I’m late to the party to celebrate the 2015 Newbery medal book, The Crossover (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014) by Kwame Alexander. But actually it’s never too late to read a good book.
If you haven’t read this believable novel in verse, I strongly recommend it. It’d be especially great for those reluctant readers as it is a very quick read and so accessible. Kids into sports will like it. It’s fun to read for anyone!
That doesn’t mean it’s a piece of fluff by any means. Instead we experience the highs and lows with thirteen-year-old Josh and his twin Jordan (JB). His brother is thinking more about GIRLS than BASKETBALL. Will the brothers even be friends after this year?
Kwame is the author of 21 books. His most recent novel Booked came out in April and looks great.
Read more about the author/poet on his website.
Category: Award Winners
The Year We Sailed the Sun
Marvelous Middle Grade Monday
I loved this historical middle grade novel, The Year We Sailed the Sun (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2015) by Theresa Nelson. It’s set in the year 1912 and took me into a unfamiliar world of Catholic orphanages and Irish street gangs in St. Louis.
Eleven-year-old Julia Delaney and her almost fourteen-year-old sister are being sent to The House of Mercy. Their older brother Bill, only fifteen himself, promises it will just be for a short time. Mary’s the good sister, so living with nuns won’t be hard on her. But Julia, that’s quite a different story. And you can tell so from the first sentence of Chapter One: “I suppose I will go to hell for biting the nun.”
That made me laugh. Yet I found Julia a sympathetic character as well. The author was a Winner of the PEN/Phyllis Reynolds Naylor Working Writer Fellowship for this book. It’s also a Junior Library Guild Selection.
The novel is a fascinating blend of fiction mixed with actual history. (Of course, I had to read the Author’s Note at the end to know that.) On the book’s page on Theresa Nelson’s website there are great pictures of the time period, including one of the real Julia who inspired the story.
The author has a number of other books to put on my “to be read” list.
Ship Breaker
I’m late to the party on this award winning book–it won the 2011 Michael L. Prinz award (go here to see more awards), but perhaps you missed it too. (original hardback cover on the left, paperback cover on the right)
Ship Breaker (Little, Brown and Company, 2010) by Paolo Bacigalupi took me into a believable future world with an age old story of kids doing what they have to to survive. I found it fascinating and, at times, heartrending.
Nailer works on a light crew stripping wires from rusting ship hulks. It’s dirty, dark, and dangerous. When he goes home, he has to be equally cautious depending on the mood of his brutal father. A hurricane in the gulf changes his luck. Or does it?
I want to know more about this world. Fortunately, there’s a companion book, The Drowned Cities, that I can read next. It came out in 2012.
I’m not sure how I missed this author–Mr. Bacigalupi writes adult and YA fiction. Check out his books on his website.
Prisoner 88
Marvelous Middle Grade Monday
Prisoner 88 (Charlesbridge, 2013) by Leah Pileggi is an amazing story of a boy put in prison for murder. This historical novel was inspired by an actual ten-year-old prisoner who was held in the Idaho Territorial Penitentiary.
Ten-year-old Jake Oliver Evans figures he can pretty much take care of himself. He’s not happy about being named Prisoner 88, as if he’s just a number. But when he finds out he’ll get to eat a big meal every single day, he can hardly believe it. He wonders if he’s in heaven, not prison. Of course, a punishment of bread and water soon make that clear. And so does having to learn to read and write.
Leah Pileggi has taken what could be an unsympathetic character and made me care about him. At first, all I knew was that Jake had shot someone, but as I read on what happened is revealed bit by bit until . . . But I don’t want to spoil the story for anyone else.
This book had won a number of awards–read about them on the author’s site.
El Deafo
I loved the graphic novel El Deafo (Amulet Books, 2014) by Cece Bell. Based on her own childhood, four-year-old Cece becomes ill and loses her hearing. The story outlines kindergarten through fifth grade showing Cece’s struggles and accomplishments. I can relate to Cece’s shyness as a child, and felt so sympathetic for her and rejoiced when . . . well, I don’t want to spoil the end if you haven’t read it. Here’s a book trailer with Cece herself talking about El Deafo.
I believe this story is important for kids to read to not only help them understand better how to deal with someone who is hearing impaired, but to learn that differences can be “superpowers” as Cece says. I’m not the only one who thinks it is important as the book is a 2015 Newbery Honor book! On the publisher’s site you can read all kinds of great reviews. Here’s an article about Cece and how she made the book, too.
Author/Illustrator Cece Bell has written and illustrated other books. See details here.