Stormy Seas: Stories of Young Boat Refugees by Mary Beth Leatherdale and Eleanor Shakespeare

 

Last week, I reached an important milestone: I read my tenth 2020-2021 Rebecca Caudill nominee. I'm now halfway through this year's list, which I think is pretty awesome. The book I read was Stormy Seas: Stories of Young Boat Refugees by Mary Beth Leatherdale and Eleanor Shakespeare. Stormy Seas is a short collection of true stories about five young people from all around the world who left their homes to seek better lives as refugees. These stories cover why they left, what happened during their experiences, and what happened after. Although the journeys are dangerous, the stories are hopeful and the young refugees succeed in finding safe places to build new lives for themselves.

A couple weeks ago, I read The Only Road by Alexandra Diaz, so this book gave me even more insight about the immigrant experience, this time in a non-fiction format. I loved that the young refugees chosen were from different times and countries. One was from Europe, two were from Asia, another one was from the Caribbean, and the last one was from Africa. They also all ended up in different places. It was interesting that although she didn't end up in Cuba, one of the refugees initially sought asylum there, while another left it for the United States. Additionally, I thought Shakespeare's collage artwork was very beautiful and added to the tone and style of the book. This book contains sidebars, fact boxes, timelines, and resources for more information. I would recommend Stormy Seas to anyone who is interested in the hot topic of immigration.

The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson

 

Yesterday, I finished reading The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson. This book was an outstanding mystery about two kids who look for a hidden treasure. After her parents' divorce, Candice Miller has to spend the summer at her grandmother's house in Lambert, South Carolina, even though she would rather be back home in Atlanta. When Candice finds a letter written to her grandmother in the attic, she and a fellow book lover, Brandon Jones, get swept into the letter's clues that can lead them to a treasure and help right the injustices of the past in Lambert. Although the clues are challenging, Candice and Brandon work together to solve the puzzles and find the fortune the writer of the letter left behind.

My mind was completely blown away by this book. I absolutely adored how the letter Candice found contained ingenious puzzles that she and Brandon, her new friend, had to use cleverness and creativity to decipher. I was fascinated by the puzzles because they oftentimes contained wordplay or lead to clues that are a play on words. I also enjoyed the chapters with flashbacks to the past because they explained the events in Lambert that lead to the anonymous letter-writer hiding a huge donation to be used for improving the city and the experience Candice's grandmother had when trying to find the inheritance. Additionally, the flashbacks showed how African Americans and people of mixed race faced significant discrimination in Lambert. When writing this mystery, Varian Johnson was inspired by Ellen Raskin's The Westing Game, which is a book I really want to eventually read, too. At the end of the book, Johnson includes an author's note explaining the real-life history behind the story. If you like mysteries or puzzles, this book is a fantastic choice to read.

The Only Road by Alexandra Diaz

 

This past week, I read The Only Road by Alexandra Diaz. This novel is a realistic story about two cousins who travel on a journey from Guatemala to the United States for a better life. When Jaime's cousin and best friend Miguel is murdered by a local gang called the Alphas, he is left with very few options. He can join the Alphas, not join but possibly be killed himself, or go to the New Mexico to live with his older brother. With the support of their family, he and Miguel's older sister Ángela decide to risk everything and pick the third option. Although the journey is dangerous and full of hardships, Miguel and Ángela make new friends along the way and rely on each other to survive.

I thought that The Only Road was very suspenseful. I was constantly worried for Miguel and Ángela's health and safety because they had to fend for themselves on their journey without the help of their parents and relatives besides the food in their backpacks and the money sewn into their pants. Some of the challenges they faced were preserving their food rations as long as possible, avoiding both gangs and the immigration police, and traveling on trains. In one scene, I was terrified that they would either be caught or be killed. There were light-hearted moments scattered throughout, though. Miguel, Ángela, and their friends heal an injured dog and take it with them. I also enjoyed whenever Miguel had free time to draw.  This story is inspired by true events, and Diaz includes an author's note, a glossary, and a list of books and resources about the immigration experience from Mexico and Central America to the U.S. at the end of the book. This book is a great choice for anyone who wants a realistic story about family or a perilous journey.

New Kid by Jerry Craft

 

Last week, I read the graphic novel, New Kid by Jerry Craft. This book is about Jordan Banks, a twelve-year-old who wants to go to art school and be a cartoonist, but whose parents send him to Riverdale Academy Day School instead. Although RAD is a private school with great academics, Jordan is one of the only black kids there and finds himself struggling to fit in. Over the school year, Jordan begins to make new friends while keeping his neighborhood friends and learns how to navigate his new school.

I enjoyed reading New Kid because it blended the challenge of switching schools with humor. I thought Jordan was absolutely hilarious sometimes, especially his comics, which gave plenty of insight into his life and his opinions about RAD. It was fun, too, how Craft put a spin on pop culture references in the chapter titles. The story had a lot of warmth and heart and the facial expressions of the characters in the illustrations were outstanding. I could tell exactly how the characters were feeling when they were bullied, teased, or had a teacher or classmate call them the wrong names. I would recommend this graphic novel to anyone who has ever had to make new friends or wants to read a realistic story told through comics.

Me, Frida, and the Secret of the Peacock Ring by Angela Cervantes

 

Last night, I just finished reading Me, Frida, and the Secret of the Peacock Ring by Angela Cervantes. This mystery novel is about a girl, Paloma Marquez, who does not want to go to Mexico for a whole month during her summer vacation. She wants to hang out and celebrate the Fourth of July with her friends from home instead. Fortunately, she quickly befriends a boy, Tavo Farill, and two siblings, Gael and Lizzie Castillo. When Gael hands her a note after a reception at the museum of Casa Azul, the home of Frida Kahlo and her husband Diego Rivera, Paloma is invited to help solve a mystery. Inspired by her favorite mystery books featuring the teen detective Lulu Pennywhistle, Paloma joins Gael and Lizzie in finding Frida Kahlo's missing peacock ring and figuring out who stole it.

I've always enjoyed mysteries since I was kid reading The Boxcar Children and Nancy Drew, and this one was particularly thrilling. I was drawn into the mystery of the peacock ring right from the very start and desperately wanted to know who would take it and why. The novel kept me on my toes because I was nervous at times that Paloma, Gael, and Lizzie would get caught by the crook. There were definitely a few close calls. Although Gael and Lizzie's secrecy is frustrating at times, the story reveals that they have a personal stake in the case. Besides the mystery itself, I loved the setting of Coyoacán, Mexico. I thought Casa Azul was the perfect place for a mystery because it's an art museum. At the end of the book, there is an author's note in which Cervantes describes her inspiration and the real history of Frida Kahlo. This book is an excellent choice for all mystery and art lovers.

Twelve Days in May: Freedom Ride 1961 by Larry Dane Brimner

 

Last weekend, I read Twelve Days in May: Freedom Ride 1961 by Larry Dane Brimner. It's a non-fiction book about thirteen diverse ("men and women, young and old, black and white") volunteers who traveled on buses from Washington, D.C. to New Orleans, Louisiana in an effort to fight for civil rights in the South in a peaceful protest. While segregation was ruled unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court's Brown v. Board of Education decision, this decision was regularly ignored in the South. Although the freedom riders' journey starts smoothly, they are significantly challenged the deeper into the South they go, encountering opposition and violence.

This book was a relatively quick read as I finished it in one day, but I found it to be very enlightening. While my social studies classes in grade school covered many events of the civil rights movement in the 1960s, this event was not covered in great detail. I definitely learned a lot by reading Twelve Days in May. The treatment of the freedom riders was terrible and frightening at times, and I commend their bravery. The author, Brimner, references books and newspaper articles and uses images to tell the real life story.  I also really liked the journal format, how the author went day by day, to share what happened. In the back of the book, there is a bibliography, source notes, picture credits, a list of more civil rights titles by the author, and an interview with the author. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to know more about the civil rights movement of the 1960s.

Drum Roll, Please by Lisa Jenn Bigelow

 

The fourth book I read this school year is Drum Roll, Please by Lisa Jenn Bigelow. This realistic fiction novel is about a girl, Melly, who goes to band camp with her best friend Olivia over the summer. Melly would be more excited to go, but just before leaving for Camp Rockaway, her parents tell her that they're getting a divorce and she feels absolutely shocked because they never argued. Even though Melly is shy, she loves playing the drums and begins making new friends at camp. While Olivia ditches Melly to pursue a new crush, Melly starts to fall for another girl at camp, Adeline. Over the next two weeks, she spends her time finding her own voice and learning that she does have what it takes to be a rock star drummer.

Ever since I was a preteen, I've been interested in summer camp because I myself never got to go. One of my favorite shows was the hit Disney reality series, Bug Juice, so I really enjoyed this novel's interpretation of the camp experience. I was shy in in middle and high school, which means I found Melly very relatable. It was easy to root for her because I wanted her to improve her skills as a drummer and decide what makes her happy. I could also see the strain that her parents' divorce was putting on her throughout the story. She does struggle to manage her emotions from time to time, but she grows from her challenges during camp. I loved the conclusion of the story because Melly learns how to express herself to her friends and parents. The major themes were friendship, first love, family, finding your voice, and music. I think anyone who likes camp or realistic stories would enjoy it.