You Only Live Once, David Bravo by Mark Oshiro

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by HarperCollins

Summary:  Middle school is off to a rough start for David. On one particularly bad day he messes up a presentation on his family heritage (he’s adopted), gets food poisoning before a big cross-country race, and causes an accident that injures his best friend, Antoine, ruining Antoine’s dreams of making the varsity cross-country team.  When he wishes for a do-over, he gets a visit from a wisecracking time-traveling dog.  Fea, as David nicknames her, is on a mission to help him straighten out his life. Reliving the most recent day doesn’t take care of it, so David has to travel deeper into his past. Fea also helps him acknowledge the romantic feelings he has for Antoine by sharing her regrets from her own life. It turns out she was once a human who loved a girl in high school but never had the courage to tell her.  The forays into the past start to reveal interesting clues about David’s birth and adoption, and everything comes together with a few surprising plot twists.  384 pages; grades 4-7.

Pros:  Although this story addresses the serious topics of being yourself and living life without regrets, it is also a ton of fun with a narrator who has a great self-deprecating sense of humor and a plot that adeptly handles the intricacies of time travel.  Betsy Bird has this on the fall edition of her Newbery predictions list.  We shall see in just a few short months.

Cons:  The plot twists at the end required some suspension of disbelief.

The Tower of Life: How Yaffa Eliach Rebuilt Her Town in Stories and Photographs by Chana Stiefel, illustrated by Susan Gal

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Published by Scholastic Press

Summary:  Yaffa Eliach had a happy childhood in the Jewish town (shtetl) of Eishyshok, playing with her friends and older brother and helping her grandmother in her photography studio.  But when Yaffa was six years old, German tanks rolled in and the village, along with most of its inhabitants, was destroyed.  Yaffa’s family managed to flee and lived in hiding for the next several years.  They left their possessions behind except for a few photographs Yaffa hid in her shoe.  After the war, Yaffa moved first to Israel, and then to the United States, where she became a history professor specializing in the Holocaust.  When the Holocaust Museum was built in Washington, DC, President Jimmy Carter asked Yaffa to create an exhibit to show the lives of people who were lost.  Yaffa searched all over the world for photographs of people who had lived in Eishyshok.  Over the course of 17 years, she traveled to six continents to collect over 1,000 photos that were turned into the “Tower of Life” exhibit at the Holocaust Museum.  Includes a timeline of Yaffa’s life, a bibliography, and a brief author’s note.  40 pages; grades 1-4.

Pros:  An inspiring story of an amazing woman who emerged from tragedy to create a beautiful tribute that celebrates the lives of those who died in the Holocaust.  The illustrations capture those lives as well, incorporating photos into the paintings.

Cons:  I would have liked more information about Yaffa in the back matter.

Adventuregame Comics: Leviathan by Jason Shiga

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Published by Harry N. Abrams

Summary:  In this choose-your-own-adventure graphic novel, a giant sea creature called Leviathan is terrorizing the villagers.  It’s up to you to find a way to defeat it.  On almost every page, a choice is given with page numbers attached to comic panels or different parts of the illustration.  Turn to that page to continue your story.  Be sure to read the first page before starting, as it contains important information about how to navigate your way through the book.  144 pages; grades 3-7.

Pros:  According to the author’s introduction, this deceptively small book contains hundreds of adventures.  Kids raised on video games are going to love going back and forth to discover the different stories.  I can’t even imagine creating this!  It’s billed as book 1, so look for more to come.

Cons:  Personally, the format of this just about drove me mad.  Guess I am a linear reader.

Going Places: Victor Hugo Green and His Glorious Book by Tonya Bolden, illustrated by Eric Velasquez

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Published by Quill Tree Books

Summary:  Victor Hugo Green had a successful career as a mail carrier in Leonia, New Jersey, but he also liked to travel.  In the 1930’s, more people were buying cars and using them to visit new places.  Black travelers were less hassled in their cars than on trains, but they also faced Jim Crow laws that prevented them from using certain hotels, restaurants, and other establishments, and sundown laws that prohibited them from being in certain towns after dark.  Green used newspaper ads and articles and the knowledge of friends and co-workers to put together a directory of places that were safe to go.  Known as the Green Book, it started as a pamphlet in 1936, covering the New York City area, but continued to grow to cover the entire U.S. as well as Mexico and Canada.  In 1953, Victor Hugo Green retired from his postal career to spend his time running a travel agency and keeping up with the Green Book.  He died in 1960, a few years before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 made much of the Green Book obsolete.  Includes a timeline, selected sources, and a list of places to learn more about the Green Book.  40 pages; grades 2-5.

Pros:  This fascinating look at the man behind the Green Book weaves in plenty of details about the ways racism affected Black travelers for much of the twentieth century.  The vivid oil paintings bring traveling to life with their colorful postcards, reproductions of black-and-white photos, and maps.  Worthy of a consideration for a Coretta Scott King award or honor.

Cons:  While I was hoping to see a page from the actual Green Book, the illustrations offer only tantalizing glimpses.  Guess I will have to peruse the digital editions listed in the back matter.

Bessie the Motorcycle Queen by Charles R. Smith, Jr., illustrated by Charlot Kristensen

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Published by Orchard Books

Summary:  A daredevil motorcycle rider named Bessie takes the challenge to ride the Wall of Death, fearlessly showing off with no hands and riding sidesaddle.  When she takes off her helmet, the audience is surprised by her “hidden brown face.”  The year is 1929, and a Black woman riding her motorcycle alone across the country faces potentially dangerous situations, especially in the Jim Crow south, where she outruns a truck full of angry KKK members.  But Bessie is undeterred, choosing her destinations by flipping a penny onto a US map, repairing her bike herself, and sleeping on it when she can’t get a room.  The word VROOM is repeated throughout the story as Bessie zooms off to her next location.  Includes additional information about Bessie Stringfield and a bibliography.  40 pages; grades 1-4.

Pros:  The bouncy rhyming text and beautiful illustrations tell an inspiring story about this little-known woman. Although kids may need some explanations about Jim Crow laws and the KKK, this would be a good Black history read-aloud for primary grades.

Cons:  Unfortunately, not much is known about Bessie, so facts about her life like her birthdate and hometown are uncertain.


Playtime for Restless Rascals by Nikki Grimes, illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon

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Published by Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

Summary:  In this follow up to Bedtime for Sweet Creatures, a mother wakes her child up by saying it’s time to get to work…which, for the child, is play.  There is playtime indoors and out, with different types of outdoor play depending on the season and the weather.  Afternoon brings imaginary play: tea parties, trains, trucks, and cars.  By late afternoon, Mom is ready for a nap, and the two snuggle briefly on the couch, but when Daddy comes home, it’s back to the business of play.  Finally, the parents sit together, watching their child: “Your job is called play, and your daddy and I both know, you’re an expert.”  32 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  A celebration of all types of play, empowering children to use their imaginations.  The collage illustrations add plenty of color, texture, and interest.

Cons:  It would have been nice to see some other kids join in the fun.

The Tryout by Christina Soontornvat, illustrated by Joanna Cacao

~ Janet Dawson ~ 2 Comments

Published by Graphix

Summary:  Seventh grade is tough, and to Christina, the cheerleading squad looks like they have it all figured out.  She and her best friend Megan decide to try out, a two-step process that involves a first round with a panel of judges and a second round in which the whole school votes.  Christina, who is Thai-American, and Megan, who is Iranian-American, have often felt like outsiders in their small Texas town.  Megan decides to partner with someone else for the tryouts, feeling that they’ll stand out less if paired with white girls.  Christina is hurt but finds a new partner and throws herself into preparing for the big day.  Things don’t turn out the way the girls are hoping, but just getting through the terrifying experience of auditioning in front of their classmates gives both girls new confidence to pursue other goals.  Includes an author’s note and five pages of photos that give more information about Christina’s real-life middle school experiences.  272 pages; grades 3-7.

Pros:  Add this to the list of high-quality books produced by the incredibly prolific Christina Soontornvat. Readers will be entertained and inspired by her middle grade graphic memoir that looks at racism, bullying, and learning to be yourself.  

Cons:  This seems like a truly terrible way to choose a middle school cheerleading squad.

Lotus Bloom and the Afro Revolution by Sherri Winston

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Published by Bloomsbury Children’s Books

Summary:  Lotus is a gifted violinist just starting at a new arts school.  Her best friend Rebel is still at their old, underfunded middle school, leading protests against the discrepancy between the two schools.  Lotus would rather keep the peace and focus on her music, but when the older boy she displaces as concertmaster starts bullying her, she finds it harder and harder to keep her temper.  Then the boy’s mother gets into the act by pressuring the school to threaten Lotus with expulsion if she doesn’t get rid of her Afro.  Torn between her politically active friend and her peace-loving mother, Lotus must learn to find her own way to express her views and navigate the path that is best for her.  304 pages; grades 4-7.

Pros:  Middle school kids will appreciate Lotus’s dilemma of wanting to speak up but being afraid to make waves.  I liked that ultimately she figured out what was right for her even though it was different from what Rebel was advocating.  This made the National Book Award longlist; the finalists were recently announced and can be found here.

Cons:  Lotus seemed stuck in inaction for a long time.

Standing in the Need of Prayer: A Modern Retelling of the Classic Spiritual by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Frank Morrison

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Crown Books for Young Readers

Summary:  Carole Boston Weatherford has created new words based on the traditional spiritual to trace the history of Black people in America.  Beginning with slavery, the verses and illustrations continue through Emancipation, the Great Migration, and the fights for integration.  The last few pages reflect the recent past and present: Florence Griffith Joyner, Colin, Kaepernick, and the Black Lives Matter Movement.  Includes additional information on each of the subjects, a list of online resources, and an author’s note.  32 pages; grades 1-5.

Pros:  Another beautiful resource for teaching Black history, with gorgeous thought-provoking oil illustrations.  The text, including the back matter, could serve as an excellent introduction to a variety of topics; readers can use the excellent list of online resources for further research.

Cons:  I wasn’t familiar with this spiritual and would have liked to have had the traditional words included somewhere.

Cornbread & Poppy by Matthew Cordell

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Summary:  Cornbread is a mouse who likes to plan ahead, particularly when winter is coming.  His friend Poppy, on the other hand, prefers to live in the moment, having fun adventures, and not worrying about the future.  So when it starts to get cold, Cornbread is in good shape, but Poppy is not.  All the usual sources of food have already been foraged, so Poppy decides to go up Holler Mountain, a foreboding place rumored to have owls that hunt mice.  In fact, their friend Ms. Ruthie went up the mountain a few years back and was never seen again.  Cornbread is too good a friend to let Poppy go alone, so the two head off on their adventure together.  Without spoiling the ending too much, there is an owl, Ms. Ruthie is okay, Poppy ends up with plenty of food for the winter, and the two discover skiing…which Cornbread loves so much, he decides to ski instead of shoveling his walkway.  80 pages; grades K-2.

Pros:  Caldecott medalist Matthew Cordell proves himself an excellent writer in this beginning chapter book that has an engaging plot, adorable illustrations, and some pretty cozy winter scenes.  Book 2 came out in June; let’s hope there will be more.

Cons:  Seems as though Cornbread is picking up some bad habits from his friend.