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Review 7 - Amira's Picture Day

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    Faruqi , Reem and illustrated by Azim, Fahmida . Amira's Picture Day . Holiday House , 2021 . K-3. Everyone say Cheese and get ready for picture day! Amira's Picture Day tells the story of young Amira who has been looking forward to picture day;however,it happens to fall on Eid, an Islamic religious holiday. This means that she won't attend school, and even though she is excited for masjid and prayer, Amira is sad about what she will miss. Explaining, " Amira knew it wouldn't be the same. She loved Eid and the party at the masjid, but she didn't want to be left out of her class pictures. How would her classmates remember her if she wasn't there?" (10). Additionally, this story does an excellent job of providing young readers from pre-k to 3 with an introduction to Eid celebrations. An authors note and glossary further support learning and provide oppurtunities for adults to provide further context. The tone captures the exciment of a holiday and...

Before the Ever After

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    Woodson, Jacqueline . Before the Ever After . Nancy Paulsen Books , 2020 . Ages 10 and up. This work by Jacqueline Woodson takes a realistic look at the dangers of long-term head trauma caused by physical sports like football and its effect on a family. ZJ has always looked up to his dad, who is an NFL tight end number 44, but after playing the sport for years, his father starts experiencing headaches and memory loss. Starting with migraines, ZJ details, “I am singing when mom tiptoes down the stairs, tells me to stop singing so loud. Your dad has a migraine, she says. Another headache? I ask . . . But I'm not hungry anymore. I’m scared. My daddy was a mountain, a football star, 223 pounds tight end” (Before the Ever After, 86). ZJ and his friends must come to terms with his father's new reality while his mother searches for treatment options.   The book is split into two parts: "Before the Ever After" and "The Ever After", detailing memories of ZJ bef...

One Crazy Summer

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    Williams, Rita Garcia . One Crazy Summer . Amistad , 2010 . Grades 4-8 Set in the summer of 1968, protagonist Delphine and her two younger sisters are set to reunite with their mother. The last time they saw her was 7 years ago, when she abandoned them. Immersing readers in the time period and featuring the black power political organization known as the Black Panthers, this historical fiction chapter book places readers back to when race riots and the fight for equality were ongoing. Eleven-year-old Delphine has grown up caring for her two younger sisters, Vonetta and Fern, but when their father sends them to Oakland, California to spend the summer, they are all put to the test. Their mother, Cecile, is not the typical warm and loving mother; a member of the Black Panthers and a writer, Cecile is more interested in keeping her daughters out of the way than getting to know them. Delphine tells, "Every mammal on the planet has a mother, dead or alive. Ran off or stayed pu...

In the Footsteps of Crazy Horse

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    Marshall, Joseph III; illustrated by Yellowhawk, Jim . In the Footsteps of Crazy Horse . Amulet Books , 2015 . Ages 10-14. Growing up in the Rosebud Sioux Indian reservation being bullied because of his looks, Jimmy McClean is ¾ Lakota and ¼ Scottish. He has grown up being made fun of because of his blue eyes and light brown hair, leaving him feeling like he isn’t Lakota enough. The summer after school lets out, he embarks on a road trip with his grandfather to follow in the footsteps of the great Lakota warrior Crazy Horse through four different states. His grandfather explains, “My great-grandfather- your great-great-grandfather – was born in 1860. He saw Crazy Horse, as close as you are to me. He said Crazy Horse had light skin, like you, and brown hair, like you. He didn't have blue eyes. But some boys teased him, too.” (Marshall III, 27). Following the story within the story format, Jimmy’s grandfather shares with him the stories of Crazy Horse.   The stor...

Northwind

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  Paulsen, Gary . Northwind . Farrar, Straus and Giroux , 2022 . Ages 10-14. When a ship carrying a plague comes to Leif’s Nordic town, he is placed on a canoe and sent away by the elders  for his protection . The author describes, “Instead the sickness became like a fire roaring through the camp and soon Old Carl started to burn. Before he vomited blood, the old man took Leif and Little Carl a nd put them in the cedar canoe with some food and supplies, and sent them away. “Go north,” he said, pushing them as hard a s he could from shore.” (Gary Paulsen, 29) . Once on the sea, Little Carl passes on soon after setting sail and Leif is left to face the elements alone . He must face bears, the elements, and hunger while learning how to survive on his own.   This survival work is also Gary Paulsen's final work before passing away in 2021. Paulsen was known as a survival and outdoor expert, and he had written over 200 books for childr en and adults. He is an expert at d...

Strange Birds: A Field Guide to Ruffling Feathers

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  Perez, Celia . Strange Birds: A Field Guide to Ruffling Feathers . Kokila , 2019 . Ages 9-12. When Lane DiSanti is sent away to live with her wealthy grandmother in Sabal Palms, Florida for the summer, she decides to form a club and places invitations around town for the “Meeting of the Ostentation of Others and Outsiders”. She is joined by Cat Garcia, a girl who loves birds; Aster Douglass, a girl who loves cooking; and Ofelia Castillo, a girl who loves to write. Together, they form a touching friendship and team up to stop the town's traditional girls' club, The Floras, from continuing to use a ceremonial hat that was unethically made from birds. The girls band together and engage in social activism and acts of resistance, such as posting stickers, plastic flamingos, and even trying to steal the hat.   This novel is told from a 3rd person narrator, alternating focus to different girls in each chapter. The author, Celia C. Perez uses accessible language and creates a...

The Someday Birds

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    Pla, Sally J; illustrated by McLaughlin, Julie  . The Someday Birds . HarperCollins children's book , 2017 . Ages 8-12. Charlie is a 12-year-old Mexican American autistic boy with a love for birds. As someone on the spectrum, Charlie thrives on routine and struggles with a strong dislike for germs. His father is a war journalist who suffers a head injury while on duty, which leaves him with brain damage. Embedded throughout the family story is also a subplot covering the dangers of war and war refugees. Before leaving, Charlie's dad explains, “It's important to tell the stories of the people that get caught up in war and violence. We can't pretend it isn't happening. So I'll be over there, writing it down, for them... To save their stories.” (Pla 186) When his father needs to go to Virginia for specialty treatment, they embark on a road trip to join him. Together with their babysitter/nurse Ludmila, his older sister Davis, and twin younger brothers Jake an...