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!

Middle Grade Monday and Audiobook Review: Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky

Image: Disney/ Hyperion

Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia. Tristan Strong series #1. Unabridged e-audiobook, ~11 hours. Read by Amir Abdullah. Listening Library, October, 2019. 9780593149584. (Review of downloadable e-audiobook borrowed from public library. Own hardcover copy.)

Middle Grade Monday features Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia. This terrific debut is a mythology-based fantasy that centers around thirteen-year-old Tristan Strong, an up and coming boxer in Chicago. He has just lost his very first bout much to the disappointment of his father and grandfather who expect him to continue their legacy. He's also grieving the death of his best friend, Eddie and treasures the notebook where Eddie wrote down the stories his grandmother told. 

While visiting his grandparents in Alabama, that journal is stolen by a ten-inch, sap-covered, sassy doll named Gum Baby. When Tristan tries to catch her, he punches a tree in fury. Turns out it's a magical tree on the farm and he and Gum Baby end up in another world. Unfortunately, evil from our world follows them in as well. Some of the residents of Alke may be familiar to readers, John Henry, Brer Rabbit and Brer Fox. But the others are gods and goddesses of West African mythology, such as Anansi. 

New-to-me narrator Amir Abdullah paced his performance well and he mastered quite a few distinct voices. Looking forward to seeking out more audiobooks narrated by him as well as the next book in the Tristan Strong series.

If you enjoyed Rick Riordan's myth-based adventures, you will love Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky! It's the first book of a planned series, so get on board!

2019 Debuts

January (0)

February (0)

March (1)
1. The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman (3/30)*

April (0/1)

May (0/1)

June (1/2)
2. Field Guide to the North American Teenager by Ben Philippe (6/9)*

July (1/3)
3. The Grief Keeper by Alexandra Villasante (7/29)

August (8/11)
4. Bouncing Back by Scott Ostler (8/1)
5. Technically, You Started It by Lana Wood Johnson (8/8)
6. How It Feels to Float by Helena Fox (8/14)*
7. Queen of the Sea by Dylan Meconis (8/26)*
8. Roll with It by Jamie Sumner (8/27)*
9. The Boy at the Back of the Class by Onjali Q. Rauf (8/29)
10. Free Lunch by Rex Ogle (8/30)*
11. Dear Sweet Pea by Julie Murphy (MG debut)(8/30)*

September (2/13)
12. Ziggy, Stardust and Me by James Brandon (9/1)*
13. White Rose by Kip Wilson (9/27)

October (2/15)
14. Pet by Akwaeke Emezi (10/25)*
15. How High the Moon by Karyn Parsons (10/30)

November (1/16)
16. I'm Not Dying with You Tonight by Kimberly Jones and Gilly Segal (11/10)

December (1/17)
17. Opposite of Always by Justin A. Reynolds (12/16)

Teen Tuesday and Audiobook Review: I'm Not Dying with You Tonight by Gilly Segal and Kimberly Jones

Image: Sourcebooks

I'm Not Dying with You Tonight by Gilly Segal and Kimberly Jones. Unabridged downloadable e-audiobook, ~5 hours. Read by Brittany Presley and Channie Waites. Recorded Books, September, 2019. (Review of e-audiobook borrowed from public library.)

Teen Tuesday features I'm Not Dying with You Tonight by Gillie Segal and Kimberly Jones. This dual narrative is a taut, present tense narrative of one scary night that started at a high school football game, then ended on the streets of Atlanta. Two senior girls are thrown together after a racial slur prompts a fist-fight, which devolves into chaos once the police arrive. Lena is a confident alpha girl with a strong sense of fashion and Campbell is newly arrived at the school and just trying to get through senior year unnoticed. The two girls from very different backgrounds, one white, one black, must rely on each other to survive the night of rioting.

If the sequence of events seem a tad improbable, the quibble is soon lost in the intensity of the interaction between the two main characters. The authors vividly describe the chaos danger of the fighting, riots and looting. Also timely are the assumptions each girl has about the other. This fast, compelling read should spark conversations about race relations and  white privilege.

The pacing and performances of both narrators were pitch perfect, adding to the suspense of the story.

Teen Tuesday: White Rose by Kip Wilson

Image: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

White Rose by Kip Wilson. 358 p. Versify/ Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, April, 2019. 9781328594433. Review of purchased finished copy.)

During Hitler's rise to power, Sophie Scholl, like most young Germans, joined the Hitler Youth. Her older brothers eventually joined the German Army. Her boyfriend was also enlisted in the army. Instead of blindly following Hitler's edicts, Sophie and her brothers soon realized that Hitler's tactics were unconscionable. They believed that they were complicit by staying silent, but protesting was treasonous. Sophie and her brothers procured a copy machine and were soon printing and distributing anti-propaganda fliers that called out Hitler.

The verse novel flashes backward and forward and is told mostly from Sophie's POV. The spare yet often searing free-verse poems compel and the tension ratchets up with each page turn. Sophie's fear is palpable but so is her resolve, which should prompt most readers into reflecting about what they would do in a similar situation. 

I haven't had tremendous success book talking Russell Freedman's astounding, We Will Not be Silent: the White Rose Student Resistance Movement. Reading White Rose might be a way into the work of non-fiction. 

White Rose is a remarkable debut. It belongs in every public, school and classroom library!

Middle Grade Monday and Arc Review: The Okay Witch by Emma Steinkellner

Image: Simon & Schuster

The Okay Witch by Emma Steinkellner. 272 p. Aladdin/ Simon & Schuster, September, 2019. 9781534431454. (Review of arc courtesy of publisher.)

Middle Grade Monday features a debut graphic novel, The Okay Witch by Emma Steinkellner. Moth Hush doesn't fit in at school. Her single-mother is silent about her father or any other family. It has always been just the two of them. But when Moth suddenly comes into her magic while being bullied on Halloween, her mother reveals that she comes from a long line of witches dating back to Colonial Salem. Moth's grandmother fled into a portal to live under the protection of Hecate but Moth's mother decided to leave. She forbids Moth from practicing magic but Moss finds her diary. With the help of a talking black cat, begins training herself. What could go wrong? 

This graphic novel coming-of-age story is quite relatable even if you don't have magical powers. Inventive and engaging. The story is unique with compelling characters. The arc's art was in black and white but samples show lush coloring. 

Teen Tuesday: Ziggy, Stardust and Me by James Brandon

Image: Penguin Random House

Ziggy, Stardust and Me by James Brandon. 368 p. G.P. Putnam's Sons/ Penguin Young Readers Group, August, 2019. 9780525517641. (Review of finished book borrowed from public library.)

Teen Tuesday features Ziggy, Stardust and Me by James Brandon. Brandon's debut is a historical fiction set in 1973 during the Watergate hearings, when Americans are still fighting in Vietnam and homosexuality is considered to be a mental illness. Sixteen-year-old Jonathan Collins lives a sad and lonely life at home and at school. He's bullied at school, his alcoholic father is distant; he misses his mother terribly and he's also missing his best and only friend, Starla, who is away demonstrating agains the war. His only refuge is a small crawlspace beyond his closet where he retreats to write, commune with his hero, Ziggy Stardust and occasionally talk to his mother and other dead relatives. When new kid, Web enters his life, Jonathan is thunderstruck. Web is everything Jonathan is not, fearless, comfortable in his own skin and, impossibly, Web seems to like Jonathan!

This coming-of-age novel vividly evokes the tumult of 1973 as well as Jonathan's journey to self-acceptance in his first-person, stream-of-consciousness narration. I will admit that it took me a while to feel comfortable with it. I kept stopping to reread because I felt I missed something. Once I settled, the book was hard to put down. Jonathan's story is painfully compelling. Thankfully, there were lighter moments to ease the tension. 

I was sorry to be reading a library copy because there were quite a few passages of absolutely gorgeous writing I would've highlighted to savor later. I also adored the voice and may check to see if there are plans for an audiobook. This is one I would definitely reread. Mature teen readers are in for quite a bit of discomfort as Jonathan's journey unfolds. Jonathan and Web are two characters who will leave an indelible mark on your heart. An author's note at the end helpfully provides historical context and more information.

Ziggy, Stardust and Me is the book for you if you love historical fiction, romance and David Bowie. Impressive debut. I look forward to reading more from James Brandon.

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. 

Middle Grade Monday: Queen of the Sea by Dylan Meconis

Image: Candlewick Press

Queen of the Sea by Dylan Meconis. 400 p. Walker Books/ Candlewick Press, June, 2019. 9781536204988. (Review of finished purchased copy.)

Happy Labor Day Monday, TMS Readers! Today is my last day of summer vacation. I plan on finishing my 91st book today. If it rains, I might be able to squeeze in a 92nd.

Middle Grade Monday features a gorgeous MG graphic novel debut called Queen of the Sea, written and illustrated by Dylan Meconis. This rich and atmospheric tale takes place on a tiny island off the coast of Albion and is told by Margaret, an orphan, who is being raised by the nuns who live on the island. It's a work of fiction, but loosely based on the story of young Queen Elizabeth I. 

We learn of life on the wind-swept, mostly barren island. The inhabitants work hard and have contact with the outside world only twice a year, when a supply ship arrives. Occasionally, the ships arrive with new residents, as in the case of William and his mother; and, later, an unexpected ship with the arrival of a mysterious "prisoner." 

The art is luscious—pen and ink and earth toned watercolor. The paper is creamy and the book has some heft. There's a lot of dialogue to follow, which might require some rereading. Queen of the Sea is a thoughtful, suspenseful yet humorous tale that will stretch your graphic novel wings. Hand Queen of the Sea to your graphic novel fans as well as fans of historical fiction. Highly recommended! It's also getting a bit of well-deserved Newbery buzz.

Teen Tuesday and Audiobook Review: Technically, You Started It by Lana Wood Johnson

Technically, You Started It by Lana Wood Johnson. Unabridged e-audiobook. ~5 hours. Narrated by Katie Koster and Christian Barillas. Scholastic Audio, June, 2019. (Review of e-audiobook borrowed from public library. Finished copy courtesy of publisher.)

When I opened the hard cover of this epistolary novel, my heart sank a bit to find that it is told entirely in text messages. I don't love texting irl and my digital-immigrant eyes have trouble following long strings of text. Still, the premise intrigued. Luckily, I found it while browsing new e-audio additions in Libby. It was delivered to my phone after a brief hold. I found it quite entertaining. 

High school senior, Haley receives a text from a classmate in her AP history class regarding an upcoming assignment. He identifies himself as Martin Nathaniel Munroe II. The only problem is that there are two Martin Nathaniel Munroe IIs in her class and she hates one of them. Believing she is talking to the one she doesn't hate, Haley answers his question. He responds and the two begin to banter. Soon the bantering turns into full-fledged honest conversations as the two open up. Is it time to meet irl?

This was kind of fun. It was like eavesdropping. The challenge of the text format is that the only clues we have to these characters are what they say type to each other. There is no interior dialogue, no setting, and few extra characters weighing in to add dimension. All have is two smart teens getting to know each other in all its messy glory. 

Another challenge when texting or reading texts is the absence of emotional clues. Sure, we have emoticons, of which I am not fluent; but it can become tricky. The performance of these two new-to-me narrators helped with that. Haley was snarky and anxious and often hilarious. Martin was earnest. But then, perhaps the audio turned the book into a series of phone conversations? 

Either way, Technically, You Started It was an amusing experiment. I'm eager to book talk it when we return to school. I think my teens will love it. Not sure I'd jump into another text-only novel very soon, but interested in reading more from this debut author. 

Audiobook Review: How It Feels to Float by Helena Fox

Image: Penguin Random House

How It Feels to Float by Helena Fox. Unabridged e-audiobook, ~10 hours. Read by Candace Moll. Listening Library/ Penguin Random House, May, 2019. 9781984885562. (Review of e-audio borrowed from public library. Arc courtesy of publisher.)

Seventeen-year-old Biz has a close relationship with her dad. She loves it when he sits at the foot of her bed and tells her stories about when she was born and her early childhood. The problem is that Biz's father died when she was seven. She lives with her mum and six-year-old twin brother and sister in Wollongong, Australia. 

She's indifferent about school. She has a best friend in Grace, whom she kissed, but Grace doesn't "like her like that." The two are nominally part of "The Posse," but more orbiting than central. There's a new boy named Jasper whom Biz finds intriguing though he doesn't seem to like her much. But then, he rescues her from the sea when she ventures out too far one night while partying in the dunes with her posse. 

Later, there is an incident in the dunes involving Tim, and Biz and Grace find themselves ostracized. Grace and Biz make some questionable choices and Grace is packed off to live far away with her father. The worst part is that Biz's dad stops visiting. So she goes in search of him. She thinks that if she visits the places where he was happy, she will find him.

I failed absolutely in my attempt to summarize this utterly devastating yet beautiful debut! How It Feels to Float is one of the best books depicting grief and mental illness I have ever read. Knock, knock! Morris Committee, Printz Committee? Are you listening? Oh, and Odyssey Committee! The audiobook is astounding. Candace Moll's performance is pitch perfect. 

Biz charms and compels from the start, but as the reader is drawn in, cracks begin in her facade and one begins to wonder if this is a work of magical realism. Then one wonders what is real besides her dad's ghost. Make no mistake, this is a harrowing read. Biz lives with a loving family, her siblings adore her and her mother is involved; but even she can't discern the depth of Biz's mental illness. She makes increasingly dangerous choices in her desperate quest to find her father. My heart was in my throat for much of the book. The resolution was hopefully realistic. No neat tidying up here. 

How It Feels to Float should be on everyone's to-read list. It's themes are a bit mature for my crowd at middle school, but it is a first-purchase for all high school and YA library collections. 

Teen Tuesday and Arc Review: Frankly in Love by David Yoon

Image: Penguin

Frankly in Love by David Yoon. 408 p.G.p. Putnam's Sons/ Penguin Young Readers Group, September 10, 2019. 9781984812209. (Review of arc courtesy of publisher.)

Teen Tuesday features another fantastic book whose audience is older teens. Frankly in Love is David Yoon's debut novel and due out on September 10. Frank Li was born and raised in Southern California and is about to begin his senior year of high school. He was given a Korean name,  Sung-Min, which no one ever uses, not even his parents. His parents own "the store" in a mostly Black and Hispanic neighborhood. They work 365 days a year and have all Frank and his older sister, Hannah's lives. They do this so that their children will attend a prestigious college. Hannah went to Harvard and then went to law school, where she met the love of her life. The only problem was that Miles wasn't Korean and now Hannah is disowned. When nerdy Frank falls in love with Brit Means, a classmate from calculus class, he knows he can't bring her home. She's not Korean either. Joy, a family friend, is also hiding her relationship with a boy who is not Korean. The two concoct a plan - they will pretend date each other without either their parents or significant others knowing. Yeah.


I fell in love with the voice on page one. This first-person novel is wry, whip-smart, hilarious, and poignant. The diverse cast of characters brim with life. Issues of family, identity, culture, classism, racism, micro-aggressions, and duty are hashed out intelligently, offering no easy answers. 

You will laugh, sometimes out loud and hysterically. You will cry as well. This brilliant book is about high school seniors doing what high school seniors do - stressing about SATs and college apps, dating, crushing, cursing, and drinking or choosing not to drink. Frankly in Love is more suitable for former TMS students who have begun their own high school-to-college journey. 

The book has been heavily hyped and the hype is real. I can pick up my arc and open it anywhere and just fall back into Frank's world with ease and stay awhile. This is also one for the "reread with my ears" list. Frankly in Love leads my "Favorites of 2019" list and I expect it to receive tons of awards come awards season - Morris Award, Printz Award, National Book Award... Additionally, I believe it has already been optioned for film. And, that cover! Doesn't that cover just pop?

Friday Memes: The Grief Keeper by Alexandra Villasante

Book Beginnings is hosted by Rose City Reader and Friday 56 is hosted by Freda's Voice.

Image: G.P. Putnam's Sons/ Penguin

The Grief Keeper by Alexandra Villasante. 306 p. G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers / Penguin Young Readers Group, June, 2019. 9780525514022.

Publisher synopsis: This stunning YA debut is a timely and heartfelt speculative narrative about healing, faith, and freedom.

Seventeen-year-old Marisol has always dreamed of being American, learning what Americans and the US are like from television and Mrs. Rosen, an elderly expat who had employed Marisol’s mother as a maid. When she pictured an American life for herself, she dreamed of a life like Aimee and Amber’s, the title characters of her favorite American TV show. She never pictured fleeing her home in El Salvador under threat of death and stealing across the US border as “an illegal”, but after her brother is murdered and her younger sister, Gabi’s, life is also placed in equal jeopardy, she has no choice, especially because she knows everything is her fault. If she had never fallen for the charms of a beautiful girl named Liliana, Pablo might still be alive, her mother wouldn’t be in hiding and she and Gabi wouldn’t have been caught crossing the border.

But they have been caught and their asylum request will most certainly be denied. With truly no options remaining, Marisol jumps at an unusual opportunity to stay in the United States. She’s asked to become a grief keeper, taking the grief of another into her own body to save a life. It’s a risky, experimental study, but if it means Marisol can keep her sister safe, she will risk anything. She just never imagined one of the risks would be falling in love, a love that may even be powerful enough to finally help her face her own crushing grief.

The Grief Keeper is a tender tale that explores the heartbreak and consequences of when both love and human beings are branded illegal.

First Lines: We believe in luck. The good kind and the cruel. The kind that graces and cripples. The kind that doesn't care what you deserve.

Page 56: ..."While you sister did very well today and is generally healthy, she's a bit anemic."

     "What's that mean?" Gabi asks, her mouth full of ice cream.

     "It means that Marisol wasn't eating as well as she should have been."

     "That's because she gave me most of the food," Gabi says.
     
      I push my empty bowl away. "No, I didn't. I just wasn't hungry."

    Gabi uses her spoon to make her points...

Middle Grade Monday and Audiobook Review: The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman

The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman. Unabridged downloadable e-audiobook, ~4 hours. Read by the author. Listening Library/ Penguin Random House/ February, 2019. 9781984845108. (Review of e-audiobook downloaded from public library. Own hardcover.)

Middle Grade Monday features The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman. This first-person novel takes place in Chennai, India and is written as a series of letters from Vigi to her sister, Rukku. When their abusive father turns his anger on Rukku, who is developmentally disabled, and slaps her, Vigi gathers some food and a few belongings and runs away with her sister. There are very few prospects for the girls in the streets of Chennai and many dangers. Luckily, they fall in with two boys who are willing to share their space under an abandoned bridge and show them how to garbage pick. The four form a close-knit family until disaster strikes.

Readers will ache for these children from the start and quickly become invested in their story. This slim novel packs a punch. It's quite an impressive debut! I expect it will grace a number of year-end best lists and be discussed in a variety of committees. 

The author's performance was understated, perfectly paced  and absolutely lovely. Both the book and audio belong in every library.