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.'

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.

I TALK LIKE A RIVER by Jordan Scott and FRANKLY IN LOVE by David Yoon

We started with our picture book, I Talk Like a River by Jordan Scott. It was beautifully read aloud to us by one of our members, and when she finished, we all just said, "Wow!" One member said the book was 'breathtakingly gorgeous,' and another said it was 'what a picture book should be.' We loved the quiet support the dad gave to his son who had a stutter, and felt self-conscious every time he had to talk in class because his words churned around in his head but just wouldn't come out of his mouth properly. When the two of them visited a nearby river, the boy realized that the gurgling, flowing, pounding, rushing sounds of the river were similar to the way he felt when he tried to talk. We loved the quiet kinship between father and son and the idea of connecting the boy's troubles to nature and all the kinds of movement of the river, which were beautifully depicted on a double-page foldout in the center of the book. We were pleased to learn in the Author's Note at the end that this was his own story, and an homage to his father. We felt the book was a wonderful read-aloud, but we weren't sure if it would be equally appreciated in the hands of a young reader. But -- regardless -- we all loved it.

We were equally enamored by our novel, Frankly in Love by David Yoon. We loved being in high school senior Frank Li's head as he tried to figure out his life. How could he be a good Korean son and a regular American kid at the same time? What does love really mean? How important was his best friend, 'Q', an African-American kid who was equally smart and nerdy? Which girl did he really love? -- very American 'Brit Means' or 'Joy Song', daughter of Korean family friends. What would be his future as a college student and a music designer? These and other questions made for many smaller stories in the total plot, which a few readers felt was a bit too long, but which was enjoyable reading, full of fun metaphors and humor, and provided a surprise ending. We liked how the story dealt with family relationships, work, racism, friendship, school, a mirror into the life of a Korean immigrant family, and how -- in life -- you never know what will happen because things keep changing. We felt that YA readers would love this book because of its accessibility, realism, and humor.

SKULLS by Blair Thornburgh and PATRON SAINTS OF NOTHING by Randy Ribay

We began our January discussion with our picture book, Skulls, by Blair Thornburgh and illustrated by Scott Campbell. We all liked the illustrations and the fact that this seemingly simple picture book raised the issue of how important our skulls are to our lives. We loved how the book began, but sadly, we felt that it became a bit boring, as certain facts were unnecessarily repeated. We tried to figure out why it was a 40-page picture book, which is unusual, and we felt that it would have worked better in the traditional 32-page format with some of the redundant parts eliminated. We liked the idea of introducing young children to this very important part of their bodies. There were a couple of page spreads that we really liked, and we liked the last page which included several facts about the skull. We thought it might work well in a school setting if combined with a more traditional nonfiction book about skulls with actual photos and more emphasis on facts. A couple of readers also felt that this could be a great book to use for 'Day of the Dead' celebrations, where images of skulls/skeletons play a big role.

We had mixed feelings on our novel, Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay. We all agreed that this story of high school senior, Jay, who travels from his home in Michigan to the Philippines to find out why his beloved cousin, Jun, was accused of being a drug dealer and killed by the government at a very young age provided a great glimpse into contemporary Filipino culture. Most of us didn't really relate to Jay, and we had minimal feelings for him, even throughout his trials and tribulations. We felt that the book was more plot-driven than character-driven. One reader felt that the whole reason for this book was to expose the current situation in the Philippines. Another reader said that she just didn't like Jay at all -- he was a self-centered, cell-phone-driven obnoxious teen-aged boy -- but she thought that the information about the current culture in the Philippines and the havoc that its despotic ruler is wreaking on its citizens was important for young readers to know. We felt that high- schoolers might like this book since they could relate with much of the angst in the story.

THE POET X by Elizabeth Alcevedo and CROWN: AN ODE TO THE FRESH CUT by Derrick Barnes and Gordon C. James

We were a small but mighty group at our last meeting. We discussed our novel, The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo first. We all loved the voice, the descriptions, the spirit, and the introspection of teen-aged Afro-Latina Harlem high school student Xiomara, as she tries to understand the various facets of her complicated life: her changing body (becoming quite voluptuous,) an ultra-religious mother who doesn't approve of most of what she does, a father who is physically there but emotionally absent, a new relationship with fellow student Aman, and, above all -- wanting/needing her voice to be heard. We loved the development of the story as Xiomara's poetry begins to help her deal with her life, thanks in part to her twin brother, Xavier (whom she refers to as "Twin"), and her best friend, Cari, plus an understanding teacher. We felt that this novel in verse would be totally accessible to young readers because of its subject matter and ease of reading. Our only two criticisms were: 1) we were dying to know which poem she presented when she finally agreed to participate in a Poetry Slam; and 2) we felt the ending events came too suddenly, without proper development. We watched a YouTube clip of the author reciting her poem "Hair" and were thrilled by its power as she presented her emotional delivery.

Acevedo's poem was a perfect segue to our picture book Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut by Derrick Barnes & Gordon C. James, which is also about hair. We loved this book about a young boy's feelings and descriptions as he goes to the barbershop for a particular haircut, and the way it makes him feel like a proud young black person when he comes out. We learned that the mission of this book's publisher is to present stories that enhance pride and positive self-image in African American children and young people, and it certainly succeeded with this book. But even though some readers didn't feel they were 'the audience' for this book, others of us felt it would be very helpful for children of other cultures to read it also, to provide them with a window into the black community and some of its thoughts and values and institutions...like the importance of the barbershop. We all thought the illustrations were gorgeous -- beautiful paintings that, although not completely 'photographic,' were still realistic and artistically constructed. We were glad we had read both books.

DIG by A.S. King and THE CURIOUS GARDEN by Peter Brown

We had a beautiful array of delicious snacks at our last meeting, and we began our discussion with our novel, Dig by A.S. King. We had a variety of opinions on this somewhat complicated (at first) story. A few readers said that they didn't really 'care' about any of the main characters, four teenagers, only two of whose actual names we learned near the end, who each let us into their thoughts and various aspects of their lives in somewhat dysfunctional family situations. But most of us kept reading, partly because there was some really terrific writing, and because we got swept into their lives and the way they finally realized that they were cousins, the grandchildren of a pretty selfish and obnoxious couple, Marla & Gottfried, who were the reason they, and their parents, were all estranged and separated from one another. We had mixed feelings about "the Freak," who was actually a ghost/spirit of a fifth cousin, a girl who had been killed several years earlier, and who kept appearing and actually knew everything about what they all needed. We all agreed that there were some excellent plot developments as the story unfolded, but we also agreed that parts of the book were quite 'preachy,' and that these teenagers were 'mouthpieces' for the author's point of view regarding racism, white privilege, urban development, and finding one's own 'self'. We felt that young people would probably enjoy this book though, and might also feel empowered after reading it, since these teenagers figured out a way to unite and become a family of people who cared about each other, even given some of the dire circumstances of their lives.

We were pretty unanimously un-thrilled by our picture book, The Curious Garden by Peter Brown. We appreciated that it tried to tell the story of a little boy who went up a creepy stairway to an abandoned rail line, and magically made beautiful plants and trees take over what looked like a wasteland. But we just couldn't relate to the fact that it was The Garden that was curious, which is why it kept spreading farther and farther out from its source until it covered everything in sight. We weren't huge fans of most of the illustrations, although we did like a few of them, especially the ones that showed other kids helping the little boy, and the 'before-and-after' double-paged spreads of the area, which showed how ugly smokestacks and tracks and rocks and dirt had blossomed into beautiful areas by the end of the story. We realized that the author/illustrator had been inspired by the High Line in New York City, which had been re-purposed from a long-abandoned elevated rail line into a vibrant green space, and we thought it was an admirable subject for a picture book, but that it could have been told in a much better way.

ME AND MOMMA AND BIG JOHN by Mara Rockliff and THE 57 BUS by Dashka Slater

At our July meeting we discussed our picture book first: Me and Momma and Big John by Mara Rockliff. We all loved this book! We loved that it highlighted a female worker/artist who was a stonecutter, one of the many 'little people' who actually do the work to create landmarks, and whose hand cut stone was ultimately hoisted high up on the front of the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine in New York City ("Big John") We loved the illustration that showed where 'her stone' was finally placed on the facade. We loved the authentically childlike voice of the storyteller -- a young boy who knew that his mom worked hard every day and did very important work. We loved his pride in his mom's work, and his wish that she be adequately honored for it, as well as his description when he entered "Big John" for the first time and was amazed by its size. We loved the illlustrations, and were astounded to learn that they were entirely done on a computer...they looked like original paintings! We also appreciated the information in the 'back matter' which explained more about this historic church, and the apprenticeship program that hired many young workers and taught them the art of stonecutting. We learned that it was inspired by Carol Hazel, a young mother who actually did this work.

We all felt that our 'novel' -- a nonfiction book, The 57 Bus by Dashka Slater -- contained a very important story. We agreed that it was excellent journalistic writing, and a few readers felt that it had literary qualities as well. The story of Sasha, an agender teenager who liked to wear skirts and Richard, a fun-loving, 'goofy' 14-year-old boy who set Sasha's skirt on fire -- on an Oakland, CA bus -- raised so many issues about identity, teen-aged behavior, accepting consequences for one's actions, the juvenile justice system, and the importance of support from family and other adults. We loved the fact that the students in their respective high schools united in support of both of them. We thought it would be very accessible for young readers because of the very short (often just 1- or 2-paged) 'chapters' which alternated between Sasha's and Richard's stories. One reader stated that her 8th-grade granddaughter had read and loved this book, and said that she vacillated between rooting for Sasha and/or Richard while reading it. We were pleased to know that Sasha survived and is now a university student, and that Richard, who had written an early letter of apology that was not delivered until after his trial, will be released from custody soon, after serving his 'time' in juvenile detention taking classes, learning, and exhibiting exemplary behavior. We all wish him well in the future. We also liked the Glossary, early in the book which defined the various terms for gender, sex, sexuality, and romance. We thought it was a timely story, well-told.

TURTLES ALL THE WAY DOWN by John Green and LIBBA: THE MAGNIFICENT LIFE OF ELIZABETH COTTON by Laura Veirs

We all had some good things to say about our novel, Turtles All the Way Down by John Green. We all liked the spotlight it put on mental illness, specifically OCD, and the way it described Aza's continual struggles with trying to lead a normal teenager's life, while feeling like her body was contaminated and coping with the constant negative thoughts that wouldn't leave her alone. We noted that the author has suffered with the same condition for years, and we felt this was his way of alerting readers to what it felt like. We liked the way her friendship with Daisy was developed, but some readers were not so happy with the way that Aza and Davis, her young male friend, communicated. A couple of readers who were John Green fans were disappointed, and felt that this story did not live up to the standards of some of his earlier books. We all agreed that the whole story of the mystery of Davis' missing father was so convoluted that it took away from the main story of Aza, her life, and her friendships, and that the final solving of the mystery was just weird and unnecessary.

We all loved the illustrations by Tatyana Fazlalizadeh in our picture book, Libba: The Magnificent Musical Life of Elizabeth Cotten by Laura Veirs. We were happy that the story of Libba, a self-taught musician and song-writer, was brought to the fore, but we found some 'nits' in the reading. We liked the lyrical quality of the text, but we felt there were gaps in the story: the way it jumped from her childhood to her adulthood; the way that, even though music was a huge part of her existence, she didn't play her guitar or sing for years. We also found the transition from her work as a store clerk to becoming the maid for the Seeger family uncomfortable. We saw a huge discrepancy in the story itself compared to the 'Back Matter' provided by the author which provided many more details, including the fact that growing up as an African-American in Mississippi in the early 1900s was quite difficult. We thought this and other facts would have created a better understanding on the part of young readers as to what Libba's life was really like.

THE BEST MAN by Richard Peck and RIFKA TAKES A BOW by Betty Rosenberg Perlov

We had an enjoyable discussion of Richard Peck's The Best Man at our last meeting. The title could be perceived to relate to weddings, which it did, and also to who was literally 'the best man' in 12-year-old Archer's life. Everyone liked at least something about this book, some more than others. A couple of readers thought that the quick run through Archer's life from first grade through fourth in the early chapters was somewhat boring and didn't add much to the story. One person questioned the 'voice' as being too old, but was reminded that 12-year-old Archer was the one telling the story. We all mostly liked the story, and were especially pleased that although one of the plot points dealt with two gay men -- Mr. McLeod, Archer's student-teacher, and his Uncle Paul -- and the acceptance they received in Archer's family and in their community in general were handled in a very matter-of-fact, non-didactic way. We felt it also dealt positively with several other things: children who pick certain adults as their role models; dealing with bullying; a healthy family relationship; the quirks of a boy growing up; the transition from elementary school to middle school; the portrayal and growth of Archer's friend Lynette; and the obvious love between the various family members. . . (and a bit of what we knew as Peck's hatred of computers!) We unanimously agreed that the inclusion of annoying, spoiled, Hilary Calthorpe, the son of a diplomat stationed in Chicago and his upper-class British family were entirely unnecessary, and added nothing to the story except to create an outrageous Halloween costume party and an obvious plot mechanism to get the two men together. A few Richard Peck fans felt that this book didn't match up to the caliber of some of the author's previous work, but we all enjoyed reading it.

We also had a read-aloud of Rifka Takes a Bow by Betty Rosenberg Perlov, which we had wanted to read but couldn't since there were no library copies available. We all loved the story of a little girl whose parents were actors in the Yiddish Theatre in New York in the early 1900s, and how her curiosity landed her on stage in the middle of a play. We learned from the author's notes at the back, who was 93 when the book was published, that this was, in fact, her own story. We were less enamored by the illustrations by Cosei Kawa, which we felt were very elusive, too busy, unrealistic, and didn't fit well with the straightforward text of the story.