Category: Cream of the Crop Nominees

For Black Girls Like Me

For Black Girls Like MeFor Black Girls Like Me by Mariama J. Lockington
on July 30th 2019
ISBN: 0374308047
Pages: 336
Goodreads
five-stars

Eleven year-old Keda’s world changes drastically when her family moves from Baltimore to New Mexico. Keda is African American and has white adoptive parents and a white sister. In her new school, Keda is subjected to the silent treatment, ridicule, microaggressions, and overt racism from her new middle school classmates and teachers. When Keda’s mother decides to homeschool Keda and her older sister, Keda feels isolated from her peers. Keda and her sister also struggle to help their mother who has untreated bipolar disorder. Told in first person narrative, this coming-of-age story explores themes of race, identity, family and friendship. Keda’s story unfolds through a series of journal entries and email messages to her best friend in Baltimore as well as song lyrics Keda writes about her experiences. Highly recommended for middle school and high school libraries. (Recommended for grades 6 and up).  Cathy Potter, Falmouth Middle School Library, Falmouth
Recommended for Cream of the Crop

five-stars

Searching for Lottie

Searching for LottieSearching for Lottie by Susan Ross
Published by Holiday House on February 26th 2019
ISBN: 0823441660
Pages: 176
Goodreads
five-stars

Charlie (Charlotte) is a twelve-year-old girl researching her namesake, Lottie (Charlotte) for a school project.  Both share not only a name, but also the love of violin. When Lottie went missing during WWII, all assumed she perished since she was Jewish in a Nazi dominated society.  Charlie follows the trail discovering clues such as an old necklace and relying on researching primary sources to find her missing great aunt. Themes of family, perseverance, facing adversity, aging, and hope flow through this well written novel.  Searching for Lottie is an intergenerational mystery based on true events which explains the history of this time period in an age appropriate manner.  Readers 8-12 will enjoy the suspense while they follow Charlie through her day to day life auditioning, developing a crush, relating to her brother, and visiting elderly family members while learning about a difficult time in history.  Teachers and parents will find this book an enjoyable read aloud with a variety of topics to discuss. Both may also enjoy knowing that the author grew up in Lewiston-Auburn and continues to spend part of her time in Maine.

Reviewed by Heather Hale, Easton School District, Easton

Recommended for Cream of the Crop

five-stars

Women in the Military: From Drill Sergeants to Fighter Pilots

Women in the Military: From Drill Sergeants to Fighter PilotsWomen in the Military: From Drill Sergeants to Fighter Pilots by Connie Goldsmith
Published by Twenty-First Century Books (Tm) on January 1st 2019
ISBN: 1541528123
Pages: 120
Goodreads
five-stars

This book gives a thoughtful look to the women in all branches of the United States Military, ranging from a brief overlook of their history in the military to powerful changes that have taken place. Even though women are still the minority in the military, their numbers are growing and providing them opportunities that hadn’t been available in the past. Inside are mini-biographies of various women that share their outlook from just entering boot camp to well seasoned veterans.

Recommended for grades 7 and up. There is a TOC, timeline of Historical Advances for Women, sources notes, bibliography, further information and an index. The context, photographs, and graphs are well organized an compliment the text with information easily located.

Reviewed by Kristin Taylor, Biddeford High School, Biddeford.

five-stars

Old Souls

Old SoulsOld Souls by Brian McDonald, Les McClaine
Published by First Second on June 25th 2019
ISBN: 1626727325
Pages: 256
Goodreads
five-stars

Chris buys lunch everyday for a homeless man and is uncertain to why he feels obligated to do so. Eventually he understands the connection between he and the homeless man and it is unnerving. With his discovery, Chris enters into a world that leads him to his previous lives that maybe he should not have revisited. There is a previous life that needs closure in order for him to live in the present, can he do it or will his present life crash? This paranormal tale makes the reader think about how reincarnation may play within one’s life

Illustration are mainly black and white with minimal coloring. Easy to follow and a little  unsettling to read. Recommended for grades 9 and up.

Reviewed by Kristin Taylor, Biddeford High School, Biddeford.

five-stars

Pumpkinheads

PumpkinheadsPumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell, Faith Erin Hicks
Published by First Second on August 27th 2019
ISBN: 1626721629
Pages: 224
Goodreads
five-stars

Pumpkinheads might be a romance, but there is quite a bit more to this graphic novel. It is about 2 friends, Josie and Deja, and their friendship. They decide, or more like Deja decides for the two of them, that they are going to try silly and fun things on their last night at their summer job before they head off to college. Yea, it’s high schoolers, but there is nothing in here that a 5th grader couldn’t read. And the sweet romance piece at the end is just right for 5th graders starting to want a book with a bit of romance in it but not too much for others. Love that the characters are not exactly what you’d expect. Great addition to all graphic novel collections.

Cream. Reviewed by Mary Lehmer, Freeport Community Library, Freeport, ME

five-stars

Music for Mister Moon

Music for Mister MoonMusic for Mister Moon by Philip C. Stead, Erin E. Stead
Published by Neal Porter Books on March 26th 2019
ISBN: 0823441601
Pages: 40
Goodreads
five-stars

Recommending for cream of the crop consideration.  This picture book for young listeners from PreK to grade 2 has a gentle, ethereal feel that matches the off beat imagination of Harriet Henry, “Hank”, as she works through her performance anxiety of playing the cello.  Hank’s parents want her to perform one day and she only wants to play for herself.  In her mind she changes her parents into penguins and then goes to her room to practice.  She is distracted by an owl that leads her outside and into a relationship with Mister Moon, who is stuck in her chimney.  As they venture out to get Mister Moon a hat, a ride in a boat and eventually back into the sky with the help of the owls, Hank plays only for Mister Moon.   Repeat readings revealed details in the delicately placed illustrations.  The clear, matter of fact text matched with the whimsical faint colors of green and yellow hues bring Hank’s imagination to a perfect crescendo for practicing her cello.

Reviewed by Sheila Dube, Springvale Public Library

five-stars

The Giver

The GiverThe Giver: Graphic Novel by Lois Lowry, P. Craig Russell
Published by HMH Books for Young Readers on February 5th 2019
ISBN: 0544157885
Pages: 185
Goodreads
five-stars

This graphic novel adaptation of Lowry’s award-winning The Giver tackles themes of uniformity, sameness, change, and identity in a powerful and visually gripping way.  The back matter includes interviews with Lowry and Russell in which they explain their thinking about this retelling.  Russell shares the process he used to create this version, which might create fascinating lesson plans for cross-curricular work in graphic novel design.

Recommended for grades 7 and up due to some mature scenes and troubling content.

Reviewed by Noelle Gallant, Saco Middle School

five-stars

Cog

CogCog by Greg Van Eekhout
Published by HarperCollins on October 1, 2019
ISBN: 0062686070
Pages: 208
Genres: Science Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars

Cog looks like a normal twelve-year-old boy but he is actually a highly advanced robot, programmed to learn and share his knowledge with others. Cog lives with his creator and teacher, a well-meaning engineer named Gina, who unwittingly tells Cog that sometimes we learn by making mistakes. Cog decides to purposefully make mistakes to increase his learning and ends up getting damaged. When Cog wakes after being repaired, he learns that he has been taken away from Gina and locked in a room at the uniMIND Technology Corporation. Uncomfortable with the way he is being treated, Cog decides to escape. Along the way, Cog enlists the help of four more robots: ADA, his newly found sister, Proto, a dog, Trashbot, and Car. The five robots go on a funny and fast-paced adventure to find Gina and escape the evil uniMIND, all the while making a lot of mistakes and learning to work together. A clever and heartwarming science fiction early middle grade novel.

Reviewed by Kathy George, Gray Public Library

five-stars

Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story

Fry Bread: A Native American Family StoryFry Bread: A Native American Family Story by Juana Martinez-Neal, Kevin Noble Maillard
Published by Roaring Brook Press on October 22, 2019
ISBN: 1626727465
Pages: 42
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars

Starting with the senses, author Maillard brings the reader into the experience of making fry bread. He then expands to the meaning of it from art to history to place, widening the definition to the world before bringing it back to the child who eats the bread. Martinez-Neal’s soft illustrations rendered in color pencils and graphite in a palate of blues and browns with pops of orange and red are stunning.  Her diverse characters offer many expressions and body types and bring Maillard’s spare and lovely words to life. This own voices book should be on the shelf of every public and school library with a picture book collection. Recommend for cream of the crop.

Reviewed by Jill O’Connor, Merrill Memorial Library, Yarmouth

five-stars

Unstoppable Me

Unstoppable MeUnstoppable Me by Susan Verde
on July 23rd 2019
ISBN: 0374307385
Pages: 32
Goodreads
five-stars

Susan Verde has perfectly captured the energy of that child that cannot sit still, the one in perpetual motion. And rather than showing everyone around that child with exhausted faces and hands thrown up in the air, the book shows how this energy can be used for good and celebrated and lived with (the parents calmly eating dinner while their little embodies sound and motion is priceless). Kids who are high energy will love the normalizing of this state of exuberance and parents of this/these kid(s) will nod their heads in recognition and understanding of what it is like to live with a small human who is bouncier than a rubber ball,  faster than a speeding train, and  louder than a marching band. Joyner’s illustrations focus on one boy but locate him within a diverse community of children and adults who seem happy to have his zest for life in their lives. This book would make a wonderful read-aloud and the cover, with the boy, arms outstretched to embrace the world in all of his vigor and joy, invites the reader to open the book and meet him. Highly recommend.

Reviewed by Jill O’Connor, Merrill Memorial Library, Yarmouth

five-stars