 The words in this book are so wise and wonderful, I want to carry it around and speak them to anyone who will listen. I used to think i wouldn't like novels in free verse. Boy was I wrong. Like Brown Girl Dreaming, the verse seems to transport you into the mind and soul of the main character. Mimi Yoshiko Oliver's mother is Japanese and her father is black, and her family moves to a predominantly white town in Vermont where she is judged by her identity and confined by her gender.
The time is the 1960s and the move from liberal Berkeley California is a culture shock. Mimi is never afraid to speak her truth or stand up for what she believes.My favorite part is when the white principal tells her that "she is a credit to her race" and as she leaves their exchange she tell him the same thing. She is "Like raindrops on granite." I say, because we know that's how I persist--- drip, drip, drip until the granite cracks." Funny, tender,strong, this is a book you will want to put in the hands of everyone you know. Tessa's Picks, 5th grade, 6th grade, 7th grade, 8th grade, 7th summer 2016, People of color, Novels in verse, Historical fiction, Character driven
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 Lewis lives on a reservation near the Canadian border in 1976. He attends school off the res and has been placed with the smart kids since kindergarten. He is the only Indian kid his classes; ignored by the white kids, he is quiet and gentle and feels invisible. He cuts off his braid, dreaming of fitting in and finding friends but this doesn’t happen until he meets a new kid who has moved onto the military base. George is kind and open minded and quickly becomes friends with Lewis. As he says, if you are a military kid you never know when you will be departing so you have to connect with people quickly. The two boys bond over music, especially the Beatles and Lewis gets a taste of living in a white family. Embarrassed by the severe poverty in which he lives, Lewis builds a web of lies to keep George from seeing his home. A severe snow storm results in both families becoming stranded in Lewis’s house. With an authentic and quirky cast of characters, life on the res comes alive. Themes of racism, pop culture, family relationships, bullying and finding your identity make this a book you will not soon forget.
Tessa's Picks, 7th grade, 8th grade, 8th summer 2016, Character driven, Contemporary fiction, Friendship, Issues fiction, People of color  I, Madeline, have Severe Combined Immunodeficiency Disease better know as "bubble baby disease." It means I have never left my house in seventeen years because basically i am allergic to the world. The only people i see are my mom, who is also my doctor, and Carla my full time nurse. I read a lot, my mom and I play games, I have my computer and lots of time. Life was pretty much the same every day until looking out my window I see a new family moving in next door. He looks up and our eyes meet. Olly, dressed all in black. And then we meet, on-line since, you know, no germs.
If you loved the characters in Fault in our Stars, Olly and Madeline will also capture your heart. And the ending is much better, I promise. Tessa's Pics, 7th grade, 8th grade, 8th summer 2016, Character Driven, Contemporary Fiction, People of Color  Hoodoo Hatcher was born into a family with a tradition of practicing folk magic: hoodoo; using potions and charms to evade evil and bring good luck. A mysterious Stranger comes to town bringing evil shadows and dark nightmares. He wants something from Hoodoo and threatens the entire town to get his ends. Everybody says that the little heart shaped birthmark under Hoodoo's eye is a sign. Can he find the courage, the magic and most of all the heart to save those he loves and himself? Hoodoo learns that "Having heart is being brave, even when everything looks dark as night....Having heart is believing in yourself, if you didn't know."
Tessa's Picks, 4th grade, Horror, 3rd&4th summer 2016, People of Color.  I just read some reviews of this book on Goodreads. People are all over the place. Some love Parker for her snarky, sarcastic, fiercely independent, unforgiving, courageous, selfish, self-centered persona. Others hate her for it. Did I mention that she happens to be blind and runs track so fast the coach thinks the timer is broken? She has a set of rules for life; here are a few:
Don’t deceive me. Ever. Especially using my blindness. Especially in public. Don’t help me unless I ask. Otherwise you're just getting in my way or bothering me. Don’t be weird. Seriously, other than having my eyes closed all the time, I’m just like you only smarter. There are NO second chances. Violate my trust and I’ll never trust you again. Betrayal is unforgivable. Unfortunately she believes that the boy she has always loved violated her trust and she will NEVER forgive him even if she loves him still. Prickly with practically everyone, Parker is not an empathetic character, yet you root for her and wish she would let people closer and realize that everyone is fighting their own battle. Tessa' s Picks 8th summer 2016, Character driven, Contemporary fiction, Sports; 7th grade, 8th grade  Have you heard of the great chocolate strike where children took to the streets to protest the rising cost of a chocolate bar? Do you know the difference between the varieties of cocoa bean? How scientists are working towards producing better tasting, more sustainable chocolate? What role does chocolate play in history? How does it influence cultures all over the world? If you like learning about history, science, social justice, and of course chocolate--then this is the book for you!
I love all the different topics this book explores under the unifying umbrella of one of my favorite treats. It is absolutely jam-packed with interesting tidbits and poses many important and eye-opening questions about the future of chocolate and how it is produced today. Plus it includes a few recipes in case all this reading activates your sweet tooth. Don't feel guilty for indulging--there's plenty of health benefits to chocolate that Frydenborg is sure to point out! Chocolate: Sweet Science & Dark Secrets of the World's Favorite Treat by Kay Frydenborg Erica's Picks 5th - 8th Tags: Nonfiction, History, Science  Saba never imagined as her apartment went up in flames that it would be the beginning of a grand mystery that would change her life for the better. Her school community rallies around her, led by two new kids who seem eager to make their mark. Saba's family moves into a luxurious apartment and an auction is organized to raise money for them. When the donation of a weird piece of art found in an alley turns out to be a valuable work by a famous artist, tensions rise. Who should keep the money: Saba's family? The kids who found the art? The school? And just who set the fire in the first place? Read a series of notes, articles, and testimonies, put together the clues, and find out for yourself!
I loved the format of this book! I find it especially effective in mystery narratives where not all the characters can be trusted and you have to be on a sharp lookout for red herrings. A major subplot of the book involves outsider art, an area that I found fascinating. The final conclusion was perfect and a completely satisfying ending to a compelling mystery. The Art of Secrets by James Klise Erica's Picks 6th - 8th Tags: Art, Contemporary Fiction, Mystery, People of Color, School Stories  Seth feels the impact of a rock against his head as the waters close in around him and he drowns. He dies in America, but he wakes up again in his childhood home in England. His neighbors' houses are exactly how he remembers them, except that nobody's home. He ventures into town for supplies and finds that nature has begun to reclaim the town with wild plants and animals. It's like nobody has lived there for years. He thinks he's in his own personal afterlife until he finds two others like him and a mysterious enemy that is hunting them all down.
I always go into Patrick Ness novels expecting death, so I was actually a bit relieved when it came at the very beginning. I had hoped that would remove some of the suspense and eventual emotional devastation--oh how wrong I was! I think talking too much about the plot will just ruin it for people who haven't read it yet so I'll just say that I love the the characters and the mind-trip that was the ever-twisting plot. More Than This by Patrick Ness Erica's Picks 8th Tags: Adventure, Character Driven, Dystopian, LGBTQ, People of Color, Science Fiction, Tear Jerker  Rudger can be a bit shy but he's always willing to go on adventures with Amanda. Whether they're sailing the high seas on a pirate ship or exploring a jungle, Amanda knows Rudger will always be there by her side. That's why he's her best friend, even if he is imaginary. Rudger feels the same way about Amanda, but when a suspicious stranger who can actually see Rudger comes knocking and Amanda ends up in the hospital, Rudger is left to face real danger on his own. He finds a haven for imaginary friends where he discovers that he's not the only one who has encountered this monster in a Hawaiian shirt, and he has all of them terrified. But Amanda is a special girl and Rudger will do anything to save her, even if the other imaginaries warn him that to do so is to face certain death.
This surreal horror story about a monster that eats imaginary friends is utterly bizarre and fantastic. The mythology Harrold develops around imaginary friends and how they work is wonderfully creative. I particularly like how they hang out at a library in-between gigs because they're hot spots for imagination. The imaginary friends are hilarious and touching and the monster is actually quite creepy. The illustrations just make it all the more wonderful with their fanciful details. The Imaginary by A.F. Harrold, illustrated by Emily Gravett Erica's Picks 4th - 6th Tags: Fantasy, Friendship, Horror, Humor  Twelve-year-old Apple Yengko moved from the Philippines to a small town in Louisiana when she was four, but she still doesn't feel like she fits in. She wishes her mother would cook normal meals while her mother thinks she's become too American. Things go from bad to worse when she ends up on the school's Dog Log. Even the few friends she has start to turn on her, afraid her Dog Log status will contaminate them. But just when she thinks she's lost everything she gains something new: she discovers a talent at the guitar that just might be enough to turn things around.
This book is a sweet story about friendship and finding your place in the world. Apple's struggles with bullying will ring true with many students and open the eyes and the hearts of others. The new friends that she makes are characters worth rooting for even as they struggle and make mistakes. Apple's passion for the guitar adds more appeal. A thoughtful, heart-warming tale. Blackbird Fly by Erin Entrada Kelly Erica's Picks 4th - 7th Tags: Character driven, Contemporary fiction, Family life, Friendship, People of Color, School Stories |
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