Flight of the Puffin by Ann Braden

 Middle school is such a weird time. As an educator, I witness firsthand every year how friendships change or are dropped, how kiddos start exploring to find their own niches and how some kiddos suddenly become "cool".  In Flight of the Puffin, Braden explores the stories of four young people who each have their own battles to fight.

I read a quote in a blog called A Learning A Day which went something like "we spend life trying to justify the story we have in our head". In other words, perception is reality, thus, a person who other people may perceive as a bully may not view themselves as such. Libby, lives in a household with some people who display bullying tendencies and sometimes but she prefers to doodle and engage in creative pursuits.  Vincent, a kid who knows a lot of random facts is forced to confront bullies who have started making his life difficult.  T has decided to leave home as life there had become difficult. Last but not least is Jack, perhaps the bravest kid I have seen in a novel in some time.

Even in the midst of their own struggles, they each found a way to reach out to other young people struggling with their own battles; this small gesture was what touched me the most.  Often, as adults we spend a lot of time trying to teach kids to be kind but we live in a world where sometimes  kindness isn't always cool.  Some read alikes to this novel are Auggie and Me by R.J. Palacio, Paper Things by Jennifer Jacobson and Don't Judge Me by Lisa Schroeder

Moonwalking by Zetta Elliott and Lyn Miller-Lachmann

 I came across this book in one of the (many) book blogs I peruse and put it on hold at my local library. When it arrived  I tore through it in a couple of days (this was made easy by the fact that it is a  novel in verse).  This novel explores themes of friendship, identity, neurodivergence, prejudice... but all in a very accessible manner.

Set in New York in the 80s, the novel features a ton of pop culture references across many cultures. As a child of the 80s myself I loved the cultural references but I imagine that today's young'uns will have to Google some of them.  The story is told from the alternating perspectives of two young boys. JJ's family has had to move to another part of the city and he starts at a new school.  It's at this school he  meets Pierre, a really smart kid whose mother is suffering with some undisclosed mental issues.  JJ is a keen observer of his surroundings and his insight into some of the goings on around him are very thought provoking.




Both boys are quirky but I got the sense that Pierre was a bit more accepting of his own quirkiness than JJ.  Perhaps some experiences in the past have made JJ less open to trusting new kids.  The boys bond because of their shared quirkiness and also introduce each other to a variety of different things, Although the ending wasn't exactly what I would call happy, I was okay with it because not all stories have a happy ending and it's good for kids to see that.  I would recommend this book for ages 9 and up.  Some similar reads told from various perspectives and that deal with similar themes to this novel are Hope Larson's All Summer Long, Steven Frank's Armstrong and Charlie and  Paula J. Chase's Turning Point.

Marcus Makes a Movie by Kevin Hart

Funnyman Kevin Hart has written books for adults and with this novel, Marcus Makes a Movie, he  makes a foray into authoring children's books with this novel aimed at younger readers.  

In this book, we meet Marcus a boy who in addition to playing videogames with his best friend , spends a lot of time writing a comic featuring superhero Toothpick who fights a malevolent presence called The Dark. When his dad enrolls him in an after school film club he meets a girl called Sierra. Sierra, at first comes off as sassy but as the two get acquainted they discover that they are both creatives. She  knows a ton about film making and is extremely patient and kind with Marcus. Marcus, for his part, learns about the nuts and bolts of film making and a little bit bout himself.

 

I for one learned a few things about the whole film making process and I am sure young readers will as well. Yes, it's easy to make a quick video on TikTok or YouTube but a full length film is a process that requires a ton of fortitude, grit and a can-do mentality because there will be hiccups along the way.

Some read alikes are Jake the fake keeps it real by Craig Robinson,  Elvin Link by Drew Dernavich and Max Crumbly by Rachel Renee Russell.