Middle Grade Monday and Arc Review: AfterMath by Emily Barth Isler

Image: Lerner Publishers

AfterMath by Emily Barth Isler. 272 p. Carolrhoda Books/ Lerner Publishing Group, September, 2021. 9781541599116. (Review of arc courtesy of Wunderkind PR.)

Happy Monday! I hope you all had an amazing weekend. Mine was very productive, but also emotionally draining as I am continuing to declutter my house. My husband saved EVERYTHING! I also caught up on grading and sent progress reports. Yay! Boo didn't get his usual very long walks, but they were long enough. 

Now it's Monday.  Ah, don't you just love the smell of a crisp autumn morning? That's what is was here in northern NJ earlier. Did you notice the rising waxing gibbous moon last night? Don't you love it when math features prominently in a novel? I do even though I'm math phobic. Middle Grade Monday features AfterMath by Emily Barth Isler. 

It's hard enough moving to a new school at any age, but moving during middle and high school can be particularly brutal. Moving because your parents want a "fresh start" after the death of your younger brother doesn't exactly help the grief process, especially when your dad has become distant and your mom obsessively decorates. Add to that the fact that the town you moved to, the seventh grade you are about to join, are survivors of a school shooting as third graders. In fact, your new room is the former room of one of the dead students.

Twelve-year-old Lucy Rothman navigates life without Theo while she observes and listens to her classmates shared trauma. She's not sure how to respond and turns to her beloved math as comfort. This is one thing she understands and does well, but then her friendly math teacher adds an extra-credit question to her first test and now, Lucy's not so sure math is predictable and comforting.

While the grief Lucy and her classmates feel is palpable, life does go on, sometimes in surprising ways. This is Ms. Isler's debut novel and she authentically portrays middle school dynamics (friendship drama and crushes) as well as life after the unthinkable (PTSD and coping). Sadly, school violence is a timely topic. This book is an important, age-appropriate exploration of all the feelings tweens might encounter and work through.

Lucy is thoughtful and relatable. I just loved her careful observations of her new circumstances. Give this book to students who enjoy intense exploration of emotion. It's a difficult book to read, but also a difficult book to put down. 

Fact Friday: Monstrous by Carlyn Beccia

Image: Lerner Publishing Group

Monstrous: The Lore, Gore, and Science behind Your Favorite Monsters by Carlyn Beccia. Carolrhoda Books/ Lerner Publishing Group, September, 2019. 9781512449167. (Review of free e-book courtesy of Junior Library Guild.)

Fact Friday features Monstrous: The Lore, Gore, and Science behind Your Favorite Monsters by Carlyn Beccia. Now, you might not immediately consider that a book about various mythological creatures would be informational. Nay, there is science behind the myths! Ms. Beccia highlights creature such as the Kraken, Big Foot, Frankenstein, werewolves and Godzilla in this informative encyclopedia of the macabre. This is quite a dark, yet humorous examination of the mythological creatures that scare us most. 

Picture Book Review: All of a Sudden and Forever: help and healing after the Oklahoma City bombing by Chris Barton

Image: Lerner Publishing

All of a Sudden and Forever: help and healing after the Oklahoma City bombing by Chris Barton. Illustrated by Nicole Xu. unpgd. Carolrhoda Books/ Lerner Publishing, February 4, 2020. 9781541526693. (Review of finished book courtesy of publisher @ SLJ Leadership Summit.)

I am at a bit of a loss about how to review this profound, beautiful and necessary book. April 19, 2020 marks the 25th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing, well past the age of the target audience of this book. Unfortunately, in those twenty-five years, there have been many mass shootings and thus, the need to explain these tragedies to young people. Barton channels Mr. Rogers, explaining the events of that fateful day and its aftermath simply and sparely. The dark and somber illustrations add gravity without overwhelming. 

There are no gory details; just a focus on recovery, healing and hope. The tree that survived the blast is a powerful symbol of resiliency. The practice of gathering seedlings to nurture, plant and pass on to those who have experienced trauma is just beautiful. 

Author and illustrator notes follow the text and include photos of the tree immediately after the bombing and after recovery. Mini-biographies of twelve people affected directly or indirectly follows and a list of recommended reading and three websites end the back matter. 

All of a Sudden and Forever ought to be in every library - on hand for the right time to share with young readers who need help confronting tragedy.