February 11, 2025 by Aladdin
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Jojo has big plans for her new middle school year in a Virginia suburb of D.C.; she's going to rock one of her mother's vintage uniform skirts with a black t shirt, have breakfast and bed, and rule the day. Of course, when her mother's boyfriend Paul distracts her mother, she doesn't get breakfast, and even oversleeps. Her cat, Purrito, has thrown up on her outfit, so she ends up throwing on leggings and rushing out the door so she can get a ride with her older brother, Sam. Since the family has moved out of their apartment and in with Paul, school is further away, but Jojo does NOT want to get a ride with Paul, since he drives a van that tells the world that he is Mr. Meow, a catfluencer. Things go downhill at school, where the only person she knows seems to be her nemesis, Moira Harper. She feels like she embarrassed herself in front of her homeroom teacher and the school softball coach, Mr. Achebe, and by lunchtime really needs a break. Not able to take refuge in the library (librarians need to eat, too!), she wanders into a closed off hallway. In the locker room, she meets Leah, Ryan, and Izzy, who all are having their own problems, from the seemingly silly (answering a question with "astrology" rather than "astrobiology") to the downright embarassing (getting braces stuck on the sleeve of a crush's shirt and having to have the nurse phone a dentist to get it untangled). The four decide to continue their meetings. Jojo has other problems; it's hard to navigate her new relationship with Paul, she's worried that her mom will move the family to Texas to be near grandparents, and she keeps getting her phone confiscated in the hallway. There's a bit of drama with her new friends as well. When the four are in the locker room having lunch one day, there is a lock down because a bob cat has been sighted in the hallways. The girls close the door and manage to while away a couple of hours before they realize that school is over. They make their way out carefully, on the look out for the wild animal, and end up saving the day, even if they have missed their buses. Team Awkward will be back with Leah vs. Art on June 17, 2025.
Strengths: Seventeen Magazine used to have a "Was My Face Red" column that featured readers' embarrassing stories, and reading about such experiences makes tweens feel better about the (hopefully) lesser situations they experience. Jojo (who is half Guatamalan) finds her people in her new friends, and even though there are a few hiccups (Leah takes notes on all of their trauma, hoping to find some way to avoid it in the future, but doesn't explain herself well at first), the girls support each other. They are able to work together during the lock down by pooling their resources and by working together. The real star of the book is Mr. Meow; there is another whole story on the family dynamics there, and I was glad to see that Jojo didn't dislike him, but found him helpful and pleasant, if embarrassing. Since the next book focuses on Leah, why might not get too much more information about him. The cover is very appealing.
Weaknesses: I always have questions about school that have extra, unused space, like the one in Fry's Undercover Chefs. Even though my school recently had a number of students redistricted to another building, we still have an orchestra class meeting in a classroom. The population in the D.C. area must be growing, but even if the school didn't need the space, it would be secured so students couldn't get in. What fun would that be, though?
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who like unlikely romps like Malone's The Sleepover, disastrous first days, like the one in Ormsbee's Vivian Lantz's Second Chances, or books that show the perspective of friends in a group, like Papademetriou's Confectionately Yours series.
Strengths: Seventeen Magazine used to have a "Was My Face Red" column that featured readers' embarrassing stories, and reading about such experiences makes tweens feel better about the (hopefully) lesser situations they experience. Jojo (who is half Guatamalan) finds her people in her new friends, and even though there are a few hiccups (Leah takes notes on all of their trauma, hoping to find some way to avoid it in the future, but doesn't explain herself well at first), the girls support each other. They are able to work together during the lock down by pooling their resources and by working together. The real star of the book is Mr. Meow; there is another whole story on the family dynamics there, and I was glad to see that Jojo didn't dislike him, but found him helpful and pleasant, if embarrassing. Since the next book focuses on Leah, why might not get too much more information about him. The cover is very appealing.
Weaknesses: I always have questions about school that have extra, unused space, like the one in Fry's Undercover Chefs. Even though my school recently had a number of students redistricted to another building, we still have an orchestra class meeting in a classroom. The population in the D.C. area must be growing, but even if the school didn't need the space, it would be secured so students couldn't get in. What fun would that be, though?
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who like unlikely romps like Malone's The Sleepover, disastrous first days, like the one in Ormsbee's Vivian Lantz's Second Chances, or books that show the perspective of friends in a group, like Papademetriou's Confectionately Yours series.
Love Is Hard Work: The Art and Heart of Corita Kent
November 5, 2024 by Candlewick Press
Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central
Frances Kent went to a Catholic school, where her sixth grade teacher reinforced her love of art by giving her lessons. When she graduated from high school in 1936, she entered the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary order, taking the name Mary Corita. She spent many years as an enthusiastic art teacher, challenging her students to see art in everyday objects and to create with spirit and inspiration while thinking outside the box. She herself used her art to make people stop and think, often using elements of popular culture, but reframing them to reinforce spiritual concepts. Her reworking of the WonderBread logo to bring attention to the communion wafer is visually and conceptually striking. She was intrigued by the cultural zeitgeist of the 1960s, and used her work to call attention to social issues dear to her heart. Sadly, the administration of the Catholic church wanted the nuns to teach only if they wore the traditional habit and adhered to strict church guidelines. In 1968, this led Sister Kent to renounce her vows and retire from teaching to create her art in peace.
I’m not sure I have ever seen graphic art that so perfectly encapsulates the sentiments and visual elements of the 1960s as well as Kent’s work does. Her use of silk screen, her fonts, and the bold colors of the era all support the messages of peace and love that she and many others espoused. Tentler-Krylov’s illustrations work Kent’s work into the story in satisfying ways.
There is a brief author’s note at the end of the book, as well as selected sources. Unlike some biographical picture books, this does a good job of covering Kent’s life and career in the text, so a timeline or further notes aren’t really necessary.
People create art for all manner of reasons, and Kent’s story is an enthralling one, especially for readers who might have ties to the Catholic faith. Include this in a palette of art books that includes Rogers and Innerst’s Joan Mitchell Paints a Symphony, Suzuki and Weinstein’s Yayoi Kusama: From Here to Infinity!, Harvey and Wise’s Ablaze with Color: A Story of Painter Alma Thomas, and Temple and White’s Wilhelmina Barnes-Graham: An Introduction to Her Life with Activities.
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