Category Archives: 5-6

Pride Month Book List!

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June is Pride Month! The LGBTQIA+ experience is vast, no one book can define what the experience is like for any one person. With the political climate pushing for policies that would deny those who fall within the LGBTQIA+ umbrella rights, it can be comforting to read books that extol the LGBTQIA+ experience. To celebrate Pride, we would like to share with you some of our favorite LGBTQIA+ books that have come out so far this year. This is by no means a comprehensive list of all the LGBTQIA+ books that have come out this year, but it is a start for those who wish to read more books with LGBTQIA+ protagonists.

Happy reading everyone!

61auCUPW94L._SX258_BO1,204,203,200_It Feels Good to be Yourself: A Book About Gender Identity
Theresa Thorn
Illustrated by Noah Grigni
Henry Holt and Company, June 4 2019
Ages Pre K-8

Ruthie is a Trans girl; when she was born people thought that she was a boy but she is actually a girl. When Ruthie was five years old, she corrected her family, telling them that she was a girl and not a boy like they thought. Ruthie has a gender fluid friend named Alex, and a non-binary friend named JJ. Ruthie’s brother Xavier is cisgender. Even though they all have different gender identities they are all still valid. The book is thoughtfully written and educates children and adults alike about various gender identities and what they mean. The book also includes resources at the end of the book for both children and parents to learn more about gender identity. The illustrations are colorful and beautifully complement the topic of the book. The book is illustrated by Noah Grigni who themselves is non-binary.

810WSYBncdLStonewall: A Building. An Uprising. A Revolution.
Rob Sanders
Illustrated by Jamey Christoph
Random House, April 23, 2019
Ages Pre K-10

The Stonewall Inn has changed over the course of the 20th and 21st century. In the 1960’s, the Stonewall Inn began to attract the LGBTQIA+ community. As the inn began to attract more and more LGBTQIA+ people, police officers began to raid the building and arrest people for being LGBTQIA+. On June 28, 1969, police once again raided the inn and began arresting people; only this time the people resisted beginning the Stonewall Uprising. Following the events of the Stonewall Uprising, each June people around the world celebrate LGBTQIA+ rights. Written from the perspective of the Stonewall Inn rather than those who participated in the Uprising, this book does a great job of simply explaining the events that led to the Stonewall Uprising. The illustrations are gorgeous and make the book come to life. Resources at the back of the book provide a more in depth history of the Stonewall Inn and the Stonewall Uprising, as well as books and websites to learn more.

911GEL0JZ1LBloom
Kevin Panetta and Savanna Ganucheau
Illustrated by Savanna Ganucheau
First Second, January 29, 2019
Ages 12 and up

Ari wants to move away to the city with his friends and bandmates, but is stuck at home working at his family’s bakery. Looking to find someone to take his place at the bakery, Ari meets Hector who is studying to be a baker. As Ari tries to find himself and move away, he realizes that Hector may be one good reason to stay. A sweet, slow-paced, graphic novel about falling in love and finding oneself. The illustrations are entirely in shades of blue, creating a calming atmosphere for the story. The end of the book included a recipe on how to make the Kyrkos Family Bakery’s Famous Sourdough Rolls, (which looks delicious).

51lH-OCV+oL._SX324_BO1,204,203,200_.jpgThe Weight of the Stars
K. Ancrum
Macmillian, March 19, 2019
Ages 13 and up

Since the death of her parents, Ryann has become the sole provider for her brother James and his son Charlie. With the weight of the responsibilities she now has, Ryann is forced to give up her dreams of going to space. When Ryann meets and befriends the Uninaut’s daughter Alexandria, her dreams of space re-awaken. As the two girls spend more time together, they begin to develop feelings for one another, which makes Ryann wonder, is going to space worth leaving Alexandria and her family behind? A poignant and nuanced book, it explores what it means to take care of others, and what it means to pursue your dreams knowing that those dreams may make it so that you can never see your loved ones again.

31681158._UY762_SS762_Starworld
Amy Coulthurst and Paula Garner
Candlewick Press, April 16, 2019
Ages 13 and up

Sam Jones is loves to draw, and dreams of becoming an aerospace engineer. Sam is nerdy and only has one friend, until the day Zoe Miller walks into her life. Sam and Zoe begin to text each other regularly about the world they created together—Starworld—where they can escape the problems that they face in their lives. As Starworld expands, so too do Sam’s feelings for Zoe. The only problem is that Zoe has a boyfriend. Written in the perspectives of both Zoe and Sam, this book shows that people’s lives are not always what we assume them to be and that the problems we face can be lessened with support.

 

41Lq87sSB7L._SX336_BO1,204,203,200_Carmilla: The Novel
Adapted by Kim Turrisi
KCP Loft, May 7, 2019
Ages 13 and up

Laura has just begun her freshman year at Silas University when her roommate Betty goes missing. When Laura goes looking for answers, she is met with hostility by the dean of the university. It seems as though no one will take this seriously. To make matters worse, her new roommate, Carmilla seems to be actively antagonizing Laura. Despite this, Laura finds herself inexplicably attracted to Carmilla. Could it be because Carmilla is a vampire? Could Carmilla be behind Betty’s disappearance? Based on the web series of the same name, Carmilla is a fun, fast-paced, vampire story.  While making references to other well-known vampire novels, this one still feels original and fresh.

41473872I Wish You All the Best
Mason Deaver
Scholastic, May 28, 2019
Ages 13 and up

Ben recently came out to their parents as non-binary and was kicked out of their house. Desperate, Ben calls their estranged sister Hannah for help. After moving in with Hannah and getting enrolled at North Wake high school, Ben meets Nathan. Nathan is beautiful, funny, and kind, and becomes one of Ben’s closest friends. Scared of being rejected by Nathan, Ben decides not to tell him that they are non-binary. Still dealing with the fallout of coming out to their parents, Ben begins to learn that not everyone will reject them due to their gender orientation. Written by Mason Deaver, who themselves is non-binary, this is a touching story about coming to terms with your gender identity.

Uniquely You: A Book Review of You Are Enough: Your Guide to Body Image and Eating Disorder Recovery by Jen Petro-Roy

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you are enough image

You Are Enough: Your Guide to Body Image and Eating Disorder Recovery
By Jen Petro-Roy
February 19, 2019
Grades 6 and up

You Are Enough is a guide for young people struggling with eating disordered behavior and provides helpful resources, exercises, and information for readers to try and work towards recovery. Jen Petro-Roy writes about her own experiences of eating disordered behavior as well as her attempts at recovery, showing readers that they are not alone in their fight against their eating disorders. The book provides a list of resources on its last pages, spanning from where to get scholarships for treatment, body positive Instagram accounts, books, and websites dedicated to helping those with eating disordered behaviors. The book speaks at length about the need to find comfort in one’s self, rather than trying to make yourself likable to others. Attempts to control how others perceive you through eating disordered behavior will only serve to make you unhappier. By accepting yourself for who you are, and taking pride in what makes you unique, you can start the long and hard road to recovery.

You Are Enough is a non-fiction companion piece to Jen Petro-Roy’s fiction novel, Good Enough, about a young girl with an eating disorder. You Are Enough can be read as a standalone work without Good Enough. While the bulk of the work is meant for those already suffering from eating disordered behavior, it can be used and read by anyone. The book makes a point of showing that the world we live in inundates us with messages of self-worth being tied to self-image and how harmful it can be for our mental health.  This a fantastic book for anyone wanting to better improve their relationship with their own self-image.

Reporting for Star Shepherd Duty

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The Star ShepherdI’ve got my goggles and I’m ready for star gazing. At least I would be if it weren’t so cloudy in Chicago this week (I’ll spare you the pics of me wearing the goggles!). Instead, I set my sights on lunch with fellow book lovers and the team responsible for The Star Shepherd, Dan Haring and MarcyKate Connolly.

In their upcoming middle-grade fantasy, Kyro dreams of becoming a star shepherd like his father and rescuing stars that have fallen to earth. But when the stars start falling en masse, their village turns against them, and his father disappears Kyro is suddenly thrust into the job. With the help of friends new and old, big and small, he will journey to save the stars and his father.

Fortunately for us, the stars aligned to bring Dan Haring and MarcyKate Connelly together on this project. Haring initially created the story as an animated short, which his agent suggested would be a perfect novel for middle-grade readers. And Connelly’s agent knew just the star-loving writer to help develop the story into a novel format. The two collaborated through the cosmos (ok, mostly through email) to develop the story that we’ll see this fall.

Many thanks to Sourcebooks for the opportunity to meet the creative team behind the book and learn more about their partnership. You can stop by the Butler Children’s Literature Center for a sneak peek at the ARC and keep your eyes open (and goggles on) for publication in September.

 

Here to Save the Day: A Review of The Last Last-Day-of-Summer

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The Last Last-Day-of-Summer cover imageThe Last Last-Day-of-Summer
Lamar Giles, illustrated by Dapo Adeola
Versify, April 2019
Grade 5-7

The Last Last Day of Summer, by Lamar Giles, introduces us to two lovable cousins, Sheed and Otto, aka the Legendary Alston Boys of Logan County, a magical place where banshees, monsters, and robots need managing—managing the boys are happy to provide. Indeed, the boys’ long history of town-saving adventures shines through the pages. It may be our first time joining Otto and Sheed, but they’re old pros at saving the day. Only the twin sisters, the Epic Ellison’s, give these two brave, clever boys a run for the money … or, rather, a run for the keys to the city. When the last day of summer starts with a headline, informing Sheed and Ollie that the Ellison girls have earned a third key to the city—one more than the boys have—the Alston boys are determined to catch up. It doesn’t take long for them to run into a mysterious stranger with a curious camera. A click and a clack later, Logan County is frozen in time, leaving only the boys and a bevy of unexpected visitors to figure out how to reverse the damage and free the town and its zany cast of character. The story is deeply grounded in family and gently explores themes such as loss and fear, confidence and insecurity, and the ups and downs of friendship. In the end, our imaginative heroes must work through their differences; think creatively about which moves from their long list of Maneuvers will help them solve their pile of problems; and tap strange people, unexpected creatures, and even a few frenemies to unfreeze Logan County.

Many thanks to local author, SCBWI-IL member, and guest reviewer, Malayna Evans. Malayna has used her Ph.D. in ancient Egyptian history from the University of Chicago to write a three book series featuring two South Side Chicago siblings stuck in ancient Egypt. Her debut novel, JAGGER JONES & THE MUMMY’S ANKH, will be released in spring of 2019. She lives in Oak Park with her two kids, a rescue dog, and a hamster. You can learn more about Malayna and her work here, http://malaynaevans.com , or follow her on Twitter, https://twitter.com/Malayna , or Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/malaynaevans/.

 

Sharks Find Their Way Home: A Review of The Line Tender

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the line tenderThe Line Tender
By Kate Allen, Illustrated by Xingye Jin
Penguin
April 2019
Grades: 5 and up

 Lucy and Fred are lifelong friends, and as they work on their animal field guide over the summer, it looks like they may become something more. When local fisherman and family friend Sookie catches a great white shark, Fred and Lucy set out to learn more about great white sharks by reading an old research proposal written by Lucy’s mother—an accomplished shark biologist before her untimely death when Lucy was 7 years old. Tragedy strikes when, after sharing her first kiss with Fred, he drowns in a quarry accident. Lucy is then left trying to find meaning in her friendship to Fred and wondering what could have been, while still struggling with the grief of her mother’s passing. By dedicating herself to her mother’s shark research and Fred’s field guide, and with the help of her Father, Sookie, and neighbor Mr. Patterson, Lucy is eventually able to come to terms with the deaths of her mother and Fred.
The Line Tender by Kate Allen is an emotional coming-of-age story that follows Lucy Everhart as she grapples with the loss of her mother and her best friend Fred. Allen thoughtfully ties Lucy’s attempts to find meaning in her friendship with Fred to her attempts to better understand the sharks her mother and Fred loved so much. The Line Tender is beautifully written and is both heartfelt and heartbreaking in the ways that it deals with community, friendship, and tragedy. Xingye Jin’s shark illustrations for each chapter title are stunning, adding yet another layer to the book as it shows Lucy slowly learning how to draw sharks as she learns more about them.

Chicken Killer: A Review of Bone Hollow

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91gp8+kYlxLBone Hollow
Kim Ventrella
Scholastic, January 2019
Grades: 5-8

Did you ever think you’d die trying to save a chicken? Yeah, well, neither did sixth-grader Gabe, in Kim Ventrella’s forthcoming Bone Hollow. Except Gabe is only half dead–and he discovers this when he shows up at the town candlelight service for him. Gabe is on the run from the town, when he meets Wynne, the embodiment of Death. Wynne helps people pass into the light, and she wants Gabe to take over this job. Over the course of the novel, she and Gabe become friends, and, under Wynne’s mentorship, Gabe eventually accepts the responsibility of helping people cross over. Gabe is a lonely and humorous kid, and his voice is authentic, for a sixth grader which makes his processing of dying and death compelling to the reader. The narrator describes Gabe’s new perspective on Death: “Sad, sure, but also happy and kind and vast, like the ocean he and Gramps used to imagine. A deep, endless ocean, with rushing waves and a surface that reflected back each and every star” (222). Ultimately, this book might help adolescent readers recognize that death is inevitable, but it doesn’t have to be painful. Like Gabe, the readers might understand that Death is more of a transition than an ending.   

 

Benefits of a Bossy Butler: A Review of Pay Attention, Carter Jones

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carter jones

Pay Attention, Carter Jones
Gary D. Schmidt
Clarion Books, February 2019

The Butler in Gary Schmidt’s Pay Attention, Carter Jones shows up at the perfect time. Carter’s father is deployed in Germany when Mr. Bowles-Fitzpatrick arrives on the Jones’s family’s front porch, his service an inheritance of sorts from their recently passed grandfather. Carter’s mother, struggling to care for four and mourning the loss of a fifth, is all too happy to accept free help, but Carter doesn’t appreciate Mr. Bowles-Fitzpatrick’s insistence on speaking “the Queen’s English” or his tips on gentlemanly behavior. The two bond, however, when the butler teaches Carter to drive a car that will one day be his own and introduces him to the intricacies of Cricket. When Carter finds out his father is not returning from Germany, he starts to suspects the butler knows more about his family than it seems, and that the butler’s unsolicited guidance may help him sort the fragments of his family currently spinning out of control. The Butler is appropriately irritating and loveable all at once, striking a perfect balance of affection and frustration as his central relationship with Carter blooms. Carter is both stubborn and sympathetic as a middle schooler confronting the loss of a sibling and his father’s abandonment in a touching and realistic way. A hilarious and heartfelt book that will have readers laughing between tears and “remembering who they are.”

Many thanks to local author, SCBWI-IL member, and guest reviewer, Mike Grosso. Mike is an author, musician, and middle school math teacher who always keeps a guitar in his classroom. Mike writes books and records music at his home in Oak Park, Illinois, where he lives with his son and a drum set he plays much too loud. I AM DRUMS is his first novel, and his rock album, SILENT EXPLOSION, was funded via Kickstarter in early 2018. You can find him at mikegrossoauthor.com.

 

 

 

 

Where Do You Fit In? A Review of Click

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Click

Click by Kayla Miller
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, January 2019
Ages 10-13

In Kayla Miller’s Click, the variety show is coming up at school and outgoing Olive has not been asked to join a group. This leaves her feeling outcast and alone when she is unable to find her own “click.” Olive refuses her mom’s help to find a group, instead turning to her Aunt Molly. She decides the best choice is to become a host, the talent show announcer. In her words, “It would be a way that I could help all of my friends with their acts by introducing them” (p.132). This story was heartfelt and cute with bright colored pastel artwork which suggest that the tone is cheerful. The digital medium conveys the lively tone through expressive faces and flat simplistic backgrounds with bold highlight lines. The novel does a wonderful job touching on family relationships, specifically mother and daughter. At first, Olive’s mom oversteps her boundaries in trying to help her. By the end of the novel, a balance is achieved between allowing Olive to be independent and encouraging her to follow through. Olive also learns that, in friendships, growing apart and having different interests is okay. Her friends even encourage her in her choice to become a host. The novel has a solid plot portraying realistic issues for friendship and family. Miller shows these serious middle school themes in a lighthearted way that doesn’t take away from the tension.

New Children’s Fiction Alert!: Tight by Torrey Maldonado

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Tight by Torrey Maldonado

Tight
Torrey Maldonado
Nancy Paulsen Books, September 2018
Ages 8-12/Grades 3-7

If Bryan could be any superhero, he’d be Batman. Or Black Panther. They’re smart, they think 10 steps ahead, and they’re tough. Bryan’s dad and his older sister, Ava, both say he should be tough: “don’t be soft” they tell him, but his mom keeps him cool and level-headed. She also introduces him to Mike, who is in 7th grade – one year older than him in school – and Bryan thinks he’s pretty tight. Mike loves comics and drawing superheroes just like Bryan, and he doesn’t let school get in the way of having fun.

Slowly, Mike starts asking Bryan to take more and more risks: climbing up to the rooftop of a neighborhood building, ducking the subway turnstiles to take the train for free, skipping school to get the newest Luke Cage comic. Bryan doesn’t feel so good about lying to his parents, especially his mom, but he loves the feeling of freedom that comes with hanging out with Mike.

Bryan’s internal struggle to make the right choices is grounded in Tight’s contemporary Brooklyn setting and in his genuine interactions with strong secondary characters. He genuinely wants to do the right thing, while also wanting to give his friend a chance to choose better as well. Maldonado’s dialogues present a variety of perspectives on peer pressure and the difficulties of navigating friendships as a young person, making it easy to empathize with Bryan.

Back to School with Historical Fiction: A Review of Finding Langston

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Finding Langston by Lesa Cline-Ransome

Finding Langston
Lesa Cline-Ransome
Holiday House, August 2018

Langston doesn’t like much about his new life in Chicago – not the small apartment he shares with his father, or the noisy streets and sidewalks, and definitely not his new school, where classmates call him “country boy” and make fun of how he speaks. Langston misses Alabama, where his mother died and where his Grandma still lives, though his father sends her part of his paycheck each week in the hopes of helping her move up north with them. It’s only when Langston discovers George Cleveland Hall Library, open to all Chicago residents, that he starts to feel at home.

In the safety of the library, Langston also discovers his namesake, a poet who seems to have inspired a few of the love letters written by young Langston’s mother to his father. Reading the poetry of Hughes helps Langston work through his grief at losing his mother, but it’s a new friend who recognizes that reading poetry “is a way of putting all the things you feel inside on the outside” (p 99).

Cline-Ransome mixes poetry and history in this slim fiction novel for elementary and middle school children. The post World War II era of the Great Migration is explored through the story of one family, and Langston (the character) also learns a great deal about Langston Hughes and other African American poets and writers of the time. Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood and Chicago Public Library’s Hall Branch are both highlighted and given extra detail in an Author’s Note at the end of the book. Told with heart and thoughtfulness, Finding Langston belongs in personal libraries and on classroom shelves alike.