Thanks a Lot, Universe by Chad Lucas

 To be able to tie together a ton of disparate themes in one novel is the mark of a skilled author and Canadian Chad Lucas brings us this wonderful read about friendship and navigating the twisting, shifting waters of middle school all while dealing with family drama. I especially liked that one of the characters was originally from my native Trinidad!

In Thanks a Lot, Universe we meet Brian, an anxious kiddo who sometimes has what he describes as SAWS when in social situations. Instead of messing up by saying the wrong thing he clams up and keeps his head down and thus has earned an unflattering nickname from his peers.  Brian has a supportive and loving family but when an unthinkable event happens, he must dig deep within himself to find the strength he needs.

We also meet Ezra, one of Brian's teammates on the basketball team who is finding that he has some complicated feelings of his own in addition to dealing with the slow attenuation of a lifelong friendship. When Ezra finds out that a teammate is in crisis, he has to decide if and how to help out his teammate in their time of need.

I love seeing novels centered on the complicated feelings (angst) that boys experience and, moreover that they can choose kindness even in the face of cruel words and actions and even if it may make them a social pariah. I know that middle school drama is pretty much the same anywhere you go, but I think American kids will be surprised to learn that those kids have a ton in common with them. In thisday and age when bullying is rampant, I loved seeing several upstanders in this novel. 

This book will be a hit with ages 10 and above. Some read alikes are The Brave by James Bird, Turtle boy by M. Evan Wolkenstein and Alan Cole is not a coward by Eric Bell.

The House that Wasn't There by Elana K. Arnold

 Every family has secrets but as a child one usually doesn't know this. Indeed, part of the process of growing up is when children learn family secrets either by accident or by design. Sometimes it is only when one has sufficiently matured that one can see why some secrets are better left buried.

In The House that Wasn't There we meet Alder, a rising sixth grader who lives with his mom in a comfy house in a comfy neighborhood. His biggest worry is how to navigate the transition to middle school.  For the most part, his life follows some predictable patterns and then one random day a girl moves in next door and her family commits what to Alder's, is an egregious act. Because of this both families get off on the wrong foot. However, some curious events keep happening to both kids and because of this they will have to decide if to work together to figure out the weird events.

Deftly mixing some coming-of-age drama with some fantastical,  this story explores the definition of family and the ties that bind people together across generations. Arnold uses many vivid images in the book and in one section she describes an impromptu feast and I could almost taste the food shared. One takeaway for young readers is that things have a way of working themselves out if given enough time.

This is a wonderful feel good story that I recommend for grades four and up. Some read alikes are Shouting at the Rain by Lynda Hunt, Sharon Creech's Moo and The Season of Styx Malone by Kekla Magoon.

The Season of Styx Malone by Kekla Magoon

As a father of a teen and a tween I sometimes worry about them making good choices when they are with their friends. When they do make the occasional misstep we discuss what if anything they learned in the process. Peer pressure is such a tough part of growing up and with ever younger access to technology kids feel pressure to conform, or to dress and act a certain way. 

I have reviewed other books by Kekla Magoon on this blog before and I quite admire her focus on young men of color and their experiences. I am a firm believer in younger readers being exposed to all types of cultures through literature.

In The Season of Styx Malone we meet two boys who have a regular life in safe albeit somewhat sleepy town. Caleb, the somewhat impetuous  younger brother thinks that perhaps it is a bit too safe.  His older brother Bobby Gene prefers to play things safe and would much rather follow his parents' advice when confronted with difficult decisions. When the boys meet a young man called Styx, their world view shifts forever.

Styx it seems has secrets that he can't or prefers not to share with the somewhat sheltered brothers. He has  been exposed to the harsh realities of life earlier than the brothers. In them, Styx  sees a chance at a nuclear family structure and maybe even a chance at friendship. In him, the boys see adventure and a chance to do things they would not normally do.

Young men of color are not often seen by the world as innocent but Magoon expertly shows the naivete of the boys and the great pains that their parents have taken to ensure this.  This is a Coretta Scott King Honor book and I highly recommend it for ages 10 and up. Some read alikes are Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis and The great Greene Heist by Varian Johnson.

Isaiah Dunn is My Hero by Kelly J. Baptist

Black Boy Joy has become a fashionable trend of late but has always been a thing. This book is one of my new favorites and yes although it starts with a sad premise, the main protagonist is resilient and most importantly he has a village that surrounds him with love and lifts him up.  

Isaiah Dunn's father has recently passed away and we meet him as he, his mother and his adorable little sister are still coming to terms with this.  Isaiah has a good friend, Sneaky, and the two spend hours cutting up and getting on Sneaky's older brother's nerves. Isaiah's mom however is having a hard time with coping and Isaiah tries as hard as a 10 year old kid can to help her out.

Conflict is never far away from a boy like Isaiah and in school, he is sat next to a girl called Angel who, for some reason doesn't like him. When the two eventually butt heads, instead of suspension, they are made to do an alternative conflict resolution which eventually gets to the root of their disagreement.

One positive that I noted in this novel were  the many positive role male models that came into Isaiah's life to lend him support and advice.  Role models are especially important for youth of any age but especially for black youth.  Another positive I noted was the power of words. Isaiah's father kept books of poems and Isaiah spends hours poring over the books and eventually writes his own poetry. Also, one of his safe spaces outside school is the library.

Black Boy Joy (and Black Girl Joy as well, Charlie is one of the most joyful supporting characters I have seen in some time) can come in different forms and just like in any family, sometimes you need to go through rocky patches in order to get to the sweet stuff on the other side. I read this book to my very discerning 10 year old and he lay awake listening to me read anxious to find out what would happen to Isaiah. There were also a few points for us to stop and discuss as well. Some read alikes are Free Lunch by Alex Ogle, I'm Ok by Patti Kim and l Curtis and Paper Things by Jennifer Jacobson.

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.