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

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

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