Orbiting Jupiter

     After recently reading and reviewing Gary Schmidt's Jupiter Rising I decided to reread the original narrative, Orbiting Jupiter. I'm sure glad I did. It's the kind of book that's just as captivating the second time around. I certainly didn't want you to miss out. 

     Jack, Schmidt's narrator, lives with his parents on a small New England farm. His daily chores include milking the cows 🐄. As the story begins he gets a foster brother. 

     Joseph is coming into a town where people gossip and are quick to condemn. While he's bullied by peers many of the adults don't do  much better. But Jack and his parents win Joseph's trust and learn the complex truth. 

     At thirteen Joseph is father to a baby, Jupiter. Her mother died in childbirth. She's in the foster care system. Joseph will do anything to get her back into his life.

     Told from the perspective of a sixth grader, Orbiting Jupiter is highly engaging. Schmidt's simple evocative language makes the characters and their world spring vividly to life.

On a purrrsonal note, I got my second piece of the semester into the Maine Campus, the UMaine newspaper. It's about Thanksgiving--how in our capitalist society too many people don't get to enjoy it with their families. You can bet I'm proud.

A great big shout out goes out to my editor and our readers.

Jules Hathaway 

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Everything We Never Said (YA fiction)

     A couple of years ago the dining commons where I had a student job played retro music. One day when I was cleaning tables a decidedly stalkerish number by Police came on. I was astounded by how many female students thought it was romantic and beautiful. 

     In reality jealousy, control issues, and anger management problems make for a toxic brew that often can be mistaken for devotion. Sloan Harlow's Everything We Never Said gives teens a good exposure to this too often taboo topic  in the context of an engaging contemporary narrative. 

     Ella, Hayley, and Sawyer, Hayley's boyfriend, were virtually inseparable until Hayley's death in a car accident. Ella was driving.

     Now it's September and a greatly changed Hayley is back in school dealing with the awkward concern of her friends and teachers. Hayley's mother is moving and can't bring herself to clean out her dead daughter's room. Ella's insists that she do it. In the process she finds Hayley's diary. 

     At first things are awkward between Ella and Sawyer, especially they feel a more than friends attraction. And when they move in that direction things get complicated. Hayley notices flashes of what seems like irrational anger and jealousy. 

     And reading Hayley's diary she learns of similar experiences...

     But the truth is more sinister than she could imagine. 

On a purrrsonal note, yesterday was going to be an all homework day. And it was until after supper when Eugene put Grease on. He doesn't really like musicals. So when he put on one of my all time movies...

     ...it was a fun study break.

A great big shout out goes out to Eugene. 

Jules Hathaway 

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Such Charming Liars (YA fiction)

     Karen McManus had always wanted to write a heist book. She wasn't sure she could make it work in her genre. Lucky for us she persevered. Such Charming Liars is a real treat for her many fans and for everyone who loves a truly twisty mystery. 

     Kat and Liam, the book's two narrators were stepsiblings for 48 hours back in their preschool days thanks to an ill fate Vegas wedding after which they went their separate ways, not imagining that they would meet up again in their teens at the ultra ritzy 80th birthday festivities of the patriarch of a filthy rich clan.

     Kat's mother, Jamie, is a jewel thief. She's going to infiltrate the compound, posing as a caterer, to steal an expensive necklace owned by one of the celebrant's granddaughters,  Annalise, and replace it with a replica. When she unexpectedly becomes ill Kat takes her place.

     Liam's father, Luke, is a scam artist who takes advantage of women. He's attending the affair as the boyfriend of the beautiful Annalise. He has a ring 💍 in his pocket and ill intent in his heart. 

     But things don't go as either scheming parent envisioned. When the family and guests are about to eat the birthday 🎂 a shot rings out. Annalise's brother, Parker, is found dead with the fake necklace in his pocket. 

     And that's when things get complicated. 

     If you're in the mood for a truly suspenseful tale with a plethora of unexpected twists make sure to get your hands on Such Charming Liars. 

On a purrrsonal note, last Friday I had an amazing evening. A family movie, How To Train Your Dragon, was showing on campus. I was sure I couldn't stay for it because it went beyond bus hours. But Catherine said she could give me a ride home. It was the first real movie I'd gone to in over two years. It was a really spellbinding flick. And there was lots of popcorn 🍿 😋 and a whole table of my favorite kinds of candy 🍬 😋. It was a dream come true. 

A great big shout out goes out to Catherine. 

Jules Hathaway 

     

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Kareem Between

     As we move toward a second Trump presidency Shifa Saltagi Safadi's Kareem Between, showing the human dimensions of the tragedies caused by his first regime, is a timely read for the juvenile readers in our lives.

     Middle school is not going well for Kareem. His best friend has just moved away, leaving him alone to navigate places like the cafeteria. He messed up at football tryouts. He basically lives for football. He's doing all the homework of a classmate, the coach's son, who has promised to get him on the spring squad. He's been put in charge of helping Fadi, a new immigrant, adapt to school. 

"Fadi's accent 

is going to make him stick out 

at school 

             like a soccer player 

on a football field. 

If I hang out

with Fadi,

it'll be a huge penalty."

     But a much larger problem looms on the horizon. His mother has to return to Syria temporarily. She plans to bring her parents to America. Her father needs heart surgery. She's bringing medicine that will make him strong enough to travel. 

     But his health will not be the only challenge the family faces. He who I shall not name has just been installed in the Oval Office and signed xenophobic Executive Order 13769.

     Kareem Between, told in free verse, will resonate with kids who have ever felt that they don't fit in. Football fans will enjoy the NFL facts scattered through the book. 

On a purrrsonal note, we're speeding towards winter a little too quickly. We may be seeing the white stuff before the end of the semester. And since the time change darkness falls too early. 

A great big shout out goes out to my fellow bus commuters.

Jules Hathaway 

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Liar's Beach

         After months of working long hours at a grocery store Linden, protagonist of Katie Cotugno's Liar's Beach, is more than ready for a break. He's more than ready to accept his boarding school roommate's invitation to spend the end of the summer at his family's posh summer place, more than ready for a taste of luxury living...

     ...Not so ready to find an unconscious man bleeding from a head wound in the family's sleeping pool the morning after a parentless party. 

     After a few perfunctory questions the investigating police officers leave. They don't question an obvious lie--that the teens hadn't been drinking. Nobody is taken in to the station. And despite the fact that a minimum of questioning would reveal plenty of motive and opportunity on the part of family members they leave the clan alone. 

     The family goes on with the narrative that it was all a terrible (or maybe not so terrible) accident. Despite some misgivings Linden is going along with the the narrative...

     ...until Holiday's unexpected arrival on the island. She and Linden had been best friends until they drifted apart. She's sure there's more sinister going on. And she easily talks Linden into a very risky investigation. 

     Fans of Karen McManus and Maureen Johnson and anyone who enjoys a truly twisty mystery will find Liar's Beach a delightful treat.

On a purrrsonal note, recently I spent a delightful afternoon with Catherine and her roommates. We explored Goodwill looking for bargains. I found a really big (read unaffordable first hand) pink Squishmallow unicorn 🦄 whom I named Catherine. We stopped at Sweet Frog for fro yo with toppings. Then we did a little more shopping. It was such a blissful 😊 ☺️ break from internship research. 

A great big shout out goes out to Catherine and her roommates.

Jules Hathaway 

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They Came For The Schools (adult nonfiction)

     I served on a school board for 11 years, many of them as vice chair, not that long ago. Other than the annual budget fights and the governor's ill advised consolidation mandate things went smoothly. Despite taking a controversial stand on the issue, I was only vilified in one email. In fact when I had decided to not run for reelection following the vote to withdraw from RSU 26 the people who had talked me into changing my mind had battled me all that year on it. "We may not agree on everything, but no one in Veazie cares more about our kids and families than you do."

     That's in contrast to the community portrayed in Mike Hixenbaugh's They Came For The Schools: One Town's Fight Over Race And Identity, And The New War For America's Classrooms. Hixenbaugh spent three years reporting on Southlake, a small Texas town, during a time when its reputation for academic excellence was becoming overshadowed by its reputation for conservative backlash to progress. 

     The controversy began in 2018 when eight Southlake students posted a racist video on social media. Parents demanded to know what the high school was going to do to punish the students and make sure similar incidents didn't happen in the future. Administrators felt it was just kids making poor decisions...

     ...until a special meeting the school board called for community feedback where many parents described racist incidents their children had experienced. The taunts expressed in the video were indicative of an undercurrent of racism running through the whole school system. 

     The school committee tried to change things for the better. They put out a call for community members--parents, students, teachers--to be part of a committee to study the climate and make recommendations. At the first meeting one member asked the others, "Are you ready for what's going to happen after we try to get this done?" only to be asked, "What could go wrong?"

     Plenty it seems. Nothing was being to deter white students from using the N word with abandon. When a Black girl heard the slur and went to the principal he advised her to not let something like that take her joy. And in 2020 when the modest recommendations were announced they were met with hostility. 

     And this was just the beginning. 

     They Came For The Schools is not an easy read for people who care about American schools' book banning, curriculum white washing, and failing to protect children from marginalized groups. But it's a necessary and important one. Actions like those portrayed in the book are going on all over this nation. And there's a certain governor with his eyes on the oval office who plans to turn America into a larger version of his state.

On a purrrsonal note, last Saturday I went out for the afternoon with friends. We explored Goodwill. I found a really big unicorn squishmallow. And we had a sweet treat at Sweet Frog. Their fro yo and toppings are so good! It was such a wonderful break from homework!

A great big shout out goes out to the friends I had a wonderful afternoon with. 

Jules Hathaway 

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Hockey Girl Loves Drama Boy (YA graphic novel)

     Alix lives to play ice hockey. She's the star of her team and looking forward to the Canada National Women's U-18 Team's summer camp. 

     There's one major league problem. Alix's mean girl team captain, Lindsay, is constantly bullying her behind their coach's back. And her teammates are afraid to see something say something, not wanting to be Lindsay's next target. 

     So when Lindsay goes too far and Alix punches her the coach, not comprehending the history behind the punch, takes Alix off the ice and tells her she's reconsidering recommending her for the camp. Alix's mom is reconsidering her participation in such a violent sport.

     Alix knows she has to get a handle on her reactions to provocation. So she chooses Ezra, a classmate who deals calmly with bullying, to teach her how. 

     When Alix gets to know Ezra well she learns that his life is more complicated than she'd imagined. 

     Perhaps they can be there for each other. 

     The only thing I didn't like that throughout it is that nothing is done to hold the bullies accountable for the harm they do to their peers.

On a purrrsonal note, I'm in a state of shock from the election results. I have no clue how we'll survive a second Trump presidency. 

A great big shout out goes out to all who will be endangered by his executive decisions and actions. 

Jules Hathaway 

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