Book review - Danilo Was Here

 

Title: Danilo Was Here

Author: Tamika Burgess

Age range: middle grade

Genre: realistic fiction

Similar book: A Long Pitch Home by Natalie Dias Lorenzi

Summary (provided by publisher): Danilo Osorio Jr.’s baseball skills were once the pride of his father and entire hometown of El Chorrillo, Panamá. But that was then, and this is now…

Following 1989's Operation Just Cause, a US military invasion that left his neighborhood decimated, Danilo couldn’t care less about baseball or the father who abandoned him for opportunities in the States. Now Danilo’s focus is taking care of his mamá and sister and trying to save them all from needing to relocate to a refugee camp.

When Danilo unintentionally catches the eye of a baseball recruiter and is offered the opportunity to visit and train in California—the same place as his father’s last known address—he is tasked with deciding to go or stay. But if playing baseball could help him find his father and secure the extra funds his family needs, Danilo is willing to travel anywhere, even to the very country responsible for destroying his home.

Between his tough-as-nails baseball coach, ultracompetitive teammates, and overly enthusiastic host family, Danilo’s plans encounter some curveballs. And when his turn to bat finally comes, he’ll have to decide what and who he’s actually fighting for.  

What I liked: I'm all for a book that explores the impact of an historical event, especially one that we learn next to nothing about. Personally, I'm not sure that I could have told you that the US invaded Panama. Seeing the impact on the people of the region was certainly eye-opening. Not only do we learn about the destruction, Burgess is careful to point out the impact of relief efforts, the ways that it dehumanizes the victims. That makes for some pretty compelling reading.

What I didn't like: I won't say that I didn't like this, exactly, but I will admit that this is not a comfortable read. Danilo is very self-centered. While that's certainly normal for a character in this age group it makes for some pretty bad decision making and blindness to other's feelings. So this is not a book if you, like me, get itchy when characters are setting themselves up for embarrassment or to destroy their own friendships.

More information: Danilo Was Here releases January 21.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

WWW Wednesday

What are you currently reading?

The Vanished Ones by Chad Lucas - When boys start disappearing from the Mission and no one in charge seems to care, a young trainee searches for answers.

What did you recently finish reading?

Safe Harbor by Padma Venkatraman- A verse novel about a young immigrant struggling to fit in.

What do you think you'll read next?

Under the Same Stars by Libba Bray

Headband

 Over the summer, a friend of mine gifted me with a rabbit. Galactus the Devourer of Worlds is a fuzzy French Lop and while she was still a baby when I got her she's now around 10 pounds of attitude and fur.

Much like my angoras, Galactus regularly sheds a great deal of soft fur and while it's not as long as angora fiber, I was quite certain that this fur could be spun.

Here's a small sample of the fiber.

And what it looks like spun, first as a single and then a plied yarn.

Once I had a small ball of yarn, I decided to crochet a headband for the friend who gave me Galactus in the first place. It's a simple design but super soft and should be quite warm.

Book review - The Secret of Honeycake

 

Title: The Secret of Honeycake

Author: Kimberly Newton Fusco

Age range: middle grade

Genre: historical fiction

Similar books: Light and Air by Mindy Nichols Wendell

                      Bea and the New Deal Horse by L. M. Elliot

Summary (provided by publisher): A recipe for The World’s Most Comforting, Twelve-Layer Honeycake:

1 quiet girl named Hurricane, who runs like the wind along the Mighty Atlantic with her old dog Brody-Bear.

1 imperious aunt, who steps up when Hurricane’s world turns upside down.

 1 kind-hearted boy, who helps wounded animals (and may smell a little of fish)

1 lonely and flea-bitten cat with a ragged ear and a crooked tail.

1 gentle chauffeur, who knows exactly what to say…and when not to say a thing.

Mix them all together in big, fancy house in the city.  What you get might surprise you.

What I liked: This is a surprisingly gentle story. With short chapters that say exactly what they need to, the reader moves quickly through the plot. Characters are allowed to develop naturally and while they aren't always likeable they are believable. All around, a solid read.

What I didn't like: Not much about this one jumps out as a problem for me. The historical setting may be a challenge for some but it doesn't lean too hard into those elements.

More information: The Secret of Honeycake releases January 21.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Custom t-shirt

 I had a plain t-shirt in my craft supplies that I decided to decorate for my mother for her birthday (which is today - Happy Birthday to Mom!). I decided on this fellow from Animaniacs for the theme:

If you're unfamiliar, he was the star of a short segment where he would come out and tell a story, a common urban legend, as told to him by a kid named Randy Beaman.

Here's my take on him, painted with silver fabric paint.

WWW Wednesday

 What are you currently reading?

Where the Heart Should Be by Sarah Crossan - A verse novel about the Potato Famine

What did you recently finish reading?

The Secret of Honeycake by Kimberly Newton Fusco - When her sister falls ill with TB, a girl is sent to live with her strict aunt

What do you think you'll read next?

Danilo Was Here by Tamika Burgess

Listen With Me

 

Our Shouts Echo by Jade Adia

I've read books about kids being raised by preppers, but this may be the first I've read where the teen is the one instigating the changes. This book promises a protagonist responding to climate anxiety and trauma with prepping and a boy who turns her world upside down.