Fact Friday: The Plastic Problem by Rachel Salt

Image: Firefly Books Ltd.

The Plastic Problem by Rachel Salt. 80 p. Firefly Books Ltd., September, 2020. 9780228102311. (Review of finished purchased ppb.)

Fact Friday features The Plastic Problem by Rachel Salt. If you're a regular reader of the Daily Book Talk, you may have noticed that plastic pollution is on my mind. Did you know that only 9% of plastic is recycled? According to this book, 79% goes into landfills, where it will sit for hundreds of years leaching chemicals. Much plastic ends up in streams, rivers and ultimately our oceans, where the wind and wave movements break up the plastic into tiny pieces, which marine life then eat mistaking it for food. The physical plastic in an animal's stomach can't be digested, takes up space and eventually leads to death by starvation or obstruction. The chemicals in microplastics are absorbed by the animals, which are part of a food chain and may end up on our dinner plates. Plastic has been around for about 100 years but, while good things have been possible thanks to plastic, other types of plastic, such as single-use plastic should be rethought. This attractively designed, easy-to-understand book explains it all and suggests ways that individuals can help using the 6 Rs. We know about the 3 Rs - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Consider 3 more - Refuse, Rethink and Repair. So look around your house. Do a plastic audit. Do you really need to buy cases of bottled water when you can refill a Swell bottle? Do you need plastic utensils and wrappings in your lunch box? Think about it and have a great Independence Day weekend!

PS: If you're having a get-together, try to avoid disposable party ware! 

#tbt: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

Image: Disney

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan. Percy Jackson and the Olympians #1. Miramax Books/ Hyperion Books for Children/ Disney, June, 2005. 9780786856299. (Own.)

#tbt features The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan. It was fifteen year ago on June 28 that Riordan's book debuted. My first edition copy has a different cover (below) than what eventually became the Percy Jackson brand, illustrated by John Rocco (above). 

The book that launched an empire. This story about a middle school misfit with dyslexia became my go-to book for readers, reluctant and otherwise, who wanted action and humor. 

Taking Stock - Second Quarter of 2020

Well, here we are! Halfway through 2020, easily one of the worst years ever. I was 16 books behind in my GR goal at the end of March. I am now 26 books behind two weeks into summer vacation. I am still having trouble concentrating for long periods of time. 

Here's my list. Faves have an *.
April (22)
76. Her Own Two Feet: a Rwandan Girl's brave fight to walk by Meredith Davis and Rebecca Uwitonze (4/2)
77. love, love by Victoria Chang (4/3)
78. Heartstopper Volume 1 by Alice Oseman (4/4)*
79. A Home for Goddesses and Dogs by Leslie Conor (4/4)*
80. One of Us is Next by Karen McManus (4/7)
81. We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices edited by Wade Hudson (4/8)
82. Lifting as We Climb: Black women's battle for the ballot box by Evette Dionne (4/9)*
83. Chirp by Kate Messner (4/9)
84. Astronuts Mission Two: the water planet by Jon Scieszka (4/10)
85. Dugout: the zombie steals home by Scott Morse (4/10)
86. Bendy and the Ink Machine Joey Drew Studios Employee Handbook (4/11)
87. Lila and Hadley by Kody Keplinger (4/12)*
88. Tracking Pythons: The Quest to Catch an Invasive Predator and Save an Ecosystem (ebook) by Kate Messner (4/13)*
89. The Blackbird Girls by Anne Blankman (4/13)*
90. Monstrous by Carlyn Beccia (4/15)
91. Birdie and Me by J.M.M.Nuanez (4/16)
92. Brave Like That by Lindsey Stoddard (4/17)
93. The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black (4/19)*
94. Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling (4/21)
95. Every Missing Piece by Melanie Conklin (4/23)*
96. Redwood and Ponytail by K.A. Holt (4/25)
97. Sparrow by Mary Cecilia Jackson (4/26)

May (28)
98. Genesis Begins Again by Alicia D. Williams (5/2)*
99. Dragon Hoops by Gene Luen Yang (5/2)*
100. This is a Book to Read with a Worm by Jodi Wheeler-Toppen (5/3)*
101. Balletball by Erin Dionne (5/3)
102. Dream Big, Little Scientists: a bedtime book by Michell Schaub (5/3)*
103. Here We Go Digging for Dinosaur Bones by Susan Lendroth (5/4)
104. You're Invited to a Moth Ball: a nighttime insect celebration by Loree Griffin Burns (5/4)*
105. Rise Up! The Art of Protest by Jo Rippon (5/4)
106. One Plastic Bag by Miranda Paul (5/5)*
107. Strong as Sandow: how Eugen Sandow became the strongest man in the world by Don Tate (5/5)*
108. Martina the Beautiful Cockroach: a Cuban folktale by Carmen Agra Deedy (5/5)*
109. Aru Shah and the Tree of Wishes by Roshoni Choksi (5/7)
110. When Stars are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed (Audio reread) (5/8)*
111. Abayomi: the Brazilian puma by Darcy Pattison (5/10)
112. The List of Things That Will Not Change by Rebecca Stead (5/10)*
113. Star Finder! A step-by-step guide to the night sky (5/11)
114. Red Hood by Elena K. Arnold (5/13)
115. Plastic Sea: a bird's-eye view by Kirsti Blom and Geir Wing Gabrielsen (5/15)
116. The Candy Mafia by Lavie Tidhar (5/17)(SLJ)
117. The Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay (5/17)
118. Superman Smashes the Klan by Gene Luen Yang (5/18)*
119. Yes No Maybe So by Becky Albertalli and Aisha Said (5/21)
120. Queen of Physics: how Wu Chien Shiung helped unlock the secrets of the atom by Teresa Robeson (5/22)*
121. The Girl in the Locked Room by Mary Downing Hahn (5/23)
122.  Rick by Alex Gino (5/24)
123. My Eyes are Up Here by Laura Zimmerman (5/25)*
124. She Did It!: 21 Women Who Changed the Way We Think by Emily Arnold McCully (5/26)
125. What Lane? by Torrey Maldonado (5/26)*

June
126. Chain of Gold by Cassandra Clare (6/1)
127. Kids Fight Plastic by Martin Dorey (6/4)
128. This is What I Know about Art by Kimberly Drew (6/6)*
129. The Tyrant's Tomb by Rick Riordan (6/7)
130. Here in the Real World by Sara Pennypacker (6/7)
131. Imaginary Borders by Xiuhtezcatl Martinez (6/9)*
132. Stamped by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi (6/9)

133. You Matter by Christian Robinson (6/10)
134. The New Queer Conscience by Adam Eli (6/12)*

135. Things Seen from Above by Shelley Pearsall (6/12)

136. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins (6/14)

137. The Boy Who Dreamed of Infinity by Amy Alznauer (6/15)
138. We Dream of Space by Erin Entrada Kelly (6/16)*
139. Box: Henry Brown Mails Himself to Freedom by Carole Boston Weatherford (6/17)*
140. Henry's Freedom Box by Ellen Levine (6/18)
141. Let's Talk about Race by Julius Lester (6/18)*

Summer Reading
142. Stealing Mt. Rushmore by Daphne Kalmar (6/21)*(1)
143. Infinity Son by Adam Silvera (6/21)(2)
144. The Gentleman's Guide to Getting Lucky by Mackenzie Lee (6/22)(3)
145. This was Our Pact by Ryan Andrews (6/23)(4)
146. Believe by Julie Mathison (6/23)(SLJ)(5)
147. Wombat Goes to School by Jackie French (6/23)*(6)
148. Above the Rim: How Elgin Baylor changed basketball by Jen Bryant (6/24)*(7)
149. Show Way by Jacqueline Woodson (6/25)*(8)
150. I am Someone Else: poems about pretending collected by Lee Bennett Hopkins (6/25)(9)
151. The Superlative A. Lincoln: poems about our 16th president by Eileen R. Meyer (6/25)(10)
152. The Music of What Happens by Bill Konigsberg (6/26)(11)
153. The Magic Eraser by Aaron Starmer (6/26)(12)
154. Bad Best Friend by Rachel Vail (6/27)* (13)
155. Loveboat, Taipei by Abigal Hing Wen (6/30) (14)

Waiting on Wednesday: Becoming Muhammad Ali by Kwame Alexander and James Patterson

Image: Hachette Book Group

Becoming Muhammad Ali by Kwame Alexander and James Patterson. Illustrated by Daywud Anyabwile. 320 p. Jimmy Patterson Books/ Little, Brown BY/ Hachette and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, October 5, 2020. 9780316498180. 

Publisher synopsis: From two heavy-hitters in children’s literature comes a biographical novel of cultural icon Muhammad Ali, jointly published by Jimmy Patterson Books and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers.

Before he was a household name, Cassius Clay was a kid with struggles like any other. Kwame Alexander and James Patterson join forces to vividly depict his life up to age seventeen in both prose and verse, including his childhood friends, struggles in school, the racism he faced, and his discovery of boxing. Readers will learn about Cassius’ family and neighbors in Louisville, Kentucky, and how, after a thief stole his bike, Cassius began training as an amateur boxer at age 12. Before long, he won his first Golden Gloves bout and began his transformation into the unrivaled Muhammad Ali.

Fully authorized by and written in cooperation with the Muhammad Ali estate, Becoming Muhammad Ali dynamically captures the budding charisma and youthful personality of one of the greatest sports heroes of all time.

Last fall, I visited the Muhammad Ali Center when I was in Louisville for SLJ Leadership Summit. My dad was a boxing fan and followed Ali's career, so I knew a fair amount about him. Plus, I read Walter Dean Myers' terrific biography, The Greatest: Muhammad Ali and Charles R. Smith's biography in verse, Twelve Rounds to Glory: the story of Muhammad Ali. I was touched by the care and attention to detail of every exhibit in the museum and learned a ton. I am so looking forward to reading this.  

Teen Tuesday and Audiobook Review: Infinity Son

Image: HarperCollins Publishers

Infinity Son by Adam Silvera. unabridged e-audiobook. ~9 hours. Read by Robbie Daymond, Kirby Heyborne, Maria Liatis & Elliot Knight. Quill Tree Books/ HarperAudio, January, 2020. 9780062457844. (Review of downloadable e-audiobook borrowed from public library.)

Teen Tuesday features Infinity Son by Adam Silvera. Latinx twins Emil and Brighton live in Bronx, New York, but it's not a Bronx we'd recognize. They are about to turn eighteen and neither one has manifested any magical power. Emil doesn't want them, Brighton yearns for them so he can join his heroes, the Spell Walkers. Brighton is a vlogger with a growing following. He films encounters between Spell Walkers and Blood Casters, who prey on Spell Walkers for their magical blood. When the boys are attacked by Blood Casters in the subway, it is Emil whose powers come in - big time. He possesses rare phoenix fire - exactly what the Blood Casters are looking for. This series starter features a large and diverse cast of characters and is told from multiple points of view. A cliffhanger ending will leave fans panting for the next installment.

Kirby Heyborne is usually a favorite narrator, but he seemed miscast here as Brighton. Why not cast a Latino? I think I will be reading book 2 with my eyes.

Middle Grade Monday and Arc Review: Bad Best Friend by Rachel Vail

Image: Penguin Random House

Bad Best Friend by Rachel Vail. 308p. Viking/ Penguin Random House, March, 2020. 9780451479457. (Review of arc courtesy of publisher.)

Middle Grade Monday features Bad Best Friend by Rachel Vail. Ava and Niki have been bffs since third grade when Ava moved to Maine from Los Angeles. Niki sort of dumped Holly for Ava back in third grade and now, it seems Ava is dumping Niki to belong to the popular group headed by Britney. The reader follows Niki, through her first-person narration as she navigates life without Ava and deals with life at home, where her fourth grade brother is having issues of his own. 

Ms. Vail's strengths as an author shine here. She has created a community of interesting characters with relatable problems. She mixed in humor and affection, resulting in a fun, fast read. If you love stories about family, school and/ or friendship, you will love Bad Best Friend! So endearing!

Fact Friday: The Pocket Change Collective from Penguin Workshop

Images: Penguin Random House

Fact Friday features a new series from Penguin Workshop called Pocket Change Collective. Since the four I was given to review are all around 64 -65 pages, I will talk about them together. These are mini-memoirs/essays written by young, passionate activists covering a wide variety of timely topics.

In Imaginary Borders, Xiuhtezcatl (pronounced shoe-tex-caht) Martinez talks about his climate change activism. He started when he was six-years-old and he's not yet twenty! 

In This is What I Know about Art, Kimberly Drew relates her journey from student at Smith College where, she was not only one of few Black people on campus but one of few art history majors. She went on to curate and write about making art accessible for ALL people, not just rich, white people. 

In Beyond the Gender Binary, gender non-conforming performance artist, Alok Vaid-Menon challenges the concept of the gender binary as being a Western construct that is not only narrow and limiting but needlessly punitive to those who do not conform. 

In The New Queer Conscience, community organizer and LGBTQ+ activist Adam Eli argues for kindness and compassion not only from those outside the LGBTQ+ community but also those within it. 

I found each of these tiny books absolutely fascinating and often found myself wanting more, wishing the book were longer. But that defeats the purpose of the collection. I did Google each activist and spent some time online reading more and watching videos. And that's the point. Read with an open, curious mind and set out for more information.

Two additional titles are releasing this fall: Concrete Kids by Amira León and Taking on the Plastics Crisis by Hannah Testa. All the books are illustrated Ashley Lukashevsky. 

Leading by example, these young activists and their messages are sure to resonate with teen readers. What a terrific way to inspire.