Points of Analysis
  Universal Themes/Topics:

• Teen Pregnancy
• Social Isolation
• Communication
• Faith
• Identity

 
 Theoretical Lenses:

• Gender
• New Historicism
• Reader Response
• Faith
• Social Class

 
  Some Possibilities for Teaching:

• Poetry and its forms
• Multiple Plot Lines
• Parallelism
• Character Development

 
 Censorship concerns might be raised:

• Sexual content is vague, but present. 
• Violence: One scene that could be considered graphic describes the stoning of a Jewish woman that had committed adultery.
• Controversial issues: Faith can be a sensitive topic to approach in the classroom. There is also a line that alludes to abortion issue, which may spark questions or disapproval. 

There are so many other books by Nikki Grimes to explore. Please, look through the gallery.

​Thank you for reading and see you here next week,
Leilya 

​Looking for something to read? 
​Check out our weekly suggestions!
Are your students looking for book recommendations?
Send them to browse through the picks for this or past years.
​
For the picks from 2022 click here
For the picks from 2021 click here
For the picks from 2020 click here.
For older picks click from 2019 click here.
For the even older picks click here.
 

​The simplicity of Flake’s writing is most effective when the characters reveal blunt truths about themselves. Adonis reflects on his experience of near fatal bullying in which he was tossed into a pond. He succinctly explains the lasting impact of the event by stating, “They put me in that pond, and changed me. I went from being the supermature, brilliant young man who happened to be in a chair to the boy in the chair who almost drowned” (11). Autumn tells the reader, “I’m a great cook and wrestler. Gonna make Adonis a great girlfriend, too. But reading — that’s gonna take me down” (8). Both statements reveal the core of the protagonists, their ambitions, and what holds them back.  
What makes Pinned appealing is how Flake believably and neatly handles developing the two oppositional yet romantically drawn teens and fits them in a believable setting. Autumn’s struggle to keep pace in class and Adonis’s complex around his disability are portrayed without downplaying or aggrandizing the characters’ angst. The adults of the story are handled with sympathetic realism, with Flake giving enough clues, whether it’s Miss Baker’s frustrated attempts to motivate Autumn academically or signs of Mr. Epperson’s declining health, to convey that even grownups face their own personal battles. Flake’s adults are never fully regulated to the background even as they don’t hold the stage.
Pinned is a straightforward but close look at how two contrasting characters can be deceptively similar when viewed otherwise strong people thrown off balance. The novel is a quick, easy read with well-developed adolescent characters and a poignant message about interpersonal prejudice and overcoming mundane adversity.

There are other books authored by Sharon Flake. Check them out as well.

​

Stay well and keep reading, friends!

Till next week,
​Leilya

Potential Topics
The major topics in this novel include feminism/gender equality, coming-of-age, gender roles, oppression, and individuality vs conformity.
This book could be examined through any critical lens, but these may be the most interesting to explore: gender, new historicism, psychological, and reader-response.
Many of the topics and themes in this novel could be explored through a creative activity, such as a poetry exercise exploring gender roles, oppression, or individuality. This novel would also pair well with nonfiction articles pertaining to women’s rights or other dystopian stories revolving around gender.

​Happy reading, friends!
Till next week,
​Leilya

The Silence that Binds Us
By Joanna Ho

Dr. Susan Densmore- James
The Book Dealer

“Our voices are more than sword and shield. They are bridges too.”

My “book family” shares my passion for ensuring our youth are provided the freedom to choose books that will fuel a fire for reading and provide the comfort and support which stories can provide. I have many friends who write picture books, middle grades novels, and YA Literature, and one thing I can say without hesitation about these authors is this:  they are there for our children and young adults. They provide unconditional support for so many who are facing serious challenges in life. My experience working with authors has been life changing.  So many of them have modeled for me the importance of placing kids first, as well as the importance of providing a wide variety of diverse selections for reading which can build empathy by shining a light onto others’ lives. I have seen time and time again a classroom of our youth brought together by the powerful words of books.
    
Why am I mentioning this? Sadly, living in a state that is banning books left and right, I am constantly on alert working to ensure books stay on the shelves of our schools.  I have been deeply reflecting on each book from December’s picks, thinking about the unique life lessons from which our youth can benefit.  As I usually do after reading a thought-provoking book, I have reached out to each author from this month’s reviews, and, not surprisingly, each has answered my email within a day.  These individuals, most of whom have a demanding “day” job in addition to writing for our adolescents, spend countless hours communicating with their young audiences through school visits and responses to emails and letters. In the world of Children’s and Young Adult Literature, I see a passionate group of writers willing to share their stories out of pure love and concern for our society, and many of them are vulnerable enough to incorporate real-world experiences of their own into their books. They provide us a perfect platform for vital discussions with our youth—something that is critical to our growth and development as humans.

My last “pick” for this month is a book that does just that and more. The Silence that Binds Us by Joanna Ho has literally taken my breath away and left me reeling in its wake. Since I spend much time on the road visiting schools, I spent an entire work day going back and forth between the text and the Audible book (narrated beautifully by Raechel Wong). And yes, I finished it in one day. This novel is so tightly and expertly woven together, its perfection seems to stem from an author who has long mastered the craft and knows exactly how to weave together every morsel of text, down to even the smallest detail of its title. Never have a read a book that had me thinking about the importance of a title as much as this one (and that says a lot, as I have read thousands).
  
As I have mentioned throughout my December 2022 Picks,  the Author’s Note gives readers clues into how each story is birthed, and it is no surprise that Joanna Ho has spent time as an English teacher. In my role as a professor who spends much time in the  hallways of local middle and high schools, I can say Joanna Ho’s dialogue is “on point,” making this book not only a beautiful read, but one that is both relevant and relatable to our teens. I have been so excited to share this treasure with a larger community, as I have already been sharing with our local schools, educators, my students at the university, all of my book club members, my dogs, and anyone else who will listen as I passionately gush on and on about it.
  
The story starts with the unthinkable trauma of Maybelline Chen (May), the main character,  losing her brilliant, older brother, Danny, to suicide right after he is accepted into Princeton University.  Where many YA books would have this loss as the one conflict, this is just where Ho begins her story. The Chen family is thrown into an even deeper pit of despair when

Mr. McIntyre, a local Silicon Valley entrepreneur, publicly blames Asian youth and their families for the overly-competitive spirit in the local school district. He falsely claims Asian parents are the root cause of the struggles of  “other” students to compete for college admissions.  Adding insult to May and her parents, he addresses Danny as “some Asian kid,” not even honoring Danny with a name. Adding to the complexity is Mr. McIntyre’s son, Josh, is May’s friend and long-time admirer.  How Josh reacts to his father’s racist proclamation in front of the entire junior class puts May in a spiral —ending her naïveté about the prejudices in her community.  This awareness slowly builds over the course of the novel in just the right manner, as the reader is truly riveted until the last word in the book.
    
Just like in real life, no person has one layer to the complex human spirit, and May is a beautifully, multi-layered young lady. Ho creates a narrative that expertly pulls back each layer of May, revealing she is not only a Taiwanese Chinese American, but she is the child of two Chinese parents. She is sister to a Chinese brother who has been unknowingly struggling with depression. And, she is a friend to others who are of different racial backgrounds. Her parents’ history and experiences make for complex characters, both of whom provide different roles in May’s life. The mother/daughter relationship is complex. Ho accurately portrays a family who might look different on the outside, but experiences the same challenges faced by all humankind. We all have a complex family dynamic that takes work and a willingness to openly communicate in order to better understand each other.  May often feels her mother is ashamed of her because she is so different from her mom.  In fact, May feels like even her physical appearance is offensive to her Mother.  May often refers to her mom’s disgust through the metaphor of her mother’s “pregnant hippo of disappointment and its cousin, the rhinoceros of fear”  Words come easily to May (and to Joanna Ho, as her word choice in this masterpiece is a work of art).  May loves to write, which is also in opposition to what she believes her mother wants for her as a career.
    
Luckily at the time of Danny’s death, May has friends in her life who love and care for her, namely the Duverne siblings.  These lovely characters are the ideal in terms of friends— Mark being Danny’s best friend and Tiya being May’s BFF. This family (refuges from Haiti)  provides a safe, inviting place for May which May both treasures and needs. May enjoys learning about the food from their culture, loves the warm hugs she receives from their mother, and feels part of their family (sometimes even more than she does at home with her own mom).
    
When May writes an impassioned poem for the local newspaper, a heated debate pops up in several venues across school.  In comes the English teacher, Ms. Daniels, whom I loved as a critical figure in the plot line. Her ability to masterfully discuss challenging yet important topics with her students by posing questions for them to answer is a powerful illustration of what adults should do in order to encourage youth to think critically.  The negative response from May’s poem is met with yet another downward spiral in May’s life, as she must decide if she should use her voice or honor her parents, who do not want May to cause waves. At this point in the narrative, May is forced to take a good, long look at her own behavior, as she begins to consider how she has treated others in their quest for equality and a rightful place in society.  And, the event that keeps the reader on the edge of their seats is May’s discovery of a shoebox tied together by a shoe string, holding a possible message from Danny about his death.
 
The lessons in this book will forever be a part of me (and I will leave you with questions to consider, as Ms. Daniels, May’s teacher, so expertly demonstrates)!.  1.  What are the possible perils of silence ?  2.  When should we use our voices, how should we use our voices, and to what extent should we use them?  3.  What should we do when others do not hear our voices? 4. What is the power of friendship? And what is the value of having a diverse group of friends? Can one person/friend be your “everything” in life?   5.  How should we seek help when we need it?  6.  Why should we learn about cultures other than our own?  7.  How do others show us love?  8.  How do we show love?  9. How can we ensure we are helping our youth develop into healthy, loving, and thoughtful humans?  10.  Why is storytelling an important part of our society?

Joanna, thank you.  You have provided your readers with so much to think about, and you have made me a better reader, writer, educator, and human.  I am quite honored to be asked to write these reviews, and it has not been easy to select 5 titles out of so many amazing books, but this one is deserving!  I am so thankful authors like Joanna Ho have written their stories. As Maybelline Chen says, “Hearts and minds are changed through stories.” We just need to listen.

​Looking for something to read? 
​Check out our weekly suggestions!
Are your students looking for book recommendations?
Send them to browse through the picks for this or past years.
​
For the picks from 2021 click here
For the picks from 2020 click here.
For older picks click from 2019 click here.
For the even older picks click here.

For the month of December, we would like to welcome Dr. Susan Densmore-James. Dr. Densmore-James, also known as The Book Dealer, works at the University of West Florida in Teacher Education and Educational Leadership. We're so excited to have her insight for our December picks! 

We Deserve Monuments by Jas Hammond

Dr. Susan Densmore- James
The Book Dealer

I just returned from my favorite event of the year: the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE)/ALAN conference. I first attended NCTE in 2001 as a classroom teacher, and every trip since has been both memorable and life changing. The theme this year was “Pursuing the Light,” and the atmosphere was just that: a beacon of love and light shining brilliantly in this most sacred of spaces. The excitement was electric; everywhere I looked, I could see educators excitedly talking about books and (finally)hugging one another, something we have been unable to do the past two years. These educators, authors, artists, and researchers are the embodiment of light, love, and hope for a better, brighter future.

As I boarded the plane for home, I saw the news: 5 people were senselessly killed in a crime of hate. Another 25 were wounded. The joyous feeling I had from interactions with my “book” family quickly faded, and I began to think about students in my state of Florida (a state that seems to be trying its best to limit many important books). I was reminded of how detrimental (even life-threatening) a lack of acceptance and love of all humans can not only cause loss of dignity, it can also end in loss of life. I have always had trouble articulating what it is I love most about attending NCTE, and right there in that airport, I realized why: Books are a Beacon of Light and the people attending that conference are keepers of the flame of love and light. I have watched as literally thousands of my students have gained so much from books– knowledge, entertainment, support, healing, and understanding. I have seen the major growth and transformation of students and educators that comes from empathy built while reading. Collaborating and engaging with these phenomenal keepers of light is a powerful force that comes from sharing their stories and the stories of millions of kids across the world. Over the next month, I hope to share several books with you that I feel are true beacons of light, love, and hope.  

The first book I want to share is so “hot off the press” that it is not even in press yet, but if you are reading this today, Jas Hammonds’s We Deserve Monuments is out November 29, 2022. Although I have spent almost 35 years reminding young people not to judge a book by its cover, I fell victim to Jurell Cayetano’s art on the front cover of this amazing book. If ever there was a cover designed that held such promise of a bright, beautiful story, it is this one (hat tip to Cayetano). I am blessed to receive dozens of books monthly from authors and publishing houses, but after the initial lure of this beautiful cover, I also saw the Buzzfeed and Teen Vogue reviews.  Heralded as an “...absolute must read” and “a gripping portal of the South’s inherent racism and a love story for queer Black girls…,” this immediately made me stop in my tracks and start reading.

Throughout my career, I have been intentional in my selection of books portraying diverse characters. I have always claimed to be an educator who values equity, equality, and diversity, yet I have read a minimal number of books portraying gay women. I have many who are close to me (including my own child) who are outside the white, heterosexual woman. The only way to better myself is by realizing my shortcomings (thanks, Maya Angelou), so I purposefully began reading We Deserve Monuments. From page 1, I was mesmerized.   
​
The story starts with Avery Anderson, a senior in high school, being uprooted from her Washington D.C. life to spend her senior year in Bardell County, Georgia, to care for her terminally ill grandmother. Hammonds creates a vivid setting and truly unforgettable characters. Bardell could not be any more different from Avery’s life in D.C.  Her grandmother, Momma Letty, is vastly different from her own biological daughter, a seriously professional black astrophysicist who works at George Washington University. Avery’s mom is married to her daddy, a Caucasian, fun-loving, music-playing man. Life in Hammond is completely new to Avery on so many levels.  She is devastated to leave her comfortable life in D.C., but her greatest loss is losing her first girlfriend due to a bad break-up, and in turn losing the friend group that came with that relationship. 

 This Weekend Pick is brought to you by Basil Conway IV. 
Basil Conway IV is an associate professor of mathematics education at Columbus State University. 

Personally
Through my own experiences, I have come to realize the huge impact literature has on myself and others. In my family's home, we purposefully use literature that depicts a historical Christian worldview and encourage our children to test truths with reasoning and scripture. We come from a culture and worldview that holds the five solas of the protestant reformation in utmost regard. We believe that scripture alone informs us of spiritual truths and should be used to guide our notions of spirituality, morality and God. Our stories and discussions focus on the total depravity or sinful nature of the human condition to purposefully elicit discussion around our worldview. These ideas permeate the stories that fill the Chronicles of Narnia series. We utilize stories that incorporate solutions to these issues that offer opportunities to connect with the God of the universe, who calls all people to himself and offers himself as a propitiation and righteousness for the elect. We see a wonderful parallel of the night before the death of Jesus and Aslan in John 17 of the Bible and Chapter 13 and 14 of the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe:

"Peace, Beaver," said Aslan. "All names will soon be restored to their proper owners. In the meantime we will not dispute about them. Tell your mistress, Son of Earth, that I grant her safe conduct on condition that she leaves her wand behind her at that great oak."

I’ve unfortunately come to realize that a connection to deep culture just isn’t happening in public education. Opportunities for students to express their spirituality, worldviews, and morality are often not seen as assets or diminished to focus on moral relativism without spirituality. Thus, I have purposefully chosen literature for my children over the last twelve years to read together as a family that teach them about our deep culture. My wife and I began with stories like The Tallest of Smalls (my son recorded me reading this on YouTube in 2019: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73icfnoFxC8) and The Oak Inside the Acorn both by Max Lucado. We later read together book series like The Prince Warriors by Priscilla Shirer with Gena Detwiler and the Chronicles of Narnia series by C.S. Lewis. As they have become older, we have purposefully read through the Bible together and completed readings as a family that dive into our Christian beliefs by integrating the Westminster Shorter Catechism with Bible readings, Training Hearts, Teaching Minds: Family Devotions Based on the Shorter Catechism. 

Conclusion
The books we choose for our classes and families do matter. How we connect these books with students’ community and family assets does matter. We can decide to stay at surface and shallow levels of culture, or we can encourage deeper cultural connections by the assignments and discussions we allow and encourage to happen in class. My family hopes for the literature and truths we read together as a family to provide a solid foundation for discussions during class that dive deep into their own culture. My wife and I hope to prepare our two boys to face a world that may believe differently than them and give them a foundation for justifying themselves with reasoning and truth when the opportunity does arise for them to share their beliefs and culture.  I encourage those picking literature to include opportunities for students to go deep with culture. Develop your philosophical and pedagogical framework to encourage students to be validated and find solace in your classroom. Let this deepness develop into strong limbs and eventually produce fruit in the cultural tree you have been called to cultivate.

Note: For educators who may be fearful of encouraging deep root conversations in public k12 schools, Chrisitan Educators provides a number of free resources to encourage legal and ethical inclusion of religion and spirituality in schools: Resource Center - Christian Educators. 

References:
Chansa, C. (2020). The culture tree. Retrieved from https://www.africanawoman.com/post/the-culture-tree. 
Hammond, Z. (2014). Culturally responsive teaching and the brain: Promoting authentic engagement and rigor among culturally and linguistically diverse students. Corwin Press.
Lewis, C. S. (2001). The Chronicles of Narnia. Harper Collins.
Lucado, M. (2003). The tallest of smalls. Thomas Nelson Inc.
Lucado, M. (2011). The oak inside the acorn. Thomas Nelson Inc.
Meade, S. (2000). Training hearts, teaching minds: Family devotions based on the shorter catechism. P&R Publishing
​Shirer, P. (2016). The prince warriors. B&H Publishing Group.  ​