Book reveiew - Choir Grrrl

 

Title: Choir Grrrl

Author: Ashley Granillo

Genre: realistic fiction

Age range: middle grade

Similar book: Sofia Acosta Makes a Scene by Emma Otheguy

Summary (provided by publisher): Thirteen-year-old Alondra was born into a musical family.

Her dad, the former frontman of a famous alt-rock band, expects her and her sisters to follow in his footsteps. The girls have formed their own band, which will open for their dad during his comeback tour.

Despite secretly liking quieter music, Alondra is committed to preparing for the tour. She’ll do whatever it takes: Change the sound of her voice. Suppress her discomfort with some fans’ behavior. Act the part of a hardcore riot grrrl.

But when a classmate invites her to join a choir club, Alondra discovers a new way of making music. Choir lets her express herself in ways that the band doesn’t.

Afraid to upset the delicate balance in her family, Alondra secretly practices with the choir between shows with her sisters’ band―until her secrets are exposed. Will she be forced to choose between her two voices, or can she bring the different parts of her life into harmony?

What I liked: Typically when we have a book about a character with secret interests it's a sharp dichotomy. The parents want one thing for their kid who wants something completely different. I like that this book isn't so sharply defined. It's not that Alondra hates the music she performs with her sisters and only wants to do choir. This is a book that wants to reject rigidity and expectations and give kids space to explore themselves and their identity.

What I didn't like: This was an uncomfortable read for me since I struggle with characters lying and keeping secrets, knowing it's going to blow up in some dramatic way. Still, Granillo allows the mess to build in a natural way and similarly allows plenty of space for reconciliation. This can mean pacing is a bit slow but ultimately the strong characters make up for it. 

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

WWW Wednesday

What are you currently reading?

Hail Mariam by Huda Al-Marashi - When her parents send her to a Catholic school, Mariam struggles with schoolwork, her sister's illness, and what it means to be the only Muslim in her school.

What did you recently finish reading?

Choir Grrl by Ashley Granillo - Alondra joins a choir club at school, keeping it a secret from her family who expect her to give her full attention to the alt-rock band she is in with her sisters, following in their father's footsteps.

What do you think you'll read next?

Paradise Coast by Suzanne Young

Pancake Tuesday

 I'm not Catholic. I've never observed Lent. But I love Pancake Tuesday. Who doesn't love an excuse to eat pancakes? This year I had the day off so I decided to make it an extreme Pancake Tuesday by having some form of pancakes at every meal.

Breakfast was mixed berry peanut butter pancakes.

Lunch was stir-fried vegetables with these Xi'an tofu and cabbage stuffed pancakes.

And to go with dinner I made zucchini fritters.

Non-fiction book review - Why Space Will Freak You Out

 

Why Space Will Freak You Out by Kimberly K. Arcand and Megan Watzke

Is the title of this book a bit extreme? Sure. It's certainly designed to play on a kid's fondness for the macabre. But the information it contains is solid. The actual text is informative without hyperbole. With photos and charts throughout there's plenty on each page to engage a reluctant reader.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

WWW Wednesday

 What are you currently reading?

Goodbye, French Fry by Rin-rin Yu - A Chinese-American girl navigates difficult classmates, what it means to be Chinese, and the possibility of having to move.

What did you recently finish reading?

Postscript by Cory McCarthy - Some of the last humans figure out how to live when the world is falling apart.

What do you think you'll read next?

Choir Grrl by Ashley Granillo

Book review - Space for Saffron

 

Title: Space for Saffron

Author: Rie Neal

Age range: middle grade

Genre: realistic fiction

Similar book: Maizy Chen's Last Chance by Lisa Yee

Summary (provided by publisher): Curious ten-year-old Saffron Speiser-Green loves science—unfortunately, her “experiments” tend to end in more messes than actual answers. (Just ask the broken alarm clock that’s still at the bottom of her backpack.) Saffron has a plan, though—a blue ribbon in her school’s Project Showcase will show the world she means business.

But when Saffron’s beloved volcano project ruins the walls at Mama’s job and gets her fired, Saffron will do anything to make things right—including helping Mama convince her other mom, Mimi, that they should move to the Silicon Valley to run Gran’s coffee shop. Mama’s dream job is worth giving up the blue ribbon. Right?

Luckily for Saffron, her new friends in the Silicon Valley are busy preparing for a STEM Expo, and Saffron is determined to find a project “smart” enough to show everyone she belongs there. But the coffee shop? No customers, no vision, and…tons of debt. And if it closes, Saffron’s family will have to move again. After a class trip to the STEAMology Museum in San Francisco, though, Saffron knows how to save the café—and what to do for her STEM Expo project. But she’s going to need a lot of help.

What I liked: Saffron is sort of the modern Ramona or Clementine. She's clever and creative but also impulsive to a degree that often gets her into trouble. She is, in short, realistic. And while Saffron is disabled, her hearing issues are not central to the plot. They inform some of her behavior but that's all. It's inclusive without being a capital I issue. It's a relatively quick and engaging read.

What I didn't like: The focus of the plot can be a bit scattered. And it lacks the humor that we often see in impulsive characters. There's not a lot of depth to the plot but it's accessible.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Book review - 16 Forever

 

Title: 16 Forever

Author: Lance Rubin

Age range: teen

Genre: light magical realism

Similar book: Noggin by John Corey Whaley

Summary (provided by publisher): It’s the morning of Carter Cohen’s 16th birthday, and everything’s going his way. 

He’s psyched and ready to get his driver’s license, his little brother’s not hogging the bathroom, and, man, something smells good for breakfast…

But when Carter bounds downstairs, Mom bursts into tears. It happened again. It’s Carter’s 16th birthday—for the sixth time. Every time he’s supposed to turn 17, he loops back a year. His memory gets wiped clean, his body ages backward—the rest of the world moves on, just not him.

Maggie Spear, on the other hand, has been dreading this day ever since she and Carter started dating. When she spies him in the halls and he doesn’t seem to know her at all, it’s obvious that it’s over between them. She can’t be in a relationship with someone who is just going to forget her again and again. Since Carter doesn’t remember that they’re together, then it’s probably better if she just pretends that they never were.

Except Carter senses that there’s more to their story than Maggie’s letting on, and Maggie’s keeping secrets of her own—but in the process of trying to let the other go, they find themselves falling in love all over again.

With Maggie soon leaving for college and Carter’s birthday quickly coming around again, will they be able to find a forever that isn’t stuck at 16? 

What I liked: Essentially, this is a time loop story. While the details of this book are a little different the heart of the plot is the same - Carter must figure out what caused him to loop and correct it, leading him to self-discovery. At least, that's what we think we're getting. The set up certainly suggests that course. But Rubin allows this plot to become much more. Certainly we explore the choices that might have lead to Carter looping. The plot transcends the simple self-discovery though. There's a broader exploration of the importance of communication and the complexities of relationships that allows the plot to move beyond the expected. This is more than simple entertainment.

What I didn't like: Some of the issues in this book are over-simplified. Characters are not especially deeply explored. Really, though, those are minor annoyances. Overall this is a solid read.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley