Courage by Barbara Binns

 T'Shawn and Dontae are best friends and life for them in Chicago is good for the most part. T'Shawn and his younger sister Rochelle live with their mom and the family has been through their fair share of hardship what with the dad's passing and the incarceration of the eldest son Lamont. Then out of the blue, T'Shawn's mom announces that Lamont is being released early and his reintegration into the family does not come easy especially as Lamont is still holding on to some painful memories from the past.

Author Binns is a Chicago native and her familiarity with the people and places is apparent. It is always refreshing to read novels written by natives as they are usually intimately familiar with th history and culture of a specific region. Binns is also familiar with some of the negative aspects of life in the Windy City and she sprinkles some of those facts throughout the novel as well.

One of my takeaways -and I hope that young readers of all ethnicities who read this book feel the same-is that that although it is easy to judge people because of their past and because of appearances, one never knows the real story. in this book, Lamont's conflict is with himself and also with other people he encounters/

This novel would be a great addition to any classroom library. Young urban readers will love seeing themselves reflected in its pages while readers from other parts of the country will get a window into the lives of kids different from themselves.  Some read alikes to this novel are David Barclay's The Stars Beneath Our Feet, Christine Kendall's Riding Chance and Torrey Maldonado's Tight.

We're Not From Here by Geoff Rodkey

I've been on a bit of a sci-fi kick lately and have consumed some movies and some books that have challenged me to think. The book, We're Not From Here in particular is one that gave me much to consider. To Rodkey's credit he presents a doomsday scenario in an accessible way.


The young protagonist Lan Mifune and his family have had to leave Earth after humankind destroys it. His mom and dad are higher ups in the government and as such he witnesses firsthand how hard it is to find a new planet for humans to live on. When the government of a planet called Choom does accept them it seems like a miracle until after the long space voyage, the planet's rulers change their mind.

After much back and forth and patient negotiations, Lan's family is chosen to be a test case. Nothing less than the fate of humankind rests on them being able to make a great first impression. of course, we soon see that this may be harder to do than expected.

The fact that the story is told from Lan's point of view allows us to see events through his filter.
It's not often that you see a book written in such an accessible way with issues that are relevant to us today- in this novel humans are basically refugees trying to go to a place where the government doesn't want them. The book starts in media res but we can assume that humankind was not too nice to the each other and to the earth hence why Lan and the survivors find themselves elsewhere. I especially liked the various themes that Rodkey explores as young kids today may very well be able to empathize with some or all of them. This book is aimed at ages 9 and up. Some read alikes are Mars for Humanity by Brandon Terrell, Earth to Dad by Krista Van Dolzer and  The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex.

Front Desk by Kelly Yang

The immigrant story comes in many forms but one common theme is that most people view the United States as a land of opportunity and are willing to work hard for what they want. Author Kelly Yang's autobiographical work rings very true with many real life experiences.

I cannot imagine growing up in a hotel and basically always being on duty but this is the story that Mia Tang describes as she relates how she grew up in California. Despite this,  What makes the story worse is that her family is taken advantage of by someone from their own background. Unfortunately it is sometimes true that immigrants are the ones who take advantage of other immigrants because they know how desperate they are to get ahead.

Many times however, immigrants tend to band together and Yang's descriptions of the various Chinese uncles and aunts who stop by is spot on. The generosity and hospitality of Mia's parents is also one way that they sought to hold on to their culture. In a desert of hard work, the sharing of tea is an oasis for them.  Although Mia and her family are all the way in America they still are part of an extended clan and Yang's descriptions of how life changed in China are eye-opening.

This book has been on a ton of lists for 2018 best books and deservedly so. Some read alikes for the 9-12 age group are Everlasting Nora by Marie Cruz Miranda and I'm Ok by Patti Kim.

The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle by Leslie Connor

I love underdogs. I love stories about underdogs and I love to see them do well. Mason Buttle is one  such underdog. He is big (biggest kid in his grade for that matter), sweats a lot and is not the best speller and this is probably why I was rooting for him from the first page.

Buttle has seen a fair amount of tragedy in his life, his entire family has an when we meet them, they live in a crumble down house next to a huge apple orchard. Their neighborhood has seen a lot of expansion in the last few years however and some of the people are nice, others not so much. Like Matt Drinker for example, a lacrosse playing kid who delights in tormenting poor Mason.

Mason to his credit doesn't let all his. there is one thing that still haunts him though, the weird death of his best friend Benny Kilmartin. Some people in town treat him weirdly as if they don't believe the story he told about the last time he saw Benny.  The local police officer, Lieutenant Baird is doggedly pursuing the case and drops by the Buttle household from time to time much to Mason's dismay. Out of nowhere Mason makes a new best friend, Calvin Chumsky and the two friends forge a strong bond. But when Calvin goes missing Mason finds himself in a whole heap of trouble.

This is a book with drama, humor and some serious issues all rolled together. I recommend it for ages 10 and up.  Some read alikes are The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson, The Secret Sheriff of Sixth Grade by Jordan Sonnenblick and The Season of Styx Malone by Kekla Magoon

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.