Souls of War

It is difficult for anyone to fully comprehend what it feels like to be in war unless they’ve been through it themselves. To me, Alan Gratz’s book Grenade represents the turmoil, aggression, fear, survival instincts, and desperation of war quite well. The story takes place in WWII Okinawa, where the Japanese army is hoping to slow down the advancement of the American soldiers into Japan. The author’s afterword is worth a read to get more context too.

The plot shares perspectives between an American soldier named Ray, and Blood and Iron Student Corps soldier Hideki. Both are young men thrust into this brutal war. Hideki’s tale begins when his Student Corps are given two grenades; one is to kill as many Americans as possible and the other is to kill themselves. Hideki’s grenades become a strong symbol throughout the story. His first grenade is used (SPOILER AHEAD) and it takes Ray’s life. He contemplates using the second at numerous points in the story, but ultimately places it down before he surrenders. In doing so, he hopes to spare his life and his sister’s. His sister is his only remaining living relative, and finding her was his final promise to his dad before he died.

Through the story, first Ray and then Hideki, collect pictures of fallen soldiers with their family members. These represent the humanity lost from both sides. The Okinawan people were very much in the middle of this battle. They were used as sacrifices by the Japanese Army, and they became expendable to both sides fighting around them. Hideki took note many times of the fear that makes man a killing machine. It is kill or be killed. The photos are an important reminder that underneath these “killers” are someone’s brother, father, and son.

Also enmeshed in the story is Okinawan culture. Mubui is a term that to me is described as a person’s soul. At first, Hideki has an ancestor’s mubui attached to him which makes him cowardly and afraid. Throughout the story, Hideki conquers this cowardice by making strong choices for the survival of himself and of others. Ray’s mubui also attaches to Hideki, and he must make amends with Ray’s death in order to free his soul.

While stories about war are not normally top picks for me, this one was so well written. There is attention to detail and realism in the representation of both soldiers’ and civilians’ deaths. My recent visit to the Scholastic Book Summit gave me the early copy of Grenade. Before even receiving this book, two other people mentioned Gratz’s other book, Refugee. This author is getting good buzz, and I will definitely be looking to read Refugee soon.

Will to Live

The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware raises an interesting moral dilemma. If you were “accidentally” named in a wealthy person’s will, would you take the chance of getting caught and go for the money, or would you come clean about the error?

Hal finds herself in this exact situation. Hal is quite broke and a bit desperate since her mother’s death by a hit and run. She is being physically threatened by a loan shark’s henchman, and decides to take the chance that she can uphold the mistaken identity to get some money out of it.

In going to the deceased’s mansion, she finds that she actually is related to the family. It takes some time to dig into her past in order to find the true connection. Her mother’s diary and an old photograph are key pieces to start unraveling the puzzle. Through this she must navigate a seemingly vengeful old housekeeper, and three very different uncles. The story has a great twist, but there was a bit of confusion for me with the photograph. I felt that the mother’s description didn’t line up with the twist. I normally would go back to double check, but since I read this one on my Kindle it was too much work to do that!

I most enjoyed the overall concept of the book and I liked the mystical presence of the Tarot throughout the story. Hal learned how to read Tarot from her mom, and it provided both of their livelihoods while forming how they viewed people and life. While the story got a bit dragged out in parts for me, it had enough strong elements to keep me going until the end.

Outbreak

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel is another friend recommendation. I can best describe this book with the word intricate. The plot jumps around quite a bit among many characters, yet everything comes together.

The story begins the night that the pandemic illness, the Georgia Flu, begins its full outbreak. Arthur is acting the part of King Lear when he drops dead onstage (from natural causes). More about Arthur’s past is woven throughout the story: his three marriages including a son from his second marriage, his rise as an acclaimed actor and his friendships.

Arthur’s first wife, Miranda, is a graphic novelist whose sci fi work (also titled “Station Eleven”) is an anchor through the story. This work ties together a couple of key characters, and it also (somewhat) parallels the main story’s plot.

One of the key characters is Kristen, the child actress who was part of King Lear with Arthur. We follow Kristen through her time with the Traveling Symphony, a group of musicians/actors who move through the post flu world. The Symphony provides entertainment to the various groups they come across, until they reach one that is a bit different than the others. It is a cult-like settlement run by the prophet. A pre-teen girl is promised as his next wife and she stows away with the Symphony when they leave. This causes the prophet and some of his followers to go after the Symphony during their travel to the Severn Airport, which they heard is a safe haven.

There are other important characters too. Clark is one of Arthur’s lifelong friends who was stranded at the Severn Airport at the start of the outbreak (along with Arthur’s second wife and son). Another is Jeevan, who ran onstage during King Lear to perform CPR on Arthur.

There is a lot to enjoy about this book. The plot’s maze of movement among different characters, times and places kept me aware and involved. It was a constant guessing game as to whether everyone would connect. I liked the Shakespeare references and the presence of the graphic novel throughout the story too. More than anything, books, movies and shows with post-apocalyptic plots make you think about how one would function in this altered reality and instill some fear. This novel is no exception.

Creepy Treat

After so many young reader books, it was a real treat to read an adult novel. I was beyond excited to borrow an advanced reader copy of Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage from a friend.

Suzette is a stay-at-home mom to her seven-year-old, mute daughter Hanna. The story moves back and forth between Suzette and Hanna’s perspectives. Suzette struggles with her own state of health along with feeling ineffective as mother to her troubled daughter. She often thinks back to her own difficult relationship as a child with her own mother and the happiness of her life before children.

Hanna’s mind is a very twisted place. Hanna senses her mother’s discomfort and disdain of her. This drives her to continue a twisted game of trying to get rid of her mother. She is a perfect angel for her dad which creates additional conflict between her parents too. I couldn’t help be reminded of the movie The Omen while reading! This book is disturbing in a similar way to the movie.

I couldn’t wait to find out what would happen next throughout the entire book. The ending (especially Suzette’s last statement to her daughter) made my jaw drop. There is even the hint of a sequel. Sign me up!

Into the Woods

This is a two in one post- Saint Louis Armstrong Beach and The Blossoming Universe of Violet Diamond are my last two reads; both are by Brenda Woods.

Saint Louis Armstrong Beach is Saint’s story of the time building up to and during Hurricane Katrina. Saint is an extremely enterprising kid (I think 11 year old?). He plays his clarinet along the Louisiana streets to make money and is saving for a new clarinet. He is an outgoing, helpful and extremely likable character. The book gets quite dramatic when Saint ditches his uncle and cousins to find his dog Shadow. He heads back to his home (even though the area has been evacuated). He ends up finding the dog and needing to weather the storm with an elderly neighbor, Ms. Moran. The storm descriptions are intense and the drama continues as Ms. Moran is diabetic and needs medical attention. Luckily, they are whisked away by helicopter in time. Saint is reunited with his parents at the end. They are so happy that he is okay that he seemingly gets away with everything.

The Blossoming Universe of Violet Diamond was my preference between the two. Violet is an innocent, and also outgoing eleven year old. She is not as street savvy as Saint. She is a biracial girl in a town that is primarily white. Her older half sister (different father) is a beautiful white girl. Violet questions herself and how she fits in. She has no connections to her African roots because her dad died when she was young and his family has no contact with her mom (or her). Until she reaches out to her grandmother. She is able to spend a couple weeks with her artist grandmother in California and learns more about her dad and herself in the process. This book has many deep, thoughtful points for a younger reader. Race is definitely one of these points, plus so much more. Family, life and death, forgiveness, understanding oneself, being inquisitive about one’s roots. I loved it.

Countdown

The book Nine, Ten: A September 11 Story by Nora Raleigh Baskin (another 2019 Intermediate Nutmeg nominee) opens by recalling the weather. It was a beautiful day in which nobody could have possibly foreseen the tragedy about to occur. We sometimes talk about the weather when we are not quite sure what is the right thing to say. It is a fitting start to the horrors of 9/11; a day we will never forget.

Baskin does a phenomenal job of weaving together four very different characters. Their stories begin on Sept. 9th at O’Hare Airport. Sergio is an African American teen who is returning to NYC after receiving a special math award in Chicago. He lives with his grandmother in NYC. Naheed is a Middle Eastern Muslim girl from Columbus, Ohio. She is with her family waiting to pick up her visiting aunt and uncle. Aimee is transplanting from Chicago to California due to her mother’s new job. Will is a boy from Shanksville, Pennsylvania who is still healing from his father’s death one year ago. His family is just returning from a trip to Disney that was donated by their town.

The book moves everyone to their individual homes, with their own situations to work through. Timing is critical in that a couple of these characters almost lose loved ones to the events. Sergio’s newly met mentor is a firefighter who rushed to the scene to help. Aimee’s mom is scheduled to have a conference in the World Trade Center that very morning. The author captures the fear, chaos and heavy sadness of this day.

The characters come together at Ground Zero to conclude the story. The message that we are all connected is a powerful part of the book and one that touched me in the ending quite a bit (definitely some tears).

Fitting In

This is my first Intermediate Nutmeg 2019 read (well, slightly true, I already read Fuzzy Mud and A Handful of Stars with a mother-daughter book group a couple years ago)! This book, Awkward by Svetlana Chmakova, created a lot of buzz among the 4th and 5th grade students who previewed it during my year-end book tasting. The title itself is appealing! I knew I had to read this one first, and did so in one sitting during the afternoon of my last day of school.

Awkward is a graphic novel that immediately hooks you with its personable voice. The cardinal rules of starting school somewhere new are introduced and mentioned throughout the story; keeping it relatable. Peppi moved to a new school and manages to trip in front of everyone the first day. Then, she draws even more attention when the school “nerd,” Jaime, stops to pick up her books. She is so worried about being targeted by bullies that she pushes her only helper down and yells at him. She avoids Jaime at all costs after this even though she wants desperately to apologize.

The story goes on to show how she manages to find where she fits in: Art Club. Her friends in Art Club are the best part of her day. Meanwhile, Art Club and Science Club have an ongoing battle about who is best. They are competing against one another to earn a table at the school’s club festival. It turns out that Jaime is part of the Science Club. He is assigned to tutor her and they are in a group for a science field trip. A friendship begins to form as she finally makes amends, and they navigate through the turmoil between their two clubs together.

There are quirky characters who you can’t help but like. I found the frazzled art teacher pretty comical. The author enjoyed creating her characters (it shows), and her notes at the end of the book are worth reading. This book is a light, fun read for students and has some depth in its topics of belonging, doing the right thing, and speaking up.

Grave Life

Everlasting Nora by by Marie Miranda Cruz was aptly titled for me because the time it took me to read this book seemed everlasting! I don’t mean this in a mean way, but that it wasn’t a quick, light read. I started this shortly after going to the JLG Day of Dialog and just finished it this past week. It is a book rich in culture, family, friendship and the strength of the human spirit.

I think this book has a lot to offer, but might be a bit tough for some younger readers to get into without some background and enrichment along the way. As an educator, I see the ways that someone could delve into all these important topics. The author seems very conscious of teaching readers a lot of what she knows about Philippine culture. Food and language are two strong components which would be fun to pair with actual samples, along with strong visuals of the area and people.

The story explores the struggles Nora must face with her mom after losing her dad in a house fire. They are forced to make their home among the cities’ poorest folk in the cemetery shantytown right with her father’s tomb. This would be difficult enough, but Nora’ mother has a gambling addiction which matches her up with some terrible people. Nora, only a twelve-year-old girl, must stay strong through the ordeal that this creates and finds some true friendships along the way.

Overall, this is a well-written book with a lot to offer for a reader looking to learn.

Hello

I so enjoyed Erin Estrada Kelly’s book You Go First, that I had to read Hello, Universe (also by Kelly). This one is a Newbery Medalist.

The book started a bit slow for me, and then something started to happen. The ideas of fate and coincidence were introduced and I was hooked. Virgil is a lonely and very shy character. His only friends are a quirky psychic named Kaori Tanaka (and her sidekick younger sister). When he confides in Kaori about a crush he has on special education classmate Valencia, events start to tumble together in amazing ways.

Virgil is bullied at school by a mean-spirited (but also lonely) boy named Chet. Chet throws Virgil’s backpack (with his pet guinea pig inside it) down a well. Virgil climbs down to get it and becomes trapped. He must face his fears while a wonderful coincidence/fate leads his rescuers to him.

I enjoyed the story and loved the closing of the book; “Hello” is a powerful ending. This book is about making connections, being willing to take chances, and of course, about fate occurring at just the right moment.

Gone Baby

The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena hooked me immediately. Marco and Anne are having dinner at their neighbor’s house. The night is not going well for Anne, who feels insecure around vivacious, flirty Cynthia. The night gets much worse when Marco and Anne return home to find that their baby daughter, Cora, is gone.

This story took me on a wild ride through the investigation into Cora’s disappearance, and all that it uncovers. Every character has something to hide and sharing their secrets gives too much away. Even though this book has some unrealistic aspects, I really enjoyed it! It’s one of the few books that warrants the comparisons to The Girl on the Train and Gone Girl.