Hurricane Child

Callender, Kheryn. Hurricane Child
March 27th 2018 by Scholastic
E ARC from Edelweiss Plus

Caroline Murphy lives in the US Virgin Islands, and is considered unlucky because she was born during a hurricane. Her life certainly bears out this assertion-- her mother has left the family, her father's slightly younger illegitimate daughter has moved nearby, and she is always in trouble at school. She does have an ally in the principal of her school, who knew her mother, but not only are the other students mean to her, her classroom teacher is as well. When a new student, Kalinda, arrives at the school, Caroline tries to befriend her and later realizes that she is interested in her romantically. Since this is frowned upon by their religion and culture, the girls worry about it. Caroline sees ghostly figures around, and eventually this encourages her to find her mother and learn the mystery of her family situation.
Strengths: This is a great #ownvoices novel, and Callender does a great job of showing what life can be like in St. Thomas. The details of food, school, travel, and general daily life are fascinating. It's good for students in the US to get a glimpse of what life is like in other parts of the world.
Weaknesses: Unfortunately, some people are treated in what we consider to be mean ways in other parts of the world. Caroline's dark skin is disparaged, and many people in her life treat her meanly. Her relationship with Kalinda is heartbreaking because of the overshadowing social mores. While this is certainly a reality of which my students need to be aware, I think they might require more explanations in order to understand that this is the way the culture sees Caroline, and not the way they should feel about their own skin, family situation, or sexual preferences.
What I really think: I am very conflicted about this book. I would like to purchase it, but worry it will make my students feel bad about themselves.

Hurricane Season

Melleby, Nicole. Hurricane Season
May 7th 2019 by Algonquin Young Readers
E ARC from Edelweiss Plus

Fig (given name Finola) and her father Tim live along the coast in New Jersey. Her father was an up and coming composer and performer before Fig's birth, but after her arrival, her mother left and her father struggled with the creative process. He has good days and bad days, and is especially disturbed by storms, which frequent their area at certain times of year. When her father comes to school in a very agitated state looking for Fig, her art teacher calls children's protective services and has the family under watch. Fig feels that if she can keep everything together at home and do well on an art project about Van Gogh, her father will seem competent and they will be able to stay together. She gets help from an unlikely source, new neighbor Mark, who rescues her father from a storm and slowly starts helping the two put some coping mechanisms in place. Fig is able to let Mark handle some issues, and relaxes enough to try to make some friends, including Danny, who "like likes" her. However, when her father comes to a Halloween party looking for her, again in an agitated state, Mark takes even more action and makes sure that the father goes to a doctor and gets the help he so desperately needs. Adjusting to the medication isn't easy, but it does seem to improve things, as does the stable presence of Mark. Tim and Mark become romantically involved, children's protective services are pleased that Tim is making progress, and Fig is able to turn her attention back to the academic and social aspects of middle school.
Strengths: It was refreshing to see a child in crisis at a moment when concerned adults were beginning to get involved. Fig's life has been difficult, but when it starts to become impossible, there are people there to help her. I think this is an important reassurance for young readers and a reminder that they should go to trusted adults if they have problems. Fig's attitude is understandable, and she tries her best to hold things together by being the adult but also trying her best in school. She is lonely for friends, but not romantically interested in Danny, mainly because she's 11, but also because she has a crush on an older girl who works at the library. Van Gogh and his problems are worked into the story in an interesting way, and the cover is a nice reflection of that theme.
Weaknesses: There were a lot of issues. The dad's bipolar disorder, Fig's abandonment by her mother, Mark and Tim's relationship, Fig's questioning of her sexuality, and even a passing mention of Danny's father being in drug rehab. That's all fine; it's all appropriate to this age group, but by mentioning so many different things, it makes each one of them seem less believable to readers who may have no background knowledge about some of them. Having Fig's father be gay or bisexual is one thing, but to also have Fig be questioning makes both situations seem more unlikely and forced.
What I really think: This was well written and enjoyable, but I will have to see if I need more books of this kind. With a limited budget, I can buy only a small percentage of each type of book, and books with sad issues and children overcoming adversity make up a large number of 2019 releases.

Kicking and Screaming and Lions and Liars

Moore, Steve. King of the Bench: Kicking and Screaming
March 27th 2018 by HarperCollins
Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central

Steve suffers greatly from foot-eye dweebitis, so playing soccer sounds like a particularly bad idea. While his friends Joey, Carlos, and Becky are thrilled at being able to watch FC Barcelona play an exhibition game at Goodfellows Stadium, Steve finds it to be profoundly boring an states out loud that he hates soccer. Becky has heard him, and avoids him at school, so to get back into her good graces, Steve feels compelled to go out for the team. He's fairly confident he can warm the bench in this sport as well, but there aren't enough people who want to play soccer, and Steve ends up on the field, but his compulsion to try to catch the ball with his hands makes it clear to the coach that he is better off playing goalie-- with balls coming right at him! He does better than he expected to do, and even subs in for the JV team. Of course, there are all sorts of complications, including too many churros, a skunk, and crazy coaches, but Steve manages to hang on to his pride and restore Becky's faith in his sports acumen.

I don't know if it's the pop eyes on the characters, the goofy names (is it a little sad that there isn't really any Spiro T. Agnew middle school?), or Steve's relentless, misguided optimism, but this is a fun series. Sports books are always popular, and there should be more depictions of students traveling on buses. (It doesn't hurt to include bus-related events like the Great Gatorade Bladder Massacre-- well-hydrated athletes do have trouble traveling for a long time!)

Having a coed team adds a nice touch, and it's harder to find books about soccer than it is about other sports. Readers who play soccer will enjoy Steve's inept antics and marvel at the character of Thunderfoot, who is not only a great player, but a nice kid as well.

Push pass Kicking and Screaming to soccer fans who have read the Jake Maddox soccer titles, Morgan's Kicks series, or Fred Bowen's Go for the Goal, especially if their reading consists mainly of Wimpy Kid and Big Nate notebook novels.

Beasley, Kate. Lions and Liars
June 5th 2018 by Farrar Straus Giroux
E ARC from Edelweiss Plus

Frederick Frederickson is angry with his parents because they are canceling the family vacation cruise because of an impending hurricane. The upside is that he gets to go to his friend Joel's birthday party. The downside is that he is in a boat that gets caught in a storm, washes away overnight, and ends up at a camp for troubled boys. Everyone there assumes he is a camper named Dashiell, and he doesn't insist on setting them straight, so falls right into camp life with the other boys, all of whom have different issues. He manages to make friends, so when the hurrican hits camp, the boys all work together, and eventually Frederick gets back to his family.
Strengths: This has a great cover by Dan Santat (and Yoo's The Detention Club (2011) still circulates really well!), and is a solid, funny camp story.
Weaknesses: I could not get past the fact that Frederick was a missing child and no effort was made to get him back to his family. I'm not sure why this bothered me so much.
What I really think: This is a more of a fifth grade/elementary book so I don't think I'll be purchasing; I'd like to see more middle grade books set in summer camp.

Roosevelt Banks and the Attic of Doom, Snow Struck

Calkhoven, Laurie. Roosevelt Banks and the Attic of Doom 

February 1st 2022 by Red Chair Press, One Elm Books

Copy provided by the publisher

In this sequel to Roosevelt Banks, Good Kid in Training, we find Roosevelt excited about the upcoming SUMMER OF DAD after his fourth grade year. His parents are both college professors, but while his mother is teaching summer school, his younger sister Kennedy will be in day care, and he will have his father all to himself. Of course, these plans fall through when his parents announce that there is another baby on the way, and the father will be renovating the attic for a room for Roosevelt. This is a bad thing, because the attic is haunted, so Roosevelt and his friends have a number of plans to change the course of this home improvement. Josh is busy with sports, and Tommy has a part in a play, but Eddie is around to help Roosevelt take care of Mrs. C's rabbits... and get into trouble. Tommy's older twin brothers also have some ideas for making sure that the attic bedroom doesn't happen. Will Roosevelt be able to spend some time with his father,  make his peace with the upcoming sibling, and manage to NOT cause as many problems and get in as much trouble as he did in the first book? 
Strengths: I really enjoy Calkhoven's work, and her Boys of War and G.I. Dogs series have been hugely popular in my library. She has an excellent feel for what details young readers enjoy. There are lots of realistic summer plans, but also some fun ones that don't seem very likely. It's important that details about how elementary students are cared for over the summer are realistic-- I'm actually surprised we don't see more books set in summer child care programs.  The concern about the new baby, and Roosevelt's struggle with being a big brother are good to see. Bonus points for having two upbeat, patient, and functioning parents! The illustrations and large text will definitely draw readers in. 
Weaknesses: Would fourth graders really be worried about ghosts? That's not my regular demographic.
What I really think: This fills a gap in realistic fiction series about well meaning but misguided young people, and would be great to hand to fans of like McDonalds's Stink Moody, Look's Alvin Ho, Khan's Zayd Saleem, Harley's Charlie Bumpers or the Cleary classic Henry Huggins. It's just a bit young for my students, who would never openly believe that their attic was haunted, so I will send this over to an elementary school, where I'm sure it will see a lot of use. 

Courage, Nick. Snow Struck. 

January 25th 2022 by Delacorte Press
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Elizabeth and Matty have had a hard time of it; their house was badly damaged by a storm, and their family has been living in a hotel while it is beign repaired. For a Christmas treat, they are sent to spend time with their cousin Ashley in New York City. Ashley's parents are divorcing, but still live near each other, but it's still a difficult dynamic. Elizabeth is looking forward to snow, but when the children arrive in New York, it's 80 degrees. Matty, who has been extra anxious ever since the storm at home, is worried about the weather. When a cold front rapidly approaches the city, he warns his sister that they should stay put, but his worries are ignored. We also see a couple of other perspectives-- a fishing boat in Eternity Fjord, Greenland that is experiencing the effects of climate change, and Joy, who works in emergency response for the National Climatic Research Center in Washington, D.C., and would like to get back to visit family in NYC. The children are at an art gallery with Ashley's dad over forty blocks from the aunt's apartment when the storm hits, and it's a strenuous journey to get back across the rapidly snow covered city. They face another challenge once they are safely home-- there's a blackout, although they still have a gas stove that works, and Ashley's dog, Fang, has slipped his harness and is out in the horrible weather. The children go out on various occasions to try to find him, and get to experience a New York that few ever get to see, complete with rats and deer on the move outside of their usual environs. At the same time, the ship is heading towards New York, as is Joy, and all of these different threads mange to be woven together during a crucial moment in the process of finding Fang. (Spoiler: Fang is okay in the end! Whew!)

Strengths: Elizabeth and Matty are not used to snow, but I loved that Matty, being anxious, was super prepared in his choice of gear, and Elizabeth regretted some of her choices. Those choices can be a matter of life and death in a winter survival situation. I liked that there were a lot of details about the snow, ice, traffic conditions, and what the subways and buildings were like. This reminded me a little of Moskin's 1978 The Day of the Blizzard, which also involved winter survival in a city. I was a little sad when the trio returned home from the art gallery, but going back out after Fang was a good adventure, and taking a short breather was good. The information about tracking storms and the National Climatic Research Center from Joy's point of view gave a larger perspective on the weather event, and the scenes with the research ship in the Arctic were important background for the climate change themes. This was fast-paced, had a good message along with the adventure, and (most importantly), Fang was found and was okay. It's always important that dogs survive, especially the cute, fluffy ones!
Weaknesses: It took me a bit to get into the story, since it started with an arctic fox, but I really have to admire how Courage brought together all of the plots. 
What I really think: Storm Blown hasn't circulated as well as I would have liked, but part of that might be due to the fact that I got a copy of this book right before the pandemic started in 2020. Winter survival is generally more popular than hurricane stories, so I will definitely purchase. And NOT just because I'm a sucker for a good snowstorm book ever since Haywood's Snowboand with Betsy! I have two copies of Northrops' Trapped that are in tatters because they've been read so much... and they're over ten years old. Wow. Seems like just yesterday that I read that one!