Heaven

Heaven by Angela Johnson

Heaven won the Coretta Scott King author award in 1999. Prior to writing this blog, I had read Angela Johnson’s The First Part Last because it won the Coretta Scott King author award in 2004. As I was reading Heaven this week, I discovered characters from the other novel – Bobby Morris and his little daughter Feather. Having the quirky personality that I do, I panicked! I really dislike reading books in a series out of order. But, I win! because The First Part Last is a prequel to Heaven. Actually, they are more like companion novels. They each survive alone.

I might as well… The First Part Last is the story of sixteen-year-old Bobby, an aspiring artist, son of equally talented parents, who plans to graduate high school early and train for a career. The day of his birthday, he comes home to find his girlfriend, Nia, sitting on his front steps and she has news for him. She is pregnant. They had mostly decided to give their child up for adoption. Bobby waivers on wanting to keep the baby, but Nia holds out. Then tragedy strikes and Bobby is left to make the decision on his own.

The First Part Last alternates voices between Bobby’s then – when he was supporting Nia during her pregnancy – and Bobby’s now – he is raising a daughter by himself with only minimal support from those around him. Bobby is a devoted and doting young father who plans to do what is right by his daughter even when he longs to run home to his own mother and beg her to do the job for him. A lovely little novel about a boy forced to grow up and grow up fast. Usually the books about teenage pregnancy and teenage single-parenting are about girls, the obstacles they face and the sacrifices they make. I remember thinking that this was refreshing change. You can find this novel in Young Adult.

Heaven is connected to The First Part Last through Bobby and Feather. The main character of Heaven is fourteen-year-old Marley and she babysits Feather when Bobby works. Marley becomes good friends with Bobby and benefits from watching the love he has for his little daughter. Marley knows there is a story there, but she is not one to ask questions. Bobby is instrumental in showing Marley that there are different types of families, unusual families, but that families can love and support one another despite their differences and even the differences within them.

Marley is content to live in the town of Heaven. She has her loving parents and her younger skateboard-loving brother, Butchy. She has a best friend, Shoogy, who belongs to an unusually perfect family – but Shoogy herself is anything but perfect. And she has an Uncle Jack whom she writes to, but has never met. Marley and Uncle Jack are both dreamers, and it turns out that that isn’t their only connection.

Marley’s world shatters the day she finds out that Uncle Jack is her real father and that the people she has only known as her parents are actually her aunt and uncle. And Butchy is really her cousin. She no longer knows who she is and where she came from. She no longer trusts her so-called parents. And she isn’t exactly sure she can accept Uncle Jack as her father.

Marley is no longer on speaking terms with her parents. But they give her room to come to terms with her new knowledge. She is still receiving letters from Uncle Jack who expects nothing in return. And there is a special box that she is given that contains some answers to her past including love letters between the mom she never knew and the father she never met. As she watches Shoogy and her family, and Bobby and Feather, Marley begins to see the beauty and the possibilities of unconditional love. This novel can be found in Children's.

Shooting Kabul

Shooting Kabul by N. H. Senzai

And here it is. The final 2013 Rebecca Caudill Nominee. I have crossed the finish line once again. I am so excited to pick some of my own books for a change!

I will start at the end. The title never did make sense to me. Not until I’d finished the book and was still trying to make some sense of it did it occur to me. When I see “shooting” Kabul, my mind automatically turns to weapons and shooting to harm. That is war. So I will clarify here, not implying that you are as dense as me, but just to set the record straight for those who might consider reading this novel. This is the kind of “shooting” you do with a camera. Our young protagonist likes to take pictures. The pictures he takes in the present of the novel are of San Francisco. The pictures he took in Kabul are in the past. So little action actually occurs in Kabul. I find the title misleading.

Second, if it were not for the last chapter of the book, I would have been angry as a hornet. In reading some of the reviews, summaries and descriptions of the book, I found, again, I was misled. I was left with the impression that our protagonist was going to return to Kabul on his own to rescue his sister who was left behind. This never happens. So you can keep waiting for it, but nope, it won’t happen.

Which leads me to more agony. Our protagonist, Fadi, his older sister, Noor, and his younger sister, Mariam, live with their parents in Afghanistan. It is before 9/11 and the Taliban has taken over the government. It is no longer safe for people who oppose the Taliban to live there. Fadi’s family has made arrangements to return to America. Yes, return. Fadi and his sisters were born in Wisconsin while Fadi’s father was earning his Doctorate in Agriculture. Against their better judgment, the family returned to Kabul, hoping to bring a better future to the people of Afghanistan.

At the beginning of this story, the family is packing and preparing to leave the country. Fadi’s father has made arrangements to be smuggled across the border into Pakistan. In Peshawar, they will meet up with relatives who work with refugees and begin a longer journey towards the U.S. They go to America not only to escape the Taliban, but also to seek medical treatment for Fadi’s mother. She cannot receive the proper medication in Kabul.

The night they are to be smuggled, they are not alone. Many people are trying to escape and there is limited room. When the transport vehicle arrives, the many people rush to board it. Fadi’s father gets there first and loads their baggage. Then he assists Fadi’s mother and Noor to get into the vehicle. Fadi is in charge of 6-year-old Mariam. And they almost make it. At the last moment, someone screams that the Taliban are coming. Mariam drops her precious, and illegal, Barbie doll. The vehicle’s driver guns the engine as Fadi boards and Mariam’s hand is wrenched from his grip. There is no way they can go back without getting arrested or worse.

As a mother, I had a very very very hard time digesting this. I cannot imagine leaving my baby behind for any reason. I would have stayed to protect and face the consequences together.

Having said that, the rest of the book covers Fadi dealing with his guilt over losing Mariam and trying to find a way to get her back. Of course, Fadi is not the only person dealing with the guilt. All members of the family blame themselves.

And then 9/11 happens and the whole ball game is changed. Fadi must deal with the bullies at his American school who call him a terrorist or turban head. Luckily, there are many Middle Eastern boys to stick together against the bullies and there are friendships and brotherhoods to be made.

I appreciate the book most for the education I received about the Afghan and Muslim side of things. At the same time, I felt like I was being educated. I was being fed specific information to ensure that I would be sympathetic. Readers don’t like that.

Done! Cheers!

Love, Aubrey

Love, Aubrey by Suzanne LaFleur (audio book)

Love, Aubrey was a difficult novel for me to read. The main character is Aubrey, an eleven-year-old girl. Not so very unusual as far as the Caudills go. The majority of the characters are eleven and close to half will be girls. I happen to have an eleven-year-old daughter, but until this novel, that really hadn’t affected my reading of children’s literature. Aubrey has a mom and a dad, also very much like our own family, and Aubrey is Daddy’s girl. That perhaps is also true for us. Hmmm. Aubrey has a younger sister, Savannah, who is four years younger. I also have a younger daughter who is four years younger than big sister. Still, I wasn’t affected, but the story hadn’t warmed up yet.

Most of the tragedy has already occurred before the novel starts. At the beginning, we have Aubrey, living alone in her home. She is surviving on cheese and crackers, but realizes that the pantry is now empty. She will have to use her birthday money from her grandmother to purchase groceries – SpaghettiOs. Aubrey seems a little disoriented and confused, depressed, but there is one thing she is absolutely clear in the head about. She must lay low and not draw attention to herself. She doesn’t answer the doorbell. She doesn’t answer the phone. No one should know that she is alone or she will be taken away. She must survive until her mother returns. Surely her mother will return.

When her grandmother arrives, the truth is finally revealed, little by little. Aubrey has lost her father and sister in a tragic auto accident that Aubrey and her mother survived. Grams was there for them during the weeks after the accident and the funeral, but returned home so Aubrey and her mother could start the healing process. Unfortunately, they were both left alone too soon. Every day, Aubrey’s mother sunk deeper and deeper into depression. Gradually, she stopped seeing her own daughter and interacting with her until one day, she just got up and left without telling Aubrey.

Here was the hard part for me… Aubrey’s mother is affectionately called “Lissie” by Grandmother. Lissy is my nickname. All of a sudden, it was my family. My youngest was gone. My husband was gone. And my big girl is abandoned.

Aubrey loves her mother, understands her mother, wants to protect her mother and still feels so much anger towards her mother that she finds she cannot talk about it. But she wants to wait for her mother’s return. She does not want to leave Virginia and go to Vermont to live with her grandmother. She wants to stay at the scene of her most recent happiness. She does not want to live in a place filled with memories of family. Aubrey has no choice. She goes to live with Grams.

Grams experiences her own hurt as she struggles to find her own daughter and bring her home. In the meantime, she has to provide a certain order and organization for Aubrey. She enrolls her in school, gives her lists of chores, and encourages her to make friends with the girl next door. Her mistake is becoming the parent and losing the carefree grandparent relationship with Aubrey. With the help of a counselor at school, Aubrey shows Grams the way it used to be.

The same counselor helps Aubrey by giving her mini hurdles to cross. Aubrey expresses herself through letters written to Jillian, Savannah’s imaginary friend. Eventually, she learns to write those letters to the people she really wants to talk to.

A tragic and heart wrenching story, especially for me. Very well written and Aubrey has an authentic voice. I was delighted with the ending. It shows that it is all right to takes things one step at a time. Recommended for tweenage girls.

Black Radishes

Black Radishes by Susan Meyer

Black Radishes offers a unique story about World War II and the Holocaust. A number of unique circumstances, when added together, provide protection for the Jewish Becker family – why even the name, Becker, and its lack of Jewishness offers safety. Our young hero, Gustave Becker, and his mother are French-born Jews – foreign born Jews were delivered to the Germans first. Gustave’s father was born in Switzerland and maintains his citizenship there enabling him to cross borders with very little trouble. Gustave’s father would have been drafted and sent to war like Gustave’s uncle except that he has a disability, a limp, the result of polio. Having the family together allowed to them to act quickly without anxiety over loss of communications with loved ones. The Beckers have relatives living in the United States who will provide an affidavit guaranteeing their financial support of the Becker family upon their arrival. Along with foresight and courage, these circumstances help the Becker family to escape the horror most Jews would face in Europe during the Nazi’s reign.

Gustave is perhaps less affected by the threat of Nazi occupation than he is by the changes his family is required to make to escape them. Gustave is a city boy through and through. He is accustomed to Paris and all of the amenities that great City provides. Gustave excels in academics and is well on his way to earning honors before his family is forced to flee to the countryside. Leaving the city means more than forfeiting his schooling, the Boy Scouts, and many friends. Gustave must leave behind his close cousin Jean-Paul and their best friend Marcel – together they make the Three Musketeers. The rural town of Saint-Georges cannot provide or replace Gustave’s loss.

Saint-George on the Cher River is beautiful and pastoral, but it is also an old, old village with well-established Catholic families. The Beckers will be noticeably absent from Mass. They will have to worship quietly, behind closed doors and curtains and alone. Even in their attempts to draw very little attention to themselves, they will still stand out in their differences and lack of participation the in the community’s established norms. It isn’t long until Gustave is tricked into revealing his identity by a curious and vindictive bully.

The town has its bullies, but it also has its French Revolutionaries. The town occupies an important location. The River Cher represents the boundary between Occupied France and Unoccupied France. The bridges that span the river are checkpoints between the two and are closely guarded by German soldiers. But brave men like Gustave’s father find ways to cross over back and forth either in secret or broad daylight. Gustave makes a new friend, Nicole, who runs her own “Underground Railroad” of sorts helping Jews escape from occupied France. Gustave helps both his father and his friend as necessary and discovers first-hand the importance of wearing a poker face as well as how much the German’s love their black radishes with beer.

Every year, World War II and or the Holocaust are represented on the Rebecca Caudill Nominee list. I think last year was an exception. Two years ago, we had The Boy Who Dared and Yellow Star. Both were very poignant and thought-provoking. I don’t consider Black Radishes to be quite in the same league, but it is also a very different story, one that I haven’t heard or considered before. And there are many children who gravitate to these stories in particular and I wouldn’t want them to miss this one! Definitely recommended for 4^th through 6^th graders.

Smile

Smile by Raina Telgemeier

I have no affection for graphic novels. I know this might seem strange since I am an artist myself and thoroughly enjoy picture books, but I think I fancy words more. A part of me is simply disoriented by all of the distractions on the page. Left to right and back again no longer exists. The page is jumpy and disorganized in my mind. And black and white sketches… ugh… I am the Crayola Color girl after all.

I have read a few graphic novels. I never choose them. They appear on a list and I force myself to read them. See? I’m not horrible. You all know that I entirely ignore the poor non-fiction nominees and award winners. I read Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty by G. Neri. Hmmmm, okay, perhaps I have read one – one graphic novel. That happened to be a true story, just like this one!

Smile. A graphic novel written and illustrated by the same woman who has brought back The Babysitter’s Club in graphic novel form – Raina Telgemeier. This is her true life story from the day in sixth grade that she tripped, fell and lost two of her permanent teeth to the pavement to the day her smile was finally made whole again in high school. And yes, you will think it is a bad scenario, but wait, it gets worse!

Smile is brilliant. Telgemeier not only shares her most humiliating moments, but captures the uncertainty and embarrassment experienced by (what I imagine is) every tween/teenage girl. She at least hit the nail on the head as far as my tween/teenage life went. Friends who are not really friends. Embarrassment over certain body parts. Crushes on boys. Being different from the mainstream. Subtle bullying. Yep, yep, yep, yep and yep. Painful.

The only thing more painful than Raina’s middle school life is Raina’s dental woes. It turns out that only one of her front teeth was knocked out and luckily they were able to find it. But the other one was shoved up into her gums – OUCH. And must be pulled back down – double OUCH! Did you know there was such a thing as a dental cast? I didn’t. Raina would be more than happy just to go back to needing to have regular old braces. And she is not out of sixth grade yet! Remember… her smile isn’t restored until high school!

When I first learned what this novel was about, I thought this would be an excellent book for my almost twelve-year-old. She has heard for most of her life that she would need braces. There was one exception - aberration. One check-up where her dentist said that it would only be a cosmetic difference and boy did my girl pick up on that. She does not want braces. No way. No how. I thought perhaps that this book might encourage her that it wasn’t such a big deal. I am no longer of that opinion.

Granted, the book covers a period of time twenty years ago. Orthodontics has probably experienced many positive changes and advancements. Still, the multiple procedures that Raina undergoes are definitely cringe-worthy. I believe if my daughter were to read the book she would certainly be of the opinion that she absolutely, positively does not need braces.

My own daughter aside, I really, really enjoyed this graphic novel. I think the kids will naturally gravitate to it without any of my assistance. The majority of readers will be girls, but a bet a few boys will read it when no one is looking. It might be particularly useful for kids going through their own dental trauma. I know I’ve added, “please, do not let my children knock their teeth out,” to my prayers.

The Year Money Grew on Trees

The Year Money Grew on Trees by Aaron Hawkins

I have finally found the good old American story on the 2013 Rebecca Caudill list! It will probably be considered contemporary realistic fiction by the adults, but will likely be called historical fiction by the kids. I call it nostalgic – the setting is the early 1980s! Hurray! My era. There is nothing fantastical about it. The kids earn the fruits of their labor manure and all. Your heartstrings won’t be tugged, but you might feel some anxiety vicariously through the characters.

I like apples. The Honeycrisp variety is my favorite. They taste like autumn. They are huge and typically costly. They make me feel guilty. But I cannot say no. My mom usually buys a variety. I never know what she will place before me to slice to share. We’ve had Gala, Granny Smith, Pink Lady, Fuji – it is always a surprise. I have had a few apple trees on my property at various times in my life. They’ve always been more of a hassle – squirrels have pelted me with their cores. And I have never known how to properly take care of them to produce an honest to goodness crop. Now I will never look at apples the same way again!

If you haven’t guessed yet, the money on them trees is apples! 300 trees. 150 Roman Beauty and 150 Golden Delicious. But trees alone will not produce dollar signs. It takes a hard-working, year in the life of a thirteen-year-old boy, his two younger sisters and their three cousins who live next door. When I say hard-work, I mean every weekday after school from the time they get home until dark and every Saturday from sunup until sundown. Forget summer vacation. Just as they get one job done, a new one appears, but the hardest part is the waiting – the waiting for ripe apples to pick. And don’t think they get paid until those apples are sold either. Talk about patience!

Our thirteen-year-old boy is Jackson Jones and he really didn’t one an apple orchard. He didn’t really want to spend his entire summer working either, but his dad laid down the law. Jackson’s dad was already working as hard as a grown man by the time he was fourteen and there is no way a son of his is going to grow up to be a lazy freeloader. Jackson has a choice. He can take his father’s advice and work in the scrapyard with the school bully – not! - or he can accept his next door neighbor, Mrs. Nelson’s offer.

Mrs. Nelson is a lonely widow. Her husband used to work the apple orchard as sort of a hobby. Mrs. Nelson’s son wants nothing to do with the orchard. The land is worth more than the neglected trees upon it. Mrs. Nelson is waxing nostalgic and wishes to see her husband’s dream restored. She is looking for the “true heir” of the orchard and she gives Jackson first dibs. Unfortunately, Mrs. Nelson doesn’t understand any better than Jackson the work required restoring the orchard and then producing a crop as well. Now Jackson has a contract and he is not entirely certain that it is possible to hold up his end of the deal.

And here is the part that I can identify most with. Jackson needs laborers and he has them, ready-made, in the form of siblings and cousins. But he has to bribe them into helping without telling them the entire story. How can he continue to encourage them to put their hearts, souls and blisters into the work? And what is going to happen when or if there isn’t a pay off? Anyone who has close cousins will appreciate these relationships. I was the older girl cousin who would do anything to support or encourage my one year younger boy cousin who happened to have the best ideas if only we could pull them off!

Recommending to everyone! Boss, 80s children, boys, girls, tweens!

Trash

Trash by Andy Mulligan (audio book)

My 6^th-grade daughter was in her room in bed reading a book for a school assignment before she fell asleep. She came downstairs, practically in tears because what she was reading made her feel “jumpy.” I suggested she read further and get past the difficult part. She told me she had read the book before and it would not get better anytime soon. In case you are curious, it was Star in the Storm by Joan Hiatt Harlow. A girl hides her Newfoundland when the law makes it illegal to own non-sheepherding dogs in… Newfoundland. Proof that everyone has a different tolerance level.

During the same week, I began reading this book – Trash. At one point, I was reading in my car right before work and I could not get to a good stopping place. You see, the main character, a fourteen-year-old boy named Rafael, was being held by a single ankle outside of an upper story window by the police trying to get a confession out of him. I just wanted to get to a place where Rafael was safe long enough for me to work. I simply couldn’t have him fearing for his life for hours.

But what I realized was how very good we have it here in America. Ashamedly so. By daughter was crying because a book was scary to her. She couldn’t sleep. And there was that monster in the back of my brain (thank you Miss Malone) who wanted her to read Trash so that she would quit whining about being unable to sleep. She has a home and a family and more junk/stuff/treasures than her room has room for. She gets three meals a day and snacks and even dessert on occasion. She has the privilege to attend school. It is not necessary for her to work. She has a life of leisure as do I.

Trash is set in an unnamed third world country in a city based upon Manila in the Phillipines. Rafael works the great trash pile. It even has its own name, Behala. He spends his days hunting for trash to turn around and sell. The trash boys primarily look for plastic, but they can appreciate some old clothing or leftover food for themselves. But, the trash that they sift through is predominantly shupp – human excrement. Only the wealthy can afford toilets. The rest of the population put their waste in bags and send it to the dump. Children start working the dump as early as five.

One day, Rafael finds a bag with money in it and a key and a map. It is a great deal of money, but the key and map mean nothing to him, until the police show up at the dump in droves looking for a bag. They are willing to pay large sums of money to find it. They are willing to pay large sums of money to people to search for it. They are willing to have the garbage trucks backed-up for miles to keep it from being further buried. However, Rafael and his friend Gardo do not trust the police detectives or their promises of money – and rightly so.

Rafael’s auntie mentions Rafael finding something and though he vehemently denies any such thing, it is too late. The police will watch him, arrest him and force him to talk – truth or lies. And still kill him. Rafael knows this to be true. That is what happens to those who are only worthy to work in the trash. No one will notice his disappearance. No one will miss him.

Amazingly, Rafael, Gardo, and a boy known as Rat, with the naïve assistance of a priest and a nun, will find the lock that the key fits; find the code that will unlock the map; and uncover the secret treasure recently stolen from the criminal vice-president of the country. Not only will they find the millions of dollars originally hoarded away from the benefit of the country and its poor people, but they will not keep it for themselves, but return it to the people, the country, to whom it belongs.

This book leans heavily toward young adult despite its brevity. The first cover picture is the one my book displayed. The second is a new cover for reissue I believe. I find the first picture to be truer to the content. The second cover is misleading in its whimsical feel. These boys smoke and drink; lie and steal. It is their life and a pretty picture, it does not make. They struggle to survive. They run to survive. They do whatever it takes – to survive.

Out of My Mind

Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper (audio book)

I am struggling to write a review of this Caudill nominee. It is a very good, well-written novel, but I cannot say that I enjoyed reading it, despite the fact that I had trouble putting it down. The book was rather depressing and yet I feel that it will become one of those necessary reads. This story puts you in the wheels of an eleven-year-old girl named Melody who was born with spastic bilateral quadriplegia, better known as cerebral palsy. She cannot walk, she cannot talk and she cannot write. It is Melody’s mind that is exceptional.

Can you imagine remembering every conversation you have ever heard since around the time you were two years old? How about remembering every television show that you ever had a chance to watch? And don’t forget all of the videos and DVDs you have watched including all of the nonfiction stuff you were forced to watch. And suppose you had a parent or caregiver that purposely worked on your vocabulary words with you and you can remember them all – how they are spelled as well as their meaning. You have a photographic memory! Can you envision the places you could go?

Yes, but let’s burst your bubble. You have a brilliant mind, but very few people are able to get past your appearance. It’s hard to ignore that you cannot feed yourself and the food that you are able to consume is pretty much baby food consistency. You have very little control of your limbs. Remember that word? They are spastic! Truthfully, you can really only manage your thumbs. You’re thankful you have two in somewhat working order. I am going to mention the fact that you are thrilled that you don’t have to wear a diaper; however, you still have to be taken, carried, to the bathroom… and wiped. This all makes the incontrollable drool and shrieks sound like a normal everyday sneezes. All appearances lead most people to think that you are a… I’m sorry to put it so bluntly, but… a retard.

Of course, your loving parents, despite the burden of taking care of you almost like a baby, know that you are bright. Perhaps your before and after school caregiver has an even greater inkling of your potential, after all, she has always had your back and has pushed you to do more than most doctors thought was possible. Still, it is hard never being able to express yourself in such a way that those who care can understand. If only they could realize the importance of you having the opportunity to show the world who you are on the inside. You could blow them away!

Luckily for Melody, the world takes a promising turn her 5th grade year. Not only is she allowed to begin attending regular classes at her school through a new inclusion program, but her newly provided “mobility assistant” helps her to find an exciting computer that just might put conversation at her fingertips. Thumbtips, rather. Regardless, no more ABCs for Melody. She’s ready to take on History! Her new history teacher, Mr. Dimming, is in charge of the Whiz Kids quiz team at her school. He gives a quiz to his history class to warm them up for tryouts. Melody is the only child to get a perfect score.

Of course, no one believes it. Unfortunately for Melody, when you join the regular students in class, you are likely to be on the receiving end of more stares, more whispers, and still not be able to join in or keep up. There are the bullies, who talk the talk knowing full well that Melody cannot easily defend herself. And they use her when it benefits them personally. Even the nice girl, Rose, who tries to be her friend, has trouble being a true friend. Maybe their friendship is just for appearances?

The book ends with two devastating experiences. It really was agonizing to read. I would almost say it goes too far and yet, I still find it believable (and no one died.)

A useful tool for both young and old to illustrate – don’t underestimate anyone.

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger (audio book)

I picked this book up twice to consider reading it. The first time was the day we officially checked it into our collection. Why? Yoda, of course. I figured it must be somewhat Star Wars related and I am a huge, (understatement,) Star Wars fan. But I had my list of must reads, and on inspection, I decided this was only loosely connected to Star Wars. I promptly forgot about it. The second time I picked it up was when we officially checked Darth Paper Strikes Back, the sequel, into our collection. I revisited the original. I read the first the chapter and, utterly uncharacteristically, read the last chapter. Gasp! Once again I decided that I could live without having actually read it. Now it is a “must read” having been nominated to the 2013 Rebecca Caudill list. Always trust your instincts. Numerous individuals, both adults and kids, have come out of the woodwork to back this choice enthusiastically.

If it is not about Star Wars, what is it about? Middle school. 6^th grade boys and 6^th grade girls. Junior High dances. Who likes who? Who is the bigger social misfit? How to save face when you make a mistake. And many of the other social life questions that 6^th graders begin to concern themselves with rather than the academic questions and answers that they are supposed to be studying.

And where does Yoda fit in? Well, Dwight, the biggest loser as sentenced by the 6^th grade class, has created an origami finger puppet, impressively, from his very own design, that looks like Yoda. Dwight has asked that his fellow students direct their questions to Origami Yoda. And Yoda answers them with Dwight’s version, decidedly the worst imitation, of Yoda-ese. Answer he will. Listen you will. Believe you shall.

The “strange case” that the novel sets out to prove is whether or not Origami Yoda is real, magical, psychic. Is Dwight truly speaking for Origami Yoda? Is Dwight so wise? Does Dwight have ESP? Or is Origami Yoda completely responsible for the positive results that many of the believers have been satisfied with. Is it all coincidence? Tommy, our compiler and primary narrator, believes wholeheartedly. He trusts enough to rest his public triumph or humiliation in Origami Yoda’s hands. But Tommy is a smart cookie. Not only does he allow his sometimes best friend, Harvey, who thinks “Paperwad” Yoda is a paper waste, to add his own negative commentary; but he also asks for his fellow classmates, both guys and gals, to write their own experiences with Origami Yoda to add to the case file.

This short, quick-read novel culminates with the greatest showdown a galaxy not so far away has ever experienced. Original Origami Yoda as poorly voiced by Dwight meets new and improved Origami Yoda voiced by the impressive-sounding Harvey who has downloaded his origami instructions from the internet. Tommy asks his close-to-the-heart question of both of the Yodas and receives completely opposite answers – the one he wants to believe from Dwight and the one he dreads to be true from Harvey. And the only way to prove which Origami Yoda is better is to test which answer is true. Yes, ask a girl to dance!

Reluctant readers, boys and girls alike, should enjoy this story. And a love of Star Wars is not required. Probably not recommended to the younger set of voracious readers who could certainly devour it in a heartbeat, but would be totally grossed out by all the boy-girl pairings! Ew. Gross!

Anything But Typical

Anything But Typical by Nora Raleigh Baskin (audio book)

Let me tell you a little about myself. I don’t like to talk on the telephone. Stereotypically, that is unusual for a female, but I am finding out more and more that I am not the only one. Granted, most of the people that understand me are men who also do not like to talk on the phone. I think it is perhaps that I am not comfortable with “idle chit chat”. Quotes because that is my opinion. I like to get to the meat – to the facts. Jump straight to my purpose.

I am also slightly uncomfortable with carrying on a conversation, partially because you are unable to edit what has already been said. You cannot take it back to correct it. I don’t always get what I am trying to say out in an understandable way the first time. I dislike repeating myself. I’ve discovered in the last week that I have a tendency to jump over polite introductions and salutations and gratuities right to my all important question or answer. Later I feel bad for striking out someone else’s words.

Emailing, texting, and writing have really opened up a door for me. It is where I talk. I don’t have to send until I feel that I have gotten it properly written. And I don’t have to send at all. Sometimes, just jotting it down, gets it out of my system. And then, when I receive email, I have a chance to digest or savor the words. I am not expected to immediately respond. I can think first. Of course, there are still problems… People have of a tendency to read between the lines. They add their own emphasis, feelings or sarcasm where it may or may not have been intended. Hence the emergence of emoticons.

Anything But Typical is a novel written from the point of view of an eleven-year-old boy diagnosed with Autistic Spectrum Disorder. His mother prefers the term Nonverbal Learning Disorder. Jason Blake was diagnosed when he was four-years-old. One of his strongest markers, symptoms is his silence which is palpable. Jason understands that he is expected to respond to people when he is spoken to. Jason is aware that he is expected to look the person in the eyes during a conversation. These are things, for various reasons, he simply has trouble achieving. When he attempts to comply, his efforts often backfire.

However, “When I write, I can be heard. And known. But nobody has to look at me. Nobody has to see me at all.” And in writing, Jason thrives. Jason belongs to an online community known as Storyboard. He has for three years. Storyboard is a place where people can write fan fiction for beloved series both in print and in cinema such as Harry Potter and Star Wars. Jason prefers to upload his original stories to “miscellaneous” knowing that much of Storyboard’s readership flocks to the fan fiction. So Jason is startled when a girl his own age decides to tell him via email that she enjoys his stories and shares her own. And Jason begins a fantasy where he has a girlfriend who will finally accept him just as he is.

So am I autistic if I so easily identify with the character of Jason and his conflict? No, but it is amazing to me how the more we find ourselves atypical of the general population, the more we discover that we are all Anything But Typical. This book could have easily been the story of my middle school years as well. I was different. And I am still eccentric to some extent.

I would recommend this book to middle schoolers everywhere in the interest of encouraging our uniqueness as well as supporting our sameness. We are all in this life together, working for and against each other for similar purposes – to be seen, heard and accepted for who we are.

The Mighty Miss Malone

The Mighty Miss Malone by Christopher Paul Curtis (audio book)

Now, why would someone who is caught in the thralls of 2013 Rebecca Caudill Nominees take a break? When an award-winning author publishes a new book. And the book revisits a little known character from a previous work. And that little known character made an impact on that novel’s main character. And someone thought that we needed four copies of this book for our library. And all four books are already checked out. And my boss was nice enough to let me read her copy while it was still checked out to her. And it is due back tomorrow! And I just cannot imagine that this book won’t be somewhere on the Newbery, King, Caudill lists next year. How could I wait a year?

I am so glad I didn’t wait.

My favorite element of this book is the heroine, Deza Malone. She is so very real, believable, likeable. She is optimistic as only a child can be during difficult times like the Great Depression. Part of this is that her parents have protected her from much of the truth. They give her appropriate information as she is old enough to cope with it or curious enough to ask about it. And part of this is that she has never known “good times” or “time of plenty” and so she doesn’t have anything to compare present circumstances with. Her family is together and that is enough. Just proves that having a loving family together is strength to survive unbearable situations.

Deza, her father, mother and brother live in Gary, Indiana. Her mother works as a housemaid in a rich banker’s home. Her father works for the Company as a furnace cleaner or janitor, the only two positions at the Company that a black man can have, and only when there is work available. Deza’s older brother, Jimmie, has the voice of an angel, but the mentality to wind up a thug and in jail. Deza on the other hand is a teacher’s dream. Academically, she excels in everything. She enjoys school and books. She adores words, phrases and writing. And she is known to overelaborate and even embellish on occasion.

There might not be much money. There might be bugs in their meager rations of oatmeal. The children’s teeth might be rotting in their mouths. But things are looking bright in Deza’s world. Her favorite teacher has offered to tutor her in the fall and to do her best to guarantee that Deza will get every opportunity in this world of inequality to rise above her circumstances. Her favorite teacher also offers her shoes that fit and clothes that shine and the chance to have her teeth fixed. And then her dreams tumble down in threes, and threes, and threes.

There is no work for her father. Her mother’s employer will be moving. So the Malone’s will have to move as well. They need to move someplace where they can find support and encouragement while they get back on their feet. But this means Deza will have to leave all of the newly offered opportunities behind. The Malone’s choose Flint, Michigan, Mr. Malone’s hometown. They can at least move in with Grandma Malone while they search for jobs to support the family.

Except that Mr. Malone decides to go first, leaving his family behind. When they receive no word from him and their home is being taken from them, the remaining Malones must take matters into their own hands. With very little money and only the possessions that they can carry, Mother, Jimmie and Deza set out to find Mr. Malone and they have very little information to go by.

This novel takes you on the rails in boxcars, to hobo communities along the way, to Chicago and speakeasies as well as into the warm lives of many memorable characters. The most memorable of all being Deza Malone. I love how her mind works. And she has two brains – the main one and the one that takes over when she is furious. Fans of Christopher Paul Curtis! Remember The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963, Bud, Not Buddy (where you first met Deza), and Elijah of Buxton? Here is another winner to fall in love with.

Born to Fly

Born to Fly by Michael Ferrari

I am halfway done with the 2013 Caudillsv! Okay, slightly more than halfway because today I give you number eleven, a novel about a tomboy living on the East Coast during World War II. Bird is an eleven-year-old girl with a yearning to take to the wild blue yonder. Her role-model, after her beloved father, is Amelia Earhart. In fact, her goal in life is to take to the skies in search of the missing pilot. Bird is certain she is alive and well somewhere.

Bird does not like to wear dresses and the other girls don’t accept her because she is different. Bird does like flying and telling tall tales, but first, the flying. Bird’s father is a pilot and a mechanic. Whenever he has an opportunity to take to the air, it is likely that he takes Bird with him. And he has been teaching her how to fly all along. At eleven, the only thing she hasn’t accomplished is the art of landing.

Now the tall tales. Bird has the habit of embellishing. She has a tendency to see things that no one else witnesses. Take the Genny for instance. Consider it the Loch Ness Monster of Geneseo Bay, Rhode Island. Bird claims to have seen it, but as you can guess, no one will believe her. So when she witnesses a miniature submarine in the bay, she figures no one will believe that either. Nor the dead body beneath the boat. Nor the man in black she bit who threatened her family’s lives.

There is at least one spy in Geneseo, and if Bird goes to anyone and tells them what she knows, her family is in danger. It is a good thing she is well aware that no one will listen to her. However, there is one person who is depending upon her to come forward. Her new (best?) friend.

With the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japanese immigrants and Japanese Americans are being rounded up and placed in internment camps on the West Coast. But East Coast persons of Japanese descent are not. Because Kenji’s parents will be detained in California, they send him to live with his uncle – in Geneseo. But he is no more welcome there than at home in Hollywood even though he is an American boy through and through. He can jitterbug and he loves John Wayne.

Kenji and Bird suddenly hit it off as they are both targeted by the class bully. Together they can either stand up to him or escape him. Kenji knows what Bird saw and he believes her. When the P-40 Warhawk factory is sabotaged and explodes, all fingers point to Kenji’s uncle who is known to build fireworks for the Fourth of July. Bird is the only person with the information that can save him from a life in prison, but at great risk to her family.

Bird is holding out until her father comes home on military leave to stand up for what is right. She believes he can take care of everything and put everything to rights while protecting the family at the same time. Unfortunately, this won’t happen and Bird will have to take matters into her own hands. This includes commandeering a P40-Warhawk. She’s committed the manual to memory, but she was prevented from reading the last chapter on landing…

This is a sweet story if a little over-the-top and unbelievable. It did take a while to get into. It didn’t grab me from the beginning. A book that World War II buffs, usually boys, would enjoy. I wonder if the heroine, no matter how tomboyish she is made to be, will turn them off. Tween girls who like action and adventure might enjoy it as well. But if you have a girl who loves airplanes, I’d highly recommend Flygirl by Sheri L. Smith which was on the Caudill list last year. That heroine actually got to fly planes for the military!