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.
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.
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):
Proud to Be... is a children's picture book written by Natalie McDonald-Perkins and is illustrated by Mary Ibeh. The heart of the story is an elementary-aged child from Nigeria named Ifunanya. She is starting at a new school and is already nervous for the typical reasons any child would be. On her first day she is greeted by a substitute teacher who mispronounces her name. As the day goes on more classmates make fun of her name so much that she starts to question why she even has such name that is so problematic.
Disappointed in her unwelcoming class, Ifunanya shares her feelings about her name with her parents. They listen then tell her about the origin of her name and the meaning behind it. The advice they give her is to be patient as people learn to say her name correctly.
Ifunanya decides to give school another chance the next day. Thankfully, her permanent teacher is back and she takes the time to make sure she is pronouncing her name correctly. She sympathizes with Ifunanya's situation because her name is also commonly mispronounced. The classmates who made fun of her name apologize for their behavior and they start to share the meaning behind their names.
As a teacher, librarian, parent, and an immigrant whose name is often mispronounced, I liked this book's message and delivery of the point that a person should be proud of their name and be patient as others learn it. There have been many books published about children with difficult names to pronounce, but this is the first story I have seen with a main character from Nigeria. The illustrations are also vibrant, show a range of characters and capture the mood of the story well.
This story could lead to discussions with young people about many topics. For example, what are ways that you can ask how to pronounce a person's name? What if your name is difficult to say? How can you help others learn your name? People can also share experiences they have had with other people's names who were new to them. What did they learn from those experiences? It could also be a time to invite readers to share the origin of their own names. The author also includes a Teacher Tips section at the end of the book for what to do if a student has a name that is difficult to pronounce. She also includes a list of unique names with their language of origin and meanings. Children can try to say them out loud for practice.
I'd definitely add this to my school library collection and include it in my daughter's reading collection, too!
Another book that this author and illustrator duo have created is Best In Me. I reviewed it last year and it had similar themes of looking inward to point out your unique traits.
Last Night at the Telegraph Club the 2021 National Book Award for Young People's Literature written by Malinda Lo is a story that has yet to be told in the arena of young adult literature. Lo deserves the award for her portrayal of Lily Hu, a 17 year-old Chinese-American daughter of immigrants who settled in Chinatown in San Francisco. The year is 1954 and the Red Scare is is buzzing all around Lily and her community. She must be careful with whom she associates or else it could spell trouble for her family. What ends up happening not only affects Lily's future, but also those around her.
With the tone of a coming of age story, Lo reminds the reader of what it's like to be a teenager trying to figure out who you really are. When Lily sees an advertisement for The Telegraph Club with a male impersonator or cross-dresser, something in her is awakened. She feels drawn to the club and finds a fellow classmate, Kath, who has an in there. Once Kath introduces Lily to the club and the people inside, a whole new world opens up for Lily. A world where others who feel like her can feel normal. How can Lily return to the person her family expects her to be after she's discovered her feelings for women?
The best part of this story is when Lo uses the flashbacks between Lily's storyline with ones about her parents and her aunt. Their own circumstances and journeys to the U.S. to where they are in the 1950s sheds much light on their actions. As I read the story I kept telling myself if Lily only knew her own family's struggles with their identity in the U.S., then she could open up to them about her own apprehension about where she stands.
As a former history teacher, I also enjoyed the timelines that Lo includes that show the year, Lily and her family's major moments, and parts of world and American history that have affected Chinese Americans since they were first brought to the U.S. to build the trans-continental railroad. As the daughter of an aerospace engineer, I enjoyed the development of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory as Lily's other passion is studying space travel. Thankfully her aunt is a human computer for the program and encourages Lily to pursue her interest in math, science, and engineering. This part of history is interesting for readers to compare to Katherine Johnson and her pioneering work she did for NASA.
This story is an important one for people to read who may not be familiar with the experiences of Chinese Americans. It's also a history of how the LGBTQ+ community has had to seek out safe spaces to be themselves. It surprised me that in the ever-inclusive city of San Francisco, there was once a time that it was illegal for homosexuals to even congregate in public. The end of the novel is full of more information that Lo explains served as her basis for all of the storylines in the book. Readers who are interested have a number of resources to use to continue learning about more people who lived during this time and left their mark on the country.
Black Boy Joy is a middle grades short story collection edited by Kwambe Mbalia and is full of stories written by contemporary Black male and nonbinary authors who know their audience and subject matter. The stories range from realistic fiction tales about fashion, friendship, crushes, deciding how to continue one's journey on finding their identity, music, customs and more. Surprisingly, there are also science fiction and fantasy stories about gaming in other dimensions, mysterious realms of happiness, and challenges that require zero gravity and quick-witted problem solving. My favorite parts of these stories are the strong community and family units that support the boys in all of the settings. They are self-assured, confident people who are going through life's challenges either in real life or in a fantasy world, but overall, the themes they embody are universal.
I am going to get this book for my school library and will share it with students, families, teachers, and community members. Readers will enjoy the variety of stories and formats. There is even a story told through comics by the award winning author and illustrator, Jerry Craft. This is a recommended title along the same vein of Ancestor Approved and Flying Lessons. I hope that readers will appreciate short story collections and add them to their reading lives!
Run, Little Chaski! An Inka Trail Adventure by Mariana Llanos and illustrated by Mariana Ruiz Johnson is a delightful picture book for preschoolers all the way up to middle schoolers. It tells the story of a messenger who is given the task of delivering a khipu (KEE-poo: a recording system made of rope and hanging knotted threads) to the king before the sun sets. Along the way he encounters animals who need his help. Will he reach the temple in time or will his mission be a failure?
What stood out to me about this book was the message of resilience. His older brother, father, and grandfather tell him he must be strong, swift, and sharp. So he has the pressure of needing to do his job, but when he sees animals who need his help, he cannot turn the other way. I think this is a great message to send to our readers. Readers can discuss times when they helped someone out and how it made them feel.
Another part of this book that made me want to share it with my students is the authentic voice of the author and the beautiful, vibrant illustrations of the illustrator. The reader is transported to another time and place completely. The animals that are in the story are ones that my students will want to learn more about and even make puppets to retell the story. The animals are adorable and unique to the area so readers can compare those to animals in their own community.
Finally, the best part about this whole story is the language, back matter and map provided in the end. The glossary is helpful for whomever is reading the story aloud to know how to pronounce the Quechua words. There are phrases that get repeated throughout the story which increases participation in the reading. There is also easy to understand explanations of who the Inka and the chaskis were, what they delivered and more about the Inka Trail itself. Older readers can research the Inka and how Spanish conquistadors affected the region. Readers can also make their own khipus out of yarn or string.
Thank you to Barefoot Books for the copy of the book! It will be well-loved in our school library.
The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano by Sonia Manzano is a middle grades, historical fiction novel set in Harlem, New York in 1969. It's a Pura Belpre Award Honor Book and it was awarded to Manzano, "a Latina author whose work best portrays the Latino cultural experience in a work of literature for children or youth." I learned a great deal about Puerto Rican history and how their experiences on the island shaped their community in Harlem. A story of truth, pride and forgiveness that will stay with readers long after they finish the last page.
Evelyn, a teenager who lives with her Mami and step-dad in El Barrio in east Harlem is figuring out who she wants to be. Maybe going by her middle name instead of Rosa will help her stand out. When her estranged abeula comes to stay with them Evelyn's shocked by her appearance, demeanor and attitude--she's so different than her mami! Evelyn learns secrets about her family in Puerto Rico and starts to get involved in the Young Lords' activism to be treated better in their community. Evelyn says, "...I did get this: that it wasn't just us Puerto Ricans who lived in a culture that didn't like us and that other people in the world lived in the same situation."
I loved the character of Maria on Sesame Street so when I learned that the actress who plays her, Sonia Manzano, wrote this novel, I knew I had to read it. What stood out to me was Puerto Rico's history, like the nationalists who wanted the island to be apart from the U.S., how during the Great Depression it was even worse for people on the island, and how people in the U.S. who were born here but are Puerto Rican are called, "Nuyorican." Adults will enjoy the book with famous cameos by other well-known Americans and the musical references to Pepe y Flora may get their music playing while reading this story:
Manzano includes resources more details about this time in history in her Author's Note and explains that the Spanish words and Spanglish that are used in the book are regional phrases and what her family used to say. For readers who want to learn more about this time in history, a list of resources for further reading is provided. There is also an Educator's Guide for teaching this book with students and it gives more background on Manzano and what brought her to write this novel.
Frankie & Bug, a middle grades chapter book by Gayle Forman, tackles important issues like prejudice, family, friendship, identity and community. Set in 1987 in Venice Beach, California, it's told from the perspective of a ten year old girl named Bug, short for Beatrice, who is just starting her summer. She wants to spend it at the beach but her older brother, Danny, needs some space away from her so her mother arranges her to be under the supervision of their quirky neighbors, Phillip and Hedvig.
When Phillip's young nephew from Ohio, Frankie, flies in to stay with him for the summer, Bug's hopes are raised to possibly make a new friend and be able to spend it at the beach. But Frankie is nothing at all what Bug expected. He doesn't want to go to the beach and only is obsessed with catching the serial killer who is stalking residents in southern California. Bug must open her mind to new ways of thinking when she adjusts her plans and becomes friends with Frankie.
The more Bug becomes aware of her community's struggles, the more she then learns about her own family's secrets. This news causes her expand her world view and in the end she is richer for it.
I would recommend this book to read with 11 year olds and up, and it is perfect for a book club to be discussed. Forman puts issues of prejudice, refugees, LGBTQ+ hate crimes, abandonment out in ways that readers can discuss and ask questions about. Although the book is set in 1987, readers can think about how these issues have changed or stayed the same in certain ways. What do they think Frankie and Bug are like today? Do they have people in their lives who remind them of any of the characters?
The House That Lou Built by Mae Respicio is an award-winning, middle-grades chapter book that is great for a book club, read aloud, or independent reading book. It offers a unique look at the Filipino-American culture while exploring universal themes of grief, family, and friendship for a middle-schooler.
13 year-old Lou is half-Filipina, half-White but she identifies with her Filipina side since she lives with her mother's family in San Francisco. Her father passed away before she was born and he left her some land as her inheritance. When Lou visits her plot of land she feels at peace and connected to her father. When her mother considers moving them away so she can find a better job Lou decides to build a tiny house on her land that she has always dreamed of building. Lolo, her grandpa, tells her, "That's how dreams work. You just have to do them." Perhaps this will convince her mother to keep them there?
Lou's community is an important part of the story. Her mentors, Lolo, Annie, the salvage yard owner and shop teacher, Mr. Keller, help her with her plans, as have her close friends and family members. She even makes friends with the ever-popular, Jack, who she encourages to document her project. Lou is not a typical character because she excels in building and engineering, which makes her stand out amongst her friends and classmates. Her favorite place to be is the salvage yard because it inspires her to use the parts to invent new machines. Readers can share a place that inspires them! She also keeps a running 1,001 Cool Things to Build list and adds items to it, like a catapult. Readers can add items to the list of something they'd like to build one day.
Lou's identity is an interesting theme that Respicio addresses in the story. Lou says, "Being half and half is something I don't think about much." Readers who are split between cultures can compare how they feel to Lou. When Lou compares her grandparents from both sides of her family she says, "I never knew the difference between my white grandpa and my brown one because they loved me the same." Readers can discuss differences between their family members. Lou describes her White and Filipina features noting that she doesn't look like her mom but "Mom knows that inside, I'm just as Filipina as she is. We connect with each other no matter how different we look." Readers can consider to whom they feel most connected in their lives. Lou also compares her experiences when eating meals at non-Filipino households. Readers can share about times when they were exposed to cultures outside of their own.
I enjoyed this story in many ways. I learned about the Barrio Fiesta and how homes in the Philippines could be moved if flooding were to occur. Readers can learn about the trials that immigrants endure when moving to the U.S. I loved Respicio's description of the foods, dancing, and community in the story. It reminded me of my own Persian community of ex-Pats growing up in Kansas.
Readers will want to stick with Lou all the way to the end to find out if she ends up building her tiny dream home or if she has to follow her dad's advice she read in his journal, that "sometimes plans change."
Readers can also explore the Tiny House Movement and design their own as an extension idea.
She has a strong outlook and jumps over the hurdles the adults put in her way. My favorite line is when she says, "Sure, I'm only 13 but my ideas matter." When I taught middle school students, this was the feeling that students said frustrated them the most, that they weren't being heard. Readers can share what is important to them, just like Lou.
Our students want stories that encompass various people's perspectives. PRIDE month offers the chance to spotlight LGBTQIA+ people through sharing books and stories. From nonfiction picture books to fictional chapter books about families, friendship, and growing up, there is a push for including more of these books in our library collection. I am thankful for the GLSEN organization for offering free books to our schools and classrooms. Hopefully more will be published and shared, until then, check out what we have in our library below:
April is National Poetry Month but we really celebrate the art of language all year long. Stories that are told through verse are interesting ways to read, reflect, and listen to narratives. Our students find that reading a novel-in-verse is another experience in reading in that it often goes by quickly and they are tempted to go back and re-read lines and phrases that stick out to them.
All of these books listed below would be ideal for book clubs or just for reading and reflecting on one's own. From historical fiction, to biographies, realistic fiction, memoirs, immigration, religion, refugees, family, friendships, sports, school, bullying, identity and travel, these stories below have something for everyone.
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