A Friendship for Today by Patricia C. McKissack.

This novel is based on McKissack’s own experience in the 50s as one of the only African-American children at her elementary school.  It is her obvious appreciation for the era that makes this book shine.  Rosemary can run faster than anyone in her school, she gets good grades and has a lot of friends.  The town is going to close the colored school and integrate the children in a new school.  Rosemary’s year is filled with the worry of a new school, prejudice and bullying, family difficulties and a friend getting polio.  It is a vivid snapshot of a year where Rosemary manages to stay true to herself and build a new community.

McKissack’s writing is accessible and friendly.  I appreciated a story featuring an African-American family better off than the white families around them.  The strength of people in the community, their values and the way they are instilled in  Rosemary really resonates throughout the novel.  Rosemary is a girl with spunk, plenty of spirit and a drive to excel.  At the same time, the novel does not shirk away from describing the era, the prejudice and the lack of tolerance.  The opinions of white people in the community are painted with complexity as are the reactions of the children of both races. 

In such a slim volume, it is a treat to find a complex yet warm look at this difficult period in our history.  Very accessible for children, I could see this book being used to start discussions on tolerance and prejudice in schools.

The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray.

This final book in the astounding Gemma Doyle trilogy nicely completes the series.  Gemma finds herself unable to access her magic and enter the realms at first, but finds a door to let her into the magical realms along with her two friends Ann and Felicity.  Gemma is under immense pressure both in the realms and in her mortal world to share the magical power she holds with either the tribes in the realms or the Order.  Gemma hesitates, enjoying the reputation and respect she gains with the power, until it is almost too late for her world.

These books are complex and amazing.  Part of the wonder of the books is the way that their structure imitates the Victorian society they portray.  Readers are caught in a web of plot threads that move ahead at a stately pace.  Under all of it runs darkness and temptation that invite readers to dive in.  But one must read on with the corseted pace of the novel.  Until the end, where all thought of propriety is lost in a rush of action, explanation and beauty. 

Bray’s writing is exquisite as always and her pacing as mentioned above is exceptional.  Gemma as a character is wonderfully unreliable, trapped in seeing the world through her own lens.  The cast of characters are often surprising once one begins to understand them better.  That is another of the treats of the novel as the reader sheds the lens of Gemma and begins to really understand the world she is living in. 

Highly recommended, but make sure you read them in order!  Perfect reading for girls who enjoy romance and fantasy or either genre. 

We’re Sailing Down the Nile: A Journey through Egypt by Laurie Krebs and Anne Wilson.

This book has been waiting on my desk for a shamefully long time, but I am slowly starting to whittle down books that have piled up over the last year. 

This picture book takes you to Egypt on a colorful, fascinating journey that will work well for children interested in the wonder of the pyramids and mummies, but will also open their eyes to other parts of life in Egypt.  Though the illustrations are whimsical, it is nice to see a Cairo skyline and a modern depiction of Egypt.  Readers will also find a map of Egypt and the Nile as well as a fact page on the various places visited in the book.  Keep turning pages and you will find historical information, information on gods and goddesses, and even heiroglyphs covered.  By putting this detailed information at the back, the story part of the book can be shared with young children and older children who will also enjoy the poetic and rhythmic text can immerse themselves in more details.

Recommended for ages 4-9, thanks to the information in the back of the book.

NPR has a great piece on Max and Pinky author Maxwell Eaton III.  Make sure you listen to the radio piece to hear the reviewer laugh with glee at the books.  Charming to hear an adult respond so spontaneously to a children’s book.  Makes one feel so much less alone!

The second Adventures of Max and Pinky book, Superheroes, is very charming.  It continues the wonderful thick-lined and bright colored illustrations, the complex world of childhood friendship, and the obsession with marshmallows that were part of the first book.

One of my favorite spreads in the new book is where the friends are trying to decide on superhero outfits.  Pinky gets me laughing out loud with his plunger as a hat and his towering stack of marshmallows on his head.  The second book is just as wonderful as the first, so if you loved the first make sure you seek this one out!  If you haven’t read either, you really should check out this new friendship in children’s books.

Squirrelly Gray by James Kochalka.

Squirrelly Gray sits in his black and white and gray world watching static on TV.  He is so bored he starts to wiggle his two front teeth until they fall out!  He tucks them under his pillow and waits for the tooth fairy to come.  During the night he is awoken by calls for help, coming from the Tooth Fairy who is stuck in a spider web.  She rewards Squirrelly Gray by giving him  a magic acorn with a surprise inside.  But without his teeth, he can’t open it.  A Hungry Fox finds him and tries to whack him with a club, but instead opens the acorn up much and everyone can see the surprise hidden inside.

The artwork in the book is charming.  Squirrelly Gray is delightfully cute and the Hungry Fox is wonderfully scary.  I also enjoyed the way that comic book framing is used in some of the story.  It is a very child-friendly story with rhyming words that are not saccharine, but instead add to the pace of the adventure story.

Recommended as a book to share with a child one-on-one or in very small groups.  The art is wonderful but needs to be seen up close.

No English by Jacqueline Jules.

Blanca is a new girl in school who doesn’t speak English, but it doesn’t seem fair to Diane that she is allowed to draw pictures in class instead of doing spelling like the rest of the class.  Diane struggles to try to befriend Blanca, but time after time there are misunderstandings due to their different languages.  It is not until Diane and Blanca start to communicate via pictures that they manage to become friends.  They don’t do this at the best time though and the substitute teacher sends them to the office for drawing during spelling.  But the principal understands the situation and they find themselves being cautioned about drawing during class but also honored for making new friends.

The complexity of this story was a surprising find in a picture book.  The fact that Diane had to work so hard to become friends was an important feature of the book.  Their differences are not easy to overcome and the honesty about this is refreshing and vital.  The illustrations help to portray the emotions involved in each encounter between the girls and also show a diversity in the overall classroom.

Recommended for libraries and schools to aid in reaching across language barriers.  The English-speaking students will get the most out of it, but the English-learners will reap the benefits.  This could be used to start class discussions about diversity and could lead to discussions on all sorts of diversity within the school and community.  Always a good discussion to have!