Kidlit Mashup for Summer Reads

 Since there are four Sundays in June and July, I will have three days to post book reviews for any of you who like to follow along with my yearly reads. For the end of June, I thought I'd do a fun mash-up of some books for kids and young adults that I've read recently that might be of interest as summer reads for a younger audience or younger-at-heart audience. So, here goes...

Images for all books copied from Goodreads

First, I'd like to discuss Accountable a non-fiction young adult book by Dashka Slater that is about a racist social media account that was created by a group of teen boys in secret, and the consequences of that account when it was discovered by some of the girls who were posted about on it. Accountable calls into question who should be held accountable for this type of cyberbullying and how they should be held accountable for it. 

What I appreciated most about this book was the fact that Slater gives us a very unbiased look at both sides of this situation. This event fractured not only the high school where it took place, it also fractured this community in the small town in California where it happened. On the surface, it seems to be a straightforward situation. The perpetrators did something inexcusable and should be held accountable for their actions. But as the story unfolds it becomes clear that how that punishment should be carried out, who should be included in it, and how long it should be meted out is much more complex than expected. While the boys who created the account were punished, what about the other students who followed the account? How culpable should they be for liking its posts, and should the ones who commented be held more accountable than those who did not? All of these things are called into question as the school administrators grapple with how to handle this different type of bullying in the age of social media. Administrators who in many ways were not savvy enough about social media to fully grasp its cultural and social impact on the students under their academic care. The book also delves into the long history of racial injustices and the emotional scars carried through from generation to generation that surface in the families of the students posted about on the account in some very awful ways. It brings up the issue of white privilege and the lack of education, knowledge or understanding this type of privilege still engenders in much of American society as well. Other things the book explores are issues with post-traumatic stress that can often result from bullying, mental health issues surrounding both victims and abusers is discussed, and the ways our own personal tragedies and traumas can affect how we react to situations like this one as an adult are also covered. All in all it is a very important book for both young people and adults to read. I gave it 4 out of 5 stars only because I thought the book was a little longer than it needed to be. But I still would highly recommend it to anyone who has a young person in their life or works with young people to get an inside look at what they deal with in the age of social media and instant communication in general. 

My next pick, The Ogress and the Orphans, is a fantasy for middle grade readers, or those aged 8-12 years old by the award-winning author Kelly Barnhill. It centers around a small village, a group of orphans, an untrustworthy town mayor and a ogress who just wants to find a place in the world to belong. We are told by an omniscient narrator that the village of Stone-in-the-Glen, where the story takes place, used to be a lovely town. Then through a series of supposed mishaps and misfortunes, starting with the loss of the town's library, Stone-in-the-Glen evolves into a community of isolated and mistrustful people. 

I love how Barnhill weaves in elements of what can happen to a society of people when the sharing of knowledge and open discussion is lost as it is in The Ogress and the Orphans. She also includes a look at how negative changes to the environment of an area can also erode. Both these threads are cleverly used as metaphors for the real world. Other themes carried through in the book are ones about found family, friendship and what it means to be a community and a good neighbor. I loved the characters but especially Harold the Crow. The orphans in the story ultimately become the heroes on a quest to save their town and the orgress who has been unfairly blamed for all of its problems by the smarmy mayor. While I thoroughly enjoyed this book and think it deserved winning the National Book Award for Young People's Literature in 2022, I did feel that it was a bit longer than it needed to be. For me that impacted the pacing some. However, in the paperback edition of The Ogress and the Orphans I have, there is a great discussion guide and some wonderful philosophical discussion questions for young readers to enjoy if they wanted to read and discuss this book with other kids or with the adults who might enjoy reading it with them. 

Another book for middle grade readers that I've enjoyed recently is The Galaxy According to CeCe by Sherry Roberts. Though, for this audience, I would say this one would most likely appeal to younger readers in the 8-12 age bracket as the main character is younger at age eleven. The story follows the "badventure" of CeCe Laurence as she grapples with moving to a new town right before starting middle school for the first time. Roberts is an author friend and has shared with me that this series of books has been a very personal one for her to write as aspects of the story were taken from real events in her own life. 

CeCe finds out, right before the school year begins, that she and her family are moving. Not only are they moving to a new town, one CeCe has never even heard of, but they're moving to a whole new state. Her reaction to this bomb her parents drop on her, barely giving her time to adjust to this news, is instantly relatable. From there, CeCe discovers that not only will she be the "new girl" in this small town, but she will be living in the observatory where her astronomer dad will be working. Both things make CeCe feel she is starting middle school for the first time with two strikes against her. Luckily her love of soccer and band become her saving graces as they help her meet and make friends with some kids in her neighborhood who will also be starting middle school for the first time at her new school. However, what starts out as a blessing also becomes a trial as CeCe's skills as both a musician and athlete make her a target for the middle school's "mean girl," Mercedes. What follows is an adventure in navigating the perils and triumphs of starting over in a new place, transitioning from elementary to middle school, and learning to be true to yourself even in the face of bullying. Plus, the supposed haunting of the house attached to the observatory where CeCe lives adds a fun touch of mystery to the story.

I highly recommend this fun middle grade read! I look forward to the sequel set to come out later this year.

                    

My last selection is the picture book Like Father, Like Son by the wonderful award-winning author, and a former writing mentor of mine, Lesléa Newman. This beautifully written book for young readers explores the nurturing aspect of parenting a father can hold toward their child. Newman is a pioneer at tackling topics that expand the ways young children can see their world and this book is no exception. Illustrator A. G. Ford has also provided a very diverse look at fathers and sons as well with his beautiful artwork throughout.

The simple message the book conveys is that fathers can be just as tender and loving as mothers. They can also be important role models in terms of showing their children a "gentler way to be" or a kinder way to handle sadness, adversity, or negative emotions. Additionally, the story shows us that fathers can love baking, sewing, or other professions and activities that may not be seen as traditionally masculine in the same way that mothers can embrace careers and passions that are not traditionally feminine in our society. The messages in the text and in the illustrations are conveyed in a fun way as well that make it a joy to look at and read. I highly recommend it!

If you would like to purchase any one of these books simply click on the title. Each book title will take you to a site that is a independent or local bookstore in my midsouth region of Kentucky and Tennessee, all of which actively support literacy in their communities. Or you may want to shop for them on bookshop.org a webstore that supports independent booksellers across the US. I also encourage you to check with your local public libraries to see if they have copies of any of these books in their collections. If they do not, requesting that they add them to their catalogs is another great way to support these and other authors. It also makes these and other important stories more widely accessible to younger readers and their families.