A Kind of Spark

 

What I Liked:

I loved the tie in with autism and the witch trials.  My daughter, who is not autistic but has anxiety, has often said she would have been accused as a witch if she had lived back then.  This was a powerful punch in the book.  I also liked the talk about "masking" - anther thing that I think the world at large is still coming to terms with as far as people who are differently wired trying to "fit in" and to feel that they have to.

What I Didn't Like:

As an educator anytime a teacher is just that awful it makes me cringe.  Especially the scene after the fight.  The fact that the teacher was alone with Addie and was threatening her with suspension or expulsion without a principal around isn't realistic from my experiences in schools for over 20 years.  That doesn't mean it has never happened and I know the author is writing from her own experiences...  I hope that never happened to her and I pray that the world and the education system will continue to improve in understanding and valuing the ways we are different and the ways that all humanity is also the same.

Across the Desert

 

Jolene's mom hasn't been the same since the accident - in fact, Jolene knows she's addicted to painkillers but she doesn't know what to do about it.  The only friend she has is a girl who flies an ultralight and livestreams her adventures.  Funny thing is, Jolene is the only one who ever watches the livestream.  The two have become virtual friends.  That's why, when Addie's plane crashes during a livestream, Jolene is determined to get help.  When no one believes what happened especially since she doesn't even know Addie's real name, Jolene sets off by herself to find her.  Fortunately she stumbles across an unlikely companion named Marty who reluctantly ends up helping her.

Will they find Addie in time?  And will Jolene also be able to get the help she and her mom need?

This was a good solid story - adventurous but also raw and open about addiction.

View From Pagoda Hill

 

This book is based on the author's own family.  In the book, Ning is living in China with her mother and their servant.  She is half Chinese and her father, an American, has left.  Unfortunately, being half American means she isn't really accepted in China.  She does not have her feet bound as other girls do and is pretty much understood that no one will ever marry her.  So her mother sends for her father and asks that he take her to America.  Instead, he sends her to America to live with her parents.  At first she experiences a lot of prejudice - even from her step-grandmother but in time they all make adjustments.  The title comes from the pagoda that her grandfather has painted on the side of their barn and the name of their farm after that.

As a piece of historical fiction based on actual events this was eye opening.  It was not necessarily my favorite read but could fill an empty spot in historical fiction collections about the time period and Chinese American relationships.

The Last Super Chef

 

Although Curtis has never met his father he believes, based on some things his mom said, that it is Super Chef Lucas Taylor.  He believes he has inherited the chef genes and strives to become just like him.  So, when Chef Taylor announces the Last Super Chef contest which will feature kids, Curtis knows he needs to do it - for the money, for the chance to prove himself, and for the chance to meet his father.  But things aren't always as they seem and the pressure of competing and figuring out his relationship to Taylor take a toll on his ability to focus.  Does Curtis have what it takes to be the Last Super Chef?

As an adult reader I figured things out pretty quickly but I am not sure a middle grade reader and though this book weighs in at over 400 pages it held my interest and had a good pace to it.  For students interested in cooking, reality shows, or a solid middle grade book about understanding and misunderstanding this was a great read.

Partly Cloudy

 

Madalyn has had a pretty stressful year.  Her dad has been out of work and middle school was awful.  Now that her dad has a temporary job across the country and mom is trying to work extra hours they decide Madalyn should go live with her great uncle, Papa Lobo and go to school there.  Madalyn struggles to adjust and make friends.  There is one girl she likes but sometimes Natalie says things that come across as racist and Madalyn isn't sure the friendship is worth the effort.  When nearby forest fires force the 2 girls to help each other and their neighbors they have a chance to talk and find a way through their differences.

This was a solid, middle grade book.  I felt like the last 1/4 of the book was really good but not sure if most of my readers would hang on that long through what was otherwise a pretty standard book - not bad, just not extremely engaging.

Take Back the Block

 

Wes loves his community and his friends and everything seems great until a developer comes in offering to buy up the houses.  Their plan is to then redo the neighborhood and make condos.  Sounds great right?  Especially because the families will be getting a lot more for their houses than the market value.  But, of course they will have to move.  They wouldn't be able to live in the new condos - they couldn't afford them.  Wes doesn't want to leave and soon learns that this "process" is called gentrification.  Can Wes figure out a way to take back his block?

Overall this was a good book.  This wasn't a term I had really come across (unless it was when people misspelled genrification - which even my spell check is questing right now).  I felt that there were some gaps in the plot that weren't fully resolved - kind of nagging bits or things the author put in that didn't really get the closure they needed - especially in regards to Kari.  Overall though a good read.

Thanks a Lot, Universe

 

Brian has always been shy and a bit awkward.  He does okay with his basketball team when playing but doesn't really hang out with the guys.  But when his dad skips town because of some trouble and his mom reacts by overdosing Brian's anxiety and then anger come out full force.

Ezra has wanted to be Brian's friend for awhile - maybe even more.  But he is afraid of what his friends, especially Colby, will think.  He's not sure he can be honest with them and explore his feelings for Brian.

Can the two navigate through what the universe is throwing their way?

This story had a lot of layers - some trauma with what Brian was going through, friendship stuff, as well as middle grade identity.  I liked this quite a bit.