Eden's Everdark

Strong, Karen. Eden's Everdark

September 6th 2022 by Simon & Schuster

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
 

Eden and her father are going to visit her mother's family in Georgia. They have own most of Safia Island for generations, but her mother suffered an accident there in the wake of her parents' divorce, went to the mainland to recover, and never wanted to return. Now, grieving her death from a brain aneurysm, Eden and her father are hoping to reconnect with her extended family and understand this unusual place. The relatives are all glad to meet Eden, feed her great Southern food and make a fuss over her, but don't share a lot of stories, so Eden still doesn't understand why her mother didn't want to return to Willow Hammock. It's an interesting place, but the old mansion they visit seems especially creepy after Eden has been plagued with weird and unsettling dreams inspired by sketchbooks of her mother's she finds in her room. When she goes on a walk and ends up getting lost, she is plunged into the world of Everdark and captured by Mother Mary, a frightening witch with long, scary nails. The witch has several others in her thrall, from Bull, who is her butler, to Netty and Grace, girls who died years ago. Eden is still alive, but won't be for long if Mother Mary has her way. She wants to keep Eden as her daughter, dressing her up and having her watch movies with her, and is willing to watch her die slowly. Eden tries to escape, but can't find a way. She eventually makes it out of the house, and with the help of two ghost boys, is directed to Ruby. Unfortunately, Ruby isn't as helpful as she seems, and Eden is soon back in the creepy house. Will she be able to harness the inner magic she didn't know she had in order to overcome this frightening world?
Strengths: The part of this I liked best was Eden's introduction to family that she hadn't met, and her reconnection to their culture. Like Strong's Just South of Home, it was a good look at the interesting dichotomy of being from the North but having roots in the South. Everdark and Mother Mary were creepy in a slowly built up way, and Eden's desperation to escape increases like the spots of rot she can see on the ceilings of the house. Why is humidity so creepy? The historical timeline of the different characters was fascinating; some of the ghosts were born as enslaved people, and Mother Mary was an entertainer right before the crash of 1929. Eden's grief over her mother's death is worked in nicely, and there is some closure for this as well. 
Weaknesses: This does not start out as a very scary book, and I'm afraid that some readers will have to be encouraged to keep going until the creepy things start to happen. The horror readers in my school want dead bodies or murderous ghosts right away! 
What I really think: Readers who want scary stories with a touch of Southern culture, like Dawson's Mine or Howard's The Visitors will enjoy the humid, magical atmosphere of this one. The family lore and powers reminded me just of bit of Baptiste's The Jumbies as well. 
 

Learning to Fall and The Other Side of the River

Englefried Sally. Learning to Fall

September 6th 2022 by Little, Brown and Company

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
 

Daphne lives with her mother, an aspiring actress, in Los Angeles, but when her mother gets a part in an important picture filming in Prague, she finds herself on a plane to the Oakland to stay with the father that she hasn't seen in two years. Her father had some problems with alcohol that lead to her parents' divorce, and he let her down very badly on her birthday a few years previously, not showing up to a skate park when he said he would, so he wasn't there when she tried to skate and broke her arm. She has decided that she will spend the summer being very aloof, but it is hard. With the help of his parents, her father has gotten a house he is fixing up. It's next door to his best friend, Gus, who has helped him through a lot of his problems and is also fixing up his house. Gus' girlfriend, Rusty, has a son, Arlo, who also likes to skate. At one point, Daphne's father skated for a living, but his alcoholism and bad choices brought that to an end. Now, he is looking for jobs in the tech field after going back to school, so often has job interviews. Daphne is fine to hang out with Arlo, or go to her grandparents' house. Her grandmother is very glad to see her again, since Daphne spent a lot of time with them when she was very young, even though she doesn't remember them. Her long range plan, however, is to ditch her father and go to Prague to be with her mother on the set. Her mother keeps putting her off, which doesn't improve her mood. Daphne was made fun of when she tried to skate at a park back in LA, and was traumatized by that and by breaking her arm, so is reluctant to do many tricks or "drop in" (See the cover. I think this is a realistic fear!), even though she is able to practice a bit in Gus' bowl in his backyard. Arlo is willing to teach her, as is her father, and she reluctantly takes help from both of them. Her father is very stressed by his job search, and at one point Daphne calls her grandmother because she is worried that her father might start drinking. He doesn't, but needs help from his AA sponsor. He does apologize to Daphne for his current frustration as well as for his past neglect. He even plans a camping and skating trip to make it up to her, but when he lands a new job and is given an opportunity to earn some extra money by filling in for someone else, he plans on sending Daphne with Gus, Arlo and Rusty while he stays in Oakland to work. This angers Daphne, who is all set to take off for Prague. Will Daphne be able to conquer her fears and learn to skate, and will she be able to navigate a new relationship with her father?
Strengths: There just are not enough skateboarding books, although I was glad to see Roe's Air earlier this year. Daphne's feelings about skateboarding are realistically complicated-- she likes to skate, but feel she can't do tricks, and she almost doesn't want to learn because her father likes to skate and she's mad at her father. At the same time, she craves his attention and approval, so wants to learn from him. Watching her cope with his job search and struggles not to drink was hard but something that many young readers may face from time to time with their own parents. Certainly, many tweens have to deal with spending the summer with a noncustodial parents and will understand Daphne's awkwardness. Arlo is a good friend, and I really enjoyed the grandparents, who tried so hard to be fair to both of Daphne's parents. The skating details are exquisite, and the Oakland setting is well described. This was a very fun book to read even if you aren't interested in skateboarding and reminded me a bit of Zarr's A Song Called Home. 
Weaknesses: While I really enjoyed this one, the first chapter or two seemed vaguely confusing. 

What I really think: It is a rare and wonderful occurrence to find a skateboarding book; I've been asking for more on this topic since I began blogging in 2006. In fact, it occurred to me that Daphne's father reminded me very strongly of one of my students who is probably now old enough to have a middle school aged daughter! Definitely purchasing a copy and am looking forward to seeing more books by this author. 
 

Dobbs, Alda P. The Other Side of the River (Petra Luna #2)

September 6th 2022 by Sourcebooks Young Readers

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Petra, her younger sister and brother, and abuelita are in a refugee camp in the US, along with Dona Juanita in 1913, having come from Mexico, where the revolution made their lives untenable. Petra's mother has passed away, and she is hoping to find her father in the US, since her grandmother is 58 and not in the best health. (N.B. I'm 57!) The camp is going to close soon, so everyone needs to find a job. Petra is the only one in her family who can work, but the recruiters are not interested in her. She manages to buy tickets from another family that will take them to San Antonio. Once there, they go to Wesley House, where the nuns help them get cleaned up from their long journey and instruct them to go to see Mr. Bob to rent a shack in a very busy immigrant area. The rent is reasonable, especially when a neighbor helps Petra get a job helping a woman who sells chili. Petra works hard and is responsible, and the family thrives. Abuelita shells pecans while watching the younger children. When an incident causes Petra to lose her job, she is luck to be hired on to help Sister Nora with housekeeping at the church. She and the nun, who left Ireland with her sister to escape the potato famine there, bond when the nun helps Petra learn to read and shares her love of books with her. Petra has an opportunity to help a man named Mr. Knox with his new school, but when she stands up to some well to do young ladies who say disrespectful things about immigrants like Petra, she is worried that she will lose this chance. She runs into her cousin Pablo but is still looking for her father. Will Petra's hard work keep her family afloat until she can find him?
Strengths: I was always enthralled with how hard Francie Nolan had to work in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, and Petra certainly works even harder! It's important for young readers to understand that 100 years ago and more, children were expected to do a lot more work, especially when they were in difficult circumstances, like Petra is. The fact that this is based on the author's family history, and includes as a character the man after whom her school was named adds another layer of interest. I was particularly fond of Sister Nora and thought it was so charming how she and Petra were able to connect over their shared experiences of being immigrants. There are good details about San Antonio that are probably especially interesting for readers who are familiar with the city now. 

Weaknesses: I wish there had been a few more details about the place that the family lived, the clothing they wore, and how they cooked the food that they ate, since those would all have been so different from today's situation. There is a marvelous scene where Sister Nora gives Petra stockings and shoes, and Petra is so surprised-- she thinks that all shoes hurt! That's the sort of detail I would love to see more of.
What I really think: I will definitely purchase for fans of Behar's Letters from Cuba and Meltzer's Tough Times and will recommend to students who complain to me that they don't like their new cell phones!

The Replacement

Duga, Lindsey. The Replacement

September 6th 2022 by Scholastic Inc.

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

When Erin's father gets a job that allows him to work remotely, the family move from Chicago to the more rural town of Pemblebrook. While she misses her friends, she's thrilled with the opportunity to be outside more, with her larger room, and especially with the treehouse on the property. It's an older house, so she and her parents do a lot of work on it, and Erin is glad to help by watching her younger sister, Becca, who is five. The treehouse seems a little creepy and cold, and Becca won't go near it. Erin hears some odd sounds at night, and has disturbing dreams in her new room. After she dreams that she and another girl painted the hallway of the house, she comes downstairs to discover her mother very angry about similar defacement that Erin has apparently done with markers! Her mother, a child psychologist, figures that Erin is acting out because of the move, and has her help repaint. There are several other incidents where Erin does things she doesn't remember-- her mother's favorite mug is broken, she lets the kitchen sink overflow, and a window is broken. Increasingly, Erin's dreams take her into an earlier version of the house, and she plays with the two girls who lived there in the 1950s, Patty and Paula. When she is in that world, time passes in the real world, and Erin doesn't remember any of it. Her new neighbor, Tara, is offended that Erin pretends they never met and doesn't return her texts, and Erin confides the scary things that are happening to her. Tara had heard rumors that the treehouse was haunted, but no one has shared what really went on. The girls investigate, and find out that a friend's grandmother is Paula, and that she is in the same senior facility that Tara's great grandmother is in. The girls manage to visit her, and find out that Patty was very ill, and Paula has always felt guilty for leaving her. Armed with this information, the girls try to appease the ghost, but things get especially terrifying when Patty seems intent on taking over Becca's body! Will Erin be able to save her sister and put Patty's ghost to rest?
Strengths: Yes, this is a terrifying ghost mystery along the lines of Brown's The Girl in the Lake or Oh's The Spirit Hunters, with a spirit intent on possessing a child's body. But what did I like best? The fact that Erin was exhibiting destructive behaviors (because of the possession), and she didn't feel like she could tell her parents about what was really going on! That, somehow, was more terrifying than the ghost! I loved the peeks back at Patty and Paula's life in the 1950s, with their dresses and curls and old fashioned television, and when portions of Erin's days went missing, that really sent chills up my spine! Having a new house be haunted is an old middle grade trope, but is given a fresh twist when it is the treehouse that is particularly dangerous. The fact that Erin really likes her new town, makes friends with Tara right away, and is also rather fond of her younger (if somewhat annoying) sister makes this seems much more modern and realistic than the typical unpleasant tween who is angry at having to move. The girls locate Paula in a completely convincing way, and her emotions regarding her long dead sister are touching. 
Weaknesses: At one point, Becca is "munching on" oatmeal. I don't know why this annoyed me so much. I think I would have liked to see the children spend more time in the treehouse, but that is a quibble as well. It was clearly haunted, so staying out of it was a much better plan. I just still want a treehouse for myself!
What I really think: This author's The Haunting and Ghost in the Headlights are never on the shelf, and these covers will look fantastic together. Now, if Scholastic would just start to publish some of their scary stories in hardback. I should probably buy two copies of this one. 

MMGM- Ghosts Come Rising and What We Saw

It's

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday
 at 

Always in the Middle 

and #IMWAYR day 

at 

Teach Mentor Texts 

and 

Unleashing Readers

When I was reading Perry's book, it made me think of some of Hahn's historical ghost stories, but Hahn's newest book was such a departure from her usual style. Both of these are fantastic and will fly off your shelves! 

Perry, Adam. Ghosts Come Rising 

September 6th 2022 by Yellow Jacket

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

When Liza and John's parents both die in the 1918 flu epidemic, the only relative who can care for them is Mr. Spencer. He's a photographer who is barely hanging on, but when he finds that Liza has some skills, he ramps up his business of manufacturing photographs for people who have lost relatives. Liza, with the help of scissors, glue, cotton, and photgraphic plates, has a system where she can make it look like the spirits of the deceased are appearing in the pictures. Mr. Spencer has been invited to take pictures at the Silver Star Society, but the owner, Ms. Eldridge, is rather skeptical about many of the mediums she invites to perform. Liza is sent ahead, to pretend that she is a runaway and to be taken in. She befriends Charles, Ms. Eldridge's helper, and manages to get assigned to help him guard the photographic plates from Mr. Spencer. This is perfect, of course, since she has a camera and all of her tools hidden in her valise, and is able to doctor the plates. Mr. Spencer makes a great show that he won't be touching or developign the plates, and Charles is surprised when ghostly images appear on the photographs. Liza is also surprised that the school does seem to be in a "thin place" between the spirit world and our own, and she has several frightening experiences when she thinks she sees ghosts. She's not allowed to talk to John, who is still sickly, but worries about him. The ghosts seem to be calling her to turn him over to them, which she does not intend to do! On her way to the house, she met a local boy named George who ends up checking on her. He believes her when she tells him about the scams she and Mr. Spencer pull, and after a brief moment of being scandalized, supports her because they are friends. When an investigator who has followed Mr. Spencer from the city shows up at the Silver Star Society, Liza is afraid that they will be discovered. Her life is so stressful and unreliable that this might not be a bad thing. She tries to switch the plates so that Mr. Spencer's lack of ability is revealed... but the photographs still contain ghostly images. Liza fears that the ghosts are real, and worries that they will come for her and John. Will they be able to survive?

Strengths: I read a few books, so it takes a lot to surprise me... and this definitely did. After a start a bit reminiscent of A Drowned Maiden's Hair, but with lots of interest in watching Liza both put up with Mr. Spencer and fool Ms. Eldridge, Liza's story took a lot of turns that I absolutely did not see coming. I don't want to ruin it, but the Silver Star Society wasn't all charlatans with speaking tubes and people hidden in cabinets rapping on the floor. There are some scary spirits floating about, and there are some nicely frightening scenes where Liza has to escape them. Mr. Spencer is awful and reminded me a little of Dr. Kingsbury is Rose's new Miraculous. Charles and Ms. Eldridge are very kind to Liza when she needs someone to be, and are there for her when she finds out even more secrets about her past. George is a good character as well. Spirtualism is an odd and interesting belief, and has been used to good effect in books like Smith's 2017 The Mesmerist and Harvey's 2011 Haunting Violet. 
Weaknesses: I would have liked a few more details about the flu pandemic, although I'm not sure where they would have best been worked in without slowly down the ghost story. Perhaps an epilogue? I keep meaning to hunt down a copy of Porter's 1939 Pale Horse, Pale Rider because it covers the 1918 flu epidemic, and considering what we all lived through with Covid, I think readers would be interested in knowing more about how Liza's parents died. 
What I really think: Admittedly, I picked up this book with a bit of dread, thinking that it would be similar to another popular middle grade book that utilizes vintage photographs, but it wasn't like that one at all! Definitely purchasing, and the cover will make this a book that flies off the shelf. I may have to tell readers to hang on; this starts out as a historical novel and takes a while to catapult Liza into the spirit world, but when it does, it is a wild ride full of twists and turns that I certainly didn't anticipate.

Hahn, Mary Downing. What We Saw

September 6th 2022 by Clarion Books

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Abbi and Skylar are best friends who want some excitement in their summer. On a blisteringly hot day, Skylar proposes biking three miles to the edge of town instead of the same old trip to the pool, mall, or library. It's only three miles, but takes a lot of effort, and the area where they end up isn't the most pleasant. They run into kids from their school, Jason and Carter, who aren't very pleasant, either. It is somehow exciting, though; they see what looks to be a woman and man having a clandestine encounter, with the woman parking her car, getting into the man's vehicle, and taking off, they find a treehouse in the woods, and they hear about a house where some of the high school kids party and smoke marijuana. Unfortunately, the see Skylar's brother, Rob, get drugs from Jason and Carter. This is almost enough to warn them off, but not quite. They visit a couple of times, and once see the man and woman argue. The woman runs into the woods, and the man drives off. The girls find these two interesting, and have looked at them the way they used to look at their neighbors when they pretended to investigate mysteries, so take some photos and videos of the two and their vehicles. When they come back later, the woman's car is still there, and her purse and phone are still inside. When Abbi's art teacher, Ms. Sullivan, goes missing, the girls have an awful feeling that she was the woman they saw. She was, and they also feel that their language arts teacher, Mr. Boyce, might have been the man she was meeting, since he and his wife seemed out of sorts at the pool. Unfortunately, they don't make this connection until after they go to his house to ask if they should go to the police, and even give him the phone with the pictures! After they get the phone back and the pictures have been deleted, they know they need to go to the police, especially when their teacher is found dead. The police take them seriously and gather their evidence, and Abbi's mother says she shouldn't hang out with Skylar any more. The girls can't leave well enough alone, and eventually connect Jason and Carter to parts of the crime. Will they be able to get the help they need from adults before the murderer finds them?
Strengths: It's a hot summer day and it's soooooo boring! So of COURSE you jump on your bike with your best friend and go to a seedy part of town to spy on strangers. Hahn changes gears a bit from her ghost stories and pens an awesome realistically scary book that instantly transported me to a small, dusty town in the summer time. Abbi's mother works, and Skylar's mother is supposed to keep tabs on the two girls, but they're good about telling the adults what they want to hear. Abbi's mother is dating a really nice guy, and while this isn't essential to the story, it added a nice layer to Abbi's life. The three go out to dinner, get ice cream, and he's very supportive when all of the investigations start. The fact that it is a teacher the girls know who gets murdered is weirdly perfect. When you think about it, cozy mysteries always kill off people in the town who are somewhat sympathetic! There is a lot of real danger, with Jason and Carter having fallen into a really bad crowd and selling drugs because they need the money. This reminded me of some of Joan Lowery Nixon's 1990s titles. It's an upper middle grade title that will definitely deliver a frisson of danger!
Weaknesses: This seemed both a little cheesy and also very dangerous, and as a parent I was a little appalled... but it's absolutely perfect for tween readers. We're biking to the edge of town without water? What is Skylar's mother thinking? How can she not know that Rob is smoking weed? And yet, as an almost thirteen year old, I was biking all over town with friends. Since my students are always looking for murder mysteries, they are going to love this just as much as this made me uncomfortable!
What I really think: I'm going to have to buy at least two copies, and fans of April Henry are going to adore this one.

Best Wishes and Lotus Bloom and the Afro Revoluti

Mlynowski, Sarah. Best Wishes (Best Wishes #1)
September 6th 2022 by Scholastic Press

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Becca and Harper have been friends since kindergarten, and go to school in New York's Uppwer West Side. They've always spent birthdays together, having sleepovers and playing their favorite games, but this year Harper backs out, saying that she has to get up early for a chess tournament the next morning. The two have become more distant since they were put in different classes, and Becca thinks that chess playing Georgette is partly to blame. She monoploizes Harper over lunch when Becca rarely gets to see her and really needs to offload about her mean teacher. When Becca confronts Harper about the lack of connection, Harper says that she doesn't want to be best friends anymore. This is devastating, since Becca doesn't have many other friends, so it is a pleasant surprise when she receives a package at home. It's a bracelet with a cryptic note about wishing, but no sender. She tries to call her father, who is recently divorced from her mother and had to move to California for work, but he doesn't answer. It's not from her mother or brother, Brahm, either. THe next day at school, Becca takes a chance and wishes that more people would be her friend. The effects are immediate, and everyone is falling all over themselves to connect with her. This even affects her teacher, who is just kind of irritated with her, as well as her mother, who starts agreeing to whatever Becca requests, and even spending time getting coffee and manicures. The fact that she starts dressing like her is a bit alarming. Everyone in class wants to come to her birthday party. This is fun for a while, but also a bit tiring. When a strange woman keeps trying to buy the bracelet from Becca, she is even more alarmed. She eventually wants the wish to stop, but she can't get the bracelet off. Her brother has some wise words about how he has so many friends without any magic. Can Becca take some of these hints to heart and solve her unusual situation?
Strengths: Having more friends definitely sounds like a good plan to most middle grade readers, because being at school by oneself is a bit... scary and isolating. (Unlike being an adult, where having to be in people's company and talk to them is always exhausting!) Becca's falling out with Harper is absolutely true to life, and there are some very astute observations about friendship underneath the glitter of magic. Harper wants to be Becca's friend again when they magic takes hold, but Becca realizes that they don't have much in common. Brahm's description of why he has friends (he pays attention and is nice to people) helps Becca move forward after the bracelet comes off. The magic is sweet and uncomplicated, and the idea of being to make a wish and change one's life is appealing to everyone. Definitely looking forward to other installations of this series. 
Weaknesses: I wish that Becca had been a tiny bit older, just because all of my students will read about 8th graders or high school freshman, but only my 6th graders will willingly pick up books with fifth graders as the main characters. 

What I really think: This was a fun look at wishes, and I am super excited that the bracelet is being sent to Columbus, Ohio next, in Debbie Rigaud's turn at this series, The Sister Switch (March 7, 2023). Mlynowski's Whatever After is still very popular, and the readers who pick it up will often zip through a book a day, so I think they will be pleased with this new series. 

Winston, Sherri. Lotus Bloom and the Afro Revolution 

September 6th 2022 by Bloomsbury Children's Books

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Lotus, a talented violinist, is glad to be attending the new and impressive Atlantis Arts School in Miami, Florida, but feels bad that it is so much nicer than the inner city neighborhood school that her best friend, Rebel, attends. Lotus is such a good musician that she has been accepted into the academy without an audition, and when the conductor hears her, he immediately makes her concert master. This irritates Adolfo, whom she replaces. He and his friends start giving her a hard time, making snide comments and throwing paperr airplanes into her signature Afro, which she refers to as the "wooly mammoth" and which she very carefully grooms. Her mother and grandmother think she should be quiet; they think that she should have her hair relaxed and not be as flamboyant in her style of vintage dressing, but Rebel thinks that she should take a stand... or perhaps come back to the neighborhood school and join their protests. Lotus would like to move to Paris to be with her musician father, but the school she wants to attend is very expensive. When the conductor recommends her for a special musical program in Paris, she is absolutely thrilled, but Adolfo, who is a year older and has been planning on going to this program, is not. His mother gets involved, and after Lotus complains to the principal about the bullying going on, she is sent a letter saying that SHE is in violation of the code of conduct, and that her hair do is "distracting". It threatens her with expulsion if she doesn't change her hair style. Her mother isn't happy, but wants Lotus to de-escalate the situation. She gets her hair restyled, which appeases the administration but doesn't shut down Adolfo's mother. Will Lotus, with the help of Rebel and her other friends, be able to fight the racist dress code and the inequality of treatment for Black students at both the fancy new school as well as the neighborhood ones?
Strengths: It is always good to see books about young people who have strong interests, and both Lotus' interest in music and Rebel's interest in social justice will speak to many tween readers. I enjoyed how invested Lotus was in her somewhat unusual personal style, and applauded the fact that she makes an effort with her outfits; my students pretty much wear workout clothes to school every single day, but I am a big fan of 1970s fashions! The problems with having an elite school program in a community struggling with disparity in the schools was interesting. Lotus is a strong personality who surrounds herself with people who also have interests similar to hers, and who help her when she needs it. 
Weaknesses: While I completely support Lotus' choices and think it is good that she calls out people whose actions are hurtful, it was sad to see how judgemental she was of others. She describes her grandmother as "the very picture of bitter old lady-- tight-curled hair dyed a harsh black; tiny gold-framed glasses that dangle on the tip of her nose". If Lotus is allowed to revel in her impressive Afro and vintage fashions, why can't her grandmother dress the way that she likes without Lotus being so unkind about it? Lotus has strong opinions about other people who have thoughts that don't coincide with hers, even when they don't hurt her, and I would have expected her to be more empathetic.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who want to see proactive student involvement, like Giles' Take Back the Block, Ramee's Good Kind of Trouble, or Marks' From the Desk of Zoe Washington, Firestone's Dress Coded, Farr's Margie Kelly Breaks the Dress Code, or Young's The Prettiest,or readers who want to read about students who are really interested in music. 

As with many dress code books, I found some of this hard to believe; at my school in the spring, we had girls wearing sports bras and shorts so short that their butt cheeks were exposed, and you could not have paid me money to say anything about that to anyone! I still think that our dress code should be "If you don't want to see Ms. Yingling wear it, you should rethink your outfit," but this is at odds with, well, the zeitgeist of the entire world. When I wear my running tights to school with a tube top, you'll know the current state of the world has gotten to me. (I've mentioned to some girls that maybe I will do this, and they look appalled. I then call them on their lack of flexibility!)

The Tryout and Key Player

Soontornvat, Christina and Cacao, Joanna (illus.). 

The Tryout: A Graphic Novel 

September 6th 2022 by Graphix

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
 

Christina has struggled a bit being one of the few Asian Americans in her small Texas town of Greenwood in the 1990s. She has a best friend, Megan, who is Iranian American, and isn't afraid to stand up for herself, but is tired of having to deal with bullies like Tobin who make fun of her for no good reason. When she starts seventh grade, she is impressed with how shiny the 8th grade cheerleaders are, and with how confident they seem to be when dealing with other students. When tryouts are announced, both she and Megan go to the clinics and practice a lot. Christina doesn't have the gymnastics background that Megan has, so she's not overly surprised when her best friend wants to team up with someone else for tryouts, but she is very hurt. Life doesn't come to a stand still for tryouts, though; Christina still has to help out at her family's Chinese restaurant, and she learns from her Thai father the racism he faced when he came to the US. Her mother's family has deep roots in Texas, and are very supportive, but Christina still feels that she isn't quite accepted in her community and that being a cheerleader would help change that. Will she and Megan be able to make the squad, and stay friends while trying out?
Strengths: While books about cheerleading don't seem to get checked out much, there are a lot of girls at my school who are interested in trying out for the squad, and I know that this book will speak to them. There have actually been two boys who were cheerleaders in the twenty years I've been at my school, but most of our cheerleaders have been girls. There is something about trying out that does have a weird appeal; I even went to the cheer clinics when I was in middle school, but I don't think I made it as far as tryouts. Based on the author's own experiences, this has a lot of good details about practice, the social standing of cheerleaders, and the friend drama that occurs any time there is an activity in which not everyone ends up being able to participate. Megan and Christina do their best to stay friends, and are good about sticking up for each other and apologizing when they misstep. The casual but persistent racism portrayed in the school is heartbreaking, but it was good that Christina was able to stand her ground, and also good that she did find people with whom she could connect. The illustrations are colorful and show a lot of great facial expressions. Like Christmas's Swim Team: Small Waves, Big Changes  and Farjado's Miss Quinces, The Tryout addresses a lot of important personal and social issues in an accessible way. 
Weaknesses: Tween readers won't care, but I wanted a bit more information about when this took place. Based on the author's age and some of the comments about the Gulf War, this is set sometime in the mid to late 90s, but I couldn't quite pin down the leather loafer fad, since I've been wearing them since the 1970s!
What I really think: Definitely purchasing, and will never have to shelve this, since it will be CONSTANTLY checked out. 

Yang, Kelly. Key Player (Front Desk #4) 

September 6th 2022 by Scholastic Press

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

When Mia gets a C in gym class because she struggles with playing soccer, especially since she's had to be extra careful not to get hurt when her family didn't have insurance, she is devastated, since her scholarship to a news writing camp depends on her getting all As. She asks her teacher if she can get extra credit, and he agrees that if she can get an interview with players on the women's soccer team who are in town to compete for the World Cup, he will raise her grade. Her mother, who is now teaching math at the high school, is very dedicated to helping her locate the team, and they spend a lot of time trying to hunt down the Chinese players, since Mia finds their stories, and the fact that they look like her, intriguing. Meanwhile, Hank is struggling with another restaurant over the rights to his crunch burger, and he feels he is being taken advantage of, but isn't sure how to get the legal solution he wants without going bankrupt. Jason is trying to convince his father, Mr. Yao, that he should invest in Hank's restaurant that is attached to the Calivista Motel, but when his father spends money to help out, he also wants to micromanage. After a leak in the family's garage, Jason finds his father's journals from when he was in middle and high school, and they paint a very different picture of him. Lupe is on the high school's math team, but their coach is not helpful. Mia's mother steps in, but is told that her English isn't good enough, and the coach actually gets mad that she helped the team prepare for competition on the sly. The Tangs are also looking for a house, but running into a lot of problems; it's hard to find an agent, few things in the area are in their price range, and when they find a house they really like, the neighbors lie to them about the nature of the neighborhood in an attempt to keep them out. Mia's guidance conselour calls her a traitor to the US when she finally snags an interview with the Chinese team, but Mia thinks that he is wrong. She is lucky enough to translate for the team when they are interviewed by CBS, but dealing with the constant racism in 1990s Southern California is wearing. Will she be able to pursue her dreams?

Strengths: It's great to see women in sports portrayed, even if Mia isn't thrilled about playing sports herself. The quotes from the newspapers, and the racist and sexist language of just twenty years ago is important for young readers to understand. I liked that Mia is so passionate about her writing, and so willing to stand up to the constant negativity people throw her way. While we didn't see a lot of the workings of the hotel, we do get a lot of good glimpses into the restaurant, and Hank and Jason play a big part there. Lupe's struggles on the math team, and the dealings with the snobbish private school they face in competition, add another facet to the general atmosphere. I'm sure we will see more books set at the Calavista, and I can't wait to see what house the Tang's end up with. 
Weaknesses: I'm ever so slightly confused about the year this book is set, since Three Keys portray events of 1994, and this clearly covers the World Cup of 1999. 
What I really think: The series has been popular with my students, so I'll definitely purchase it. Front Desk is one of our Battle of the Books choices.  This is starting to have a Phyllis Reynolds Naylor Alice McKinley feel to it, and while I wouldn't mind a few more stories about Mia, I've enjoyed Yang's stand alone titles like New From Here and would rather see more of those. 

I'm glad that Kelly Yang's dreams worked out, but the older I get, the crueller it seems to not tell the young that life will most likely NOT work out for them. Of course, if someone had told me that when I was 12, I would have just laughed and told the person in no uncertain terms that I WOULD grow up to be the best Latin teacher ever no matter what they said. 

I would have been so, so wrong. 

 

Guy Friday: Around the World

Singleton, Chris and Burrell, Dean.

Baseball Around the World: How the World Plays the Game
June 17th 2022 by Bushel & Peck Books

Copy provided by the publisher

This picture book sized exploration of baseball is packed with information about this "American pastime" in different areas of the world! Beautifully formatted with plentiful vintage illustrations, it takes us to Cuba, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Italy, Nicauragua, Panama, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Japan, South Korea and Australia, all without a passport! Each two page spread covers one country, and includes information like quick stats, famous players, teams and their cities, and even favorite ball park stats! I especially appreciated that a section on what the sport is like in that country today. There are even fun facts, like information about Albert Spalding, the first woman player in professional baseball (Genevieve Beacom, in the Australian Baseball League in 2022), and information about Little League, complete with a roster of countries that play in the Little League World Series. 

This was an intriguing book to flip for that will interest sports aficionados who are fans of National Geographic atlases and "fun fact" books, or who want a more global look at baseball with similar information to Sports Illustrated's Baseball Then to Wow. There's so much information on a wide range of topics that include everything from the racial inequities in the early years of the sport to the philanthropic work in which players engage. The pictures from different countries will intrigue readers eager for travel, and the timelines at the bottom of the page are highly informative. 

This colorful book is a great introduction to the sport for the youngest fan (or parent of said child!), and the red, yellow, and blue cover is so attractive that I sort of want to make a sports themed quilt to go along with this in order to have a fantastic baby gift for an avid baseball fan! I know just the students to hand this to at my school.

Castaldo, Nancy F.  and Mihaly, Christy. 

Ultimate Food Atlas: Maps, Games, Recipes, and More for Hours of Delicious Fun 

September 6th 2022 by National Geographic Kids

Copy provided by Media Masters Publicity

Have you ever wanted to know about traditional French Polynesian desserts, different ways seafood is prepared around the world, or the most common food crops of Europe? This is the book for you! With handy references tabs to help you travel around the world, and maps to show you where you are, this Food Atlas really is the ultimate guide to all manner of tasty treats!

I would much rather read about food than cook it, and I was enthralled by the culinary offerings of so many different places. I enjoyed that there were some common themes, like local crops, food for various celebrations, and what I can only describe as "Dairy Around the World". My grandmother had a dairy farm, and I always thought that dairy products were more popular in the US-- tell that to people who are fans of Germany's Italian influenced spaghetti themed ice cream or South Africa's Melktert! 

National Geographic is always good about having information at the beginning of the book about how to use maps, and their extensive library of maps and images is put to good use.  Newer books from this company have been including more and more environmental information, which is an interest that many of my students now have. 

As much food history as I read, I still learned that the recipe for German Chocolate Cake, one of my father's favorites, was first published in 1957 in a Texas newspaper. While I make my frosting with walnuts, this explains why most of the recipes I've seen call for pecans!

If you, too, want to have your brain packed with tantalizing tidbits such as this, or if you just really crave a recipe for a Ugandan "Rolex Sandwich", look no further than this tasty tome written by veteran middle grade writers Castaldo and Mihaly.

The Girl in White

Currie, Lindsay. The Girl in White

September 6th 2022 by Sourcebooks Young Readers

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
 

Mallory isn't thrilled that her parents have moved from Chicago to Eastport, Massachussetts. It's not that she misses her friends, since she has made new ones at her arts school, Harbor Point; it's that her parents now run a horror themed restaurant called The Hill. Eastport prides itself on spooky happenings, like the casket that purportedly came through the wall of the restaurant and the legend of Sweet Molly, whose sea faring brother was killed in a storm, causing her to vow revenge on the town. Since it's October, the town in gearing up for the anniversary of Liam's fateful voyage, and Mallory wants nothing to do with the planning. It all seems kind of... silly. That is, until she has an very odd experience on the beach. She seems a ghostly figure that fits the description of Molly's ghost, and also sees a woman from town whose eyes are completely white. When she wakes up surrounded by sand, she has no memory of digging on the beach, but she has pictures on her phone that clearly show the word "stop". When she runs into classmate and neighbor Joshua, to whom she's never really talked before, he admits to watching her around town because he has been having the same weird dreams that she's been having. He can see Sweet Molly as well. Mallory brings in her friend Emmie to the conversation, since Emmie tried to debunk a local legend about a dead body in the foundation of the local hotel. Emmie feels that the spirit is targeting Joshua and Mallory because they are both from out of town; Joshua has moved to the area with his divorced mother, who works with the city government on the festival. When classmate Brie, who studies drama, wins the part of Molly in the local parade, they bring her in as well. Why is Molly so agitated? As the festival nears, the weather seems out of kilter, and the attacks increase in frequency and intensity. The kids have a theory as to why Molly is upset, but will they be able to work out the logistics of righting the historical wrongs against her and her brother Liam? When Joshua is forced into the role of Liam and is set to ride on a boat in the harbor, Mallory knows that they need to take action to avert a catastrophe. The town might need the legend to support their tourism, but is there a way that it can be reframed to appease Molly's spirit?
Strengths: Writing a good story about a killer ghost is hard, but Currie does a particularly clever thing with The Girl in White. It's kind of like a Suzanne Nelson Wish Novel (complete with family restaurant and cute classmate Joshua), but there's also this incredibly scary ghost with dead eyes who shows up to terrorize her, ala the Raven in Red from Schwab's City of Ghosts. Add a dash of local lore and a mystery to solve, and this is definitely a book that many different readers will enjoy. There were a lot of components of the plot line that worked well. Mallory's parents are deeply invested in their restaurant, but are concerned about her as well. Mallory's unease with the celebration is fully realized when she connects how the town treats Molly's life with the unhappiness the ghost must feel. The weather is used to good creepy effects, and I jumped several times when Molly appeared! Mallory and her friends worked well together, although there were a few bumps; the fact that the kids were able to apologize to each other and move on was great. Everything was woven together particularly well, which is not something I usually notice. What I did notice was that I really liked Mallory, and felt that she had some cause for her irritation with her parents. The fact that she was able to be positive about her town and effect some change for the better even though she would rather be somewhere else really endeared her to me. This book will definitely never make it back to the shelves!
Weaknesses: I wish the ghost hadn't been named Molly Flanders McMulligan Marshall, on top of the book having a ditty about her losing her brother, because the combination somehow got the song Molly Malone stuck in my head all day. 
What I really think: Ghost stories for middle school readers really need to have murderous ghosts. They have to occasionally attack, and it helps a lot of they have dead eyes and are accompanied by cold and stormy weather. I can't wait to see what creepy tale Currie writes next!
 

The Side-by-Side Declaration of Independence and We Were the Fire

Miles, David. The Side-by-Side Declarationof Independence
September 7th 2021 by Bushel & Peck Books
Copy provided by the Publisher

Language changes. Anyone who has tried to read Little Women, a World War I diary, or even a letter from the 1950s can see that. Official language in 1776 poses even more of a challenge to today's young students who are proficient in TBH and LOL but are most likely unfamiliar with forthwiths and henceforths. The Declaration of Independence is not only filled with antiquated language and SAT vocabulary, but also requires an understanding of US history that is often not delivered until later in middle school. Given the importance of the document, David Miles does a great service to readers by parsing this historic document in an engaging way, and incorporating supporting elements of history into this examination. 

I appreciated that this started with a brief, six page overview of the events leading up to the penning of this document. This makes the book easily accessible even to fourth graders who may not have covered this period of history in school or read about it on their own. There's a nice facsimile of the Declaration that very few young people will be able to decipher, since they often don't know cursive! There's even a brief explanation of "How to use this book" that shows readers how to look at the original, see the "translation" on the facing page, and utilize some of the learning aids, like "learn the history", "look closer", and "think deeper". 

It is helpful that the original text pages have unfamiliar words in bold type, and a definition at the bottom, and it's worth buying this book for just the plain English version alone! Each two page spread incorporates Miles' drawings of key figures, events, and places interspersed with other illustrations, reproductions of maps, cartoons, and documents, and even the occasional modern photograph of pertinent items. These are arranged in a colorful scrapbook fashion, and there's even a drawn "tape" detail on some of the boxes. The font size of the Declaration is quite large, and the text is set off with plenty of white space, which keeps the pages from being too busy. 

There is a wide range of history topics included and discussed, from Native Americans to jury duty to the extensive German influence in the US; that was my big takeaway from this! I hadn't realized that there were as many as 100,000 Germans settled here by 1776. The book ends with brief biographies of some of the signers as well as the legacy of the Declaration and an extensive sources cited list.

I know that our 8th grade social studies curriculum covers the Revolutionary War up through the Civil War, and one of my favorite things all year is joining along with the teachers when they play the School House Rock Preamble to the Constitution every year. One of the teachers and I had quite the dance number that accompanied this, but Miles' vibrant dissection of the Declaration of Independence might give this jazzy version of the Preamble a run for its money when it comes to teaching students a very important part of US citizenship.

For my own reasons, I do wish that the cartoon style was just a little bit older, since this will get the most use by readers who are approaching 13 and are very picky when they think something looks "too young".

Moses, Sheila P. We Were the Fire: Birmingham 1963

September 6th 2022 by Nancy Paulsen Books

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Things are not easy for Rufus Jones' family in Birmingham, Alabama in 1963. His mother is a cook at the local steel factory, but his father is killed in an accidental at the plant. His uncle, Sam, has been to college and has one of the few management positions held by Black people, so he and his wife, Ola, who teaches high school, are able to help a bit. The family lives in a small shack in Bull Hill with few amenities, which they rent from a local white man who does little to improve the condition of his tenants. We Paul, a friend of Sam's, starts paying attention to Rufus' mother, Rufus isn't too happy, although Paul is quietly adamant about courting the mother, bringing food, always showing up, and waiting patiently on the porch until he is finally asked in. Rufus and his younger sister Georgia are a little apprehensive, since they have memories of their father, but soon see that having Paul in their life is a good thing. Rufus is aware of all of the racial tension in the South around this time, since he reads the newspapers his uncle brings him, and also Jet magazines that he gets from his teachers, and the family is torn between preserving their own safety and helping to further Civil Rights in their area. Paul decides that it would be a good step to move out of their neighborhood, but they don't have enough money to move to Sam's neighborhood, which is called "Dynamite Hill" because of the tensions caused as Black residents move in. They instead find a place in Ivy Town that is owned by the woman who owns the mill, Miss Boone.They are somewhat apprehensive, because she didn't step in to help with the insurance claim when his father died and the family has yet to recieve his settlement, but go to visit her anyway. A native of Boston, Miss Boone invites the family to enter through the front door of her house, and offers them a better home than they had their eye on, charging them $40 plus some sewing. The house has indoor plumbing and bedrooms for everyone. Some of the white residents are not happy, and a cross is burned in their yard, but it's still a step up from Bull Hill. When Civil Rights activism steps up in the summer of 1963, Rufus is glad to be involved, even if Paul and his mother want him to stay home and be safe. The adults are afraid to take place in the marches, although there are also protests like a boycott of local businesses, so the high school students start planning a children's march. Rufus leaves school to attend, and eventually is arrested and taken to the fair grounds, since the jail is full. Despite the dangers, Rufus is glad to see that the children are able to keep the Civil Rights struggle going forward and bring national attention the their cause. 

Strengths: Rufus' story shows modern readers not only what the Civil Rights movement looked like, but also why it was so critically important. The details of Rufus' ordinary life, from the place he lived to the school he attends, will be unknown to many young readers who perhaps haven't been taught about this history in school. (In my state, the only US history taught before 8th grade tends to end at the Civil War.) This is set a few years before Jackson's The Lucky Ones, and shows the dire situations faced by Blacks in the South, but also showcases the resilience of Rufus' family and the successes they are able to acchieve despite the hostile environment. I appreciated that Miss Boone was shown in a favorable light, even though there probably weren't as many helpful white people at the time as there should have been. It's the perfect length, at 176 pages, and is written in a particularly clear yet fast paced way. The inclusion of historical figures and events is seamlessly done, and the story was as enjoyable to read as it was educational. 
Weaknesses: Our 8th grade is slowly transitioning from a major Holocaust unit (20 years ago, the 8th grade curriculum included World War II, and the Holocause unit in language arts was a vestige of this) to a Civil Rights one, and while the information about the children's march is excellent, the book seems a bit young for 8th grade. It is perfect for elementary schools, though, and will work well for individual reading at the middle school level. 
What I really think: Pair this with Levinson's We've Got a Job for a fuller picture of the children's involvement, or with the aforementioned The Lucky Ones to compare and contrast the progress that the Civil Rights movement made in the 1960s. For so long, books about the South in the 1960s focused on white female main characters (think The Help), so it is great to finally see a different perspective of this important historical era. 
 

Hear Me

Cerra, Kerry O'Malley. Hear Me

September 6th 2022 by Lerner/Carolrhoda

E ARC provided by Netgalley.com

Rayne has been losing her hearing for a short while, and is struggling to keep her mother and father, both school teachers, from knowing how much worse it has gotten. It has even affected her ability to surf, which she very much enjoys, since ears affect balance. Rayne is in seventh grade, has her eye on the class presidency, and is trying to keep up in school although her hearing loss is making things difficult. Her mother wants her to have cochlear implants right away, but Rayne has done her research and knows that once she has these, the avenues to different ways of helping her hearing that may be developed in the future may be cut off. On top of that, she doesn't want people to know she has hearing problems, and the implants are very visible. Her best friend Jenika, brother Colby, and even long time friend and possible crush Theo are all very supportive, but they are no match for Rayne's insistent mother. After Rayne mishears a question at the student body president debate and answers oddly, and her parents schedule the cochclear implant procedure against her objections, Rayne knows she must do something. She's done her research, and thanks to the internet, is able to investigate options such as a boarding school a few hours away from her Florida home and clinical trials for which she hopes to qualify. She has a lot of trouble dealing with everything, so withdraws from her friends and occasionally skips school, which causes her parents to be more alarmed and move the implant surgery up. After she gets a disappointing response from her doctor and from a lawyer she contacts about medical emancipation, she decides to travel by bus to meet with a doctor who has denied her request to participate in a trial. When this also doesn't help, she ends up at the school for the deaf. Her brother, who is in college nearby, comes to see her, and her parents are called. Will Rayne be able to show them that the decisions about her health should be hers to make?
Strengths: Cerra, who wrote the fabulous Just a Drop of Water (2014) does a good job at presenting a realistic view of struggles with diminishing hearing while also having Rayne deal with the more ordinary problems of middle school. Especially effective is the way Rayne's hearing is represented-- words that she can't hear are displayed as ***, so the story really puts us inside her head. Her run for a top student government position, her friendship with Jenika, her budding relationship with Theo, and even her arguments with her parents all ground the story in occurrences to which all students can relate. She's a fantastic advocate for herself, but struggles with anxiety over appearances and what others will think of her almost as much as she struggles with not hearing. Her bus trip, while a bad idea to me as a grownup, is a bit of an empowering adventure. I especially enjoyed the fact that Jenika and Theo were able to tell Rayne that they didn't consider her hearing loss to be "weird" or "broken" as she did; it was just part of her. That's a great message for young readers to hear, and I'll definitely be purchasing this interesting and informative book as a way to give students an understanding into some of the challenges faced by people who are d/Deaf.
Weaknesses: I like the cover as a piece of art, it conveys the sense of separation Rayne feels from her family, gives a good clue to the setting, and even showcases Rayne's anxiety well. As a cover, however, I worry that it might not appeal to my readers. It's more of a 1980s style, and might require hand selling.
What I really think: I was enthralled with Beverly Butler's 1962 Light a Single Candle when I was in middle school. This was a fictionalized account of that author's vision loss at 14, and Cerra has a note detailing how she lost her hearing, starting at 16. There are very, very few books with d/Deaf characters or culture, so there is definitely a need for this well-done book, and having one written by someone with personal experience is great. Pair this with Uhlberg's The Sounds of Silence for a historical look at the treatment of deaf people in the mid 1900s, Kelly's Song for a Whale, or Miller's Miss Spitfire, since Helen Keller is mentioned several times, and students no longer know who she is. 

 

Hear Me is a great book for teachers to read. In my 20+ years in education, we've only had one Deaf student, who both signed and read lips, and she worked as a library helper for three years. We discussed how to deal with students who might not understand her difficulties in hearing her. This book gives a lot of good suggestions for communicating with someone with a hearing loss, as well as the important lesson that people are more than their disabilities. 

MMGM-- Winterkill and Hero for the Hungry

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Skrypuch, Marsah Forchuk. Winterkill

September 6th 2022 by Scholastic Press

E ARC Provided by Edelweiss Plus

Nyl's family runs a farm in 1930s Ukraine near the village of Felivka, and life is becoming more and more difficult now that Stalin has come to power. When the government sends around Canadian George White and his daughter Alice to take an inventory of their farm, the family, which includes Nyl's younger siblings Slavko and Yulia, knows this will not end well. The government is trying to force all farmers to join a collective, the kolkhoz, and are taking livestock, equipment, and other property to start this farm. Those who don't cooperate are deemed "kulaks" and face harsh treatment. Unfortunately, this treatment comes close to home when Nyl's uncle argues with Comrade Chort, who shoots him dead, leaving behind his wife and baby daughter. The aunt is removed from the house, and all of her property is taken by Chort, who moves his family in. Nyl is lucky that he is able to gets some of his family's animals out of the uncle's barn. The farmers who have joined the kolkhoz work long hours, but are hopeful that the government will pay them well, but that does not happen. Eventually, Nyl's family has all of their seed and equipment taken away, but are still expected to meet a quota for growing grain. Even the family's food is taken away, forcing Nyl and Slavko to travel to the new tractor factory to work there. Even Slavko, at nine, works all day making bricks. When the boys find out that the tractor factory is  not going to be providing tractors for the upcoming season, they know how devastating this will be, and return home. Their father has been beaten, and can barely walk, and knows it is time to try to leave Ukraine. In the end, only Nyl's aunt and cousin are sent to try to make it to Poland. Conditions worsen, food is scarce, and the father dies after Yulia decides that she is going to join the kolkhoz, having informed on her family. Food becomes so scarce that Nyl and his mother try to dig up grain from the kolkhoz field, but they are discovered and the mother is shot and killed. Nyl has an address for Roman, who father and mother were killed earlier, and decides to set out for the city to find him. Nyl meets Alice again and hopes that she and her father, who has become disillusioned with Stalin, can get him out of the country. He manages to get forged identification papers, and  they plan a sight seeing trip as cover, but when her father is arrested and Slavkov decides he wants to stay at the tractor factory, she and Nyl try to escape on their own. The two meet up with Roman, who has taken to stealing in order to survive, and gain enough strength to move on. They make their way into Russian, and end up at the farm of Anna, who is elderly and needs help. She is kind, and takes good care of them, but Alice manages to find a way to get back to Canada. Nyl is determined to keep going, even though he suffered so many losses. 

Strengths: I am old enough that in the back of my mind, the Russians always seem evil. My best friend's mother's family  had a farm in Latvia that was taken away from them, so Nyl's story seemed very familiar to me. However, younger readers won't know a lot of this history. Like all of Skrypuch's work, this is well researched, and has some connections to people who lived through similar circumstances. The horrific events are told honestly, but never in a sensational way; just with heartbreaking humanity. It's easy to sit in our comfortable homes and think "Well, why would they chance getting shot to get grain from the fields?", but the reality was that there was really no other choice. There is a lot of historical information, but it is shown on a framework of a fast moving plot, held up by sympathetic characters. Alice is certainly an intriguing character who learns what the consequences of her actions are, and I would almost like to see a separate book about Yulia and her experiences trying to be an exemplary member of the Young Pioneers. Middle school and high school libraries all need this timely book, although elementary libraries should know that many people die during the story. 
Weaknesses: The end notes with more history of Ukraine are very helpful, but I almost wanted a couple of more maps in the book so I could tell where Nyl was traveling and compare his location with current news of Ukraine. 
What I really think: I had never heard of the Holodomor, the famine/genocide carried out against the Ukrainians by the Russians, and it took a long time before the facts about this were known and recognized by the world at large. Mypublic library, which has an extensive collection, only has two books on the subject. I wish that Ukraine had some happier history; the Ukrainian people have suffered enough. Read Spradlin's The Enemy Above, Nielsen's Lines of Courage, Kerr's Winter Horses, Blankman's Blackbird Girls, or Skrypuch's other books to find out more about what this country and its people have suffered. It is not a surprise that they are fighting so strenuously against the Russians. Winterkill is another well researched and important book by Skrypuch, but one that is utterly heartbreaking. 

Thomas, Peggy and Kalda, Sam. Hero for the Hungry: The Life and Work of Norman Borlaug

1 September 2022, Feeding Minds Press

Copy provided by the publisher

Born in 1914 in Iowa to Norwegian parents, educational opportunities were not a sure thing for Borlaug. At the time, most children (including many of my relatives!) only went through the 8th grade, since help was needed on the farm. Because the Borlaugs weathered the crash of 1929 better than many of their neighbors, he was able to stay in school, and even took courses in agriculture. He played sports, and a coach suggested that he apply to Iowa State Teachers' College; he would even help the young man find a job. Borlaug saved up money and dreamed of going to college, but a chance trip to Minnesota with a friend lead to him applying to the University of Minnesota! He got in, even though his courses were a bit lacking, and supported himself by working at a diner in exchange for food. There, he met his future wife, and learned how important not being hungry is to getting on in life. He studied food science, which led to him being hired by Dupont (at the impressive salary of $2,800 a year in 1941-- in 1960, my mother was earning $3,000 as a teacher!) This eventually lead to work on the war effort, which was considered essential and kept him out of the service. When the war was over, he worked on solving the problems with wheat crops in Mexico. They were plagued by rust, and Borlaug fought to have test crops that he cross pollinated, and even had crops in two different areas of the country, a practice that wasn't much used but which worked to his advantage. While he was able to produce plants that would not fall victim to rust, the plants were top heavy. He tried many things, but it was a chance encounter with a dwarf Japanese wheat that enabled him to engineer a plant that was rust resistant, sturdy, and yielded more wheat. It was difficult to get farmers to use this new variety, but once he did, the wheat crops produced enough wheat to solve some of the problems with food production in Mexico. Not one to rest on his laurels, Borlaug turned his attention to food production in India and Pakistan, winning the Nobel Prize in 1970 for his efforts. 

I learned several different things from this book, which is always a good thing! I hadn't been aware of the fact that there was a potato famine in Norway similar to the Irish one, and that was why there were so many farmers of Norwegian descent who moved to Iowa, and I hadn't realized how devastating the agricultural problems were in Mexico and India. 

The highest compliment I can pay any children's biography is that it reminds me of the Childhood of Famous Americans books I was addicted to in elementary school, and Hero for the Hungry is readable in this same way. Kalda's illustrations are a great accompaniment to a 20th century success story similar to that of Philo T. Farnsworth. 

Young readers won't pick up on the interesting Joy in the Morning (Betty Smith) vibe of Borlaug's college career, but that's what this made me think of. Life was certainly very different in the first half of the 20th century, and I love any book that shows this to my students. 

When I was done reading this, my first thought was "I wonder is Iowa has a statue of Borlaug in the Capitol. And they do! Image: https://www.aoc.gov/explore-capitol-campus/art/dr-norman-e-borlaug-statue

Dad's Girlfriend and Other Anxieties

Crocker, Kellye. Dad's Girlfriend and Other Anxieties
September 1st 2022 by Albert Whitman & Company
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

It's been just Ava and her Dad for her whole life; her mother passed away just after she was born. Things have been okay; she has a lot of relatives in her Iowa town,  her father is supportive, and she has a couple of good friends. At the end of 6th grade, though, she was diagnosed with anxiety after an incident at field day when she had a panic attack. She's seeing a therapist and learning coping strategies. When she finds out that her father has planned a vacation in Colorado with his girlfriends Jenn and her daughter Mackenzie. Ava reads too much online, and has decided that Colorado is too dangerous and she doesn't want to visit. The altitute, the mountains, and even the squirrels have her in a panic, and that's on top of the frightening idea of her father having a girlfriend! She makes it through the plane ride, and Jenn seems nice. Even Mackenzie, who wants to go by Z, isn't awful. There are some things that are, however. Ava tries out some of Jenn's hair products in the bathroom and ends up finding positive pregnancy tests, and she finds out that the group isn't staying at Jenn's house  but are traveling to a lodge in the mountains so that Z can visit with her father, the famous fashion photographer Rodrigo. Ava tries everything she can to derail the trip and does manage to cancel the reservation, but they still drive to the resort a day late due to Ava's false assertion that she isn't feeling well. Because the resort is full, they end up in a small, out of the way cabin called "the hermitage" that is pretty primative. This isn't great, but the adults try to make the best of it. Ava goes along with Z when she meets her father, and gets some insight into why Z is worried about meeting him. This doesn't stop Ava from trying to reconnect Rodrigo with Jenn, in the hopes that this will ruin her father's chances. Jenn is really nice to Ava, and does her best to make her comfortable. Ava's father is quite long suffering as well. Z is upset when her father prioritizes his work over her, and is tired of Ava's whining. When the group participates in a Mud Run, Ava's dad offers to team up with Z, since Rodrigo has backed out, and Ava is going to run with Jenn. Rodrigo shows up suddenly but doesn't pay any more attention to Z than he usually does, and Ava has to help Z out even though they are competing against each other. When Jenn isn't doing well but says she is okay, Ava insists that she gets medical care, and Jenn's medical condition is revealed. Will Ava be able to come clean about all of her bad behavior and salvage the new family dynamic that is shaping up?
Strengths: Like Burke's An Occasionally Happy Family, this is a good look at how families sometimes have to realign and welcome new members. The fact that Jenn and Ava's father meet through work even though they live far apart is realistic, and I appreciated that both Jenn and Z are nice people whom Ava genuinely likes, even though she tries to sabotage the trip. Z's problems with her dad will be all too familiar to some middle grade readers, and her anger and acting out are understandable. Coping strategies for anxiety are listed in facsimiles of Ava's journal, along with some of her other lists. Hiking in Colorado was a great vicarious vacation, and the story moved along very quickly. A great first middle grade novel from this author. 
Weaknesses: While it's good to see representation of children with anxiety, Ava's actions are really over the top and harmful to everyone. It's noted a couple of times that she normally doesn't act like this, but trying to disable a car? As a parent, I sort of wanted to ground her forever. Middle grade readers will think her actions are justified. 
What I really think: This is definitely more of a middle school book; if you deal with elementary students and want to explain Jenn's predicament to them, that's your choice! Tween readers will find Ava's adventures in Colorado interesting, be more sympathetic than I was about her fears, and race through the pages as they wonder how the family situation will be resolved.