Fabulous Fantasy and Science Fiction

 

In Maya and the Robot, Maya finds a robot named Ralph in the back of Mr.Mac's convenience store closet. She uses the scientific method to repair Ralph and get him running smoothly again for her science fair project. Maya has found her scientific superpower as Ralph becomes a member of her family and connects Maya to a new circle of friends. One of the themes of this book is using your skills to make the world a better place. Mr. Mac thanks Maya for keeping his son, Christopher's spirit alive through her work with Ralph. "As long as a young person stays true to their spirit, as long as they use their gifts from others, his light will shine on. His light will shine on" (p. 176). 

As the protagonist in this book, Maya is a mirror for young Black girls interested in STEM. It is important that more books like Maya are written because we need more people of color in science careers. It is essential that everyone has role models to aspire to and know that they can accomplish what they set their minds to. In addition, the expressive and action-packed illustrations are appropriate for the middle-grade reader and provide a glimpse into Maya's community.

Ewing, E. L. (2022). Maya and the Robot. Kokila.

Sisters of the Neversea is a book based on the fantasy fairy tale Peter Pan. Wendy Darling and Lily Roberts are stepsisters and their baby brother, Michael, is added to the family. Peter Pan lures Wendy to Neverland with Michael because he wants a storyteller (Wendy) for the island. Looking for some excitement beyond the Tulsa suburbs, Wendy flies with Peter and Michael to Neverland. Eventually, Lily flies after her step-sister and brother although she thinks it is dangerous to leave home. On the island, the Darling-Roberts children must defend themselves against pirates, fairies, a crocodile, and other wild animals to find their way back home. 

The importance of familial love and having a family to belong to is a clear theme of this story. Peter Pan was abducted from his family as a young child, and therefore, stole children himself to create his own family. "Wendy was growing to understand Peter. Like her, he had been taken from a loving home. Like her, he was longing for a family" (p. 288). Lily and Wendy then explained to Peter Pan that families take different forms and change over time. "All families change. People come and go. Sometimes they live in your heart" (p. 290). At the end of the story, Captain Smee informs Peter Pan that he can join her family, and she will be his safe harbor that he had been hoping for forever. 

Smith, C. L. (2021). Sisters of the Neversea. Harper Collins.

Contemporary Realism

Roll with It by Jamie Sumner is about Ellie Cowan a middle school girl with cerebral palsy and her journey moving to a new town. Sumner develops Ellie's character so that she is relatable to the intended audience of nine to twelve year-olds. She loves to play miniature golf and baking. Ellie uses a wheelchair causing her to see herself as different from the other students at school, and therefore, struggles with feeling like she belongs with her peers. Everyone has felt "othered" or like they don't belong to the group, therefore, readers will empathize with Ellie and her friends Coralee and Bert who all live in the trailer park. 

The plot is chronological, engaging, and logical so that kids can easily follow the storyline. Readers will stay engaged with the book because they will want to find out if Ellie and her friends will convince Alice (Ellie's mom) to stay in Oklahoma. The chapters are interspersed with letters Ellie writes to famous bakers and her uninvolved father, which gives the book a conversational style that is easy to read. Overall, the story is a typical middle school story of belonging, but the author puts a fresh spin on the story by giving the protagonist a disability. 

Sumner, J. (2019). Roll with It. Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

Jude is a middle school girl who is forced to flee her volatile homeland of Syria with her mother. Jude and her mother leave behind Issa (Jude's brother) and Baba for a new home with family in Cincinnati. She feels very sad to leave her family and friends behind for the strange land called America. However, Jude learns English, meets new friends, and even lands a role in the school musical. "The next scenes go by and it is almost my moment, almost my time to step out on stage to be seen" (p. 332). She wants to be seen by others for who she is as a human being not as a Middle Easterner.

Jude encounters racism while walking home from school one day and wearing a hijab. A random stranger follower hers and shouts, "Go back to where you came from. We don't want you here" (p. 263). She calmly walks away and wishes the man would not fear or hate her. Despite some of this ugliness, overall the tone of the book is positive and light. Part of the lightness comes from Warga's decision to write the book in verse including the following: "We are okay with still learning our lines because we are liking the script--maybe, just maybe, we have both finally found roles that make sense to us. Roles were we feel seen as we truly are" (p. 324). Jude and her brother have found things they are passionate about and are happy to be on the paths that they are on in their lives which makes for a refreshing conclusion to the book.

Warga, J. (2019). Other Words for Home. Harper Collins.

 

Hopeful Historical Fiction

Inside Out & Back Again by Thanna Lai is written cleverly in verse and has four parts titled "Saigon," "At Sea," "Alabama," and "From Now On." The main character is Ha who is a ten year-old girl who is forced to flee to Alabama from her home in Saigon with her mom and brothers because of the Vietnam War. The story is inspired by the author's refugee experience fleeing to the United States after the Fall of Saigon as explained in the author's note. It is sad to note that this book is considered historical fiction because it takes place during the 1970s when I was born. LOL.

One funny scene is when Ha describes being baptized at the Baptist church, and she really has no idea what is happening. Before being baptized, the neighbors mostly ignored Ha's family. Once they were baptized, the neighbors were much more accepting of Ha's family. The scene demonstrated the absolute close-mindedness of Ha's community members. Ha faced harassment and racism at school when kids called her "pancake face" (p. 196) and pulled her hair. One theme of the book is that immigrants have to be resilient to survive. Ha and her family lost their father/husband, friends, and their beloved homeland to escape to safety. Inside Out & Back Again is a quick read that will be enjoyed by the intended audience of 9 to 12 year-olds.

Lai, T. (2013). Inside Out & Back Again. Harper Collins.

My Heart is on the Ground was a tough book to read because the Native American's traditions, languages, and customs were ripped away from them. It is unthinkable that one group of people thinks that it is okay to take away another group's identity and beautiful way of life. Nannie Little Rose and the other native children were forcibly taken from their families and moved to government residential schools where many endured abuse and neglect. 

The book is written in diary format from Nannie's perspective about her experience at the Carlisle residential school. Ms. Campbell, Nannie's teacher, is the one who forced her to write in the diary. Nannie writes in her diary in her new language and includes descriptions of things like a translator using hyphenated phrases that she would use in her native language. At the end of the book, there is a historical note about life in the U.S. in 1880, photographs at Carlisle School, two U.S. maps, the school song lyrics, and an about the author page. The historical note states: "There was much sickness at Carlisle those first years, and many students died" (p. 179). Reading My Heart is on the Ground literally made my heart fall to the ground for these native children and the way Rinaldi portrayed the residential schools as positive rather than negative forces in their lives.

Rinaldi, A. (1999). My Heart is on the Ground: The Diary of Nannie Little Rose, a Sioux Girl. Scholastic.

Soul Lanterns is a sad but hopeful story about victims and survivors of the Hiroshima atomic bombing. The book starts with a prologue in the present time with Nozomi and her family at the annual lantern floating ceremony. The lantern floating ceremony is a beautiful ceremony where family and friends place glowing lanterns in the river to remember their loved ones who have passed. At the end of the book, there is a brief history of the lantern ceremony, and the note explains that the ceremony has become not only a memorial but also a message of peace. In two chapters, the font changes and the point of view transitions to Mr. Yoshioka's and Mrs. Sudo's experiences from the war and bombing. Lastly, the book ends with a letter from Mrs. Michiko Hotta to Nozomi and an epilogue describing the out-of-season lantern ceremony. 

One quote that I found particularly meaningful in this story and supported the theme was: "But actually, pictures and songs, things like that . . . are what save us the most" (p. 142). A theme in the book is that the arts provide an outlet for people to express themselves in times of crisis and they provide hope for a better future. The paintings, drawings, and sculptures created for the cultural festival by the Art Club kids provided healing and hope for those affected by the war like Mr. Yoshioka. Another example of art providing hope and healing are all of the stories, paintings, poems, and murals created by people around the world who suffered through the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Soul Lanterns was translated from Japanese and is a memorable way to learn more about the Japanese perspective of WWII.

 Kuzki, S. (2021). Soul lanterns. Delacorte Press.