Middle Grade Monday: Hope Wins: a Collection of Inspiring Stories for Young Readers edited by Rose Brock

Image: Penguin Random House

Hope Wins: a Collection of Inspiring Stories for Young Readers edited by Rose Brock. 196 p. Philomel Books/ Penguin Young Readers Group, May 10, 2022. 9780593463932. (Review of finished copy courtesy of Blue Slip Media.) 

Happy Monday TMS Readers. I hope you had a wonderful weekend even though the weather was a drag. Middle Grade Monday features Hope Wins: a Collection of Inspiring Stories for Young Readers, edited by Rose Brock. If ever there was a "right book at the right time," (Thank you Professor Nana.) this collection of stories around the theme of hope is it. Twenty-two children's authors were asked by editor, Rose Brock to write a personal story and the results are inspiring in different ways. Some of the stories are rooted in sadness, such as Stuart Gibbs' exploration of grief, which may surprise young readers because his books are very humorous.  Other authors stick with the genre they are mostly notable for, such as R.L. Stine thinking that he wants to see a ghost, until he does, or Matt de la Peńa's story about an opportunity to play high school basket ball at a "better" school. James Bird and Rex Ogle explore their difficult childhood.

Tom Angleberger, of Origami Yoda fame, writes about his autism being viewed a "major malfunction" during his youth and Christina Soontornvat writes about learning to handle rude patrons with grace from her immigrant parents who ran a restaurant. Some, such as Soman Chainani, J. Cervantes and Gordon Korman, write about their path to author-hood. And then there's Adam Gidwitz, who just wants to be cool.

A short story collection is like a tapas restaurant. You have lots of great choices that are served up on a series of bite-sized dishes; enough to satisfy, but not enough to get stuffed. Sure, there may be some stories that you might wish were longer, but then you always have the option of seeking out other works by that author.

Happy Book Birthday tomorrow to Hope Wins! It would be a terrific addition to any school or classroom library. Many of the stories beg to be read aloud and discussed. And who doesn't need a little hope and resilience nowadays?

Waiting on Wednesday (and Review!): Saving Winslow by Sharon Creech

Saving Winslow by Sharon Creech. 165 p. Joanna Cotler Books/ HarperCollins, September 11, 2018. 9780062570703. (Review of arc courtesy of publisher.)

A new book by Sharon Creech is an automatic purchase for me. I heard about Saving Winslow a while back and thought I'd feature it in a "Waiting on Wednesday" post. Then I was able to grab the last arc on the table at the HarperCollins booth at ALAAC18! Lucky me. I started reading it at my last breakfast in New Orleans. Beignets on the Riverwalk!

I finished it later that day, at the airport and posted this comment to FB and Twitter:

And, it IS perfect! From it's first lines, 

In the laundry basket on the kitchen floor was a lump
     "Another dead thing?" Louis asked.
     "Not yet," his father said.

which reminded me of another fantastic and memorable first line, "Where's papa going with that ax?", to the final, goosebumps-inducing lines, which I will leave for you to discover. Along the way are short chapters featuring endearing characters and small moments that are brilliantly written. 

Louie lives with his parents in town. Uncle Pete, Louie's father's friend lives on a small farm outside of town. Somehow Louie's father ends up disposing of small tragedies from the farm. This little lump of a mini-donkey isn't dead though and Louie decides he's going to make sure that this trembling, pitiful thing doesn't die. Louie does not have the best of luck saving animals; but he decides that this time will be different. He recalls how he himself was born small and needed care in an incubator while he grew strong.

Louie is a thoughtful, gentle soul. He misses his brother, Gus, greatly and looks forward to Gus' short letters home. Gus is serving overseas in the Army. He has a best friend in Mack, who is a year or two older than Louis and whose father owns the feedstore. New neighbors move nearby and the two meet sister, Nora and Claudine. Mack falls instantly in love with Claudine. It takes Louie a little longer to warm up to Nora, who is a bit of a downer.

In 165 pages, Sharon Creech has created a setting and characters so vivid, I feel I should be able to walk to town and sit on Louie's porch. Saving Winslow will have wide appeal, from fans of Sharon Creech to reluctant readers, who will be treated to accessible literary gold. If you're like me, you've pre-ordered Saving Winslow the moment you heard of it. If not, drop it into your shopping cart now. It's a first purchase.

It's perfect.

Teen Tuesday: Sorta Like a Rock Star by Matthew Quick

Sorta Like a Rock Star by Matthew Quick. 358 p. Little, Brown and Company, May, 2010. 9780316043526. (Own)

Teen Tuesday features Sorta Like a Rock Star by Matthew Quick. Quick author of The Silver Lining Playbook made his YA debut with this book, featuring Amber Appleton, self-proclaimed rock star of hope. Sure she's homeless and living in the back of Mellow Yellow, the school bus her alcoholic mother drives; but she has her dog, her friends, her faith and her mom. When tragedy strikes, those she refused to give up on rally around her and refuse to let her give up on herself. This is a quick, emotional read for teens.