Another author to avoid

I was so stressed this week that I went looking for another historical romance to read.  I read a "If you like Georgette Heyer" blog post, and chose one of the authors suggested, Julia Quinn. Well, all I can say is that I should have read more reviews.  It started out with fun snappy dialog and endearing characters.  Unfortunately by the end it was way, way outside my comfort zone for sexual content.  I didn't really finish it but I skipped to the end to see if the author would have the characters suffer the real consequences of their behavior--guilt, unwanted pregnancy, social ruin--but no.  So, I won't even list the name of the book.  I only list the author so others might avoid her. I may be a terrible prude, but I honestly wouldn't recommend it to anyone. 

Lalani of the Distant Sea by Erin Entrada Kelly

Lalani lives in a poor village that is in the middle of a severe drought.  She loves stories the old ones tell of a distant green land where everything is good and a beautiful mountain is covered with flowers that heal the sick. Sailors from her village, including her own father, have gone in search of this land, and none have come back.  When her own mother falls ill, and the stubborn heard animals get out of their pens, Lalani is catapulted into an adventure that could either destroy her or save her village.

Erin Entrada Kelly is the author of the 2018 Newbery Award winning book Hello Universe.  I liked Hello Universe, but this one was really hard for me to read.  I may have liked it better if I wasn't traumatized by the Coronavirus right now.  The thing that I hated was that things in the book that first appear harmless--a sewing needle, a bug bight, a cute baby animal--are, in fact, deadly.  The whole time the main character, Lalani, is walking through a minefield of danger and when she tries to be compassionate and help something, it literally tries to eat her hand off. Of course, I knew, because it is a children's book, that everything would work out in the end, but it was just emotionally too heavy and dark for me right now.  I know certain kinds of kids, those who like to play really melodramatic pretend games, might love this book but it certainly isn't for children (or me) who are struggling to feel safe. (384 p. 2019)

Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Niel DeGrasse Tyson

After reading a bunch of realistic fiction, I was ready for something different.  This book caught my eye, and I thought it was just the thing to give me some perspective on my life and the world.  Tyson is like the Carl Sagan of the new millennium, and this book, though it covers a lot of information about astrophysics, is very readable and entertaining. The book started out as a series or articles in a science magazine in the late 90's and early 00's.  Tyson covers topics of popular interest like the Big Bang, the expanding universe problem, and the theories of dark energy and dark matter.  He is an expert of describing complex ideas in terms that are accessible and engaging. I try to be a scientifically aware layman, but there was a lot of ideas in the book I hadn't heard of before.  Although written for adults, there is no reason a geeky 6th grader couldn't enjoy it.
I really enjoyed it, and was a little bit sad that it is so short. (224 p. 2017)

Look Both Ways by Jason Reynolds

This is a collection of stories all set within a few blocks of the same public school.  Each of the stories are told in the voice of a student at the school and focuses on the drama that plays out as they walk home from school.  the main character in each story shows up as background characters in others. Some of the stories are super silly, while others are heart wrenching.  Most ring with at least a degree of hope and all of them feature, in some way, a school bus falling from the sky.

I saw Jason Reynolds speak at the ALA conference last summer.  His talk was my favorite of the whole conference. He actually started out as a rapper and his background is in storytelling.  He probably has the freshest, most authentic prose featuring the voices of urban teens of anyone I have ever read. This book got the most starred review of any last year, won a boat load of awards,  and they are all well deserved.  (208 p. 2019)

An Echo of Murder by Anne Perry

William Monk is a chief detective assigned to the Thames river area in London in the 1870's. When a Hungarian man is brutally murdered, Monk is at a loss to find any leads.  Then a friend from Monk's Wife, Hester's past shows up.  His presence creates a whole new complication to what was already a complicated case.  Another murder, committed in the same strange ritualistic fashion follows and then another.  Can Monk and Hester find the killer before the Hungarians convict an innocent man?

This is a filler book I listened to while waiting for a different book I have on hold.  Anne Perry is an interesting writer.  Even though her books are mysteries, they are not ones with as carefully crafted clues and red herrings as Agatha Christie  or Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.  Instead, the focus is on the human drama the case causes in the lives of all the characters.  Another interesting thing is that even though this book was written by a woman, it has some elements of "men's mystery" books by authors like James Patterson and Dean Koontz.  There is plenty of blood and gore, though not as much reference of aberrant sex. Still, I would classify it more as toned down men's mysteries than as charged up cozy mysteries.  (2017, 304 p)

Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga

Jude lives in Syria with her parents and older brother.  When the war gets a little too close to home, Jude and her mother travel to America to stay with Jude's uncle until it is safe to return. Jude has always loved American movie stars, but living in America is full of challenges Jude didn't expect. As she struggles with ESL and prejudice because of her decision to wear a hijab, she wonders if her dream of being in the spotlight could ever come true.

This is another book that got a lot of starred reviews this year.  Warga, though born in America, is the child of immigrants and understands how it feels to be judged by your religion or place of origin.  Jude is a very sympathetic character and the reader feels her pride when she first puts on the hijab, and her worry for her family left behind in a war zone. This is a great choice for readers who enjoy learning what it is like to be from a different culture. (2019, 342 p.)

Sal and Gabi Break the Universe by Carlos Hernandez

Sal is a fairly normal Cuban American living in Florida and attending a magnet school for the performing arts. His preferred performance is as a magician but most people don't know that some of his tricks are more than slight of hand.  When he was five his mother died, and he wanted her back so badly he learned to reach into parallel universes to try to find her. Now he can pull other things through to this world, like a raw chicken or a scarf with a creepy all seeing eye. His tricks get him in trouble, in more ways than one, and when he finds out his new friend can see the tears in the universe he knows he has gone too far.

This book got starred reviews all over the place last year and I can see why.  It is loads of fun and pops with energy, but at the same time deals with some really serious themes.  One of the things that gives is a lot of energy is the Span-glish that Sal and many of his friends speak.  I know some Spanish, so for me it was fun to follow the verbal gymnastics, but I wonder if it would frustrate reluctant reader anglophones. I guess not, since this book was hugely popular last year. Another thing that was fun was that really off-the-wall things kept happening.  Hernandez pushes the boundaries of outrageous, but keeps it in check with the right balance of silliness and seriousness.  I will definitely try to recommend this to the next 5-7 grader I meet. (2019, 382 p.)

Free Lunch by Rex Ogle

Rex is unfortunate in the "parents" department.  His mom and step dad are unable to hold down jobs, and the family is always on the edge of hunger.  His parents have little patience when he asks for basic necessities like school supplies, and any persistence on his part leads to a beating.  That is how Rex ends up with a black eye on the first day of junior high.  The embarrassment grows when he has to convince the lunch lady that he is on the "free lunch" list.

This is a biography instead of a realistic fiction.  It is pretty raw, and I had to force myself to get through it.  It was super painful when his mother blamed him, and he blamed himself, when his step father beat her.  It was even more painful to read about how the teachers, who should have admired him for doing well in school despite his challenges, instead mistrust him.  It is a
tough read, and riddled with gritty language and circumstances, but it could be a real blessing to a kid going through similar circumstance, or for a teacher to read to better understand disadvantaged students. (2019, 2018 p.)