Stories are magical, for both the young and old. Here you can find book reviews for specific age groups, topics, or learning experiences. There are also booklists and lesson ideas for educators, librarians, and families.
The Year I Flew Away is a middle grade historical fiction novel by Marie Arnold. In it the reader meets 10 year old Gabrielle who lives in Haiti with her family but she is sent to Brooklyn to start a new life with her uncle's family until hers can join them in the U.S. Life is hard for Gabrielle in New York. She faces bullying for not speaking English.When a witch offers her a deal to make her fit in, Gabrielle's desperation wins. The witch's agreement has a cost and before she takes everything from Gabrielle, a team of people and even a rat, need to put that witch in her place! A story of identity, racism, family, friendship and new beginnings.
I enjoyed this story because it is unique to the Haitian culture and experience immigrating to the U.S. The folklore of the witch and the talking animals, like the rat, are reminiscent of authentic stories from the author's upbringing. It is also a relatable story to so many readers because they have either been the new kid or have had new kids in their classes at school. This can help readers empathize with how those students may be feeling and be better equipped with ways to welcome them into school and the community. Teachers and families who want to use this book with their middle grade readers can use the vast amount of resources offered on the Teaching Books website.
How I Became a Planet is a middle grade, realistic fiction novel by Nicole Melleby. The main character is Pluto, a 7th grader, who is on the verge of being sent away from her home on the Jersey Shore to live with her Dad in the city. The only way she can stay is if she shows progress from her diagnosed anxiety and depression by:
completing summer school
reconnecting with her ex-BFF
doing what her mom asks
Only when Pluto meets Fallon, another person with her own to-do list, does Pluto get the support she needs to come to terms with her new normal.
This is a heavy topic, much like Sharon M. Draper's Out of My Mind, where the neurodiverse internal dialog takes center stage. I would add this book to my school library collection and have it for my home library for my middle grade daughter because Melleby's portrayal of Pluto and Fallon's relationship is a positive one for young people to see. Their romantic relationship organically grows out of their friendship with a supportive community to foster their identities. I hope that more middle grade writers incorporate characters who have complex mental illness needs, as well as more characters who have non-cis-gendered identities.
From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry: The Killing of Vincent Chin and the Trial that Galvanized the Asian American Movement by Paula Yoo is an award-winning non-fiction, young adult book that looks deeply at the people and circumstances that launched activism for Asian-Americans. Yoo uses primary sources and interviews from the 1980s to the present-day hate crimes against Asian-Americans due to the Coronavirus pandemic to put the whole plight of Asian-Americans in context. This is a valuable book for U.S. History classes, social justice and law classes, as well as for teens and adults who want to learn more about other civil rights movements aside from the ones for Black people and perhaps the LGBTQIA+ communities.
Detroit in 1982 was full of tension. Tension between Asian-Americans and those in the automobile industry. When a Chinese-American man, Vincent Chin, was brutally killed by two white men and the sentence was only probation and a $3000 fine, the Asian-American community organized to protest against this injustice. Chin's wrongful death was the first case brought against someone's civil rights being violated. The prosecutors retried the defendants claiming that their crime was racially motivated and that violated Chin's civil rights that were protected under the law. What ensued was a years-long battle in and out of the courts with multiple law enforcement, attorneys, witnesses, and national figures for justice being pulled back in to find closure on the case.
What stood out to me was how ordinary, everyday people got involved in the movement. For example, Mable Lim, an elderly woman who drove around Detroit with press releases shared that when she was younger she never stood up to the racism she encountered. "I accepted it, you're used to being excluded and treated differently." Many readers may relate to Lim and her perspective, even to this day. Marginalized groups benefit from learning about the past where coming together for a common cause brings strength to the community as a whole.
Another part of this story that was especially informative was how all-encompassing the movement became. At first it was Chinese-American activists that then grew to Japanese-Americans, then the NAACP and Pacific Islander groups joined. During a march an elderly Filipino man was asked why he joined and his reply encapsulated the feeling for justice, "If we don't stand together, we'll always be divided." This book teaches the origins of the term Asian American and Pacific Islander. Readers can better understand how these modern-day terms came about and how they are used today.
Finally, the true-crime aspect of the story is also a reason why I recommend it to young adults and adult readers. Yoo writes in a narrative style similar to true crime podcast scripts that provide details to the reader about the background of each person involved in the case. The courtroom scenes and judicial procedures are also notable because they were the cause of laws actually changing to ensure equitable sentencing procedures for future cases. Readers are also not lectured at in this book. For example, Yoo doesn't state her opinions about the motivation behind the killing. She lays out the evidence from both sides and that is what is also good to read. How she handles the effects on the defendants' lives brought a more balanced approach to this story.
After reading this book readers will undoubtedly want to do their own research on the case and the people involved. Yoo provides numerous sources for further reading, including the film, Who Killed Vincent Chin? Here is an interview from the Glendale Library that was done with Yoo:
Violets are Blue by Barbara Dee is a poignant look at how one middle schooler, Wren, tries to deal with her family drama by escaping into her passion for special effects makeup. This is a book that brings up important issues that young people deal with or may see in their friends' lives. It offers a chance for readers to discuss issues such as divorce, being the new kid in school, addiction and having half-siblings in a safe way. Dee realistically writes the characters and situations so the reader roots for them to make better decisions in order to bring relief to their ailing hearts.
Wren experiences a traumatic family event when her father leaves her mother for another woman, moves away to New York City and has twins with her. Stuck in the middle of her parents, Wren just wants everyone to be happy so she avoids telling them about the other one's lives. Her escape from this tension is into the CatFX YouTube channel where Cat teaches her viewers how to transform faces with makeup.
Wren is pushed out of her comfort zone when her mom decides to move them to a new town where Wren is to start 7th grade. Her mother's actions keep getting more alarming and when Wren tries to handle it on her own, it becomes so big that it's out of her hands. Wren reaches a breaking point, will she be able to come out of it unscathed?
I highly recommend this book for middle grade readers and adults who want the perspective of a tween who is doing her best in a tough situation. Dee is a seasoned writer whose other books also touch on young people who are challenged by life. Check out more of Dee's books below:
Lemon Drop Falls is a middle grades chapter book by debut author, Heather Clark. Morgan's mom always had a plan for everything. Except when she passes away unexpectedly she tells Morgan to make sure her younger siblings are looked after and are happy. In this way she transfers the pressures she faced to her 12 year old daughter. Morgan does everything in her power to take care of her younger siblings, who are quite a handful. Whenever she gets in a bind, she thinks back to what her mom would do in that situation. For example, when someone in the family had a tough problem, her mom would pull out the jar of lemon drops and they'd talk about it or just be together through the rough patch.
Only now, there is no mom and Morgan feels like she's drowning. Her father has always been used to her mom taking care of everything down to the last detail so he has no clue how to run their household. It's up to Morgan to go without her plans for the summer soccer team and unsure of how to mend her fragile friendships before the new school year begins in a new middle school. Each chapter of the story is either a flashback to before her mom passed away or the present where Morgan is trying her hardest to keep everything on track. When her dad suggests that they take a camping trip, Morgan's anxiety and stress overflow to where she is in danger.
This important story is good for young people and teachers and parents to read to understand how OCD and anxiety can get worse if not treated. I wish this book had been around when I was younger so I could better cope with changing friendships, puberty, and even grief. We had Heather Clark join a 4th grade class at my school for an author visit and she was phenomenal with the students. She encouraged them to write what they know and what they're interested in. I highly recommend this book for upper elementary students and middle school libraries.
Me (Moth) a young adult debut by Amber McBride is a haunting story told in verse about two teens, Moth and Sina. Moth loses her entire family in a car accident that spares only her and she lives with survivor's guilt. Although what she does is not considered living. Moth cocoons herself against any enjoyment, even in her aunt's home. Her grief drives Aunt Jack to abandon her. The only voice that Moth clings to is the advice her Gray-Bearded Grandfather gave her about their Hoodoo spiritual roots. She is surprised to be drawn to the new student, Sina, a member of the Navajo Nation, who has his own emotional struggles. Although Moth is determined to stay invisible, Sina sees her and invites her to join him on a road trip back to New Mexico.
On this journey, Moth and Sina stop at various landmarks from Virginia to the Four Corners. As a former social studies teacher and librarian, it stood out to me how these characters take in each place through their own unique lens. For example, while in Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's home, they visit the quarters for the enslaved people and leave offerings for their courageous legacies. It's refreshing to have a point of view that is seeped in spirituality and a recognition for marginalized groups.
I highly recommend this book for young adult readers and adult readers because of the topics of identity, supporting one another and for learning about non-Western beliefs. The characters show strength through their struggles in a mystical, dreamy way. McBride writes as if the reader is floating above the story, yet feeling as if their feet are planted firmly in the Earth. I don't want to spoil the story but it ended in a way that made me go back and reread it knowing how it ended; it was like an entirely different story! Only a master storyteller can accomplish something that beautiful.
Congratulations to McBride for being a finalist for the National Book Award 2021 in the Literature for Youth category. Here is McBride reading an excerpt from Me (Moth):
The month of February is dedicated to friendship, kindness, empathy and love. When I was curating the book display for my students across grades kindergarten through fifth grade, I began seeing common themes arise: how kindness is shown between people, towards animals, between animals, with grandparents, and towards oneself.
During my library lessons I book-talked these books with the themes and my students responded with interest and enthusiasm. They began recalling other stories that fit in the themes that I hadn't added so they recommended them to their classmates. Every class that came through the library selected books from the kindness display and discussed their choices with their classmates. This led me to share my list below along with extension ideas:
Extension ideas that go with these books and themes are numerous:
Give students the themes, then book-talk a book or show the cover and have them guess what theme it would be.
Ask students to write or draw a story from their life that exhibited kindness. Have them share with and ask others to determine the theme.
After choosing a book, ask students to create an artifact, button design or keychain charm that pairs well with the theme of the book.
Allow students to use a video creation application to tell which book they recommend to others. You can show them vintage Reading Rainbow clips as inspiration.
Give students a random picture, ask them to think of a story that incorporates the picture with a kindness theme. If they are stuck give them the prompt, "Once upon a time in ________ (setting) there was a __________(character) who wanted to _____________ but couldn't (plot). Then _______(climax) came along and ___________(resolution). Let them pair up and combine their picture prompts and story ideas. They can even share them with others or act them out.
Do you have more books and/or activities to suggest that go well with these themes? Please share them in the comments below!
.jpg)
.jpg)
