Non-fiction book review - The Teachers March

 

The Teachers March by Sandra Neil Wallace and Rich Wallace

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. 

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Book review - The Cousins

 

Title: The Cousins

Author: Karen McManus

Genre: mystery

Similar books: We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

                     Little White Lies by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Rating: 

 

doesn't quite live up to promise

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.
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Book review - Malcolm and Me

 

Title: Malcolm and Me

Author: Robin Farmer

Genre: historical fiction

Similar books: X by Ilyasah Shabazz

                     The Long Ride by Marina Budhos

Rating: 

 

great perspective

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.

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Pick 6: Verse novels

 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:

1. Being Toffee by Sarah Crossan
2. The Places We Sleep by Caroline Brooks DuBois
3. Beauty Mark by Carole Boston Weatherford
4. The Canyon's Edge by Dusti Bowling
5. Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi
6. Junk Boy by Tony Abbott
   

Non-fiction book review - A Concise Guide to the Quran

 

A Concise Guide to the Quran by Ayman S Ibrahim

It's been my ambition for several years to read the Quran, but my one attempt didn't get very far. I really struggled to understand what I was reading. Having read this book, I think my next attempt will go better. Ibrahim provides essential background information here. The questions answered include when it was written and several ways that Muslim culture relates to their holy book. I'd consider this book essential reading for anyone who wants to better understand Islam. My one suggestion would be to read it one question at a time. Let what you've read percolate before you attack the next one. 

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Book review - This is Not a Ghost Story

 

Title: This is Not a Ghost Story

Author: Andrea Portes

Genre: psychological horror

Similar books: The Glare by Margot Harrison

                     The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White

Rating: 

 

a decent premise, less than satisfying execution

Summary (provided by publisher): I am not welcome. Somehow I know that. Something doesn’t want me here.
Daffodil Franklin has plans for a quiet summer before her freshman year at college, and luckily, she’s found the job that can give her just that: housesitting a mansion for a wealthy couple.
But as the summer progresses and shadows lengthen, Daffodil comes to realize the house is more than it appears. The spacious home seems to close in on her, and as she takes the long road into town, she feels eyes on her the entire way, and something tugging her back.
What Daffodil doesn’t yet realize is that her job comes with a steep price. The house has a long-ago grudge it needs to settle . . . and Daffodil is the key to settling it.

My opinion: First, let me say that this plot is more unsettling than truly frightening. The tone is one of wrongness rather than fear. The set-up is standard horror fare - a teen on her own for the first time, running from her past, spending the summer alone in an isolated mansion. It should come as no surprise that practically as soon as the homeowner leaves weird things start to happen, things that suggest a haunting or a curse, especially once we learn that the house was the site of a tragedy. There is a point about halfway through the novel where there were enough questions, enough possibilities, that I was really into the book. It was only when Portes really committed to the truth of the events, when things took a particularly strange turn, that I began to be less invested. Events stopped making sense. I found them less unsettling and more tiresome. It's certainly a unique approach to the plot but it simply did not land with me.

More information: This is Not a Ghost Story releases November 17.
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Book review - Stick With Me

 

Title: Stick With Me

Author: Jennifer Blecher

Genre: realistic fiction

Similar books: Up for Air by Laurie Morrison

                      Hundred Percent by Karen Romano Young

Rating:

  

overly simplified

 

Summary (provided by publisher): Izzy’s best friend seems to be ditching her for the Queen of Mean, Daphne Toll. Izzy wants to fit in and have some real friends, but all she really has are her drawings. And then her family rents out their house during winter break for some extra cash—and that family’s daughter is sleeping in Izzy’s room and attending the same camp!
Wren is focused on perfecting her ice-skating routine after tanking at sectionals last year. But when her sister qualifies for a life-changing treatment for her epilepsy, Wren is carted off to stay in a rented home near Boston. It doesn’t help that she’s forced to attend the local theater camp, where it seems like the mean girls have it out for her.
Will Izzy and Wren’s shared status as targets of Phoebe and Daphne bring them closer? Or will middle school drama prevent them from ever becoming friends?

My opinion: This book feels too truncated to me. The time frame is just too short both for the logistics of Wren's sister's treatment and for the emotional journey both girls go on. It's too much for a single week. Izzy and Wren go from resenting each other to long distance besties. It would have been easier to accept if we were talking about the events of a summer, rather than spring break. And Izzy's issues with Phoebe are very simple. Phoebe seems to have turned from a good kid to a nightmare in a matter of days. The portrayal of friendship, changes, and conflict resolution are overly simplified. 

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Picture books for everyone

111 Trees by Rina Singh

What a cool, inspiring book. Singh relays the true story of a man who took a tragedy and used it to inspire his village to show it's love for it's daughters. It's the perfect intersection of learning to value girls and protecting the environment, even rehabbing land that seemed irreparably destroyed. I loved the idea that by tying the trees to the children the people are more motivated to take care of those trees. That neglecting their care is akin to neglecting the children. And then we see how this one action, this wild and extreme movement, has a rippling affect on the entire community. It affects the environment of course. Their physical health. But it also affects how they interact with one another. A wonderful object lesson on the power of a single action for young readers.

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Non-fiction book review - William Still and His Freedom Stories

 William Still and His Freedom Stories by Don Tate

We hear a fair number of stores about slavery and the Underground Railroad. What we seldom consider is how we know those stories. I'd never heard that it was a focused effort to record slaves' stories until I read this book. Due to William Still we know about slavery conditions and the efforts of escape. It makes the history unimpeacheable, having first person accounts. And it's inspiring, to learn how this young man use the opportunity he was given by being raised in freedom and properly educated to do everything in his power to help others, to reunite families and give his people help moving forward. A great addition to history collections.

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Book review - Muffled

 

Title: Muffled

Author: Jennifer Gennari

Genre: realistic fiction

Similar books: Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan

                     Rain Reign by Ann M Martin

Genre: realistic fiction

Rating: 

 

more complex than it first appears

Summary (provided by publisher): Ten-year-old Amelia does not like noise. From subway brakes to squeaky sneakers, she is sensitive to sound, just like her dad. Amelia has always worn noise-canceling headphones, but now that she’s going into fifth grade, her parents want her to stop wearing them. To make matters worse, she must learn to play an instrument! Or, as Amelia sees it, make noise on purpose.
To help Amelia cope, her father gives her a pair of earmuffs to wear instead. Even with her new earmuffs, Amelia struggles at school…until she gets partnered with Madge in music class. Madge is loud and bold and goofy—everything Amelia is not. And so Amelia is surprised when Madge wants to be friends.
Still, it’s not long though before Amelia’s quiet nature clashes with Madge’s loud personality. And when Madge disappears after an argument, Amelia fears Madge might be in trouble. If she’s going to help her friend, she will have to find a way to let in the noisy world she’s muffled for so long.

My opinion: At first glance, this plot seems pretty straightforward: Amelia is misunderstood by her peers and by her mother, all of whom become frustrated when she is overwhelmed. As the book progresses, though, we begin to see the complexities. It's hard for people to understand how difficult it is for Amelia to cope with noise. Her father is perhaps a bit permissive in his desire to make things easier for her, thus he never challenges her to expand her comfort zone. And Amelia herself is quick to dismiss people and ideas. If something isn't easy right away she gives up. It ends up being a book about recognizing your limits but being willing to try had things and to fail on occasion. Amelia is a charming if not entirely likeable protagonist. She's a bit standoffish, difficult for the average reader to relate to, but still worth the read.

More information: Muffled releases December 2. 

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Listen with me

 

The Brave by James Bird

This book surprised me with the degree of mysticism. I was expecting the standard "fish out of water" sort of tale, though I began to think that might not be the case with the introduction of the grandmother. What we get here is a sort of magical realism. Its firmly rooted in the world as we know it but with magical elements: spirits, vision quests, and the world beyond our own. At heart, this is a story of a boy learning to be comfortable with himself in all his aspects and to accept life changes in every form, even when they are painful. 

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