Teen Tuesday and Audiobook Review: Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt

Image: HarperCollins Publishers

Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt. Unabridged audiobook, ~ 3 hours. Read by Zachary Roe. Clarion Books/ HarperCollins Publishers, December, 2021. Review of audiobook borrowed from public library.

Teen Tuesday features Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt. I first read this with my eyes back in August of 2016. It was published in fall of 2015. I was still giving stars to my GR posts and gave five with the comment: Okay, officially gutted. I swear, there are not many authors who can do what Gary D. Schmidt does in so few words. The economy, beauty, imagery and heart in his writing is astonishing.

After I read Jupiter Rising, I realized that I couldn't really remember the details of Orbiting Jupiter. It was, after all, about 2500 or so books ago, so I decided to reread it with my ears. 

This is the first-person narration by Jackson Hurd. A sixth grader who lives on a dairy farm with his parents, who have agreed to foster Joseph Brooks, a thirteen-year-old who has fathered a child, spent time in a juvenile detention facility and doesn't like to be touched or approached from behind. Jackson and his parents give Joseph the space and time he needs, but also chores, such as milking the cows, which he also needs. Unfortunately, other adults in the community, have prejudged Joseph, starting with the school bus driver, so Joseph and Jackson walk to school in the bitter cold.

As Joseph slowly thaws with the Hurds, they learn his story and are more committed than ever to helping him. All Joseph wants is to see his baby, who is in foster care since her mother, Maddie, has died.

This emotionally intense, character-driven novel packs a punch. Have tissues handy. The narrator was different than the one for Jupiter Rising. He was measured and fine, except he mispronounced the name of a character several times, which annoyed me. 

Orbiting Jupiter was named a Publishers Weekly Best Book, an ALA Notable as well as quite a few state award lists. It has become a TMS favorite over the years and a book I highly recommend. Happy reading.

Middle Grade Monday: The Fort by Gordon Korman

Image: Scholastic Inc. 

The Fort by Gordon Korman. Unabridged e-audiobook, ~6 hours. Read by Christopher Carley, Michael Crouch, Nick Walther, Ramon De Ocampo, Tom Picasso, and Mark Sanderlin.

Recorded Books, June, 2022. (Review of e-audio borrowed from public library.)

Happy Monday TMS! I hope you had a blast this weekend and got outdoors in the gorgeous weather! I also hope you got a glimpse of the Hunter's Moon which rose on Saturday night.

Middle Grade Monday features The Fort by Gordon Korman. What kid doesn't dream of having a fort-a place to hang, to escape or just dream? When four best buds plus one new-comer literally stumble upon a fully-stocked underground bunker, they can't believe their luck and swear each other to secrecy as they explore their new digs and eat canned food. Suspension of belief is definitely required for this story told from multiple points of view. Each boy has an issue, whether it's fighting parents, absent parents or crippling anxiety.

The Fort is Mr. Korman's 100th book, and, while not his best, certainly starts with a terrific premise and features engaging characters. 

Middle Grade Monday and Arc Review: Fighting Words by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Image: Penguin Random House

Fighting Words by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley. 256 p. Dial Books/ Penguin Random House, August, 2020 9781984816582. (Review of arc courtesy of publisher.)

Middle Grade Monday wishes a belated happy book birthday (8/11) to Fighting Words by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley.  Fans of Ms. Bradley's The War That Saved My Life and The War I Finally Won already know they are in for an unforgettable reading experience. Ms. Bradley has a gift for rendering complex, memorable characters while also keeping the plot moving. Ada was a narrator who moved into my heart-space. Now she needs to make room for Della.

Ten-year-old Della, short for Delicious, "What was my mother thinking?" narrates this compelling, devastating and important new book. Della captivates from the very first line, "My new tattoo is covered by a Band-Aid, but halfway through recess, the Band-Aid falls off." Remember I said she's ten? She is blunt and prone to using salty language, even in the classroom and even with the principal. Suki, her sixteen-year-old sister, tries her best to protect and advise Della. Della doesn't really remember her mother, who "had the brains of a hamster" according to Suki. Della was very young when she and Suki nearly lost their lives. Their mother set their motel room on fire while cooking meth. The two ended up living with Clifton, their mom's long-haul truck driving boyfriend until something happened and now they live with Francine, their foster mother. Della eases into the bad parts slowly allowing tween readers as well as herself to process what happened. Her blunt observations are quite often laugh-out-loud funny, which helps when we get to the really tough parts. 

Della and Suki are incredibly brave and resilient. Yet even the strongest steel has a breaking point. The two are lucky to have landed with Francine, their no-nonsense but caring foster mother. The girls have been so used to fending for themselves that they are wary of Francine. But Francine knows the ropes and what to request for the girls even though Child Protective Services is slow to act. 

Children need to feel safe and loved as much as they need food and shelter. Higher levels of functioning, like learning is impossible in survival mode and both Della and Suki have learning deficits. I'd like to think that most children in the communities in which I live and work are growing up in a stable, secure home; but the reality is that even the appearance of affluence is not indicative of an environment where a child can thrive. It is a dangerous assumption. 

This story about child neglect, abuse and sexual assault will not be a comfortable read. Know that from the start. These are tough topics to broach with children. They are topics usually relegated to a YA audience. But waiting for a child to be a young adult in order to see themselves in literature and learn that such treatment is not okay, not their fault and is not a secret that should be kept, is way too late. This year has seen the release of several excellent middle grade books that deal with the topic (When You Know What I Know and Chirp). Every teacher should read them all. Indeed, every adult who works with or has a child in their life should. 

Both Della and Suki will reside in my heart for a very long time. And Francine is one fierce woman! I hope Fighting Words gets the readership it deserves. And all the awards. It has earned seven starred reviews (!) so the committees ought to be taking a look at it.

I listened to a sample of the audio book narrated by Bahni Turpin when I visited the publisher website for the cover image. I am definitely rereading this one with my ears. Ms. Turpin is an outstanding narrator and Della is a memorable character. Check out the sample by clicking on the link below the cover image above. 

Teen Tuesday and Audiobook Review: The Blackbird Girls by Anne Blankman

Image: Penguin Random House

The Blackbird Girls by Anne Blankman. unabridged e-audiobook. ~9 hours. Narrated by Kathleen Gate and Natalie Soudek. Listening Library/ Penguin Random House, March, 2020. 9780593155653. (Review of e-audiobook borrowed from public library.)

Teen Tuesday features The Blackbird Girls by Anne Blankman. This impressive debut is a historical fiction set in Ukraine and Russia in 1986. The narrative also flashes back to Ukraine during WWII. Contemporary students may or may not be aware of the Chernobyl nuclear accident that gripped the world in 1986. This story focuses on two girls, Valentina and Oksana, who are classmates and whose fathers both work at the power plant. Oksana is physically and emotionally abused by her virulently anti-Semitic father. She in turn bullies Valentina, who is Jewish. Both fathers were working at the plant when the cores melted, killing many and causing acute radiation poisoning to the rest as well as many residents of the town. Blankman vividly portrays the panic of the girls and their mothers as they try to find out the condition of their fathers/ husbands. 

The Russian government tried to cover up/ downplay the disaster. The girls and Valentina's mother attempt to travel by train to Leningrad, Russia but government imposed travel restrictions allow only two tickets. So the girls end up traveling by themselves to the city of Leningrad, where the grandmother Valentina never met will care for them until they can be reunited with their mothers. 

This character-driven story is intricate and layered as well as heartbreaking and infuriating. The flashbacks to WWII were interesting though a bit puzzling until the end. Descriptions of the meltdown aftereffects were incredibly vivid. Actually, many scenes were intensely vivid and evocative. My dislike for Oksana turned to pity as her story unfolded. There is just so much to love about this novel. The new-to-me narrators' performances were perfectly paced. 

I placed this in a "Teen Tuesday" post due to the sophisticated structure and intense themes, though any reader from fifth through eighth grade might appreciate the story. The Blackbird Girls is a wonderful addition to any collection. 

Middle Grade Monday and Arc Review: Leaving Lymon by Lesa Cline-Ransome

Image: Holiday House

Leaving Lymon by Lesa Cline-Ransome. 208 p. Holiday House, January, 2020. 9780823444427. (Review of arc courtesy of publisher ALAMW)

Middle Grade Monday features Leaving Lymon by Lesa Cline-Ransome. This historical fiction is a companion to Cline-Ransome's Coretta Scott King Honor winning, Finding Langston. It is Langston's bully, Lymon's story. You need not have read Finding Langston to enjoy Leaving Lymon. The story begins in Mississippi in 1938, where Lymon lives with his paternal grandparents, Grandpops and Ma. His father is in prison and his mother lives in Chicago. Lymon misses his father but adores his Grandpops who teaches him to play blues guitar. When Grandpops dies, Lymon moves to Milwaukee with Ma to live with his aunt and her family. His father is released from prison, but unable to settle down to care for Lymon, instead chooses to pursue his dream of being a musician. Then Ma falls seriously ill and Lymon is sent to live in Chicago with his mother and her husband, who beats Lymon and keeps the money Lymon's aunt sends. 

While there is sadness and struggle in Lymon's younger life, he is surrounded by love and warmth. Unfortunately, Lymon's well-being become less secure with each complication leading readers to ache for him. Lymon's voice is matter-of-fact, almost resigned. The writing is spare and lovely. Each setting is vivid and characters are well-developed. Readers need not have read Finding Langston to enjoy Leaving Lymon but both are important works of historical fiction that are not to be missed. 

Teen Tuesday and Audiobook Review: Monday's Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson

Image: HarperCollins

Monday's Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson. Unabridged e-audiobook, ~10 hours. Read by Imani Parks. HarperAudio, May, 2018. q. (Review of e-audiobook borrowed from public library.)

Teen Tuesday features Monday's Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson. This unnerving mystery portrays the lengths to which a best friend will go to get a straight answer. When Claudia returns home from her annual summer visit with her grandmother to start eighth grade, she's anxious to reconnect with Monday, who hasn't been answering her phone. The two besties are like sisters who insulate themselves to protect them from bullies at school and Monday's scary mother. But Monday doesn't answer her phone. Nor does she show up at school and Monday never misses school. When Claudia investigates, she receives conflicting stories. Her parents suggest that perhaps the friendship is over, but Claudia knows something is terribly wrong. The first-person account zig-zags, leaving the reader disoriented as Claudia discovers why Monday's not coming.

Taut writing and a fascinating community of characters keep the reader engaged and reluctant to do anything but rush to the end. The inner city social and economic dynamics are vividly portrayed as are the social skirmishes and pecking order of high school. Imani Parks delivers a performance equal to the writing. 

Monday's Not Coming is a resonant, powerful book that will stick with the reader for a long time. Highly recommended!

Fact Friday: Free Lunch by Rex Ogle

Image: Norton Young Readers

Free Lunch by Rex Ogle. 208 p. Norton Young Readers/ W.W. Norton & Company, September 10, 2019. 9781324003601. (Review of arc courtesy of publisher.)

Happy book birthday next week to Free Lunch!

Fact Friday features Free Lunch by Rex Ogle. This debut is Ogle's memoir of his sixth grade year. Eleven-year-old Rex likes school. It gets him away from his mom and her boyfriend who have explosive fights and tend to discipline Rex with their fists. He is especially looking forward to starting sixth grade. All that changes when his mother announces that Rex is now on the "free lunch" program. He can take the stares his Good Will clothing elicits, but the daily humiliation of announcing to the cafeteria cashier, who is hard of hearing, that he's getting a free lunch infuriates him. Then, his friends drift away because Rex's mom won't sign the permission slip allowing him to try out for football. They all make the team, leaving him the odd guy out. On top of all that, his language arts teacher seems to hate him. He doesn't want to act out but he's sick of being poor and he's afraid of the instability at home. 

Back matter consists of an author's note, an author Q & A, a discussion guide as well as a writing guide(!) and resources for families in crisis. 

Rex's voice is instantly relatable. His home life is horrific and yet, there are flashes of normalcy and even love. How Rex can even learn while dealing with the chaos is testament to his strength.  Moments of humor and Rex's obvious love for his baby brother ease the tension. This powerful memoir depicts a family in crisis, one resilient child and is unforgetable. Free Lunch belongs in every school, classroom and public library.