Black Brother, Black Brother by Jewell Parker Rhodes

 

Yesterday, I finished reading Black Brother, Black Brother by Jewell Parker Rhodes. This sports fiction novel is about Donte, a twelve-year-old biracial boy who is one of the few black boys at Middlefield Prep. The teachers all wish he was more like his lighter-skinned brother, Trey, and he is bullied by the captain of the fencing team, "King" Alan. After Donte is suspended from school and arrested for something he didn't do when he is framed by Alan, he seeks out a former Olympic fencer, Arden Jones, at the Boston Boys and Girls Club to learn how to fence to beat Alan at his own game. Initially, Mr. Jones wants nothing to do with Donte, but when Donte comes back the next few days to help out, Mr. Jones agrees to begin training Donte. As the months go by and the tryouts for Middlefield Prep's fencing team approach, Donte makes new friends, grows closer to his brother, and learns about the systemic racism in fencing in his fight for justice.

I thought this novel was compelling from the very start. In addition to being scared for Donte when he was arrested and had to spend time in a jail cell before his parents came to rescue him, I was furious at Alan for saying that Donte threw a pencil at a girl in their class when it was Alan himself. In the same position as Donte, I would have wanted revenge, too, and I thought his goal to beat Alan at fencing was a good idea. As the story went on, I really enjoyed Donte's relationship with his brother, Trey. Even though Donte wanted fencing to be his own thing at first, I liked how they spent more time together when Trey joined Donte's training sessions with Mr. Jones. I was also fascinated by Mr. Jones's story when he finally opened up to Donte about why he quit fencing. It helped me understand the history of racism in fencing and why the issue still persists now. There were definitely times when I wondered if Donte would ever be good enough to win against Alan, so I was extremely happy with the satisfying ending. Black Brother, Black Brother is an outstanding choice for sports fans and will also appeal to those interested in reading stories about the fight for justice.

The Best at It by Maulik Pancholy

 

Last week, I read The Best at It by Maulik Pancholy. This realistic fiction novel is about Rahul Kapoor, an Indian American boy starting seventh grade in Indiana. After his grandfather, Bhai, gives him advice to find something that he's good at and become the best at it, Rahul attempts to join his school's football team, even though it means being around his bully, Brent Mason. After he gets injured during the tryout, Rahul then decides to audition for a local bank's television commercial. When that also doesn't go according to plan, Rahul wonders if he'll ever be the best at anything. Left with no other options, Rahul joins the Mathletes, despite his initial reluctance at the beginning of the school. Meanwhile, his mom and her friends, the Auntie Squad, are planning an event for the community called the International Bazaar. Rahul isn't very excited about the event, but his best friend, Chelsea, agrees to put together a performance. Although Rahul encounters homophobia and racism and increasingly suffers from anxiety as the school year goes on, he discovers himself.

This book was such a joy to read because it had both funny and emotional moments. I especially enjoyed how it captured the experience of middle school, the elation of the highs and the devastation of the lows. Rahul was dealing with a lot during his seventh grade year, and there were times in the story that I wished he could just catch a break. Seventh grade wasn't easy for me either, so Rahul's story was especially relatable. It made me so mad when Brent wouldn't just leave Rahul alone. On the other hand, it seemed like it would be such a blast to be friends with Chelsea. Although Rahul and Chelsea have an argument at the Sadie Hawkins dance after he opens up to her about his struggle to figure out if he has a crush on his classmate, Justin Emery, they make up in time for the International Bazaar. I was also drawn in by the suspense of Rahul's mission to become the best at something. I was ecstatic when he joined the Mathletes because I thought it was something he could really succeed at and I had to know if Rahul and his teammates would qualify to the state competition. I thought it was so cool how Pancholy was able to make math exciting through this story because I did a couple of math competitions when I was in high school. All in all, The Best at It was an excellent read and I recommend it to all middle school students.

Chirp by Kate Messner

Yesterday I finished reading Chirp by Kate Messner. This realistic fiction novel with a bit of mystery is about Mia, a girl who moves back to Vermont from Boston with her parents the summer after seventh grade. While she's excited to see her grandmother, Gram, and help out with the cricket farm, she's also recovering from a broken arm she got falling off the balance beam at gymnastics and trying to forgot a secret that she left behind. When Gram mentions that her cricket farm is being sabotaged, Mia's mom believes it's because her thinking is impaired from the stroke she had months ago, but Mia wonders if there's more to it. Although she's initially reluctant to go to two day camps, Launch Camp and Warrior Camp, she befriends Clover and Anna. Soon, Mia confides in the other two girls about the issues at Gram's cricket farm and they decide to investigate to find out who is responsible for the sabotage before it's too late to save the farm with the project they're working on at Launch Camp. As the summer flies by, Mia continues holding on to her secret and has to find the courage to confront what happened to her.

I was initially excited to start reading this book because Mia was a gymnast like I was in school, so I was a little surprised when this book wasn't about her returning to gymnastics after an injury. It turned out that she had a really good reason for not wanting to go back, but I was still a little disappointed by the end. With that said, I loved the mystery of the cricket farm being sabotaged and desperately wanted the criminal to be found so that Gram didn't have to sell it. It was sweet how Clover and Anna wanted to help Mia with her project and their friendship was one of my favorite parts of the book. I also really enjoyed how one of the themes was the empowerment of girls and women and thought the story handled the topic of sexual harassment well. It reminded me a little of Maybe He Just Likes You by Barbara Dee, which I read last year. Because the book is relatively short, it was quite fast-paced, which I liked. With timely themes and topics, Chirp is a superb choice for girls, especially ones who might be coping with sexual harassment because it shows that they're not alone.

 

This Is Your Brain on Stereotypes: How Science Is Tackling Unconscious Bias by Tanya Lloyd Kyi

 

Last week over Thanksgiving Break, I read This Is Your Brain on Stereotypes: How Science Is Tackling Unconscious Bias by Tanya Lloyd Kyi. This informational book explains how to recognize stereotypes, why they can be harmful, and how to combat them. The first chapter covers the history of identifying stereotypes and some of the studies that have been done about how we categorize people. In the second chapter, the author explores how people still act with bias even when they know that all humans are equal, with a focus on racism and sexism. The third chapter describes how stereotypes affect our behavior when we apply them to our own lives. In the fourth chapter, people who have made a difference in changing society's views are the focus. The fifth chapter shares methods that scientists, activists, and organizations have used to recognize assumptions in our own minds and address discrimination. Finally, the book concludes with techniques that we can use as individuals to fight prejudice.

I thought this book was very interesting because I never really thought about the science behind stereotypes before. As I was reading, I really enjoyed how the author took a storytelling approach to sharing all the history and research on the topic. This book is definitely very timely because discrimination is something that many people face, not only in the United States, but around the world. I also appreciated that the author was hopeful that society can change by taking small steps. The back matter of the book includes suggestions for further reading, a list of sources for each chapter, and an index. This Is Your Brain on Stereotypes can be used to inspire discussions about addressing stereotypes and bias, and I would recommend it to both kids and adults alike.