Book review - Each of Us a Universe

 

Title: Each of Us a Universe

Author: Jeanne Zulick Ferruolo and Ndengo Gladys Mwilelo

Genre: realistic fiction

Similar books: Peak by Roland Smith

                     The Magic of Melwick Orchard by Rebecca Caprara

Rating:

 

the right level of contemplative for the age group

Summary (provided by publisher): What do you do when you’re facing the impossible?
Ever since the day when everything changed, Cal Scott’s answer has been to run—run from her mother who’s fighting cancer, run from her father whom she can’t forgive, and run from classmates who’ve never seemed to “get” her anyway. The only thing Cal runs toward is nearby Mt. Meteorite, named for the magical meteorite some say crashed there fifty years ago. Cal spends her afternoons plotting to summit the mountain, so she can find the magic she believes will make the impossible possible and heal her mother. But no one has successfully reached its peak—no one who’s lived to tell about it, anyway.
Then Cal meets Rosine Kanambe, a girl who’s faced more impossibles than anyone should have to. Rosine has her own secret plan for the mountain and its magic, and convinces Cal they can summit its peak if they work together. As the girls climb high and dig deep to face the mountain’s challenges, Cal learns from Rosine what real courage looks like, and begins to wonder if the magic she’s been looking for is really the kind she needs. 

My opinion: Ferruolo has managed to combine grief, sports, and a refuge story into a single cohesive story, even including hints of magic. And somehow it is still a simple story. There is surprisingly little action. It's primarily an emotional journey - anger and grief and our tendency to run away from hard things. Because of the relative simplicity, kids have plenty of room to contemplate the emotions involved. A solid choice for discussion.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Mandalorian rag doll

 After I watched the first season of The Mandalorian, I made a rag doll of the child. Recently, I got it in my head to make a similar doll of the Mandalorian. It was freehanded, so I don't have any process photos. It also turned out a bit rough. But it's still pretty fun. And even better, it's the perfect size for Grogu to hold.

Book review - The Keeper

 

Title: The Keeper

Author: Guadalupe Garcia McCall

Genre: horror

Similar books: The Smashed Man of Dread End by J W Ocker

                     Fuzzy Mud by Louis Sachar

Rating:

 

didn't really work for me

Summary (provided by publisher): James always knew moving from Texas to Oregon was going to be horrible.. But no sooner have he and his family arrived in their "perfect" new home in their "perfect" new town than he starts getting mysterious letters from someone called the Keeper. Someone who claims to be watching him. Someone who is looking for “young blood.”
James and his sister, Ava, are obviously in danger. But the problem with having a history of playing practical jokes is that no one believes James—not even his parents. Now James and Ava need to figure out who is sending the letters before they become the next victims in their neighborhood’s long history of missing children.
Because one thing is clear: Uncovering the truth about the Keeper is the only thing that will keep them alive.

My opinion: Middle grade horror is a tricky thing. You have to find the right level of spooky without becoming extreme or unbelievable. This is especially difficult when you aren't dealing with ghosts. While I can understand the desire to tread new ground, it's much harder to create a convincingly scary atmosphere without ghosts. This book goes too far, going to weird horror cliches for the threat. And until the danger is revealed, it's not especially frightening. The town is more uncanny than truly creepy. I think for a middle schooler, I would stick with a ghost story.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Graphic Novel spotlight - Rosa Parks

 

Rosa Parks by Mariapaola Pesce and Matteo Mancini

If you're anything like me, your first thought about this book is going to be "do we really need another book about Rosa Parks". She was basically the only figure of the Civil Rights movement I learned about in school apart from MLK. But it doesn't take much research to realize that the picture of Rosa Parks we were given was an inaccurate one. We were shown Rosa as a quiet, unassuming woman who was just tired one day, becoming an icon by happenstance. This book introduces us to Rosa Parks the Revolutionary, a woman who with calm intention set out to change the world. And Pesce and Mancini tie the bus boycotts into the modern social movements, viewing BLM as the direct descendant of MLK and the Black Panthers. It's beautifully illustrated, though text heavy, and leaves the reader with plenty to think about.

 Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Non-fiction book review - Revolutionary Prudence Wright

 

Revolutionary Prudence Wright by Beth Anderson

In school we learn almost nothing about women during the Revolutionary War, just a few stories of women who disguised themselves as men to become soldiers or spies. WE are left to assume that most of them sat on their hands at home, waiting to see if their men would return. This book clears up some of those misconceptions. First we see the role w0men played in the early days, their rejecting of British goods and leading protests. And then, when the men were gone and their homes were threatened, forming their on militia and standing up in their own defense.This is a clear, easy to follow story that is well illustrated. A solid addition to a kid's history collection. 

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Book review - Dream, Annie, Dream

 

Title: Dream, Annie, Dream

Author: Waka T. Brown

Genre: realistic fiction

Similar books: Dara Palmer's Major Drama by Emma Shevah

                      Violets are Blue by Barbara Dee

Rating:

 

a good thinker for middle graders

Summary (provided by publisher):As the daughter of immigrants who came to America for a better life, Annie Inoue was raised to dream big. And at the start of seventh grade, she’s channeling that irrepressible hope into becoming the lead in her school play.
So when Annie lands an impressive role in the production of The King and I, she’s thrilled . . . until she starts to hear grumbles from her mostly white classmates that she only got the part because it’s an Asian play with Asian characters. Is this all people see when they see her? Is this the only kind of success they’ll let her have—one that they can tear down or use race to belittle?
Disheartened but determined, Annie channels her hurt into a new dream: showing everyone what she’s made of.

My opinion: I think what I like best about this book is that it doesn't over-simplify race relations. Does Annie face racism? Absolutely. But she see it in different forms. It's less about slurs and discrimination than it is about micro-aggression. Annie isn't allowed to be a "normal" kid when it seems like everyone points out her racial heritage at every turn, usually in a negative way. And the realizations of her community's unhealthy racial attitudes are focused more on how other adults treat her parents than on how her peers treat Annie. It's a great book to read with your kid or in a group discussion, to help them interpret what they have read.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Wooden box

 I was given one of these little wooden boxes with an image pressed into the top from the dollar store. While the plain box was kind of cute, it's even better with a little brightly colored paint.