They Call Her Fregona- A Border Kid’s Poems by David Bowles

They Call Her Fregona by David Bowles brings up topics of Latinx and societal discrepancies with prose that keeps you coming back. The main character, Guero’s, girlfriend struggles with conflicts related to gender norms and the deportation of her family. Guero struggles with conflict related to how he will be a good boyfriend and how he will keep his friendships strong. This text is an important story of life in a border town from a voice that is rarely amplified. Hearing this story helps us to understand topics of judgment that readers might not have considered before. The use of verse as the main character’s journal entries makes this book an incredibly well-done piece. There are individual entries that are dedicated to characterization for supporting characters, there is a glossary in the back that helps the reader to access the name-calling, slights, and other Spanish terms that might otherwise go unknown. The prose has some elements of rhyme, but it isn’t overly used and helps to emphasize the importance of the topic the author is highlighting. Middle-grade readers will like the relationships and issues presented in the text. LGBTQ+ book fans will enjoy the seamless weaving in of societal topics related to gender norms and language. The representation of LGBTQ+ supporting characters confronts heteronormative literature.

Reviewed by a Washington Middle Show Teacher.

Forest Hills Bootleg Society

Review by M. Comeaux 12th grade

This graphic novel is sure to catch the eyes of queer kids and people everywhere, and anyone trying to navigate new relationships and how they’ll affect your other ones! In a strict, rigid, religious private high school town, a group of four queer teen girls navigate consuming anime, selling bootleg DVDs to their peers, and their own interpersonal relationships (romantic or not). A contemporary graphic novel, this book will be sure to touch the hearts of LGBTQIA+ teens and those used to very strict and repressive religious/small-town environments. It discusses the idea of how dating within a friend group can affect others, and the changes we can experience in high school, whether they’re good… or bad. I liked the small details the artist and author included in the panels. There’s a lot of context and random information provided via text bubbles and a few pages that break from the main story to provide an idea of why the situation is the way it is. I personally appreciate the breaks; they’re witty, help the reader take a moment to better know the situation, and they’re great fourth-wall-breaks. The flow is very cluttered, and confusing at times. Trigger Warnings: Swearing, homophobic slurs, implied masturbation (momentary), homophobia, infidelity, mentions of drug use, implied abuse (momentary) organized religion, and its ending is very- bitter. It’s a realistic ending, but there aren’t sunshine and rainbows. It’s a good read, for sure, but the reality of this book, and the themes it tries to convey, are sad and will cause heart pangs.

A Backyard Pet

As early readers go, this one’s got a nice story to it, sweet, with a bit of pattern, and a simplicity about find that which we can each appreciate in our own backyards. It puts a different than normal twist on the idea of pets, but one that may be comforting to a child who longs for one, but is denied the typical variety. When Sugar wakes up late and goes looking for a playmate, she finds all her siblings engrossed in playing with their own “pets,” in which Sugar is less interested, even arguing whether they qualify as pets: one has made a pet of the pretty flowers that blow in the breeze, another has adopted the busy worms she loves to watch, and the third is busy chasing her pet butterfly. By the time they come to see if she’s ready to play, she’s too busy playing with her own pet clouds, which are beautiful and busy blowing in the breeze, inviting them all to chase them. The illustrations are fun and cartoon-like, adding a bit of silliness to the simple story.

Even Robots Can Be Thankful!

It’s a very early version of a graphic novel, for the youngest of readers. It includes three short stories about two best friends, Red Robot and Blue Robot: the first about something going bump in the night, and Blue Robot declaring he’s not afraid of anything, though it’s obvious to reader and friend alike that he is; the second about Red Robot sticking up for his friend when a third robot makes fun of his favorite hobby; and the third about Blue Robot’s worries about being sad and lonely when he discovers a train ticket that Red Robot has purchased, only to discover that there are two tickets and the friends get to go on an adventure together. Though the simple plot lines might seem a bit preachy, they’re leavened with just enough humor to keep them from being overly pedantic.

This Field Trip Stinks!

As the only human child in a class full of wild animals, our young narrator is dismayed to learn that the upcoming class field trip won’t be to a nice civilized location like the planetarium or natural history museum, but a trek into the wild to study plants and animals. His dairy entries capturing the adventure continue the theme of misery (poison ivy, bugs, lack of toilet facilities, etc.), but in the end, when the group gets lost, he’s the one who knows the way back to the bus, and he’s able to enjoy the butterflies and scenery and time with his friends. In the end he decides to have a campout of his own, but only in the backyard. The illustrations that accompany the story really add to the telling, full of fun and personality.

Time to Fly

I love the idea behind the book, and I really love the illustrations. They are warm and sweet and really capture the sentiment of the story. I just wish the text flowed better. The story is a rhyming dialogue between a baby bird and his mother as she urges him to leave the nest. The baby bird is reluctant to try and thinks of lots of excuses to stay within the comfort of his nest, but mom keeps urging, and eventually he decides if his brother and sister could do it, he can too. My one criticism is that at times the rhyme seems forced, becoming stilted, losing any sense of rhythm. Still, it is rather beautiful over all.

King Kong’s Cousin

Don’t we all have someone we compare ourselves to, and come away feeling like we don’t measure up? The story is a series of parallel descriptors comparing the famous King Kong to his not famous cousin, Junior. There’s no value statements given, but the reader can just feel Junior’s sense of inadequacy. When his mother assures him that he’s just as special as his cousin, Junior doesn’t believe her. But in the end, when his beloved cat needs rescuing, it’s Junior who came to the rescue, and he’s left feeling warm and happy and maybe just a bit bigger. The illustrations are fabulous! Though they’re all in shades of gray, they are full of warmth and personality and feeling.

Angelina on Stage

Another installment for Angelina Ballerina fans, this one is as cute and frilly and sparkly as is to be expected. This time Angelina is honored to be invited to join in with a performance of real grown-up dancers. Her young cousin, Henry, is invited to participate as well, but he struggles with remembering where he’s supposed to be and what he’s supposed to do, and Angelina has to help him a lot. She’s jealous when he’s given a speaking part, but she helps him anyway, and on opening night he flubs up again, changing is line from, “There goes my friend the magic fairy,” to “There goes my best friend, the magic fairy,” as he points to Angelina, showing that mistakes can be sweet.

Love is Loud: How Diane Nash Led the Civil Rights Movement by Sandra Neil Wallace

Growing up in Chicago’s South Side, Diane’s high school included everyone. When she moved to Tennessee to attend Fisk University she encountered racism and segregation. Diane decided to change this wrong and fight racism in a peaceful way. The book highlights Diane Nash’s leadership throughout the Civil Rights movement and hits upon some of the sexism she faced within the Civil Rights movement. The end includes an author and illustrator note giving more background information. There is also a timeline of events not only in Diane Nash’s life, but events in the Civil Rights movement and resources to learn more. The watercolor/collage illustrations complement the text.

I Can’t Draw by Stephen W. Martin

Max can’t draw. He especially cannot draw like his friend Eugene. Max decides to ask Eugene to teach him to draw, but that didn’t go so well. Finally Eugene comes up with the idea that Max should trace and then his drawings look exactly like Eugene’s. Max thinks the drawings need a little flavor like butts shooting lasers. Eventually he forgets about drawing like Eugene and decides to just be his creative self. At the front of the story is how to draw a cat and the end of the story is how to draw a cat by Max. The illustrations by Brian Biggs carry the story along and are vital to the telling of the story.

You So Black by Theresa Tha S.O.N.G.B.I.R.D.

You So Black is a picture book based on the author’s spoken word poem, You So Black. “You so Black, when you smile, the stars come out.” The book is a celebration of Blackness and encourages readers to embrace who they are. The mixed-media illustrations are eye-catching with their vibrant colors and reinforce the celebration of Blackness.

Mi Ciudad Sings by Cynthia Harmony

A young girl and her dog enjoy the sounds and music of her city as they make their way to her Mama’s flower shop. Suddenly the city rumbles with an earthquake, the sounds change and for the first time the city becomes silent. As she hurries to find her Mama, she notices a new rhythm with all the people that are helping the neighborhood and city recover. The illustrations are colorful and help tell the story. Spanish words and phrases are seamlessly woven into the story and there is a glossary at the back defining them. Although this is a fictional story, in the author’s note at the end, the author describes two devastating earthquakes in Mexico City and their experiences that inspired the story.

Holding On by Sophia N. Lee

A Filipina child visits her grandmother, Lola, in the summers where music fills there mornings, afternoons, and evenings. When they are separated in the winter, the little girl remembers all of the ways Lola holds on. “It’s important to remember, Lola tells me. So I listen to her stories and remember with her.” As Lola’s memory starts to fade the little girl decides to remember for her and sings the songs for Lola and let’s her know that she will remember for her. The mixed-media/collage illustrations reinforce the gentle message of love and caring for a family member whose memories are fading. I highly recommend this book.

Good Morning, World I Love You So: A Little Book of Gratitude

Eight little rhyming phrases accompanied by large simply drawn pictures young children will recognize.

“i love you wind i love you trees i love you honey made by bees” might depict nature, while “i love you food i get to eat i love you friends i get to meet” might depict an every day occurence?

The phrase’s rhyme but do not relate well to each other by topic, other than gratitude.

Submitted for Annette McQueen by Mary Pong

How do Meerkats Order Pizza? : Wild Facts about Animals and the Scientists Who Study Them

Seventeen scientists and their seventeen different research projects are very briefly introduced mixed in with animals cracking jokes all along the way. I should have guessed from the book’s title that this book was not going to be giving mountains of valuable information. Each of the seventeen scientists has an average of ten pages dedicated to them and their work. I wished for more information and less humor.

I did like the diversity of animals being studied and their diverse locations throughout the world. I liked the listing of equipment being used, for example: sunglasses, waterproof notebook and pencil, and waders. I enjoyed the mentioning of the scientists’ early interests as a child.

The is no Table of Contents, no Index, no numbered pages. There is a 17 word Glossary.

Submitted for Annette McQueen by Mary Pong.

Twinkle Makes Music

Not all people who love music can play an instrument well. The same is true for fairies( (and this reviewer) .

Twinkle, the fairy, loves music as do her friends Pippa and Lulu. When Fairy Godmother announces she is having a celebration party and wants all of the fairy students at The Fairy School of Magic and Music to play at the celebration, they are all happy but Twinkle. The notes from Twinkle’s flute are never anything but “strange noises”. Pippa and Lulu help her with extra practice, but Twinkle’s flute is still only makes “funny whistles and squeaks.” Their teacher tells Twinkle to “ask your forest friends to help. There are many kinds of music we can play.” Tweeter the bluebird’s song gives Twinkle her inspiration to sing instead of playing her flute. Perfect solution.

Submitted for Annette McQueen by Mary Pong

Miss Peregrine’s Museum of Wonders by Ransom Riggs

Ransom Riggs has another “non-fiction” companion volume to other guidebooks of the peculiar world. Museum of Wonders is a guidebook for new particulars. It provides background and advice for surviving the peculiar world. If you are a new peculiar and need information on “strange events in history,” or need to “locate hidden time loops” this book is for you. I love how the author takes actual black-and-white photos and incorporates a whole made-up peculiar story around them. Vintage photos and wood prints mix with Riggs’ peculiar voice – something akin to a turn-of-the-century spiritualist pamphlet. It reads like a non-fiction tour guidebook. Fans of the peculiar world will love it as well as folks that are just getting started. It reads like a non-fiction tour guidebook of a world you would be fascinated to visit. Review created by a Washginton Middle School Student.

The Do-Over

The Do-Over by Lynn Painter is sure to be popular with hopeless romantics everywhere as they read sixteen-year-old Emilie Hornby’s experience of a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad, reoccuring Valentine’s Day—think of the movie Groundhog’s Day here. She tries everything she can think of to make the day perfect instead of horrible, but she can’t seem to prevent the unfortunate events of the day. Because of this, she decides to change it to a Day of No Consequences (DONC) with Nick Stark, the person she keeps running into. On this day she does whatever she wants because she will wake up at the beginning of Valentine’s Day again, except when she finally wakes up on February 15th and all of the consequences of her decisions from the previous day must now be faced. I enjoyed the confessions at the beginning of each chapter as they gave the readers more background on Emilie without taking up too much of the book. I also love the Taylor Swift references throughout the novel and in the playlist. The concept of reliving the same day is one I have read in books before, but I enjoyed this one a lot more because Emilie was doing different things in an attempt to produce a different outcome, so the days were never exactly the same. I disliked that after the DONC Emilie woke up on the 15th, I found it predictable and I was not looking forward to reading about her getting in trouble. I was also disappointed that she never told Nick that she was reliving Valentine’s Day. This romantic twist on Groundhog Day is lighthearted enough to be fluffy with just the right amount of emotion to make it seem real. General fiction readers may enjoy the adventure and drama presented in the story with the DONC and Emilie’s family problems. While romance lovers will get butterflies from the friendship between Nick and Emilie— he is very grumpy and she is very sunshine. This novel is the book version of a rom-com and Lynn Painter has not failed me yet with her fluffy reads. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested.

Parker Grows a Garden by Parker Curry and Jessica Curry

While visiting her Nana, Parker says that she wishes she had a garden too. Her family helps her prepare the garden and her Nana brings her tulip bulbs to plant. It is hard to wait all winter for her garden to grow. In the spring, her other grandma, Mom Mom, helps her plant vegetables. Soon they are able to enjoy tulips and crunch cucumbers from her garden.

This is a Ready-to-Read Level One book. The type is large with 1-2 sentences per page. The plot is simple while celebrating family working together to meet a goal. The illustrations are bright and colorful.

Sprinkles and Swirls: Oh, What a Show by Lola M. Schaefer

Sprinkles and Swirls are cupcakes. Swirls wants Sprinkles to sign up for the talent show with her, but Sprinkles feels like she does not have a talent. Swirls helps Sprinkles try out different things to find her talent. Eventually Sprinkles decides that she will dance with Swirls in the talent show. Sprinkles is a brown cupcake with dark brown frosting hair and Swirls is a pinkish tan cupcake with pink swirl frosting hair.

This is a Ready to Read Graphics Level 1. I appreciate that the first two pages explain how to read a graphic novel; explaining speech bubbles, thought bubbles, panels, and how to read the panels. There are 1-2 panels per page and minimal words on each page. The graphics help tell the story and are bright, colorful and engaging. This is great for students who are learning to read and want to read a graphic novel.

The Talk

Racial bias necessitates children of color receive “the Talk” while children of “White Priviledge” do not.

Jay, Jamal, Eboni, and Bryant love running and jumping and racing around in their childhood neighborhood. Hearing stories of Olympic Game heroes, getting their chubby cheeks pinched by Nana, and getting measured on the growth chart by mom. Eventually, mom determines (while seeing a TV news cast of street violence) it is time she and the adults of Jay’s family sit Jay down for “the Talk”. The Talk of how adults in society will look upon Jay and his friends with eyes of suspicion for reason of the color of his skin. Briana Mukodiri Uchendu illustrates this in seven wordless scenes of avoidance, hurt, anger, and police pat downs set in shades of purple. THOUGHT PROVOKING conversation starter! The talk ends in a loving family embrace. Life goes happily on, but now Jay is prepared for the future of being a person of color.

Written for Annette McQueen by Mary Pong

You’re invited to a Creepover: Truth or Dare, by P.J. Night

Truth or Dare . . . The Graphic Novel (1) (You're Invited to a Creepover: The Graphic Novel)

This graphic novel is the story of a group of friends who are haunted by a girl who died the year before. At first it seems like it might just be a prank, but there are too many coincidences and the group begins to be truly frightened. The ghost seems to be upset that her crush is moving on to one of the new girls. This is the perfect book for Goosebumps fans or those that enjoy a pre-teen graphic novel with a bit of a creep factor. Slumber parties, text messages, and school crushes all play into the storyline. The friends are all diverse characters which I liked. I was a little confused by the visual similarities between the main character and the ghost. I was confused by that for a while in the story. Perfect for upper elementary students and 6th graders, this is a pretty “mild” scare of a book.

The Bird Feeder

Find out how a bird feeder, a grandchild, and hospice combine to make a loving generational story in THE BIRD FINDER. “Grandma’s been staying with us since she got sick. That means now I can visit with her anytime I want. She brought her bird feeder. It’s my job to fill it.” So begins this touching tale of time shared with grandma before she enters a hospice center. The time between the grandchild and grandma is spent watching the birds flocking around the bird feeder through grandma’s window, drawing birds, and chatting. First at home and later at hospice. Grandma sleeps and sleeps more and more until finally she is gone. Though sad at her passing, the grandchild will continue to remember grandma whenever filling the new bird feeder at their home.

The sadness is not over the top, but realistic, filling a needed niche in an extended family’s life cycle.

Illustrator Dorothy Leung’s grandchild, perhaps 8 years old, is drawn in such a way it could be either a girl or a boy.

Reviewed for Annette McQueen by Mary Pong

Who We Were In the Dark

I tried! I tried really hard to get into the YA novel Who We Were in the Dark by Jessica Taylor.  The setting of the novel is in the mountains of northern California near Truckee where the infamous Donner Party tragedy occurred. The element of suspense and potential horror sets an expectation of possible mystery and intrigue. Unfortunately, the interruption of the storyline with numerous changes of season and place makes for confusion and labored reading. The characters each have an “unknown” about their past, or their family, or their “real” life but the hints are not strong enough to carry the reader forward.  We are supposed to care but we don’t because each individual character is so underdeveloped.  The only clear message of this book is that we really are not able to know another person, even ones we consider friends or may even be in love with.  Therefore I would not be quick to recommend this book.  It is too much work for too little return.

A Cat About Town

Written and Illustrated by Lea Decan

This lovely book follows the adventures of a housecat who wanders to different place every day of the week. While there is only one owner for this adventurer, many know the cat well. Every day is a different experience with a different neighbor. This is a great book to introduce days of the week. The art is bold and appealing. All cat lovers would enjoy this book. As it seems oriented to such a young audience, I would recommend it as an extra purchase.