Recipe for Disaster written by Aimee Lucido, reviewed by Klaudia Janek

Summary: "Recipe for Disaster" by Aimee Lucido is a unique middle-grade novel that blends prose, poetry, and recipes to narrate the story of Hannah Malfa-Adler. Hannah has always felt somewhat Jewish, but her identity is complicated by her family's inter-faith religious backgrounds. When her best friend celebrates a Bat Mitzvah, Hannah's envy motivates her to explore her Jewish heritage, despite her mother's opposition. With the support of her Grandma Mimi and Aunt Yael, Hannah embarks on a journey to organize her own Bat Mitzvah, confronting family secrets and prejudice along the way. The novel explores themes of identity, friendship, and self-discovery, as Hannah learns that being Jewish is about more than ceremonies—it's about personal understanding and connection. 

Straight Talk for Librarians: I really enjoyed this book! Hannah's journey of self-discovery is filled with humor, heart, and the universal challenges of growing up. The inclusion of recipes adds a unique and interactive element, encouraging readers to connect with the story through cooking. Readers will appreciate Hannah's search for her religious identity and an authentic portrayal of friendships and family dynamics. Any IB MYP school librarians will find this novel aligns well with the IB Learner Profile, particularly in fostering the attributes of being reflective and open-minded. Hannah's exploration of her faith and identity encourages readers to reflect on their own beliefs and embrace diverse perspectives. Teachers can use the book to facilitate discussions on self-identity and cultural heritage, prompting students to consider how their backgrounds shape their understanding of the world. I think any school librarian can bring attention to the many recipes included throughout this story and encourage an event to explore Jewish inspired treats.  It really is a great book for readers looking to learn more about the Jewish faith.  There are excerpts from Leviticus as Hannah is trying to learn those for her Bat Mitzvah.  The author shared a alphabet card to help readers (and Hannah) learn the Hebrew alphabet.  The author does emphasize the many issues that can be present in an inter-faith marriage and the loss of faith.  There are a lot of dimensions to this story, but very readable and understandable to a middle school reader.  I do think that a high school student could enjoy this book and learn a lot, if they are ok with being seen with the cover.  Older readers might really identify with Sam who wants to go to culinary school, but his dad is not ok with anything but a business/finance degree from a university.  I'm labeling this book as a COVID book because it was released in 2021 and probably didn't get the fanfare and attention it deserves.

Goddesses of the Underworld #1: Hekate - The Witch written by Nikita Gill, reviewed by Klaudia Janek

Summary: Hekate is a novel in verse retelling of the Greek goddess Hekate's journey from a child of war to a powerful witch goddess. Born amidst the conflict between the Titans and Olympians, Hekate is forced into the Underworld for safety. Raised by Styx, Pallas, Charon and Hades, she navigates the macabre realm, seeking her purpose. As she uncovers her powers, Hekate realizes her unique ability to end the immortal conflict. The book is written in evocative verse, exploring themes of empowerment, identity, and resilience. Through Hekate’s eyes, readers experience the beauty and brutality of the ancient world, while she discovers her strength and destiny.  Readers will also see Hekate falling in love with Thanatos, which was a favorite part of the story for me.

Straight Talk for Librarians: Readers interested in mythology and magic will love this book. I was not sure that I wanted to jump into a novel in verse, but I loved it! I appreciated the themes of empowerment and self-discovery, and the vivid imagery of the Underworld. The book offers a fresh perspective on a lesser-known goddess. I think readers will be able to explore diverse perspectives, understanding the complexities of identity and power. I also think it's good insight into the feelings of a war refugee who has lost loved ones and seen violence. It's a quicker read for readers looking for a "short" book.  It's a great next step for Percy Jackson fans. The cover art is beautiful.  The black reflects the darkness and death of the Underworld. I did look up why the title is spelled Hekate instead of Hecate and it turns out that the "k" is closer to the Greek translation.  The author is a Irish, Indian writer, living in the south of England. I'm looking forward to the next book in this series. Great addition to any high school library. 🖤A sprinkle of politics, romance, and Greek mythology.

The Crossover #0.5: Rebound written by Kwame Alexander, reviewed by Klaudia Janek

Summary: "Rebound" by Kwame Alexander is a poignant prequel to the Newbery Medal-winning novel "The Crossover." Set in 1988, it follows twelve-year-old Charlie Bell, who is grappling with the recent death of his father. Struggling with grief and alienation, he finds himself in trouble, leading his mother to send him to stay with his grandparents. There, Charlie's stern yet loving grandfather and his cousin Roxie, a talented basketball player, help him confront his emotions and reconnect with his love for basketball. Through poetry and comic-style illustrations, Alexander captures Charlie's journey of healing and self-discovery amidst the backdrop of family dynamics and the culture of the late 1980s. The novel explores themes of loss, recovery, and the importance of support from loved ones while showcasing Charlie's growth as he learns to navigate his sorrow and the game of basketball. 

Straight Talk for Librarians: School librarians can effectively integrate "Rebound" into the curriculum by utilizing its themes to foster discussions about grief, resilience, and the importance of family and community support. Collaborating with teachers, librarians can create reading groups or book clubs where students analyze the poem's structure and themes, encouraging creative expression through their own poetry writing. Additionally, incorporating graphic novel elements, librarians can host workshops where students create their comic strips, allowing them to explore their narratives visually. The book's historical context provides an opportunity for cross-curricular connections, linking literature with social studies by discussing the cultural references from the late 1980s. By organizing events around basketball, students can engage in physical activity while discussing character development in the story. This multifaceted approach not only enriches the reading experience but also helps students connect literature to their own lives and interests.

The Seventh Raven written by David Elliott, reviewed by Bethany Bratney

Summary:  Based on the Grimm’s Fairy Tale “The Seven Ravens”, The Seventh Raven begins in a house with seven sons, six named Jack (after their father) and the youngest named Robyn. Robyn always feels different, left out, and unseen among his brothers. The parents have always wished for a girl. When they are finally blessed with a daughter, she is born sickly. Her father, in a moment of desperation, thinks that he would sacrifice his sons if his daughter could live. The sons all become ravens, and the daughter, April, survives. The Jacks all hate being ravens, but Robyn, ever different, relishes in the freedom of flight. April believes herself to be an only child until her teen years, when the truth is finally revealed to her, and she sets out on a long and dangerous quest to find and rescue her brothers.

Straight Talk for Librarians:  The Seventh Raven should have a place in any high school library, and most middle school libraries as well. It hauntingly reimagines the original fairy tale with perfectly honed adaptations that allow the story to center concepts of identity and feeling different from those around you. Elliott thoughtfully and beautifully uses different patterns of poetic verse and rhyme scheme to convey the different speaking characters as well as the narrator of the story. Black and white ink drawings by Rovina Cai accompany the verse, adding to the somber and mysterious tone of the story. Curricular connections abound in ELA as this book could easily be tied to folktale, fairy tales, adaptations, poetry units, or analyzed for its own significant literary merit. Though the tale can be slightly macabre at times (e.g. removal of a finger to be used as a tool), it is unlikely to shock even middle school students, though the deliberate variation of rhyme scheme for different characters may prove a bit more challenging for younger readers. The book may require some advertising, but the beautiful cover and creepy vibes will help to sell it, and verse novel enthusiasts will gravitate towards it naturally.

The One Thing You'd Save, written by Linda Sue Park, reviewed by Terry Wahrman

Summary:  Knowing that your family and pets are safe, what would you save if you could save one thing in an emergency?  What is the one thing you deem irreplaceable?  Someone’s special item might not be in the top three of another’s list. Ms. Chang leads her class through an all important discussion on picking the one item (size and weight don’t matter) that you would save in an emergency.  Each student has selected their item and has to explain and express their feelings about why they chose that particular item.

Straight Talk for Librarians:  This book makes you evaluate what is important in your life.  It would make a great classroom or book club discussion.  Loads of pictures and drawings of items on every page make the book approachable for insecure readers.  Wonderful teaching tool for students of any age.  Written for younger students, but highly recommended for all.

 

Dear Treefrog, written by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Diana Sldyka, reviewed by Klaudia Janek

Summary:  This is a clever book that follows a young girl who just moved to a new home and is worried about friends and starting in a new school.  When she arrives at her new home, she finds a treefrog in her yard as she is exploring.  On the left side of the pages, the story is told in verse. It starts
“I see you
Suddenly
Among the tangled green
A tiny dollop of
Frog”
On the bottom right of the pages, there is factual information about frogs.  It reads “Small and agile, gray treefrogs spend most of their lives on land, quietly blending into their surroundings.”  Young readers will follow the main character through the seasons and how both lives are changing.  The main character will go to her new school and make new friends.  She then brings her friends to see the tree frog which goes from being outside to hibernating to being back outside in the spring.

Straight Talk for Librarians:  This book is beautifully illustrated with watercolors that both tell a story and show facts, like how frog eggs look, with labels.  This would be a great book to use for teaching poetry.  It could be used again to show how it also gives non-fiction scientific facts about treefrog lives and habitats.  The illustrations have a touch of folk art to them.  The colors also match the seasons that are happening in the book.  I think the book is unique in style.  Both the words and the colors will grab a young reader's attention.  They will end up learning a lot of tree frog facts, but also be able to talk about the emotions and experiences that the little girl when through during her move.  A must-have book for any elementary school library.
 

The Circus Rose, written by Betsy Cornwell, reviewed by Bethany Bratney

Summary:  Rosie and Ivory are twins who have grown up in the circus with their mother, the bearded lady and ringmaster. The sisters are extremely close, but incredibly different. Ivory is the primary storyteller, a lover of engineering and the circus stagehand. Rosie is the secondary storyteller, a performer in the show who becomes so overwhelmed after appearances that she must retreat to a dark room. After traveling for years through Fey lands, the circus has returned to its home city, Port’s End, which the performers expect to be a joyous occasion. But the city has changed while they were gone, and is now filled with religious fervor and zealous preachers who speak out against those who are different, like many in the circus family, especially Tam, an agender Fey magician with whom Ivory begins a relationship. When mysterious events befall the circus, Ivory must discover who is responsible in order to save the lives of many that she loves.

Straight Talk for Librarians:  There are some clever devices at play in this story. Ivory, the analytical sister, tells her chapters in prose, while Rosie, the creative sister, tells her chapters in beautiful verse. The effect is interesting, but also leaves the reader feeling like they understand Ivory much better than Rosie. One of the story's greatest strengths is its seamless inclusion of characters that represent many different gender identities and defy traditional gender norms. We see this most clearly in the character of Tam, who is Fey, none of whom identify as male or female, and who uses fe/fer/fers pronouns throughout the book. Tam’s relationship with Ivory is very queer positive, as is Rosie’s relationship, though it is a bit more mysterious. The girls’ mother proudly sports a beard and is considered one of the most attractive women among many in society. These inclusive elements are no doubt responsible for the inclusion of The Circus Rose on the 2021 Rainbow List, along with the plot element involving the persecution of each of these people and many others by religious groups. All of these positive elements aside, the story meanders and is occasionally difficult to follow. It offers almost too many world-building details without enough explanation of most of them. Some of the books' big reveals feel extremely obvious and others seem to appear from nowhere. Many readers are likely to abandon this book before they are able to process the messages, but students who are seeking out fantasy stories heavy on queer elements are likely to appreciate this book. Recommended for collections that are in need of more queer representation.

Land of the Cranes, written by Aida Salazar, reviewed by Katy Golden

Summary:  Betita is a nine-year-old girl in Los Angeles who loves to write poems and draw pictures - until her father is deported and she and her pregnant mother are detained in a family detention camp. Among her fellow asylum seekers, Betita meets cruel guards, unfeeling administration, and desperately seeks to get her poems and story told - and her family reunited in their home. Told through pictures and poems, Betita's story is difficult to read but ultimately hopeful.

Straight Talk for Librarians:  Betita's story is hard to read, but an important view into detainment centers and the difficulties faced by detainees. A beautiful collection of poems and pictures that tells a timely story about issues and fears faced by immigrants in the United States every day. Hand to readers who won't flinch from cruelty and are prepared to read the harsh reality and frustrations of immigration policy.

Bull, written by David Elliott, reviewed by Caroline Rabideau

Summary: Have you heard the Greek take of Asterion the Minotaur, ruler of the stars? Minos seems help from the God, Poseidon. In return, Poseidon asks for the sacrifice of a white bull. Once king, Minos decides he doesn’t need to hold up to his end of the deal, and keeps the bull for his own. Poseidon, as revenge, makes Minos’ wife, Pasiphae, fall in love with the white bull. From this love, she conceives Asterion, half man, half bull. Though he grows up in the castle, loved by his mother, Minos wants to be rid Asterion and is seeking the right opportunity. He enlists a local engineer, Daedalus, to build a maze so challenging that, once Asterion is placed in it, he will never find his way out. When Minos beloved son dies tragically, Minos blames Athens, and tells them they will sacrifice 7 sons and 7 daughters to the crazed minotaur once per year. But when one of those sons volunteers, what will become of Asterion?

Straight Talk for Librarians: I was captivated by this book, from the minute I saw the cover to the very end of the authors notes. I am so blown away at the skill and craft hidden between the pages. For each character in the book, Elliot uses a different type of poem that he felt best fit that character’s personality. His use of alliteration, coupled with words or phrases our students use every day was both fascinating and edgy. The book read at a quick pace, and was gripping from start to finish. Elliot combined just enough crude language and imagery, plus a dose of sexual jokes and innuendos, to give the reader a taboo feeling, like maybe they were too close to these characters, maybe it bordered on too much information. And yet, his writing, style, and language make the story very real, very down to earth and approachable. I think, for any high school teacher who works with Greek literature in their classroom, this would be a great tool! It would be a great opening story to start discussing Greek lit, and would succeed at getting students attention and making them interested to read more. Further, the whole time I was reading this, I wanted to be back in my AP lit class with Mrs. P. She would have made us act this out, and it would have been great. Though Elliot adds passion and emotion to the characters, I often found myself wondering what tone I should be saying sections in. Should I sound angry, jealous, or sympathetic. This would be a great way to begin this conversation with young theatre students. How would they interpret the characters words? How would they add action to the story? Done on a simple stage like a theatre in the round, I think passionate actors could make such an impact using the spirit Elliot has embodied in his characters. Finally, to talk about poetry. Elliot uses less common poetry structures, like ottava rima, and Italian form of poetry, or cywdd, a Welsh form, to lend personality to his characters. This would be a great introduction to discussing forms of poetry, and using structure in student writing to further emphasize the purpose of the work. I will warn teachers, this book is not for the faint of heart. It has many sexual innuendos, and many straight forward details, which even trounce the number of swear words also woven into the text. Though I did think the sexual content might have slightly overpowered the story, I found that it read with the same wit that I find from Shakespeare, just more modernized and much more raw. I often found myself laughing at the situation as if it were comical. There were a number of swear words, but I was so focused on the text, I found they faded away, mixed in with words like “word,” “whatevs,” “pie hole” and “lol.” Then, in true teacher style, Elliot mixes the common slang with words like “odious,” “consonance,” and “asphyxiating,” giving enough detail to understand the meaning of the word, while also giving the book the high-quality, classic feel of a work of art. I would recommend this book to Mrs. P, my high school English teacher, who was fearless in her pursuit of making us love literature. She often gave us scandalous or emotionally-changed works to read, knowing her audience, knowing what caught our attention. This book will captivate your students and could be read completely in one to two class periods. It is slightly uncomfortable and unnerving to read, but I feel there is intention behind that. I’d say, if you’re comfortable with the topics included, go for it.

Check out David Elliott's Pinterest companion page for this book. Click here.

The Crossover (Graphic Novel), written by Kwame Alexander, illustrated by Dawud Anyabwile, reviewed by Amanda Davies

Summary: This graphic novel version of Alexander's novel in verse includes all of the same text as the original with illustrations added by Dawud Anyabwile. The Crossover follows Josh Bell, also known as Filthy McNasty, as he plays basketball, talks trash, and learns about what it means to be a brother, son, and friend. Like many siblings in middle school Josh and his twin Jordan love each other and are constantly fighting. Girls and basketball start to strain their relationship in new ways. When the boys realize that their former NBA-playing dad isn't as invincible as they thought he was, they have to decide how they're going to handle it.

Straight Talk for Librarians: Alexander's outstanding, visual poetry is brought more vividly to life by Anyabwile's illustrations. Anyabwile restricts his color palette to orange, black, and white, continuing the colors first used on Alexander's novel. The orange brings to mind the color of a basketball and is used largely as background color other than when it's being used for the ball itself. Anyabwile uses a combination of framed and unframed illustrations to help direct the reader's focus. Students who loved the novel will love this graphic version of it. English teachers could easily use the book as a mentor text for student writing, either in its entirety or as individual poems. In addition to having students model their own writing after Alexander's, Anyabwile's illustrations provide inspiration for illustrating text or as mentors for projects in art class. There is so much to unpack throughout both the text and illustrations when it comes to allusion, theme, onomatopoeia, word choice, voice, color palette, and inference.

The Crossover (Spanish), written by Kwame Alexander, reviewed by Amanda Davies

Summary: Like the version in English, this Spanish version of The Crossover follows the lives of Josh Bell and his twin brother Jordan as they play basketball, navigate first crushes and learn about what it means to be a family. Told in creative, vivid, and often playful poetry, the boys' experiences come to life on the page. While they've always been best friends, Josh and Jordan have to figure out how to maintain their friendship and connection in the face of challenges. Herrera's translation remains true to the original and captures the intensity and beauty of the story.

Straight Talk for Librarians: The Spanish language version of The Crossover is a great addition to any school library both for students whose first language is English and for students who are learning Spanish. In addition to the benefit of providing a book in a student's first language for the pure pleasure of it, English learners could use the English version to compare the use of vocabulary and word choice. Similarly, students learning Spanish or Spanish language teachers could use the book to look for the ways that language is manipulated similarly and differently in each language. Because the book is written in poetry and many of the poems can stand on their own, Spanish teachers or English Language teachers could use a poem or two in a lesson to enable students to identify similarities and differences. In addition to its value as a powerful story, the Spanish language version of the Crossover provides many opportunities for curricular connections.

The Ugly Five, written by Julia Donaldson, reviewed by Klaudia Janek

Student Reviewer: Thu-Anh T.
Summary: “We’re the ugly five, we’re the ugly five.” After the introduction of some more well-known beasts of the savannah, the first of the ugly five steps in--a wildebeest who boasts about her ugly qualities, loving her position as the “ugliest.” Then, she stumbles into a hyena, who describes their own qualities one by one, taking pride in their position as ugliest. The two pair up, ambling along to meet the others, singing about their ugliness and collecting the other animals one by one--the vulture, then the warthog, and finally marabou stork--flaunting the same pride and combining forces. Still, they mention qualities that others may find painful or unlikeable. After collecting all five, the five beasts stumble into a surprise: infantile versions of the ugly five! “We’re your babies.” They appreciate their actions, showering the Ugly Five in love and compliments, turning their title around to “the Lovely Five.”

Straight Talk for Librarians: The book is a cheerful, endearing work on being happy with yourself, making a community, family, and love past appearances. The author writes in rhymes and repetition in order to create a flowing rhythm, which appeals to a reader. The formatting also develops a pattern to look forward to, keeping the book positive. The animals’ loudness and energy when talking about their ugly qualities also maintains the cheerful energy in the book. In addition, the illustrations paired with each section maintains mainly bright colors but keeping to the warmer, earthy tones. The animals also all smile when they unify, demonstrating the positivity in the community. It can be used as a funny, charming story of self-love and found family.