Middle Grade Monday: Watch Us Rise by Renée Watson and Ellen Hagan

Image: Bloomsbury

Watch Us Rise by Renée Watson and Ellen Hagan. 368 p. Bloomsbury USA, 2019. 9781547600083. 

Happy Monday! Middle Grade Monday features Watch Us Rise by René Watson and Ellen Hagan. Chelsea and Jasmine are BFFs who attend a high school in New York City that is dedicated to social justice and equality. They both run up against bias in their respective clubs where Jasmine is typecast as an angry Black woman in her acting club and Chelsea's poetry club wants to do the same old, same old and not study edgier, more provocative poets. The two decide to form a new club and convince a teacher to become their advisor. Their blog, "Write Like a Girl," resonates with much of the student body, but is soon shut down by the school's administration. This dual narrative blends text, poems and blog posts. There's angst and humor among the friends as Chelsea crushes on someone who may be just using her; but there's also some sadness as Jasmine's father is dying of cancer.

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. 

Fact Friday: Rise Up! The art of protest by Jo Rippon

Image: Charlesbridge

Rise Up! The art of protest by Jo Rippon in collaboration with Amnesty International. 62 p. Charlesbridge, March, 2020. 9781623541507. (Review of finished copy courtesy of publisher.)

Fact Friday features Rise Up! The art of protest by Jo Rippon in collaboration with Amnesty International. This survey of almost two hundred years of protest poster art concludes our week of books focusing on empathy, human rights and activism. 

Mari Copeny encourages young people to stand up for injustice in the forward of the book. She was eight-years-old when she penned a letter about the water crisis in Flint, Michigan in 2016 to President Obama. He responded to her letter and also visited Flint. She didn't stop there though. She has raised over a half a million dollars to help children affected by the poisoned water. 

The book looks at six key areas of protest -  women's rights, racial equality, anti-war protest, youth activists, lgbtq rights and conservation activists. Each chapter begins with a short overview and features a variety of posters. Each poster is captioned with a title, designer, date and purpose. Socially aware teen and tween readers are sure to be inspired by what they find in this attractive, inspiring volume. 

Fact Friday: Stonewall: Breaking Out in the Fight for Gay Rights by Ann Bausum

Image: Viking/ Penguin

Stonewall: Breaking Out in the Fight for Gay Rights by Ann Bausum. 120 p. Viking/ Penguin Group, May, 2016. 9780670016792. (Own.)

Fact Friday features Stonewall: Breaking out in the fight for gay rights by Ann Bausum. Prior to the 1970s, it was illegal to identify as anything other than heterosexual. Police would routinely raid gay-friendly bars, often coercing and accepting bribes from people hoping to avoid arrest. On June 28, 1969, a raid on the Stonewall Inn in New York City's West Village turned into a full-on protest when the patrons refused to yield to arrest and barricaded themselves in the bar. They were soon joined by thousands of supporters that outnumbered police. The protest eventually became a riot and galvanized the movement to fight for gay rights. Bausum's thorough research is belied by the conversational tone that makes understanding this important moment in history easy. The text is sprinkled with black and white photos from the era.  

Fact Friday and Review: Marley Dias gets it done: and so can you! by Marley Dias

Marley Dias gets it done: and so can you! by Marley Dias. 200 p. Scholastic Press/ Scholastic Inc., January, 2018. 9781338136890. (Review of finished pbb courtesy of publisher.)

When Marley Dias was eleven, she lamented to her mother about the fact that all her class novel assignments were about white boys and their dogs or about dogs. She wondered where the girl main characters were, especially girls of color. Her mother challenged her to find them and helped her launch #1000blackgirlbooks. The hashtag went viral and gained the attention of other media, such as Ellen, who donated to the cause. Marley has raised money and collected over a thousand books featuring black girls. Her platform is the importance of seeing oneself reflected in the literature we read.

She recounts her story here, but says the purpose of the book is not all about her. She offers advice to teens who may have an interest in activism. They can find advice on starting their own grassroots movement here in easy to follow steps including staying on message, safety and relying on trusted adults. 

Her voice is an infectious combination of poised and sassy. She's a straight-A student who loves her fashion. The slim volume is loaded with pictures of Marley sporting a variety of outfits, hairstyles and specs as well as photo ops with celebrities at a variety of speaking engagements. Brilliant colors border most pages and some pages feature a colored background with white font. While this will be appealing to young eyes, these old ones had trouble reading white font on bright yellow. Backmatter includes a list of 500 of her 1000 titles curiously listed by author's first name. 

This is a timely, engaging, important addition to any library serving children and young adults. 

Middle Grade Monday: Ban This Book by Alan Gratz

Ban This Book by Alan Gratz. 256 p. Tom Doherty Associates, August, 2017. 9780765385567. (Review from finished copy borrowed from public library.)

Fourth grader Amy Anne is pretty quiet and quite shy, but when she finds that her favorite book has been removed from the school library along with five or six other titles because they have been challenged by a well-meaning parent, she takes action. First, she reads all the other books. Then, she opens a lending library from her locker. Find out what happens when Amy Anne and her friends exercise their freedom to read.

I really enjoyed this one. It's a great way to introduce intellectual freedom in a way younger students will understand. The discussion guide at the end is a plus as well. 

Amy Anne is a relatable character who finds her voice at home and at school. She becomes delightfully subversive in her solution to give her friends and classmates freedom to read and think for themselves. Amy Anne is a confident and thoughtful reader. I just love the fact that the first thing she did when she learned of the list of challenged books was read them. Something the school board didn't think to do. I also loved that Amy Anne knew her own tastes and comfort level as a reader and put off reading the title that she knew would make her uncomfortable. She was a critical reader who, while she did not like a certain popular book herself, (brilliant dig, btw) recognized that others had the right to read and like the book. 

I also appreciated that Gratz did not paint the parent who challenged the books as a villain with an ax to grind, but as a concerned and involved parent. 

Ban This Book is a great addition to any library. My only wish, being a middle school library is that Amy Ann was older. A book with younger characters is a hard sell. I'm hoping my students will be unable to resist that appealing cover.

Picture Book Review: Listen: how Pete Seeger got America Singing by Leda Schubert

Listen: how Pete Seeger got America Singing by Leda Schubert. Illustrated by Raul Colon. unpgd. A Neal Porter Book/ Roaring Brook Press, June, 2017. 9781626722507. (Review from finished copy courtesy of Blue Slip Media)

Okay. Full disclosure here. I adore Pete Seeger. I also love Leda Schubert and Raul Colon. But back to Pete Seeger. I grew up the oldest of six children born in ten years. My childhood was imperfect with a capital I. But the songs of Pete Seeger were a part of it. My dad admired him. Fast forward to 1979 when I discovered Harry Chapin. I attended too many of his concerts to count and "Old Folkie" always brought me back to my dad and his admiration for Pete Seeger. Fast forward to today when I mention Pete Seeger or Woodie Guthrie to my students and am met with blank stares. 

If ever there was a time that need this biography, now is the time. The reader is asked to Listen. Listen. Listen as Pete got folks singing. He'd sing old songs, new songs and prompt tenors, altos and basses to join in to create four part harmony that "would rise to the rafters and drift to the stars."

This lyrical, spare blank verse biography brings Pete Seeger to life for children who may sing his songs without understanding the story behind them. Pete sang the Truth. He was unafraid to  to join union organizers or farmers or hoboes. He stood up the to House Un-American Activities Committee of the United States Congress. He joined the fight for Civil Rights. He campaigned for a cleaner Hudson River. He walked the walk. He talked the talk. And now is the time for a new generation to lift their voices. 

Raul Colon's illustrations follow Pete from his early days through his later years. The scratchy watercolor and pencil drawings capture the folk singer's commitment to social justice and is sure to inspire a new generation of social activists. A timeline, endnotes, selected bibliography and recommended recordings round out this remarkable picture book biography. I can't wait to share this with my students.

Arc Review: The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora by Pablo Cartaya

The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora by Pablo Cartaya. 239 p. Viking/ Penguin Young Readers Group, May 16, 2017. 9781101997239.

Thirteen-year-old Arturo Zamora lives and works with his large extended family. They own and run a Cuban American restaurant, La Cocina de la Isla, walking distance from the apartment complex where they all live. Arturo's grandmother, and founder of the restaurant, is the glue that holds the family together. She founded the restaurant with her now deceased husband and has recently passed the reins of running the restaurant to Arturo's mother. Arturo's family gathers at the restaurant each Sunday for dinner where they engage in spirited conversation and bicker good-naturedly. The clan is hosting a new addition for the summer. Carmen and her father have moved into the complex. Arturo views her as family and is confused by the sudden rush of feelings for her. Arturo has two best friends, who will be off to separate camps for the summer soon while Arturo begins work at the restaurant as a junior dishwasher. 

Arturo is an endearing narrator and clearly adores his family, especially his Abuela. He's also charmingly awkward with Carmen. When Wilfredo Pipo invades the restaurant to introduce himself one day, everyone takes an instant dislike to him and his oily ways, even Abuela, who likes everyone.

Turns out, they have good reason to suspect Pipo, he plans on gentrifying the neighbor and La Cocina de la Isla is not on the blueprints. He's pushing them out. What's more, the rest of the neighborhood seems charmed by the idea. Arturo's aunt wants to do something and Arturo's mother has a more wait and see attitude. Arturo's scared and he and Carmen team up to get to the bottom of things. 

There's a lot to like about this debut. It's a gentle story of family, connection and growing up. Reading it was like being enfolded into Abuela's warm hug. It was like meeting a family for the first time but feeling like I've know them forever. Arturo's voice is earnest and awkward and at times, hilarious but always genuine. 

Arc Review: Be Light Like a Bird by Monika Schröder

Be Light Like a Bird by Monika Schröder. 240 p. Capstone Press, August 15, 2016. 9781623707491. (Review from arc courtesy of author.)

Twelve-year-old Wren is reeling after her father dies in a plane crash over the Atlantic. She wants nothing more than to find comfort in her mother but, after she angrily burns all his papers she packs the car, Wren ends up the new girl at several schools before they finally settle down (at Wren's insistance) in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Wren finds some solace in birding at Pete's Pond. When she discovers that it is slated to be turned into a garbage dump, she and her new friend, Theo, who lost his mother, try to save the pond. 

I resisted staying up all night to read this quiet, elegant, powerful portrait of grief. Instead, I picked it up and nibbled throughout the day before finishing in the evening, when I closed the book with a satisfied sigh. I was smitten with Wren from the first page. I can't wait to get this into the hands of my fifth and sixth grade students who love sad books! Despite the incredible sadness in Wren's life, she describes herself as being surrounded by a cloud, she is a survivor. 

I have read three of the four books Ms. Schröder has written. I enjoyed them all and wish she was appreciated more. She creates unique characters dealing with unusual problems. I loved the fact that Wren decided to go birding to console herself and attempt to feel closer to her dad. Her journey to social activist was realistically portrayed. She makes her own errors in judgement along the way. The adults are doing the best that they can with what they have, including Wren's mother, who I initially decided was the. worst. mother. in. middle. grade. literature.

Give Be Light Like a Bird to your thoughtful readers who don't mind shedding a tear or two along the way.