Teen Tuesday: Monster: a graphic novel by Walter Dean Myers and adapted by Guy A. Sims

Image: HarperCollins Publishers

Monster: a graphic novel by Walter Dean Myers. Adapted by Guy A. Sims. Illustrated by Dawud Anyabwile. 160. p. October, 2015. 9780062275004. 

Happy Tuesday TMS Readers! Another dreary, rainy day but don't let it get you down! It's a perfect day to curl up with a hot cocoa and read when your school day is done.

Teen Tuesday features Monster: a graphic novel by Walter Dean Myers. Mr. Myers was a giant in the YA and children's literature world. This graphic novel adaptation of his ground-breaking, Printz Award-winning novel, Monster, adds a visual dimension to this complex exploration of perception and race. Budding high school film maker, Steve Harmon is in jail and awaiting trial in the murder of a shopkeeper in a robbery gone bad. He didn't pull the trigger. He wasn't even in the store. He drove the car. But that's not stopping the prosecutor from portraying him as a monster.

The dynamic black and white art draws the eye and effective use of shadow pulls the reader in and creates tension. Whether you're a fan of the book or of graphic novels, you won't be disappointed in this adaptation. I'm sorry the book got buried in my tbr pile. 

#tbt: Let's Talk about Race by Julius Lester

Image: HarperCollins

#tbt features a picture book for everyone, Let's Talk about Race by Julius Lester. Mr. Lester is a masterful storyteller. If you haven't read any of his award-winning books like, John Henry or Uncle Remus: the complete tales, do yourself a favor and put them and Let's Talk about Race on your reading pile/ list. Talking about race can be hard and uncomfortable, but Mr. Lester's gentle, conversational tone eases the reader into the subject. The vibrant illustrations are striking and the author leaves the reader with the best possible challenge. Let's Talk about Race was published in 2005 and remains sadly relevant today.

I don't usually reread books for my #tbt posts, instead rely on memory; but I happily revisited this book to marvel at the magic that Julius Lester made here. 

Fact Friday: More Than a Game: race, gender and politics in sports by Matt Doeden

Image: Lerner

More Than a Game: race, gender and politics in sports by Matt Doeden. 64 p. Lerner Publishing, September, 2020. 9781541540941. (Review of finished copy courtesy of publisher/ SLJ Leadership Conference.)

Fact Friday features More Than a Game: race gender and politics in sports by Matt Doeden. Colin Kaepernick is not the first athlete to make a political statement on the playing field, nor will he be the last. 

Doeden focuses heavily on racism and racial discrimination in this intriguing overview. He provides important historical context which underscores the resilience and bravery these athletes such as boxers, Jack Johnson and Muhammed Ali. Johnson dared to become the first Black heavyweight champion and Ali dared to defy the draft during the Vietnam War resulting in his heavyweight title being stripped. Tommie Smith and John Carlos' Olympic medals were revoked when they raised their fists in a Black Power salute on the winner's podium in 1968. 

The narrative is informative and the plentiful, well-captioned photographs are engaging. If you are a fan of sports history, this brief overview of athletes who fought to make a difference and a statement is for you. Doeden provides plenty of resources for further reading in the back matter. More Than a Game is a worthy addition to any library collection.

Review: Can I Touch Your Hair? Poems of Race, Mistakes, and Friendship by Irene Latham & Charles Waters

Can I Touch Your Hair? Poems of Race, Mistakes, and Friendship by Irene Latham & Charles Waters. 40 p. Carolrhoda Books/ Lerner Publishing Group, January 1, 2018. 9781512400425. (Review from finished copy won at AASL, courtesy of publisher)

Charles and Irene are classmates in Mrs. Vandenberg's classroom. They don't particularly like each other. Charles is chatty and fidgets. Irene is quiet.  They find themselves stuck with each other as partners in a poetry project. Charles is actually looking forward to working on this project because, "Words fly off my pen 
onto the paper, like writing is my superpower." 

Charles suggests topics like shoes, hair and church. Irene writes about how she wished for an afro when she was younger; but her perm was a disaster. Charles writes about how he feels when kids try to touch his hair. They get to know each other through their shared poems but not without some mis-steps. Irene wishes that she would be invited to join a game of freeze tag the black girls are playing. Shonda confronts her with, "You've got the whole rest of the playground... Can't we at least have this corner?"

When Charles is rebuffed on the playground, he invites Irene to work on their project. Charles clearly has more to deal with than Irene, but they both take tentative steps towards friendship. 

The poems are paired on each page - one by Charles and one by Irene. They read smoothly, are accessible and a good choice to share with children to start a conversation about race - a conversation that many adults feel uncomfortable having. Pair a reading of this with Julius Lester's Let's Talk about Race, and you have two texts to help guide discussion with almost any age group, including young adults. The mixed media illustrations enhance the text. Observant readers may pay close attention to the newsprint used in the collage work. 

At AASL2017 in November, I attended a panel discussion entitled, Mirror, Mirror, Reaching All Readers, moderated by Carole Boston Weatherford. The panelists included Bill Konigsberg, Ellen Oh, Icy Smith and the two poets of this title. The authors read from their most recent work and went on to answer a series of fascinating questions posed by the moderator. I was so impressed by the discussion of Can I Touch Your Hair?, I made a note to myself to order it. Near the end of session, Waters announced that Lerner had provided several copies of Can I Touch Your Hair? to the attendees who could answer some poetry trivia questions. I was able to answer, "Who is the Children's Poet Laureate of the United States?" I won for knowing it is Margarita Engle! I beelined to the front of the room at the end to get the book autographed. I can't wait to share this with my colleagues and students.