Two Nonfiction YA Book Reviews --- Both should be in your library

As I finish up my Cybils judging for nonfiction books I wanted to make sure you all were aware of these two books which should certainly be added to any library collection which services teens.

Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer, adapted by Monique Gray Smith, with illustrations by Nicole Neidhardt

Zest Books, Minneapolis. 2022. Target audience: Grades 8-12.

Back in 2015 a botanist, Robin Wall Kimmerer, published Braiding Sweetgrass, the parent of this young adult version. As a botanist Kimmerer was trained to observe nature through science. As a member of the Potawatomi Nation she knew that plants and animals are some of our oldest and best teachers. In her book she brings together these two types of knowledge to share the ancient wisdom in a way that it even makes sense with science. 

Drawing on her life as an indigenous scientist, and as a woman, Kimmerer shows how other living beings―asters and goldenrod, strawberries and squash, salamanders, algae, and sweetgrass―offer us gifts and lessons, even if we've forgotten how to hear their voices. In reflections that range from the creation of Turtle Island to the forces that threaten its flourishing today, she circles toward a central argument: that the awakening of ecological consciousness requires the acknowledgment and celebration of our reciprocal relationship with the rest of the living world. For only when we can hear the languages of other beings will we be capable of understanding the generosity of the earth, and learn to give our own gifts in return.  

Adapted for young adults by Monique Gray Smith, this new edition reinforces how wider ecological understanding stems from listening to the earth’s oldest the plants around us. With informative sidebars, reflection questions, and art from illustrator Nicole Neidhardt, Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults brings Indigenous wisdom, scientific knowledge, and the lessons of plant life to a new generation.(Publisher).

Braiding Sweetgrass has been a highly praised book worthy of being read to enhance understanding of our world so we can make changes to help stop the destruction of Mother Earth but also to help see problems and solutions through different lenses. In this edition for teens, Monique Gray Smith streamlines the language and yet stays true to the core concepts of the original but adds sidebars, definitions of words/concepts, and asks probing questions to ignite younger readers' minds. It encourages them to make changes to their action, beliefs, and values.  Illustrations by Nicole Neidhardt also make the text more inviting, allowing readers to linger over concepts as they examine the drawings.

I am so glad I had the opportunity to read this book and contemplate its place in the oeuvre of all literature on solutions to climate change. I love the idea that the earth herself can guide to find the answers that have baffled us for centuries.

My book club will be reading the original, adult version of this book next month and I look forward to seeing for myself how the two editions differ from each other. I'm guessing that his YA edition will win for me in a side by side comparisons. Make sure your public and high school library have a copy available for teens and students. 

My rating: 5 stars.

Muzoon: A Syrian Refugee Speaks Out by Muzoon Almellehan with Wendy Pearlman.  // Alfred A. Knopf, New York. 2023. Target Audience: Grades 6-10

When she was fourteen-years-old Muzoon and her family had to leave their Syrian home and escape to a refugee camp in Jordan. War had broken out in her homeland and it was no longer safe to live among the bombs, raids, and guns on both sides. Her father gave her just a few hours to pack her most important possessions before leaving. Muzoon packed all her textbooks. She didn't want to miss out on a moment of her education, realizing it was her ticket to a more positive future. 

Once she and her family settled into their new reality in the refugee camp, Muzoon started back to school. She discovered that many of the other girls in her classes would be there one day and not the next. When she asked around she discovered that many of these girls didn't understand the importance of education because all they saw in their future was marriage.  Muzoon made it a personal mission to seek out these girls and talk to them about staying in school, explaining how important it would be that everyone have a good education when they were finally able to go back to their country so that they'd never end up in this mess again. She did this so often, her efforts started to be noticed by relief organizations. Periodically Muzoon would be asked to speak on behalf of refugees for these organizations (Save the Children, UNICEF.) One day Malala came to her refugee camp and the two girls met each other. They had to speak through interpreters, but they recognized kindred spirits in each other. Sometimes Muzoon is even called The Syrian Malala. 

Because of her work as an goodwill ambassador for UNICEF, her family was able to secure proper papers to immigrate to Britain where she and her siblings were able to go on to college. She continues today as an advocate for refugees and for the importance of education.

 My rating: 4 stars.

-Anne

YA Nonfiction Reviews: SPARE PARTS and NEARER MY FREEDOM

Nearer My Freedom: The Interesting Life of Olaudah Equiano By Himself by Monica Ediger and Lesley Younge

Zest Books, Minneapolis. 2023.

Target Audience: Grades 9-12.

Olaudah Equiano was born in an Igbo village in what is now southern Nigeria in 1745, captured and enslaved as a child and shipped to the Caribbean where he was sold to a Royal Navy officer. He was sold twice more before he was able to buy his own freedom in 1766. In the 1789 he wrote an autobiography about his life and experiences, The Interesting Narrative of Olaudah Equiano. It was quite popular with the abolitionists in Britain and actually may have helped lead to the Slave Trade Act of 1807.

Using this narrative as a primary source text, authors Monica Edinger and Lesley Younge share Equiano's life story in "found verse," supplemented with annotations to give readers historical context. This poetic approach provides interesting analysis and synthesis, helping readers to better understand the original text. Follow Equiano from his life in Africa as a child to his enslavement at a young age, his travels across the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea, his liberation, and his life as a free man. (Publisher)

I've read several biographies-in-verse but never one written in found verse or poems before. According to the authors, a found poem is created using the words, phrases, and quotes from a source text that are then rearranged into verse. Here is an example of how it worked, the highlighted text is what is pulled out for the poem.

One day when none of the grown people were nigh
two men and a woman got over our walls,
seized my dear sister and me.
No time to cry out or make resistance.
They stopped our mouths,
and ran off with us into the woods.
They tied our hands and carried us
as far as they could, till night came.

It's pretty amazing what Ediger and Younge were able to do from the original text. They have created a book that is one that can open up Olaudah Equiano's story to a new generation of readers. I include myself in that statement. I'd never read his autobiography but now I know his story. Bravo!

Spare Parts (Young Reader's Edition): The True Story of Four Undocumented Teenagers, One Ugly Robot, and an Impossible Dream by Joshua Davis and Reyna Grande

Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, New York. 2023.

Target audience: Grades 8-12.

A riveting true story about dreams, dedication, and an amazing robot named Stinky, based on Joshua Davis' New York Times bestseller and now adapted for young readers by bestselling Mexican American author Reyna Grande.

In 2004, four undocumented Mexican teenagers arrived at the national underwater robotics championship at the University of California, Santa Barbara. No one had ever told Oscar, Cristian, Luis, or Lorenzo that they would amount to much―until two inspiring high school science teachers convinced the boys to enter the competition. Up against some of the best collegiate engineers in the country, this team of underdogs from Phoenix, Arizona, scraped together spare parts and a few small donations to astound not only the competition's judges but themselves, too.  (Publisher.) 

Spare Parts is both timely and empowering. It is an accessible introduction to STEM, immigration, and the reality of the American Dream. Four boys end up in the US because their parents left Mexico, believing a better life awaited them in America. But life didn't seem better to these boys as they found it difficult to fit in or even make plans for the future. They all stumbled into the robotics program as a place to make connection with others. What they found was camaraderie, hard work, high expectations, ingenuity, and creativity. When they decided to enter the NASA competition their goal was to not get last place. How could four high school boys with next-to-no resources, go up against older, more sophisticated college teams? 

Well, apparently when one is given very little except determination and ingenuity it is amazing what can be produced.

My only quibble with this book is the time lag. The boys won the competition in 2004. The adult book by Joshua Davis was published in 2014. A movie about the boys and their accomplishments was made in 2015. Why did it take twenty years to write a young readers version of the book, to tell the story to its proper audience?

 -Anne

Review: HOW IT HAPPENED!: SNEAKERS

How It Happened!: Sneakers: The Cool Stories and Facts Behind Every Pair by Stephanie Warren Drimmer, illustrated by Dan Sipple

Union Square Kids, New York. 2023.

Target Audience: Grades 4-6

Find out how sneakers took over the world in this fact-filled nonfiction book, part of a series about the stories behind cool objects! From going to school to shopping at the mall, sneakers are one of the most comfortable ways to get around. But how did these rubbery soles become everyone’s favorite shoe to stomp in? Readers will love learning about the story behind sneakers, from the world’s oldest shoe to the latest designer sneaker drop . . . and everything in between! (Publisher)

I loved this colorful, easy-to-read book all about sneakers. The book is divided into three sections: 1. How it all started; 2. How sneakers got off the ground; 3. How they took over the world. From the history of easy footwear to the creation of different brands, this book tells the whole tale of sneaker from start to current day. I felt like I was reading a history close to my own, since I've been around during the time frame many sneaker brands have come into existence. 

Starting in 1916 when the US Rubber Company launched Keds and sneakers came into existence. The origin of the word "sneakers" is not known for sure but Keds claimed that their rubber-soled shoes were so quiet one could sneak up on someone without making any noise. 

In 1936 Jesse Owens, the fast man on earth at the time, wore a pair of shoes during the Hitler Olympics made for him by the Dassler Brothers. After the Olympics, the shoes became very popular and the brothers formed a company. In 1948 a fight between the brothers caused them each formed their own company -- Adidas and Puma. Soon the companies were specializing their shoes for different sports.

In 1971, 30 miles from where I lived in Oregon, Bill Bowerman, the track coach at the University of Oregon realized the pattern of the waffle he was eating would make a perfect grippy sole for a running shoe. He ruined a few waffle-makers along the way but in 1974 the first-ever waffle trainer hit the shelves. And a small-town company Bowerman had formed with Phil Knight, Nike, was born. In 1976, as a freshman at the University of Oregon, I took a running class and purchased my very first Nike trainers for the class. I remember them well. They were red nylon with a white swish. They are also were very simple by today's standards but I did pass the class, so that is what counts.

In 1982 when Aerobic classes were all the rage, all the other shoe companies passed on making a shoe specific for this very "female" activity. All the companies except, Reebok, which was a British company trying to compete with the US and German companies. Jane Fonda wore the Reebok Freestyle shoes on her exercise videos and a new superstar (shoe) was born. Another company, Vans, started marketing their shoes to skateboarders. Converse, which had been around since 1917, renamed their basketball shoes, Chuck Taylor All-Stars, and "Chucks" have never really gone out of style. The sneaker industry was booming.

In 1984 Nike used all of its advertising money on a young basketball player named Michael Jordan. He was to be the new face of the company and they designed a shoe just for him. Jordan ever got a percentage of the sales for every pair sold. These padded high-tops were called Air Jordans. The Air Jordan III sneakers were the first to use the Jumpman logo in bright read on the sneaker's tongue.

In 1986 Run-DMC was bringing a fresh sound to the music scene. The members always wore Adidas tracksuits and sneakers. They even sang a song called "My Adidas." This earned the group a sneakers endorsement, the first non-athletic group to get one.

Fast forward to today. There are people who call themselves sneakerheads who collect and trade sneakers. Often you will find them standing in line at stores to be the first to get the new designs. Sneakerheads can be found around the world. In some places like south Africa sneakers have even been used to make political statements.

"Shoes are boring. Wear Sneakers." -2021 Converse Ad Campaign

This is a fun book. I enjoyed it very much. I'm even smiling as I type this review. Check it out!

-Anne

MG/YA Nonfiction review: PLAGUE-BUSTERS

Plague-Busters: Medicine's Battles with History's Deadliest Diseases 

by Lindsey Fitzharris and Adrian Teal

Bloomsbury Children's Books, New York. 2023. 

150 pages, illustrated.

Middle Grade Nonfiction Cybils Award finalist

Years ago I was a secondary health education specialist. These types of books about deadly plagues were right up my wheelhouse. Now that I've lived through another deadly plague, I appreciate this type of book even more. Honestly, I thought that  COVID would make the top five of deadly disease but these other gruesome disease had it beat: Black Death (Bubonic Plague); Smallpox; Rabies; Tuberculosis (TB); Cholera; and Scurvy. I would have thought that the flu, AIDS, and malaria would have made the list, at least. But I guess the authors had to stop somewhere. COVID was the most deadly communicable disease last year (and for the past several years) followed by TB, AIDS, and malaria. There I had something to add! The authors commented that they were writing this book as the COVID pandemic het, which was a surreal experience.

Smallpox! Rabies! Black Death! Throughout history humankind has been plagued by . . . well, by plagues. The symptoms of these diseases were gruesome-but the remedies were even worse.

Get to know the ickiest illnesses that have infected humans and affected civilizations through the ages. Each chapter explores the story of a disease, including the scary symptoms, kooky cures, and brilliant breakthroughs that it spawned. Medical historian and bestselling author Lindsey Fitzharris lays out the facts with her trademark wit, and Adrian Teal adds humor with cartoons and caricatures drawn in pitch black and blood red. Diseases covered in this book include bubonic plague, smallpox, rabies, tuberculosis, cholera, and scurvy.

Thanks to centuries of sickness and a host of history's most determined plague-busters, this riveting book features everything you've ever wanted to know about the world's deadliest diseases. (Publisher)

The aspect that I appreciate more today than I would have had it been published before the COVID pandemic, is how doctors and other people believed the kookiest treatments. We've all heard of blood-letting, and freezing TB patients nearly to death. But what about the urine treatment promoted for scurvy, or wearing red clothes to cure smallpox. Even when some doctor would discover the organism that caused the disease other doctors would mock him. "'Invisible creatures, killing our patients? Hogwash! Poppycock! BALDERDASH!' they cried (or something like -- we're guessing to be honest" (80). This reminded me of what happened during the COVID pandemic. Doctors and patients promoting unproven treatments like hydroxychloroquine or ivermectin while eschewing vaccinations which had a proven history. Just yesterday I saw in the news that 17,000 people died needlessly from COVID because they tried hydroxychloroquine and when it didn't work, it was too late for them to get the vaccine.

I was grateful for the humor and the funny illustrations in the book and would definitely recommend this for all secondary school libraries and all public libraries which service teenagers.

-Anne

Children's Nonfiction Book Reviews -- with help from a six-year-old

I asked my grandson, Ian, to help me review the following children's nonfiction books...

Meet the Bears: An Around the World Adventure by Kate Peridot and Becca Hall

Webeck Children's Publishing, London. 2023.

With the use of darling illustrations readers learn that there are eight different types of bears and they live all over the world. For each bear type we learn about their habitat and range, favorite foods, if they hibernate or not, and unique characteristics. Neither Ian nor I knew that grizzly bears are part of a broader group known as brown bears, and this group is the largest of all bear groups. Black bears are the most common bears near where we live, an also the naughtiest, often getting into trouble because they will get into human food, if the food isn't secured properly. Pandas, at least the black and white kind, are bears. I thought I'd learned that they aren't really bears, but they are. Red Pandas, however, are not bears, even though they have a similar name. Neither are koalas. Bears only hibernate if their range is cold in the winter, so many bears do not hibernate. Another new fact to both of us.

We both liked everything about this book, especially the map of the world with color-coded bears on it, showing up each of the bear's ranges.

Piece by Piece: Ernestine's Gift for President Roosevelt by Lupe Ruiz-Flores, illustrated by Anna Lopez Real

Millbrook Press, Minneapolis. 2023.

Back in 1929 the Great Depression destroyed the American economy. Ernestine Guerrero and her family were able to survive because of breadlines where families queued up to receive hot food or receive a box full of groceries. Ernestine was so grateful to the government for this live-sustaining food she wanted to give the President a gift. Without money to buy a gift, she decided to make something. From the grocery boxes she cut our shapes with the wood to create an elaborate clock case, called The Chimes of Normandy. It took Ernestine two years to make the clock case, since she had to teach herself the wood-working skills as she progressed. When it was finished in 1937 she mailed it off to the President with a handwritten note to let him know that the New Deal was working. The Chimes of Normandy clock case traveled one more time, to the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library and Museum in Hyde Park. Every year millions of people can still admire Ernestine's handiwork and handwritten note of thanks.

Ian was less impressed by this book. The illustrations are good but there is a lot of text and he wasn't as interested in it compared to a book about bears.

What's Inside a Caterpillar Cocoon? And Other Questions About Mothers and Butterflies by Rachel Ignotofsky

Crown Books for Young Readers, New York. 2023.

Oh boy. Here is a book right up Ian's alley. Author and artist Rachel Ignotofsky, author of Women in Science hit the ball out of the park with this one. Ian and could have looked at the illustrations and talked about everything we were learning about butterflies and moths for hours. The art is so engaging.

Several times in my life I have visited butterfly farms and learned "all about" the stages the insect goes through to become the winged beauty we all love.

Other times I have witnessed the differences between butterflies and moths, most notably how they fold their wings when resting.

So with all this prior knowledge and experience one would think there wasn't much I could learn from a children's book on the topic. You'd be wrong if you guessed that. I learned so much from this book. So did Ian.

When I asked him which of the three books he liked the best he pointed to What's Inside Caterpillar Cocoon? When I asked him why, he told me he learned so much from it. He made a point of telling me that he likes bears better than butterflies and moths, but he learned more from this book.

Below is a page to give you an idea what I am talking about when it comes to the illustrations and information:

I highly recommend you look for this book at your public library. If they don't own a copy of it, ask them to buy one! Then get it into the hands of all those budding scientists you know like Ian.

 

 -Anne

Middle Grade Nonfiction Review: STARS OF THE NIGHT

Title: Stars of the Night: The Courageous Children of the Czech Kindertransport by Caren Stelson, illustrated by Selino Alko

Book Beginning:

Friday56 (near the end of the unpaged book):

Summary: On December 1, 1938 the first Operation Kindertransport took place, transporting 196 Jewish children from Berlin to Harwich, England. The next day Nicholas Winton gets involved, helping create a British Committee for Refugees from Czechoslovakia. Over the next year he scrambles to make spaces for as many Jewish Czech children as he can aboard a transport to Britain. In total he helps save 669 children. When WWII started the transports ended and Winton does not stay in touch with any of the children, in fact, he serves in the Royal Air Force. Fifty years later, in 1988, his wife finds a scrapbook in their attic. Inside is a list of the children's names, photos, letters from parents, and other documents -- everything Winton had about the Czech Kindertransports. Later that year he is invited to meet with his "children." They've been wondering who saved them all those years before.

Review: The phrase "stars of the Night" were words spoken by their mothers before the children left home: "There will be times when you feel lonely and homesick. Let the stars of the night and the sun of the day be the messenger of our thoughts and love."

Nicholas Winton's Kindertransport story is not only a story of history but also one that inspire us to action today. May his courage and forethought inspire all of us to make a difference in children's lives. To save one life can help save the world.

I was really touched by this account of the kindertransport and the brave man who saved so many lives but I was flummoxed by the way the publishers chose to present the information in a children's-style book with lots of illustrations. The topic is one for middle or high school students, but the format is appealing to young children. There seems to be a mismatch here.

I did love the book, though, and it is worth the time to search for it at your library.

-Anne

Three Nonfiction Children's Book Reviews, including the Cybils Award Winner

Jumper: A Day in the Life of a Backyard Jumping Spider by Jessica Lanan

Roaring Brook Press, New York. 2023

Imagine the life of a jumper spider in your own backyard. Imagine it from the spider's point of view, too. That is what Jumper is all about. Imagine sensing sounds and sight through vibrations. Picture what this small spider must have to do to avoid predators (birds and larger insects) and what she has to do to become a predator herself. The illustrations are so dynamic, one really feels the movements the spider makes to live in our gardens.

The framing story, told mainly in the ink, watercolor, and gouache illustrations, centers on a visit to a community garden by a child with braids and tan skin. What makes this particularly appealing is that the child’s pictured actions­—climbing, jumping, listening, looking, and finding food—mirror the spider’s. Most spectacular is the magnified close-up of the spider catching her prey, a fly (Kirkus Reviews)

Four pages of back matter provide more factual information about spider's anatomy and their life cycle. the book also provides a glossary, helpful hints for identifying spiders, author's notes, and further reading suggestions.

This book is perfect for the very young children in our lives who are interested in their world and how everything works.  And it was the 2023 winner of children's nonfiction for the Cybils Award.

Glitter Everywhere!: Where It Came From, Where It's Found, and Where Its' Going by Chris Barton, illustrated by Chaaya Prabhat

Charlesbridge, Waterton, MA. 2023.

This gem of a nonfiction children's book starts with this fun opening: "Glitter is lots of things. Tiny. Clingy. Colorful. Loved. Not loved. And believe me, we're going to talk about all of that. But glitter is something else, too."

(I love it when books start with a hook. A hook that makes me want to turn the page. What else is glitter, I wonder.)

This cute children's book not only gives the history of glitter. (Who even thought about the history of glitter? Not me.) It also defines terms, like iridescence, which is what makes glitter so mesmerizing. In the early 1900 flecks of mica were used on Christmas cards, making them sparkle I suppose like holiday candles. At the time glitter was called flitter. The book even tells us where the terms glitter and flitter originated. During WWII, the war effort needed mica, so no more flitter for a while. Someone is German thought ground up glass was a good alternative, but, um, one had to way too careful around it. Egads! Then Henry F. Ruschmann decided scraps of plastic sparkled in the light. He renamed these as slivers. He used it for cards and for jewelry. Later another rival company named their product Glitterex. So I guess we've all just shortened its original name to glitter.

The last half of the books talks about the ubiquitous nature of glitter and how it has contributed to the microplastic problems we have in our oceans. Should there be no more glitter? Because of this thought, new inventions have played around and discovered biodegradable glitters made from plants and even bugs (though that sounds like the possibility of creating new problems.

The book ends with this quote: "Our human ingenuity is as remarkable -- and persistent! -- as any glitter we can imagine."

For the record, I am a glitter-hater. Please don't send me a Christmas card with glitter on it! 😉

Ice Cream Man: How Augustus Jackson Made a Sweet Treat Better by Glenda Armand and Kim Freeman, illustrated by Keith Mallot

Crown Books for Young Readers, New York. 2023

Augustus Jackson was an African American businessman who is known as the father of ice cream. Jackson was born in 1808 to free Black parents in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania  but they were poor. Even as a child Jackson was interested in cooking and food preparation. His mother told him if he worked hard maybe someday he could make food for the President of the United States. At age twelve he took that dream and became a kitchen helper at the White House. By the age of seventeen, he was elevated to cook, so he did make food for the president. While working in the White House he learned to make a cold custard-like dessert known as ice cream. It was a time-consuming process. All the rich and famous people who visited the White House loved this dessert. Jackson had a new dream -- he would ake ice cream for everyone. 

Back in Philadelphia Jackson opened an ice parlor. It was a very popular place. Other people tried opening their own ice cream parlors but no one could make the ice cream as frosty, smooth and sweet as he could, so Jackson got the idea to sell his ice cream to these other shops. But the process for making this cold dessert was so slow and tedious. How could he speed up the process? One day in 1832 he tried an experiment. He added rock salt to the ice. As he twisted the canister back and forth he noticed that the ice cream was made in about half the time. Now he was able to make ice cream and keep it cold longer. He was even able to send his concoction to New York City by train and it didn't melt.

Jackson accomplished his two goals and I would add, he also made a bunch of people smile along the way.

As a side note, not covered in this children's book, I looked up Augustus Jackson on the internet, curious to learn more about the father of ice cream. He died at age 43 in 1852. His daughter attempted to carry on in his footsteps but since Jackson did not patent his process, other ice cream makers took over his techniques and well, you know that it was a success for everyone.

Ice Cream Man shines a light on a little-known visionary and this inspiring picture-book biography includes an afterword, a list of sources, and an easy-to-follow recipe so readers can make their own delicious ice cream!

-Anne

YA/MG Nonfiction Review: THE MONA LISA VANISHES

Title: The Mona Lisa Vanishes: A Legendary Painter, a Shocking Heist, and the Birth of a Global Celebrity by Nicholas Day, illustrated by Brett Helquist

Opening quote from the first section: "A Star is Born: in which the Mona Lisa is painted, is stolen, and becomes an absolute legend."

Imagine a Palazzo -- a magnificent Renaissance building. It's Florence, 1503. There are a lot of palazzos around. Pick a good one. Now imagine a man: handsome, charming, gentle. Make him a painter. Imagine a woman: intriguing, unknown, beautiful. Make her a model. Do you see them? Neither of them should be there.

Friday56 quote: 

There is an eerie coincidence at work here. At the same time Leonardo receives this commission, a baby girl is born a short walk away. She is baptized Lisa Gherardini. She will become the Mona Lisa. She will change Leonardo's life. 

Summary: 

On a hot August day in Paris over 100 years ago, a desperate guard burst into the office of the director of the Louvre and shouted, "La Joconde, c'est partie!" "THE MONA LISA. SHE'S GONE!" Was it a spectacular joke or true? This is the wild improbable story of how the Mona Lisa was stolen and became the most famous painting in the world. (Book jacket)

In the pages of this YA/MG nonfiction book readers learn about the life and career of Leonardo Da Vinci, the birth and life of Lisa Gherardini, the model for the Mona Lisa, and the heist of the famous painting in the early 1900s which brought the painting and its artist to greater fame than had it remained safely in the Louvre in Paris the whole time.

Review:

Back in 1979 I visited the Louvre on a hot day in June. My friend and I had to stand in line to enter the famed museum in the heart of Paris. We had no internet in those days and so knew only what the guidebooks told us to do: enter, walk this way and that way in order to see the Mona Lisa. Well, we did it. We saw the Mona Lisa and I remember feeling underwhelmed. The painting was much smaller than I expected and, since the crowds were pressing in on all sides, we couldn't linger over the painting to appreciate all the fine details created by the famed artist and inventor, Leonardo Da Vinci.

Little did I know about the painting's history either. I had no idea that the painting had been stolen from the Louvre on August 21, 1911, and was not recovered for another five years. I had no idea that the investigators thought it was the work of a criminal mastermind and so they overlooked the common man who actually stole the painting. In fact, I had no idea why the famed painting was in France in the first place, since the artist was Italian.

Well, I learned all these details by reading this marvelous YA/MG book, The Mona Lisa Vanishes, by Nicholas Day. The book is "written at the pace of a thriller, and shot through with stories of crime and celebrity, genius, and beauty." It is a propulsive, twisting work of narrative nonfiction.

I learned about the book when it was nominated as a Cybils nonfiction finalist in the middle grades category. When I attempted to get a copy from my library system, I was thrilled to see that it had thirteen copies on file but all of them were checked out and I had to wait a month for my turn at the physical copy. What? Waiting for a MG nonfiction book? Isn't that unheard of? What does that say about it -- The Mona Lisa is so famous she is even an attractive subject to young readers! Amazing.

The book is illustrated, but not in a children's book sort of way, just one that makes the text even more inviting to young teen/preteen readers:

Sample illustration from the book The Mona Lisa Vanishes illustrated by Brett Helquist

I drank this book down in big gulps and enjoyed every moment of my reading experience. The author uses humor as a way to invite his readers to join him on this romp through history. 

This book won the Cybils Middle Grade Nonfiction Award, announced on Feb. 14th! Whether this book wins the 2023 Cybils for MG Nonfiction or not, read it! And leave it lying around the house so your kids will want to read it, too!

-Anne

Review of Cybils Nonfiction Award Winner: IMPOSSIBLE ESCAPE

Impossible Escape: The True Story of Survival and Heroism in Nazi Europe by Steve Sheinkin. (Roaring Book Pressing, New York. Aug. 29, 2023)

These are the stories of Rudi Vrba and Gerta Sidonová, two teens caught in the anti-Jewish web cast by the Nazis in WWII. Rudi is in Auschwitz concentration camp and he knows he must escape or he will die in the camp. He is also sure that the world must not know about the horrors and killings at the camps or they would do something to free the prisoners. He must escape and tell the Jewish people to sound the alarm. 

Gerta, a schoolmate of Rudi's, escapes Slovenia to Hungary as the war on Jews heats up. Even though it comes at great risk, Gerta is not satisfied to just hide and stay out of sight. She has to do what she can to fight against the Nazis. She does so by helping others get false papers so they can escape or remain free.

Both teenagers bravely act, not thinking so much of their own lives but of the lives they can save. After Rudi and another teenager, Alfred Wetzler, manage a daring escape from Auschwitz in 1944, aided by regular citizens. Rudi and Alfred become the world's biggest whistleblowers. Their actions probably saved 100,000 Jewish lives. 

As soon as I noticed Steve Sheinkin had written another nonfiction book for teens I knew I had to read it. He is a reliably great writer for this population and I've found every one of his books to be readable and informative. It is hard to believe that yet another true story of heroism emerges from the ashes of WWII, but here we are. Rudi and Greta's stories are so worth reading.

What I liked about the book:

• I enjoy reading narrative nonfiction and Sheinkin gives us enough back story on each of the teens to cause the readers to cheer for their success.
• There are plenty of source notes and an index to make this book a good tool for student research.

My rating: 5 stars.

I initially reviewed this nonfiction book in November of 2023. 

Today, Feb. 14th, it was announced as the 2023 YA Nonfiction Cybils Award Winner! 

Since I was part of the team which selected this title as the winner, I decided to repost the review.

-Anne

2023 Cybils Book Award Winners Announced

Link to announcement and blurbs of all the winners: Cybils

And the winners are:

Over the next two weeks my reviews of the seventeen nonfiction books I read as a Round 2 Judge will be released, one or two a day. Watch for them. All of the books were award-winning worthy!

Check out the blurbs of all the winners!

-Anne

Cybils Award Finalists: Poetry Collections and Novels in Verse

After reading frantically since Oct. 15th  as a 1st round judge for this category and personally reading 58 of the 60 nominated books, I am so proud of our list of finalists. All the books are excellent. Read this lists of the other finalists in other categories at Cybils here.

-Anne

Children's Poetry Book Reviews Where I and a 5-Year-Old Disagree On Which Is the Best

Poetry books: You are the Loveliest; Imagine!; Tiger, Tiger, Burning Bright!; Marshmallow Clouds; not pictured: Zoobilations.

 

Once I again I am reviewing more poetry books with the help of my 5-year-old grandson. I thought I had it all figured out which book(s) he would like the best and which one(s) he wouldn't.  I was wrong again, or at least in words, though not in actions. Ian, my little grandson loves books and loves to snuggle up for a good read, but he is also five so it shouldn't come as a surprise that he also gets quickly bored, ready to move on to other activities. 

Before Ian joined me to read portions of each of these books I felt sure that he would love Tiger, Tiger, Burning Bright and Zoobilations best because he loves animals and both of these books focus on animals exclusively. I especially love Tiger, Tiger because it is such a large collection, one animal poem for every day of the year, many by very famous poets. To my mind both Imagine! and You Are the Loveliest have problems, possibly with their translations. Imagine! deals with some rather dark themes, like depression in adults, and people drowning due to bad immigration policies. I didn't even want to read these poems to Ian. The book is translated from Italian. You are the Loveliest contains some pretty sweet poems, but I had issues with the rhyming schemes and meter. This book is translated from Dutch.

So what did Ian think?

He loved Imagine! because each poem proposes a new way of living or thinking and ends with a shout: IMAGINE! What five-year-old doesn't relish the idea of being allowed to participate what is being read by shouting? He insisted I read the parts of the book I was hoping to avoid. I explained that those poems made me sad. After I read them, he agreed they were sad, but didn't dwell on the subject or demand I explain them. Whew.

Ian was enraptured by You are the Loveliest. So what if all the rhymes aren't quite right or the meter a little off. The illustrations by Marit Tornqvist are so sweet and the poems on themes that concern kids, like spending the night at grandma's house, dreaming, and imaginative play. I confess his reaction caused me to take a second, more positive look at the book.

Tiger, Tiger, Burning Bright was the third book we picked up, and five-year-old-ants-in-pants were starting to set in. The book is big and heavy, a bit daunting. He was delighted with poems like "Anaconda" but other, longer poems didn't seem to interest him. Soon he just slammed the book shut, announcing he was done. When I explained that I had a few favorites to read him, he demurred and allowed me to flip to those poems. Then I asked if we could just leaf through the book and he could tell me to stop anywhere and I'd read out the poem(s) on that page. He agreed but he never allowed me to skip over any pages. He actually wanted me to read every poem, on every page we came to. We were somewhere in the month of March when we both decided we could judge the book fairly without reading on.

Zoobilations (unpictured) didn't get a fair examination by Ian. We read only a few poems when he decided he was done for real this time. I found the poems quite charming and funny but the book I thought he'd like the best, he gave only a cursory glance at before he turned back to Tiger, Tiger. (Ha, he did like that book!) He picked up Tiger, Tiger and carried it out of the room, wanting to show "Anaconda" to his dad. Later I noticed that he and his parents were looking through the book finding poems attached to birthdays and special events. Clearly, Tiger, Tiger Burning Bright has big-time potential, though Ian still insists that he likes Imagine! and Loveliest in a tie for the best.

Marshmallow Clouds was a reread for me and Ian hasn't had a chance to read and review it, yet. Another one of the Cybils judges exclaimed that she was quite taken with the book and asked my opinion. I hadn't reviewed it when I read it back in October and I had only the vaguest of memories of it. Therefore a reread was in order. This time around, I found this collection of free verse poems quite charming and often humorous. I am pretty eager to learn what Ian thinks of it. PBS placed it on their rather long "Best Books of 2022" list, one of only a few children's books. That alone makes it worthy of a look.

So how would I rank these five children's poetry books? Tiger, Tiger is my favorite, followed by Marshmallow Clouds, You are the Loveliest, Zoobilations, and Imagine! coming in last. Honestly I liked them all for different reasons and encourage you to look for them next time you are at a library.

-Anne

Review: THE HOPE OF ELEPHANTS

As you know, if you are a reader of this blog, I am currently acting as a judge for the Cybils Book Award, the Poetry division. When I agreed to take on the role I thought I'd be mostly judging children's poetry books. Little did I know that the bulk of my reading would be novels-in-verse/memoirs-in-verse. A goodly number of these novels haven't really distinguished themselves and are sort of all jumbled together in my mind. For these novels-in-verse to rise above the fray they not only have to have a storyline/plot that is interesting/unique/compelling/believable/ fascinating, etc. but the poetry needs to be too! Novels written in verse that don't have well constructed, almost musical poetry make me wonder why the author didn't just write the story in prose.

But that is not the case with The Hope of Elephants by Amanda Rawson Hill. Not only is the story line unique and compelling, the poetry is just beautiful. Take for instance this poem where the main character, Cass, and her father are having a conversation while they toss a baseball back and forth:

 

Can't you just imagine the ball going back and forth between Cass and her father? They are together digesting bad news in a way that makes sense to them. What is this bad news? The father has just been diagnosed with cancer...again. The doctors have just determined that the father has Li-Fraumeni Syndrome, a genetic condition which causes a predisposition to develop cancer, because of a lack of the the p53 gene. As the story progresses Cass discovers that the syndrome has a 50% genetic inheritance rate, meaning she has a 50/50 chance she has it also. As Cass is processing this new information and adjusting to their family life of extreme care not to transmit any random disease, like a cold, to her father, she learns of a study being done at the zoo in Salt Lake City on elephants. "Scientists link elephants' high resistance to cancer to their 20 copies of the p53 gene – the 'guardian of the genome' – compared with the single p53 gene found in other mammals." So far there is no cure coming toward humans from elephants, but who knows in the future?

Interestingly for me, my daughter is a genetic counselor and was able to explain many of the details of the Li-Fraumeni Syndrome to me and why it would probably be preferable for Cass to be tested early. One so she can participate in medical protocols on an accelerated schedule --blood tests, mammograms, colonoscopies, etc. -- for early detection. Two, so that the patient can make informed decisions about having/not having children. If Cass were to wait to fine out if she, too, has the syndrome, she might have a child who also has the syndrome and the patterns repeats. This is all stuff I learned from my daughter, which made the reading of the story more interesting to me. What a quandary for people in Cass's postion. 

Lest you think this book sounds like a total drag, it really is a sweet coming-of-age story which includes aspects of family love, baseball, faith, and navigating friendships. Cass does a lot of growing during this story, too, which is always rewarding for readers. 

There is one more reason I have such found spot in my heart for this book. My library didn't have a copy of it, so I checked the library catalog in Springfield, where we'd be visiting during Thanksgiving break. They had the book and I was able to check it out on my sister's card. I had to do some power reading every evening of our time in Oregon but I finished it in record time. Fortunately, it's target audience is middle grade readers. As I handed it back to my sister to return it for me, I recommended that she read it first!

-Anne

Review and quotes: ABUELA, DON'T FORGET ME

Title: Abuela, Don't Forget Me by Rex Ogle

Book Beginnings quote:

Friday56 quote:

Summary:

In his award-winning memoir Free Lunch, Rex Ogle’s abuela features as a source of love and support. In this companion-in-verse, Rex captures and celebrates the powerful presence a woman he could always count on—to give him warm hugs and ear kisses, to teach him precious words in Spanish, to bring him to the library where he could take out as many books as he wanted, and to offer safety when darkness closed in. Throughout a coming of age marked by violence and dysfunction, Abuela’s red-brick house in Abilene, Texas, offered Rex the possibility of home, and Abuela herself the possibility for a better life. Abuela, Don’t Forget Me is a lyrical portrait of the transformative and towering woman who believed in Rex even when he didn’t yet know how to believe in himself. (Publisher)

Review: Last year I was a Round 2 Cybils Award judge for high school nonfiction books. The winner from the batch of six excellent nonfiction books we read was Rex Ogle's second memoir, Punching Bag, a sequel to Free Lunch. Now that I am a first round Cybils Award judge for poetry books I am delighted to find a third book by the same author and continuation of Ogle's memoir series about his formative years and how, to a large degree, his grandmother saved his life, Abuela, Don't Forget Me.

As a first round judge this year I have read 30 novels-in-verse/memoirs-in-verse in a very short time. Most of these books haven't distinguished themselves very much, blurring into a collective blob of "I know I read that book but I can't recall many details from it." But that is not the case with Abulea, Don't Forget Me. Right from the first poem, "Hamper", I knew this book had that something special which would make it very memorable in my mind.

Rex Ogle's mother was the black sheep of her family and mentally ill. His father left the family and was only marginally a part of Rex's life. Since Rex is telling the story from the point-of-view as a child there is never any discussion in the book about what was wrong with his mother we just learn that she is both physically and emotionally abusive to her children, especially to Rex, and they usually live in a state of abject poverty. When Rex is allowed to visit his grandmother he finds total love and acceptance. She teaches him to speak some Spanish, a language his mother has abandoned and forbids him to use at home. Abuela continually says to Rex “Te amare por siempre” (I love you forever) to him. Everything else in his life is so conditional, it is such a relief to fall into the arms of one who loves him unconditionally.

This memoir-in-verse is so heartbreaking for the dastardly way Rex's mother treats him, but also so life-affirming for the salvation that he receives through his grandmother. We learn in the prologue that Ogle's abuela is now suffering from dementia. Rex wants to make sure that his abuela doesn't forget him and how much he loves her.

The three-part series (Free Lunch, Punching Bag, and Abuela, Don't Forget Me) is a must for any library collection that services teens. Abuela, Don't Forget Me could easily be read as a stand-alone as well. The operative word is "read." Read this one, for sure. (I listened to the audiobook. It was excellent also!)

Book Beginnings on Friday is hosted by Rose City Reader. Share the opening quote from current book.
The Friday56 is hosted at Freda's Voice.  Find a quote from page 56 to share. 
Visit these two websites to participate. Click on links to read quotes from books other people are reading. It is a great way to make blog friends and to get suggestions for new reading material.  

 

-Anne

Reviews: Novels-in-verse with a LGBTQIA+ theme

 

A Million Quiet Revolutions by Robin Gow

Farrar, Straus, and Giroux. 2022

Print and audio. 336 pages. Target audience: YA.

For as long as they can remember, Aaron and Oliver have only ever had each other. In a small town with few queer teenagers, let alone young trans men, they've shared milestones like coming out as trans, buying the right binders--and falling for each other.

But just as their relationship has started to blossom, Aaron moves away. Feeling adrift, separated from the one person who understands them, they seek solace in digging deep into the annals of America's past. When they discover the story of two Revolutionary War soldiers who they believe to have been trans man in love, they're inspired to pay tribute to these soldiers by adopting their names--Aaron and Oliver. As they learn, they delve further into unwritten queer stories, and they discover the transformative power of reclaiming one's place in history (Publisher).

Review: Now more than ever before I believe we need books about all types of people in our school and public libraries. If I can't relate to a book doesn't mean that book doesn't have a important message for someone else. That is the way I feel about this book about two trans individuals who are trying to make their way in the world without much support from their families and none from their communities. How dare I consider this less worthy than a book about a cis-gender young love affair? As I read a few reviews by other readers on Goodreads, I was really struck by two notions. 1. We need books that speak to everyone. The more, the better. 2. Who has been written out of history? Aaron and Oliver find solace in the story of two women who dressed as men and fought in the Revolutionary War. After the war, they lived together, telling others they were brothers. Perhaps if all peoples histories were included in our history books we would all be more accepting of people who are different than us.

My one criticism of the book has more to do with format than subject. Though this novel-in-verse employed a clever technique to establish who was speaking based on the justification of the print on the page, the speaker would often tell the other's side of the conversation by using the term "you". "You" said this or "you" did that. It got confusing. Otherwise I do recommend this book to those individuals who are questioning their sexual identity or want to understand more fully how difficult it is for an individual to express their uniqueness when it comes to genders.

Rating: 4 stars.

 

Nothing Burns As Bright As You by Ashley Woodfolk

Versify. 2022

Print and audio. 288 pages. YA+

Nothing Burns as Bright as You is an impassioned story about queer love, grief, and the complexity of female friendship that will keep your heart racing, and breaking, until the very last page.

Two girls. One wild and reckless day. Years of tumultuous history unspooling like a thin, fraying string in the hours after they set a fire.They were best friends. Until they became more. Their affections grew. Until the blurry lines became dangerous.

Over the course of a single day, the depth of their past, the confusion of their present, and the unpredictability of their future is revealed. And the girls will learn that hearts, like flames, aren’t so easily tamed. It starts with a fire. How will it end? (Publisher)

Review: In terms of poetry Nothing Burns Brighter Than You is a real stand out among novels-in-verse. In terms of plot and story, I had a very hard time with this book. First the two girls who have fallen in love are NOT in a healthy relationship with each other. One is pushy and dominant and asks of the other to do things and behave in a way that is counter to the way she is brought up and against her own conscience. Yet, because of the sick relationship that the girls have formed, she goes along with the plans which often involve fire. 

When I was in college I was in an unhealthy relationship with a boy who demanded that I, too, go against my own conscience and the way I was brought up. We had a very passionate but also sick relationship. When I read these girls story I was drug back in my memory to that time and to those feelings which have haunted me for years. Ashley Woodfolk, the author, said in her afterward that she wanted to write a book about queer relationship as she groped around to try to understand some of her past relationships, many of which were much more controlling than loving. This book, therefore, stands as an example of what a bad relationship looks like. I am just not sure it is a good example to follow.

Rating: 3.5 stars

-Anne