He's a 7th grade student who enjoys sharing books, comics, movies, and gaming with his nerdy friends. He fluidly moves between two countries, navigating crowded middle school hallways and the bustling pulga. He is equally comfortable communicating in Spanish, English, Spanglish, and colloquial Texan. ​English teacher Mrs. Wong expands his multicultural view of the world, incorporating Aztec, Mayan, Chinese and Korean mythology into the curriculum. ​

This first person memoir takes shape through multiple poetic forms such as haiku, rhyming couplets, and free verse.  "Mis Otros Abuelos" is a concrete poem which narrows as the family crosses the bridge connecting the two countries and expands as the family travels further into the interior of each country. 

Draper has fashioned a compelling portrait of a biracial girl living with conflict.  In addition to the tension between her parents, Isabella faces racial hostilities: her best friend Imani discovers a noose in her locker. Who would do something like that? And why? On a shopping trip Imani and Izzy discover an exclusive dress shop. They are tailed by security and eventually asked to leave the store.  Is it because of the color of their skins? Their young age? When her soon-to-be brother is accused of theft, things take a frightening turn. These encounters leave her shaken.

Blended combines questions of identity, racism, friendship, and family.  Like a Sonatina and an old-time swing tune, Draper's novel for young readers hits all the right notes. Melody and harmony blend in one dazzling performance.

Izzy/Isabella prepares for the Pianopalooza by learning music composed in the eighteenth century. She also discovers a treasure trove of old boogie-woogie and blues numbers. Want to hear these two very different musical numbers? 

The girls must locate Princess Sparkle, Destroyer of Worlds and possibly save her life (or is it lives?) They hope to discover the cause of the station's devastation and exonerate themselves. Under cover of night, creeping through air ducts, the girls are on the case. They discover the shocking truth and realize that the entire space station could be destroyed. It is up to the kids, with a huge assist from their parents, to save Wilnick.

Brooks doesn’t even try to get too scientific or technical, peppering the girl’s dialogue with terms such as taffimatter, dual-core turbinate, and gravity grenade. Readers will be captivated by the campy wild adventure without becoming overly concerned with how these things actually work.

The dialogue is snappy and spot on, capturing the spunky young explorers, their stressed-out parents, and the inner politics of a closed-community in outer space. Panels are drawn with a sure hand, featuring plenty of action and highly expressive faces. Use of numerous viewpoints brings added dimension.  Of special note, the view from inside the air duct openings, looking out on the scene below is fantastic. And the pink. Did I mention all that vivid pink?

Sanity and Tallulah is the real deal. A dynamic duo who are willing to go where no one else dares to go. They are astute and more than a little bit reckless. The girls are constantly tinkering and experimenting, much to the chagrin  of their parents, who view them with equal parts pride and exasperation. I hope Ms. Brooks is taking good care of her inking hand because demand for more Sanity and Tallalah is inevitable.

Then she notices the beginnings of something sinister. Tendrils of acrid gray mist, known as the Smoke are creeping into her world.  She is both repulsed and intrigued by this shadowy presence. Then one day in an angry outburst to her mother she declares that she wants to disappear.  She wants the Smoke to take them all away from the Cirque. Her fury causes her parents to make a fateful error. High above the ground, without a net, Smoke fills the tent and her father misses grasping the trapeze bar. She watches as her parents plummet to the earth, only to become birds at the last possible moment and fly away.

Stricken with guilt, Sasha takes Toddy and goes in search of the Smoke. To defeat the Smoke they must find the Magician at The Edge of the World, remove his curse, and rescue their parents. Their quest takes them sailing on a ship sprouted from a magic seed..  They encounter King Crab, the Sharp-Beaked Weasel, a Unimoose, and the Grandelion. ​The fantastical beasts are imbued with distinctive personalities and are a bit reminiscent of characters Alice meets in Wonderland. Like Alice, Sasha must use her wits and summon courage she didn't know she possessed. She makes friends in unexpected places and learns to forgive herself.  She heals as she recalls and enumerates the good things in her life.

Sasha's journey brings closure and peace to her family, the Cirque Magnifique performers, a newly-found friend, a former enemy, and importantly, to herself.

Some book covers resonate with me. This one does. I loved the slightly Art Nouveau graphic design. Note the symmetrical image of the girl. The shapes on each half of the body are the same, but the coloring on each side is different, suggesting duality. What was with the entwined birds? Why was she holding feathers? Smoke and Mirrors had me intrigued before I even cracked the cover. Kudos to the case designer.

When Emma gets too close to the whirlpool, the opaque waters drag her into its chilly blackness. She senses a mysterious power which can “spy inside my head.” Soon each member of the group discovers that plunging into the deepness causes personal imaginary creatures to materialize. Everything from unicorns to dinosaurs begins to take shape and briefly inhabit the island. ​Gradually the embodiment of their imaginings become more sinister and more permanent. These monsters become horrific, bent on attacking and killing. The kids’ worst nightmares have become their community’s worst nightmare.

Tension is counterbalanced with the most ridiculous community festival yet to appear in kid lit. A radish festival. I kid you not. There are to be radish costumes, a parade and a pageant with the winner declared Citizen Radish. Note: I would like to have been a fly on the wall when the authors came up with this story element.

The narrative comes to a satisfying conclusion but Condie and Reichs drop tantalizing hints suggesting that the horror isn’t over. There is something else on that houseboat. As it did with the young protagonists in the story, The Darkdeep will entice readers with more mysterious secrets. They will breathlessly await the continuation of the story. Let’s hope they don’t have too long to wait.

Bowling has crammed this quirky little novel chock full of humor, intense life-threatening adventure, and a ton of vocabulary word entries cleverly inserted at important junctures in the narrative. 24 Hours in Nowhere will keep readers rapidly turning pages as the four thirteen-year-old kids try to stay alive, race against time, and remain friends. No small task. But in a place like Nowhere, Arizona anything can happen.

A star-studded ensemble contributed to this volume. Beginning with a forward by Ashley Bryant and include award-winning children's authors Carole Boston Weatheford, Kwame Alexander, Rita William-Garcia, Sharon M. Draper, Jacqueline Woodson, Margarita Engle, Sharon G. Flake, Joseph Bruchac, and Jason Reynolds. Magnificent illustrations are by renowned artists such as Floyd Cooper, Ekua Holmes, Eric Velasquez, Javanka Steptoe, James E. Ransome, Rafael López, Pat Cummings, Nina Crews, to name just a few. A valuable addition is the brief biography, complete with a photo and website URL for each of the fifty-two individual contributors.

​Editor Wade Hudson and Cheryl Willis Hudson have crafted a handsome, thought-provoking volume. While primarily marketed to younger audiences, the anthology is appropriate for all ages. This collection can serve as a springboard for young creatives everywhere, encouraging them to have faith in themselves, explore what is possible, take pride in their identity, and share their talents. It is certain to be a welcome addition in school and public libraries, classrooms, guidance and support groups, and community youth centers. 

The editors discuss the motivation for creating this anthology and share some of the highlights from this extraordinary volume. We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices samples works of some of the great authors and artists of contemporary work for young readers. It's a soul-satisfying experience for readers of all ages.

This would make an engaging activity for middle grade students. After reading Monster School, students could select verses to share with younger students. Construct puppets to match the characters in the poem. Then design a creepy-looking school backdrop and prepare for a spook-tacular performance. Tweens sharing poetry with younger students doubles the book’s potential audience.

Went a bit overboard on the freckles. The text specifically mentions twelve freckles on the face. I think the marker took possession of my hand and I couldn't stop. Googly eyes provide the finishing touch to the faces. Wooden skewer sticks were glued to the back of each figure. For safety, cut or sand off the pointed end of the stick before using. These puppets are fun to make and easy to manipulate

​Consider these suggestions: “Steve the Loser" would be a terrific showstopper, with body parts falling off. Maybe secure the appendages with tiny Velcro dots for easy removal. “Fernanda Kabul” poem would be another fun puppet performance. As Fernanda casts her spells, substitute the student character puppet for a puppet resembling the hexed character. 
So many possibilities. So much fun!

Langston discovers a few things which help to make his life bearable. One is Miss Fulton, a neighbor in the apartment building and an English teacher at a local high school. She not only bakes delicious pie and cornbread but understands and encourages his love of reading. 

A chance encounter with the branch of the public library is a new experience for him. Before moving to Chicago, he had little knowledge of a library. Upon entering for the building for first time, he is astounded to discover that he is welcomed and is encouraged to borrow books from its vast collection.

This young boy's world expands even further as he is introduced to poetry. He discovers a family secret: his mother loved the works of Hughes and included some of the author's lines in love letters to her husband. He learns that his mother selected Langston as the name for her son.  She wanted to share her love of poetry with her child. 

Finding Langston is an poignant snapshot of life in 1940’s Chicago for African Americans. Lesa Cline-Ransome paints an stirring portrait of the difficulties encountered by sharecroppers migrating north, seeking to escape a repressive existence and build a hopeful future. She pays tribute to the power of libraries and their potential to inspire, inform, and serve all people.  This slim volume, liberally sprinkled with snippets of Langston Hughes' verses, offers an excellent introduction to the works of a premier American author. Young readers will be inspired to discover for themselves the work of African American poets.

Want more? Try these three picture books. Discover poetry by Gwendolyn Brooks and Langston Hughes. Learn about Richard Wright's love for libraries.

From the outset, Graham delivers. He is the master of the thoughtful pause. Each paragraph is given proper consideration without rushing on to the next chapter. The narrator creates a fluid narrative that moves the tale forward seamlessly. Individual voices are distinctive and imbue each character with a unique personality. From excitable Maisie, to self-assured and slightly sarcastic Catalina, to The Duke from Cuba, Graham's golden voice brings every individual to life. He handles tongue twisters such as "marauding mass moose" with aplomb. There is plenty of humor is his presentation. As he approaches the final chapters of the book (there are one hundred thirteen chapters) his voice hints at his increasing astonishment at the number of chapters, as he announces each subsequent number.
I enjoyed every sequence, every scene.  Gran, his family, Catalina, and the residents of Carousel with their endearing quirks won my heart. Thank you, Dave Eggers and Dion Graham for this delightful adventure.

I could listen to Dion Graham read literature indefinitely. His range is impressive and his body of work extensive. He delivers a superb performance in all genres and for every age of listener. Listen to a portion of his narration from The Lifters. Give your ears and your imagination a treat with these samples of his narrations. Click on the cover to hear an audiobook snippet.

The credits mention an aspect of the book that I missed: the art. The stunning cover is the work of the remarkable Fan Brothers. I know Aaron Renier from his Unsinkable Walker Bean graphic novel series. I was pleased to see his illustrations liberally scattered throughout the text. After listening to Graham’s brilliant narration, it was interesting to compare the pictures that I painted in my mind with Mr. Renier's interpretation of the story.