I'd had previous exposure to all three figures in this book but that doesn't make the reading any less cool. We need to learn more about important historical figures, people who stand out from the crowd. People with strong morals. And this scratched an old itch from my childhood obsession with cowboys. This book will make an excellent addition to any school or library collection.
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Author: Nic Stone
Genre: realistic fiction
Similar books: Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi
Tyler Johnson Was Here by Jay Coles
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Summary (provided by publisher): Vernell LaQuan Banks and Justyce McAllister grew up a block apart in the Southwest Atlanta neighborhood of Wynwood Heights. Years later, though, Justyce walks the illustrious halls of Yale University . . . and Quan sits behind bars at the Fulton Regional Youth Detention Center.
Through a series of flashbacks, vignettes, and letters to Justyce--the protagonist of Dear Martin--Quan's story takes form. Troubles at home and misunderstandings at school give rise to police encounters and tough decisions. But then there's a dead cop and a weapon with Quan's prints on it. What leads a bright kid down a road to a murder charge? Not even Quan is sure.
My opinion: Dear Justyce is the sequel to Dear Martin, but it's not really necessary to read that one to understand this one. While there are references to the events of the previous novel, this plot stand fairly well on it's own. Let's be clear: this is a novel with a pointed political agenda. It seeks to point out the failings of the prison industrial complex and the school to prison pipeline. How those born "disadvantaged" have little chance to make it out of that hole. None of these things are especially surprising. More compelling to me is the portrayal of Quan's involvement in a gang. We see not only how he got involved but his continued dedication to his crew. How they took care of him and his family, his reluctance to betray them even when he disagrees with their actions. It is not a perfect book and has some rather over the top plot elements. Even so, it's a valuable addition to the conversation about race, justice, and the prison system.
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Author: PJ Gardner
Genre: mystery
Similar books: Bunnicula by James Howe
Claude in the Country by Alex T Smith
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Summary (provided by publisher): Horace Homer Higgins III despises dirt. And the outdoors. And ducks. But when his person, Eleanor, moves to a farm called the Homestead, the anxious Boston Terrier is forced to adapt. As if that isn’t enough to strain his nerves, Ellie adopts a perpetually cheerful potbellied pig named Bunwinkle to be his baby sister.
Bunwinkle is delighted to be on the farm despite the stuffy demeanor of her new canine brother. She’s sure she’ll crack his shell eventually—no one can resist her cuteness for long—especially once they bond over watching a TV pet-tective show.
When the duo discovers that neighborhood animals have been disappearing, they decide to use their new detective skills to team up to solve this barnyard mystery. Is it a mountain lion? Or their suspiciously shot-loving veterinarians?
Only one thing seems certain: if they don’t figure it out soon, one of them might be next!
My opinion: Books about animals interacting with humans have to be carefully done. Otherwise the humor can rely too much on the animals not understanding human figures of speech. And that is a trap that this book falls into often. Horace and Bunwinkle misinterpret what their owner says and what they hear on television. They jump to conclusions and get into a lot of trouble. The animal interactions are strong, the mystery elements less so. The evidence is presented in an uneven manner, discovered largely by accident. The resolution is a bit over the top. A good idea with a lot of promise but somewhat lacking in the execution.
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Could this book be more universally appealing? We have the sweet, bright appeal of princesses and the wild fun of dinosaurs. But it's more than just that simply dichotomy. Some of the princesses engage in flower-picking and tea parties. Others have sword fights and climb trees. Some dinosaurs stomp in the mud and break things. Others are engaged in more peaceful pursuits. The two groups are in conflict and share the blame for that conflict equally. Just as the blame is shared, so too is the resolution. Each becomes interested in the activities of the other group until they naturally tear down the barrier between them. It's silly fun with a message about conflict resolution, all tied together with cartoony illustrations. A little something for everyone.
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Montgomery has not created the typical nonfiction book here. It reads like a series of essays, with a conversational tone. While each chapter has the same overall focus - something we can learn from or about feces - the topics jump around. They don't build on one another at all. This makes it easier to read in fits and starts rather than all in one sitting. There's a general tone of good humor and fascination, just as much about Montgomery's own reactions as about the things we can learn. It's quite well written and looks at a lot of topics that might otherwise be overlooked. Just not a book for the especially squeamish, given some fairly enthusiastic physical descriptions of assorted scat.
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Author: Eric Walters
Genre: realistic fiction
Rating:
Summary (provided by publisher): Thirteen-year-old Quinn and her friends can't believe their luck when spring break is extended an extra two weeks—even if it's because of some virus. But when the impact of the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic becomes apparent, everyone, not just the students, has to learn to adjust to their new reality. Quinn’s father is an ER doctor and has to self-isolate to protect his family from the virus. Isaac’s mother is the chief of police and now has to enforce new physical-distancing bylaws. Reese can’t visit her grandmother in her care home anymore. And their entire school has moved to online classes. Sacrifices have to be made to keep everyone safe, but there’s more to life than rules and scary news reports. In an effort to find some good in all this uncertainty, Quinn comes up with an idea that she hopes will bring the entire community together.
My opinion: Obviously, this is a book that is going to speak to young readers right now. It reflects what we've all been living through, the way that the world changed in the spring. It is that snapshot nature that is likely to be the book's downfall in the long term. Even in the past six weeks, the world has changed again and the adjustments Walters shows are out of date. And let's be honest: do kids who are living through COVID restrictions really want to relive it right now?
More information: Don't Stand So Close to Me releases September 22
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Author: Dean Hughes
Genre: realistic fiction:
Similar books: The Red Pencil by Andrea Davis Pinkney
Everlasting Nora by Marie MIranda Cruz
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Summary (provided by publisher): Thirteen-year-old Hadi Toma and his family are displaced. At least that’s what the Lebanese government calls them and the thousands of other Syrian refugees that have flooded into Beirut. But as Hadi tries to earn money to feed his family by selling gum on the street corner, he learns that many people who travel the city don’t think they’re displaced—they think that they don’t belong in this country either. Each day he hears insults, but each day he convinces himself they don’t matter, approaching the cars again and again. He hardly dares to dream anymore that this might change.
But then Hadi meets Malek, who has been instructed to work on the same corner. Malek, who talks about going to school and becoming an engineer. But Malek is new to the streets, and Kamal, the man who oversees many of the local street vendors, tells Malek he must work the corner…alone. And people who don’t follow Kamal’s orders don’t last long.
Now Hadi is forced to make a choice between engaging in illegal activities or letting his family starve. Can the boys find a way out of their impossible situation, or will the dream of something greater than their harsh realities remain stubbornly out of reach?
My opinion: It isn't often that we get a refugee story that doesn't end with the main character in a new home in the west, opportunity wide open in front of them. Hughes presents us instead with a family trapped by poverty, in a country already stretched thin for resources. This is a scenario where they were once helped by NGOs but that funding has dried up. The best Hadi can hope for is a slight improvement in circumstances, a situation where he may be able to go to school, where his family may have enough to eat without begging. The greatest value to a book like this one is putting a human face to a crisis.
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