Tag Archives: Racism

MG – Mascot

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Waters, Charles, and Traci Sorell. Mascot. Charlesbridge, 2023. 978-1-623-54380-8. 248 p. $17.99. Grades 5-8.

In the greater D.C metro area, eighth grade students grapple over an English assignment where they must debate the pros and cons of indigenous mascots. Callie, one of the students involved, catalyzes the debate project after sharing her original poem. The poem disparages the school’s indigenous mascot and the offensive “tomahawk chants” students perform (and, in turn, must endure) at school sporting events. All perspectives and feelings about this issue are represented. During the course of the multiple-perspective verse novel, each stakeholder develops their argument, and some change their minds in the process. The students are also empowered to take action by addressing the school board.

THOUGHTS: After reading this verse novel in its entirety, I am moved by how Charles Waters and Traci Sorell use diverse character perspectives to artfully build an argument against the use of indigenous mascots. The plot itself takes its time building through exposition because Waters and Sorell use the diverse character perspectives to weave in necessary historical context for middle grade readers. It’s worth the wait. Mascot contains a diverse cast of characters with different opinions about the issue. I was concerned that the teacher in this novel would assign a debate project about such a triggering issue, but my fears were put to rest almost immediately through the novel’s carefully planned development. Recommended as a relevant addition to all middle school realistic fiction collections. 

Realistic Fiction

YA – Gone Wolf

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McBride, Amber. Gone Wolf. Fiewel and Friends, 2023. 978-1-250-85049-2. 348 p. $17.99. Grades 6-10.

Inmate Eleven has never seen the sun. She is a Blue living in post-pandemic 2111. She is held alongside her wolf-dog, Ira, in a small room within the tall walls of Elite, the capital of Bible Boot—a future, isolationist portion of the United States post-Second Civil War. Inmate Eleven is given tests and bloodwork with frequency. She has been told through a series of Bible Boot-issued flashcards that Blues are racially inferior, hate is illegal, and Clones are irrefutably kind. Larkin, a white Clone, begins to meet with Inmate Eleven, and Inmate Eleven feels empowered to choose a new name for herself: Imogen. Unfortunately, Larkin’s father also happens to be the powerful, racist leader of Elite. Soon, Larkin and Imogen realize they must escape the walls of Elite where slavery has been fully re-instituted, and both Black and Blue people are enduring torturous treatment. But…who is Imogen, really, and what year is it…truly? Imogen is living two disjointed realities, and she’s fighting to go wolf in both.

THOUGHTS: Many aspects of this book are heartbreaking. The way McBride weaves this story together is poignant and unique. Without giving too many spoilers, this is a book that brings to light concepts of generational and racial trauma in the United States. The book’s underlying commentary regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, racial violence, and political polarization will also be highly relatable to middle school students. Big twists and turns, compounded by sad events, caused myself as reader to question where the story was going at first, but not in a negative way. Then, pieces clicked masterfully into place. Because the story is told from a first person limited perspective, McBride uses ends of each chapter to offer clarifying bits of information that will help all readers access the underlying themes and nuance of the story. The powerful messaging of Black resilience and a new lens of trauma will stick with readers for a long time. As an adult reader, I found myself thinking of Octavia Butler and Toni Morrison’s stories. An essential addition to middle school and even high school fiction collections.

Science Fiction

YA – Monstrous: A Transracial Adoption Story

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Myer, Sarah. Monstrous: A Transracial Adoption Story. First Second, 2023. 978-1-250-26880-8. 272 p. $17.99. Grades 9-12.

In Monstrous: A Transracial Adoption Story by Sarah Myer, the author shares their story as a “visible, transracial adoptee” growing up in rural Maryland, where they faced challenges both external (racism and bullying) and internal (mental health and self-esteem struggles). Born in Korea, Sarah was adopted by a white couple as a baby, and this memoir spans the author’s early childhood through their departure for college. Despite their parents’ steadfast love and support, Sarah experienced feelings of abandonment and internalized many negative messages about their ethnicity. Sarah’s recognition of their queer identity (and her classmates’ harassment because of it) adds another element to their navigation of high school’s choppy waters. Myer’s mental health struggles manifest as a monster that grows larger and more horrifying as her inner narrative reflects ever deeper self-loathing. Fortunately, art and anime offer a constant refuge, a source of joy, and one life-changing message. Monstrous has elements that are both deeply personal to the author/illustrator, and also wholly universal. This is a fantastic example of what a skilled artist and storyteller can do with the visual memoir format.

THOUGHTS: A must-read, particularly for readers of Robin Ha’s Almost American Girl and Rosena Fung’s Living with Viola. 

Graphic Novel
Memoir

YA – Come Home Safe

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Buckmire, Brian. Come Home Safe. Blink YA Books, 2023. 978-0-310-14218-8. 224 p. $17.99. Grades 7-12. 

Reed and Olive are brother and sister, and they’ve heard from their father, a public defender, all about the reality of police interactions with people of color in their city. Their father has schooled them in how to respond to police officers, how to firmly and respectfully stand up for their rights, what is an arrestable offense, how to refuse to speak until their attorney is present, and much more. His overriding message is to stand up for yourself, but know when you’re in too deep, and above all, come home safe. So far, Reed and Olive have had no direct interactions with police, and so far they have been able to come home safe.  But each has an encounter with individuals and police for which they need all of their father’s knowledge and advice. The two-part book offers first Reed’s story, then Olive’s story, both based on real-life scenarios Buckmire himself, as attorney, has experienced or defended. For Reed, the trouble occurs on a day when, after soccer practice, he walks his sister home from school, using the subway for part of their route. As they enter the subway, they notice some loud African-American teenagers sliding through without paying; they offer Reed a joint, and with Olive’s intervention, Reed declines. Reed wonders if the boys will be on their train and bothering passengers. But once he and Olive are seated in a quiet car, Reed begins to watch some captivating soccer videos. Suddenly he finds two police officers questioning him about his friends’ whereabouts, their car-jumping and robbing someone, and asking for his ID. Immediately, Olive begins videoing the interaction, remembering her dad’s instruction that if it’s your word against the police’s word, or if it wasn’t seen by others, it didn’t happen. We experience with Reed the confusion, the fear, and how he tries to remember the rules, the law, and wonders how to stand up for himself or if he’s in too deep… In the second story, Olive buys a soda and takes a seat with her phone outside a coffee shop to wait for Reed. She witnesses a white woman rush into the store frantically looking for her phone, then accusing Olive of stealing and currently using her phone.  As the woman’s insistence escalates, Olive, like Reed, tries to remember her dad’s instruction and advice. Readers experience her fear, anger, and struggle to stay calm. In both stories the facts are clear, the bias is clear, and their dad’s wise advice guides Reed and Olive through troubling police interactions.

THOUGHTS: At a brief 224 pages, this is a quick read about all-too-possible occurrences that can shape a young person’s life in likely negative ways. Readers will be glad for Reed and Olive’s dad’s wise instruction and wish they had such guidance in their own lives–hence this book by attorney Buckmire. Though it can seem a tad didactic, Buckmire packs in the legal assistance through events and through his characters’ thoughts. Readers will be left thinking and debating the choices made as the characters seek to come home safe.  This could be an eye-opener for sheltered young people and an insightful way to open conversations with any generation.

Realistic Fiction

MG – You Are Here: Connecting Flights

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Oh, Ellen, editor. You Are Here: Connecting Flights. Allida, 2023. 978-0-063-23908-1. $19.99. 272 p. Grades 4-8.

Linda Sue Park, Erin Entrada Kelly, Grace Lin, Traci Chee, Mike Chen, Meredith Ireland, Mike Jung, Minh Lê, Ellen Oh, Randy Ribay, Christina Soontornvat, and Susan Tan have joined together to bring us one of the most creative stories I have seen in a long time. You are Here: Connecting Flights takes place in O’Hare International Airport. Each chapter is written by a different author. Each chapter tells the story of a young East or Southeast Asian-American tween stuck in the international terminal during a weather-related flight suspension. The story begins with Paul who is helping to guide his grandmother and his two year old sister through security. Paul’s family is traveling to Thailand. Grandma speaks very little English and is stopped when the TSA officers discover she has her husband’s ashes in a coffee can inside her carry-on bag. The language barrier, the confusion, and the unexpected discovery of the ashes leads to a delay in the security line. Fellow travelers – most of whom do not understand what is actually happening – make angry, racist comments. When the weather-delay is announced, many travelers blame Paul’s family, incorrectly assuming “those people” were doing something illegal. In the chaos Paul’s sister wanders off… she is found and returned to her family in the second story by the son of an airport employee who is stuck in O’Hare for the day when his babysitter cancels at the last minute and his mother is unable to take the day off. Lee Chang is traveling on his own with his electric guitar. Armed with only the legal knowledge that instruments can be carried-on if a seat has been purchased to store the guitar during flight, Lee is challenged by Security who don’t believe he is carrying a guitar. Security claims Lee doesn’t look like someone who would play rock music. In one story a young basketball player endures relentless micro-aggressions from his teammates but doesn’t feel he can say anything. In another, Natalie finds the courage to confront her best friend who is designing an elaborate Japanese inspired cos-play costume that is not at all appropriate. A brother and sister traveling with an airline representative encounter criticism when the young boy gets his finger stuck in the mesh of a metal airport seat. Two sisters find understanding when one reveals she wears a hat and face mask to hide her Asian identity. Each story carries a brief encounter with a character or situation depicted in another story. In the final chapter American born Soojin and her mother are moving to Korea after their family business is destroyed by vandals. When a boy shouting racial slurs dumps her popcorn, Soojin and her mother are surprised by the kindness of strangers who witnessed the confrontation and try to make amends.

THOUGHTS: In a recent interview Ellen Oh described the style of this book as being an “episodic novel.” The connections between the stories are intricate and intriguing and make for a fascinating plot study. Though each chapter is fairly short, the amount of micro-aggressions, negative backlash and racist comments depicted over the course of all 12 chapters borders on feeling heavy – and yet, that is the point. In the span of a few hours each character only encounters a momentary comment or confrontation, but strung together we are able to see the relentlessness of the racism endured by Asian-Americans on a daily basis. We also see the immense courage of tweens as they navigate each separate situation. Importantly, we feel the immense pride each young character expresses in being an American. In the end Soojin and her mother come to the realization that there are more good people in the world than there are bad. An important book with a unique structure that will encourage Asian-American tweens, while hopefully bringing the challenges they face to light for their non-Asian peers.

YA – Your Plantation Prom is Not Okay

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McWilliams, Kelly. Your Plantation Prom is Not Okay. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. 2023. 978-0-316-44993-9. 320 p. $18.99. Grades 9-12.

Harriet Douglass lives with her historian father at Westwood, an enslaved people’s museum in Louisiana. Her parents built the museum together on an old plantation, but since her mother died, Harriet has been more consumed with her “rage monster” than with fulfilling her mother’s dream of fighting racism through education. Harriet is frustrated and disheartened by her inability to remember her final conversation with her mother. Adding fuel to the fire, a B-list actress and her influencer daughter purchase the plantation next door, with plans to turn it into an event venue for weddings and (yes) proms. Which is not okay. Teen influencer Layla Hartwell turns out to be an ally and maybe a friend to Harriet, but it remains to be seen if she will come through when Harriet needs her most. Harriet has to get through to key decision-makers before an actual red carpet is delivered for a wedding at Belle Grove, and she has to do it without her anger taking over. Meanwhile, Harriet gets butterflies whenever her childhood friend Dawn Yates shows up at Westwood with his smooth but sincere presence. Dawn is skilled with a camera; can he help Harriet produce the potentially viral video she needs to cancel Belle Grove for good?

THOUGHTS: Kelly McWilliams’ latest young adult novel is fresh, of-the-moment, and real. The Author’s Note references Whitney Plantation, a Louisiana museum that “educates the public about the history and legacies of slavery in the United States.” A visit to their site will help orient readers to the fictional Westwood and the Douglass family’s work there.

Realistic Fiction

YA – We Deserve Monuments

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Hammonds, Jas. We Deserve Monuments. Roaring Brook Press, 2022. 978-1-250-81655-9. 375 p. $18.99. Grades 9-12.

Avery Anderson’s family has just relocated from Washington, DC, to rural Bardell, Georgia, and she is none too happy about it. The pandemic robbed Avery of many classic high school moments, and she has recently broken up with her first serious girlfriend. Now her maternal grandmother has terminal cancer, and over Mama Letty’s objections the Andersons are moving in to be present for her final months. Avery starts her senior year at Beckwith Academy and quickly bonds with her next door neighbor, Simone, and her bestie, Jade. Meanwhile, things remain tense at home. Avery’s mom and grandmother clash constantly, and Avery has questions about her grandfather that no one will answer. Avery’s motto (“Get in, get out, no drama, focus forward”) becomes more difficult to maintain as a crush on Simone blossoms into a secret romance. Brief interstitial chapters from an omniscient point of view add depth of perspective on Bardell and its inhabitants throughout the years. Add in two unsolved murders and this debut novel undeniably has a lot going on, but Jas Hammonds pulls it off beautifully. 

THOUGHTS: We Deserve Monuments offers a timely commentary on racism and homophobia as well as the unparalleled joy of first love, intergenerational connections, and the cost of keeping secrets. 

Realistic Fiction          Amy V. Pickett, Ridley SD

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

YA – Some Kind of Hate

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Littman, Sarah Darer. Some Kind of Hate. Scholastic Press, 2022. 978-1-338-74681-5. 336 p. $18.99. Grades 7-12.

Content Warning: “The contents include white nationalist ideas based on antisemitic conspiracy theories, Islamophobia, racism, misogyny, and violence.”

Declan Taylor is at the top of his game – literally. His school baseball team just won the state tournament, and he was their star pitcher. If Declan just could figure out how to talk to his longtime crush, Megan, he would be set. When an attempt to impress Megan during an end of the school year celebration goes horribly wrong, Declan’s summer plans derail. No more baseball means no future for Declan, at least not the future he was envisioning. Drowning in self-pity while the rest of his family is working long hours, Declan spends most of his day gaming. His baseball friends, including his best friend and longtime teammate Jake, are too busy with summer league and don’t understand Declan’s situation or his anger. Plus Jake seems to be spending more time with his friends from synagogue than worrying about how Declan is doing. With their family’s finances crumbling, Declan is forced to get a summer job. Now he’s spending more time away from home and with his co-workers. Finn and Charlie introduce Declan to a better way to escape the lack of acceptance from his family and friends. It’s in the game world that Declan is able to avoid reality and find understanding: The world needs to wake up to the globalists who are tipping the scale in their favor and stealing opportunities from families like Declan’s. Though his twin sister and baseball friends question some of the things Declan has been saying, Declan’s anger surfaces and he writes them all off, opting to join his new friends in fighting back. Will Declan lose himself to his anger, or is there hope that he can crawl back and redeem himself?

THOUGHTS: Told in alternating chapters between Declan and Jake, this novel explores how, given the right conditions, one’s hate can blossom. Haunting and at times difficult to read, this story will stay with readers and belongs in every YA collection. It would pair well as a modern tie-in to Night, To Kill a Mockingbird, and other classics that deal with social issues. Highly recommended.

Realistic Fiction          Maryalice Bond, South Middleton SD

Elem./MG – The Marvellers

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Clayton, Dhonielle. The Marvellers. Henry Holt and Co, 2022. 978-1-250-17494-9. 416 p. $16.99. Grades 4-8. 

The Marvellers introduces us to Ella, the first Conjurer to attend the Arcanum Training Academy, which should be the most exciting thing. However Ella’s excitement quickly changes when she learns that her magic is looked at as “unnatural” and “bad.” Ella makes friends with 2 other students who don’t quite fit into the school either, and things seem to be looking up. That’s when the Ace of Anarchy, an extremely dangerous person, escapes prison with the help of a Conjurer. Now Ella is a target of suspicion, and she is forced to try to clear her family’s name and prove that all Conjurers aren’t awful. Will Ella be able to with the help of her friends, or will she be forced to leave the Arcanum Training Academy in shame?

THOUGHTS: This was a highly fast paced middle grade fantasy with some great commentary on society’s opinions of individuals who don’t fit into the “norm.” Readers will enjoy the nods to other popular authors sprinkled throughout the book as characters. This book is a must own for any upper elementary or middle school collection.

Fantasy          Mary McEndree, Lehigh Valley Regional Charter Academy