HEROES by Alan Gratz and AT THE DROP OF A CAT by Elise Fontenaille

We began with a discussion of our novel, Heroes by Alan Gratz. We had mixed feelings about this story set in Hawaii before, during, and after the December 7, 1941 attack by the Japanese Air Force on Peal Harbor. We all agreed that this was not a highly 'literary' piece of fiction, and some felt that it was more plot-driven than character-driven, and was written to basically cover the points that the author wanted young readers to know about this moment in history. Some readers were not thrilled with the result, while others felt that it was an excellent action-packed story, easily accessible to its target audience. They felt the fact that it seemed almost like a video game or a comic book was entirely appropriate, since the two main characters, Frank and Stanley, were obsessed with creating their own superhero, nicknamed 'The Arsenal of Democracy'. Those who weren't thrilled with the story felt it wasn't realistic, and questioned some of the plot points, including the fact that Frank, who was always scared, suddenly felt like a superhero during the bombing, and other details in the story that just didn't make sense. Others felt it was OK to ignore those details, suspend disbelief, and relate more to the action of the story, the loyalty between the two friends, Frank's ability to finally feel brave, and the satisfying ending. We all agreed that it treated this event in our country's WWII history well, including the prejudice that arose against Japanese-Americans who lived in Hawaii at the time (which included Stanley, whose mother was Japanese and whose dad was White), and other details of what actually happened at the time. We also appreciated all of the author's notes at the end which included these and several other important facts about this period, as well as a very clear map showing locations mentioned in the story. We felt that young readers, especially those who liked a lot of action would be very engaged in this book, and would probably love the comic strip created by Frank and Stanley when they grew up, which was shown at the very end.

We all had various issues with our picture book, At the Drop of a Cat by Élise Fontenaille, illustrated by Violeta Lópiz. We didn't feel like young children would be particularly engaged in this story of a 6-year-old boy's observations of and love for his grandfather -- partially due to the sometimes confusing illustrations which were created by a lot of overlaid images, few of which showed anything clearly. One reader felt that the depiction of the grandpa was even quite scary. We felt that the proposed wordplay in the story didn't really work, and other than the boy's obvious love for his grandpa, not much else happened. There was no story arc, no excitement, nothing showing what the little boy ever actually did, no cat! -- the title notwithstanding -- and no real ending...the supposed story. just. stopped. When we realized that this book had been translated from the French, we figured that maybe something had been lost in the translation, and that perhaps there is a cultural difference in the expectations of what a picture book should accomplish for children. In our perception, even though the book was very positively reviewed in the French world, in our world it basically fell flat.

THE LIST OF THINGS THAT WILL NOT CHANGE by Rebecca Stead and FARMHOUSE by Sophie Blackall

We started with our novel, The List of Things That Will Not Change, by Rebecca Stead. We had mixed reactions to this book. A couple of readers liked it a lot -- mostly because of the true-sounding voice of ten-year-old Bea who had many issues to deal with: her parents' divorce, living in two homes, her dad's impending marriage to a man, which would entail a new sister, and also the usual problems that seem huge to kids of that age. We thought all of the different events were described realistically, and liked the fact that even though a gay marriage was involved, this wasn't an "issue book" per se. We liked the co-parenting of her mom and dad, and the other adults in her life who were helpful to her. Other readers felt differently: it was too long; it had too many things to deal with; they could not relate to Bea at all. We felt that many young readers would probably become involved in the story, and that it was a pleasant and comfortable read for them.

We all loved the illustrations in our picture book, Farmhouse, by Sophie Blackwell. We appreciated the detailed depictions of almost everything that was mentioned in the text, as a large farm family (12 children!!) proceeded through the daily work and play on a farm in Upstate New York. We watched time pass as they all grew up and left the farm until only the youngest sibling, "now quite old" finally left. We watched the house and the things inside of it deteriorate, until it was finally 'rescued' by the teller of the story. Some readers felt it was an 'old-fashioned' picture book...with 'real' illustrations that bucked the seemingly current trend of more 'cartoon-like' depictions in books. We thought it would be a good book to share in a 1:1 situation between an adult and a child, where they could point out individual details in the family's possessions, and perhaps compare them with things they were familiar with in their own houses. A couple of readers were not so thrilled with the actual text, which attempted to be poetic, but sometimes wasn't, but we all agreed that the last lines of the story, "...twelve children...loved and grew quite old, where they'll live on, now, in this book that you hold, like your stories will, so long as they're told." This ending created a few lumps in throats. We appreciated the end papers, different in the front and back of the book, which gave the flavor of many of the details in the book, and included a full page AUTHOR'S NOTE in which Stead told all of the details of this farmhouse that she actually bought, researched, and refurbished. We had some discussion about the issue of younger people who grew up on family farms having no interest in continuing their parents' endeavors as farmers, as well as what the loss of these single family farms has done to the food chain of our country. We thought it was a good book, and we were glad we had read it.

A WORK IN PROGRESS by Jarrett Lerner and HOT DOG by Doug Salati

We had a great group and good discussions at our February meeting. We started with our novel, A Work in Progress by Jarrett Lerner. We all mostly had varying degrees of 'Like' for Will's first-person account of his agony that started with his first being called "FAT!" by a bully in fourth grade, and how it continued to affect him even in middle school where he tried to make drastic changes in his eating habits in order to 'fit in' and attract and keep friends. We all remembered the things that had been said to us when we were quite young that continued to bother us many years later. Initially we were all a bit daunted by the 362-page heft of this book, but the format of very short free verse text and many full-page drawings in a facsimile of Will's lined notebook made it a quite speedy read. We thought it was an important story that dealt with bullying, body-shaming, eating disorders, and self-acceptance, along with the usual middle-school angst. We wondered which kids would read it: overweight kids? kids with overweight friends? parents/teachers of overweight kids? We also wondered how an adult might comfortably place this book in the hands of a kid who might really benefit from reading it -- and who also might be able to learn, through the events in Will's story, how to best cope with their own situation and begin to accept themselves for who they really were. We agreed that perhaps presenting it to a whole class would encourage a variety of young readers to at least pick it up and look at it -- and perhaps read the whole thing, given its quick-read/multi-illustrated format. Upon learning more about the author, we were pleased to know that it was his own story, and not just some "...oh! I'll write a popular issue book" situation. We were sure that young readers who started it would definitely want to finish reading the whole book.

We had varying opinions on our picture book, Hot Dog by Doug Salati. One reader was expecting it to be about actual hot dogs, and was disappointed that it was merely about a dog in a big city (probably New York?) who hated the hot summer and the noise and confusion and was thrilled when his owner, who was tuned into his feelings when he plopped himself down in the middle of traffic and refused to budge, took him on a short cruise to a nearby island where he could enjoy the sea breeze, romp on the beach, and cool off in the water and gather pebble and shell treasures to take home. We liked the detailed illustrations, which told most of the story, where the dog himself was portrayed as short, reddish-brown, and yes, sort of 'hot dog-looking'! One reader was not so thrilled with the scant text, and felt that had the text alone been sent to a publisher perhaps it may have not even been published. But we felt it could be a fun read-aloud, and that anyone -- adult or young child -- who had ever spent a hot summer in a big, noisy city could empathize with this nameless hot dog and dream of a wonderful day at the beach.

CINNAMON by Neil Gaiman and THOSE KIDS FROM FAWN CREEK by Erin Entrada Kelly

We all loved Divya Srinivasan's authentic India-themed illustrations of our picture book, Cinnamon by Neil Gaiman. Long ago a Rajah and a Rani had a daughter, princess Cinnamon, who was not only blind, but also did not talk, and they offered a mango grove, a parrot, and a portrait of the Rani's aunt, once a raging beauty, to anyone who could teach their daughter to talk. All failed except for a ferocious tiger, who (amazingly!) could talk, and who taught Cinnamon about pain, fear, and love. It turned out that Cinnamon never talked because she had nothing to say, but learning about the world from the tiger made her want to go away with him "...for a while to further her education." We all loved that! Some of us loved the writing and the humor in the telling, others not so much; some felt the story was too dark, others remarked that most fairy tales have dark elements; some felt it was too simple or too fantastical. The written and illustrated details that made the story enjoyable are too numerous to mention here, but worth a look. We did feel it could be a good read aloud, and could be used with students alongside other traditional tales with similar motifs.

None of us were thrilled with the title of our novel, Those Kids from Fawn Creek by Erin Entrada Kelly, the story of a strange newcomer, Orchid, a seemingly ethereal girl, who arrives to join a very entrenched group of 12 seventh graders who have been together since kindergarten in Fawn Creek, a tiny Louisiana town. As Orchid begins to affect the long-held behaviors of the other kids via her positive attitude, everything seems to be thrown into turmoil. The story, told from many points of view, deals with several of the usual issues among kids of this age: cliques, 'mean girls,' crushes, friendship, gender roles, bullying, lying, etc. etc. etc. Some readers thought the different points of view as the story progressed were confusing, but others pointed out that the drawings at the beginning (as if on a yearbook page) made it easier to figure out who each kid was, and why each of their descriptions/actions/feelings made sense. Some thought that it would have been good to read Orchid's point of view also, but that never arose. Some thought it was a psychological study of kids' thinking/reactions at that age but not so thrilling to read. Others felt that young readers in the target group would certainly relate, and that it was a quick read, including moments of suspense, which kids would also like.

SMART COOKIE by Elly Swartz and THE GARDENER OF ALCATRAZ by Emma Bland Smith

We began our November discussion with our novel, Smart Cookie by Elly Swartz. We had several issues with this book. Although we thought that the major plot point, Frankie's efforts to find a mate for her dad online after her mom's death in a thunderstorm, was a good idea, but it lacked depth. We felt that there was just too much other stuff happening -- ghosts, friendship problems, hoarding, rules, secrets, and more that got in the way of the plot and were never properly developed or resolved. We liked the relationship between Frankie and her best friend Elliot and between Frankie and her dad and grandma, but since there was so much other 'mini-plot stuff' to think about none of us really felt anything as the story proceeded. We did agree that young readers of the target age group (8-12) would probably like the book, and anything that keeps a kid reading is good.

We liked both the great opening and the tone of the writing of our picture book, The Gardener of Alcatraz by Emma Bland Smith, which told an easily accessible story of Elliott Michener, a convicted counterfeiter, who had been transported from Folsom Prison to Alcatraz, decided to be a 'good guy', and ultimately redeemed himself by tending the Alcatraz garden outside of the prison walls. We thought the engaging story showing that people can change would be good for young readers as they read about Elliott's passion and pride as he learned more about gardening and gained skill. We thought Jenn Ely's illustrations were well done in terms of showing facial expressions, changes in perspective, and the way that color crept into the garden that developed in a previously barren place. We agreed that the back matter, for those who would read it, was helpful in presenting further details about Elliot's life and encarceration, the Alcatraz garden, background on (usually un- or poorly-paid) prison labor, treatment of nonwhite prisoners, and other social issues. We thought the book might be especially relatable for students who had incarcerated parents or relatives, and could present some hope of redemption and transformation through the idea that one is not 'just a prisoner.'

ATTACK OF THE BLACK RECTANGLES by A.S. King and NANO: THE SPECTACULAR SCIENCE OF THE VERY (VERY) SMALL by Jess Wade

We started with the discussion of our novel, Attack of the Black Rectangles by A.S. King. There were things about this book that we all liked: the fact that it dealt with reading, honesty, and current issues of censorship that are part of the general conversation (sadly/still!) in today's society. But most of us felt that much of the characters' 'dialog' regarding not only the fact that words had been redacted (by their teacher, Ms. Sett!) from The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen, but also long discourses re: women's rights, treatment of Native peoples by Columbus, Anglicizing a Vietnamese student's name, and other present-day issues turned 6th-grader Mac and his friends into didactic mouthpieces for the points the author wanted to make in this story. We liked the fact that Mac had been exposed to many well-known and excellent examples of children's literature, and we hoped that young readers, upon seeing those titles in this book might want to read the books mentioned. We liked the idea that Mac was encouraged to speak his mind by his mom and his grandpa, and we saw his growth as he and his friends excited the whole community of his small town and brought them on board to protest this act of censorship in front of the school board. We were somewhat puzzled by the additional storyline of Mac's dad: an impulsive, angry, and somewhat dishonest man who was obviously in the throes of some mental illness issues. Mac just wanted to know the truth about his dad, which was being kept from him and prevented him from feeling whole. But -- though the issue of honesty was emphasized throughout this book -- a couple of us felt that the story itself was somewhat dishonest in the way it ended, where the kids won, Ms. Sett promised to not redact any more books, and everyone lived happily ever after. In today's real world it unfortunately wouldn't happen that easily. We did like the emphasis on keeping an open mind and reacting with grace in uncomfortable situations which Mac consciously always tried to do. We felt that young readers would probably like this story of family, friendship, first crush, and frankness.

We had mixed feelings on our picture book, Nano: the Spectacular Science of the Very (Very) Small by Jess Wade. We thought this simplified explanation of the very complicated science of nanotechnology was basically well-done. We liked how it started in an almost poetic way with the very fundamental knowledge that youngsters have about what makes up our world. Some of us felt that when it got into more scientifically detailed explanation the text became less fun to read and seemed more like a very dryly written textbook. Most (but not all) of us thought the strangely colored illustrations were terrific, and we all liked the fact that a little girl was shown on each page exploring whatever the text was attempting to explain. We thought this was especially encouraging for young female readers who were interested in science. We liked the pages at the end that contained even more detailed explanations of nanomaterials and a brief index. We felt that most young readers would probably not pick up this book on their own, but that an adult might alert them to it and that they might enjoy it. We also felt that it was a basic introduction to nanoscience that would be valuable for middle-schoolers and even those in high school.

THE BEATRYCE PROPHECY by Kate DiCamillo and THE SECRET CODE INSIDE YOU: All About Your DNA by Rajani LaRocca

At our August meeting we began with our novel, The Beatryce Prophecy by Kate DiCamillo and illustrated by Sophie Blackall. Most of us had varying degrees of love for this book for a variety of reasons. We all appreciated the seemingly very simple, but actually very deeply thought out text, which at times felt like a fairy tale and at other times felt even biblical. We appreciated DiCamillo's amazing storytelling skill, and we also felt that the black/grey illustrations done with "real and digital pencils" were entirely appropriate. We were enamored by Beatryce, who, during the medieval times in which she lived, was destined, according to an ancient prophecy, to become king. Beginning when she is found in a pen with a goat, Answelica, and with amnesia, the story goes on to explore her quest to find out who she really is, and to find out what her place is in the world. There are so many details that become evident as the story proceeds -- too many to mention here -- but the main one is that she knows how to read and write, which is prohibited for girls in the time she is living. With the help of a monk, Brother Edik; a boy, Jack Dory; an ex-king, Cannoc; and the goat, Beatryce's perseverance leads her through many hairy adventures en route to the palace. We loved the way that the story developed as we learned the reasons that each character joined her quest; we loved the suspense, and the final resolution, which made a reader feel the power of love as well as the power of story and the importance of reading. One reader was less enamored of the book, and although she did like the story and the writing, she felt it might be a bit too didactic as far as Beatryce's strength as a female and the importance of reading were concerned. We all felt that young readers would become fully engaged in this book from the very beginning, and that since it is a relatively easy read (and not too long) they would stick with it until the end -- where they could not help but to feel -- something!

We decided to read The Secret Code Inside of You: All About Your DNA by Rajani LaRocca and illustrated by Steven Salerno because we had loved her writing in Red, White, and Whole, which we discussed in July. We wanted to see what she would do with a nonfiction picture book for younger readers. We had varying opinions on this book whose role was to simplify the very complicated subject of cells, DNA, chromosomes, genes, and how they all create specific  characteristics in humans and animals. Some of us liked the rhyming couplets that comprised the text throughout the book, others thought they were terrible, and that the introductory part of the book -- before getting into the actual science -- was too long. We all basically liked the illustrations, which were quite colorful, and did show what the text talked about -- like the cell and the double helix of the DNA. One reader felt that this book was terrible -- that it wasn't totally scientifically correct, and that it was poorly written. But most of us felt that kids could definitely learn from it but probably would be unlikely to just pull it from a library shelf.  However, if a teacher or parent read it to them and showed them the pictures they might want to read it again themselves, and might even want to read more books about this topic. We did feel that the back matter of the book was helpful, but probably for adults -- since young kids rarely read it.