The Boy in the Black Suit

The Boy in the Black Suit
Jason Reynolds
Atheneum, 2015 272 pages
Grades 7-12
Realistic Fiction

Matt is several weeks late in starting his senior year at his Brooklyn high school. He has a very good reason: his mother died. Matt is not coping well and his father is coping even worse, turning to the bottle for solace. Matt's work/study job has fallen through in his absence and he is offered a replacement job at the local funeral home operated by family friend, Mr. Ray and his brothers. Matt begins wearing a black suit as a uniform for his new employment, but soon realizes that he feels more comfortable in it than his street clothes. He also finds comfort in attending the funerals he helps to host. His favorite part is when the survivors break down, finding his own grief both reflected and soothed. Meanwhile, Matt's dad gets into a serious accident while on a bender and He must learn to live alone and fend for himself with the help of Mr. Ray. Unexpected happiness comes from a funeral where the surviving granddaughter is a girl that he has encountered before and to whom he is attracted. Matt and Lovey strike up a friendship that leads to a gentle romance that proves to be beneficial and healing to both of them. By book's end Matt is on the road to recovery and is starting to stand on his own two feet without the need of the black suit or living through other people's grief.

Lately I have been reading a lot of gritty urban books. This story is set in the Bed Stuy neighborhood in Brooklyn. Although the urban setting is integral to the story and the cast of characters is African-American, it is not a book about race and is a bit less gritty than some of the other books I have recently read, some for even a younger intended audience. It is a book about overcoming grief and the importance of community. Reynolds is one of my favorite authors. His writing is descriptive and makes the reader feel that they are transported. The characters are fully drawn and practically leap off the page. There is enough of a plot to give weight to the story and move it along, but this is more of a character piece and a snapshot into a pivotal time in a young man's life when everything has fallen apart and he must learn with the help of friends and neighbors how to put it together again. The father character is weak and unable to care for Matt and his needs, but Mr. Ray picks up the slack, showing the reader that family is what we make it. The romance is sweet and innocent and adds much to both Matt's healing and to the enjoyment of the story. This book is perfect for classroom use, book discussion, and recreational reading for both teen boys and girls. When times get tough there are many things we hide behind and for Matt it is his black suit. As much as we understand his need to wrap himself within its folds, it's a relief that he finally begins to let go and embrace the rainbow beyond the grief.

The Year of the Book

The Year of the Book
Andrea Cheng
Abigail Halpin, Illustrator
Houghton Mifflin, 2012
Grades 3-5
Realistic Fiction/Friendship

Anna finds fourth grade a bit socially bewildering. Her former best friend Laura would rather hang out with popular girl Allison. Anna's only friend is the cheerful elderly crossing guard she chats with going to and coming from school every day. In order to survive the school day she retreats into her books, finding escape, comfort, and companionship within their pages. To make matters worse, Anna's mother is forcing her to attend Chinese school in order to learn the language of her heritage, a process which is both daunting and difficult. As the school year progresses, Laura eventually becomes tired of Allison's controlling nature and re-enters Anna's life. Laura's parents are in the midst of a nasty divorce and Anna learns to be a friend and begins to appreciate her family and see them in a new light. Chinese school begins to get better, as Anna learns to decipher the characters and makes a new friend. One day Anna's beloved crossing guard is not at his usual post. What could have happened to him? Anna takes it upon herself to find out, proving to be a loyal friend and maturing by learning to shift her focus off herself and on to those she cares about. The school years winds down on a happy note with Anna older, wiser, happier, and ready to tackle fifth grade.

I discovered this book while search for a title to launch my third/fourth grade book discussion group for the year. I like to start with a school story that is pretty simple and straight-forward and this would have worked out nicely. Because the book features two girls on the cover I was worried that it would scare the boys off and I choose The Mouse and the Motorcycle instead. That said, this book would have worked. Even though it does feature girls and the prerequisite friendship troubles, Anna is not particularly "girlie" and her story is universal. Bi-cultural kids will relate to Anna walking the line between being American and having Chinese roots and customs within her home. Non-bi-cultural kids will benefit by seeing what life is like for Anna and learning a bit about Chinese heritage. Sweet pencil drawings accompany the text and will help invite the target audience to keep turning pages. Many kids turn to books to escape life when it gets too complicated or noisy, including myself as a child and both of my daughters. I love Anna's reading choices and hope that readers may be inspired to crack into some of them. My only complaint is that I wish the author offered a bibliography of the books mentioned within the story at the end. Cheng does include a pronunciation guide of the Chinese words used within the story, which will be of interest to readers. I may have missed this book to launch the school year, but I may still use it for Chinese New Year, which is celebrated within the book. Readers who enjoyed Anna's story can read more about her adventures in four other titles, the most recent being The Year of the Garden, which was released this past April and published posthumously since Cheng passed away in 2015.

Girls Made of Snow and Glass

Girls Made of Snow and Glass
Melissa Bashardoust
Flatriron/Macmillan, 2017  375 pages
Grades 9-Up
Fantasy/Fairy Tale

Alternating chapters tell the stories of two connected royals. Lynet is the daughter of the widowed ruler of the kingdom. A natural tomboy and tree-climber, the reluctant princess is happiest running around her snow-covered home where she never feels cold. Mina is Lynet's stepmother, confidant, and the current queen of the kingdom. Her chapters begin in the past and trace her journey from a southern magician's daughter to a northern queen. Lynet becomes fascinated with the new doctor from the south, a young lady named Nadia. Through Nadia she discovers the secret of her past: that Mina's father created her from snow in her dead mother's image at her father's request. Also through Nadia, she experiences first love and the confusing accompanying feelings. Mina has her own secret: her father saved her life by replacing her failing heart with a glass one. She believes that she is incapable of human emotions and love. Mina creates from glass a woodsman who loves her unconditionally, does her bidding, and teaches her the ways of the human heart. Nadia has secrets of her own, which are revealed as the book progresses. When the king dies one of the ladies becomes the monarch of the kingdom, while the other must escape to the south to begin a new life. The truth behind the lies emerges as the two royals learn that they care about each other more than they knew and discover that families are what we choose them to be. Eventually, the two women meet again in an exciting climax and a turn of events leads to a death, a near-death, and the crowning of the rightful monarch.

First time author, Bashardoust pens a lyrical fairy tale that is part Snow White, part Frozen, and fully original. These are not weak ladies in need of a rescue from a prince, but very strong, yet flawed characters. Lynet is indeed saved, yet banished by the huntsman and manages to survive by her own wits with no help from any dwarfs and no kiss from a prince, although she does have aid from her flawed female love interest. Mina overcomes her mentally abusive childhood to finally learn to love both herself and others. The two main characters are fully developed, original, interesting, and experience much character growth. Minor characters, though not as developed, are intriguingly drawn. The setting of the story is also interesting and unique and is fully realized. Bashardoust maintains a consistent mood to the book that helps the reader fall into this world and want to stay. Original fairy tales are currently very popular and this book will find an audience. Female readers will gravitate to the story more than male. I felt that the book seemed a bit longer than it needed to be, but I never tired of reading it. I'm not sure about the cover. It feels a bit unfinished, but I was reading an arc, so maybe the final product will be more eye-catching. I loved the idea of one woman being able to manipulate glass magically, while the other could manipulate snow. These ladies are strong, yet vulnerable, and are pretty cool. Readers will enjoy spending 372 pages with them in this magical land.

Point Guard

Point Guard
Mike Lupica
Simon & Schuster, 2017  265 pages
Grades 4-8
Sports
Home Team series #3

Gus is totally psyched to start the new basketball season, his last season before high school. He and his friend Jack are trying to convince their friend Teddy, who is more of a football player, to try out for the team. Teddy refuses, choosing instead to become the team manager, yet a different friend, Cassie, decides to play on the boys team instead of the girls. Cassie is an amazing athlete and makes the team easily, yet, even though they are friends, Gus is uncomfortable with having her as a teammate. Also making Gus uncomfortable is the center of the team, Steve Kerrigan, who, like his father who became the town mayor on an anti-Latino platform, constantly pokes fun at Gus's Dominican background and slips other racist slurs. As the season progresses Gus must learn to work with his teammates to play as a single unit and overcome his personal feelings. As he slowly learns to accept Cassie's place on the team, relations with Steve become more strained, especially after he agrees to support Steve's rival for class president, a Latina girl. Gus must follow his conscience and do what he feels is right, even if it offends a teammate. The book’s climax arrives the day after the election results are in and the kids are finally playing the last game of the season: the championship. Can the team work together to win the big game?

Mike Lupica is the reigning king of sports fiction for middle grade readers and for good reason. His books are chock-full of action for sports minded kids, yet contain an underlining message and connecting plotline, giving the book more substance beyond the endless games. Point Guard brings to light current controversies in America concerning immigration and the place new Americans hold in our country. Lupica mirrors our president's views towards Latinos by including the characters of Steve and his father, who became mayor with with the campaign to "make Walton great again". Lupica also champions female athletes with the character of Cassie, who despite opposition, chooses to play with the boys and is not afraid to play hard. Gus has conflicting emotions concerning his friend's place on the team and experiences personal growth working through them and learning to stand-up to Steve's racist views. Sports fans will not be disappointed in the amount of game time. The whole season is played out in print from the try-outs to the championship. Every game seems to be a nail-biter, coming down to the final basket, which doesn't seem to be realistic to me, but adds suspense to the story. Sports-loving reluctant readers are the target audience, but other readers will enjoy this book as well. I appreciate that there are no illustrations within the book, encouraging reluctant readers who have depended on the Wimpy Kid format to possibly reach a bit. Although this title is the third in a series, it stands alone. The first two titles feature Gus's friends Teddy and Jack and trace a football and baseball season. The four in this quartet will feature Cassie and a softball season and is projected to be released in spring, 2018.

Wild Beauty

Wild Beauty
Anna-Marie McLemore
Feiwel & Friends, October, 2017 352 pages
Grades 9-Up
Fantasy

Estrella lives with her four female cousins, their mothers, and grandmothers on the La Pradera estate, where they have tended the lush gardens for generations. They are so amazing at gardening that folks claim them to be witches. The ladies admit to have a special touch with plants and trees, but only they know the real secret behind their powers: they are bound to the land by a magical force and whenever they love a man too much, the man disappears. All of the five cousins. who all are named after flowers with the exception of Estrella, have fallen in love with the young female owner of the estate, Bay. Bay's black-sheep male cousin is sent to the estate to take it over, forcing out Bay and jeopardizing the tranquility and future of the family. Meanwhile, Estrella accidentally pulls a figure out of the ground. It is a mysterious boy with no memory of his past beyond his name: Fel. The mothers and grandmothers know what to do with Fel and seem to understand that he is one the the men from the past who has disappeared. Fel and Estrella fall in love, yet Estrella is scared. Will she force Fel back into the ground by loving him, losing him forever? Will the girls find the missing Bay and banish the evil cousin? What is the truth behind the curse of the Nomeolvides women? All is revealed by book's end in a satisfying conclusion filled with magic and romance.

Critically acclaimed author, McLemore, offers a modern fairy tale that could be described as magical realism. The writing is beautiful and the mystical mood of the storytelling will draw readers right it and hold them through the conclusion. The curse/magic is believable in a folklore-ish type of way and will provide a perfect escape for whimsical readers. McLemore plays with blurred gender and race, allowing for the book to break through cultural expectations. The truth behind Fel and the curse is revealed in a satisfying manner and I felt a delicious sense of closure at the end of the story. Patient readers will best enjoy this book as it is quiet and lyrical and relies more on mood than plot. It took me a while to read this story, I think because of the dense writing, but even though I would put it down for a while while I read something lighter and faster, I always came back to it. I had a hard time keeping the cousins straight and finally gave up as it did not matter to the plot. The main characters are clearly defined and that is what matters most to the story. Dreamy teenage girls are the audience and they will find much to enjoy here. The real star of the story is the breath-taking cover, which is what encouraged me to pick the book up in the first place. The beautiful cover will draw in readers and the lyrical telling will sweep them into this magical and gorgeous world.

Invisible Emmie

Invisible Emmie
Terri Libenson
Balzer & Bray/HarperCollins, 2017  185 pages
Grades 4-8
Graphic Novel

Two very different girls recount the same day at school with some interaction, yet very different points of view and experiences. Emmie is shy and awkward. School is torture and she struggles with asserting herself and feels invisible. The only way to cope is by drawing and submersing herself in her artwork to get through the day. In direct contrast is Katie, who is athletic, popular, and confident. We see the different takes on the same school day as related by the two different girls. Katie gets asked out by Emmie's crush. Emmie writes a love letter, partly in jest, to said crush, only to have it fall into enemy hands and lead to exposure and severe humiliation. Help surprisingly comes from Katie, who encourages Emmie to stand up to bullies and to speak-up for herself. Emmie gains the needed confidence, pushes Katie away, and finds the courage to actually talk to the crush herself and to make a new friend. A surprise ending shows the reader that we are all a little Emmie and a little Katie and that no one is completely perfect or hopeless. Emmie pulls through her humiliation with more confidence and strength and she has opened up and made a few new friends in the process.

The latest in the popular trend of semi-autobiographical novels geared primarily towards girls, first made popular by Raina Telegemeirer's Smile, Invisible Emmie is the same, yet different. As typical for this genre, the main character struggles with fitting in with her peers, lacks self-confidence, and is suffering through middle school. The difference lies in the contrasting characters and points of view. The ending is a twist that readers will love and it is executed really well. Libenson pens both characters differently. Emmie has more text with smaller doodle-like illustrations in muted colors. Katie is large splashy cartoons in vibrant colors. It is beautifully and thoughtfully designed and this also sets it apart from the average fair. The book reads quickly, yet has a bit more text than the standard graphic novel, working more as a transitional chapter book to move this audience into reading books with more girth. Readers will relate to Emmie's struggles and suffer right along with her when the love letter is confiscated. It is surprising that Katie proves to be so nice to Emmie, even though she has a crush on Katie's BF. This makes more sense as the twist ending is revealed, yet also shows that all popular kids are not necessarily evil. We all have many sides to our personalities and no one is completely black and white. Invisible Emmie is proving to be a hit with the target audience. In my library consortium thirty-nine libraries have added this title since its May release and only nine copies are currently not checked out to readers. A sure-fire win for older elementary and middle school girls.

Miles Morales

Miles Morales: a Spider-Man Novel
Jason Reynolds
Marvel/Disney, 2017  261 pages
Grades 6-Up
Super Hero/Adventure

The latest in Marvel's novelizations of popular and teen-friendly superheroes, seen earlier in the year with Shannon Hale's The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, penned by established authors in the field. Miles Morales is a reboot of Spider Man, first created by Marvel's Ultimate series as a spin-off alternative to the standard Marvel universe. A biracial teen living in Brooklyn, Miles takes the mantel of Spider Man over from Peter Parker and fights crime, while also struggling with normal teen problems. In this first in a projected series, Miles is not sure that he wants to continue on as Spider Man. His spider senses have been acting up and he is still morning the loss of his formally estranged uncle. Strange happenings result in Miles getting suspended from his prestigious Brooklyn boarding school and putting his scholarship in jeopardy. Miles' parents are not pleased with him, so it is a surprise when a cousin that Miles never knew existed reaches out and Miles' father agrees to take him to juvie to meet him. Meanwhile, a creepy history teacher is imparting racists lessons about slavery and Miles suspects that maybe he is part of a larger ring. His roommate is challenging him to have more fun, his crush is challenging him to write poetry and his parents are begging him to stay out of trouble. What is a young super hero to do? Fight some bad guys to try to clean up his neighborhood and get to the bottom of the ring of racists in order to secure his position in the school and keep it a healthy and safe learning environment. Oh, and to get the girl.

I love Jason Reynolds. This book is a departure for him and proves Marvel's commitment to finding quality writers to fictionalize their comic books. Much like with Hale's Squirrel Girl, there are no illustrations, which is a surprise for a book based on a visual format. The action is communicated with words alone, drawing in fans of the comic and possibly turning them into traditional readers. It is helpful when reading this book if you already have knowledge of the franchise. It feels almost like a sequel and I kept checking to make sure that this was actually the first in the series. This may be because Marvel is assuming that prior knowledge of the characters is known by the reader picking up this book. I was expecting non-stop action, but much of the book is centered around Miles' personal life and troubles and there is not as much fighting bad guys as I was anticipating. Reynolds writes the way teenagers talk and his language is hip and cool, making his characters believable and likable to teen readers. Miles is typically teen-angsty and struggles with the mantel of being Spider Man. The fact that he is half African-American/half Hispanic offers much needed diversity to the very white genre of super heroes and the field of books for young people as a whole. The character of Miles' roommate, Ganke, offers comic relief and a sub-plot involving his crush adds a bonus dimension to the story. I like how Reynolds infuses the power of poetry into the book and stresses the need for a good education. Miles is a good kid with a tough job, who loves his family, has crush on a girl and is trying to figure out his place in the universe. And he just happens to be a superhero on the side.

Swing It, Sunny

Swing It Sunny
Jennifer & Matthew Holm
Scholastic, September, 2017  218 pages
Grades 4-Up
Graphic Novel

Sunny, heroine of the smash-hit semi-autobiographical graphic novel Sunny Side Up, must begin middle school. Older brother, Dale, who we first meet in the previous title, is still struggling with substance abuse. His parents out of desperation send him away to military school in the hope of straightening him out. Sunny continues to feel sad, angry, and guilty about her brother's addictive behavior and is trying to process these feelings, all while attempting to adjust to the new school environment and life as a budding teenager. As 1976 changes to 1977 Sunny spends time with her best friend watching television, bonding with her baby brother, and confessing her feelings to her grandfather in Florida. A visit home from Dale is disappointing and only when an older new neighbor moves in and befriends Sunny does she start to feel hopeful. Through the neighbor Sunny learns how to twirl color guard flags and discovers that she is good at it. Through the passing of time, the acceptance and friendship of her new neighbor, and her success in learning a new skill, Sunny starts to heal and let go of the feelings of responsibility and constant sadness brought on by Dale. By the school year's end Sunny has grown in confidence and maturity and Dale seems a bit less angry and maybe willing to try to mend his broken relationship with his family.

Sunny Side Up is one of my favorite graphic novels. I can relate to both the 1970's setting and dealing with a brother who is an alcoholic. Sunny and I are the same age and have very parallel childhoods, so of course I love this book. I have asked kids at my library and in book discussion if they can relate to Sunny and am always greeted with a resounding "yes". Sunny's troubles are universal and, unfortunately, still relatable to today's youth. This sequel takes place directly where the first installment ends and traces Sunny's school year. It does not break new ground; the same themes hold true with no new earth-shattering developments. If anything, the 1970's setting is delved into deeper, focusing more on the music and television shows we all watched for hours at a time. Dale does not magically get "fixed", but we do see hope by book's end. Readers in similar situations will gain from watching Sunny come to terms with Dale's condition with the help of family members and learn to let go of some of the negative feelings she is holding onto and find positive feelings from within herself and a new confidence thanks to an acquired skill. Much like the first novel, the cartoons are well drawn, expressive, are in full-color and scan easily. Knowledge of the first book would making reading the second a richer experience, but enough background is given, allowing it to stand alone. A slam-dunk for fans of Sunny Side Up and for readers of the current trend of realistic graphic novels pioneered by Raina Telgemeier.