Black Bird, Blue Road

Black Bird, Blue Road

Sofiya Pasternack

Versify, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2022

Grades 5-8

Fantasy/Adventure/Historical

   Ziva and her beloved brother Pesah are turning thirteen in the Eastern European mountains of long ago. This is an important birthday in their Jewish community, as they are to be introduced into adulthood. Only, Pesah is not welcomed to the celebration because he suffers from advanced Leprosy. Ziva does not understand why her twin is ostracized and when she hears that he is to be sent to a leper colony, decides to take action. She is determined to find a cure and the siblings have a vague idea of where they can discover such a thing. They escape during the darkness of night and take to the road and it isn't long before they are attacked by robbers. After freeing the magical boy held prisoner by the scoundrels, Ziva and Pesah are owed a favor by this boy, who turns out to be half-demon. The three companions continue the journey, eventually discovering that no such cure exists. Hope lays in the mythical city of Luz, where all inhabitants are promised immortality. It is Ziva's plan to find Luz, cure Pesah, and leave the city to live life happily ever after. Of course, nothing is simple and immortality comes with a price. What decisions the young people make will both surprise readers and force them to consider their own mortality.

   Black Bird, Blue Road is a relatively new book by a celebrated author. It has been very favorably reviewed and is on many possible Newbery contender lists. That said, it hasn't gone out at my library since it was added several months ago and does not seem to attract young readers. The story is interesting. Characters with diseases have long been compelling to kids and leprosy is a certain draw. There is an adventurous journey that, in my opinion, will keep readers turning pages and the overall suspense of whether or not Pesah will be saved. I think that somehow the faraway setting and time period does not help it and for some reason young readers aren't picking it up. The philosophy behind the plot will get thoughtful kids thinking, but may go over the head of the average young person and at times the storyline gets a bit "talky". That said, it is a beautiful story that explores Jewish mythology by an own-voices author with a lot to say. It would be a great choice for book group, especially sparing conversations about death and immortality. I also love that there is a feminist message, as Ziva is the strongest among the young people and longs to be a judge in a society where women simply serve as wives and mothers. A beautifully written story with an unusual setting and much to say that will, unfortunately, not be picked up without some handselling.

The Dragon Warrior

The Dragon Warrior
Katie Zhao
Bloomsbury, 2019
343 pages
Grades 4-8
Mythology/Fantasy

Twelve year-old Faryn and her slightly younger brother live with their beloved grandfather in San Francisco's Chinatown.Ever since their warrior fighting father disappeared years before, the small family unit has been looked down upon by the community's top citizens. While out getting medicine for her grandfather on the first day of the lunar new year, Faryn encounters a Nian (scary demon). Grandfather trained her to be a demon warrior like her father and she puts the skills to work, defeating this enemy with the help of a mysterious stranger. A new year's party reveals unexpected news that Faryn is the "Heaven Breaker", a warrior prophesied to wield an Excalibur-like sword and lead a dragon army to save the world in a war against demons. Brother Alex is not happy. Why wasn't he the one chosen? There is no time to ponder as the young people team up with an old friendemie to lead the charge in the war against the demons. Do they have what it takes? Can Faryn make the right choices and sacrifices required for the job? Most of all, how will the team fare while encountering both deities and demons in their quest to save the world from evil?

Perfect for Rick Riordan and Rick Riordan Presents fans, The Dragon Warrior offers Chinese mythology within a contemporary format. The story has plenty of action, twists and turns with both deities and demons around every corner. The characters aren't super developed, but it's not that kind of story. They do change and surprise us along the way and sometimes it's not clear who to root for. This book ends with a grand final battle, yet also a couple of major cliff-hangers that will lead the reader to the sequel The Fallen Hero, involving the legendary Monkey King. From what I have read online, there are also loose plot threads and folks expected a third installment, but two years later there does not seem to be one in the works. The author has written some other things, including a new middle grade fantasy that came out just this fall. Young readers, who like this sort of thing, will enjoy The Dragon Warrior and it was a hit with my fifth and sixth grade book group . I, personally, had trouble keeping the deities and demons straight. There is a humorous and informative glossary in the back, but I didn't discover it until I finished the whole book. Maybe an author's note at the beginning alerting the reading about the glossary is in the back would have helped. Lovers of action/fantasy, as well as those already familiar with the legends and characters in question, will enjoy this story and find much to savor.

The Superteacher Project

The Superteacher Project

Gordon Korman

HarperCollins, January, 2023

304 pages

Grades 4-8

Science Fiction

Multiple points of view convey the story of a typical middle school with a new very atypical teacher. The students of Brightling Middle School are surprised when a new teacher enters their classroom accompanied by an older student teacher. Mr. Aidact is like no other educator the students have ever had. He is able to catch a spitball in midair, can explain things in different ways to make even the most unconventional students understand, doesn't mind taking on extra duties, and does not seem to need to eat lunch. Mr. Aidact seems to pick up information, slang, and song lyrics after only hearing it once and starts to become more and more like his students. Stuck running detention, it soon becomes a popular spot for delinquents and star students alike. When the field hockey team needs a coach, it's Mr. Aidact to the rescue. The fact he doesn't know anything about the sport does not prevent him from bring the team to the state championship. He seems a bit too good to be true, but there are some mysterious holes. Why is that strange "student teacher" always with him? When the class pranksters follow the new teacher home, they see that not only does he live with the student teacher, but he is most definitely not what he seems. Is the new star teacher even human?

Does it seem like I read every Gordon Korman book that comes down the pike? That is because I do! His books are just so readable and kid friendly. This one got me at the concept and I had to see where it was going to go. I figured out Mr. Aidact's identity pretty early on--and young readers will as well. Since the readers will be in on the plot twist, it is just a matter of sitting back and waiting for the chaos to ensue once the greater world discovers Mr. Aidact's secret. Korman adds his characteristic humor to the proceedings and the pranks and hijinks (especially the stunt involving a Big Wheel) will have kids as riveted as I was. There are a lot of characters, but everyone was written distinctly and the chapters are headed by the featured narrator at the top of every short chapter. The kids in the school, though all very different, must ban together at the end to save their favorite teacher. They turn out to be smarter and more open-minded than their parents, which young readers will applaud, and end up outsmarting the adults and saving the day. In the current climate of parents going to extremes to control what their children are exposed to, it feels like the actions in this book are rather timely. A fun book that even reluctant readers will enjoy that does not depend on comic-like pictures to keep readers turning pages.

Those Kids from Fawn Creek

Those Kids from Fawn Creek
Erin Entrada Kelly
HarperCollins, 2022
319 pages
Grades 4-Up
Realistic Fiction

Multiple points-of-view tell the story of a seventh grade class, well, actually the whole seventh grade, which is shaken up when a new girl moves to town. Fawn Creek (better known as Yawn Creek) is a little backwater town in rural Louisiana. Not much changes or happens and the twelve seventh grade students have been together forever. When Orchid enters the class, everything changes. Orchid has lived in New York City and Paris and has enjoyed exciting adventures. Best of all, she is kind and has made friends with nearly everybody, blurring the little cliques that have long formed. Remy, former mean-girl who left her queen bee status when she moved to the bigger town next door, is threatened by what she is hearing. She gets her former best friend and new class queen bee to help her with a plan to knock Orchid down to size. Class misfits, Dorothy and Greyson are instantly enchanted by Orchid's stories. They long for a world outside of Fawn Creek and eagerly befriend Orchid, hanging on their every word. As the book progresses it is discovered that the new student is not exactly who she says she is, yet regardless of her true identity, she has changed the seventh graders in ways that they had never imagined.

Kelly's dedication says it all: "To anyone with dreams bigger than their hometowns". This latest novel by a respected Newbery recipient will give small-town kids hope for the future and suburban and urban kids a window into a different life. As a former small-town kid I could relate to the feelings of entrapment and boredom experienced by most of the characters and the excitement when someone new comes to town. I saw through Orchid's tales pretty early on and readers likely will as well, but you can't help but love her and relate to her motivations. I found myself holding my breath waiting for her to be discovered and hoping that the other kids will be kind. Most characters rose to the occasion when the chips were down and banded together as a team, embracing a positive identity from being a kid from Fawn Creek. Other characters did not show their best selves, but felt yucky about it and maybe will the next time. I love how the book ends (which is unusual for me). The characters are all better and different people, yet it is not sewn up in a neat little bow. There is an important piece that has been left dangling, which is realistic to life. Sometime we just don't get full closure, even though we want it. I did struggle with keeping the many characters straight, as I suspect young readers will as well, but a handy pictorial guide at the beginning was always on hand for reference. An emotional story that young readers will relate to and be better people after reading.

Lightlark

Lightlark
Alex Aster
Amulet, 2022
416 pages
Grades 8-Up
Fantasy

As the ruler of Wildling, Isla is sent from her protected kingdom to the Centennial at Lightlark, where six rulers are set to compete and break the curses thrust upon them hundreds of years ago. Every hundred years they are brought together to attempt to break the curse, but this Centennial is even more important for it appears to be the last chance to save their civilization, as the land of Lightlark is beginning to crumble and the most powerful king is losing his power. Isla knows all about dwindling power. She is harboring a terrible secret: she possesses no power, leaving her very vulnerable to the other rulers. The good news is that Isla knows how to fight, has a great set of wits, is fearless, and has a forbidden best friend among the rulers. Initially paired up to work with the main king, they search Lightlark by night to try to discover the heart of the land in order to destroy it and break the curse. Meanwhile, twists and turns abound and Isla must figure out who to trust as she makes friends, suffers betrayals, and finds herself in the middle of a love triangle. As the hundred day competition continues loyalties shift as the rulers are allowed to physically kill each other and Isla now must not just break the curse to save her kingdom, but try to escape with her life in tact.

Having caused a controversy this year on BookTok, Aster managed to get her teen novel on the best-seller charts. I wanted to read the book to see if it was worth the hype. Lightlark has a cool concept, yet borrows strongly from the Hunger Games and Twilight, though most of the teen books ten years ago did, so I can't fault Aster. Though I did feel that the fantasy/adventure plot featuring a love triangle felt very last decade, it still has fresh elements and I enjoyed the premise of the Centennial. There are a lot of twists and turns in the plot and it is a wild ride. The book goes on a bit too long, yet it does cover one-hundred days and a lot happens. There is a huge betrayal at the end with a big manic Scooby-Doo confession, which I always enjoy--and readers will as well. The book gets sexual in places and the characters are mostly adults, so it is not for young teens. It also gets violent with a nod to the Game of Thrones Red Wedding. Though not particularly sophisticated, it provides the formula for what makes a successful teen read and I was never bored. Though the story was sewn up nicely I would not be surprised to see Aster re-enter this world with a new adventure.