bullying

Review: The List by Siobhan Vivian

| Tasha

list

The List by Siobhan Vivian

At Mount Washington High School, the same thing always happens just before homecoming.  The List comes out.  It gives the names of two girls in each grade: one is named the prettiest in that grade, the other the ugliest.  Being on the list can change your life at Mount Washington, and it does for all of the eight girls on this year’s list.   Abby is ecstatic to be on the list as prettiest freshman, especially with her brainy older sister looking down at her all the time.  Danielle, the other side of the freshman pair, sees the list take a toll on her relationship with her boyfriend.  Lauren, prettiest sophomore, was previously homeschooled and finds that the list can help her make new friends.  Candace, named the ugliest sophomore, isn’t unattractive at all, instead it’s her attitude that is horrid.  Bridget, celebrated for losing so much weight, knows that she’s started something very dangerous.  Sarah is a rebel and immediately writes UGLY across her forehead in permanent ink.  And then there are the seniors, two girls who used to be best friends and who now are strangers, one whose path to homecoming queen seems clear and the other who has been on the list as ugliest all four years. 

Vivian sets the wheels of this story in motion and her characters take over.  It is a trick to create eight characters unique enough to read as individuals throughout an entire book, and Vivian does that very well.  She explores the relationship between beauty and self-esteem, beauty and popularity, and the perception of beauty and its impact.  Some of the girls are robbed of that feeling while others have never felt it.   But it’s not just about the “ugly” girls.  The perception of beauty haunts the “pretty” girls as well, creating rifts in friendships, questions about values, and eroding self-esteem in much the same way as being labeled ugly.

Vivian does not shy away from this complexity, instead she embraces it.  This is foreshadowed by the reaction of the principal to discovering the list where she warns the girls that they have all been hurt by being placed on the list. 

Here we have a book that is deep, complicated, and riveting reading.  It’s a book that takes on some “truths” of our society and turns them on their head, in a pretty beautiful way.  Appropriate for ages 14-17.

Reviewed from ARC received from Scholastic Press.

Review: Wonder by R.J. Palacio

| Tasha

wonder

Wonder by R.J. Palacio

Auggie has never been to school, instead he’s been homeschooled his entire life.  It made it easier to work his schedule around his many surgeries for his facial anomaly.  Auggie was born looking differently than the rest of the world due to several genetic abnormalities coming together in one moment, something that only has a one in 4 million chance to happen.  But it happened to Auggie, and now he is getting ready to start 5th grade in a private school.  Auggie knows that he is just a regular kid hidden behind an uncommon face, but the question is whether his classmates will ever figure that out.

It’s amazing to think that this is Palacio’s first novel.  She writes with a natural flow and skill that makes the book read effortlessly.  It’s one of those books that gets into your head and won’t let go, that not only tells a story but asks things about you the reader.  It has you exploring your own relationship with beauty, the extent of your own kindness, and the truth behind being human. 

Auggie is such a rich character and such a winning one that I was surprised when the book first changed perspectives.  I had assumed that we would see through Auggie’s eyes for the entire novel.  But the different perspectives also show depth to all of the other characters in the book.  We get to see Auggie through his older sister’s eyes, ones that are loving but also despair at being paid enough attention by her parents.  The perspective shifts again and again to classmates, his sister’s ex-friend, and even his sister’s boyfriend.  Then we return to Auggie for the end of the book. 

This use of multiple perspectives works particularly well given the arc of the story, it all comes to a satisfying close that is built from those many perspectives and those many characters.  Things are not sugar-coated here.  People respond naturally to Auggie’s face, even those who had been informed about it beforehand.  There are bullies, friends who are true and those who come in and out, there is middle school drama.  There is also a real family portrayed here, struggling to give their exceptional son an honest life, trying to pay attention to both of their children, and consistently showing love and caring for one another laced with real humor.

I adored this book, wept at times, ached in the heart a lot, and laughed too.  It’s a book worth sharing, worth passing along, and one that will crossover effortlessly to adult readers.  This is a powerful, uplifting, luminous book.  Appropriate for ages 10-13.

Reviewed from library copy.

Small Persons with Wings: Fantastic Fairy Fiction

| Tasha

smallpersons

Small Persons with Wings by Ellen Booream

Mellie grew up with a fairy living in her bedroom.  He was her best friend for years.  But when she told her kindergarten class about him, he disappeared before she could prove he existed.  Now at age 13, she is still called “Fairy Fat” by her classmates.  Even her parents who had agreed that the fairy existed and treated him as real, declare in front of the school counselor that it is all Mellie’s imagination.  So Mellie decides to turn off her imagination and become practical.  When her parents inherit a decrepit inn in another town, it is Mellie’s chance to leave her nickname and the fairy behind for good.  But that’s before Mellie discovers that the inn is inhabited by lots and lots of fairies. 

Booream’s writing is so very readable, inviting readers into a world where fairies are real and plenty of trouble.  The dialogue in the book works well, reading very naturally.  The setting of the old inn is nicely rendered, giving readers just enough detail to visualize the inn clearly, but not too much to get bogged down.

Booream excels at creating interesting characters.  Mellie is a wonderful young protagonist who displays an intriguing combination of prickliness, self-doubt and courage.  She is a girl who has been bullied for years, but has not been broken by it.  I also appreciate that Mellie is a heavier young lady who has heavier parents who love her and don’t mind her weight.  It is the other children who have issues with it. 

The cover with its zinging blue, sparkly letters is very appealing.  I do wish that there was some even small hint off Mellie being a larger teen.  Plus I am getting very tired of the feet on covers as a way to not show problematic protagonists in great detail. 

A very friendly and fun fairy fantasy, this book will be popular with fans of the Rainbow Fairy books who are aging out of that series.  Appropriate for ages 10-14.

Reviewed from copy received from Dial Books.

Also reviewed by:

I’m Number One

| Tasha

I’m Number One by Michael Rosen, illustrated by Bob Graham

A-One rules the toys.  He tells them all what to do.  He demands that the other toys wind his key, and then critiques the way they do it.  Then he teases each of them about what they are wearing.  Maddy has a floppy yellow hat that A-One teases her about and when she takes it off, he puts it on himself.  He does the same with Sally’s knapsack and Sid’s scarf.  But when his mean words get jumbled up, they start to sound very silly indeed.  When everyone starts laughing, even A-One has to join in.

This is a clever book on bullying because the bully turns out to be alright in the end.  It really shows how any child can take on the role of a bully without meaning to.  A-One is demanding and demeaning.  His tone in the book is perfectly done as are the voices of the other toys.  Rosen’s writing has a gentle quality to it that works well here.  He uses repetition nicely throughout the book, drawing young readers in.  At the end of the book, humor plays an important part in reminding A-One that he is one of the group, not the only one.

Graham’s art also has a gentle quality to it.  I love the way that A-One is the only hard toy in the group.  The others are stuffed and soft.  In the illustrations, he is stiff-lined while the others have softer, rounder edges.  This makes a nice visual tie in with the story.

Recommended for all children, bullies and bullied.  This book takes a gentle and laughter-filled approach to a difficult subject.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from library copy.

Also reviewed by Sal’s Fiction Addiction and Young Readers.

Slob

| Tasha

Slob by Ellen Potter

Owen is the butt of everyone’s jokes.  Other kids make farting noises when he passes and he’s not sure if a suggestion to get a fat exemption from gym class was meant nicely or cruelly.  Now someone is stealing Owen’s one pleasure in life: the three Oreo cookies he is allowed each day.  Owen is also working on Nemesis, a television that will show the past.  And he has one specific day in mind that he has to see.  But things are getting out of hand.  Owen is being bullied by his gym teacher, his best friend might just be turning on him, and his little sister belongs to a group that has her dressing in boys clothes and insisting on being known as Jeremy.   Owen has tried sitting still and not reacting to things, perhaps it’s time to take a different approach.

Potter has written a pitch-perfect novel of the miseries of middle-school.  Filled with sarcasm and lots of humor, the story is filled with intriguing characters, believable and unique.  Each character including the adults has a small memorable feature that is part of the story.   The mystery of the missing cookies may take center stage in my synopsis, but the book is far more about relationships, anger, revenge and heroism.  All of which make this funny book deeper than most.

The characterization here is so strong that readers will have no trouble with the rather large cast of characters.  Owen is a traumatized boy whose life slowly is revealed to the reader.  Jeremy is a savvy take on a girl who wants to be in control but can’t figure out how.  Nima, the Buddhist who lives in Owen’s building, adds a vehicle for Owen to begin to question his way of life.  It all comes together into a wonderful mix of great people all seen through Owen’s wry lens.

Appropriate for ages 11-13, this book has a winning cover and its humor will have readers sharing it with friends.  A must-have for middle school libraries everywhere.