Middle Grade Monday: Black Boy Joy: 17 Stories Celebrating Black Boyhood edited by Kwame Mbalia

Happy Monday! I hope you enjoyed the cold, yet sparkling weekend. Everything was coated in ice on Saturday, so I didn't get my miles in. My driveway was pretty slick, so the dogs and I stayed close to home. My bird feeders were very busy all weekend with all manner of wintering birds-cardinals, bluejays, juncos, chickadees, house finches, sparrows, grackles, starlings and the occasional red-bellied woodpecker. I get a great deal of joy watching them visit. Oh, and Saturday marked six months since my husband's death. I had been anticipating it all week, but between the ice and tackling more closets, I actually forgot until son #3 called to see how I was.

Image: Penguin Random House 

Black Boy Joy: 17 Stories Celebrating Black Boyhood edited by Kwame Mbalia. 320 p. Delacorte Press/ Random House Children's Books, August, 2021. 9780593379936. (Review of finished purchased copy.) 

Middle Grade Monday features Black Boy Joy: 17 Stories Celebrating Black Boyhood edited by Kwame Mbalia.Seventeen Black male authors, including the editor contributed to this luminous story collection. Some are well-known, such as Mr. Mbalia (Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky), Jason Reynolds and Jerry Craft. Others are new-to-me. Each story was unique and entertaining. The subjects run the gamut from the first day of school to saving the universe to coming out to family to debating the best superhero.

The nice thing about reading a story collection is the variety and the fact that if a story doesn't have appeal, you can skip it. Or not. They are short enough and you never know; you might end up enjoying it. I read every one and, while I have some favorites, each one was unique. The cover illustration by the incomparable Kadir Nelson makes me smile every time I see it.

Black Boy Joy was a Washington Post Best Book of 2021, a Boston Globe Best Book, a New York Public Library Best Book, a Chicago Public Library Best Book, an Amazon Best Book and all the review journals put it on their Best Book lists. Well-deserved. This book belongs in all collections. 

Teen Tuesday and Arc Review: Polo Cowboy by G. Neri

Image: Candlewick Press

Polo Cowboy by G. Neri. Illustrated by Jesse Joshua Watson. 288 p. Candlewick Press, October, 2021. 9781536207118. (Review of arc courtesy of publisher.)

Happy Tuesday! And Happy Lunar New Year! I am looking forward to our assembly at school today. The Korean Parents' Association always puts together a wonderful, enriching experience each year. Today is the beginning of Black History Month and, though I try to feature diverse literature all year long, not just in the "designated" months, the emphasis this month will be on works by Black authors.

Teen Tuesday features Polo Cowboy by G. Neri. This is a companion/ sequel to Ghetto Cowboy, which I featured on a #tbt a while back. Cole's mom agrees to let him stay in Philadelphia with his dad. Cole's happy not to leave his horse, Boo and looking forward to spending more time riding. Harp bursts that bubble by insisting that Cole get a job grooming polo ponies at a tony military academy outside the city. Polo ponies! Now Cole needs to contend with substandard conditions at his inner-city high school and take a bus after school to groom polo ponies for rich stuck-up white boys. They are arrogant and treat Cole and one team member terribly. Ruthie is the only girl not only on the polo team, but at the military academy. She's also Black, but Cole has a hard time looking at her. While she's pretty and an excellent polo player, she has a skin condition that affects her pigmentation and makes for an easy target for her teammates. Cole is also trying to resist the lure of easy money that his cousin is offering. Cole is a cowboy through and through, but when he takes Ruthie up on her offer to teach him how to play polo, he's intrigued.

As in Ghetto Cowboy, there are beautiful black and white illustrations that enhance this compelling story of grit, determination and staying true to oneself. While the story can stand alone, I highly recommend reading both books to appreciate Cole's growth as well as the arc of his relationship with Harp. 

Picture Book Review: Interrupting Chicken: Cookies for Breakfast by David Ezra Stein

Image: Candlewick Press

Interrupting Chicken: Cookies for Breakfast by David Ezra Stein. unpgd. Candlewick Press, November, 2021. 9781536207781. (Review of finished copy courtesy of publisher.)

Chicken is back, up way too early on a Saturday morning and hungry for cookies for breakfast. Papa just wants to sleep in, but perks up when Chicken announces that she has brought him breakfast in bed! It's cookies. Cookies are not breakfast food!

Denied her wish, Chicken presses for her second wish, to snuggle in Papa's bed and be read a book. Can our irrepressible, interrupting Chicken manage not to interrupt Papa's reading?

   "Papa be nimble, Papa be quick, Papa read to your little chick."

    "That's what I'm planning to do," said Papa.    

    "Well, don't let me stop you," said the little red chicken.

As fans of Interrupting Chicken and Interrupting Chicken: the Elephant of Surprise know, story time with Chicken can be...challenging. True to form, Chicken interrupts every other fairy tale to suggest cookies. So. Much. Fun!

The illustrations continue to delight and surprise. Scenes in Papa and Chicken's cozy house are textured and filled with warm colors and sweet details, like a stuffed elephant on the floor of the kitchen. Scenes from the book of nursery rhymes are washed out pastel hues, except where Chicken bursts on the scene with her edited rhymes. 

Interrupting Chicken: Cookies for Breakfast is a must-purchase for all libraries serving young readers. Sure to be a story time hit.

Picture Book Review: Ada and the Galaxies by Alan Lightman and Olga Pastuchiv

Image: Candlewick Press

Ada and the Galaxies by Alan Lightman and Olga Pstuchiv. Illustrated by Susanna Chapman. unpaged. mitKids Press/ Candlewick Press, September, 2021. 9781536215618. (Review of finished copy courtesy of publisher.)

I am a terrible book reviewer! I read this gem back in September and, while I noted my love for it on Goodreads, never got around to reviewing it here. So sorry.

Ada lives in the city where light pollution impedes her view of the stars. But after the winter is over, she and her mom make the trek out of the city to Maine to visit her grandparents, Ama and Poobah. Ada cannot wait to see the stars, but first, it needs to get dark and there's plenty to see on the island until then. There's kayaking and beach-combing and an osprey nest to observe. Ada is still impatient for the stars to come out. Poobah points to a big rock, telling Ada that when it's covered with water, it will be dark enough to see the stars. Only the fog rolls in, foiling their plans. Poobah tries to distract Ada with pictures of galaxies in a book, which only help to feed Ada's vivid imagination. When Ada asks to visit the fairy house before turning in, she sees that the fog has lifted and the stars are out. 

An afterword tells readers that the photographs of the stars in the book were taken by the Hubble Space Telescope and that all the information that Poobah gives to Ada is scientifically accurate.

What a beautiful story of the value of being out in nature, of a grandparent's bond and of nurturing a young imagination and sense of wonder! The illustrations are absolutely luscious. I just got lost in each and every one. This is one for the reread pile-inspirational to young and old alike. I loved it.

Teen Tuesday and Audiobook Review: Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim

Image: Penguin Random House

Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim. Unabridged e-audiobook, ~13 hours. Read by Emily Woo Zeller. Listening Library/ Penguin Random House Audio, July, 2021. 9780593398876. (Review of e-audio borrowed from public library.)

Happy Tuesday! I hope you dress for the weather today! It's COLD out there (in northern NJ)! Teen Tuesday features Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim. I admit that I'm partial to fairy tale retellings and boy, have I been on a tear lately, each one better than the last. It wasn't hard to discern from the title, which fairy tale the author retold, The Wild Swans is one of my favorites. I learned from the publisher's page for the book that it also weaves in elements of Cinderella as well as two tales that are new to me-Tale of the Bamboo Cutter and the legend of Chang E.

Shiori-anma is the youngest of her father's seven children. She's the only girl and his favorite. She's a pampered princess in every way, always getting her own way, until her father decided whom she will wed when she turned seventeen. Shiori wants nothing to do with this barbarian prince from a northern province. She's also hiding a secret. She has magic and her father has forbidden magic in his kingdom. So far, she has been able to keep her talent hidden, despite the close call with the paper crane she brought to life. When she loses control on the day of her betrothal ceremony and runs into the lake, she catches the eye of a water dragon, who rescues her and changes into his human form to talk to her. Her icy step-mother, whom Shiori believes possesses magic, curses her six brothers-by day, they inhabit the bodies of crimson crane and change back into their human forms only by night. Shiori is banished, cursed to wear a bowl on her head and warned that if she speaks, one of her brothers will die for each word she utters. And so, penniless, voiceless and with only her secret paper crane as company, Shiori sets out in search of her brothers and a way to break the curse.

Weighing in at more than 450 pages and 13 hours on audio, this story is epic! It's also the beginning of a series and I cannot wait for book two! The writing is wonderfully rich, but man, the pace is fast! The setting is quite vivid and the characters are all well-developed and complex. I loved the stories within the story as well. 

Emily Woo Zeller is becoming a favorite narrator. She paces her performances well and has a wide repertoire of voices. 

Book two, The Dragon's Promise doesn't have any info or cover yet. It's due out in August. 

Middle Grade Monday and Audiobook Review: A Wish in the Dark by Christina Soontornvat

Image: Candlewick Press

A Wish in the Dark by Christina Soontornvat. Unabridged audiobook on one MP3 CD. ~10 hours, 40 minutes. Read by Greta Jung. Candlewick on Brilliance Audio, March, 2020. 9781799731316. (Review of purchased audiobook on MP3 CD.)

Happy Monday! I hope you had a lovely holiday weekend. My Christmas Eve plans were dashed by a Covid exposure, which was sad. My youngest son came from the Boston area with his fiancé and my third son came out two weekends ago when his place of work went back to fully remote. I had some company to help me through another "first."

Middle Grade Monday features A Wish in the Dark by Christina Soontornvat. Pong lives in a prison in Chattana, a city in Thailand where the governor rules with an iron fist. He brought the city into the light after a great fire destroyed it, but there is light for just a privileged few. Pong's mother had been imprisoned for stealing food. She died, but Pong will remain in prison until his thirteenth birthday. He and his best friend and fellow orphan, Somkit, try to protect each other from bullies and dream about life once they are released. When the opportunity to escape presents itself, Pong escapes alone. The prison warden loses his job due to Pong's escape and his "perfect" daughter, Nok vows to hunt him down. 

This paltry summary does not do justice to this layered, epic adventure filled with fascinating and complex characters. There's humor and tragedy (I cried) and a myriad of emotions in between. Chattana and its surroundings spring vividly to life as Pong attempts to make his way to freedom, but soon realizes that, thanks to his prison tattoo, his fate may be sealed. There are so many twists and turns and surprises along the way.

The audiobook performance by Greta Jung was well-paced and her voices were distinct and nicely varied. I especially appreciated learning the correct pronunciation of names and other Thai language words that I would've glossed over were I reading with my eyes. 

A Wish in the Dark won a Newbery Honor as well as a Jane Addams Book Award. If you love adventure and fantasy, you will love A Wish in the Dark. Highly recommended!

Teen Tuesday: Beasts and Beauty by Soman Chainani

Image: HarperCollins Publishers

Beasts and Beauty: Dangerous Tales by Soman Chainani. 334 p. HarperCollins Publishers, September, 2021. 9780062652638.

Happy Tuesday! Today is the Winter Solstice! The sun will set at 4:31 tonight, ushering in the longest period of darkness of the year, but tomorrow, the sun begins to return a bit more each day. Teen Tuesday features Beasts and Beauty: Dangerous Tales by Soman Chainani. If the author's name seems familiar to, it's because you faithfully read the Daily Book Talks. Earlier this school year, I finally took an eighth grader's suggestion and read School for Good and Evil, in which the author took many fairy tale tropes and turned them inside out in the start of an original and delightful series. 

He does the same with twelve classic fairy tales here in this handsome, beautifully illustrated collection. You might recognize the names of some, but that is where the resemblance stops. The characters are racially diverse and there's LGBTQ representation as well. Plus, you won't find one maiden in distress needing rescue, but you will find one man in distress!

Readers used to the Disney version of fairy tales might be shocked by the violence and gore in many of these tales. You might recall that I mentioned that way back when the tales were collected, they were quite violent - even Cinderella! Mr. Chainani's retellings are atmospheric and eerie, subversive and surprising. So settle into your favorite reading spot with a nice cup of hot cocoa and prepare to be unsettled.

Middle Grade Monday: The Lost Language by Claudia Mills

Image: Holiday House

The Lost Language by Claudia Mills. 304 p. Margaret Ferguson Books/ Holiday House, October, 2021. 9780823450381. (Review of finished copy courtesy of author.)

Happy Monday! I hope you had a wonderful weekend and are psyched for this short week running up to the holiday break. Middle Grade Monday features The Lost Language by Claudia Mills. This novel in verse is narrated by Betsy, a sixth grader, who is very good at "being second." She's an only child, who strives to please her strong-willed, critical, over-achieving mother. Her mother is a professor who studies lost languages. She's also BFFs with Lizard, who calls the shots in their friendship and calls Betsy "Bumble," a name Betsy's mother detests. Betsy's mother is constantly suggesting that she branch out and try new things. Read: make new friends. She feels caught between two strong wills.

When Lizard proposes that the two rescue a lost language by learning it and teaching it to their classmates, Betsy agrees, hoping that her mother will be impressed. The club bombs, but Betsy does connect with several classmates and does "branch out" by auditioning for the school play, much to Lizard's chagrin.

Friendships wax and wane throughout age groups (including adulthood), but friendship loss seems most intense during middle school. This is why books about friends and friendship are in high demand at my library. This story is just lovely, mining all the angst and uncertainty, but also unique in that readers will feel sympathy for both the dumped and the dumper. Young readers will grow to understand that both people and friendships can be fragile and flawed. The poems are spare and evocative. Both Betsy and Lizard are relatable, complex and interesting characters.

Readers who crave and love friendship books, will love The Lost Language.

Fact Friday: Ducks Overboard: a True Story of Plastic in Our Oceans by Marcus Motum

Image: Candlewick Press

Ducks Overboard: a True Story of Plastic in Our Oceans by Markus Motum. unpgd. Candlewick Press, September, 2021. 9781536217728. (Review of finished copy courtesy of publisher.)

Happy Friday! I cannot believe that Christmas break starts next Friday! Fact Friday features Ducks Overboard: a True story of Plastic in Our Oceans by Markus Motum. Who doesn't love those seemingly ubiquitous little, yellow rubber ducks? They are produced in the thousands overseas and shipped by container ship all over the world. In 1992, one of those container ships ran into a storm at sea and a container with 28,000 rubber ducks fell overboard. This story is told by one of those ducks as it drifts further and further away from the other ducks, eventually ending up floating in a garbage patch. The duck notes how floating garbage such as plastic bags is mistaken for food and eaten by marine life and how treacherous abandoned fishing nets are to sea life. A double-page spread featuring a map of the world, shows how the ocean currents move and how some of the rubber ducks ended up traversing the Arctic Ocean to end up in the UK. Unlike, Ducky, written in 1997 by Eve Bunting, which depicted the event as an ocean adventure, this duck's tale informs the reader about the dangers of plastic pollution in the world's oceans. 

Back matter contains an explanation of ocean currents and some plastic facts, such as by 2050, scientists predict that there will be more plastic in the world's oceans than sea life. There are also tips about how each of us can help. 

The bright palette of the mixed-media illustrations are predominantly blues, with the sea life and bits of plastic pollution providing flashes of color.

Told in an age-appropriate, appealing way, Duck Overboard is a fantastic introduction to the effects of plastic pollution for our youngest readers.

Teen Tuesday: Daughter of Lies & Ruin by Jo Spurrier

Image: HarperCollins Publishers

Daughter of Lies & Ruin by Jo Spurrier. 346 p. Tales of Blackbone Witches Book 2. HarperVoyager/ HarperCollins Publishers, October, 2021. 9781460756348. (Review of finished ppb courtesy of publisher.)

Happy Tuesday! Teen Tuesday features Daughter of Lies & Ruin by Jo Spurrier. Book 2 of Tales of Blackbone Witches picks up shortly after the events in Book 1, A Curse of Ash and Embers, which I loved. 

Aleida and Elodie (Dee) are on the road from Blackburn Cottage to an abbey, where Aleida wishes to donate some of Ghyssa's treasure. Dee has been learning magic and she has a fair amount of natural ability, but she doubts herself, much to Aleida's dismay. Dee also has a true moral compass, so when they meet Kara, a young girl adept at swordplay, who is staying at the abbey for her protection after her bandit father disappeared, Dee wants to help. Aleida wants Dee to mind her own business, but there's strange magic in the woods. An entire band of robbers have disappeared, strange animals are appearing and Aleida and Dee are being following by a huge eagle.

Where A Curse of Ash & Embers took a little while to simmer before boiling over, Daughter of Lies & Ruin hits the ground running with a cast of terrific new characters and malevolent magic afoot. If you like atmospheric books seeping with evil both human and paranormal, as well as complex feisty characters, try this series. I hope there's more to come!

Middle Grade Monday: Sunny Makes a Splash by Jennifer L. Holm

Image: Scholastic Inc.

Sunny Makes a Splash by Jennifer L. Holm and illustrated by Matthew Holm. Sunny series #4. 224 p. Graphix/ Scholastic Inc., September, 2021. 9781338233179.

Happy Monday! Middle Grade Monday features Sunny Makes a Splash by Jennifer L. Holm and illustrated by Matthew Holm. Sunny is back in a fourth book! It's summer. She's hot and bored. All her friends are away doing something cool. She's stuck home and her mother expects her to babysit. Ugh! Her only bright spot is swimming at the swim club. At least she can get cool there. But then, she's offered a job at the snack shack and it doesn't hurt that she'd be working with a cute boy! Sunny's mom is not too keen on the idea. She doesn't think Sunny is ready for such independence.

Fans of this delightful series will not be disappointed. Sunny is relatable and often wry. The illustrations are energetic and the palette is pleasing. More Sunny, please!

Teen Tuesday: Into the Bloodred Woods by Martha Brockenbrough

Image: Scholastic Inc. 

Into the Bloodred Woods by Martha Brockenbrough. 368 p. Scholastic Press/ Scholastic Inc. November, 2021. 9781338673876. (Review of finished copy courtesy of publisher.)

Happy Tuesday! Teen Tuesday features Into the Bloodred Woods by Martha Brockenbrough. Fairy tales were not originally children's stories. What do you think communities did before the age of television to entertain themselves at night? They gathered by the fire and told stories. Over the years they became diluted and "Disneyfied," but earlier, they could be dark and gruesome. Into the Bloodred Woods follows this storytelling tradition. While wholly original, the author has woven familiar fairy tale characters and motifs into this intense and gripping tale.

There was a kingdom surrounded by woods that was ruled by a king who was still mourning the death of his wife, the queen. The couple had two children, a boy and a girl. They were twins, but the girl was born first, making her the heir to the throne and her brother burned with jealousy. The girl, Ursula, wanted to rule and spent her childhood doing her best to learn everything she needed to know about ruling a kingdom. At night, she slept in a gilded cage. Why? She was a werebeast, she shifted shape and her animal aspect was a huge bear. Werebeasts were forbidden in the kingdom. If a child was born one, he or she was taken from their parents and the parents were thrown into the dungeon, never to be seen again. The children were locked into cages to entertain the villagers. They were reviled.

The prince, Albrecht, is obsessed with machinery and is constantly inventing and ingratiating himself to his father by besting Ursula when he tests them. He's furious that his sister was born first. He's conniving and cruel and despises the werebeasts.

The story shifts third-person POV between the twins as well as another brother and sister who live deep in the forest. Hans and Greta's parents are gravely ill and the two are caring for them the best they can, but death is inevitable. Hans promises his sister that he will always be there for her. He is a were and his animal aspect is a wolf. Hans also has a friend in the forest named Capella, who lives nearby with her mother. Capella only knows Hans in his wolf form.

Ms. Brockenbrough deftly weaves these four strands of story with an occasional fifth, that of a blind storyteller into a fast-paced, compelling tale. The writing is lush. The setting is vivid and the characters are keenly drawn. This is not a tale for the squeamish. There is disease, death, violence and plenty of gore. If you are a fan of traditional fairy tales undiluted by Disney, you will adore this book. This is one for the reread pile for me. Highly recommended!

Fact Friday: What the Eagle Sees: Indigenous Stories of Rebellion and Renewal by Eldon Yellowhorn & Kathy Lowinger

Image: Annick Press

What the Eagle Sees: Indigenous Stories of Rebellion and Renewal by Eldon Yellowhorn & Kathy Lowinger. 136 p. Annick Press, November, 2019. 9781773213286. (Review of paperback borrowed from public library.)

Happy Friday! Forgive the short post ahead. I definitely did not do this important book justice. I must admit that I am still struggling with time, attention and energy.

Fact Friday features What the Eagle Sees: Indigenous Stories of Rebellion and Renewal by Eldon Yellowhorn & Kathy Lowinger. This slim volume presents an overview of significant events in the history of North American Indigenous Peoples who inhabited this land for 10,000 years before Europeans "discovered" it. 

Accessible and attractively designed, it is also packed with photographs and maps. Back matter includes a glossary, selected sources that includes websites, image sources and an index.

I don't know how I missed this back in 2019, but I'm adding it to my school library collection. Isn't that cover just stunning?

Middle Grade Monday: Living Ghosts & Mischievous Monsters: Chilling American Indian Stories by Dan Sasuweh Jones

Image: Scholastic Inc.

Living Ghosts & Mischievous Monsters: Chilling American Indian Stories written and selected by Dan Sasuweh Jones, Ponca Nation and illustrated by Weshoyot Alvitre, Tongva. 166 p. Scholastic Press/ Scholastic Inc., September, 2021. 9781338681628. (Review of finished copy courtesy of publisher.)

Happy Monday! We return to school today after what I hope was a restful long weekend. Middle Grade Monday features Living Ghosts & Mischievous Monsters: Chilling American Indian Stories written and selected by Dan Sasuweh Jones, Ponca Nation and illustrated by Weshoyot Alvitre, Tongva. After graduating from college, Mr. Jones travelled the U.S. and Canada visiting tribal communities and listening to their stories, ghost stories in particular. He writes in his introduction that ghost stories were common no matter the region and that they fell into one of five categories-ghosts, spirits, witches, monsters and the supernatural. Mr. Jones is a filmmaker and bronze sculptor and storyteller himself. He compiled thirty-two of the stories he collected as a young adult in these five chapters. Each story contains an introduction describing the tribe, storyteller and context. Each story is illustrated by evocative pen and ink drawings, some creepy, some horrible.

If you love scary stories, you will love this collection.

Fact Friday: My Wild Life: Adventures of a Wildlife Photographer by Suzi Eszterhas

Image: Owlkids Books

My Wild Life: Adventures of a Wildlife Photographer by Suzi Eszterhas. 32 p. Owlkids Books, October, 2020. 9781771474078. (Review of finished purchased copy.)

It's finally Friday! This felt like a very long week to me, considering I thought that Wednesday was Thursday. Fact Friday features My Wild Life: Adventures of a Wildlife Photographer by Suzy Eszterhas. Ms. Eszterhas is one of a few women working as a wildlife photographer. It is something she has wanted to do ever since she received a camera from her mother and she began taking pictures of her cat in her backyard. She has traveled all over the world to photograph wildlife. Doing so requires a lot of waiting and patience, but it so worth it once she gets the shots.

Her picture book autobiography is conversational and informative, giving young readers a glimpse into her work. Her love for her job is evident in each chapter. There are photos of the photographer at work as well as plenty of Ms. Eszterhas' gorgeous photos. Back matter includes FAQs.

Give this to budding photographers, animal lovers and fans of the photographer's books. 

Teen Tuesday and Audio Review: Kneel by Candace Buford

Image: HarperCollins Publishers

Kneel by Candace Buford. Unabridged e-audiobook. ~8.3 hours. Read by Preston Butler III. HarperAudio/ Inkyard/ HarperCollins Publishers, September, 2021. 9781488211805. (Review of e-audiobook borrowed from public library.)

Happy rainy Tuesday! There has been a flash flood warning in my area since last night and it has been raining steadily. Hopefully, the winds will stay calm and my hundred year old American Beech tree will remain standing.

Teen Tuesday features Kneel by Candace Buford. Rus Boudreaux and his best friend, Marion LaSalle are co-captains of their football team entering their senior year with high hopes for a winning season, another chance at the state championship and a football scholarship to a D-1 college. A scholarship is their only way out of their racially segregated parish in Louisiana. At the start of their second game of the season, against the team's rival, one of the white co-captains hurls a racial slur after the coin toss and the other sucker punches Marion. The refs turn a blind eye to the slur and don't defend Marion as he is hauled off the field in handcuffs and eventually beaten by police for "resisting arrest." Rus knows that Marion's chances for a scholarship are nonexistent if he can't play football, so he takes a knee during the national anthem at the next game, earning himself the ire of his coach, his teammates, his parents and the press as the media choose to portray him and Marion as thugs.

Rus' first-person narrative is compelling from the start as this thoughtful athlete tries to play by rules that seem to change at the whim of the privileged. Kneel is the author's debut and it's an impressive one peopled with complex characters dealing with real issues of poverty, racism and broken dreams.

New-to-me narrator Preston Butler III turned in a well-paced, emotionally resonant performance as Rus. 

Teen Tuesday and Arc Review: Fat Angie Homecoming by e.E. Charlton-Trujillo

Image: Candlewick Press

Fat Angie Homecoming by e.E. Charlton-Trujillo. 416 p. Candlewick Press, November 2, 2021. 9781536211771. (Review of arc courtesy of Candlewick Press.)

Happy Tuesday! Teen Tuesday features Fat Angie Homecoming by e.E. Charlton-Trujillo. Regular readers of The Daily Booktalk might recall that I featured this trilogy concluder in a "Waiting on Wednesday" post. Over my twenty-plus years as a school librarian and many more as reader, there is just a handful of characters that continue to reside in my heart long after I finish their story. Angie is one of them.

Angie has the misfortune of living with an awful emotionally abusive mother who never fails to fat-shame Angie or to remind her of her inadequacies. Her older sister always protected and supported her, but she is gone now-first by enlisting in the military, next by being deployed overseas and then by dying a war hero. In Fat Angie Homecoming, Angie is back at high school after the road trip she took in Fat Angie Rebel Girl Revolution. She's anxious about heading back to school and also planning to ask Jamboree to Homecoming. She has written out what she wants to say on index cards. All this is derailed by two things-the return of KC Romance and the revelation that a video of her singing in Columbus has gone viral.

Yes, you do need to read the books in order to appreciate Angie's growth and courage. Honestly, the book can stand alone, but why would you want to miss the first two? e.E. Charlton-Trujillo has assembled a memorable cast of characters around Angie, one where I felt like I was comfortably-not comfortably at a reunion. Angie faces some serious issues of grief, identity and bullying and many of the scenes are difficult to read, so the audience for the stories is best for readers grade eight and up. Mature teen readers looking for an intense, emotional read should meet Angie. This concluding volume was the perfect-not perfect ending to Angie's story. 

It was such an honor to visit with Angie again. I loved, loved, loved this conclusion to Angie's story and didn't want it to end, so I read the story slowly, savoring Angie's sweet awkwardness, her hopeful optimism and her journey to acceptance that she is an awesome person worthy of love. Highly recommended!

Teen Tuesday: We are Not from Here by Jennie Torres Sanchez

Image: Penguin Random House

We Are Not From Here by Jennie Torres Sanchez. 368 p. Philomel/ Penguin Young Readers Group, March 2020.

Happy Tuesday! I hope you got out and about in the delightfully breezy weather after school yesterday. Latinx Heritage Month continues and Teen Tuesday features We Are Not From Here by Jennie Torres Sanchez. This searing novel is a gut punch. It grips the reader from page one and often tightens its grip so unbearably, you will need to put the book down and remind yourself to breathe. Not gonna lie - this is a tough read for a mature teen reader. But it's relevant and important.

Three teens, Pulga, Chico and Pequeña are cousins, best friends and found family. Chico's mother died tragically, so Pulga' and Pequeña's step in to raise and protect him. They are dirt poor and live in a terrible neighborhood run by Rey and his gang. Pequeña has caught Rey's eye and has no choice in the matter. Pulga and Chico witnessed Rey murder a beloved shopkeeper and now have to join the gang or risk death.

There's no way out. Or is there? Pulga has been studying maps and the route of La Bestia, a perilous train, difficult to board and hang on, but which promises transportation nearer to the U.S. border. Worst of all is the terror of knowing if they get caught and returned home, death awaits them.

This is an unflinching read that shines a light on tough issues facing thousands of people who risk their lives in search of a new start and relative safety in the U.S.

We are Not from Here published last year and earned at least four starred reviews, made quite a number of "Best" lists, including New York Public Library's and was named a Pura Belpré Honor. Highly recommended! Pulga, Chico and Pequeña won't soon leave your heart-space. 

Middle Grade Monday and Arc Review: Playing the Cards You're Dealt by Varian Johnson

Image: Scholastic Inc.

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.

Picture Book Review: Cat & Dog: a Tale of Opposites by Tullio Corda

Image: Red Comet Press

Cat & Dog: a Tale of Opposites by Tullio Corda. unpgd. Red Comet Press, September, 2021. 9781636550022. (Review of finished copy courtesy of Blue Slip Media.)

I just started my 13th year as a middle school librarian after spending 10 years as a K-8 librarian. Even though #nevertoooldforpicturebooks is my motto, I admit I haven't been keeping up with concept books. 

I cannot recall a book of opposites that actually tells a story with a beginning, middle and end. Red cat and blue dog romp on plenty of white space and the text color cues young readers who is doing what. And while there are the expected opposites, there are a couple of surprises - "Oops!" and "Phew!" Then, there's a pair on the cover of the book under the jacket, which parents may not think to look under and which will create a dilemma for librarians who tape those jackets down!

Fun, fun, fun! This one's sure to be a favorite.

My apologies for the tardiness of this review. I read this book back in late July, just as my husband's condition was taking a turn for the worse. He died within the week and I have been trying to adjust to my new reality. My ability to concentrate, focus and be organized has really taken a hit. I hope Cat & Dog gets the readers it deserves.