Week 14 - Mystery & Adventure!

Hello Professor Huggins and classmates! As we reach the end of the reading blog, this week, I review books based in the adventure and mystery. Sounds fun! I've enjoyed reading and reflecting on the various books over this semester and I hope you enjoy reading the blog journey!     

    Preus, Margi. 

    Heart of a Samurai: Based on the True Story of Manjiro Nakahama. Amulet Books, 2010.

    ISBN 978-0-329-85966-4

 

    The middle grade novel Heart of a Samurai by Margi Preus, is a fictionalized retelling of real-life historical figure, Nakahama Manjiro, a man who lived during the latter half of the 1800s, remembered as the first Japanese person on record to immigrate and live in the United States of America. Manjiro lived an incredible life, journeying from being a teenage fisherman to holding the title of samurai; in addition to Manjiro becoming a Japanese-to-English translator and diplomat who played a key early role in bridging peaceful relations between Japanese and North American people during Japan’s transition away from over two hundred and fifty years of isolationism, told through Preus’ thrilling and fun writing. Whereas a few characters and plot points were invented to streamline novel into a traditional story structure, Preus nonetheless creates an exciting adventure for readers based in true events that shaped North America and Japan’s histories together to our countries’ relations in the modern day.   

  Manjiro is a compelling protagonist, whose curiosity, wonder and accomplishments during his travels are very engaging for readers, especially for older child readers who may see themselves, their own dreams and fears in Manjiro’s journey. Along with the excitement of Manjiro’s travels between nations, there is an element of suspense throughout the novel as well; as Manjiro faces prejudice from white Americans and suspicions of being a spy by the Japanese people, as Manjiro’s love for both his home of birth and chosen home in North America occurs during an era in which immigration between the east and west were still an extreme rarity. Although civilians in both North America and Japan consider people from the other country “barbarians,” with Manjiro facing cruelty and internal struggle because of his sincere love for both nations, there is still hope, joy and heart to be found as Manjiro still finds human connection and acceptance, such as in the case of his friendship with the American Captain Whitfield, helped Manjiro with becoming settled in the US. Manjiro’s journey in not only reconciling his love for both Japan and North America, but his development from being a young, humble fisherman to one of the earliest Japanese diplomats to the US is not only an engaging adventure for young readers, but the fact that the novel is one man’s extraordinary life based on real history makes Manjiro’s adventure to becoming a samurai in America all the more fascinating to read.

    Johnson, Varian. The Parker Inheritance. Scholastic Inc., 2018.     ISBN 978-0-545-94617-9

 

    The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson, is mystery novel for upper elementary and middle grade readers, follows protagonist Candice Miller, a twelve-year-old African American girl, a confident bookworm and her neighbor/best friend, eleven-year-old Brandon Jones, as they spend their Summer in Lambert, South Carolina, discovering a mysterious letter in Candice’s late grandmother house, sending the two friends on a quest, not only to find treasure, but to also discover the truth of the letter’s author and uncovering the true history of their town. Although at first glance, The Parker inheritance may appear to be your standard mystery novel, yet it tackles many more angles than a puzzle or treasure hunt through the story. Candice and Brandon’s quest for truth leads them to confronting difficult social issues within lambert, such as racism, homophobia, segregation, white privilege, biases and prejudice, in addition to exploring Candice’s conflicted feelings about her parents’ recent divorce, and her relationship to her grandmother inspiring her to solve the puzzle left behind in her family’s house. This is a very engaging and ambitious novel about history and identity, one that can interest readers in its adventure and mystery element, but can engross readers through its themes of discovering identity of self, how extensive human cruelty can reach, but also the importance of holding onto hope, kindness and friendship even in times of extreme difficulty and hardships. Johnson’s novel is very moving with Candice and Brandon’s friendship at the center, reading as sweet and genuine as they try to search for justice and fairness in their treasure hunt that ends up uncovering dark town secrets. The novel doesn’t shy away from difficult or uncomfortable topics, such as discussing how oppressive being a black person living in the deep south during the early 20th century could be for many people in that time period. While the timeline of events in the story and the mature topics may be too much for younger children, this story can be a very engaging read for older elementary and middle grade children, which may spark a discussion for them about their senses of identity or a discussion with the reader’s classmates, parents and guardians about the grim side of North American history in the last century.

  

Week 13 - Fantasy & Science Fiction!

 Hello again, Professor and classmates! This week I review novels from the fantasy and science-fiction genres, this will be really fun, let's begin! 

    Chokshi, Roshani, and Rick Riordan. 

    Aru Shah and the End of Time. Disney-Hyperion, 2018. 

    ISBN 978-136801235-5

Plot: Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi follows the titular Aru, a twelve-year-old, Indian-American girl who has grown up in Atlanta, Georgia in an apartment connected to The Museum of Ancient Indian Art and Culture, where her mother owns. Aru accidently releases a demon known as the Sleeper from a cursed lamp in an attempt to impress her classmates, causing time to freeze around Aru as a result. Aru must then set off on a quest to undo the curse, learning not only about the existence of Hindu gods along the way, but discovering she is a reincarnation of one of the Pandava, a noble hero in Indian mythology, and must reunite with her long-lost sisters from her past life who have also been reborn in modern day.

 

Author Chokshi does an incredible job of balancing the mythology, religion and culture of Hinduism with depicting the everyday realties of Aru’s life in Georgia, such as her sadness and struggles with having grown up without her father in her life or Aru’s desire of wanting to fit in with her classmates. Within the author’s biography kept within the book dustjacket, it is stated that Chokshi lives in Georgia and the author’s love and pride in her state shines throughout the book as the realities of Atlantia interconnects with the fantastical nature of Aru’s journey with the Hindu gods. Aru is a great protagonist, who is creative with weary sense of humor about her world and situations, whose powerful imagination is both her greatest strength and biggest downfall at times, which make for and really interesting character flaw. Chokshi balances the mythological mundane aspects of Aru’s life seamlessly. If child readers are new to the religion of Hinduism, the author introduces mythological concepts in way which are easy to follow along with for those who are unfamiliar with the context of Aru’s story.   

 

Theme: Chokshi’s novel has themes based in universal truths of Hinduism, specifically of the religious belief in reincarnation and rebirth of life, with the subject of reincarnation treated with seriousness and respect throughout the story, being a significant plot point in Aru’s hero’s journey. Another key theme the importance of family, through Aru’s complicated feelings about her absent father and the value of adopted families, depicted though Aru’s close bond with her spiritual sister, Mini, her sibling from a previous life.

 

Setting: The real-life setting of Georgia, along with the fantastical setting of Aru’s quest amongst Hindu gods blended well together. The setting feels appropriate to the narrative as it placed importance both in Aru’s life in Georgia and life as a reincarnated Pandava from Hindu legend.    

 

Style: Chokski has an amazing sense of imagination, incorporating words, phrases, and symbols to give life to Aru’s world. The author masterfully balances the ethereal elements of Aru’s hero quest, alongside her sarcastic sense of humor as a pre-teen girl and the emotional depth of her relationships to her parents and adopted sister, Mini.  

 

    Barnhill, Kelly. The Girl Who Drank the Moon. 

    Workman Publishing, 2016. ISBN 978-1-61620-567-6

Plot: The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill, follows mischievous thirteen-year-old Luna, was abandoned as a baby by the elders of her village, Protectorate, to the forest witch, whom the villagers believed demanded a human sacrifice each year. Instead, Luna becomes the adopted daughter of Xan, the forest witch, after Xan accidentally gave moonlight to Luna to drink as baby, gifting Luna with extremely powerful magic. The story follows Luna’s quest to keep her bottled up magic from becoming destructive, and reclaim her past from Protectorate. Barnhill has created an original, fantastical world, removed from realism. The story has a dream-like quality, as Luna’s adopted family are all supernatural creatures, with Luna’s backstory and quest all to control her magic read as a modern fairytale. The otherworldliness of Luna’s life interconnect with genuine heart and engaging relationships between Luna’s adopted family in a natural, believable manner.        

 

Theme: Central themes of Barnhill’s novel are about the strength of holding on to hope and love over despair and sorrow, lest one be consumed by grief. Another key theme is about the danger of judging people without knowing them, and the negative consequences of refusing to try and understand another person’s perspective, just as the villagers who misjudge Xan and the forest out of pure fearmongering.

 

Setting: The setting of Protectorate village has naturally sad, fearful atmosphere, whereas the nearby bogs and forests have an ethereal quality that gives the impression of there being equal wonder and supernatural horrors hiding around the corner. The setting reflects greatly of Barnhill’s creativity as an author, as she creates an original world that feels it could just as gorgeous as it could be dangerous in the story’s environment.

 

Style: Author Barnhill skillfully creates imagery of Luna’s world through the emotions and spoken words of the characters, rather it is the somber, fearful world of Protectorate, the warmth and unearthliness of Luna’s chosen family and friends amongst the forest and swamp bog, in order to create fairytale-like atmosphere throughout the story. 

Week 12 - Contemporary Realism!

 Hello again, Professor and classmates! This week, I evaluate books based in contemporary realism, let's begin! 

    Kelly, Erin Entrada, and Celia Krampien. 

    Those Kids from Fawn Creek.

     Greenwillow Books, an Imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, 2022. ISBN 978-0-06-297035-0

Characters: Throughout Those Kids from Fawn Creek, various points of view are given across the titular Fawn Creek’s seventh-grade class of thirteen children, with the perspectives of Dorothy, Greyson, Janie, and Orchid, being the focus of the novel. Despite a fairly large cast of characters, author Erin Entrada Kelly gives distinctive personalities to each of her characters which make them stand out rather than blend together into a crowd. Children are sure to find relatable characters amongst the protagonists.

 

Plot: The plot follows a small-town, seventh grade class who have known each other since kindergarten experiences significant change in their school for the first time when Renni moves to a neighboring community and new girl, Orchid moves to town, bringing an exciting perspective and changes to classroom dynamics with her. Although the story is fairly straight-forward in its execution, Entrada Kelly approaches the social politics of middle school and pre-teen drama with kindness and understanding, treating the commonplace issues of adolescence with empathy.

 

Setting: Set within the seventh-grade class of the titular Fawn Creek, Louisiana, it captures the feelings and atmosphere of growing up in a small community, and how the protagonists experience a drastic change that sees a drastic change for the first time in years. The small-town setting is essential to the novel’s plot structure and influencing the character development of the protagonists, as growing up in a small town has shaped the social hierarchy of the seventh-grade class, how they respond to change and the ways in which they initially view their new classmate, Orchid Mason. 

 

 Theme: The theme of choosing kindness, both to others and how one sees themselves occurs naturally within the plot, as the story portrays realistic, slice of life middle school politics. The themes of finding happiness in one’s own identity, and choosing to do what feels right over following herd mentality of peers are all messages that middle-grade readers can find relatable, as Entrada Kelly explores issues that young readers can see themselves and their lives reflected on the pages.  

 

Style: Entrada Kelly’s style and prose is rather straightforward, but engaging and impactful in its messages; every line in the story’s narrative is written to express the isolating, stagnant atmosphere of small-town Fawn Creek, while the highs and lows of childhood experienced by the protagonists are written in a style which combines figurative descriptions of the characters’ emotions and colloquial dialogue in how they interact.

 

Gender and Culture: The story explores the influence of growing up in a small, predominantly white community, with exploration of gender identity and gender roles in its narrative. In addition to exploring middle school dynamics, as well as deconstructing girlhood friendships through Dorothy and Janie’s relationships to Orchid. The novel also embraces the idea of being authentic to one’s true self in order to find genuine happiness, whatever shape or form that takes, such as how Greyson preferring more traditionally feminine hobbies such as sewing is treated with positivity and kindness by the narrative.  

    Yang, Kelly. New from Here. 

    Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2022. 

    ISBN 978-1-5344-8830-4 

Characters: New from Here by Kelly Yang follows the Wei-Evans family, ten-year-old protagonist Knox, his old brother, Bowen, little sister Lea, and their mother Julie as they move from Hong Kong to California during the early days of the coronavirus outbreak in 2020, and exploring how they adjust to so many changes in their lives when moving to a new country during an uncertain period of time. Readers can easily identify with the cast of characters and their experiences, as Knox, his siblings and mother experience a variety of joy, humor, sadness and everyday struggles in their new home in North America. Any child reader who has had to move or had to adjust to a big change in their life can relate to the Wei-Evans siblings’ experiences throughout novel.

 

Plot: The plot of New from Here is very engaging as a character-driven story, being both fun and emotionally moving at the same time as it reflects recent historical events of the coronavirus outbreak. Yang writes within her author notes that her novel was based upon her own family’s real-life experiences moving to America and that is reflected within the emotions, characters’ personalities and experiences in the writing. The novel concludes on a hopeful note, as the family is reunited with their father joining them in America, and is reflective of the times by acknowledging that the future could be scary or uncertain, but they could still face it together as a family.

 

Setting: The setting of California during the height of the global pandemic is integral to the story’s narrative, themes and character development. The setting and time period is depicted realistically and believably, reflecting issues many real families experienced during the pandemic, such as the mother struggling with finding steady employment while raising her children after the move and the children adjusting to online, remote learning.

 

Theme: The theme of a family overcoming challenges in turbulent times, of love and friendship being stronger than hate, and the discussion of modern North American race relations all occur naturally over the course of the novel. Child readers can relate to the often confusing and upsetting feelings which arise from the pandemic that the child protagonist and his siblings experience on the page.  

 

 Style: The author’s writing is very natural and straightforward in execution, being conversational and colloquial, reflective of realistic dialogue between family members and friends.  

 

 Gender and Culture: The novel has a positive depiction of Asian American people through its main characters and Yang’s incorporation of her real-life experiences into the story. It also positively portrays modern, non-stereotypical gender roles in general through the Wei-Evans mother and father sharing work and household responsibilities on equal ground. The novel addresses present day racism towards people of Asian heritage with candidness and sensitivity to Asian people. The novel discusses the cruelty and unfairness of racism to elementary-aged children in a way that doesn’t talk down, downplay the issue nor dismisses the feelings of children who have experienced racism.

Week 11 - Historical Realism!

 Hello Professor and classmates! This week, I evaluate the realism genre in children's fiction, let's begin! 

    Rinaldi, Ann. 

    Dear America: My Heart Is on the Ground: The Diary of Nannie Little Rose, a Sioux Girl. Scholastic, Inc., 1999. 

    ISBN 0-590-14922-9 

   

    My Heart is on the Ground: The Diary of Nannie Little Rose by Ann Rinaldi, is a historical fiction set in 1880, which tells the story of protagonist Little Rose, a twelve-year-old Sioux girl who is taken from her home and parents with her older brother Charles, to be forcibly enrolled in the Indian School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. The story is told from first-person perspective as Little Rose writes in her diary about her experiences at the school. Little Rose makes friends and enjoys her diary writing, but has her culture, language and other connections to her Sioux heritage strongly discouraged by the institution throughout her year there, to be replaced with White European American customs of the late 1800s. Rinaldi’s novel deals with themes regarding racism, oppression, forced assimilation and shedding light on the far-reaching consequences of American colonization from the point of view of someone who is directly, negatively impacted as a member of minority. However, the novel also has a theme of finding joy in even in incredibly difficult circumstances, such as Little Rose making friends at the school, and her dream of becoming a schoolteacher for the children of her tribe’s reservation when she graduates.

    Rinaldi comes across in her text as having had good intentions when writing her historical fiction. The author discusses in her author’s notes being horrified learning about the terrible conditions that Native American children were forced by the government to experience at the Indian schools, believing that the perspectives of the children needed to be shared through her work. Rinaldi appears to have genuinely tried to convey the time period, geographically, and historical context of the Indian schools in the late 1800s Pennsylvania with accuracy. Although there are no bibliographies, timeline or glossaries, Rinaldi includes historical notes within the back of the book about her research, depicting photographs and records of the Indian school, along with acknowledgements in her anthropology research and fact-checking on the Lakota Sioux people. I feel Rinaldi tried to be sensitive in her characterization of Little Rose, and her friends, but the writing still comes across as stereotypical in its depiction of indigenous characters, their relation to white characters, and the portrayal of Native American history. The style of writing felt as though it was reinforcing harmful stereotypes about indigenous American people and ultimately glosses over the many issues of the Indian school by the story’s end.

 

 

     Kadohata, Cynthia, and Julia Kuo. A Place to Belong. 

    Simon & Schuster, 2019. ISBN 978-1-4814-4664-8

 

 

    A Place to Belong by Cynthia Kadohata is a historical fiction novel, set in the early 1940s and tells the story of twelve-year-old, Japanese American protagonist, Hanako Tachibana, as she, her little brother Akira, and their parents move to Japan to live with her grandparents after the family is uprooted from their lives due to World War II, having lost their home and restaurant in Los Angeles after spending four years in Japanese prison camps. This is especially confusing for Hanako who was always encouraged by her parents to focus on her North American culture over her Japanese heritage in order to fit in with white European American customs, but is now leaving America for Japan, a nation, culture, and family members that are all unfamiliar to Hanako. Harder yet, is that the farming community that Hanako’s family moves to in the countryside is outside of Hiroshima, where people everywhere are still suffering from the aftermath of injuries and mass destruction caused by the bombings.

    A Place to Belong is an incredibly moving work of historical fiction, written from the perspective of Japanese American author, Kadohata, with careful thought, research, love and consideration for the Japanese American people who experienced the hardships in the aftermath of World War II shining through on each page of the novel. Although there are no bibliographies, the author’s afternotes convey that Kadohata put extensive research on the life experiences of Japanese Americans in the 1940a, with the context of the historical, Japanese culture, geographically and politics in the aftermath of World War II coming across clearly in style of the writing and depiction of the setting. The characters come across as three-dimensional and realistic, with Hana’s bond with her grandparents in particular, being very heartwarming. A Place to Belong deals with the theme of loss and despair, but also about having hope and love of family during difficult times, as Hana struggles with adjusting to life in post-war Japan, but ultimately finds connection in her new community that brings her happiness.   

    Williams-Garcia, Rita. One Crazy Summer. 

    Amistad, an Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2019.

    ISBN 978-0-06-076088-5

One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia is a middle grade historical fiction which tells the story of eleven-year-old, African American protagonist, Delphine, and her little sisters, Vonetta and Fern, as they fly from Brooklyn, New York to Oakland, California in the Summer of 1968, to visit their mother who had abandoned them and their father. Unfortunately for the three sisters, their mother acts indifferent to her children, treating their visit as an inconvenience in her life at best, and directs the girls to a summer camp at the local community center, run by members of the Black Panthers organization. Soon, the girls find themselves making friends at the community center and taking part in local politics.

    Williams-Garcia’s One Crazy Summer is an incredible novel for older children, as it introduces history of the Black Panthers and the civil rights movement of the late 1960s through the fictional lens of the child protagonist’s perspective. There is genuine heart, humor and care in Williams-Garcia’s writing with fully realized, three-dimensional characters on the page, with Delphine’s struggle with having to grow up too quickly by being a mother figure to her younger sisters, her culture shock from her life in Brooklyn to being in California, and her conflicted feelings towards her mother, all combined to create a great protagonist and supporting characters throughout the book. Within her acknowledgements page, author Williams-Garcia reflects upon the girls and women in her own life who inspired the book, while also recognizing that the story and time period in American history she wanted to tell had required extensive research on her part as the author, having gone through records, interviews and articles on the experiences of African American people who lived in the 1960s era or had been connected to the Black Panthers movement in history. Williams-Garcia’s writing feels reflective of the late 1960s period, as the history and culture of that decade, focused on the perspective of African American families who lived through it, comes to life in the narrative.   The themes of becoming a positive force change in the world, finding empowerment as a young girl, having pride in one’s identity, and broadening one’s perspective are all great talking points for child readers, just as the protagonist Delphine discovers on her hero’s journey throughout the novel.

Week 10 - Graphic Novels!

 Hello again, Professor and classmates! This week I review and reflect upon graphic novels, let's begin! 

    Sturm, James, et al. Adventures in Cartooning. First Second, 2009.   ISBN-13 978-1-59643-369-4

    Adventures in Cartooning, a collaborative work between cartoonist James Sturm, and his former students, Andrew Arnold, and Alexis Frederick-Frost, is a graphic novel which introduces children to the basic steps and structures of creating comic books while also telling the story of a stubborn knight, a magical elf and their very silly horse who go on an adventure to rescue a princess who wants to be a cartoonist. Throughout the heroes’ adventure, the authors demonstrate to young readers how illustrations, text and the placement of panels work together in order to create a story told in a graphic novel or comic strip format. The story itself is easy for children to read and follow along, being a fairly simple medieval fantasy of brave heroes going on a quest to rescue a princess, facing challenges along the way, but with a comedic, cartoon twist. The illustrations, panel arrangements and text combine to not only make the story fun and silly entertainment for its elementary-age target audience, but it also educates its young readers about the creative process which goes into making cartoons, such as in its inclusion of comic book-making instructions within the back of the book, encouraging readers to lean to become cartoonists themselves.

    Brown, Jeffrey. Star Wars: Jedi Academy. Scholastic Inc., 2013. ISBN 978-0-545-50517-8

    Star Wars: Jedi Academy by Jeffrey Brown, is set within the familiar universe of the Star Wars franchise, told from the perspective of protagonist Roan Novachez, a twelve-year-old boy from Tatooine who is discovered to be Force-sensitive and sent to be one of Master Yoda’s students at the Jedi Temple’s equivalent of middle school. Although Roan lives in a galaxy far, far away, he is a relatable protagonist for young readers, especially those who are entering new grades in upper elementary and facing new challenges; as Roan struggles with self-confidence and faith in his own abilities as he navigates his new school environment, while learning to use the force alongside classmates who have been raised by the Jedi from their early childhoods. Brown’s witty text combines greatly with his cartoon illustrations, reimagining iconic Star Wars characters, alien races and galactic locations in fun and fresh new perspectives, with the author’s love for the Star Wars franchise shining through on the pages.

    The book pages alternates between comic strips of Roan’s school days, text of paragraphs told through Roan’s class notes and diary entries, with cartoon drawings of Roan, his friends and family scattered throughout the graphic novel. Children who are already fans of Star Wars are likely to enjoy this graphic novel, the first in a trilogy series, with the story’s ending concluding in a manner where it can either be read as a stand-alone or lead directly into the book’s sequel. Children who are unfamiliar with the Star Wars universe can still appreciate Brown’s unique take on the world, with a memorable cast of characters who make up Roan’s world, along with clever humor and heart on the pages as Roan finds his place as a Jedi Padawan in his new school. Even if the Star Wars series is new for some young readers, the universal experiences of entering a new grade and integrating oneself into a new classroom environment are themes that many children can relate to when reading Brown’s graphic novel.  

 

    Craft, Jerry, and Jim Callahan. New Kid. 

    Harper, an Imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, 2019.

    ISBN 978-0-06-269120-0

    First book in a trilogy series, New Kid by Jerry Craft follows the story of twelve-year-old protagonist, Jordan Banks, who is the titular new kid, not only in middle school, but at the most prestigious private school in his state. There is fun in Craft’s story follows Jordan as he adjusts to his new school environment and makes new friends, while also depicting Jordan’s struggles with fitting in with a serious sense of realism, as Jordan faces microaggressions from classmates and teachers alike due to being one of the few African American students at the school, as well as dealing with being one of the few students who has a middle class background compared to many of his peers, such as Jordan’s new friend, Liam, whose family comes from generational wealth. Craft’s story is filled with mature themes of racism and classism, along with genuine heart and a sense of humor as Jordan bonds with classmates Liam, Drew and his almost-girlfriend, Alexandra, who each come from a variety of backgrounds, with their own challenges in private school as well. Craft’s illustrations are bright, fun, and have occasional silly sight gags, depicting the issues of Jodan’s middle school with humor when needed, without downplaying the seriousness of a chapter or moment when the protagonist is facing a mature issue.

    Jordan’s bond with Alexandra in particular is heartwarming as she struggles with social anxiety out of fear that her classmates will bully her for having a burn mark on her hand that she hides with sock puppets; through Jordan’s kindness, friendship and willingness to listen to her problem, Alexandra gains more confidence in social interactions with classmates by the end of the story. Jordan is a great protagonist for child readers to relate to, as despite the challenges at his new middle school, Jordan remains true to himself, remaining a friendly, creative kid who stands up for his friends when they need support, finding a happy balance between his home life and school life by the end of his hero’s journey. Craft’s graphic novel is a wonderful story about inclusivity, the importance of taking a stand against injustices when they are witnessed, and the value of finding a balance between remaining true to one’s self with embracing change while growing up. I would recommend this book for older elementary and middle school readers, such as the issues of racism and classism within the story may engage and resonant with older children more so than potential younger readers.   

    Brian, Rachel. 

    Consent (for Kids!): Boundaries, Respect, and Being in Charge of You.

    Little, Brown and Company, 2020. ISBN 978-0-316-45773-6

    The graphic novel Consent (For Kids!): Boundaries, Respect, and Being in Charge of You by Rachel Brian is a very valuable educational book for children. Throughout Brian’s book, the author teaches young readers about the incredibly important concept of consent for one’s own body, learning how to say “no” when made to feel uncomfortable by someone else, how to recognize signs and creating boundaries, all in child-friendly language. Brian uses stick-figure, cartoon drawings and comic panels with cute characters to convey her message about a very serious topic that many parents and guardians may have trouble starting a conversation about with their children; the cartoon characters within Brian’s book discuss the matter of consent at a level and in terms that elementary age children can understand, making a very serious issue easy enough for young readers to follow along throughout the lessons in the book, as the author teaches readers how to express themselves in a firm manner and how to recognize signs when a situation doesn’t seem right, rather it is when an adult is being inappropriate with a child or if a child doesn’t want to greet and say goodbye with hugs. Although targeted to early and older elementary-aged children, readers of all ages can benefit from the messages about consent within Brian’s graphic novel.

 

 Annable, Graham. Peter & Ernesto: The Lost Sloths. First Second, 2019. ISBN 978-1-62672-572-0

    Peter & Ernesto: The Lost Sloths by Graham Annable is about two best friends who, as the title implies, are sloths who lose their beloved home after a hurricane destroys their tree. Nervous and cautious Peter wants their sloth tribe to stay in their familiar area and rebuild amongst the damaged area, avoiding any potential danger, while easy-going and adventure-seeking Ernesto want to lead their family across the rain forest to find an even better tree to call their perfect new home. The group of sloths, led by inseparable Peter and Ernesto, face peril, but find friendship with different animals as they quest to find the right tree to live, finding a friendly, but lonely bird along the way who is excited to become their roommate. Annable’s Peter & Ernesto: The Lost Sloths is the second book in a series of children’s graphic novels, but can just as easily be read as a standalone if this is a reader’s first introduction to Peter and Ernesto. The story is fairly straightforward and easy for young elementary school-aged children to follow along. The simple text and cute, warm earth-tone illustrations of the sloths work well together, combining to create a nice, fun and sweet story about two sloth best friends finding a new home.

 

 

Week 8: Beginning & Transitional Readers!

 Hello again, readers! This week, I am reviewing books for beginning and transitional readers! Let's begin!

    Hale, Shannon, et al. The Princess in Black. 

    Candlewick Press, 2014. ISBN 978-0-7636-6510-4

    For my first selection, I have chosen The Princess in Black by Shannon Hale & Dean Hale, illustrated by LeUyen Pham, published in 2014 through Candlewick Press. In this first book of a series, the Hales introduce readers to the protagonist, the Princess Magnolia, who on the surface appears to be your typical prim and proper princess who loves sparkly, pink dresses, but in reality, Magnolia is the titular Princess in Black, a vigilante who protects her kingdom from danger, enjoys fighting monsters and loves the color black instead of pink. In this Magnolia must balance her responsibilities as a princess to have tea with a member of her court, Duchess Wigtower, while protecting the farmers’ goat population from a goat-eating monster, all while making sure Duchess Wigtower doesn’t discover her double-life as the kingdom’s protector!

    After reading The Princess in Black, I place that this book is at level three. It is an early chapter book, with under ninety-page numbers and longer sentences, not quite reaching a full transitional book, but certainly more complex than level two and below books, being a fun, witty story for early elementary aged children from kindergarten to third grade who have begun to read independently from their parents and teachers. There are typically six-to-eight lines on each page, not extending over fifteen in a more natural sounding language, with the pages alternating between full, colorful illustrations complement the story as decoration, whereas text is on primarily white pages with margins taking more space than the illustrations.

  Elliot, Zetta, and Geneva B. Dragons in a Bag.

     Random House Children’s Books, 2018.

    ISBN 978-1-5247-7045-7

    For my second selection, I have chosen Dragons in a Bag by Zetta Eliott, illustrations by Geneva B., and published in 2018 through Random House Children’s Books. Eliott’s Dragons in a Bag follow the protagonist, nine-year-old Jaxon, who discovers his grandmother, Ma, is actually a witch and becomes her apprentice, helping her on a quest to deliver three baby dragons to a hidden realm. After reading this book, I place it under transitional books. At a hundred and fifty-four pages, with fairly large typeface, minimal black and white illustrations which alternate every few pages, primarily white pages of alternating long and short sentences, and lines which typically go over eight words, I categorize this early chapter book as fitting of a transitional book for elementary school-aged readers.

 Keller, Laurie, and Mo Willems. 

    We Are Growing! An Elephant and Piggie Like Reading! Book.

    Hyperion Books for Children, an Imprint of Disney Book Group, 2016. ISBN 978-148472635-8

    For my third selection, I have chosen We Are Growing! An Elephant & Piggie Like Reading Book by Laurie Keller and Mow Willems, published in 2016 through Hyperion Books for Children. A children’s book about a talking blade of glass named Walt who struggles with his self-esteem after watching his friends growing and seemingly becoming more impressive plants.  After reading this book, I place it at level one. My reasoning is that the book, just under fifty pages, is composed of sentences that are typically six words or less of two to three lines per pages. Additionally, words within the book seem primarily for the purpose of sight vocabulary, lacking the complexity and wit of higher-level books I have reviewed such as The Princess in Black and Dragons in a Bag.  

    Fenske, Jonathan. A Pig, a Fox, and a Box. 

    Penguin Young Readers, 2015. ISBN 978-1-480-67973-3

    For my fourth and final selection for this week’s readings, I have chosen A Pig, a Fox, and a Box by Jonathan Fenske, published in 2015 through Penguin Young Readers. A children’s picture book about two best friends, the titular Pig and Fox, in which Fox attempts to play pranks and hide-and-seek games with a box in order to tease Pig. Although the book itself classifies itself as a level two book, but based on my reading of the book, I would place it as level one instead. The book has simple sentence structures, with five to six words on average per page, and two-to-three lines on each page, with single syllable words which focuses on sight vocabulary. Each page is fill with simple lines and fun illustrations of eye-catching greens, blue and oranges which take up most space within the book, with little white space alternating between pages. It is an entertaining story for young readers, but one that does not have the complex writing and sentence structures, sparsely utilized illustrations or the direct dialogue of early chapter books for older children.

 

 

Week 7-Books of information!

    Hello again, readers! For this week’s assignment, I am reflecting upon books of information for young readers. Lets begin!

 Yang, Kelly, et al. Yes We Will: Asian Americans Who Shaped This Country. Dial Books For Young Readers, 2022. 

    ISBN 978-0-593-46305-5

    For my first selection, I have chosen Yes We Will: Asian Americans Who Shaped This Country by Kelly Yang, illustrated by Nabi H. Ali et al., and published in 2022 through Dial Books For Young Readers. As described within her author bio in the back of the book jacket, Yang is an Asian American New York Times bestselling author who has won multiple esteemed awards such as 2019 APALA Award for Children’s Literature, the Parents’ Choice Gold Metal, amongst having her work published on various bestselling lists (Yang, 2022) Yes We Will is a wonderful children’s picture book which introduces young readers to the history, hardships, creations and achievements of Asian American people in our nation. Yang, through her book, gives a spotlight to not only the cruel oppression and challenges faced by Asian American communities in the United States’ history, but she also highlights the incredible dreams and achievements made a reality by Asian American creators as well. Yang’s book is written from the perspective of an Asian American author, sharing love and pride in her Asian American heritage with readers of different age groups, but showing Asian American children in particular through diverse examples, that Asian American people can accomplish any dream or goal that is in their heart. 

    The book uses concise language with short, one-to-two lines on each page, but contains powerful messages about famous Asian Americans who have shaped history within its text combined with gorgeous illustrations by a different artist on every page, sure to captivate readers of all ages. Yang’s book takes a broad view of Asian American history, being an introduction for child readers, with footnotes along the bottom of the pages with information about different eras of Asian American history, historical figures and accomplished celebrities of Asian American heritage, with credit given to the respective artist of each book page. The book does not follow a strict chronological order, highlighting significant historical moments, and spotlighting Asian American creators from different time periods throughout the book, from the 1800s to modern day. The author’s note features historical framework as well as information regarding the Asian American creators and historical figures within the previous pages for readers who want to learn more. Illustrations vary in style due to the variety of artists, also of Asian descent, with greys or darker earth tones used for historical hardships in Asian American history, while pastels and warm colors are used for illustrations depicting the love, dreams and incredible accomplishments of the Asian American people within the book. The concise text combined with the stunning illustrations tell not only the dark side of Asian American history, but ensures to highlight the joy, pride and determination of the Asian American community to young readers as well.

Stewart, Melissa, and Sarah S. Brannen. Summertime Sleepers: Animals That Estivate. Charlesbridge, 2021. 

    ISBN 978-1-58089-716-7

    My second selection is Summertime Sleepers: Animals That Estivate by Melissa Stewart, illustrated by Sarah S. Brannen, and published in 2021 through Charlesbridge. Summertime Sleepers is book which introduces the concept of estivation, or summertime animal hibernation, to early elementary-aged readers. Stewart is well informed to be writing on the subject of estivation, as the according to her book’s author bio, she holds degrees in both biology and science journalism, along with having written over 180 books for children, and living in Massachusetts, a state known for hibernating animals (Stewart, 2021). Whereas estivation will likely be an unfamiliar concept for many young children before reading, the book is easy to read and follow, with a narrow focus for child readers, as the author arranges the information in order of enumeration, connecting and comparing the different ways in which animals sleep, whether in groups, alone and how their hibernating arrangements differ based on the varying environments in which the animals call home. Stewart in her own words, utilizes a “soft, cozy, lyrical voice” for her story narrative, balanced with Brannen’s soft illustrations filled with light, calming earth tones, they combined to create a relaxing design throughout the book, reflective of the book’s subject matter. The softness of the narrative voice, writing and illustrations help keep the format of the book easy to follow for young children, explaining new concepts with a narrow focus, ensuring to talk at the level of the child readers without overcomplicating the subject nor simplifying it too much in the process.  

Maillard, Noble, and Juana Martinez-Neal. Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story. Roaring Brook Press, 2019. 

ISBN 978-162672-746-5

   For my third selection, I have chosen Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story, written by Kevin Noble Maillard, illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal, and published in 2019 through Roaring Brooks Press. This is a beautiful story which depicts a Native American family, young children and their Nana, preparing the titular fry bread together, but the story is much more than simply about the act of baking. As poetic and power words described within the dust jacket of the book state, “Fry bread is food. Fry bread is time. Fry bread is nation. Fry bread is us” (Maillard, 2019). The story narrative uses concise, but moving language with a narrow focus for children, acting as an introduction for young readers to fry bread as a cultural dish amongst Native American communities, describing to children audience the not only a vivid image of the texture, shape, flavor and joy the baking or eating of fry bread can bring people, but empathizes the different unique variations of fry bread as different tribes, families and individuals each have their own special approach and connection to the food as a tradition passed down through generations and shared across indigenous nations. Martinez-Neal's lovely pencil-sketch cartoon illustrations in warm colors highlights the love shared between the family in the book, the warm of their relationships, pride in the traditions of their heritage and the same joy that both the older and younger generations find in the activity of baking fry bread, all shine through on each page of the book. Within the back of the book, author Maillard shares with the readers his own recipe for fry bread, in addition to the author notes containing more historical and cultural framework that older children and adults can read to learn more about the importance of fry bread within different Native American nations.

Weatherford, Carole Boston, and Floyd Cooper. 

    Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre. 

    Carolrhoda Books, 2021. 

     ISBN 978-1-5415-8120-3

 

    For my fourth selection, I have chosen Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Floyd Cooper, and published in 2021 through Carolrhoda Books. Weatherford is a highly esteemed author, having won a Newbery Honor, as well as being a Sibert Honor winner and two-time recipient of the NAACP Image Award (Weatherford, 2021). Weatherford’s passionate, powerful writing and Cooper’s stunning, empathetic illustrations complement each other in order to educate children about the horrors of the titular Tulsa Race Massacre, “helping readers young readers understand the events of the past so we can move toward a better future for all” (Weatherford, 2021). Weatherford’s sentences are fairly short, being two-to-four lines on each page, with Cooper’s illustrations filling the spaces of the page with highly detailed drawings of the African American community of Greenwood during the early 20th century. Weatherford’s writing and Cooper’s illustrations has a narrow focus in a narrative story, empathizing the emotions, both positive and negative, of the Greenwood African American people, underling their history as a thriving community with families, businesses, love, dreams and lives, that were horrifically burnt down by truly cruel, racist mobs. Weatherford does not talk down nor sugarcoat the tragic events of the massacre to young readers, but uses the opportunity to educate children about this tragic historical event through honest, concise language, combined with somber, impactful illustrations by Cooper. The book ends on a hopeful note, reminding readers of the responsibility of rejecting hatred and violence, to not ignore the tragic context of history and the importance of working toward a brighter, better future for everyone (Weatherford, 2021).