YA – Promise Boys

Posted on March 16, 2023 by pslamediaselectionreview

Brooks, Nick. Promise Boys. Henry Holt and Company, 2023. 978-1-250-86697-4. 294 p. $19.99. Grades 9-12.

J.B., Ramón, and Trey are students at the Urban Promise Prep School in Washington, DC. They do their best to follow the ultra-strict rules established by their principal as part of his “Moore Method.” But when Principal Moore is murdered, each of the three boys (who were all in detention and adjacent to the crime scene that day) become suspects. Although they do not trust each other at first, they soon realize that their best chance at clearing their names is to work together to expose the real killer. Debut author Nick Brooks does a great job of developing each character’s unique voice and personality, which is pivotal because the story is told from numerous points of view. Each teen has his own struggles, triumphs, and secrets that play into how they approach the world and each other. In addition to being a propulsive murder mystery, Promise Boys poses some serious questions about the prep school’s toxic culture of excellence.

THOUGHTS: Readers who enjoy books by Jason Reynolds, Angie Thomas, and Karen M. McManus will gravitate to this novel, which is both entertaining and rich with opportunities for deep discussion.

Mystery

J.B.Williamson, Trey Jackson, and Ramon Zambrano all attend Promise Academy, an all-male charter school in Washington D.C. intended to groom young men of color with its high standards and academic rigor. Its principal and founder, Kenneth Moore, is both slick and tough. The reader meets him as he is unraveling. He rules the school with an iron fist, yielding his power with impossible demands and punitive measures–a far cry from the environment of the school at its inception. The students keep silent in the building; follow straight, blue lines through the hall; and angst over demerits for petty infractions that threaten detention or expulsion. On the afternoon of an important basketball game, the three protagonists find themselves in detention when Principal Moore is mortally shot. All three are suspects for the murder. What follows is an examination from each character’s point of view of the events that brought them to that moment and their efforts to exonerate themselves and uncover the real murderer. Though the three are not friends, their common trouble unites them, and they join forces with their friends’ support to trace the downfall of a formerly idealistic leader and find his killer. Told in different voices and scenes, Promise Boys depicts cameos of boys of color striving to be their best selves but thwarted by an academic system that degrades and punishes them. Author Nick Brooks tells a compelling story featuring loving families and friends juxtaposed against the pressure of living in a world that deems one guilty before innocent. An important novel for any high school library.

THOUGHTS: This layered story provokes discussion around student voice and justice which keeps readers turning the pages. Both a mystery and a commentary on black young men in American society, the nature of school and punishment, and greed and corruption, Promise Boys reveals people are not all they seem. It forces the reader to see that each person has complicated workings and what they deal with may not be evident–even to those closest to them. Some curse words, some illegal activity (breaking into the school building), police shown in a negative light, and an intimation of sex (JB has his first girlfriend, and it is implied they had intercourse.), notwithstanding, this book relates a truthful tale relatable to many eighth grade students as well as upper high school. Weaving in text messages and multiple perspectives of various characters, Brooks’s unusual plot engages even reluctant readers. Compare this significant novel with Jason Reynolds’s and Brendan Kiely’s All American Boys or Kekla Magoon’s How It Went Down.

Realistic Fiction

MG – Invisible

Posted on December 8, 2022 by pslamediaselectionreview

Diaz Gonzalez, Christina. Invisible. Illustrated by Gabriela Epstein. Graphix, 2022. 978-1-338-19454-8. 202 p. $12.99. Grades 4-7.

Invisible is the story of a group of five students who are thrust together for a school community service project strictly because of the language (or the assumption of the language) they speak (Spanish). What the school administration doesn’t understand is that the students aren’t even united by language –their backgrounds and personalities are radically different. The project itself consists of menial tasks in the cafeteria supervised by a grouchy cafeteria manager… until the students discover a homeless family in need and step in to help. Unique to this story is its bilingual nature–paired speech bubbles continually translate from English to Spanish and back as the students and adults communicate with each other. A close observer will also notice a web of encounters between characters’ families in the illustrations even though they had no connection prior to their service project. Not only about a service project, the book also develops each character’s family, history, and challenges through individual out-of-school encounters with each family–there are many mirrors, doors, and windows for readers of this book.

THOUGHTS: Beyond a compelling story linked through a spiderweb of revelations and connections between students revealed primarily through the illustrations, the format of this book is truly unique in that the bilingual text is seamlessly integrated into the novel’s speech bubbles, opening a range of opportunities for readers to: read the text in their first language, read the text in a language they are learning with support, or simply enjoy the richness of two languages presented together. Gabriella Epstein’s illustrations have the same approachable style used in her BabySitter’s Club days, providing the book a ready audience who will reach for the book for the familiarity of the artwork in addition to the story. Highly recommended.

Graphic Novel Hannah J. Thomas, Central Bucks SD

Elem. – A Thousand White Butterflies

Posted on November 8, 2021 by pslamediaselectionreview

Betancourt-Perez, Jessica. A Thousand White Butterflies. Charlesbridge. 978-1-580-89577-4. 32 p. $16.99. Grades K-3.

Isabella has just moved to the United States from Colombia. She’s about to begin school, but an unexpected blizzard cancels her first day. She feels trapped by all the unfamiliar snow, and she misses her friends and her Papa who is still in Colombia. While looking out the window, Isabella sees a girl slip and fall into the snow outside. She bundles into her puffy coat and boots and hurries outside to see if the girl is alright. The pair end up spending the afternoon making snow angels, snowballs, and a snowman. Despite the language barrier, they laugh and play and make the most out of their surprise meeting and unexpected day off from school. Two Author’s Notes describe how the co-authors met and the real-life inspiration behind this book. Additionally, a “More Info” section defines “immigrants” as people who leave their original country to live permanently in a new place. It also includes a brief history of immigration to the United States. Lastly, a glossary defines each Spanish word or phrase used in the story.

THOUGHTS: Hope, resilience, and friendship are central themes in this immigration story, as is the idea that children are able to make connections with each other despite language and cultural differences. These ideas will make good talking points during morning meetings or when welcoming a new student into a classroom. Share this title with guidance counselors and ESOL teachers.

Picture Book Anne Bozievich, Southern York County SD

Elem. – Julián at the Wedding

Posted on April 8, 2021 by pslamediaselectionreview

Love, Jessica. Julián at the Wedding. Candlewick Press, 2020. 978-1-536-21238-9. 40 p. $16.99. Grades PreK-2.

Julián returns! This time he isn’t donning a mermaid costume but is attending a wedding! Abuela and Julián arrive at the wedding, but Julián quickly finds a new friend. Julián and his new friend, Marisol, find their own adventures during the celebration, but Marisol’s flower girl dress gets ruined in all the fun. Julián and Marisol work together to fashion a new fairy-like dress as they reunite with the party. Similar to Julián’s first story, themes of identity and who people are on the outside and who they are on the inside can be more easily understood through this work. A story filled with love, beautiful colors, and culture is another one for bookshelves of blooming readers.

THOUGHTS: Love seamlessly incorporates a same sex wedding into a typical story of children being children. She provides the anchor for the opportunity for social emotional in safe ways for young readers. This book should be added to elementary libraries everywhere!

Picture Book Samantha Hull, Ephrata Area SD

YA – All These Monsters

Posted on December 18, 2020 by pslamediaselectionreview

Tintera, Amy. All These Monsters. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2020. 978-0-358-01240-5. 450 p. $17.99. Grades 9 and up.

The world has been overtaken by vicious man-eating monsters that randomly pop up from underground. No one knows where or when they’ll attack next, all must be on guard, and deaths are staggering. Clara Pratt’s home life is still worse. Her abusive father is violent, angry, and manipulative, and anything can set him off in an instant. When Clara discovers her brother is about to leave, she knows she needs to too. After learning about Grayston St. John’s plan to send teams to fight the monsters (the scrabs as they’re called) overseas in Europe where America has refused to send help, Clara knows that’s her way out. Only if she can make the team and leave the country. But all is not as it seems in the world of the scrabs, and to face it she will have to fight her inner demons.

THOUGHTS: An action-packed novel, All These Monsters has earned a spot on my shelf right between The Hunger Games and The Maze Runner.

Dystopian Samantha Helwig, Dover Area SD
Science Fiction

YA – Clap When You Land

Posted on July 14, 2020 by pslamediaselectionreview

Acevedo, Elizabeth. Clap When You Land. Quill Tree Books, 2020. 978-0-062-88276-9. 432 p. $18.99. Grades 9-12.

Because of a terrible tragedy, two sixteen year old girls suffer an unimaginable loss. Though they’re half sisters, Camino Rios and Yahaira Rios have never met; they don’t even know of the other’s existence. When Camino arrives at an airport in the Dominican Republic to pick up her Papi for the summer, she sees a crowd of people in tears. The plane he was on went down over the ocean, and Camino’s future plans of attending medical school in the US vanish in an instant. Despite the utter hole her Papi’s disappearance leaves in Camino’s life, she holds onto hope that he will be found alive. Who else will protect her from El Cero, a local pimp who starts hanging around and following her. In New York Yahaira suffers a similar loss, though her grief is overshadowed by guilt and anger. Because she learned one of her Papi’s secrets, Yahaira gave up playing chess and rarely spoke to her father for the past year. Yahaira struggles to see her Papi as the man she grew up idolizing, as the man her local Dominican community in New York sees. Her mother is also experiencing similar mixed emotions, and she is adamant that Yahaira’s father be returned to the states, though his wishes were to be in the Dominican. As Yahaira learns more about her father and his time away from her, she becomes more determined to know more.

THOUGHTS: Told in alternating chapters of verse, do not miss out on this newest Acevedo book! It is a must have for high school collections.

Realistic Fiction Maryalice Bond, South Middleton SD

Camino and Yahaira live in two different worlds; Camino in the Dominican Republic as an apprentice to her healer aunt, and Yahaira, a chess champion, in New York City. Camino dreams of attending Columbia University and lives for summers when her father, who works in NYC, returns to DR. Yahaira cannot escape who she is and the unspoken truths that surround her. Connected by a secret, completely hidden to one and unspoken by the other, a plane crash reveals the truth and connects these two together forever unleashing a world of pain, hope, and family.

THOUGHTS: Told through alternating, novel-in-verse chapters, Acevedo explores one family in two separate worlds: one of wealth and one of poverty. One of hope and one of want. One of love and one of anger. Yet it is not always clear which world each character lives in. The exploration of the haves and have nots as defined by the characters alternates within each story as each girl grapples with the world in which she lives. Throughout the story, Acevedo explores a variety of issues facing each character: sexual orientation, sex trafficking, abuse, loss, desire, and hope. Readers will connect with the characters of Camino and Yahaira even if their situations are a window.

Realistic Fiction Erin Bechdel, Beaver Area SD

YA – Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From

Posted on July 14, 2020 by pslamediaselectionreview

De Leon, Jennifer. Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From. Caitlyn Dlouhy Books, 2020. 978-1-534-43824-8. 336 p. $18.99. Grades 9-12.

Though nothing at home is as it should be, fine is the one word that describes 15 year old Liliana. After her father takes off (again), her family is barely holding things together. Her mom seems to be living in a fog (if you can even call it that), and her younger brothers are hard to reign in and keep calm. Even her best friend is too distracted by a boyfriend to be an ear to listen. Unbeknownst to Liliana, before he left her father signed her up for METCO, a scholarship opportunity of sorts for city kids to attend “better” schools in the suburbs. Liliana (half Guatemalan, half Salvadorian) fit right in at her richly diverse school in Boston. Not only is her new school unbelievably white, Westburg is an hour bus ride away. Liliana gives it a chance, though, because it was her father’s dream. To fit in at Westburg, Liliana becomes Lili, but when she discovers some secrets about her father’s citizenship, she is even more torn between her two very different worlds.

THOUGHTS: This book will find a home with anyone who is sick of the “Where are you from?” or “What are you?” questions. Liliana’s story will personalize the more generalized immigration news stories for teens and will open their eyes to the struggles of undocumented citizens and the reasons so many flee to America for better opportunities. This is a must have for high school libraries looking to diversity their collections with contemporary issues.