Top Ten Tuesday - Top Ten Books I've Read So Far in 2015

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke & the Bookish

Today's topic is the Top Ten Books I've read so far in 2015.  This was really an easy list to put together, because I think these are all 5 stars works, and not listed in any particular order.

1- Circus Mirandus by Cassie Beasley - a novel about friendship and believing, beautifully, lyrically written.  My review coming soon.

2- Cuckoo Song by Frances Hardinge - this looks like a creepy doll story from the cover, but it is anything but…  My review coming soon.

3- Lost in the Sun by Lisa Graff - Graff is an author who really knows how to tackle difficult topics and this is no exception.  My review coming soon.

4- Audacity by Melanie Crowder - this verse novel about young Clara Lemlich really shows the reader that with persistence and perseverance even against all odds one person can make a big difference in the lives of other people.

5- Echo by Pam Muñoz Ryan - a beautifully written book about a music made by the same harmonica changed the lives of different people at different times.

6- Gone Crazy in Alabama by Rita Williams-Garcia - the last book about the Gaither sisters - Delphine, Vonetta and Fern, is a satisfying ending to this wonderfully written historical fiction trilogy from the late 1960s and early 1970s when the times were certainly a-changin'.

7- Counting Crows by Kathi Appelt - not your ordinary counting book, but oh, so much more fun with Appelt's amusing crows to count.

8- Red, a Crayon's Story by Michael Hall - for anyone who doesn't feel like they are who they appear to be, those who might be wrapped in the right wrapper, so to speak, this book may help you on your way.

9- How To Read A Story by Kate Messner - sounds so simple, so easy, who doesn't know how to read a story, but if you follow the ten steps listed, I guarantee your reading pleasure will definitely be intensified.

10- A Poem in Your Pocket by Margaret McNanara - how to improve you day?  Put a poem in your pocket and pull out whenever you feel like it.

What are your favorite books that you've read so far this year?

A Roundup of Kid's Book for Gay Pride

I was starting to think about a Saturday Roundup but after Friday's landmark decision about legalizing gay marriage in all 50 states, I decided to do a roundup of LGTBQ books I have read and used.  June is Gay Pride month and this year there certainly is much to celebrate and since today is the big Pride parade in cities around the country, so it seemed only appropriate to begin my Pride roundup with

This Day in June by Gayle E. Pitman, illustrated by Kristyna Litten

Magination Press, 2014, 32 pages, age 5+ 

In short rhymes, the diversity and excitement of the Pride parade is perfectly captured, as is the joyous mood of all the participants. The energetic, colorful illustrations are whimsical visual representations of the rhymes. The back matter contains a reading guide and notes to parents and teachers.  FYI: Magination Press is an imprint of the American Psychological Association.

Daddy, Papa, and Me by Lesléa Newman, illustrated by Carol Thompson 

Tricycle Press, 2009, age 0-3

Mommy, Mama, and Me by Lesléa Newman, illustrated by Carol Thompson

Tricycle Press, 2008, ages 0-3

Each of these board books details in rhyme the activities done with each their same-sex parents, from painting and baking to making music and playing pretend.  These are great books for kids who do have same-sex parents and for kids who have friends who may have two dads or two moms and wonder what is it like in their family.

Heather Has Two Mommies by Lesléa Newman, illustrated by Laura Cornell

Candlewick Press, 1989, 2015, 32 pages, age 3+

Heather's favorite number is two and the reader is shown all the things that she likes two of, including her two moms.  But when one of the kids in school asks what her daddy does, Heather doesn't have an answer.  The teacher suggests the kids draw pictures of their family and it turns out that Heather is in a class full of kids from diverse families.  This book caused such a hoopla in the NYC schools when it came out and now it seems like just another good kid's book.

Stella Brings the Family by Miriam B. Schiffer, illustrated by Holly Clifton-Brown

Chronicle Books, 2015, 36 pages, age 5+

Stella has two daddies, so when the teacher announces there is going to be a Mother's Day celebration and all mothers are invited to come, she doesn't know who to bring.  When Jonathan asks Stella who kisses her when she get hurt, she decides to bring everyone in her family who does that.  

Morris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress by Christine Baldacchino, 

illustrated by Isabelle Malenfant

Groundwood Books, 2015, 32 pages, age 4+

Morris loves to play and imagine all kinds of fun things.  He also loves school, particularly the dress-up corner and the tangerine dress there, which he puts on every day.  But when the other boys won't let him play spaceship if he's wearing the dress.  Feeling hurt and lonely, Morris decides to stay home from school.  At home, he uses his imagination to paint a picture of a spaceship, a blue elephant and tangerine tiger after he dreams about them.  When he goes back to school and starts to build the spaceship of his dream, the other boys get curious and invite him to play with them - tangerine dress and all(which would be nail polish his mother put on him).  A nice story about being different, and the comfort of having support but also about the hurt and loneliness of being left out.

And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell,

illustrated by Henry Cole

Simon & Schuster, 2005, 2015, 32 pages, age 4+

There's a wonderful penguin house in the Central Park Zoo and that's where this family story takes place.  Roy and Silo, two male penguins, appear to really be in love, and really want a little penguin of their own.  After a few false starts trying to hatch a rock, they find an abandoned egg.  They care for the egg, as male penguins do, and when the egg hatches, it is a little female named Tango by the zookeepers.  The soft watercolor illustrations capture all the emotions of any parents trying to have a baby and the joy they feel when it finally happens.

  

King & King by Linda de Haan and Stern Nijland

Random House, 2003, 32 pages, age 5+

When it is time for the Prince Bertie to marry, he tells his mother that he never really cared much for princesses, but his parents keep bringing eligible royal girls for him to meet anyway.  One princess arrives at the castle with her brother, Prince Lee, and Prince Bertie realizes he has finally met the love of his life,  The feeling is mutual and the two princes' marry.  I don't care for the illustrations, but the idea behind the story is nice.

King & King & Family by Linda de Haan and Stern Nijland

Random House, 2004, 32 pages, age 5+

King & King take a honeymoon trip to the jungle and have a wonderful time.  Still, all through their tropical trip they have the sensation they are being followed.  When they arrive home, they discover the stowaway orphan girl in their bags.  They realize they want to have a family, set about adopting the little girl and call her Princess Daisy.  The same kind of illustrations as the first book, but again a nice story about a diverse family.

Red, A Crayon's Story written and illustrated by Michael Hall

HarperCollins, 2015, 40 pages, age 4+

I loved Red, A Crayon's Story when I read it and wish I had it while I was still a classroom teacher.  I included it simply because it speaks to anyone who has ever felt different, anyone who has ever felt like they were born in the wrong wrapper (skin).    

Better Nate Than Ever by Tim Federle

Simon & Schuster, 2013, 275 pages, age 9+

Nate loves musicals and he dream is to be in one on Broadway.  When he hears about a casting call for ET, the Musical, Nate takes a bus by himself from PA to NYC to audition.  There's lots of humor and nice behind the scenes bits of a Broadway show audition, but it isn't all fun for Nate.  While Nate is a really likable character, he has often experienced the meaness of others for being who he is.  Nate is also becoming aware of his own sexuality, but really isn't ready to commit to anything just yet.

Five, Six, Seven, Nate! by Tim Federle

Simon & Schuster, 2014, 304 pages, age 9+

Well, Nate got a small part in ET, the Musical and now he's staying in NYC with his aunt, a former actress.  He is still the wonderful musical theater geek he always was, but now he gives the reader lots of detail about Broadway show rehearsals, and the different people you meet there.  He is beginning to realize more that he is perhaps not attracted to girls as much as he is to boys, but has still decided to defer a final decision.  I loved both of these books and only wish Nate with revisit Tim Federle for a third installment.

The Misadventures of the Family Fletcher by Dana Alison Levy

Random House, 2014, 272 pages, age 9+

The Misadventures of the Family Fletcher takes place over one school year and introduces the reader to a family similar to their own, but more diverse.  There are two dads and four adopted boys ages 6, 10, 10 and 12.  The story is written like a series of vignettes that show how each character grows and develops during the year.  I wrote that here is no big drama to the story of the Fletcher family, just everyday life, and yet, it will keep you riveted. 

Gracefully Grayson by Ami Polonsky

DisneyHyperion, 2014, 256 pages, age 9+

Sixth grader Grayson has known since he was a young that he was really a girl in a boy's body, but could never express it publicly.  Not until an understanding teacher cast him in the female lead role in the school play.  Grayson is looking forward to at least being himself on stage, but is unprepared for the repercussions of the teacher's decision not only among the school bullies but also among parents and other teachers.

Coming Soon

George by Alex Gino

Scholastic, 2015, 240 pages, age 9+

OK, I cheated on this one, only because I haven't read it yet, but I do have an ARC from BEA, where there was lots of buzz about this debut novel.  It is the story of George, a girl in a boy's body.  That's all I really know about George, except that I can't wait to read it.

Moon at Nine by Deborah Ellis

Pajama Press, 2014, 224 pages, 13+

This historical fiction novel takes place in 1988 Tehran.  The conservative government has outlawed same-sex relationships and it doesn't matter how old or young you are, if caught in one, it means death. So when wealthy Farrin, 15, falls for Sadira, a poorer student at her girls' school, and the feeling is mutual, both girls know the price could pay.  This is a hard, gritty novel, but shouldn't be missed if you haven't already read it.

The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth

HarperCollins, 2013, 470 pages, 14+

In this debut coming of age novel, Cameron realizes she is gay and falls for new-to-town Coley Taylor.  The two have in intense relationship, but eventually Cameron is outed to her family and finds herself in a religious conversion camp called God's Promise.  I found Cameron a bit too passive a main character for my taste, which I think made the book hard to read.  But I thought the part about the conversion camp an important part of this novel.  This is a hard-hitting novel but one I actually do think teens should read.

From the Notebooks of Melanin Sun by Jacqueline Woodson

Penguin, 1995, 2010, 144 pages, age 12+

Melanin Sun, 13, records all his thoughts in his notebooks, including his thoughts about his mom.  The two are  pretty close but lately she's been a bit distant and secretive.  When she announces that she's gay, Melanin is totally thrown for a loop, but there's more shock to come -  his mother's new girlfriend is white.  Now, Melanin has to deal with things at home as well as taunts from other kids, and the judgements of neighbors.  Melanin is forced to critically look at himself before he can accept things.

The House You Pass on the Way by Jacqueline Woodson

Penguin, 1997, 2010, 144 pages, age 12+

Stagerlee, 14, is the daughter of a biracial couple.  She's always been a bit of a loner, feeling different from her sister and from her classmates, who want nothing to do with her anyway.  Now, Stagerlee is questioning her sexuality but has no one to talk to about it until her cousin Trout comes to visit.  The two become fast friends and Trout helps Stagerlee begin to explore who she really is - gay or straight, black or white or just who she is.

  

Ash by Malinda Lo

Little, Brown, 2009, 272 pages, 14+

This is a retelling of the Cinderella story, with a difference.  After Ash's father dies, she is left to the mercy of a wicked stepmother.  Her only relief is reading fairy tales and the occasional nighttime trips into a wood filled with fairies.  There, Ash meets a huntress named Kaisa, who she finds herself attracted to and wishes to spend more time with her.  This is such a beautifully written story and the relationship between Ash and Kaisa is so lyrically, almost magically narrated, presenting their relationship as the most natural thing in the world.

Huntress by Malinda Lo

Little, Brown, 2011, 384 pages, 14+

In this coming of age story, schoolgirls Kaede and Taisin must journey together into a dark, threatening wood to see the Fairy Queen for help when nature goes out of balance.  Taisin is attracted to Kaede, but had a vision of losing her, so her is reluctant in getting involved.  When that doesn't feel right, Kaede realizes she must find harmony in her own life and do what is right for her - which is loving Taisin.  I thought this was such a beautifully written novel, lyrically and magically written in the same vein as Ash.

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

Penguin, 2015, 128 pages, age 12+

Here is a brief, but concise history of the Stonewall riots in 1969 that started the gay right movement.  Bausam gives a detailed account of what being gay was like in the 1950s and 1960s, when it was a criminal offense, before moving on to describe the night of June 27, 1969, when the grungy gay bar called the Stonewall Inn was raided and the violent demonstrations that followed that night.  Bausam uses lots of photographs and documents, as well as first person accounts.   A great book for anyone who doesn't know the history and the how or why Pride happens every year.  

Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out by Susan Kuklin

Candlewick Press, 2014, 192 pages, age 14+

Six transgender or gender-neutral teens were interviewed and their personal journeys toward becoming their authentic selves are documented with respect and dignity.  Kuklin doesn't sugarcoat the isolation, the challenges, lack of support and supportive services for teens who are transitioning.  On the other hand, the book in not without humor and poignancy.  There is a Question and Answer section at the end of the book, as well a Glossary, Author Note's and list of resources.  Kuklin is a gifted photographer and includes many photographs in the book.

Written in the Stars by Aisha Saeed

Pakistani American Naila, 17, can't wait for high school to end and college to begin so she can get away from her conservative Muslim Pakistani parents.  When she is caught a prom with a boy, her parents whisk Naila off to visit relatives in Pakistan in the hope of instilling their conservative values in her.  But Naila is in for the surprise of her life, when she realizes what her parents really have in mind.

Naila may go to a regular high school, but she has always been forbidden to go to any extra circular activities, like sleepovers, soccer games, dances and especially the upcoming prom.  Though she has always obeyed their rules, Naila has also been seeing Saif behind her parents back whenever possible, though they have never had so much as a real date.  Saif and his family have been ostracized by the Pakistani community ever since his sister married a non-Pakistani boy.

But prom is a once in a lifetime event and Naila desperately wants to go with Saif.  So when her best friend convinces her parents to let Naila sleepover for a supposed birthday party, it's really just a ploy to get Naila and Saif together at prom.  And the ploy works, until people start sending Naila's younger brother text messages and photos of the couple.  Enraged, both parents show up and drag Naila away from Saif and out of the prom.

Forbidden to return to school for graduation, even though she is the salutatorian, her parents suddenly decide it is time to visit family in Pakistan.  At first, Naila has fun meeting the relatives she had only heard about before, but suddenly her visit becomes a round after round of teas and dinner parties, meeting families she has no real interest in,  But when her young cousin informs her of her parents plan to marry Naila off to a good prospective husband without her knowledge, Naila's life becomes a nightmare.  When she tries to escape, her uncle comes after her and forces her to return home with him.  Constantly watched, knowing one wrong step could conceivably result in her death, Naila must wait and hope that Saif will be able to rescue her.

Written in the Stars is told in the first person by Naila, so the reader not only knows what she is feeling and thinking about what is going on around her, but not no more than Naila until things happen.  Naila never suspects what her parents are up to, and neither does the reader, so it surprises both at the same time.  And the readers feels Naila's painful isolation, frustration, and the hopelessness that occurs as Naila realizes she must accept her circumstances.

Spoiler Alert

I found my blood boiling almost the whole time I was reading the second part of this novel.  Forced to marry a man she doesn't know, kept drugged until the marriage so she wouldn't try to run away again and disgrace the family, Naila finds herself married to a doctor named Amin.  Luckily for her, he is not a mean or cruel man, though his mother makes up for that.  Still,  knowing that the marriage hasn't been consummated, she goads Amin into forcing himself on Naila in what amounts to rape.

I read Written in the Stars straight though one evening.  Naila's voice was both compelling and riveting, sounding like an average 17 year old, even as desperation followed by resignation creeps into it.  As her story unfolds, Saeed includes a lot of cultural information, customs and traditions.  The thing that I had to move difficulty with were Naila's parents, who thought they were doing the right thing for her, but really it was their own face saving they were interested in. How can parents sell of their child to save their reputation?  This is a hard one for me.

Forced marriage is a big problem in this and many other countries, as you will discover when you read the Author's Note at the end of the book.  Be sure to turn the page and look at the list of resources the author includes, in case you or someone you know needs finds themselves in a situation like Naila's and need help/advice.

Written in the Stars is a book not to be missed.

This book is recommend for readers age 14+
The book was borrowed from a friend

Juneteenth for Mazie by Floyd Cooper

I was pretty excited when I heard that Floyd Cooper was going to be at BEA 2015 and more excited when I found out he would be signing copies of Juneteenth for Mazie.  In fact, I was so excited that I was the first person on line.  What a nice man Floyd Cooper is, and what an incredible artist and writer.

Young Mazie feels that sometimes her life is full of the word no - no cookies before bedtime, no playing outside when it's dark, no staying up late.  When she tells her dad that she can't do what she wants, he begins to tell her that the next day is a celebratory day.  But why, Mazie wants to know.

Her dad tells it is a day called Juneteenth, a day celebrated by her family and many others because it is the day that the slaves in Texas were told they were finally free.  And for Mazie, it is the day her great-great-great-grandfather Mose became a free man.

And though there was dancing in the streets on June 19, 1865, these former slaves, like the former slaves all over the country, discovered that freedom comes with a price.  Yes, they were now paid for the work that they did, but black people weren't treated equally, they had to fight for jobs, schools, for every opportunity, but Black Americans have achieved great things, right up to the highest office in the country when Barack Obama was elected.  And so they celebrate every year on Juneteenth.  And Mazie will carry on the tradition.

Cooper's book is a great straight-forward telling of the Juneteenth story.  It is given a nice personal touch by relating it to Mazis's own family (and this will no doubt encourage young readers to ask about their family history).  Freedom is certainly something to celebrate, but unfortunatley, the history of Black American's freedom and equality is also such a rocky, rocky road, and Cooper includes that in his story, though he does end on an upbeat celebratory note.

This is an ideal book for introducing young readers to Juneteenth, a story not many kids outside of Texas may know about.  And 2015 marks the 150th anniversary of Juneteenth.  The Emanaipation Proclamation, signed by President Lincoln, went into effect in 1863, but news did not travel fast in those days and slaves and slave owners in Texas didn't hear about it until two years later, on June 19, 1865 (though in all fairness, I have to say that the reason for this delay is in contention).

As always, Cooper's story is accompanied by his beautiful oil painted illustrations, using a soft palette of browns, blues and yellows.  The illustrations both enhance and extend the story being told.

It is a shame that this year's Juneteenth celebration is marred by the horrific church shooting in Charleston, SC, but it is also a reminder of the need for books like Juneteenth to educate young readers and to help in the healing process.

You can discover more about Juneteenth, HERE

This book is recommended for readers age 6+
This book was received at BEA from the publisher, Capstone Press

Some Books about Ramadan for Young Readers

Today is the first day of Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic lunar calendar.  Ramadan always falls on the ninth month and because it is based on the moon, it varies from year to year.  But the customs, observances and rituals that are such an important part of Ramadan are always the same.  Here are a few books for young readers to become familiar with the traditions of this holiday.  

My First Ramadan written and illustrated by Karen Katz

Henry Holt, 2007, 32 pages (age 2-5)

A young boy decides he is finally old enough to try to fast during the holy month of Ramadan.  He clearly describes what he and his family do each day from before sunrise to sunset and how the end of Ramadan is celebrated.  Simply words and text make this ideal for young readers.  

Under the Ramadan Moon by Sylvia Whitman, illustrated by Sue Williams

Albert Whitman, 2011, 24 pages (age 3-8)

A young girl describes how she and her family observe the Ramadan holiday each day in this short poem that repeats the phrase "under the moon,/under the moon/under the Ramadan moon.  It is a good book for young readers to learn the very basics of what Ramadan is and why it is observed.   

Max Celebrates Ramadan by Adria F. Worsham, illustrated by Mernie Gallagher-Cole

Capstone, 2008, 24 pages (age 5-7)

In this leveled reader, Omar, who is Muslim, invites his friend Max to celebrate the end of Ramadan with his family.  Max learns what this important holiday means to Islamic people, the purpose and importance of fasting. and the family oriented meal that celebrates the end of fasting, the Eid al-Fitr.  A nice beginning reader.  

The Jinni on the Roof, a Ramadan Story by Natasha Rafi, illustrated by Abdul Malik Channa

Pamir, 2013, 40 pages (age 4-8)

It's the end of Ramadan, and Raza's family, including many of his aunts, uncles and cousins, are about to celebrate Eid-al-Fitr in Lahore.  Early that morning, while everyone is still sleeping, Raza wakes up and hears Amina, the family cook, making parathas in the kitchen.  Realizing he is very hungry, Raza quietly climbs up to the roof, goes over to the kitchen chimney and in a deep voice, tells Amina to make some parathas for him.  Thinking voice belongs to a jinni, a scary being, Amina gets Raza's grandmother.  The two women fix some parathas according to the "jinni's" instructions, but has Raza really fooled anyone?  This is a fun story that also introduces young readers about Ramadan in Pakistan.  A glossary is included, as well as an Author's Note that explains more about the tradition of Ramadan.

Lailah's Lunchbox, a Ramadan Story by Reem Farqui, illustrated by Lea Lyon

Tilbury House, 2015, 32 pages (age 6-8)

Lailah is finally old enough to fast, but when she shows up at her new school without her lunchbox, she doesn't give the teacher the note her mother sent explaining that it is Ramadan.  Later, in the cafeteria, she thinks about the friends she left behind when her family moved from Abu Dhabi, who were also Muslim.  Lailah is also afraid her new friends won't understand why she won't be eating lunch for a month.  An understanding librarian helps Lailah sort it all out.  A very nice picture book for older readers based on the author's real experience of moving to this country from the Middle East as a girl.  

A Party in Ramadan by Asthma Mobin-Uddin, MD, illustrated by Laura Jacobsen

Highlights Press, 2009, 32 pages (age 7-9)

Leena is finally old enough to begin fasting for Ramadan, if only for one day a week.  She decides to fast on Fridays, so she can have Iftar with her Auntie Sana.  When Leena is invited to her friend Julia's birthday party where there will be a pony, her mother reminds her it's the first Friday in Ramadan.  Leena decides to go to the party, and just not each any of the food there, but discovers that's easier said than done.  Back at home, Leena helps prepare for Iftar, and later has a wonderful surprise thanks to her friend Julia.  There is lots to learn about Ramadan, respect and friendship in this story.  

Ramadan by Suhaib Hamid Ghazi, illustrated by Omar Rauuan

Holiday House, 1996, 26 pages (age 7-9)

As young Hakeem celebrates Ramadan with his family, the meaning, history and cultural rituals for observing Ramadan are incorporated into the story in this picture book for older readers.  Though not really a narrative, it is an interesting introduction to this holy month for both young Muslims and non-Muslims and includes more information, including a glossary, than most Ramadan stories. 

  

Poetry Friday: Every wish, one dream by Jacqueline Woodson

Congratulations!

I thought I would take this opportunity to congratulate Jacqueline Woodson, one of my very favorite writers, on being named the Poetry Foundation's new Young People's Poet Laureate for a two year term beginning June 1, 2015.  You can read an interview at the Poetry Foundation with Woodson about her poetry, people who influenced her, and what she hopes to accomplish as the new Young People's Poet Laureate HERE

Below is one of my favorite poems that comes from her award winning book Brown Girl Dreaming, a collection of free verse memory poems about her childhood and her development as a writer.

Every wish, one dream

Every dandelion blown
each Star light, star bright, 
The first star I see tonight.

My wish is always the same.

Every fallen eyelash,
and first firefly of summer…

The dream remains.

What did you wish for?
To be a writer.

Every heads up penny found
and daydream and night dream,
and even when people say it's a pipe dream…!

I want to be a writer.

Every sunrise and sunset and song against a
cold windowpane.

Passing the mountains.

Passing the sea.

Every story read
every poem remembered:

I loved my friend
and
When I see birches bend to left and right
and
"Nay" answered the child: but these are the wounds of Love."

Every memory…

Froggie went a-courting, and he did ride
Uh hmm.

brings me closer
and closer to the dream.

(pg 313-314)

This week's Poetry Friday is hosted by Jama's Alphabet Soup.  Be sure to drop by and see what others have contributed to Poetry Friday today.

My Family Tree and Me by Dušan Petričić

One of the hardest concepts for kids to grasp is understanding how they are related to all their relatives. There are uncles, aunts, cousins, grandparents, great grandparents, maternal and paternal siblings who are also aunts and uncles, moms and dads who are also grandmas and grandpas, and now, as families become more and more diverse, it can be even more confusing.  Kids must sometimes wonder how do they all fit together?  It's easy to understand why kids can get confused and why they usually get a genealogy assignment in 2nd or 3rd grade when they are more ready to grasp relationships in the family context.

Well, now there's a book that can help all that.  My Family Tree and Me explores one boy's family.  The exploration begins three generations back with his  father's great-great-grandparents and shows how that ultimately led to his uncle, his aunt and his dad, who married and had him.

At the center of the book, is the most wonderful illustration of the young boy's family, as it look in the present.  Each person and their relationship to the boy is clearly labeled so it can be read beginning with the boy, up to his parents, then out to the rest of this now very diverse extended family.

But of course, a family consists of two sides, not just the dad's side, so if you go to the back of the book, the boy introduces this mother's side of the family, beginning with his maternal great-great-grandparents, through to his mom's parents and, of course, our young narrator, and his brother and his sister.

The two sides of this family are mirror images in terms of how they are related to the young narrator, but now, they also reflect the cultural diversity among his relatives who are of European descent on his father's side and Asian, specifically Chinese, on his mother's side.  But, there is also an gay uncle with his partner, and a Chinese aunt married to an African American. This extended family is an interesting patchwork, reflective of many of the changes in American families in today's world.

The author/illustrator clearly gave a great deal of to My Family Tree and Me.  As each generation is introduced, there is a photo in that illustration that connects back to the generation that came before it, acting like a red thread running through the family.  The whimsical illustrations, done in pencil and watercolor, are quite detailed and will give young readers lots to explore and learn about on each page.

I loved this book and read it several times.  I thought the way a sometimes complex topic was made relatively simple made it easily accessible to young readers.  I even bought a copy for my Kiddo, whose own family is as diverse as the family in this story.  And what a boon for teachers.  I always gave my student's a genealogy project to do and many were surprised to find out what their family tree looked like on paper.  The trailer gives a real sense of this book and how useful it can be as a teaching tool:

I can't recommend this book highly enough!

This book is recommended for readers age 5+
This book was purchased for my personal library

The Way to Stay in Destiny by Augusta Scattergood

Fans of Glory Be will enjoy meeting Theolonius Monk Thomas, 12, a boy who only wants is to stay in Destiny, play the piano and have a place to call home again.  Unfortunately, his Uncle Raymond seems to have other ideas about all this.

It's May 1974 and Theo has already had enough loss in his life.  His parents were killed in a car crash when he was a baby, and now he has lost his beloved grandfather and his grandmother must go live in a nursing home.  His Uncle Raymond arrives from his isolated cabin in Alaska as Theo's next of kin guardian.  Uncle Raymond is a Vietnam Vet who resents Theo's parents for their anti-war protests and who has some pretty tough PTSD going on.  First thing he does is whisk Theo away from everything he knows for a job in Destiny, Florida.

There are two things Theo loves - baseball and playing the piano.  No sooner does he arrive at the Rest Easy Rooming House run by former Radio City Rockette Miss Sister Grandersole, but he hears the sounds of a beautiful piano somewhere in the house and determines to find it.  Turns out, Miss Sister gives dancing lessons in a studio in the Rest Easy and she is bowled over by Theo piano playing.

And, as luck would have it, the first kid he meets is Anabel Johnson, daughter of the mayor and a girl who really knows her way around Destiny and who also loves baseball.  In fact, she loves baseball more than the tap dancing classes she is supposed to be taking with Miss Sister and never shows up for.

With the end of the school year nearing, Theo and Anabel decide to work on a class project to celebrate Destiny Day and the 100th anniversary of its founding.  Focusing on baseball, they are convinced the some pretty famous baseball players, including Hank Arron of the Milwaukee Braves, had lived in the Rest Easy during spring training.

But just as happily as Theo settles into his new life in Destiny at the Rest Easy, quickly endearing himself to Miss Sister, and in school, Uncle Raymond is already looking for another job away from there.  And he has forbidden Theo to play the piano because of bad music memories during war protests by Theo's parents.  Not only does Theo want to stay in Destiny, but he is supposed to play for Miss Sister's Destiny Day tap recital, and present the baseball project with Anabel.   To make matters worse, he is accused of stealing the money collected to buy Miss Sister a gift for her work on the recital.  Could things get worse?  Yes, they can, especially when Theo discovers who the real thief is.

The Way to Stay in Destiny is a beguiling coming of age story, narrated in the first person by Theo.  Theo is a very likable, chatty kid, though you can certainly feel his vulnerability in some of what he says, especially when he talks about things working out better than you, as a reader, know they will.  His hope that Uncle Raymond will suddenly change is pretty hard to read about, since his uncle is so closed off from the world.

Uncle Raymond's anger at the world for the way returning Vietnam Vets were treated is so sadly, so terribly understandable.  Just as Scattergood describes, they were spit on, cursed at, called names like baby killer even after experiencing on of the ugliest wars this country has been in.  His anger may be justified, even expectable, but what is really noticeable is the lack of help available at that time for vets with this level of PTSD.  If it were there, surely someone would have mentioned it.  Uncle Raymond has not real interest in Theo and feels no guilt when he disappears for period of time.

Luckily, Uncle Raymond in counterbalanced by Miss Sister, who sees the world through some very lightly-tinted rose colored glasses.  She immediately recognizes that Theo's ability to play the piano by ear is a very special musical gift and begins to teach him to read music, encouraging him to play her piano whenever he wants.  And she is the one who introduces him to his namesake - the famous jazz pianist Thelonious Monk.

The Way to Stay in Destiny is about family, friendship, loss and determination, and populated with wonderfully quirky, somewhat flawed characters who, because they are not perfect, make it that much easier to relate to them.

This book is recommended for readers age 9+
This book is an ARC sent to me by the publisher, Scholastic Press

Lost in NYC, A Subway Adventure by Nadia Spiegelman & Sergio García Sánchez

I guess because I am a born and raised New Yorker, I love to read books that take place in NYC, so I was pretty excited to see a book called Lost in NYC, A Subway Adventure.  The premise is simple enough - new kid to the city Pablo isn't very happy about his family's latest move to NYC's Upper West Side and has a real unfriendly, resentful attitude.  His first day of school also happens to be the day his new class is traveling by subway to the Empire State Building and, as with all class trips, he is assigned a partner named Alicia.

Her helpfulness and his indifference help get the two separated from the class and a subway adventure begins as Alicia and Pablo try to reconnect with the rest of the class.  But then Pablo gets separated from Alicia and he finds himself lost and alone in NYC, in fact the loneliest he has ever felt.  Will he ever find the rest of his class and will they still be as friendly as when he first met them, especially Alicia?

Along with Pablo's subway adventure to the Empire State Building, there is a lot of information including a brief history of the former world's tallest building and how the subway was build.  NYC is in the midst of building a Second Avenue subway, which is an underground train and, since Manhattan is all hard shale rock, there was blasting and drilling for way too long.  But it was interesting to find out about all it is all done.

Lost in NYC is a great book newcomers to the city like Pablo and his family, and for anyone who wants to visit but feels intimated by the subway system.  The text does a wonderful job of showing how crowded and busy the trains are and Spiegelman and Sánchez been true to the different trains lines, explaining the difference between local and express, platforms where you can change from one train to the other.

And I love that they used the actual subway map as their background, not just for the inside front and back cover, but they incorporated it into the story.  This image is my favorite because I think it gives a great overview of one part of the subway as it relates to the story.

This colorful graphic novel gives a wonderful perspective of the story that should appeal to young readers whether they live in NYC or not.  Sánchez drew the graphics in orange pencil and ballpoint pen, and they were digitally colored by Lola Moral.  The muted colors used are a perfect counterpoint to the bright colored lines that indicate the subway routes Pablo encounters on his subway odyssey.

Be sure to look at the back matter, that includes information about the authors, the beginnings of it all, including subway construction, and a bit more history about the Empire State Building Lost in NYC is a delightful graphic story about adjusting to new surroundings, a new school and making new friends, not always an easy task for young kids.

New York City kids learn how to ride the subway at a young age .  I was pretty young when I went on my first solo ride, going from Brooklyn to Manhattan to visit my dad at work in the Museum of Natural History, and my Kiddo rode the subway every day to school when she was at Bard High School Early College.   But I can understand how people could be intimated by the NYC subway, after all there are   488 stations servicing two lines that have a total of 22 subway routes - 7 numbered and 15 lettered routes.  But if you come to NYC, get yourself a metro card, a subway map and if you really get lost, any New Yorker will be more than happy to help you find your way:

There is also a very handy, detailed Lesson Plan and Teacher's Guide available HERE

This book is recommended for readers age 8+
This book was borrowed from the NYPL