Topic: Overcoming Obsticles

Alone

When twelve-year-old Maddie hatches a scheme for a secret sleepover with her two best friends, she ends up waking up to a nightmare. She’s alone—left behind in a town that has been mysteriously evacuated and abandoned.

With no one to rely on, no power, and no working phone lines or internet access, Maddie slowly learns to survive on her own. Her only companions are a Rottweiler named George and all the books she can read. After a rough start, Maddie learns to trust her own ingenuity and invents clever ways to survive in a place that has been deserted and forgotten.

As months pass, Maddie escapes natural disasters, looters, and wild animals. But Maddie’s most formidable enemy is the crushing loneliness she faces every day. Can Maddie’s stubborn will to survive carry her through the most frightening experience of her life? 

When Maddie’s secret sleepover goes terribly wrong and she ends up alone, she is convinced her parents will soon rescue her. Despite this, she doesn’t sit idle. Instead, Maddie begins collecting food, and water. Then when the electricity goes off, she collects firewood and candles. At first, Maddie’s conviction that she will be rescued gives her hope. But as time drags on, she must find creative ways to stay engaged with life, despite her loneliness. To pass the time, Maddie reads books by her favorite authors such as Jason Reynolds, Laurie Halse Anderson, Kate DiCamillo, and others.  

Since much of Maddie’s life revolves around her daily routine of searching for supplies, the story lacks action. However, readers will sympathize with Maddie and wonder what new threat nature will throw at her—from freezing weather to a tornado, lightning fire, and even wild animals. Through it all, readers will get an inside look into Maddie’s self-doubt and her struggle with making decisions. Plus, Maddie worries about her family and what “imminent threat” made evacuating the entire state necessary. Between Maddie’s internal and external conflicts, Alone moves at a quick pace, even though it lacks big action scenes.  

After being alone for almost three years, Maddie desperately wants another human to talk to. Despite this, she comes to terms with the possibility of always being alone. Maddie connects to a poem that asks, “Tell me, what is it you plan to do / with your one wild and precious life?” After reading the poem, Maddie vows to live fully “even if that means living alone / with an aging rottweiler / and eating canned food / until I’m an old woman.” This realization shines a light on the gift of living and enjoying each day despite difficult circumstances.  

Alone will appeal to fans of survival stories who enjoy seeing characters overcome many obstacles. Maddie is a relatable and realistic character whom readers will empathize with. However, the imminent threat that causes the evacuation isn’t developed, the ending feels rushed, and the conclusion leaves too many unanswered questions. Despite this, Alone’s beautiful verse and unique premise make it a survival story worth reading. For more survival tales check out these engaging stories: Surrounded by Sharks by Michael Northrop, The Raft by S.A. Bodeen, and Ice Dogs by Terry Lynn Johnson. 

Sexual Content  

  • None

Violence  

  • Maddie thinks about a friend: “In the summer between fifth and sixth grade / her family was driving in the mountains. / A rockslide fell down on the highway / crushing the roof of their car. / She died instantly.” 
  • Maddie hides from three wild dogs who corner a rabbit. “Three dogs / bark and growl. / I ride briskly in the /opposite direction / but I can still / hear the rabbit / when it / screams.” 
  • Looters break into the town’s stores. The lead man threatens, “Keep whining about how tired you are / and next time I won’t just break your nose.” One of the men has blood gushing from his nose, but he “keeps working.”  
  • One of the looters finds a kitten that he wants to keep. The lead man, “Takes the kitten. / Holds it. / Picks up a towel from the truck bed. / Wraps the kitten tightly. . . Slams it hard into the side of the big truck.” The kitten dies. 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • Maddie finds “red wine in the basement. It’s a fact that wine smells bad / and tastes worse. / Even if I liked it / my parents would murder me / if I started drinking alcohol / the minute I was left behind.” 
  • One of the looters smokes a cigarette. 

Language  

  • Profanity is rarely used. Profanity includes ass, crap, damn, pissed, and hell. 
  • Maddie says holy crap once. 
  • At back-to-school night, the principal talks about “how children from broken homes were five times / more likely to suffer mental issues . . . Afterward, Dad told the principal / to do anatomically impossible things / to herself on the way to hell.” 
  • While looting stores, the lead man calls the other looters morons and idiots. 

Supernatural 

  • None 

Spiritual Content  

  • After having a nightmare, Maddie thinks “Maybe God / sends us nightmares / so our living reality / don’t seem so bad / when we wake up.”  
  • Maddie desperately wants to know if her parents can feel her. “I make a wish. / Kneel on floor. / Press folded hands to forehead. / Squeeze eyes shut.” Then she prays, “Let my parents come home. / Let my parents find me.” She repeats this over and over. 
  • While fleeing from looters, Maddie thanks God “there isn’t enough snow / to leave tracks.” 
  • At one point, Maddie wonders “whether God exists let alone / whether God pays any attention / to my little life.”  
  • Maddie tries praying but “I feel self-conscious / and awkward” so she writes a letter. The letter is approximately a page long and asks God for help finding “food and water and all the stuff we need every day. . .” She also asks for more help and wonders if God is testing her.  
  • After being alone for almost three years Maddie thinks, “I have no complaint with God. / If God exists / it’s entirely possible that / I have him or her to thank / for helping us survive/ as long as we have.” However, later she thinks, “I’m managing that [staying alive] with or without God’s help. / But how much longer can I stay sane?” 

The Floating Field: How a Group of Thai Boys Built Their Own Soccer Field

Prasit Hemmin and his friends love soccer. However, because of the limited space in their fishing village of Koh Panyee, Thailand, the boys are forced to play on a temporary sandbar when the tide recedes. Yet, when the opportunity for an upcoming tournament reaches Prasit and his friends, they realize that a real soccer team needs an actual field. Determined to participate and succeed in the soccer tournament, the boys embark on a riveting adventure to build a floating field and win a championship for Koh Panyee. 

Set in Thailand in 1986, the book follows the perspective of Prasit Hemmin, a young boy who dreams of playing professional soccer. Despite the difficult circumstances of his seaside home, Prasit exudes a strong determination to accomplish what he loves. Prasit’s passion for the game influences his friends to tackle the tough task of building a field. Prasit’s joyful energy permeates throughout the book, and his fortitude in adversity makes him an admirable character. 

The story presents the heartwarming tale of the real-life floating field of Koh Panyee, where Prasit and his friends’ hard work earns them a spot in the mainland soccer tournament. From the start, the plot flourishes with positivity on every page, and the story that unravels will leave the readers empowered to tackle their next big challenge. Although the book may idealize Prasit and his friends’ journey and neglect the challenges that occurred, the story’s core rests in its lessons of hard work and determination. Because of Prasit’s persistence in accomplishing his dream, he and his friends “had their own floating field where they could play the game they loved, whenever they wanted.” This lesson can ultimately inspire readers to chase after their own dreams and work together to overcome their obstacles. 

The short story features colorful, full-page illustrations that enhance the plot and keep readers invested with a simple yet detailed art style. However, the advanced vocabulary and longer sentences may be challenging for younger readers to comprehend. At the end of the book, an “Author’s Note” also provides an in-depth look at the real-life story of Prasit Hemmin, and the inclusion of pictures helps make the story feel authentic. Overall, The Floating Field is an exciting story for all soccer fans, and its encouraging message will leave its readers reaching for the stars. For more soccer action, The Floating Field can be paired with the fiction book, The Academy by T.Z. Layton.  

Sexual Content 

  • None 

Violence 

  • None 

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • None 

Language 

  • None 

Supernatural 

  • None

Spiritual Content 

  • None 

Pilgrims

After Jack and Annie’s feast in Magic Tree House #27: Thanksgiving on Thursday, the pair was still hungry for more information about the Pilgrims’ history. When they go to the library to research, they are flooded with stories, illustrations, and facts that help them better understand life in the 1600s. Pilgrims gives readers more information about the history by introducing readers to historical figures such as William Bradford, the governor who led the Pilgrims, along with familiar faces like Squanto and Priscilla Alden. By reading Pilgrims, readers can follow Jack and Annie as they find the deeper meaning of Thanksgiving. 

The non-fiction story follows the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag tribe from the first meeting to the first Thanksgiving feast. There are many connections between Pilgrims and Thanksgiving on Thursday. For example, in Thanksgiving on Thursday Jack and Annie learn how Squanto helped the Pilgrims grow crops by using rotting fish. Pilgrims goes into more detail about this as well as the other actions Squanto did to help them. On the other hand, Squanto lies about the Pilgrims to create tension which causes the two groups’ problems.  

The first couple of chapters explain the impact religion had on the people leaving England as well as their many months on the Mayflower. Black-and-white illustrations appear on almost every page and include historical people and places as well as props to reenact scenes and show examples. One of the illustrations gives an inside look at the Mayflower, which helps the reader better understand the close quarters the Pilgrims lived in for months. Illustrations also show the clothing that both the Native Americans and Pilgrims wore. Along with the illustrations, there are many pictures of historical people.  

Pilgrims is packed with information that is easily digestible for young readers. There are many tools to help a young audience follow along. For example, each chapter is broken into small sections that give historical information. Plus, the illustrations break up text into much smaller pieces and some pages only have an image. The tribe’s name, Wampanoag, is explained. “Today we know them as the Wampanoag (wahm-puh-NO-ag) Nation. This means ‘People of the First Light’ or ‘People of the East.’ They were hunters, gatherers, farmers, and fishermen.” Also, complicated words like “Patuxet”, and “moccasins” are sounded out, (puh-TUX-it) and (MOCK-uh-sinz), and explained to expand vocabulary. Readers will find it interesting to learn the difference between the original Thanksgiving meal versus today’s Thanksgiving meal, and they will find humor in the faces Jack makes when he tries the unsweetened cranberry sauce.  

Pilgrims presents nonfiction information in a way that will engage young readers. Adults can use Pilgrims as a conversation starter because the Pilgrims’ journey was not only the start of a holiday with delicious food but also the start of a nation. The book is perfect for readers who are interested in doing research because the author includes the best way to research Pilgrims as well as more resources such as books, videos, and museums. Pilgrims is packed full of historical information that is fun to read. Whether it is for research or for fun, reading Pilgrims will delight those who love Thanksgiving. Readers who are interested in learning more about the Pilgrims’ journey should also read The Voyage of the Mayflower by Allison Lassieur. Those who are ready to jump into another imaginative story based on the Mayflower should add Mayflower Treasure Hunt by Ron Roy to their must-read list. 

Sexual Content  

  • None 

Violence  

  • A section of the book is titled “Cruel Treatment” which describes some ways the Pilgrims and native people treated each other. “Sometimes the strangers [Pilgrims] treated the Native People badly. They shot at them without reason. They stole their corn and furs. Sometimes they even captured them and sold them into slavery.” There is also non-physical cruelty explained too. “Too often, Native People died from diseases the newcomers brought…Their bodies had no way to fight the new infections. Whole villages were wiped out. Later more settlers arrive. They forced the Native People from their lands. Farms and towns grew where native villages once stood.” 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • None 

Language  

  • None 

Supernatural 

  • None 

Spiritual Content  

  • The term “Separatists” is explained and sometimes used to describe the individuals who “separated for the Church of England.” This group took the trip on the Mayflower because they wanted the freedom of religion and “the Separatists wanted to worship their own way.” 
  • The Mayflower Compact explains how the Pilgrims governed themselves during their time on the Mayflower. The compact said, “The people were united in their belief in God.” 
  • Once the Mayflower reached land, the individuals on board “felt their prayers had been answered. They fell to their knees and gave thanks.” 
  • After Squanto helps the pilgrims, “they were so grateful to him, they called him ‘an instrument of God.’” 
  • The first Thanksgiving is described as, “a harvest festival. The 50 surviving Pilgrims met to praise God for their good fortune.” 
  • A section is titled “Church” and explains that many of the Pilgrims came on the Mayflower to “worship as they wished.” Also, it is revealed there was no physical Church, only a room, and Sunday was a day no one worked or played but rested.   

Breadcrumbs

Hazel Anderson and Jack Campbell were inseparable best friends. They shared a unique and magical world of their own creation, filled with wonder and imagination, that no one else could fully understand. It was only together that they found their place within the world. 

But one day, without any warning or explanation, Jack suddenly ceased all communication. Hazel feels bewildered, hurt, and alone, and she’s unable to comprehend why her closest companion had seemingly abandoned her.  

Hazel is devastated and can’t understand why her best friend left without a word. Hazel ponders over Jack’s mysterious behavior until Tyler, a close friend of Jack’s, shares what he believes to be impossible. Jack had been taken into the woods by a white witch on a sled. 

Determined to find out the truth and rescue her friend, Hazel embarks on a perilous journey through the mystical woods, using all of her wits and bravery to navigate the treacherous terrain and overcome many obstacles. Her only hope lies in finding the white witch who is rumored to dwell deep within the woods – the same witch who Hazel believes holds Jack captive. 

Hazel can’t help but wonder if Jack truly wants to be rescued or if he has intentionally chosen to leave her behind. The closer she gets to the truth, the more Hazel’s doubts and uncertainties begin to consume her. She wonders if she’s truly prepared for what she might find and if the truth behind Jack’s disappearance might be more than she can handle. 

Hazel is a character that is easily relatable due to her simple and down-to-earth personality. She has a warm and welcoming demeanor that allows people to feel at ease around her. Additionally, Hazel’s experiences are ones that many can relate to, such as the ups and downs of relationships, the struggles of balancing school and friendships, and the journey of self-discovery. In essence, Hazel is a character that embodies the human experience, making her a truly multi-dimensional and interesting character to explore. As she relies on her wits, bravery, and unspeakable determination to uncover the truth and rescue her friend, readers will be rooting for her the entire way. 

The whimsical story includes fifteen black–and–white illustrations that are scattered throughout the text. The illustrations are detailed, yet soft and cartoon-like. It helps bring the reader fully into the world within Breadcrumbs. 

Breadcrumbs is a captivating and enchanting story that takes readers on a journey of self-discovery, friendship, and resilience. The story demonstrates that no matter how lost one may feel, it is never too late to find oneself and embrace who you truly are. Hazel, the protagonist, is a shining example of this. She discovers her true worth and identity. Through her journey, Hazel learns the value of true friends who support and encourage one another, even during the most challenging of times. Breadcrumbs also highlights the importance of perseverance and determination in overcoming obstacles and achieving our dreams. Overall, Breadcrumbs is a heartwarming tale that reminds readers of the power of friendship and the resilience of the human spirit. 

Sexual Content  

  • None 

Violence  

  • After getting upset, Hazel throws a snowball at Jack. A few seconds later, unhurt by the snowball, something else causes him to cry out in pain. “’Ow!’ He yelled. ‘Ow!’ His voice cracked into the sky. His other hand flew to his chest and he fell to his knees.” A snowflake with a shard of cursed glass fell into his eye.  
  • Two classmates, Tyler and Bobby, taunt Hazel as they do most days, but this time she has had enough. She retaliates by throwing a pencil case at Tyler. “In one motion Hazel stood up, grabbed the hard pencil case from her desk, and hurled it at Tyler. There were some yelps, some gasps, and then absolute quiet.” Tyler is hit in the head and left with a large, painful bump. 
  • Hazel meets a woman who stole a swan’s skin. Hazel accidentally discards the skin. The woman scratches  Hazel for throwing away the skin. “‘I see,’ the woman said, running a cold finger down Hazel’s cheek. ‘Actions have consequences, little girl.’ And then there was pain. Stinging, and then searing. The woman had stuck a nail into Hazel’s cheek, and it was like a talon. She dragged her finger down, splitting the skin on Hazel’s face. It traveled down her cheek to her neck.” Hazel is left with a gash that bleeds profusely until a young man comes to aid the wound. She is left with a horrible scar. 
  • The white witch gives Jack a puzzle of broken shards that continually cut his fingers as he moves them. “He looked down at the puzzle shards. They were made of old, jagged angles. He reached a finger out to touch one of the points. He felt nothing, but a small dome of red blood rose out of his finger pad.” 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • None

Language   

  • When Jack abandon’s Tyler and Bobby as friends they blame Hazel. They taunt her with different names such as Crazy Hazy, psycho, and baby. 

Supernatural  

  • The narrator gives background on a goblin, who is only prevalent to the beginning part of the story.  “Mal looks nothing like you can imagine, neither goblin nor troll nor imp nor demon. But neither the goblins nor trolls nor imps nor demons know what Mal is either. For Mal is not any of those one things, but all of them . . .” This character only exists to create an entryway into the magic that exists throughout the rest of the story. 
  • The narrator takes a moment to provide context about the glass that made its way into Jack’s eye. This piece of glass is not anything ordinary, because it is a shard from a cursed mirror. “Mal had just invented something delightful – or at least something he found delightful, for that is an altogether different prospect. On the surface, it looked like an ordinary mirror . . . For the mirror took beautiful things and made them ugly, and took ugly things and made them hideous . . . the mirror shattered into the sky. . . one landed in the eye of a boy.”  
  • After Hazel notices the change in Jack’s behavior, she asks an adult what supernatural options there could be for Jack’s sudden change in personality. The adult says, “There are a few options. Possession is one. Not by a demon, but by something a little more harmless, like a goblin or imp. . . Or an evil disembodied brain thing.  Or there could be some sort of enchantment. By a witch or wizard. Or by a magical item, something that was given to them, or something they acquired, maybe by accident. Or something that’s infected them that causes them to see the world in a skewed way.’” 
  • Tyler tells Hazel about the impossible thing he saw right before Jack’s disappearance. Tyler says, “He wasn’t alone. There was a woman there. She was . . . she wasn’t right. She was tall and weirdly thin. She wasn’t real. She was all white and silver and made of snow . . . like an elf or a witch . . . like a movie.” 
  • Hazel encounters three women in the woods that promise to help her. “[The first woman] picked a long gray string out of the box. It had a puff of wool attached at one end. She passed the string down, puff end first, and the three hooded women stared at it as if it were the most fascinating thing in the world.” The string the women look at represents Hazel’s life. The three women are supposed to represent the Fates who are in charge of the lives of those inside the world. They can see that her fate is yet undetermined and promise to help her if she asks a question. Although upon hearing her questions about the white witch, they send Hazel on her way.  
  • Hazel meets a young boy who lives in a cabin in the woods. His sister has been changed into a bird. The boy explains that a couple “‘said she’d run away. But I saw the bird and I knew. . . ‘ He glanced at the gold cage behind him. ‘It’s just like her. And you always know your sister.’”  
  • As Hazel walks through the woods, she thinks, “There were witches in the woods, they stole beauty from swans and then rotted from the inside. There were couples who wanted to turn girls into pretty little birds. The woods do strange things to people.” 
  • Hazel meets a kind couple that says they want to help, but upon walking Hazel listens to the stories of the flowers. She finds out that the couple has changed the girls into flowers. Hazel runs back into the woods before they can turn her into a rose.  

Spiritual Content  

  • None

Who was Edgar Allan Poe?

Filled with broken hearts and black ravens, Edgar Allan Poe’s ghastly tales have delighted readers for centuries. Born in Boston in 1809, Poe was orphaned at age two. He was soon adopted by a Virginia family who worked as tombstone merchants. In 1827 he enlisted in the Army and subsequently failed out of West Point. His first published story, The Raven, was a huge success, but his joy was overshadowed by the death of his wife. Poe devoted his life to writing and his tragic life often inspired his work. He is considered to be the inventor of detective fiction and the father of American mystery writers. His work continues to influence popular culture through films, music, literature, and television.

Who was Edgar Allan Poe? begins with his early childhood which was filled with hardships. Edgar’s father abandoned the family. Soon after, his mother died of tuberculosis. Edgar and his siblings were sent to live with different foster parents. In his early years, several women influenced Edgar—his mother, his foster mother, and one of his friend’s mother, Jane Standard. Unfortunately, all of the women’s lives were cut short by tuberculosis. The grief over the women’s deaths affected Edgar’s writing throughout his life.

Who was Edgar Allan Poe? has an easy-to-read format with large font. Large black-and-white illustrations appear on almost every page. Many of the illustrations include people and places that were important to Edgar. While the wide array of illustrations and the short chapters will help keep readers interested, some may have difficulties with the book’s advanced vocabulary. The text does explain some of the terms readers may be unfamiliar with. In addition, some pages explain historical information such as West Point’s background, important people in Poe’s life, as well as tuberculosis, and the development of a vaccine. The back of the book also includes a timeline of Edgar’s life and a timeline of the 1800s.

Because of the many hardships in Edgar Allan Poe’s life, many of his poems and stories are gloomy and discuss death. Even though some of Edgar’s stories were popular during his time, Edgar didn’t live long enough to see how his writings influenced many other writers. Learning about Edgar’s life will give readers a better understanding of the man and his literary work. Plus, the book would be a good starting point for those who want to research Edgar. 

While many readers will recognize Edgar Allan Poe because of his short and often scary stories, the book explains that he “was a complex man who struggled to overcome a series of sad events to become a major American writer. He influenced so many writers after him that his work is still studied in high schools, colleges, and universities more than 165 years after his death.” Who was Edgar Allan Poe? will entertain and educate readers who want to learn more about the author who created the first gothic, gloomy stories and poems.

Sexual Content 

  • None

Violence 

  • Poe wrote a novel that “told tales of suffering and death, and even cannibalism.” 

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • As an adult, Edgar had a drinking problem. “When he had a good job at a magazine, he lost it by drinking too much.” Edgar’s drinking was a habit which caused him to switch jobs frequently. “Sometimes he didn’t get along with his bosses. Other times, he was fired for drinking.” 
  • Edgar’s father, David “began drinking too much and quarreling with [his wife].” David eventually abandoned his family.
  • Edgar’s foster father was a successful merchant. “The company bought and sold tobacco. . . but it also sold a variety of other goods, including books, frying pans, wine, and even tombstones!”
  • In his stories, Poe “sometimes wrote from the point of view of a crazy person. Some of the characters in his stories were drug addicts.”

Language 

  • None

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content 

  • None

Jackpot

Meet Rico: high school senior and afternoon-shift cashier at the Gas ‘n’ Go who also takes care of her younger brother. Every. Single. Day. When Rico sells a jackpot-winning lotto ticket, she thinks maybe her luck will finally change, but only if she—with some assistance from her popular and wildly rich classmate Zan—can find the ticket holder, who still hasn’t claimed their prize. But what happens when have and have-nots collide? Will this investigative duo unite. . . or divide? 

Told from Rico’s point of view, Jackpot highlights the difficulties of living in poverty. Many readers will sympathize with Rico’s struggles and relate to her insecurities. Rico is an interesting, well-developed character who believes poverty has stolen all her opportunities. In contrast, Zan has never had to worry about money. Despite this, Zan feels his only option is to work for his family’s company.  

In the end, both characters realize, “Everyone has choices. Are some of them hard? Yes. But if you want something bad enough. . .” Rico and Zan’s relationship gives both of them a new perspective and the bravery to take control of their lives.  

Even though Rico and Zan are completely opposite from each other, they each have universal teen conflicts that readers will connect with. Neither character allows others to see their true selves. Zan has closed himself off because he is afraid others will take advantage of him due to his family’s wealth. On the other hand, Rico’s life has been so consumed with work — schoolwork, her job, and caring for her brother — that she has no friends. In addition, Rico feels inferior to her wealthy classmates. Being friends with Zan teaches Rico that not having money doesn’t mean you’re not as worthy as those who do. 

Many teen readers will connect with Jackpot because of the interesting characters and universal themes. While readers will sympathize with Rico’s situation, Zan is the real star because his quirky behavior is humorous and endearing. Even though Rico and Zan are realistic characters, the conclusion is not quite believable. Despite this, Jackpot’s focus on class will leave readers thinking about how one’s class affects every aspect of life. In the author’s note, Stone explains that Jackpot reinforces the idea that “there’s a whole lot more to people than how much — or how little — is in their bank account.” Readers who want another book that explores classism should check out I’m Not Dying with You Tonight by Kimberly Jones & Gilly Segal and Class Act by Jerry Craft.  

Sexual Content  

  • Zan goes to see Rico at work. As he’s leaving, he “yanks” her forward. Rico collides “with his chest—then he’s wrapping his arms around my waist and lifting me off my feet. . .” Afterwards, she is “legitimately hot all over.”  
  • ​​​Rico’s grandfather was “a white guy. . . he had a one-night stand with an . . . escort he’s pretty sure was black, then ten months later, my mom was left on his doorstep.”  
  • Rico’s mom got pregnant when she was in college. “She spent a month in Spain and came back pregnant. . . she didn’t know about his wife and kids. . .” 
  • Rico’s friend Jessica says, “Timberlake’s old news, but I’d totally have his babies if I weren’t so bent on having Ness’s [her boyfriend].” Later, it is revealed that Jessica and Ness are sexually active. 
  • Rico goes to a friend’s house where she’s surprised to see Zan. When Zan sees her, she describes how “he rushes over and scoops me up in what I can only describe as THE HUG. . . he holds me by the shoulders and basically eats every inch of my body.” 
  • After getting drunk, Rico wakes up next to Zan. Even though they are both fully dressed, Rico thinks that they hooked up and she just can’t remember it. An older woman tells Ric
  • o that after her first marriage broke up, she met Lionel. “Lionel really knew his way around a lady, if you catch my drift.” 
  • While Rico is working, an adult buys a Playboy magazine from the convenience store. 
  • Rico’s brother asks if she’s had a wet dream. He explains what he means. “They’re dreams where you’re doing it with somebody, duh. Mason’s big brother has them all the time and he pees out sticky stuff in the bed, so that’s why they’re called wet.” 
  • Jessica and her boyfriend are kissing when someone tells them to “get a room.” 
  • Rico and Zan pose as a couple in order to look at houses for rent. As part of the ruse, Zan tells the real estate agent that they “’had a little too much fun after winter homecoming, if you catch my drift.” Zan winks and pats Rico’s belly. 
  • Rico has an emotional moment and begins to cry. To comfort her, Zane “draws me in to him. The more I cry, the closer we get until I’m curled in his khaki’s lap like a toddler, sobbing into the neck of his perfectly pressed polo shirt.” After snuggling for a few minutes, Zane says, “Don’t take this the wrong way, but you should probably get off my lap now.”  

Violence  

  • None 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • Zan thinks Rico is acting “high strung.” He tells her, “We need to get you some good weed or something.” 
  • Jessica’s mother “drinks away most of her paycheck.” 
  • Rico goes to a friend’s house. The teens there drink alcohol and get “a bit tipsy.” 
  • Jessica wonders which one of the cheerleaders is in “therapy and on anti-anxiety meds.”  
  • When Rico’s brother has a fever, she gives him ibuprofen. 

Language  

  • Profanity is used often. Profanity includes variations of ass, asshole, bitch, crap, dumbass, damn, hell, pissed, shit and motherfu–.  
  • Lord, God, Jesus, and other religious names are used as explanations often.  
  • When Rico wakes up next to Zan, she thinks, “Might as well have a red letter T for tramp tattooed on my cheek.” 
  • Rico thinks someone is a douche-jackass and a son-of-a-bitch. 

Supernatural 

  • None 

Spiritual Content  

  • Zan is Catholic and goes to mass “when [his] grandma makes [him].” 
  • Rico thinks about God. “The whole God thing has always been a little suspect to me.” Rico’s mom would listen to the “sermon station” but this just made Rico question God’s goodness. “But for as long as I can remember, Mama has prayed without ceasing, and . . . well, I find it tough to believe this God character is so great when we continue to barely scrape by despite how hard Mama works and prays.” 
  • At one point, Rico thinks that God will “smite us [her and Zan] for all these lies we’re telling.” 
  • While at a wedding, Rico looks at Zan and thanks “whatever God is worshipped in this church for the fact that I’m already sitting.” 
  • Rico’s boss has heavy security on his computer. Rico explains, “He got new software just after the store was broken into and trashed by anti-Muslim douchefaces last August.”  
  • Rico goes to Zan’s house to eat dinner with his family. Zan’s father prays, thanking God for the food and his successful business. Then he says, “Lord, we thank you for our young Alejandro [Zan], and for the light that has recently graced his life, pulling him out of darkness—” Zan’s father was talking about Rico. 
  • Zan’s grandmother invites Rico to mass and then asks if Rico is a believer. The conversation gets interrupted before Rico can answer. 

The Big Game

Danny Owens is the son of the legendary Super Bowl champion, Daniel Owens, and the next rising football star in his small town of Crooked Creek. Wanting to follow his father’s footsteps to the NFL, Danny knows that his football career depends on the big championship game, where an impressive performance could earn him a spot on the high school varsity football team.

However, his entire season takes an ugly turn when his father suffers a tragic death. To make matters worse, Danny’s teacher, Ms. Rait, threatens to fail him in English which would make him ineligible for the big game. With the pressure of emulating his father’s success weighing heavily on his shoulders, Danny must decide to improve his academics or risk losing his entire football future.

Danny is your typical seventh-grade football player who believes his entire future hinges on his football talent. Thanks to his dad’s presence and fame in Crooked Creek, Danny acts with humble arrogance and believes that his family’s name and football abilities alone can exempt him from his school’s challenging studies. However, Ms. Rait proves to be a direct foil to Danny’s intentions, and her refusal to ignore Danny’s poor reading skills because of his family’s fame creates tension between her and Danny. While neither character is perfect, they offer opportunities for each other to grow by exposing their strengths and shortcomings. For example, Ms. Rait acknowledges that “[Danny’s] a star athlete whose dad won the Super Bowl so when Danny struggled, [other teachers] ‘helped’ him. They passed him on. Let him cheat. And now he’s twelve and he can’t read.”

Unfortunately, readers will have a difficult time connecting with Danny and Ms. Rait. Danny is an unlikeable, angry character who refuses to shift from his football goals. Ms. Rait isn’t much better. Despite her position as his English teacher, her teaching methods seem overly strict and unforgiving, while her good-natured intentions for Danny don’t forgive her ill-tempered attitude. The only admirable character is the school counselor, Mr. Crenshaw, whose quiet personality and soft voice act as an oasis to the others’ noise. 

Despite the troubling main characters, the story attempts to offer a positive message on paving one’s own path. For one, the book identifies Danny’s issues by exploring how his father placed too much pressure on him and his future. In addition, Danny’s improvement in his reading skills appears to move toward a lesson about finding the strength to choose a destiny apart from his father’s. However, the story’s ending dashes this character development by completely restoring Danny’s dreams as a young football star without any consequences. 

The Big Game has the pieces for a good sports story with a lesson. It creates an engaging plot, sheds new light on mental issues, and keeps the reader hooked until the end. However, its unlikeable characters, unsatisfying ending, and wasted character development ultimately make it a frustrating read. Similar to The Big Game,  Before the Ever After by Jacqueline Woodson uses football to show the complicated nature of fathers and sons. However, Before the Ever After is a more engaging story.

Sexual Content

  • Danny and his friend, Janey, ride together on a lawnmower. Danny remarks that “he could feel the back of her head against his own and her shoulder blades cutting into his back. He liked the way that felt, rumbling down the shoulder of Route 222.”
  • Danny and Janey have a brief interaction where Danny mistakenly believes that Janey is about to kiss him. “She parted her lips, maybe to say something, but he was afraid she might try to kiss him, or that he might try to kiss her, and that scared him silent.”
  • When Ms. Rait, Danny’s English teacher, mentions Danny and Janey,  Danny notices that Janey’s “freckles on her round cheeks stood out from her blush and [that] she cast her brown eyes at the floor.” 

Violence

  • During an early morning run, Danny’s father suffers a heart attack and dies in front of Danny. Danny’s father “suddenly gasped and straightened. He clutched his chest and staggered sideways just off the road . . . his father winced like he’d hammered his thumb, and then he pitched forward and collapsed in the dust.”
  • Two teammates on Danny’s team, Gabriel and Cupcake, engage in a fight during practice. They fight because Cupcake took Gabriel’s spot on the field, but nobody gets hurt. Coach Kinen breaks up the fight: “Cupcake shoved the monster, Gabriel, out of his spot at right tackle before stepping in. . . fists quickly began to fly.”
  • Markle, one of Danny’s teammates, punches Cupcake: “Markle sidestepped Cupcake, threw a roundhouse punch into his gut, and shoved him into the dirt. Cupcake lay gasping for breath.”
  • Danny beats up Markle for insulting his father: “Danny spun around and launched himself at Markle’s throat. He grabbed his mask, twisted it, and yanked his teammate to the ground with a war cry. Danny gripped the mask with both hands and shook and twisted until it came free. He flung it aside. The helmet flew through the air, and before it hit the ground Danny was pummeling Markle’s face . . . the older boy’s nose and cheeks were bloody and swollen. His eyes were two slits in the bruised fruit of his face.” This scene is described over two pages.
  • Throughout the story, Danny repeatedly kills his teammates on an X-box video game: “He laughed a crazy laugh, and when the round began, he systematically killed his own team, then pulled out a grenade and dropped it at his feet.”
  • In anger, Danny swings his crutch. “He swung his crutch like a flipper. The lamp on the stand next to the couch shattered. The light bulb popped in a blue flash.”
  • Danny attempts to save kittens from a chicken coop that was on fire. “Danny turned his head, took a deep breath, held it, and leapt into the coop. When his foot hit, it went straight through the floor, scraping his leg. Pain rocketed through his brain, but that was the least of his problems.” This scene is described over two pages.

Drugs and Alcohol

  • Danny’s mother and father frequently drink beer or smoke cigarettes. For example, his mother “lit one of her long, thin cigarettes and surrounded herself in a halo of smoke.”
  • Danny walks in on his mom drinking vodka and worries about her mental health. “His mom had the TV on and a glass of strawberry vodka in her hand . . . Danny knew she’d get mad if he said she was drinking too much.”
  • Cupcake’s brother, Herman, mentions using Advil when he was hurt. He says, “Nothin’ they could do, so I taped it up, took some Advil, and just kept milkin’ the cows.”
  • A couple of Markle’s friends “smoked cigarettes in the woods behind the school.”

Language

  • Markle calls Danny’s father, Daniel Owens, a “freeloading fat-butt has-been.”
  • Danny’s friend, Cupcake, calls Janey “Miss Fancy Pants.”
  • One of Danny’s video game buddies calls him an “idiot.”
  • Danny calls Ms. Rait “stupid.”
  • Danny yells at his mom “to shut up” in an outburst of anger.
  • Danny calls Ms. Rait “the devil.”

Supernatural

  • During a football game, Danny believes he hears his father’s spirit shouting instructions to him.
  • Danny finds himself in a dream sequence where he meets with his dead father. During the dream, his father talks to Danny about his life. “Danny, Danny, Danny. We don’t choose. You’re gonna be fine. I told you, I’m with you, and we will be together. I promise.”

Spiritual Content

  • During a counseling session, Danny asks Mr. Crenshaw if he believes “in heaven and the other place.”

The Undercover Book List

Jane McDonald is a self-professed book nerd. When her best friend, Sienna, a fellow reader, moves away, she plans an “Undercover Book Club” to ease Jane’s loneliness. The idea is to leave an anonymous note in a designated library book and strike up a friendship with whoever finds it. Tyson Flamand is a video game-loving jokester whose antics tend to land him in the principal’s office. By accident, he sees Jane slipping her note into the library book, and he leaves an anonymous response. As Jane and Tyson become closer though the Book Club, they both discover their own resilience and ability to overcome seemingly overwhelming obstacles. 

Jane is an avid reader and a driven student, consistently impressing her teachers and other adults in her life. Her father is deployed in the Middle East on a military assignment, so her grandparents spend a lot of time supporting Jane’s mom with childcare. Her best friend, Sienna, recently moved away and Jane has to learn how to honor her friend while still moving on with her own life. Jane is a likable character due to her efforts to support others and make everyone feel appreciated. Despite her positive personality, Jane is dealing with a lot of loss, from missing her dad and best friend, and the threat of losing her after-school club, Kid Lit Quiz. This gives her another layer of character development, which makes her relatable to readers. 

Tyson’s nonchalant attitude has given him many friends but poor grades. Everybody in Tyson’s life believes he is a troublemaker. When he tells his mom he’s reading, she scoffs and says “Yeah, right,” which hurts Tyson. When Tyson joins the Kid Lit Quiz team Stefan, another member, asks Jane, “Are you sure he didn’t join as a prank? I didn’t even know he could read, never mind liked it.” Readers will appreciate Tyson’s efforts to change his reputation despite everyone in his life discouraging him – he shows that everyone is capable of greatness despite their past. 

Each chapter of The Undercover Book List alternates between Jane’s and Tyson’s perspectives. Jane’s chapters are in the first person, while Tyson’s chapters are in the third person. At first, the shifting points of view are confusing; however, as the teens grow closer, their perspectives overlap and build off each other. As part of The Undercover Book Club, Jane and Tyson write anonymous letters to each other. The novel periodically includes the letters between Jane and Tyson, which allows readers to see the perspectives of each character and watch their growth throughout the novel.  

The Undercover Book List highlights the importance of having the strength to embrace change. Jane learns that she is a fantastic leader who can accomplish lofty goals. Tyson manages to transform his reputation from a troublemaker to a successful student. He eventually decides he would rather be kind than popular. The obstacles that the teens face, including vandalism and illness, are handled in a straightforward manner but without sacrificing emotion. By the book’s gratifying conclusion at the Kid Lit Quiz regional competition, both Jane and Tyson prove to be excellent role models. 

Sexual Content  

  • Tyson’s friends, Andrew and Affan, “drew penises all over the poster” that Jane made to recruit more students to join. Tyson created “the penis game” several weeks before, where “the goal was to draw as many penises as possible before the risk of discovery forced the vandal to walk away.” This is the only instance of the penis game. 

Violence  

  • Tyson and his friends have a reputation as bullies. The pranks these teens pull on others can be mean and targeted, often at a student named Connor. At the beginning of the book, Tyson “ruined [Connor’s] jersey” after dropping it in the lunchroom trash can and “accidentally threw [his] hat on the roof.” As Tyson begins to repair his reputation, he distances himself from the bullying. 
  • Andrew and Affan want to “put [all Connor’s stuff] where it belongs – in the toilet.”  Nothing happens because Connor walks into the locker room while the teens are debating their course of action. 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • None 

Language  

  • None 

Supernatural 

  • Tyson frequently plays a video game called “Mutant-Z.” It is about “a group of mutants who want to take over the Earth. They battle humans for control over key sites.” Tyson has a character named Lizardo who can “spin his head almost 360 degrees and crawl like a lizard up buildings and across ceilings.” The video game does not have a major role in the novel, but it is mentioned a few times. 

Spiritual Content  

  • None 

The Sea in Winter

Maisie’s life has revolved around ballet since she was four. Her friends, life, and dream of becoming a ballerina all revolve around her love of dance. However, during the critical period when Maisie and her friends are preparing to audition to attend premier dance schools, Maisie injures her knee. Confined to crutches and physical therapy, her injury may prevent her from ever dancing again. Her only hope is to get better by summer. 

However, as her injury persists, Maisie’s family takes a road trip. During this time, she struggles to be happy for her friends who are preparing for their auditions. Maisie also feels disconnected from her family’s happiness. Desperate to prove she’s recovering, Maisie forces herself to go on hikes despite the pain in her knee. Maise’s frustration with her injury makes her feel irritable. She lashes out at her stepfather and her mother during their trip, straining their relationship. Even though she regrets her outbursts, Maisie struggles to find the strength to apologize. 

Eventually, Maisie’s injury worsens because she pushes herself too hard during a hike. Maisie is rushed to the hospital, unable to walk or move her leg without intense pain. With her dream of dancing out of reach, Maisie breaks down and admits that she’s having trouble managing her emotions. She knows she must give up dance, but she feels like she’s giving up on herself. Her stepdad tells her, “None of this means you’ve failed. It just means that you’re moving forward. Which is about the bravest thing any of us can do.”

The Sea in Winter is a story about learning to grow from setbacks. It is an easy read with a simple plot and only a few main characters. However, at times the text is very descriptive, such as long passages about the scenery on the family’s hikes or the food the family eats. Because of these detailed passages, the book moves slowly at times. The overall message—finding the strength to move on during setbacks—is a good lesson, but it can get lost in these descriptions. 

Dancers would enjoy this book because of the use of dancing terms and the occasional flashbacks to Maisie’s ballet classes. These events might be better understood by people with an interest or background in dance. However, familiarity with ballet isn’t necessary because the main story happens after Maisie’s injury.

The book references the Makah and Piscataway cultures, two Indigenous tribes in North America. Maisie’s mother is Makah and her father is Piscataway. Her parents refer to stories about their tribes’ hardships to show Maisie that relying on others during hard times and connecting with one’s culture can help you through major life changes. In a time of grief, Maisie’s mother “turned to the teachings of my ancestors, for one thing. I looked back at our history of resilience and survival. How the Makahs managed to bring their community together, despite horrible events.” 

The narrator, Maisie, is very honest with the reader about how she feels, even when she struggles to admit it out loud. Maisie is in middle school, a trying time for children as they discover who they are and make decisions about their future. Growing up can be confusing and stressful – especially when things don’t go according to plan. Maisie’s frustrations are relatable to anyone who feels like the world is moving on without them. However, no one has to face the world alone. This story emphasizes the power of family as a support structure. It encourages someone who is struggling, to depend on the people around them when they encounter things they cannot handle on their own.

The Sea in Winter ends on a positive note for Maisie as she branches out into new interests and rekindles her relationships with her friends. Though moving on from dance and re-discovering herself is not an easy task, Maisie finds strength in sharing her feelings with others. She relies on her family and stories of perseverance and allows herself to dream new dreams and set new goals. The book ends with Maisie declaring: “I choose onward.”

Sexual Content 

  • Two characters on a TV show kiss. “Phillipe huffs in frustration, takes [Catriona’s] face in both hands, and kisses her on the mouth.”

Violence 

  • The book discusses a protest against the Makah Native Americans, who were legally allowed to resume their tribal tradition of whale hunting. Some of the protestors had signs and bumper stickers that said: “Save a whale, kill a Makah.”
  • Maisie’s father died while serving in Afghanistan. Maisie says, “I know that [my father] was killed in action before my first birthday.”
  • Maisie says that her stepdad’s grandfather, who they called See-yah, was abused in school for speaking his native language. “His teachers tried to beat the Klallam language out of him.” 
  • Maisie’s mother admits that she hit one of the men who delivered the news of Maisie’s father’s death. Maisie’s mother, “hit one of the men square in the chest, and slapped him across the face, before [she] collapsed in a heap on the floor.” 

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • None

Language   

  • Maisie calls a TV commercial “stupid.”
  • Maisie snaps at her mom and says, “Why are you always on your stupid phone?”
  • Maisie says her injury is the result of “a stupid decision.”

Supernatural 

  • None

Spiritual Content 

  • None

Classified: The Secret Career of Mary Golda Ross, Cherokee Aerospace Engineer

Mary Golda Ross designed classified airplanes and spacecrafts as Lockheed Aircraft Corporation’s first female engineer. Find out how her passion for math and the Cherokee values she was raised with shaped her life and work.

Cherokee author Traci Sorell and Métis illustrator Natasha Donovan trace Ross’s journey from being the only girl in a high school math class to becoming a teacher to pursuing an engineering degree, joining the top-secret Skunk Works division of Lockheed, and being a mentor for Native Americans and young women interested in engineering. 

Mary Golda Ross’s amazing life will encourage readers of all ages to pursue their passions by working hard. When Mary attended a state teacher’s college, the boys refused to work with her which motivated Mary to “get better grades than they did.” In her early career, Mary shared her love of math as a teacher. However, when World War II started, Mary went to work at the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation, where she helped design fast-flying planes. Later, she worked on spacecrafts that “helped the Apollo space program send astronauts to the moon!” Even though Mary never received public acclaim, that didn’t bother her. Throughout her life, Mary continued to work hard and encourage young women to study math and science.

As the first female engineer for Lockheed Aircraft Corporation, Mary “modeled the Cherokee value of working together in mind and heart.” Mary also wasn’t afraid to ask questions. Even though Mary was the only female, she proved herself a capable engineer. “Her male colleagues respected her intellect, her drive to solve problems, and how she worked in the team.” These qualities allowed Mary to make a positive impact in the world. 

Mary’s experiences come to life in realistic illustrations that use muted colors. One of the best aspects of the illustrations is their ability to incorporate math and science. For example, one picture shows a series of images of teenage Mary using a microscope, helping with a science experiment, and performing another task; around these pictures are math equations. Pictures of planes and drafting pages are incorporated into many of the illustrations.

Even though The Secret Career of Mary Golda Ross, Cherokee Aerospace Engineer is a picture book, the story is intended to be read aloud to a child, rather than for the child to read it for the first time independently. Each page has one to four complex sentences that will be difficult for beginning readers to tackle on their own. In addition, the book contains some advanced vocabulary such as colleagues, orbiting satellites, concepts, and classified. Even though some readers will not understand all the book’s concepts during the first read, The Secret Career of Mary Golda Ross is still an excellent book to share with young readers.

The Secret Career of Mary Golda Ross, Cherokee Aerospace Engineer is an American Indian Library Association Youth Literature Award Honor Picture Book; this award to given to stories that represent Indigenous North American peoples in the fullness of their humanity. This picture book is a must-read not only because it introduces a woman of importance, but also because “the narrative highlights Cherokee values including education, working cooperatively, remaining humble, and helping ensure equal opportunity and education for all.” To learn more about women who made notable contributions in engineering, read Counting on Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Saved Apollo 13 by Helaine Becker and Mae Among The Stars by Roda Ahmed.

Sexual Content 

  • None

Violence 

  • None

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • None

Language 

  • None

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content 

  • None

She Persisted: Maria Tallchief

Maria “Betty” Tallchief was one of the most famous American ballerinas who trailblazed onto the international ballet scene, but her rise to prima ballerina did not come easy. As another installment in the She Persisted series, Maria’s story follows her from her early years through her rise to international stardom.

Maria Tallchief was raised as part of the Osage Nation in Oklahoma and moved to California as a child. Her mother signed Maria up for ballet, and she loved it. Although she faced adversity because of her mixed heritage, she persisted because she loved the sport. Desiring to be a professional ballerina, Maria worked hard and moved to New York City to pursue her dreams.

To help her stand out in the ballet world, “Betty” was encouraged to change her name. While she changed her first name to Maria, she adamantly refused to change her last name from Tallchief, as she was proud of her Osage heritage. Because of Maria’s hard work, she became one of the most famous American ballerinas, and she became the first American to dance with the Paris Opera Ballet and work with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, the famed Russian ballet company. Most famously, she performed the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker. 

Among her other notable achievements as a ballerina, her signature role Firebird helped launch her fame, and she became the first American to perform at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow. Even in retirement, Maria continued to dedicate her time to ballet, moving to Chicago and opening her own ballet studio. She also continued her work in fighting for Native American rights in the United States, proudly speaking of her Osage heritage. Many organizations in Oklahoma to this day have dance studios and awards in her honor, including the University of Oklahoma’s Maria Tallchief Endowed Scholarship, which provides financial assistance to college-level dance students.

Young readers will find Maria Tallchief’s story engaging even if they don’t understand the magnitude of her fame and the scope of her impact on the ballet world. To help keep readers engaged, the book has short chapters and black-and-white illustrations that appear every three to five pages. Maria’s perseverance shines throughout the book and will appeal to a wide audience. 

Readers who enjoyed Dancing in the Wings by Debbie Allen and other biographies will enjoy Maria’s story because both books show that dreams can come true. She Persisted: Maria Tallchief 

ends with a list of ways that readers can be like Maria and highlights the importance of working hard to achieve your dreams. She Persisted: Maria Tallchief will appeal to readers interested in dance; however, it is also a worthwhile book for all young girls to read because it encourages chasing your dreams through dedication and passion, even in the face of adversity. For more inspirational dance-inspired stories twirl to the library and check out Parker Shines On by Parker Curry & Jessica Curry and Tallulah’s Ice Skates by Marilyn Singer.

Sexual Content 

  • None

Violence 

  • To help readers understand Maria’s upbringing, the book gives a brief overview of the Osage Nation. The narrator describes, “In the 1800s, the Osages and other Native Nations suffered in the area known as Indian Territory, which got smaller and smaller until it made up only most of what is now the state of Oklahoma . . . many Osage children were sent to boarding schools, and Osage elders could only share their histories and traditions in secret.”

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • Maria developed arthritis later in her life, and she treated it with “herbs and Tylenol.”

Language 

  • Maria was often bullied by classmates for being Osage. Classmates made “war whoops” whenever they saw her. They asked her why she didn’t wear feathers in her hair. In addition, they made racist, hurtful comments about her father. They made fun of her last name, pretending to be confused by whether it was Tall or Chief.

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content 

  • Maria is part of the Osage nation in Oklahoma, and they have their own religious beliefs and practices. The book notes that her parents “took the family to powwows held in remote corners of the Osage reservation. If they had been caught, they could have gotten in trouble. At the time, Native American ceremonies and gatherings were illegal. (And they would remain illegal until Congress passed the American Indian Religious Freedom Act in 1978, when Betty was fifty-three years old!)”

Big Time

Gerri waits outside all night to audition for Big Time, her favorite TV singing competition. She believes she has a shot at success, but when she’s insulted by one of the judges and kicked out of the competition, she thinks she’ll probably never sing again. 

After a teacher at her school asks her to join a choral club, Gerri reluctantly gets involved. Even though she can’t read music and she doesn’t know the other kids, she finds herself enjoying the group and learning a lot about music. A cute guy she met at the Big Time auditions joins the group, and when they perform their unique mashups at an open-mic night, Gerri realizes there’s more than one way to be a successful—and happy—singer!

Anyone who’s ever faced rejection will relate to Gerri’s conflict and empathize with her feelings of insecurity. Since much of Gerri’s self-doubt and personal growth revolves around her musical ability, the story lacks action. Nevertheless, readers who are interested in music will enjoy learning how being part of a group helps Gerri understand music and herself better. While much of the story revolves around Gerri’s choral group, her guitar-playing granddad also plays a positive and significant role in Gerri’s musical growth. Gerri’s granddad helps her see that people should sing for their own personal enjoyment because music “helps us bring a little bit of happiness into other people’s lives.”

When Gerri tries out for Big Time, she meets Poppy, a confident singer who has some success on the reality show. Even though Poppy doesn’t play a large role in the story, her experiences help reinforce the importance of singing for enjoyment. While she was competing, Poppy began to focus on beating the other contestants, which caused a lot of stress and unhappiness. When she was cut from the competition, Poppy was relieved because being on Big Time took the joy out of singing. 

One of the best aspects of the book is Gerri’s personal growth. She changes from a downtrodden girl who doesn’t want to sing, to a more confident musician who is thankful that she was rejected from Big Time. Gerri thinks, “It turns out that getting rejected from Big Time was one of the best things that could have happened to me. . . because it helped me understand what being a musician is really all about. . . It’s about learning and practicing and making music wherever and whenever you feel like it.”

As part of the Orca Limelights collection, Big Time is specifically aimed at middle schoolers and teens with an interest in the performing arts who want to read a short, high-interest novel. The story’s straightforward plot, easy vocabulary, and interesting characters make Big Time the perfect fit for music-loving readers. 

Big Time has many positive aspects including teaching the importance of overcoming obstacles. In addition, the story portrays Gerri’s family in a positive light, and the supporting characters, while not perfect, unite over their love of singing. If you’re looking for a quick read, Big Time is a short, but solid story that will please anyone who loves music. Readers who want to read more music-themed books should grab a copy of Ace’s Basement by Ted Staunton and the graphic novel series Eagle Rock by Hope Larson.

Sexual Content 

  • None

Violence 

  • A woman calls one of the Big Time judges a jackass.

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • One of the Big Time contestants says that Adele drinks whiskey before every performance.

Language 

  • None

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content 

  • None

Mascot

Since the car accident, Noah Savino has been confined to his wheelchair. His past life as an average seventh grader has been turned upside down, and he struggles to find solace away from baseball. It doesn’t help that physical therapy is terrible, his mom seems extra stressed, and his old friend, Logan Montgomery, has turned into his new personal bully. To make matters worse, his father also passed away in a car accident that paralyzed him.

Everything changes, including his perspective on life, when Noah meets the new kid, Ruben Hardesty, a.k.a “Dee-Dub.” For the first time in his life, Noah finds someone different from others, and this blossoming friendship with Dee-Dub places Noah’s life on a roller coaster of emotion where he discovers that he’s more than just a kid in a wheelchair. Eventually, Noah learns that his past doesn’t dictate his future. He isn’t just a mascot rooting on the sidelines; he’s the ballplayer on the baseball diamond that can change both his and others’ lives. 

Throughout the book, readers will experience the typical life of a seventh-grade boy through the eyes of Noah Savino, a sassy but lovable character. Although his quick sarcasm and stubborn attitude can be irritating initially, readers will slowly discover the complex emotions hidden within Noah’s character. His growth from a boy stuck in the gloom of the past to a lovable friend with a heart for others is admirable and inspiring, and Noah’s story highlights that good can come from bad things — although not necessarily in the most straightforward manner. 

Noah’s character development is supported by a fantastic cast of side characters who showcase how the powers of friendship, love, and forgiveness can positively impact both the giver and the receiver. Readers will enjoy how each of the characters’ stories weaves together. Whether it’s strengthening his friendship with Dee-Dub, acknowledging his feelings for Alyssa, or being friendly to his overly competitive partner in physical therapy, Noah learns and grows because of each of the people in his life. Noah even learns to forgive his bully, Logan, after a heartfelt conversation. “For the first time in months, I bump [Logan’s] fist right back, and he smiles like he knows exactly what I’m thinking.”

Readers will relate to Noah because he recognizes that bad things happen in people’s lives. However, the story offers an important lesson about moving forward and focusing on the future. Although Mascot has its share of awkward moments, readers will fall in love with the emotional richness of the characters and how their everyday activities are enhanced by each other. For those who enjoy a fast-paced, moving saga littered with baseball references, Antony John’s Mascot is the perfect book for you. For more inspiring baseball action, read Soar by Joan Bauer and Firefly Hollow by Alison McGhee.

Sexual Content

  • Noah Savino is repeatedly caught staring at his classmate, Alyssa Choo’s, boobs. She responds to the three instances with anger and immediate action, like “[sliding] onto the chair across the aisle from me and [folding] her arms across her chest.”
  • For several pages, Noah and Makayla Dillion discuss whether their parents are “sucking face.”
  • One of Makayla’s books mentions the character Gabriella kissing a boy, and “she seems to be enjoying it.”
  • Noah and Alyssa briefly touch hands. When she leaves, Noah notices the “empty space where she was touching me” and that “his skin tingles.”
  • After speaking with Alyssa, Noah notes that her voice was “a little quieter and breathier than before, makes me feel kind of tingly.”
  • At the end of the book, Noah and Alyssa exchange a kiss, where Noah notes that “she even stays in place as I turn my head, so that for an instant our lips brush together.”

Violence

  • During a contest, Alyssa purposely hits Logan Montgomery’s leg and Dee-Dub Hardesty’s stomach with a baseball. Logan “just watches as it lands a yard in front of him, ricochets off the ground, shoots up, and cracks against the outside of his left knee.”
  • Mr. Riggieri, Noah’s neighbor across the street, jokingly threatens to murder the three kids if they don’t help him clean. He says that they must help “or I’ll track you all down and murder you in your sleep.”

Drugs and Alcohol

  • Because of her pitching power, Noah once joked that Alyssa takes “steroids.”

Language

  • Noah’s mom says “for Pete’s sake” when Noah questions her about her upcoming dinner date.
  • Heck is used as an exclamation several times.
  • Noah says, “Geez. You’re like freaking Einstein.”
  • Noah calls a kid a “moron.”

Supernatural

  • During a baseball game, Noah believes his deceased father is “where he is now — on the sidelines, invisible but somehow present.”

Spiritual Content

  • None

Palace of Books

From prolific author, Patricia Polacco, comes a retelling of her first experience with books. Polacco was not always a reader. Growing up, she preferred to spend time on her farm with her grandfather, admiring the birds and absorbing her grandfather’s knowledge of each bird’s species.

When her family moved to California, Polacco had to adjust to life beyond the farm. Fortunately for her, her new teacher, Miss Bice, regularly took her class on nature hikes. One these hikes, Polacco would admire the birds and try to share her knowledge with her classmates. However, her classmates did not share her passion, and they were not interested in the many owl pellets Polacco found on the forest floor. 

To make matters worse, Polacco’s new classroom rewarded reading, something that had always been challenging for her. Although she would eventually come to realize that she had dyslexia, Polacco spent much of her childhood unable to explain her struggle with reading. All she knew was that books were difficult to approach. This perspective changed when Polacco stumbled upon the giant library of her new town. Here, she was greeted by the excited librarian, Mrs. Creavy, who showed her that not all books require words. In fact, this library possessed rare art collections from John James Audubon, an artist renowned for his beautiful paintings of birds. These books introduced Polacco to the wonderful world of illustration and encouraged her own drawings of birds. Though she did not know it, this discovery was the first step in her success as a student and artist.

Palace of Books is a touching and heartfelt true story that will show young readers that everything has an outlet to express themselves, so long as they look for it. The story of art’s power is assisted by beautiful illustrations that fill entire pages. Detailed and lively, these illustrations show how far Polacco has come as an illustrator. It is worth noting that the book’s narration is particularly wordy, with some pages featuring up to 36 sentences of text. This can be a welcome and rewarding challenge to advanced readers, but younger readers may need help navigating the long narration. If you are looking for another story that teaches the importance of individuality and creativity, Palace of Books is the book for you.

Sexual Content 

  • None

Violence 

  • None

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • None

Language 

  • None

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content 

  • None

The Lucky Baseball Bat

Martin Allan is a new boy in town who wants to play baseball for his local baseball league. However, after a disappointing first tryout, Martin loses confidence in his baseball skills. That is, until a friendly neighbor named Barry Welton gives Martin a new glove and a lucky baseball bat. With the new bat, Martin rediscovers his baseball skills and leads his team to the Grasshoppers League World Series. However, when Martin discovers that his lucky baseball bat has gone missing, he panics that the baseball season will be lost! Will Martin find his lucky baseball bat in time to save his team’s season?

Martin is a young boy with a passion for baseball who struggles with a lack of confidence and a timid personality. Told from his point of view, readers will relate to Martin’s difficulty in moving to a new town, making new friends, and jumping into a new baseball league. However, Martin’s ability to move past these obstacles and succeed will be inspirational for many readers. His uplifting personality and strong determination to solve his problems also make him a very likable character.

Martin wears his emotions on his sleeve and his reactions to his circumstances range from excitement to sadness and anger. While some of Martin’s responses seem to encourage adverse reactions, such as blaming another kid on his team for taking his lucky bat, Martin ultimately grows as a character by learning to move past these impulsive responses. He learns from his mistakes and becomes an admirable character who is patient, kind, and forgiving. After accusing Rick of taking his bat, Martin apologizes saying, “Rick, I—I’m sorry that I said you had my bat. I got it back yesterday. Freckles Ginty had taken it out of my yard.”

Martin’s adventures with his new baseball team teach readers the importance of having confidence in one’s abilities. It’s easy to place one’s worth in outside things, like how Martin puts his athletic worth in one baseball bat, but the story encourages readers to recognize that their strengths and talents come from within themselves. Whether on the baseball field, in the theater, or with a pen and paper, we all can find strength in what we love to do. It just takes a little bit of confidence.

The Lucky Baseball Bat is beautifully told in ten short chapters with enlarged print and easily understandable words. Each chapter features one fully illustrated page that depicts crucial moments in the story with enjoyable, pencil-drawn images. Overall, The Lucky Baseball Bat is the perfect story for those who love baseball. With memorable characters, an engaging plot, and supporting illustrations, readers will enjoy Martin’s journey as a baseball player. Plus, they will learn that succeeding in their endeavors starts with believing in themselves.

Readers who want to learn more about baseball should read the non-fiction book Babe Ruth and the Baseball Curse by David A. Kelly and Catching the Moon by Crystal Hubbard. Other fiction series that will appeal to baseball fans are The Ballpark Mysteries Series by David A. Kelly and Little Rhino Series by Ryan Howard & Krystle Howard.

Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

  • None

Drugs and Alcohol

  • None

Language

  • A mean bully calls Martin Allan a “hick” for missing a fly ball.
  • The head coach of the baseball team, Jim Cassell, yells “for Pete’s sake.”

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content

  • None 

Unscripted

Zelda Bailey-Cho is an incredibly talented and ambitious seventeen-year-old comedian who dreams of making it big before she turns 25. She is a young woman with a sharp wit, impeccable timing, and a passion for making people laugh. Zelda has always known comedy is her calling, and she is willing to work hard and persevere until she achieves her dreams.

As Zelda prepares to attend the Rocky Mountain Theater Arts camp, she is excited about the opportunities that lie ahead. She sees the camp as the perfect place to start her journey and is determined to take full advantage of every opportunity that comes her way. At RMTA, Zelda has the chance to learn from some of the most experienced and skilled comedians and improvisers. She is eager to absorb as much knowledge and experience as possible. She believes that making the varsity improv team is the first step towards achieving her goal of being on Saturday Night Live. However, the reality of being on the varsity team at the camp is not everything Zelda expected. 

It turns out, the camp is plagued by toxic masculinity, sexual harassment, and misogyny, all of which make it difficult for Zelda to accomplish her goals. She faces many obstacles, including being the first female in fifteen years to make the varsity squad on top of being one of only five female campers that summer. She wants to make her other female campers proud, but it becomes increasingly difficult as she becomes the target for humiliation on her male-only team.

As Zelda struggles to navigate the obstacles at camp, her relationship with her coach, Ben, becomes increasingly complicated. While Ben reassures Zelda that he will stop the humiliation, he still allows the guys to tear her down during rehearsals. His sweet smiles and endearing touches leave Zelda’s head spinning. As the rehearsals become more and more heartbreaking for Zelda, so does her relationship with Ben. It all comes to a head one day when he pins her against a tree and unclasps her bra. 

Zelda feels betrayed and violated because she thought she could trust Ben. The incident leaves her questioning her own judgment, as well as the intentions of those around her. But despite the trauma she experiences, Zelda refuses to let it define her. Her fellow female campers — Paloma, Sirena, Emily, and Hanna — help Zelda learn the difference between abuse and affection. They help Zelda realize that she is a survivor who will not be silenced. Zelda finds the strength to speak out about what happened to her, hoping that her story will inspire others to do the same. 

Zelda’s journey is one of resilience, determination, and strength. She faces numerous challenges, including toxic masculinity, sexual harassment, and misogyny, but refuses to let them hold her back. She is a role model for young women everywhere, showing them that they too can achieve their dreams, no matter what obstacles they may face. 

Unscripted is a captivating and thought-provoking book that is sure to resonate with young women. In a where misogyny and sexual harassment are still prevalent, it is important for young women to be aware of these societal issues and learn how to navigate them. The book does an excellent job of exploring these themes through the experiences of its strong and inspiring female lead character. Furthermore, Unscripted is not limited to themes of misogyny and sexual harassment. It also delves into various other issues that young women may face, such as gender stereotypes, body image, and self-esteem. The author does a great job weaving together these themes in a way that is both informative and engaging. Overall, Unscripted is a great read for young women who want to empower themselves and learn how to overcome the challenges they may face in today’s society. It provides a positive role model and valuable insights that can help them navigate the complexities of the world. Readers who enjoy Unscripted should also read Ana’s Story: A Journey of Hope by Jenna Bush Hager.

Sexual Content 

  • During Zelda’s first rehearsal with her male counterparts, she plays a nurse. One of the boys opens her office door and says, “Well, hello there, lady doctor. How lucky am I? Should I drop my pants now, or now and later?” Zelda stays in character, looks at his chart, and says, “Ah! I see you’ve had a series of brain injuries that make you say inappropriate things. Well. We should get you some heavy drugs to suppress that.”
  • In another scene, there were some allusions to Zelda’s character being a porn actress, but it wasn’t the focus of the scene so she “let it go.”
  • In another scene, one of the males in Zelda’s group forces her to be a prostitute in the woods. “‘Oh, look! A woods hooker! I think I’d like to see a dance,’ Xander said. ‘I’ll be the pole.’” 
  • Xander tries to make Zelda uncomfortable by making sexual comments. Xander began grinding on Jake and pitched his voice into a falsetto. “’Oh, Jakey!’ he tittered, apparently imitating me. ‘You’re so funny! I love it when you do me!’ The grunting sounds increased, reaching a fever pitch.”
  • The girls at the camp tell Zelda that guys look at her as a sexual object. Hanna says, “See—you do that leaning in thing and your boobs just—” Hanna makes jazz hands.
  • Ben utilizes his power as a coach to get Zelda alone for a one-on-one rehearsal. He makes her act out a scene in which he kisses her. “And then he was kissing me. A real, live boy was kissing me. Kissing ME. I hardly knew what was happening. He wrapped an arm around my back and pulled me closer.”  The kissing stops as Ben pulls away and calls the rehearsal to a close. It is the only scene that they “rehearse.”
  • Another time Zelda is put in a demeaning position. “It was happening again. And Ben was doing nothing to stop it. I was numb as Xander marched with me over his shoulder and set me down off stage. ‘Woo! Quick, but satisfying!’ He mimed zipping up his pants. Bile rose up in my esophagus.”
  • Ben sexually violates Zelda outside the cabins against a tree. “Before I had a chance to make a decision, the fingers of his right hand unclasped my bra and his left hand grabbed my boob. The moment he made contact, I knew I didn’t want it. I tried to step back, but I was still pushed up against the tree.” Zelda says, “‘Don’t. Please, Ben. Just—’” Zelda “tried to push him away with my hands, but he ground into me. ‘It’s okay,’ he murmured. ‘You’re so sexy. I can’t help myself.’” He only stops because Zelda knees him in the crotch and runs away. 

Violence 

  • Before Zelda goes to camp, her father tries to teach her about life. He recounts the story of what led them to this point, but this time he includes a part Zelda had never heard. He loves his new wife and stepson, Will, but they were not deterring him from the negative thoughts inside his head. It was Zelda that ultimately saved him. “‘Zelda-belle.’ He exhaled sharply, folded and unfolded his arms, then took my hands. ‘Your mom loved Will, and I . . . I couldn’t take the sadness anymore. I was thinking about . . .’ He raised his eyebrows, willing me to fill in the blanks . . . Did he mean . . . he was thinking about killing himself?” He lets Zelda know it was her birth that brought light back into his life. She was the one to pull him out of his depression.
  • The owners of RMTA, Paul Paulsen and Paul Deluca (P1 and P2), lay out the ground rules upon everyone arriving at the camp. “’Lastly, we have a very strict physical violence policy. If you get in a physical altercation, you will be sent home. No exceptions.’ Paul Paulsen said . . . ‘Well,’ Paul DeLuca drawled, ‘unless it’s in a scene.’”
  • There is a scene in which Jake 2 and Trey, other members of the varsity improv team, fake punch one another. “‘A punch in the face for not freeing the slaves earlier!’ Jake 2 called. He turned to Donovan and clapped him on the back. ‘Right, my brother?’ My eyes grew huge. Anger flashed in Donovan’s eyes, but it was gone so quickly, I thought I might have imagined it.” This scene upsets Donovan as a biracial individual. It is one of the first times Zelda realizes that it isn’t just sexual comments that are being made and hurting someone.
  • Zelda knees Ben in the crotch to avoid him going further in his sexual advances. “A switch flipped in my head. A message flashed in my mind with lightning speed and clarity: Ben was not what love looked like. He was what danger looked like. And that’s when Dad’s voice shouted in my head, Prime attack zones: spectacles and testicles! I jerked up my knee as hard as I could and rammed it into his crotch.”
  • Ben, the varsity coach, punches a Boy Scout that Zelda is hiking with, Jesse, in the face which causes a fight to break out between the three of them. Most of the violence comes from Ben. “But it took a cracking sound, blood pouring out of Jesse’s nose, and Ben shaking out the hand that had punched Jesse to set off a bomb inside my body…Ben charged at me, and I barreled toward the steps…’How dare I?’ He caught up with me in two strides and grabbed my arms. ‘How dare you?’ He spun me to him. Fury contorted his face. ‘I let you onto Varsity and this is how you repay me?’ His hands dug into my upper arms, and he shook my body…I tried to break out of his grasp, but he growled, ‘Shut up!’ and shook me again…I twisted around, but still gripping my arms, Ben kicked Jesse in the knee as he lurched toward us, which sent him stumbling back down into the gravel. Jesse’s nose was bleeding so freely, the front of his shirt was a lake of blood…’Stand UP, bitch,’ he demanded, digging his fingers even deeper into my forearms. Whimpering from the pain, I listened…Turning around in shock, Ben dropped my arms, so I grabbed his shoulder to force him back to face me, then spectacles-testicled him, and he collapsed to the ground.”

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • None

Language 

  • Zelda is in a conversation with two girls who are discussing how the males on their improv team tend to stereotype them just because they are female. For example, “Then when guys do a scene together, do they call it ‘Dick-prov’?”
  • Sexism and misogyny are heavily discussed throughout the book.
  • The terminology surrounding the LGBTQ+ community is brought up multiple times as both Zelda’s brother and bunkmates are a part of the community. In one scene, the two bunkmates, Sirena and Emily, are telling the girls what they feel comfortable being called. “Sirena says, ‘We like ‘gay.’ And ‘lesbian’ is fine, too. In certain contexts, ‘queer’ makes the most sense. Right, Em?’”’
  • Emily, one of the few females at the camp,  brings up her weight multiple times on her own volition and discusses the stereotypes she faces because of it. This scene is a wonderful example of the adversity she faces daily due to her weight. “Unfortunately, Emily was too anxious to be her best self. At one point, she played a really funny newscaster who was so nervous, she couldn’t remember any of the news, and later managed a spot-on Irish accent, but the guys she was performing with mostly sidelined her. After the third scene, where she played someone’s mom, a guy behind me whispered, ‘That fat girl is really bombing.’”
  • The terminology “asshats” is used several times. 
  • There are also multiple instances of the males making derogatory symbols and expressions towards the girls. When Zelda glares at a group of boys, they “flipped me off. I looked to the coaches to see if anyone was paying attention to the cretins, but the coaches were spread around the room, eyes on the stage.”
  • Zelda’s varsity group is called up to the stage for one of the improv games, but she is joined by the two guys who continue to humiliate her. “I took a deep breath and trotted up on stage. Unfortunately, Crotch-grabber and Finger-flipper stood on either side of me. My weakest aspect of improv next to two sexist body-shamers. Awesome.”
  • The word damn is used several times.
  • The words prostitute and hooker are used multiple times, often in improvisational scenes where they are forcing Zelda to be one.
  • Zelda stands up to some of the negative comments being made towards her during rehearsal. Zelda says, “You know, improv has always made me feel good. Like I was strong and funny and smart. I was a part of something. But you guys — What you do isn’t improv. It’s a lot of one-upmanship and dick waving and you don’t need me for that.” 
  • Ben, the varsity improv coach, calls Zelda a bitch multiple times. Zelda thinks, “It took a long time to fall asleep, but when I woke the next morning, I was sure about two things: 1) Ben was never getting me alone again. And 2) If I was a bitch, I was going to be the funniest bitch that asshole had ever seen.”
  • Ben calls Zelda a whore one time.
  • Nina Knightley, Zelda’s idol, says, “There’s a lot of crap out there. . . and I’ve seen my fair share of it. But the way you get through it is together. Find your people. And then keep helping people up. It’s the only way. Got it?”

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content 

  • None

The Shape of Thunder

After losing her older sister, Mabel, in a school shooting, Cora has been searching for a scientific explanation. For Cora, the word is full of truth. Everything has a reason and answer – she just has to find it. If Cora can find out the reason why her sister died, maybe she can start getting over it, but no matter how hard she tries, Mabel’s death just doesn’t make sense. 

Meanwhile, Cora’s (former) best friend, Quinn, is struggling with guilt. For her brother, Parker, is the school shooter responsible for Mabel’s death. Cora is determined to fix their friendship even though the task seems impossible. That is, until Quinn starts reading about time travel.  

Time travel would fix everything. The girls could go back and save Mabel before she dies and prevent Parker from falling into the dangerous mindset that led him to commit a mass shooting. The book details their investigations into time travel as they grapple with the deaths of their siblings. Cora and Quinn make frequent visits to a nearby forest, where they think a magical tree has a wormhole that can take them back – they just need to open it. Unfortunately, their attempts to time travel fail again and again. Quinn admits why she thinks it’s not working – she’s been hiding something from Cora. Quinn says that a few weeks before the shooting, she saw Parker investigating their father’s guns. 

Cora is furious and feels betrayed, so she tells Quinn to stay away from her. Though it breaks Quinn’s heart, she lets Cora continue the time travel investigation on her own. Then, when a large storm hits, Cora sneaks away from school in order to open the wormhole with the energy of thunder. While crossing a river in the woods, Cora slips but thankfully Quinn saves Cora’s life. Afterward, Cora forgives Quinn.

The Shape of Thunder is narrated in the alternating perspectives of Cora and Quinn, which allows the reader to understand the grief and guilt they feel as they navigate life following the death of their siblings. While the plot is easy to follow, this is a powerful story about loss and forgiveness and should not be taken lightly. It is also a story about the effects of gun violence and how it rips apart families and friends. Cora and Quinn are thoughtful narrators with distinct personalities and distinct forms of grief. They have unique family situations that allow the author to paint a wide picture of a shooting’s effects. Their dedication to fixing the past – and to each other, despite the circumstances – is admirable and powerful.

Ultimately, Cora forgives Quinn because Cora realizes the issue of mass shootings doesn’t lie in isolated incidents, such as people like Parker, but is a larger, societal issue – which is much harder to fix. But The Shape of Thunder is about making the impossible possible. The use of time travel is not to turn the novel into a science fiction book but to imagine beyond what has been done before. The phrase “shape of thunder” is used for the same reasons. Cora says, “The shape of thunder. What a strange phrase. It’s more than contradictory; it’s impossible. A thing that doesn’t actually exist, but possibly could. An impossible thing that could actually be possible. Like finding a wormhole. Like time travel.”  

In the end, the girls don’t time travel, but they do obtain something they thought impossible to achieve: reconciliation. Earlier in the book, Cora says she can never forgive Quinn for playing a role in her sister’s death. Likewise, Quinn believes that she doesn’t deserve Cora’s friendship because she feels that she should’ve stopped Parker. However impossible moving forward seems, the two girls realize fighting their grief alone is too difficult. At the end of the story, Cora and Quinn start to rekindle their friendship. 

Persisting in the face of profound grief is daunting, but not as impossible as it seems when we share our struggles with others. Time travel may not be real, but love is its own kind of magic. Readers looking for other books that highlight the importance of overcoming obstacles should also read The List of Things That Will Not Change by Rebecca Stead, A Kind of Spark by Elle McNicoll, and Ophie’s Ghosts by Justina Ireland.

Sexual Content 

  • None

Violence 

  • Parker orchestrated a mass shooting at Mabel’s school. He shot and killed three people and then committed suicide. While the events of the shooting are not described in detail, Mabel and Parker’s deaths are frequently mentioned. 
  • While no examples are given, Parker would say hateful things and was active on forums. Cora says, “The news said Parker was active on all these forums full of people who hated women and immigrants and Muslims.”
  • Cora slips and falls into a river while Quinn watches. “It’s like something out of a horror film. It happens so fast, but it’s also painfully slow – Cora jumping to the next rock, slipping, and hitting her head with a sickening thud. The sound of her skull colliding with the rocks is something I will never ever be able to forget.” Quinn rescues Cora, and Cora recovers after going to the hospital.

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • None

Language   

  • Grams, Cora’s grandma, says “I’ll be damned.”

Supernatural 

  • A major part of the story is that Cora and Quinn are looking for a way to time travel to prevent Mabel’s and Parker’s deaths. Theories about time travel, space, and wormholes are mentioned frequently. 
  • Quinn compares time travel to magic. “Everything I’ve read says the best way to find a wormhole is to ask for one to appear. That makes me think of magic. I imagine myself like a witch, looking for the perfect place to cast a spell.”
  • Quinn thinks she sees a wormhole in the library. “I open my eyes, and for a brief moment, I swear there’s a halo of light on the floor in the library. A wormhole.” It disappears right after. 
  • Cora and Quinn are drawn to a tree in the forest that they think is magical. They return to this tree a few times, hoping it is the spot for their wormhole. 

Spiritual Content 

  • Cora has Arab roots that she isn’t very in tune with. She is collecting Arabic words to learn her ancestor’s language, so a few Arabic words appear in the text. Her family is Muslim, but according to Cora they are “not very religious.” She notes a few cultural things in her home. “There’s a painting of the Dome of the Rock hanging in our kitchen. There’s also one framed Quranic verse. . . but since I can’t read Arabic, I always forget which one it is.” 
  • Cora asks Quinn if her family’s religion had anything to do with her sister’s death. “Did [Parker] go after Mabel because she was Muslim?” Quinn replies, “I don’t know.” 

Across the Desert

In Dusti Bowling’s Across the Desert, Jolene wants big adventures – as big as the ones that Amelia Earhart and Bessie Coleman once had, soaring through the skies with the utmost freedom and overcoming all the challenges they faced. That’s what Jolene dreams of –  except she’s stuck at home with no money and a mom who’s not-so-secretly addicted to oxycodone. 

It looks like Jolene’s dreams may come true when she’s the only one to witness her online friend, Addie Earhart, crash her ultralight plane in the middle of Arizona on a livestream. The problem: Jolene doesn’t know where Addie is exactly, no adults seem to understand the problem, and Jolene is only twelve years old. To save Addie, Jolene sets out with only her map, resilience, friends, luck, and a lot of ingenuity. Along the way, Jolene learns that sometimes the biggest adventures are closest to home.

Across the Desert is an action-packed adventure that includes scenes of Jolene getting into very dangerous situations because of her rash decisions. For example, Jolene and her new friend, Marty, experience injuries throughout, including various stages of heatstroke. Addie also experiences intense injuries when she crashes her ultralight. Although the story ends with Addie recovering, a large part of the book is about Addie’s rescue in the desert. Although the characters’ injuries don’t include graphic descriptions, the scenes are intense as the stakes are high.

Outside of Addie’s rescue, Jolene grapples with her understanding of her mom’s opioid addiction. Most of the knowledge Jolene gains is from looking it up on the library computers. However, once she meets Marty and Marty’s mom, she starts to understand what it means to lose loved ones to addiction. When Jolene discovers that Marty’s sister overdosed on heroin, this spurs Jolene to confront her mom about her addiction. The book tackles the difficult topic of addiction in an age-appropriate manner. Readers will gain insight on how addiction affects not just one person, but many, and that reaching out to help others is crucial. Jolene and her mom learn to identify addiction, and they take the necessary first steps to help her mom receive treatment.

To cope with her mom’s addiction, Jolene initially deals with her trauma by compartmentalizing it into boxes in her mind and putting her feelings away. By the end of the book, Jolene has learned how to trust others and lets her feelings out instead of bottling them up. Marty, her teenage friend, is a massive help to her emotionally and their friendship is incredibly heartwarming.

Across the Desert is best for middle-grade readers who love adventure and enjoy history, as Jolene often references famous women and their accomplishments throughout the book. It is a good start for teaching young readers about addiction and how they can be empathetic towards others who are struggling with their own addiction, or a loved one’s. The story shows how sometimes the best adventures bring friendship and family even closer than before.

Sexual Content 

  • Jolene makes a reference to online predators as she explains her online friendship with internet aviation sensation Addie Earhart. Jolene says, “For all [Addie] knows, I could be some old guy who smells like cheese and onions pretending to be a twelve-year-old girl.” Several people throughout the book, including Jolene’s mom, make similar remarks. For instance, Jolene’s mom says, “This ‘girl’ is probably some creep looking to prey on little girls.”
  • Addie and Jolene talk about their interests, and Jolene mentions that she likes drawing. Addie replies, “One of my mom’s friends draws naked people. I hope you don’t do that.”

Violence 

  • Jolene describes the dangers of exploration. Jolene says, “Lots of people die while exploring and mapping things. They freeze to death and fall off mountains.”
  • Previously, Jolene and her mom were in a car accident. Jolene describes the accident: “But as Mom started rolling forward into the intersection, I noticed that an old brown truck coming from the other direction seemed to be going really fast . . . Mom turned her head to see what I was looking at, but she didn’t have time to react.” The description of the accident lasts a couple of pages.
  • Jolene occasionally thinks about the car accident. She says, “I remember how I thought Mom was dead right after the car accident. It was so scary. Her not waking up. And the blood. So much blood.” This scene ends with Jolene compartmentalizing her fears and trauma.
  • Addie describes how javelinas are an invasive animal species in the desert where she is. She says into the camera, “You don’t even need a hunting license to kill one because Game and Fish wants them gone so badly.”
  • Addie’s plane goes down during a livestream. Jolene is watching, and she describes, “Addie is screaming so hysterically that I can’t even make out what she’s saying or if she’s even saying words at all. She seems to be struggling to catch her breath, struggling to get a word out . . . One very loud crash blasts my ears, and then it seems for a second that the phone is flying by itself.” The description of Addie’s yelling and the shaky phone video lasts for a couple of pages.
  • Addie mentions how she misses her dad a lot. Jolene asks where he is, and Addie says, “He died. Six months ago. Car accident.” 
  • Addie talks about her favorite aviator, Bessie Coleman. Jolene asks what happened to Coleman, and Addie says, “She died in a plane crash.”
  • After hitting a bump in the road, Jolene is launched off a motor bike. In the accident, her “body slams against the road, knocking the air out of my lungs. Stars burst in my eyes, and then I’m rolling across the hot blacktop, still unable to breathe or stop myself.” The scene is described over a couple of paragraphs.
  • Jolene imagines what would’ve happened had she gotten bitten by a rattlesnake. “I’d have keeled over on my way back to Hope. Just keeled over dead. Based on the number of cars I’ve seen, it might have been several days before someone even found my body. By then, it would have been eaten by animals and buzzards and stuff. Or maybe it would never be found out here.”
  • Marty tells Jolene about how people die in the desert all the time. Marty says, “‘Like a few years ago, there were these people who died on a walk in Encanto Park. They were just walking around on the sidewalk and fell over dead from heat stroke. Like this,’ Marty lets her head fall to the side and sticks her tongue out. ‘Instant deadness.’”
  • Jolene and Marty find Addie in the crashed ultralight with her legs pinned against the rock that she smashed into. Addie says that she can’t really feel her legs anymore. She says, “After a while, they went numb.” Jolene notes that she “can’t see all of her legs” because Addie is pinned to the rock. When they pull the ultralight away from the rock, Jolene notices that Addie’s “jeans and boots are dark red with blood.” The rescue scene is described over a few chapters.

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • Jolene types “how to quit oxycodone” into the search bar on the computer for what she feels like is the hundredth time. Her mom is addicted to oxycodone after a car accident years before, and Jolene references the facts that she knows about oxycodone occasionally.
  • Jolene tells Marty about her mom’s oxycodone addiction, and Jolene asks what happens to someone if they don’t break their addiction. Marty says, “Then she’ll keep taking them. She’ll need more and more all the time because you build up a tolerance. One day she’ll take so much that she dies.”
  • Jolene asks Marty why she knows so much about oxycodone, and Marty responds with, “Kids at my school take and sell oxy.”
  • Jolene’s mom refers to rumble strips on the sides of the road as “drunk bumps.”
  • Jolene constantly worries about her mom taking too many oxy pills. She thinks, “Will she take more pills tomorrow? Will she take so many she dies?”
  • Marty and her mom tell Jolene about Marty’s late sister, Lucy. Marty tells the story of “Lucy getting her wisdom teeth taken out and the surgeon prescribing the same pills that Mom takes – oxycodone. Lucy was addicted after only a week, and when they tried to cut her off, she spent all her savings getting more pills. And when the savings ran out, she resorted to stealing from her family. They got her on a waiting list for a hospital right away, but the lists are long. Too long…while they were waiting, Lucy tried heroin because it’s cheaper than the pills.” Marty’s mom explains that Lucy overdosed after trying heroin once, and she died. This story lasts for a couple pages.
  • Jolene gets to sit in on a group therapy session at the rehab clinic where her mom is staying. People tell their stories about addiction. A man named Brian says, “I have been an opioid addict for nearly twenty years. Rock bottom for me was being found dead at the bottom of a flight of stairs I’d fallen down after shooting heroin laced with fentanyl. They managed to revive me, and I overdosed only six more times after that.” This scene in the rehab clinic continues for a couple of pages.

Language 

  • Jolene meets 17-year-old Marty at the bus station. Instead of swearing around Jolene, Marty just says “cuss” because Jolene is 12 years old. This happens occasionally throughout their interactions.
  • Light language is used throughout, though infrequently. Terms include: Stupid, heck, sucks, and stinks.
  • The kids at school used to bully Jolene and called her “snaggletooth.” They also bullied her friend Benjamin. She says, “They pushed him and called him a loser.”
  • At the end of the previous school year, Jolene received a “hand-drawn picture” of herself where “in the picture, [her] teeth looked like a vampire’s. [Her] clothes looked like torn rags. And in big letters across the top: Bye, Snaggletooth.”
  • Marty finds Jolene in a town a few miles away sleeping on a bench. Jolene is mad at Marty for coming to find her, and Marty says, “If you think I’m leaving you here on a bench in the middle of nowhere when you look like you’re already half-dead, then you’re more cracker pants than I realized.” Jolene replies by calling Marty cracker pants as well, though she confesses that she’s “not totally sure that cracker pants is actually a thing.” Cracker pants serves as a replacement for crazy for the rest of the book and is used somewhat often.
  • Marty tells Jolene that it’s Jolene’s fault that she had to go “save her bony butt.”

Supernatural

  • Jolene hears yelling out in the desert and she quickly realizes that they’re coyotes, not zombies like she originally thought. She says, “Coyotes are better than zombies, but still.”

Spiritual Content 

  • On the lawn of Marty’s grandpa’s house, there are some lawn displays including, “an old plastic nativity scene left over from Christmas.”

Other Words for Home

When 12-year-old Jude is forced to leave her home country of Syria with her pregnant mother, she loses her friends, family, and her home overnight. Suddenly, Jude has left behind the only place she’s ever known and moves to Cincinnati, Ohio to live with her uncle. 

Adapting takes time. People in America talk fast and talk in ways Jude doesn’t understand. The English Jude learned back home is not enough to keep up, causing her to struggle in school and making it difficult to make friends. Americans dress differently too, and many of them don’t understand Muslim customs. Meanwhile, the constant stress of her mother’s pregnancy and being separated from her home, father, and brother weigh heavily on Jude’s mind. Yet the hardest part about adapting to America is figuring out who she is in this new place. In America, Jude must redefine herself in ways she never imagined. She relies on the last words her brother spoke to her: “Be brave.” 

Jude dives headfirst into making her new life work. She studies hard, develops relationships with new friends, and even tries out for her school musical. Yet Jude becomes torn between her past and present identities when a terrorist attack leads to an increased amount of hate crimes against Middle Eastern people in her town. Jude doesn’t understand why innocent people should be held responsible for the crimes of a few. Jude says, “Americans expect bombs to go off in Lebanon, in Pakistan, in my beloved Syria, but not in France, Britain, Canada. . . Americans think it’s normal for there to be violence in places where people like me are from, where people like me and people who look like me live. . . That they all see people like me and think violence, sadness, war.” Jude concludes that many people are quick to make generalizations about things they don’t understand. However, instead of getting upset, Jude decides to prove them wrong. She decides to truly be “seen.” 

Things start to look up when Jude scores a role in her school play and her new baby sister is born. Plus, Jude is able to talk with her brother for the first time in nearly a year. Eventually, Jude finds where she fits in, confidently pursues her goals, and is filled with hope for the future when her family can be reunited again. The book ends with Jude standing in the spotlight on the stage, ready to be seen. 

Other Words for Home is a story about a girl who, despite having her life uprooted, remains optimistic for a future where she can thrive. It is written in free verse, but the story is still easy to understand. As a narrator, Jude is humorous and direct which makes her story entertaining and powerful. American readers will find the events shocking because they will see their culture through the eyes of someone else. While people may know the facts and physical struggles of immigrant families, they rarely get to see the true emotions behind the people who endure these trials. Even though some parts of the story may be uncomfortable to read, Other Words for Home is a must-read because the story will give readers a better understanding of the life of immigrants in America.

While the content of Other Words for Home can seem political, there is never a time when the reader doesn’t identify with Jude. She feels like an outcast who wants others to see her for who she really is – not the labels that society puts on her. This is especially relatable to middle-grade readers, but is also relatable to anyone who wishes the world wasn’t so quick to judge. One of the most powerful moments in the story is when Jude bravely declares, “I am choosing to not be afraid” in the face of society’s prejudice. 

One theme that is highlighted throughout the story is the importance of not judging people based on their race. Jude is an immigrant, a Muslim, and a foreigner. Others often make assumptions about Jude and these perceptions alter how she is able to adapt to American society. At first, Jude is unsure of how to navigate these labels, but she slowly comes to resist them and stays true to herself. In the beginning of the story, Jude is torn over which place – Syria or America – is her home, but she comes to realize that home is a feeling rather than a place. Home is among her friends and family, who support her dreams and see Jude as her true self. 

Sexual Content 

  • When Muslim girls get their first period, they come of age and cover their hair with a headscarf. Fatima, one of Jude’s friends, is the first to get her period. Jude says Fatima “is one of the first girls in our grade to cover. She has bled between her legs.”
  • Jude says she wasn’t supposed to watch the movie Practical Magic or Pretty Woman because “witches and prostitutes scare Mama.”
  • Jude and her friend, Sarah, watch a show with kissing. Jude describes how Sarah “doesn’t seem surprised by all the kissing on the show. I wonder if she has been kissed herself but I’m not brave enough to ask her.”
  • Jude gets her first period. “I look at the bloodstained spots that appeared on [the] sheets overnight. . . then I saw the slow, thick, crimson drip between my legs, and I felt the dense cramp of my stomach and I knew.” 

Violence 

  • Jude sees a picture in a newspaper of bloodied civilians. “The front page is filled with awful pictures of people who are bloodied and cowering together.”
  • Jude’s brother, Issa, is at his apartment with Jude and his roommates when police raid it. “There is shouting, glasses knocked to the ground, bodies shoved against walls, the sounds of handcuffs clicking, more shouting.” Neither of them is injured. The story doesn’t say what happens to the other people. 
  • Layla tells Jude about a terrorist attack. “And then she tells me: about the explosion, about the blood in the streets, and the horror and the death.” These are the only details given about the incident. 
  • There are three instances of hate crimes. No one is injured. In the first instance, Layla’s family’s shop is defaced when someone writes “terrorists” on the storefront. In the second, a man follows Jude and tells her to “go back to where you came from.” Lastly, a woman tells Jude to remove her hijab. 

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • None

Language 

  • Jude’s friend, Miles calls the man who told her to “go back to where [she] came from” a jerk. 

Supernatural 

  • None

Spiritual Content 

  • Jude, her family, and a few of her friends are Muslim. There are references to Muslim culture such as the Quran, mosques, and Allah (God). Occasionally Jude brings up Arabic proverbs. 
  • Jude says that there are men who “manipulate the Quran to say things that the rest of us know it does not say.” 
  • Jude mentions an Arabic myth. “I felt like the woman from the Arabic myth who can see so far into the distance that she can see the future.”
  • Jude says, “Allah would want us to have faith.” When she receives a postcard from a friend after a long time of not hearing from her, Jude says, “[This] is the type of thing that makes me believe in Allah and the grace of the universe.”
  • Jude and her family visit a mosque together.

She Persisted: Claudette Colvin

Children are often taught about Rosa Parks refusing to give up her seat on the bus, but before her, there was Claudette Colvin, a teenage girl from Montgomery, Alabama. Strongly influenced by her Christian upbringing and her staunch belief in racial equality, Claudette Colvin was almost the face of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States. The chapter book She Persisted: Claudette Colvin recounts her life and her impact on the Civil Rights Movement.

Born in Alabama and sent to live with her aunt and uncle at a young age, Claudette spent a lot of her time at church, so much so that when she would play with her sister, they would pretend to be at church. For Claudette, who lived in the Jim Crow-era south, the church touted the importance of being a good person, of perseverance and equality. These tenets in Claudette’s life became even more pronounced after her sister’s death from polio, and these themes are strongly referenced throughout the book. For instance, in the wake of Delphine’s death and the end of segregation in schools, Claudette “was learning there were plenty of other ways she could fight.”

When Claudette was 15 years old she moved to a new high school. New bus laws had been enacted, but this did not mean that white people necessarily followed them. One day Claudette was sitting on the bus when the bus driver demanded that she give up her seat to a white passenger. Knowing the law and her rights, Claudette refused. Quickly, she was removed by several police officers who treated her poorly, using racial slurs and violence. Claudette did not fight back.

The local government and police force were against Claudette, but the local chapter of the NAACP worked to build a case for Claudette to fight this injustice. Her case sparked a massive bus boycott in Montgomery. Despite their efforts, Claudette was found guilty of breaking the law. Just nine months after Claudette’s case, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus as well.

To help keep readers engaged, the book has short chapters and black-and-white illustrations that appear every three to five pages. Kids may need help understanding certain references in the book such as the NAACP, Rosa Parks, and the United States Constitution. Despite this, Claudette’s story is one that kids will be able to understand as it is fundamentally about fairness, justice, and equality.

The Montgomery of Claudette’s childhood would look very different after she took a stand that day since her actions helped lead to desegregation on buses. Claudette’s fearless behavior is inspirational, and this book gives a great example of a young girl standing up for what is right rather than doing what is expected of her. Much like the other She Persisted books, there is a list of ways to be like Claudette in the back of the book, including, “Know your rights. Visit your local library and ask for help in learning more about state and local laws,” and, “Read a copy of the Constitution.” Claudette Colvin’s story is less known than Rosa Parks’, but Claudette is worth reading about at any age. Readers who want to learn more about the civil rights movement should also read A Girl Named Rosa by Denise Lewis Patrick. Readers can find more inspirational stories in Bold Women in Black History by Vashti Harrison.

Sexual Content 

  • None

Violence 

  • Claudette is arrested for refusing to give up her spot on the city bus. The narrator describes, “One of the officers grabbed her hands, the other grabbed her arm and they pulled her out of her seat and into the aisle. Her schoolbooks tumbled onto the floor. As they dragged her backward down the aisle and off the bus, one of the officers kicked her.” This event is described over several paragraphs.
  • The narrator describes how the boycott on the city buses ended in Montgomery. “To intimidate them…protestors were fired from jobs, received death threats, and were even bombed in their homes. Many were the victims of violence.” 
  • Claudette is arrested and put in a police car. “Crying Claudette became more and more afraid as she listened to officers of the law call her every horrible word white people called Black people.” 

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • None

Language 

  • When Claudette is unfairly found guilty, there is a newspaper headline that reads, “Negro Girl Guilty of Violation of City Bus Segregation Law.”

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content 

  • Religion was a large part of Claudette’s formative years. The narrator mentions that “Reverend H.H. Johnson traveled from Montgomery to Pine Level to preach the Sunday service on what folks called Big Meeting Sunday. From midday to well after dark, Claudette sat with her parents in the pews through regular service, selections from the choir and the glee club, Reverend Johnson’s afternoon sermon, early supper, Reverend Johnson’s evening sermon and a late supper.” 
  • As a child, Claudette loved church so much that she “set up chairs in her backyard, sang hymns, read scripture and shouted out sermons with her best friend.”
  • The narrator says Claudette Colvin “loved learning and God in equal measure.”
  • Claudette wonders, “When [her dog] dies, will she go to heaven?”
  • Racism and religion meet when Claudette is little. The narrator notes, “In Sunday school, the Bible taught that God created everyone equal, but Claudette wondered, why aren’t Black people treated as equals?”
  • Passages from different prayers are included in the book. For example, Claudette prays the beginning of the Lord’s Prayer, saying, “Our Father, who art in heaven / hallowed be thy name. / Thy kingdom come, / thy will be done…”
  • When Claudette’s sister, Delphine, dies of polio, Claudette questions God and asks, “Why Delphine?”
  • At church, Reverend Johnson “led the entire congregation in prayer for the young woman who stood up to racism.”
  • Before testifying in court, Claudette “bowed her head in prayer.”

Out Of Left Field

Spunky fifth-grader Katy Gordon is the best baseball pitcher in her neighborhood. She spends every passing moment on the baseball diamond, where she’s mastered the art of pitching and left many neighborhood boys befuddled with her bat-missing “Sunday” knuckleball. However, when she’s recruited to play in the local Little League, she quickly runs into a massive problem. She’s a girl. And girls don’t play baseball.

Angry and frustrated with the league’s discrimination, Katy embarks on an adventure to prove Little League wrong — girls have played baseball before. Katy’s investigation leads her on a collision course with the past and present, where she learns extraordinary truths about women’s roles in baseball that were buried in history. Although the odds are stacked against her, can Katy prove that women belong on the baseball field too? Can she change the sport of baseball forever?

Set in the late 1950s, the story follows young, determined Katy Gordon, who refuses to give up her passion for baseball despite Little League’s rules. Out in Left Field details Katy’s journey to build her argument for women’s baseball, and it takes upon a detective-like atmosphere, where Katy searches to uncover valuable truths about women’s history. In her quest she reads important articles about famous historical figures like Jackie Mitchell, who was a professional girl baseball player. The story incorporates a nice blend of fictional characters with actual historical events, and this inclusion makes the heavier topics of the United States’s history, like the space race and segregation, easier to digest within an uplifting, fictional tale.

Katy’s resilient attitude toward hardships is admirable, and her curious yet innocent personality can cause even the most stubborn readers to root for her cause. Many readers will relate to Katy’s experiences, too, as the book perfectly relays the realistic struggles of fighting against overwhelming odds. Whether it’s supporting the inclusion of girls in Little League or the desegregation of major league baseball, Katy’s character fits with the book’s central theme of advocating for what’s right. Out in Left Field teaches readers that it’s important to stand up for what you believe — even if people disagree with your claim. 

While the story focuses mainly on Katy’s passion for baseball, it occasionally jumps to different topics, such as the increasing tensions between the United States and Russia or the relocation of a popular baseball team. These shifts may be a little aggravating for the readers. More importantly, its conclusion can also feel underwhelming for readers who want a clear resolution to all the book’s issues. However, the book’s main message is important as the story teaches that everyone’s fight for justice is different and important. And through whatever outcome, people’s efforts can have substantial, lasting effects on others, such as Katy’s influence on other girls who want to play baseball. Although Out Of Left Field is the third book in a series, it is still an enjoyable story for readers who haven’t read the first two books. 

Overall, Out of Left Field is a charming story that showcases a young girl’s fortitude in the face of unfortunate circumstances. Thanks to the enjoyable main character, Katy Gordon, and her cast of engaging side characters, the book presents an inspiring tale of fighting for what’s right while exploring some heavier topics like segregation, women’s rights, and the space race. The end of the book also contains some excerpts about real woman ballplayers that connect the story’s central message with historical figures. This roughly twenty-four-page section features hand-drawn images of the ballplayer with a small paragraph detailing her role in baseball and her accomplishments. As a result, Out Of Left Field’s fictional tale sheds light on these important historical figures through a beautiful, well-written story about advocacy and baseball. Readers interested in learning more about the history of baseball should also read the picture books Baseball Saved Us by Ken Mochizuki and Catching the Moon: The Story of a Young Girl’s Baseball Dream by Crystal Hubbard.

Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

  • None

Drugs and Alcohol

  • During conversations, Katy’s mom regularly smokes, and motions with a cigarette. For example, her mom “sat down and stubbed out her cigarette.”
  • Throughout the story, Katy’s mom and Aunt Babs regularly drink beer. For example, Katy’s mom “went to the fridge, opened a beer, [and] handed me a coke.”
  • During a Yom Kippur dinner, Katy’s Gramma and her extended family drink “wine so sweet they even let [Katy] have a taste.”
  • During a barbecue, beer and cigarettes are offered to family members. Katy “got an Orange Crush out of a big washtub full of ice and bottles of soda and beer.”

Language

  • The narrator repeatedly uses the term “Negros” for the black community.
  • Some of the boys at baseball tryouts shout insults such as “chimp-face,” “butt-sniffer,” “stinker,” and “candyass,” at Katy and the other boys.
  • Katy’s coach once utters “Jesus” in astonishment.
  • Katy’s mom curses multiple times; she uses “darn tootin’,” “ass,” and “bastards.”
  • Katy’s friend uses “crap,” “stupid,” and “jerks” in anger toward the Little League committee. 
  • Sticks, one of Katy’s classmates, begins to say, “That’s a load of bull—” but he stops mid-sentence.
  • When a kid was making fun of Katy, PeeWee once mutters, “Aw, for the love of Pete. Shut your trap.”
  • Joey and Josh, Katy’s classmates, twice utter “damn” in astonishment at Katy’s pitching ability.
  • A retired ballplayer, Toni Stone, repeatedly uses “damn” and “hell” in frustration.
  • One of Katy’s classmates, Matt, once shouted “jeez-Louise” in surprise at an announcement.

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content

  • Katy’s family celebrates “Yom Kippur. The end of the Jewish New Year.”
  • Katy’s family repeatedly says, “the prayers” and “Hebrew prayers” before eating Yom Kippur meals.
  • Madge, one of Katy’s classmates, talks about her church and explains that her “pastor said godless communists shouldn’t control the heavens.”
  • People pray “for Laika’s safe return” from space. 
  • At one point in the story, Katy’s best friend celebrates “Hanukkah” with her family.

The Longest Storm

Like many children’s book authors, Dan Yaccarino uses exaggerated characters and situations to show a problem that most young readers can relate to. His story Morris Mole uses a mole in a nice suit to teach readers the importance of embracing their uniqueness. His story Boy + Bot focuses on a boy’s unexpected bond with a robot to show the value of accepting and embracing differences in friendships. In The Longest Storm, Yaccarino uses a violent, persistent storm to educate today’s young readers on an issue unique to their generation – the COVID-19 lockdown. 

Short, heartfelt, and relatable, The Longest Storm follows a nameless family learning to coexist with one another after a sudden storm forces them to stay in their house for an indefinite amount of time. At first, their time inside makes them hopelessly bored. As the storm continues, and the family repeatedly gets in each other’s way, the boredom shifts to irritation.  After the family’s patience with each other finally snaps, each member of the family has a deep desire to be away from one another despite having nowhere to go. In The Longest Storm, readers will find a thoughtful lesson about navigating and communicating their feelings to loved ones at times when words fail, and emotions overwhelm them. 

The book is narrated by an unspecified family member, using simple vocabulary that is easily accessible to new readers. Each page is carefully composed, combining several individual illustrations to show the family’s growing division, and using double-page spreads when the family has finally come to an understanding. The narration is short and concise, using only one to four sentences on each page and relying just as much on the illustrations to tell the story. As the family becomes more and more annoyed with each other, the pages are drawn in progressively brighter shades of red. As the family isolates themselves in their rooms, they are each portrayed in dark, lonely blue hues. 

If you are looking for a book to help your young reader understand the complicated and continuing issue of the pandemic, or if you are simply looking for a book that shows healthy communication, The Longest Storm should satisfy. It is a thinly disguised allegory that will connect with older and younger readers alike and will undoubtedly serve as a helpful lesson to anyone who picks it up.

Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

  • None

Drugs and Alcohol

  • None

Language

  • None

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content

  • None

She Persisted: Florence Griffith Joyner

Considered the fastest woman of all time, Florence Griffith Joyner, also known as Flo Jo, set two world records in 1988 that still stand today. But getting there wasn’t easy, and Flo Jo had to overcome many challenges along the way. The book begins with Florence’s early childhood when she raced her siblings and the jackrabbits that lived in the Mojave Desert. As she raced the jackrabbits, she “got faster and faster. Then one day she caught a jackrabbit.”

Florence loved running and she loved fashion. When Florence began school, the other kids teased her about her clothes, but Florence’s mother taught her to “just move on.” This mantra served Florence throughout her life. Florence persisted in reaching her goals even when circumstances were unfair. When others doubted her, Florence just worked harder.

After overcoming many obstacles, Florence won silver at the 1984 Olympics for the 200-meter race. Despite medaling, Florence was disappointed in herself. “She did not want to be remembered as being second best,” and she vowed to do better in the next Olympics. Throughout her running career, Florence still had many other interests, including fashion. Florence continued to embrace bright colors and she even “found ways to stand out in her colorfully self-styled track outfits.” In the end, Florence embraced both her love of fashion and her love of running.

She Persisted: Florence Griffith Joyner introduces young readers to an Olympian who was known as the fastest runner in the world. The chapter book gives glimpses of Florence’s early years, her family life, as well as the racial and economic obstacles that she overcame. Through her can-do attitude and her ability to move past hardship, Florence trained and pushed herself until she reached her goals. However, Florence also continued expressing her artistic side through her fashion and by painting, writing, and even acting. In 1993, Florence was named as co-chair to the President’s Council on Physical Fitness; she used this platform to help “educate children about the importance of exercise, healthy eating and excelling.”

Despite those who doubted Florence’s ability, she never gave up. She said, “when anyone tells me I can’t do something. . . I’m just not listening anymore.” Florence’s story will encourage readers to work hard and persevere through difficult situations. Her encouraging story highlights the importance of staying true to yourself. While educating children, Florence said, “I always encourage kids to reach beyond their dreams. Don’t try to be like me. Be better than me.” 

Florence’s story includes fun anecdotes from her childhood that will pull children into the book. To help keep readers engaged, the book has short chapters and black-and-white illustrations that appear every three to five pages. The book is packed full of information about Florence’s life, and while younger readers may not understand the significance of some of the events, they will be inspired by Florence’s attitude and accomplishments. The book ends with advice on how readers can be like Florence.

She Persisted: Florence Griffith Joyner is the perfect book for adults to read to a child. The encouraging book reinforces the importance of persistence as well as teaching other important life lessons. For more inspiring biographies, add these picture books to your list: Fauja Singh Keeps Going by Simran Jeet Singh and Emmanuel’s Dream by Laurie Ann Thompson & Sean Qualls.

Sexual Content 

  • None

Violence 

  • Joyner’s family moved to the same neighborhood where the Watts Rebellion took place. The rebellion began when “white police officers attempted to arrest a Black motorist who was suspected of drunk driving. A scuffle ensued between the man and the police. . . the scuffle had turned quickly into police brutality.”
  • One of Florence’s competitors, Valerie Brisco, dedicated her races to her brother, who was “a track star who had been killed by a stray bullet while he worked out.” 

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • When Florence won multiple gold medals during the Olympics, “murmurs and whispers spread rapidly. Many believed Florene cheated by using illegal drugs to make her stronger, increase her stamina and allow her to run faster.” Even though all the drug tests came back negative, rumors still spread.

Language 

  • None

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content 

  • When having a difficult time, Florence’s “mother reminded Florence to keep God near, while her father reminded her that she could face any challenge.”
  • For a time, Florence doubted herself which caused her to pray daily. 

After the Fall: How Humpty Dumpty Got Back Up Again

Readers of all ages know about Humpty Dumpty, the tragic figure of a very simple and deeply unsettling four-line nursery rhyme. Since it was published over a century ago, the “Humpty Dumpty” story has been retold countless times, each retelling mixing in some new details along the way. From the original, undetailed Humpty Dumpty has come an optimistic—if fatefully naïve—character who also happens to be an anthropomorphic egg and who can sometimes be found visiting Wonderland. Despite these changes, Humpty’s story has always ended with the same Great Fall. Now, author and illustrator Dan Santat delivers today’s young readers something that previous generations have rarely seen from Humpty’s story – a happy ending.

After the Fall, is a truly delightful read. Santat takes children’s literature’s most famous failure to teach readers that failure is not something to define themselves by, and that their ability to accept and eventually overcome failure is the best path to finding who they really are. In doing so, the picture book gives readers an entirely different view of the age-old character of Humpty Dumpty. 

After the Fall twists the final line of “Humpty Dumpty” to reveal that all the king’s horses and all the king’s men were in fact able to put our poor egg together again. Santat begins his story with Humpty emerging from the hospital. He’s all patched up, without a crack left on him, and by looking at him you would never know he suffered a terrible accident in the first place. 

However, the fall left other marks on Humpty that cannot be seen from the outside. While he has no cracks on his shell, Humpty finds a new, possibly bigger danger to worry about: a horrible fear of heights. Climbing tall heights used to be a part of Humpty’s everyday life. He used to visit his grocery store and climb to the highest shelf of the cereal aisle, where his favorite brand sits. He used to spend his free time climbing to the top of the tallest wall in town, where he would sit and watch the birds fly by. But now, Humpty can’t imagine climbing such heights and feels he must settle for the bland, flavorless cereal located on the lower shelves. Now, he watches birds from the ground, which gives a much less exciting view. Readers will join Humpty as he learns to navigate life after the Great Fall. With Humpty, they will learn not to define themselves by failures or tragedies, but by their courage and perseverance.

Alongside its thoughtful writing, the story is strengthened by its illustrations. Since the story takes place over the course of a year, the book features several double-page drawings of each season, with beautiful mixes of fall colors, winter grays, and sunlit springs and summers. Through its clear illustrations and brief one to seven sentences of narration on each page, After the Fall is a relatively quick and easy read. It is also a thoughtful, uplifting, and emotionally resonant read that will undoubtedly satisfy any reader who picks it up. 

If you’re looking for more books that encourage readers not to let failure conquer them, pick up a copy of Splat the Cat with a Bang and a Clang by Rob Scotton.  

Sexual Content 

  • None

Violence 

  • None

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • None

Language 

  • None

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content 

  • None
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