The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart

 

Last night, I finished reading The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart. This beautiful and adventurous realistic fiction novel is about a girl, Coyote, who has been traveling around the United States on a school bus with her father for the past five years after the tragic car accident that took the lives of Coyote's mother and two sisters. When she calls her grandma while in Florida, she learns that the park in Poplin Springs, Washington where she buried a memory box with her mom and sister is going to be demolished in four days. Although Coyote and her dad haven't been back there since the accident, Coyote comes up with a plan to travel all the way across the country back to the park for the box without her dad realizing it. On the way, they meet other misfit travelers and invite them to come along with them. 

After a bit of a slow start, I thought this book was amazing. The language that Gemeinhart used is beautiful and the story moved me. I definitely got a little teary-eyed at the more emotional moments. There were times that the story was heartbreaking, but there were also funny moments that caused me to laugh out loud. The novel was an emotional roller coaster ride. I thought the story was very tense, too, because I had no idea if Coyote would make it back to the park on time. One of my favorite moments was when Coyote and some of the other travelers planned a concert for her new friend, Salvador, to play violin because he and his mom had to leave their home just before he was going to play a solo in his youth orchestra's big concert. All of the travelers were unique and I came to love them all. Because I'm a cat person, I especially adored the cat that Coyote adopted at the very beginning of the story, Ivan. Coyote had this deep loneliness because she and her dad never stayed anywhere long enough for her to make friends, but Ivan is the catalyst for Coyote to seek out what makes her happy. The major themes of The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise are home, family, and friends, and it's a book I think that anyone would enjoy.

Maybe He Just Likes You by Barbara Dee

 

Yesterday evening, I finished reading Maybe He Just Likes You by Barbara Dee. This realistic fiction novel is about a seventh-grade girl, Mila, who is sexually harassed by a group of boys at school. On her friend Omi's birthday, Mila feels uncomfortable when four of the basketball players in her grade join in during a group hug. Then, the day after, she gives one of the boys a hug when he lies about it being his birthday. Over the days and weeks, the boys continue to become more bold in their actions and make comments about Mila's body. She doesn't know who she can turn to or what she can do to make the harassment stop. Although Omi and another one of her close friends, Max, try to give her advice, her third friend Zara thinks she's just being immature. When Mila begins to go to karate classes, she befriends a girl from band, Samira, and learns how to stand up for herself.

This story is such an important one, especially during the #MeToo movement. I thought Mila was relatable in her struggle to stop being the target of harassment because although I myself was never sexually harassed, I was teased when I was younger and it didn't make me feel very good about myself. I was actually grossed out and furious when I learned that the boys had a scorecard. Although I understand how hard it can be to find a trusted adult who will listen to you, it was a little frustrating as time went on that Mila didn't listen to her friends when they gave her advice about telling her mom or one of the adults at school. I do get it, though. She didn't want to place any more burden on her mom who was struggling at work and eventually decided to quit. It was also hard for Mila to know if Mr. Dolan or Ms. Fender would believe her when it seemed like no one else was around to witness the boys' harassment of her. I definitely enjoyed seeing Mila grow as she started taking karate classes, and it really seemed to be a safe place for her. By the end of the book, I was very proud of Mila for deciding to trust Ms. Fender with her story and sharing how the boys made her feel. I would recommend this timely book to everyone—middle school girls and boys, teachers, parents, and guardians.

I Can Make This Promise by Christine Day

 

Over the weekend, I read I Can Make This Promise by Christine Day. This realistic fiction novel is about Edie Green, a 12-year-old girl in Seattle, Washington who dreams of becoming a filmmaker. The summer before she starts seventh grade, she and her friends, Serenity and Amelia, are working on an animated short film for a local youth film festival. When looking for a Popsicle mold in Edie's attic, the group of friends discover a box with photographs of a young woman, Edith Graham, who looks just like Edie. Although Edie has always known her mother was adopted by a white couple, Edie uncovers family secrets in the letters she reads, leading her to have new questions for her parents. With her mom skirting around the question of where Edie's name came from and her friendship with Amelia on the verge of blowing up, Edie is reluctant to ask her parents about Edith and her Native American family. Eventually, Edie decides to trust her parents to tell her the truth about her family's past.

I really enjoyed this novel of a middle school girl discovering her Native American identity. Although the secret of what happened to Edith and Edie's mother is devastating, the story had an uplifting ending that I thought was beautiful. I especially liked Edie's relationship with her Uncle Phil and her friendship with Serenity because they both gave her encouragement to ask her parents about the secrets they've been keeping. The novel was also educational about the civil rights issues that Native Americans have faced over the years, even relatively recently. I felt bad for Edie when her new braces hurt badly and she started to realize that her friendship with Amelia may be over. It was especially rough for Edie because Serenity was on a camping trip with her dad where she had no cell service. Edie didn't really have anyone to turn to during that time. I'm really glad that Edie found the courage to ask her parents about Edith and the box from the attic, though. Additionally, I have to mention how gorgeous the cover is. It makes me want to visit the Seattle area with its mountains and seafront. I Can Make This Promise is extraordinary and anyone who loves stories about family and friendship should read it.

King and the Dragonflies by Kacen Callender

 

Yesterday, I finished reading King and the Dragonflies by Kacen Callender. This realistic fiction novel is about a boy, King James, who is coping with the sudden death of his older brother, Khalid. Not wanting to believe Khalid is really gone, King goes to the bayou every day because he believes his brother has turned into a dragonfly. Khalid also visits King in fantastical dreams. Before Khalid died, he overheard a conversation between King and King's best friend Sandy and told King he shouldn't be friends with with Sandy anymore because he is gay. When Sandy disappears, King discovers him in a tent in his own backyard and decides to help hide him from his abusive father. As the days pass, King worries about how he is lying to family and friends and must confront truths about himself and his grief about Khalid's passing.

I found this novel to be beautiful in its main setting of a bayou in hot and humid Louisiana. I wanted so much to observe the dragonflies in the bayou with King. Although the story is about a boy's grief, I thought it was suspenseful and enjoyed the friendship between King and Sandy and how King could be honest about himself and his belief that his brother turned into a dragonfly without fear of judgement from Sandy. Many of people in the community seems to be prejudiced in some shape or form. Sandy's father is both racist and homophobic. King's father makes homophobic statements. At one point, the story confronts the hypocrisy of people who say Sandy's family is racist because they won't also call out homophobia. That really left a strong impression on me. I also noticed how King's family had trouble connecting after Khalid's death. For much of the book, Khalid can't tell his dad that his loves him because he's not sure his father will accept that he's gay and his mom won't listen to him about Sandy. King and the Dragonflies is a remarkable choice for anyone who is dealing with grief or questioning their identify.

Be Prepared by Vera Brosgol

 

Over the weekend, I read Be Prepared by Vera Brosgol. This graphic novel is a fictionalized story about the author's experiences at a Russian summer camp in Connecticut. Because her family isn't wealthy, Vera finds it challenging to fit in with the other girls at school in upstate New York. More than anything, she wants to go to summer camp, just like they do. When Vera hears about the Organization of Russian Razvedchiki in America's (ORRA) camp from a girl at church, she decides to convince her mom to let her and her younger brother, Phil, go there the next summer. After talking with the girl's mother and gaining funding from their church, Vera's mother signs up Vera and Phil up for the camp. Vera is very excited to go, but quickly learns that camp will have its own challenges, including insects, Russian history lessons, older girls who seem much cooler than she is, and extremely gross outhouses.

After reading The Line Tender and Orange for the Sunsets, I was certainly ready for a more lighthearted book. Although Vera feels deep loneliness at times, she definitely has a sense of humor about her experiences at camp. This graphic novel was a joy to read and it was interesting to see Vera learn that summer camp isn't all it's made out to be. At first, she struggles to make friends and ends up trying to bribe the older girls into friendship with drawings and candy, which doesn't end well, but in a stroke of luck later on she finds a younger girl Kira's pet guinea pig and they form a genuine friendship. I also don't think Vera realized how much she would miss the luxuries, like running water, she has at home. For me, one of the most exciting parts of the story was Napadenya, or Capture-the-Flag, which was held once a week at night at the camp. I kept wondering if the girls would ever beat the boys and was very satisfied by the last game. I don't want to spoil anything! Be Prepared is perfect for anyone who has wondered what summer camp is really like or wants to compare their experience at summer camp to another's. Not to mention, it is great for a laugh.

Orange for the Sunsets by Tina Athaide

 

Last week, I read Orange for the Sunsets by Tina Athaide. This historical fiction novel is about an African boy, Yesofu, and an Indian girl, Asha, whose friendship is tested when the president announces that Indians will have to leave the country within ninety days in 1972 Uganda. Although Yesofu and Asha have never cared about their differences before, they start to feel pressure from their friends, family, and community to end their friendship after President Idi Amin's announcement. Over the course of the ninety days, they try to hold on and stay friends, but tensions continue to grow between Africans and Indians in their town of Entebbe as the deadline approaches. With increasing dangers, Yesofu and Asha must decide if they should let each other go.

This story was both breathtaking and heartbreaking. The end was poignant and made me cry a little, but I enjoyed how the suspense of the novel increased as the ninety days passed. I thought Yesofu and Asha were so brave in trying to maintain their friendship even though they came from two different worlds. One of Yesofu's friends, Akello, was a huge bully and I appreciated how Yesofu stood up to him about Asha. I was also so nervous when Asha began to realize that her father was helping other Indians leave the country because I didn't want anything bad to happen to their family. This novel is based on true events that happened in Uganda and I definitely saw similarities to other historical events that caused large groups of people to immigrate. Racism and nativism were two of the main themes throughout the story. President Amin believed that Indians were taking all the good jobs and opportunities from Africans in the country, so he gave them an ultimatum if they weren't Ugandan citizens. I would recommend Orange for the Sunsets to anyone who wants to read a story about the strength of friendship and family and learn more about the history of Uganda.

Summer Reading and The Line Tender by Kate Allen

Welcome back to school, everyone! In this post, I would like to update you all with what I've been reading the past few months since the spring. Back in May, I read Realm Breaker by Victoria Aveyard. This high fantasy novel is about a group of unlikely companions who must save the world of Allward from an invincible man who seeks to destroy it. If you liked Aveyard's Red Queen series or the Six of Crows duology by Leigh Bardugo, Realm Breaker is the perfect choice. I myself especially loved the adventure and getting multiple perspectives from all the main characters, including the antagonists. I highly recommend it.

In June, I read Path to the Stars: My Journey from Girl Scout to Rocket Scientist by Sylvia Acevedo and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. Path to the Stars is a memoir about the early life of a Latina rocket scientist. When Acevedo was a girl, she decided to join Girl Scouts, which gave her the tools to set goals for herself and encouraged her to pursue her interest in math and science. Although she had several challenges at home, she never gave up her dream of going to Stanford to earn a master's degree in engineering. This book is a wonderful choice for anyone who needs motivation. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a classic science fiction novel with plenty of humor. Just before Earth is destroyed to make room for a galactic freeway, a British man, Arthur Dent, is taken off planet by his friend, Ford Prefect. These two men go on a wild journey through space with a group of other interstellar travelers, using The Hitchhiker's Guide. I thought this novel was hilarious and the planets visited were fascinating. If you want to read something funny, this classic is a great choice.

 

Then, in July and August, I read the Secret series by Pseudonymous Bosch. I read the first book, The Name of This Book Is Secret more than a year ago, so I was very excited to read the other four books in the series. This mystery-fantasy series is about Cass and Max-Ernest, who become friends when they discover a mystery box of vials that leads them to search for a magician who mysteriously disappeared. Unfortunately for them, they draw the attention of a diabolical organization called the Midnight Sun, led by Dr. L and Ms. Mauvais. In each book, Cass and Max-Ernest go on a different adventure as Dr. L and Ms. Mauvais try to capture them and learn the Secret. This series was fast-paced and so much fun. It was very enjoyable. If you like Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, it's a fantastic choice for what to read next.

Last week, I read The Demon in the Wood by Leigh Bardugo. This fantasy novella takes place in the world of Shadow and Bone and King of Scars and is a prequel about the Darkling when he was thirteen years old. He and his mother have spent his whole life traveling around the world. It isn't safe for them to make a home because their power to control shadows is seen as dangerous by those who are not Grisha. Going by the name Eryk and deeply lonely, he befriends two girls at a Grisha camp in a valley, but when an adventure to a pond fed by hot springs goes dangerously wrong, he takes his first steps towards power and trying to make a safe place for Grisha. Knowing what happens later in the series, this story made me sad. The Darkling had a harsh childhood, and I feel bad for him because I could see where his trust issues came from. I would recommend this novella to anyone who wants to know more about the Darkling's background.

Finally, over the weekend, I read one of the 2021-2022 Rebecca Caudill Award nominees, The Line Tender by Kate Allen. This realistic novel taking place in the 1990s is about Lucy Everson whose marine-biologist mother died suddenly when she was seven. During the summer that Lucy is twelve, the tide brings in a great white shark, so she and her best friend Fred agree to include the creature in their field guide for extra credit from their science teacher. When Lucy experiences another tragedy, she decides to learn more about her mother's unfinished research as she copes with her grief and understanding what it all means. Along with her father, a fisherman Sookie, and an old widower Mr. Solomon, Lucy looks for a way to help the great white sharks.

Although this novel was sad and poignant, I did enjoy it. I especially loved the STEM/STREAM elements of studying sharks and creating a field guide. Lucy is a skilled artist, so she prefers drawing the creatures, while Fred is more of the researcher out of the two. They definitely made a great team, working on their field guide project. As the book goes on, it's pretty cool to see Lucy develop an appreciation for research and studying the different parts of a shark because it helps her with her sketches. If you like the science of marine animals and don't mind reading a book that explores grief, The Line Tender is an excellent choice.