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  • WEEKEND PICKS 2023

Weekend Pick for September 30, 2022

9/30/2022

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Weekend Pick for September 30, 2022

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.

​This week we get an BONUS weekend pick from Dr. Caitlin Metheny! 

Dr. Caitlin Metheny is a lecturer of Literacy Education at the University of Maine. Her work focuses on representations of disability, mental health, and chronic illness in children’s and young adult literature, as well as how to disrupt ableism in ELA education.

​Thank you so much for lending us your expertise, Dr. Metheny!


 Brave Enough & Finding Balance by Kati Gardner

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As we are wrapping up September, I wanted to highlight that this month—and every September since 1990—was Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. This is not something often discussed widely in media and pop culture, and I definitely haven’t seen it shared much in the YAL community. However, this topic and YAL featuring teens experiencing childhood cancer is important to me because I have been a childhood cancer survivor for 18 years.

I have often sought out stories that feature a mirror to my experiences, but they are quite difficult to come by unless I am seeking novels that use cancer as a plot prop or end in a terribly traumatic death. Anyone who knows me knows I love John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars (as do a lot of you, I’m sure), but it can be difficult to read a novel where the one character who has your type of cancer (Osteosarcoma) dies after an unexpected relapse. And while cancer does remain the number one cause of death by disease amongst young people in the US, it is also important to note that 85% of children diagnosed with cancer will survive.
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So where are the novels including this survival?

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I present to you companion novels written by YAL author Kati Gardner. In the author’s note to her debut novel, Brave Enough (which earned a Kirkus starred review!), she said:

When I was a teenager and reading every book I could get my hands on, I was desperate for a girl who looked like me. For a girl who had cancer and lived. And it was really hard to come by. So, I wrote one. (n.p.)


As a survivor of the childhood cancer Ewing’s Sarcoma and an amputee, Gardner wrote Brave Enough and Finding Balance to highlight authentic experiences of teens during and after treatment. In Brave Enough, Cason Martin is a prima ballerina whose suspected knee sprain turns into an Ewing’s Sarcoma diagnosis. This novel follows Cason as she is diagnosed, goes through chemotherapy treatments, makes friends with other cancer kids, and experiences a rollercoaster of emotions when she has a career-ending leg amputation. In this novel, we also meet Davis Channing, who is a childhood cancer survivor whose struggles post-treatment have included drug addiction. Davis and Cason’s relationship highlights the importance of a support system, especially one who can directly understand the unique experience of being a cancer kid.

Finding Balance is a companion novel, giving Mari Manos and Jase Ellison, side characters in Brave Enough, their own stories. Whereas Brave Enough highlights the reality of a new diagnosis and the difficulty of treatment, Finding Balance is all about life after treatment. Jase, as a leukemia survivor, looks healthy, hasn’t shared that he is a cancer survivor with his school friends, and only thinks about his past diagnosis twice a year: at his routine checkup and at Camp Chemo. As an amputee, Mari has never been able to hide her cancer survivorship and is frequently judged and stared at by nondisabled others, except when she attends Camp Chemo with other cancer kids. Mari and Jase’s experiences offer an interesting lens on issues of ableism in society, as well as the complicated emotions attached to childhood cancer survivorship.

As a childhood cancer survivor, and someone who faces similar issues of ableism to Mari, I can tell you that these companion novels are an excellent representation of teen cancer and survivorship. They go into great detail about the realities of treatment, and life after treatment, but they also highlight the complicated emotions and familial turmoil that come with this reality. While highlighting the difficulties of treatment and survivorship are important, these two novels also show the brightness that many might not know can exist in a childhood cancer diagnosis, such as developing deep and lifelong bonds with other cancer kids, families, and hospital staff.

I urge you all to read these novels to learn about oft-ignored types of cancers, and to gain a bit of perspective on this unique childhood experience. But I also want to encourage educators to consider offering one or both of these titles in your classrooms. You may not personally know someone who has or had childhood cancer, but diagnoses are so common that there is a good chance there is at least one kid in your community who is experiencing—or soon will experience—childhood cancer. These novels are very character driven and would offer great opportunities for in-depth studies of characterization, as well as offer a new perspective for discussions and novel studies on disability and ableism.
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I hope you take the opportunity to check out these novels, and please contact me (Caitlin.metheny@maine.edu) if you ever want suggestions on how to incorporate childhood cancer in your classroom!

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Weekend Pick for September 23rd, 2022

9/23/2022

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Weekend Pick for September 23, 2022

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.

We want to thank Dr. Alice Hays for her fantastic picks for the month of September! 

 We are the Ashes, We are the Fire by Joy McCullough
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I have to confess- I am secretly a HUGE fangirl of Joy McCullough’s and feel incredibly fortunate that I was able to meet her in person at the ALAN conference the same year that her hugely successful Blood Water Paint  was released. Discussed in The New Yorker here.

I was thrilled to get a copy of We are the Ashes, We are the Fire!  

​Joy McCullough does not disappoint in this similarly veined novel. Em’s big sister, Nor is raped at a college party, and their mother has continuously told them that their stories matter. Em is adamant that Nor tells her story with the ultimate goal of obtaining justice for the wrongs that her sister has experienced. 

​She uses every tool in her power, including her school newspaper and social media resources to ensure that everyone knows exactly what the rapist has done.  Her single-minded goal is to ensure that the DA actually prosecutes the perpetrator as opposed to let him off with a plea deal. 
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Unfortunately, this means that Nor also has to relieve the experience again and again.  And although the jury does in fact convict the rapist, the judge delivers a sentence that is not even a slap on the hand. After the fact, it is Nor who pays the price for daring to speak out against the patriarchal society that dictates that men can take what they want. 

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The novel continues to explore the complexity of speaking out vs. staying silent both for the victim and their allies. Through the reading, I found myself simultaneously being frustrated by the ways that Em’s actions impacted other people’s lives and feeling highly empathetic towards her feelings of impotence. 

One of the strengths of McCullough’s writing is the historical references she lays over her writing.  In this book, she centers on the story of Marguerite de Bressieux. Legend has it that this French noblewoman joined the army in order to take revenge upon the men who raped the women of her household.  

This is another powerful example of telling someone’s story from Joy McCullough, illuminating events that, all too often, are swept under the carpet. 

If you need to speak to someone about sexual assault, find contact information here: 
https://www.rainn.org/resources 
https://www.nsvrc.org/survivors 

​The following is a guide for friends or family of sexual assault: 
https://www.pcar.org/sites/default/files/resource-pdfs/friends_and_family_guide_final.pdf 

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Weekend Pick for September 16, 2022

9/16/2022

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Weekend Pick for September 16, 2022

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.
Chlorine Sky by Mahogany Browne
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As I was cleaning up my office and trying to find places for the piles of papers that accumulated over last semester, I ran across one of my ALAN gifts-a QR code for a free copy of Chlorine Sky by Mahogany L. Browne! And what a gift it was!!

This novel in verse is incredibly moving and simultaneously gorgeous. I may or may not have shed a tear or two while walking my dog, and Sprinkles enjoyed several extra turns around the block thanks to this audio book! I found myself wanting to sink into the language while I listened to the narrator grapple with the painful aspects of coming of age.

No heartache is more painful than the first one you get from a best friend, and Mahogany L. Browne’s depiction of the betrayal and heartache ricocheted me back in time. As the narrator submerges herself in the safety of the pool to dull the sound of her best friend laughing at some boy’s ugly comments, your heart can’t help but ache for her.

The lyrics and poetry speak to the painful self-doubt and insecurity every teen goes through, but with a raw sense of power and strength underneath it all. When the narrator comes alive on the court, we see her strength, and we see how she refuses to be seen as “just a girl”. Listening to her talk about not playing small made me want to pump my fist in the air while walking my dog and cheer her on-while also considering the own ways that I might play small.

The line that made me stop in my tracks and gets to the heart of this gorgeous and powerful book was the one where she says she “feels like I just can’t breathe-but it sounds like I just can’t be.”

In a world where we are all told to be this, that, or the other thing, sometimes we just can’t be, and Mahogany L. Browne’s book gives us all a roadmap about how to learn to truly “be” and to not play small.

The gift of her narration was the cherry on top-or chocolate drizzle-or whatever makes things sweeter and more delicious for you! I typically struggle to stay focused with audio books, but this one will stay in my heart for years to come.

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Weekend Pick for September 9, 2022

9/9/2022

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Weekend Pick for September 9, 2022

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.
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The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School by Sonora Reyes

I am so grateful that my mom is working in a writing group with some talented young adult authors (among others) and insisted that I read this new novel!

Although this book deals with heavy topics including, “issues of racism, homophobia, immigrations, and the suicidal ideation and hospitalization of a character,” Sonora does in fact deal with the issues with sensitivity and care. I found myself wiping tears from my eyes one moment and then laughing with relief in the next with this book.

Do know that her book does not hold back any punches, evidenced by the first line of her novel? As she tells it, “Seven years of bad luck can slurp my ass” (p.1). I couldn’t agree more.

Sonora Reyes’ debut novel takes an in-depth look at Yamilet Flores’ experiences as she takes on the daunting task of transferring to Slayton Catholic-as a closeted lesbian. Yami made the mistake of coming out to her best friend who immediately rejected her, but as far as Yami’s mom and family know, she is attending Slayton to keep an eye on her brother Cesar, who was in one too many fights at his previous public school.

Part of Yami’s cover is to continually ask herself What Would a Straight Girl Do? Although Yami does not believe that the world can accept her for who she is, seeing her struggle through trying to fold herself into different versions of who she thinks she ought to be shows her strength and perseverance.

This story dives deep into what it truly means to love yourself and how hard the world can make that some times. The lessons learned by Yami, her brother Cesar, her best friends and even her Mami are powerful. I found myself rooting for all of them to love themselves enough to be able to honor their hearts and found eyes prickling with tears of joy when the characters overcame significant hurdles.

​This book is definitely one that will make you want to keep your tissues handy, but also make your heart soar.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

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Sonora Reyes, the author
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Weekend Pick for September 2nd, 2022

9/2/2022

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Weekend Pick for September 2nd, 2022

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.

This month we want to welcome Dr. Alice Hays as our guest contributor. Thank you Dr. Hays for all you do to  research, teach, and promote the power of Young Adult Literature! 

Dr. Hays is an Assistant Professor of Education at California State University, Bakersfield. Her work focuses on the ways in which Young Adult Literature can promote prosocial behavior and activism. 
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As we are settling back into the school year, I find myself drawn towards books that center on social issues and schooling. These books continue to keep me thinking about how we can make the world a better place! As I scanned my bookshelf full of ALAN books that I haven’t been able to get to yet, I snagged Where I Belong by Marcia Argueta Mickelson.

Within two pages, I was hooked.

Milagros Vargas (Millie) is an amazing scholar who has managed to not only get accepted to Stanford, but also tuition, room and board covered. (I almost felt guilty typing that she was accepted to Stanford, because she hasn’t told her mom yet-and I don’t want to blow her cover!). See, Milagros is also responsible for helping to raise her siblings while her widowed mom works to raise a wealthy family’s children. Milagros’ sense of responsibility is making it difficult for her to consider leaving her hometown of Corpus Christie.

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This isn’t the only tension Milagros is experiencing, however. Her mother’s employer, Mr. Wheeler is running for the U.S. Senate and part of his platform is making it easier for immigrants to gain citizenship. He mentioned Millie’s incredible accomplishments during a campaign speech and directed a very unwanted spotlight on Millie. The novel is set when children were being separated from their parents at the border, and racism is running rampant in Corpus Christie.

What makes this book particularly interesting is how she grapples with this unwanted attention. Not all heroes want to be heroes, and Millie has been thrust into a position she isn’t sure she can handle, much less does she want it. To add fuel to the fire, she is now having to work in close proximity with Charlie Wheeler, the son of Mr. Wheeler, who is super cute and full of chivalry-and he doesn’t see the problem with pushing Millie into the hero role. Her relationship with Charlie also explores issues of classism, and the ways that some people have more freedom to follow a moral high ground than others.

While the book definitely hits some hard-hitting topics, it left me with a sense of hope and a renewed sense of urgency around allyship. The way that Mickelson explains the U.S.’s role in Guatemalan instability also provides rationale for why people would make the risky trek to the United States. While it was a fairly quick and easy read, it will definitely have me continuing to think about who we call heroes and whose job it really is to make change in our immigration policy.
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​I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

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    Curators for the Weekend Picks

    Leilya Pitre
    Leilya taught English as a foreign language in the Ukraine and ELA/English in public schools in the US. Her research interests include teacher preparation, clinical experiences, secondary school teaching, and teaching and research of Young Adult and multicultural literature. Together with her friend and colleague, Mike Cook, she co-authored a two-volume edition of Teaching Universal Themes Through Young Adult Novels (2021). ​
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    Cammie Jo Lawton
    Cammie is a current doctoral student at the University of Tennessee Knoxville and serves the Center for Children and Young Adult Literature as a graduate research assistant. She is especially interested in how YA can affect readers, create empathy and possibly shift thinking. 
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    Nikki Bylina-Streets
    Nikki is a elementary librarian who just keeps reading YA literature. She is a constant advocate for reading at every level. You can also follow her through her ​Instagram account dedicated to my school library work. @thislibraryrocks
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