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READING STYLE GUIDE

Star Wars: The Saga Continues

12/28/2020

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Star Wars The High Republic: A Test of Courage
​by Justina Ireland

"For over a thousand generations, the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic.
​Before the dark times. Before the Empire."   Obi-Wan Kenobi
Long ago or not so long ago, depending on how you measure time, a group of creatives met at Skywalker Ranch and brainstormed the development of a multimedia, multi-publisher, multi-package Star Wars mythology.  While each story would stand alone, they were to be part of a sweeping interconnected Star Wars story arc.
The result: A Star Wars epic that takes place two centuries prior to events in the Skywalker film saga. It tells the story of Jedi Knights who lived during a period known as The High Republic.
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Star Wars: The High Republic debuts with A Test of Courage. Sixteen-year-old Vernestra Rwoh has recently completed Jedi Knight training and received her first assignment. She is to accompany a senator and her impetuous daughter as well as a delegation of ambassadors to witness the launch of the Starlight Beacon,  symbol of hope that will serve as a Republic temple and sanctuary.
Two saboteurs onboard the ambassadorial transport bound for the Starlight Beacon destroy the ship, killing almost everyone. Vernestra, three young passengers, and one droid survive the explosion. They escape the wreckage and are trapped on a maintenance ship. To their horror, they learn that they are the next targets marked for death.
This recently-knighted young Jedi must lead an unlikely fivesome: a Padawan mourning the loss of his mentor, an angry ambassador's son seeking revenge , an innovative tech-savvy girl, and a droid with canny human sensibilities. Vernestra must summon the Force's power, rescue two runaways, outwit Nihil pirates, and guide this rag-tag crew to the Starlight Beacon. That's a lot to ask of any young teen. But this is no average girl and she is no ordinary Jedi Knight.
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Ireland keeps the story moving forward with action, intrigue, and a host of futuristic technologies. There are pirates, a heart-stopping light saber battle, and a massively destructive explosion.   Sign me up. I'm ready for this to join with the High Republic.

The Force is Strong 

"Maybe on the edge of the galaxy you'll find what you're looking for..."
Uncorrected copy provided by publisher.
​Pub date: January 15, 2021  Publisher: Disney LucasFilm  ISBN:  978-1368057301
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Play Like a Girl

10/14/2020

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Furia by Yamile Saied Méndez read by Sol Madariaga

Always proud to play like a girl
Fútbol is in Camila Hassan’s blood. As a young girl, she took the head off a doll and used it as a ball to practice her kicking technique. It’s more than a sport, it’s her passion. Her goal is to compete professionally. Camila knows that the best opportunity to play with a world-renowned team will require her to leave her native Argentina. The first member of her family to graduate from high school and to receive an English fluency certification, Camila wants to improve her chances of earning a spot on a professional team. She dreams of escaping the restrictive existence that she seems to be her destiny and creating a new life for herself. She will not be deterred, both on and off the pitch. Her teammates honor the fútbol-fueled fire that burns within her, naming her La Furia.
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So, what’s holding her back? Her family. Her macho domineering father considers fútbol a man’s game and would never consent to permitting his daughter to compete in the sport. Her mother, cowed into silence by her controlling husband, submissively works as a seamstress, fashioning elegant gowns. She wants a better life for Camila and plans for her daughter to attend medical school.
Camila constructs an elaborate charade to conceal from her family her passion for fútbol and her identity as La Furia. She tells her mother that she is with a friend when she participates in games and team practice. So that she can’t be contacted, she allows her phone to run out of minutes. She waits until no one is home to wash her uniform and pretends to study for an upcoming medical school entrance exam.
Her life is further complicated when a childhood friend, now an international fútbol star, returns to Argentina for a brief visit. It is apparent to both that this is more than friendship. The attraction is mutual. Camila faces a heart wrenching dilemma. Does she abandon her dream of becoming a world class athlete and follow the guy who makes her heart sing? Or does she remain focused on her life-long ambition and reject his offer of a life together?

This story is about choices. Hard choices. Camila agonizes over her decisions, recognizing that with each choice, she may be closing a door. Will she choose to follow her passion for fútbol or succumb to her desire to be with the boy she loves? Can she stand up to her abusive father? Will she remain silent? Can she confide in her mother?

Narration moves fluidly between Spanish and English. Madariaga flawlessly differentiates the varying degrees of English fluency among her Spanish-speaking characters. Singing flows beautifully as a natural extension of the narration. The longing, indecision, frustration, and passion of an older teen is clearly evident in this performance.

The author obviously knows and loves the sport. The play by play descriptions bring readers onto the pitch, delivering immediacy and fierce intensity to the narrative. Méndez storytelling is a polished gem. Her characters are multifaceted. The narrative reveals their sparkling qualities as well as inherent flaws. Their lives are messy. There are no simple solutions. Things are not perfect. However, there is hope.
Furia is intense, filled with desires and dreams, heartache and disappointment, pain and passion. Camila is a girl of my heart.
Audiobook accessed via Hoopla.
Release date: September 15, 2020  Publisher: Workman Publishing
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What Was Lost

2/11/2020

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​The Everything I Have Lost by Sylvia Zéleny

“Diaries are for when life isn’t fun.
They are for figuring out what went wrong.”
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Thirteen-year-old Julia keeps a deeply personal journal describing her life near the Mexico -United States border. Over the course of approximately two years she discloses her fears, her uncertainty, and the longings of her heart. Detailed lists and commentary reveal her life, her everything.
Living in Juárez with father, mother, and younger brother Willy, Julia’s life experiences a seismic shift when her father begins working for the mafia. She assumes that he is a courier. Suddenly the family has a new car, a new house, and many luxury items. But wealth has a downside.
Mamá is no longer her confidant. Her mother's primary objective is to protect and care for her husband. In an attempt ​to shield her children from the mob's influence and possible retribution, she sends Julia and Willy to live with family in El Paso: Aunt Tia, Cousin Jose, and their dementia- afflicted great grandmother.
​​​This young girl faces an uncertain and frightening existence. She must adjust to a new city, new home, new school, new language. She is angry with her father who mysteriously vanishes for long periods of time. She resents her mother for what she perceives as abandonment of her children. She feels that she must accept responsibility for Willy and be the mother he no longer has. This is a heavy burden for a young girl to carry.
When her life in Juárez is forever gone, she makes a startling discovery.
Her father is more than a courier. He is a hit man.
​Julia is devastated.
Her pain bleeds across her diary pages.
She enters an American high school with a few glimmers of hope. She makes a friend and shares with him her shameful secrets. Her great grandmother becomes a source of constancy and comfort. After her husband dies, Mamá reunites with Julia and Willy in the United States and takes tentative steps to reconnecting with family. 
The Everything I Have Lost is a story that is bleak and often terrifying. It paints a picture of survival and finding hope when things seem hopeless. Zéleny's prose is poignant and piercing in its honesty and humanity. A story that readers will not soon forget.

Voices from the Border

"Hold on to your dreams...When times get tough, hold on tight and don't let go."
Reyna Grande
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​Copy provided by publisher.
Pub date: February 11, 2020  Publisher: Cinco Puntos Press  ISBN: 978-1947627178
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Which Witch

8/20/2019

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The Okay Witch by Emma Steinkellner

I have to be both a witch and a person.
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It’s Halloween and thirteen-year-old Moth Hush has given a lot of thought to the costume that she will wear to school. She decides that she will definitely ​be a witch. Black dress. Pointed hat. Nothing unusual about that.
​The girl who doesn't fit in decides that a traditional Halloween costume is a great way to assimilate. Maybe not.
​While trying to help the new kid in school, she discovers that she has extraordinary powers. Her mother confirms that she is, in fact, a witch. Moth learns that she comes from a long line of witches, both her mother and maternal grandmother are witches.
I’m a witch... Everything finally DOES make sense. I always thought I was just weird.
Local lore tells of a witch colony that disappeared centuries ago. Each year students reenact the story. In a strange twist of fate, Moth the costume assistant and her friend Charlie assume the roles of their ancestors in the production. Will they follow the script, or will they choose to reject the town’s traditional witch mythology and create a new reality?
There is ongoing tension between generations of women in the Hush family. Grandmother flees from an oppressive community and creates a new protective world. Mother rejects this exclusive society of witches and chooses to live among humans, never using or speaking of her latent powers. Moth is intrigued by her newly discovered identity. She wants to learn more about herself and her magical abilities.
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This wide-eyed thirteen-year-old navigates the perilous life of middle school while simultaneously exploring Hecate, a witch’s realm existing in a parallel universe. It's new and exciting but strange and frightening. When history collides with the present, old wounds are reopened and past injustices exposed.
Three generations of witches. ​Three manifestations of Hecate: maiden, mother, crone. Three different perspectives on the practice of witchcraft. Mothers try to protect daughters. Daughters seek to break away and create a new life. Who is right?
Magic is an integral story element. Moth explores the past by jumping into her mother’s diary with a cat who is the reincarnation of a family friend and benefactor. Moth's mother, who appears ageless, reveals that she was born in 1675.
Mommy looks a lot younger than she actually is. And it's not just because she moisturizes regularly.
This graphic novel can be enjoyed on several levels. The Okay Witch is an entertaining story of a girl discovering her true nature.  It's a fascinating examination of the mother-daughter dynamic. Readers will also find similarities to historical accounts of early New England witchcraft.
The tale is chock full of delightful tidbits: references to classic movies " I don't think we're in Massachusetts anymore," clever asides "I don't do 'safe.' You've seen me eat expired yogurt,” and interesting visual clues. It will take several readings to catch all the goodies Steinkellner packs into every page.
While the book is marketed for middle grade readers, it has wide-range appeal. Libraries will want to feature this comic in Halloween book displays. Classroom teachers searching for a fresh fictional companion to the study of Salem Witch trials can ditch the well-worn play and add The Okay Witch to the curriculum. It would also make a thought-provoking selection for mother-daughter book clubs.
 Steinkellner's graphic novel debut is smart, quirky, and clever. 
Uncorrected copy provided by publisher.
Pub date: September 3, 2019  Publisher: Aladdin  ISBN: 978-1534431461
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Notes from the Field

6/4/2019

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A field guide is a book designed to help the reader identify wildlife or other objects of natural occurrence. It is generally designed to be brought into the 'field' or local area where such objects exist to help distinguish between similar objects. Wikipedia
This may be the summer of the field guide. Three recently-published novels for teens and young readers use this clever approach. Each narrative features a young person venturing into unfamiliar territory and creating a record of personal observations. The settings are markedly different: two college-bound students traveling by train, a high student attending school in a foreign country, a young girl attempting to accurately draw a shark.

Field Notes on Love
​by Jennifer E. Smith

Take a chance, follow a dream, travel a different route.
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It's the most unlikely of circumstances. Hugo, a biracial British student slated to begin studies at the university shares a cross-country train excursion with Mae, an aspiring filmmaker with her heart set on earning a place in a prestigious training program.
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Hugo was dumped by his long-time girlfriend. One of the “Surrey Six” sextuplets, he wants to establish his own identity.
​Mae was devastated when her application to film school was declined. Her beloved Nana has serious health issues. She wonders: is this a good time to leave home?
Mae and Hugo create a documentary, interviewing the train’s passengers and recording each individual’s perspectives on love.
A charming romance filled with humor, heartbreak, and transcontinental travel.
Copy accessed from public library.
Pub date: March 5, 2019 Publisher: 978-0399559419 ISBN: 978-0399559419

The Field Guide to the North American Teenager
​by Ben Philippe

"We all mess things up. It's what you do with the mess that matters."
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Norris Kaplan, a black French-Canadian leaves all that is familiar and heads to the weird world of high school in Austin, Texas. The school’s counselor offers him a blank notebook. He decides to create a field guide, documenting high school life. He catalogs cheerleaders, athletes, and loners with biting insight, Kaplan carries the diary with him everywhere, skewering his classmates with his wit. Then he makes the mistake of showing his diary to a student. Mistake. Bad mistake.
Norris realizes that several of his initial assessments are not only inaccurate, but cruel. The cheerleader is more than a “laboratory engineered little bag of evil.”
The tall rich kid who wants to play ice hockey has a pain-filled history.
​Norris has misjudged his classmates. It may be too late to repair the damage that his notebook has caused.
​Copy accessed from public library.
​Pub date: January 8, 2019  Publisher: Balzer + Bray  ISBN:  978-0062824110

The Line Tender
​by Kate Allen

"I get how the human body is put together, but I don't get what's happening inside a shark."
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​Lucy Everhart lives in a small town on the Massachusetts Coast. Her father is a member of the Salem Police dive team. Her mother, a marine biologist with a special interest in sharks died five years ago of a brain aneurysm. Lucy and her next-door neighbor Fred are inseparable companions. Recently they undertook a monumental summer project: creating a field guide to document Rockport animals. Fred, the detail-oriented science nerd writes the copy. Lucy illustrates.
A shark is caught off the coast and brought ashore. Lucy is baffled and intrigued. She wants to learn more about sharks in order to precisely enter the fish into the field guide.
 Without warning, Fred dies in a tragic drowning accident.
Lucy’s narrative is raw, painful, and honest.  Her struggles to make sense of the deaths of her friend and her mother are revealed in simple details. Her voice is one of wonder, hope and small moments of joy.
​Uncorrected copy provided by publisher.
Pub date: April 16, 2019  Publisher: Dutton for Young Readers  ISBN: 978-0735231603
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Voices for Own Voices

4/12/2019

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Black Enough: Stories of Being Young & Black in America
edited by Ibi Zobio read by Bahni Turpin and Ron Butler

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Short stories by Justina Ireland, Varian Johnson, Rita Williams-Garcia, Dhonielle Clayton, Kekla Magoon, Leah Henderson, Tochi Onyebuchi, Jason Reynolds, Nic Stone Liara Tamani, Renée Watson, Tracey Baptiste, Coe Booth, Brandy Colbert, Jay Coles, Ibi Zoboi, and Lamar Giles explore what it means to be a contemporary teen as experienced through the lens of racial identity: self acceptance, coming out, parental expectations, friendships, dating, loss.
Bahni Turpin and Ron Butler alternately narrate these seventeen obsidian gems. Their nuanced performances in Black Enough: Stories of Being Young and Black in America give added meaning to the term #ownvoices.
Bahni Turpin skillfully offers a range of character interpretations from the street smart to the affluent. She shines in dialogue between individuals, each with a distinctive voice. I'm in awe of her Caribbean accent in Tracey Baptiste's "Gravity." Listeners hear the uncertainty and dread which evolves into determination and pride at telling one's own truth in Leah Henderson's "Warning: Color May Fade." Raw grief pierces the narration in Dhonielle Clayton's "The Trouble with Drowning." The final piece, Ibi Zobi's "The (R)evolution of Nigeria Jones" brilliantly moves Nigeria from mocking and questioning to fear and eventually to a new-found confidence. She truly evolves!
Ron Butler's dialogue among characters offers unique voices that ring true. It is easy to picture a group of boys walking down the street on a hot summer afternoon, trying to one-up each other in dreaming up the perfect sandwich in Jason Reynold's "The Ingredients." Note: Henceforth I will refer to bacon as the Michael Jordan of all meat. "Whoa!" Rita William-Garcia's speculative fiction tells of a young model ​and fashion designer who, in a strange twist of fate, meets a slave from the past. Butler reveals the lives of both characters with humor and pathos.
Seventeen stories from seventeen authors plus two narrators equal a listening experience not-to-be-missed.

Listen Up

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Butler reads a portion of Black Enough by Varian Johnson. You can hear the voice of a young man raised in an affluent white community, trying to fit into a very different culture in South Carolina. ​Note the exchange between the high school debater and his Nigerian mother in Tochi Onybuchi's "Samson and the Delilahs."
Listen to Bahni Turpin read Ibi Zobio's introduction to the anthology  and a brief snippet of Renée Watson's "Half a Moon​."
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Audiobook accessed via Overdrive
Release date: January 8, 2019  Publisher: HarperAudio 
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Finding Answers

4/2/2019

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Forward Me Back to You by Mitali Perkins

Sometimes you have to go back to the past to move forward to the future.
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Kat, skilled in the art of Brazilian jujitsu, is brutally assaulted in her school’s stairwell by a popular member of the basketball team. She escapes, but the incident has scarred her, leaving her wary of men and emotionally shattered. When she reports the assault, her attacker pleads a convincing defense, denying her accusation. School becomes unbearable due to the constant presence of her assailant as well as the questioning looks and snide remarks from fellow students. A family friend arranges for her to leave her California home and live with an understanding friend in Boston.
Robin, the adopted son of wealthy, well-connected Boston parents, is completing his high school senior year. His father plans his life trajectory beginning with a college education. Robin feels unsure and unsettled, with questions regarding his birth and subsequent adoption.
Guess everyone has a backstory.
​They make us real, even if they make us cry.
Kat and Robin meet at a Boston church youth group. They are invited to spend the summer in Kolkata. working with an organization that fights human trafficking and rescues young children. Both teens have their own reasons for deciding to go to Kolkata. ​Through alternating voices, Kat and Robin share their hopes for this summer of service in India.
How much of himself would remain if he could press REWIND and start life again?
Robin was born in Kolkata and longs to meet his birth mother and understand his history. Kat is struggling to overcome a traumatic assault. She reasons that teaching young girls to defend themselves will help heal her anguish and calm her fears. Interestingly, neither accomplishes his/her stated purpose for traveling to Kolkata. However, each finds the summer in India to be a turning point in their lives.
Perkins builds the story to a heart-pounding, potentially terrifying climax that will keep readers swiftly turning pages. The conclusion is open-ended, bittersweet yet satisfying.
This search for identity and recovery is a sweeping saga that explores the serious problem of international human trafficking. Gripping storytelling, eye-opening adventure in a faraway city, Forward Me Back to You packs an emotional gut punch that lingers long after the final page. A story not to be missed.

Piece of Cake

​When people I love are out of reach, I offer some kindness to another that I can’t give my dear ones. It brings peace to me.
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There is a lovely scene where the Asha House residents surprise one of the volunteers with a birthday cake. In turn, each girl feeds the honoree a piece of cake, while telling her something they admire about her. I like this tradition and will continue it by sharing some virtual bites of cake with Ms. Perkins.
  • Superheroes.There are numerous references to superheroes. Both Robin and Kat are superhero movie afficianados and often reference specific heroes. Kat describes Robin's quest as “Kal-El's search for the planet Krypton." Both Robin and Kat develop qualities (superpowers) that they never would have dreamed possible.
​Too many villains. Not enough heroes. The real world’s nothing like the movies.
  • Animal names. Kat works at the local zoo and is conversant in animal taxinomany. She secretly refers to individuals by a specific animal species. The dignified Mrs. Vee is Ibis. Host of the home where she initially stays is Hyena man. Robin is Bird Boy. Her attacker is a wolf.
  • Kolkata. Perkins paints vivid pictures of life in this fascinating city, from the grandeur of Victoria Memorial and the noble work at Mother House to the seamy underbelly of the city where innocent young girls are captured and exploited. Urban sights and sounds are everywhere: rickshaws, drenching rain showers, and cardamom-spiced chai.

A Personal Perspective

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​“People who are adoptive parents know that they aren’t a hero or a villain. They are just a parent.”
Mitali Perkins, mother of adopted twin brothers, shares her perspective on adoption and the adoption triad: birth mother, child, and adoptive parents. Read her Huffpost opinion piece and her recent interview with Lakshmi Gandhi in an NBC news report.
Uncorrected copy provided by publisher.
Pub date: April 2, 2019  Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)  ISBN:  978-1426333040
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Phases of the Moon

2/26/2019

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The Moon Within by Aida Salazar
"The moon reaches her zenith -
Her glow silvering the world.
Joy sings out
Within every good soul."

"Flower Song for Maidens Coming of Age." From songs of Dzitbalché 7
translated by David Bowles
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Recently, several books about menstruation have been published for young readers. Most are collections of information presented in an engaging manner. The Moon Within takes a refreshing approach. Salazar weaves poetry, astronomy, and mythology together with Mexican and Caribbean culture in this intimate view of a young girl anticipating and experiencing her first menses.
The book is divided into sections mirroring the lunar cycle: New Moon, First Quarter Moon, Full Moon, and Last Quarter Moon. This journey from childhood to maidenhood is like the moon: at times dark, at other times shimmering with reflected light. 
Twelve-year-old Celestina Rivera lives in East Oakland with her father of Puerto Rican heritage, mother of Mexican ancestry, and younger brother Juju.
Magda, a drummer in her bomba class is "better than my best friend," and "my best echo." The two are inseparable.  
Celi's mother is thrilled that her daughter will soon have her first period.  She excitedly shares this news with friends and family and begins planning a tradition ancestral celebration to honor her daughter's first menses. Celi is mortified and feels that her privacy has been invaded. A clash between generations, cultures, and expectations leaves both mother and daughter at odds. Celi's internal dissonance extends to relationships with her peers.
She examines her feelings when Magda reveals her gender fluidity, requesting that family and friends refer to her as Mar because "I feel more boy than girl at the moment and because I can be both."  In addition, Celi develops a crush on skate boarder and capoeira dancer Ivan. Sadly, when Ivan and his friends mock Mar, Celi remains silent, refusing to speak in defense of her friend. ​​She finally realizes that she will have to take a stand. She must decide where her loyalties lie.
Salazar lyrically weaves several themes throughout this poetic first-person account. Reading becomes a sensory experience though explorations of rhythm "dancing bomba feels like warm Caribbean water swishing and swaying happiness inside of me," hearts "a locket in my heart ... holds all of the questions that do cartwheels in my mind,' and of course, the moon "I look into the dark and sway with Luna's moonbeams..."
Ultimately, Celi acknowledges that her Mexican and Puerto Rican heritage are an important part of her identity. She accepts and appreciates the biological changes taking place in her body. She celebrates the girl she is and the woman that she is becoming.
A full moon for many cultures
is a time for magic
for healing
for rituals.

Join in the Dance

Meet the Author


Culture, Identity, and Menstruation

A timely reminder of the universal nature of menstruation and cultural differences:  "Period. End of Sentence" won a 2019 Oscar Award for Best Short Documentary.
​The film explores the stigma attached to menstruation in a rural village in India where girls are prevented from staying in school, worshipping in temples, and having access to basic sanitary products.
​Follow the remarkable story of village women who learn to use a sewing machine, creating biodegradable and affordable sanitary pads for women in the surrounding villages. Their sewing machine was contributed by The Pad Project, a program created by high school girls in a California.
Uncorrected copy provided by publisher.
Pub date: February 26, 2019  Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books  ISBN: 978-1338283372
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Sorting Things Out

2/15/2019

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Pay Attention, Carter Jones by Gary D. Schmidt

​​"So listen, Jones," he said. "Things will get sorted out." 
"You mean in cricket?"
"In cricket, too."
Disclosure: I had a vague idea about cricket based solely on passing references in literature. Beginning on page one it was evident that cricket was going to be an important element to the story. Every single chapter begins with a quote describing cricket protocol.
​I put Pay Attention, Carter Jones down and scurried off to You Tube for a crash tutorial. While a knowledge of cricket is not required to appreciate the story, I found it helpful to learn a few basics.
Returning to the story...
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Carter Jones' life is in disarray. Dad is stationed in Germany. The family car is beyond repair. His three younger sisters function in crisis mode. Their dog is constantly barfing. The Joneses are trying to keep the family together and their heads above water.  They are not succeeding.
Then the doorbell rings.
It's the Butler. Thanks to arrangements from a deceased relative, the family now has a Butler. But this is no ordinary gentleman's gentleman. His major task is restoring order to a crumbling household. Homework, piano practice, and a proper breakfast are promptly instituted. 
The Butler takes the unusual step of introducing Carter to cricket and organizing a group of boys, teaching them the game's fundamentals. Separate story threads come together on a blustery Saturday morning when Team Britannia meets Team India on the local middle school football field for an exhibition game. ​Schmidt brings the contest between the two teams to a riveting finish that will have readers holding their breath until the final moments of the game. No one will want to stop for coffee.
Sixth-grader Carter slowly reveals the family's deep-seated wounds: the death of his younger brother and his parent's dissolving marriage. A distinctive voice makes this first-person narrative stand out. ​​Australian tropical thunderstorms, a treasured green marble, and unanswered emails expose his aching heart.
I was there.
In the Blue Mountains of Australia.
I was wet and cold and the wind was up, and my father had scattered my fire and now he was kneeling by the fire he had built and now he was stacking twigs onto it.
​Carter's offers wry commentary on wide range of topics:  the dog's choice of his neighbor's day lilies to do his business, a mandatory excursion to the ballet with his sisters, driving the Butler's Bentley, and taking the "unpatriotic" side in a class assignment.  ​
Keeping it real, Master Jones. Thanks for keeping it real.
Like The Wednesday Wars and Okay for Now, Pay Attention Carter Jones is a story of getting along, helping out, and standing up. Of growing up.
​Read it alone. Read it with a friend. Read it aloud. Read it while eating Irish steel-cut oatmeal or pizza. It works any way and every way. Pay attention to this one!
Note: Schmidt scatters little Easter Eggs throughout the text. Nods to children's literature and current events abound. The family lives in Marysville, New York. The middle school principal is Mrs. Swieteck. See Wednesday Wars. Principal Swieteck lived in England for a few years when her husband was studying art. And... her name is Lilian. See: Okay for Now. Krosoczka is not a common name. Perhaps Coach Krosoczka is related to the famous comic creator Jarrett Krosoczka. See: Lunch Lady series and Hey Kiddo. Was the name for the Cricket-playing Butler Bowles-Fitzpatrick inspired by New York Jets former head coach Bowles and Jets quarterback Fitzpatrick?

Look at all the shiny medals!

Interesting to note three covers feature the lower half of blue jeans ending in a pair of sneakers.
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Uncorrected copy provided by publisher.
Pub date: February 5, 2019  Publisher: Clarion Books  ISBN: 978-0544790858
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Darius The Great

10/23/2018

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Darius the Great is Not Okay
​by Adib Khorram read by Michael Levi Harris

We have a saying in Farsi. It translates ‘your place was empty.’ We say it when we miss somebody.
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Meet Darius Kellner, "Fractional Persian," slightly overweight sophomore, and tea aficionado. His commentary is liberally sprinkled with references to Star Trek and Lord of the Rings. He adores his Persian mother, dotes on his younger sister Laleh, and navigates a complicated father/son relationship. He's nerdy and possess a biting wit referring to classmates as the "Soulless Minions of Orthodoxy," and frequently doubts himself "That's normal. Right?"
He is also a young man suffering with clinical depression.
Life takes an unexpected turn when the family travels to Iran to visit his Zoroastrian grandfather who is diagnosed with a brain tumor.
Darius confronts the reality of his identity as a young man of Persian heritage who has been raised in a decidedly western culture. Is he American or Iranian? Is it possible to be a part of each? ​He discovers that he has a talent for playing soccer/non-American football, a love for his maternal family, and the ability to forgive and be forgiven by a friend.
Darius returns to America with increased acceptance of himself, greater appreciation for his family, and a clearer understanding his depression.
Michael Levi Harris' delivers a nuanced performance. He expertly moves the narrative through the voice of vulnerable young Darius with palpable anxiety and fragility. Supporting characters receive stellar treatment with unique character accents in English, broken English, and Farsi. Harris nails the personality of each: Laleh's exhausted whining, Trent Bolger's taunts, and grandfather Babou's proud yet often blustering confusion. However, it's the emotional interactions of Darius between friend Sohrab, grandmother Mamou, and father Stephen Kellner that bring the story into sharp focus.
Harris' narration invites listeners into the world of Darius the Great is Not Okay. It's an experience as rich and satisfying as an elaborate Persian meal. The memories will linger long after the final literary morsel is consumed.

Bonus: Listen up

I experienced both the print and audio versions of Darius the Great is Not Okay. I enjoyed each for different reasons. Reading names of Iranian attractions is helpful in locating and picturing specific places: Dowlatabad, Atashkadeh, Jameh Mosque. (They are stunning sites. Take a look.) Thanks Dial Books and Adib Khorram for an outstanding young adult novel! Hearing Farsi phrases is a bonus. I appreciate the decision to have all Persian-speaking characters place a vowel sound between initial consonants. Thanks Michael and Listening Library!

Random Musings

  • How many times has Khorram watched Star Trek? Does he keep some kind of record of his favorite episodes?
  • Precisely how particular is Khorramabout about his tea?
  • Where did he come up with all of the detailed descriptions of the food? Did he grow up with Persian food? How much eating was involved in the development of the book?
  • Is the version of Rook that I learned to play as a child similar to the game played in Iran?
Release date: August 28, 2018, 2018 Publisher: Listening Library
​Audiobook accessed via Overdrive
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