Vanilla by Billy Merrell

From Goodreads,

A bold, groundbreaking novel about coming out, coming into your own, and coming apart.

Hunter and Van become boyfriends before they're even teenagers, and stay a couple even when adolescence intervenes. But in high school, conflict arises -- mostly because Hunter is much more comfortable with the sex part of sexual identity. As the two boys start to realize that loving someone doesn't guarantee they will always be with you, they find out more about their own identities -- with Hunter striking out on his own while Van begins to understand his own asexuality.

In poems that are romantic and poems that are heartbreaking, Vanilla explores all the flavors of the spectrum -- and how romance and love aren't always the same thing.

Goodreads - Vanilla

We are halfway through poetry month, and this is another review of a book written in verse.  This book is a very unique book because it is told in varying verse styles from three different characters.  Vanilla is about two boys who have been dating since high school.  Hunter wants to take things to the next level, while Vanilla doesn't.  The third character Clown/Angel is an outsider who is friends with both and has varying feelings for both.  This book is the story of their struggle to find themselves.

I am a VERY open person and I will read just about any book.  There are very few that I will turn down reading.  About 20 pages into this book my boyfriend asked how the book was and I honestly said, "Awful."  I am not phobic in any way, but this book was just a struggle for me.  My biggest complaint, that honestly kept me from really "getting into" this book was that the story had three characters narrating.  Now, I am totally fine with multiple characters narrating a story, but I do want there to be clear labels at each chapter or change of narrators telling me who is now telling the story.  The only thing that indicated someone different was speaking was that the font was different.  I found it SOOOO hard to connect with absolutely any characters and I could not keep them straight for the life of me.

This is a really short review because this book did absolutely nothing for me.  It was dull and boring and I had to power through it as best as I could.  It does contain quite a bit of mature content and I wouldn't recommend it to just any young adult.  There are sexual references throughout the book and there are multiple gay characters, a gender-fluid character, and an asexual character.  I have to give this book 1 star.  There was just too much chaos happening in the department of keeping characters straight and it honestly took away from the book.

Solo by Kwame Alexander and Mary Rand Hess

From Goodreads,

"From award-winning and New York Times bestselling author Kwame Alexander, with Mary Rand Hess, comes Solo, a YA novel written in poetic verse. Solo tells the story of seventeen-year-old Blade Morrison, who knows the life of a rock star isn't really about the glitz and glamour. All the new cars and money in the world can't make up for the scathing tabloid covers or the fact that his father is struggling with just about every addiction under the sun--including a desperate desire to make a comeback and regain his former fame. Haunted by memories of his mother--who died when Blade was nine--and the ruin his father's washed-up legacy and life have brought to the family, Blade is left to figure out life on his own. But, he's not all alone: He's got the friendship of a jazz-musician mentor, Robert; the secret love of a girlfriend, Chapel; and his music. All may not be well in the Morrison home, but things are looking up for Blade, until he discovers a deeply protected family secret--one that further threatens his relationship with his family and has him questioning his own identity. Thrown into a tailspin, Blade decides the only way he will understand his past and begin his future is to find out the truth behind the music and himself. He soon sets out on a journey that will change everything he thought to be true. His quest lands him in Ghana, stuck in a village just shy of where answers to the secret can be found. There, Blade discovers a friendship he couldn't have imagined, a people founded in family and community, and a reconciliation he never expected.

With his signature intricacy, intimacy, and poetic style, Kwame Alexander explores what it means to finally come home."

Goodreads - Solo

Welcome back for another poetry book review.  Kwame Alexander is definitely on my top ten favorite author's list.  His first book I read was Crossover shortly followed by Booked and Rebound.  All of those books are sports packed books that pack a poetry punch.  I was really excited to see he had a new book out, but unfortunately, it didn't live up to my expectations.

Solo is about a teenage boy named Blade who has a rockstar father who is always in the spotlight.  Blade is very connected to music and decides to play a song for his commencement speech at graduation.  The only problem is that his famous father crashes graduation and causes a scene.  Things spiral with Blade and he soon finds that his girlfriend is cheating and that he is adopted.  Blade decides to set out on a quest to Ghana to save himself and find his birth mother.

This book was quite a letdown.  The other books I've read by Alexander were full of passion and moving poetry.  Solo felt like a forced story more than a work of art.  I really felt like this should have been a regular novel instead of a book of verse.  It felt like the sentences had just been broken and arranged to look like a poem.  Books that utilize verse need to be written so that there is a sense of rhythm and flow to it.  This book had no rhythm or flow which is bothersome considering the book had a big central theme of music. 

One of the high points in this book was that there were various points in the book that had music and band information.  I really wish that I had listened to the song as I was reading the book.  I feel that it would have really given me a little more of a connection to the book itself.  It was really interesting to learn little tidbits about songs that actually exist.

Overall, Alexander and Hess really dropped the ball on this book.  It would have been a better fit for it to be a full-fledged novel instead of being in verse.  This book isn't like Alexander's previous Crossover, Booked, and Rebound books.  If you like music and self-centered teenagers then this is definitely a book for you.  I give it 2 stars.  

Somewhere Among by Annie Donwerth-Chikamatsu

From Goodreads,

"A beautiful and haunting debut novel in verse about an American-Japanese girl struggling with the loneliness of being caught between two worlds when the tragedy of 9/11 strikes an ocean away.

Eleven-year-old Ema has always been of two worlds—her father’s Japanese heritage and her mother’s life in America. She’s spent summers in California for as long as she can remember, but this year she and her mother are staying with her grandparents in Japan as they await the arrival of Ema’s baby sibling. Her mother’s pregnancy has been tricky, putting everyone on edge, but Ema’s heart is singing—finally, there will be someone else who will understand what it’s like to belong and not belong at the same time.

But Ema’s good spirits are muffled by her grandmother who is cold, tightfisted, and quick to reprimand her for the slightest infraction. Then, when their stay is extended and Ema must go to a new school, her worries of not belonging grow. And when the tragedy of 9/11 strikes, Ema, her parents, and the world watch as the twin towers fall…

As Ema watches her mother grieve for her country across the ocean—threatening the safety of her pregnancy—and her beloved grandfather falls ill, she feels more helpless and hopeless than ever. And yet, surrounded by tragedy, Ema sees for the first time the tender side of her grandmother, and the reason for the penny-pinching and sternness make sense—her grandmother has been preparing so they could all survive the worst.

Dipping and soaring, Somewhere Among is the story of one girl’s search for identity, inner peace, and how she discovers that hope can indeed rise from the ashes of disaster."

Goodreads - Somewhere Among

Awards and Nominations:

• Writers' League of Texas Manuscript Competition for Middle Grade (2013)

April is finally back!  That means it is finally poetry month!  This is one of my favorite months because poetry books are typically moving and full of emotion.  This book is packed with emotional moments and moving poetry.

Somewhere Among is a moving story told by a young girl named Ema.  She is stuck between being Japanese and American.  She spends most of the year in Japan and goes to America in the summer.  Ema must find herself and who she is, especially since she feels split between two countries.  

This book has a big focus on Ema being "split" between being American and Japanese.  Throughout the book, she is torn between the traditions and customs of each country.  I think that people who are multicultural will find this book relatable.  This book was really a journey of Ema finding who she was.  Her grandmother in Japan was so set on her following Japanese rules and traditions, while Ema found herself enjoying the simple American ways.  Ema truly had to find a balance in her life and her cultures.  I think many people have to find a balance similar to this in life.  It could be a cultural balance or it could be a balance between your family and a significant other's family.  I know that my boyfriend and I are both from the US but from different states.  There are things that he does that blow my mind and things that I do that he disapproves of.  This is a cultural difference that we experience and have to balance when we spend time with each other's family.  Everything in life is about balance and this book was an example of that between two very different cultures. 

While the balance was an important aspect in this book, I didn't feel a real connection with any of the characters.  Ema's parents were very flat characters who weren't in the book much.  Ema was telling the story and was busy trying to balance everything with her cultures, school, and staying out of trouble with her grandmother.  Ema's grandparents were very involved in my opinion, but they didn't really have a voice.  They were very flat characters.  This was very disappointing because I feel like it took away from the book.  If the characters had had more depth and dimension they would have been more relatable and would have added a special touch to the book.  

Overall, this book was just okay.  I loved the balance of life aspect but found the characters dull and flat.  I recommend this to people who are needing a glimpse into the life of a child who is "split" between two places.  This also has quite a bit of Japanese culture and language in it.  I give this 2 stars.  

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling

From Goodreads,

"Prepare to be spellbound by Jim Kay’s dazzling full-colour illustrations in this stunning new edition of J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Breathtaking scenes, dark themes and unforgettable characters – including Dobby and Gilderoy Lockhart – await inside this fully illustrated edition. With paint, pencil and pixels, award-winning illustrator Jim Kay conjures the wizarding world as we have never seen it before. Fizzing with magic and brimming with humour, this inspired reimagining will captivate fans and new readers alike, as Harry and his friends, now in their second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, seek out a legendary chamber and the deadly secret that lies at its heart …"

Goodreads - Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Awards and Nominations:

• Nestle Smarties Book Prize for 9-11 years (1998)
• British Book Award (1999)
• Prijs van de Jonge Jury (2002)
• Books I Loved Best Yearly (BILBY) Awards for Older Readers (2006)
• Colorado Blue Spruce Young Book Award (2008)
• Golden Archer Award for Middle/Junior High (2008)
• Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children's Literature (2008)

Almost a year later, I am traveling back to Hogwarts.  My mom and I were shopping just before Christmas, and I pointed out the book and mentioned I needed to get it.  She told me to put it in our cart and to "come on."  I reluctantly put it in the cart and I am now excitedly getting to review it.  This is another illustrated edition, just like my review of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.  I am just extremely upset that I am just now reading this series in my mid-twenties.

Harry Potter found out a year ago that he was a wizard with a very interesting past.  He is looking forward to returning to Hogwarts to get away from the terrible Dursley's he is living with.  After an awful evening with dinner guests, Ron and his brother's help get Harry out of the Dursley's house.  Harry and all of the Weasley kids soon return to Hogwarts only to find that someone has opened the Chamber of Secrets.  All of the students remain on edge until they all hear Harry speaking parseltongue.  They soon become skeptical that he is the heir of Slytherin and that he is the one who has opened the Chamber.  Harry, Hermoine, and Ron must work together to figure out what is happening to save all of Hogwarts and its students.

I was beyond excited that Dobby has finally entered the books.  He was easily one of my favorite characters from the movie.  He means well but tends to completely screw things up.  And then he punishes himself for screwing up.  I don't think I have ever connected with a character like I do with Dobby.  I too often find myself meaning well, messing things up, and then anxiously hating myself for messing up.

I was also really intrigued by Ron and Hermoine and their relationship.  This was the first time that I started to see Ron really defend and protect Hermoine as well as knowing her extremely well.  I'm excited to see how their relationship unfolds throughout the book, as I know how it will happen in the movies.  I am curious to see if it is similar or if there are more subtle hints hidden along the way.

I still love the illustrated books of this series.  The illustrations are absolutely stunning.  Sometimes I hate that I have watched the movies before I read the books.  While I was reading I was constantly comparing the book to what I remembered of the movie.  I specifically don't remember Colin in the movies, but he had a clear and defined role in the book.  I also don't remember Harry and Ron going into the forest to talk to a large spider that Hagrid had kept hidden away as a pet.  I still absolutely enjoyed this book and the illustrations.

I am slowly becoming a Potterhead and am happily sorted into Hufflepuff.  I am excited to knock out the next book in the series.  I will happily give this book 5 stars.  The illustrated versions are large in size but have an amazing collection of illustrations and designs.  I recommend this as a bedtime storybook to read to a first-time reader/listener of the series.  

New Kid by Jerry Craft

From Goodreads,

"A graphic novel about starting over at a new school where diversity is low and the struggle to fit in is real.

Seventh grader Jordan Banks loves nothing more than drawing cartoons about his life. But instead of sending him to the art school of his dreams, his parents enroll him in a prestigious private school known for its academics, where Jordan is one of the few kids of color in his entire grade.

As he makes the daily trip from his Washington Heights apartment to the upscale Riverdale Academy Day School, Jordan soon finds himself torn between two worlds—and not really fitting into either one. Can Jordan learn to navigate his new school culture while keeping his neighborhood friends and staying true to himself?"

Goodreads - New Kid

Awards and Nominations:

• Kirkus Prize for Young Readers' Literature (2019)
• Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Middle Grade & Children's (2019)
• Newbery Medal (2020)
• Coretta Scott King Award for Author (2020)

I am still slowly working my way through the Newbery Award Winners.  In January I start looking for the award winners for all the book lists I'm reading.  When I saw that New Kid was the Newbery Medal recipient for 2020 I was extremely excited because I had this book in my classroom library.  After a quick search through students who had books checked out, I was able to find who had the book.  As soon as they turned it in I quickly snatched it up and took it home to read.  

New Kid follows Jordan Banks as he starts at a new private school, even though he wants to go to art school.  On the first day, Jordan quickly realizes that there aren't many kids there who are of color like him.  He struggles to fit in but soon makes a couple friends.  He just has to figure out how to meld the worlds together while still being himself. 

This book is the first time a graphic novel has ever received the Newbery Award.  That being said, this book left a lot to be desired.  I'm not a huge fan of graphic novels.  If they follow a very clear, cut format like El Deafo then I enjoy it.  When it follows more of a comic book style I struggle.  This book, unfortunately, had the comic book feel, and I struggled with it.  Some frames didn't follow the order that I thought they should and it was very frustrating.  I like the frames to be orderly and going from left to right, but this book the frames had no specific organization.  The entire book felt disorganized and left me feeling unsettled. 

I felt like this book didn't have a strong storyline in it.  I felt like this book was trying to tackle ALL the issues that young African American kids deal with.  The book covers poverty, racism, friendship, family, bullying, self-expression, and exclusion.  I wish it would have picked a couple topics and had a deeper story than what we were given.  There was a huge opportunity to make a big and bold statement, but honestly, the book fell flat for me because it was packed with so much.  

This book just didn't sit right with me.  It was an extreme let down.  There were too many things trying to happen in this book and I don't feel any of them were fully covered or delved into deep enough.  It is super cool that this is the first graphic novel to win the Newbery Award.  I have to give this 2 stars.  Students who love graphic novels will enjoy this as it is a fairly quick read.  

People Kill People by Ellen Hopkins

From Goodreads,

"Someone will shoot. And someone will die.

#1 New York Times bestselling author Ellen Hopkins tackles gun violence and white supremacy in this compelling and complex novel.

People kill people. Guns just make it easier.

A gun is sold in the classifieds after killing a spouse, bought by a teenager for needed protection. But which was it? Each has the incentive to pick up a gun, to fire it. Was it Rand or Cami, married teenagers with a young son? Was it Silas or Ashlyn, members of a white supremacist youth organization? Daniel, who fears retaliation because of his race, who possessively clings to Grace, the love of his life? Or Noelle, who lost everything after a devastating accident, and has sunk quietly into depression?

One tense week brings all six people into close contact in a town wrought with political and personal tensions. Someone will fire. And someone will die. But who?"

Goodreads - People Kill People

Everything in the news today seems to be centered around gun control.  It is the neverending debate over should people have access to guns and be allowed to carry or not.  I was raised around guns and was taught to always treat a gun as if it is loaded.  I absolutely believe that people who have had the proper background check and training should be allowed to purchase and carry.  This book focuses on the piece that guns don't kill people, people kill people.

People Kill People is a unique tale that is told by the narrator Violence.  Violence lives in everyone, but for some, its voice is louder.  Violence weaves the tale of six people: Rand, Silas, Daniel, Noelle, Cami, and Ashlyn.  These six people are connected in a strange way and their story comes together over the course of the book.  One of the people purchased a gun from an ad and one of the people will use the gun to murder someone by the end of the book.  Violence keeps the reader guessing to try to solve the crime.

THE REST OF THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS!!

After I met Violence and the other six characters I immediately knew who was going to fire the gun.  The entire book is pushing gun control.  So the question quickly came to which of the characters would need the most gun control.  That was quickly answered when I realized Rand and Cami had a two-year-old son.  I knew immediately that it would be none of the six characters that we followed that would pull the trigger.  I knew it would be the little boy named Waylon who would have the unfortunate luck of pulling the trigger.  When it finally reached that point of the book and it was finally stated that Waylon pulled the trigger I was both relieved and frustrated.  I was relieved because I knew that I was correct in guessing who did it, but frustrated that it wasn't one of the six characters I had followed the entire time.  I was also frustrated at the lack of brains by Cami and Rand.  One of them purchased the gun but didn't think it would be a good decision to lock it up.  Honestly, they were asking for trouble.  I loved the whole whodunnit bit.  It was exciting to watch the stories come together and trying to figure out who would die.  I devoured this book quickly thanks to the mystery of who would fire the gun and who would die.

I was really intrigued by the narrator of this book who was named Violence.  The entire story is narrated by a thing or an idea instead of a person.  At the beginning of the story, I was very captivated by Violence, but as the book continued I found myself very bored with its prose.  It was such an odd thought that violence has a voice.  It was also interesting when Violence stated that it is present in everyone, but it is a louder voice in some than others.  That some events in life will bring that voice to the forefront.  It is almost frightening that violence is present in everyone, but different things trigger the voice of violence to be louder.  It really made me stop and ask myself if I have ever triggered the voice in someone and what has triggered it in me.  Violence exists in everyone, it is really just the question of what you do with that voice in your head. 

This book was interesting, to say the least.  The only thing that kept it moving was trying to figure out who bought the gun, who fired it, and who died.  I felt like the book was shoving the idea that people shouldn't own guns down my throat.  I understand that Hopkins was writing a book focused on such a controversial topic, but it was still a little irritating to being so anti-gun.  I still have to give this book 4 stars.  This book is not written in Hopkins' typical prose but alternates between prose and a regular book.  If you are looking for a book on gun control this is going to be a perfect fit.

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

From Goodreads,

"Jess Aarons has been practicing all summer so he can be the fastest runner in the fifth grade. And he almost is, until the new girl in school, Leslie Burke, outpaces him. The two become fast friends and spend most days in the woods behind Leslie's house, where they invent an enchanted land called Terabithia. One morning, Leslie goes to Terabithia without Jess and a tragedy occurs. It will take the love of his family and the strength that Leslie has given him for Jess to be able to deal with his grief.

Bridge to Terabithia was also named an ALA Notable Children’s Book and has become a touchstone of children’s literature, as have many of Katherine Paterson’s other novels, including The Great Gilly Hopkins and Jacob Have I Loved."

Goodreads - Bridge to Terabithia

Awards and Nominations:

• Newbery Medal (1978)
• Lewis Carroll Shelf Award (1978)
• Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award Nominee (1979)
• California Young Readers Medal Nominee for Middle School/Junior High (1980)
• Zilveren Griffel (1983)

A while back I created a sheet for a lesson where my students had to mark the titles of work with either quotation marks or underline.  For one of the sentences, I used the title Bridge to Terabithia as well as the first chapter title, "Jesse Oliver Aarons, Jr."  One of my students asked if I had the book in my library.  After a quick check through my online database, I found that I didn't have a copy, but I told her I had a copy at home.  She asked if I would have it in my library anytime soon.  This led me to quickly power through this book to get it in my library for her to read.

Bridge to Terabithia is the story of a friendship that blossoms between Jess and Leslie.  Jesse doesn't know what to think when the new girl named Leslie beats him racing at school.  Soon they become close friends and create a magical land called Terabithia.  But after a tragic accident happens Jesse must learn how to rely on his family to help grieve.

I have typed and erased this paragraph so many times.  I can't seem to put my thoughts into words for this book.  Please bear with me as I try to sort my thoughts out and put them into words.  The book takes place in the 70s with clear references to the Vietnam war, hippies, and peace.  That being said, the book is clearly dated.  The characters are growing up in an entirely different time than what kids today are.  Jesse and Leslie both actively use their imagination and play pretend, even in the fifth-grade.  I think this is such a unique aspect that many kids reading this book wouldn't understand.  I remember playing pretend and entertaining myself with almost nothing.  Kids today don't play pretend.  They are so glued to their phones and tablets that they do not know how to make-believe anymore.  Times have changed so much and I think kids need to act like kids instead of trying to be years older than they are.  I think kids need to read books like Bridge to Terabithia because it shows healthy examples of having an imagination and just being a kid.

As I said before this book was written in the 70s, but it has some colorful language in it.  As a teacher, I don't know if I would purposefully teach this book.  I will have it in my library, but I also teach my students if they don't like the language in a book to not read it.  I can't possibly censor every book, nor will I.  I pay attention to topics and content, but the language that may upset one student could be perfectly normal to another.  I was also extremely uncomfortable with Jesse's teacher Miss Edmunds picking him up to go to the Smithsonian.  There would never be a time that I would do that or would be okay with a teacher picking up my child.  That moment really dated the book because a teacher would never get away with that today.

I luckily own the movie and was able to watch it shortly after finishing the book.  The movie fell more into a fantasy genre with all the magical creatures that were brought to life.  The book just talked about them playing pretend in Terabithia, but never going on about the creatures they saw and fought.  The movie felt a little "extra" in the Terabithia department.  The movie also takes place in the present-day than in the 70s.  I think that was a good choice in making the movie, but it didn't stay true to the book.  The main points of the book were in the movie and I really liked that.

Overall the book was good, but I have to say the movie was better.  I rarely say the movie is better, but it was not dated like the movie.  I still give the book 3 stars because it was a good heart-felt story.  This would be a perfect book for a fourth or fifth grader looking for a good tearjerker of a story.