Can you ever have enough Christmas decorations? I was inspired this year to make a couple of foam decorations in unusual shapes. I love decorations that are a bit unexpected. In this case, I went with an avocado and a cactus formed from egg shapes and spiced up with a bit of glitter.
It seems like a good idea to ease into the Christmas crafts, so I went with a kit today. I love these little paintable ornaments and tend to buy a new one every year.
It's already December! And that means it's time for me to punish myself by making a different craft every day until Christmas. I thought I'd start out the season with a craft a lot of us have learned this year: a custom mask. This one is double sided, with two different Christmas fabrics so I can pick the one that suits my mood on a given day.
Like most kids, my education surrounding the Civil Rights movement was limited to bus boycotts, sit-ins, and a little about Freedom marchers. This is the first I'd heard about teachers specifically marching. I had never considered the idea that teachers were considered influential community members and that for them to take a stand was a huge boon to the movement. Consider the risk they were taking. Teaching was one of a handful of good jobs available to people of color. To risk loosing that, knowing they would have very little employment opportunities if the pretest went badly, is huge. It's an important story to tell about an often overlooked part of history.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley
Author: Karen McManus
Genre: mystery
Similar books: We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
Little White Lies by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Rating:
Summary (provided by publisher): Milly, Aubrey, and Jonah Story are cousins, but they barely know each another, and they've never even met their grandmother. Rich and reclusive, she disinherited their parents before they were born. So when they each receive a letter inviting them to work at her island resort for the summer, they're surprised . . . and curious.
Their parents are all clear on one point--not going is not an option. This could be the opportunity to get back into Grandmother's good graces. But when the cousins arrive on the island, it's immediately clear that she has different plans for them. And the longer they stay, the more they realize how mysterious--and dark--their family's past is.
The entire Story family has secrets. Whatever pulled them apart years ago isn't over--and this summer, the cousins will learn everything.
My opinion: Culturally, we have something of a fascination with the hyper-wealthy. It seems like even their troubles are more glamorous than ours. So books like this one pick those perceptions apart. This one has some twists. The parents were disinherited, so the titular cousin's own backgrounds are diverse and each brings their own baggage to the investigation. These elements are compelling. The actual investigation is less so. What starts with a normal secret cover-up quickly becomes far less realistic. The ending wraps up in a tidy package, again less satisfying.
More information: The Cousins releases December 1.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley
Author: Robin Farmer
Genre: historical fiction
Similar books: X by Ilyasah Shabazz
The Long Ride by Marina Budhos
Rating:
Summary (provided by publisher): Philly native Roberta Forest is a precocious rebel with the soul of a poet. The thirteen-year-old is young, gifted, black, and Catholic—although she’s uncertain about the Catholic part after she calls Thomas Jefferson a hypocrite for enslaving people and her nun responds with a racist insult. Their ensuing fight makes Roberta question God and the important adults in her life, all of whom seem to see truth as gray when Roberta believes it’s black or white.
An upcoming essay contest, writing poetry, and reading The Autobiography of Malcolm X all help Roberta cope with the various difficulties she’s experiencing in her life, including her parent’s troubled marriage. But when she’s told she’s ineligible to compete in the school’s essay contest, her explosive reaction to the news leads to a confrontation with her mother, who shares some family truths Roberta isn’t ready for.
My opinion: We get a fair number of books about kids becoming aware of or coming to terms with the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr, plenty about learning non-violent resistance. This book is in that vein but with a distinct difference: the figure Roberta is learning to emulate. Malcolm X is perhaps a more challenging figure but that provides more complex ideas. Roberta is learning when to simply resist and when to make a fuss. When to stand up and shout and fight to be heard. There's aggression and compassion in equal measure and Roberta has to learn to balance these things as well. Add in the more standard middle grade themes of questioning your religion and your view of your family and there's a lot going on. This does mean that the plot is a bit scattered. Tonally, it's more suitable for older middle grade kids or young teens. Not a book for everyone but could certainly have a place on supplementary reading list.
More information: Malcolm and Me releases November 17.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley
Verse novels aren't especially common or popular, though a few have broken through. You may have read an Ellen Hopkins book during their burst of popularity, or may have been assigned Sharon Creech's Love That Dog in school. It's a shame that more people don't read these books as verse novels are a great way to explore a concept through a character's internal, emotional journey. Here are six verse novels for kids and teens published in the past six months.
6 new verse novels:
