Breaking it Down

A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Tahereh Mafi joined my “must read” list after seeing the author speak during a panel discussion at Day of Dialogue in NYC (Spring 2018). This is a love story, a story of racial tension, and … break dancing.

Main character Shirin is of Iranian descent and wears hijab. The story’s post September 11 setting creates a lot of racial cruelty toward Shirin. She endures people’s ignorant, cruel comments on a regular basis, and even incidents of physical aggression. This treatment has hardened her to creating relationships, which isn’t helped by her parents constant moves to achieve a better neighborhood/life for Shirin and her older brother Navid.

Shirin is partnered with Ocean; a boy who seems genuinely interested in getting to know her. This creates a lot of inner turmoil for Shirin. She needs to decide if “dating” the school’s basketball star will be worth the trouble it may cause for both of them. For me, the story reads like a teenage girl’s diary. You feel the excitement and nerves associated with a first major crush. You also feel the outrage at the comments made by kids and adults.

A fun twist to the story is that Shirin and her brother have been obsessed with learning to break dance ever since watching the movie Breakin’ (Remember it well! Loved it!). Her brother starts a break dancing club at school. Hanging out with her older brother and his friends becomes her outlet and her way to make a mark on her school (talent show). Break dancing events show her that there are places/events where people of all races can be together with a common passion without judgement. She is able to let her defenses down.

Unfortunately, Shirin’s treatment isn’t just part of a story set during a sensitive time. My daughter told me (days after I finished this book) that a new student at her school wearing hijab was rudely asked by an older student, “What’s that on your head??” Stories like Shirin’s are necessary for erasing these behaviors by building cultural awareness and empathy.

Small and Strong

Saving Winslow by Sharon Creech brought back memories of teaching fourth grade poetry (a LONG time ago). Back then, I used Creech’s Love That Dog as one of our mentor texts, and Creech’s voice/style remains consistent in this newer publication.

This is a simple, yet meaningful little story. Louie’s dad brings home a baby miniature donkey that doesn’t seem long for this world. Louie gives all his love and caring to nurture the donkey, named Winslow. His optimism is contrasted by his neighbor Nora, who lingers on the edges, trying not to care too much for fear of getting attached to a sickly little animal that may die. (There’s more in the story about why she is so pessimistic.)

There are other pieces to the plot which lend to the overall story. One is Louie’s brother Gus’s absence. He is overseas in the military. His family dearly miss him and cherish their sporadic letters from him. Also, Louie’s neighbor can’t stand Winslow’s braying as it wakes her baby at all hours. She starts the complaints that will force them to get rid of Winslow.

An uplifting ending brings everything together, and shows that little Winslow has become a strong protector.

Note: Title is categorized Intermediate, but I think it would most appeal to grades 2-4.

Last Day on Earth

Ms. Bixby’s Last Day by John David Anderson follows three friends on their journey to give a final farewell to their beloved teacher, Ms. Bixby. This is one of the 2019 Nutmeg Nominees.

Friends include Steve, a brilliant student living in the shadow of his “perfect” older sister. There’s Topher, the creative-minded artist of the group, and Brand, the “tough guy” with a challenging family dynamic that he keeps to himself. Each boy has his own reason for loving Ms. Bixby, and these individual reasons become apparent throughout the story.

Ms. Bixby shares her diagnosis of pancreatic cancer with her sixth grade class. She ends up hospitalized before her scheduled last day which pushes the boys to take matters into their own hands. They strive to give her the perfect last day by skipping school to gather all the things she loves. This journey becomes the bulk of the story, as they eventually get to Ms. Bixby and enjoy a final special moment.

There is no doubt that Ms. Bixby is a special teacher and these characters create an unlikely and entertaining friendship. Despite the positive Bixbyisms (motivational quotations) and some comical moments, this story left me feeling depressed. I am curious to hear kids’ opinions after reading this, as I think it will affect each reader very differently.

Quest for Truth

Endling the Last by Katherine Applegate is a wild quest. In a land ruled by the horrible Murdano family, there are five ruling classes: humans, dairnes (walking, talking dogs that are able to glide through air), felivets (fierce, multi-colored wild cats), terramants (huge bugs – ewww), and huge flying birds (I’m forgetting their official name because I gave the book away! It’s veloci-something). The Murdano is responsible for killing off all the dairnes, and then staging a huge funeral for the species.

Byx is the last living dairne after watching her family’s horrific murder. She was always the runt and the underestimated member of her pack. As the sole survivor, she must attempt to discover if there are more of her kind hidden on a floating island of legends passed down in her family. To add to Byx’s depth, it turns out that dairne are natural lie detectors. This adds an interesting element to the story.

Byx meets up with a wobbyk (a rabbit or rodent-like creature with three tails), a girl Khara and others they meet along the way (both good and bad). Khara brings Byx to a trusted scholar, but he betrays Khara’s trust by ordering Byx’s death. They manage to escape, but when they are seen at the funeral ceremony it begins a race for their lives.

This book is full of action. There are epic battles and fiercely unique characters. Despite that this isn’t my typical read, I couldn’t help but become immersed in this world and these magical characters. This is a series, so the ending leaves you hanging. Great storytelling!

Chickens and Chess

I’m going to keep this one short and sweet, just like its title. Bob, by Wendy Mass and Rebecca Stead, is a cute story about almost eleven-year-old Livy. It’s been five years since she last visited her grandmother in Australia. She can’t remember much from her stay, until she walks into her old room. This is where she finds her long forgotten little green friend, Bob.

At first it seems like Bob is an imaginary friend, except the story is partly told from his point of view. The years he spent waiting for Livy involved hiding in the closet and reading the dictionary. He still wears the chicken costume that Livy made for him back then.

Together, they work to unravel his true home, and are ultimately able to get him back to where he belongs. But not without leaving a lasting imprint upon one another.

Miny Moe

This last read, Eeny Meeny by M.J. Arlidge, should be a favorite; it has all the elements I normally love about a story. There are twists, suspense, a little gore and drama, but for some reason it was tough for me to get through. End of summer timing with back to school and work prep may have been a big factor in messing up my normal reading pace.

Anyway, the story revolves around a crazy murder case in which two people are abducted and then imprisoned without food or water. A gun and the instruction that once one is killed the other will be set free is their only way out. Desperation, starvation and extreme thirst take their toll until eventually a murder takes place. The “survivors” then have their own demons to face in the aftermath of such horror. The case is all the more odd because it is a woman who is responsible.

The detective on the case is another strong, focused woman, Grace. She begins to notice that each pair of abductees has some connection to her own life. Her secret past and the demons she hides come to light as the story draws to close. Through the investigation there are side plots involving corruption within the squad too.

Ultimately, Grace is able to figure out the case, but not until the lives of many people are horribly changed or finished.

They Are Watching

Sadness is kicking in because my time to read is about to slow WAY down. I go back to work in less than two weeks!

Meanwhile, I finished Small Spaces by Katherine Arden. Funny how sometimes books connect in weird ways. While this book is nowhere near as disturbing as my previous read, it definitely registers on the creepy scale!

Ollie (Olivia) comes across a distraught woman who is throwing a book into the river. Ollie grabs the book and discovers that it gives the history of a farm. Namely that a deal was made with the “smiling man” to bring back a lost brother. Strangely enough her sixth grade class is taking a field trip to this same farm. The woman who she saw at the river is the woman who owns the farm.

The bus breaks down as her class is heading home. This is when everything goes horribly wrong. Ollie’s deceased mother is able to communicate with Ollie through her old broken watch, which helps Ollie and a couple of her classmates to escape the smiling man’s helpers. His helpers are all disguised as scarecrows that come alive at night. Ollie (with some help from her friends) is able to outsmart the bad guy and help release all of her classmates from the alternate dimension they have been trapped in.

This was an entertaining story. It had some creepy elements and twists, but all manageable for younger readers. My daughter who is going into seventh grade really enjoyed it!

Rotten Fruit

There’s nothing like some Stephen King for pure creepiness and solid story elements. The Outsider is a lengthy book (as most of King’s tend to be) that kept my interest from start to finish.

This book follows a horrific case involving the murder of an eleven-year-old boy. Everything about the case seems clear cut: fingerprints, numerous witnesses and plenty of other evidence. Police arrest Terry Maitland, a well-known figure in Flint City for his work with Little League and teaching. The problems begin when Maitland reveals his alibi. It turns out there are witnesses and even video evidence that he couldn’t have committed the crime. Events unravel quickly as most of the town has already deemed him guilty (before knowing the extent of his alibi). His first appearance at court goes horribly wrong, and the lives of his family and the victim’s family are changed forever.

Characters must face that there is a supernatural element at play here. Some believe easily because of their strange dreams/encounters while others need a little more persuading. Everything comes together at the end, as Detective Anderson and other people with an invested interest in the case come face to face with the being responsible for potentially countless unspeakable murders.

This book kept me reading until way past my bedtime, and I probably won’t be able to eat cantaloupe for a very long time!

Rocky Ride

I read Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt in one day. This book pulled me in with its simple, straightforward narration. The writing was simple, but told a great story with so many touches that I really appreciated (to name a couple- the farm setting, Jack’s mental tally of Joseph’s smiles).

Jack is a sixth grader whose parents make the decision to foster eighth grader Joseph. Joseph is a very toughened individual who has been through a lot. He is still going through some tough situations adapting to the bullies at his new school. Jack and his parents are the heroes of this story to me. They are willing to take a chance and to stand up for this lost, angry boy. They earn Joseph’s trust and love which is why he decides to disclose his background to them.

Joseph’s dad is abusive. He met a girl (Maddie) who became the love of his life, but her parents were never aware of the relationship. Her parents are very wealthy and never around when Joseph would visit. She became pregnant which is when her parents took notice (obviously!) and completely shut Joseph out.

SPOILERS AHEAD! Maddie dies during childbirth and their daughter, Jupiter, will be put up for adoption. Joseph’s driving mission is to find his daughter. Joseph does eventually locate and maintain communication with Jupiter’s adoptive parents through letters. Meanwhile, his dad is causing quite a bit of trouble trying to get Joseph back. I’d like to say this book ended on a happy note after this, but it didn’t. In fact, the ending made me so angry!

This book is controversial because of Joseph’s age as a father. For me, it is tough to read about a kid going through life events that he should not need to worry about at this age. This book will bring out a variety of emotions and reactions in its readers. I know it did for me.

Flipping the Switch

OCDaniel by Wesley King is about Daniel, an eighth grader with obsessive compulsive disorder. Daniel doesn’t realize that his actions are part of a disorder until a friend (Sara) helps him. He is able to (mostly) hide his “zaps” among his friends and family; although, there are definitely signs to everyone that he is different.

There are many story lines, with the most important being Daniel’s behavior. He struggles in math because of his inability to write certain numbers. He also gets by on very little sleep because of his nighttime routine, which can sometimes take hours. Sara is the first person to give a name to what he is going through.

Next is the sports conflict. Daniel is the alternate kicker on the school’s football team, despite his preference to arrange Gatorade cups on the sidelines rather than play. His best friend Max is one of the team’s star players and he does his best to include Daniel. Daniel needs to step in as kicker during the playoffs and final championship game which creates a high amount of anxiety for him.

Third is Daniel’s relationships with two girls. One is his longtime crush Raya, who seems to like him back. The other is his newfound relationship with “Psycho Sara.” She has never spoken to anyone at school, except for when she suddenly begins talking to Daniel. Sara suspects her mother’s boyfriend of killing her dad and wants Daniel’s help to discover evidence to prove her theory.

Throughout the story, Daniel is writing his own novella, which provides some therapy for him. The book in some ways mirrors his feelings, with the exception that his and Sara’s characters are in a world in which everyone else has disappeared. They need to conquer the monsters to bring everyone back.

While reading, I couldn’t help but question how his parents never caught on to his behaviors? While they asked him about his moving around at night and even flicking the light switch, their questioning never went any further. I found myself thinking about my own parenting. Would I be able to catch these type of actions? The author explains that he went through similar experiences and that his parents also had no idea of what he was going through. This makes me sad for kids like Daniel and Sara. Kids who feel alone, afraid and uncomfortable around others. Daniel’s character is lucky in that he has a few solid friends that keep him grounded. In this way, his novella mimics his life; he realizes that the strength of someone who understands you can help you face whatever is scary or uncertain in the world.

Together they work to find enough evidence to support her theory. Also writing his own book through the story.