Nowhere Boy by Katherine Marsh

I won't go into the details of what's going on at the United States' southern border with the caravan, migrant families and the military as I think the news has provided adequate coverage. I will say though that I worry how we will be viewed in the future when this whole ugly episode is over. With that said, it was by sheer coincidence that I found myself reading Nowhere Boy by Katherine Marsh  as it shows a small snippet of the refugee crisis in Syria and its effects on two boys- a fourteen-year-old called Ahmed from Syria and a thirteen-year-old American called Max.

When we meet Ahmed, he and his father are in the midst of a treacherous journey with hopes of reaching England or Canada but  it turns out that the universe has other plans. Ahmed ends up in Brussels cold and alone. Desperate and tired, he ends up sheltering in the abandoned cellar of the Howard family, Americans newly relocated to Brussels.

Max, the youngest child in the family is having a difficult time adjusting to Brussels where his father is on a short-term appointment. Max not only is going to repeat a grade, he is also going to work in a French school. Oh the horror! The school and the city quickly become his least favorite places. He does like his house though and it is full of quirkiness and nooks and crannies.

The boys soon meet and help each other learn about culture, language as they share humanity. I was pleased to see the commonalities the boys found and how their ideas about each other and about each other's cultures were both correct and incorrect. I believe that the more people reach out to one another the more we learn about the world and about ourselves in the process.

Author Marsh lives in Belgium and this is shown in her familiarity with the city and the mood of the place during the time of the terror attacks that occurred a few years ago. The book is well written and I would recommend it for ages 10 and above. Some read alikes in which the theme of the immigrant experience is front and central are Erin Entrada Kelly's The Land of Forgotten Girls and Kelly Yang's Front Desk.

Marcus Vega doesnt speak Spanish by Pablo Cartaya

It is for good reason that Puerto Rico is known as the isla del encanto (isle of enchantment). It is lush, green and full of beautiful friendly people and delicious cuisine. It does have a complicated history though and many books have been written on that subject.

This middle grade novel isn't about any of that however. It's about a kid called Marcus Vega who is bigger than most of his peers and who is sometimes misunderstood by his middle school peers because of this. He isn't a bully however and chooses to use his powers for good, he is quite the entrepreneur. He's also a good big brother to his younger brother Charlie who has special needs. Still, something is missing and when a series of events make his mom decide to carry Marcus and his brother to Puerto Rico this turns out to be the adventure of a lifetime.

For Marcus, number one on his list is getting to meet his dad. He has mixed feelings about this since his dad returned to the island leaving Marcus, his mom and brother back in the US. The fact that Marcus only remembers small things about his father is very frustrating and as he meets various family members on the trip he discovers that there is so much more he didn't know about his dad, his mom and himself.

Pablo Cartaya's familiarity with the island is apparent and he includes various details here and there to give readers a cultural and historical context. Puerto Rico has been in the news a lot recently and people are still getting back to normal after last year's hurricane. Still, as someone who has a lot of friends living on the island I know that Boricuas are resilient people and will keep pushing on.

Dactyl Hill Squad by Daniel José Older

This book continues a trend I have noticed in Daniel José Older's books- they have some really eye catching covers.  This one in particular features several children of color on dinosaurs in a city.

We are thrown headlong into the story when we meet Margaret Rocheford (real name Magdalys Roca) as she and the fellow denizens of the Colored Orphan Asylum are being taken to a performance at the Zanzibar Savannah Theater. In this alternate reality, dinosaurs still exist and many of them are used as forms of transport and for other nefarious purposes.

When Magdalys discovers that she has a hitherto unknown power then life takes a surprising turn and she discovers things about herself and about her world that send her and her friends on a quest.

Older uses many facets of his native New York City as well as several historical events and figures to bring a real authenticity to the novel. I particularly liked how he used Caribbean Spanish words like bochinche. Further, there is an entire section in the back of the book in which he explains his thinking behind the book. I for one appreciated that.


So if you're looking for a slightly scary read for this time of year (or for any time of year for that matter) this one comes highly recommended. I can't wait to see what's next for the squad.  Some read alikes for this are Steven Brezenoff's The Case of the Missing Mom and The Great Shelby Holmes by Elizabeth Eulberg.

Halloween and Day of the Dead crafts

It was a crisp 46 degrees when I came into work this morning and the leaves are changing color so that means that fall is indeed on the way. Besides fall crafts, a big hit this time of the year is Halloween crafts and Day of the Dead crafts. For more information on the Day of the Dead celebration you can check this website.

Skeletons aren't scary when they're done with construction paper and q-tips such as the one below. This next one is a cute little skeleton that can be done by little ones ages.  For these and a host of other skeleton templates check here.

                            




Games for preschoolers and little ones are a fun part of Halloween as well.  This tic tac toe game is easy to use and if you laminate the pieces you can reuse it year after year.

                           



Crafts are an awesome way to help build motor skills and coordination and of course let kiddos express their creativity.  These pumpkins are simple to make and depending on the skill level of your kids you can either cut out the pieces beforehand or let them go to town.

                               

                      



Papel picado is an awesome decorated paper (it means perforated paper). I found some cute decorations online that would be wonderful in classrooms. This video shares how to make papel picado calveras.

Illegal by Eoin Colfer and Andrew Donkin

The phrase "illegal alien" and  "illegal immigrant" have shot to prominence of late not only here in the United States but overseas as well. Of course a person can't be illegal but by crossing national borders without the required documentation they will break laws and be in a country illegally.

Eoin Colfer and Andrew Donkin make clear that this is a work of fiction but that the various elements that make up the story are true.

Told in a flashback style, we meet Ebo a young by who is a gifted singer who follows his brother Kwame to Europe. The boys leave Ghana across rough terrain to arrive at Niger and then from there to Libya. They face untold hardships on the various stages of the trip. They face it all with humor and a strong brotherly bond.

I won't give away the end but it is bittersweet. needless to say I found myself thinking about the regions that these migrants come from. They leave various parts of Africa that are desperately poor, riddled with internal conflict (or perhaps both) and risk it all to journey to Europe. Of course with the numbers of migrants that have flooded Europe over the last decade, that has caused other problems in those countries as well. The problems seem to have no easy solution at all.

So the next time you hear a story about a boat full of migrants that sunk off the coast of Italy or Greece, spare a thought for these people who are fleeing conflicts that we here in North America cannot imagine not only in our wildest dreams. Some read alikes  are Nowhere Boy by Katherine Marsh and Refugee by Alan Gratz and Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed.

That's the Spirit by Stacia Deutsch

A group of young friends who love to hang out.encounter a mystery when their friend claims that an unhappy ghost is scaring her family. That's the simple premise behind this installment of Stacia Deutsch's The Mysterious Makers of Shaker Street series. Comprised of  friends Liv, Michael and Leo the friends each bring a different skill set to the table and work together to get to the bottom of the mystery.




If you are looking for a high interest read for kids in grades 2 through 4 just in time for the scary season this one comes highly recommended. The book does use some scientific principles and the author provides some cool how-to guides at the back of the book for the intrepid young readers who may want to try the projects out. Stacia Deutsch seems to have this niche of earl chapter books that have a bit of mystery and sci-fi/STEM.  This is the fourth book in this series. See the others here.

If you are looking for a high interest read for kids in grades 2 through 4 just in time for the scary season this one comes highly recommended. Some read alikes are The Ride that was really haunted by Steven Brezenoff, Ugly Cat & Pablo and the missing brother by Isabel Quintero.

What Elephants Know by Eric Dinerstein

Eric Dinerstein is a researcher who has spent many years in Nepal and his fluency in the native tongues and the culture of the region (and love for it) is apparent. This book seems almost like  love letter to the people and culture of Nepal.

Nandu is a young apprentice who is trying to work his way up to mahout, an elephant jockey basically. his job entails feeding and cleaning up after the elephant. His father is a shuba sha, a very well respected mahout who has an uncanny connection with the great beasts and is a teacher and medicine man.

Then one day an order from the king threatens to turn their world upside down-their stable may close and if so their livelihood will be gone.  Nandu and his friends come up with an outrageous plan they they hope will save the table.

Their remote area is far from the law and bandits run wild. One group of them called the Maroons is rampant and deadly and Nandu and the other elephant trainers must always be on the lookout for these miscreants who can strike at any time .

Dinerstein's novel touches on a variety of topics such as conservation, gender relations, education but not in a heavy handed way. The topics remain accessible to young readers. I recommend this book for ages 9 and up. The publisher has also provided a handy discussion guide as well.

Books to ease the transition back to school

So the summer is over and the kiddos are about to go back to school. Books are a great way to ease the fears and anxieties little ones have about going to school. This week's blog has a few good ones that cover the topic of back to school.

Dinosaur vs School is another one in the Dinosaur vs series by Bob Shea. In this book, our favorite dinosaur hero finds himself in school. He can usually defeat most challenges but for this one he just may need a little help...

                                           

Teachers are in need of all the positive reinforcement they can get and Todd Parr does this with his wonderful book, Teachers Rock.

                                        

Adam Rex's School's First Day of School is a novel take on the beginning of the school year. A new school is built and it finds itself learning about exactly what goes on inside it when the school year starts. There's so much to learn!

                                        

For a good nonfiction look at those awesome folks who educate the next generation, try Meet the Teacher by Joyce Jeffries. Using big text, bright pictures and shirt sentences this is a quick read that does a wonderful job of describing what teachers are and what they do.
                          
                                        

For those of us whose school year is already underway there are some books which deal with some of the day to day happenings. Mike Thaler's The New Kid from the Black Lagoon shows us what occurs when the teacher announces that a new kid is about to join the class. The students' imaginations run wild as they try to figure out where the kid is from and what they look like.

                                  

Anica Mrose Rissi The Teacher's Pet introduces us to Mr. Stricter and his choice of a class pet which turns out to be a terrible idea and it is up to the students to help solve the problem.
                   
                               

These are just some of the many. many books out there. Feel free to suggest yours in the comments below. Have a wonderful school year!

Hello Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly

Newbery Award winning book. You can tell when an author is talented when they can mesh together a series of themes in a book without making it seem convoluted, preachy or otherwise.

Virgil Salinas is from a loving family of Filipino descent and sometimes feels a little overlooked. For starters, his older twin brothers are sport-loving and outgoing. His mother calls him Turtle and at times he feels like a turtle putting his head in his shell, especially when it comes to his regular run-ins with his tormentor Chet Bullens. He also wants to make himself known to a classmate, but is too shy to approach her.

Lola, Virgil's awesome grandma dispenses her own brand of homespun wisdom and advice to Virgil. Luckily he can also count on a friend to help with the second of these problems and it is while trying to do this that something unfortunate occurs. It is then that we see just big people's hearts are and how the universe works things out in its own time.

If you've read this blog at all you know how much I absolutely love finding books featuring diverse characters. Kids from different backgrounds need to see themselves represented. This book has several which is refreshing, I won't give away some of it if you haven't read it however. I recommend this book for ages 9 and up. Some read alikes are Lynda Hunt's Fish in a Tree,  E.L. Konigsburg's The View from Saturday and Sarah Weeks' Save Me a Seat.

Summer book lists for young readers

It is summer once again and whether your library is doing a summer reading program, a summer learning program or anything in between if you spend any time at the reference desk you will be asked to recommend a book (or two, or three or ten).

Even if you read a lot of jfic this is sometimes tricky since some readers red so voraciously that even after you produce good books with a flourish you're met with those dreaded words, "I've already read it." Thus, I scoured the corners of the web for some good recommendations and what follows are three of the ones that I found to be the broadest and most useful.

Professional organizations usually have some good resources and often times you can find some great annotated lists. Every year, ALSC (Association of Library Service to Children) provides a great summer reading list that contains some of the best books published recently. This year's list is no different and is handily divided up into categories for the different reading levels.  The 6-8th grade list has a few of the books that this blog has reviewed and I am pleased to see that it features many diverse titles. It is important for readers from all backgrounds to see themselves represented in literature.

Mental floss is not a site that I think of when I think of book lists-they do have some awesome fact lists-but last week or thereabouts they published a list that was compiled by the Children's Book Committee at Bank Street College of Education. What I like about this list is that it features both fiction and nonfiction titles from both the U.S. and Canada and there are very thought-provoking titles on the lists for older readers as well.

Hashtag lit (I made that term up) is big right now as people are inspired by trending hashtags to search out literature that goes with their personal ethos or perhaps to learn more about a topic. School Library Journal recently published a post about buzzworthy nonfiction.  The titles on this list deal with gender inequality, STEM and maker spaces and quite a few other topics.

These are but a few lists, there are many more out there that are worth a look. Feel free to share them in the comments and have a great summer!

The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora by Pablo Cartaya

It's summer and Arturo Zamora one of the younger members of the close-knit Zamora clan is excited because he will get to hang out with his best buds as well as be around La Cocina, the restaurant started by his Abuela (and which means "the kitchen" in Spanish) where his mom is now the manager. Arturo is old enough to do a real job now- assistant prep kitchen dishwasher.

That's not all, his mom's goddaughter is in town and she seems different than he remembered. For starters, whenever he's around her Arturo's stomach gets queasy and his palms get sweaty.

To make matters worse a shady developer called Wilfrido Pipo has come to town and starts throwing gifts and swag around while extolling the virtues of a new place he plans to develop if city council approves, Pipo Place. Pipo Place will be unlike anything seen before in their little corner of Coral Grove, but it might mean the end of La Cocina.

Arturo and his family are in for the fight of their lives. I recommend this book for ages 9 and up. Some read alikes are Lucky for Good by Susan Patron, Free Baseball by Sue Corbett and All Four Stars by Tara Dairman.

Rafi and Rosi Pirates! by Lulu Delacre

Rafi and Rosi Pirates! By Lulu Delacre

This book for beginning readers contains three stories of  the adventures of two young frogs who live in the Caribbean, specifically the island of enchantment, Puerto Rico. This is the third instalment in the Rafi and Rosi books by distinguished Puerto Rican author Lulu Delacre (a three-time Pura Belpre award honoree). On her website Delacre states that she believes in authoring books that empower Latino children by giving them a sense of pride in themselves and in their culture. This book holds true to that as it playfully exposes readers to two young, playful frogs whose adventures occur in a culturally authentic setting. Older brother Rafi and his sister Rosi get into all sorts of adventures but learn valuable lessons about themselves, their history and culture along the way.  

The book contains a glossary of terms in the front which I think some parents and caregivers will find very helpful as they translate the expressions used and . I especially liked the Did You Know section towards the back of the book which is a treasure trove of  information that parents and caregivers can choose to share with young readers. The facts in this section can also be used as a jumping off point for classroom discussion, social studies units or even library craft programs for Hispanic Heritage Month and the like.

Rafi and Rosi are frogs, specifically coqui frogs, the coqui being  a small frog that is native to Puerto Rico and though small, its distinctive cry can be heard throughout the island around dusk. For Puerto Ricans the sound of the coqui is iconic and one of the things Puerto Ricans miss most about life away from the island. Rafi and Rosi are very apt representations of coquies as their cries can be heard all over San Juan.

One of the must see sights when one visits the island of Puerto Rico is Castillo San Felipe del Morro, also known as El Morro  El Morro is the backdrop for the three stories in this book and in real life is one of the three largest and oldest forts in the Caribbean and has been designated a World Heritage Site by Unesco and such is very well preserved. When one visits the fort, the tour guides do a fantastic job of bringing the fort and the role it played in Puerto Rico’s history to life. The author does  a wonderful job of using the lore and history of the fort to create a playground where young children’s imaginations come to life.

Delacre includes historical figures such as Cofresi (Roberto Cofresí, a famous Puerto Rican pirate, who was very much a Robin Hood type figure on the island during the period of Spanish colonial rule and for whom various caves, beaches and other hideouts have been named in Puerto Rico). I for one, found the small detail about Cofresí intriguing and this motivated me to search for more information on this pirate.

Some Puerto Ricans use what is known in linguistics as a “code-switch” i.e. alternating between two or more languages (Puerto Rico has been a colony of the United States since 1898 and Puerto Ricans US citizens since 1917) and Delacre uses some of that in this book as well. Overall, the Spanish used is accurate and is comprised of simple vocabulary that would be easily accessible to a young reader. In the text, Delacre uses word sandwiches to ensure that meaning is understood, e.g. “Sí,” said Rafi, “Yes.”

Many books in the current book market are written from by Mexican American or Chicano authors, which is understandable since this group is one of the largest ethnicities in the United States, and thus feature cultural elements germane to that culture.  Puerto Ricans however regularly migrate to the mainland United States and are a vibrant and important part of the community. Rafi and Rosi, for me represent a welcome addition to the canon of books written for young readers who may be of Puerto Rican descent. This is not to say that the book will be foreign to children that aren’t Puerto Rican, I think that the opposite holds true- young readers of many cultures will enjoy the wonderful adventures related here and will want to learn more. Delacre, in presenting Puerto Rico through the eyes of two young, funny, charming frogs has helped give the island some very positive exposure.

In summary, this book would be a wonderful addition to a classroom library, public library or personal collection. It is well written, accessible and perhaps most importantly, culturally authentic. The previous books in the series are Rafi and Rosi and Rafi and Rosi Carnival!  This book is recommended for readers in grades 1 to 3 and some read alikes would be See Fred Run by Kevin Bolger, That’s My Book! And other Stories by Salina Yoon and What is Chasing Duck by Jan Thomas.  The book is also available in a Spanish edition, Rafi y Rosi ¡Piratas!  which would be a great read for heritage speakers of Spanish as well as children enrolled in bilingual programs and so forth.

This review can also be seen on Anansesem's website 

Also click here for some then and now pics showing Puerto Rico and how the island is coping. 

Black Panther: The Young Prince by Ronald L. Smith

  All things Black Panther and Marvel are the rage right now.  My coworkers put this book on display to capitalize on the buzz around the movie earlier this year.

The movie starts in media res and we meet T'Challa as an adult, fully formed Black Panther. In this middle grade novel, Smith re imagines life for a younger version of the Wakandan prince. T'Challa is not the Black Panther yet and in truth, he is still learning about himself and his role as a prince. This means sitting in on long ceremonies and dealing with his father's adopted son, Hunter. He can count n one friend however, M'Baku with whom he can do boyish escapades.

When there is some turmoil in the kingdom, T'Challa's father decides to send him to Chicago under an assumed identity. M'Baku is sent to accompany the young prince and soon the two boys find themselves finding their way in the various social hierarchies in the school. As in any school there are various cliques but one such clique is weird and a little dangerous, just like their leader Gemini Jones. That's not all, weird stuff starts happening at school and T'Challa must decide if he should use his Wakandan technology and risk revealing his true identity.

Overall I think this is a great read for middle grades and I especially like that it features young people of color. Some read alikes are Junior Hero Blues by J.K. Pendragon,  V is for Villain by Peter Moore and Sidekicked by John David Anderson and Powerless by Matthew Cody.

The Boggart Fights Back by Susan Cooper

A bombastic, super rich man who always gets his way and whose last name is a five letter word ending in T...does sound like anyone you know?  Mr. Trout is a big businessman who has come to beautiful Scotland in order to build a new resort complete with golf courses a marina for yachts and so forth. The development will bring lots of jobs as well, or so he claims.

Old Angus Cameron doesn't believe it and neither do his grandkids, Allie and Jay who are visiting from Canada. Granda is a stubborn old Scotsman who loves the land and doesn't want to see development just for the sake of it; he especially doesn't approve of Mr. Trout and his way of doing business.

Mr. Trout doesn't back down from anyone or anything as the children and Granda soon discover. The Boggart, an ancient friendly spirit, along with some of his friends are soon called in and the hijinks begin.

The Scottish countryside and Scottish mannerisms are well depicted, so well indeed that I had to double check to see if Cooper was Scottish (she isn't).  I also liked the conservation theme that ran through the novel. Young ones are smarter than we give them credit for and will probably decipher that on their own.

Another takeaway for me was that as adults we sometimes (for good reason) lose sight of the innocence and wonder of childhood. Cooper conveys the wonder of both scientist father Tim and Granda upon realizing that the Boggart is back. This is actually the third book in the Boggart series. There are also The Boggart and The Boggart and the Monster. Some read alikes are Beyond the Kingdoms by Chris Colfer, Talons of Power by Tui Sutherland and Kelly Barnhill's awesome The Girl Who Drank the Moon.

Lists of books and crafts for Black History Month

Things have been hectic lately but I still wanted to drop a short post today highlighting some great  lists I found. I like lists as they usually enable me to pick and choose items. Even the worst list has at least one valuable tidbit. So here goes...

This PBS list provides a short summary as well as some themes the book explores. The books are written from a variety of perspectives and thus are a wonderful tool to help young ones of all ethnic origins.

It's not always easy to find books about Black heroes so this buzzfeed list is timely and very useful. I will be the first to admit that I don't frequent buzzfeed's website (the few times I have, I found it to be frivolous) but this list has made me view the editors in a different light. Activists, ball players and chefs are just some of the folks featured.





                    




Do you have a middle grade reader?  How about this list featuring middle grade books that feature the black experience- from slavery to civil rights to life in the so-called post racial era. I've read the excellent One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia but I need to add more of the books here to my to-read list. I would like to see some more boy friendly titles added to it as well.


If you are teaching at a preschool, after school center or simply want some crafts to celebrate Black History month, this site has 29 crafts (one for every day and one extra). I would add that several of the crafts reference Pinterest so that may be another resource to find similar things.


Last but not least, one of my go-to sites, education.com has compiled a comprehensive list of activities for Black History Month (everything from making a Jackie Robinson baseball card to making a shekere). Check it out here.

The Stars Beneath Our Feet by David Barclay Moore

We need diverse books hashtag has certainly had some impact almost five years later...For more on diverse books check out the website or simply search the hashtag #weneeddiversebooks.

Lolly Rachpaul is like any other kid in New York City. He hangs out with his pal Vega, is waiting to see what he gets for Christmas (a new phone would be nice) and he loves building Lego. There is something else bothering him also-he is still in mourning over a recent tragedy What's worse is that the siren call of the streets has now turned its attention to Lolly and his friend, if they heed it, things could change drastically.

Lolly is at that awkward stage when he is aware of girls but still not sure if and how to approach them. One of the girls at his after school program is called Rose (the kids call her Big Rose) and they strike up an unlikely friendship over a shared love of legos and as coping mechanisms. The kids think Rose is strange and either mock or play pranks on her.

I liked that I could read a book with a young man with a heritage similar to mine (West Indian/Caribbean). The old adage is that it take a village to raise a child and Lolly benefits from various caring adults who influence him in different ways. I think of all the many children growing up in the United States, and in New York City in particular with similar heritage who will see themselves in this book, will be faced with similar social and societal obstacles and may even know someone with similar circumstances. Moore also does a great job presenting different family dynamics.

I would recommend this book for readers aged 10+. Some similar reads would be Walter Dean Myers' A Star is Born,  Jason Reynolds' Patina and Ghost.

The Summer of Owen Todd by Tony Abbott

As a father of young children I always worry about whether or not I have given them the tools to handle stranger danger or even danger from familiar faces (statistically children are more likely to be abused by a family member). One such way I can do is by looking for literature that handles difficult topics in a sensitive manner. Luckily, The Summer of Owen Todd by Tony Abbott does just that.

It starts off like any other summer for Owen Todd on Cape Cod...visions of baseball, go karting and beaches fill his head...it's going to be a long, fun summer. His best friend Sean has similar plans but due to extenuating circumstances his mom hires a babysitter. The babysitter turns out to have other plans up his sleeve besides mere babysitting and Sean confides in Owen.

Owen is shocked by the revelations and  his tween mind struggles with what  to do with the information especially when he considers what revealing the truth could do to the tight-knit community. Owen could take the easy route out as he has his own issues to deal with. He never loses sight of the big picture which is that what someone-a grown up no less- has done something wrong to his best friend and as a friend he should try to do something about it.

It would be easy to blame Sean's mother what with all that she has to do and the other mitigating factors. Like many single parents she has a lot on her plate and in trying to make ends meet decides to use a familiar resource.

The author also includes an afterword that implores readers to use many of the resources available if they know or suspect sexual abuse is occurring (if you see something, say something). Although there aren't graphic descriptions of events, the subject matter may be better understood by children aged 9+.  A good read for adults to share with younger ones is Some Secrets Should Never be Kept by Jayneen Sanders.