Black Girl You Are Atlas by Renée Watson with art by Ekua Holmes

 

Yesterday, I finished reading Black Girl You Are Atlas by Renée Watson with art by Ekua Holmes. This semi-biographical poetry collection is about Renée Watson's experiences growing up as a young Black girl. Through different poetry forms, she shares memories of her childhood in Portland, honors the Black women in her life, and calls for Black girls to step into their power. The poems also demonstrate the strength of celebration and sisterhood.

The very first thing I noticed about this book was Ekua Holmes's gorgeous mixed media art. I love it so much because I had never seen anything like it. Most importantly, though, I thought the poems were amazing. I enjoyed that there was a wide variety of poetry forms and I really felt like I got to know Renée Watson as a person through the experiences that shaped her. Some of my favorite poems in this collection are "Resurrection", "atlas", "Turning Seven", "Lessons on Being a Sky Walker", "Underbelly", "Sixteen Reasons to Smile", "King", "How to Survive Your Teen Years", "An Etheree for Moving On", Black Like Me", "Black with a Capital B", "A Tanka for Michelle Obama", "Love It All", and "Phenomenon". Overall, I highly recommend Black Girl You Are Atlas to all girls and young women.

Michael Vey: The Colony

 

Yesterday, I finished reading Michael Vey: The Colony by Richard Paul Evans. The tenth and final book in the series, this science fiction novel concludes Michael Vey's adventures. In the devastating aftermath of their fight against the Chasqui, Michael and the Electroclan are still trying to solve the mystery of Abigail's abduction. While they are mourning the loss of friends and allies, they return to the U.S. to regroup. After learning Cassy's heartbreaking diagnosis, they piece together what little evidence they have and figure out that Abigail is being held by Chispa, the leader of a group of other electrics in a place known at the colony. With Grace's help, they also learn the history of the colony and what powers the other electrics have. Upon making a plan, they go back to Peru to meet up with Alpha Team to rescue Abigail.

The conclusion of the Michael Vey series was absolutely spectacular. With incredibly high stakes, the story was so suspenseful. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. Because they had never faced other electrics before and the dream Taylor had at the beginning was terrifyingly ominous, I wasn't sure if the Electroclan would succeed this time, but I knew they had to at least try. Even though they were the enemy, it was fascinating learning about the colony's past and why they would abduct Abigail out of all the members of the Electroclan. Although I came to understand the reasons for why the colony would do such a thing and their past was heartbreaking, it didn't excuse their actions and Chispa especially came across as insane as his true colors were revealed to Michael. The twist at the end was amazing. I loved it so much and I've rarely been so satisfied with an entire series. If you love science fiction and adventure, you can't miss this series. 

When We Flew Away by Alice Hoffman

 

Last week, I read When We Flew Away by Alice Hoffman. This historical fiction novel is about Anne Frank before she started writing her diary and her family went into hiding. In May 1940, Anne is just an ordinary ten-year-old girl who enjoys stories and walks home from school with her older sister, Margot. Although she is envious of Margot, Anne sometimes wishes she would listen to her and have more fun. The day after Margot rejects her wish to get ice cream after school, the Nazis invade Amsterdam. Over the next two years, the Nazis progressively place restrictions on Jewish citizens and violence becomes inescapable. Families even begin to disappear, most often taken to concentration camps in other parts of Europe. Meanwhile, Anne's father and grandmother are supportive of her dreams by nurturing her curiosity and creativity despite the challenging relationship that she has with her mother who is disapproving and doesn't seem to understand her. Even though danger and fear are constant, Anne discovers that she wants to become a writer.

I thought this novel was heartbreakingly beautiful. Years ago, I read The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank, so when I learned of When We Flew Away last year, I was extremely curious about Anne's life before hiding in the Secret Annex with her family and just had to get my hands on a copy. As I read the story, I loved getting insight into Anne's relationships with the other members of her family and how they all coped with the devastating hardships they had to face as Jews. It's not a happy story and I found myself teary-eyed a few times, but I enjoyed the imagery and language that Hoffman used, especially "black moths" and "wolves" which invoked darkness and danger. I also liked how she would give historical background throughout the story because it gave context to what Anne and her family were experiencing. I think the hardest thing was realizing just how full of hopes and dreams Anne and Margot were and then their lives were cut way too short. It was tragic and not fair at all. Even though I know that the past can't be changed, I couldn't help but wish that they had survived. If you're interested in learning more about Anne Frank's story leading up to the time period covered by her diary, you should definitely read this book.

The Razorland Series by Ann Aguirre

 

Yesterday, I finished reading the Razorland series by Ann Aguirre. This dystopian series is about teenagers that live in a post-apocalyptic world in which zombie-like monsters called Freaks roam free. In the prequel short story, Foundation, survivors, including two boys who fall in love, create the first enclaves underground as disease spreads in the city. In Enclave, which begins the main trilogy, Deuce turns fifteen and takes on her role as Huntress in the enclave of College, which is in the subway tunnels of what was once New York City. After Deuce is paired with a young Hunter, Fade, they discover that a neighboring enclave, Nassau, was destroyed by Freaks, but the elders refuse to believe their warnings. Then, when Deuce's friend, Stone, is framed, she and Fade are exiled from College and have to go topside. Because the ruins of the city are ruled by dangerous gangs, they decide to go north. In the second book, Outpost, Deuce and Fade, along with their new friends Tegan and Stalker, have to adjust to living in the small town of Salvation. Deuce doesn't understand why Fade has been keeping her at a distant, but when she signs up for the summer patrols, she notices that the Freaks are getting smarter and that their time in Salvation may be limited. In the final book of the trilogy, Horde, Salvation is surrounded by Freaks and the four friends have to find a new place for its residents, leading to the ultimate battle for survival. Endurance, a novella taking place between Enclave and Outpost, is about how Deuce's friends, Stone and Thimble decide to escape from the rebellion and destruction in College with Stone's son to go topside and fall in love. Restoration, a short story taking place near the end of Outpost, is about how Fade felt after Deuce rescued him from the Freak outpost. In the final book of the series, Vanguard, Tegan goes on a journey when her mentor, Dr. Wilson, dies about a year after the events of Horde. She is accompanied by Millie Faraday, James Morrow, and the Uroch vanguard, Szarok. Although Morrow has feelings for her, Tegan is inexplicably drawn to Szarok. After Tegan and Szarok get separated from Millie and Morrow during a storm, they all have to determine what their hearts truly want.

This entire series was totally awesome. When I first read the premise, it reminded me a little of The Hunger Games. Deuce definitely seemed a lot like Katniss Everdeen and I grew to really love her character because of her bravery and commitment to doing what's right. I also really enjoyed her romance with Fade because he taught her that she could want more in life than just fighting to the death and protecting others. My other favorite character in the main trilogy was Stalker because he grew to really be someone that Deuce could trust to help her protect the community even though he seemed like a villain at first with how he treated Tegan during the time she was captured by his gang. Additionally, I thought it was fascinating learning about the origin of the Freaks. At first, I thought they were very similar to zombies, but little hints were dropped here and there until the shocking reveal about their connection to humans. These books were definitely filled with adventure, suspense, and high stakes, but the romance is what moved me. In addition to Deuce and Fade, I thought the love stories of Robin Schiller and Austin Shelley, Stone and Thimble, and the two pairings in Vanguard (I don't want to spoil too much) were beautiful. All in all, the Razorland series is fantastic for fans of dystopian and science fiction novels with a dash of romance.