Tag Archives: Buddhism

Elem. – World Religions

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Andrews, Elizabeth. World Religions. DiscoverRoo, an imprint of Pop!, 2024. $22.95 ea. Set of 6 $137.70. 32 p. Grades 2-5. 

Buddhism. 978-1-098-24443-9.
Christianity. 978-1-098-24444-6.
Hinduism.978-1-098-24445-3.
Islam. 978-1-098-24446-0.
Judaism. 978-1-098-24447-7.
Sikhism. 978-1-098-24448-4.

In simple language these slim volumes provide the origin, history, beliefs, and practices of different world religions. Though the images accompanying each chapter are stock photos, the publishing branch offers QR codes to videos, puzzles, games, and links. This reviewer read Buddhism, which gave a satisfactory, age-appropriate overview of the faith. The QR features are interesting but stretch interest levels. For example, the video of the shaolin monk’s training seemed geared toward the upper range of 4th or 5th grades; the puzzle activity was easy. Those familiar with True Books from POWER Library may find a similarity with the Pop!Online format; though, True Books is more thorough. The glossary defines typical, boldfaced words with which young readers may not be familiar, but the unusual terms like dharma, stupa, etc., are left to the text to explain. Textboxes highlight essential but brief information. To round out a diverse collection, these books are an adequate purchase.

THOUGHTS: If your school library serves younger readers or the curriculum calls for a comparison of religions and you have struggling readers, this Pop! may be a good fit for you. It is attractive, very easy to read; it has good coverage and the QR codes are fun and can be a hook for reluctant readers. My school has students from all these religions, and I find it helpful to have some information about different faiths. My hesitation is the QR code information is more sophisticated than the text.

294.3 Religions

MG – I Am Kavi

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Ponweera, Thushanthi. I Am Kavi. Holiday House/Peachtree, 2023. 978-0-823-45365-8. $18.99. 224 p. Grades 5-8.

Fifth-grader Kavi has won the coveted scholarship, which enables her to attend any school in Sri Lanka that she wishes. After her soldier-father’s (Thaththa’s) death, her mother (Amma) has remarried and Kavi refuses to accept Siripala, her new stepfather. With the scholarship opportunity, Kavi wishes to whisk her mother away to a far off place, away from the relentless war. However, Amma is pregnant and says her place is at home, convincing Kavi that she is no longer loved or needed. Kavi’s aunt, Mala Nanda, works as a housekeeper to a wealthy family in Columbo, so she begrudgingly travels there to live with her mother’s older sister with the family, including their thirteen-year-old daughter, Sasha. At school, Kavi’s focus on studies drops to the wayside once she sees the dress and possessions of the popular girls. Her envy takes over and she has a willing tutor in the indulged but lonely Sasha. Kavi wins over the girls, Nethmi and Sulo, with her (borrowed) stories of a rich family and displays of modern 1990’s fashion. The charade seems to be successful until examination time when all pretense gets ripped away. This novel in verse tells a traditional coming of age story with a more international setting of Sri Lanka during the war torn years of 1997 and 1998. Handling mean girls, being the new kid, fitting into a new family configuration, and longing for popularity are universal. Doing this while witnessing soldiers walking through the streets, worshiping Buddha, and making sense of the differences between Sunhil and Tamil is new. This novel in verse gives a new spin to a familiar story.

THOUGHTS: Being true to oneself is hard if one’s life has little material objects to compare with the wealthy. Kavi takes a while to learn her lesson, but she shows real loyalty when she does. Nothing major to impress here, except a revelation of different customs, different life style, different times.

Historical Fiction  

MG – The Tryout

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Soontornvat, Christina, and Cacao, Joanna. The Tryout. Graphix, 2022.  978-1-338-74126-1. 255 p. $12.99. Grades 5-7.

Christina and her best friend Megan are about to embark on a journey that will be certain to change their middle school years for the better: cheerleading tryouts! As two of the only students of color in their school, they are desperate to fit in – and what better way than to join the squad? Christina and Megan know it is not always easy to be different in suburban Texas, but cheerleading will change that. After all, the cheerleaders are the face of the school and being in the squad is sure to boost their popularity. When Megan decides to pair with someone else for the first round of tryouts, Christina tries not to let it bother her, especially after they both make it to the next round. Unfortunately, the second round of tryouts means performing in front of the entire seventh grade! As Christina practices for the big day, she thinks back to some of the comments others have said that made her feel like an outsider. Some teachers refuse to learn how to pronounce her last name. Classmates ask her if she is worried about going to heaven since she is Buddhist and not a baptized Christian. Tobin, the school bully, calls Christina  “rice girl.” To perform her best at the tryouts, Christina must block out all of the negativity and focus on what is most important to her, although she is about to find out that cheerleading is not what is most important to her after all. 

THOUGHTS: Based on the author’s own experiences as a teenager, The Tryout is a heartwarming story that will resonate with anyone that has ever been a middle school student, no matter what color their skin. This graphic novel will circulate well in libraries where The Babysitters Club and Click series fly off the shelves.

Graphic Novel          Danielle Corrao, Manheim Central SD