#tbt: Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick

Image: Scholastic

Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick. 304 p. Scholastic Press/ Scholastic Inc., January, 2004. 9780545722865.

When I posted the Teen Tuesday review of Jordan Sonnenblick's latest book, Stepping Off, I stopped to wonder if I had read all of his books since his debut, Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie. Turns out, I have! As I perused the list of his books in NoveList, it hit me that Drums turned 20 in January! How did I miss noting that in a #tbt? I thought I had posted about it, but maybe I just thought about posting? I haven't exactly been on my game this past year.

Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie is told from eighth grader Steven Alper's POV, opening while he's on stage for his graduation and flashing back to the beginning of the year when he thought his last year of middle school would be all about jazz band, drums and unrequited love. Instead, he also has to deal with his little brother, Jeffrey's leukemia diagnosis and treatment. What makes this cancer weepie unique, is that it is hysterically funny. Most middle school boys avoid weepies like the plague. Drums is checked out and enjoyed by both boys and girls over the last twenty years.

The cover image depicted above is the latest iteration. This is the cover of the original (and the one I read):

But, I think this is my favorite cover, especially as it complements the companion novel, After Ever After so well!

#tbt: The Honest Truth by Dan Gemeinhart

Image: Scholastic Inc.

The Honest Truth by Dan Gemeinhart. 240 p. Scholastic Press/ Scholastic Inc., January, 2015. (Own)

#tbt features The Honest Truth by Dan Gemeinhart. Twelve-year old Mark had plans to climb Mount Rainer with his grandpa. When his grandpa died and Mark learned that the cancer he has been battling since kindergarten has returned, he decides to make that trip with his dog, Beau. He packs some cash, a camera and a notebook and sets out on the 200+ miles to the mountain. The only person who knows about Mark's plans is his best friend, Jessie, whom he has sworn to secrecy.

This first-person narration alternates with half-chapters from Jessie's POV as she struggles to keep Mark's secret. Suspense is high as Mark's quest is not "after-school special," but filled with danger from both humans and the elements. Suspension of belief is required, though middle school readers won't notice. Students who love adventure as well as students who love dog stories will be riveted. 

The Honest Truth was Mr. Gemeinhart's debut novel. At that time, he was still working as a school librarian. He has published six additional novels and has a forthcoming picture book.

Fact Friday: Sunshine: How One Camp Taught Me about Life, Death, and Hope by Jarrett J. Krosockzka

Image: Scholastic Inc.

Sunshine: How One Camp Taught Me about Life, Death and Hope by Jarrett J. Krosockzka. 240 p. Graphix/ Scholastic Inc. April, 2023. 9781338356311. (Review of finished purchased copy)

Happy Friday! Fact Friday features Sunshine: How One Camp Taught Me about Life, Death and Hope by Jarrett K. Krosockzka. Fans of the author/ illustrator's Hey, Kiddo will be happy to learn of this new memoir. In 1994, sixteen-year-old Jarrett decided to leave his comfort zone and volunteer at Camp Sunshine for a week. This was a camp in Maine where children who had cancer and their families could spend a week sailing and doing regular camp things. Jarrett's grandma worries it will be too depressing, but Jarrett has an open mind. He's assigned to Diego, who has brain cancer and is wheelchair-bound. He's also not interested in being at camp and is unwilling to participate in camp activities. Jarrett gives him his space, but is quietly encouraging. He also befriends Eric and his family. Eric is obsessed with Power Rangers and also has leukemia.

The limited pallet of browns, greys and yellows effectively convey mood as Jarrett moves through his week trying to make each family feel at home and have fun. Photos, drawings and clippings from his time at camp begin each chapter, and readers gain insight into some challenges others face in this touching memoir.

 

Middle Grade Monday and Arc Review: Wave by Diana Farid. Illustrated by Kris Goto

Image: Cameron Kids

Wave by Diana Farid. Illustrated by Kris Goto. 315 p. Cameron Kids/ Abrams Books, March 29, 2022. 9781951836580. (Review of arc courtesy of Blue Slip Media.)

Happy Monday! I hope you enjoyed the weekend and got outside as much as possible. Spring has sprung! The trees are budding and sleepy perennials are pushing their way up. Last week, my daffodils grew four inches overnight! I started my yard clean-up while waiting for son #1 to arrive with his wife and daughter. It was such a pleasure to visit with them, a nice distraction from anticipating Tuesday, which will be the first wedding anniversary I will "celebrate" alone. Grief sure does come in waves.

Middle Grade Monday features Wave by Diana Farid. It is 1987 in Southern California. The only plans Ava, a thirteen-year-old Persian-American has for the summer between eighth grade and high school are surfing, surfing and more surfing with her bestie, Phoenix. Her single-mother, who is a physician has signed Ava up as a volunteer in her hospital in the hopes that Ava will want to study medicine. Ava has no desire to work in health care and, it turns out, faints at the sight of blood. Still, dutiful daughter that she is, she goes and connects with a patient who asks her to read the Persian poet, Rumi to him.

Meanwhile, Phoenix's lymphoma has returned adding more turmoil to the anxiety roiling in Ava, who is also coping with OCD as well as missing the father she never really new and balancing two cultures, never truly fitting in either one.

This accessible verse novel is written in both blank and concrete poetry. Lovely black and white spot illustrations add to the mood. The verse rises and falls rhythmically, like waves as Ava's story unfolds. Persian words are woven into the poems with explanation and one even describes the labor of love that was creating a mix-tape, something contemporary teens in this age of streaming music and Spotify playlists may have trouble picturing.

The poems roll in like waves, some large, some small, some gently, some forceful enough to make the reader gasp. Wave is a quick, intense read that satisfies. If you love verse novels, surfing, or sad stories, Wave is the book for you. It releases on March 29 and would be an awesome addition to any library serving tweens and teens. 

Middle Grade Monday: Red, White and Whole by Rajani LaRocca

Image: HarperCollins Publishers

Happy Monday TMS Readers! I hope you had a wonderful Summer Solstice and celebrated the dads in your life yesterday. Middle Grade Monday features Red, White and Whole by Rajani LaRocca. Reha narrates her story in this poignant verse novel set in 1983 about growing up part of two worlds. At school, Reha is the only Indian American; while she has a best friend, she feels isolated. On the weekends, she's immersed in her Indian community, celebrating the culture and hanging with Sunita, her other best friend. She chafes at the constraints her overprotective parents place on her and argues with them to be able to attend a school dance. On the night of the dance, her mother falls ill and then Reha's world is split in two yet again-this time between home and hospital as she and her dad try to cope with her mother's illness.

If you like verse novels, #ownvoices novels and/ or sad stories, Red, White and Whole is the book for you. I read this one with my ears and enjoyed the narration. 

#tbt: Deadline by Chris Crutcher

Image: HarperCollins Publishers

Deadline by Chris Crutcher. 316 p.Greenwillow Books/ HarperCollins Publishers, September, 2007. 9780060850890. (Own)

#tbt features Deadline by Chris Crutcher. In the thirteen-plus years since publication, I still need to catch myself from turning this book upside down! This might be my favorite Crutcher novel  and, you will need a box of tissues for this one. 

Ben Wolf is about to enter his senior year of high school. He's a gifted cross-country runner and, during his routine high school athletic physical, his doctor discovers that Ben has a terminal blood disease. Since Ben is eighteen, and legally, an adult, he forbids his doctor from sharing this news with his parents, as the family situation is fragile. He also refuses treatment, instead opting to live out his time fulfilling wishes and dreams - these include trying out for the football team, getting on his racist social studies teacher's last nerve and getting to know Dallas, his crush.

This is a provocative read for mature teen readers.

Review: The Root of Magic by Kathleen Benner Duble

Image: Random House

The Root of Magic by Kathleen Benner Duble. 216 p. Delacorte Press/ Random House Children's Books, June, 2019. 9780525578505. (Review of finished copy courtesy of Blue Slip Media.)

"Are we going to die?" sure is attention-grabbing. This is the question Willow's younger brother, Wisp asks from the backseat of their family's car, and also the first line of the book. They are heading home from Willow's hockey game in Canada and it's snowing. Hard. Like "blizzard of the century" hard. Willow flinches because no one is supposed to talk about death around Wisp. He has an undiagnosed, potentially fatal illness. Willow's mom has devoted all of her time, energy and attention to Wisp to the detriment of her marriage and possibly, her relationship with her daughter. Willow feels a toxic cocktail of guilt and anger swilling beneath the surface of her studied calm and competence. 

The car slides off the roadway and crashes through the bridge railing leaving the three passengers terrified as it teeters over a freezing rushing river. Miraculously, a couple arrive in a tow truck. They are able to rescue the family, but the car and all of their belongings crashes into the river. They are brought to the town of Kismet, Maine where Cora, owner of a bed and breakfast has rooms prepared for them. She even places a bucket next to Wisp in case he needs to vomit. This foresight puzzles Willow. It isn't long before other weird coincidence begin cropping up. Worst of all, there's a hospital and a doctor in this tiny town in the middle of nowhere giving Willow's mother more medical straws to grasp at. Something is off in this town and Willow intends to get to the bottom of it.

As a medically trained adult, the deadly, undiagnosable illness as a plot contrivance drives me bonkers. As a kid, I would've eaten it up though. So setting that aside, this was a suspenseful present-tense read featuring a fierce, intelligent little girl caught in the middle of one terrible problem, followed by another and then a third difficult dilemma. The dreamy, otherworldly setting is compelling and the main characters are interesting. Young readers who like magic and thinking about fate vs. free will will love this book. Fans of Natalie Babbitt's Tuck Everlasting might enjoy The Root of Magic.

Teen Tuesday and Audio Review: Extraordinary Means by Robyn Schneider

Extraordinary Means by Robyn Schneider. Unabridged downloaded audiobook. Eight hours, seven minutes. Read by Khristine Hvam and James Fouhey. HarperAudio, 2015.

Seventeen-year-old Lane had his life mapped out. He's number two in his graduating class and planning on applying early action to Stanford. Then drug-resistant tuberculosis derails his plans. Instead of attending his AP classes, he's at Latham House, a sanatorium for teens with the disease. He thinks he can keep up with his studies and become well enough to leave. He's also captivated by Sadie and her group of cool friends. He knew Sadie from summer camp when they were thirteen but he was too shy to talk to her.

Sadie remembers Lane alright and is still furious with him for standing her up at a camp dance. Sadie has been at Latham House for over a year. She's not getting better but she's not getting worse. She has cultivated her cool persona very carefully and is a bit terrified of getting well enough to return to the real world, where she was definitely not cool.

This dual narrative makes its way down a predictable path but, the characters are interesting and the idea of a TB epidemic among teens is intriguing. The narrative doesn't go into the hows and whys of it though. Khristine Hvam is one of my favorite narrators and James Fouhey is new to me. They did a good job and sounded appropriately young. 

This story should appeal to teen fans of tragic romance like The Fault in Our Stars.

I downloaded this book from Audiobooksync's Free Summer Audiobook program. If you don't already know about it, check it out for next summer! The "summer" is already over (it starts in May), but they post links to download two audiobooks each  week for thirteen weeks.  

#tbt: Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick

Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick. 273 p. Scholastic Press/ Scholastic Inc., 2005. 9780439755191. (Own)

This one's near and dear to my heart. Not only is it one of my all-time faves, it's my go-to book for students who love sad books and students who love funny ones, as well as students who say they hate sad books. In 2005, the eighth grade LA teacher at my last school read Drums and told me it was a must-read. I read it, and totally agreed. We also agreed that her classes needed to read the book and we needed to arrange for Jordan to visit our school for a day. These were done and his visit was a smashing success. Students loved the book (especially boys who didn't like sad) and they really appreciated meeting Jordan. As a former LA teacher, he gets middle schoolers and knows how to tell a good story. (Believe me, not all visiting authors can keep the attention of middle school students.) He still does school visits. Check out the information here.

Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie was originally published by a small company, DayBlue Publishing. Unfortunately, it went out of business shortly after Drums debuted. Luckily, Drums was bought by Scholastic, where Jordan has gone on to publish six (by my count) more books. He published four books with Feiwel & Friends-a three-book middle grade series beginning with Dodger and Me and a YA book set during Woodstock, Are You Experienced?. 

Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie has been named to quite a few State Award lists as well as the YALSA's Best Picks list. In 2010, a companion novel, After Ever After was published. That won a Schneider Family Book Award among other honors. I still cry whenever I reread this one.

Drums opens at Steven Alper's eighth grade graduation. As he sits on stage, he reflects on the previous year. His pesky five-year-old brother, Jeffrey was diagnosed with leukemia early in the school year and Steven was basically on his own to muddle through. At turns heartbreaking and hysterically funny, readers ride an emotional rollercoaster right beside Steven. This is the rare book that is a successful whole-class read. Many students go on to read the rest of Jordan's books.

Here are a few more covers. The original cover is on the right.

 

Book Review: Zac and Mia by A.J. Betts

Zac and Mia by A.J. Betts. 292 p. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, September, 2014. 9780544331648. (Purchased)

At seventeen, apparently Zac is too old for the pediatric cancer floor, so he's admitted to the adult cancer floor (which seems like cruel and unusual punishment to me). When loud music blares from the room next to his, his curiosity is piqued. So far on his cancer treatment journey, Cam, at thirty-two is the closest thing to a peer Zac has met. His neighbor is most definitely female and most definitely angry. Zac has been in isolation due to a bone marrow transplant for several weeks with only his mom to keep him company. He's going a bit stir-crazy. Even if he could meet Mia, he fears she may be way out of his league.

Mia, he learns, is a newbie - newly diagnosed with bone cancer, which is very, very treatable. Zac is an expert on survival odds of all sorts of cancers thanks to midnight sessions on Google. As someone who has relapsed, he knows his odds of five year survival are dwindling. Still, he copes by remaining positive and disarms people with his wicked sense of humor. Mia, whose relationship with her mother wasn't that great to begin with, is red-hot angry. She's surly and defiant and doesn't endear herself to the hospital staff at all.

The point-of-view shifts between Zac and Mia irregularly; a good chunk of the beginning of the book is just Zac's. He is clearly the more sympathetic of the characters and has a great relationship with family but especially his mother.

I liked this one. A lot. There were a couple of things that prevented me from loving it, mostly medical and timeline issues. Minor quibbles from an adult reader with a medical background. This is a well-done cancer book. I look forward to recommending it to my eighth graders who love sad books, cancer books, or, perhaps, The Fault in Our Stars. 

As an aside, I think the marketing team did a disservice to the book by likening it to The Fault in Our Stars and Eleanor and Park. TFIOS has a rather rabid, cult-like following passionate fans. While a majority of teen readers absolutely love this book without question, some despise it. Therefore, both types of fans may have a tendency to judge Zac and Mia harshly. 

I get the comparison to TFIOS only in that it features two smart teens facing the unimaginable. For me, Zac and Mia is the better book. And frankly, I don't see the comparison to Eleanor and Park at all. 

I don't look at Goodreads reviews or much mainstream publishing reviews until after I've read the book. While there is a good deal of love for this title, I was struck by the venom of some GR reviews. Those who were not trashing it because of the comparison were disliking the book because Mia was so unlikable, so bitchy. 

Huh.

That is one of the novels strengths. Who says one has to like a main character for it to be a good book? Isn't it really a great thing to react viscerally to an unlikeable protagonist? Hasn't the author succeeded when that happens? Why not cut the (obnoxious) kid a break and try to understand where she is coming from? Believe me, folks who are undergoing cancer treatment experience a swirling, overwhelming myriad of emotions, including unbridled, utter fury at everything and everybody. They may or may not be heroic or strong or brave. They may eventually get to be heroic and strong and brave, or not. Even Zac scoffs at the idea that he is heroic; at how many FB friends he picked up because he's that kid with cancer; at the well-meaning but dickhead coach who gives him a pity prize at the Sports Award Dinner. Mia is one of the most honest portrayals of a teen with cancer I have ever read. She's right up there with Tessa from Before I Die by Jenny Downham. She makes this a great read. She makes it honest.

Zac and Mia won the Text Prize in Australia in 2012. I had never heard of this oddly named award; so I looked it up. Turns out the full name is The Text Prize for Young Adult and Children's Writing and this nifty prize is given to a manuscript! Read more about it and current and past award winners here. Once published, Zac and Mia went onto to win or be shortlisted for several other Australian awards. 

Consider adding it to your YA collection and recommending it to your teens.

The Honest Truth by Dan Gemeinhart

The Honest Truth by Dan Gemeinhart. 240 p. Scholastic Inc., January 27, 2015. 9780545665735. (Review from arc provided by publisher)

Twelve-year-old Mark has spent most of his short life battling cancer and has just received word that it's back and it's bad. He's done now. All he wants to do is take his dog and climb Mount Rainier, a trip his grandpa promised him once he got better. But Grandpa died and Mark isn't getting better so he's going. Now. Despite the fact that it's winter. Despite the fact that he's never climbed a mountain. Despite the fact that his medicine makes him nauseous but if he doesn't take it he gets blinding headaches. 

Mark's quite the little schemer. He purchases a bogus bus ticket, ditches his clothes and takes the train wearing a backpack containing about a hundred dollars, his camera and trusty notebook into which he writes haiku. He carries Beau, his dog, in a duffle. He tells no one of his plans, not even his best friend, Jessie. But he does leave a message in their secret place. Once Jessie pieces the clues together, she's in a bit of a fix morally. While she wants to honor Mark's wishes, she aches for his heartbroken parents especially when a snowstorm bears down on the area.

Her POV is told in half-chapters. They are short and intense. His chapters are marked by miles from his destination. While his journey is not easy, suspension of belief is required especially if one is familiar with terminal illness, mountain climbing in general and Mount Rainier in particular. Gemeinhart was smart and kept details suitably vague. Young readers won't notice. The book will have wide appeal - from readers who love weepies to those who want adventure/ survival to those who want a story with a great dog. I must admit to feeling a tad angry at Mark, not for what he put his parents through (well, maybe a bit) but for what he put his dog through. That dog, man, what a great dog.

Confession time. I wasn't eager to read this book - yet another cancer book. This one being compared to TFIOS, a book I did not particularly care for, didn't make me want to read it either. In fact, the cover colors sort of evokes TFIOS. Add to that the knee-jerk reaction I get to HYPE and, well, I just was not rushing to read it. Perhaps my own recent pas de deux with the disease added to my disinclination. Also I think I'm a bit hard on cancer books going all the way back to me at 14 reading Love Story with rolling eyes instead of crying eyes. (Well, maybe a little.) Nursing school and my first career as a nurse added to my propensity to be hard on these books. Don't get me wrong. I love a good cry over a book but a cancer book has to be amazing for me to love it. 

Oh, I will cry. It doesn't take much to get me bawling. I just won't love the cancer book. It's too dang easy to write. Most adult readers have some experience with the disease and bring their own emotions that are all too easily tapped. Writing a good cancer book for kids, especially middle grade kids, which is where The Honest Truth is being marketed, is trickier. I can think of only three I would call amazing: Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie, (okay four, its companion, After Ever After) by Jordan Sonnenblick; Ways to Live Forever by Sally Nichols and Me, Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews. The first three told compelling stories while nailing the medicine and showing the disease in all its messy ugliness but staying solidly middle grade. Me, Earl and the Dying Girl, is solidly YA and is perhaps one of the bravest cancer books for its irreverence and rather unlikeable main character.

Oh, contemplating an unlikeable main character made me think of a fifth memorable cancer book - Jenny Downham's Before I Die. Oh! How I raged at Tessa! I read it with my ears while shoveling about seven inches of snow off my driveway. I was so involved in Tessa's story, the driveway was done and I didn't remember doing it. Of course, I got her motivation but she still wreaked havoc on her poor devoted dad. I didn't like her and felt guilty for not liking her because she was dying for crying out loud. And this is is a good time to circle back to Mark and The Honest Truth because this is a review of that book for crying out loud. 

While Mark did not reach the level of unlike-ability for me that Tessa did, I am clearly reacting to the choices of both teens as a parent. Actually, I didn't dislike Mark. I just found his decision incredibly selfish and impulsive and poorly planned. Kids won't. So add The Honest Truth to your school or public library collection and get out there booktalking it. I booktalked the book without reading it first (something I rarely do) back in early December. I had an extra arc so I gave it to the eighth grade LA teacher who brought her classes in for the booktalks. She reports it hasn't been back on her shelf since. Trust me, it'll be a go-to book. And do keep an eye out for this promising author's sophomore book. Not too much pressure, eh Mr. Gemeinhart?