Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly

The is a well-crafted novel with interesting characters and structure. The story is about 11-year-old Vigil Salinas, an introvert who is painfully shy and trying to find his voice by talking to the confident and deaf, Valencia Somerset. He gets help from his close friend, Kaori Tanaka, a Japanese American and her side-kick sister, Gen. Kaori is an entrepreneur that believes her psychic abilities can help others with their problems. Gen is always asking a gazillion questions adding humor to the plot as the annoying and energetic younger sibling. Vigil struggles with standing up for himself against his family and the neighborhood bully, Chet Bullens. His parents tease him and call him "Turtle" waiting for him to come out of his shell. He's the introvert in an extroverted family. His Philippine grandmother, Lola, gets him and respects his quietness and hilariously tells him folk tales where children are eaten by monsters.The author captures the pain of teasing that families so often use when they don't like something about another person that is essential to their character. The parents are not intentionally cruel but don't understand the pain of their name-calling. Chet bullies Vigil but his character is developed to show how Chet's father is a poor role model that leads to Chet being insecure and bullying those around him as a result. His actions are not one-dimensional and more nuanced making for good discussions.

The short chapters help keep the pacing moving along and the structure is brilliant. Valencia Somerset is deaf and her voice is portrayed in first-person, while all the other characters are in third-person. This limited point-of-view not only gives a personal touch that allows the readers to identify closely with Valencia but mimics the isolation a deaf person might feel. Many times, Valencia doesn't understand the person that is speaking because they are not facing her or are looking down. She comments on how often this happens in addition to trying to play games like hide-and-seek with friends but can't hear when they call out, "Ready, set, go!" Her friends appear to like her until the day they tell her she's wrecking the game and rather than figuring out one she can play, they shun her. She ends up having a continual nightmare as a result, where she is isolated in a field staring at an eclipse with a girl in a blue dress with no whites of her eyes showing - her eyes a black iris like the eclipse. This nightmare can symbolize darkness obscuring light or when prejudices blot out the goodness or light in people who are ruled by fear of people that are different from a disability or anyone oppressed or marginalized. This point of view lets the reader step into Valencia's character more closely and understand some of the challenges as well as advantages with her disability whether lip-reading or observing nature without sound.

The two children that have disabilities, Virgil and Valencia, are in the same resource room at school and love the book, Gulliver's Travels by Jonathon Swift. They even name their guinea pigs Lilliput and Gulliver. The Lilliputians are afraid of Gulliver's size and welcome him at first before turning against him out of fear. Valencia is accepted by her friend, Roberta, but influenced by those around her later turning against her deafness in fear and ignorance paralleling the Lilliputians. Gulliver's Travels is a satire on politics and the author cleverly parallels the politics of middle school and belonging through subtle references. Gulliver is also an average person who is gifted with learning different languages. This is ironic considering Vigil cannot squeak out even a "hello" to Valencia because he is so shy. And the choice of the name Virgil is symbolic too. Virgil was Dante's guide through hell in Dante's Inferno. Virgil goes through hell; that is falling into a well where he has to find his voice to talk to Valencia and learn to stand up for himself against a bully.

While some might find this slow-paced, I thought the short chapters helped move it along and the gorgeous writing and humor kept me engaged. When I went back to think about sections I started to see quite a bit of symbolism that I mention briefly. There's a lot going on in this book. It isn't going to be for everyone but it is a gem.

5 Smileys

Bone Gap by Laura Ruby

From the get-go you know this is going to be a different story with the first line of chapter 1: The corn was talking to him again. A mix of fairy tale, Greek myth, mystery, science and realism, Laura Ruby creates a tale of her own that doesn't quite adhere to any one genre. I'm not sure how my realistic, non-fantasy reading buddies would like it (Angela and Karen). It worked for me and reminded me a bit of a young adult version of "Breadcrumbs," by Anne Ursu. Layers of meaning are honeycombed throughout the plot making for discussions on abuse, bullies, definition of beauty, treatment of women, disabilities, parental absence, peer pressure, and more. The imagery, word choice, and symbolism found in the bees, names (or lack of), agrarian setting, and myths of past literature enrich the plot and make for a page-turner targeted toward middle school, high school, or adult readers. This goes on my burn-the-dinner list.

Eighteen-year-old Finn O'Sullivan doesn't look anyone in the eye, but the small town of Bone Gap accepts his idiosyncrasies until the day Roza disappears. As the only eye-witness, Finn watched her leave and is not sure if she went of her own free will or was kidnapped. Finn along with his older brother, Sean,  try to cope with two people abandoning them in their lives. Their mother had left them for an orthodontist a few years earlier spoiling Sean's plans to go to medical school and leaving Finn in his care. Finn can't describe the man Roza left with in great detail and blames himself for letting her go or not rescuing her.

The various points of view include Roza's story that takes a magical turn when her abductor does the impossible of creating alternate worlds and answering her any wish, (except the only one that matters which is to set her free). The author shrouds Roza in mystery slowly unveiling her past, providing good pacing and tension. When a magical black horse shows up and Finn takes interest in Petey, an unattractive peer, the mystery or myth starts to unfold and take shape drawing all the different elements and genres into a satisfying ending.

*spoiler* I'll try not to reveal too much of the plot.

Comparisons with the Greek myth of Persephone and Roza are obvious. Persephone represents the harvest and fertility of vegetation. Much imagery is devoted to Roza who can grow anything in the boy's garden, goes to school for botany, and whose plants wilt and die after she leaves. In the myth Persephone's beauty draws unwanted attention from other gods and when Hades kidnaps her she becomes Queen of the Underworld. Roza's preternatural  beauty causes her to be abducted by a man in a black SUV who gives her anything she wants but won't let her leave his domain; there is even a reference to pomegranates. Roza has had to deal with unwanted attention from men in the past and she reflects on it while imprisoned.

When a magical black horse shows up at Finns house, he and Petey take some midnight rides that don't seem quite real as the horse leaps distances that are impossible. I knew I was missing the significance of this reference and it wasn't until I read a Maile Meloy's New York Times article  did she remind me that Persephone's mother, Demeter, went in the form of a black horse. She's referring to the myth where Poseidon raped Demeter when she was searching for Persephone; they were in the form of horses and she became pregnant from the episode. The river in the book is surreal too and reminded me of the River Styx.

The subplot of Finn falling in love with Petey and the idea of beauty evolves throughout the story. Roza and Petey are judged by their appearances but the two do not let the world define them as such. Roza is competent and practical. She can stitch up a gash, grow enough food for the three, and jump out of a moving car to save herself from unwanted attentions. Petey, who is considered ugly, determines that she is interesting, even beautiful, inside. The way Petey reflects about this through the science of bees is fascinating and not overly technical.

Finn and Sean, as characters, must deal with male expectations. Sean is expected to be a conventional hero and save Roza, but he is broken and hurt inside from being abandoned by his mother. Finn, being good-looking and "pretty", is attracted to what society would label an unattractive girl. Both boys have to come to terms with societal versus individual expectations and find the courage to be true to themselves. The author's deft character development is one of many elements well done in this tale. Don't miss it.

5 Smileys

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

What a complex adult book. Part historical, part mystery, part myth, part science ... None of the plot went as I expected. The multiple points of view from main, secondary, and tertiary characters are different too. The teenage protagonist is a Nazi sympathizer and the other protagonist is blind. The "old ladies resistance club" is galvanized by a spunky 76-year-old housekeeper and the woman that runs the orphanage is caring and kind. No stereotypes here. Even the closest stock character, Von Rumpel, is trying to find a cure for himself, albeit a myth. Then the author plays with conventions creating a story that is not linear but zigzags forward and backward through time. And did I mention his prose? It is dense and lyrical. How he gets the whole shebang to work and come together is really a work of art that is worth reading. He takes quite a few risks and overall pulls it off in a book rich in prose, themes, and characters.

Frenchman Claude LeBlanc works at the Museum of Natural history when Paris is invaded by the Germans. He flees with his daughter, Marie-Laure, to Saint-Malo where his uncle lives. Claude has been given one of four famous diamonds for safekeeping. Three of the diamonds are fakes and one real. The diamond is cursed and all that come in contact with it suffer great tragedy, but live forever. Marie-Laure became blind as a six-year-old and is learning to navigate the world without sight. Her father teaches her to read Braille and she adores Jules Verne's, "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea."

Meanwhile German teen, Werner Pfennig, lives in an orphanage with his sister after his dad died in a coal mine collapse and his mother died in childbirth. He is getting older and knows that his only career option will be to work in the mines. He is brilliant at math, engineering, and mechanics. When the neighbors discover he can fix any radio they bring him, he has steady work until a German shows up that recruits him for Hitler's Youth program. Werner sees a way out of poverty and the mines and takes the offer to be trained at school as a mechanic and soldier, but is uneasy the whole time with incidents that happen. He sees the commander, Bastian, as a fanatic capable of chronic violence and "...every part of him wants to scream: is this not wrong? But here it is right."

When Marie-Laure's dad goes missing on a trip back to the museum, she gets to know her uncle better and the housekeeper. The three get drawn into the French Resistance that was working against the Germans. When Werner's radio skills draw the two together in Saint-Malo, Werner makes choices that are contrary to those he has been making throughout the war. Before he thinks he is controlling his future and doesn't realize his lack of actions is a choice. The twist with model house at the end shows he found strength to do the right thing.

The reader has to work more keeping track of the narrative because it jumps in time. The story is basically about a one week siege in Saint-Malo, France. If the author had written it in a linear form, then most of the story would have been in flashbacks that would have taken the suspense and tension out of most of the plot development. I am not a fan of flashbacks and heavy backstory so I appreciate this experimental approach to narrative. It is risky and might irritate some, but my random brain kind of liked it once I got used to it. It reminded me of the hours I would spend putting puzzles together and I appreciated how cleverly the author put various time frames together to create suspense.

The prose and figurative language Doerr uses remind me a bit of some Romantic writers. He describes nature through his characters with such awe and beauty that I can smell the ocean and feel the wind in a grotto filled with mollusks and crustaceans. His sentences have a lyrical cadence that is like music. The writing can be dense too. When Werner describes radio technology, it is technical enough to remind me of Jules Verne's books. The 187 short one to three-page chapters balance these excessive descriptions so it isn't exhausting. The metaphors on light are so many and varied I could write an entire paper on them. The title reflects the light or darkness that is in nature, humans, man-made machines, blindness, buildings, to name a few. The author shows how the theme of good and evil or light and darkness in humans is complicated and far from black and white.

Werner's actions are good and harmful. Jutta and Frederick are his conscience and he fails both of them with the poor decisions he makes. But he is a character whose actions are not to take action so he isn't offensive or cruel. He just stands by and follows others; whereas, Jutta and Frederick stand up against people doing things that they believe are morally wrong. Werner wants so bad to break out of his poverty and not end up in the mines that he compromises his morals. When his story becomes wrapped up with Marie-Laure's he has found a measure of redemption from past inactions; from breaking Jutta's radio in rebellion to the law, to not standing up for Frederick, for not doing something when the terrified boy on the platform fainted, to murdering people as a soldier.

Werner is a complex character. The reader understands his desperation to get out of the orphanage and not die in the coal mines. When he figures out the location of transmitting radios, readers are rooting for him, but the result of his success is the murder of enemies. When Werner is at Hitler's Youth School the contrast between Nazi propaganda and nature becomes even more evident. The Nazi's tried to use the science of eugenics to control evolution. The thought of humans directing evolution in a controlled manner is in direct contrast to the disorder and messiness of nature. And its racist element is horribly off-kilter with the theme of tolerance.

Marie-Laure is more pure in character. She's brave and finds herself all alone in the war. She needs the strength to face a killer and the world on her own. Von Rumpel is more of a stock villain but even he has another reason to find the stone that has nothing to do with money but to do with his disease. He's a foil to Werner and adds great tension at the end as he hunts down Marie-Laure. Werner's actions are in response to the guilt he feels for not rescuing Frederick when he was being persecuted and abused by others. Marie-Laure needs to know that she can stand on her own even though she is blind. Even though she is blind she represents light in the goodness she shows others. She is an interesting character because the author has to describe her experiences through other senses. Most writers use narratives that rely on visual senses and Marie-Laure relies on touch, taste, and smell to visualize the world.

One of the themes is how war affects idealists. Frederick is sensitive and is not always skilled socially, but he is kind and smart and a dreamer. "He sees things what other people don't." But he comes off as odd and nerdy. Even when things escalate with school bullies, he doesn't leave as Werner suggests. As the cruelty gets worse, Frederick seems to withdraw into his world of birds. When Werner tells him to just leave, Frederick says he has no choice because being at the school helps his dad and mom politically. At the end, when Jutta is looking at Werner's notebook full of questions and pictures of birds for Frederick she thinks, "What the war did to dreamers." Both boys lost their dreams to the war.

The ending is kind of different. It has Marie-Laure as an old woman with her grandchildren. It shows how the war doesn't exist for the next generation like it did for her because they have not had to live through one. The author seems to be making the point that the memory of the war can easily be forgotten and the same mistakes made. But there are still wars today. There is still destruction and groups committing genocide world-wide. By showing Marie-Laure remembering her experiences, the author suggests that through books others can learn and avoid mistakes that lead to intolerance and war.

5 Smileys

Nine Open Arms by Benny Lindelauf, John Nieuwenhuizen (Translator)

The past eleven years I've been a wanderer like Fing's (Josephine's) family. "We were globetrotters within our town. North, south, east, west: we were able to go everywhere but didn't feel at home anywhere, and now it seems we were about to move again." That is a good description of a career as an international teacher. Many counter it by purchasing a home somewhere. At least then it feels like you have roots in a place, even if you are only there a couple of months. This theme of wandering is one of many throughout this story. Others include lies versus truths, disabilities, bullies, lost love, and more. The story is divided into three parts that comes together with a strong ending.

Fing's Dutch father is always starting some new venture that doesn't quite succeed. He's eternally optimistic and and tells his six children to "First believe, then see" and to choose the "opposite of worrying." Their mother is dead and their gruff and loving grandmother, Oma Mei, with a swivel-eye does most of the disciplining, feeding, and caring for the children. The family has arrived at a new home at the end of Sjlammbams Sahara, a road with a house facing the opposite direction of the road and full of secrets. Fing and her sisters start to uncover those secrets and find out why Oma Mei has been lying to them.

The setting is in the Netherlands during the 1930's, while the middle part is a flashback to the 1860's. The last part travels to 1937 and pulls the story together. I struggled the most with the first part because the pacing was slow and the character traits of the girls took awhile to materialize in my brain. It could be my brain though. I wasn't feeling well and had a headache when reading this so try it yourself to see what you think. My reading buddy, Angela, didn't have a problem with the first part but found the flashback weird. Either way we both agree it came together at the end well and had some unique twists.

Jess, Fing's younger sister, has a twisted spine and has to wear a brace. She is teased at school and hates it that she can't perform the same tasks as her older sister. When she makes friends with a bum, it suggests that the two have an understanding of what it means to suffer and be marginalized in society. Rather than calling her disability by a medical term, they call it her wreckbone. The wreckbone becomes a metaphor for suffering that happens in the family mentally as well as physically. The secrets that the grandma is hiding about her husband are not healthy and the father moving all the time looking for his next "successful" career is wearing on the children that need to settle down and make friends. The ending suggests healing and hope for the future.

In the United States and Britain, very few books are translated. Jack Zipes gives a figure in his book, "Relentless Progress: The Reconfiguration of Children's Literature, Fairy Tales, and Storytelling," but it is checked out and I can't look up the exact numbers. Needless to say, I do remember that the market for books in English is the largest and that the statistics quoted for translated books were miniscule in comparison. Hopefully this will change more in the future. Studying other cultures brings tolerance and empathy. We really are not much different from each other and what better way to show that then in a story.

4 Smileys

Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin

Rose Howard reigns in the world of prime numbers, homophones, and rules. Her autism makes it difficult for her to control the urge to yell in school. She lives with her father, a mechanic, who likes to drink at the Luck of the Irish pub after or during work. Fifth grader Rose lives with Rain, an abandoned dog that her dad found behind the pub, and the two are inseparable and left alone more than is good for a child. She's not too emotional and faces her father's shortcomings with stoicism. Her Uncle Weldon takes her to and from school and is more caring than her father. The family works through problems and issues until they reach a crisis.

The plot of this book is simple and somewhat hard to write about and not give away. It is predictable in one way but with some twists that don't make it boring. The theme of doing what is right and emotional attachments to pets and being responsible are implied by the father's actions versus Rose. It would make for good discussions. The father does the best that he can but does not know how to handle Rose's autism; add in a temper and you have a ticking time bomb character.

I do not think first person point-of-view works for books with characters that are autistic because the voice does not sound authentic in parts. In order to convey complex thoughts and inner monologues, the words the character uses is in contrast with the handicap being portrayed. While Rose speaks in short, terse sentences, sometimes her descriptions of her emotions sounds too sophisticated. This doesn't happen often, but when it does it is jarring and makes me notice the writing while pulling me out of the narrative. Maybe this was the author's intent. But that, along with the bombardment of homophones in the beginning, made me not love this one. I know of too many other books that are more memorable.

3 Smileys

The War that Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Call me dumpling, if this isn't a Newbery contender for 2016. The historical details, character development, tight plot, and rich layered themes make this firecracker sizzle. Ten-year-old Ada has a clubfoot and is kept locked in her family's one bedroom apartment while her six-year-old brother, Jaimie, roams free in London, England. Mam hits her two children and punishes Ada by locking her in the cabinet under the sink. World War II is about to happen, and parents are sending children to the countryside for safety.

Mam plans to send Jaimie, but not Ada, "Nice people don't want to look at that foot." Ada sneaks off with Jaimie to join other evacuees on a train to Kent. Expecting 70 children but receiving 200, the children line up in a building near the station and are chosen by families, but no one picks Ada and Jaimie. The "iron-faced" woman organizing the placement takes the two to a house where the owner, Susan Smith, says she doesn't want any children to care for. The reason for Susan's reluctance is slowly revealed and though she claims she is not nice, her actions show the opposite. She suffers with bouts of depression and the three form a family bond that helps them all move forward in life and deal with suffering.

The ironic title of this book refers not only to the physical war, but the internal and daily battles faced by the characters. War is about death and destruction, not saving; however, there are times when "some things are worth fighting for." WWII meant fighting against loss of freedoms, lands, and extreme prejudices. Most people didn't want to go to war and avoided it until it became necessary. For Ada, "There are all kinds of wars." She talks about her war with Jaimie whom she has raised instead of their negligent mother. She talks about her war with her mother who hits her in order to shame and control her. She sees Susan war with people who act prejudiced toward her disability. She sees Jamie war with his fears. She sees Susan war with her grief. The war theme builds like a wet snowball rolling down a snowy hill getting bigger and bigger until it rests at the bottom doubled in size. The author keeps building on various themes and advances the plot pointing to those themes. This is just one element in  Kimberly Brubaker Bradley's impressive writing that makes this book unforgettable.

*spoiler* I want to use this book for book club next fall so the following is more detailed than usual so I'll remember my first impressions.

Daily life is filled with peace and joy and battles and wars. Ada's life is no different except her conditions are more extreme. She battles the prejudice of her mother and others over her clubfoot. She battles hunger on a daily basis. She battles her feelings. She battles being touched by another human. She battles looking forward to the future with hope. She battles being illiterate. Ada is tired of being ignorant of the world and the words in it. She's been locked up in a room and never let outside. On the train, she asks Jaimie what the green stuff is out the window. Even the word, "grass," is not in her vocabulary. Like someone trying to learn a foreign language, words exhaust her and it is no surprise that she resists Susan's efforts to educate her. It is not until she makes friends with Maggie that she is motivated to read and write.

Ada is a survivor, courageous, and persistent. Horses respond to her and when she decides to make her pony jump a wall, she just about kills herself in the effort. She battles back no matter how many times life throws her off a horse. Her physical hunger is nothing compared to her emotional hunger for love, hope, and freedom. When she finds it with Susan, it scares her to heck because she knows their set-up is temporary until the war is over. Ada shuts Susan out to protect herself, but Susan is just as strong-willed as her and she jumps her walls. Jaimie is left-handed and being abused by the teacher. Susan figures it out and rescues him showing she is willing to fight for the two children. The relationship changes from caring to loving - the three are evolving into a family with all its ups and downs. At the end, when Susan doesn't battle for them, it is no surprise that she changes her mind and tracks down Mam and the kids. At the end when Susan tells Ada and Jaimie that they saved her life, the story has come full circle.

Both children have fears. Jaimie has tantrums and wets the bed while Susan is afraid of being hit and sent away. When Jaimie finds a mean cat that is full of fleas and matted hair, he names it Bovril after a nasty drink that Susan makes the children take each night for their health. The cat, Bovril, is loved and cared for by Jaimie. He stops wetting the bed as soon as they keep the cat and after he washes the mangy creature he brings it down wrapped in Susan's "best towel." The parallel with the children is striking for Susan took in two bedraggled children that no one else wanted and gave them the best of herself and home. When Jaimie tells Susan that "nice people" hate Ada's clubfoot, she says they are in luck because she is not a nice person. Ada tries to convince herself of this, but knows it isn't true. "She was not a nice person, but she cleaned up the floor. She was not a nice person, but she bandaged my foot in a white piece of cloth, and gave us two of her own clean shirts to wear." Ada reminds herself all the time that Susan is not a nice person so that she won't become attached to her. She knows that the situation is temporary and she copes by detaching herself.

Another overarching theme besides battles and wars, is the difference between lying and liars. Susan distinguishes "lying" as a way of self-preservation or protecting oneself while "liars" do it to make themselves important. Ada lies about her last name when she meets Susan. Later, when Ada tells the truth, it is easy to see why Susan doesn't believe her about riding Maggie's horse. The two learn to be honest and trust each other as they learn to understand each other. The author shows but does not tell these differences and much of it must be inferred by the reader. As the story progresses, Ada chooses to not lie about the spy, nor does she lie with her mother. She slowly turns from lies to the truth and it allows her to move forward emotionally and become a stronger person. Mam is a liar that bullies Ada to make herself feel important. Mam says that fixing Ada's foot is a lie, even though Ada knows it is possible. By not fixing Ada's foot, Mam feels superior. Susan lies about Divinity school to attack the school teacher's prejudice and abuse of Jaimie. Her lie was protective. Stephen lies to the Colonel because he knows that the Colonel needs full-time care. His lie was to help the Colonel not feel useless in the war. Lies are a big part of the author's character development and Ada learns through lies how she can change her life into one of truth and hope for a better life. 

Ada breaks Susan's sewing machine and is terrified she'll be sent back to London. Ada's terror is not normal and shows how traumatized she has been by her mother's abuse. She also pushes aside her emotions and doesn't address them. She calls it going inside her head. Her psychological and physical abuse make her difficult to handle and Susan doesn't always get it right. Both Ada and Susan are persistent, strong-willed, and stubborn. Susan can't tell Ada to read and write but tricks her into it. Later when Ada realizes that Maggie was mad at her for not writing, she is motivated to learn. Susan tricks Ada into doing other things she refuses to do making for some funny moments. Susan's dry humor helps balance the characters heavy issues. The two females learn from each other. When Ada decides to make a present in her room, Susan says she has to spend equal the time with her that she spends alone. She's grown to like her company and Ada unknowingly is helping Susan deal with her grief. Ada goads Susan into volunteering for the war. Susan tries to get Ada to accept herself and not be ashamed of her foot, "your foot's a long way from your brain." When Ada later uses it against the prejudiced officer, Susan's influence is apparent as Ada finds the courage to stand-up for herself and see her self-worth.

Susan's read alouds show how the kids are relating the characters in the stories to their lives. Ada feels that she is like "Alice in Wonderland" who has fallen down the rabbit hole into a strange new world. Jaimie feels like he is on an adventure like the "Swiss Family Robinson." Literature engages and empowers young readers into understanding themselves and the world around them. Ada is learning empathy and through narrative fiction she can get inside a fictional character's mind to understand his or her feelings, motivations, and emotions. This safe place in the fictional world lets her risks and learn through characters triumphs and mistakes, then relate it to herself with empathy, and not have any real-world consequences. This is the power of reading.

I do so like books that answer questions right away and then take it one step further in an unexpected way. Brandon Sanderson does this and so does Bradley. For instance, when Ada keeps refusing to go to tea with the Colonel, I thought she was embarrassed by her clubfoot and I know that she feels awkward socially. Later she confesses to Stephen that she is afraid of not doing the right thing. Perhaps a better example is when Susan debates the teacher on her superstition of left-handedness. It could have been left with just the dialogue, but she explains the root of the superstition in the Bible. The author digs deeper into the psyche of characters bringing out their complexities that engages me more as a reader.

Bradley has already established herself as an author that pays attention to historical details. Read "Jefferson's sons" and you will see what I mean. Here, she goes into details regarding the war and maintaining stables and horses. The women sewing blackout curtains and building a rickety, smelly bomb shelter are just two of many examples. Others include the newsreels, that disseminated information to the public before the movies, to the propaganda posters littering the city. The Germans circled the island and sunk ships trying to import or export goods laying siege to England and affecting the food supply. Another fact that parents evacuated their children from London and then took them back endangering their lives when the London Blitz occurred was one I didn't know about. The historical details oftentimes tie in with larger themes, especially the posters such as "Freedom is in peril. Defend it with all your might." Not only is England's freedom in peril, but Ada and Jaimie's freedom living with Susan is in peril when their Mam takes them back.

The psychological progression of Ada wanting Susan to not give her things shows Ada clinging to the emotional detachment as a coping mechanism from being abused. Ada rejects Susan's help over and over. Later while reading "Swiss Family Robinson" she thinks "I was tired of those idiots living on an island with everything they wanted." She doesn't want to be given things. Again, her attitude is about self-preservation. Ada has a meltdown when Susan makes her a velvet dress and calls her beautiful. She reveals "It was too much, all this emotion."She can't see herself as anything but ugly. She doesn't want to love Susan and hope for a better life. Worse, she doesn't want to love herself.

When the war comes to their town and Susan and Ada help the Dunkirk soldiers, Ada learns that she is useful. She also recognizes that she is winning battles against her fears and becoming stronger. "There was a Before Dunkirk version of me and an After Dunkirk version. The After Dunkirk version was stronger, less afraid." Later, when she sees a spy and reports it, she is strong enough to overcome the prejudiced officer that tries to dismiss her. When she stands up to her mother and admits the horrible truth about how she does not care about her or Jaimie, she shows her self-acceptance not only of herself but her mother. When she is lauded a hero for capturing a spy, she sees herself, "As if I'd been born with two strong feet." This is a long way from the ashamed girl that first showed up on Susan's doorstep.

Susan's depression comes from the death of her partner, Becky. The family has disowned Susan, especially her clergyman father, and no one talks about it. Historically, it would have not been discussed openly and if the author had made it a subplot it would have put the book in the young adult section. Children's interest in sexuality begins more in middle school than elementary and had the author emphasized it, the novel would have missed its audience. As is, some readers will miss the implied relationship, while others will notice it hovering in the background and affecting Susan. This choice by the author lets the focus remain on the characters, and it would have detracted from the main themes. Decide for yourself. You really don't want to miss this one.

5 Smileys

Fish In A Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt

I read oodles of books. Always have. Always will. Sure wish these blogs were around when I was growing up in the age of typewriters. My reading experiences are quite different than the students I chat with on a daily basis. They come at books with their own unique perspectives. Just like me. Just like you. This book has an appealing emotional punch that is similar to "Wonder," by R.J. Palacio and terrific character development. As an adult reader who has many favorites when it comes to books on children with disabilities, I'm getting pickier over what is original and stands out in the herd. While some parts of this story were touching, others fell short.

Sixth grader Ally is in school and her teacher is going on maternity leave. She asks her students to write a short paragraph on themselves for the long-term substitute teacher. The teacher and Ally get in a power struggle because Ally doesn't want anyone to know she can't read or write. Ally gets angry at being forced to write and scribbles hard on the desktop because she knows she'll get out of the activity. The teacher sends her to the principal and cleans the desk. Hmmm... usually the kid would clean the desk but this is one frustrated teacher. And she plays right into Ally's hands.

Ally's brain will think one thing and she'll blurt out another. Making friends is like washing peanut butter out of hair. She is bullied by Shay but also laughed at constantly by other kids in class. Most think she is trying to be funny and her quick-witted responses are often accidental - she doesn't mean to be a jokester or sassy-mouthed. The result is she fools the adults around her and successfully hides her disability. Other outliers in her class are picked on such as Albert, the scientific genius; Oliver, the ADHD tornado; and Keisha, the cooking prodigy. When the new teacher shows up he figures out that Ally has dyslexia and the two bond as she deals with her learning difficulty. More importantly, he draws out the potential in her and she learns to read and believe in herself.

The beginning sets up the stereotyped teacher that can't manage students and is exasperated by an uncooperative student. Her character is flat and perhaps it makes her a more obvious foil to the substitute teacher, Mr. Daniels; however, her lack of complexity made me not as engaged in the plot until Mr. Daniels chalks his way into the classroom scenes. Ally's inner monologue shows the emotional turmoil of a kid that is full of self-doubts. Students will empathize with Ally as she agonizes over making friends, feeling like a loser, and dealing with her problem. She lashes out at others and desperately wants to fit in with her peers. When she makes friends with the other misfits, Albert and Keisha, she finds power in friendship. Although when Ally first meets Keisha she asks her if she likes eggs and rambles on about all the different ways she likes eggs. This painful exchange magnifies her social ineptness. By the end this drastically awkward girl has all but disappeared.

The middle of the story takes off with characters defined by distinct traits and voices. Ally's brother shows that he has an engineer-type brain but suffers from the same learning fate as Ally. The dad is deployed overseas in the Middle East and the mom is doing the best she can with her children. The brother's ingenious design of windshield wipers without a motor reveal his innovative and inventive spirit. Mr. Daniel's character shows he's not always perfect either. Sometimes he singles Ally out to praise her and give her confidence that makes her feel like a charity case, other times he shares her secret. The complexity of trying to teach Ally is captured not only with her fragile ego, but with Mr. Daniel's not always making the right choices when dealing with her. This strengthens the authenticity of their relationship and shows that Ally can forgive even when she's been hurt by adults. I thought Mr. Daniel got preachy at times changing the focus from Ally's internal changes to a slight didactic tone on how to behave, especially at the end.

The humor balances the darker themes of bullies, anger, and misunderstandings. Ally tells Albert and Keisha why Shay is hell-bent on making her life miserable and it is easy to see why they don't get along. And it is Ally's fault. I won't spoil it, because it is so Ally. Needless to say Ally's mistake and Shay's relentless put-down's are understandable. Shay's mother is a bully, as well as her daughter, making Shay's character more understandable and engaging. The author creates strong characters that pull the reader into the plot along with themes such as self-acceptance, confidence, and communication, to name a few.

The ending doesn't seem authentic because Ally goes from this impulsive kid that is a bit odd to a leader in the classroom that the kids look up to, ask advice, and want to be friends with in a very short time. It did not add up with the evolution of her character. Perhaps when Keisha, Albert, and Ally fantasize about the future about how successful they will be and are dreaming big, it sent me spinning off the cliff. I just needed them to be settled in their skin and instead the focus shifts toward them being successful in the eyes of the world and that jarred with me because up to that point they were being successful in their own eyes. In the book, "Absolutely Almost," by Lisa Graff, the boy learns to accept himself without outward success and it seemed more authentic; whereas, this is more wish fulfillment. There is nothing wrong with it, but it made the resolution feel off.

Novice readers have limited emotional experiences and reading is one way they can live vicariously through characters and be exposed to emotions before they happen in real life. This exposure helps prepare them to have empathy for others. By representing the inner qualities of a character such as feelings, beliefs, assumptions, intentions, and thoughts, an author can produce a way for readers to empathize with fictional characters giving them a strong emotional engagement that supports their cognitive and social development. This book does just that. And while I'm coming at it from as an adult reader and see some holes, I know that most will want to be on team Ally. A great addition to any library.

4 Smileys

El Deafo by Cece Bell

I'm buried in books. About 30 to be exact. Err... about and exact contradict each other. Oh well. Just wind me up for the holidays and watch me SPIN. El Deafo was on my return-pile-so-other-children-can-read-it-over-the-holiday stack. Then I made the mistake of peeking at the first page. Suddenly I'm at page 20 thinking... uh-oh, I won't be able to put this down. I'm a reading junkie. What can I say? A snatch of reading here and there before finishing off this terrific graphic novel on the treadmill in the evening made for a satisfying day. Four-year-old Cece gets meningitis and goes deaf. Hearing aids make her feel like Spock at school and while she adjusts to them she is worried she won't ever have a friend that sees past them to her true self. This author's biography gives a unique look at a deaf person's perspective of how others treat people that are deaf and challenges faced in everyday life. The mix of humor, drama, and an uncommon topic in children's books make this a must for your library.

When Cece discovers she is deaf, she is frightened and stays close to her mother. When she gets hearing aids she is excited to hear people but still has trouble. She explains that it sounds like people are talking to her underwater. Her friend asks if she wants a coke and Cece hears, "Doo yoo wan sumding to dring? ...a goat?" She explains lip-reading with the illustration showing her as Sherlock Holmes, discovering three clues to figure out what people are saying. Television is the hardest for her to understand. The clever illustrations have rabbits with big ears, perhaps a symbol for hearing loss and the importance hearing plays in one's life.

Cece goes to a school with other deaf children for kindergarten but then the family moves away and she is mainstreamed into the classroom. She gets a "Phonic Ear," a big clunky machine that she straps to her chest and wears ear plugs while the teacher wears a microphone. Cece feels that her deafness makes her different or special in a bad way and she spends much of her time trying to hide it. She is lonely in a world where the kids around her can hear. When she's at a sleepover and they turn off the lights she's so upset that she's lost her visual cues and can't understand the girls that she asks to leave the party.

Cece deals with the challenges of making friends with her hearing issues by creating an alter ego, a superhero named "El Deafo." This funny character speaks her mind to friends and is empowered by her hearing loss. Cece is learning to embrace her uniqueness as something good when she starts fantasizing about "El Deafo." The subplot of her having a crush on a boy adds humor and her private thoughts are a kick where she gets back at people who make dumb comments by thinking of using feedback to make her hearing aid squeal loudly.

Her first friend is bossy and possessive, but Cece likes that she doesn't care that she has a hearing aid. Her next friend talks loud and slow to her making an issue out of her deafness. Her third friend is "just right" and never even mentions her hearing aid, treating her like a true friend. When an accident happens her true friend freaks out and it takes over a year for the two to reconcile. Later when she does figure out a way to make her hearing aid "cool" with the kids in class, it is a freeing moment for her where the reader is cheering along with her classmates. Make sure you read the author's note at the end where Cece explains how deaf people embrace their deafness and that there is no right or wrong way. Last year, Vince Vawter of "Paperboy" said that his "was a story that needed to be told." Cece Bell could say the same thing. It is not only worth telling, it is worth hearing.

5 Smileys

Curiosity by Gary L. Blackwood

This well-crafted book adds depth to the plot with its intricate layering of history and fiction that follows the real life of "The Turk,"a chess-playing automaton that came to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1835. The event led to crazy speculations of its inner workings in the media. The author captures the time period of the industrial revolution when children were used for labor and forced to work long hours and odd jobs that fit their size such as cleaning chimneys or as in this story working the mechanisms of a machine in a cramped space. The story is enriched by true historical details such as "Godfrey's Cordial," a mixture of opium and treacle, that was given to children by parents that couldn't afford to miss work because of a sick child. It was one of the many times I found myself researching a topic outside of the story. I also looked up the Battle of Trocadero, phrenology, automatons, certain historical people, and the King's Road. Historical books can't explain everything and Gary Blackwood does a terrific job dropping nuggets left and right that piqued my interest but didn't detract from the plot. Johann Maezal really did bring The Turk to America and references to Edgar Allan Poe, his wife, and P.T. Barnum make for a fun slip into the past. Then there is the chess playing brilliance of twelve-year-old Rufus Goodspeed. I don't even like chess but I felt like an expert experiencing it through his eyes.

Rufus is hired by Johann Maezal when he is spotted for his "freakish" ability at winning chess games. Maezel wants Rufus to run the automaton, The Turk, by stuffing himself in a box below it and operating the mechanisms to play chess with audience members in his show. No one knows a person operates The Turk and Maezal literally keeps Rufus a prisoner in a room because he doesn't want anyone to talk to him and try to pry out The Turk's secrets. Rufus agrees so that he can make money and get his father out of deptor's prison. The first person point of view adds to the claustrophobic feel of Rufus's situation of being in a box and imprisoned not only by Maezel, but others as well. Rufus spends his time with the craftsman and mechanic, Jacques, who repairs The Turk. Jacques is abusive and suffers from post-traumatic stress syndrome after being in Franco-Spanish war. The two develop a tepid relationship where Rufus helps Jacques by getting him to talk and Jacques shows he cares for Rufus in his own way.

While the author's word choices and historical layers soar, the pacing is somewhat slow and dark in the beginning and Rufus is a character that might not appeal to some young readers. Rufus is curious and smart but he is passive and accepting of people that manipulate him. He's not one to take control of his destiny or put up a fight. I liked his dry and subtle sense of humor, but he is victimized much of the time due to a sheltered upbringing, hunched back and weak disposition. Of course he's stuck inside all the time so he is not strong. His slow progression toward standing up for himself is not fully realized as it is someone else that rescues him most of the time in dire situations. I liked it when he finally stands up to Maezel and uses his wits. Shortly after, he plays chess with daring abandonment during one session while operating The Turk. He moves back to his cautious ways but the incident shows some anger and grief motivating him to take control of his destination even if for a small moment in time. At the end, when he meets his friend that embodies the notion of free choice, I thought, at last, a final adventure will show Rufus finally taking full control of his life and not being a pawn to others. Unfortunately it is a stalemate. While he does progress some and he does show how he transcends his cruel situations, I wanted more at the end. Perhaps you'll feel differently.

The author creates interesting characters. They have distinct traits and unique voices. Maezel is into phrenology, a pseudoscience that determines characteristics of a person based on configurations of his or her skull. Maezel cannot relate to others and is a bully and cruel. He uses phrenology to try and understand people rather than using social norms. It shows how stunted he is in his relationships with others. In contrast, when Rufus decides to learn phrenology, he reads Maezel's book on it out of boredom and uses the knowledge to reveal how he feels about situations. He tries to read the skull of The Turk at one point in a funny, suspenseful scene. Other times he uses phrenology in a self-deprecating manner.

Jacques, as a character, suffers post-traumatic stress syndrome and does not get over it. His abuse turns to protection as he comes to like Rufus in his gruff way. The Turk's called "Otso" by Rufus and represents Jacques friend from the past. The last line is the same words Jacques said to his friend showing how closely machine and human are connected. Jacques also uses The Turk to communicate at the end of the story. Maezel has Jacques in the box telling fortunes for money. The Turk wears a sign saying "Swami" and Rufus calls Jacques a "swami" which means a religious leader that gains mastery over self. In an exchange Rufus learns that Jacques has not gained mastery over his nightmares. It suggests that Jacques cannot he is trying overcome his past but is learning to live with it by becoming The Turk.

Rufus at times can't control The Turk. When he wants to make a move that will allow a player to win, it won't let him. This mystical bend in the story shows how machine and human are interconnected. Rufus and Jacques don't have control of their lives. The end seems to suggest that while Rufus has freed himself from The Turk, Jacques has yet to do so. In the epilogue, The Turk collects dust like a long forgotten relic. I didn't really understand the ending and why Rufus risked his life for it. Maybe it was to show he could finally take action. Or perhaps it is supposed to symbolize the endgame like in chess. Or a stalemate. Or the curtain falling on the last act. I don't know. That's the best I can deduce from it.

Speaking of deduction, Edgar Allan Poe is worked into the plot as a journalist for a magazine where he wants to find out how the Turk works. He's a bit unscrupulous and his accomplice is a character that is a nice mixture of fact and fiction. Another tidbit that sent me hyperlinking through the Web and getting more information on Virginia Clemm. Like I said, I really liked how the author the sprinkled facts and references throughout the plot. Even a character with the name Fisher makes an appearance. It isn't spelled the same but still conjures up an image of chess champion, Bobby Fischer. Readers that liked "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" by Brian Selznick or "The Card Turner" by Louis Sachar should give this a go.

4 Smileys

Paperboy by Vince Vawter

Writing for me is like stuttering for Victor. Most of the time I feel lonely and isolated and I'm trying every trick I can to spit out the right words. And I mean spit. The words splatter, sputter, and stutter in a  nonsensical way all over the page. The random mishmash starts to take shape after multiple rewrites that usually leaves me frustrated, vulnerable, and exhausted when finished. Writing is difficult for me because it requires focus and my ADHD tendencies get in the way. Exercise is the best trick for me, but it doesn't always work. This train of thought happened when I accidentally spelled "Victor's" name, "victory" which is basically the overarching message: do not give up no matter what problem or suffering you face in life. Whether you stutter, are hyperactive, or have an issue, dealing with it requires action on your part in order to move on and grow as a person.

Eleven-year-old Victor suffers from stuttering to the point that he can't talk. Most words are impossible for him to utter. When he takes on his best friend, Rat's, paper route he is showing courage and kindness. Victor is an amazing pitcher with a fastball that no one can match in middle school. When he splits Rat's lip who was catching for him as a result of showing off, he agrees to take on Rat's paper route as Rat visits relatives on the farm for the month of July. The thought of talking to customers to collect money terrifies Victor because most don't know how to deal with his disability. He resents that people think he is stupid, try to finish his sentences for him, and act uncomfortable.  He learns on the paper route the importance of talking about his problem, not giving up, working hard, and that his suffering can bring inner strength.

When Victor meets Mr. Spiro on the paper route he likes him like Mam because the two look him in the eye and are good listeners. Mam is the black maid and while Victor calls her his best friend, she doesn't always give him satisfying answers about his stuttering. She says its God's plan which doesn't make sense to Victor because it makes God seem cruel. Victor likes Mr. Spiro's honest answers and that he treats Victor's questions with respect which inspires him to ask Mr. Spiro why he stutters. Asking this question is a huge step for Victor for it is his first step toward understanding and facing his problem versus feeling there is something wrong with himself. The author suggests that problems need to be verbalized no matter what they are before a person can tackle them.

The plot is well done and has some complex issues. There is an unhappy housewife, a creepy junkman, a mystery of birth, a philosophical Navy man, and a racially divided South. The plot pulls together these different threads and I only had a minor question regarding why Victor jumped to the conclusion that Mam was injured by a specific person. I thought that if some of the information given later in the story could have been put earlier so as to warrant Victor's suspicions. As is, it felt contrived in order to move the plot forward. The plot's unpredictability kept me flipping the pages. Younger readers might have problems understanding some of the issues and making inferences. One of the characters has an affair and is an alcoholic who is abused. The end suggests some reconciliation. Victor's mom hints they might not have Mam in the future. Perhaps there will be a sequel?

Mr. Spiro's four words: student, servant, seller, seeker are explained in a letter as the "quartering of the soul" and share his philosophy about life. Up to that point Mr. Spiro has made references to philosophers Socrates, Voltaire, and Martin Heidegger who explore theories on profound questions. When Victor and Mr. Spiro discuss Jason and the Argonauts that conversation involves more the philosophical question of universal truths found in fiction versus the actual story of "The Golden Fleece." Mr. Spiro becomes an important mentor and friend to Victor. At the end when he leaves before Victor can ask about his father, Victor is able to answer the question on his own; a symbol that he has grown into an independent thinker. Mr. Spiro wants Victor to embrace those words and give them his own meaning.

To reflect Victor's stuttering the author uses the letters "s" creating sentences such as:
How'd your week go, son?
s-s-s-s Hot. s-s-s-s But okay.
The four words: student, servant, seller, seeker also begin with the letter "s" and reflect Victor's stuttering. In fact, the format of the book cleverly reflects Victor's difficulty with getting words out through the use of extra white space, justified paragraphs, and missing quotation marks with the dialogue. Much of the humor comes from play on words as a result of Victor's disability. He mispronounces his friend Art's name, Rat, and Rat doesn't care. He likes the different words Victor stutters and has his own problems speaking. Although I think it is Art's way of making Victor feel better and make a point that Victor need not take his stuttering so seriously. My favorite is Art or Rat calling "wicker furniture," "wicked furniture." An interesting contrast to Victor's problem is his mother who doesn't understand the meaning of words. When she asks the doctor if Victor's stuttering is "generic," his father interjects that she means "genetic." Later she uses "segregation" when she means "integration" and so on. Victor thinks it might be worse to not understand than not speak.

Victor's internal changes occur on the paper route when he has to deal with a boy, Willie, who steals his newspaper bundle. He picks up a rock and is going to throw it at the back of Willie's head as he's getting away on his bike, until he realizes that it would be much easier doing that than talking to the boy. The next time he sees Willie he courageously walks up to him, shakes his bundle in his face and says it is his. Willie says to take it easy and the two get along afterwards. Victor is learning to handle his own problems and using words to communicate with others. At the end when he stands before the class and tells people he stutters it shows an acceptance of who he is and that he has completely embraced his disability. He has found the inner strength to accept how he is and be vulnerable to others to openly discuss his stutter versus trying to hide it and be negative.

The terrific character development shows different suffering in others as well as Victor. Mam suffers from the loss of someone. I didn't understand why she thought she could take on the villain considering he put her out of commission for several days, but she is portrayed as a strong-willed woman who is fearless. His wealthy mother suffers from not understanding words or her son. She is somewhat shallow in comparison to his loving father and doesn't even know Victor's tastes in food. Mam is his mother figure and he calls her his best friend and usually eats with her versus his parents.

The setting is rooted in the 1950s in Memphis, Tennessee. The Howdy Doody Show, segregation, baseball players, and newspapers show a time before the digital age. The segregation issues are a subplot to Victor's coming of age story and his attempt to overcome his disability. I thought the episode at the zoo was interesting and didn't know photobooths were segregated. The bus situation touches on the slow changes of integration and could be a discussion point regarding Jim Crow laws.

Be sure to read the Author's note at the end that explains the authenticity of Victor's voice. I particularly liked the quote included by James Earl Jones who knew the pain of a stutter and was able to gain control of his speech through hard work and perseverance: "One of the hardest things in life is having words in your heart that you can't utter." Writing reviews feels like that at times, especially when I am unfocused. If you met me you wouldn't think I had ADHD. I've learned to live with it and manage it quite well. And even though it is difficult, I like blogging because I can reflect on stories that express truths about human nature and help me grow as a person, as well as, promote excellent stories to students in my job as a librarian. This winner will be easy to book talk. Don't pass this one up!

4 Smileys