tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20375183797262165302024-03-18T05:48:15.363-04:00Julia's JourneyBrian C Tonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02899880575892237677noreply@blogger.comBlogger4466125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2037518379726216530.post-61147915538120693742024-03-17T12:47:00.000-04:002024-03-17T12:48:06.808-04:00Illustrated Black HistoryReaders, I owe you a big time apology. I haven't posted an adequate amount of content in ages or any content in months. Blame it on the stroke and the amount of work it took to rebuild strength, stamina, balance, and fine motor skills to the point where I could actually return to graduate school less than 4 months after the event. Then when the semester started the work was exponentially harder and more time consuming. But during March Break I've caught up and even gotten a little bit ahead to the point I can add creating and posting content to my schedule. And I'm putting back the features I've been told you like the most: on a personal note and shout out. I know it will take a lot of time and work to rebuild my numbers. But it isn't just a blog; it's a mission—spreading awareness of diverse and inclusive books at a time when so many people are doing all they can to restrict access to them. If you agree with the importance of this mission I hope you will continue to read this blog and tell your friends about it.
<br> George McCalman's Illustrated Black History: Honoring The Iconic and The Unseen (Black author, Black history) is the liveliest and most surprising volume I've ever seen in the historic who's who genre. It does include both the famous and the less well known. There's immense diversity surrounding historic times, gender and sexuality, lineages, fields of endeavor, and just about anything else you can think of. The portraits of the honorees are also quite diverse, created lovingly by the author in a wide range of art styles.
<br> It's also the best volume I've seen in this genre. It doesn't become formulaic. And the subjects' accomplishments do not overshadow their humanity. Through the splendid pairing up of narrative and illustration they really come to life. I came up with a list of folx I plan to learn more about. I wouldn't be surprised if you found at least a few who intrigue you.
<br> Although Illustrated Black History is categorized as adult it doesn't seem too hard a read for older high school students. I think a wonderful assignment would be to have each member of a class choose a particularly interesting character to research, perhaps doing the actual research in small groups, write a report, perhaps including a portrait, and have one class in which to share and critique. It's a great acquisition for high school and college libraries.
<br>On a personal note, I've really enjoyed my not all work March Break. I've gone on a road trip with Eugene. I had lunch with a classmate who will be getting her Masters degree :) and returning to California :(. I made a Goodwill run. Best of all, Eugene had a chance to spend a precious afternoon with our kids. And of course I had some extra time for cat assisted reading.
<br>A great big shout out goes out to Sam, the grad to be, my kids and their significant others, and precious Tobago cat.Jules Hathawayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09537194758354748223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2037518379726216530.post-32021694565797194462024-03-16T13:12:00.000-04:002024-03-16T13:13:03.140-04:00Aniana Del Mar Jumps InJasmine Mendez's Aniana Del Mar Jumps In is a sensitive and perceptive look at a topic too often overlooked in juvenile literature—chronic illnesses in childhood. It also touches on the further effects that parental attitudes can have.
<br> Aniana sees herself as a dolphin. She lives to swim. She's a medal winning member of a swim team. She and her father have to keep this aspect of her life a secret. Her mother, whose brother drowned in childhood would never allow it.
<br> Aniana begins to experience painful, debilitating symptoms. She tries to hide them. But when she can't get out of bed she's taken to a doctor who can't make a diagnosis. After a long, frustrating round of specialists it's determined that she has an auto-immune disease, juvenile idiopathic arthritis. It can't be cured once and for all. She must learn to manage it.
<br> Meanwhile her mother has learned about the secret. She feels betrayed by her daughter disobeying her and her husband enabling her to do so. She has forbidden swimming even though Aniana's doctor says it would be beneficial. Aniana fears that, in addition to coping with pain and limitations, she'll have to give up the activity that makes her feel most free, most alive.
<br> Mendez herself lives with a chronic auto-immune disease, scleradoma. She remembers the difficult adjustments it forced her to make. She hopes that other people learning to manage a chronic illness or disability will seee themselves in its pages.Jules Hathawayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09537194758354748223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2037518379726216530.post-13256036586618807192024-03-16T13:11:00.000-04:002024-03-16T13:16:36.628-04:00Aniana Del Mar Jumps In<div class="ApplePlainTextBody"> Jasmine Mendez's Aniana Del Mar Jumps In is a sensitive and perceptive look at a topic too often overlooked in juvenile literature—chronic illnesses in childhood. It also touches on the further effects that parental attitudes can have.<br> Aniana sees herself as a dolphin. She lives to swim. She's a medal winning member of a swim team. She and her father have to keep this aspect of her life a secret. Her mother, whose brother drowned in childhood would never allow it.<br> Aniana begins to experience painful, debilitating symptoms. She tries to hide them. But when she can't get out of bed she's taken to a doctor who can't make a diagnosis. After a long, frustrating round of specialists it's determined that she has an auto-immune disease, juvenile idiopathic arthritis. It can't be cured once and for all. She must learn to manage it.<br> Meanwhile her mother has learned about the secret. She feels betrayed by her daughter disobeying her and her husband enabling her to do so. She has forbidden swimming even though Aniana's doctor says it would be beneficial. Aniana fears that, in addition to coping with pain and limitations, she'll have to give up the activity that makes her feel most free, most alive.<br> Mendez herself lives with a chronic auto-immune disease, scleradoma. She remembers the difficult adjustments it forced her to make. She hopes that other people learning to manage a chronic illness or disability will seee themselves in its pages.</div>Jules Hathawayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09537194758354748223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2037518379726216530.post-28616169324912564212023-11-05T14:38:00.001-05:002023-11-05T14:38:32.930-05:00<div dir="ltr"> We know that the branches of Christianity differ widely on just about anything under the sun. Those of us who have spent any time studying Judaism know that it has quite distinct branches. So why do we expect Islam to be monolithic? Muslims differ over many controversial issues including the acceptability of music. That's the message Maleeha Siddiqui delivers to young readers in Bahakah Beats.<div> As she enters 7th grade Nimra is attending public school for the first time. A lot is confusing. The work is more demanding. And being in the same school as her best friend Jenna is not all she hoped for. Jenna seems to be ditching her for a popular athlete crowd.</div><div> What catches Jenna's attention is that a popular eighth grade Islamic boy band asks Nimra to be their 4th member. Nimra is sure her parents would never go for the idea. But if she joins just long enough to win Jenna back they'd never have to know. She isn't counting on really bonding with her bandmates. With an upcoming public performance she has to decide who she's going to let down.</div><div> Siddiqui deftly delivers insights into a fascinating world religion through this engaging and relatable narrative of a girl doing her best to make it through 7h grade. </div><div>Jules Hathaway</div><div><br></div></div> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2037518379726216530.post-58659817866591067822023-10-29T14:33:00.001-04:002023-10-29T14:33:32.193-04:00<div dir="ltr"> When my kids were young they were friends with three sisters who lived with their grandmother. Their mother had lost custody because of substance abuse. Placement with a relative is usually superior to other types. But it isn't without its own complexities. That's the message for readers Andrea Beatriz Arango delivers in Something Like Home.<div> As we meet Laura she's moving in with an aunt she's never met--a strict aunt she feels has expectations she can never meet. She's convinced that it's her fault. After all, she's the one who called 911 when she found her parents unconscious. She's determined to make her stay with her aunt as temporary as possible. In her mind it's all a misunderstanding. When she can somehow fix it her family will be together again.</div><div> Unfortunately her parents aren't being compliant. In fact at one point they run away from the rehab they have to complete to have any chance of regaining custody. So Laura is thwarted at every turn.</div><div> But there is a ray of sunshine. Surprisingly Laura's aunt allows her to adopt a neglected dog. She's training him to be a therapy dog with the help of a special new friend.</div><div> Children will really be captivated by this tone perfect, highly engaging book--especially the all too many in similar situations for whom it might kindle hope or at least offer assurance that they're not the only ones.</div><div>Jules Hathaway</div></div> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2037518379726216530.post-15048394938743359522023-10-23T15:24:00.001-04:002023-10-24T07:45:04.935-04:00<div dir="ltr"> Well it's getting close to one of my favorite nights of the year. Fall leaf colors--crimsons, golds, oranges--are peaking. Darkness is falling earlier while daylight delays longer. There's a nip in the air. Spectral decorations have started to appear. And the countdown is on.<div> You may be planning to wrangle costumed youngsters through your neighborhood or a decked out mall, chaperone a children's party, attend a more adult affair, or do a number of things, hopefully ones that won't draw the attention of the police. It isn't about what you do, how you dress, or whom you're with. Catching the true spirit of Halloween involves the perception that for one night the veil between the material and spirit worlds vanishes.</div><div> If you're planning on staying in and curling up with a spooky book you may find your options limited. On one hand you have the dreadfully formulaic. On the other hand you have the terribly unsubtle blood and gore fests. Luckily there are a few notable exceptions. One of them is HorrorScope Volume 3, edited by H. Everend. It's an anthology of short stories and poems organized around the signs of the zodiac. Each writer creates a vivid and tangible world that will draw you in and hold you in its spell. It's the literary equivalent of a box of exquisite wrapped candies, each different and divine.</div><div> It's hot off the press so it may not have hit a library or bookstore near you. If not demand that they acquire it... </div><div> ...you wouldn't want to miss out.</div><div>Jules Hathaway </div></div> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2037518379726216530.post-66638286889652659212023-10-21T12:22:00.000-04:002023-10-21T12:23:02.786-04:00<div dir="ltr"> Two teens in heartbreaking, scary situations come together to pursue a mutual challenge in Elaine Vickers' Half Moon Summer. <div> Drew was born in Half Moon Bay. He's the son of a talented carpenter who expects to start working in his father's shop next summer when he turns 13. This summer there's something off with his father who is exhibiting inexplicable clumsiness. The something turns out to be Lou Gehrig's disease.</div><div> Mia and her mother and brother have just arrived to stay at her grandmother's house. Housing insecure all her life, they were drawing close to living in their first house, one her father was building. Then her other grandmother becomes gravely ill, her father has to go help her, and Half Moon Bay is the only option for the rest of the family. Now they are in danger of losing not only the house, but the chance of being together as a family.</div><div> Basically novice runners, they sign on for the Half Moon Bay Half Marathon. There's not a lot of time. Training will be grueling. But it's a challenge they're determined to overcome.</div><div> The plot is highly engaging. The characters are nuanced, complex, and believable. The setting is captivating. This fine book is perfect for perceptive juvenile and YA readers--especially for those facing potentially life altering challenges of their own and their friends. </div></div> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2037518379726216530.post-50672779960444857672023-10-19T11:43:00.001-04:002023-10-19T11:43:20.151-04:00<div dir="ltr"> Keeping family secrets can be very dangerous. That's why Sally J. Pla's The Fire, The Water, and Maudie McGinn is both resilience narrative and cautionary tale. <div> Between staying by court negotiated turns with her constantly battling parents, Maudie who is autistic, experiences vastly different lifestyles. During the school year she stays with her mother who is a professional blogger with a channel. Along with makeup and household tips she over shares on the challenges of having a child on the spectrum. She's married to an abusive man. Mommy Dearest cares more about standing by her man than protecting her only child. (Yes, my biases are showing.) So she sends Maudie to her dad's for the summer with instructions to not tell him what's going on.</div><div> Maudie's dad, a free spirit carpenter, is much more accepting. He loves her as she is. He knows many ways to show his love and help her with the challenges she faces. He's her three month reprieve from the Mom and Ron shitshow.</div><div> The summer starts out challenging. Right after Maudie arrives she and her dad have to flee a wildfire that destroys his uninsured home and studio. The only reason Mom and Ron don't swoop in to grab her is they don't want to miss out on their summer long luxury cruise.</div><div> Fortunately her dad has a friend who has a small trailer they can stay in. He gets a job and starts taking steps to regain a stable life. </div><div> One day at the beach Maudie sees a poster for a surfing contest with large cash prizes. If she can learn to surf and win the beginners category maybe they can get their own place. Maybe she won't have to leave the parent who actually protects her.</div><div> Kids will find this story truly engaging. And kids in families with dangerous secrets may learn that they're not alone, and may find reason for hope.</div><div><br></div></div> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2037518379726216530.post-86846062266252152582023-10-18T11:47:00.001-04:002023-10-18T11:47:25.118-04:00<div dir="ltr"> In 1959 Cuba was a hot mess. Fidel Castre had overthrown the government. There were intrigues and repercussions. Many parents felt that the only way to keep their children safe was to send them away at least temporarily...<div> ...to a very different country posing daunting challenges. Alexis Castellanos mother was one of the children who made this journey. Isla to Island, although fiction, is based on her experiences.</div><div> This graphic novel does so WITHOUT ONE WORD IN ENGLISH! Pictures eloquently convey Marisol's experiences--struggles with English and school, peer cruelty, getting her first period which she hasn't been prepared for far from home and family.</div><div> This highly engaging book will beautifully introduce young readers to a defining period in Cuban-American history with repercussions that carry through till today.</div><div> And it's one of those extremely rare books that lets children on various reading levels be on an equal footing.</div></div> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2037518379726216530.post-14644600254550621532023-10-17T10:16:00.000-04:002023-10-17T10:17:03.482-04:00<div dir="ltr"> Dan Clay's Becoming A Queen would be pegged as a romance. And it is a superb romance. When Mark is dumped by his long time boyfriend he spirals into a period of despair. So when Ezra who he's attracted to shows that the feeling is mutual there are times his insecurities almost sabotage a relationship that has the potential to be solid and sort of awesome. <div> But it's also about identity. People expect Mark to peg himself as CIS or trans. But he's still trying to figure it out. Can he be a boy who likes to wear dresses? And his dad seems to refuse to think of the issue.</div><div> And there's a third theme that makes this book more appropriate for college freshmen than for high school freshmen. Big brother Eric is the family's golden boy, their high achiever. He's also the only one who can really help Mark when he's at his lowest. Nobody does enough when he is having trouble with alcohol. Even after he's arrested he convinces his parents it was just a bad day. And they send him back to college...</div><div> ...where he dies of alcohol poisoning.</div><div> Becoming A Queen acknowledges the rawness and complexity of emotions of a teen who has lost not only his brother, but his closest friend living in a home with parents who are grieving the loss of a son in a society that expects healing to be convenient, linear, and fast.</div><div> So in addition to MATURE high school and college students I recommend this book to parents, teachers...anyone who works with teens because we're losing too many to substance abuse... </div><div> ...And will continue to do so as long as we're unwilling to really address the issue</div><div>Jules Hathaway. </div></div> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2037518379726216530.post-30598186452520952102023-10-16T10:44:00.001-04:002023-10-16T10:44:53.148-04:00<div dir="ltr"> The teen years can be full of painfully overwhelming moral decisions. Brandon Hoang's Gloria Buenrostro is NOT My Girlfriend explores one such dilemma. <div> Gary Vo and his best friend are way low on their school's social hierarchy. They're yearning to get in with the elite. They know they're pretty despicable. But they can overlook a little nastiness to snag their dream social life. Unexpectedly they get the chance. All they have to do is steal a bracelet from Gloria, who is considered the hottest girl in the school.</div><div> NOT SO SIMPLE. Gary has gotten to know Gloria a lot better. Her reputation is quite misleading. In fact she's a smart, kind, thoughtful, funny girl. He wants to keep her in his life. And he knows what the bracelet means to her.</div><div> Now he has a decision to make. Does he let his long term best friend down and perhaps lose him? Or does he hurt someone he's come to really care about?</div><div> The plot is rich and believable. The characters are complex and nuanced, except the elites who are truly despicable. Teen readers will find this book truly engaging and thought and emotion provoking.</div><div>Jules Hathaway</div></div> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2037518379726216530.post-65389185120272133572023-10-15T15:20:00.001-04:002023-10-15T15:20:45.604-04:00<div dir="ltr"> Some of the most beautiful gems of juvenile literature are those books by authors of color so engaging and evocative that they can let young readers walk in the shoes of children who have to deal with very challenging experiences. Jane Kuo's Land Of Broken Promises is one of these.<div> Anna and her parents are refugees from Taiwan. Her parents own a restaurant where she works after school. Her parents put big time pressure on her to succeed academically so she can work as a professional rather than working with her hands like them. She has two choices: doctor or lawyer.</div><div> Then a letter threatens to tear their world apart. It's paperwork that they haven't filled in on time. Suddenly they are in the precarious position of undocumented aliens.</div><div> The narrative, told in verse, is tone perfect. The details are well chosen. The character of Anna springs to life on the page. And the suspense is very real.</div><div> Young readers will get real insight into one of the most contentious issues in America today and the effect it has on children like them.</div><div>Jules Hathaway</div></div> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2037518379726216530.post-59087147761609404652023-10-14T14:45:00.000-04:002023-10-14T14:46:09.945-04:00<div dir="ltr"> Finally with Columbus Day transformed to Indigenous People's Day we're acknowledging the wise, responsible, and resourceful stewards of this place before we went and stole it. Some of us are gaining access to their fascinating stories. Jessica Outram's Bernice and the Georgian Bay Gold is a good introduction for younger readers. Although fiction it's based on it was based on her Metis great-aunt Bernice's life.<div> Bernice and her family live in a lighthouse. It's a rugged isolated life. Visits from groups of relatives are special occasions to celebrate with singing, storytelling, and feasting.</div><div> A mysterious stranger visits the lighthouse. He leaves behind what looks like a treasure map. It looks like the treasure is on a nearby island.</div><div> Bernice's grandmother needs expensive medical care when she swallows a sewing needle. Bernice, a big Treasure Island fan, decides to help with the bills by finding the treasure. She sneaks off in a boat accompanied by the family huskies...</div><div> ...only to be stranded on the island when the sea steals the boat.</div><div> This highly engaging book can sow the seeds for further reading and rich discussions. </div><div>Jules Hathaway </div></div> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2037518379726216530.post-64284410784195793812023-10-12T12:36:00.000-04:002023-10-12T12:37:03.196-04:00<div dir="ltr"> Some students in elite private schools have secrets they'll do anything to keep secret. Some students collect other's secrets as potential blackmail material. The A listers have plenty of dirt on their classmates. When they do a big reveal there's hell to pay.<div> That's the chilling premise behind Aleema Omotoni's YA novel, Everyone's Thinking.</div><div> Iyanu finds safety and anonymity behind the camera. One Friday she develops the pictures she took of a school event. She returns to school Monday to find out that the pictures have been converted to polaroids and sent out to certain students with malicious messages on the backs.</div><div> Her cousin, Kitan, is in the inner circle. She's bothered by the cruelty, self centeredness, and racism of her set, but terrified of a fall from grace.</div><div> The school is an uproar with students turning on each other. Iyanu is desperately trying to find the culprit to prove that she didn't send the pictures. Kitan is trying to believe her set is blameless...<br></div><div> ...until she can't.</div><div> Iyanu and Kitan are two of the only students of color in a majority white, majority clueless school. Omotoni gives a vivid picture of the microaggressions and other humiliations they all too frequently have to endure.</div><div> This highly engaging novel subtly enlightens while it entertains. The complex plot and vividly drawn character will captivate teen (and adult) readers.</div><div> Can you guess who didn't before the end? I sure couldn't.</div><div>Jules Hathaway</div></div> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2037518379726216530.post-871256339328325512023-10-11T10:11:00.001-04:002023-10-11T10:11:33.036-04:00<div dir="ltr"> Does it seem like adult warnings about internet dangers directed to teens fall on deaf ears? Maybe if they don't engage them it's time to ask what will. How about Dashka Slater's Accountable?<div> An Albany, California teen started a private Instagram account with racist memes. He considered it merely edgy humor. </div><div> His victims didn't. They told school officials who were totally unprepared. Things blew up. Pretty soon you had seriously traumatized victims, the accused (the boy and his followers) facing school expulsions and criminal charges, lawsuits being filed on both sides, and a community being torn apart. </div><div> This real life narrative is as suspenseful as fiction. You can tell Slater did her homework. The characters and situations are portrayed as complicated and complex. There are no good guys and bad guys, no DARE preaching, and none of the talking down to that teens understandably have no patience with. Readers are treated respectively as intelligent and aware human beings.</div><div> So provide this fine book to the teens in your life and do some active listening. No adultsplaining PLEASE.</div><div> This is also a must read for school administrations and boards. Too many are still in the dangerous mindset of it couldn't happen here. Too many are misled by higher ups. In my school board days I went to a lawyer-led workshop where the whole focus was protecting your school from legal liability. Any mention of actual kids was treated as completely irrelevant.</div><div>Jules Hathaway</div></div> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2037518379726216530.post-44383818378803229402023-10-10T15:16:00.001-04:002023-10-10T15:16:46.732-04:00<div dir="ltr"> Can a teen regain her trust of the father who let her down badly and broke her heart? That's the question Sally Engelfried's Learning To Fall addresses beautifully for juvenile readers.<div> Daphne lives with her actress mother. When Mom gets a lucky break--a movie role in Europe--she sends her to live with the Dad she hasn't seen in years.</div><div> Daphne sees Dad is really trying to be a parent. But what if he slips up again? And what if he loses his grip on sobriety and starts drinking again?</div><div> Can their mutual love of skateboarding help them to reconnect?</div><div> Young readers will find this novel highly engaging--especially those who have been let down by their own parents.</div><div>Jules Hathaway</div></div> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2037518379726216530.post-10998745317891186242023-10-09T16:10:00.001-04:002023-10-09T16:10:19.690-04:00<div dir="ltr">I didn't post for 2. weeks because I was in the hospital. I had a stroke. Writing is still tiring so for a while my reviews will be shorter.<div>P. O'Connell Pearson's We Are Your Children Too blew me away. To avoid integration in 1955 Prince Edward County, Virginia shut down the public schools and started a whites only academy. Thousands of Black children had their lives diminished, their futures foreclosed.</div><div>The poignant and powerful descriptions of the children's suffering will really grab teens' hearts. The selfishness and cruelty of those who shut down the schools, treating kids as collateral damage, and the ineptness and sometimes complicity of some in government will enrage them. </div><div>I couldn't think of a more perfect book to introduce teen readers to the concept of systemic racism and the way racist acts hurt people for generations.</div><div>Jules Hathaway</div></div> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2037518379726216530.post-38436891626695309372023-09-24T14:36:00.001-04:002023-09-24T14:36:58.809-04:00The Name She Gave Me<div dir="auto">YA fiction</div><div dir="auto">"This birthmother </div><div dir="auto">you keep asking about</div><div dir="auto">kept a baby she gave birth to</div><div dir="auto">seven years after you were born.</div><div dir="auto">A half sister</div><div dir="auto">from a different father.</div><div dir="auto">The agency called us</div><div dir="auto">during the pregnancy </div><div dir="auto">to see if we wanted her.</div><div dir="auto">We said yes,</div><div dir="auto">we'd take your sister,</div><div dir="auto">but then your birthmother</div><div dir="auto">changed her mind."</div><div dir="auto"> Rynn was adopted as an infant. She doesn't even know her birthmother's name, never mind why she gave her up and kept her half sister. She's desperate for any information she can get about the woman who brought her into this world. The two years she'll have to wait feels like an eternity.</div><div dir="auto"> Prior to adopting Rynn her parents had tried unsuccessfully to have children. She gets along beautifully with her dad. But her mom's a whole other story. There are so many ways Rynn can get in trouble because she never can anticipate what will set her mother off.</div><div dir="auto"> Rynn does have one clue about her birthmother. She shared a name, Scheherazade, with her until her adoptive parents changed it. One day an internet search reveals that her mother died when she was twelve, leaving her younger, Ella...</div><div dir="auto"> ...in the foster care system. Her father is serving serious time in jail. Her caseworker wants to find her a permanent adoptive family. But Ella is not a fan of this plan.</div><div dir="auto">"I don't want </div><div dir="auto">to get to know</div><div dir="auto">a new family,</div><div dir="auto">with new rules</div><div dir="auto">and new food.</div><div dir="auto">I want to stay</div><div dir="auto">with Martha</div><div dir="auto">until I'm eighteen,</div><div dir="auto">and that's the only fact</div><div dir="auto">that matters."</div><div dir="auto"> Through a newly discovered uncle Rynn manages to start a series of caseworker meetings with Ella. Suddenly her parents and Ella's caseworker are talking adoption. But Rynn feels this would be a huge mistake.</div><div dir="auto"> Author Betty Culley was placed in foster care at nine months and adopted at three. As an adult she was reunited with five siblings and other family members.</div><div dir="auto"> "Over the years, every new fact, even those that were hard to hear, gave me back another missing part of my history. And they made me think even more about what it means to be adopted, what family is, as well as how we try to protect ourselves and the people we love. And while Rynn's story is not my story, my personal experiences inspired the book."</div><div dir="auto">On a purrrsonal note, I had the best day Saturday. The fam (Amber, Brian, Katie, Jacob, Adam, and Brian's mom) got together at Amber and Brian's place for the several times postponed Father's Day cookout which now included my birthday 🎂 🥳 🎉 🎈 🎁 🎊 and Brian's mom's birthday. Brian grilled burgers and hot dogs and people brought other good stuff. I'd baked 🍎 sauce chocolate chip 🍪 s because they're Katie's favorites. We had so much fun being together and eating and talking. I got some nice 🎁 s from the kids. Adam gave me a black cat ☕️. Now I have coffee mugs from all three kids. Ann (Jacob's mom) who is a professional artist send me a framed 🖼. And she's invited me to the Big City to go to an event in October. Katie will pay for my round trip tickets. Family time is the best! (Jules)</div><div dir="auto">Adam stopped by to see me. Family time is the best. (Tobago)</div><div dir="auto">A great big shout out goes out to our amazing family.</div><div dir="auto">Tobago and Jules Hathaway </div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto"> </div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div id="composer_signature" dir="auto"><div style="font-size:12px;color:#575757" dir="auto">Sent from my U.S.Cellular© Smartphone</div></div><div dir="auto"><br></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2037518379726216530.post-3243371561567722432023-09-23T08:07:00.000-04:002023-09-23T08:08:02.986-04:00Nowhere Better Than Here<div dir="auto">Juvenile fiction </div><div dir="auto"> Shut your eyes a moment and picture a climate refugee. I'm betting you're envisioning a person of color from a global south nation most of us couldn't locate on a map. Sarah Guillory's Nowhere Better Than Here should serve as a much needed wake up call. It shows that environmental destruction is also a lot closer to home than we'd like to believe.</div><div dir="auto"> "And you want to visit Boutin. We have live oak trees that are older than the state itself. Most of them are draped with Spanish moss, which is like nature's version of lace. Sunsets over the marsh set the sky on fire and turn the water a really pretty shade of pink."</div><div dir="auto"> Jillian (13) can't imagine living any place other than her small coastal Louisiana town. Her parents and grandparents went through its public schools. She loves fishing and shrimping and sees her future in out of doors work. In contrast school, with its mandate to stay inside makes "my head hurt and my skin crawl."</div><div dir="auto"> Change, however, is on the way. As the narrative opens school is canceled for a day and a half due to rain. Nothing especially alarming in that. Rising water is such a regular event houses are built on stilts. </div><div dir="auto"> But this time it's different. Jillian and her friends aren't returning to their school. They're being bussed to the school in the next town over. </div><div dir="auto"> "Carolton was forty minutes away. I didn't know anyone there. And I'd seen their school. It was a lot bigger than ours. Like, I'd-get-lost-on-my-way-to-class big."</div><div dir="auto"> In the meantime Jillian has made a startling discovery. While asking some long term residents about old photographs she's learned that Boutin used to be twice as big. A lot of it has been submerged by the ocean.</div><div dir="auto"> There's talk about not replacing bridges that were washed away including the one to the Boutin schools. Then the school arrangement is made permanent. It seems to Jillian that the adults have given up on saving Boutin and all it stood for.</div><div dir="auto"> "As people moved on, the culture would die. It had shrunk considerably over the years, but as families moved and stopped living off the land, stopped fishing and shrimping, stopped blessing the boats and telling stories and sharing food, their children and then their children would grow further away from this life. They'd adopt the life of Applebee's and the Gap, a life that looked the same no matter where you lived it."</div><div dir="auto"> But she's not about to let it this happen if there's anything she can do about it. </div><div dir="auto">On a purrrsonal note, yesterday I had an incredible meeting with Jasmine who is a member of the Upward Bound full time staff. I described my plans for the clothes room transformation and a 🎀 cutting next semester. Totally green lighted. She's also talking about restarting Friends of Upward Bound and the newsletter. Those would be great ways I can continue to contribute after I 🎓 . Thank goodness I don't have to work dining! Also thank goodness I didn't get the field experience I was hoping for! I'm plenty busy as it is. And so far this semester I've kept up with my inside biking and cooking suppers for us both or for Eugene solo on my late 🌙 nights. (Jules)</div><div dir="auto">Yes, thank goodness! She'd be away even more if she had to do all that. (Tobago)</div><div dir="auto">A great big shout out goes out to Jasmine and the rest of the Upward Bound crew.</div><div dir="auto">Tobago and Jules Hathaway </div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto" id="composer_signature"><div dir="auto" style="font-size:12px;color:#575757">Sent from my U.S.Cellular© Smartphone</div></div><div dir="auto"><br></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2037518379726216530.post-62334852315147399522023-09-22T18:50:00.000-04:002023-09-22T18:51:36.358-04:00<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgz1Ap7KNPPGrOgNzSQfLq99SgwFs3vZhQo5_Ht6TRlbneHWKtd58GVaNW4UyMbcxXWArmH8-Juk7pSGcXQX69aSLAv79WR9KjjQtmNlEDAoNqI94Eo2xcPsVvCn7nF3GKahmt31wSug1WNKUq2YkI-MyUdcDcewZ8f1ofGMvvA64kF-j3jvhyHz_TOmY5r"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgz1Ap7KNPPGrOgNzSQfLq99SgwFs3vZhQo5_Ht6TRlbneHWKtd58GVaNW4UyMbcxXWArmH8-Juk7pSGcXQX69aSLAv79WR9KjjQtmNlEDAoNqI94Eo2xcPsVvCn7nF3GKahmt31wSug1WNKUq2YkI-MyUdcDcewZ8f1ofGMvvA64kF-j3jvhyHz_TOmY5r=s320" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_7281786762882333138" /></a></p><div dir="auto">With 5 new members this week my little littles family is getting bigger. Notice the two 🦄 s and the pink 🐈 😻 🐈⬛️ 😺 in front who looks like Tobago asking for a belly rub.</div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div id="composer_signature" dir="auto"><div style="font-size:12px;color:#575757" dir="auto">Sent from my U.S.Cellular© Smartphone</div></div><div dir="auto"><br></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2037518379726216530.post-7230044499969824842023-09-22T07:52:00.001-04:002023-09-22T07:52:49.240-04:00Small Town Pride<div dir="auto">Juvenile fiction </div><div dir="auto"> "Still, a part of me wanted more. I thought I'd feel like a whole new person: confident, full of pride. It's not like they did anything wrong. But I wanted them to, I don't know, prove to me that this doesn't change anything. Make me feel like my whole family supports me. My whole village supports me."</div><div dir="auto"> Jake, protagonist of Phil Stamper's Small Town Pride, on the school bus ride home, is talking to his best friend, Jenna, about coming out to his parents. He's not quite sure how they're taking his announcement...</div><div dir="auto"> ...until the bus gets to his stop and everyone on the bus sees a huge rainbow 🌈 pride flag flying in front of his house.</div><div dir="auto"> Not surprisingly not everyone in Jake's village (they don't have a big enough population to be considered a town) is enthusiastic about the flag. The mayor who tries to convey the image of unity by squashing any hint of controversy is especially irked. She just wants the issue to go away already...</div><div dir="auto"> ...which is so not going to happen. Brett, the mayor's son, tells Jake:</div><div dir="auto"> "But anyway, on the drive up here, Mom was telling Dad about how that pastor called her this morning, ranting about your flag. It's not funny, it shouldn't be funny, but he seemed so out of touch that even she was laughing about it. He said something like 'Next thing you know, we'll have a whole pride parade in this town, and then what?'"</div><div dir="auto"> This puts a new idea in Jake's head. He wants a pride festival in his village that isn't all about school sports.</div><div dir="auto"> Only any kind of big event has to be approved by the town council. The mayor has said that will never happen on her watch. Not only does she have the whole council in her pocket, but she'll do anything it takes, even changing municipal rules, to enforce her will.</div><div dir="auto"> Can a group of kids win over such formidable opposition?</div><div dir="auto"> Read the book 📖 and see.</div><div dir="auto">On a purrrsonal note, I had a really good birthday 🎂 🥳 🎉 🎈 🎁 🎊. I was at school where I saw lots of friends. A friend took me to a special gourmet food tasting event. Class was great. I got some nice gifts. Tobago gave me the best one--a night 🌙 she didn't wake me up once, just snuggled all night. To me a birthday is a chance to realize my great good fortune to be alive and healthy with a wonderful family and friends, a great educational program, and an amazing future. (Jules)</div><div dir="auto">And a chance to celebrate 🍾 ✨️ 💕 that I have my Jules. (Tobago)</div><div dir="auto">A great big shout out goes out to our family and friends with wishes for a wonderful autumn 🍂 weekend.</div><div dir="auto">Tobago and Jules Hathaway </div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto" id="composer_signature"><div dir="auto" style="font-size:12px;color:#575757">Sent from my U.S.Cellular© Smartphone</div></div><div dir="auto"><br></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2037518379726216530.post-15758495809301916862023-09-21T09:46:00.001-04:002023-09-21T09:46:05.484-04:00An American Story<div dir="auto">Picture book </div><div dir="auto"> When Kwame Alexander's daughter was in the fourth grade she was being taught about life in the colonies without being taught about the enormous harm and trauma created by slavery. He realized she (and so many other teachers) hadn't been really prepared to present such a hard, scary topic. He wrote An American Story to help them to "speak the truth to children".</div><div dir="auto">"How do you tell a story</div><div dir="auto">that starts in Africa</div><div dir="auto">and ends in horror?"</div><div dir="auto"> The first part of the book depicts the horrors of the kidnapping of Africans, the middle passage that many didn't survive, and the cruel exploitation of survivors in the colonies. </div><div dir="auto">"How do you tell a story</div><div dir="auto">about strength</div><div dir="auto">and pride</div><div dir="auto">and refusing </div><div dir="auto">to be broken</div><div dir="auto">and refusing </div><div dir="auto">to stop smiling</div><div dir="auto">and loving"</div><div dir="auto"> That part tells about resistance and hope.</div><div dir="auto"> Alexander's evocative poetry and Dare Coulter's amazing illustrations create a narrative we all need to read and take to heart.</div><div dir="auto">On a purrrsonal note, the second day of the blood drive went well. We had good numbers. I'll share our stats as soon as I learn them. I also had a fun time at Union Fest. It was where a bunch of organizations tabled. I was very excited to see that Orono Public Library had a table. I saw lots of friends and got cool stuff including FOUR squishies. People enjoyed making book marks. Today is my hectic but fun birthday. So far it's a very happy 😊 😃 😀 😄 😁 one. (Jules)</div><div dir="auto">An occasion to celebrate 🍾 ✨️ 🙌! 🐈 😻 🐈⬛️ 😺 🐱 treats and belly rubs!</div><div dir="auto">A great big shout out goes out to all blood drive participants!</div><div dir="auto">Tobago and Jules Hathaway </div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div id="composer_signature" dir="auto"><div style="font-size:12px;color:#575757" dir="auto">Sent from my U.S.Cellular© Smartphone</div></div><div dir="auto"><br></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2037518379726216530.post-39005318907469665242023-09-20T10:30:00.001-04:002023-09-20T10:30:51.964-04:00Forgive Me Not<div dir="auto">YA dystopia </div><div dir="auto"> Jennifer Baker's Forgive Me Not is set within a horrific context. Juveniles who have broken a law are sentenced by those who have been harmed. There are three options. One is forgiveness. The offender returns home. The second is a prison sentence. The third is a series of trials which are often cruel if not downright sadistic experiences designed to prevent re offending. The narrative is told in the alternating voices of teen siblings Violetta and Vince.</div><div dir="auto"> Violetta had been grounded one night. She was supposed to be baby sitting her little sister, Viv. Secretly inviting her boyfriend over led to a series of bad decisions that culminated in Viv's death. Her grieving parents have chosen the trials and she has agreed to participate.</div><div dir="auto"> Vince is her older brother. He's torn apart by his family's situation. He doesn't think his sister should be able to return home without getting some kind of help. He desperately misses Viv as he constantly sees traces of her around his home. But he hates the way the system manipulates his family. He starts to wonder if what they call rehabilitation is as benign as those in power claim that it is.</div><div dir="auto"> He's also under serious pressure for achievement and perfection from his parents and track coach. A classmate savvy about his situation is quite eager to help him ease the pain with drugs.</div><div dir="auto"> In her author's note Baker reminds readers of some of the sobering realities of a juvenile justice system that disproportionately imprisons and criminalizes BIPOC youth and fails to provide them with even basic services, never mind anything resembling rehabilitation.</div><div dir="auto"> "I hope reading Forgive Me Not provokes a different way of thinking about incarceration and leads to questions about the practices currently in place. I also hope when you finish this novel you remember that it's a book about family. A family in pain, a family who loves, a family who errs and works through what forgiveness is for themselves and others."</div><div dir="auto">On a purrrsonal note, the first day of the campus blood drive went really well. We had lots of donors. Nobody got dizzy or fainted. Of course I was in charge of canteen. In the afternoon Lisa who was running the whole thing told me the last shift (when we take care of more donors) volunteers had both canceled. I said "whatcha need them for? You have me." She said, "That's right, Jules. You can handle it. And I did. Like a rock star. Lisa gave me a voucher for a Bears Den lunch because greasy 🍕 is not heart smart. I got a 🥗 and a bag of candy. (Jules)</div><div dir="auto">She was showing people pictures and video of me. I feel like a 🌟. (Tobago)</div><div dir="auto">A great big shout out goes out to all who participated in the blood drive.</div><div dir="auto">Tobago and Jules Hathaway </div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div id="composer_signature" dir="auto"><div style="font-size:12px;color:#575757" dir="auto">Sent from my U.S.Cellular© Smartphone</div></div><div dir="auto"><br></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2037518379726216530.post-73298960649334721602023-09-19T08:49:00.001-04:002023-09-19T08:49:50.651-04:00The Traveling Camera<div dir="auto">Picture book/juvenile Nonfiction </div><div dir="auto"> There's a saying that a picture is worth a thousand words. It's certainly true in regard to the work of Lewis Hine. Alexandra S. D. Heinrich introduces younger readers to this crusader against child labor in her The Traveling Camera.</div><div dir="auto"> Hinrich's text and Michael Garland's illustrations portray the horrific reality of life for many children in the twentieth century. Parents were often paid so little that children had to work so the family could keep a roof over their head and food on the table. Kids as young as six spent days shocking oysters, picking cranberries, and laboring in factories and coal mines. Some worked perilous night shifts.</div><div dir="auto"> Young readers will realize that these are kids like them. Other than the difference in clothes styles, a picture of girls and boys streaming out of a shoe factory for lunch looks like one you could see today of kids running out of school for recess.</div><div dir="auto"> Traveling around the country taking those photographs was not an easy task. Early cameras were bulky and heavy and required a lot of equipment for taking pictures and processing film. Hines had to use many tricks to get to photograph some of his subjects. Factory owners did not want the public to see what went on behind closed doors.</div><div dir="auto"> As Hinrichs points out in her Note to the reader, despite all the laws that were passed, child labor, involving children as young as five, is still a major problem around the 🌎 including in the United States, especially during times of economic upheaval such as the pandemic...</div><div dir="auto"> ...and, as we learn in the news, conservative lawmakers are trying to strip children and teens of protection from exploitation in the workforce...</div><div dir="auto"> ...because it's never their children whose presents will be imperiled and futures will be foreclosed.</div><div dir="auto">On a purrrsonal note, the rest of the week I have three late days followed by a semi late day. Today and tomorrow I run canteen for the on campus blood drive. Thursday I have my leadership class and Wilson Center. Friday I'll get home from ☕️ hour at 6:00--in time to make something quick. Yesterday I spent more time in the kitchen making supper, making 🌽 chowder from scratch to put in the fridge for Eugene, and catching up with dishes. Planning and preparing meals in advance is my life balance Achilles heel, harder than multiple regression (statistics). It gives me a new respect for my mother who worked a professional job, parented, and had all the housework. How did she do it? (Jules)</div><div dir="auto">I don't like all those late days. It's a good thing I have my dad to feed me. But I still miss my Jules. (Tobago)</div><div dir="auto">A great big shout out to all who have a lot of responsibilities to juggle.</div><div dir="auto">Tobago and Jules Hathaway </div><div dir="auto"> </div><div dir="auto"> </div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto" id="composer_signature"><div dir="auto" style="font-size:12px;color:#575757">Sent from my U.S.Cellular© Smartphone</div></div><div dir="auto"><br></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2037518379726216530.post-8175709351547264062023-09-18T17:53:00.001-04:002023-09-18T17:53:43.830-04:00<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgtAkHbyj2Kfc9U5O6o3CotQAl8I2TxiR8Hw0xCuhzcPIDZjwTfIfhemradLHBeUNlDNJrb4l8cZDc-BA7lEv9aEsLaHYd56h7WHLOtyl6wJ78uYKAbiNOi1YGYhLVo7UCepvIbVzuUbYhOdK3PWxWL9CFXeEOy363YFvcudVdb_kPSD2d83gVIyMMN533O"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgtAkHbyj2Kfc9U5O6o3CotQAl8I2TxiR8Hw0xCuhzcPIDZjwTfIfhemradLHBeUNlDNJrb4l8cZDc-BA7lEv9aEsLaHYd56h7WHLOtyl6wJ78uYKAbiNOi1YGYhLVo7UCepvIbVzuUbYhOdK3PWxWL9CFXeEOy363YFvcudVdb_kPSD2d83gVIyMMN533O=s320" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_7280287506540434818" /></a></p><div dir="auto">Eugene bought me this shirt. It's to honor Joey's precious memory. My sweet little friend lives on in my heart. So I will be a tuxedo mom for the rest of my life.</div><div dir="auto">And Tobago is a tuxedo too.</div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div id="composer_signature" dir="auto"><div style="font-size:12px;color:#575757" dir="auto">Sent from my U.S.Cellular© Smartphone</div></div><div dir="auto"><br></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0