Format: Chapter Book Fiction

Unsettled

UnsettledUnsettled by Reem Faruqi
Published by HarperCollins on May 11, 2021
ISBN: 0063044706
Pages: 352
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars

Nurah, a Pakistani girl has it all. Family and friends  who love her. When her father accepts a job offer in  America, Nurah must leave all she knows. This is her story. A story of learning to settle into a new country, neighborhood, school and culture. She misses her best friend, grandparents  and struggles to fit in yet keep her identity and honor her culture.

This story is told in verse, with short chapters and divided into 9 sections that not only explore Nurah’s struggles but cover topics of domestic abuse, bullying, assimilation, racial profiling.

Author Farqui  introduces the readers to Islamic concepts and uses both  Arabic and Urdu words throughout the story which adds depth to the story. It is an authentic look at what it means to leave one life and begin a new one. It is also the story of what it means to be  Pakistani and Muslim in America.

Ms. Farqui has added back matter – glossary of Arabic and Urdu terms, an author’s note, even a recipe for kababs.

This is a fives star story ! It is  a thought provoking coming of age story that is not to be missed.

Add this to : Other Words for Home-Jasmine Warga, Kelly Yang’s Front Desk, and Hena Khan’s Amina’s Voice.

Reviewed by Kathy George

Gray Public Library, Gray, Maine

 

 

 

five-stars

Leonard (My Life as a Cat)

Leonard (My Life as a Cat)Leonard (My Life as a Cat) by Carlie Sorosiak
Published by Walker Books US on April 13, 2021
ISBN: 1536207705
Pages: 240
Genres: Animals, Fantasy, Humor, Science Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars

Leonard the cat narrates this story. Leonard is also an extraterrestrial being whose inhabitants visit Earth to experience life in a corporal body when they reach 300 years old. Leonard intended to experience life on Earth as a Yellowstone forest ranger but ended up as a cat in South Carolina. He is rescued from a flood by Olive, who may need some rescuing of her own, and soon they are inseparable. Olive is spending the summer with her grandmother while her mom travels with her new boyfriend. Olive’s mom is thinking of moving them to California from Maine at the end of the summer. This book is heartwarming and hilarious — at one point Olive describes middle school as “being dropped on an alien planet.” From the author of I, Cosmo, this should be very popular with upper-elementary and middle-grade readers and animal lovers of all ages.

Recommended for Cream of the Crop.

Reviewed by Karen Sandlin Silverman, Mt. Ararat Middle School, Topsham

five-stars

Yang Warriors

Yang WarriorsYang Warriors by Billy Thao, Kao Kalia Yang
Published by Univ Of Minnesota Press on April 13, 2021
ISBN: 1517907985
Pages: 40
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars
Following the Vietnam War, the CIA conducted a secret war in Laos that relied on the Hmong soldiers to prevent the threat of Communism from spreading throughout Southeast Asia. Tens of thousands died or fled. Ban Vanai was a refugee camp set up for the Hmong people and other tribes of Laos in 1975 in Northeast Thailand.

Author Kao Yang and her family lived at Ban Vanai when she was a child.  Her story is about her ten cousins who trained daily as warriors in the event they might have to defend their families. They balance stones on their heads, sit for hours in the hot sun, and wield magical swords as part of daily drills in the camp.

After a week without fresh vegetables, the warriors decide to risk everything, including punishment from both family elders and the guards for leaving  the camp  to get  for fresh food for their families.

While on the surface it appears to be a story of children finding a way to pass the days in a refugee camp, it is a story of never giving up, of working as a group in times of great need, the comradery this group of “super heroes” shows to each other and their people as they struggle to maintain their culture and dignity.

Illustrations by Hmong artist Billy Thao bring the Yang warriors and their camp to life with the colors of the region and the feel of the camp.

An authors note gives truth to both her culture and her childhood.

There are not many stories about refugee camps and even fewer about those in Southeast Asia. This one should not be missed.

Grades 3-6

Reviewed by Kathy George

Gray Public Library, Gray Maine

 

five-stars

Love in English

Love in EnglishLove in English by Maria E. Andreu
Published by Balzer + Bray on February 2, 2021
ISBN: 0062996517
Pages: 336
Genres: Realistic Fiction, Romance
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads
four-stars
Ana loves poetry and she loves language. The only problem is that she’s just moved to the US from Argentina, and she can barely speak English. Seemingly simple, everyday conversations are a struggle. She gets bullied for not knowing the language, she feels lost. One shining light in all of this is her ESL class. No one in that class speaks English as a first language, they’re all struggling. They don’t share a common language, except English in ESL. Ana begins falling for Harrison, an American boy who ticks all the classic American boyfriend boxes. At the same time, however, she is spending a lot of time with Neo, a Cypriot boy from her ESL class. Ana struggles to determine what feelings are real and how to even talk about them in any language.

This is a wonderfully written romance, coming of age YA novel. There are many explorations of the nuances of the English language that are both illuminating and humorous. Readers will relate to Ana’s struggles to figure herself out and they’ll find empathy in her language struggles where they may not have existed before.

Recommended for readers 12 and up. Reviewed by Jessie Trafton, Skidompha Library, Damariscotta, ME

four-stars

Unsettled

UnsettledUnsettled by Reem Faruqi
Published by HarperCollins on May 11, 2021
ISBN: 0063044706
Pages: 352
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars
Unsettled is a well written story told in verse that is bound to capture the hearts of readers.  When Nurah’s family relocates from Pakistan to Georgia life become a challenge.  As a middle school student, she is aware that everything is different from her home and finds herself isolated.   Nurah’s story is not surprising yet it is revealing in many specific situations, several that are heartbreaking.  This strong central character is portrayed as a sensitive and introspective Muslim girl who is not without flaws.

The storyline flows like a river, it weaves in and out of places of joy and sadness.   There are henna designs throughout the book but it is the chapter introduction pages that reveal the intricate henna illustrations depicting staging of growth.  This story is truly told in text and illustrations, it belongs on all public library shelves. Middle grade school media centers should add Unsettled to their collection.  An amazing coming-of-age story concerning immigration that will benefit all readers.  The back pages include a glossary as well as a recipe for Kabab.

Submitted by Jan Hamilton, retired youth services librarian in Scarborough, ME

Recommended for Cream of the Crop

five-stars

Franklin Endicott and the Third Key

Franklin Endicott and the Third KeyFranklin Endicott and the Third Key by Chris Van Dusen, Kate DiCamillo
Published by Candlewick Press on June 8, 2021
ISBN: 9781536201819
Pages: 112
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars
Book 6 in Tales from Deckawoo Drive series. True confession – I love everything this team of Kate DiCamillo and Chris Van Dusen puts out! And I didn’t think I could like any book better than Stella Endicott and the Anything-Is-Possible Poem. But along came Franklin Endicott and the Third Key…

Franklin Endicott is a worrier. (Aren’t we all these days?) One night, when his worries cause nightmares, he befriends Eugenia Lincoln, the lady next door (and one of my all-time favorite characters!), who is also up in her kitchen fighting insomnia. Together they visit Buddy Lamp’s Used Goods shop to get a key duplicated and wind up with an extra key that nobody knows what it goes to – which worries Franklin. After returning it to the shop, Buddy Lamp shares a book of stories which helps Franklin, (and maybe Eugenia?) deal with his other worries. The power of words and stories is a central theme, but Kate also weaves in the importance of family and friends plus the power of learning to let go. Van Dusen’s illustrations are perfect, especially the ones of Eugenia. Mercy Watson plays a cameo role as a reading therapy pig.

 Professional Review

The latest book from “Tales from Deckawoo Drive” might be DiCamillo’s most charming offering yet in the series. . . . The tale is as uplifting as it is literary, and the author tells a genuine story that may inspire readers to be like Franklin, a child open to receiving his very own mysterious, ­life-changing key. . . . DiCamillo pens a glorious love letter to childhood uncertainty and the powerful and transformative world of reading.

—School Library Journal (starred review)

And from Chris Van Dusen’s Facebook page: A brand new Tales from Deckawoo Drive hits the stores today! And it might be my favorite so far. Kate’s story is simply wonderful and it was an honor to illustrate her words. I love this sweet little book.

Reviewed by Barb Rehmeyer, Liberty Library

five-stars

Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids

Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for KidsAncestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids by Andrea L. Rogers, Art Coulson, Brian Young, Carole Lindstrom, Christine Day, Cynthia Leitich Smith, David Alexander Robertson, Dawn Quigley, Eric Gansworth, Erika T. Wurth, Joseph Bruchac, Kim Rogers, Monique Gray Smith, Rebecca Roanhorse, Tim Tingle, Traci Sorell
Published by Heartdrum on February 9, 2021
ISBN: 0062869949
Pages: 320
Genres: Short Stories
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars
An anthology of short stories and poems themed around an intertribal powwow, written by major Indigenous authors including Joseph Bruchac, Carole Lindstrom, Rebecca Roanhorse, and Traci Sorell, this book is a must-buy for every collection. The stories and poems all revolve around the theme of community. Some are humorous, some more serious, but all of them celebrate Native culture.

I also really appreciated the various glossaries at the back of the book that defined words from various Nations, including Cree, Choctaw, Navajo, and Ojibwe. The author bios and notes at the end of the book add to the collection, really emphasizing the fact that this book is something special and that the publishing industry should be doing more to promote Indigenous authors.

Written for kids aged 8 to 12, though teens and adults will enjoy it as well. If this middle grade book is not already in your collection, I highly recommend getting it!

Reviewed by Kate Radke, Walker Memorial Library, Westbrook.

five-stars

Zara Hossain is Here

Zara Hossain is HereZara Hossain Is Here by Sabina Khan
on April 6, 2021
ISBN: 1338580876
Pages: 249
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads
four-stars
Zara Hossain is Here

 

Zara Hossain is living with her kind and accepting family in Corpus Christi, Texas after having moved from Pakistan when she was only three years old.  She and her family have done everything right and followed all the immigration rules, but still have not gotten their green cards.  Their situation becomes much worse when Zara has an altercation with a boy at school who dislikes her for being Muslim.  The parents become involved and there are charges of trespassing and a shooting.  The United States isn’t what her parents had hoped for and they eventually plan to move to Canada.  Zara is also bisexual so considering returning to Pakistan would have had serious consequences.  This book gives the perspective of an immigrant who is targeted for what isn’t her fault but who has wonderful parents and great friends who stick by her throughout.  It is recommended for Young Adults.

 

Reviewed by Ellen Spring, Oceanside High School, Rockland

four-stars

Rebel Daughter

Rebel DaughterRebel Daughter by Lori Banov Kaufmann
Published by Delacorte Press on February 9, 2021
ISBN: 0593125819
Pages: 400
Genres: Historical Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads
four-stars
Rebel Daughter

 

In this historical fiction book set in the first century of the Christian Era the author, Lori Banov Kaufmann, has heard about a 2,000-year-old tombstone belonging to Claudia Aster who is mostly known as Esther in this book, and is fascinated by it.  Many of the characters were real people whom the author learned of by reading one of the main character’s, Josephus’s, autobiography.  The plot follows Esther from fourteen to nineteen-years-old and her family and relationships with Josephus and finally with her one true love, Tiberius, who ultimately frees her from slavery and marries her.  Sadly, they only have six years together as she dies at twenty-five in childbirth.

The book is often very graphic and true to what the lives of both the upper Roman class and the slaves lived through, whether it was excrement on the roads or the torture or sexual exploitation endured.

The depth of research of the author is evident although the plot seems as though it could have been whittled down in places.

 

Reviewed by Ellen Spring, Oceanside High School, Rockland

four-stars

Blackout

BlackoutBlackout by Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, Dhonielle Clayton, Nic Stone, Nicola Yoon, Tiffany D. Jackson
Published by Quill Tree Books on June 22, 2021
ISBN: 0063088096
Pages: 256
Genres: Realistic Fiction, Romance
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars
During the 2020 pandemic, author Dhonielle Clayton was inspired by the world’s metaphorical blackout to create a series of stories about a literal blackout in NYC featuring black teens in varying romantic situations. Clayton reached out to fellow writers Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, and Nicola Toon to help write the stories. While each story features its own characters in differing locations, the theme throughout is life at an unexpected standstill and self-realization. The authors do a great job of creating instances that tie all the stories together, like some characters know each other, and most of them are attempting to get to a party in Brooklyn, while keeping each story a standalone (with the exception of Jackson’s piece which is told in 5 separate acts). While each author has their own voice, the differences between stories are never jarring and flow smoothly together.  All in all, the authors have created a book full of black joy and possibility.

Reviewed by Kara Reiman, Maine State Library

five-stars