Book Review: Under Shifting Glass by Nicky Singer

Book: Under Shifting Glass
Author: Nicky Singer
Published: 2013
Source: review copy from publisher via NetGalley

When her beloved great-aunt dies, Jess feels as if she’s gone into a tailspin. With her mother and stepfather totally focused on her twin baby brothers, and her best friend gradually pulling away in favor of boys and popularity, there’s nobody left who really gets her. She feels lost, overlooked, and helpless to change any of the big things happening in her life. Then, in a desk she inherited from her great-aunt, she discovers a bottle with a strange mist inside. What is it? Where did Aunt Edie get it? And mostly importantly, what connection does it have with her baby brothers, born conjoined and fighting for their lives in the hospital?

I’ll be upfront and say that I fell in love with this book, mainly due to the no-answers exploration of spiritual questions. However, it wasn’t perfect. The ending was a little too pat, everything slotting neatly into place when the point of the book prior to that was that there are a lot of mysteries out there and very few of them can be solved so easily and neatly.

But there were a lot of things going for this book anyway, even with the ending. Jess rings very true as a lonely girl whose life is changing at top speed, and every character has a little something more to them than you’d expect. I especially liked the resolution of her relationship with her best friend. As I said before, Jess also delves into spiritual and religious questions, visiting a Buddhist temple and thinking deeply about her own Christian theology for the first time. This book won’t be for everyone, but for a kid who wants to start tackling some of the mysteries of the universe, give it a try.

Book Review: The Garden of My Imaan, by Farhana Zia

Book: The Garden of My Imaan
Author: Farhana Zia
Published: 2013
Source: Review copy from publisher via NetGalley

In many ways, Aliya is the girl next door. She has friends and enemies, she worries about popularity and bullying and grades. Though her family is Muslim, they aren’t strict about it. Though she tries to eat halal, she doesn’t have to wear the hijab.

Then Marwa comes to her school. Marwa is far more open about her Muslim-ness than Aliya, wearing the hijab and responding calmly in the face of racist bullying. Aliya starts to resent being “the other Muslim girl.” At the same time, she finds herself longing to explore the faith that she’s always taken for granted, talking to Allah in daily letters and trying to fast for Ramadan. But how can she possibly measure up to Marwa when she keeps failing so massively?

This is not a hugely dramatic book. Simple, everyday things happen - student council elections, class projects, social questions (do I go to Carly’s party or accept Marwa’s invitation to dinner?). Nobody’s house gets vandalized, no mosques get bombed. There is prejudice, but it touches Aliya’s life without shattering it. This is Islam in daily life, and an American Muslim girl starting to understand what that means.

I’d also like to mention that this book shows some of the variety to be found in American Muslims. While some characters are Arab-American or recent immigrants, Aliya and her family are Indian-American, and have been for generations. Some families are strict, some are not. Her great-grandmother Badi Amma, who might have been expected to be the “strict one” when it comes to matters of faith, is permissive and understanding, telling her that “Allah rewards good intentions.”

I’m always on the lookout for books that show different faiths in the lives of contemporary kids without being didactic, and this one fits the bill just right.

Reading Roundup: April 2013

By the Numbers
Teen: 14
Tween: 6
Children: 7

Sources
Review Copies: 11
Purchased: 1
Library: 13

Standouts
Teen: Dark Trimph by Robin LaFevers
Yes, it is possible to get darker than Grave Mercy. Sybella has some nasty secrets in her past. If you can handle that, pick this up.
Tween: How They Croaked: The Awful Ends of the Awfully Famous by Georgia Bragg
Short, self-contained chapters and plenty of gross details make this a natural for reluctant readers. Just don't read while eating. I can't emphasize this enough.
Children: 13 Planets: the latest view of the solar system
While the stuff about the classic nine planets was pretty old hat to me, it's presented in a quick and interesting way. And the newer planets (Eris, Ceres, and others) are downright fascinating.

Because I Want To Awards
Snarky Good Fun: Spoiled by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan
The first book by the Fug Girls had all the gleeful Hollywood sendups I expected, but with two strong and sympathetic protagonists, feeling their way toward being sisters to anchor the snark.
Gaaaaaaaaaaaaah Cliffhanger: Just One Day by Gayle Forman
Not so much a romance as a girl-finding-herself story, this book's last page made me shriek aloud.
Shut Up, I'm Busy Swooning: For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund
This sci-fi post-apocalyptic retelling of Austen's Persuasion (INORITE) was pretty fun for the chance to pick up similarities to the original. The next one is supposed to be based on The Scarlet Pimpernel. I'm so there.
Captures Middle-School Politics Perfectly: 33 Minutes by Todd Lasky
Sigh. Like the best middle-school books, this one reminds me why I wouldn't go back to that age of changing identities for any amount of money in the world. Extra points because this intensely interpersonal book is about two guy friends.
Loved the Family Dynamics: Tuesdays at the Castle and Wednesdays in the Tower by Jessica Day George
You don't know what you're missing until you see it. This book showcased a close and supportive family that worked together to fight off common enemies. In an age group that teems with evil adults and disdainful siblings, this was incredibly refreshing.

Book Review: Out of Nowhere by Maria Padian

Book: Out of Nowhere
Author: Maria Padian
Published: 2013
Source: Review copy from publisher via NetGalley

Tom's family has lived in Ennistown for generations. His grandparents and his parents were born in this little Maine town, filled with French-Canadian blue-collar workers. But Tom's Ennistown is changing, as waves of Somalian refugees pour in. He pays little attention to his new neighbors, except for the new Somali players on his soccer team, who play a kind of soccer he's never seen before.

When a stupid prank on a rival school forces Tom into community service at the local Somali center, he starts to learn more about his teammates, especially Saeed, the soccer star who barely speaks any English. He learns the importance of their faith, some of the intricacies of their culture, and the nightmarish background that brought them to the States.

But not everybody in Ennistown is as willing to learn, accept, and support. Tensions and suspicions ratchet up, and Tom and Saeed will find themselves caught square in the middle of them.

Full disclosure: I work in a public library in a refugee-heavy neighborhood. Where this book really made me sit up straight and pay attention was a scene from Tom's first visit to the K Street Center, when he encounters an eight-year-old Somali boy struggling in school. "Holy crap," I said aloud, "that's one of our kids!" He would have fit in with no problems.

Tom is a good kid, basically decent. Even before his community service, he's a team player and a leader, a loyal friend, fair-minded and looking out for the little guy. That's probably why I went along with some of his more obtuse moments, like how long it took for him to grasp that somebody might not know their own birthdate with the certainty that we do in the United States of Paperwork and his attempts to interact with a Somali girl as if she were an American.

My favorite part was the light touches that emphasize Tom's own immigrant roots. His last name is Bouchard, and he's surrounded by other French names. His mere (not grandma) serves a French dessert for Sunday brunch, and it's a treat greeted by universal cheers. He talks about his great-aunt being unable to go into a mill where she once worked in near-indentured-servitude conditions. It's a clear but gentle reminder that very few people ever found America's streets paved with gold, no matter when they came.

Unfortunately, Saeed is a very flat character. Part of this is undoubtedly the language barrier combined with the tight third-person point of view. Because Tom doesn't get to hear much of Saeed's inner life, neither do we. Mostly what we get is the broken English, the astonishing soccer skill, and occasional noble leadership moments.

I found myself much more interested in Saeed's sister Samira, a teen girl clearly caught between cultures. She was another one I recognized, trying to be an American girl and a Somali girl at the same time, trying to work out where she wanted to land on the spectrum between two identities, trying to navigate where she was allowed to land. It is the strange and standoffish relationship (not like that, you guys) between Tom and Samira that ultimately brings the book to its climax.

Not only was this a good book (the slightly fizzling-out end notwithstanding), it's an important book for many communities like my own and Ennistown,

Reading Roundup: March 2013

By the Numbers
Teen: 13
Tween: 15
Children: 12

Sources
Review Copies: 11
Library: 23

Standouts
Teen: The Summer Prince by Alaya Dawn Johnson
When I picked this up, I thought it would be just another cookie-cutter dystopia with a tired romance. That couldn't be farther from the truth. With a unique setting and premise, this was easily my favorite book all month.
Tween: Under Shifting Glass by Nicky Singer
Another book that wasn't quite what I expected. Touching on the big mysteries of life, death, and faith without being too glib or pat-answery about any of it, this is a book to start kids thinking.
Children: Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart by Candace Fleming
A fascinating book about a fascinating woman. I only ever knew the legend and Fleming's biography brought her to life, warts and all.

Because I Want To Awards
Good for a Laugh: Withering Tights by Louise Rennison
Rennison's follow-up series to the Georgia Nicolson books is as goofy and entertaining as the former, even if I wasn't terribly clear on what was going on half the time.
Gothic-o-Rama!: Strands of Bronze and Gold by Jane Nickerson
I predicted a couple of months ago that Gothic themes were going to be A Thing. This retelling of the Bluebeard story in antebellum Mississippi is as Gothic as they come. Unfortunately, that includes a protagonist too stupid to get out while the gettin' is good.
You Want to Do What Now?: Putting Makeup on Dead People by Jen Violi
I don't think I've ever seen a character who wants to be a mortician when they grow up. Have you? Violi gets points for making this a non-morbid and carefully-thought-out choice on the part of her heroine.
And Again with the Kiddie Noir: The Trouble With Chickens by Doreen Cronin
While this was a fun book for this adult, do kids get this style? I've always been curious.

Book Review: Rival by Sara Bennet Wealer

Book: Rival
Author: Sara Bennet Wealer
Published: 2011
Source: Local Library

Brooke has everything Kathryn wants. Popular, rich, and confident, she rules the school with an iron fist and has personally made sure that Kathryn is at the bottom of the popularity heap. Naturally, she's up for Homecoming Queen. More than that, she's sure to win the Blackmore vocal contest, which comes with a hefty college scholarship check. Brooke doesn't need a scholarship, but Kathryn does, desperately.

Kathryn has everything Brooke wants. Dainty and pretty, she always seems to get the boy that Brooke is crushing on. She also has loving, involved parents and a best friend who really gets her. Kathryn has no idea how good she's got it, and Brooke hates her for it. She's also terrified that this little nobody is going to beat her in the Blackmore vocal contest, which comes with the kind of prestige that could be Brooke's first step toward stardom and out of this cruddy little Midwest town.


What makes it all ten times worse is that once upon a time, they were friends.

Very often, I lose patience with multiple POV stories. What's the point? You're all allies, or headed toward the same place. Or, your stories are parallel and don't intersect until the very end. This book, however, is the kind of story that was made for multiple POV. Through each other's eyes, you see how minor misunderstandings and differences have built into a wall of hatred between two very similar girls.

There is one character who's an overt villain and who is really the one behind the most awful bullying. I also wish that the subplot with Kathryn's male best friend, and the subtle does-he-love-her-or-not tension, hadn't been wrapped up so quickly.


However, the best and biggest part of this book is the two main characters. Neither Kathryn nor Brooke are as dreadful or as innocent as they think they are. They both do things out of thoughtlessness and spite. But they both have to learn that forgiveness, like tangos and rivalry, takes two.

Book Review: Marco Impossible by Hannah Moskowitz

Book: Marco Impossible
Author: Hannah Moskowitz
Published: March 19, 2013
Source: Review copy from publisher via NetGalley

Stephen's best friend, Marco, has a plan. It's the last day of eighth grade, and he's decided that he needs to confess his love to the boy of his dreams. At the high school prom. In order to get to the prom, they have to get tickets, tuxes, and a reasonable story to get in the door.

Naturally, he calls on Stephen, and Stephen goes along. What's a best friend for, anyway? But as the day goes on, he begins to realize that there's more at stake, and more at play, in this simple little caper than he'd ever bargained for. And even though they've been friends forever, Stephen can't for the life of him work out what's going on in Marco's head.

When I started this book, I thought it was going to be a delightful and kooky romp. As I worked my way through the story, I realized that was just the surface. This really isn't a story about a boy who wants to declare his love to another boy. It's about a boy who thought he knew his best friend inside out, and realizes that's not the case at all.

Marco has things he isn't telling Stephen. Stephen has things he isn't telling Marco. Everybody, in fact, has their little secrets, and these are what builds up into the explosion of truth-telling at the end.

You may have already picked on one of my favorite things about the book, and that's Marco's sexuality. Rather, how Marco's sexuality is handled. To Stephen, it's a non-issue. It's part of who his best friend is and always has been. But as I got deeper in, I realized that wasn't the case for every character, and that plays into the things that Marco isn't telling Stephen.

For a sweet and funny book with more under the surface, this would be my pick.