Blog Archives

Orange for the Sunsets

9/10/2020

Asha and Yesofu were both born in Uganda, but their lives have always been different. Asha lives with other families with Indian heritage in a big, beautiful house with all the modern conveniences. Yesofu's mother works as a servant for Asha's parents and his family lives in a two room shack with no running water. Despite their differences, they have always been best friends. Until the day that Uganda's president announces all Indian people have 90 days to leave the country. The controversial move spikes tensions and ignites violence across the country as neighbors who lived together peacefully now find themselves at odds. Will Asha and Yesofu's friendship be able to survive? Will Asha's family make it to safety before the deadline? With every day that passes the deadline gets closer, and life for those left behind becomes more dangerous.

This story switches between Yesofu and Asha's perspectives and does an excellent job presenting multiple viewpoints. I was moved to read Asha and Yesofu's story and glad to learn about a period of history I knew next to nothing about. The book follows the 90 day timeline and it's shocking how fast the situation in the country changes.

Orange for the Sunsets by Tina Athaide
Erica's Picks
4th - 7th grade
Tags: character driven, friendship, fast-paced, global perspectives, historical fiction, people of color, SEL, tear-jerker

Miles Morales Spider-Man

9/10/2020

Miles Morales is done being Spider-Man. His spidey sense has gone haywire and got him in trouble at school. He has enough to worry about with a confederacy-obsessed history teacher who has it out for him and the nightmares about his uncle that have been plaguing Miles ever since his death. His best friend thinks he should just use his powers to pull stunts and make money. But when people from his neighborhood start disappearing, he discovers a supernatural conspiracy designed to keep Miles and his family down. Miles knows he has to don the suit once more and fight for what's right.

I love how this story has a solid grounding in real-life issues that teens can relate to. As an educator, I hated every moment reading about Miles's awful history teacher obsessed with teaching the lost-cause propaganda of the civil war. Unfortunately, teachers like that do exist and I love how Miles and his fellow students stand up to him. I love all the supporting characters from Miles's mom to his best friend Ganke. A great mix of real-world social justice and super hero justice.

Miles Morales Spider-Man by Jason Reynolds
Erica's Picks
5th - 8th
Tags: adventure, family life, friendship, issues fiction, people of color, school stories, social justice, supernatural

The Line Tender

9/10/2020

Lucy's mother swam with sharks, but that's not what killed her. She was on a research expedition when a brain aneurysm struck. Five years later, a local fisherman catches a great white shark. Lucy knows her mother would have wanted to examine it, and with the help of her brainiac best friend she starts to research shark biology herself. Then tragedy strikes again. How can Lucy keep her head above the rising tide of grief? Who can she turn to now and how can she honor the legacy of those she's lost?

This is a tender, moving exploration of grief and its aftermath. I loved the well-drawn characters and the depictions of intergenerational friendship. My favorite part of the story was probably Lucy's exploration of her mother's research and the way she uses her study of sharks to help her keep going when she's tempted to give up.

Erica's Picks
4th - 7th
Tags: animals, character driven, contemporary fiction, family life, SEL, tear-jerker

The Forgotten Girl

9/10/2020

Daniel's grandmother is always warning about spirits that take children away, especially if they go out in the snow. Nevertheless, Daniel and Iris sneak out on the night of the first snowfall. When they see a ghost and discover they've been accidentally playing in an abandoned graveyard, they run back home. But even in her warm room, the cold doesn't leave Iris entirely. Ever since that night, strange things have been happening. She has the overwhelming urge to go back, into the dark and the cold and find the ghost again.

This is a spooky story about forgotten histories. Daniel and Iris start to research the graveyard and discover that it was an African-American cemetery from when the town was segregated. They try to discover more about the ghost of the girl that's haunting them, but the forgotten spirit has plans of its own. Strongly recommended.

The Forgotten Girl by India Hill Brown
Erica's Picks
3rd - 6th
Tags: family life, friendship, horror, people of color, school stories, supernatural

Gold Rush Girl

9/10/2020

Tory is sick of dance lessons and etiquette. She longs for adventure. When her father loses his job and decides to try his fortune in the gold fields she thinks it's her perfect chance. But her father only wants to bring her little brother. Tory takes matters into her own hands, dressing up as a boy and stowing away on their ship. When they get to San Francisco, it's not the gleaming city of opportunity she was expecting. The streets are muddy and they're lucky to even find a tent to live in. Tory's father insists on going to the gold fields alone, leaving Tory and her brother on their own in the city. Tory finds a routine and she's finally enjoying herself, when something happens that turns her grand adventure into a nightmare.

I liked reading about life in San Francisco during the Gold Rush. Tory is a great, bold heroine and she gets to know many great characters from Senor Rosales who runs a make-shift restaurant to Sam who plays the bugle in a local saloon. Many of the most daring scenes take place on the bay and in Rotten Row, where abandoned ships sit in the dock. A great choice for people with an interest in San Francisco history and sailing.

Gold Rush Girl by Avi
Erica's Picks
4th - 6th
Tags: adventure, historical fiction

The Tiger at Midnight

9/10/2020

Esha and Kunal are fighting on different sides of the war. Kunal is the nephew of the general and has always made him proud. He's a good soldier with a great future ahead of him. The legendary viper is a hero to the rebels. Her acts of sabotage and assassination are known to all, but only a handful know her real name is Esha, or even that she's a woman. When the Viper is framed for a high-profile assassination, both Esha and Kunal want to uncover the truth, but for very different reasons. Their search will lead them down unexpected paths and leave them questioning everything.

This lush fantasy novel is laced with aspects of Hindu mythology and full of twists and turns. The story flips between Esha and Kunal's perspectives and keeps you on your toes. They chase each other through jungles, deserts, and cities and the plot never lets up. A great read for fans of fantasy adventure and political intrigue.

The Tiger at Midnight by Swati Teerdhala
Erica's Picks
8th
Tags: adventure, fantasy, global perspectives, people of color, romance

Bone Talk

9/10/2020

Samkad is ready for the ceremony that will officially make him a man in the eyes of his tribe. But when he travels to the bone tree with his father for a blessing, a snake appears and nearly kills him. This is a bad omen. Things only get worse when visitors from a coastal tribe come to their mountain and tell them of dangerous invaders from a land called America. They are used to fighting against their sworn enemies, the mangili tribe, but these new enemies fight with weapons unlike any they've seen before.

This story takes place in the Philippines in 1899. I was fascinated to learn more about what life was like then. My favorite characters were Samkad's best friend, Luki who always wants to play with the boys instead of staying with the other girls and Samkad's dog, Chuka. I'd recommend this to anyone who loves a good coming of age adventure story, especially if you also love dogs.

Bone Talk by Candy Gourlay
Erica's Picks
5th - 7th
Tags: adventure, animals, friendship, global perspectives, historical fiction, people of color

Never Caught

9/2/2020

Ona Judge was born into slavery, the property of George and Martha Washington. Her mother was an enslaved seamstress owned by Martha Washington and her father was a white indentured servant who would eventually leave them both behind. When she was twenty two, Martha decided to give Ona to her granddaughter as a wedding gift, tearing Ona away from her family and putting her at the mercy of people Ona knew to be cruel. Before she could be handed over like a piece of china, Ona took matters into her own hands and boldy planned her escape.

"Like her mother, Betty, Ona learned how to persevere in the face of extreme hardship. Like her father, Ona would eventually free herself no matter who she left behind. Finally, like America itself, Ona would risk everything so that she, too, could achieve those rights written in the Declaration of Independence: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

This is a much-needed perspective on American history, and I'm so glad that it came out in an edition for young readers. While the subject matter is by nature difficult, it is accessible and told in an engaging style. I strongly recommend it.

Never Caught, the Story of Ona Judge by Erica Armstrong Dunbar & Kathleen Van Cleve
Erica's Picks
5th - 8th
tags: biography, history, nonfiction, people of color

Mirage

9/2/2020

Amani knows what it means to live in fear. Ever since the Vathek empire came, her people have known fear as a constant companion: fear of hunger, fear of brutal Vathek droids, and the twin fears of losing their culture and being discovered if they dare to keep it alive. But nothing prepared her for the night of her majority celebration when she's kidnapped by imperial droids. When she learns she's to be a body-double for the princess, she doesn't want to cooperate--until the price of dissent becomes clear. Now despite her luxurious clothes and accomodations she's a prisoner and the life of her and her family depends on her fooling the court and playing the part of the cruel princess convincingly. The only bright spot is when she gets to spend time with the princess's fiance. But as the resistance grows, her loyalty is split and the danger increases. If she isn't killed for not playing her part well enough, she just might die for playing it too well and falling victim to an assassin.

I loved getting lost in the world of this novel. Even though it uses many familiar tropes, the unique context made me see them in a new light. I liked the way the princess's character is rounded out as the novel progresses and her struggles with identity are explored. An engrossing science fiction story of resistance to a corrupt government and staying true to yourself.

Mirage by Somaiya Daud
Erica's Picks
7th & 8th
Tags: character driven, dystopian, global perspectives, people of color, science fiction, romance

The Dark Matter of Mona Starr

9/2/2020

Mona is not excited about facing the new school year after her best friend moves away to Hawaii. With him gone, her depression gets worse and it's harder to make new friends. In the midst of this, she develops a mysterious back pain that won't go away. When everything threatens to overwhelm her, she discovers that she's stronger than she thinks. With the help of her art, her friends, her family, and her therapist she might be able to pull an amazing year out of the jaws of disaster.

This book gets mental illness. I love Gulledge's art and the way she can depict intangibles in a way that makes them instantly recognizable, providing a satisfying mirror for readers with mental illness and an insightful window for those without. At the back she shares her self-care plan and provides a space for readers to create their own.

The Dark Matter of Mona Starr by Laura Lee Gulledge
Erica's Pick
6th - 8th
tags: art, character driven, comics, contemporary fiction, friendship, mental illness