Review: Glory Be by Augusta Scattergood

It's the summer of 1964 in Hanging Moss, Mississippi and things are a changin'.

Town Council Man, James Smith, is against desegregation. So, he shuts down the community pool “for repairs.”

Glory’s birthday is the Fourth of July and she’s always had her party at the community pool...until this year. She unknowingly enters the fray as she outspokenly denounces the decision to close the pool.

Laura Lampert’s a Yankee whose mother is starting a freedom clinic in Hanging Moss. Friends are few for a white girl who drinks from the “coloreds only” drinking fountain.

Frankie Smith is caught between his family’s hatred and his friends’ readiness for change. Bullied into doing what’s wrong separates Frankie from his friends all summer.

Miss Bloom, Hanging Moss Librarian, refuses to be bullied and invites the entire town, black and white, to a celebration at the library. 

Emma is more than Glory’s family’s maid. She’s a “freedom fighter” who shelters activists at her home and bravely attends the library’s celebration as one of the few African Americans who do. 

Glory Be has be likened to The Help and I think it’s a good analogy though the two are different in presentation. In The Help, readers see events through many characters’ eyes with each chapter presenting a different character’s point of view. In Glory Be it is Glory’s voice that is the strongest and the book is written from her point of view. The strength in Glory’s point of view is that readers get a distinct feel for what is was like for a white child to participate in the Civil Rights Movement in the South. The other characters are shown how a child would understand them. Adults’ actions are often confusing to Glory and in her innocence she attempts to set them straight. Slowly, Glory begins to understand the implications of what’s going on around her. 

The story goes beyond the Civil Rights Movement and explores a young girl growing up. The relationship between Glory and her teenage sister, Jesslyn, is in flux and I enjoyed watching that relationship change. Their father is a reverend who is somewhat distant as he deals with professional duties. Emma is a stand-in mother to the girls but not there all day. Glory has learned to turn to her sister for support and friendship but now her sister is distancing herself from Glory, desiring more privacy and "grown-up" activities. 

Change is hard -- even good change. Glory Be was an enjoyable story about friendship and family during the Civil Rights Movement. Though I wished Emma’s voice had been louder this is ultimately a story about a white child’s experience and perspective and one well worth reading. This book counts towards the POC Reading Challenge!

Publisher: Scholastic Press, 2012     Pages: 202

Rating: 4 Stars     Source: Free Uncorrected Proof  (paperback)

Review: Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine

I am going to exercise my freedom of speech and declare I did not like this novel. Largely, this is due to personal taste which I will attempt to explain. I feel like this is a book people feel inclined to praise and disinclined to criticize because of it’s subject matter and seal of approval from the National Book Foundation. However, I am at a loss to understand why this book won the National Book Award (2010). I mean no disrespect to the author whose intentions with the book are clearly and admirably stated in the author's note. I just didn't like her book and this is, as always, my honest and subjective opinion.

While looking at the National Book Award’s description page it is incredibly vague as to guidelines for choosing finalists and winners: “They [the judges] may arrive at these choices using whatever criteria they deem appropriate, as long as they do not conflict with the official Award guidelines.” Those guidelines being that the book is by an American author and that the entrance fee was paid. Yet, the award is known for choosing “high” literature which brings into question the criteria for being literature. That may be another discussion but it’s unavoidable for me when thinking about Mockingbird. Does a book's well-timed and admirable theme determine if it's literature? I should hope it is only one factor among many equally important factors. 

For me, the dominant theme was Caitlyn’s Asberger’s Syndrome and it’s sub theme, school violence (a shooting). It was all too much. A school shooting which killed the sibling of young child with Asperger’s who is already motherless with a father lost in grief required too much willful suspension of disbelief for me. This is realistic fiction and I wanted more realism. I felt Erskine wanted to cover too many big and specific subjects and did the sub themes little justice. 

The prose, the first person narrative, was at times plain and at others too forceful. I never felt moved only informed. I want literature to move me. And not just (attempt) to move me to tears. The text felt self-conscious. I felt Erskine’s intense and anxious desire to be respectful and literary (so many motifs beating me over the head) was thrust at me. I felt manipulated as a reader and that made me resistant to the novel. I felt blatantly asked to feel something that the novel could not naturally draw out.

I appreciate what the novel attempts to do especially in regards to raising children’s awareness (and adults’) to the complexities of Asperger’s Syndrome. I feel if Erskine would have kept to this one subject and left the school shooting and motherlessness out of the picture (and saved for other books) this book would have worked better. There needed to be a better balance of theme, plot and prose. I hope the panel that chose this book as the award winner at least had a lengthy debate over it. It’s too bad the public isn't privy to that conversation. I truly feel that the choice of theme is what made this book win the medal. It's a popular medical topic and little addressed in children's literature. I am of the firm opinion, however, that choice of a popular serious subject matter or new subject matter should not carry so much weight when awarding prizes. 

Mockingbird is bold in its scope and gravity of its subjects. It has been well received and praised, loved by many, and I am happy for those who've had a great reading experience. I just did not. Tell me, have you ever found yourself resistant to a novel? A time when you knew a book wanted a certain response from you as a reader that you just couldn't muster?

Publisher: Philomel Books/Penguin, 2010.     Pages: 235

Rating: 2 Stars     Source: Public Library

In My Mailbox: Post Graduation Reading

It's certainly not the first time I've gotten books in the mail but it is my first time participating in IMM. I am getting closer to graduation and the anticipation cursed through my veins and prompted me to order books to read when I'm done. Here's what I got last week:

• Why Does E=mc2 (And Why Should We Care?) by Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw
• An explanation of Einstein's famous equation. I enjoyed all my hard science classes and think I'll enjoy this book on relativity, gravity, mass, etc. It purports to be in layman terms. We'll see about that.

•  Keeper by Mal Peet
• I was first introduced to Paul Faustino, sports reporter, in Exposure. He's an interesting character who's intrigued me despite my utter indifference to sports. 
• The Abhorsen Trilogy paperback box set with Sabriel, Lirael and Abhorsen by Garth Nix.
• I've read the first two and they were instant favorites. I know I'll be reading them again and again. I began listening to Abhorsen but got busy. I'm looking forward to finishing the series after school!

Review: Books: A Living History by Martyn Lyons

Attention Book Lovers! Are you interested in the creation of “the book?” Are you curious about its future at a time when ebooks are gaining popularity? In this fascinating and wonderfully illustrated tome, Martyn Lyons chronicles the development and status of the book.

More than a tribute to the codex (what we recognize as a book with two covers, a spine and paper in between), Lyons looks at how books have come into being -- the reasons people  bothered to write things down, how books were treated and the technological changes that made new formats possible. He covers ancient texts like cuneiform tablets and Chinese bamboo books to the rise of modern publishing houses, genres, the mass marketing of books and finally ebooks.

Lyons creates a flowing account of the book’s history that is easily digested. The photographs of artifacts, rare books, paintings and people that appear on nearly every page make a rich and visually appealing reading experience. If you would like to be a book aficionado as well as book lover then may I suggest Books: A Living History.

Publisher: Getty, 2011     Pages: 224
Rating: 5 Stars     Source: purchased copy

Review: Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai

Ha is ten when war comes to her home. She and her family leave Saigon on the last ship fleeing the city. Even after they land in the U.S. Ha, her  mother and brothers still feel adrift in a new and often hostile culture.

Inside Out and Back Again addresses war (in Vietnam), immigration, racism, bullying and family with simple verse. In each poem, Ha tells about her day, what went wrong and what went right. She talks about what it's like to learn a new language and what it's like to leave one's home not by choice but by necessity.

One feature that stood out for me was how simple cultural misunderstandings were dealt with by various characters. Some were willing to laugh and learn together while other characters let prejudice fuel cruel actions and prevent learning. Another interesting character interaction (or lack thereof) was between Ha and her teacher who seemed completely unequipped and uninterested in learning about Ha's situation and how best to help her feel comfortable and to learn.

Lai's book of free verse is told narratively, like a story, from Ha's perspective. So, don't let the poetry factor get in your way of reading this significant story which, Lai tells us at the end, is partially based off her personal experience. I tend to be critical of issue-oriented fiction and Inside and Back Again certainly is such a book; yet, I enjoyed it for it's rich description of setting and emotion and for the plain fact that it had a good story to tell. This book counts towards the POC Reading Challenge!



The above video is Lai reading her book. My favorite poem begins at 2:53!

Publisher: Scholastic, 2012     Pages: approximately 200
Rating: 4 Stars     Source: borrowed from my teacher =)

People of Color Reading Challenge 2012 Sign Up

This challenge was such fun and so interesting last year that I am participating again this year.

What it is: "Any book (by any author) with a main character that is a person of color qualifies for this reading challenge, as well as any book written by an author of color. The goal is to encourage readers [to] have a more diverse reading experience and to support diversity in the publishing industry by reading and reviewing books by or about persons of color."

Why I participate: Last year I was motivated to diversify my own reading. This year, I realize more how important it is to encourage our publishing industry to make books available about and written by people of color. As a would-be children's librarian, I've come to realize how few representations there are of people of color in children's books. We can encourage the publishing industry with our purchasing choices and by highlighting books by and about people of color on our blogs. I am signing up for level 5: 16-25 POC books.

POC Books I Plan/Hope to Read This Year: 
Reviews added as I read.

Children's and YA Titles: 

• Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai
• I Am Different: Can You Find Me? by  Manjula Padmanabhan
• The Firefly Letters by Margarita Engle
• Little Owl's Night by Divya Srinivasan
• Glory Be by Augusta Scattergood
• The Friendship Matchmaker by Randa Abdel-Fattah
• A Girl Named Disaster by Nancy Farmer
• Blue Jasmine by Kashmira Sheth
• Saraswati's Way by Monika Schroder
• The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing by M.T. Anderson

Adult Titles:

• Sula by Toni Morrison
• The Toughest Indian in the World by Sherman Alexie

Review: Just Juice by Karen Hesse

Juice is nine, the middle child in a family with five girls. Times are tough. Pa is out of work. Ma is pregnant. And Juice struggles to hide the fact that she can’t read. When Pa receives a letter announcing their home has been sold for back taxes Juice devises a plan to pay the taxes and keep their home.

This is a story about learning to read. Neither Pa nor Juice can read and it affects the entire family. Juice tries to hide her inability by keeping away from school and “pretend” reading to her younger siblings. Juice is a smart girl, resourceful, proactive and hardworking; yet, this one thing, her struggle with reading, dominates her life.

Little cues tell the reader that Juice is dyslexic which may need to be pointed out and discussed with young readers. When Juice’s sisters make flashcards with letters made of string Juice is able to touch the letters, to feel them, and a breakthrough is made.

This is a story about poverty. Pa and Juice work hard in their shop but sometimes there isn’t any work to be done. A social worker comes to the house to check on Ma and the baby and to bring food.

There is a lot going on in this story. Mini-spoiler alert: Juice even delivers a baby. Juice is lovable and her iron will to succeed kept my interest. But I could have done with more comic relief, fewer issues (for such a short book), and a more complicated ending than the one we’re given.

Published: Scholastic, 1998     Pages: 138
Rating: 3 Stars     Source: purchased copy

Review: The Mostly True Story of Jack by Kelly Barnhill

“When Jack is sent to Hazelwood, Iowa, to live with his strange aunt and uncle, he expects a summer of boredom. Little does he know that the people of Hazelwood have been waiting for him for a long time...” - from inside the jacket.

Jack is invisible. At least he feels that way. His parents sometimes act like they can’t remember he even exists and then they dump his at his aunt’s. What’s a twelve-year-old to do?

Jack does not believe in fairy tales. But strange happenings force him to reconsider who he is and what he’s capable of.

I loved Barnhill’s writing for two reasons. First, as a native Iowan I know she’s spent time here, listening to the corn grow and cicadas chirping at night, because it’s reflected in her writing. Iowa isn’t flashy -- there aren’t any mountains or big cities -- but it has a quiet beauty which Jack discovers as he investigates the mysteries written in The Secret History of Hazelwood, written by his uncle. Secondly, Barnhill captures the essence of otherness in her writing which makes for good fantasy. I love writing that creates a mysterious atmosphere by leaving room for the imagination.  It makes you go, whoa, what in the world?

There is resolution in the ending but not a “happy ending” in a traditional sense. I found it very satisfying and think children readers will, too. Jack must make a difficult choice and any decision will have its consequences for him and those he cares about. This book shows how the world is not black and white, that good and evil are more complicated concepts than we wish they were. It’s unusual to find a children’s book that is willing to show this. I felt Barnhill’s representation of the ideas of good and evil, sacrifice, bullying and true friendship were masterful. The characters were great though there may have been one too many. That’s my only “complaint.” I loved the bodyguard cats, Gog and Magog. Hysterical! I can’t wait to see what Barnhill writes next!

Publisher: Little Brown, 2011 Pages: 323

Rating: 4.5 Stars Source: Public Library

Musings of a Grad Student: Final Semester in Library and Information Science!

It is my last semester as a graduate student! I’ve been to each class once and they all look interesting. 

Here are descriptions of my classes:

• Search and Discovery: A required course, it covers online information sources like subscription databases. We’ll also cover info-seeking behavior, the reference interview and types of searching structures found online. 
• Interesting Assignment: Client Based Final Project in which I will identify a real-life client with an information need. I will produce an annotated bibliography of resources for this client.

• Topics in Book Studies: Creating Library Content: Digital or physical, library materials are diverse. How did they get to the library? How did they get written/coded/filmed, why, and who publishes these materials and why? How do different medias work together and influence the creation of other materials? 
• Interesting Assignment: Topic-Specific Contributions. Each week I will discuss how my chosen topic (an aspect of children’s lit that I haven’t nailed down yet) interacts with the publishing model under investigation that day.

• Children’s Literature II: Reading Gender in Children's and Young Adult Literature: Oh, my, I am excited for this class! Most of the books are geared towards children with a few that overlap into middle grade YA. I’ll be posting about my reads for this class so watch for those reviews! 
• Interesting Assignment: Bookstore/Library Visitation and Field Notes. I’ll be spying on a children’s library department while my colleagues check out a book store children’s department for an hour observing workers, shoppers, displays and the general layout.

It is fast approaching, the wave. The crest grows higher as the base swells. Soon I will lose sight of the sky. Will it swamp me this wave? Will I drown? Will I ride up and over the crest, breaking through the foam and soar into empty air? Am I ready to fall, splash and start rowing? Yes. Yes, I am. Four months to May!