Perhaps the World Ends Here by Joy Harjo

When I read that the inspiration for Melanie Heuiser Hill's picture book Around the Table That Grandad Built was a poem by Joy Harjo, our national Poet Laureate and the first Native American to hold that position, I naturally pulled out my copy of The Woman Who Fell From the Sky and reread "Perhaps the World Ends Here." I'd like to share it today now that the holiday season has officially begun, and with it all the hustle and bustle it brings. Sometimes it's good to stop and remember that it is the family, friends, and neighbors, all the people we share our joys and sorrows with who are really important. And a lot of that sharing is done right at a kitchen table, as both picture book and poem gently remind us. 

Perhaps the World Ends Here by Joy Harjo

The world begins at a kitchen table. No matter what, we must eat to live.

The gifts of earth are bought and prepared, set on the table. So it has been since creation, and

it will go on.

We chase chickens or dogs away from it. Babies teethe at the corners. They scrape their knees under it.

It is here that children are given instructions on what it means to be human. We make men at it, we make women.

At this table we gossip, recall enemies and the ghosts of lovers.

Out dreams drink coffee with us as they put their arms around our children. They laugh with us at our poor falling-down selves and as we put ourselves back together once again at the table.

This table has been a house in the rain, an umbrella in the sun.

Wars have begun and ended at this table. It is a place to hide in the shadow of terror. A place to celebrate the terrible victory.

We have given birth on this table, and have prepared our parents for burial here.

At this table we sing with joy, with sorrow. We pray of suffering and remorse. We give thanks.

Perhaps the world will end at the kitchen table. which we are laughing and cryings, eating of the last sweet bite.

A big Thanks to Bridget of Wee Words for Wee Ones for hosting today's Poetry Friday roundup. Be sure to visit her to find more wonderful poems to enjoy.

Around the Table That Grandad Built by Melanie Heuiser Hill, illustrated by Jaime Kim

Around the Table That Grandad Built by Melanie Heuiser Hill,

illustrated by Jaime Kim

Candlewick Press, 2019, 32 pages

I was wondering what to read to my kids to get a conversation going about Thanksgiving. And then, this lovely picture book arrived that celebrates and gives thanks for family, friendships, and the bounty we share with each other on Thanksgiving Day or any day, for that matter.

Beginning with the line "This is the table that Grandad built," a young red-headed girl narrates how the table is set with different but very meaningful items to celebrate a meal together with family and friends. Onto the lovely large table built by her grandfather are placed sunflowers picked by cousins, napkins sewn by Mom, plates, glasses that were wedding gifts, and silverware from her Dad's grandma. Then, there is a bounty of vegetables from the garden, along with toasty tamales, spicy samosas and the rice pudding that is enjoyed every year, a loaf of bread that Gran baked, butter made by the kids, Dad's special huckleberry jam, and a variety of pies for dessert. It is a glorious mix of old and new edible traditions.

And while food is an important part of any gathering, it is the people sitting around the table that really make for the best meals and memories. Around the Table That Grandad Built includes a diverse group of people sharing a meal together in complete harmony, and both text and illustrations evoke the kind of warm feelings and sense of belonging that a holiday like Thanksgiving can represent. My young readers are a diverse group, too, and when we read this book, we began to talking about the different people and foods that are part of their (and my) Thanksgiving. We made a list of the foods served in their families and, just as it is in this book, their tables offered a wide variety of dishes traditional in their families. One of the things my young readers noticed is while turkey is a part of their Thanksgiving, there is not a turkey on the table in this book. They decided, after some prompting, that this makes it a good book to talk about gratitude all year long. 

Around the Table That Grandad Built follows the same pattern of cumulative rhyme as "This is the House That Jack Built." Well, only up to a point and then the repeating last line, "Set on the table that Grandad built" is dropped. And yet, the rhythm of the poem, complete with the caesura in the middle, never falters.

We have read Around the Table That Grandad Built a number of times now, and my kids never get tired of it. This is a wonderful, heartwarming story that highlights the importance of being thankful for the people and beauty that surrounds our lives.

This book is recommended for readers age 3+
This book was gratefully received from the publisher, Candlewick Press

MMGM: The Little Grey Girl (The Wild Magic Trilogy #2) by Celine Kiernan

It's moving day for Mup Taylor, her mam, dad, and little brother Tipper now that the old queen, Mup's grandmother, and her band of raggedly witches have been defeated. Of course, the old queen and her raggedly entourage aren't dead, just gone - but for how long is anybody's guess. Now, though, it's off to the magical Witches Borough in the Glittering Land, leaving the mundane world behind, to live in the old queen's enormous castle. But no sooner do they arrive but there's trouble. Mam wants to run the Witches Borough as a democracy, but the people who sided with her instead of the old queen expect her to accept the crown and rule them, more kindly than her mother had, but still as a monarchy.

The castle is big and cold, and there are a number of ghosts living there as well a real people. Mup has her own room across from her best friend Crow's room. Crow is a shapeshifting boy who can transform into a raven. He has apparently lost his parents, but for all that he wants to be a part of a family like the Taylors, he also wants to be free. And he has difficulty dealing with Mup's raggedly witch magic. It is that kind of magic that been used to force the people of the Glittering Land into submission.

Even before she has settled into her new home, she notices a girl around her age lucking in the courtyard near the tunnel that leads to the dungeons where Mup and her dad had been kept by the old queen. The girl, who has a grey tint to her specter, turns out to be a ghost hellbent on causing vengeful trouble for the castle's new occupants, especially Mup. Using her own ashiness, the grey girl draws pictures around the castle which causes anyone who goes near them be come paralyzed with overwhelming grief. Is the grey girl part of the old queen's plan to defeat her daughter and return to power? It certainly seems so, especially when it begins to snow so heavily it isolated the people in the castle and feels like a curse from the old queen.

I loved reading Begone the Raggedly Witches and couldn't wait to read The Little Grey Girl. And boy howdy, I was not disappointed. Most of the story takes place in or around the castle grounds, including the dungeons under the castle, which makes sense since this book doesn't really continue the power tug of war between the old queen and her daughter. Forbidden to use magic under the old queen's oppressive rule, the residents of the Witches Borough are at a loss for who they are as a people now that they can use their innate magical abilities.

I was very happy to see that Kierman has kept all the characters true to who they were in the first book. Tipper, enjoying life in the shape of a dog, is just as adorable as ever, while Mup, mam, and dad are the same kind, concerned, and caring people and Mup's courage in confronting the dungeons to discover what is motiving the little grey girl to unleash so much suffering on the castle's residents is admirable. Crow is still a most conflicted character, not sure what he really wants, but always loyal to Mup, even when they have a falling out.

Once again, Kiernan has tackled familiar themes of strong family ties, true friendship, as well as the disastrous affects of oppression on people  individually and as a whole, themes that will resonant all too much with today's world.

Oh, yes, and the good news is that Book Three, The Promise Witch, is scheduled to be released in England on June 4, 2020, which gives everyone plenty of time to read, reread, and savor Begone the Raggedly Witches and The Little Grey Girl.

This book is recommended for readers age 9+
This book was an EARC gratefully received from the publisher, Candlewick Press, and NetGalley.

Be sure to check out the other Marvelous Middle Grade Monday offerings, now being carried on by Greg at Always in the Middle. 

Emmy in the Key of Code by Aimee Lucido

Emmy, 12, and her parents have just moved from Wisconsin to San Francisco so that her dad can pursue his dream of being a pianist in the symphony orchestra there. Her mom, an opera singer, has given that up and taken a regular job in order to make the move. Both parents are very musical, but no matter how hard she tries and no matter how much she loves and knows about music, Emmy just doesn't have musical bone in her body. Besides, past attempts at musical performance have left her with a bad case of stage fright. Now, however, she faces the task of making new friends at a new school and it's not easy. Each time she tries to introduce herself, she's interrupted. Until, finally, in computer class, a girl with braids introduces herself to Emmy.

It doesn't take long for Emmy and Abigail to become good friends, nor does it take long for Emmy to connect with computer coding, and teacher Frankie Delaney, a vibrant young woman who clearly loves what she does. Abigail has a beautiful singing voice, has been singing in the San Francisco Children's Choir for years and hangs out friends with a group of girls at school who want her to audition with them for a singing group called Honey Bees. But Abigail has been hiding the fact that she would rather code than sing, though she continues to act like being put into the computer class was a mistake. Emmy, hoping that Abigail will be her new best friend, is hurt when Abigail continues to eat lunch with her friends, leaving Emmy to eat alone.

Meanwhile, struggling with constant feelings of not fitting in and not being comfortable with who she is, Emmy must also deal with a budding misogynist bully named Francis in computer class, who misses no opportunity to let her know he thinks she is inferior and that there is no place in coding for girls. Adding to that is a falling out with Abigail, who refuses to respond to Emmy's apologies.

But after the class learns that their teacher is seriously ill, can animosities are put aside so that the students can still showcase their end of term coding projects in front of parents, teachers, and students to honor their teacher?

When I first began reading Emmy in the Key of Code, I thought I would be reading a novel about a middle grader girl who needs to find herself and her own voice in a completely new environment. Boy, was I wrong! Well, it is that, but more, so much more. It is a novel in verse, written from Emmy's point of view. And as Emmy becomes more proficient at coding, Lucido manages to skillfully weave in some basic Java code in places, creating a kind of poetry in code. Not an easy task, but she pulls it off beautifully. And the best part is that readers don't need to know coding to read Emmy's story, but do learn some coding along with her. Java terminology is explained within the text and in a glossary, as are musical terms.

One of the things I really liked is that Lucido didn't give Emmy a dead parent or two in her coming of age story. Instead, she took Emmy out of her comfortable environment in Wisconsin and set down in a completely new place, where her parents are so busy with their own problems of adjusting to the changes. Isolated from parents, friends, and teachers really highlights Emmy's feeling of not fitting in, but allows her to explore and discover her own identity and creativity away from parental interference or expectations of who she should be. It made for a very interesting journey. 

Young readers will also discover not only a good story but might even catch some of Frankie Delaney's enthusiasm for coding and her admiration for the women who were pioneered computers and programming during WWII while men were off fighting (pg. 154-55). In fact, pair this with Kate Hannigan's fun speculative fiction novel Cape (The League of Secret Heroes), which centers around the actual six women working on a programable computer called Eniac in Philadelphia in WWII.

I loved being pleasantly surprised by this novel and Emmy in the Key of Code should appeal to young readers whether or not they have an interest in learning to code, though the computer geek in me thinks all kids should learn some coding. Maybe this will stir up interest in it when they see what Emmy and her class can do.

A Reader's Guide can be downloaded HERE

This book is recommended for readers age 9+
This book was gratefully provided to me by the publisher, Versify, an imprint of HMH

Amanda in Holland: Missing in Action (Amanda Travels Book #7) by Darlene Foster

This is the third Amanda Travels I've read, and in it, Amanda, 12, is heading to the Netherlands to join her British friend Leah Anderson and her father, who is there on business. Of course, the girls are there to see the sights, learn about Holland's history and culture, but Amanda has another purpose to be there. She would like to solve the mystery of what happened to her great uncle Harold, who went to the Netherlands with the Canadian army during World War II and never return home.

No sooner do the girls meet up in Amsterdam, then Amanda spots a cardboard box sitting beside some smelly garbage after hearing a cry come from it. Inside is a little brown and white puppy. When they ask a girl named Lisa working in a nearby cheese shop if she knows anything, she tells them no but it has been happening to dogs a lot lately.

Amanda and Leah decide to try and find a home for the puppy, now named Joey, which leads to meeting Jan. In fact, they seem to run into Jan everywhere they go, even giving him a ride to his grandparents home in the country when Mr. Anderson heads that way for a business meeting. Once in the country, the plot thickens and soon Amanda is involved in solving the mystery of a missing gardener, the theft of some rare tulip bulbs, and the mysterious woman bike-riding woman who keeps turning up. And is Jan involved in the tulip bulb mystery, despite his wonderful, welcoming family?

I didn't find the mysteries in this book as interesting as in previous books. They felt a little forced and therefore convoluted. I think solving the mystery of what happened to Uncle Harold would have been sufficient, given what Amanda discovers about him. And just finding a home for Joey would a nice subplot that exposed the cruelty of puppy farms. Added to these, sightseeing and accompanying information about the Anne Frank House, the tour of the wooden shoe factory, the visit to a windmill, the magic of the tulip fields, and rides through Hollands famous canals in a long boat really make the story interesting and gives readers a nice armchair journey to the Netherlands.

And that is what I like about the Amanda Travels series. It take young readers to places of interest, and provides usual and unusual sightseeing as Amanda meets different people and learns about their culture, and enjoys traditional foods in each place. In Holland, she ties such things as Hotchpotch Stamppot, a "Dutch dish of mashed potatoes mixed with carrots and onions, a meatball, sausages, and bacon," a meal I wouldn't mind trying.

So even though the mystery in Amanda in Holland is just ok, I would still recommend it, but especially to any readers interested in travel and mysteries, family, and friendship.

This book is recommended for readers age 9+
This book was provided by the publisher, Central Avenue Publishing, through NetGalley

Joe Quinn's Poltergeist by David Almond, illustrated by Dave McKean

**Contains Spoilers**

Joe Quinn's Poltergeist by David Almond,

illustrated by Dave McKean

Candlewick Press, 2019, 80 pages

While watching his crush, Josephine Minto, playing tennis, his friend Joe Quinn comes along and tells Davie and another friend Geordie that his house in haunted by a poltergeist. Naturally, both boys are skeptical but curious. After all, Joe and his mother are known for making up stories. But Joe insists that the poltergeist is real and invites Davie and Geordie to come over for tea and see for themselves.

Sure enough, when they get to Joe's house, they see a broken window and bits of broken cups and plates all over the kitchen. While they are eating the chips that Mrs. Quinn serves them, a slice of bread with butter flies across the room, followed by more crockery. Geordie is convinced that Joe and his mother are making things sail across the room, and refuses to believe that there is a ghost. Davie, on the other hand, isn't so sure, and Mrs. Quinn is certain that he can also feel strange forces in the house.

Davie may be susceptible to her suggestions. His younger sister Barbara, with whom he was close, had died a few years ago and he's never really come to terms it that and, additionally, with his faith. And lately, he has been dreaming about Barbara and wondering whether her spirit could ever come back.

Later, Joe returns to the Quinn's house, bringing Father Kelly, an Irish priest who has already lost his religion, with him. Ironically, after spending time at the home of Mrs. Quinn, and despite his inebriated state and lack of faith, Father Kelly, manages to give to help Davie find some peace of mind when he tells him "There is not Heaven to go to. And no Hell...There's only us, and this...But what an usness and a thisness." Ultimately, Davie concludes that there is no poltergeist, but that "...the poltergeist is all of us, raging and wanting to scream and to fight and to start flinging stuff; to smash and to break. It is all of us wanting to be still, to be quiet, to be in love, to be at peace." Usness and thisness?

What do I think?

I first read Joe Quinn's Poltergeist in a book of short autobiographical stories by David Almond called Half a Creature from the Sea. I found it interesting, but now as a graphic novel, I find it even more so. It is a story about the existential angst of a teenager asking for answers to questions about life and afterlife, and Almond captures his inner turmoil so well. And leaves it to the reader to decide if Davie's conclusions are right, or maybe we each have our own conclusions about these questions.

Click to Enlarge

I think, however, what really removes this book from being an exception short story in prose and puts it into the realm of wonderfully dark graphic novels are the illustrations. As you can see, Dave McKean's angular mix-media illustrations are as haunting and emotional throughout the book as is the illustration on the cover.

David Almond has always been a favorite of mine and this story, that borders on horror, has not failed my expectations one bit. The short story is worth reading (and re-reading as I recently did) and so is the graphic novel. The different formats almost make each one feel like a different story.

This book is recommended for readers age 13+
This book was an EARC received from Candlewick Press through NetGalley

☃️Picture Books to Curl Up With On Cold Winter Days☃️

The calendar may say winter doesn't officially begin until December 21st, but cold days and nights have certainly arrived. And what could be better that curling up with a blanket, a cup of hot cocoa, and a good book to share. Here is a roundup of kid-friendly, kid-tested books that can take the chill out of any day.

Madeline Finn and the Shelter Dog 

written and illustrated by Lisa Papp

Peachtree Publishers, 2019, 32 pages

Papp's follow-up book to Madeline Finn and the Library Dog is just as pleasing and informative and my young readers loved it. Bonnie, the library dog that helped Madeline gain confidence as a reader, has given birth to the litter of puppies, and Madeline is told she may have one. Well, the time has come and the smallest puppy chooses Madeline as her perfect person. Madeline also learns about shelter dogs, and after visiting a shelter, she notices how unhappy the dogs, cats, bunnies, and birds look with no one to love them. Seeing how much her new puppy like to be read to, Madeline comes up with an idea for the people in her neighborhood to help the shelter animals feel cared about and maybe even find a forever home - just bring blankets and books. But will volunteer readers show up? This is a sweet, heartwarming story with wonderful mixed-media illustrations. A bonus - you can download a great activity kit full of things that kids can do courtesy of the publisher, Peachtree, HERE 

Penguin Flies Home, a Flight School Story

written and illustrated by Lita Judge

Atheneum BFYR, 2019, 40 pages

In this sequel to Flight School, Penguin still loves flying. After all, he has the soul of an eagle, and loves the feel of the wind beneath his wings as he soars high into the sky - of course, with a little technical help from his friends in Flight School. But when Penguin thinks of his friends back home in the South Pole, he wishes they too could soar like an eagle. Teacher thinks Penguin is home sick and arranges for a field trip to visit Penguin's friends and family. And as happy as the other penguins are to see him, and as hard as he tries to get them interested in flying, they still prefer soaring through the cold Antarctic waters to flying. Now, Penguin is convinced his friends and family think he's "ridiculous" and afraid they won't like him anymore, but he's in for quite a supportive surprise just before the field trip heads home. This book is packed with heart and carries a nice message about the importance of following one's own dream, no matter what, and the value of having a strong support system behind you. Judge did the pencil and watercolor illustrations in sky blues and icy whites and lots of whimsey. This book, like the first book, has been a big hit with my young readers who just love Penguin. And I hear there might be a third Penguin book in the works.

Bikes for Sale by Carter Higgins,

illustrated by Zachariah O'Hora

Chronicle Books, 2019, 40 pages

Maurice rides his bike all over town, selling lemonade from it, and he always has plenty of customers. Lotta collects sticks all over town on her bike, because everyone loves sticks and they are so versatile - they can become anything you can imagine while you play. But one day, Maurice and Lotta both have accidents that leaves their bikes broken. Abandoning them, the bike are found by Sid, who knows just what to do with the broken bikes in his repair shop. Maurice and Lotta each see the sign "Bikes for Sale" in Sid's window, and go in. Sure enough, there are their old bikes, fused together to form a tandem bike, which they buy. And wouldn't you know, it is the beginning of a new friendship. The first time we read this together, my young readers loved it because, even though they made predictions of what would happen next, it didn't end the way they had expected it to. And they continued to like it even after repeated readings. The illustrations are simple and expressive, done in acrylics, with very appealing anthropomorphized animal characters. There is a map of the routes Maurice and Lotta take on their bikes, and it led to a nice lesson on drawing a map of the park nearby, one they are all familiar with, and its playground, esplanade, lots of walking paths, and the river running by it.  

What Are You Doing, Benny? by Cary Fagan,

illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton

Tundra Books, 2019, 36 pages

Benny is a busy older brother. He builds forts, makes potions, folds paper airplanes, but each time his younger sibling asks if he can do these activities with Benny, even after he offers good suggestions for improving on Benny's activity, he's told no. Benny just doesn't want to play with his younger brother. The dejected little cub decides to play with some puppets, instead. But later, he begins to ask Benny if they could do other things together again. When Benny still says NO! over and over, the unnamed sibling returns to playing with the puppets, and begins to have some fun putting on a show with them. So when Benny asks if he can play puppets, too, carrying a sandwich as a peace offering, the young cub, knowing how hurtful no can be to be excluded, agrees to their playing puppets together. And what fun they have! It's clear all the way though this story that the younger sibling really looks up to Benny, even if Benny treats him like an annoyance. The story is a realistic depiction of not uncommon sibling behavior that comes to the same conclusion that most sibling relationships come to - discovering each other as friends and playmates. The soft gouache and watercolor illustrations done in a pastel palette really capture the younger cubs frustration whenever Benny rejects him. Most of my young readers have older siblings and really related to the young cub's relationship with Benny. I think it gave them some hope for their future with their siblings.    

Hibernate with Me by Benjamin Scheuer,

illustrated by Jemima Williams

Simon & Schuster, 2019, 40 pages

Told in rhyme and based on a song of the same name written by Benjamin Scheuer, Hibernate with Me makes a perfect bedtime story. Sometimes all kids feel small, shy, scared or lost and need reassurance and a reminder that they are loved and not alone. A mama bear sings to her cub words of reassurance: "Sometimes things can feel confusing/Sometimes things feel gray./But if you're ever feeling...lost,/I'll help you find your way," and ending most stanzas with a wonderful refrain "Darling you can hibernate with me." Mama bear's comforting words remind baby bear that there's a warm, cozy safe place for the cub to be. Jemima Williams' watercolor and digitally rendered illustrations are warm and friendly, and really capture the strong bond between the mother/child relationship and all its emotions. I've read this book a number of times to my young readers and they never get tired of hearing it and exploring the illustrations. The words and music for the song "Hibernate with Me" are included on the back endpapers and we did have a musician visit and teach us the song, which was a lot of fun.  

Love by Stacy McAnulty,

illustrated by Joanne Lew-Vriethoff

Running Press Kids, 2018, 32 pages

Stacy McAnulty has been one of my young readers' favorite authors and they were happy to see this book about love and add it to our ever growing picture book library. Each two page spread answers the question what is love. Kids quickly learn that love isn't just one thing, but can take many forms, and for each form, there are different ways of expressing love. For example: one page says "Love needs special presents" and the four spot illustrations show one young girl with cancer getting a flower wreath to wear on her head, a boy delivering a book to another boy, a girls bringing cookies to an older woman, and a boy giving his teacher a drawing he made. One of the really special aspects of the is book is the wonderfully diverse kids and adults that are found on page after page. One of the things we learned reading this book is how easy it is to show other love and kindness and that for most people, receiving something that is homemade is best because it comes right from the heart. I loved the whimsical illustrations that harmonize so perfectly with the words about love. My kids tried doing some of the things shown in the book and giving their creations to people they cared about and guess what? Their reactions bore out the message of this book. 

But the Bear Came Back by Tammi Sauer,

illustrated by Dan Taylor

Sterling Children's Books, 2018, 32 pages

A young boy sits in his house reading a book called 101 Activities to Do Alone when there's a knock on the door and a big, roly-poly bear is standing there. Go home, the boy tells the bear. But bear keeps coming back, until one day he doesn't and the boy begins to really miss him. After a few days, he begins to look for bear everywhere, even putting up signs. Well, the bear comes back and there's a new book "101 Activities to Do With Bears." When I read this book to my young readers, I thought about all the times, when I was growing up, I would push away the very thing that I wanted either because I was feeling frustrated, I was just in a contrary mood, or I was afraid to opening myself up too much to someone else. When I asked my kids if they ever acted like the boy or like I had as a girl, surprisingly, they actually said that they did and could remember behaving like that but did not know why. This generated conversation made this book well worth reading. And the playful, colorful illustrations helped to alleviate some of the seriousness that could easily overwhelm this book. I mean, seriously, a big round bear with a tiny suitcase knocking on the front door? See what I mean.

Door written and illustrated by JiHyeon Lee

Chronicle Books, 2018, 56 pages 

You never know what you are going to find behind a door. In this wordless picture book, a young boy walking through a gray land populated with gray, unhappy, angry people finds a key and is led to the door it fits by a small, vibrantly colored flying creature. Behind the door, the boy finds a colorful land and various welcoming beings. He is is invited to join what appears to be a family picnic, where he enjoys their company, eating and have fun with them. Later, the boy goes with them to a place of windows and doors and other beings, all happy, friendly and welcoming. The longer the boy stays in this magical land, the more he loses his grayness. Finally, he ends up at a wedding, followed by a joyful celebration. As he leaves this land, he looks at the key in his hand - and yes, it's the key to happiness and even as he returns to the gray world he lives in, readers know he will be using that key often. This is a wonderful allegory about enjoying life and celebrating our differences in a world that accepts you for who you are. I loved the minimalist illustrations that manage to say so much and the fact that even though the boy and the beings don't speak the same language, they understand each other perfectly. This book generated a lot of conversation among my young readers, and although I believe some of the story went over their heads, they did get the gist of it, and we will be revisiting this book again in the near future.

A New Home written and illustrated by

Tania de Regil

Candlewick Press, 2019, 32 pages

Moving can be traumatic when you are a child, but here is a book that might help ease some of the anxiety kids might feel about moving. A boy living in New York City and a girl living in Mexico City are about to move - he to Mexico City, she to NYC, but both have fear and trepidation. Neither wants to move because they are afraid they will miss a lot of things that they love about the city they already live in - things like going to a ball game, playing in the park, visiting a museum, or heading out the the beach in summer. But as young readers see as they turn the pages, NYC and Mexico City are more alike than different. Each two page spread show the boy doing the things he loves in NYC, and on the opposite page, the girl is doing a similar thing in Mexico City. But not knowing what to expect, each child hopes their life won't be so different in their new home. The mix-media illustrations depict well known places in each city, and there is additional information about them in the back matter. This is a pretty straight forward book and by the end, young readers are certain each child will soon learn to love their new home as much as their old one. A story that celebrates differences within similarities. 

A big thank you from me and my young readers to all the wonderful publishers who provided me with copies of these books.

❄️☃️❄️

MMGM: More to the Story by Hena Khan

**May Contain Spoilers**

This re-imagining of Louisa May Alcott's 1868/69 novel Little Women has been wonderfully updated for today's readers. It is still the story of the four sisters and their parents, the Mirza family of Pakistani Americans Muslims, no longer living in 19th century New England, but in present day Atlanta, Georgia. And hurray, Laurie isn't gone either, he is now a British Pakistani boy named Ali, 14, sent to the US from London by his mother, who hopes to soon follow him to Atlanta with his sister. Ali is  living with the honorary Auntie and Uncle of the Mirza sisters.

The novel is narrated by Jameela, 13 and an aspiring writer and author of a family newsletter called Mirza Memos and hoping to be the new Editor of the school newspaper. The story begins on Eid, and Jam, sisters Aleeza, 10, Bisma, 11, and Maryam, 15, are upset at the news that their father won't be there for the first time. Baba had recently lost his contract job at the Center for Disease Control and was in Maryland for an interview.

The good news for the family is that Baba does get a job - the family really needs the income, but it's setting up a hospital in Abu Dhabi, meaning he will have to live there for the length of his contract. The not-so-good news for Jam is that she's named Features Editor of the school paper, and her nemesis Travis is named Editor. Jam has always wanted to be an awarding winning journalist like her dada was, hoping to make her own father as proud of her as he was of his father. Since Jam and Ali are in the same school, she decides to do a interview with him for the paper. It's a great piece, within from a particular point of view, but using some off-the-record comments Ali made to her in confidence. Jam has to rewrite the article, leaving out those comments, but when the first article is inadvertently published, she has some hard lessons to learn about journalism and ethics. And now, Ali won't return her apology text messages.

Meanwhile, Bisma, who shares a room with Jameela, begins complaining of a lump in her neck. When it's diagnosed as leukemia, the family really pulls together while she is undergoing treatment. Not knowing what to do about Bisma, Jam sets up a blog on the CaringBridge website, enabling her to "keep a [private] journal, get comments from people who follow you, organize help with meals and rides and more." (pg 191) Slowly, Jam realizes that perhaps winning awards isn't as important as recording her sister's "journey to life" (pg 238) and subsequently making a difference for kids with cancer.

Oh, I just loved reading More to the Story. I loved the parallels to Little Women, so much came back to me despite not having read it since about 4th grade. But more importantly, I loved the differences, beginning with the wonderful close-knit Mirza family and Jam as a deliciously flawed protagonist. Yet, despite the trouble it causes, her article,  for the school paper, especially, has something to teach us all about how important our words are: "...[kids']words can make as much of a difference as adults' do - if we can get an audience that's bigger than our teachers and parents." (pg. 89) Now, that audience would be the young readers discovering this wonderful novel.

So what was Jam's article about. Well, it was called "Pardon Me? What Did You Say?" and it was about microaggressions, and although that wasn't the main part of the novel, it was a very important part. First of all, how often do you see the word microaggression in a middle grade novel? Not often, perhaps not often enough. Jam's article does make a difference, even nemesis Travis admits he had never heard the word. But the most important take-away is this - microaggressions hurt, or to quote Jam's friend Thu: "People say things that I guess are microaggressions about being Asian that really hurt sometimes." (pg. 116) And as Jam learns, words can hurt as much as they can heal.

More to the Story is an excellent choice for readers who like diverse stories and family stories all rolled up in a well-crafted novel.

This book is recommended for readers age 9+
This book was sent to me by the publisher, Salaam Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster

Be sure to check out the other Marvelous Middle Grade Monday offerings, now being carried on by Greg at Always in the Middle.