Shelf Awareness--A New Green Day

PB Review: A New Green Day

A New Green Day by Antoinette Portis (Neal Porter/Holiday House, 40p., ages 3-7, 9780823444885)

From dawn to dark in this ever-so-satisfying picture book from the creator of Hey, Water! and Now, readers are treated to a series of poetically posed riddles which offer an evocative exploration of the sights and sounds, touches and smells a girl experiences one summer day.

"Morning lays me on your pillow,/ an invitation, square and warm./ Come out and play!" These first lines beckon readers to turn the page to find out who or what is speaking: sunlight. And, just like that, a pattern is established. Next up is snail asking the girl to "read all about my/ nighttime travels." A leaf follows and implores her to "follow my roads/ and climb." Inchworm, tadpole and pebble make appearances before rain moves in, accompanied by lightning and "the rumble/ in the stomach of the storm" that is thunder. Shadow gives way to darkness, “a black coat/ slipped around/ Earth’s shoulders,” as cricket, that “engine/ of the summer dark," thrums in the “new green day” of tomorrow.

Portis's digitally finished illustrations use brush, ink, leaf prints and charcoal with hand-stamped lettering. She poses her riddles in square swatches of color, using an earth-toned palette that echoes the pale yellow of sunlight through a window, the green of an inchworm, the deep blue-gray of a stormy sky. In its reverence for each finely described detail, A New Green Day holds a magnifying glass to the wonders, big and small, that are waiting in nature for all to enjoy. --Lynn Becker, blogger and host of Book Talk, a monthly online discussion of children's books for SCBWI.

Discover: A series of riddles helps define the many small wonders of a summer day.

Shelf Awareness--Parachutes

YA Review: Parachutes

Parachutes by Kelly Yang (Katherine Tegen Books, 496p., ages 14-up, 9780062941084, May 26, 2020)

In this noteworthy, immensely enjoyable novel, Kelly Yang (Front Desk) tackles some of the systemic inequalities that foster racism, misogyny and sexual assault. She convincingly brings to light ways in which victims are often judged more harshly than their aggressors, but also provides a template for change.

As an 11th grader in Shanghai, Claire insists she will support herself rather than rely on a husband. "I have a brain, remember," she snaps at her mom, but her rich family insists that she find a worthy husband: "A Fortune 500 CEO perhaps. Or a second-generation scion." To ensure she gets into a good college, Claire's Chinese tutor provides answers to homework assignments and essay tests, which makes her feel "as though [she's] not capable of producing [her] own thoughts." When Claire writes her own paper, however, she scores such low grades that her concerned parents send her to finish high school in America. Just like that, she's a "parachute," a kid from China who goes to the U.S. without her parents.

Dani is a scholarship student at American Prep, the same school Claire now attends. Dani's a powerhouse on the debate team and a favorite of her coach, Mr. Connelly. Dani's entire college admissions strategy hinges on qualifying for an upcoming debate that all the top coaches, including one from dream school Yale, will be attending. Dani works hard outside of school, too--like her single mom, Dani's employed as a maid and the pair still barely make ends meet. Out of desperation, Dani's mom decides to rent out their spare bedroom to Claire, "a nice girl from China."

The two girls immediately clash: to Dani, Claire seems horribly spoiled, while Claire can't understand Dani's apparent hostility. As Claire navigates her new school, she begins dating Jay, a boy who fits her family's high standards, but she is taken aback by the 129 girls on his phone and the ways he describes other young women: "bubble butt," "button nose," "dimple cheeks." When Jay goes too far, Claire must decide whether to stay quiet as her parents would expect or to speak up. As Claire deals with this trauma, Mr. Connelly comes on to Dani. How she reacts could affect her entire future, and her idolization of him makes his betrayal all the more devastating.

Yang dives with aplomb into issues of opulence and poverty, power and impotence. While it is also a story of friendship amid culture clash, Yang clearly portrays how, though progress is being made, girls and women everywhere deserve more. Main characters Claire and Dani are strong and compelling enough to take on the powers that be, and the supporting cast is fully realized. Whether it's unwanted attention from trusted teachers or lovers going too far, Yang's characters realize they will need to shift the culture to respect women as the strong, intelligent, independent beings they are. --Lynn Becker, blogger and host of Book Talk, a monthly online discussion of children's books for SCBWI.

Shelf Talker: American high schooler Dani and Chinese "parachute" Claire face similar problems regarding men, aggression and authority.

April Recommendations

Novels:

In THE BRIDGE HOME, by Padma Venkatraman, when Viji’s abusive father directs his violence towards her sister, Viji packs a few meager belongings and the two girls run away to the big city in search of a better future. Life on the streets is hard, but they meet two boys who live on an old bridge. Together, the four children form a family, scrounging for food, and sharing meager resources. How they all fare in this rather desperate situation forms the basis of a moving story of perseverance, quiet heroism, and the expansive scope of family. This will be a main Book Talk book soon. (MG)

Graphic Novels:

THE PHANTOM TWIN, by Lisa Brown, is a mildly spooky, mildly creepy, thoroughly enjoyable ghost story about a pair of conjoined twins who are sold by their parents to a carnival sideshow. When Jane, the more dominant twin, insists on allowing a doctor to try to separate the girls, the surgery is botched. Jane dies, leaving Isabel alone—and not alone. The drawings are well done and the color is superb. (YA)

Picture Books:

In THE OLD TRUCK, by Jarrett Pumphrey and Jerome Pumphrey, an old farm truck works hard, rests and dreams, then finds new life with another generation of farmer. This upbeat, imaginative story by two brothers is illustrated entirely with 250-plus hand-crafted stamps.

MY BEST FRIEND, written by Julie Fogliano and illustrated by Jillian Tamaki, is a friendship story, start to finish. It’s one little girl singing the praises of another, written in Fogliano’s signature, kid-friendly rhythm and style that begs to be read aloud. The digital illustrations, all greens and various shades of red, are full of movement, joy, and fun perspectives.

GREEN ON GREEN, written by Dianne White, illustrated by Felicita Sala, is a poetic look at the changes that one year of seasons can bring, as experienced by a boy and his family. Colors figure prominently in the text, and the vibrant watercolor, gouache, and colored pencil illustrations take full advantage. Just like the Fogliano/Tamaki book above, you must read Green on Green aloud to fully experience its beauty.

THINGS THAT GO AWAY, by Beatrice Alemagna, is another creative look at change, but this time on a smaller scale, as moments transform with the turn of a velum page. Masterful use of color and appealingly quirky design in these oil paintings illustrates the “before" and “after” moments, ending with one thing that will never go away.

--Lynn

Shelf Awareness--Brown Girl Ghosted

YA Review: Brown Girl Ghosted

Brown Girl Ghosted by Mintie Das (Versify/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 304p., ages 14-up, 9780358128892)

Avenging Assamese warrior queens fight to save America's Heartland from an evil spirit in this humorous whodunnit that dismantles popularity, prejudice and the dubious perks of being a high school superhero.

As a brown girl in a mostly white town, 16-year-old Violet Choudhury feels the safest way for her to get through high school is to blend in. Unfortunately, Violet's heritage is at odds with her chosen method of survival. Her "great-great-multiplied-by-like-a-hundred-more-greats-grandmother" Ananya was the queen of the ancient kingdom of Assam, located in present-day India. Ananya used her supernatural powers to help the gods, who then honored her by making her and all of her future female lineage "Aiedeo": warriors tasked with protecting the world from demon kings.

Since there can be only one Aiedeo per generation, all of Violet's teachers have been immortal spirits. In middle school, she could hide the fact that her dead relatives were teaching her how to shape-shift, but, after an accident when she was 13, she began ignoring their existence. The Aiedeo are getting more persistent, though, demanding that she resume her training. When Naomi, "cheer captain and all-around head bitch," turns up dead after a sex tape surfaces, Violet is charged by the Aiedeo--and a vengeful Naomi fresh from the "Ghost World"--to find her killer.

Mintie Das does a terrific job blending the everyday concerns of her heroine with the awesome responsibilities her legacy demands. Violet's journey to claim her inheritance is a compelling one that is also plenty of fun. Snappy banter, plenty of action and a host of supernatural beings make Brown Girl Ghosted, the author's U.S. debut, a refreshing choice. --Lynn Becker, bloggerand host of Book Talk, a monthly online discussion of children's books for SCBWI.

Discover: All Violet wants is to fit in, but when head cheerleader Naomi dies, Violet's supernatural ancestors insist she find the killer--or die herself.

April's Book of the Month--New Kid

Hello! I sincerely hope everyone out there is doing okay during this crazy time.

April’s Book of the Month is NEW KID, this year’s Newbery-winning graphic novel by Jerry Craft.

Twelve-year-old Jordan Banks always feels like he’s "falling without a parachute.” He loves to draw, and badly wants to go to art school, but his mom is determined to send him to “one of the best schools in the entire state,” a private school that “looks like Harvard or something.” Unfortunately, there’s a decided lack of diversity at Riverdale Academy, and Jordan and the few other kids—and teachers--of color are subjected to plenty of frustrating moments. But Jordan hangs in there, and learns a lot about navigating the world outside his own neighborhood of Washington Heights.

In Jordan, Craft has created a terrific character, one who’s honest and determined to make the best of a situation that’s not of his choosing. The graphic novel format works perfectly with Jordan’s own love of cartooning, and drawings from his sketchbook are sprinkled throughout the story. NEW KID is a quick and insightful read, and goes a long way towards helping skeptics how understand comics and graphic novels are award-worthy literature, too.

If you haven’t read NEW KID yet, don’t miss it!

--Lynn