Front Desk by Kelly Yang
Well, this wasn't quite as silly as I was expecting. What it was, instead, was utterly compelling. Mia is an immigrant from China. She and her parents are living below the poverty line, working for a cruel and opportunistic boss. They are confronted with the class divide and prejudice on a regular basis. Yang is not satisfied with showing us a simple conflict. She deftly integrates larger cultural issues, leading to a pleasantly complex plot that remains accessible for a young audience. The narration is well timed, a little slower paced so a child listener can absorb what is being said, without talking down to the listener.
Big Thinkers and Big Ideas by Sharon Kaye
There are some ideas that we tend to think are too big for kids: politics, physics, philosophy, etc. So when I encounter kid's books on one of these topics, curiosity drives me to read it. And they have yet to disappoint me. This particular book gives us the bare bones introduction to a variety of philosophical approaches, major figures in the field, and both supporters and detractors. Finally, we get an idea to reflect upon. Kaye helps the reader explore each approach and find the philosophy that makes the most sense to each individual. Given that most of us get little to no education in philosophy, this entry level introduction is invaluable.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.
Title: A Sky Painted Gold
Author: Laura Wood
Genre: historical fiction
Similar books: The Lost Girl of Astor Street by Stephanie Morrill
Snow White: a graphic novel by Matt Phelan
Rating:
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| an interesting approach |
Summary (provided by publisher): It is the summer of 1929. Lou Trevelyan is a small-town girl with big dreams of becoming a writer. Then she meets the Cardew siblings: the bubbly Caitlin and her handsome, enigmatic brother, Robert. Lou is swept into their glittering whirlwind of moonlit parties, unrivaled glamour, and whispered secrets. As she falls deeper into the world of high society, Lou must find a way to stay true to herself . . . and her heart.
My opinion: One need not be overly familiar with The Great Gatsby to recognize the parallels in this novel. We have a working class protagonist thrown into the complexities of privileged class neighbors, neighbors who seem to do nothing but have parties. This novel has less casual racism than Gatsby but takes a much harder look at classism. And the examples we see come both from the Cardews and their friends and from Lou's family. As Lou becomes more entrenched in life on the Cardew estate we see the emptiness and casual decadence of their lifestyle. And Lou's involvement creates distance with her own family. She also begins to see how the parties and fun are a cover for real pain and preventing them from going after things they actually want. One thing Gatsby has over this book is the ending. Fitzgerald's final chapters are fairly tragic, pointing out the futility of living for pleasure. This book instead suggests that a happy ending is possible for everyone involved. It might be interesting to read these two books side by side and compare ideas and images.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley
I got a great deal on some slip on canvas shoes a while back. They're pretty comfortable but were a bit boring.
So, I gave them a quick face lift with some glow-in-the-dark fabric paint that I had lying around. Now they look as good as they feel.
Front Desk by Kelly Yang
The last couple of audio books I listened to were rather dense or serious, so I'm hopeful that this will be more of a lighthearted listen. I know it's fairly short, so expect to see the follow up post next week.
Inventors by Robert Winston
I've read a fair number of profile collections now and each one has it's own advantage. By focusing on a particular type of achievement, this book is able to feature a wide variety of people, from various places and time periods. They achieved a lot of different innovations, based on years of study or trial and error based on an immediate need. And because each profile is pretty short, focused entirely on the invention, it's a quick read, easily absorbed in a single sitting, even for young readers.
More information: Inventors releases July 7
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley
Title: Seven Clues to Home
Author: Gae Polisner and Nora Raleigh Baskin
Genre: realistic fiction
Similar books: The Lonely Heart of Maybelle Lane by Kate O'Shaughnessy
Look Both Ways by Jason Reynolds
Rating:
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| contemplative |
Summary (provided by publisher): WHEN YOU'VE LOST WHAT MATTERS MOST,
HOW DO YOU FIND YOUR WAY BACK HOME?
Joy Fonseca is dreading her 13th birthday, dreading being reminded again about her best friend Lukas's senseless death on this day, one year ago -- and dreading the fact he may have heard what she accidentally blurted to him the night before. Or maybe she's more worried he didn't hear.
Either way, she's decided: she's going to finally open the first clue to their annual birthday scavenger hunt Lukas left for her the morning he died, hoping the rest of the clues are still out there. If they are, they might lead Joy to whatever last words Lukas wrote, and toward understanding how to grab onto the future that is meant to be hers.
My opinion: In many ways, this is a more polished descendant of those "too young to die" books for teens popular in the nineties. By presenting us with the fact of Lukas's death at the beginning, we know that any development of the relationship between them can't possibly end happily. The plot is fairly simple, focused only on Joy finding clues and Lukas hiding them. The true development in this book is emotional. We see how their relationship grew in complexity, the promise of what might have happened between them, and Joy coming to terms with the loss of her friend at a time when everything else was changing as well. This is a book for middle graders ready for more emotional complexity.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley
