Middle Grade Monday and Audiobook Review : The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

Image: HarperCollins

The One and Only Ruby by Katherine Applegate. Unabridged e-audiobook, ~3 hours. Read by Imani Parks. HarperAudio, May, 2023. (E-audio book borrowed from public library. HC purchased.)

Happy Monday TMS Readers! Middle Grade Monday features The One and Only Ruby by Katherine Applegate. And now, it's Ruby's turn to tell her story. Fans of The One and Only Ivan and The One and Only Bob will be thrilled to hear Ruby's story. While she is now safe in a sanctuary with room to roam, a herd of doting elephant "aunties," and Ivan in the enclosure next door, Ruby is unsettled about her upcoming tuskday, a ritual her aunties insist is necessary. After Ruby is visited by an important person from her past, memories of her life in Africa come flooding back. Ruby's narration, told in blank verse, with grey toned illustrations make for a satisfying sequel.

Middle Grade Monday: Parachute Kids by Betty C. Tang

Image: Scholastic Inc.

Parachute Kids: a Graphic Novel by Betty C. Tang. 288 p. Graphix/ Scholastic Inc. April, 2023. 9781338832693. (Review of finished, purchased copy.)

Happy Monday! We finally had a weekend without rain here in northern NJ! Saturday was mostly cloudy, but thankfully windless and mild. I spent most of the day raking and blowing leaves. I almost finished them all, but darkness fell and I had no energy left. I took a nice hot bath, but was still so sore on Sunday, I couldn't finish the little bit I had left. Oh well. I did take a nice long walk in the woods with Boo though.

Middle Grade Monday features Parachute Kids: a Graphic Novel by Betty C. Tang. Ten-year-old Feng-Li Lin is excited about her family's trip to California. She can't wait to visit Disney Land. She and her siblings are unhappily surprised when they hear that only their father will be returning to China. Mrs. Lin will remain behind with the children, who will attend public school, learn English and have better opportunities. Then Mrs. Lin application for a Visa extention is denied. She leaves Feng-Li's sixteen-year-old sister, Jia-Xi, who speaks some English, in charge and returns home to China. You can probably imagine how hard it is to move household internationally, but can you imagine doing so without your parents? This graphic novel is based upon the author's experience as a "parachute kid" in the 1980s. An author's note defines parachute kid, a situation is when parents send their children to another country to live with either relatives or family friends.

The art is bright and energetic and keeps the reader engaged. The themes of fitting in and identity are relatable, even if this aspect of the immigrant experience might be unfamiliar. I had never heard the term before and found the entire situation very scary, as so much can go wrong even when the country and language are familiar! 

Parachute Kids: a Graphic Novel should have wide appeal and is recommended for all collections. Happy reading!

#tbt: East by Edith Patio

Image: HarperCollins Publishers

East by Edith Pattou. 498 p. Harcourt/ HarperCollins Publishers, September, 2003. (Own)

Happy chilly Thursday! I finally turned the heat on last night thanks to temps that dipped down to freezing. #tbt features East by Edith Pattou. This novel-length retelling of the Scandiavian folktale, "East of the Sun, West of the Moon" turned 20 this September! 

Rose is the youngest child of a poor Norwegian family who lives above the Arctic Circle. Rose's superstitious mother believes in a dire prophecy about her and tries to protect her slightly odd daughter. When a polar bear approaches Rose asking her to come away with him and in exchange, he would make her family prosperous, Rose readily accepts. This tale is told from multiple points-of-view and has a slightly slow start, but is rich in vivid imagery and lovely language.

East was named to several year-end "Best of" lists. Happy reading!

Waiting on Wednesday: Heroes by Alan Gratz

Image: Scholastic Inc.

Heroes by Alan Gratz. 272 p. Scholastic Press/ Scholastic Inc., February 6, 2024. 9781338736076

Waiting on Wednesday features Heroes by Alan Gratz. Mr. Gratz is a TMS favorite and students are always eager for anything new by him. Heroes will publish on February 6, 2026. Here's the publisher's synopsis:

December 6, 1941: Best friends Frank and Stanley have it good. Their dads are Navy pilots stationed at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, and the boys get a front-row view of the huge battleships and the sparkling water. Yes, World War II is raging in Europe and in Asia, but the US isn't involved in the war, and the boys are free to dream about becoming comic book creators. They've even invented a superhero of their own, in the style of Batman, Superman, Captain America, and other stars of the Golden Age of Comics. Maybe they'll even get their comic published someday.

December 7th, 1941: Everything explodes.

That morning, Frank and Stanley are aboard the battleship the USS Utah when Japanese planes zoom overhead and begin dropping bombs on the ships below. Chaos ensues as everyone scrambles to dive for safety. Frank and Stanley realize what's happening: Japan is attacking America! The war has come to them.

As the boys fight to make their way home amidst the carnage, it's clear that everything has changed. Stanley's mother is Japanese American and he is suddenly facing a terrible prejudice that he's never known before — he's now seen as the "enemy," and Frank, who's white, cannot begin to understand what Stanley will now face. Can their friendship — and their dreams — survive this watershed moment in history?

Told with the immediacy, high-stakes action, and meaningful twists that have made Alan Gratz one of today's biggest authors, this gripping novel tackles themes of bravery, prejudice, and what it means to stand up for what's right. Just as Gratz's Ground Zero became a defining look at 9/11 for middle-grade readers, this book delivers a necessary and unputdownable take on a date that still lives in infamy.

Plus: The book ends with an all-original, 10-page black & white comic that brings to life the comic book idea that Frank and Stanley brainstorm in the novel. The comic is written by Alan Gratz and illustrated by Judit Tondora.

Happy reading!

Middle Grade Monday: Odder by Katherine Applegate

Image: Macmillan

Odder by Katherine Applegate. Illustrated by Charles Santoso. 288 p. Feiwel & Friends/ Macmillan, September, 2022. 9781250147431. (Review of finished purchased copy.)

Happy Monday! My weekend was a bit of a mixed bag. Saturday was very productive and active and HOT! The temperature rose to 81 degrees! I spent about 7 hours dealing with my leaves. The leaves drifted down continuously and I couldn't tell I even raked at the end. I still prefer to deal with them each weekend instead of waiting for them to finish falling. Sunday was a washout. Cold and rainy all day. Boo and I were very lazy. 

Middle Grade Monday features Odder by Katherine Applegate.
Ms. Applegate sure seems to have a gift for conveying the inner thoughts of animals without overly anthropomorphizing them. Odder is a young sea otter named Odder due to her penchant for exploring her sea habitat and venturing places her otter mother warned her against. She and her fearful friend, Kairi venture too far and are menaced by an adolescent shark intent on having Kairi for lunch. Odder saves her, but is seriously injured and washes up on the shore of Monterey Bay, where she is rescued by the Monterey Bay Aquarium staff. Readers get to know Odder as she recovers through flowing image-rich blank verse and some lovely illustrations by Charles Santoso. Readers will fall in love with this irrepressible otter as she reflects on life, especially as she comes to realize that she might not return to the wild.

Fans of the author and fans of animal stories will adore Odder. Look at that cover! Who can resist? Highly recommended!

Fact Friday: Peace is a Chain Reaction: How World War II Japanese Balloon Bombs Brought People of Two Nations Together by Tanya Lee Stone

Image: Candlewick Press

Peace is a Chain Reaction: How World War II Japanese Balloon Bombs Brought People of Two Nations Together by Tanya Lee Stone. 176 p. Candlewick Press, September, 2022. 9780763676865. (own)

Happy Friday! Did you know that the Japanese military dropped bombs on U.S. soil during WWII? Seventh and eighth graders who read the picture book biography, Thirty Minutes over Oregon: a Japanese Pilot's World War II Story, know about Nobuo Fujita, the pilot who flew his aircraft from a submarine to drop a bomb in Oregon. It landed harmlessly in the woods. This past summer, I read our Fact Friday feature and learned of a second incident. Peace is a Chain Reaction: How World War II Japanese Balloon Bombs Brought People of Two Nations Together by Tanya Lee Stone presents the story from multiple perspectives in a succinct, highly readable narrative that is profusely illustrated with photos, drawings and maps. Beginning with the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor and the resulting internment of Japanese Americans, then explains the technology behind balloon bombs and how they were able to float on air currents to the U.S. Unfortunately, a group of people, mostly children, out walking in the woods, came upon an unexploded bomb and six died. Ms. Stone weaves the story of Yuzuru Takeshita, an internee with the stories of the survivors and siblings and townspeople with the story of the factory in Japan, where high school students, mostly girls, were tasked with constructing the bombs. Extensive back matter shows how well researched this work was. Highly recommended!

#tbt (a day late): Bomb: the Race to Build and Steal the World's Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin

Image: 

Bomb: the Race to Build and Steal the World's Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin. 272 p. Macmillan, 2012. (Own)

Happy Thursday Friday! Oops! #tbt features Bomb: the Race to Build and Steal the World's Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin. This narrative nonfiction book about the discovery of nuclear fission, which lead to the invention of the atom bomb reads like an international spy novel. Meticulously researched and containing many photos and maps, readers will come to an understanding about how nuclear fission was discovered, how the U.S. tried to use to and how the Soviets tried to steal the plans.

Bomb was published in 2012 and was a National Book Award Finalist, then went on to win the Siebert Award, the YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction and a Newbery Honor. Happy reading!