It's 2018 Cybils Award Time: On your marks, get set....get ready to judge!

So you've been busy reading and reviewing all year long and, golly,  you've read some great books. In fact, you thought some of them were so good that they should probably win an award. Well, here's you chance to help decide which books should be chosen to receive a coveted Cybils award.

That's right! The Cybils is looking for more than a few good judges and it's pretty easy to apply:

First, you need to find out what being a Cybils judge involves and to do that, go here to read the FAQs, which includes the Judging Overview, the Duties of a Round 1 Judge, and finally, the Duties of a Round 2 Judge. This way, you can decide what will work best for you.


Next, just fill out the application, which you can find HERE. Oh, yes, and the deadline to apply is September 9, 2018 at 11:59 PM EDT.

Bookish people are the best judges of books and the Cybils needs your expertise whether you review on a blog, vlog, and/or Goodreads.

I been a Middle Grade Fiction Cybils judge for five years now and I have had the pleasure of reading some wonderful books and working with some great people, all of whom were serious about the work we were doing. Now, I am happy to say, I will be the Middle Grade Fiction chairperson this year. Ms. Yingling has decided to try other things and I am looking forward to taking on this new phase in my Cybils life.

So, come be a part of the fun! And if you can't apply to be a judge, you can always nominate your favorite books when nomination begin.

To keep up with all the Cybils news on Twitter, just follow @cybils

Raymie Nightingale by Kate DiCamillo

It's 1975 and introvert Raymie Clarke, 10, needs to learn how to twirl a baton. Raymie is convinced that if she can win the Little Miss Central Florida General Tire competition, her father will come back home after seeing her winning picture in the newspaper. Her father, owner of Clarke Family Insurance, has run away with a dental hygienist and now her depressed mother just sits and stares.

Showing up at the home of former twirling champion Ida Nee's for lessons, Raymie meets jaded tough girl, not afraid of anything Beverly Tapinski, and orphaned, optimistic Louisiana Elefante, a girl with "swampy lungs" and whose parents were trapeze artists called The Flying Elefantes. Both girls are also entering the competition, Beverly's plan is to sabotage it; Louisiana's plan is to win the $1,975.00 prize money that she and her grandmother so desperately need.

That afternoon, after a first disastrous baton twirling lesson, Raymie realizes she has to do a good deed in order to enter the competition. Her father's secretary, whom Raymie has taken to calling now that both parents are unavailable, suggests she read to the elderly. Choosing a book about Florence Nightingale, Raymie heads off to the Golden Glen Nursing Home, helps a cantankerous patient named Isabelle write a complaint letter, and loses her book under the bed of a sick patient. Since it is a library book, Raymie knows she must get it back, but how? Beverly "fear is a big waste of time. I'm not afraid of anything" Tapinski, of course.

The next day, at yet another disastrous lesson, Beverly is up for the library book retrieval challenge, but Louisiana wants to be included. By now, she has dubbed the three of them the Three Rancheros, "bound to each other through think and thin" and always willing to rescue one another.

Over the course of the next few days, the Three Rancheros go on a series of adventures and misadventures together. Besides the library book escapade, they steal one of Ida Nee's batons, and search for Louisiana's cat at a shelter in the middle of the night, a rescue that doesn't go quite according to plan. In the end, though, their newly formed friendship is solidified in an incident where the girls must rely on the each other to avoid disaster.

We have been reading a lot of Kate DiCamillo books this summer and it provided me with a chance to re-read Raymie Nightingale. As always, the second time around, was such a richly rewarding experience. There is a lot going on in the otherwise kind of laid back story,

The Three Rancheros couldn't be more different. Each has strengths and vulnerabilities that reveal themselves over the course of the novel, as readers discover why each one is grieving their loss of childhood's innocence and the trust they had in those who job was to care for them, instead forcing them to deal with feelings of abandonment, and of being neglected and abused.

Besides Raymie, Beverly, and Louisiana, DiCamillo has populated Raymie Nightingale with a cast of some very quirky characters, each of whom have an impact on Raymie's life. There is Mrs. Sylvester, the secretary who thinks all problems can be made better with candy corn; the neighbor Mrs. Borokowski, who sits in a lawn chair in the middle of the road, and who, even in death, provides Raymie with wisdom, and my personal favorite Mr. Stapholous and his drowning dummy Edgar, who has moved away but not before he taught Raymie life saving, how to isolate her objectives, and that she is indeed a problem-solver. And then there is Raymie's soul, which alternately expands and shrinks depending in the situation she finds herself in.

Raymie Nightingale is a well-crafted, beautifully written early coming of age  novel that explores themes of loss, friendship, courage, rescue, and hope. Not everything works out for them, but as the Three Rancheros, Raymie, Beverly, and Louisiana so learn to trust each other and in doing so, they manage to find themselves and their own truths.

A Book Group Discussion Guide is available to download from the publisher, Candlewick Press

There is also an Activity Kit available to download from Candlewick Press that includes reproducible activity sheets, interactive projects and crafts, and suggestions for doing good deeds.

This book is recommended for readers age 10+
This book was an ARC received from the publisher, Candlewick Press

Copyboy by Vince Vawter

I was very excited to see that Vince Vawter had written a sequel to his book Paperboy. Victor Vollmer was such an endearing character and I've often thought about him since reading that book.

Now, six years have passed since the then 11-year-old Vic met Mr. Spiro while temporarily taking over his friend Rat's newspaper route for a month. Back then, the very well read and very well traveled Mr. Spiro became a true friend to Vic, patiently helping him understand the world a little better and offering ways to help him manage his stutter, and the two remained friends.

Now, it's the summer of 1965, Vic is 17, working a summer job at the local newspaper as a copyboy, and getting ready to begin college. Sadly, Mr. Spiro has recently passed away, a loss Vic doesn't really want to deal with. But he has been left one last request by Mr. Spiro - to scatter his ashes at the mouth of the Mississippi River.

Against his parents wishes, Vic decides to drive alone from Memphis to New Orleans, armed with the name of the sports editor at the Times-Picayune, a road map, the cash from his last 3 paychecks, and, of course, Mr. Spiro's ashes. He leaves early one the morning, after writing a note for his parents explaining his plan.

In New Orleans, Vic is introduced to a whole new world of people and experiences. Editor Ray Patton is more than happy to help Vic, taking him home to his houseboat for the night. There, Vic also meets Adrienne, Ray's Cajun girlfriend. After helping Vic understand a little about the Mississippi and the Gulf of Mexico, he puts him in touch with people who really understand those waterways, sending him off to Venice, Louisiana - Fishing Capital of the World - and his friend Captain Henri Moreau, a lifelong river man.

In Venice, Vic meets the Moreau family as they are getting ready to celebrate Captain Moreau's birthday and everyone is pitching in for the fais do-do. Vic is welcomed with open arms and immediately put to work, but it is the very independent Philomene "Phil" Moreau, 18, who really takes charge of him, introducing him to her Cajun world of people who make their living fishing, including a somewhat dangerous ex-boyfriend. Phil loves everything about river life and wants to follow in there father's footsteps.

Reports of a tropical storm had followed Vic from Memphis to the Gulf Coast, but even when it was upgraded to a hurricane, it was expected to stay on the eastern side of Florida. So when Hurricane Betsy suddenly shifts course and heads straight for Gulf Coast, everything changes as people prepare to flee.   

I loved Paperboy and wondered if Copyboy, with its six year difference, would measure up. I am happy to say that yes, it does and does not disappoint. Copyboy is written in the same quiet, gentle style that was so appealing and so spot on for relating Victor's story in the first book. Now, Vic is older, but not really very worldly-wise. Because of his stutter, he has lived rather sheltered life, and his parents still treat him like a child. Vic's stutter isn't as much of a problem in this novel. The people he meets just accept it as part of who he is. For his part, Vic, who already loves words and language, finds their Cajun English new and different and wonderful.

Interestingly, it is Ray who suggests to Vic that perhaps Mr. Spiro had tasked him with spreading his ashes at the mouth of the Mississippi is a last parting gift, and it is an idea that Vic continues to think about. By sending Vic on a quest to find the mouth of the Mississippi River and scatter his ashes, Mr. Spiro knew that he was sending him an a new adventure, even if he couldn't envision what that adventure would hold for Vic. From eating raw oysters in a Bourbon Street bar with Ray to his first kiss, Vic experiences an independence in life he's never had before, and yet, he never loses sight of the purpose for his trip.

Copyboy is a compelling coming of age quest story that readers surely won't soon forget. Sure, Vic's journey had plenty of setbacks and some adversaries, but he ultimately figures what Mr. Spiro has been trying to help him understand - how to have a life well-lived.

A word about who this book is for. Paperboy was clearly a middle grade novel, but in Copyboy Vic is 17, and he really hasn't yet had the range of experience most 17-year-old have. He always been introverted and self-conscious about his stutter, and his parents made sure he had a somewhat sheltered life, which has left him slightly more immature than most kids his age. My feeling, therefore, is that this really isn't a strictly YA novel, but one that older middle grade readers will also enjoy reading it. And if you haven't yet read Paperboy, no problem. This is a fine stand alone novel.

You can download a new Discussion Guide for this book HERE

This book is recommended for readers age 11+
This book was an EARC received from NetGalley

Blog Tour: Gods and Heroes: Mythology Around the World written and illustrated by Korwin Briggs

Gods and Heroes: Mythology Around the World

written and illustrated by Korwin Briggs

Workman Publishing, 2018, 304 pages

If you are looking for a good, all-around introductory book about the world's most popular gods and heroes for a middle grader, look no further that this comprehensive book.

Altogether, there are 75 entries representing 23 cultures, and not only are gods, goddesses, and heroes included, but so mythological creatures and underworlds. Each entry give the tradition name of the character, their home and other names they may be known by. Readers will also learn some fun facts and other interesting tidbits from the world of mythology. Author Briggs is a cartoonist and so each entry has whimsical, colorful illustrations that never manage to loose important characteristics.

One of my young readers borrowed my copy of this book and loved it. And with more and more novels being written that incorporating different cultural myths into their  storylines, this can also serve as a help reference book.

For example, did you know that...?
In Slavic and Russian folklore, every home has a spirit called a domovoi that usually takes the form of a tiny, hairy old man;

Athena won a contest to become patron god of Athens by creating the best new invention: the olive tree;

Cú Chulainn, the greatest Celtic hero, has three birthdays;

The Aboriginal Rainbow Snake is one of the world's oldest mythological creatures;

Apsaras, Buddhist and Hindu spirits of clouds and water, take the form of gorgeous, well-dressed women who dance with the utmost grace and precision.

I have to confess that I did not know any of these things, but young readers will discover even more fascinating facts and histories like these in Gods and Heroes. 

So, let's meet the Author/Illustrator Korwin Briggs in Five Questions and see what he has to say:

Who is your favorite mythological character featured in the book?
I love the Coyote stories from the American Southwest. I'd like to tell you it's because of the metaphors and symbolism or the broader importance of trickster figures in various world mythologies. But when you've spent month after month reading serious stories about serious gods, it's nice to read about Coyote getting smooshed by a sentient boulder.

Did you have a favorite thing to draw in the book?
Definitely the book's two Aztec/Mayan gods, Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca. For every drawing, I had a pile of reference images in front of me, including old paintings/engravings/etc. of the god and its culture and a book or two on historical clothing and fashion. In some cases, like Chinese or Greek myths, I had plenty to work with. In others, like the Slavic god Perun, I had to do my best with a few old carvings and some third-hand descriptions.But Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca were in this neat middle ground where there are good, detailed images, but not many, and they're so dense and stylized. I spent a whole day, totally fascinated, poring over pictures and learning about clothes and costumes that I didn't even know existed.

L. Quetzalcoatl from Gods and Heroes; R. Tezcatlipoca from the Codex Borgia

How did you choose which gods, heroes, and creatures to include?

I kept a running tally from the beginning of how many I had of each culture and gender because I wanted the list to be as diverse as possible. If a god/goddess/hero/creature was especially important culturally, or had especially neat and detailed stories, or just let me talk about something interesting (like how Mithra-worship traveled from India to England), I included it. 

Do you have any favorites that you couldn't include?

Tons.  I could only fit so many articles into 300 pages, and some didn't make the cut. Hermes, the Greek messenger god, is the one I was most sad to miss. He's fantastic and his stories are hilarious, but at that point I already had ten other Greek entries, and something had to give. There were also lots of interesting characters who couldn't quite support a full entry - Incan gods with statues but no remaining stories, or Celtic gods for whom all we have are names and Julius Caesar's assurance that they were really just Roman gods in disguise.

Medieval monks discuss Loki 

Seriously, though, what's the deal with Loki?

Short answer: No one's sure.

Longer answer: The main problem is a lack of sources. Most of what we know about Norse mythology actually comes from one medieval Icelander named Snorri Sturluson, who was writing more than a century after Christianity had mostly displaced the old Norse religion, and the rest comes from a small assortment of poems and sagas, and trinkets found in Viking burial sites. Some people argue that Loki performed the same role as trickster gods all over the world, acting as chaotic wrench in the gears. There's a theory that the medieval Christians emphasized his negative qualities in the hopes of making paganism look bad. There's also a theory that long, long ago, Loki was less of a trickster and more of a world-destroying giant, and that the later stories that cast him as a prankster are actually an improvement. I don't know which, if any, are true, but they all see to agree that he's a jerk.

Gods and Heroes: Mythology Around the World is a fun, informative book for anyone interested in mythology.

Be sure to visit these stops on the Blog Tour:
The Book Nut
YAYOMG
Flavia the Bibliophile
The One and Only Marfalfa
Bibliophile

This book recommended for readers age 9+

This book was sent to me by the publisher, Workman Publishing

📓2018 Back-to-School Picture Book Roundup📓

Summer is almost over and pretty soon it will be time for school once again. School can feel pretty daunting to young beginners and here are some picture books that may help these new students and some to tickle the funny bones of seasoned students.

All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold, illustrated by Suzanne Kaufman
Alfred A. Knopf, 2018, 44 pages

It's the first day of school and the endpapers of this lovely book show a large group of wonderfully diverse kids and their parents/caregivers walking to a school with a big "All Are Welcome" banner across the entrance. Inside, kids spend their day getting to know each other and learning about their different cultural backgrounds through music, art, and stories. Even their lunches reflect their heritage and who they are. School here becomes what school should be everywhere: "We're part of a community/Our strength is our diversity/A shelter from adversity/All are welcome here." Besides cultural diversity, there is a blind student and one on a wheelchair, and there are a variety of families: single parents, moms and dads, two moms, two dads, and mixed race parents. The story is told in a three line rhyme that never falters and always end in the fourth line"All are welcome here" and no, it won't take kids long to begin chiming in on that line. The mixed-media illustrations are as bright and happy as the children and adults they depict. But wait, there's more: the back end paper shows the kids and their parents/caregivers leaving school at the end of the day, and if you take off the dust jacket, you will see each child up close and personal. This book should generate lots of conversations and there is much for kids to discover and talk about long after the first day of school is over.

Hello School! written and illustrated by Priscilla Burris
Nancy Paulson Books, 2018, 32 pages

It's the first day of school and young readers can follow a class of new students through a typical day, from meeting their new teacher and making new friends, to finding their cubbies and seats. Included are general activities such as circle time with singing, listening time, snack time, recess, exploring nature, learning numbers and letters, and of course, coloring. This particular class is friendly, diverse, and excited to be in school. The teacher's name is Mrs. Friend, giving her a nice positive image for young readers to take away as they begin their own school journey. The book follows a typical day, but the different activities unfold over the course of the first few months, by which time kids would know what the daily routine is. This is a wonderful book for talking about what happens when kids begin school and ideal for reading long before they start kindergarten, and even after. The mixed media illustrations are simple and uncluttered, with lots of white space, so kids can focus on what the class is doing. Each topic is introduced, highlighted in yellow, and give a short description. The kids all have speech bubbles, and Burris really has captured how kids think in them. This is a book every parent/caregiver/teacher will want to read to their beginning kindergarteners, and every young reader will benefit from knowing what to expect as they begin school. I say kindergarteners, but it works equally as well for pre-K and even first graders.

Lena's Shoes are Nervous, a First-Day-of-School Dilemma by Keith Calabrese, illustrated by Juana Medina
Atheneum BFYR, 2018, 40 pages

On the morning of the first day of school, Lena is very excited to begin kindergarten. She has picked out all of her favorite clothes, including her headband with the green flower, but now Lena has a problem - her shoes are nervous, and as she tells her dad, she can't go to kindergarten without her shoes. Lena's shoes need some reassurance and encouragement and Lena knows just the thing that can help her shoes work through their anxiety over starting school - the headband with the green flower. Even after shoes' fears are talked about, they are still hesitant to go to kindergarten, but when Lena thinks maybe she should wear her slippers, all works out in the end. The two things I really liked about this book are 1- that the dad is so understanding and patient and lets Lena work out she issues in the time and the way she needs to; and 2- how Calabrese has really captured the way Lena has projected her own anxiety onto her shoes (the things that would literally take her to school). Kids will often project their feelings onto an object as a way to cope with them, and here an understanding dad deals with it so well. It also means that this is a good book for whenever projected feelings arise in a child. The digitally created illustrations are somewhat cartoonish, and done in a mix of black and white and bright colors.

No! I Won't Go To School by Alonso Núñez, illustrated by Bruna Assis Brasil, translated from the Spanish by Dave Morrison
Tilbury House Publishers, 2018, 32 pages

It's the first day of school and one little boy already knows two letters - N and O and they spell NO. No, he will not go to school. Even though his mom says he will like it, our young man knows that he won't, that the teacher will be a monster, that school is a prison, and the principal is mean. But wait, after he gets there, he notices that there are lots more letters on the board besides the N and O, and school isn't a dungeon after all. In fact, at the end of the day, our young man has made six new friends and learned more letters, numbers, and two new Spanish words, and maybe, just maybe, he tells his mother, he will even go back again tomorrow. Told in verse, much of it rhyming with the word NO, Mexican-born author Núñez has adeptly created an imaginative look at that big unknown - the first day of school and the fears it can generate in some kids before the big day. And if Núñez has successfully captured first day jitters in his text, artist Brasil has matched them with her stylized mixed-media illustrations that include cleverly embedded photographic elements. This is a playful look at school that never minimizes first day fears or condescends to its young readers.

No Frogs in School A. LaFaye, illustrated by Églantine Ceulemans
Sterling Children's Books, 2018, 32 pages

No school jitters for Bartholomew Botts. He really likes school, but he just can't bear to leave all his pets at home, after all, they're his best friends. And he has lots of friends - hairy friends, hoppy friends, and scaly friends. So, on Monday, he decides to take Ferdinand the frog to school with him. But after Ferdinand gets loose, Bartholomew's teacher Mr. Patanoose rules "no frogs in school." Each day that week, a different pet goes to school with Bartholomew, and each day a new rule is made. By Thursday, the new rules is a doozie: "No snakes...No turtles. No lizards. No cold-blooded animals with scales. No reptiles!...No amphibians. No rodents. No dogs. No cats. No fish. No more of YOUR pets!..." Each day, Bartholomew had figured out how to circumvent Mr. Patanoose's rules, can he do it again on Friday after promising to obey Thursday's rule? Yes, indeed, and it's the perfect solution for everyone. And how did he do it? By knowing his animal categories, and so will young readers by the time Friday comes around. Bartholomew is a smart, optimistic character, and one never gets the sense the he is trying to outsmart his teacher, merely wanting the pets he loves to not be lonely. The detailed mixed-media illustrations are colorful, engaging, and fun, and young readers will no doubt want to spend time exploring and talking about them. This is a nice back-to-school book and a perfect opening for teachers to begin discussing class rules and maybe even if and what kind of class pet they should think about having.

Dear Substitute by Audrey Vernick, and Liz Garton Scanlon, illustrated by Chris Raschka
Disney-Hyperion, 2018, 40 pages

Having been both a classroom teacher and a substitute teacher, I found this epistolary picture book just delightful. When a young girl discovers that her teacher, Mrs. Giordano, is out for the day and there is a substitute named Miss Pelly instead, she is completely thrown off course, documenting it all in letters written to the sub. And it seems Miss Pelly can't get anything right, from mispronouncing unfamiliar names, to cancelling a library visit, to putting off cleaning the class turtle''s tank until Mrs Giordano returns, to not recognizing our letter writer as the week's line leader, and to almost bringing her to tears at lunch over a sandwich swap. But after lunch, there's an extra story time. Miss Pelly reads some poems to the class and WOW! maybe our letter writer likes poetry and maybe Miss Pelly isn't so bad after all. The letters our narrator writes are full of emotion ranging from surprise to misgiving to critical to embarrassment. But these negatives all turn around in the afternoon, thanks to Miss Pelly's funny poems. The watercolor and gouache illustrations add needed humor to the situation, while cleverly catching the narrators changing emotions and perceptions of Miss Pelly throughout the school day. Although this is a book dealing with substitute teachers, it is also a good lesson in developing flexibility and accepting change and people's differences. I would recommend this be part of every elementary school classroom library since subs are a basic fact of school life.

Click, Clack, Quack to School by Doreen Cronin, illustrated by Betsy Lewin
Caitlyn Dlouhy Books, 2018, 40 pages

On Monday, Farmer Brown receives an invitation to visit the Dinklemeyer Elementary School and to "bring the animals, too!" When Farmer Brown tells the animals, they are so excited, the cows moo, the chickens cluck, the pigs oink, and the duck - well, the duck is meditating, and Farmer Brown just tells him not to be so duck-y. But when Farmer Brown tells them that school is quiet and serious, all that excitement deflates. The next day, they are a somber group as Farmer Brown pulls into the school yard. But then recess begins and the kids race out wiggling and giggling, thunking and clunking, squeaking and squealing, zooming and zigging, and the animals, well, they just join right in, getting all mooey, and clucky, and oinky...and duck-y. And everyone had a great visit with Farmer Brown's animals at school (even the mice who under the seesaw reading graphic novels). The watercolor illustrations are friendly and colorful, and the addition of kid-like drawings and a thank you note on the endpapers adds to the appeal.This is a jolly back to school book with simple text and repeated refrains that not only invites kids to interact with the story, but also teaches/reminds them that school can be serious, but there's room for fun as well. Those kids familiar with this series will find it a charming addition, those new to it will want to read more about Farmer Brown and his animals. and find out what makes duck so duck-y.

Front Desk by Kelly Yang

For 10-year-old Mia Tang, migrating to the United States from China with her parents hasn't turned out exactly the way they had hoped it would. Living in their car and always being hungry wasn't what they had expected. And, even though her mother has a degree in engineering, in the U.S. she could only get a job as a waitress in a restaurant that hired her father as a fryer - until they were fired for Mia.

Now, they've landed a job as managers of the Calivista Motel, not far from Disneyland, and which also includes a small room they can live in. Maybe things were finally going to pick up for the Tang family, even if the owner, rich tightwad Mr. Yao, is as cold-hearted as he was calculating. However, it doesn't take long to discover that the handsome salary the Tangs are expecting is constantly shrinking with each mistake and accident, as Mr. Yao deducts costs for repairs and replacements. To make matter worse, Mia discovers that Mr. Yao's son Jason is in her class at school and isn't considered a very nice person there by the other kids.

Pretty soon, Mia starts helping her overworked and overwhelmed parents by running the front desk whenever she isn't in school. She becomes friendly with the five "weeklies" - guests who basically live at the motel, and begins making some changes to make the Calivista a friendlier motel, like collecting brochures and menus for the convenience of the guests. In school, Mia really struggles with improving her English, but makes a friend, Lupe, who helps her. And it doesn't take long for Mia to decide that she like English more than math, much to her mother chagrin, who'd rather she liked math.

After helping a fellow Chinese immigrant on the run from loan sharks, word gets out that Chinese immigrants on the run from their own terrible circumstances and who need a free place to stay for a night, will find a welcome at the Calivista. Mia's parents share their meager food rations and put them up in empty rooms, and in return, they learn about other immigrant experiences.

But, when Hank, an African American weekly, is mistakenly arrested for stealing a car and loses his job, Mia really discovers the power and satisfaction of knowing English when she volunteers to help him out. After using her writing skills to help out a few more people, including some of the Chinese immigrants, Mia is pretty certain that she can win an essay writing contest being held by a couple in Vermont who want to give their motel away to the writer of the best essay. But, first, she needs to raise the $300.00 entry fee. As strapped for money as her family is, can she ever get that much money together?

Set in the 1990s, and calling on her own experiences as a young immigrant from China, who also helped her parents manage a motel, including working at the front desk, Kelly Yang has written a debut middle grade novel that really rings true. And although she uses humor throughout, Mia's story, and that of her parents, is a serious look at the the difficulties faced by those who migrate to this country. Despite having a degree in engineering, Mia's mother is forced to take low level jobs; Mia's affordable clothes are made fun of in school, and the one pair of nice jeans she acquires causes her the worst humiliation. In school, Mia and her friend Lupe, an immigrant from Mexico, are forced to sit on the sidelines in gym because their families can't afford health insurance should they get hurt. These are serious issues and Yang has presented them in such a way that readers can't help but feel empathy toward them and all the struggling characters in this very insightful novel.

Mia is a spunky, determined protagonist, even if she is a little impulsive at time, and at times, gets mad at her circumstance (and who can blame her) but she exudes hope for the future throughout. Which isn't easy when you have to deal with bullying, poverty, and racism on a daily basis. But Mia is also smart, clever, and innovative.

One of the things I did find interesting is that Yang makes a Chinese American the "bad guy." Mr. Yao is definitely out for himself, consumed with not so much making money but acquiring it through other people's hard work. And he has a real nasty, mean streak. It is sadly not uncommon for this kind of thing to happen.

But my favorite thing is how Mia learned about the power (and sometimes superpower) of words and language and used it as a means out of her situation, and to help others out of theirs.

I can't recommend this book highly enough and I know that readers will definitely be cheering for this delightful young protagonist.

This book is recommended for readers age 9+
This book was an ARC received from the publisher.

🍽Next Best Junior Chef Trilogy by Charise Mericle Harper, illustrated by Aurélie Blard-Quintard

It turns out that a lot of my kids are into cooking shows and really liked reading the first two books in this trilogy. Now that the last book is out, I decided it was time to read them myself after hearing what my kids said and then getting hooked on watching Master Chef Junior last spring when I was so sick. Watching that, I couldn't help but wonder how were those kids so good at cooking, creating, and competing on TV (something I can't even do in my own kitchen). Well, some of those secrets are revealed in these books and it was enlightening.

Meet the Contestants

Book One or rather, Episode one, Lights, Camera, Cook! introduces readers to the competition and the four competitors. Tate, 9, is a bundle of energy who can't stay still except when using a knife and he has some great knife skills; Caroline, 11, is half French and has grown up in her family's French bistro, where her mother is the chef. Caroline wavers between feeling nervous to feeling confident; Oliver, 12, is cool, calm and competitive. He's also the only contestant who has taken actual cooking lessons, but no one needs to know that, right?; and Rae, 11, who likes to do crafts and learned all her cooking skills from her grandmother and the people in her multicultural neighborhood. Rae isn't as confident at the other contestants but takes chances with her dishes.

And what are these four talented junior chefs competing for? The food truck of their dreams. Rae's would be called the Crafty Café, serving good food and having fun crafts to do; Oliver's would be called Bistro Revilo, serving only organic and locally sourced food that would have a twist to it; Caroline's truck would be called Diner Française, a fusion of American diner food with a French twist; and Tate's dream food truck would be called Stuff My Face, a mashup where each day would be a different culturally inspired dish.

The judges, a little more diverse than the contestants, are Chef Vera Porter, who appears to be African American and is famous for her Porter Farm Restaurant; renowned pastry Chef Aimee Copley; and Chef Gary Lee, restaurant proprietor and host of a show called Adventures in Cooking. And besides their dream food truck, the winner will get a guest spot on Chef Gary's show, to be filmed in Italy. The kids will be mentored throughout the competition by Chef Nancy Patel.

The first week of competition begins on a Friday and ends on a Thursday, when one person is eliminated in a final cook-off. During the week, there are mini cooking challenges, and winners can pick prizes from Gadget Wall, kitchen utensils they get to keep. And there are cooking lessons and field trips to learn from, and friendships and rivalries are formed. It's a rough week, and each junior chef has ups and downs, but they all so well and really surprise the judges. Readers discover how the kids learn to not look at the camera, a tough one for each of them, and how they know exactly what to get from the on-set pantry in such shorts amount of time. Yes, secrets are revealed and I loved discovering them. But in the end, one kid had to be eliminated. But who?

Episode Two, The Heat is On...is aptly named. As week 2 begins, there are only three contestants left, and each one knows that the challenges are going to be much more difficult. But by now, the junior chefs are comfortable in front of the camera and have learned to deal well with the pressure of being judged by professional chefs on TV. Although they all miss the contestant who had to hang up their apron in week one, they are ready to begins again. This week's theme is family and tradition and advisor Chef Nancy encourages them to try to wow the judges, to tap into their creative spirits. And that's exactly what they do, although sometimes that creative spirit overwhelmed the reality of their cooking skills. Their first competition is to cook a hot dog - the catch: each could use either fire, air or water to do it. I have to admit, hot dogs never sounded so good as they did by the end of this challenge. One of the more interesting challenges that really played into the week's theme was coming up with two desserts for a young lady's quinceañera - one making traditional alfajores and one innovative- and using the family's recipe for the difficult to make dulce de leche (but will the judges discover that one of the contestants burned their dulce de leche?). Since this was a team effort, the contestant eliminated the week before returns to form a second team. As fun and interesting as the second week is for the contestants, in the end, another one had to be eliminated. With only two left, the last week of competition was shaping up to be pretty interesting.

Episode 3, The Winner is... is every bit as exciting as it promised to be. The theme is discoveries and surprises and their first challenge is to make something using the same flavors they taste in a chilled soup, a soup with the distinct flavor of cilantro. But what if you have the gene that makes cilantro taste like soup as one challenger does? Can you work around that and win the challenge? Maybe, maybe not. The second day holds a real surprise - the two eliminated challengers are back and given another chance to be the final winner of their dream food truck. Needless to say, the two remaining challengers aren't very happy to see them at first, but soon it is like old times, or at least, like week one. Ramping up the competition naturally ramps up the challenges. The junior chefs are asked to come up with innovative dishes using cranberries, which proved to be really challenging. The next challenge was equally as difficult, to make two dozen donuts, one dozen for kid judges, one for the chefs to judge. The final challenge, however, is the best - a chance to see what working in a food truck is really like by working in the food truck of their dreams. Each junior chef has to create, in 90 minutes, an entrée, a side dish, and a dessert that they would serve in their own food truck.

The Next Best Junior Chef trilogy was a lot of fun to read. The characters were believable, even their sophisticated cooking talents worked for me because while they had confidence in the kitchen, they were still just kids away from it. I thought the friendship that developed between Rae and Caroline was a nice touch and well done, considering they also had to deal with being competitors.

The format is easy to follow and the distinct personalities of everyone -  chefs and junior chef - add a lot of excitement and tension to the books, aided by some interesting behind the scenes information. The descriptions of the dishes each challenger creates are nicely described, giving the reader a good sense of what it is like, which is usually mouth-watering delicious.  And there is a lot for budding chefs and/or foodies to learn about being a professional chef. One nice touch is that there is back matter in each book for young home cooks - knife skills, essential techniques like measuring, and how to cook flavorful food.

There whimsical black and white spot illustrations throughout the book, and there are even individual sidebar comments by each junior chef throughout, just as they do on all reality shows, and yes, you learn why they don't fumble for words when individually commenting.

If you are looking for some fun middle grade books to read this summer, I can't recommend these highly enough. Who knows, maybe your young readers will be motivated to test out their own cooking skills.

These books are recommended for readers and foodies age 9+
These books were borrowed from the NYPL