Happy Thursday! We've had such a run of glorious weather! I hope you're all getting outside to enjoy it.
The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano was published in 2013. It was Ms. Serrano's debut novel and was named a Pura Belpré Honor Book.
Reviews and ramblings about children's and young adult literature by an absentminded middle school librarian. I keep my blog to remember what I've read and to celebrate the wonderful world of children's and young adult literature.
Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan. 304 p. Scholastic Inc., March, 2000.
Happy Thursday! #tbt features Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan. This work of historical fiction was inspired by the author's grandmother's immigration experience during the Great Depression.
Esperanza lives with her parents and grandmother on a ranch in Mexico. She's about to turn thirteen and wants for nothing. All that changes when her father is murdered and her uncle claims that Esperanza's mother cannot inherit and run the ranch. When Esperanza's mother refuses his proposal of marriage, he threatens her and shortly afterward, the ranch burns to the ground, injuring Esperanza's grandmother. The only option is for the family to flee Mexico to California along with other Mexicans seeking a better life in the U.S.
Esperanza does not adapt well to the changes in her circumstances and is quick to judge those she deems are beneath her. Life is hard in California and Esperanza desperately wishes her grandmother could join them. But how can that happen with her uncle discovering their whereabouts?
Esperanza Rising won the Jane Addams Award as well as the Pura Belpré Award.
"Stacking the Shelves" was a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews. It seems the blog is gone though, so I will just continue to post a "What's New? post whenever I receive new books.
For Review: Nothing!
Purchased: I finally spent down some of those AZ gift cards!
Spy School Revolution by Stuart Gibbs. 384 p. Spy School #8. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, August, 2021. 9781534443792.
Publisher synopsis: In the eighth book in the New York Times bestselling Spy School series, Ben Ripley faces the Croatoan—a new evil organization that’s so mysterious, the only proof it exists is from the American Revolution.
With SPYDER defeated, Ben Ripley is looking forward to his life getting back to normal, or as normal as possible when you’re a superspy in training. Until someone bombs the CIA conference room next door. To Ben’s astonishment, the attacker is none other than Erica Hale, the spy-in-training he respects more than any other.
His mission: prove Erica is not a double agent working against the US, locate the fabled colonial-era insurgent group that’s blackmailing her, figure out what their devious plot is, and thwart it.
But this time, Ben finds himself up against opponents he has never encountered before: his own friends. How can he succeed when he doesn’t even know who he can trust?
This and the one below are going straight to school. I've only read the first Spy School book. It really is a series I do not need to keep up with because it sells itself.
Spy School at Sea by Stuart Gibbs. 352 p. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, August, 2021. 9781534479432.
Publisher synopsis: In the ninth and latest addition to the New York Times bestselling Spy School series, Ben Ripley faces his nemesis, Murray Hill, on the high seas.
Thanks to the evidence Ben uncovered in his investigation of the Croatoan, the CIA has tracked his nemesis, Murray Hill, to Central America, where they believe he is boarding the world’s biggest cruise ship, The Emperor of the Seas, on its maiden voyage around the world.
His mission: Pose as part of a family, with Alexander and Catherine Hale as his parents, Erica as his sister, and his best friend Mike as his brother, to find out what Murray is plotting.
At first, it sounds exciting to have a mission on the most glamorous ocean liner on earth, but as usual, nothing goes according to plan. There is action, danger, and plenty of surprises as Ben and his team quickly find themselves in hot water.
Paradise on Fire by Jewell Parker Rhodes. Illustrated by Serena Malyon. 256 p. September 14, 2021. 9780316493833.
Publisher synopsis: From award-winning and bestselling author Jewell Parker Rhodes comes a powerful coming-of-age survival tale exploring issues of race, class, and climate change.
Addy is haunted by the tragic fire that killed her parents, leaving her to be raised by her grandmother. Now, years later, Addy’s grandmother has enrolled her in a summer wilderness program. There, Addy joins five other Black city kids—each with their own troubles—to spend a summer out west.
Deep in the forest the kids learn new (and to them) strange skills: camping, hiking, rock climbing, and how to start and safely put out campfires. Most important, they learn to depend upon each other for companionship and survival.
But then comes a devastating forest fire…
Addy is face-to-face with her destiny and haunting past. Developing her courage and resiliency against the raging fire, it’s up to Addy to lead her friends to safety. Not all are saved. But remembering her origins and grandmother’s teachings, she’s able to use street smarts, wilderness skills, and her spiritual intuition to survive.
Hazel Bly and the Deep Blue Sea by Ashley Herring Blake. 352 p. May, 2021. 9780316535458.
Publisher synopsis: Hazel Bly used to live in the perfect house with the perfect family in sunny California. But when a kayaking trip goes horribly wrong, Mum is suddenly gone forever and Hazel is left with crippling anxiety and a jagged scar on her face. After Mum's death, Hazel, her other mother, Mama, and her little sister, Peach, needed a fresh start. So for the last two years, the Bly girls have lived all over the country, never settling anywhere for more than a few months.
When the family arrives in Rose Harbor, Maine, there's a wildness to the small town that feels like magic. But when Mama runs into an old childhood friend—Claire—suddenly Hazel's tight-knit world is infiltrated. To make it worse, she has a daughter Hazel's age, Lemon, who can't stop rambling on and on about the Rose Maid, a local 150-year-old mermaid myth.
Soon, Hazel finds herself just as obsessed with the Rose Maid as Lemon is—because what if magic were real? What if grief really could change you so much, you weren't even yourself anymore? And what if instead you emerged from the darkness stronger than before?
What was in your mailbox this week?
Mexican Whiteboy by Matt de la Peña. 256 p. Delacorte Press/ Random House Children's Books, August, 2008. 9780385733106. (Own)
Happy Thursday. #tbt features Mexican Whiteboy by Matt de la Peña. Biracial and sixteen, Danny feels like he doesn't fit in. His dad is gone and he's too dark for his white relatives and the kids at his prep school and too white for his Mexican relatives who live in National City. Add to that, the fact that he doesn't speak Spanish and while he's an ace pitcher, he's losing control of his game. Something's got to give. So his mother sends Danny to spend the summer between his junior and senior years with his father's extended family in National City.Playing the Cards You're Dealt by Varian Johnson. 320 p. Scholastic Press/ Scholastic Inc., October 5, 2021. 9781338348538. (Review of arc courtesy of publisher.)
Happy Monday! I hope you enjoyed the beautiful weather we had this weekend. I took Boo on some long walks down by the reservoir. I also did some garden clean-up and laundry.
Middle Grade Monday features Playing the Cards You're Dealt by Varian Johnson. Ten-year-old Anthony Arnold Joplin, Ant for short, but please don't call him short, even though he is, is super-excited about the upcoming Spades tournament. He needs to live down his poor showing last year and live up to the Joplin name, as his brother won two years in a row and he wants to make his father and grandfather proud. His best friend and Spades partner, Jamal has been a bit on edge, quick with the trash talk and distant. When Jamal viciously teases Ant about his height in front of Shirley, the new girl at school, Ant starts to question their friendship. Then, it turns out, Shirley is an ace Spades player! And, she's cute too! Ant's friendship troubles aren't the only thing bugging him. His dad has been acting a bit weird lately.
This story features a winning main character, terrific secondary characters and lots of humor and depth. I should've finished this terrific novel a lot sooner, but school started and ate up my energy. I just loved this one. I am terrible at cards and still have no idea how to play Spades, but I adored Ant's devotion to the game through the family dynamics and the middle school dialogue were all spot-on. Ant is such an appealing main character. Growing up is hard and Varian Johnson depicts this with so much respect and authenticity.
Playing the Cards You're Dealt is due out on October 5. You can sample some of Mr. Johnson's other books, including The Parker Inheritance, which won a Coretta Scott King Honor and his debut graphic novel,Twins while you wait.
"Stacking the Shelves" was a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews. It seems the blog is gone though, so I will just continue to post a "What's New? post whenever I receive new books.
For Review:
Maybe... by Chris Haughton. Unpgd. Candlewick Press, September 2021. 9781526320247.
Publisher synopsis: Three little monkeys and their big monkey are sitting high on a branch in the forest canopy. “OK, monkeys! I’m off," says the big monkey. “Remember . . . Whatever you do, do NOT go down to the mango tree. There are tigers down there.” Mmm . . . mangoes! think the little monkeys. They LOVE mangoes. Hmm . . . Maybe . . . maybe they could just look at the mangoes. That would be OK, right? With vivid colors, bold shapes, and his trademark visual humor, Chris Haughton is back with a deliciously suspenseful cautionary tale about pushing boundaries—and indulging your more impish side (when nobody is looking).
A trio of misbehaving, mango-loving monkeys have a close call as the creator of Don’t Worry, Little Crab gives readers a taste of vicarious mischief.
Ducks Overboard: a True Story of Plastic in Our Oceans by Markus Motum.
Publisher synopsis: If a shipping container filled with 28,000 plastic ducks spilled into the Pacific Ocean, where would all those ducks go? Inspired by a real incident, this captivating and innovative look at the pollution crisis in our oceans follows one of the ducks as it is washed away on ocean currents, encountering plastic-endangered whales and sea turtles and passing through the giant floating island of marine debris known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. From the author-illustrator of the acclaimed Curiosity: The Story of a Mars Rover comes a highly accessible and graphically stylish picture book with an ultimately hopeful message about environmental issues and the state of our oceans. An end map documents the widely scattered journey of the real-life plastic ducks, showing where they have been found, as well as facts about the ways plastic is affecting various parts of the world.
Eco facts come to light as a plastic duck narrates this beautifully illustrated true story of thousands of bath toys that were lost at sea and swept to the four corners of the Pacific.
The Girl Who Could Fix Anything: Beatrice Shilling, World War II Engineer by Mara Rockliff. Illustrated by Daniel Duncan. unpaged. Candlewick Press, September 28, 2021. 9781536212525.
Publisher synopsis: Beatrice Shilling wasn’t quite like other children. She could make anything. She could fix anything. And when she took a thing apart, she put it back together better than before.
When Beatrice left home to study engineering, she knew that as a girl she wouldn’t be quite like the other engineers—and she wasn’t. She was better. Still, it took hard work and perseverance to persuade the Royal Aircraft Establishment to give her a chance. But when World War II broke out and British fighter pilots took to the skies in a desperate struggle for survival against Hitler’s bombers, it was clearly time for new ideas. Could Beatrice solve an engine puzzle and help Britain win the war? American author Mara Rockliff and British illustrator Daniel Duncan team up for a fresh look at a turning point in modern history—and the role of a remarkable woman whose ingenuity, persistence, and way with a wrench (or spanner) made her quite unlike anyone else. An author’s note and a list of selective sources provide additional information for curious readers.
This true story of a woman whose brilliance and mechanical expertise helped Britain win World War II is sure to inspire STEM readers and fans of amazing women in history.
Publisher synopsis: New York Times best-selling author Alan Lightman, in collaboration with Olga Pastuchiv, brings galaxies close in a stunning picture-book tribute to the interconnectedness of the natural world. Layering photographs taken from the Hubble telescope into charming and expressive art, illustrator Susanna Chapman zooms in on one child’s experiences: Ada knows that the best place for star-gazing is on the island in Maine where she vacations with her grandparents. By day, she tracks osprey in the trees, paddles a kayak, and hunts for shells. But she’s most in her element when the sun goes down and the stars blink to life. Will the fog this year foil her plans, or will her grandfather find a way to shine a spotlight on the vast puzzle of the universe . . . until the weather turns?
Stargazers rejoice! In his first book for children, renowned physicist Alan Lightman and collaborators, with help from the Hubble telescope, light up the night sky.
When We Say Black Lives Matter by Maxine Beneba Clarke. unpgd. Candlewick Press, September, 2021. 9781536222388.
Publishers synopsis:
Little one, when we say Black Lives Matter,
we’re saying Black people are wonderful-strong.
That we deserve to be treated with basic respect,
and that history’s done us wrong. . . .
Darling, when we sing that Black Lives Matter,
and we’re dancing through the streets,
we’re saying: fear will not destroy our joy,
defiance in our feet.
In this joyful exploration of the Black Lives Matter motto, a loving narrator relays to a young Black child the strength and resonance behind the words. In family life, through school and beyond, the refrains echo and gain in power, among vignettes of protests and scenes of ancestors creating music on djembe drums. With deeply saturated illustrations rendered in jewel tones, Maxine Beneba Clarke offers a gorgeous, moving, and essential picture book.
In a powerful, poetic missive, award-winning author-illustrator Maxine Beneba Clarke celebrates the meaning behind the words Black Lives Matter.
Purchased: Nothing!
What was in your mailbox this week?
Once Upon a Camel by Kathi Appelt. Illustrated by Eric Rohmann. 326 p. A Caitlyn Dlouhy Book/ Atheneum Books for Young Readers/ Simon & Schuster, September 7, 2021. 9781534406438. (Review of arc courtesy of Blue Slip Media.)
Zada is an elderly camel who lives in the desert in Texas with her found family headed by kestrels, Pardo and Perlita. She's awakened abruptly one morning by a hysterical Perlita babbling about an approaching mountain. Turns out, that mountain is a dust storm, a haboob (Yes, I had to look that up), and it's heading toward the cottonwood tree the family have made their home. What's more, Pardo and Perlita have two unfledged chicks in their nest that need protecting!
The frantic kestrel parents entrust the care of Beulah and Wims to Zada before they are blown upwards into the windstorm. The two chicks nestle down into the hair on top of Zada's head and the trio sets off to the Mission. While Zada has made the trip to the mission many times, never has she done so in the middle of a windstorm and never on such achy legs and certainly not with two fidgety chicks balanced on her head! But she is an honorable camel and a fine auntie and will not Pardo and Perlita down. But what to do to keep Wims and Beulah occupied? She tells them stories.
This is when the narrative flashes back from 1910, West Texas to Smyrna, Turkey in 1850. Do the math, Zada is old! Together with Asiye, Zada was born into the Pasha's racing stables and are destined to race for him. Under the tutelage of gentle Teodor, the two camel best friends thrive and strive to be their very fastest in service of the Pasha. How then, does Zada end up in America? You'll need to read this luscious, atmospheric story-within-a-story to find out.
And, did you notice in the publication information up top that the book was illustrated by Eric Rohmann? This was the whipped cream and cherry on top of your favorite sundae! Here's a photo of one particularly arresting bit of art among many:
Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World by Benjamin Alire Sáenz. 528 p. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, October 12, 2021. 9781534496194
Waiting on Wednesday features a sequel that I am looking forward to reading called Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World by Benjamin Alire Sáenz. Since this is a sequel, I don't want to give too much away, but Aristotle and Dante are two characters I absolutely adore and I can't wait to visit with them again! Check out #tbt tomorrow for info about the first book! Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World is due to release on October 12.