TBH, This Is SO Awkward: a novel in text by Lisa Greenwald

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Published by Katherine Tegen Books

Summary:  Cecily, Prianka, and Gabrielle are BFF’s who love to text, and their messages to one another make up the bulk of this book.  A new girl, Victoria, is desperate to make friends; Cecily’s willing to give her a chance, but Prianka and Gabrielle find her annoying.  There are the requisite mean girls, and Cecily also finds herself bonding with one of them, particularly after a fight with Prianka and Gabrielle leaves her needing a new confidante.  The texts are occasionally supplemented with homework assignments and diary entries that give the reader a little more insight into the characters.  Bullying, boys, a dance, and parental monitoring of texts are all covered in this series opener.  224 pages; grades 3-6.

Pros:  It was inevitable…a book told in texts. The format is as addictive as an iPhone, and even reluctant readers will find this a quick and easy read.

Cons:  Emojis really don’t take the place of well-crafted prose.

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Mae Among the Stars by Roda Ahmed, illustrated by Stasia Burrington

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by HarperCollins

Summary:  From an early age, Mae Jemison dreamed of becoming an astronaut.  Her mother told her what becomes a repeating refrain in this book: “If you can dream it, if you believe it and work hard for it, anything is possible.”  At school, some kids laughed at her aspiration, and a teacher told her nursing would be a more appropriate profession.  Fortunately, her mother didn’t let her believe this, and Mae promised that one day she would wave to her parents from a spaceship.  The last page shows the adult Mae in her orange space suit and reveals that she did become an astronaut and wave to her mom and dad on Earth.  Includes a page with additional biographical information.  40 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  An inspiring story of following your dream, illustrated with engaging round-faced characters and plenty of color.

Cons:  The biographical information is pretty thin.

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Just Like Jackie by Lindsey Stoddard

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by HarperCollins

Summary:  Robinson wishes she could be more like her namesake Jackie Robinson, who could stay focused and get the job done even when people were cruel to him.  But Robbie has a short temper, and gets into trouble when she repeatedly fights with her nemesis, a boy named Alex.  To make matters worse, her beloved grandfather, her only family, is having memory problems.  He’s always refused to tell her about her parents, and she worries that he’ll forget and she’ll never learn about them.  When her class is assigned a family tree project, Robbie discovers she’s not the only one worried about loved ones.  She winds up with the guidance counselor, working with three other kids to address their family issues.  One of those kids is Alex, and Robbie begins to understand why he is such a bully.  Just as things at school begin to get better, Robbie has to face a crisis at home.  Slowly and at times reluctantly, she learns how to trust those around her to find solutions that will support both her and her grandfather moving into the future.  256 pages; grades 3-7.

Pros:  First-time novelist Lindsey Stoddard hits a home run with this touching story of a rough-around-the-edges but loveable protagonist.  Fans of Fish In a Tree will enjoy getting to know Robbie.

Cons:  It seemed like Robbie’s teacher could have been a bit more sensitive to the meltdowns engendered by her family tree project.

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When Sophie Thinks She Can’t… by Molly Bang

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Blue Sky Press

Summary:  Sophie is back, once again learning how to deal with her feelings.  This time, she’s frustrated when she’s trying to do a tangram puzzle and her older sister solves it in a minute, telling her “Too bad you’re not smart”.  When her teacher gives the class a math challenge the next day, Sophie doesn’t want to try, telling herself she can’t do puzzles and is never smart at math.  Her teacher and friends give her more positive messages, and ultimately Sophie is able to contribute to the different ways her classmates solve the problem.  She learns the power of “yet”, as in, “I haven’t figured this out…yet”, which helps her to persist and bring that lesson of perseverance home to her father.  Includes a page entitled “About this book” that tells more about the work of Carol Dweck and the growth mindset versus the fixed mindset.  40 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  Caldecott honoree Molly Bang has created another beautifully illustrated book to help young children understand their emotions and think empowering thoughts.  This would be a great discussion starter in a primary classroom.

Cons:  Having sat through more than one professional development on growth mindset and the power of “yet”, this book felt a bit didactic to me.

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Every Color Soup by Jorey Hurley

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Published by Simon and Schuster

Summary:  Each two-page spread has the name of a color and an ingredient for soup that is that color.  Most are vegetables, but there is also white salt, black pepper, and clear water (or broth).  The last few pages are action words: chop, drop, and bubble; the final page shows a bowl of soup and the word “yum”.  Includes a page identifying all the ingredients and a recipe.  40 pages; ages 3-7.

Pros:  Like a good soup, this book is simple yet satisfying, with large colorful illustrations that would look nice hanging on my kitchen wall.  The vivid designs with plenty of white space make this a good introduction to colors and vegetables for the youngest readers.

Cons:  Is clear a color?

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Groundhug Day by Anne Marie Pace, illustrated by Christopher Denise

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Published by Disney-Hyperion

Summary:  Moose is throwing a Valentine’s party; all his friends are excited, except Groundhog, who is still hibernating.  While the others get into a heated discussion about how  to make Groundhog stay above ground after February 2, they don’t notice their friend emerge, take one long around, and dive back into his burrow.  When they plead with him to come back, he tells them he’s afraid of shadows.  His friends convince him to come out so they can show them there’s nothing to be scared of, then show him how to make silhouettes and shadow puppets.  In the end, though, it’s too cold for Groundhog to stick around for the party, and he goes back to sleep until St. Patrick’s Day.  By then, he’s ready to party, but now Bunny is holed up, preparing for the next spring holiday.  48 pages; ages 3-7.

Pros:  You can kill two birds with one stone with this book that celebrates Groundhog Day and Valentine’s Day (with nods to St. Patrick’s Day and Easter, as well).  The digital illustrations are cute and colorful, and the shadows are well portrayed.

Cons:  Whoops, just noticed this book was released in December 2017.  Back to 2018 tomorrow.

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March Forward Girl: From Young Warrior to Little Rock Nine by Melba Beals, illustrated by Frank Morrison

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Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Summary:  Melba Beals, who told her story of helping to integrate Little Rock’s Central High School in Warriors Don’t Cry, recounts her early days, growing up in Jim Crow Arkansas.  At the age of three, she observed her family making the house quiet and dark each night, hoping the Ku Klux Klan would leave them alone.  She raged at seeing her beloved parents and grandmother slighted and scolded whenever they went into town, and at having to use inferior facilities everywhere, while white people got the best of everything.  As she grew up, her fear and anger turned into a determination to change things and to get out of Arkansas.  She jumped at the chance to go to Central High School, a huge, beautiful school that she had admired for years.  The main part of the book ends right before she starts high school; an epilogue describes the violent and frightening experience of integration.  The text is illustrated with drawings and a few photographs.  224 pages; grades 6-9.

Pros:  Readers will gain a better understanding of what it was like for African Americans living in the South in the 1940’s.  Beals’ conversational tone draws the reader in, and her story is so powerful and compelling (and at times, horrifying) that the book is hard to put down.

Cons:  This book is recommended for grade 5 or age 10 and up.  Be aware that there is a scene in which the KKK storms into a prayer meeting, and 5-year-old Melba witnesses a lynching from the church rafters; at age 11, she gets lost on a dark, isolated road and narrowly escapes being raped and/or murdered by a group of Klansmen.

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Be A King: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Dream and You by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by James Ransome

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Published by Bloomsbury

Summary:  “Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve….You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love.”  Martin Luther King Jr.’s words speak to children in this book showing how anyone can “be a King.”  Illustrations portraying scenes from King’s life are interspersed with others in a different style showing kids working together to paint an MLK mural.  Ideas for how to be a King include standing for peace, having a dream, and doing your very best at whatever you do.  The last page shows the kids gathered around the mural with the advice, “You can be a King.  Set your sights on the mountaintop.  Climb a little higher every day.”  An author’s note gives biographical information.  40 pages; ages 4-9.

Pros:  I liked how this book connected the sometimes abstract concepts of King’s work and speeches with concrete actions that kids can take to make the world a better place.  This would be an excellent book to use in conjunction with the day of service aspect of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.  There is a lot to look at in the illustrations, with two stories interwoven.

Cons:  Having biographical information on the pages with the pictures of King–even just a sentence or two–would have made this even more useful in helping kids understand his life.

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Martin Rising: Requiem for a King by Andrea Davis Pinkney, illustrated by Brian Pinkney

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Published by Scholastic Press

Summary:  The Pinkneys relate the story of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s assassination, beginning with a “Henny Penny Prelude”, in which the fairy tale hen tries to warn of the bitter events ahead.  The remaining poems are in three sections: “Daylight”, “Darkness”, and “Dawn”, in which King’s work is described, particularly the sanitation workers’ strike that brought him to Memphis, Tennessee in March and April of 1968.  The assassination occurs part way through “Darkness”, and includes poems about Coretta Scott King, the Kings’ four children, and James Earl Ray.  “Dawn” is made up of just three poems, concluding with “Rejoice the Legacy” which celebrates MLK’s legacy, including the holiday celebrating his birth.  Back matter includes author’s and artist’s reflections, four pages of text describing the events from the poems called “Now Is the Time” (with several photographs), a timeline, and sources.  128 pages; grades 4-8.

Pros:  Both the poetry and the illustrations are majestic and give the reader much to think about.  The author’s note suggests that the poems could be performed with the “Now Is the Time” section as narration and adding poems to the appropriate parts of the story.

Cons:  The Henny Penny motif was a bit confusing to me.

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Betty Before X by Ilyasah Shabazz and Renee Watson

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Published by Farrar, Straus, and Giroux

Summary:  During the three years this book covers (1945-1948), Betty Sanders moves out of her abusive mother’s home and is adopted by a prominent Detroit couple who get her involved with community activism.  As junior members of the Housewives’ League, Betty and her friend Suesetta work to convince other African Americans not to patronize white businesses that have racist hiring practices.  The two girls lose a good friend because of their convictions.  Betty is also active in her church, Detroit’s Bethel AME Church, which hosted speakers like Thurgood Marshall and Paul Robeson.  Betty’s early life prepares her for her marriage to Malcolm X and her work as an educator and activist.  Her later years are described in a lengthy back matter section.  256 pages; grades 4-8.

Pros:  Written by Renee Watson and Malcolm’s daughter, Ilyasah Shabazz, this historical fiction book with its first-person narration, short chapters, and interesting cast of characters is an engaging and educational read.

Cons:  Readers not familiar with Malcolm X may not quite grasp the significance of Betty’s life.

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