Graphic novel spotlight - Bolivar

Bolivar by Sean Rubin

Bolivar is the graphic novel for kids growing out of Imogene's Antlers or What the Mailman Brought. It takes a very strange occurrence - a dinosaur living in New York City - and makes it very commonplace. The bulk of the plot is Sybil either trying to see her neighbor or prove to others that he is a dinosaur. The adults in the neighborhood interact with Bolivar regularly but are so caught up in their own concerns that they cannot see that he isn't human. Or if they do notice something odd about him assume they can't possibly be right. This is actually a pretty high level concept for such a simple story since most of the plot is predicated on self absorption and willful ignorance. In the end, the plot doesn't even matter (though it's definitely worth reading). The illustrations are amazing. They are full of super fine details. It's a book you can enjoy simply leafing through.

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Non-fiction book review - Throw Like a Girl, Cheer Like a Boy

Throw Like a Girl, Cheer Like a Boy by Robyn Ryle

I make no secret of my general disinterest in sports. What does interest me, I'm realizing, is sociology. That means that I found this book fascinating. It looks at what sports can tell us about roles in society: gender, race, class, and identity. We look at how those roles and how the public's view of various sports have changed over time. As minorities began to achieve, to threaten the superiority of the majority, efforts to hold them back become common place. It's a lot of information, a lot of individual examples, and can be a little dense but I found it compelling enough to drive me to keep reading. Additionally, it's well documented and reliably sourced. There's a clear agenda and bias in the presentation but it's so well researched that it's hard to argue with.
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Book review - The Mall

Title: The Mall
Author: Megan McCafferty
Genre: historical fiction
Similar books: The Seven Torments of Amy and Craig by Don Zolidis
                      Rayne and Delilah's Midnite Matinee by Jeff Zentner
Rating:

a great snapshot of the time

Summary (provided by publisher): The year is 1991. Scrunchies, mixtapes and 90210 are, like, totally fresh. Cassie Worthy is psyched to spend the summer after graduation working at the Parkway Center Mall. In six weeks, she and her boyfriend head off to college in NYC to fulfill The Plan: higher education and happily ever after.
But you know what they say about the best laid plans...
Set entirely in a classic “monument to consumerism,” the novel follows Cassie as she finds friendship, love, and ultimately herself, in the most unexpected of places. Megan McCafferty, beloved New York Times bestselling author of the Jessica Darling series, takes readers on an epic trip back in time to The Mall.

My opinion: McCafferty really captures the essence of the early 1990's, in large part because she's set the entire plot within the mall. We see all of the specialty shops, the culture of the mall. Now, since the plot is essentially a treasure hunt it has an almost magical air. Really, though, that hunt is just a framework for the character development. It's a method by which Cassie explores the complexity of relationships, the ways people change for each other, and finding the balance between healthy compromise and staying true to yourself. It makes some interesting points about toxic masculinity but the characters are a little progressive for their time. While the attitudes are understandable now, they were far less common in 1991. It makes some interesting points about emotional maturity, though it's not likely to be my first choice.
More information: The Mall releases July 28.
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Book review - Starting from Seneca Falls

Title: Starting from Seneca Falls
Author: Karen Schwbach
Genre: historical fiction
Similar books: A Time for Courage by Katherine Lasky
                     Counting on Grace by Elizabeth Winthrop
Rating:

Summary (provided by publisher): Bridie's life has been a series of wrongs. The potato famine in Ireland. Being sent to the poorhouse when her mother's new job in America didn't turn out the way they'd hoped. Becoming an orphan.
And then there's the latest wrong--having to work for a family so abusive that Bridie is afraid she won't survive. So she runs away to Seneca Falls, New York, which in 1848 is a bustling town full of possibility. There, she makes friends with Rose, a girl with her own list of wrongs, but with big dreams, too.
Rose helps Bridie get a job with the strangest lady she's ever met, Mrs. Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Mrs. Stanton is planning a convention to talk about the rights of women. For Bridie and Rose, it's a new idea, that women and girls could have a voice. But they sure are sick of all the wrongs. Maybe it's time to fight for their rights! 

My opinion: The Seneca Falls Convention is a relatively well know event among history buffs, less so among the rest of us. Even if it's familiar, though, viewing it through teh eyes of children nearby is always an interesting premise. This particular book gives us two marginalized perspectives: a white domestic worker and a black school girl. Bridie comes from abject poverty and expects very little out of life. She figures all the future holds for her is hard work. She's never really seen any other possibility. It does not occur to her to consider what she might want out of life. Rose is filled with ambition. She wants to achieve great things but society tells her that her gender and her race will hold her back. The plot is pretty straightforward and not especially conflict driven. The ending is built on a lot of convenient coincidences and cuts off pretty short. Still an interesting exploration that could spark some decent conversations with young readers.
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Listen with me

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.

Non-fiction book review - Big Thinkers and Big Ideas

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.
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Book review - A Sky Painted Gold

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:

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.
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