Fact Friday and Arc Review: Welcome to Your Period! by Yumi Stynes & Dr. Melissa Kang

Image: Candlewick Press

Welcome to Your Period! by Yumi Stynes & Dr. Melissa Kang.170 p. Walker Books US/ Candlewick Press, January 12, 2021. 9781536214765. (Review of arc courtesy of publisher.)

Fact Friday features Welcome to Your Period! by Yumi Synes & Dr. Melissa Kang. The human body undergoes tremendous change over the course of a lifetime. Perhaps no time is more challenging than puberty. It's a challenging and confusing time for both boys and girls, who are often embarrassed to ask questions about the changes happening. This fun, frank book was originally published in Australia. It explains everything curious (and terrified) girls might want to know. The reassuring, conversational tone makes the reader feel like she's listening to a big sister. 

Lots of art (B&W in the arc, but full color in finished books) informs as well as entertains. Gender issues are addressed in one chapter. There's even a chapter for boys, who really should learn about this stuff too.* The book concludes with a list of vocabulary and resources including who to follow on social media, apps and podcasts.

Welcome to Your Period! releases on January 12, 2021 and belongs on every library shelf. Knowledge is power. 

*I sat all four of my sons down as they hit puberty. I put a box of condoms and a banana on the table and demanded that they use one every single time AND learn all about the menstrual cycle and ovulation. #1 son laughingly told me that he was shocked to learn that his college gf and her sorority sisters had no idea when they ovulated! 

November is Picture Book Month! Review: Lift by Minh Lê

Lift: Disney/ LBYR

Lift by Minh Lê. Illustrated by Dan Santat. unpgd. Disney/ Hyperion/ Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, May, 2020. 9781368036924. (Review of finished copy borrowed from public library.) 

It's Iris' job to press the elevator button. Period. Up and down. Each day. Every day. But one day, an interloper in the form of her little brother presses the button before she can and she's mad.  Betrayal! In this spread, we see Iris' proud parents hugging her little brother as he hugs his stuffed tiger that was apparently Iris'!

After she's betrayed yet again, she decides to push all the buttons and doesn't care about her parents' ire. Unfortunately, she breaks the elevator. While she and her parents wait for the repairman to finish fixing the elevator, she watches as he tosses the dysfunctional button into a nearby trash can. Inspiration strikes and Iris snatches it. She tapes it to the wall of her room, presses the button and... whoa!

While Minh Lê expertly taps into the psyche of the older sibling, Dan Santat adroitly and humorously portrays the dynamics in a variety of panel sizes a lá graphic novel style. Iris is clearly put upon but not without love for her brother. 

This is an absolute must purchase for any library. It's an absolute joy! One a parent won't mind reading again and again.

#tbt: Twelve Rounds to Glory: the story of Muhammad Ali by Charles R. Smith Jr.

Image: Candlewick Press

Twelve Rounds to Glory: the story of Muhammad Ali by Charles R. Smith Jr.. Illustrated by Bryan Collier. 80 p. Candlewick Press, 2007. 9780763616923. (Own)

Happy Thursday TMS Readers! I hope you're planning a wonderful day off this Teacher Convention Weekend. #tbt features Twelve Rounds to Glory: the story of Muhammad Ali by Charles R. Smith and illustrated by Bryan Collier. This verse biography of the original G.O.A.T., was published in 2007 and won a Coretta Scott King Author Honor. Twelve rap-style poems capture the energy and essence of Ali and are accompanied by brilliant collage illustrations by one of my favorite illustrators.

Waiting on Wednesday: Halfway to Harmony by Barbara O'Connor

Image: Macmillan

Halfway to Harmony by Barbara O'Connor. 256 p. Farrar, Straus & Giroux/ Macmillan, January 12, 2021. 9780374314460.

Waiting on Wednesday features Halfway to Harmony by Barbara O'Connor. Ms. O'Connor is the author of a few TMS favorites such as, How to Steal a Dog and Wish, though my personal favorite is The Small Adventure of Popeye and Elvis. She's a middle grade author who doesn't waste a word. Her books are short, accessible and aim straight for the heart. Here's the publisher's synopsis for Halfway to Harmony, which is due out January 12, 2021.

"Walter Tipple is looking for adventure. He keeps having a dream that his big brother, Tank, appears before him and says, “Let’s you and me go see my world, little man.” But Tank went to the army and never came home, and Walter doesn’t know how to see the world without him.

Then he meets Posey, the brash new girl from next door, and an eccentric man named Banjo, who’s off on a bodacious adventure of his own. What follows is a summer of taking chances, becoming braver, and making friends—and maybe Walter can learn who he wants to be without the brother he always wanted to be like."

November is Picture Book Month! Review: Madeline Finn and the Library Dog by Lisa Papp

Image: Peachtree Publishers

Madeline Finn and the Library Dog by Lisa Papp. unpgd. Peachtree Publishers, March, 2020. 9781682630594. (Review of paperback edition borrowed from public library.)

I found this sweet book on the new book display at my local library and couldn't resist that sweet cover and the word, library. That's the way to a librarian's heart! But, I'm no pushover!

We've all had a few Madeline Finn's in our life. The child who hates to read. The child who struggles to read. The child who hates to read because he/ she struggles to read. I was one of those struggling readers who eventually learned to love to read. I was in "group three," the lowest of the low. The group that was behind in the Dick and Jane series. The group that looked on enviously as the kids in group one roared with laughter over something humorous in one of the stories. The group that was the last to laugh and we didn't really once we finally got there. So Madeline is me.

Aside from that personal connection to a long ago younger me. This story pulls the reader in with both words and illustrations. The reader FEELS Madeline's frustration and aches for her. It's beautifully wrought and allows both readers and non-readers alike to empathize/ sympathize with Madeline. 

This book is just gorgeous and I'm sorry that I missed its hardcover release several years ago, but happy that my library featured it prominently. 

Teen Tuesday: American Royals by Katharine McGee

Image: Penguin Random House

American Royals by Katharine McGee. 464 p. Random House Books for Young Readers/ Penguin Random House, September, 2019. 

It seems apropos on this Election Day to feature an alternate history. What if George Washington were made king of the newly formed United States of America instead of elected president? Teen Tuesday features American Royals by Katharine McGee. This is pure escapist fun. King George the Third and his family rule America. George's father abolished the ascendancy rule of first male as heir to the throne, so his eldest, Beatrice, will become America's first queen someday. She trains for that role with purpose and dedication. Her parents give her a file filled with eligible royal men to consider as husband material. There's a slight problem though. Beatrice has fallen for a commoner.

Meanwhile, Beatrice's fraternal twin siblings, Samantha and Jefferson, are taking a gap year between high school and college. Jefferson enjoys his role as America's most eligible bachelor and Samantha is considered the family rebel.

The fast-paced narrative switches POV and keeps the action lively. The reader is treated to court intrigue and shenanigans. This is the first in a series which is sure to charm. I read this one with my ears and really enjoyed it. The narrator's breezy style matched the breezy tone of the book. The nice thing about coming to a series later is that the wait time for book two is shorter. I placed a hold on the sequel right away! Review coming soon.

November is Picture Book Month! Review: Julián at the Wedding by Jessica Love

Image: Candlewick Press

Julián at the Wedding by Jessica Love. unpgd. Candlewick Press, October, 2020. 9781536212389. (Review of finished copy courtesy of publisher.)

It was so wonderful to visit with Julián again! Here, he dresses in a natty lavender outfit to be in a wedding along with Marisol. His abuela is there to celebrate the union of two women in a joyful outdoor ceremony. Marisol has to wear a flower crown instead of her beloved baseball cap. Afterward, Julián and Marisol disappear and she ruins her dress. Her cap is recovered and she gifts Julián with her crown. A friendship is cemented and a union is celebrated. What joy!

The pastel on brown paper art is luminous. Fans of the first book, Julián is a Mermaid will cheer and readers new to Julián and he abuela will be intrigued. More, please!