Blackout: NYC modern-day romance

There are some authors whose books I will read no matter what.  Now imagine my delight when six of these writers collaborated on one book!  Blackout the anthology of short stories by the best writers of today: Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, and Nicola Yoon, is a must-have in any high school library collection.  The setting is exactly the same for all of the writers' tales: in NYC a massive blackout takes over the city and from there the stories take form.  From exes competing for the same summer internship to new crushes developing at a home for the elderly, there is a range of love stories for everyone to get into. There are even LGBTQIA relationships that develop with such care that no reader will be unaffected by them.  This is the perfect example of Black joy for young adult readers on up. 

What stood out to me about these stories is that they continued in the form of snapshots throughout the whole book.  It reminded me of a film or play taking place at the same time with fadeaway shots dimming at the close of a chapter and then picking up at the start of another one as the next part of the story unfolds for the characters there.  One might think this would be hard to keep track of all of the storylines, but this is where the writers truly shine in their depth of developing each character and their motivations.  One suggestion I have is to help those who have never been to NYC understand the layout of the boroughs, is to include a map to help with the movement of the storylines. The cover is also beautifully designed, by Erin Fitzsimmons, and has a surprise underneath the book jacket! I cannot decide how to display it in my bookshelf...

 Other anthologies that Blackout reminded me of are Black Boy Joy and Ancestor Approved. These are more for middle grade readers while Blackout is more for high school aged readers. 

Jagged Little Pill: The Novel, how music inspires a story

Jagged Little Pill was one of the first albums I bought and when I listened to the music of Alanis Morisette, as a 13 year old, I could feel the emotion behind her lyrics.  In high school I won front row tickets to her concert when she toured with Garbage and even got to meet her backstage!  She was every bit of lovely and kind as I imagined.  It continues to be one of the best moments of my adolescence. Here I am, 27 years later, reading the young adult novel of the same name based on the Tony and Grammy Award-winning musical by Eric Smith, Diablo Cody and Glen Ballard.  This is the first novelization of a musical that I have read and it didn't disappoint!  

The story is told from alternating points of view of five teenagers: Frankie, Jo, Nick, Phoenix and Bella.  It's the middle of the school year in a Connecticut suburb and nothing will be the same after a party that gets out of hand when Bella gets violated and the evidence is spread across social media.  Everyone's expectations of how they should respond in the wake of this incident drives the story:

• How will Nick, Bella's love interest who was supposed to look out for her act when his mother insists that he do nothing to jeopardize his college plans?  
• How will Frankie, Nick's adoptive sister, and her best-friend-with-benefits, Jo, support Bella along with their social activist club to make sure justice is served?  
• What can the new student, Phoenix, do to help as he falls for Frankie while taking care of his mom and hospitalized sister?

Using the musical and album, it's a journey for each character to get introspective as they risk losing the people they love in order to be true to themselves. The adults in the story have as many problems, if not more than the teens as they apply social pressure to everyone around them, including themselves.  This is a dynamic story where every character's choices have much to be debated.  Readers can think about how much race fits into their expectations of people's sexuality along with the #MeToo movement.  Who gets believed and why?  How do you communicate with someone with whom you've crossed the line of friendship? What do you do when you suspect your parent of having an addiction?

This book also stands out to me and will resonate with young adult readers because the authors interweave texting and chat conversations between the characters.  This is a more realistic way of storytelling as today's young people communicate in this way and will more likely read a book that includes this component of dialog.  

Teens can also choose an album or song that speaks to them and write a story idea inspired by the lyrics.  This type of writing prompt can help adolescents find the beauty in storytelling and even match other books with songs that would go along well with them!  As a fan of movie soundtracks, I love it when books name songs being played so I can play them and the story comes alive in a different way.  Literacy is about so much more than the words the page. It's a complete sensory experience if you allow yourself to engage in it. Smith includes a link to the cast recording so readers can listen to it for themselves:

Now that I have read the novel I am ready to watch the musical!  

Lotería: free will or fate?

I have always been fascinated by the Lotería cards and their images, but have never learned about them.  When I heard about Karla Arenas Valenti and Dana Sanmar's middle grade chapter book, Lotería, I knew I had to read it.  Not only did I learn more about the cards and the game itself, but the story taught me about Mexican mythology, folklore, traditions, and beliefs.  This book will intrigue middle grade readers who like stories about family and high stakes adventures.

In Mexico, a young girl named Clara has no idea that she's the center of a Lotería game between the ultimate players, Life and Death. As they shuffle the cards and begin to play, Clara's life continues with the integration of the symbols from the cards, except they have life-altering consequences for her. When her cousin Estaban goes missing, she must go after him and against all odds, do everything she can to send him back home safely.  This story is full of powerful questions about fate, free will, and human determination. Sanmar's illustrations enhance the story and bring the events to life in the eyes of the reader. For example, at one point a character's hair turns silver and I couldn't believe it! The illustration helped reinforce this shocking twist in the story. 

Clara's choices will make readers think about deep philosophical questions long after they have finished the story.  

After reading the book, I found a dual-language picture book called, Playing Lotería (El juego de la Lotería) by René Colato Laínez and Jill Arena.  

The story is about a young boy who doesn't want to stay with his grandmother because his Spanish language skills are weak. When he arrives she whisks him away to a fair in the plaza where she leads a game of Lotería. He is mesmerized by the phrases she uses that match the images on the cards. This inspires him to learn them and later when they are in her home she teaches him and he even teaches her English.  The rules for the game are included in the end of the book.  

I would use both of these books with my students and daughter.  Children can explore the images, phrases and even make their own.  They can also play the game which is a lot of fun, too.  Even the Google Doodle was dedicated to the game one time! This game works for anyone because it's a visual game, the language component isn't as necessary.  The act of playing the came together in a community is what is most important.