Good to Great

Just got this book in the mail today.  My workout group is doing a professional development book club, and this was our trainer's first pick.  I don't usually read non fiction from the business section of the bookstore, but I'm curious to see what this book contains that might apply to my own life.  I honestly don't know much about it...so we'll see how this goes. I'm already behind on reading since I got it a bit late in the game, so I'm going to have to do some catching up.

I'm also excited to share with my students that adults actually do book clubs too!  I think they believe it's just another way for me to torture them, but it's a real skill!

This Side of Home

Young Adult reads centered around social justice issues.

One of my biggest goals for this upcoming school year is to stay on top of my reading.  It's so important for me to be able to suggest books to students and do book talks for my classes, and unfortunately, I was so bogged down with starting at a new campus this past school year, that my Young Adult reading kind of slipped away from me.

Another goal is to recommend more books to my students that deal with social justice issues. One of the most powerful books I read this past year was The Hate U Give, and it reminded me of how powerful books can be in helping to shape young readers' ideas about the world in which they live, as well as inspire them to take action in it. 

Thankfully, Google is eager to provide a variety of lists of "Young Adult novels about social justice issues."  (Which I literally typed into the search bar.)  They had the four pictured above at my local library, so I decided to start with these, in no particular order. 

As they are meant for younger readers, I'm moving through them fairly quickly.  I've already finished This Side of Home and stated Return to Sender. 

This Side of Home
by Renee Watson

This Side of Home actually reminded me a bit of The Hate U Give.  The novel is set in Portland, Oregon, and focuses on a teenage girl named Maya (named after Maya Angelou).  She and her twin, Nikki, are seniors at their local high school.  

The story begins with their best friend and neighbor, Essence, having to move, because her family can no longer afford the rent on their house.  Essence's moving is the catalyst in a larger conversation about the gentrification going on in Portland.  Maya is frustrated by the changes happening in her city--about the new businesses and restaurants popping up, and the amount of history all this "newness" is washing away.  Nikki, on the other hand, is excited by all of the changes. 

When a white family moves into Essence's old home, Nikki immediately becomes friends with their teenage daughter.  Over time, Maya becomes close with the son of the family, who is also a senior at her school.  Throughout the book, Maya struggles with the relationships she has with others of similar and different races from her own.  She struggles with her own identity within her culture, as well as the feelings of pride and shame she feels towards other members of the African American community.  

Maya's sister is a perfect foil for her.  Nikki quickly makes the white girl next door her new best friend. She is happy to shop in the new boutiques and eat strange foods at new restaurants.  For much of the story, Maya is staunchly against these new experiences. 

What I liked most about this book was the questions it raised about identity.  As a third-generation Mexican American, I often wonder about my place in my culture.  I don't usually feel "Mexican enough," even though race and ethnicity don't seem like something you should have to prove.  

4/5 stars on Goodreads.  I would highly recommend this book, especially as it is the rare Young Adult gem that is actually appropriate enough for younger readers as well. 

The Hazel Wood

The Hazel Wood

by Melissa Albert

Up until very recently, I had a monthly subscription to Owl Crate, which I highly recommend.  I've received a lot of really fantastic reads from Owl Crate's curators, and a couple of months ago, I received this beauty.  

I was immediately struck by the cover, which has all of these gorgeous illustrated items that play into the story throughout the book; I was also excited that this seemed to be a book about fairy tales.  I hoped that this book would do something new and interesting with this very traditional concept, and I was not disappointed. 

I seriously cannot praise this book enough.  It is both beautiful and eerie in its narration and descriptions.  The original fairy tales included in this novel are unapologetically gruesome and tragic (which in my opinion is the hallmark of a great fairy tale).  The whole story is just incredibly unique.  It's one of those books that reminds you why you read in the first place. 

The story centers around a teenage girl named Alice. She and her mother, Ella, have always been on the move, living a life much like fugitives, running from one place to the next whenever "bad luck" seems to catch up to them.  

Alice's grandmother, Althea Prosperine, is the famous author of a book of fairy tales, called Tales from the Hinterland.  Alice has never known her grandmother, but she knows that Althea lives on a large estate called the Hazel Wood, and that her mother left as soon as she was old enough to, taking Alice with her.  

One day, Alice and her mother receive a letter saying that Althea has died, and that they have been invited to visit the Hazel Wood.  They don't, but their bad luck seems to end after Althea's death.  They settle into a life where moving is no longer necessary, and things seem to be on the up and up for once.  

That's when things really hit the fan.  The stories and characters from the Hinterland are more real and menacing than Alice could have ever realized, and when her mother is abducted, she knows she has to find this fairy tale place to get answers.  

I can't recommend this book highly enough.  It was so good, it dragged me out of my summer reading slump, which is quite a feat, because Netflix is pretty alluring right now.  5/5 stars on Goodreads.