Dr. Bickmore's YA Wednesday Weekend Picks for 2020
Are you looking for something to read?
Pick one of these great books!
This is the new page for 2020
For older picks click from 2019 click here
For the even older picks click here.
If you would like to contribute to the Weekend Picks, send me a note.
Pick one of these great books!
This is the new page for 2020
For older picks click from 2019 click here
For the even older picks click here.
If you would like to contribute to the Weekend Picks, send me a note.
Weekend Picks for December 2020
by a variety of People
Weekend Pick for Dec. 26, 2020 by Angela Insenga
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
My earliest YA love—and perhaps the first American YA novel—was Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, which was published in two volumes, the first in 1868. I return to it often, both on my own and in my teaching, to problematize and represent the domestic novels prescribed to young women during the 19th century. Jo, Meg, Amy, and Beth March offered contemporary girl readers options, some rather provincial, and others decidedly nontraditional. The quartet of siblings, distinct in personality and future goals, provided variance in characterization that was missing from typical coming-of-age novels for young women, most of which depicted a girl’s early life as but training for her life as mother and wife. The novel richly illustrates the inner life of each of the March women, if not via narrative interiority we have become accustomed to in YA then in each adolescent’s interactions with others that shift and change as she grows. And the public’s appetite for more March stories led to what has become a norm in YA: serialization. Alcott wrote two more books, Little Men (1871) and Jo’s Boys (1886) for her publisher; while neither was as successful as the first, both had established readership. In truth, even in a time when I choose more diverse fare for my YA students, the March’s first Christmas without their father, who is away serving as a chaplain in the Civil War, is by itself worth another reading of Alcott’s novel.
My earliest YA love—and perhaps the first American YA novel—was Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, which was published in two volumes, the first in 1868. I return to it often, both on my own and in my teaching, to problematize and represent the domestic novels prescribed to young women during the 19th century. Jo, Meg, Amy, and Beth March offered contemporary girl readers options, some rather provincial, and others decidedly nontraditional. The quartet of siblings, distinct in personality and future goals, provided variance in characterization that was missing from typical coming-of-age novels for young women, most of which depicted a girl’s early life as but training for her life as mother and wife. The novel richly illustrates the inner life of each of the March women, if not via narrative interiority we have become accustomed to in YA then in each adolescent’s interactions with others that shift and change as she grows. And the public’s appetite for more March stories led to what has become a norm in YA: serialization. Alcott wrote two more books, Little Men (1871) and Jo’s Boys (1886) for her publisher; while neither was as successful as the first, both had established readership. In truth, even in a time when I choose more diverse fare for my YA students, the March’s first Christmas without their father, who is away serving as a chaplain in the Civil War, is by itself worth another reading of Alcott’s novel.
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“Marmee,” matriarch and prototypical Angel in the House, strives to instill empathy in her daughters in concrete ways. Fostering empathy builds stronger connections, despite the fundamental differences that are often used to divide us. Empathy is that which allows us to say, for example, “I have not experienced your pain, yet I recognize it as pain, have felt human agonies of my own, and so I hold space for yours as I learn about it.” In chapter 2 of book one, “A Merry Christmas,” Marmee arrives back home on Christmas morning after a night of tending to an impoverished German family. She sees the breakfast prepared for her and the girls and suggests that they give it all away to the family in need. She says, “Not far away from here lies a poor woman with a little newborn baby. Six children are huddled into one bed to keep from freezing, for they have no fire. There is nothing to eat over there, and the oldest boy came to tell me they were suffering hunger and cold. My girls, will you give them your breakfast as a Christmas present?"
For a full minute, the girls, who have already waited a half an hour past the breakfast hour for their mother to arrive and are hungry, say nothing. Jo exclaims that they must pack up the food and all bring it to the family, who receives it with great joy. The March’s wealthy neighbor Mr. Laurence, having heard about their sacrifice, arranges a lavish spread to celebrate their decision. Thus begins a lasting friendship between the families chronicled in the book.
My more cynical self—maybe even the one who existed before mid-March 2020 in what I now call “The Before”—would want Mr. Laurence to help the impoverished German family in a more lasting way, to pull them out of the desperate situations that await them beyond one gifted meal. And the instant reward because of the March’s sacrifice could be read as twee, no? Yet, I remember how young Angela, reading on the stairs in my Grandmother's house, was distressed, wondering what the March girls would do with no food on Christmas morning (of all mornings!), especially alongside their sadness because of their father’s absence. I was impressed that they could give up their food, and I knew they had done a wonderful thing, since the family was in need and responds by calling each and all “angels.”
In the chapter, Marmee shows them how kindness towards others feels for the giver and receiver, how giving even when you do not have much—the March clan is not wealthy—is important to build bonds. Even in my distress at the thought of an empty oatmeal bowl in front of me, the chapter helped me begin to understand that giving could make you feel better than having. I remember connecting this conclusion about the scene to the Lenten season for many years, as we parochial kids collected money and were called to give up our allowances for others in need.
We could use more examples of people tending to each other right now, in one of our meanest years, no? We could strive to break through the clutter and static of our present moment, to see others’ abject pain and overwhelming need, and try to treat them with respect and kindness that builds connection and community. And this is what Marmee shows the girls: kindness in action, even when it hurts to give. Do we all have a Mr. Laurence to reward us expediently? No. Kindness is not always rewarded at all. Yet give to each other we must--grace, tiny mercies, an listening ear, a note of encouragement, money, a Christmas card for a friend who is quarantining alone this year, a ride to the polls, special treats for children, or a meal.
For a full minute, the girls, who have already waited a half an hour past the breakfast hour for their mother to arrive and are hungry, say nothing. Jo exclaims that they must pack up the food and all bring it to the family, who receives it with great joy. The March’s wealthy neighbor Mr. Laurence, having heard about their sacrifice, arranges a lavish spread to celebrate their decision. Thus begins a lasting friendship between the families chronicled in the book.
My more cynical self—maybe even the one who existed before mid-March 2020 in what I now call “The Before”—would want Mr. Laurence to help the impoverished German family in a more lasting way, to pull them out of the desperate situations that await them beyond one gifted meal. And the instant reward because of the March’s sacrifice could be read as twee, no? Yet, I remember how young Angela, reading on the stairs in my Grandmother's house, was distressed, wondering what the March girls would do with no food on Christmas morning (of all mornings!), especially alongside their sadness because of their father’s absence. I was impressed that they could give up their food, and I knew they had done a wonderful thing, since the family was in need and responds by calling each and all “angels.”
In the chapter, Marmee shows them how kindness towards others feels for the giver and receiver, how giving even when you do not have much—the March clan is not wealthy—is important to build bonds. Even in my distress at the thought of an empty oatmeal bowl in front of me, the chapter helped me begin to understand that giving could make you feel better than having. I remember connecting this conclusion about the scene to the Lenten season for many years, as we parochial kids collected money and were called to give up our allowances for others in need.
We could use more examples of people tending to each other right now, in one of our meanest years, no? We could strive to break through the clutter and static of our present moment, to see others’ abject pain and overwhelming need, and try to treat them with respect and kindness that builds connection and community. And this is what Marmee shows the girls: kindness in action, even when it hurts to give. Do we all have a Mr. Laurence to reward us expediently? No. Kindness is not always rewarded at all. Yet give to each other we must--grace, tiny mercies, an listening ear, a note of encouragement, money, a Christmas card for a friend who is quarantining alone this year, a ride to the polls, special treats for children, or a meal.
Do you have a favorite cover? Is the cover from the first time you read Little Women represented?
I love all of Alcott’s books about the March women, and my students often do too. They teach us about the history of YA, offer varied images of girlhood that call into question the typical domestic novels of the time, and even show how commerce can drive creation (after all, it was the publisher’s niece who expressed her love of the early chapters of Little Women, which Alcott and her publisher thought were “boring”). Today, though, I love Little Women for its overwhelming resonance in my own readerly life. Marmee’s encouragement to sacrifice for a good cause, to build empathy between her girls and others, has stuck with me, from my first reading until this week’s rereading.
Happy Holiday reading awaits you if you decide to return to Little Women as well—or read it to your favorite adolescent in this year of all years. You could even watch the excellent 2019 adaptation as a family, pairing it later with the book.
Happy Holiday reading awaits you if you decide to return to Little Women as well—or read it to your favorite adolescent in this year of all years. You could even watch the excellent 2019 adaptation as a family, pairing it later with the book.
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Weekend Pick for Dec. 18, by Angela Insenga
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Content warning: Wintergirls centers on eating disorders, self-injury, and adolescent death.
Wintergirls (2009), Laurie Halse Anderson’s sixth standalone novel, is an inside job. Exterior action drives the narrative, of course, but only insofar as it pushes and pulls the protagonist Lia into a whirl of guilt, shame, and punishment via food deprivation and cutting. At the novel’s open, we learn that Lia’s ex-best friend has died. Cassie and Lia shared everything since their childhood, including their desire to achieve physical perfection. They form a pact to become the “skinniest,” only Cassie, who has bulimia nervosa, begins to get better and severs ties with Lia, who has not decided to seek treatment. But because eating disorders can be cyclical in nature and like any other addiction can require several interventions, Cassie is soon binging and purging again. On the night of her death, she calls Lia, but Lia never picks up. After all, she thinks, why should she? They are not friends anymore. Thus, Lia, who by this point has been in treatment for anorexia nervosa and is now home, begins to crumble under the weight of guilt after learning about Cassie’s death. She effortlessly slips back into self-destructive behavior as she attempts to handle the loss. |
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In Anderson’s Speak (1999), Mr. Freeman assigns Melinda the tree as the subject of her year-long study in his art class. Trees become the central metaphor of the text, as Melinda works towards coming to terms with an assault. As she struggles to discover the essence of “treeness,” we see gradual movement towards talking about what has happened to her. The tree is but an extension of her. In Wintergirls, Lia’s character is bound up in ice, suspended above the “normal” world of teenagers who date, eat ice cream, and go shopping. She often shatters into crystalline shards that conjure the million agonies and deadly truths about anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Winter, then, is the central metaphor Anderson deploys as a war between the body dysmorphia that skews Lia’s perceptions of self and the frail and sick young woman she actually is rages. Her spiraling thoughts, at once ritualistic—she knows caloric content of single bites of food by rote—and obsessive—there is an entire chapter made up of three words repeated well over 100 times: “Must not eat”—rend the heart. She is always literally cold (common among anorexics, who sometimes grow lanugo hair, thought to be a physiological response to keep the body warm), and always feels in stasis, held just above her body, her synapses not firing well and causing brain fog, watching herself engage in the world from a distance, always judging her appearance harshly and with hatred.
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Maybe watching her struggle affects me so because Lia has had treatment; Lia has three parents interested in her recovery, even if they often do not understand her actions; Lia sees a therapist; and Lia has learned mindfulness tools to utilize when urges to deny her body occur. Yet, she continues to suffer mightily, fighting to lose weight by restricting herself to 500 calories a day while also sneaking downstairs to exercise in the middle of the night to burn off the scant intake of nutrients. Staying empty, she believes, is strength. Empty is clean. Empty is good. Her experience is a frightening reminder of how seductive eating disorders can be for those of us who have them, how it is a lifelong struggle, and how one must learn vigilance through treatment, paying attention to the urges associated with these diseases.
The control Lia harnesses through denial is the dirty trick of an eating disorder: in a world gone haywire, especially after Cassie’s death, Lia seeks control. She can control her body, if nothing else—or so she believes. But the body eventually rebels, behaving as if in famine. And many sufferers who want to start eating again simply cannot without serious medical intervention; they remain “frozen” in place, even if there is a will to get better. Control is but a temporary illusion as the addiction to deprivation begins to control the addict. Watching Lia begin to come to terms with her anorexia—at one point she acknowledges that weighing zero pounds is her real goal, that utter negation is what she craves—is both upsetting and inspirational, especially since her relapse comes after the trauma of Cassie’s death and she must decide whether she wants to “thaw” and live or join Cassie.
I have recommended Wintergirls to several students and parents, though I have never taught it. I remain convinced that Lia’s struggle, wrought in Anderson’s poetic prose, is an important one to acknowledge and discuss openly with young people. The book is not only for those who suffer from an eating disorder but for loved ones and friends seeking to understand the interior world anorexics experience. The novel is painstakingly researched, as Anderson shares in the afterward, so Lia’s thoughts and actions are authentic and the narrative includes how the disease progresses physically, the uncontrollable hunger and force of will needed to gain control over it, the repeated patterns of self-loathing and self-harm, and even the acknowledgement of the disease and acceptance of treatment necessary to move out of the frozen world that exists between life and death, to realize “Eating [is] hard. Breathing [is] hard. Living [is] hardest.”
The control Lia harnesses through denial is the dirty trick of an eating disorder: in a world gone haywire, especially after Cassie’s death, Lia seeks control. She can control her body, if nothing else—or so she believes. But the body eventually rebels, behaving as if in famine. And many sufferers who want to start eating again simply cannot without serious medical intervention; they remain “frozen” in place, even if there is a will to get better. Control is but a temporary illusion as the addiction to deprivation begins to control the addict. Watching Lia begin to come to terms with her anorexia—at one point she acknowledges that weighing zero pounds is her real goal, that utter negation is what she craves—is both upsetting and inspirational, especially since her relapse comes after the trauma of Cassie’s death and she must decide whether she wants to “thaw” and live or join Cassie.
I have recommended Wintergirls to several students and parents, though I have never taught it. I remain convinced that Lia’s struggle, wrought in Anderson’s poetic prose, is an important one to acknowledge and discuss openly with young people. The book is not only for those who suffer from an eating disorder but for loved ones and friends seeking to understand the interior world anorexics experience. The novel is painstakingly researched, as Anderson shares in the afterward, so Lia’s thoughts and actions are authentic and the narrative includes how the disease progresses physically, the uncontrollable hunger and force of will needed to gain control over it, the repeated patterns of self-loathing and self-harm, and even the acknowledgement of the disease and acceptance of treatment necessary to move out of the frozen world that exists between life and death, to realize “Eating [is] hard. Breathing [is] hard. Living [is] hardest.”
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Here is a link to the National Eating Disorders Association’s (NEDA) page; there, you can learn, reflect, or connect.
Weekend Pick for Dec. 11, by Susan James, The Book Dealer
Other Wood by Pete Hautman
“Hatred is a powerful force...Hatred combined with lies and secrets can break the world.”
Nothing is “normal” this year. Nothing. So, when I began emailing back and forth with Ann Patchett (yes, THAT Ann Patchett...you know… award-winning author Ann Patchett), it was just like a normal day, emailing with another of my middle/ YA book-obsessed friends. We began sending each other titles after I read her article in the NY TImes about the many reasons we need life-changing books right now. This was back in March. After months isolated in my home due to COVID, I feel like the character Albie in the 1,000 Year Old Boy by Ross Welford (my first book review for Steve Bickmore). We have lived 1,000 years since the start of this pandemic. But what I am grateful for during this long year (did I mention it seems like 1,000 years?) I am grateful Ann led me back to middle grades books.
Pete Hautman’s book Other Wood is one of the titles I shared with Ann. Giving credit where credit is due, author Donna Gepthard sent me yet another winner read! As I read both middle and YA Lit, I always read from the perspective of the intended audience, so I can match the perfect books with the readers in my life. Other Wood was different. I could not wait to finish my work so I could crawl into my comfy reading chair and escape into a magical story that is peppered with spiritual elements and mystical undertones. Hautman’s book I read for ME.
As a single mother, I immediately connected to the story about Stuey, a youngster who lost his father in a car accident. Stuey is an old soul who spends all of his time with his mother and his best friend, Grandpa Zach, when he and his mom move into his grandfather’s home after the death of his father.
The sudden loss of grandpa is jarring and leaves Stuey feeling very much alone, the omniscient narrator sharing Stuey’s feelings as an emptiness “he couldn’t bear to touch”, p. 5. The loss of his father figures coupled with his closest school friend, Jack Kopishke, moving away from the neighborhood leaves Stuey lonely.
When he meets Elly Rose, a spitfire of a girl who shares his birthday and the love of the wild woods that surround their neighborhood, he feels optimistic but tentative. Although a bit unsure how to navigate this new relationship (Elly Rose immediately claims they are soulmates and are meant to be), he follows his heart and gives her a chance. What follows is a masterfully written story of love, loss, and intriguing secrets. Hautman gives the reader just enough insight into the “secrets that can break the world,” (p.16) as after the death of Grandpa Zach, Stuey and Elly spend time in the woods trying to unravel the mystery his grandfather spoke of before his death. How do his family’s secrets tie to these mystical woods? And what does Grandpa mean by “different worlds and different realities”? (p. 20). And how does the dispute between Stuey’s ancestors figure in the story?
I am constantly in search of books that I can read with my own daughter and enjoy just as much as she will. This is one of those rare books. Usually, we can only find common ground with television shows (much to my chagrin), and our all-time favorite Netflix series is “Stranger Things”. We both found this book to impact us in much the same way as the series, as Elena easily listed the wide spectrum of human emotions the book evokes: fear, nostalgia, empathy, excitement, , heartbreak, and love. When asking my teenager what she loved most about Hautman’s story, she made the comparison to “Stranger Things” (this is why I love talking books with youth. They see things I do not.). “The author is an artist with words. He creates a vivid setting that transports you right into the woods and creates a great chemistry between his characters, Stuey and Elly Rose. Their friendship seems so real. I loved that the conflict involved a family secret that tied to the plot. Although the book reminded me of “Stranger Things”, I felt the message was stronger in the book. That secret revealed in Grandpa Zach’s journal tied the story together. It was a reminder to me of how history and secrets can really hurt a person. Besides, it really kept me wanting to reach the end to find out what happens!”
My daughter is a serious book critic. She does not accept any story into her world. Not only did she accept Other Wood into her reading time, she felt she had been transported right into the story. Mother win with this book! The book did the same for her 53-year-old Mom. Few books leave me with a sweet nostalgia of my own childhood living outdoors in nature. Other Wood does this and so much more! It is the perfect book for 2020 and beyond. This is a book I will be “dealing” for many years to come.
“Hatred is a powerful force...Hatred combined with lies and secrets can break the world.”
Nothing is “normal” this year. Nothing. So, when I began emailing back and forth with Ann Patchett (yes, THAT Ann Patchett...you know… award-winning author Ann Patchett), it was just like a normal day, emailing with another of my middle/ YA book-obsessed friends. We began sending each other titles after I read her article in the NY TImes about the many reasons we need life-changing books right now. This was back in March. After months isolated in my home due to COVID, I feel like the character Albie in the 1,000 Year Old Boy by Ross Welford (my first book review for Steve Bickmore). We have lived 1,000 years since the start of this pandemic. But what I am grateful for during this long year (did I mention it seems like 1,000 years?) I am grateful Ann led me back to middle grades books.
Pete Hautman’s book Other Wood is one of the titles I shared with Ann. Giving credit where credit is due, author Donna Gepthard sent me yet another winner read! As I read both middle and YA Lit, I always read from the perspective of the intended audience, so I can match the perfect books with the readers in my life. Other Wood was different. I could not wait to finish my work so I could crawl into my comfy reading chair and escape into a magical story that is peppered with spiritual elements and mystical undertones. Hautman’s book I read for ME.
As a single mother, I immediately connected to the story about Stuey, a youngster who lost his father in a car accident. Stuey is an old soul who spends all of his time with his mother and his best friend, Grandpa Zach, when he and his mom move into his grandfather’s home after the death of his father.
The sudden loss of grandpa is jarring and leaves Stuey feeling very much alone, the omniscient narrator sharing Stuey’s feelings as an emptiness “he couldn’t bear to touch”, p. 5. The loss of his father figures coupled with his closest school friend, Jack Kopishke, moving away from the neighborhood leaves Stuey lonely.
When he meets Elly Rose, a spitfire of a girl who shares his birthday and the love of the wild woods that surround their neighborhood, he feels optimistic but tentative. Although a bit unsure how to navigate this new relationship (Elly Rose immediately claims they are soulmates and are meant to be), he follows his heart and gives her a chance. What follows is a masterfully written story of love, loss, and intriguing secrets. Hautman gives the reader just enough insight into the “secrets that can break the world,” (p.16) as after the death of Grandpa Zach, Stuey and Elly spend time in the woods trying to unravel the mystery his grandfather spoke of before his death. How do his family’s secrets tie to these mystical woods? And what does Grandpa mean by “different worlds and different realities”? (p. 20). And how does the dispute between Stuey’s ancestors figure in the story?
I am constantly in search of books that I can read with my own daughter and enjoy just as much as she will. This is one of those rare books. Usually, we can only find common ground with television shows (much to my chagrin), and our all-time favorite Netflix series is “Stranger Things”. We both found this book to impact us in much the same way as the series, as Elena easily listed the wide spectrum of human emotions the book evokes: fear, nostalgia, empathy, excitement, , heartbreak, and love. When asking my teenager what she loved most about Hautman’s story, she made the comparison to “Stranger Things” (this is why I love talking books with youth. They see things I do not.). “The author is an artist with words. He creates a vivid setting that transports you right into the woods and creates a great chemistry between his characters, Stuey and Elly Rose. Their friendship seems so real. I loved that the conflict involved a family secret that tied to the plot. Although the book reminded me of “Stranger Things”, I felt the message was stronger in the book. That secret revealed in Grandpa Zach’s journal tied the story together. It was a reminder to me of how history and secrets can really hurt a person. Besides, it really kept me wanting to reach the end to find out what happens!”
My daughter is a serious book critic. She does not accept any story into her world. Not only did she accept Other Wood into her reading time, she felt she had been transported right into the story. Mother win with this book! The book did the same for her 53-year-old Mom. Few books leave me with a sweet nostalgia of my own childhood living outdoors in nature. Other Wood does this and so much more! It is the perfect book for 2020 and beyond. This is a book I will be “dealing” for many years to come.
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Weekend Pick for Dec. 4, 2020 by Steve Bickmore
Killing November by Adriana Mather
Finally, after looking at this book in my stack for far too long, I read it. After all is was November of COVID 2020 and it felt like November was killing me and it was certainly killing people both figuratively and literally. At the very least I should sit in a chair and fight back.
Adriana Mather is a talent author, actress, and producer. It is are to know which website to link her to so that you can find our more. Here are several:
Adriana Mather: Wikipedia
Adriana Mather: IMDb
Adriana Mather: Penguin Random House
Adriana Mather: Zombot Picture
I first met Adriana while I was chairing a panel at an ALAN Workshop several years ago. It was after she had written How to Hang a Witch ( Yes, it is connected to the Salem Witch Trials) and she was doing the circuit for Haunting the Deep A (Yes, it is connected to the Titanic). Chilling facts--Adriana is a descendent of Cotton Mather and she had relatives that were on the Titanic and survived. Adriana's books are page turners that do not disappoint.
When I began reading Killing November and realized it was about families who have been assassins for generations. I squirmed a little bit in my seat. I am not sure this is a woman you want to cross. If has the judgement and condemning nature of a hardline puritan, the survival skills of a "successful" passenger on the Titanic, and if, just if, she has a line of assassins in her ancestry as well, it would be wise to tread carefully.
Killing November is a fantastic book. It is a wonderful, "who done it" combined with a "who is doing it now" and followed by a "who might do it next" combination of intrigue. If that is not enough, it has a sequel--Hunting November!
Finally, after looking at this book in my stack for far too long, I read it. After all is was November of COVID 2020 and it felt like November was killing me and it was certainly killing people both figuratively and literally. At the very least I should sit in a chair and fight back.
Adriana Mather is a talent author, actress, and producer. It is are to know which website to link her to so that you can find our more. Here are several:
Adriana Mather: Wikipedia
Adriana Mather: IMDb
Adriana Mather: Penguin Random House
Adriana Mather: Zombot Picture
I first met Adriana while I was chairing a panel at an ALAN Workshop several years ago. It was after she had written How to Hang a Witch ( Yes, it is connected to the Salem Witch Trials) and she was doing the circuit for Haunting the Deep A (Yes, it is connected to the Titanic). Chilling facts--Adriana is a descendent of Cotton Mather and she had relatives that were on the Titanic and survived. Adriana's books are page turners that do not disappoint.
When I began reading Killing November and realized it was about families who have been assassins for generations. I squirmed a little bit in my seat. I am not sure this is a woman you want to cross. If has the judgement and condemning nature of a hardline puritan, the survival skills of a "successful" passenger on the Titanic, and if, just if, she has a line of assassins in her ancestry as well, it would be wise to tread carefully.
Killing November is a fantastic book. It is a wonderful, "who done it" combined with a "who is doing it now" and followed by a "who might do it next" combination of intrigue. If that is not enough, it has a sequel--Hunting November!
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Weekend Picks for November 2020
by a variety of people
Weekend Pick for Nov. 27, 2020 by Lesley Roessing
The Bridge by Bill Konigsberg
“You jump and it’s over, pain gone, nothing more to say.” (250)
Two adolescents and two possible outcomes equals four possibilities. Tillie and Aaron are New York City teenagers who are experiencing depression and despair. Even though they have never met, they both decide to jump off the George Washington Bridge coincidentally on the same day at the same time. The possibilities: Tillie jumps, Aaron sees her and lives; Aaron jumps, Tillie watches him and lives; both jump and both die; Aaron and Tillie see each other preparing to jump and meet, neither jumps, and both live.
This exquisitely-designed narrative shares all four scenarios as readers become progressively involved with the two characters, their families, and their friends and acquaintances. Even though readers are reading different permutations of the story, it is so well-crafted that there is little repetition as the stories develop.
As readers experience the world through Aaron’s and Tillie’s eyes, we learn about depression, suicidal ideation, and the immeasurable importance of connection with others. Readers perceive the effect of suicide on those involved in the lives of the victims and realize the significance of discussing feelings of despair and exploring alternatives to suicide.
People are like that [the power of water] too. And love. Life-saving and life-taking, and it’s almost too much to navigate, that there’s this thing out there we need so much, that also hurts and destroys as it does.” (323)
Bill Konigsberg’s latest novel should be included in all secondary school and classroom libraries and included in book clubs where readers can discuss in small groups. Some suggestions for book club groups would be The Bridge, In Sight of Stars, All the Bright Places, My Heart and Other Black Holes, The Memory of Light, and Forget Me Not,.
“You jump and it’s over, pain gone, nothing more to say.” (250)
Two adolescents and two possible outcomes equals four possibilities. Tillie and Aaron are New York City teenagers who are experiencing depression and despair. Even though they have never met, they both decide to jump off the George Washington Bridge coincidentally on the same day at the same time. The possibilities: Tillie jumps, Aaron sees her and lives; Aaron jumps, Tillie watches him and lives; both jump and both die; Aaron and Tillie see each other preparing to jump and meet, neither jumps, and both live.
This exquisitely-designed narrative shares all four scenarios as readers become progressively involved with the two characters, their families, and their friends and acquaintances. Even though readers are reading different permutations of the story, it is so well-crafted that there is little repetition as the stories develop.
As readers experience the world through Aaron’s and Tillie’s eyes, we learn about depression, suicidal ideation, and the immeasurable importance of connection with others. Readers perceive the effect of suicide on those involved in the lives of the victims and realize the significance of discussing feelings of despair and exploring alternatives to suicide.
People are like that [the power of water] too. And love. Life-saving and life-taking, and it’s almost too much to navigate, that there’s this thing out there we need so much, that also hurts and destroys as it does.” (323)
Bill Konigsberg’s latest novel should be included in all secondary school and classroom libraries and included in book clubs where readers can discuss in small groups. Some suggestions for book club groups would be The Bridge, In Sight of Stars, All the Bright Places, My Heart and Other Black Holes, The Memory of Light, and Forget Me Not,.
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Weekend Pick for Nov. 20, 2020 by Steve Bickmore
Dear Justyce by Nic Stone
A few years ago I was invited to a pulishers dinner during NCTE. They are always fun events and usually you get to hear from several debut authors or authors you may not have encountered before. The event coordinators usually have the authors rota tunatte a few times during the dinner and give a brief book talk about the book being promoted.
I was fortunate enough to be seated right next to Nic Stone as the evening started. Needless to say, I am rarely at a loss for words and Nic Stone turned out to be a wonderful conversationalist. I think she could have a briallant conversation with anyone and leave them feeling like that have a new best friend. I knew right away that I was going to read her book. I wanted to know if her energy and enthusiam translated into her writing.
Well, guess what it does. I feel in love with Dear Martin. I have been following her career ever since and every book is a gift.
Along with many of her fans, I have been anxiously waiting to get a copy of Dear Justyce, a companion book to Dear Martin. Once again, Nic has hit this one out of the park. This book is a result of conversation Nic had with some readers who didn't see themselves in Martin. They were more interested in students who didn't automatically get good grades, who aren't invited to private schools, and who might struggle to even find the purpose of school.
You will love this book and, more importantly, most of the us know a host of students who will relate to the stuggles that Justyce struggles with everyday.
Grab this book.
A few years ago I was invited to a pulishers dinner during NCTE. They are always fun events and usually you get to hear from several debut authors or authors you may not have encountered before. The event coordinators usually have the authors rota tunatte a few times during the dinner and give a brief book talk about the book being promoted.
I was fortunate enough to be seated right next to Nic Stone as the evening started. Needless to say, I am rarely at a loss for words and Nic Stone turned out to be a wonderful conversationalist. I think she could have a briallant conversation with anyone and leave them feeling like that have a new best friend. I knew right away that I was going to read her book. I wanted to know if her energy and enthusiam translated into her writing.
Well, guess what it does. I feel in love with Dear Martin. I have been following her career ever since and every book is a gift.
Along with many of her fans, I have been anxiously waiting to get a copy of Dear Justyce, a companion book to Dear Martin. Once again, Nic has hit this one out of the park. This book is a result of conversation Nic had with some readers who didn't see themselves in Martin. They were more interested in students who didn't automatically get good grades, who aren't invited to private schools, and who might struggle to even find the purpose of school.
You will love this book and, more importantly, most of the us know a host of students who will relate to the stuggles that Justyce struggles with everyday.
Grab this book.
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Weekend Pick for Nov. 13, 2020 by Becki Maldonado & Latasha McKinney
When the Ground is Hard by Malla Nunn
“Expanding Our Perspective Through International YA Literature”
Taking place in the 1960’s during Apartheid in the British protectorate of Swaziland, When the Ground is Hard by Malla Nunn is an historical fiction story of two girls: Adele Joubert, one of the popular girls, and Lottie Diamond, one of the poorest girls. Due to a recent turn of events at the boarding school, Adele has been cast out from her former clique and replaced by one of the new girls. She also has to be roommates with one of the poorest girls at the school, Lottie Diamond. At first, the two girls seem as if they come from completely different backgrounds. While reading Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre, the girls discover they have a lot more in common than they ever thought possible. Over the course of the story, they form an unbreakable bond. Lottie’s core values and courage highlight the fact Adele has a lot to learn when it comes to meaningful relationships and life in general.
While it is important to have students read books, like When the Ground is Hard, which are filled with a number of themes and lessons for students to learn and discuss, it is also important for students to read high quality engaging books written by authors from other countries than America. These authentic stories allow students to peer through the cultural windows of other countries (Bishop, 1990). Learning about cultures and stories from different countries helps students develop an interconnective relation with people outside the United States, which is necessary in the globally connected world they are a part of.
Bishop, R. S. (1990). Windows and mirrors: Children’s books and parallel cultures. In California State University reading conference: 14th annual conference proceedings (pp. 3-12).
For more information on how to use When the Ground is Hard in the classroom from Latasha and Rebecca, make sure to attend the “Hot Topics in Literature with Carol Jago” roundtable at the 2020 Virtual NCTE conference on Saturday, Nov 21 at 2:00pm ET.
“Expanding Our Perspective Through International YA Literature”
Taking place in the 1960’s during Apartheid in the British protectorate of Swaziland, When the Ground is Hard by Malla Nunn is an historical fiction story of two girls: Adele Joubert, one of the popular girls, and Lottie Diamond, one of the poorest girls. Due to a recent turn of events at the boarding school, Adele has been cast out from her former clique and replaced by one of the new girls. She also has to be roommates with one of the poorest girls at the school, Lottie Diamond. At first, the two girls seem as if they come from completely different backgrounds. While reading Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre, the girls discover they have a lot more in common than they ever thought possible. Over the course of the story, they form an unbreakable bond. Lottie’s core values and courage highlight the fact Adele has a lot to learn when it comes to meaningful relationships and life in general.
While it is important to have students read books, like When the Ground is Hard, which are filled with a number of themes and lessons for students to learn and discuss, it is also important for students to read high quality engaging books written by authors from other countries than America. These authentic stories allow students to peer through the cultural windows of other countries (Bishop, 1990). Learning about cultures and stories from different countries helps students develop an interconnective relation with people outside the United States, which is necessary in the globally connected world they are a part of.
Bishop, R. S. (1990). Windows and mirrors: Children’s books and parallel cultures. In California State University reading conference: 14th annual conference proceedings (pp. 3-12).
For more information on how to use When the Ground is Hard in the classroom from Latasha and Rebecca, make sure to attend the “Hot Topics in Literature with Carol Jago” roundtable at the 2020 Virtual NCTE conference on Saturday, Nov 21 at 2:00pm ET.
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Weekend Pick for Nov. 6, 2020 by Steve Bickmore
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We Are Not Free by Traci Chee
I get to have a turn. I am so excited to promote this wonderful multivoiced novel. It is one of the finalist for the 2020 National Book Award for Young People's Literature. I wrote about it briefly in a Wednesday Post along with several other novels. This novel took me by surprise. It has actually been sitting on my shelf for several months. When the long list was announced, I looked over my shoulder and was reminded that I had the book and I had been neglecting it. That had to be remedied.
If you have ever been interested in WWII fiction, the Japanese internment camps, social justice, multivoiced novels, or just a brilliant read, then grab this book. I promise you will not be disappointed.
I get to have a turn. I am so excited to promote this wonderful multivoiced novel. It is one of the finalist for the 2020 National Book Award for Young People's Literature. I wrote about it briefly in a Wednesday Post along with several other novels. This novel took me by surprise. It has actually been sitting on my shelf for several months. When the long list was announced, I looked over my shoulder and was reminded that I had the book and I had been neglecting it. That had to be remedied.
If you have ever been interested in WWII fiction, the Japanese internment camps, social justice, multivoiced novels, or just a brilliant read, then grab this book. I promise you will not be disappointed.
Weekend Picks for October 2020
by Susan James and Angela Insenga
weekend Pick for Oct. 30, 2020 by Angela Insenga
In Unstoppable Octobia May (2014), Sharon Flake’s “historical-fiction-cum-mystery-novel” (Horn Book), the titular character’s Aunt Shuma tells Mr. Davenport, a boarder on whom Octobia is spying, that she “[tries] to keep [Octobia May] away, but she wants to be a writer and solve mysteries like that Nancy Drew. Terrible imagination she got!”
Maybe Octobia’s keen creativity exists because of a heart condition that has kept her from playing with other children; or maybe living with her single and rather permissive Auntie Shuma (anathema in 1953) provides her with freedom to explore and play, further honing her distinct precociousness. Maybe the girl’s curious nature is spurred on by the renters whose cultures, experiences during war, and unmistakable quirks provide the bright girl with endless material for her flights of fancy. Whatever the cause, Octobia May is an unstoppable girl with an imagination that is as beautiful as it is “terrible.”
For instance, Mr. Davenport says he is a writer, but Octobia has been watching, “taking her time” like all “good detectives.” She sees clear evidence that he is a vampire. After all, he has green-veined feet with gnarled toes and yellow toenails; he rarely comes out of his room during the day; he has a mysterious golden ring that doesn’t even have his own initials on it; his teeth are long and pointed; and he shimmies down the fire escape wearing a trench coat and hat in the summer instead of using the stairs.
In her quest to unearth the truth about Mr. Davenport, Octobia, who now regularly eats raw garlic to ward him off, and her best friend Jonah explore the neighborhood. They encounter Octobia May’s imaginarium of friends and real townspeople. They follow Davenport to gather clues about his vampirism. In the cemetery one night, Octobia shows Jonah a ruined grave once inhabited by someone named “Davenport.” Above where the body once was, written in blood (or is it red crayon?) is the word “RISEN.” And when they see Mr. Davenport in the graveyard that same night, when he leans over Jonah who has stumbled, Octobia cannot help wondering if he is trying to help or attack? Besides, she wonders, why does a writer walk the burial grounds at night? Only a vampire would lurk past headstones, looking for prey, right?
Maybe Octobia’s keen creativity exists because of a heart condition that has kept her from playing with other children; or maybe living with her single and rather permissive Auntie Shuma (anathema in 1953) provides her with freedom to explore and play, further honing her distinct precociousness. Maybe the girl’s curious nature is spurred on by the renters whose cultures, experiences during war, and unmistakable quirks provide the bright girl with endless material for her flights of fancy. Whatever the cause, Octobia May is an unstoppable girl with an imagination that is as beautiful as it is “terrible.”
For instance, Mr. Davenport says he is a writer, but Octobia has been watching, “taking her time” like all “good detectives.” She sees clear evidence that he is a vampire. After all, he has green-veined feet with gnarled toes and yellow toenails; he rarely comes out of his room during the day; he has a mysterious golden ring that doesn’t even have his own initials on it; his teeth are long and pointed; and he shimmies down the fire escape wearing a trench coat and hat in the summer instead of using the stairs.
In her quest to unearth the truth about Mr. Davenport, Octobia, who now regularly eats raw garlic to ward him off, and her best friend Jonah explore the neighborhood. They encounter Octobia May’s imaginarium of friends and real townspeople. They follow Davenport to gather clues about his vampirism. In the cemetery one night, Octobia shows Jonah a ruined grave once inhabited by someone named “Davenport.” Above where the body once was, written in blood (or is it red crayon?) is the word “RISEN.” And when they see Mr. Davenport in the graveyard that same night, when he leans over Jonah who has stumbled, Octobia cannot help wondering if he is trying to help or attack? Besides, she wonders, why does a writer walk the burial grounds at night? Only a vampire would lurk past headstones, looking for prey, right?
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Full of round characters reflective of 1950’s American life for Black and Jewish people, Unstoppable Octobia May is also laden with references from popular and political culture. Flake meticulously crafts the period around the perceptive young girl. Hair products, songs, historical references to the Korean war and to another boarder’s experiences as a Jewish person living under the Third Reich, foods, and clashes over women’s changing roles are all filtered through our girl protagonist’s creative and insightful point of view.
When real questions do arise about Mr. Davenport’s increasingly odd activities, Octobia May’s meddlesome nature proves to be exactly what everyone needs. Her voice, at once candidly reflective and hilarious, is endearing. I find myself laughing out loud at some of her antics and replies to people like Mrs. Nicholson, who is always trying to put Octobia in dresses instead of pants. I also find myself hoping Flake gives us a few more installments (I was nowhere near ready to let her go at end of the novel!).
Octobia May is Ramona the Brave for a new era, a mix of bravada and sincerity resulting from wide-eyed view of the world around her. Auntie Shuma is the source of Octobia’s confidence; she chooses a life with agency as an independent female owner of her boarding house and wants her niece to find a path of her own. Reading about Octobia’s trek to find her way is both enjoyable and instructional; not only can readers (grades 5-7) learn about the period, but they can grapple with the dilemmas that arise for Octobia May and Jonah.
Flake’s novel is a sometimes-spooky tale born largely from Octobia’s limitless imagination and unending wonder. Octobia avidly reads and tries to emulate Nancy Drew, but Flake fashions an imaginative sleuth with gravitas. She lives in a changing moment in American history, one that was paradoxically also not changing fast enough. The book is an excellent read or listen, especially on All Hallows Eve under a blue full moon, where vampires could easily hide behind ruined mausoleums in the graveyard, waiting for you to find them.
When real questions do arise about Mr. Davenport’s increasingly odd activities, Octobia May’s meddlesome nature proves to be exactly what everyone needs. Her voice, at once candidly reflective and hilarious, is endearing. I find myself laughing out loud at some of her antics and replies to people like Mrs. Nicholson, who is always trying to put Octobia in dresses instead of pants. I also find myself hoping Flake gives us a few more installments (I was nowhere near ready to let her go at end of the novel!).
Octobia May is Ramona the Brave for a new era, a mix of bravada and sincerity resulting from wide-eyed view of the world around her. Auntie Shuma is the source of Octobia’s confidence; she chooses a life with agency as an independent female owner of her boarding house and wants her niece to find a path of her own. Reading about Octobia’s trek to find her way is both enjoyable and instructional; not only can readers (grades 5-7) learn about the period, but they can grapple with the dilemmas that arise for Octobia May and Jonah.
Flake’s novel is a sometimes-spooky tale born largely from Octobia’s limitless imagination and unending wonder. Octobia avidly reads and tries to emulate Nancy Drew, but Flake fashions an imaginative sleuth with gravitas. She lives in a changing moment in American history, one that was paradoxically also not changing fast enough. The book is an excellent read or listen, especially on All Hallows Eve under a blue full moon, where vampires could easily hide behind ruined mausoleums in the graveyard, waiting for you to find them.
Weekend Pick for Oct. 23, 2020 by Angela Insenga
I confess: this week’s YA pick came to me via “synchronicities,” those factually unconnected yet still connected moments in which something you just learned about starts appearing all around you. It makes you feel super weird, like you are following cosmic breadcrumbs on an unfamiliar path, being led. . .somewhere. In this case, I was led to Megan Bryant’s YA novel Glow (2017), a beautifully rendered novel that provides readers with a corridor between the present and past via a conduit: mysterious artwork.
In alternating chapters, the protagonist Julie Chase, a high school graduate forced to take a gap year after giving her college fund to her financially strapped mother, and Lydia, a sixteen-year old girl who works as a dial painter for the United States Radium Corporation in 1917, tell their stories. Julie finds a fascinating painting in a thrift shop, takes it home, and is startled when night falls to find a secret painting glowing from underneath the oil paints (a paranormal palimpsest? I was IN!). Curious, Julie seeks out other paintings like hers and searches for the reason the paintings glow, wondering what each gleaming painting behind each painting means. Lydia, 100 years removed from Julie, tells her story through letters to her boyfriend who is abroad fighting in WWI. Slowly, these young women’s lives—their struggles, fears about adulthood, and even emotional circumstances intermingle across time.
In alternating chapters, the protagonist Julie Chase, a high school graduate forced to take a gap year after giving her college fund to her financially strapped mother, and Lydia, a sixteen-year old girl who works as a dial painter for the United States Radium Corporation in 1917, tell their stories. Julie finds a fascinating painting in a thrift shop, takes it home, and is startled when night falls to find a secret painting glowing from underneath the oil paints (a paranormal palimpsest? I was IN!). Curious, Julie seeks out other paintings like hers and searches for the reason the paintings glow, wondering what each gleaming painting behind each painting means. Lydia, 100 years removed from Julie, tells her story through letters to her boyfriend who is abroad fighting in WWI. Slowly, these young women’s lives—their struggles, fears about adulthood, and even emotional circumstances intermingle across time.
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The first time I heard of the real “Radium Girls,” I was on vacation and listening to a favorite podcast. In episode #190 of My Favorite Murder, host Georgia Hardstark discusses the women who worked for the United States Radium Corporation. In the company’s American factories, employees with delicate hands were valued, since they could easily hold and manipulate the small brushes needed to paint the dials of watches and clocks with luminescent paint, made so because it was infused with deadly radium. When brushes began to wear out, foremen instructed workers to “point” them by rinsing the paint-covered brushes in water tainted by paint, sticking them between moistened lips, pulling them out, and using the resulting finer tip to paint the small details. While the technique produced the precision their bosses demanded, it, along with long-term exposure, slowly poisoned the women whose mysterious, agonizing, and fatal ailments vexed doctors and family members alike.
The same day I was riveted by Hardstark’s discussion of the company’s criminal behavior and the women’s legal plight, I stopped into Barnes and Noble in search of a beach read. Sitting feet from the front door was Kate Moore’s non-fiction text about the same factory workers: The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women (2017). While it is a serious read, I felt compelled to pick it up and was, like the women themselves must have been when they first saw that green glow, like Julie from Bryant’s YA novel as she looks at the painting’s radiance, curious, entranced, horrified, and impressed by the strength of the women who were told that the paint was harmless, treated horribly even as they mysteriously died from radiation poisoning, even as the so-called “Undark” paint disintegrated their jawbones and caused tumors of the face and throat.
The same day I was riveted by Hardstark’s discussion of the company’s criminal behavior and the women’s legal plight, I stopped into Barnes and Noble in search of a beach read. Sitting feet from the front door was Kate Moore’s non-fiction text about the same factory workers: The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women (2017). While it is a serious read, I felt compelled to pick it up and was, like the women themselves must have been when they first saw that green glow, like Julie from Bryant’s YA novel as she looks at the painting’s radiance, curious, entranced, horrified, and impressed by the strength of the women who were told that the paint was harmless, treated horribly even as they mysteriously died from radiation poisoning, even as the so-called “Undark” paint disintegrated their jawbones and caused tumors of the face and throat.
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I went on to peruse the “Teen Fiction” section of the store, and a fellow customer asked me about a novel by Ruta Sepetys. As we talked—I teach Sepetys often—I saw she was holding Glow, the cover of which intrigued me (check it out below!). When asked, she shared the back cover with me, and I gasped as read the summation. In one day, I learned about the Radium Girls, found a non-fiction book on the subject, and, in passing, located a YA text—a category of literature I teach frequently. It was more than serendipity!
I left B & N with Bryant’s and Moore’s books, armed with vacation reading. And even though it was hot on Sullivan’s Island, both books gave me chills as I read. Bryant’s Lydia, inspired by the Radium Girls, leaps from page via letters, and Julie’s curiosity becomes our own—I mean, how many of us have found glowing paintings? How many of us know about the extent of radium’s use in this country?
In the early 1920s, way before we knew about the dangers of radium, most of America believed it was a miracle ingredient. Advertisements hailed radioactive water for its health benefits. Butter produced by the Radium Brand’s Creamery was mixed with radium, as were household cleaners, shoe polishes, make-up products, hair dyes, and myriad other items eaten or applied to the skin. The paint was especially useful for soldiers, as it protected them from enemies at night while they checked their watches or examined autometer readings on vehicles or in airplanes. Thus, a job like Lydia’s was much like Rosie the Riveter’s, as these young women also felt proud of their work for the war effort. The idea that radium was used in these home and personal products amazes us, now. Even The Simpsons’ fictional and inept Springfield Nuclear Power Plant handles its plutonium and uranium better than the real USRC, and radium is a million times stronger than these elements.
Julie is haunted by the paint, even seeking ways to recreate the strange glow in her own artwork. And Lydia’s letters also slowly reveal the horrors of radium paint, “lip-pointing,” and the lack of protection for the women who worked for the company, women who believed they were protected and working for the war effort but were instead being poisoned.
As with other historical fiction texts, supplementing the novel with Kate Moore’s initial non-fiction text or her new book The Radium Girls: Young Readers’ Edition (2020) will provide the historical basis from which Bryant’s Lydia springs. In my own YA Histo-Fic course, I paired this novel with Melanie Crowder’s Audacity, since this novel in verse also centers on female employees’ fight for workers’ rights, but in dangerous shirtwaist factories of New York.
I left B & N with Bryant’s and Moore’s books, armed with vacation reading. And even though it was hot on Sullivan’s Island, both books gave me chills as I read. Bryant’s Lydia, inspired by the Radium Girls, leaps from page via letters, and Julie’s curiosity becomes our own—I mean, how many of us have found glowing paintings? How many of us know about the extent of radium’s use in this country?
In the early 1920s, way before we knew about the dangers of radium, most of America believed it was a miracle ingredient. Advertisements hailed radioactive water for its health benefits. Butter produced by the Radium Brand’s Creamery was mixed with radium, as were household cleaners, shoe polishes, make-up products, hair dyes, and myriad other items eaten or applied to the skin. The paint was especially useful for soldiers, as it protected them from enemies at night while they checked their watches or examined autometer readings on vehicles or in airplanes. Thus, a job like Lydia’s was much like Rosie the Riveter’s, as these young women also felt proud of their work for the war effort. The idea that radium was used in these home and personal products amazes us, now. Even The Simpsons’ fictional and inept Springfield Nuclear Power Plant handles its plutonium and uranium better than the real USRC, and radium is a million times stronger than these elements.
Julie is haunted by the paint, even seeking ways to recreate the strange glow in her own artwork. And Lydia’s letters also slowly reveal the horrors of radium paint, “lip-pointing,” and the lack of protection for the women who worked for the company, women who believed they were protected and working for the war effort but were instead being poisoned.
As with other historical fiction texts, supplementing the novel with Kate Moore’s initial non-fiction text or her new book The Radium Girls: Young Readers’ Edition (2020) will provide the historical basis from which Bryant’s Lydia springs. In my own YA Histo-Fic course, I paired this novel with Melanie Crowder’s Audacity, since this novel in verse also centers on female employees’ fight for workers’ rights, but in dangerous shirtwaist factories of New York.
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Megan Bryant’s exquisite prose, the alternating points of view that set up a dialectic of sorts, and a story for which she creates two compelling voices, is well worth any YA or historical fiction fan’s time. I remain grateful for those weird coincidences that led me to this fantastic novel. Of her non-fiction text on the Radium Girls, Moore has said, “I felt [the women] deserved to have such a book exist, one that followed their personal journeys and drew on their own words in their diaries, letters, and testimonies. . . .I decided to write that book in order to celebrate and commemorate the women.” Bryant seamlessly and imaginatively blends fiction with historical truths, fashioning a world for her characters that unearths their adolescent struggles yet has the potential to instruct. Bryant also commemorates these workers—girls—as readers who meet Julie and Lydia in the pages of Glow see connections that span decades between the young women and learn about one of the (un)darkest moments in American labor history.
Bryant’s novel, one of Kirkus Reviews Best Books of 2017, is well worth the read.
Bryant’s novel, one of Kirkus Reviews Best Books of 2017, is well worth the read.
Weekend Pick for Oct. 16, 2020 by Angela Insenga
Punching the Air (2020) is a punch in the gut, but a timely one we all need. Told in stark, vibrant verse by Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam, who is one of the exonerated Central Park Five, the narrative crystallizes in sharp lines describing the protagonist Amal’s trial and incarceration after a fight in which he is accused of violence against a white boy:
We were in the wrong place / We were in the wrong skins / We were in the wrong time / We were in the wrong bodies / We were in the wrong country / We were in the wrong / The wrong / Wrong / Wrong
We were a mob / We were a gang / We were ghetto / We were animals / We were thugs / We were hoodlums / We were men
They were kids / They were having fun / They were home / They were loved / They were supported / They were protected / They were full of potential / They were boys
These familiar oppositions create the landscape Amal traverses, from teenager to convicted “criminal,” sent to a detention center where he encounters violence, overly-structured days, and ultimately hope after being imprisoned by a justice system tainted by a legacy of 400 years of systemic oppression.
We were in the wrong place / We were in the wrong skins / We were in the wrong time / We were in the wrong bodies / We were in the wrong country / We were in the wrong / The wrong / Wrong / Wrong
We were a mob / We were a gang / We were ghetto / We were animals / We were thugs / We were hoodlums / We were men
They were kids / They were having fun / They were home / They were loved / They were supported / They were protected / They were full of potential / They were boys
These familiar oppositions create the landscape Amal traverses, from teenager to convicted “criminal,” sent to a detention center where he encounters violence, overly-structured days, and ultimately hope after being imprisoned by a justice system tainted by a legacy of 400 years of systemic oppression.
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YA readers will recognize this narrative—myriad images of young Black men treated like Amal rise like specters in our readerly lives. However, the clean, precise, and vivid language works to remind us that what was true in Walter Dean Meyers’ Scorpions (1988) and Monster (1999), in G. Neri’s Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty (2010), in Jason Reynolds’ and Brendan Kiely’s All American Boys (2016), and in Angie Thomas’s The Hate You Give (2017) remains true now. Right now.
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Punching the Air casks us to read another story of a boy lost, looking for a way back home. I listened to the audio book and followed along in my book. The authors’ verse made me angry, uncomfortable, and sorrowful. The book resonates weeks later, matching current events and asking us to consider the effects of unfair treatment that exist behind and beyond the monikers of opposing activist groups. We, then, like Amal, move into the tangle that we must work to loosen over time.
This is not a romp of a read. It is a clarion call for us to pay even more attention, to do the work of challenging false assumptions, of calling out wrong actions, and of choosing to teach timely representations of adolescent Black males in fiction.
This is not a romp of a read. It is a clarion call for us to pay even more attention, to do the work of challenging false assumptions, of calling out wrong actions, and of choosing to teach timely representations of adolescent Black males in fiction.
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Weekend Pick for Oct. 9, 2020 by Susan James
Fighting Words By Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
There is nothing better than an amazing author recommending another amazing author’s work, and so when The Book Dealer (that is me) sees Donna Gephart (author of the heartwarming story Lily and Dunkin, a most beloved book) reveal on her Facebook page that Fighting Words was “AMAZING. It’s perfect. It’s so important. It’s an absolutely gripping read. I highly recommend it,” The Book Dealer listened. I sure am glad I did.
In my previous Weekend Pick, I wrote about the many reasons I love to read, and topping the list is to understand others’ lives and feel that human connection that great literature provides us. Without this knowledge and understanding, we are left with misunderstandings and a danger that we will not evolve to be the best individuals we can be. The candid voice of ten-year-old narrator Delicious (Della, if you ask her) has been missing in middle grades books, yet statistics are showing adults and young adults alike need to hear it. This plucky ten-year-old immediately wins the heart of the reader when she unflinchingly tells the story (which she says is comprised of “easy stuff” and “hard stuff”) of how she and her sister Suki end up living with a man named Clifton after their mother ends up in prison. This, unfortunately, is the “easy” stuff, according to Della. We learn that she and Suki are with their mother when their mom blows up a motel room while cooking meth. Unfortunately, the girls were present to see this, and this starts their continuing journey into premature adulthood—now doing it without their mother. Clifton, it turns out, is not a relative but their mother’s boyfriend who leaves the girls alone during the week while he drives a truck for work. On the weekends, he strikes fear in the hearts, minds, and bodies of the girls.
After Suki sees Clifton touching Della inappropriately, the girls make a run for it and end up in foster care living with Francine, a woman who upon first glance is only in the foster care business to earn money. This is still the “easy” stuff, according to Della. Bradley has painted the picture of a reliable narrator--one that has been protected by her older sister and who slowly reveals the story to us, warning us that the “hard stuff” portion of her story is coming. This warning is the reality of children living with trauma. The story takes a while to be revealed.
What I found intriguing about Della is how Brubaker so adeptly blended Della’s desire to be a child and have the things that children want to have (in Della’s case, purple high-top tennis shoes and a true-blue friend) vividly contrasted with Della and Suki being thrown too soon into an adult world. As a teacher of 30 years who has had students like Della, I found Baker’s writing to be authentic. Della’s character does not avoid behavioral norms out of defiance but rather out of the need to protect herself, a skill she and her older sister Suki have had to perfect due to the incarceration of their mother. Della still loves her purple high-top tennis shoes but feels the weight of guilt on her because her sister sacrificed to ensure she had them. This is guilt no child should ever endure.
This powerful book punches home some critical life lessons. It reminds us never to make assumptions about others. Always consider that individuals like Della and Suki have trouble forming relationships due to a lack of trust. It teaches us that we are all unique beings and handle stress differently, as we see with Della and Suki. Della learns that her sister manages the stress of their lives differently and has to come to accept that in order for them to both heal. It hammers home that getting help shows strength and maturity. The moments of self-recognition Della experiences while talking with a therapist (Dr. Fremont) reveals effective coping mechanisms to shepherd us through the most trying of times.
Although, as Della warns, this story has some “hard stuff” moments, it is truly a beacon of hope for all, no matter how “easy” or “hard” life can be, we need to know there is always help. The “hard stuff” in this novel is peppered with good adult role models as seen in Tony (Suki’s manager at Food City and volunteer basketball coach for Della), Maybelline (deli worker who befriends Della and learns a lesson or two by their connection), and foster parent Francine (who is rough on the outside but has a big heart for love and a world of life experience and good advice for the sisters). Della’s relationship with Nevaeh as her true-blue friend ends up revealing a strong revelation to Della about others who have experienced other types of trauma, allowing Della to feel less alone, and also teaches Nevaeh about using her voice for change, as she sees Della stand up against the class bully. We gain strength from these types of characters and relationships in our lives. Bradley does a beautiful job of reminding us of this.
Della is a character that will be forever in my heart. She knows she has faults. She knows she is misunderstood by her teacher. She knows she is not served well by her impulsive behavior to yell “snow” at the most inopportune times (she won my heart by telling her story using “snow” in the place of the many expletives she used), but through healthy relationships, she blooms into a young girl who learns how to speak up for herself in an appropriate way. She just needs a little guidance on how to do this in a way that will entice people to listen.
At the end of this book, I was reminded again how many of our young people are not understood because we do not know the trials they have experienced. Kimberly Brubaker Bradley ends the book by giving us another gift—a gift that explains why the voice in this novel resonates with truth and authenticity. Her letter to her readers explains her reason for writing Della’s story and what the emotional cost was to her, but it leaves the reader thinking one of the best things we can do for ourselves is use our voices and experiences for good--through writing or otherwise. And when we need help in doing so, there will always be those good people in the world who will stand by our side. This book leaves the reader with a vital message: it is the responsibility of the entire community to help guide our youth in finding the answers to the “hard stuff” (all stuff, actually) and guide them to a place of safety in order for them to live their best lives.
There is nothing better than an amazing author recommending another amazing author’s work, and so when The Book Dealer (that is me) sees Donna Gephart (author of the heartwarming story Lily and Dunkin, a most beloved book) reveal on her Facebook page that Fighting Words was “AMAZING. It’s perfect. It’s so important. It’s an absolutely gripping read. I highly recommend it,” The Book Dealer listened. I sure am glad I did.
In my previous Weekend Pick, I wrote about the many reasons I love to read, and topping the list is to understand others’ lives and feel that human connection that great literature provides us. Without this knowledge and understanding, we are left with misunderstandings and a danger that we will not evolve to be the best individuals we can be. The candid voice of ten-year-old narrator Delicious (Della, if you ask her) has been missing in middle grades books, yet statistics are showing adults and young adults alike need to hear it. This plucky ten-year-old immediately wins the heart of the reader when she unflinchingly tells the story (which she says is comprised of “easy stuff” and “hard stuff”) of how she and her sister Suki end up living with a man named Clifton after their mother ends up in prison. This, unfortunately, is the “easy” stuff, according to Della. We learn that she and Suki are with their mother when their mom blows up a motel room while cooking meth. Unfortunately, the girls were present to see this, and this starts their continuing journey into premature adulthood—now doing it without their mother. Clifton, it turns out, is not a relative but their mother’s boyfriend who leaves the girls alone during the week while he drives a truck for work. On the weekends, he strikes fear in the hearts, minds, and bodies of the girls.
After Suki sees Clifton touching Della inappropriately, the girls make a run for it and end up in foster care living with Francine, a woman who upon first glance is only in the foster care business to earn money. This is still the “easy” stuff, according to Della. Bradley has painted the picture of a reliable narrator--one that has been protected by her older sister and who slowly reveals the story to us, warning us that the “hard stuff” portion of her story is coming. This warning is the reality of children living with trauma. The story takes a while to be revealed.
What I found intriguing about Della is how Brubaker so adeptly blended Della’s desire to be a child and have the things that children want to have (in Della’s case, purple high-top tennis shoes and a true-blue friend) vividly contrasted with Della and Suki being thrown too soon into an adult world. As a teacher of 30 years who has had students like Della, I found Baker’s writing to be authentic. Della’s character does not avoid behavioral norms out of defiance but rather out of the need to protect herself, a skill she and her older sister Suki have had to perfect due to the incarceration of their mother. Della still loves her purple high-top tennis shoes but feels the weight of guilt on her because her sister sacrificed to ensure she had them. This is guilt no child should ever endure.
This powerful book punches home some critical life lessons. It reminds us never to make assumptions about others. Always consider that individuals like Della and Suki have trouble forming relationships due to a lack of trust. It teaches us that we are all unique beings and handle stress differently, as we see with Della and Suki. Della learns that her sister manages the stress of their lives differently and has to come to accept that in order for them to both heal. It hammers home that getting help shows strength and maturity. The moments of self-recognition Della experiences while talking with a therapist (Dr. Fremont) reveals effective coping mechanisms to shepherd us through the most trying of times.
Although, as Della warns, this story has some “hard stuff” moments, it is truly a beacon of hope for all, no matter how “easy” or “hard” life can be, we need to know there is always help. The “hard stuff” in this novel is peppered with good adult role models as seen in Tony (Suki’s manager at Food City and volunteer basketball coach for Della), Maybelline (deli worker who befriends Della and learns a lesson or two by their connection), and foster parent Francine (who is rough on the outside but has a big heart for love and a world of life experience and good advice for the sisters). Della’s relationship with Nevaeh as her true-blue friend ends up revealing a strong revelation to Della about others who have experienced other types of trauma, allowing Della to feel less alone, and also teaches Nevaeh about using her voice for change, as she sees Della stand up against the class bully. We gain strength from these types of characters and relationships in our lives. Bradley does a beautiful job of reminding us of this.
Della is a character that will be forever in my heart. She knows she has faults. She knows she is misunderstood by her teacher. She knows she is not served well by her impulsive behavior to yell “snow” at the most inopportune times (she won my heart by telling her story using “snow” in the place of the many expletives she used), but through healthy relationships, she blooms into a young girl who learns how to speak up for herself in an appropriate way. She just needs a little guidance on how to do this in a way that will entice people to listen.
At the end of this book, I was reminded again how many of our young people are not understood because we do not know the trials they have experienced. Kimberly Brubaker Bradley ends the book by giving us another gift—a gift that explains why the voice in this novel resonates with truth and authenticity. Her letter to her readers explains her reason for writing Della’s story and what the emotional cost was to her, but it leaves the reader thinking one of the best things we can do for ourselves is use our voices and experiences for good--through writing or otherwise. And when we need help in doing so, there will always be those good people in the world who will stand by our side. This book leaves the reader with a vital message: it is the responsibility of the entire community to help guide our youth in finding the answers to the “hard stuff” (all stuff, actually) and guide them to a place of safety in order for them to live their best lives.
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Weekend Pick for Oct. 2, 2020
Susan James
When Dr. Bickmore asked me to play hostess for several of the Weekend Picks in 2020, I immediately and enthusiastically accepted. I love to read. When looking for a book, I can always find one that fills a need in my life. I read to feel connected to others. I read to evolve as a human. I read to learn. I read to laugh. I read to de-stress (now more than ever). I read to understand others’ lives. I read to challenge my own thinking. But when one book checks all of these boxes, it is truly a book to be celebrated! And when in 2020 (the year we will never forget) I nearly lost hope in my ability to engage in the one activity I find most comforting and consistent in my life, this surprising gift of a book came along and saved me.
“Would you like to live forever? I am afraid I cannot recommend it. I am used to it now, and I do understand how special it is. Only I want to stop now. I want to grow up like you. This is my story. My name is Alve Einarsson. I am a thousand years old. More, actually. Are we friends? In that case, just call me Alfie. Alfie Monk” (Prologue).
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What was most surprising is that it took a mystical and magical story (usually not my cup of tea) that spans from the Viking Invasion of England to present day to reignite my reading during a most challenging time in my life. With the seemingly never-ending pandemic, one coast blazing with fires, a fickle hurricane making a direct hit on my hometown, all while watching dementia robbing both parents’ minds, it really has had to be a “something special” kind of book to get and then keep my attention. It seems I have sifted through, started reading, and then put down more books since March than I have in entire YEARS during my career as The Book Dealer, a name given to me by a student who noticed my incessant need to read and share books. The one passion that has always been comforting and consistent in my life is my love of reading, and it seemed I could not even manage to do that well. But as I read the prologue in the strong voice of Alfie, I felt a weight being lifted from my shoulders. I paused and considered what it would truly mean to live forever (a thought that has frequently been on my mind, for obvious reasons). This book reminded me that middle grades and YA Lit are more powerful than ever, and the literal sea of books that I happily live amongst has never failed to provide the cure for whatever ails me.
In addition to mortality, The 1,000 Year Old Boy by Ross Welford takes on some tough topics in a way that is palatable and digestible through an action-packed plot, sending the reader on the ride of a lifetime. A tale told in two voices, that of a “Neverdead” named Alfie Monk, age 11, and his first real friend, Aiden. Alfie has never been able to maintain relationships for the obvious reason—he never ages due to his family’s finding of the rare and treasured life-pearls, that when mixed with the blood of an individual, immediately stops the aging process. His one and only friendship with a boy named Jack ended badly, placing Alfie and his “Mam” at risk for being discovered, a fear they work hard to avoid, even at the cost of being lonely and always on the run. It isn’t until he meets Aiden and Roxy, two kids who have some peculiar issues of their own, that he learns what it takes to make a friendship last. These characters come to life as Welford gives us rich descriptions, clever dialogue, and a plotline that had me crying, laughing, and truly understanding why aging is a natural part of life that is not only necessary but comes with the gift of family and friends who experience the journey alongside us. Although I know teens are tough little cookies, I always evaluate how particular topics will impact them. In my 30 years as an educator, every year my students suffer from loss and death, yet books that are thought-provoking and challenge our thinking (without being profoundly sad) about such topics are really quite difficult to find. Welford gives us a masterfully written tale with all the “feels” associated with a compelling middle-grades book but with some powerful epiphanies that many adults will consider for the first time. It is a rare find, as young adults and adults alike will be cheering for Alfie and Aiden and will immediately fall in love with the livewire character of Roxy as they race to uncover the last life-pearl. When activated and mixed with Alfie’s blood a second time, Alfie’s dream of starting the aging process will begin. He wants nothing more than to experience living a long life with his new friends, a life that was once not only challenging but lonely. Welford cleverly ties the story together in unique and surprising ways, even including Alfie’s reintroduction to Jack, his first failed friendship. The lifetime of knowledge and wisdom obtained by Alfie makes this 11-year-old boy a unique character. His lifetime comes complete with a vast knowledge of history and a signed set of Charles Dickens’s books (yes, Alfie did meet Dickens once, and this also ties to the plotline). |
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I loved this book so much I not only read it but then read it again with my ears on Audible. The narration is fabulous, and I was able to pick up on small details I missed with my Coronavirus Attention Span (CAS), which prior to this read had been that of a gnat. The stark reality is that no matter how hard we try, we cannot determine the length of our circle of life. At a time in history that is filled with such uncertainty, it took three 11-year-old kids to remind me that the people we trust can help us know that we are not alone. And this lesson, my friends, is most important of all.
Weekend Picks for Sept. 2020
by Dani Rimbach-Jones
Weekend Pick for Sept 25, 2020
I have become a huge fan of YA that focuses on characters set in the Middle East and India. A Crown of Wishes by Roshani Choski does a unique job of knitting Indian Folklore and fantasy together.
The story centers around two protagonists Gauri and Vikram. Gauri is a prisoner of war who is caught between a rock and hard place. She must either submit to her brother's will or face being exiled, or even worse killed. Vikram, a prince of another kingdom known for being Fox Prince, is only a prince in name. Vikram has no real power -- he is not the biological son of the king. More importantly to note, Gauri is the prisoner of war to Vikram's adoptive father.
The story opens with Vikram receiving an invitation to the Tournament of Wish. If he wins, Vikram could rule in his own right. There is a hitch, Vikram must play with a partner. As Gauri is escaping captivity, she runs into Vikram. The situation benefits both -- Gauri needs to escape the guards and Vikram needs someone with warrior experience. They each decided to take a chance on one another.
As the two enter the Tournament of Wish, Choski begins to bring in Indian Folklore characters such as, Kubera (Lord of Wealth), aspara (nymphs), Makara (daragon, used to transport deities in water), Vanara (monkey-like/god-like being who creates battles), and wishakanya (young women whose touch was poisonous). It is being introduced into a new world -- a beautiful one that is often overlooked in the Western World.
This would be an amazing book to teach alongside Indian Folklore for a unit. This book demonstrates how it is time to move away from the tradition of teaching Greek Myths and bring in folklore and myths from cultures that are often overlooked.
The story centers around two protagonists Gauri and Vikram. Gauri is a prisoner of war who is caught between a rock and hard place. She must either submit to her brother's will or face being exiled, or even worse killed. Vikram, a prince of another kingdom known for being Fox Prince, is only a prince in name. Vikram has no real power -- he is not the biological son of the king. More importantly to note, Gauri is the prisoner of war to Vikram's adoptive father.
The story opens with Vikram receiving an invitation to the Tournament of Wish. If he wins, Vikram could rule in his own right. There is a hitch, Vikram must play with a partner. As Gauri is escaping captivity, she runs into Vikram. The situation benefits both -- Gauri needs to escape the guards and Vikram needs someone with warrior experience. They each decided to take a chance on one another.
As the two enter the Tournament of Wish, Choski begins to bring in Indian Folklore characters such as, Kubera (Lord of Wealth), aspara (nymphs), Makara (daragon, used to transport deities in water), Vanara (monkey-like/god-like being who creates battles), and wishakanya (young women whose touch was poisonous). It is being introduced into a new world -- a beautiful one that is often overlooked in the Western World.
This would be an amazing book to teach alongside Indian Folklore for a unit. This book demonstrates how it is time to move away from the tradition of teaching Greek Myths and bring in folklore and myths from cultures that are often overlooked.
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photo credit Aman Sharma
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Weekend Pick for Sept 18, 2020
If you are looking for a YA book to replace the Oedipus Rex -- Bone Charmer is the way to go!
Shields does a wonderful job of weaving in the overarching question, "Is our destiny predetermined or do we have free will?"
The book opens with the heroine of the story, Saskia going in for her bone reading -- the bones of her grandma's fingers will determine her whole life. She will either get her wish to be a tutor and be matched to the boy of her choice or she will be fated to train as a bone charmer, just like her mother. Saskia receives the news that she will follow in her mother's footsteps and out of anger Saskia snaps her grandmother's bones. From that point on Saskia's life splits into two realities; the life of her own free will and the life that she was destined for. As Saskia journeys through both realities she learns that some outcomes are inevitable -- death and sorrow .
As Saskia grapples with different types of loss in both realities, grief begins to swallow her whole. As Saskia tries to outsmart death in both her realities, she learns that death is unavoidable -- it is all going to catch us one day. It is the choices that we make while we are living that have an impact on the world around you.
Shields ends this novel with a cliffhanger -- leaving the reader dying to know what comes next. I strongly recommend that you order the Bone Thief before you start the Bone Charmer. You will not want to set this book down and you will want to start the sequel right away.
Shields does a wonderful job of weaving in the overarching question, "Is our destiny predetermined or do we have free will?"
The book opens with the heroine of the story, Saskia going in for her bone reading -- the bones of her grandma's fingers will determine her whole life. She will either get her wish to be a tutor and be matched to the boy of her choice or she will be fated to train as a bone charmer, just like her mother. Saskia receives the news that she will follow in her mother's footsteps and out of anger Saskia snaps her grandmother's bones. From that point on Saskia's life splits into two realities; the life of her own free will and the life that she was destined for. As Saskia journeys through both realities she learns that some outcomes are inevitable -- death and sorrow .
As Saskia grapples with different types of loss in both realities, grief begins to swallow her whole. As Saskia tries to outsmart death in both her realities, she learns that death is unavoidable -- it is all going to catch us one day. It is the choices that we make while we are living that have an impact on the world around you.
Shields ends this novel with a cliffhanger -- leaving the reader dying to know what comes next. I strongly recommend that you order the Bone Thief before you start the Bone Charmer. You will not want to set this book down and you will want to start the sequel right away.
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Weekend Pick for Sept 11, 2020
If you teach middle school or high school, The Night Diary is a MUST.
Nisha, a twelve year old girl whose world is ripped apart as the British leave India -- in the wake of their leaving, Hindus are being forced to live in India and Mulsims in Pakistan. Nisha begins to question who she is -- Muslim or Hindu? To protect Nisha and her twin brother, their father informs them to deny their Muslim hertiage. For Nisha, this feels like erasing her deceased mother completely, erasing a part of herself.
As Nisha and her family begin their perilous journey to Delhi, Nisha finds a way to keep her mother close to her heart, talking to her in a diary. In her diary, Nisha talks to her mother, asks the big questions, but more importantly, finds a way to hold her mother close.
While Hiranandani draws attention to what Randy Ribay would call the hyphenated, Hiranandani really touched my heart in seeing that death does not always have to be the end. Often in the Western World we see death as a taboo subject to discuss or we see death as final. Nisha, a powerful young heroine provides the opportunity for readers to learn beyond Western/Christian ideologies.
Nisha, a twelve year old girl whose world is ripped apart as the British leave India -- in the wake of their leaving, Hindus are being forced to live in India and Mulsims in Pakistan. Nisha begins to question who she is -- Muslim or Hindu? To protect Nisha and her twin brother, their father informs them to deny their Muslim hertiage. For Nisha, this feels like erasing her deceased mother completely, erasing a part of herself.
As Nisha and her family begin their perilous journey to Delhi, Nisha finds a way to keep her mother close to her heart, talking to her in a diary. In her diary, Nisha talks to her mother, asks the big questions, but more importantly, finds a way to hold her mother close.
While Hiranandani draws attention to what Randy Ribay would call the hyphenated, Hiranandani really touched my heart in seeing that death does not always have to be the end. Often in the Western World we see death as a taboo subject to discuss or we see death as final. Nisha, a powerful young heroine provides the opportunity for readers to learn beyond Western/Christian ideologies.
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Weekend Pick for Sept 4, 2020
Quiver is an absolute MUST READ! It was a book that consumed my whole day and left me feeling filled with hope when it was finished. I love when a book brings me into a world I do know not or one that I might have an outlandish opinion of.
Julia Watts did an amazing job bringing the reader into the world of the Christian Patriarchy. While at first it is easy to judge Libby and her mother for allowing one single man to control their lives, it becomes far more complicated than that. Watts inherently has the reader empathizing and hoping for Libby and her mother, Becky as they find their voice by the end of the story. These two women are the definition of heroines. They save themselves and take back control of what is theirs -- their lives and voices.
While the tonnage of the Christian Patriarchy is visible on every page, it would be complete ignorance to overlook the hero/heroine, Zo. A gender fluid teen who is struggling with their own identity. But it is through her worldly questions, that she teaches her peer of opposite beliefs that it is okay to question authority. One could argue that Zo saved Libby and Becky from the suppression of the Christian Patriarch, but that would be a disservice to Zo -- she taught them to be their own person.
Julia Watts did an amazing job bringing the reader into the world of the Christian Patriarchy. While at first it is easy to judge Libby and her mother for allowing one single man to control their lives, it becomes far more complicated than that. Watts inherently has the reader empathizing and hoping for Libby and her mother, Becky as they find their voice by the end of the story. These two women are the definition of heroines. They save themselves and take back control of what is theirs -- their lives and voices.
While the tonnage of the Christian Patriarchy is visible on every page, it would be complete ignorance to overlook the hero/heroine, Zo. A gender fluid teen who is struggling with their own identity. But it is through her worldly questions, that she teaches her peer of opposite beliefs that it is okay to question authority. One could argue that Zo saved Libby and Becky from the suppression of the Christian Patriarch, but that would be a disservice to Zo -- she taught them to be their own person.
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Weekend Picks for Aug 2020
by Steve Bickmore
Weekend Pick for Aug. 28
As a graduate student I wrote a paper about Bruchac's Heart of a Chief for a class on Race, Class, and Gender in Children's Literature. That paper eventually become my first academic journal article as a solo author. Looking back, I can see that it was this paper that shaped the direction I would take as an academic. I have been thinking and writing about diverse literature for the past 18 years. It lead me to a job at LSU where I was privileged to work with Dr. Jackie Bach. Eventually we become editors of the ALAN Review with Melanie Hundley. I kept active in ALAN and have participated in every workshop since 2003.
My picks this month drifted towards indigenous authors. I though it was fitting to include this powerful novel as a weekend pick. It seems especially fitting as once again the use of indigenous tribes and references are once again under scrutiny. The Washington football has finally abandoned its long standing mascot. This action comes on the heels of communities who are retiring or not statutes that represent problematic people or historical moments.
Bruchac's book is a wonderful treatment of the issue. My paper (linked here) considers how important language and word choice are as we make a point or as we reference others.
My picks this month drifted towards indigenous authors. I though it was fitting to include this powerful novel as a weekend pick. It seems especially fitting as once again the use of indigenous tribes and references are once again under scrutiny. The Washington football has finally abandoned its long standing mascot. This action comes on the heels of communities who are retiring or not statutes that represent problematic people or historical moments.
Bruchac's book is a wonderful treatment of the issue. My paper (linked here) considers how important language and word choice are as we make a point or as we reference others.
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Photo by Eric Jenks
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Weekend Pick for Aug. 21
I am sticking with the theme of books by indigenous authors that I started a couple of weeks ago. Today I am highlighting another book that will be in my syllabus this fall. If I Ever Get Out of Here hits several points for me. First, it is a fine period piece set very close to my own time in high school. Second, Gansworth uses music as an anchor throughout the book and this combines with my research interest on how popular music and YA literature have an intimate relationship that can be used to explore thematic issues as well as a myriad of possibilities for instruction, student engagement, and a variety of alternate assessment. Third, but not last, the novel is a wonderful own voice narrative that explores the complexities of reservation life.
Eric Gansworth is an author that everyone should be reading. In fact, when you finish this one quickly grab and read Give Me Some Truth so that you will be ready to read the third book in this trilogy, Apple, that will be available in October 2020.
Eric Gansworth is an author that everyone should be reading. In fact, when you finish this one quickly grab and read Give Me Some Truth so that you will be ready to read the third book in this trilogy, Apple, that will be available in October 2020.
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Weekend Pick for Aug. 14
Some days I feel that I am way behind the crowd. The Marrow Thieves is a stunning book. It is a wonderful story line that is both contemporary and a shout back to the traditions of an older and maybe near lost way of life. Again, this is a book that I think EVERYONE should know about. I included in my fall syllabus as soon as I finished reading it. I can't wait to hear what my students will have to say about it.
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Weekend Pick for Aug. 7
I have been reading quite a few books by indigenous authors this summer. Some of the books I have been listening to as I pedal my bike around Las Vegas, but a few I have held in my hand. I still love the feel of a book. I love turning the pages and yes, I probably turn down too many corners. One of the books that has stayed with me this summer is Hearts Unbroken by Cynthia Leitich Smith. She is a great writer--period. At the same time she is a writer that should not be overlooked when people are making a list of indigenous authors.
I loved how this book explore the mythology or The Wizard of Oz while also commenting on and critiquing the racists beliefs of the author. Frankly, this was a disruptive moment for me. I grew up reading all of the Oz books those by Baum and those others like Ruth Plumly Thompson and John R. Neill, who is also the most prominent illustrator of the OZ books. I will be doing more research about these last two, but Smith open up my eyes about Baum.
Hearts Unbroken follows Louise Wolf's own reactions to racists comments, but at its core is a school production of the Wizard of Oz that while the director chose to include nontraditional casting many of the community members are not ready. I love one of the passage on pages 157 and 158.
"Mrs. Ney held her hands clutched together, at her waist. 'But casting a Black Dorothy Gale is an an academic travesty. It makes no sense. The character is supposed to be from Kansas.'
So Many levels of Wrong---how to pick?
I went with the quickest, most obvious choice. 'Chelsea is from Kansas.'"
There are so many superb things going on is this book. It is hard to land on just one. Every time I hear in the news the phrase "Go back to where you came from." I want to spin out of my chair. How quick we are to forget.
Add this book to your list, share it with your students, and get ready for the conversations.
I loved how this book explore the mythology or The Wizard of Oz while also commenting on and critiquing the racists beliefs of the author. Frankly, this was a disruptive moment for me. I grew up reading all of the Oz books those by Baum and those others like Ruth Plumly Thompson and John R. Neill, who is also the most prominent illustrator of the OZ books. I will be doing more research about these last two, but Smith open up my eyes about Baum.
Hearts Unbroken follows Louise Wolf's own reactions to racists comments, but at its core is a school production of the Wizard of Oz that while the director chose to include nontraditional casting many of the community members are not ready. I love one of the passage on pages 157 and 158.
"Mrs. Ney held her hands clutched together, at her waist. 'But casting a Black Dorothy Gale is an an academic travesty. It makes no sense. The character is supposed to be from Kansas.'
So Many levels of Wrong---how to pick?
I went with the quickest, most obvious choice. 'Chelsea is from Kansas.'"
There are so many superb things going on is this book. It is hard to land on just one. Every time I hear in the news the phrase "Go back to where you came from." I want to spin out of my chair. How quick we are to forget.
Add this book to your list, share it with your students, and get ready for the conversations.
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Weekend Picks for July 2020
by Steve Bickmore
Weekend Pick for July 31
I am lucky. I get the opportunity to preview a lot of books. Every once in awhile a book arrives and the cover speaks to you. I know, there is that saying about not judging a book by its cover. Nevertheless, occasionally a book moves to my "to be read list" because the cover draws me in. The cover of The Stars Beneath Our Feet is beautiful. As a parent with six children, I have purchased a ton of LEGOs, I have been frustrated by the instructions, and I am not overly fond of stepping on them with my bare feet. At the same time, I am amazed at what some people including children are able to imagine and create. I was presupposed to like the book even before I started reading.
This book is wonderful. As we watch Wallace "Lolly" try to build himself out of grief block by block we realize that processing takes time. As time passes, we watch Lolly find out the importance of friendship, parents, and significant adults who are savvy enough to extend patience and understanding. There are so many good things to say about this debut novel. David Barclay Moore wins the John Steptoe Award for this book with six starred reviews. I could go on and on, but let me direct you Holly Goldberg Sloan's book review in the New York Times.
This book is wonderful. As we watch Wallace "Lolly" try to build himself out of grief block by block we realize that processing takes time. As time passes, we watch Lolly find out the importance of friendship, parents, and significant adults who are savvy enough to extend patience and understanding. There are so many good things to say about this debut novel. David Barclay Moore wins the John Steptoe Award for this book with six starred reviews. I could go on and on, but let me direct you Holly Goldberg Sloan's book review in the New York Times.
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Weekend Pick for July 17
Okay, before you call me out for being late for the game. I have known about this book and its remarkable impact for a long time. I fully intended to read one of the two copies I had when it first came out. Did I? No, I did not. I keep lending my copies to students who were doing their focused author report on Neal Shusterman.
I finally got a copy back long enough for it to make its way through my "to be read list" and into my hands. All of the hype is real. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. For those of you our of the loop, Scythe is the first book in the Arc of a Scythe Trilogy. Neal is a master story teller. I am keeping my hands on the next two installments. I plan to start book two as soon as I get back from my vacation. If you are fan of fantasy fiction, I suggest you get to trilogy right away.
I finally got a copy back long enough for it to make its way through my "to be read list" and into my hands. All of the hype is real. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. For those of you our of the loop, Scythe is the first book in the Arc of a Scythe Trilogy. Neal is a master story teller. I am keeping my hands on the next two installments. I plan to start book two as soon as I get back from my vacation. If you are fan of fantasy fiction, I suggest you get to trilogy right away.
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Weekend Pick for July 10
The old soccer coach in my perked up when I read the blurb on this wonderful book. Yes, I know it isn't about soccer. It features a girls field hockey team. As the father of three daughters who play a lot of club soccer and one you play varsity for three years, I am always interested in the YA novels that feature young female athletes. Siobhan Vivian's We are the Wildcats is a fantastic book. As I was reading, I was constantly reminded of something that Gae Polsiner told me as we discussed Jack Kerouac is Dead to Me. Gae was wondering in her book and in our conversation about why young women seem to go out of their way to hurt each other rather than to offer support.
This is a them that Vivian's novel explores as well. Since the arrival of the "Coach" the Wildcats have been extraordinarily successful. What they have failed to understand is that when the coach is talking about the unity of the team he has always been talking about what is best for him and his next move. He has subtlety been pitting the girls against each other with false praise, private texts, and plans that even sabotage their chances for college scholarships. This is not an example of the coach as a positive influence. Instead, it is the coach as manipulator.
As a readers we watch Luci, Mel, Pheobe, and the others figure it out. I found this multi voiced novel a compelling narrative. Take a leap and give it a chance. I can tell you for sure that Siobhan Vivian is now on my radar.
This is a them that Vivian's novel explores as well. Since the arrival of the "Coach" the Wildcats have been extraordinarily successful. What they have failed to understand is that when the coach is talking about the unity of the team he has always been talking about what is best for him and his next move. He has subtlety been pitting the girls against each other with false praise, private texts, and plans that even sabotage their chances for college scholarships. This is not an example of the coach as a positive influence. Instead, it is the coach as manipulator.
As a readers we watch Luci, Mel, Pheobe, and the others figure it out. I found this multi voiced novel a compelling narrative. Take a leap and give it a chance. I can tell you for sure that Siobhan Vivian is now on my radar.
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Weekend Pick for July 3
I loved meeting Jennifer Anne Moses. I was introduced to her a little over a year ago through Jerry Weiss. If you are a YA scholar and advocate and you don't know about Jerry Weiss then we need to have a longer conversation. The ALAN Review began more of less as a newsletter in 1974 and Jerry Weiss was one of those hanging around when Alleen Nilsen was recruiting the initial members to join the Assembly on Literature for Adolescents of the NCTE (ALAN). Jerry probably knows more about Young Adult Literature than any of ten of us put together. So, when Jerry offers me an introduction, I tend to pay attention.
Jennifer Anne Moses sent me a copy of The Book of Joshua and it was a remarkable. I reviewed it as a weekend pick last July. One of the things I learned about Jennifer was that she was in southern Louisiana when I was working at LSU. It is a shame we didn't meet. Just recently she sent me a copy of The Art of Dumpster Diving. I loved this book. It provides a picture of adolescents living in hidden poverty. I know that the world is currently reeling from a host of problems. Now imagine those problems if you lived in abject poverty without the support of adults. Imagine that you tried to navigate school and day to day living without money or any substantive adult supervision or support. This is exactly what James and Danny Moore try to do in the fictional setting of Crystal Springs, Louisiana. I highly recommend this book. It is a meaningful insight into a aspect of life that some of our students face.
There is an added bonus that I hope you look for. My friend and colleague Kia Jane Richmond wrote a longer review of this book in the current issue of the Language Arts Journal of Michigan. It should be available soon, but in the meantime, here is a link to the journals website.
Jennifer Anne Moses sent me a copy of The Book of Joshua and it was a remarkable. I reviewed it as a weekend pick last July. One of the things I learned about Jennifer was that she was in southern Louisiana when I was working at LSU. It is a shame we didn't meet. Just recently she sent me a copy of The Art of Dumpster Diving. I loved this book. It provides a picture of adolescents living in hidden poverty. I know that the world is currently reeling from a host of problems. Now imagine those problems if you lived in abject poverty without the support of adults. Imagine that you tried to navigate school and day to day living without money or any substantive adult supervision or support. This is exactly what James and Danny Moore try to do in the fictional setting of Crystal Springs, Louisiana. I highly recommend this book. It is a meaningful insight into a aspect of life that some of our students face.
There is an added bonus that I hope you look for. My friend and colleague Kia Jane Richmond wrote a longer review of this book in the current issue of the Language Arts Journal of Michigan. It should be available soon, but in the meantime, here is a link to the journals website.
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Weekend Picks for June 2020
by Steve Bickmore
Weekend Pick for June 26
Since Memorial Day, I have had a bit of difficult time finding my voice. Yes, I was busy with the Summit and trying to keep several deadline. I have tried to foster the inclusion of diverse books in the ELA classroom. It is starting to feel like just a drop. Currently, many people are talking about the books that people can read to be more aware of how racism plays our country, our communities, our schools, our lives, and in our homes.
I have felt for a long time that perhaps the best way is to include own voice novels in the classroom and in the curricula. Shanetia Clark and I are trying hard to complete a three book project that covers nearly 60 years of Black Authors of Young Adult Literature. Our goal was to highlight the most notable authors based on their awards and other accolades in three two decade periods. One book is published. We call it On the Shoulders of Giants because we felt that the four Black authors, Walter Dean Myers, Virginia Hamilton, Julius Lester, and Mildred Taylor, who were able to gain the most traction and renown deserve to be remember and they still need to be read. This book provides two chapters on each other and cover several ways to include two books (see them below) in the classroom.
Is this book in your library? Sure, it is one I edited with Shanetia, but you can read about anti racists strategies all you want, but you need to act. Classroom practices need to change. You can start here. I highly recommend the work of Julius Lester. He has left us now, but his works pioneered efforts to tell the story of racial injustice to adolescents. Try Day of Tears and To Be a Slave. They will rock your world. The first is the story of the largest slave auction in US history the second is taken from interviews recorded in the 1930 as part of the Federal Writers Project. They are easily accessed now, but in 1968, when Julius Lester first published the book, he had to gather the details by studying microfiche copies. Concerned scholars saved the stories, but lamentably they languished in archive for nearly 30 years until Lester uncovered them and wrote a version for adolescents. It was raw and honest when it was published and I promise you it will startle you today. Take a look.
I have felt for a long time that perhaps the best way is to include own voice novels in the classroom and in the curricula. Shanetia Clark and I are trying hard to complete a three book project that covers nearly 60 years of Black Authors of Young Adult Literature. Our goal was to highlight the most notable authors based on their awards and other accolades in three two decade periods. One book is published. We call it On the Shoulders of Giants because we felt that the four Black authors, Walter Dean Myers, Virginia Hamilton, Julius Lester, and Mildred Taylor, who were able to gain the most traction and renown deserve to be remember and they still need to be read. This book provides two chapters on each other and cover several ways to include two books (see them below) in the classroom.
Is this book in your library? Sure, it is one I edited with Shanetia, but you can read about anti racists strategies all you want, but you need to act. Classroom practices need to change. You can start here. I highly recommend the work of Julius Lester. He has left us now, but his works pioneered efforts to tell the story of racial injustice to adolescents. Try Day of Tears and To Be a Slave. They will rock your world. The first is the story of the largest slave auction in US history the second is taken from interviews recorded in the 1930 as part of the Federal Writers Project. They are easily accessed now, but in 1968, when Julius Lester first published the book, he had to gather the details by studying microfiche copies. Concerned scholars saved the stories, but lamentably they languished in archive for nearly 30 years until Lester uncovered them and wrote a version for adolescents. It was raw and honest when it was published and I promise you it will startle you today. Take a look.
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Weekend Pick for June 5
Black Brother, Black Brother by Jewel Parker Rhodes
Jewel Parker Rhodes is a treasure in the YA community. Her voice is powerful and spot on. Both Ghost Boys and Towers Falling are two of my favorite books over the last few years. Both have been featured in the blog in several ways. Both are books that should be on your classroom shelves.
Like many of you, I have been at a loss for words over the last two weeks. Since Memorial Day, I have tried to act in a few ways and keep silent. I will continue to look for opportunities. One thing I knew I would do, since it was my month to do the weekend picks is to feature Black Brother, Black Brother. This wonderful book has staying power. Last November, I had the wonderful privilege of hearing Jewel Parker Rhodes describe her new book and it moved right up my to the top of my "to be read" list.
Please read this book!. I was totally engaged. And, I learned about Fencing and African American athletes who participate in the sport. Do you know Peter Westbrook?
Jewel Parker Rhodes is a treasure in the YA community. Her voice is powerful and spot on. Both Ghost Boys and Towers Falling are two of my favorite books over the last few years. Both have been featured in the blog in several ways. Both are books that should be on your classroom shelves.
Like many of you, I have been at a loss for words over the last two weeks. Since Memorial Day, I have tried to act in a few ways and keep silent. I will continue to look for opportunities. One thing I knew I would do, since it was my month to do the weekend picks is to feature Black Brother, Black Brother. This wonderful book has staying power. Last November, I had the wonderful privilege of hearing Jewel Parker Rhodes describe her new book and it moved right up my to the top of my "to be read" list.
Please read this book!. I was totally engaged. And, I learned about Fencing and African American athletes who participate in the sport. Do you know Peter Westbrook?
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Weekend Picks for May 2020
by Katie Sluiter
Weekend Pick for May 29, 2020
For the last weekend in May--which also marks the end of the 2019-2020 school year for my students and me--I’ve gathered a few recommendations by some of my 8th graders and a couple from me. Two of these guys are not usually ones to write about books, and none of them wanted their faces on a book blog, but their picks are definitely good ones for kids who may otherwise be reluctant readers.
Seth, 8th grade student
I recommend the Wingfeather series by Andrew Peterson. It is about a family who live in a normal village and their dad dies. One of their brothers is a king, and they get homeschooled and go around the world running for the darkness. People who like Harry Potter might like this series. What I liked best were the adventure, the scenes (it’s a graphic novel), and the storyline of the book.
Thorn, 8th grade student
I recommend Five Nights at Freddy's The Silver Eyes by Scott Cawthon. This book is about a group of teens who decided to check out their childhood fun place, Freddy's Fazbears Pizzeria after 10 years. They check it out again, and the next night something happens with the animatronics. Then the next night they return and the animatronics attack and meet William Afton. People who like the Five Nights at Freddy’s books or horror would probably like this book because it goes with the FNaF franchise very well. I highly recommend reading this book before the other 2 in the trilogy. What I liked best is that it kinda made its own story. It was very interesting how it kinda went on its own path other than the other FNaF paths.
Gabe, 8th grade student
I recommend A Dog’s Life by Ann M. Martin. This book is about a stray dog named Squirrel. She was born without any knowledge of the outside world. Squirrel lives on her own for years with friends that come and go and people who help her out along the way. I say that any animal lover or anyone in general that likes dogs would love this book. It can be sad and it can be happy. For me it was a must read because it had a dog on the cover that looked like my grandparents’ dog. I loved EVERYTHING about this book.
Seth, 8th grade student
I recommend the Wingfeather series by Andrew Peterson. It is about a family who live in a normal village and their dad dies. One of their brothers is a king, and they get homeschooled and go around the world running for the darkness. People who like Harry Potter might like this series. What I liked best were the adventure, the scenes (it’s a graphic novel), and the storyline of the book.
Thorn, 8th grade student
I recommend Five Nights at Freddy's The Silver Eyes by Scott Cawthon. This book is about a group of teens who decided to check out their childhood fun place, Freddy's Fazbears Pizzeria after 10 years. They check it out again, and the next night something happens with the animatronics. Then the next night they return and the animatronics attack and meet William Afton. People who like the Five Nights at Freddy’s books or horror would probably like this book because it goes with the FNaF franchise very well. I highly recommend reading this book before the other 2 in the trilogy. What I liked best is that it kinda made its own story. It was very interesting how it kinda went on its own path other than the other FNaF paths.
Gabe, 8th grade student
I recommend A Dog’s Life by Ann M. Martin. This book is about a stray dog named Squirrel. She was born without any knowledge of the outside world. Squirrel lives on her own for years with friends that come and go and people who help her out along the way. I say that any animal lover or anyone in general that likes dogs would love this book. It can be sad and it can be happy. For me it was a must read because it had a dog on the cover that looked like my grandparents’ dog. I loved EVERYTHING about this book.
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Katie Sluiter, 8th grade ELA teacher
I couldn’t choose just one book this weekend. There are two that I’ve recently read that really affected me.
The first is Redwood and Ponytail by K.A. Holt. I was privileged to meet Kari Anne at the NCTE conference in Baltimore this past fall. Over dinner we talked about her writing, her family, and teaching. Two days later, I got on my plane back to Michigan and read her new novel cover-to-cover.
Redwood and Ponytail is a novel in verse with multiple narrators. Kate and Tam are middle school girls who meet on the first day of 7th grade. Kate seems to be a stereotypical cheerleader who wears a bouncy ponytail with a ribbon in her hair. Tam is as tall and slender as a redwood tree and is the star of the volleyball team. They seem to have nothing in common--but they definitely have each other in common. It’s complicated even though it’s not.
I loved this book because it captures that first crush feeling exactly how it feels when you are twelve: confusing and awesome and scary and weird. I have loaned this book out to so many different readers: those who love novels in verse, those who love a cute love story, those who are seeking LBGTQ+ books, those who love realistic fiction. Upon returning to me, one girl said, “yup. That is what it’s like!” and I knew just what she meant.
The other book I want to recommend is The Librarian of Auschwitz by Antonio Iturbe (translated by Lilit Zekulin Thwaites). This book is based on the true story of Dita Kraus who was an Auschwitz prisoner during World War II. This was my first “summer read” for this year. I seem to always start my summer reading with historical fiction. My husband thinks this is depressing, but it’s deeply interesting to me.
Dita Adler is a fourteen-year old Czech from Prague. When she is nine-years old, she and her parents are deported to a Jewish ghetto called Terezín. From there her family was transferred to Auschwitz where they were put in a family camp--an incredibly unusual section for any of the concentration camps. They didn’t know why the Nazi’s wanted a small camp keeping families together, but Dita found herself as an assistant to the Block’s youth organizer, a fellow Jew named Fredy Hirsch. During the day, when the SS guards were not around, Fredy turned Block 31 into an illegal school for the children of the family camp. Dita was the keeper of the eight illicit books that they kept hidden in Block 31, thereby earning her the nickname “Librarian”.
I spent a few very, very late nights reading Dita’s story. I enjoyed the way Iturbe told her story methodically and used various perspectives of fellow inmates to weave a fuller picture of those lives touched by the horror of the camps and the hope nurtured in spite of such darkness.
I couldn’t choose just one book this weekend. There are two that I’ve recently read that really affected me.
The first is Redwood and Ponytail by K.A. Holt. I was privileged to meet Kari Anne at the NCTE conference in Baltimore this past fall. Over dinner we talked about her writing, her family, and teaching. Two days later, I got on my plane back to Michigan and read her new novel cover-to-cover.
Redwood and Ponytail is a novel in verse with multiple narrators. Kate and Tam are middle school girls who meet on the first day of 7th grade. Kate seems to be a stereotypical cheerleader who wears a bouncy ponytail with a ribbon in her hair. Tam is as tall and slender as a redwood tree and is the star of the volleyball team. They seem to have nothing in common--but they definitely have each other in common. It’s complicated even though it’s not.
I loved this book because it captures that first crush feeling exactly how it feels when you are twelve: confusing and awesome and scary and weird. I have loaned this book out to so many different readers: those who love novels in verse, those who love a cute love story, those who are seeking LBGTQ+ books, those who love realistic fiction. Upon returning to me, one girl said, “yup. That is what it’s like!” and I knew just what she meant.
The other book I want to recommend is The Librarian of Auschwitz by Antonio Iturbe (translated by Lilit Zekulin Thwaites). This book is based on the true story of Dita Kraus who was an Auschwitz prisoner during World War II. This was my first “summer read” for this year. I seem to always start my summer reading with historical fiction. My husband thinks this is depressing, but it’s deeply interesting to me.
Dita Adler is a fourteen-year old Czech from Prague. When she is nine-years old, she and her parents are deported to a Jewish ghetto called Terezín. From there her family was transferred to Auschwitz where they were put in a family camp--an incredibly unusual section for any of the concentration camps. They didn’t know why the Nazi’s wanted a small camp keeping families together, but Dita found herself as an assistant to the Block’s youth organizer, a fellow Jew named Fredy Hirsch. During the day, when the SS guards were not around, Fredy turned Block 31 into an illegal school for the children of the family camp. Dita was the keeper of the eight illicit books that they kept hidden in Block 31, thereby earning her the nickname “Librarian”.
I spent a few very, very late nights reading Dita’s story. I enjoyed the way Iturbe told her story methodically and used various perspectives of fellow inmates to weave a fuller picture of those lives touched by the horror of the camps and the hope nurtured in spite of such darkness.
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Weekend Pick for May 22, 2020
Each week I wait to see what my co-recommender is bringing to the blog before I decide what I want to pick to share. This weekend, my colleague Melissa Scheider, is choosing a book with strong female characters, so that is my focus too! Melissa is the media center specialist for our district’s secondary buildings. She is also our district’s ProjectLit -(https://www.facebook.com/projectlitcommunity/, @ProjectLITComm) chapter coordinator. She’s Google certified and has been key to the success of my (and I am sure other teachers’) use of technology for in-class instructing and collaboration as well as for our distance learning plan. Plus she reads A LOT of YA lit. Here are our recommendations this weekend:
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Melissa Schneider, High School and Junior High Media Center Specialist
Dear Haiti, Love Alaine by Maika & Maritza Moulite Alaine Beauparlant is a witty and honest Haitian American teen whose life is about to change more than she could ever imagine. The daughter of successful Haitian immigrants, Alaine is outspoken and confident. She seldom sees her mother, Celeste, a successful TV journalist who lives in D.C., and lives in Miami with her father, Jules, is a Psychologist and do-it-all dad. When Celeste snaps on national TV and disappears to her homeland for seclusion, Alaine becomes the butt of jokes and is targeted by the resident "mean girls'' at school. When Alaine decides to use a school project to prove a point, she suddenly risks expulsion on top of everything else. Rather than face expulsion, Alaine is granted a chance to prove herself by spending the rest of her Senior year in Haiti volunteering at a tech startup company founded by her aunt, the Haitian Minister of Tourism, that aims to partner patrons with Haitian children in need. People who like strong female characters and stories about family drama will love Alaine. Also be prepared for a story told in the epistolary style, through diary entries, emails, text messages, letters and more. I loved this story because readers are taken on a cultural journey into the streets, homes, and rich history of Haiti, as well as into a family that is struggling to keep it together. It's a story that is both humorous and heartbreaking. |
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Katie Sluiter, 8th grade English Teacher
I mentioned last weekend that I don’t really identify as someone who loves fantasy. I have been lying to myself, though, because not only am I definitely a Potter Head, I also enjoy Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson series. But the latest fantasy series that has me completely enthralled is: Tomi Adeyemi’s Legacy of Orïsha series. The first in the series, Children of Blood and Bone, sets the West African-inspired fantasy as a world where the main character, Zélie can remember when Orïsha still had magic. They were called Maji and they could ignite flames and beckon waves and bring souls from the dead. In fact, Zélie’s mother was a powerful Reaper before the king targeted all magic calling for its destruction. When Zélie’s path serendipitously crosses with the current princess, she finds she has a chance to bring magic back to Orïsha. This book is filled with strong female characters--both good and evil. Zélie, the princess Amari, the prince’s general, and many more. Told in multiple perspectives--Zélie, Amari, and Amari’s brother Inan--the dramatic irony is high as the reader tears through the pages to see who will prevail. The book weighs in at a hefty 525 pages, but it flies by. I loved this book so much, I made sure to get the second in the trilogy, Children of Virtue and Vengeance, when it came out in December so I could read it over Christmas break. I don’t know when the final installment comes out, but I am READY. Sidenote: The Orïsha series is excellent on audio as well. |
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Weekend Pick for May 15, 2020
This weekend one of my students and I are recommending books for people who like the magic and fantasy of books like Harry Potter. Mariah and are big Potter Heads--she is a veteran having read the books and seen the movies numerous times. I am sort of a newb to the Potterverse, but I am currently working through the books for the second time. Both of us have found books that, while not to the awesomeness of Harry Potter, are pretty great for people who like a fantasy world.
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Mariah, 8th grade student
I recommend The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani The School for Good and Evil is about how friendship can go very far. There are two schools: one of the schools was made for the good boys and girls in the fairy tales and the other is for the villains of the fairy tales. Sophie's dream is to be in the school for good and graduate into a story princess. Agatha on the other hand would fit perfectly into the school for evil. People who like Harry Potter would probably like this book because it is very similar to Harry Potter with the school, the characters, and the magic. My favorite part was when Sophie dreamed of going to the school for good. Also when Agatha didn't get out much and didn't have very many friends. I am recommending this book because it is my new favorite book and it has a lot of magic with plot twists. |
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Katie Sluiter, 8th grade teacher
This week I am recommending Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson and The Olympians series. Again, I am late to the party with this one. The seventh graders in my school read The Lightning Thief and have been telling me for the past six year that I HAVE to read it. I put it off for the same reasons I always put off Harry Potter--I’m not really into fantasy. I need to let go of this because it turns out, I AM INTO FANTASY! After my boys and I finished the Harry Potter series, we wanted something that would keep our attention. My students again suggested Percy Jackson. I was not prepared for how witty and exciting this series would be! Percy Jackson is a 6th grader with ADHD and dyslexia who keeps getting kicked out of boarding schools after strange things happen that no one else seems to notice. At the end of 6th grade he finds out his buddy Grover is actually a satyr and his Latin teacher is really Chiron, the centaur from Greek mythology. Percy also finds out he is not actually a typical mortal, but a half-blood--born of a mortal (his mom) and a Greek God. Percy is witty, sarcastic, and brave. Every chapter--with a funny title--is a new adventure for the reader. |
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Weekend Pick for May 8, 2020
I just finished up my third week of “distance learning” with my 8th grade students. As we created our curricula for this, our district administration advised us to ask three questions: Is it reasonable? Is it accessible? And is it appropriate? As an 8th grade ELA team, we decided that reading and writing fit all those categories.
So, we asked our students to read what they want and write about it. With permission from those students, I am sharing what they recommend alongside something I’ve read and recommend each weekend for the rest of May.
Belani, 8th grade student
The book I chose is Chi's Sweet Home Part 1 by Kanata Konami
I love how it is based on a cat's point of view. I also like how it is a graphic novel--manga basically. Also it’s a complete series, but I just haven't read all of them because I wasn't able to go out to buy them.
People who are into watching anime and reading manga would enjoy this series.
My favorite part out of all 3 books would be when Chi gets lost, because it is an important part out of the whole series and I like how she gets found by a cliche of a kid falling down and seeing the cat. From there they try to keep it a secret from their landlord since their apartment allows no pets. Then they have moments another pet would have, expect the cat can only communicate with other cats. I will keep this short because I know if I don't stop now I'm going to spoil everything.
Katie Sluiter, 8th grade teacher @ksluiter
The book I am recommending this weekend is The Year We Fell From Space by A.S. King. (side note from Steve: A. S. King Rocks!)
It feels like each Amy Sarig King book I have read has found me right when I needed it most. I read Please Ignore Vera DietzI as I struggled with the transition and identity shift of being a junior high teacher after being a high school teacher for eleven years. As I was dealing with a hefty pile of my own depression and anxiety, Still Life With Tornado found its way to the top of my To Read List. The year I finished cancer treatments and was not feeling like myself as a teacher, mom, grad student, or wife Dig showed up.
Reading The Year We Fell From Space as we struggle with our current reality feels serendipitous yet again. Liberty Johansen is a 6th grader when her parents announce their separation to her and her younger sister Jilly. Nothing feels Ok: her dad moves out and then won’t speak to them, her mom seems happy to be separated from their dad, and Jilly suddenly won’t go outside.
Liberty searches for answers amongst the stars.
This is A.S. King’s first middle grade book and I think it’s delightful. Her writing is so honest and real, and yet she always brings a touch of magical realism to her stories. The focus she puts on mental health--especially of children and teenagers--has a very special connection for me.
So, we asked our students to read what they want and write about it. With permission from those students, I am sharing what they recommend alongside something I’ve read and recommend each weekend for the rest of May.
Belani, 8th grade student
The book I chose is Chi's Sweet Home Part 1 by Kanata Konami
I love how it is based on a cat's point of view. I also like how it is a graphic novel--manga basically. Also it’s a complete series, but I just haven't read all of them because I wasn't able to go out to buy them.
People who are into watching anime and reading manga would enjoy this series.
My favorite part out of all 3 books would be when Chi gets lost, because it is an important part out of the whole series and I like how she gets found by a cliche of a kid falling down and seeing the cat. From there they try to keep it a secret from their landlord since their apartment allows no pets. Then they have moments another pet would have, expect the cat can only communicate with other cats. I will keep this short because I know if I don't stop now I'm going to spoil everything.
Katie Sluiter, 8th grade teacher @ksluiter
The book I am recommending this weekend is The Year We Fell From Space by A.S. King. (side note from Steve: A. S. King Rocks!)
It feels like each Amy Sarig King book I have read has found me right when I needed it most. I read Please Ignore Vera DietzI as I struggled with the transition and identity shift of being a junior high teacher after being a high school teacher for eleven years. As I was dealing with a hefty pile of my own depression and anxiety, Still Life With Tornado found its way to the top of my To Read List. The year I finished cancer treatments and was not feeling like myself as a teacher, mom, grad student, or wife Dig showed up.
Reading The Year We Fell From Space as we struggle with our current reality feels serendipitous yet again. Liberty Johansen is a 6th grader when her parents announce their separation to her and her younger sister Jilly. Nothing feels Ok: her dad moves out and then won’t speak to them, her mom seems happy to be separated from their dad, and Jilly suddenly won’t go outside.
Liberty searches for answers amongst the stars.
This is A.S. King’s first middle grade book and I think it’s delightful. Her writing is so honest and real, and yet she always brings a touch of magical realism to her stories. The focus she puts on mental health--especially of children and teenagers--has a very special connection for me.
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Weekend Pick for May 1, 2020
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My little family of five has been cooped up in the same house for seven weeks. My husband has been trying to keep his construction business running from home, I’ve been finishing up a grad class and trying to do the distance learning thing with my five classes of 8th graders, and our three kids have been trying to keep up with their distance learning as students. It has been a little crazy.
One thing we have all been doing is reading! Since this is a Quarantine Weekend Pick you get not one recommendation...not two...but FIVE.
Each member of our family is sharing what they have been reading during this time. What follows is (mostly) in their own words. Enjoy!
Unicorn Thinks He’s Pretty Great by Bob Shea
Alice Sluiter age 5 (preschooler)
This book is about a goat that doesn’t like the unicorn. The unicorn is really good at stuff and the goat rides his bike and complains about the unicorn. The goat talks about how he will do something, and then the unicorn shows up and does it better and fancier.The goat has pizza with goat cheese on it and the unicorn shows up and loves the pizza! Then they become friends!
I like this book because there are unicorns and I like unicorns. But I don’t like goats, but I like the goat in this book.
Other people should read this book because I want them to know how the unicorn and the goat are friends together.
Dragons Love Tacos (and Dragons Love Tacos 2) by Adam Rubin
Charlie Sluiter age 8 (2nd grader)
Dragons Love Tacos is about dragons that love tacos! First, dragons don’t like spicy salsa. Then they accidentally eat some at a taco party and barf fire. The second book is about dragons still loving tacos, but they are sad because there are no more tacos. So they go back in time to the taco party to get some tacos to plant to grow taco trees.
I like this book because it’s about dragons and I love dragons. I also like tacos.
Other people should read these books because they are really good and they make me laugh. The author is really good and he draws great pictures.
Chester and Gus by Cammie McGovern
Eddie Sluiter age 10 (5th grader)
This book is about a dog named Chester who wants to become a service dog, but he doesn’t get picked by anyone who comes to the thing where they choose service animals. He ends up going home with a family who has a kid named Gus who is autistic. After a while they figure out they can talk to each other through their minds. And I can’t say more because you have to read it.
I liked this book because it combined two of my favorite kinds of books: books about dogs and books about kids with autism.
People who like dogs would like this book. It is just a really good story.
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Cortney Sluiter age 41 (co-owner/VP of sales Trigon Steel Components)
The Hunger Games is about a girl who gets thrust into the spirit of competition. The Hunger Games themselves are a tool of the capitol to remind the districts to fall in line. Every district has to send one boy and one girl between the ages of 12-18 to compete for their district. There can only be one winner. I would describe it as dystopian young adult literature.
Other people should read this book because it’s an interesting story that, on some levels, if we’re not careful, we could find ourselves in a similar predicament where the government controls all aspects of everyday life. And it just sucks you in. It is a fast read for someone who is not a fast reader.
(Cortney read this series in the past, but is currently reading the series to our sons at bedtime)
Illegal by Eoin Colfer, Andrew Donkin, and Giovanni Rigano
Katie Sluiter, age 42 (8th grade teacher at Wyoming Junior High School and doctoral student at Western Michigan University)
Since I teach middle school, I’m always looking for the latest and greatest to add to my classroom library. I need high interest, quality books. This school year comics and graphic novels have been at an all-time high for demand (before we closed for COVID19, of course). Because I was also taking a graduate class in refugee/immigrant comics, I came across Illegal by Eoin Colfer and Andrew Donkin with art by Giovanni Rigano.
This fictional graphic novel follows Ebo, a young boy from Niger on the continent of Africa, as he leaves his home in search of his brother and sister who have already set out for a better life in Europe. Ebo has to travel through desert and cities while trying to survive. Not only is this book high interest, it also does a good job of giving a snapshot of what experiences displaced people go through.
Lovers of comics will appreciate Giovanni Rigano’s line work and color choices that fit the tone and mood of Ebo’s journey perfectly. Readers who love stories about current events and learning more about the challenges of people around the world, will enjoy the realism and fact-based narrative.
One thing we have all been doing is reading! Since this is a Quarantine Weekend Pick you get not one recommendation...not two...but FIVE.
Each member of our family is sharing what they have been reading during this time. What follows is (mostly) in their own words. Enjoy!
Unicorn Thinks He’s Pretty Great by Bob Shea
Alice Sluiter age 5 (preschooler)
This book is about a goat that doesn’t like the unicorn. The unicorn is really good at stuff and the goat rides his bike and complains about the unicorn. The goat talks about how he will do something, and then the unicorn shows up and does it better and fancier.The goat has pizza with goat cheese on it and the unicorn shows up and loves the pizza! Then they become friends!
I like this book because there are unicorns and I like unicorns. But I don’t like goats, but I like the goat in this book.
Other people should read this book because I want them to know how the unicorn and the goat are friends together.
Dragons Love Tacos (and Dragons Love Tacos 2) by Adam Rubin
Charlie Sluiter age 8 (2nd grader)
Dragons Love Tacos is about dragons that love tacos! First, dragons don’t like spicy salsa. Then they accidentally eat some at a taco party and barf fire. The second book is about dragons still loving tacos, but they are sad because there are no more tacos. So they go back in time to the taco party to get some tacos to plant to grow taco trees.
I like this book because it’s about dragons and I love dragons. I also like tacos.
Other people should read these books because they are really good and they make me laugh. The author is really good and he draws great pictures.
Chester and Gus by Cammie McGovern
Eddie Sluiter age 10 (5th grader)
This book is about a dog named Chester who wants to become a service dog, but he doesn’t get picked by anyone who comes to the thing where they choose service animals. He ends up going home with a family who has a kid named Gus who is autistic. After a while they figure out they can talk to each other through their minds. And I can’t say more because you have to read it.
I liked this book because it combined two of my favorite kinds of books: books about dogs and books about kids with autism.
People who like dogs would like this book. It is just a really good story.
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Cortney Sluiter age 41 (co-owner/VP of sales Trigon Steel Components)
The Hunger Games is about a girl who gets thrust into the spirit of competition. The Hunger Games themselves are a tool of the capitol to remind the districts to fall in line. Every district has to send one boy and one girl between the ages of 12-18 to compete for their district. There can only be one winner. I would describe it as dystopian young adult literature.
Other people should read this book because it’s an interesting story that, on some levels, if we’re not careful, we could find ourselves in a similar predicament where the government controls all aspects of everyday life. And it just sucks you in. It is a fast read for someone who is not a fast reader.
(Cortney read this series in the past, but is currently reading the series to our sons at bedtime)
Illegal by Eoin Colfer, Andrew Donkin, and Giovanni Rigano
Katie Sluiter, age 42 (8th grade teacher at Wyoming Junior High School and doctoral student at Western Michigan University)
Since I teach middle school, I’m always looking for the latest and greatest to add to my classroom library. I need high interest, quality books. This school year comics and graphic novels have been at an all-time high for demand (before we closed for COVID19, of course). Because I was also taking a graduate class in refugee/immigrant comics, I came across Illegal by Eoin Colfer and Andrew Donkin with art by Giovanni Rigano.
This fictional graphic novel follows Ebo, a young boy from Niger on the continent of Africa, as he leaves his home in search of his brother and sister who have already set out for a better life in Europe. Ebo has to travel through desert and cities while trying to survive. Not only is this book high interest, it also does a good job of giving a snapshot of what experiences displaced people go through.
Lovers of comics will appreciate Giovanni Rigano’s line work and color choices that fit the tone and mood of Ebo’s journey perfectly. Readers who love stories about current events and learning more about the challenges of people around the world, will enjoy the realism and fact-based narrative.
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Weekend Picks for April 2020
by Rob Bittner
Weekend Pick for April 24, 2020
4) Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me by Mariko Tamaki and illustrated by Rosemary Valero-O'Connell
I rarely need to see more than the name “Mariko Tamaki” in order to pick up a book. Ever since reading Skim in my undergraduate studies in English, I have kept my eyes open for more of her work. She is so often paired with incredible illustrators, including her cousin Jillian, with whom she has produced multiple award-winning books (Skim and This One Summer being among her most well-known.) What I love about her writing is that she rarely shies away from difficult or complex subjects, particularly around sexuality and gender.
Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me, illustrated by Rosemary Valero-O’Connell, is another award-winning collaboration for Mariko Tamaki. This one, similar to Skim, plumbs the depths we will go to for the sake of toxic relationships that are terrible for us, but which we can’t seem to escape. Laura Dean is the popular girl the Frederica Riley can’t get enough of. And sometimes they seem to have everything going for them, except when they don’t. Freddy seems to be the only one really putting in any effort, but the draw of Laura Dean’s popularity and the fact that she likes Freddy at all is enough to keep Freddy on the hook.
Tamaki has a knack for reflecting teenage realities and voices, and this is no exception. Valero-O’Connell’s illustrations are also beautifully detailed and help to add further depth to Tamaki’s raw and emotional storytelling. If you appreciate rich and layered storytelling, then look no further!
TL;DR: Frederica Riley’s dream girlfriend, Laura Dean, is popular, beautiful… and toxic. But how do you leave the girl that most people would kill to be dating?
I rarely need to see more than the name “Mariko Tamaki” in order to pick up a book. Ever since reading Skim in my undergraduate studies in English, I have kept my eyes open for more of her work. She is so often paired with incredible illustrators, including her cousin Jillian, with whom she has produced multiple award-winning books (Skim and This One Summer being among her most well-known.) What I love about her writing is that she rarely shies away from difficult or complex subjects, particularly around sexuality and gender.
Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me, illustrated by Rosemary Valero-O’Connell, is another award-winning collaboration for Mariko Tamaki. This one, similar to Skim, plumbs the depths we will go to for the sake of toxic relationships that are terrible for us, but which we can’t seem to escape. Laura Dean is the popular girl the Frederica Riley can’t get enough of. And sometimes they seem to have everything going for them, except when they don’t. Freddy seems to be the only one really putting in any effort, but the draw of Laura Dean’s popularity and the fact that she likes Freddy at all is enough to keep Freddy on the hook.
Tamaki has a knack for reflecting teenage realities and voices, and this is no exception. Valero-O’Connell’s illustrations are also beautifully detailed and help to add further depth to Tamaki’s raw and emotional storytelling. If you appreciate rich and layered storytelling, then look no further!
TL;DR: Frederica Riley’s dream girlfriend, Laura Dean, is popular, beautiful… and toxic. But how do you leave the girl that most people would kill to be dating?
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Weekend Pick for April 17, 2020
Are You Listening by Tillie Walden
Are you Listening? Well, are you? Bea certainly isn’t sure, because nobody seems to be listening to her. And everything seems to be falling apart. Soon, however, she runs into Lou, a mysterious woman, and seemingly kindred spirit, who offers her a ride to her final destination. But it doesn’t take long before a few mysterious men from the Office of Road Inquiry begin to follow them. The unsettling nature of Bea’s trauma is gorgeously reflected in the haunting and bizarre landscapes that lead even further from reality as the narrative moves along.
As can be seen by the many novels about sexual assault that have been published over the last few years, rape culture is all too “normal” and a reality for far too many young people in our current society (and throughout history.) Laurie Halse Anderson’s Shout, Deb Caletti’s A Heart in a Body in a World, Brendan Kiely’s Tradition, and Bill Konigsberg’s The Music of What Happens, all share the common theme of sexual assault and trauma, in relation to multiple populations and targets. Each has a different approach to dismantling the institutions that not only allow for the continuation of rape culture, but also those that knowingly or unknowingly encourage it. Are You Listening? is a potent and masterfully crafted narrative that continues the necessary critique and dismantling of rape culture.
Tillie Walden is a talent not to be missed. Her other graphic novels, Spinning and On a Sunbeam, also examine gender and sexuality in meaningful and profound ways that meet young people where they are, never speaking down to them, and certainly never underestimating what they have gone through in their own lives. Are You Listening? is a book I come back to over and over again, ever since I first read it over a year ago.
TL;DR: A road trip to self-discovery that will break you open and put you back together while giving your eyes truly surreal illustrations to feast on along the way! Don’t let the Office of Road Inquiry catch up to you!
Are you Listening? Well, are you? Bea certainly isn’t sure, because nobody seems to be listening to her. And everything seems to be falling apart. Soon, however, she runs into Lou, a mysterious woman, and seemingly kindred spirit, who offers her a ride to her final destination. But it doesn’t take long before a few mysterious men from the Office of Road Inquiry begin to follow them. The unsettling nature of Bea’s trauma is gorgeously reflected in the haunting and bizarre landscapes that lead even further from reality as the narrative moves along.
As can be seen by the many novels about sexual assault that have been published over the last few years, rape culture is all too “normal” and a reality for far too many young people in our current society (and throughout history.) Laurie Halse Anderson’s Shout, Deb Caletti’s A Heart in a Body in a World, Brendan Kiely’s Tradition, and Bill Konigsberg’s The Music of What Happens, all share the common theme of sexual assault and trauma, in relation to multiple populations and targets. Each has a different approach to dismantling the institutions that not only allow for the continuation of rape culture, but also those that knowingly or unknowingly encourage it. Are You Listening? is a potent and masterfully crafted narrative that continues the necessary critique and dismantling of rape culture.
Tillie Walden is a talent not to be missed. Her other graphic novels, Spinning and On a Sunbeam, also examine gender and sexuality in meaningful and profound ways that meet young people where they are, never speaking down to them, and certainly never underestimating what they have gone through in their own lives. Are You Listening? is a book I come back to over and over again, ever since I first read it over a year ago.
TL;DR: A road trip to self-discovery that will break you open and put you back together while giving your eyes truly surreal illustrations to feast on along the way! Don’t let the Office of Road Inquiry catch up to you!
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Weekend Pick for April 10, 2020
Estranged by Ethan M. Aldridge
Andrew Eliopulos from HarperCollins retweeted an illustration from an upcoming graphic novel about faeries and changelings, and it was such a phenomenal image that I just had to find out more. The graphic novel was Estranged and the author/illustrator was Ethan M. Aldridge. The minute I was able, I picked up a copy, sat down, and didn’t get up again until I’d finished (I should have taken more breaks to stretch, but I guess that’s a lesson for later.)
In Estranged, Edmund and Childe were swapped at birth. Edmund is changeling who lives in the human world (the World Above), while Childe is a human living in the fae realm (the World Below.) Because of his non-fae status, Childe is somewhat of a curiosity among the world of the faeries, which isn’t the worst thing in the world, until an evil sorceress, Hawthorne, takes over the throne. In the aftermath, Childe escapes to the World Above to find his family and discovers Edmund, and together the two boys embark on a quest to figure out where they truly fit and hopefully save the World Below in the process.
There’s fun, adventure, romance, thrills, and lush illustrations to complement it all. Aldridge is a true talent, and I can’t recommend this graphic novel highly enough.
TL;DR: Faeries, queerness, and romance, oh my! This is a road to adventure you definitely want to follow!
Andrew Eliopulos from HarperCollins retweeted an illustration from an upcoming graphic novel about faeries and changelings, and it was such a phenomenal image that I just had to find out more. The graphic novel was Estranged and the author/illustrator was Ethan M. Aldridge. The minute I was able, I picked up a copy, sat down, and didn’t get up again until I’d finished (I should have taken more breaks to stretch, but I guess that’s a lesson for later.)
In Estranged, Edmund and Childe were swapped at birth. Edmund is changeling who lives in the human world (the World Above), while Childe is a human living in the fae realm (the World Below.) Because of his non-fae status, Childe is somewhat of a curiosity among the world of the faeries, which isn’t the worst thing in the world, until an evil sorceress, Hawthorne, takes over the throne. In the aftermath, Childe escapes to the World Above to find his family and discovers Edmund, and together the two boys embark on a quest to figure out where they truly fit and hopefully save the World Below in the process.
There’s fun, adventure, romance, thrills, and lush illustrations to complement it all. Aldridge is a true talent, and I can’t recommend this graphic novel highly enough.
TL;DR: Faeries, queerness, and romance, oh my! This is a road to adventure you definitely want to follow!
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Weekend Pick for April 3, 2020
Bloom by Kevin Panetta and Savanna Gaucheau
When I was asked to write up some weekend picks, I wasn’t entirely sure where to begin. In the midst of this pandemic, I have been using my kitchen a bit more than usual, baking cakes or kneading dough, to alleviate some of the anxiety that has been building up due to increased isolation. So, when I revisited this project again, with the smell of yeast and freshly baked bread surrounding me, I immediately gravitated toward one of my favorite graphic novels, Bloom (Kevin Panetta and Savanna Ganucheau).
This gorgeous narrative follows Ari, a young man who can’t wait to escape small town life for a livelier big city vibe, but who is stuck working at the family bakery. The bakery isn’t doing great, and Ari would rather be almost anywhere else, but before he can even think about leaving, he has to find a replacement. Which brings us to Hector, a laid back young guy adores spending time surrounded by rising dough, sweet confections, and the smell of perfectly baked bread.
Seeing the two young men grow closer with each passing week, watching their friendship blossom into something beautiful—and complicated, of course… they’re teenagers, after all—is a sight to behold. The quiet narrative mixed with a blue-toned palette, will keep readers relaxed and comforted even when things sometimes spiral out of control! Have a scone or a cinnamon bun and a cup of tea nearby to satisfy the cravings that are sure to develop as you read through this deliciously compelling story of family drama, young love, and resilience.
TL;DR: If you like adorable queer romance, and want illustrations that make you hungry, this graphic novel will satisfy both cravings!
When I was asked to write up some weekend picks, I wasn’t entirely sure where to begin. In the midst of this pandemic, I have been using my kitchen a bit more than usual, baking cakes or kneading dough, to alleviate some of the anxiety that has been building up due to increased isolation. So, when I revisited this project again, with the smell of yeast and freshly baked bread surrounding me, I immediately gravitated toward one of my favorite graphic novels, Bloom (Kevin Panetta and Savanna Ganucheau).
This gorgeous narrative follows Ari, a young man who can’t wait to escape small town life for a livelier big city vibe, but who is stuck working at the family bakery. The bakery isn’t doing great, and Ari would rather be almost anywhere else, but before he can even think about leaving, he has to find a replacement. Which brings us to Hector, a laid back young guy adores spending time surrounded by rising dough, sweet confections, and the smell of perfectly baked bread.
Seeing the two young men grow closer with each passing week, watching their friendship blossom into something beautiful—and complicated, of course… they’re teenagers, after all—is a sight to behold. The quiet narrative mixed with a blue-toned palette, will keep readers relaxed and comforted even when things sometimes spiral out of control! Have a scone or a cinnamon bun and a cup of tea nearby to satisfy the cravings that are sure to develop as you read through this deliciously compelling story of family drama, young love, and resilience.
TL;DR: If you like adorable queer romance, and want illustrations that make you hungry, this graphic novel will satisfy both cravings!
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Weekend Picks for March 2020
Weekend Pick for Mar. 27, 2020
Like many of you my thoughts have occasionally drifted to New York and the trouble they are having. I admire the work and leadership that Governor Cuomo is providing. My thoughts also move towards the many authors and publishers I know in the New York area. One of the powerful Advanced Readers Copies I have read in recent months is Gae Polisner's Jack Kerouac is Dead to Me. Let me be clear. I really liked this book. It is fabulous. At the same time, it is raw and direct. It will make some readers uncomfortable. Yet their are other readers who will find this book a comfort and a revelation.
I love how the pressures of family, friends, and a boy friends swirl through JL's life. Once again, Gae has a created a realistic portrait of an adolescent struggling with the mental illness of a parent, the abandonment and portrayal of friends, and the pressure to have sex. JL struggles with these issues when she is really trying to understand who she is, to understand the difference between physical desire and love, and taking on the responsibilities of adulthood. Again, I loved this book. At the same time, many adults will wonder if the book is too direct, too real. Well, it is and it isn't. We need to realize that some, okay, many adolescents face these issue in reality. This book helps them understand that they are not alone.
I encourage you to join with Gae through Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/gaepolisnerauthor/). Gae is having a virtual book launch on April 7, 2020. Join the fun.
I love how the pressures of family, friends, and a boy friends swirl through JL's life. Once again, Gae has a created a realistic portrait of an adolescent struggling with the mental illness of a parent, the abandonment and portrayal of friends, and the pressure to have sex. JL struggles with these issues when she is really trying to understand who she is, to understand the difference between physical desire and love, and taking on the responsibilities of adulthood. Again, I loved this book. At the same time, many adults will wonder if the book is too direct, too real. Well, it is and it isn't. We need to realize that some, okay, many adolescents face these issue in reality. This book helps them understand that they are not alone.
I encourage you to join with Gae through Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/gaepolisnerauthor/). Gae is having a virtual book launch on April 7, 2020. Join the fun.
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Weekend Pick for Mar. 20, 2020
Who doesn't love the books by David Levithan? You can get lost forever traveling through his narratives. Next, who doesn't admire the cleverness of Rachel Cohn? When you put them both together, you always get an enjoyable romp. Being a bit more house bound than usual, I find it harder to focus on work. (This move to online has encroached on what should have been my Spring Break.) So, I find time on my hands as I avoid work. But, I still keep thinking about books.
I have been thinking about YA books that have been turned into movies. There are so many good places to start. One that keeps popping up for me is the combined effort of David and Rachel, Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist. If this book is new to you grab it. If it has been awhile since you have read it check it our again. If you are binge watching movies and TV shows, try adding the movie version of NIck and Norah's Infinite Playlist. Let me know how it goes. Are you inspired to make your own playlist. We probably all need an inspirational playlist right about now.
I have been thinking about YA books that have been turned into movies. There are so many good places to start. One that keeps popping up for me is the combined effort of David and Rachel, Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist. If this book is new to you grab it. If it has been awhile since you have read it check it our again. If you are binge watching movies and TV shows, try adding the movie version of NIck and Norah's Infinite Playlist. Let me know how it goes. Are you inspired to make your own playlist. We probably all need an inspirational playlist right about now.
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Weekend Pick for Mar. 13, 2020
Well, I should be in Michigan this morning presenting to the Michigan Council of Teachers of English. Alas, the current state of affairs and social distancing has put a stop to all kinds of conferences. I should have been presenting with Shelly Shaffer and Gretchen Rumohr. I have so many found memories of colleagues in the State of Michigan. Since I can't be there, I thought I would pick a book that I am sure I would have talked about during the conference. The book is a collection of short stories edited by Michael Cart. If you don't know Michael you should. He is one of the long time champions of YA literature and especially of the YA short story. This time his edited edition is called Taking Aim, Power and Pain, Teens and Guns.
Michael recruited a host of interesting writers from Francesca Lia Block to Joyce Carol Oates from Chris Lynch to Chris Crutcher. This is a collection of stories that can help your students think about guns from multiple perspectives.
I would also like to point you to one of my blog post that deals with contending with gun violencein the ELA Classroom. Find it here. It captures some of my thoughts, but more importantly this post provides a overview of our book. You can see who wrote the chapter and find an introduction to their topic. Check it out.
Michael recruited a host of interesting writers from Francesca Lia Block to Joyce Carol Oates from Chris Lynch to Chris Crutcher. This is a collection of stories that can help your students think about guns from multiple perspectives.
I would also like to point you to one of my blog post that deals with contending with gun violencein the ELA Classroom. Find it here. It captures some of my thoughts, but more importantly this post provides a overview of our book. You can see who wrote the chapter and find an introduction to their topic. Check it out.
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Weekend Pick for Mar. 6, 2020
Wow! What a great read! The Rise and Fall of Charles Lindbergh by Candace Fleming is one of the best books I have read in quite some time. It holds up for young readers and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to adults. I have been teaching a class about using literature as a cross curricular tool and I wish I would have discovered this book before I had planned out all of the syllabus. Candace Fleming is earning a place among the very best of the writers of nonfiction for children and young adult literature. I liked this book so much upon finishing it I immediately checked out another one of her books through my Libby app and started listening while riding the exercise bike and on my walks to work. (I am saving the title reveal for another weekend pick. Yes, her books are fantastic.) If you don't know her books you should start investigating them right away.
I won't say to much about this book today. We are expecting a longer treatment of the book soon as a regular blog post on Dr. Bickmore's YA Wednesday. However, it is important to note that I was absolutely amazed at how much I learned reading this book. To many Americans, Charles Lindbergh was a national hero with a series of extraordinary accomplishments. At the same time, we seem to have forgotten that he actively supported racist ideology before and after WWII. Interested yet? I hope so.
The best news is that Candace Fleming will be participating at this years Summit at UNLV. Take a look at who will be coming and get registered.
I won't say to much about this book today. We are expecting a longer treatment of the book soon as a regular blog post on Dr. Bickmore's YA Wednesday. However, it is important to note that I was absolutely amazed at how much I learned reading this book. To many Americans, Charles Lindbergh was a national hero with a series of extraordinary accomplishments. At the same time, we seem to have forgotten that he actively supported racist ideology before and after WWII. Interested yet? I hope so.
The best news is that Candace Fleming will be participating at this years Summit at UNLV. Take a look at who will be coming and get registered.
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Weekend Picks for February 2020
Weekend Pick for Feb. 28, 2020
Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You: A Remix of the National Book Award-winning Stamped from the Beginning
There are plenty of great novels out to discuss the difficult topic of racism, racial policies, and everyday life of People of Color. The Hate U Give, Dear Martin, and countless others call the reader to think about the world we live in and the multitude of injustices in society, but what is often lacking is the history, the basis for these issues and policies we see today. In a Young Adult, user friendly format Jason Reynolds brings his storytelling nature to Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You, a reworking of the remarkable work of Dr. Ibram Kendi’s Stamped from the Beginning.
Jason Reynolds has an uncanny ability to draw the reader into any situation or story and this book is no different. Available for purchase March 10th Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You tells the unadulterated truth about the racist, and often white supremacist foundation, of this country. Yes, there are some sad or depressing moments in the book, and yes there are details and specifics, but Jason Reynolds makes it clear that this is not a textbook. It is meant to inform the reader.
Jason Reynolds’ personality comes of the page as he engages the reader in a conversation about complex and uncomfortable topics. He speaks directly to the reader, drawing them in and helping them to question much of what they know and give them background knowledge to understand how we, as a society, have made it to where we are now. This book is a must for everyone. Every man, woman, and child can benefit from reading this.
There are plenty of great novels out to discuss the difficult topic of racism, racial policies, and everyday life of People of Color. The Hate U Give, Dear Martin, and countless others call the reader to think about the world we live in and the multitude of injustices in society, but what is often lacking is the history, the basis for these issues and policies we see today. In a Young Adult, user friendly format Jason Reynolds brings his storytelling nature to Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You, a reworking of the remarkable work of Dr. Ibram Kendi’s Stamped from the Beginning.
Jason Reynolds has an uncanny ability to draw the reader into any situation or story and this book is no different. Available for purchase March 10th Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You tells the unadulterated truth about the racist, and often white supremacist foundation, of this country. Yes, there are some sad or depressing moments in the book, and yes there are details and specifics, but Jason Reynolds makes it clear that this is not a textbook. It is meant to inform the reader.
Jason Reynolds’ personality comes of the page as he engages the reader in a conversation about complex and uncomfortable topics. He speaks directly to the reader, drawing them in and helping them to question much of what they know and give them background knowledge to understand how we, as a society, have made it to where we are now. This book is a must for everyone. Every man, woman, and child can benefit from reading this.
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Morgan's Bonus Pick's
If this book piques your interest consider also checking out Torrey Maldonado’s What Lane? and Nic Stone’s Clean Getaway. Both books follow adolescent characters making sense of the world around them and the role that race plays in that world.
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Weekend Pick for Feb. 21, 2020
A Dream So Dark
A Dream So Dark is book two in the Nightmare-Verse, L.L. McKinney’s reimagining of Alice in Wonderland. The original story is one that is known and beloved, but McKinney offers the version you didn’t know you needed.
Alice Kingston is a teenage girl who is doing a horrible job of balancing school, personal responsibilities, and fighting Nightmares. Unlike the first book, this book is set mostly in Wonderland and follows Alice on a journey to save her friends and figure out the source of the extra evil that has begun to exist in the world outside of Wonderland.
Whether you are a fan of fantasy books or not, you can’t help but to be swept up in the emotion and relationships of the characters in A Dream So Dark. The characters come across as realistic, even those who reside in Wonderland are written with a depth that often makes the reader forget they live in a mythical, magical realm
In a genre that has historically lacked diversity A Dream So Dark is a dream come true. There are Black, white, and Japanese characters along with characters that speak Russian and French. Some of the characters are Lesbian, some are queer and others appear to be bi. What makes this even better is that mirroring real life the characters race and sexual identity is but one identifier. The emphasis is not on those traits or using them as tokens. Instead L.L. McKinney skillfully integrates frequently marginalized characters into a story without it seeming forced or gimmicky.
Join Alice and her friends on a journey that will truly be a matter of life and death.
A Dream So Dark is book two in the Nightmare-Verse, L.L. McKinney’s reimagining of Alice in Wonderland. The original story is one that is known and beloved, but McKinney offers the version you didn’t know you needed.
Alice Kingston is a teenage girl who is doing a horrible job of balancing school, personal responsibilities, and fighting Nightmares. Unlike the first book, this book is set mostly in Wonderland and follows Alice on a journey to save her friends and figure out the source of the extra evil that has begun to exist in the world outside of Wonderland.
Whether you are a fan of fantasy books or not, you can’t help but to be swept up in the emotion and relationships of the characters in A Dream So Dark. The characters come across as realistic, even those who reside in Wonderland are written with a depth that often makes the reader forget they live in a mythical, magical realm
In a genre that has historically lacked diversity A Dream So Dark is a dream come true. There are Black, white, and Japanese characters along with characters that speak Russian and French. Some of the characters are Lesbian, some are queer and others appear to be bi. What makes this even better is that mirroring real life the characters race and sexual identity is but one identifier. The emphasis is not on those traits or using them as tokens. Instead L.L. McKinney skillfully integrates frequently marginalized characters into a story without it seeming forced or gimmicky.
Join Alice and her friends on a journey that will truly be a matter of life and death.
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Weekend Pick for Feb. 14, 2020
Not So Pure and Simple
I have enjoyed so many of Lamar Giles’ books. Each one takes you on an adventure and a whole slew of emotions. Through his work with We Need Diverse Books Lamar advocates for more inclusivity and equality in publishing. To that end Lamar Giles masterfully writes books and characters that appeal to all readers. His latest release, Not So Pure and Simple, continues that trend. Del, Kiera, and the rest of the characters are Black, but that is not the point of the story, nor does the plot revolve around it. It is a coming of age story, pure and simple. It is the story of a teenage boy doing something reckless, in this case joining a Purity Pledge, to impress the girl he likes; but it’s so much more than that. This book takes a look at the misogyny that exists in the world around us and how women and young girls are often viewed through a “what matters to me” lens in society. It calls into question how society is educated about sex, responsibility, and religion. Adults and teenagers alike will recognize the nuances of living in a judgmental community and feeling under a microscope.
Lamar Giles doesn’t just illustrate the teenage world, he breaks it down and causes his characters and readers alike to question their motives and investigate how we set our ideals and how we react when those ideals are challenged. Like the characters in Not So Pure and Simple we are all looking for a place to belong and oftentimes that involves wearing a mask and hiding or exaggerating certain aspects of who we are. Join Del, Kiera, and the rest of their friends on a journey of self-discovery and harsh truths.
I have enjoyed so many of Lamar Giles’ books. Each one takes you on an adventure and a whole slew of emotions. Through his work with We Need Diverse Books Lamar advocates for more inclusivity and equality in publishing. To that end Lamar Giles masterfully writes books and characters that appeal to all readers. His latest release, Not So Pure and Simple, continues that trend. Del, Kiera, and the rest of the characters are Black, but that is not the point of the story, nor does the plot revolve around it. It is a coming of age story, pure and simple. It is the story of a teenage boy doing something reckless, in this case joining a Purity Pledge, to impress the girl he likes; but it’s so much more than that. This book takes a look at the misogyny that exists in the world around us and how women and young girls are often viewed through a “what matters to me” lens in society. It calls into question how society is educated about sex, responsibility, and religion. Adults and teenagers alike will recognize the nuances of living in a judgmental community and feeling under a microscope.
Lamar Giles doesn’t just illustrate the teenage world, he breaks it down and causes his characters and readers alike to question their motives and investigate how we set our ideals and how we react when those ideals are challenged. Like the characters in Not So Pure and Simple we are all looking for a place to belong and oftentimes that involves wearing a mask and hiding or exaggerating certain aspects of who we are. Join Del, Kiera, and the rest of their friends on a journey of self-discovery and harsh truths.
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Weekend Pick for Feb. 7, 2020
SLAY!
With a title like that the bar is set for a story that brings it , in every sense of the word and Brittney Morris does not disappoint. This novel is unapologetically Black.
Many Black stories focus on a single point, essentially rehashing a familiar story. SLAY is not that kind of book. Kiera Johnson’s life is easily relatable to most Black people who have found themselves asked to answer a myriad of questions on behalf of the Black community or try to balance their authentic selves with who society expects them to be. SLAY tackles the idea that Blackness cannot be defined with one, singular definition. Each character has their own definition of what it means to be Black, but also carries the responsibility that comes with being a member of the Black community.
The online gaming community Kiera creates is full of cultural references that may resonate with all audiences, but are very much Black experiences. Cards like Satchmo, named after renowned trumpet player Louis Armstrong, allows the user to play a trumpet super loud knocking point off of the opponent’s score, while Boo-Boo the Fool, a favorite expression of many moms, blocks 50% of an opponent’s damage.
For members of the dominant culture it is an excellent look at what Black people encounter daily. It offers a realistic look at how race is defined and discussed in America. The interactions of the characters, both Black and non-Black, can be excellent opportunities for all readers to consider how they define blackness, reinforce or break stereotypes, and engage in authentic conversations about race.
SLAY is full of nuances, anecdotes, and experiences illustrating all the many ways a person can be Black and what better way to celebrate Black History Month than with a story that shows its appreciation for all things Black.
With a title like that the bar is set for a story that brings it , in every sense of the word and Brittney Morris does not disappoint. This novel is unapologetically Black.
Many Black stories focus on a single point, essentially rehashing a familiar story. SLAY is not that kind of book. Kiera Johnson’s life is easily relatable to most Black people who have found themselves asked to answer a myriad of questions on behalf of the Black community or try to balance their authentic selves with who society expects them to be. SLAY tackles the idea that Blackness cannot be defined with one, singular definition. Each character has their own definition of what it means to be Black, but also carries the responsibility that comes with being a member of the Black community.
The online gaming community Kiera creates is full of cultural references that may resonate with all audiences, but are very much Black experiences. Cards like Satchmo, named after renowned trumpet player Louis Armstrong, allows the user to play a trumpet super loud knocking point off of the opponent’s score, while Boo-Boo the Fool, a favorite expression of many moms, blocks 50% of an opponent’s damage.
For members of the dominant culture it is an excellent look at what Black people encounter daily. It offers a realistic look at how race is defined and discussed in America. The interactions of the characters, both Black and non-Black, can be excellent opportunities for all readers to consider how they define blackness, reinforce or break stereotypes, and engage in authentic conversations about race.
SLAY is full of nuances, anecdotes, and experiences illustrating all the many ways a person can be Black and what better way to celebrate Black History Month than with a story that shows its appreciation for all things Black.
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Buy Me!
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Weekend Picks for January 2020
Weekend Pick for Jan. 31, 2020
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I can't believe that I haven't picked Bomb before now. It is outstanding. For my money, Steve Sheinkin is one of the finest writers producing quality nonfiction for adolescents. Many of his books are some of the best books I have read over the last five years. They are frequently on the short list for many awards and deservedly so.
Bomb is one of the best adolescent books focusing on the United States and World War II. Steve plays detective as her unravels how scientists developed this weapon and how the government did its best to keep it a secret. This week I had the rare moment when an award committee agreed with me. Steve Sheinkin won the Margaret A. Edwards Award. Here is the description: The Margaret A. Edwards Award, established in 1988, honors an author, as well as a specific body of his or her work, for significant and lasting contribution to young adult literature. The annual award is administered by YALSA and sponsored by School Library Journal magazine. It recognizes an author's work in helping adolescents become aware of themselves and addressing questions about their role and importance in relationships, society, and in the world. The Edwards award celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2013. Not only is Steve a great author and well deserving of the award, he kind and clever. The best news about this information is that Steve will be one of the featured keynotes at the UNLV 2020 Summit on the Research and Teaching of Young Adult Literature. We are in our third year and the focus this year will be on YA literature as a tool for cross-curricular instruction. Be patient, the registration will be open soon--hopefully the first week of Feb. Check back. In addition, we have extended the call for academic proposals for the summit until Monday. There is still time to write up something fun and interesting. |
Weekend Pick for Jan. 24, 2020
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As I have been getting ready for the semester, I have been organizing my syllabi, planning my writing goals, and reorganizing books on a variety of shelves. Some of these will go to preservice and inservice teachers so they can build their classroom libraries. Others will be reserved for teaching the next YA literature class. Others are books that I plan to write about. A few I just keep because they give me joy. This weekend pick almost jumped off the shelf at me. Why haven't I picked it before?
All of the books I have by Kimberly Willis Holt fit in the category of books that give me joy. From the first time I read When Zachary Beaver Came to Town, I was a fan. Holt is an artist. She was one of the first people I invited to a YA Literature Summit while I was still at Louisiana State University. It was fascinating to listen to her describe her writing process. She revises carefully and rewrite scenes from multiple perspectives in order to capture the right point of view. She is attuned to plot and symbols. i believe one of the things I like the most about her books is how she manages to capture the innocence of adolescence as it confronts loss and tragedy. I was reminded of her skill as I was moving books around and found Dear Hank Williams. I thought there it is the next weekend pick. When the book first appeared I was fortunate to get a copy. I loved this book and its slow reveal of the core issues. How are Tate and Hank Williams connected? What are the concerns that tie them together? Kimberly Willis Holt has created a novel that is among her finest achievements. I often wonder how it has done and why I have talked about it more. Well, here is first step to call more attention to another wonderful book. |
Weekend Pick for Jan. 17, 2020
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I don't usually pick a book that isn't directly YA, but I am making one of my rare exceptions. There is good chance I might not have even found this book. Recently, I joined a book club and this was put forward as our second selection. The cover gives the hint -- a blind hero of the French Resistance. What it doesn't tell you is that he was captured and spent nearly a year and 1/2 at the end of the war in Buchenwald. Jacques was one of 30 to survive out of the 2000 men who walked through the gates with him. Buchenwald was not a "death" camp, but the SS often randomly shot and hung inmates on a whim. I am amazed that Jacques just wasn't shot as soon as he was captured. It becomes clear from the beginning that he is an exceptional intellect.
The book is far more than another treatment of survival in the holocaust. It is also the story of blindness, of education in pre-war France, of friendship, and of commitment to truth and justice. While I would argue that the writing style can be a bit stilted, the memoir is compelling. If you teach high school students who have read Night, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, The Hiding Place but are still looking to discover more about the time period, this is the book. It covers the French before the invasion, the French Resistance, and camp conditions. I was engaged through the end and shocked by two things. First, how little I knew about Buchenwald. I was shocked that even as the SS knew that the allies where arriving they killed nearly 80,000 of the 100,000 remaining men. Second, how the book reminded me of the importance of holding on to truth. In light of our current political climate lies seem to be in the forefront. Jacques and his allies began fighting the invading Nazi forces, by publishing an underground newspaper and effort that eventually cost most of them lives. It left me thinking about how media outlets behave and how various entities respond to that behavior. |
Weekend Pick for Jan. 10, 2020
Okay, this book is awesome and the authors are fantastic! I heard the buzz about this book for several months before ALAN and NCTE. I was thrilled that Source books was supporting them for the ALAN Workshop. Then I meet these two remarkable women and while the book is powerful their personal stories are even more inspiring.
I work hard to collaborate and to sponsor and promote other scholars and a host of YA authors. I am trying to pay it forward. I have been help along my academic way by my professors--Thanks goes to Peter Smagorinskhy, Bob Fecho, and Peg Graham. All of them introduced me to people who I didn't know and who, in turn, helped me along. Often in ways that I would never have imagined in that first meeting. Again, thank you. I have a host fellow graduate students and colleagues who have and who continue to support my efforts. I hope I am doing the same.
Gilly and Kimberly are an excellent example of people who struggle to find common ground as they unify their talents to create wonderful art that address a constant issue in our culture. The issue of our racial and social differences and how we experience them. I'm Not Dying with You Tonight captures a crisis in which two high school seniors--one black and one white--navigate from their high school to their homes as a riot erupts and spreads at a football game. This book is not a feel good fairy tale. Instead, it is an honest look at a desperate collaboration. Who can you trust and who do you trust in difficult situations? The two main characters Lena and Campbell decide to bet on each other. I think you should as well. If you brought All American Boys into your classroom, it is time to add I'm Not Dying with You Tonight. I am all in with this book and with these authors. So much so that they are coming to the UNLV 2020 Summit.
I work hard to collaborate and to sponsor and promote other scholars and a host of YA authors. I am trying to pay it forward. I have been help along my academic way by my professors--Thanks goes to Peter Smagorinskhy, Bob Fecho, and Peg Graham. All of them introduced me to people who I didn't know and who, in turn, helped me along. Often in ways that I would never have imagined in that first meeting. Again, thank you. I have a host fellow graduate students and colleagues who have and who continue to support my efforts. I hope I am doing the same.
Gilly and Kimberly are an excellent example of people who struggle to find common ground as they unify their talents to create wonderful art that address a constant issue in our culture. The issue of our racial and social differences and how we experience them. I'm Not Dying with You Tonight captures a crisis in which two high school seniors--one black and one white--navigate from their high school to their homes as a riot erupts and spreads at a football game. This book is not a feel good fairy tale. Instead, it is an honest look at a desperate collaboration. Who can you trust and who do you trust in difficult situations? The two main characters Lena and Campbell decide to bet on each other. I think you should as well. If you brought All American Boys into your classroom, it is time to add I'm Not Dying with You Tonight. I am all in with this book and with these authors. So much so that they are coming to the UNLV 2020 Summit.
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Gilly and Kimberly
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Weekend Pick for Jan. 3, 2020
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Nic Stone is a wonderful writer. I have been a fan since I first found Dear Martin. I believe it is one of the finest books covering racial tension between marginalized communities and the police. Check it out.
Some writers get stuck revisiting variations on a theme. This is not the case with Nic. She explored sexual identity in Odd One Out and now with Jackpot she looks in a different direction. In Jackpot she looks at poverty, relationships, independence, family commitments and family pressure, and the life of a working teen. In this case Rico's work is essential for her families survival. Stone explores the reality that many teens in many communities are contributing in significant ways to their families. (Maybe another reason teachers and schools should reconsider what we require when it comes to homework.) At one level the story is a Romantic Comedy. At another, is it a vibrant look at class division. The book provide more surprises than I expected, but once again I put it down knowing that I have finished the work of significant young author. As the chair I was sitting in might explain--Steve was enthralled as he sat in me. He was still and I wondered why he wouldn't just read the book aloud so I could share the joy. Read it as quickly as you can. She has a middle grades book, Clean Getaway, on the way in few weeks. |