Fact Friday: The March Trilogy by John Lewis

 

The March Trilogy by John Lewis. (March: Book One; March: Book Two and March: Book Three) Illustrated by Andrew Aydin and Nate Powell. IDW Publishing, September, 2016. (Own)

Fact Friday features The March Trilogy, written by Congressman John Lewis. These three graphic novel memoirs chronicle John Lewis' coming-of-age during the Civil Rights Movement. Deeply moral and religious, John Lewis believed in the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King's teaching on non-violent protest. But protest he did, suffering beatings and arrests. For fifty years, the congressman has stood up (or sat down) to protest injustice. The volumes were released over several years, with the last, March: Book Three, receiving an unprecedented number of literary awards starting with the National Book Award. 

#tbt; We are the Ship: the history of Negro League baseball by Kadir Nelson

We are the Ship: the story of Negro League baseball by Kadir Nelson. 90 p. Disney-Hyperion, January, 2008. 9780786808328. (own)

#tbt features We are the Ship: the history of Negro League Baseball written and illustrated by Kadir Nelson. Nelson, a multiple award-winning illustrator made his authorial debut with this stunning book. It was published in 2008 and won Nelson not only a Sibert Medal but both a Coretta Scott King Author and Ilustrator award! It is oversized and generously as well as gorgeously illustrated with full- and double-page spreads that leap to life. The narrator is "Everyman." In conversational tone, Everyman relates the history of the league, which started in the 1920s and ended shortly after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier. These players were playing for the love of the game, not for the money. He tells of famous players like Satchel Paige as well as players who didn't achieve his fame. He also speaks to the racism that caused baseball to be segregated as well as the racism they faced while traveling to play the game they all loved. We are the Ship is a must-read for anyone, but especially anyone who considers themself a baseball fan.

Taking Stock - February 2018

Wee-oh! Did February fly! Yikes! Two months of 2018 in the books already!

Total posts this month: 26
Total books read this month: 34
Total books read this year: 57

Challenges:
Audio: 6/11
Debut: 0/1
Picture Book: 13/ 22

The Good: I caught up to my GR goal thanks to our school break. My "Daily Booktalk" posts were dedicated to books featuring African American authors/ illustrators. I did double * one book this month, which I plan on reviewing this weekend.

The Bad: Aside from the Daily Booktalk posts, I didn't do much reviewing.

The List:
24. Heroes of Black History by the Editors of Time for Kids (2/2)
25. Ain't Nothing but a Man: my quest to find the real John Henry by Scott Reynolds Nelson with Marc Aronson (2/3)
26. Bertha Takes a Drive: how the Benz automobile changed the world by Jan Adkins (2/7)
27. My Own Words by Ruth Bader Ginsburg (2/7)
28. The Boo-Boos That Changed the World: a true story about an accidental invention (really) by Barry Wittenstein (2/7)*
29. Scythe by Neal Shusterman (2/10)*
30. Little Melba and Her Big Trombone by Katheryn Russell-Brown (2/11)
31. Dorothea Lange: the photographer who found the faces of the Depression by Carole Boston Weatherford (2/11)
32. The Legendary Miss Lena Horne by Carole Boston Weatherford (2/12)
33. Malcolm Little: the boy who grew up to become Malcolm X by Ilyasah Shabazz (2/12)
34. Time Shifters by Chris Grine (2/13)
35. Voices from the Underground Railroad by Kay Winters (2/15)
36. Alex & Eliza: a love story by Melissa de la Cruz (2/15)
37. When Paul Met Artie: the story of Simon & Garfunkel by G. Neri (2/16)*
38. Curse of the Harvester by Greg Grunbeg & Lucas Turnbloom (2/17)
39. Last Laughs: prehistoric epitaphs by J. Patrick Lewis and Jane Yolen (2/18)
40. The Witch Boy by Molly Knox Oxtertag (2/18)
41. Graveyard Shakes by Laura Terry (2/18)
42. How to Make Awesome Comics by Neill Cameron (2/18)
43. Malala's Magic Pencil by Malala Yousafzai (2/19)
44. Barack Obama: son of promise, child of hope by Nikki Grimes (2/19)
45. Ella: queen of jazz by Helen Hancocks (2/19)
46. Rettie and the Ragamuffin Parade by Trinka Hakes Noble (2/19)*
47. Chadwick's Epic Revenge by Lisa Doan (2/20) (SLJ review)
48. All the Crooked Saints by Maggie Stiefvater (2/21)*
49. Blue Grass Boy by Barb Rosenstock (2/22)
50. Waiting for Pumpsie by Barry Wittenstein (2/22)
51. Out of Wonder: Poems Celebrating Poets by Kwame Alexander (2/23)*
52. Bravo! Poems about Amazing Hispanics by Margarita Engle (2/23)
53. Posted by John David Anderson (2/23)
54. Dog Man and Cat Kid by Dav Pilkey (2/24)*
55. Forgotten Bones: uncovering a slave cemetery by Lois Miner Huey (2/25)*
56. Al Capone Throws Me a Curve by Gennifer Choldenko (2/25)**
57. Born a Crime by Trevor Noah (2/28)*

Waiting on Wednesday: On the Come Up by Angie Thomas

On the Come Up by Angie Thomas. 350 p. HarperCollins Publishers, June 5, 2018. 9780062498564.

Publisher synopsis: Sixteen-year-old Bri wants to be one of the greatest rappers of all time. Or at least get some streams on her mixtape. As the daughter of an underground rap legend who died right before he hit big, Bri’s got massive shoes to fill. But when her mom unexpectedly loses her job, food banks and shut-off notices become as much a part of her life as beats and rhymes. With bills piling up and homelessness staring her family down, Bri no longer just wants to make it—she has to make it.

On the Come Up is Angie Thomas’s homage to hip hop, the art that sparked her passion for storytelling and continues to inspire her to this day. It is the story of fighting for your dreams, even as the odds are stacked against you; of the struggle to become who you are, and not who everyone expects you to be; and of the desperate realities of poor and working class black families.

Brilliant, insightful, full of heart, this novel is another modern classic from one of the most influential literary voices of a generation.

I am very eager to read Angie Thomas' sophomore effort.

Teen Tuesday: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. 464 p. HarperCollins Publisher, February, 2017. 9780062498533. (Own)

Teen Tuesday features The Hate U Give is Angie Thomas' debut novel and what a year she is having. The novel hit the New York Times Bestseller list and pretty much stayed on it all year. It was optioned for a feature film that is now in post-production and was long listed for The National Book Award. Then, it won big at the Youth Media Awards in Denver a few weeks ago, garnering the Morris Award, a Printz Honor and a Coretta Scott King Author Honor. Oh, and the fantastic audiobook won the Odyssey Award. 

It it the first-person narration of sixteen-year-old Starr Carter who lives in two worlds and inhabits two personas. She and her two brothers live in low-income area in a city but attends an expensive private school outside of it. She keeps the two worlds separate until she's a witness in a shooting. She was with her childhood friend when he was shot and killed by a police officer. As she prepares to testify before a grand jury, Starr begins to question some harsh realities in her life.

This is a long book but doesn't feel like one. The story is riveting and pages fly. 

Middle Grade Monday: As Brave as You by Jason Reynolds

As Brave as You by Jason Reynolds. 432 p. Caitlyn Dlouhey Books/ Atheneum/ Simon & Schuster, May, 2017. 9781481415910.

Middle Grade Monday features As Brave as You by Jason Reynolds. This novel won a Coretta Scott King Author Honor, was a Kirkus Prize Finalist and won the Schneider Family Book Award. It tells the story of two brothers, Genie and his older brother Ernie. They have to spend several weeks with relatives they have never met so their parents can travel to Jamaica to try and save their marriage. Brooklyn, New York is way different than the rural Virginia town their father grew up in. He barely speaks to his own father and the boys are left to puzzle through a myriad of family secrets during their time spent down south.

Review: Dog Man and Cat Kid by Dav Pilkey

Dog Man and Cat Kid by Dav Pilkey. 256 p. Dog Man series #4. Graphix/ Scholastic Inc. December, 2017. 9780545935180. (Review from purchased finished copy.)

Dog Man is back in what is his most hilarious adventure yet. Adorable "little" Petey needs a babysitter so Dog Man can go to work. Enter a nanny who is really Petey in disguise. Petey can't believe his clone is a goody-goody and wants to brainwash him into evil ways. Meanwhile, a movie is being made about Dog Man and he's supposed to stay out of trouble. But we all know how successful Dog Man is at that.

The hilarity continues with clever puns, low-brow humor and allusions aplenty. I laughed out loud several times and can't wait to share it with my students who are huge fans. Honestly, all the Dog Man books are must-purchases for any school or classroom library.