The Truth as Told By Mason Buttle by Leslie Connor

Mason Buttle's family, what's left of them, are still reeling from the "bing, bam, boom" the death of a father, a mother, and a friend all in the same year.  Mason also struggles with sever dyslexia and a disorder that makes him sweat profusely.  That and his living conditions in the "cumbledown" house make him the butt of relentless bullying from the kids on his bus.  Mason gets by with the help of a compassionate resource room teacher, and when he finds a friend in little Calvin Chumpsky, things seem to be looking up.  But Lieutenant Baird keeps hounding Mason for more details surrounding the death of his friend, and Mason just can't seem to move past the clouds of green sadness that swirl around him and the whole town.

That plot summary makes it sound like this book is a real downer.  It does deal with some heavy issues, but the overall feeling of the book is one of hope rather than despair.  Mason has such and open, resilient, and likable personality that the reader can't help but feel like things will come around right in the end.  I really liked this book.  It might be my favorite I have read this year.  Part of that is because the reader on the audiobook, Andrew Eiden, did an amazing job of recreating Mason, Calvin and the whole cast of characters.  (326 p. 2018)

The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Karina Yan Glaser

The Vanderbeeker family includes two parents, four kids and three pets.  They have lived in the same brownstone in Harlem as long as any of the kids can remember.  One day, right before

Christmas, their landlord and upstairs neighbor decides he is not going to renew their lease.  The kids are horrified at the thought of having to move, so they start a campaign to convince reclusive old Mr. Biederman that he really does not want to make them leave.  

This was a really interesting book to read right after reading Ghost Boys.  I kind of think that Ghost Boys with its tales of gun violence and drug dealers on every corner is a more realistic view of what Harlem is probably like than this book where everyone on their block is their friend. 

That said, I enjoyed this book. The antics of the kids are funny and each child has an individual and endearing personality.  It has great parent/child relationships, and all the protagonists are trying to do what is right.  It reminded me a lot of the Penderwicks series.  Since the story takes place during the Christmas season, it is a good choice for a read-aloud over Christmas break or as a book on CD to listen to during a holiday road trip. (2017, 297 p.)

The Kite Fighters by Linda Sue Park

Two brothers in ancient Korea love the annual New Year's Kite Festival.  Kee-sup loves to make kites using amazing care and exactness.  His younger brother Young-sup has a natural gift for flying kites, reading the wind and instinctively knowing how the kite will react.  The two boys catch the eye of child emperor, and break with tradition while forming a special friendship.

This is an interesting historical fiction.  It is not new but it is on The Battle of the Books list this year so I thought I would read it.  It has some relational conflicts, but it is completely devoid of violence or malice. There are no fight scenes or battles, or evil overlords. It is a good choice for a younger advanced reader, or for kids whose parents don't want their kids reading the rougher stuff.  (2000, 136 p.)

Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Jerome is 12 year-old-boy from the ghettos of Chicago.  The story starts when he is shot in the back by a white police officer.  The story follows Jerome over the next year as he wanders as a ghost around the city, unseen by everyone but Sarah, the daughter of the police officer that shot him.  At first he is angry but over time he sees how grief is affecting everyone who cared about him. With the help of other Ghost Boys, like Emmet Till, he gradually learns what he must do so that he, and those he left behind, can move on.

Wow, this is a super gritty book.  Rhodes doesn't sugar coat a single line of the difficult narrative.  She thankfully resists the temptation to vilify the white police who shoots Jerome, but instead shows that his family is in need of healing as much as Jerome's family.  Even though Rhodes doesn't flinch with her descriptions of the tragedy, I never felt overwhelmed.  She does an amazing job of telling things straight, but on a level that I think most 12-year-olds could emotionally process. Throughout the book the reader is hoping that Jerome and Sarah will be able to forgive, and in the end, they do.  Rhodes does get a little preachy during the courtroom scenes, and in the final chapter, but it is not in excess.  This is certainly on my potential Newbery list for this year (and probably, because of its graphic descriptions and politically charged topic,  on several banned books lists as well). (214 p. 2018)

The Endling by Katherine Applegate

Byx is dairne, a species of intelligent dog-like animals that are near extinction. When Byx's family is discovered and killed, Byx goes on a quest to discover if there are any more of his kind or if he is, indeed, the endling, the last of his species.  On the way he meets a strange array of creatures who come to form a kind of family, and who are willing to risk their lives to help Byx reach his goal.

This is another book that is getting a lot of critical acclaim this year. Applegate won the Newbery with The One and Only Ivan, and will certainly be a contender for the Newbery with this one.  Byx's quest feels like an epic action adventure, with fully developed (if a little stereotypical) characters. The political message (that Human greed is harmful to other species) is not subtle but that did not get in the way of my enjoyment of the book. This is the first of a series, and if Applegate does as well with the sequels as she has with this first one it could become a classic. (2018, 383 p.)

The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown

 Brené Brown is a research social worker and a Ted Talk superstar.  In this book she focuses on learning to be "wholehearted" by accepting who we are and letting go of shame.  She explains her main terms in the beginning chapters, and then talks about 10 "guideposts" or strategies for embracing authenticity.  Her suggestions are based on a series of interviews she conducted about shame, and similarities that she discovered are shared by those she defines as wholehearted. 

This is a very readable self-help book with a lot of good ideas.  If someone could actually do all the things she suggests, they would probably have a happier life.  I read this with my husband, and we got a little tired during the "guideposts" section of her always saying "I discovered during my research".  We started keeping track and she said a variation on that phrase within the first two paragraphs of every chapter.  It might have been nice if she had been able to actually include anecdotes from her interviews, but she does not, probably because she promised confidentiality when she interviewed people. As a result, we just have to take her word for it that the conclusions she draws are legitimate. Still the writing is accessible and engaging and I would recommend it to someone looking for a life pick-me-up.(2010, 137 p)

Black Panther: The Young Prince by Ronald Smith

When I checked out this book I thought it would be a novelization of the recent movie "Black Panther" but it turned out to be a prequel to the movie.  In this story T'Challa is a young teen (middle school aged).  When war threatens Wakanda, T'Challa's father, the king of Wakanda, arranges for T'Challa and his best friend, M'Baku, to travel to America incognito. The goal is to get them out of harm's way and let them experience a different culture. Once in Chicago, the boys have a falling out and M'Baku starts hanging out with the basketball team while T'Challa makes friends with the nerdy kids.  The head of M'Baku's crowd, Gemini Jones, is a self proclaimed warlock.  T'Challa doubts that his boasts of magic power are true, but as time goes on, he begins to suspect that there is something sinister happening among the "in" crowd of boys.  T'Challa has a Vibranium suit that his father gave him "in case of emergency" and T'Challa has to decide whether to use it and reveal his true identity, or let his best friend follow a path that leads to mortal danger.

Ronald Smith is a veteran author that has written a number of successful series for children.  This may not be one of his best, but it was still an entertaining book to read.  The story is very Marvel-esque. As I listened to it I imagined how the different scenes could have played out in a comic book or on the big screen.  There was one part near the end where I thought, "Ok, someone didn't do their physics research when writing this scene." I actually laughed out loud and rolled my eyes it was so ridiculous.  Still, it was a fun book to read.  T'Challa  is a likable character, and though I haven't seen the movie yet I imagine there was a ton of foreshadowing of future events and characters that will make more sense once I do see the movie.  All in all it is a good choice for superhero fans, and fans of the recent Black Panther movie in particular. (2018, 272 p.)