Middle Grade Monday: Shark Teeth by Sherri Winston

Image: Bloomsbury

Shark Teeth by Sherri Winston. 304 p. Bloomsbury, January 16, 2024. Review of finished purchased copy.

Middle Grade Monday features Shark Teeth by Sherri Winston. Seventh-grader Sharkita, "Kita" Lloyd is reliable, dependable and devoted to her two younger siblings. Her eight-year-old brother, Lamar has special needs due to having fetal alcohol syndrome and her five-year-old sister, Lilli is spirited and curious. Even though her mother seems to be doing fine, it is Kita who gets her siblings ready for school, who makes sure there's food in the house and that the bills are paid on time. Kita never wants to be separated by the foster care system from her brother and sister again. Kita's mom even gives her permission to join the twirl team and Kita begins to feel like a normal seventh grader. But then, her mom begins to party again.

This emotionally intense, character-driven novel authentically depicts the experience of a child who assumes the role of parent and can't or won't reach out. It received many starred reviews, was named a Kirkus Prize Finalist and a Schneider Family Book Honor for Middle Grade Fiction. 

Middle Grade Monday and Audiobook Review: The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman by Gennifer Choldenko

Image: Penguin Random House

The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman by Gennifer Choldenko. Unabridged e-audiobook ~7 hours. Narrated by Javier Prusky. Books on Tape/ Listening Library, June, 2024. 9781984833716. Review of e-audiobook borrowed from public library.

Happy Monday! What are you doing the beat the heat? It's pretty steamy here. Too hot to garden and too hot to take the dogs for long walks. Middle Grade Monday features The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman by Gennifer Choldenko. 

Eleven-year-old Hank adores his three-year-old sister, Boo, even though she calls him Pooperman. He also adores his mother even though she doesn't make the best decisions. She has been gone for a week now and Hank has stayed home from school to take care of Boo, but food is running out and there's no money to buy more. The electricity was turned off and the landlord is about to evict the family for non-payment of rent. When Hank finds the name of an emergency contact, he knows his mom will be angry with him, but he feels he has no choice. Together, he and Boo take buses to find their way to LouAnn Adler's house. Ms. Adler was Hank's grandmother's best friend and runs a day care center from her home. She's not happy that Hank and Boo showed up, but she takes them in out of respect for his grandmother's memory. Hank starts a new school, makes new friends and might even make the basketball team, but deep down, he knows this arrangement isn't permanent and he really misses his mom.

There is so much to love about this first-person narrative. Hank is so earnest and endearing and Boo is just a hoot! Be prepared though, Hank and Boo's situation is dire. LouAnn can't/ doesn't want to keep the siblings and social services might split them up. Hank is very resourceful, but makes some poor decisions of his own out of love. My heart just broke for Hank and Boo.

The audio performance was well done. Mr. Prusky sounded appropriately young and had a wide variety of voices to distinguish the characters. I can't wait to add this to my library's collection and share it with my students. Highly recommended. 

PS: Posting might get a little hit or miss in the coming days. On Friday, I became a foster mom and Boo became a foster brother to Helga. She's a German Shepherd who was pulled from an animal cruelty situation. The rescue thinks she's around three. An amazing trainer has been volunteering his time to work with her and help her trust again. She's eager and smart, but a bit mouthy, especially if I try and sit down. She's doing really well and Boo is getting lots of extra treats.

Teen Tuesday & Audiobook Review: Sunny G's Series of Rash Decisions by Navdeep Singh Dhillon.

Image: Penguin Random House

Sunny G's Series of Rash Decisions by Navdeep Singh Dhillon. Unabridged e-audiobook, ~7.5 hours. Read by Shahjehan Khan. Listening Library/ Penguin Random House, February, 2022. 9780593411308.

Teen Tuesday features a pensive debut, Sunny G's Series of Rash Decisions by Navdeep Singh Dhillon. The only thing Sunny Gill's brother, Goldy, left him when he died a year ago was a notebook filled with ramblings. Goldy was an alcoholic who died from alcohol poisoning and while Sunny is still grieving, he's also furious at his brother for not choosing to stay sober-for making bad decisions. With prom looming on the night of Goldi's barsi, Sunny decides to make a series of rash decisions starting with ditching his turban, cutting his hair and shaving his beard and ending with attending prom alone instead of the Snollygoster Soiree with his bestie Ngozi.

He doesn't even recognize himself and is beginning to think going to prom was a huge mistake when Mindii breezes in, steals Goldy's notebook and dares him to really make good "rash" decisions. Sunny hops onto the back of Mindii's motorcycle and off into the Fresno night to make a series of rash decisions.

While fast-paced and often humorous, Sunny is introspective and wrestling with grief, insecurity due to his stutter and with his Sikh faith. Mindii is empathetic and a good listener, and as the night goes on, the two form a sweet bond as she coaxes Sunny to live a little.

I appreciated the narrator's gentle, thoughtful approach to Sunny as well as learning the proper pronunciation of Sikh and Punjabi words. 

Teen Tuesday: Genesis Begins Again by Alicia D. Williams

Image: Simon & Schuster

Genesis Begins Again by Alicia D. Williams. 384 p. Caitlyn Dlouhy Books/ Atheneum/ Simon & Schuster, January, 2019. 9781481465809. 

Teen Tuesday features Genesis Begins Again by Alicia D. Williams. Thirteen-year-old Genesis has it pretty tough. She returns home from school to find her family's belongings out on the street. They've been evicted. Again. Mostly thanks to her father's alcoholism and inability to pay the rent. He promises to do better and Genesis starts a new school. But her problems go beyond this. She has a list of 95 things she hates about herself and one of them is the darkness of her skin. She is ridiculed both at home and at school about it. This novel sensitively explores issues of colorism and self-acceptance and the power that a loving mentor, in this case Genesis' music teacher, can have in helping healing. 

Genesis Begins Again is Williams' debut. It was a Morris Award Finalist and a Newbery Honor. She also won the John Steptoe Award for New Talent, which is bestowed by the Coretta Scott King committee. The book made several "Best" lists including an NPR Favorite. Surely a first-purchase!

Teen Tuesday and Arc Review: Hey, Kiddo by Jarrett J. Krosoczka

Hey, Kiddo: how I lost my mother, found my father and dealt with family addiction by Jarrett J. Krosoczka. 312 p. Graphix/ Scholastic Inc., October 9, 2018. 97805445902472. (Review of arc courtesy of publisher.)

Teen Tuesdady features Hey, Kiddo: how I lost my mother, found my father and dealt with family addiction by Jarrett J. Krosoczka. Krosczka is an award-winning graphic novelist and illustrator. His books include the Lunch Lady series, books four, five and six of the Jedi Academy series and the Platypus Police Squad. In his graphic novel memoir, Hey Kiddo, we learn that his mother was a talented artist. Unfortunately, she was also a drug addict. She got clean when she was pregnant with Jarrett, but struggled with addiction before and after he was born causing Jarrett's grandparents to sue for custody of their grandson. Jarrett's grandparents were loving but had some problems of their own. The were rough around the edges but loved Jarrett fiercely. He grew up in the working class city of Worcester, Massachusetts during the 1980s and his art saved him. It gave him an outlet and also brought him attention. 

Krosoczka's grey and sepia toned illustrations and watery-bordered panels evoke the haze of memory and some sadness. The narrative is enhanced by the insertion of photographs of the author's mother's letters and art. Backmatter includes a lengthy author's note.

This memoir is a tough read. It is a raw, unflinching look at the effect addiction has on family. For those readers dealing with addiction within their family, this book is a mirror. For those lucky enough not to have an addicted family member, this window book will help readers temper their judgement. Addiction is complicated and addicts are as well. This brave graphic novel memoir belongs in every public, middle and high school classroom and school library.

Arc Review: The Secret Sheriff of Sixth Grade by Jordan Sonnenblick

The Secret Sheriff of Sixth Grade by Jordan Sonnenblick. 193 p. Scholastic Press/ Scholastic Inc. August 29. 2017. 9780545863223. 

To say that sixth grader Maverick Falconer has it tough is an understatement. He misses his dad, who died a hero in Afghanistan and his alcoholic mom can't seem to hold onto a job or attract a stable boyfriend - or at least one who doesn't hit her. He has lived in a series of awful apartments, wears old clothes that he usually launders himself and his sneakers are falling apart. Oh, and he's been bullied mercilessly at his elementary school and has little hope that things will be different in middle school. But, he soldiers on. He has a pet hamster he loves despite being allergic to him and a supportive aunt he adores. Plus, he has the plastic sheriff's star his father gave to him before his last deployment.

I must repeat what I wrote on Goodreads: Classic Sonnenblick M.O. He sucks you in with a winning, earnest, imperfect narrator; then breaks your heart while making you laugh out loud; zings education and some educators; and gently imparts his message of kindness without didacticism. Love!

Maverick is such an endearing character. He's a roiling mixture of sarcasm, cynicism and hope. Despite the trauma in his life, he remains kind. Like many survivors of trauma, he is hyper-observant - constantly assessing the mood of adults around him and seeking to protect his secrets. Despite his mother's alcoholism and failings, he protects her and covers for her and beats himself up when he can't protect her from abusive boyfriends.

Another endearing character is Vice-Principal Overbye, or the "Bee." His reputation precedes him and Maverick is terrified. He wants to avoid him but, of course, ends up in his office on the first day of school.

While all of Sonnenblick's main characters in all of his books face tremendous challenge such as serious illness, injury or anger, Maverick's problems are grittier and more difficult to identify and help. His is a situation of neglect and poverty and loss. He's the kind of kid who could very easily fall through the cracks. Even his doting aunt was unaware of how dire his situation was. What I especially liked here was the fact that on two separate occasions, just as I was about to mentally insult a character, Sonnenblick revealed an insight that brought me up short and reminded me not to be too quick to judge. 

This world we live in needs books that help young (and old) readers build empathy now more than ever. The Secret Sheriff of Sixth Grade is such a book. Read it, read it aloud to your students, and recommend it widely.

Audiobook Review: Yellow by Megan Jacobson

Yellow by Megan Jacobson. Unabridged audiobook on one MP3 CD. 7 hours, 6 minutes. Read by Marny Kennedy. Audible Studios on Brilliance, July, 2016. 9781522642121. (Review from purchased audiobook)

Wow! It has been forever since I reviewed an audiobook! I've been reading with my ears quite a lot lately - 25 so far for 2017. I cannot recall how this one came on my radar. Perhaps it was via a starred review of the audiobook in SLJ. It wasn't available through my library cooperative, nor as a book. Since the audio was inexpensive online, I bought it.

I really wish the book was available in the U.S. I may have to send to Australia for it because the writing was often stunning. Since I listened in my car, note taking was not an option. I often gasped at all the lovely bits of imagery and unique metaphors. Quite an impressive debut! I would love to reread this with my eyes and a highlighter! I'd also love to read her next book! (Visit the author's website for a sneak peek of the cover!)

Okay, this review is a bit topsy-turvy. Usually I start out with a synopsis. What is it about? Fourteen-year-old Kirra is in crisis mode. She lives in public housing on the poor side of an Australian beach town with an alcoholic mother and a recently departed surfer-dude dad. This departure has escalated her mother's drinking and Kirra is tired of being the parent. She's devastated but not really surprised when her dad, Lark turns down her request to live with him. He lives with a new girlfriend who clearly calls the shots and, with a new baby on the way, insists there's no room for Kirra. She's bright but tries to keep her smarts under the radar so as not to draw attention to herself. She is routinely berated by her frenemies and is on the outs with them as the novel opens. She's tiny and quiet and absolutely hates her eyes, which are huge and yellow. In fact, her father's nickname for her is, Yellow.

As books that portray bullying go, this one is very good, excellent even. But there are tons and tons of good books about bullying out there. What sets this one apart? The ghost. Kirra answers a ringing pay phone (the story takes place in the 1990s) to find herself talking to a ghost named Boogie. He's lonely and wants her help in bringing his killer to justice. He tells Kirra that he was just fourteen when he was murdered and promises to help her if she helps him. When he reveals who his killer is, Kirra is truly scared but she agrees to try to help Boogie, especially if he can help with her popularity and getting her parents back together. The paranormal aspect lent an interesting twist and suspense was high throughout.

The Australian coastal setting was vividly drawn as well as the characters who peopled Kirra's community. It was small and stifling and folks tended not to move out.

Marny Kennedy's narration was pitch perfect. Her pacing, her voice, that gorgeous Australian accent all made for a riveting read. I will confess that I was let down a bit by the ending. It felt a bit rushed and too happy - not that I wasn't rooting for Kirra. And, while the portrayal of her mother's alcoholism was incredibly spot on, Kirra's, hm-m, (how to be non-spoilery?) solution was not. Still, the book is well worth a look. Kirra is a memorable character you won't soon forget.