friendship

Luv Ya Bunches

| Tasha

Luv Ya Bunches by Lauren Myracle

Yes, this is the book that was not included in Scholastic Book Fairs because one of the characters has lesbian parents.  Sheesh!  That has since changed and they will be carrying the title. 

This book though is so much more than the subject of that controversy!  It’s funny, smart, and simply wonderful.

It all starts with a big gesture in the hallway made by Katie-Rose, who slams into Milla, sending her backpack and everything in it skittering across the floor.  Katie-Rose skulks away, so Yasaman is blamed for the event though she had nothing to do with it.  Violet, the new girl, saw it all and is the one who discovers a tiny toy turtle left behind on the floor.  The mean Modessa and her lackey Quin are a large part of the bad things that happen next, but you will have to read the book to find out what that is!  Let’s just say that friendship will triumph in the end.

The book is told from the point of view of all four girls and as in Myracle’s previous books incorporates online chatting.  It also has her trademark ease with dialogue as well as her deep understanding of tweens.  The four main characters are distinct, unique and interesting.  They all have their own insecurities, moments of bravery, and challenges.  Each girl approaches school and creating friendships differently.  All four girls are racially different and this book nicely avoids any stereotyping of them. 

And just for the record, the same-sex parents are seen in passing just like the rest of the parents in the story.  They drop off, pick up, make costumes, etc.  They are not the focus of the story at all.  Another thing that makes this book so refreshing and real.

This is a fun, candid book that will have late elementary school girls hooked before the first page ends.  The issues faced by the girls are real, tangible, and very intriguing.  It only gets better when readers learn at the end that there will be more in the series!  Appropriate for ages 9-12.

Reviewed from ARC received from publisher.

Also reviewed by Welcome to My Tweendom and TheHappyNappyBookseller.

My Friend Mei Jing

| Tasha

My Friend Mei Jing by Anna McQuinn, artwork by Ben Frey, photography by Irvin Cheung

Following My Friend Jamal, this book captures the friendship of Monifa and Mei Jing.  The two friends both love art, the color purple, and they both plan to be veterinarians when they grow up.  Even when the two friends are different, there are things that resonate in their cultures.  Both of them have names that mean something in the language of their grandparents.  Both have grandmothers that make really weird food like chicken feet and cow foot.  And best of all, both of them are best friends!

McQuinn has created a series where our differences and similarities are celebrated side-by-side.  The power of friendship is at the core of the book and that friendship is based on the fact that the girls are so similar in personality and what they enjoy, even though their backgrounds seem very different on the surface.  The art in books is a vibrant combination of photography and painting.  Though the girls are seen with their heads as photographs, usually their clothing is painted and so is most of their surroundings.  This technique makes for visually interesting illustrations.

A book that will get all children seeing how they are more alike than they are different, this book should have a place on most school and public library shelves.  Appropriate for ages 5-8.

Reviewed from copy received from publisher.

How to Say Goodbye in Robot

| Tasha

How to Say Goodbye in Robot by Natalie Standiford

Beatrice is new in town, but that’s nothing new for her.  She and her parents have lived in city after city, following her father’s career as a professor.   Bea tells herself that she doesn’t care what the other kids in school think of her.  She’s a senior and only has to make it through one final year until she heads to college.  In assembly, she finds herself between Anne who is very perky even early in the morning, and Jonah who everyone calls Ghost Boy because he is so pale and reserved.  It would make sense for her to become friends with Anne, especially because that’s what Anne wants.  But she finds herself drawn to Jonah.  They have one vital thing in common: they are both insomniacs and listen to late-night radio to fall asleep.  And so they become unusual friends, true friends who would do anything for each other. 

Standiford does the near impossible here.  She has a male/female friendship with no kissing, no groping, no sexual tension.  It is a real friendship: taut with tension at times, deep with emotion, glassy with superficiality too.  The relationship between these two teens is so genuine.  It is fragile at times, breakable, but iron strong and vital too.  It is shifting, changing, and true.

Standiford excels at several things in this novel.  Her characterizations are wonderful.  Not only the two main characters are real, but Bea’s parents, the radio callers, and other teens are fully realized and interesting.  Standiford’s pacing is also very well done.  It is so well done that it is unobtrusive and unnoticed while reading, which is just what pacing should be. It makes the book hard to put down and a pleasure to read. 

I should mention the cover, which I really don’t like.  It should not be a pink book, especially not a hot-pink book.  And the phone really doesn’t work for me.  With as special as this book is, it deserved a much better cover.  Let’s hope that it gets released in paperback with a better cover that really shows what it’s about.

This is an unusual book. The characters are unique, interesting and fun to spend time with.  Their friendship is so real that it is almost painful at times to read because it is so accurately and unflinchingly portrayed.  Sadly, the cover will have to be worked against to get it into the hands of teens who will relate to it.  Anyone with a real friend will find themselves on these pages.  Appropriate for ages 14-17.

Reviewed from ARC received from publisher.

Also reviewed by Jen Robinson and The Hiding Spot.

Do Not Build a Frankenstein!

| Tasha

Do Not Build a Frankenstein! by Neil Numberman

A little boy dashes up and tells a group of children that they must never build a Frankenstein!  It takes an immense amount of time and effort.  At first, it might seem like fun to have your own monster to play with, but then it just becomes annoying.  They will break your toys and scare your pets.  They want constant attention and are very needy.  Because they won’t take a hint and leave you alone, you are then forced to move to a new town.  And just when you think that that might work, they show up with very unexpected results!

Numberman has created a Frankenstein that is so far from frightening and so very funny.  The big green body atop spindly legs are ridiculous in the best sense.  Then you add in the googly eyes and patchwork and he becomes a lovable monster.  The illustrations are vibrantly colored, and have a great sense of movement.  The pacing of the story itself is fast and almost breathless.  When reading it aloud, make sure to save enough breath for the shouts of warning about building a Frankenstein!

A very loud, fresh picture book that is all about friendship and fun.  Perfect for sharing at storytimes as that final special book.  Appropriate for ages 4-7.

Reviewed from library copy.

Strawberry Hill

| Tasha

 

Strawberry Hill by Mary Ann Hoberman

Allie and her family are going to be moving to a home all their own.   Her father would be able to be with them every day, not just on weekends because his job was far away due to the Depression.  And the neighborhood had a wonderful name, Strawberry Hill.  But when Allie gets to the new house, there are no strawberries in sight and she had to leave her best friend behind.  Allie discovers that there are two girls just her age right nearby, but deciding who is going to be her new best friend is complicated.  It doesn’t help that the two girls are so very different and Allie feels drawn to each of them for different reasons.  When Allie is called a “dirty Jew” by another girl, the novel takes on another dimension, dealing with racial issues. 

This novel for young readers has just the right amount of tension around friendships and race.  The girls are all complex and interesting characters as are the adults, which takes some finesse in a book for this age.  Allie is a charming character who worries about things like colors, tuna fish sandwiches, and making a good impression.  Her coming-of-age story is gentle and will find an audience with children who enjoy quiet moments, small details, and historical elements. 

Allie’s eagerness to find a new best friend translates into a character that any reader would love to befriend.  Recommended for ages 8-11.

Reviewed from library copy.

Also reviewed by Brimful Curiosities, A Patchwork of Books, and Abby (the) Librarian.

Toot Toot Zoom!

| Tasha

Toot Toot Zoom! by Phyllis Root and Matthew Cordell.

Pierre, the fox, lived all alone near a tall mountain.  He had no friends at all.  Realizing that there may be friends to be made on the other side of the mountain, he hopped in his car and heads to the other side.  Heading up the mountain, he meets Goat, who asks for a ride in his car.  Pierre then meets Sheep who also wants to find a friend, so he offers her a spot in the car.  Bear then joins them in their search for a friend too.  On their way down the windy hill, it may take a bit of shaking up to get them to notice what they have already found.

Root has created a story that makes a great read aloud.  With not only the refrain of Toot, Toot, Zoom! but also the delight of the screeching breaks when Pierre meets each new animal, this book begs to be read aloud with great flourish.  Cordell has created illustrations with lovely details that will work well with a group.  Make sure you linger slightly on the last page so that everyone can see what happened to the little red car in the end.

Add this to both your car story times and your friend ones.  Guaranteed to Zoom right off your shelves and into waiting toddler and preschool hands.  Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from library copy.

Faith, Hope and Ivy June

| Tasha

Faith, Hope and Ivy June by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

Even though they both live in Kentucy, Ivy June and Catherine live very different lives.  Through a school student exchange program, now they each have a chance to see how other people live.  Ivy June lives in a small cabin in the hills by Thunder Creek with her grandparents because her parents’ home was too crowded.  They don’t have an indoor bathroom but they do have an incredible view of the entire mountain just a short walk away.  Catherine lives with her family in Lexington.  She attends a private school, wears designer clothes, and has more than one indoor bathroom.  On the surface the two girls will have nothing in common but when tragedy strikes, all differences are forgotten.

Naylor has created a story of two girls who have a chance to be friends but may not be able to see past their differences to reach that point.  There are twists and turns in their relationship with one another that refreshingly have nothing to do with their economic status.  Naylor also does an admirable job of making the harrowing job of coal mining real to young readers.  It is a joy to read a book with a heroine like Ivy June who is complicated and refreshingly unashamed of her poor upbringing.  It is equally wonderful to find a wealthy girl like Catherine who faces challenges when staying with Ivy June but remains eager to see what her life is really like.  Naylor never strays near stereotypes, instead focusing on the similarities of the two girls even when they can’t see it themselves. 

A complex tale of friendship and connection, this book will have readers questioning what stereotypes they believe in.  Appropriate for ages 9-12.

Lucky Breaks

| Tasha

Lucky Breaks by Susan Patron

This second Lucky book follows the Newbery Award winning, The Higher Power of Lucky.  One worries about a second attempt to catch magic but there need be no worries here.  Patron has again captured the essence of a tiny town, its diverse inhabitants, and at the same time the longings of a young girl.  Lucky is now almost eleven, an age that she feels has infinite potential.  Much more so than ten.  She is ready to become “intrepid” and have adventures.  But she is still stuck in Hard Pan and her friends don’t seem to be changing.  Lincoln is still obsessed with knots and Miles with being almost 6 himself.  When a group of scientists enter Brigitte’s cafe, there is a girl just Lucky’s age with them.  After a few stilted glances, Paloma and Lucky become fast friends.  But Lucky still yearns for adventure especially in her no-danger small town.

Just as charmingly written as the first, this book is the perfect companion novel.  Lucky remains as strong a character surrounded by others who are written with equal clarity and strength.  Patron writes with a subtle humor that is a delight to read.  Just as with the first book, this would make an exceptional classroom read with plenty to discuss together. 

I loved visiting Hard Pan again and seeing all of my old friends.  A wonderful second book, I look forward to the third which will complete the series.  Appropriate for ages 9-12.