![]() As I believe I have mentioned before, I am not a huge graphic novel fan, BUT I really enjoyed New Kid by Jerry Craft. It is well-written and the illustrations help tell the story instead of detract from it (which I feel happens with many graphic novels). In New Kid, Craft covers some themes many students will be able to relate to - changing schools and trying to fit in, pressure from parents, racial stereotyping, and just growing up in general. Seventh-grader, Jordan Banks is the the protagonist of the story, and he loves to draw so much so, that he would like to attend art school. His mother, however, wants him to attend Riverdale Academy Day School which is upscale and prestigious. Jordan must adjust to a much larger school, new friends, and friends who come from money, not to mention, he is one of only a few students of color at the campus. Don't let the fun illustrations fool you, this book is deeper than you might think upon first glance. Approximate Reading Level - The reading level would be appropriate for grades 3rd-6th; however, I think the content will be most relatable for students grades 5th - 8th.
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![]() Jocelyn Wu has to figure out a way to save her family's Chinese restaurant from impending bankruptcy if she does not want her family to move. She devises a plan to save the restaurant and gets her dad's approval. The first step is to hire someone to assist her. Enter Will Domenici who is hired to assist with their social media marketing, website development, and anything else that needs to be done. Jocelyn and Will hit it off and develop feelings for each other. Everything seems to going well until Will's anxiety and Jocelyn's depression get in the way. This is my Brain on Love is narrated from Jocelyn and Will's perspectives so the reader gets to see how each of the characters deal with their mental illness. Both characters are caring, intelligent, and a little quirky, but they find a common spirit in the other. The characters seem a little more mature than a many of the high schoolers I have encountered, but they are still believable, and I think students will be able to relate to them and find them endearing. The storyline includes some problem-solving, some fun, and a little romance. There are some cuss words interspersed and some light sexual talk, so be forewarned for those of you who might be concerned. Approximate Reading Level: 7th-9th grade (the content would be enjoyed at higher grade levels as well). ![]() The Parker Inheritance was recommended to me by a former colleague, and I am quite glad she recommended it to me because I always have students ask me for mystery recommendations, and I just rarely read mystery books. The protagonist of the story is a young Black girl named Candice who works with her friend Brandon to solve a mystery involving her grandmother. As Candice works to solve her grandmother's mystery she encounters historical information and racism. The plot line bounces from current times to the 1950s seamlessly as the reader learns what is happening with Candice as well as what happened with her grandmother. Students who like a mystery and historical fiction will love this book. There are some discussions of racism in the book as well as a character who is LGBTQ+. Approximate Reading Level: 4th-6th grade ![]() Miracle’s Boys is a well-written tribute to the love of brothers and the difficulty they face when losing their mother and father. On her website, Woodson says about writing Miracle’s Boys, “I also wanted to write about how hard it is to lose someone you love—in this case, both parents—and how that pain starts shaping itself into other things sometimes like anger and isolation. Most of all, I wanted to write about three brothers who are funny, handsome, searching, and caring of one another. Woodson accomplishes her goal in this novel. The reader sees the struggles each of the brothers face and how they cope with the loss of their mother specifically. At 22 years old, Ty’ree is faced with becoming the bread winner of his family and the caretaker of his brothers. He foregoes his college acceptance at MIT to stay home and keep his family together. Charlie, who is 15 and the middle brother, struggles with making poor choices and acting out in anger. The book concludes with some hope as far as Charlie’s future is concerned. The reader gets the idea that perhaps Charlie has learned his lesson and wants to make better choices. Lafayette, the youngest brother at 12, yearns for his mother and feels somewhat isolated from his brothers. Woodson’s voice in this novel is authentic. The characters are not stereotypical or tokens. They are strong young Black men who have to learn to persevere and achieve despite the misfortunes they encounter. The reader sees the boys have emotions and feel these emotions which is something that is not always encouraged in young men, young Black men especially. Lafayette also goes to a psychologist to discuss his feelings and get help which offers a good role model for students. The reader is left with the feeling that we all need help sometimes and it is okay to reach out for assistance when we need it. I believe students would be able to relate to the characters in this book. The relationship the brothers share is not an easy one. The reader sees their struggles with each other; it is not an oversimplified relationship; it is an authentic one. This is something that students would be able to relate to and understand as relationships with siblings and families are often complex. Students could also relate to the characters and the choices they make. Each of the boys encounters situations in which they have to make decisions on what to do or how to react to one another. Making difficult choices and living with the consequences is something we all face and something students will understand and be able to relate to. It is an authentic problem. I think middle school boys would particularly enjoy reading this novel. It is short and not overly difficult as far as vocabulary, but it is deep in storyline and character development. Being an adolescent is difficult and often time students feel alone in their feelings; I think they would be able to readily relate to Lafayette and the struggles he has throughout the book. The reader is shown different facets of each of the characters which makes them realistic and not one-sided. Despite the difficulties the boys face, they are able to keep going by loving and supporting each other “brother to brother” even though it is often a struggle. I would wholeheartedly recommend this book but it does deal with death, delinquency, and gangs in some scenes; however, the emphasis of the book is the love and strength of the brothers. Approximate Reading Level - 6th-8th ![]() I have yet to read a Kwame Alexander book that I have not enjoyed and learned from and The Undefeated is no exception. I read the book to myself initially and then found a video on YouTube of Alexander reading the book himself, and I had to listen to it multiple times in order to appreciate his word choice and view the stunning illustrations. In The Undefeated, Kwame Alexander celebrates and highlights black individuals who have triumphed despite the struggles they undoubtedly encountered over the course of their lives. The words and illustrations work in tandem to allude to specific Black heroes throughout history. For example, the page that includes “the swift and sweet ones who hurdled history” includes an illustration of Jesse Owens who broke barriers by winning four gold medals in the 1936 Olympics which came during Hitler’s reign and the idea of the “perfect Aryan race”. The words and illustrations by Kadir Nelson depict Black people in triumph and perseverance, as individuals and as families. The characters are not presented as stereotypes or as tokens, but as the heroes of their own stories. They are presented to the reader as people to aspire to be. Individuals who became heroes to others despite adversity. One of the illustrations that stands out to me the most is a young adult Black man with his hand on the shoulder of a younger Black boy. It is a show of support and strength. The older young man has his hat in his hands as a show of respect and the younger one has a book opened. They are both contemplative and are presented as an embodiment of strength and faith, not as slaves or someone who is being helped along by a white character as is often seen in African American literature. There is also an illustration of a young Black soldier carrying the American flag as the words on the page reflect his courage “on the battlefield to save an imperfect Union.” This is inspirational to me as it acknowledges the fight for a belief in something that matters despite current conditions which ties into the next page seamlessly with the reference to the current social and political movement of “black lives matter”. Despite the positivity and inspiration of the book, Alexander does not gloss over the topic of slavery or other tragedies throughout history. He announces them as “the unspeakable” which is illustrated on a page of Black individuals lying and standing together in rows that allow the reader to infer they are enslaved. There are also pages of “unspeakable” which illustrate others who have lost their lives to racism and injustice. I adore the layers in this book. The ties to Black heroes from the past and present, the references to historical and current events, the hidden allusions such as “the promised land” which references MLK Jr and his I Have a Dream speech and the “We Real Cool one” which alludes to Gwendolyn Brook’s poem of the same name are all amazing. Approximated Reading Level: Although this book could be read by children as young as 6-7 years, I do not think they will be able to understand the connection and layers. There is also a reference to Black Lives Matter. This is a book that could be appreciated at any grade level. ![]() I have always felt a connection to MLK Jr’s I Have a Dream speech, and this is one of the reasons I chose to read A Place to Land. King’s speech transcends one race and works to paint a picture of a world where we all can live in unity. It is one of the defining moments in the Civil Rights movement and Wittenstein and Pinkney do a fabulous job of giving the reader a glimpse into how this speech came to be in their picture book A Place to Land. They allow the reader take a peek behind the curtain and into MLK Jr’s mind as he pens the speech. A Place to Land discusses the cultural and historical influences that King drew upon when composing his speech – people such as Langston Hughes and Abraham Lincoln as well as the Bible and spirituals. As he is thinking through the content of his speech we learn that he was thinking about Rosa Parks, Emmett Till, Medgar Evers, and the children of Birmingham. His planning and thought process is anchored in some of the cultural markers and historical tragedies that have molded him into the man that he has become and have caused some of the racial divisions in the country. We learn that his advisors encourage him to preach to the crowd. They want him to dig down into that fountain of knowledge and experience he has developed over the years in the pulpit and share it with the 250,000 congregants at the Lincoln Memorial, and in the end, he does. Pinkney’s illustrations reflect the people’s faces and historical documents and propaganda that may have been seen at Lincoln Memorial and over the course of the Civil Rights movement. The majority of the faces are black; however, there are other races represented as well. They faces are all contemplative or look to be participating in the gathering. A Place to Land is an uplifting book in both words and illustrations. The illustrations do not stereotype or oversimplify the characters as is mentioned in the article 10 Quick Ways to Analyze Children’s Books for Racism and Sexism, and the hero of the story is not a “safe” hero in that King definitely worked against the establishment to try and bring about change for all. A Place to Land tells the story of a brilliant black man whose goal was to bring peace and equality to all. The last page of the book is particularly poignant. “And those battles continue to be fought. But that night brought optimism and laughter, for they all agreed. Martin stepped up to the lectern, and stepped down on the other side of history.” The author does not state that this one speech brought everyone together and the world is now a perfect place. He does not minimize the battles that still need to be fought which is important for those individuals who read this book and are still feeling disenfranchised and who face hatred and bigotry today, but the book does give kudos to a man who deserves it and helps to open a discussion into the work that still needs to be done. I love this book. I love that it gives background into one of the most important leaders and speeches in our nation’s history. I would hope that as students and teachers read and study this book alongside the I Have a Dream speech they would all feel a sense of pride and unity at the words that MLK so brilliantly espouses. The reader is certainly given a glimpse into the mind of MLK Jr and his intentions, and I personally see my desires and hopes reflected in his words and in the intent of this gorgeously illustrated picture book. This book shares some history from a perspective that is not often discussed, the lead up to the speech, and it opens a door to some conversations about what still needs to be done in order to achieve King’s dream. It also gives a glimpse into the writing process of a brilliant man. Approximate Reading Level: 2nd-4th grades ![]() My son came home in 5th grade with a copy of Ghost Boys that he had chosen for his reading class. I read the summary on the book jacket and was intrigued, so I decided to read it alongside him, and I loved it. That being said. It is not an "easy" read. The vocabulary and storyline is not difficult and is probably accessible for ages 10 and up, but the content is graphic in areas and the story is weighty. The storyline centers around as twelve-year-old boy, Jerome, who is fatally shot by a police officer who mistakes his toy gun for a real gun. Jerome's ghost narrates the story as he watches the drama and devastation unfold around his killing. Along the way, Jerome's ghost meets the ghost of Emmett Till and the storyline weaves in the historical context and story involving the real-life killing of Emmett Till. Rhodes constructs a story that includes elements of fiction, history, and current sociological and political issues. The story centers on heavy topics and may be difficult for a child to read on their own. I would recommend reading this book alongside your child and discussing all of the layers within it. My son and I had very interesting and important discussions involving Emmett Till, racism, police brutality, profiling, and social issues in general. If you enjoy this book by Jewell Parker Rhodes, you might consider giving Towers Falling a read as well. Approximate Reading Level - 5th-6th grade (the content would work for higher grades) |
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