Dancing at the Pity Party

Dancing at the Pity Party: A Dead Mom Graphic Memoir by Tyler Feder. Grades 6+ with crossover for adults. 208 pages. Dial Books, 2020. Review copy provided by publisher. 

I can't do better than this publisher blurb, so here's what this book is about: 

"From before her mother's first oncology appointment through the stages of her cancer to the funeral, sitting shiva, and afterward, when she must try to make sense of her life as a motherless daughter, Tyler Feder tells her story in this graphic novel that is full of piercing--but also often funny--details. She shares the important post-death firsts, such as celebrating holidays without her mom, the utter despair of cleaning out her mom's closet, ending old traditions and starting new ones, and the sting of having the "I've got to tell Mom about this" instinct and not being able to act on it. This memoir, bracingly candid and sweetly humorous, is for anyone struggling with loss who just wants someone to get it."

I picked up the galley at PLA and I didn't read it right away, but when I saw how many holds were gathering on this title at my library, I picked it up to see what the buzz was about. I was surprised at how much I loved this book. Like... LOVED. It's not an easy read and I'm not a member of the Dead Mom Club, so it's not a story that I especially identify with, but it still struck a deep chord in me. I think it's got wide appeal for kids in middle school and high school, but also for adults, especially adults who experienced a major loss while they were in their teens or young adulthood. Readers who have experienced the loss of a parent or another close loss will find recognition and acceptance here, but even readers who have not experienced this loss should tune in for just a well-crafted and emotionally vulnerable story. Have tissues nearby, of course. 

Four Crossover Books by Native American Authors

November is Native American Heritage Month and it's a great time to promote Native American authors. Of course, you can and SHOULD be doing this throughout the year, but I know this is a time of year when folks might be particularly paying attention. There have been some AMAZING books by Native American authors published in 2018 and here are some of my favorites. Bonus: these titles, two published for teens and two published for adults, are all great crossovers for both teens and adults.

Give Me Some Truth by Eric Gansworth (Arthur A. Levine Books, 2018. 432 pages). It's 1980 and Carson has his heart set on winning Battle of the Bands. One problem - he needs a band. Second problem - he's caught up in a movement against a racist restaurant owner that ends up meaning more than Carson ever imagined. Maggi has just moved back to the Tuscarora reservation after years of living as a "City Indian" and she's desperate to get out of making the traditional bead art that her family sells and make her own art. With a strong sense of time and place, and The Beatles tying everything together, this is a novel for teen or adult readers of John Green or fans of classic rock. This one's published for teens, but adults who have '80s nostalgia or love music will dig it, too.

Hearts Unbroken by Cynthia Leitich Smith (Candlewick, 2018. 304 pages). When Louise's boyfriend mocks Native people in front of her, she dumps him over email. It's her senior year and Lou doesn't have time for anyone who's going to disrespect her people. She concentrates on navigating relationships and her Muscogee culture while competing for bylines on her school's newspaper. When a huge story breaks - a controversy about the non-white casting for the school musical The Wizard of Oz - Lou finds herself in the middle of it as her little brother, cast as the Tin Man, starts becoming a target of attacks. Here you'll find a super smart protagonist trying to balance romance and her principles while learning more about life and herself each day. Hand this to readers of contemporary social justice titles like Love, Hate and Other Filters. Published for teens, adult readers of contemporary YA will dig this one, too.

There, There by Tommy Orange (Knopf, 2018. 294 pages). Alternating viewpoints tell a story of a wide cast of intergenerational Native American characters, all building up to a modern powwow in Oakland, California. Each character has a reason for traveling to the powwow and they are connected in unexpected ways. Readers of character-driven fiction will love getting to know these characters and piecing together their connections. Hand this to readers of literary urban fiction. Published for adults, teens, especially lovers of urban fiction, will find characters here to identify with.

Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse (Saga Press, 2018. 287 pages). After the Big Water, not much is left of North America except the Navajo reservation Dinetah, protected by walls that their leaders had the foresight to build. But with the rise of the waters came the end of the Fifth World and the beginning of the Sixth and the return of mythical monsters to Dinetah. Maggie is a monsterslayer - a vocation she's particularly suited to due to her supernatural Clan gifts. But now there is a new kind of monster appearing in the mountains - a monster that must have been created by humans. And Maggie, who always works alone, must join forces with an apprentice medicine man to seek out the evil that's taken root in her home. This is an action-packed, blood-soaked read by an Ohkay Owingeh author, perfect for fans of urban fantasy. Published for adults, there is definitely teen crossover potential for teens who don't mind a bloody story.

There's no better time than the present to pick up or hand a reader a book by a Native author. Have you read any of these? What did you think?

Relish: My Life in the Kitchen

Relish: My Life in the Kitchen by Lucy Knisley. Grades 7 and up. Macmillan Children's, April 2013. 192 pages. Review copy provided by my local library.

Lucy Knisley grew up in the kitchen. Raised by foodie parents, Lucy helped her dad make the salad dressing for dinner every night and picked berries in the country with her mom (and also rebelled a little bit by loving junk food). Her strongest memories are tied to tastes and that's what this book is: a collection of tastes from Lucy's childhood, teen years, and young adulthood. It's a perfect dish to serve to anyone who likes graphic memoirs!

Warning: reading this book will make you hungry!

I am a big fan of graphic nonfiction and memoirs. And hey, I like to eat food! This book definitely hit the spot. Knisley approaches her memoir with a lot of humor and tells interesting stories about her food adventures all over the world. From huevos rancheros in Mexico to pocky and saki in Japan to eating McDonald's in Italy and the quest for the perfect croissants in Chicago, Knisley brings tastes and smells to life for the reader.

Each chapter ends with an illustrated recipe, including helpful kitchen information (like adding a little lemon juice to pesto will help keep it green longer).

As I was reading the book, I kept reading little bits aloud to my boyfriend, who amiable chuckled along with me. When we did the 48 Hour Book Challenge, I slipped this book into his book stack... and as he was reading, he kept reading funny bits aloud to me, too! So this might be a book with something for everyone, but I'd particularly recommend it to teens and adults who like graphic memoirs and/or love cooking (and eating!).

Relish is on shelves now!

And hey, it's Nonfiction Monday! Head on over to Shelf-employed for this week's roundup!

Crossover: All Men of Genius

All Men of Genius by Lev AC Rosen. Grades 9+ [adult, with high crossover appeal]. Tor, September 2011. 462 pages. Review copy provided by my local library.

Scientific genius Violet Adams wants nothing more than admission to Illyria College, Victorian London's most prestigious science academy. The problem? They don't admit women. So Violet disguises herself as her twin brother Ashton and gains admission, but it won't be easy to keep her secret while fending off advances from the Duke of Illyria's young cousin and dodging killer automata in the labyrinthine basement.

The character of Violet Adams drew me into this story and I thoroughly enjoyed the time I spent with her. At 17, Violet longs to be taken seriously. She wants scientific debate, not pretty flowers. She wants to test out her inventions, not to test out different hairstyles. And whenever Violet feels like someone's not taking her seriously, she gets seriously offended. She's feisty and she's smart and she's brave, but she's not perfect - certain people see through her disguise with laughable ease and she lets her own indignation get the better of her sometimes.

In addition to Violet, Lev Rosen introduces us to a diverse, well-developed group of supporting characters. Violet's school gang is extremely entertaining, from Jack's experiments on ferrets to Toby's constant quest for a hangover cure (which, of course, requires much consumption at their favorite pub in order to test his prototypes). The reader also gets occasional glimpses into the lives of the Illyria professors and other characters (even a cameo from Dr. Jekyll...).

The tone of the book is light with plenty of humor and some romance woven in among the scientific experiments. The plot's pretty action-packed, including mysterious happenings in the basement of the school, a blackmailing student who somehow discovers more of the group's secrets than is ideal, and enough mad science to fill a school full of laboratories. There's a lot going on and it mostly works, though I think the writing could have been a little bit tighter. I found my interest lagging a tiny bit towards the end, even as the action barreled forward in madcap fashion. However, overall, I really enjoyed this novel and I hope there's more to come from Mr. Rosen.

All Men of Genius is published for adults, but I think it's going to have high crossover appeal with teens who enjoy steampunk. I'd hand it to fans of Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials, Scott Westerfeld's Leviathan, or Tamora Pierce's Song of the Lioness quartet.

I picked up this book because of Ana and Thea's glowing review over at The Book Smugglers, so make sure you check out their review as well. You also may be interested in Lev Rosen's guest post on queer characters in steampunk over at The Story Siren.

All Men of Genius is on shelves now!

#48HBC: Science Fair Season

Science Fair Season: Twelve Kids, A Robot Named Scorch... and What it Takes to Win by Judy Dutton. Grades 7+ [adult, with high crossover appeal]. Hyperion, April 2011. 271 pages. Review copy provided by my local library.

The Intel International Science and Engineering Fair is serious business. This science fair for high schoolers yields huge cash prizes and scholarships to the top young scientists from all over the world. But what does it take to win?

Judy Dutton interviews eleven competitors with projects ranging from nuclear reactors to equine therapy programs to solar-powered heaters constructed from old car radiators and soda cans. Their stories will move and impress you - these are teens who are changing the face of science as we know it!

I was very impressed with this book and I'm really hoping to see it on the Alex list this year. I think Judy Dutton gets the blend of personal information and scientific information exactly right. This will appeal to both teens and adults who have particular interest in science and teens/adults who love character-driven books. As I was reading, I felt like I knew each of these kids and I was rooting for them. The stories Ms. Dutton has chosen represent students from many different cultures and circumstances. For a lot of these kids, science fairs have given them the chance to turn their lives around.

I'd highly recommend this title to anyone connected with science fairs and to teens and adults who have enjoyed books like The Freedom Writers Diary by Erin Gruwell or movies like Spellbound. Or to anyone who just wants to get inspired by the incredible work that teenagers around the world are doing!

Want an example? Here's one of the students featured:



And now for the 48-Hour Book Challenge Update....

Time spent reading: 17.25 hours (2 hours have been audiobook listening)
Time spent blogging: 2.5 hours
Time spent social networking: 2.25 hours
Books completed: 4
Pages read: 1446

Total time spent on the challenge thus far: 22 hours

I have just about 18 hours until my 7pm Sunday deadline and to meet my goals, I'll need to read for 6.75 hours and dedicate a total of 8 more hours to the challenge. I am pretty sure I can do that! But for now, I am off to bed because my brain is FRIED. (And I apologize if this review makes no sense... I'll fix it after the challenge is over!)

Crossover: Girl in Translation

Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok, narrated by Grayce Wey. Grades 9+ [adult, with high crossover appeal]. Riverhead [a division of Penguin Group], April 2010. 293 pages, 9 hours on 8 discs. Audiobook provided by my local library.

Chang Ah-Kim immigrated to the United States from Hong Kong, becoming Kimberly Chang, when she was 12 years old. And suddenly everything was different. Instead of a nice house, she and her mother live in a tiny, bug-infested apartment with no heat. Instead of working as a music teacher, her mother works in a clothing factory, slaving away for as little as one or two dollars an hour. And, perhaps most devastating to Kimberly, instead of being one of the top students in her class, Kimberly is failing her classes because she doesn't speak English and her teacher won't take the time to try and understand her.

But Kimberly is strong, brave, and so smart that she's a certifiable genius. And this is the story of how she overcame all the obstacles in her path and navigated all life's twists and turns to pull herself and her mother out of crushing poverty.

This is a novel that grabbed me and wouldn't let go. Even now, weeks after finishing it, I'm still raving about it to anyone who will listen! The fact that it's loosely based on author Jean Kwok's own childhood makes it all the more riveting. As I was listening to the story, I felt like Kimberly was sitting across from me and telling me everything that had happened to her. Kimberly's voice instantly drew me in to the story and I cared about her like I actually knew her. I was rooting for her the entire time.

Some of the descriptions of the poverty Kimberly and her mother endured were hard to listen to, but they still exist today. How could the school expect Kimberly to get her projects done when 1) she didn't speak English, 2) she had to help her mother work in the factory for hours after school every day, 3) when she finally did get home their apartment was unheated and crawling with bugs, and 4) there was no money to spare for fancy supplies like markers, poster board, or magazines to cut up. This is certainly an eye-opening story that may inspire empathy towards immigrants and those living in poverty.

As I listened, Grayce Wey's narration grew on me and I appreciate the subtle changes in voice that she used when reading different characters. It was enough of a change for me to keep the characters straight and not a lot else, which let the fine writing shine through. This is one of those books that had me looking forward to the commute because I needed to know what happened next. This was Jean Kwok's debut novel and you can bet I'll be looking forward to more from her.

I am a huge fan of Amy Tan and I'd quickly hand this book to other Amy Tan fans. The coming-of-age in New York aspect also reminded me of another favorite from my teen years - A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. I'd also recommend it to teens and adults interested in books about the immigrant experience, like maybe Uprising by Margaret Peterson Haddix or Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri.

Girl in Translation was a 2011 Alex Award winner. Check out more reviews at Book Nut, GreenBean TeenQueen and A Patchwork of Books.

Girl in Translation is on shelves now!

Crossover: A Pearl in the Storm

A Pearl in the Storm: How I Found My Heart in the Middle of the Ocean by Tori Murden McClure.  Grades 9+ [adult, with high crossover appeal]. Collins [an imprint of HarperCollins], 2009.  286 pages.  Review copy provided by my local library.

Hey.  I might start reviewing some adult books that have high YA crossover appeal.  Or this might be the only one.  Time will tell.  :)

So, Tori Murden McClure was the first woman to row solo across the Atlantic.
Yeah.  She rowed.  Solo.  Across the Atlantic Ocean.  As in, a rowboat.  3,333 miles.  By herself.  Through storms.  With sharks and whales and jellyfish.  She is pretty awesome.

In her memoir, A Pearl in the Storm, Tori intersperses the play-by-play of her heroic journey with snippets of the life that led her to the oars.  For Tori, the journey was about defeating helplessness.  Or, at least it started out that way.  But here's the thing about helplessness:  you can't defeat it.  We're human.  We're all going to be helpless sometimes.  And so Tori's journey became about accepting helplessness, about living with it and not letting it control her.

The riveting adventure is only one part of the book's teen appeal.  Tori writes in such a way that she puts the reader right into the story.  When I was reading this book, I was no longer sitting in my armchair with my cat purring contentedly on my lap.  I was curled up in a tiny boat cabin as a FREAKING HURRICANE tossed me head over heels.  I was laying with my ear pressed to the side of the boat, listening to the clicks and moans of whales far below.  I was staring up at billions of stars as I drifted on the water with no land in sight*.

So, yes, riveting adventure and the kind of writing that lets the reader feel it.  But I think a bigger part of its teen appeal is the entire concept of Tori's journey.  I ask you:  what teen hasn't felt like she was adrift in the ocean during a storm?

And this next part is a little bit of a **spoiler**, although you may already know Tori's story, in which case it's not a spoiler, but read the next paragraph at your own risk...

Here's the other thing:  Tori didn't make it on her first attempt.  After battling through Hurricane Danielle in the North Atlantic and facing yet another oncoming storm, her battered body had had enough and she called for a rescue.  But with help from some devoted friends, Tori realized that falling down doesn't mean you've failed.  You've only failed when you don't get back up.  She got back up and on her second attempt, she made it.  And that's something that everyone needs to hear now and again.

**end spoiler**

It's an inspirational story that doesn't read like an inspirational story.  It's not hokey, it's not didactic.  Instead, it's witty and thoughtful.  I laughed out loud and was moved to tears.  I have to admit that the first 30 pages or so didn't capture me, BUT push through that and you'll get to the good stuff.  After the very beginning part, I was on the edge of my seat the whole time.

I think it'll appeal to teens who've enjoyed books like Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air, Sebastian Junger's The Perfect Storm, or Jerri Nielsen's Ice Bound.

A Pearl in the Storm is on shelves now!

Sidenote:  Tori Murden McClure is speaking at my library in April!  She's the keynote speaker for our ILF District 6 Conference and after reading her book, I seriously can't wait to meet her.

Hey, it's Nonfiction Monday!  Head over to Great Kids Books for the roundup!

* During the time I was reading this book, I actually had a dream about laying down and seeing all those stars above my head.  Probably the real thing would surpass my wildest imagination.