starkness of the life we need the reminder of small rebellions. They can control what you say and do but never what you think. That's the focus of this book. Not revolution but making it through your every day life. It's a contemplative plot supported by clean lines and soft colors, remincent of the innocence of children's fiction in the 50s.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Non-fiction book review - Bees, Bugs and Butterflies

Bees, Bugs & Butterflies by Ben Raskin

It's rather clever, centering you exploration of the insect world on a practical theme like your garden. This allows Raskin to not only explore features of the various insects but the ways that they work together and affect one another. We come to appreciate all species of insect, even those we might otherwise find distasteful. There are also activities that educate about and benefit these garden insects.

More information: Bees, Bugs, and Butterflies releases March 13.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.

Book review - The Beauty That Remains

Title: The Beauty That Remains
Author: Ashley Woodfolk
Genre: realistic fiction
Similar books: Words in Deep Blue by Cath Crowley
                      Between Two Skies by Joanne O'Sullivan
Rating:

impressive and engrossing

Summary (provided by publisher): We've lost everything...and found ourselves.
Music brought Autumn, Shay, and Logan together. Death might pull them apart.
Autumn always knew exactly who she was: a talented artist and a loyal friend. Shay was defined by two things: her bond with her twin sister, Sasha, and her love of music. And Logan has always turned to writing love songs when his real love life was a little less than perfect.
But when tragedy strikes each of them, somehow music is no longer enough. Now Logan is a guy who can't stop watching vlogs of his dead ex-boyfriend. Shay is a music blogger who's struggling to keep it together. And Autumn sends messages that she knows can never be answered.
Despite the odds, one band's music will reunite them and prove that after grief, beauty thrives in the people left behind.

My opinion: It's ambitious to tie together plots of characters grieving three entirely unrelated deaths, but Woodfolk pulls it off. We are presented with three distinct events. They're linked by connections to a band rather than any links in the deaths. The characters grieve in a variety of ways but they are all struggling. They fail to relate to their families and peers. Their grief threatens to destroy their lives. They're absolutely deconstructing. Their grief is hard to watch but compelling nonetheless.

More Information: The Beauty That Remains releases March 6.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.

Book review - Sadia

Title: Sadia
Author: Colleen Nelson
Genre: realistic fiction
Similar books: Sidetracked by Diana Harmon Asher
                      A Long Pitch Home by Natalie Dias Lorensi
Rating:

nicely balanced

Summary (provided by publisher): Sadia wishes life in high school was as straightforward as a game of basketball.
Fifteen-year-old Sadia Ahmadi is passionate about one thing: basketball. Her best friend Mariam, on the other hand, wants to get noticed by the popular crowd and has started de-jabbing, removing her hijab, at school every morning. Sadia’s mom had warned her that navigating high school could be tricky. As much as she hates to admit it, her mom was right.
When tryouts for an elite basketball team are announced, Sadia jumps at the opportunity. Her talent speaks for itself. Her head scarf, on the other hand, is a problem; especially when a discriminatory rule means she has to choose between removing her hijab and not playing. Mariam, Sadia’s parents, and her teammates all have different opinions about what she should do. But it is Sadia who has to find the courage to stand up for herself and fight for what is right — on and off the court.

My opinion: At first glance, this appears to be an "issue" book. But really, what's wrong with that? A novel is a great way to get young readers to engage with a difficult topic, in this case racism and islamaphobia. But it's also more than that. Nelson uses this platform to explore sportsmanship, the ways we judge people, trauma. Sadia is judged by her appearance, yes, but she also judges Mariam for her decisions without considering her intense personal struggle. She takes actions that she thinks are best for others without considering their opinions. So we're left with some great discussion topics for middle grade readers. All with fairly round characters and easily understood writing.

More information: Sadia releases February 27.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Graphic novel spotlight - Boxers & Saints

Boxers and Saints by Gene Luen Yang

I had heard of the Boxer Rebellion but never had the slightest clue what it was about or where it even took place until I read this duo. Yang presents us with the perspectives of two teens: one rebel and one Christian loyalist. Most importantly, each character's story is told completely. We see their motivations and their complete devotion to their cause. We see their lives intersect and the inevitable conflict. There is no editorializing, no clear "right" side. Simply conviction and loss. It's a compelling and complex story, worth reading repeatedly.

 

Book review - When Light Left Us

Title: When Light Left Us
Author: Leah Thomas
Genre: Sci-fi (but only slightly)
Similar books:Noggin by John Corey Whaley
                     Words in Deep Blue by Cath Crowley
Rating:

Best. Book. Ever.

Summary (provided by publisher): When the Vasquez siblings' father left, it seemed nothing could remedy the absence in their lives . . . until a shimmering figure named Luz appeared in the canyon behind their house.
Luz filled the void. He shot hoops with seventeen-year-old Hank's hands. He showed fourteen-year-old Ana cinematic beauty behind her eyelids. He spoke kindly to eight-year-old Milo. But then Luz left, too, and he took something from each of them. As a new school year begins, Hank, Ana, and Milo must carry on as if an alien presence never altered them. But how can they ever feel close to other people again when Luz changed everything about how they see the world and themselves?
In an imaginative and heartfelt exploration of human--and non-human--nature, Leah Thomas champions the unyielding bonds between family and true friends.

My opinion:Thomas continues to blow me away. I knew within 20 pages that I NEEDED to talk about this book. It can be a little hard to describe. At face value, it's about the aftermath of being possessed by an unknown being. At heart, though, it's about grief. loss, who we thing we are, the people we try to become, familial and romantic relationships, and the ways that other people perceive us. It's a deeply emotional book and Thomas succeeds in connecting us with the central core of characters. Each perspective is distinct and well developed. Some may find it a bit slow to start, but seriously folks hang in there. It's more than worth the effort. My recommendation: read it; love it; pass it along.

More information: When Light Left Us releases February 13
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley