War Stories by Gordon Korman

There is a saying that history has been written by the victors. Often, we learn history in school but as we get older and reflect on what we learn, we see that some parts of history have been glossed over.  Our nation still has soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq, a fact that many people probably do not think about unless they have family serving overseas. 

This is not the first war that America has fought in- World War II was the deadliest conflict in world history to this point. America sent more than 16 million troops overseas to fight this war.  In this book, Korman introduces us to a kid called Trevor who loves playing war video games and is obsessed with war lore, especially that of World War II.

Trevor is lucky enough to still have his great grandfather in his life. G.G. as they call him is crusty, matter-of-fact but with a soft side underneath it all.  Trevor's dad adores G.G. but is not a big fan of the war stories that G.G. tells from his time in World War II.

As it is the anniversary of G.G.'s unit liberating a French village, they invite him to be honored.  Trevor soon discovers that not everything that G.G. has told him and his dad may have been the truth. Sometimes the truth is complicated and knowing it doesn't make you feel any better.  War is not a simple thing and sometimes hard sacrifices have to be made for the good of the whole.

Korman does a good job of showing all sides of the conflict. The eager Trevor reveres G.G. (probably because he has heard the stories dozens of times). A read alike to this book would be The Bicycle Spy by Yona Zeldis McDonough and Allies by Alan Gratz.

The Great Upending by Beth Kephart

 Upend means to "set or turn something on its head upside down". So a great upending sounds like it would be extremely serious in anyone's life (some may say that the year 2020 has upended the entire world, nut that's another story. Kephart introduces us to Sara, a kid who is called "giant" by other kids but who has a serious illness which makes her body oddly proportioned.

Sara and her brother Hawk live life very differently to many of the children that I know- of course I live in the suburbs where life tends to follow more defined patterns. For Sara and her brother, witnessing struggle and loss on a farm has made them very mindful about things like using too much water, using ingredients and taking care of goats.

A new visitor to the farm is mysterious and does not want to be bothered. The curious kids however want to learn more about who he is and what he does and in the course of this, discover things that will change their world indeed

The ramifications of things that have occurred are still with us today. As children growing up we often don't reflect on the life of our parents, but they had lives, hopes and dreams of their own before we came into their life. Sometimes, a kindness that someone in our family tree did for someone way back when can rebound on us in ways that we never would have imagined. Some read alikes to this book are Kate Dicamillo's Louisiana's Way Home and Patricia MacLachlan's Dream Within  a Dream.

Lions & Liars by Kate Beasley

 Would you rather be a lion or a flea? One aspect of life in many societies is that those who are stronger physically or personality wise tend to dominate social circles. This is true in  Frederick Frederickson's school where cool kid Devin sits atop the social circle and Frederick, an unathletic, a cruise-loving fifth grader sits at the very bottom. In their school there are lions, gazelles, meerkats and on the bottom of the totem pole, fleas. Frederick is a flea. 

As you can imagine, Frederick sometimes wishes he wasn't a flea, but he secretly hopes that some day he will get his moment. Maybe some day he will be top dog in dodgeball AND get more wings on his plate at lunch.

When by a weird series of events, Frederick finds himself on a camp for boys who need behavior adjustment, he suddenly gets a chance to vault right to the head of the pecking order. Of course this brings a set of consequences that he didn't anticipate. For one, at this camp, the kids seem to revere Frederick. Then as if that wasn't enough, mother nature throws a huge spanner into the works.

This is a good read about friendship and about doing the right thing under pressure. Kids at this age are beginning to make decisions for themselves and the influence of the peer group is becoming so very important. Some similar books are Louis Sachar's classic Holes, Lisa Graff's Absolutely Almost and Erin Entrada Kelly's excellent Hello Universe.

Genesis Begins Again by Alicia D. Williams

Colorism is a fact of life in many countries and in the lives of many people of color.  In many societies, families sometimes favor offspring who are lighter in color and often encourage their children to marry people who are lighter. It is all in an effort to "better" the family and possibly increase their chances of success in life. Skin whitening products do a roaring trade in many parts of the world also.

Author Alicia D. Williams introduces us to Genesis, a young teen who wants what most teens want-social acceptance. This is a challenge for her due to the many upheavals her family experiences and also, in her mind, because of her dark skin. Genesis gets a chance to broaden her social circle when her family moves to the suburbs of Detroit but she finds some other obstacles in school. Luckily, she has a loving family, true friends and caring teachers who are there.

Williams adeptly tackles a variety of social issues such as colorism, social pressure, identity, family issues and generational trauma. It is sometimes said that people spend their adult years getting over their childhoods and evidence of this is true to some extent with some of the characters in this novel. One takeaway from this book for young readers is that kids should never be expected to fix the messes made by adults and should seek help from those qualified to do so (teachers, counselors, mentors etc.)

I recommend this book for older tweens and teens. Some read alikes are Like Vanessa by Tami Charles, The Skin I'm In by Sharon Flake and The Fold by An Na. 

#ownvoices

Efrén Divided by Ernesto Cisneros

I work in education with many children who come from a similar background as the main character of this book and who also face similar challenges. In my school it is not uncommon for students to leave school in the middle of the school year to visit Mexico. Some of these trips may be in order to reconnect with family but others may be due to a family member being deported.

Efrén is a great big brother who takes care of his sometimes pesky younger siblings. His mom and dad (whom he calls amá and apá respectively) work hard to take care of the family. They have a secret however, they are in the country illegally and the specter of deportation always hangs over them.

One day however, amá goes missing and Efrén's worst fears come true. His father must scramble to fix things and Efrén has to pick up the slack at home with the little ones while also keeping things going at school.  As if this isn't enough, David is running for school president and needs Efrén's help but Efrén isn’t 100% sure he wants to help his pal

It is a basic human desire for parents to want better for their children. Although it may not be the right thing to do legally, all throughout history people have left their country whenever things go awry due to war, conflict or disease.

Cisneros provides a comprehensive glossary of terms in the back of the book as well which is good for those who don't speak Spanish or don't understand it that well (there is much Spanish used in the book).  Books like these are good ways to introduce topics to younger readers who may see topics on the news or on social media but don't understand. A few read alikes to this book are Becoming Naomi Leon by Pam Munoz Ryan, Return to Sender by Julia Alvarez and The Crossroads by Alexandra Diaz.

Dark Sky Rising: Reconstruction and the Dawn of Jim Crow

I hesitated for a long time before reading this book and it sat on my nightstand for a few days. If you've read many of this blog's posts, you will notice that I read a lot of fiction books. Some, like Courage by Barbara Binns and Front Desk by Kelly Yang deal with weighty issues but others are pretty light. I know that in order to encourage kids to read, oftentimes you must lead with light books that catch their interest.

Dark Sky Rising: Reconstruction and the Dawn of Jim Crow by Henry Louis Gates Jr. and Tonya Bolden is not by any stretch of the imagination, a light book. It deals with heavy, weighty issues that many, even people like myself who are of African descent, sometimes struggle to read. The weight of history, of the struggles of the ancestors and of the cruel and inhumane treatment suffered during slavery is sometimes too hard to process.

But, in the year 2020 when so many things concerning civil rights are in the public consciousness, I decided to read this book not least because I wanted to delve into some of the things that shaped the nation. Things that occur today are as a result of centuries of oppression, state policies and outright bigotry.

Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr and his co-author create a very readable account of a little studied period in American history between 1865 and 1877 called Reconstruction.  It is important to remember that not everyone was happy to see former slaves now given rights such as the right to vote through amendments to the Constitution.

I finished this book and felt a sense of pride for the enduring spirit of those who resisted and fought for the rights to live and prosper and so that their children could have a better future.  This book is, in my humble opinion, a must read for teens and adults.  We must learn from history or be doomed to repeat it.

What I learned as a homeschooling dad...tips for parents who suddenly find themselves in this situation

My son and I spent 18 months at home together during which he attended online school. I won't say the name of the school, but it was a great experience and the entire process was streamlined. We knew what to do, who to call when things didn't work and the school even sent a computer, monitor, headset and other ancillary materials.

The covid-19 virus has forced many school districts to switch to an online model of schooling or to cancel school altogether. If you as a parent or caregiver find yourself suddenly entrusted with the education of your kiddo using technology that you may or may not be familiar with, read on for my top 10 takeaways. Hopefully this can help some parents who find themselves at home.


1. Don't let the new math get you down! Different state standards and other regulations call for students to show their work as they do their math problems. As a parent of a 4th grader I myself have had to learn new ways of long division and multiplication. Look for online resources to help you

2. Your young ones will follow your lead. If you find yourself getting frustrated, take a break and come back to a topic later. It helps no one if schooling turns into shouting and griping.

3. Take advantage if your school district offers take home tech such as chromebooks. Tech fails will frustrate both you and your kiddo so if you are not sure if the old laptop you have at home will be good for this new endeavor, make full use of school devices.

4. Let kids explore. Kids learn by doing and in regular school, children sometimes work on group projects which enable them to show what they learned. If children want to do some projects that are not necessarily academically inclined, let them do it.

5. Any type of materials can be used for projects. If you have old items that you were going to throw out, let your young ones open up and see the wiring or parts inside. Learning is not only abc and 123, not all kids will grow up to be professionals, some children will work with their hands so expose them from young to all types of learning.

6. Reach out to a fellow parent or one of your child's best friends and organize an online study session using Zoom, Skype, Google Hangout, Messenger or other meeting software. The kids can still experience some of the community aspect of school and can maybe help each other and encourage each other.

7. Do not be afraid to reach out to your child's teacher. They should be available to assist with all areas of the curriculum and are vested in your child's educational well-being.

8. Let your child lead the way. There will be some things tech wise that your child will be more versed in than you are. Accept it and let them teach you as the situation arises, it gives them a sense of ownership and of accomplishment.

9. Make a sign or have something that signals when school is in session, this will help your kids get into the learning frame of mind as it will serve as a visual cue. Kids have these in school when they go to specials classes and the like and it serves to put them in a learning frame of mind.

10. It is okay to vent. There will be frustrating times. We all should have that one friend, family member or social media platform in which we can express our frustrations. If all else fails, take a snow day, sip an adult beverage and try again tomorrow.

Good luck and be well.

The Oddmire by William Ritter

A good juvenile fantasy is always welcome and this one is very well done I must say. As in any good fantasy there are some tried and true  folklore and fairytale-inspired characters but also a few new ones (hunkypunks are my new favorite fantasy creature and I may even try to dress as one this Halloween).

The story begins with a  bumbling but well-intentioned goblin called Kull who means to restore the balance of an old prophecy that he halfway remembers by stealing a human baby and replacing it with a changeling. Unfortunately, in the midst of the deed he mixes the babies up, panics and then bails leaving the identical babies  in the care of a very confused family.

Years later, the boys grow up and, as these things go, a prophecy is about to come true. Enter Kull, trying to make amends for his earlier error and convinces the boys to enter into a dark forest which to their credit they do despite growing up hearing tales of all the scary folk who live there. On the quest they meet some other forest folk and learn some things about themselves.

One of the central themes of this book is family,  there are secrets, some of which are revealed, but others which will be revealed in future installments of this series. I quite like it and I recommend it for ages 8 and up. Some read alikes are Colin Meloy's Wildwood, Anne Ursu's Breadcrumbs and The Emerald Atlas by John Stephens.

The Last Human by Lee Bacon

I love this book's cover so much...a robot in a Bermuda shirt surrounded by some fierce looking machines. The book's premise is even better. A robot is "born" into a society run by a robot called PRES1DENT. this world is actually very similar to our own but the humans have so damaged the earth that the robots eliminated all human life but continue to tend to the planet.

XR_935 is, like most other robots a dutiful worker who installs solar panels all day before going home to his parent unit bots at night. He has two coworkers called Ceeron and SkD_988. The latter is curiously funny as he communicates via emojis that flash on his screen.

The trio can count on things being the same because robot society is ordered and disciplined. This all changes however when they encounter an unknown life form on the job. The unknown life form turns out to be a kid called Emma who is actually a survivor form a hidden colony. Emma needs help and the robots must decide if to go against the creed of robot kind: "A robot shares everything with the Hive. A robot has nothing to hide."

This is a thought provoking book that deals with issues such as human action on the environment, climate change, friendship, AI, freedom of thought and speech. I recommend it for ages 9 and above. Some read alikes to this are Peter Brown's The Wild Robot, Paul Stewart's Zoid and Tom Angleberger's Fuzzy.