WONDER WALKERS by Micha Archer and YOUR PLACE IN THE UNIVERSE by Jason Chin

We had a great discussion of our two picture books at our December Zoom meeting. We began with Wonder Walkers by Micha Archer. We all loved this book. We loved the fact that it dealt with a young sister and brother who were exploring their world on their own, and asking their own questions about it -- without any adults telling them what to look for/at. We loved their closeness, and they way they communicated and understood each other. We loved the fantastic colorful multi-faceted collage illustrations which showed the wonder of the world around them -- as they wondered about it. (We also loved the dual meaning of the word 'wonder'!) We thought that these illustrations, which showed such painstaking detail, were a wonder! We wondered if Archer had done them all by hand OR if she had used digital availabilities. We thought it was the children who actually made every picture meaningful with their bright, inquisitive faces. As for the text, one reader said she became a bit bored with the continual questions, but others felt that the economical text told so much....with the phrases, "I wonder" and "Me too" popping up in the middle of the book, and then again at the very end. We thought this was a great read-aloud, and would be very useful in home and classroom situations in helping young children to become more observant of the world around them. A 'thumbs-up' all the way!

We were equally impressed with our second picture book, Your Place in the Universe by Jason Chin. We loved the concept of how the first illustration pulled the reader in, with its focus on the group of diverse eight-year-olds, as the idea of size was explored, and how in each ensuing spread the 'universe' got bigger as the children, books, animals, trees, and skyscrapers got smaller. We thought that the way Chin showed relative size was not only very clever, but very informative as well. Since it was a challenge to keep the text simple, we liked the way that Chin augmented this by using a different smaller font where specific scientific explanations or measurements were necessary. As the universe was shown to get bigger and bigger, the text always circled back to the kids. We thought the final illustration of the Cosmic Web (even though no-one has ever seen it) was very engaging and compelling. We loved that it ended back with the group of kids -- realizing they were on our Earth -- a little dot in this great Cosmic Web. We thought young readers would find this book very interesting, since it dealt with comparisons they themselves could make as they learned about relative size. We also felt it could encourage kids to further explore STEM possibilities. We were also very pleased with the extensive Back Matter which provided a wealth of additional facts and figures about Earth and its place in the universe.

We loved the relationship between these two wonderful picture books: a sort of left brain/right brain -- facts/imagination exploration of our planet and our place in it.

PAPA LOVES YOU, TINY BLUE by Jo Empson and SPY SCHOOL by Stuart Gibbs

 

Our October meeting was a hybrid with three of our members joining us remotely on Zoom. We began with our picture book, Papa Loves You, Tiny Blue by Jo Empson. We all loved this sparely and beautifully told story of Papa Penguin and his very cute baby, Tiny Blue, who had A LOT of questions as they walked along the beach and swam in the ocean. We agreed that anyone one who has had experience with an inquisitive toddler (including the toddlers themselves!) could relate as Papa very simply and clearly explained the wonders of the world around them and the sea in which they swam – until – he finally said, “Aren’t you tired yet?” We loved the ending as Papa answered the final question, “What is love?” We also loved the lush, mostly bluish and pinkish illustrations throughout, which in many places felt very ‘wet’ – especially when they were exploring the underwater areas. We also liked the addendum page at the very end that explained fairy penguins, the smallest in the world, and gave very simple, scientifically true answers to some of Tiny Blue's questions. We felt that this was a great read-aloud/bedtime story that all would enjoy.

We had a 50/50 split in our reactions to our novel, Spy School by Stuart Gibbs. Half of us thought at first that the book would be really great, due to the title and the chapter headings, along with the military-seeming format telling the location, date, and time of the incidents in each chapter. But sadly, these readers were disappointed due to what they felt was a lack of characterization, too much violence, references that they felt were beyond the knowledge of the 8-12-year old targeted readers, and some plot situations that were just too convoluted to tolerate. Those of us who liked this book more appreciated 12-year-old Ben, the protagonist, who, after being brought to the Spy School as a ruse to catch an internal mole, turned out to be a very smart and intuitive thinker and problem solver, even as he was cast into various scary episodes of intrigue along with the usual middle-school angst common in novels for this age group: friends, girls, relating to teachers, food, etc. We also appreciated the fact that the ‘smartest person in the room’ was the very aloof and brilliant Erica, who had an answer and a solution for almost every situation that arose. Even though we didn’t love all of the weapons and violence, we felt that young readers would enjoy reading this first installment (published in 2012) in what is now a series of ten books, and many of us were interested in possibly reading more ourselves to see what happens to Ben, and whether the author’s style and plot ideas have changed at all, given current issues with school violence, guns, relating to authority, and attitudes of today’s youth toward sex. We had a very interesting discussion, and our differences of opinion are part of why we love our group!

A LIFE ELECTRIC: The Story of Nikola Tesla by Azadeh Westergaard and MEET CUTE: Some People are Destined to Meet by Jennifer L. Armentrout

We started with our picture book, A Life Electric: The Story of Nikola Tesla by Azadeh Westergaard, illustrated by Julia Sarda. We were all very happy to learn more about the early life and later experiences of this brilliant though underrated scientist about whom little is known beyond his name on a 21st century electric automobile. We all liked the the illustrations which were digitally created using mostly muted colors, but which showed many details of Tesla's life, both as a young boy and as a man who never lost his curiosity nor his love for poetry, animals and birds. We especially liked the borders on many pages, which provided designs giving a feeling of electrical movement. We thought the message of the book would be great for young readers: encouraging them to be persistent in their childhood interests and stick with their dreams for the future. One reader felt the book was a bit too wordy for a picture book while others felt it was OK. Another reader liked the beginning and the ending better than the middle. The only real problem we had with this book was its lack of scientific information. Although Tesla's discovery of AC current revolutionized the modern world, there was minimal explanation of how it works -- until we read the Author's Note at the back of the book. Here there were many more details, scientific and otherwise, that made Tesla's life more real -- including his feud with Thomas Edison and his decision to tear up the royalty contract he had made with George Westinghouse when he sold him the AC rights. We thought it would have been a good idea to have included these details in the text of the book, since most young readers would probably not read the Author's Note. We felt it was important to show the sad ending of Tesla's life, as a seemingly lonely man living almost penniless and taking care of pigeons in a hotel room. We were glad that at least his funeral was attended by thousands of mourners (and many pigeons -- according to the illustration!) We thought this book would have many uses in a school situation, including in middle- and high-school, since it was a great introduction to a very important scientist and it could be a kickoff for further research into his life, the life of other scientists, or into the process of how electricity (which we all mostly take for granted) actually works to light up our lives.

We had varying opinions on our 'novel' -- actually a short story collection -- Meet Cute: Some People are Destined to Meet, by Jennifer L. Armentrout, et al. Some folks were big fans of story collections, others not so much. We felt the writing was mostly quite pedestrian -- nothing really stood out for any of us as being particularly stellar, and we agreed that there is a definite art to writing compelling short stories. We also couldn't determine much difference in the 'voice' from each story. It almost felt the same in each story, even though they were about different situations created by different writers. It was interesting to hear how readers approach story collections. One reader went through the Table of Contents, and only read those stories whose titles enticed her. Even so, she felt some of the stories were too long. Others read the whole book; others only a few stories. We had a few favorites, but none of our minds were paricularly blown. We did feel however that teen readers would enjoy this book, since its subject matter is front-of-mind for many of them, and that there was enough variety of places/plots/situations to which they might gladly relate.

CHESTER VAN CHIME WHO FORGOT HOW TO RHYME by Avery Monsen and THEY WENT LEFT by Monica Hesse

We began our discussion with our picture book, Chester Van Chime Who Forgot How to Rhyme by Avery Monsen, illustrated by Abby Hanlon. We all agreed that it probably wasn't the greatest picture book of all time, but it would be very useful in classroom or home situations as a read-aloud to reinforce vocabulary development in young (PreK-2/3) children. Although essentially written in rhyme, the final rhyming word is replaced each time by its meaning...well -- because Chester forgot how to rhyme. But the illustrations must be perused carefully -- because the REAL rhyming word is incorporated into many of the pictures. We felt that teachers and students could have fun with this book, and that it would be great for encouraging close observation of the colorful, humorous, and delightfully detailed illustrations. It presents many, many rhyming pairs throughout the story and on the front and back endpapers, and it could be used to create an opportunity for children to come up with their own rhymes. Near the end Chester figures out that playing with wby words should be FUN, which is a good seed to plant in the minds of small learners.

Our very meaningful novel, They Went Left by Monica Hesse impressed us all by its page-turning, authentic, and unfortunately rarely-told story of young people who survived the Holocaust, and their lives after they were released from the concentration camps during World War II. The protagonist, Zofia starts out a broken person, whose only mission upon her release is to find her missing younger brother, Abek. Although there were many characters to remember, we all thought the story unfolded in a believable manner, superimposing Zofia's memories of life in the camp with what she was experiencing at the moment. We agreed that it presented a gripping example of the thoughts and feelings of a young person recovering from the trauma of losing loved ones, seeing various horrors, seemingly falling in love, which is then betrayed, and using her talent and skill in sewing to help her return to reality AND solve a big mystery. Readers were riveted and haunted by this story, which made many feel that maybe their current 'problems/inconveniences' weren't so bad after all. We felt that the Author's Note at the end did a good job of explaining Hesse's research and her point of view which was to create a combination of sadness and hope, which this novel certainly did...ending with Zofia's wish for 'going home' with her new 'brother' Abek to create a new life across the ocean. We all agreed that YA readers would like this engrossing, emotional, realistic rendering of a very human story of such historical importance.

SOUL FOOD SUNDAY by Winsome Bingham and WHEN YOU LOOK LIKE US by Pamela N. Harris

We began our discussion with our picture book, Soul Food Sunday by Winsome Bingham and Illustrated by C.G. Esperanza. We had various reactions to this book. Most of us loved the vibrantly colored, detailed illustrations of the young Black boy who decided to help his Granny in the kitchen as she prepared the delicious food for the weekly large family Sunday gathering at her house. A couple of readers were not so entranced by the art -- they weren't fans of Esperanza's somewhat bold and brash style. That's OK. Most of us liked the repetitive text where the little boy worked very hard as he learned various important tasks and was praised by his Granny each time with a repeated phrase. We were honored to have one 17-year-old join us, and she liked the book a lot because it helped her to learn about a custom and food of another culture. She said she would have liked to read it as a younger kid. One reader was not so thrilled with the book, she said it didn't seem real, and she had issues with some of the cooking details presented. We thought it could be useful in conjunction with several other excellent books about the foods and gatherings of different cultures.

We all agreed that our novel, When You Look Like Us by Pamela N. Harris was too long, and contained some scenes that could easily have been cut. We all felt for 16-year-old Jay whose dad had died, whose mother was in prison, and whose older sister Nic was missing, and we all had the need to keep reading just to see if she would be found. We got a glimpse into the good and bad parts of his life in the housing project where he lived, his school interactions, his friends, his love for his grandma (MiMi) and his desire to take charge of finding his sister, where several blunders were made. But -- many of us felt bothered by the fact that he didn't tell anyone Nic was missing for the longest time, and that when he finally did it was almost too late. A couple of readers said it reminded them of a Nancy Drew mystery, others didn't see that. We were all glad about the ending, although most of us felt it was almost too 'pat' when his sister was found. One reader absolutely loved it, and felt that all of the characters and actions in the book were very real. Another mentioned that it was all about perceptions and expectations -- how Jay thought he was perceived by various adults, teachers, other kids in his life, the police -- and how the expectations he had of many of them turned out to be wrong. We all agreed that young middle- and high-school readers would love this book.

WATERCRESS by Andrea Wang, illustrated by Jason Chin, and THE LAST CUENTISTA by Donna Barba Higuera

 

It was interesting this month that both of our books spoke to the importance of story. We began with our picture book, Watercress, by Andrea Wang; illustrated by Jason Chin. We all loved the "breathtakingly beautiful" poetic writing and the perfectly executed illustrations, using Chinese art techniques and brushes, of this first-person story of a young girl whose parents are immigrants from China. She describes the annoyance she feels when her parents stop the car on a family trip to pick watercress growing by the side of the road, and then her refusal to eat it later because it reminds her of "hand-me-down clothes and roadside trash-heap furniture." The importance of story comes to the fore when her mother shows an old family picture, showing famine years ago in China, and ultimately our heroine comes to the realization that her mother's younger brother had died because of it, and her outlook on everything changes. We loved the way it depicted an example of the immigrant experience, of struggling, of yearning for a land long ago left, and of a young girl being ashamed because she isn't "American enough." We felt that it was an excellent read-aloud that students with immigrant parents could relate to, and that would give non-immigrant kids an understanding of what it felt like to be different. We also related to the universal shame of being economically needy, and wanting to be able to just buy things at the store rather than obtain them by other means. We also thought that it would encourage all readers (and listeners) -- especially youngsters -- to seek out and hear and ultimately tell -- the stories of their own families.

Stories were also the emphasis in The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera; the title of which actually means 'the last storyteller.' We had a variety of reactions to this dystopian novel, which starts in the year 2061, when Earth is threatened with total destruction by a giant comet, and goes on for seemingly hundreds of years, as Petra a 13-year-old and her younger brother Javier and scientist parents are among those chosen to begin/create life on Sagan, a new planet. We all agreed that the book was too long, and the plot somewhat convoluted as we learned that everyone's memories of Earth had been technologically removed...everyone except Petra, who continued to remember her life on earth as well as her time spent with her beloved grandma (abuelita, or Lita) who made her very aware of her ancient culture thru the vehicle of storytelling. We liked the relationship Petra had had with her 'Lita' and her desire to not only remember her past on earth, but to share her stories with other children in her midst to help them remember their families also. There are so many more details to this story, too numerous to recount here -- which is mostly why it needed editing -- and why we had mixed feelings about the book. One reader absolutely loved it, and said it brought her to tears when Petra's brother was found and made the ultimate sacrifice so that all could live, and she felt that middle schoolers today would "eat it up" given the kinds of stories they are 'into' these day about alternate universes -- online and in books and movies. Although the rest of us all found parts that we liked, we were mostly not fans of dystopian fiction. A couple of readers felt that some of the things that happened to many of the characters were just 'too horrible', and one reader felt that most of the tropes of this sci-fi fantasy had been done before -- that there was nothing new here. Others had a hard time getting thru the whole book (but did!) and felt that there were just too many details to remember and that it wasn't particularly engaging. Our bottom-line conclusion was that there will be plenty of young readers (and -- obviously adults -- since it is a Newbery Award winner) who will love it, and others, like those in our group, for whom it just isn't their 'cup of tea.'

CUBA IN MY POCKET by Adrianna Cuevas and EYES THAT KISS IN THE CORNERS by Joanna Ho and illustrated by Dung Ho

We began with our novel, Cuba in my Pocket by Adrianna Cuevas. We all liked the sensory picture that twelve-year-old Cumba painted of his native Cuba and his loving family and friends -- we could see, hear, feel, smell all that he described of the life he loved but had to leave in 1961 after the Revolution. We also liked his first-hand description of his experiences as a new immigrant in the U.S. -- getting used to a new language, food, people, activities, school, and missing his quite affluent family and his country. We felt that many young readers, immigrants themselves, could relate to this and that non-immigrant kids could get a feel for what some of their fellow-students might be experiencing -- perhaps creating some empathy. We also liked Cumba's voice, and were gripped by his feelings as he had to leave the home he had known in order to avoid being conscripted into the military, and we thought that the tension in the story was well-maintained throughout. We understood the author's need to fictionalize the story of her own father's journey from Cuba to the U.S. in 1961 and were thankful for her note at the end of the story as well as the Glossary of many Cuban terms. However, a couple of readers had mixed feelings about this book, since they were fans of the Revolution, and what it had accomplished for the millions of mostly poor, mostly black, and mostly illiterate Cuban peasants, namely: a 98% literacy rate due to the Literacy Brigade; free education for all; and free health care in every neighborhood. It was noted that the very poor peasants did not have the opportunities that Cumba had, due to his professional parents' knowledge, connections, and wealth. All of that considered, we were all happy that -- in the story -- Cumba's family was ultimately able to join him in Florida in the end. We felt that this could be a very useful book for middle-schoolers to further their knowledge about immigration, trying to 'fit in', and the universal 12-year-old angst that many young folks experience.

We all agreed that the biggest strength of our picture book, Eyes that Kiss in the Corners by Joanna Ho and illustrated by Dung Ho was the group of vibrantly colorful, detailed, and in some places quite fanciful digitally created illustrations that we felt really served to tell the story in the voice of a little girl who compares her eyes with those of her mom, grandma, and little sister. We liked the inclusion of the folkloric/mythic images from the stories her grandma told, and the warm connection between three generations of females. We felt that much of the text was glowing and poetic, but that other parts were a bit overwritten. We had a hard time determining exactly where this story took place, and would have been very thankful to have been able to read an Author's Note with further details. We loved the fact that the story (and the title) placed value on something that has been de-valued -- the eyes of people with Asian ancestry -- and the fact that this very short picture book served to define their beauty. We thought it could be a great read-aloud, and gave it a 'thumbs-up'!

DOUBLE BASS BLUES by Andrea J. Loney and WHEN WINTER ROBESON CAME by Brenda Woods

We began our April discussion with our picture book, Double Bass Blues, by Andrea J. Loney; illustrated by Rudy Gutierrez. We unanimously loved the vibrantly colored, action-packed, and symbolic illustrations -- including the front and back endpapers -- in this book, which were mostly the vehicle for telling the story. Double-bass player Little Nic -- after being hailed as a star in his school orchestra -- has to lug his clumsy, heavy bass on a bus from school to his granddaddy's house. The many details in the illustrations tell the story and also cause readers to be very observant. On the way, Nic's many experiences are shown by various painted sound words, some of which are made by his clunky bass, some by nature, and some by taunts from others he encounters. A couple of readers felt that these words got in the way; others liked them. We wondered how much communication (if any) there had been between the author and the illustrator. We felt it was a unique book for young readers and liked the way that it represented jazz, especially at the end where Little Nic arrives at his granddaddy's place and is warmly greeted by 'real' jazz musicians who loudly applaud his playing. We liked the way the book dealt with his relationship with his grandpa, with showing his own talent, and with how he handled the bullying from some people he encountered on his journey. We felt that kids who are 'into' music would love this book, and we felt it could be used as a read-aloud in many K-12 school situations -- especially where music and art are emphasized.

We had various reactions to our novel, When Winter Robeson Came by Brenda Woods. A couple of readers were not big fans of novels in verse; they felt it was distracting by creating unnecessary (poetic?) pauses in their reading. Others were not bothered by that and said they had just read it like any other story. We all liked the historical perspective of the story told in the voice of 12-year-old Eden -- a budding musician/composer -- which was set in Los Angeles in 1965, "not too far from Watts". Some were a bit put off by some of the musical terms Eden added throughout her narrative, and said it felt like those words were just 'tacked on'. Eden welcomes her 14-year-old cousin Winter who has come from Mississippi to visit for two weeks. We liked the comparisons the two made between life in each place at that time. We also liked the way they navigated the city, using a telephone book (!) and maps and traveling by bus on various sightseeing trips, including to Watts Towers and the beach. A mystery element was introduced when Winter expressed that he was actually looking for his dad, who had come to LA ten years earlier and had seemingly disappeared. We liked the way that these two brave young folks became detectives, questioning significant people and following clues to find the dad (no spoilers here). We liked the relationship between Eden and her family and friends, and felt that all of the kids' voices and personality quirks were very real, and we also appreciated the vivid descriptions of the clothes, music, cars, buildings, and events of that time and place, including everyone's reactions to the 1965 rebellion in Watts that erupted in the middle of Winter's visit -- but played a relatively small part in the overall story. We also liked the compassion that was shown between various characters in times of stress or anxiety...and commented about how, sadly, these days it seems that a lot of that has been lost. We felt the book was quite accessible for young readers, and that they would enjoy a smooth read and learn something about how things were way before their time. We agreed this book could be a jumping-off point for further research.

THE PAPER KINGDOM by Helen Ku Rhee and ARISTOTLE AND DANTE DISCOVER THE SECRETS OF THE UNIVERSE by Benjamin Alire Saenz

We began with our picture book, The Paper Kingdom by Helena Ku Rhee, illustrated by Pascal Campion. We all loved the light and glow of the illustrations as they depicted a little boy's reactions as his parents -- nighttime building custodians -- took him to work with them to a big skyscraper when their babysitter had to cancel. We liked the way his parents made up a story of a "paper kingdom" -- complete with dragons -- to explain the work they were doing, and to give him a chance to use his imagination though he might be in an uncomfortable circumstance. We liked the strength of the family being shown together, at home in their tiny studio apartment and at work, and the fact that they tried to portray their work as being "fun" for his benefit. We were a bit disappointed in the text, and felt it was a bit flat, plus we couldn't really see what advantage the so-called "dragons" added. We also felt the ending was a bit abrupt, and killed the flow of the story. We felt that this book filled a need for books about economic diversity, and that many young folks hearing this story could relate if their parents had similar work situations.

We all loved our novel, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz. We loved the points of view of Ari and Dante in this character-driven story, with Ari as the narrator, but with Dante's ideas/feelings becoming evident via his conversations with Ari and his letters when he moved to Chicago. We felt it perfectly depicted the lives of boys of this age, with all of their angst, questioning, exploration, emotions, impulsivity, language, and humor. They were both so real, as were all of the complete and well-developed supporting characters and their personalities and actions. We loved that both Ari's and Dante's parents were sensitive, educated, concerned, well-meaning people -- even though they dealt with their sons in completely different ways, and both boys felt supported and loved -- a situation sometimes missing in many YA novels. We felt that the writing was superb: the poetry of it; the pacing; the flow; the thought-provoking ends of chapters. We felt that though it depicted young Mexican-Americans, this novel had a universal theme of teen-aged boys longing for someone who understands them while trying to figure out their own identities, be they ethnic, familial, sexual, intellectual, or ability-related. We felt it was a wonderful story of friendship and love, and we unanimously gave it a three(!!) thumbs-up.

MAX AND THE TAG-ALONG MOON by Floyd Cooper and SHOW ME A SIGN by Ann Clare LeZotte

First we discussed our picture book, Max and the Tag-Along Moon written and illustrated by Floyd Cooper. We had a great read-aloud by one of our members, and those of us who had not held the actual book in our hands got an excellent 'feel' of the story and the wonderful illustrations. We all agreed that it was a lovely, child-centered story -- honing into what the little boy, Max, saw and felt as he remembered his "Granpa's" words that "...the moon will always shine for you." When dark clouds threatened on the way home, and obliterated the moon for Max, and when he was tucked into bed and still didn't see it, we felt that was a good moment of tension, and were pleased, as Max was, when the moon finally appeared and lit up his darkened room, fondly reminding him of and again connecting him with his Granpa.  We learned a bit about Cooper's art tecnique, which was to create a painting, and then 'erase' everything that was unnecessary. We loved how his technique created shading and an ethereal feeling to the illustrations. We all loved the depiction of the strong, special relationship between Max and his Granpa, and felt that pre-school kids especially would relate. We all agreed that it was a wonderful book, with a universal, though very simple and old-fashioned-feeling story. It was definitely a 'two thumps up.'

We all learned a lot from our novel, Show Me a Sign by Ann Clare LeZotte. We liked that it was told from the point-of-view of a deaf young girl, Mary, who let us know at the beginning that the language might seem different from what we were used to reading. We liked the historical aspects related to the deaf colony that had settled on Chilmark Island, part of Martha's Vineyard, south of Boston. We appreciated the descriptions of life there in 1805 -- which -- although quite insular -- was more than adequate to the island's dwellers, who had and did almost everything they needed, while using their own unique sign language, MVSL, long before the conception of ASL. We felt that some of the didactic-seeming passages that explained the plight of the deaf community were acceptable, since they helped us to understand Mary and the other deaf members of her village and to experience their world. We thought that when Mary was kidnapped and taken to Boston as the object of an experiment, it provided some action and suspense, and it made us keep reading to find out what would happen. We thought her descriptions of the stormy boat excursions to and from Boston were very real and harrowing. We realized very clearly, that deaf people were seen as less than human at that time in history, and were often poorly treated. We also liked the inclusion of many other issues: taking the Wampanoag Indians' land, the townspeople's relations with a previously enslaved Black man, the varying points of view of the citizens, the relationship between Mary and her friends, and her feeling of guilt over the death of her brother, whom she had lured out to a road where he was killed by a speeding horse carriage. We found the Author's Notes at the back especially helpful, giving us more specific information about Martha's Vineyard, Deafness there, the Wampanoag, Deaf Education, and the creation of ASL. We felt that young readers could relate to many aspects of the story, and -- as we did -- could learn a lot, and perhaps become more empathetic to people different from themselves. It was a good and worthwhile read.
 

THE GREAT SHELBY HOLMES by Elizabeth Eulberg and WHEN ANGELS SING: THE STORY OF ROCK LEGEND CARLOS SANTANA by Michael Mahin

First, Big Congratulations to one of our Book Group members, Colleen Paeff, whose first book, The Great Stink: How Joseph Bazalgette Solved London's Poop Pollution Problem (Margaret K. McElderry, 2021) just received a Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Honor from ALSC, a division of the American Library Association. Here's a complete list of all of the awardees and honorees:
https://ala.unikron.comYMA%202022%20Wrap%20Release%20FINAL_01212022.pdf

We had a great discussion at our last meeting and were mostly positive about both of our books. We began with our novel, The Great Shelby Holmes by Elizabeth Eulberg. We mostly liked the characters and the story, and thought it was quite clever, well-written, and excellently plotted. We agreed that it could have been a bit shorter...some readers got tired of all of the time spent being 'inside' of John Watson's head as he described meeting, getting to know, and finally being accepted as a friend of Shelby, a young female neighborhood super-sleuth a la Sherlock Holmes, while trying to solve the mystery of a missing dog, owned by a very rich family. It was Shelby who decided to just call John 'Watson' since there were several other 'Johns' that she knew. We liked the way the two of them and the other young folks in the story acted like real kids; the way they navigated living in New York without helicopter parents; and the realistic portrayal of a New York neighborhood with its shops and local characters. We felt it was great that Watson was the one telling the story, and that the Shelby/Watson relationship was quite similar to that in the actual Sherlock Holmes stories by A.C. Doyle. (The author is a fan.) There was some question as to why the author and illustrator chose to make Shelby white, while Watson and the rich family were black, since some of the actions and situations just didn't make sense, and nothing regarding their races was ever mentioned -- only shown in the illustrations. One reader felt it was a 'cute story,' but she didn't 'buy' the fact that Watson's mom, a black woman, was an Afghanistan veteran who now worked at Columbia University, as well as a few other plot points, such as no explanation of why Watson's parents were separated, even though Watson's dad was constantly in his thoughts. We particularly liked the way the writer kept the mystery going, and a few of us really wanted to know 'whodunit' -- the answer to which we finally got, very near the end of the book -- after several very well-plotted misdirections. We all felt that kids in the intended readers' age group would enjoy the story, and it would be a great introduction into reading mysteries.

We all loved our picture book, When Angels Sing: The Story of Rock Legend Carlos Santana by Michael Mahin; illustrated by Jose Ramirez. We agreed that the colorful, vibrant illustrations were marvelous, and we loved the musical poetry of the text. We felt that by using the second person, "When you were born..." the writer puts us directly into Carlos' head as he tries to figure out his place in the world of music -- listening, trying out different instruments, feeling that music makes angels real, and trying to find his own angels as he continues to grow and improve his musical skill. We see his creativity flourish as he internalizes different genres of music and is also aware of the problematic world around him in the late 1960s and his wish to use music as a uniter between people comes to a guitar-riffing, cymbal-clashing climax at Woodstock in 1969, where the 400,000 music fans in attendance cheer for his multicultural band. A link to that performance is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPauXWjY4T8  We felt that young readers who are interested in music would enjoy this short picture book biography, and might be interested in further exploring the resources that are mentioned in the Back Matter of the book.