MMGM: Not Your All-American Girl by Madelyn Rosenberg and Wendy Wan-Long Shang

 

Welcome to 1984. Lauren Horowitz and Tara Buchanan have always been best friends and lucky enough to be in the same class. But now they are in middle school and the only period they share is lunch. So Tara gets the idea that they should both audition for the school musical Shake It Up, set in 1958 and involving lots of hula-hooping. And although they both want to play the part of lead, Brenda Sue Parker, it goes to Tara. Why? Because Tara is the picture of an all-American girl - reddish brown hair, blue eye, milky skin and a dusting of freckles across her nose. And despite giving a better audition than Tara, Lauren, who is Jewish and Chinese, has dark eyes, dark straight hair and no freckles, ends up in the ensemble. Or as Mrs. Tyndall, the play's director, explains it: "When people see [Tara], they won't have a hard time imagining she's an all american girl from Pleasant Valley." (pg 24)

After breaking the news to her family - dad, mom, brother David, and her two grandmothers - Lauren discovers what she thinks is a kindred soul on the radio, and decides to call the DJ, Nashville Nick, to find out who the singer is. When he tells her it's Patsy Cline, Lauren immediately thinks Klein, believing her to be a Jewish country western singer whose music about loneliness and longing she instantly connects to. 

As rehearsals get underway, Lauren and Tara begin to drift away from each other. And as Lauren spends more time sitting with the other kids in the ensemble and getting to know them, she finds herself liking their company. Lauren is even doing things separate and apart from Tara. Like the singing gig her grandmother got for her at the mall and starting a button business with her button-making machine. 

But when her mother announces that she has decided to go to law school, Lauren learns one of the reasons motivating her is the murder of Vincent Chin, a Chinese American, who was beaten to death by auto workers mistakenly believing he was Japanese and blaming him for the loss of auto jobs in Detroit. Vincent Chin becomes "like a ghost in my head, darting in and out." (pg.106) Thinking about Vincent together with the realization that she is not Mrs. Tyndall's idea of an all-American girl, causes Lauren to question just the idea of what, exactly, is an all-American. And she promptly discovers that she can no sing because it no longer makes her happy. 

Will Lauren ever be able to find her voice again and speak out about the insults and the macro- and microaggressions she experiences, even from her so-called best friend Tara?

Let me begin by saying that this is a sequel to This Is Not A Test a story that focuses on Lauren's brother David and which I did not read (but which is now on my TBR list), so I can say unequivocally that Not Your All-American Girl is a great stand alone novel. 

I was in college when this story takes place so I really enjoyed all the cultural references and details about daily life at the time (including the allusion to the very popular Jane Fonda workout video and leg warmers), and I am also a big Patsy Cline fan. Interestingly, I haven't watched Pretty in Pink since the 1980s and had completely forgotten about the racist references to Long Duk Dong. I can't blame Lauren for her reaction to the kid making fun of her after the movie. 

I liked that Lauren had the support of her family no matter what, especially her trivia-loving brother. Both grandmothers, one Jewish, one Chinese, were very competitive where Lauren was concerned, and they both offered lots of good humor throughout the story, which it sometimes needed. I am glad the story didn't focus on what was happening on the stage as much as behind the scenes where the real and more important action was taking place. Interestingly, for all this is a story about being seen for who you are, Mrs. Tyndall never really came together in my mind, but her preconceived notions of what an all-American looks like certainly did.  

Not Your All-American Girl is an serious exploration of one girl's awakening regarding friendship, race, and identity with some fun subplots readers will definitely find amusing. 

This book is recommended for readers age 9+

This book was an ARC received from the publisher, Scholastic

If you would like to know more about Vincent Chin, history.com offers a succinct article about it HERE

Be sure to check out the other Marvelous Middle Grade Monday offerings, 

now being carried on by Greg at Always in the Middle.

Lulu the One and Only by Lynnette Mawhinney, illustrated by Jennie Poh

Lulu the One and Only by Lynnette Mawhinney,

illustrated by Jennie Poh

Magination Press, 2020, 32 pages

Meet Lulu, short for Luliwa which means "pearl" in Arabic. Lulu is part of a loving family, in fact her last name is Lovington. Lulu has an older brother named Zane, a mom who always wears the black pearl earrings her mother in Kenya gave her, and a dad who coaches Zane's hockey team.  The Lovington family is biracial, which means that people who don't know them very well always think mom is Lulu's sitter and ask "What do you charge?" or dad has adopted her to give "her a good home." 

But inevitably, Lulu tells her readers, there is always THAT question, the one she just hates, that hurtful, insensitive question people are always asking: "What are you?" 

When Lulu wants to know if Zane is asked that question, he tells her that since he is more that his skin, he answers them with his power phrase - "I'm magic made from my parents." 

Zane's right - the question is not what Lulu is, but it should be who she is. Now all she needs is her own power phrase, one that will absolutely capture who Lulu is in all her uniqueness. Sure enough, when a boy in her class asks her what she is, Lulu answers "I'm Lulu Lovington, the one and only!" and makes a new friend.

Lulu the One and Only is such an important book to share with young readers right now. With all that is happening in our country around the Black Lives Matter protests, young kids are sure to have lots of questions and this is a book that can help parents and teachers open discussions about racism. 

Lulu's story is upbeat and friendly, and she's a happy character who is very proud of her heritage, but her dismay at being asked what she is instead of who she is is very apparent. Rather than just becoming withdrawn and angry about it, she turns to her older brother for advice, demonstrating the power of family for support, as well.

Jennie Poh's colorful illustrations strike just the right balance between playful and serious. What are you? is just one kind of microaggression that people of color face on a daily basis. Lulu the One and Only is a book that can empower young children who are dealing with people's reactions to their biracial identity, and it is a book that white people, adults and children, can benefit from as well, helping them understand what it feels when people of color are asked insensitive questions, the kind that white people are not usually asked. 

Lulu the One and Only is a book that should find a place in every school, classroom and home library. 

You can find a Curriculum and Activity Guide courtesy of Magination Press HERE 

This book is recommended for readers age 4+ and everyone else

This book was gratefully received from Barbara Fisch at Blue Slip Media

Meet the Author:

Lynnette Mawhinney, PhD, is associate professor in the department of curriculum and instruction at the University of Illinois at Chicago helping to prepare future urban teachers for the classroom. She's written several academic books and articles. Lulu the One and Only is her first children's book. Dr. Mawhinney is biracial, like her character Lulu, and an expert on teaching diverse populations and in urban environments. She lives in Chicago. To learn more about her, visit her website at https://www.lynnettemawhinney.com/

You can download a curriculum and activity guide created by Lynnette Mawhinney for teaching Lulu the One and Only HERE

Caterpillar Summer by Gillian McDunn

Cat Gladwell is an 11-year-old biracial girl who has way too much responsibility on her shoulders. Her African American dad passed away when she was younger, and now it's just herself, her mom, and younger brother, Chicken, a boy with special needs. Cat has always looked after Chicken while her mother, Amanda Gladwell, worked at home, writing a successful children's book series called Caterpillar & Chicken. Now she's committed to teaching a three-week Children's Literature class in Atlanta, Georgia and Cat can't wait for summer vacation and the trip from her home in California to Atlanta to see her old friend Rishi. It would be three weeks of just hanging out together and having fun the way they did when Rishi still live in San Francisco. There would even be time for him to play with Chicken. And some time to enjoy life would be nice for Cat, especially now that Chicken has taken to impulsively running off while they are out, something she has yet to tell her mother about.

If only Cat's mom had listened to her phone messages sooner, they would have learned that Rishi and his family were on their way to India because of family illness. What to do now? Mom, knowing she can't leave the kids alone in a strange city each day while she's teaching, she decides to take them to Gingerbread Island, North Carolina, her childhood home. Amanda hasn't had much to do with her parents, Macon and Lily Stone, so Cat and Chicken don't know anything about them.

At first, things are a bit awkward, except for Lily who is beside herself with excitement at finally meeting her grandkids. But there's so much tension between Amanda and her dad, that she leaves almost immediately, promising Cat and Chicken she will be back for weekends. Cat is delighted to be in her mother's old room, even if Chicken insists on sleeping with her, which is OK because being right on the ocean, she's really concerned about Chicken taking off.

But Lily knows just how to deal with Chicken and to two become fast friends instantly, something Cat has mixed feelings about. And Macon, whose a bit standoffish, just disappears into his workshop regularly. At the nearby playground, Cat and Chicken meet Harriet and her younger Neddie, along with John Harvey Dawson, who has taken an immediate dislike to Cat. She had also noticed the fishing trophies in her mother's room, and so when she hears about an upcoming fishing contest, one that John Harvey wins year after year, Cat decides to learn how to fish like her mother and beat him in the contest.

Naturally, mom's weekend visits don't happen, but gradually Macon warms to Cat and the two of them start walking the beach early in the morning. He even fixes and cleans up her mother's old bike for her to ride around the island with Harriet, the queen of fun. And though Cat seems to have broken through his reserved, she can't get him to teach her how to fish...or can't she?

I read Caterpillar Summer in the midst of the chaos that is my Kiddo visiting from China, so the gentle unfolding of this story was just what I needed. And I loved watching Cat grow in the realization that she has been given so much responsibility caring for Chicken and her mother's needs at the expense of her own needs and desires. And that Chicken and her mother have come to see that sacrifice as who Cat is for them.

Although Cat and Chicken are biracial, race is not a main theme in this story. Yes, they on a North Carolina island and there are a some instances of racist and bias attitudes, but for the most part, because their mother was so well-liked by the residents, the kids are just accepted as Macon and Lily's grands. And the point is made that Cat and Chicken know and have a strong relationship with their father's parents. What is also interesting is that the cause of the split between Amanda and Macon is her choice career, not her choice of husband.

Cat is a great realistic character. How many older girls are given too much responsibility for younger siblings? I know I was, and my brother certainly had his share of meltdowns, just as Chicken does. So I suspect a lot of readers will relate to Cat and her overly, almost territorial protectiveness of her brother.

Caterpillar Summer is a tender, poignant story about family, friendships, learning to ask for help when it's needed and, most importantly, learning to take care of oneself.

This book is recommended for readers age 9+
This book was borrowed from a friend

The Blossoming Universe of Violet Diamond by Brenda Woods

Sometimes it can be mighty hard to be biracial in the almost all white town of Moon Lake, Washington, especially when you are part of an otherwise all white family.  Which is why more than anything, Violet Diamond, 11, wishes her dad hadn't died just before she was born.  Maybe, if he hadn't been killed in that auto accident, people wouldn't look at her like she didn't belong to the family she's with - mom, a neonatal doctor, older sister Daisy and grandparents Gam and Poppy - the family that loves her very much.

Violet also knows almost nothing about her dad's African American family, so when she discovers that his mother, a well-known artist, would be having a gallery show in Seattle, she convinces her mom to take her to meet her grandmother, Roxanne Diamond.

It is very clear that Roxanne still has a lot dislike and hard feeling towards Violet's mom at that meeting in Seattle, which could have gone a bit smoother, but seeing her granddaughter for the first time did help melt Roxanne Diamond's heart a bit.  So much so, that ultimately, Violet ends up spending a week visiting her at her home in Los Angeles and meeting the rest of the the Diamond family.

But Violet is in for a rather rude awakening.  She may look like part of the Diamond family from the outside, but that doesn't mean that she isn't discussed by them privately in terms race.  She discovers this by eavesdropping on a conversation at a family gathering whether she looks half white.  Her cousin Ahmed is a little more blunt about things - like her hair, her 'white' name, and did she come to LA to learn how to be black?

Violet may be a girl in search of her whole self, but she wonders if the two sides of her family that she carries in her DNA will ever be reconciled to that.  As she says, "to white people, I'm half black.  To black people, I'm half white.  50% black + 50% white = 100% Violet!  Is that what I am, a percentage?" (pg 148)

I liked The Blossoming Universe of Violet Diamond for a number of reasons.  First, I found Violet a believable, realistic protagonist.  She is basically a good kid, but not totally without a few snarky, negative thoughts and definitely not above eavesdropping.  She is also a collector of words, dreams, and wishes.  I wouldn't necessarily call this a coming-of-age novel, but rather a novel of discovery, a quest of sorts to find her other cultural half in an attempt to feel whole.

I also liked that both families are educated, economically stable, well meaning and supportive.  Even Ahmed, who feels a little bent out of shape when this stranger enters his life and he no longer has Auntie Roxanne all to himself, has Violet's backs when she needs it.  Both sides of Violets family were refreshingly different, not the usual stereotypes.

But the thing I liked the most is how Brenda Woods really managed to present a real problem so accurately.  And there is a need for books that address biracial issues and identity.  Also, this is a story that really hit home for me.  I have a biracial niece who has gone through some of the same things that Violet has also experienced.  And often those cutting remarks revolved around her complexion and her hair in much the same way that Violet experienced them.  In fact, as soon as I finish this review, I am going to send her my copy of The Blossoming Universe of Violet Diamond.  She's already told me she can't wait to read it.

This book is recommended for readers age 9+
This book was originally purchased for my personal library, but now, it is being passed along.