Sisters Alone (juvenile fiction in verse)

     Tweens seem to really have an affinity for narratives that pit relatable young protagonists against villains or forces of nature that seem insurmountable. Picture the perennial popularity of Home Alone. Shifa Saltagi Safadi's Sisters Alone, written in eloquent free verse, will prove quite appealing to youngsters who enjoy suspenseful stories.

     Leena and Rami, Safadi's narrators, have recently lost their beloved mother. Baba, their father, must travel to Japan for work. Fortunately while he's gone the girls are scheduled to be on a school vacation trip. He wouldn't want them to be home alone, especially with a major blizzard predicted. 

     To be eligible to go on the trip students must have passing grades in all subjects and have turned in their signed permission slip..

     ...Guess what's riding around in the bottom of Leena's backpack.

     When Leena isn't allowed on the bus Rama stays with her. Their father is on the way to Japan. The sisters will be home alone for a week. Rama thinks it's no big deal. 

"We have books, Wi-Fi, warmth, and

before we know it, Baba will be back."

      She's not counting on the blizzard taking out the power and sending a huge tree crashing through the roof and walls, making the house unsafe. And the girls have no way to call for help. Rama's phone is broken; Leena's isn't charged.

     Their only shelter is an unheated, drafty shed. 

"How do we warm ourselves

without a fire,

without a heater, 

without a blanket?

What do we eat when there is no food?"

     Besides the truly engaging and suspenseful plot there is a lot to love about Sisters Alone.

     One thing is the way Safadi brings both sisters to life as complex individuals with a difficult relationship. Little sister Leena believes that she caused their mother's death. Her grief is complicated by guilt. She spends as much time as she can scrapbooking the family's happy past, letting stuff like grades slide. She sees Rama as a demanding perfectionist. Rama is the more organized sister. But she has her own struggles. She can't get rid of the Monster that lives in her, causing her to catastrophize:

"Drops of hot sweat prickle on my skin, 

My breath comes out in pants

as I feel myself start to 

spiral in a

Monster Attack. 

What if we run out of food? What if

Baba never comes back?"

Although she loves Leena, she resents her carelessness and irresponsibility and how she gets away with it.

     Another thing is the way anxiety and intrusive thoughts are woven into the narrative through the portrayal of Rama and discussed nonjudgementally in the author's note. Mental health issues are very important for tweens to understand and much too little talked about. 

     Finally there is the portrayal of the sisters as Muslims. The practices of their religion are woven into the dailiness of their lives. It's hard to explain. I feel the way I felt when I discovered Ezra Jack Keats' The Snowy Day in which a little Black boy experiences joy when his neighborhood is blanketed with the white stuff. 

     In short, Sisters Alone is a suspenseful, engaging narrative that will be enjoyed by its target demographic and way beyond. A good purchase for school, public, and home libraries.

     I lived a large part of my life with undiagnosed anxiety. It was such a relief to see a counselor and learn how to diminish it. I know many people who live with it. It's incidence is increasing among people who went through key development stages during the pandemic, making this fine book even more relevant. 

On a purrrsonal note, with a couple of frost free nights and some beneficial rain my garden is looking really good. I'm spending as much time as possible reading outside near it. I'm keeping a close eye on forecasts with an eye on covering my flowers when frost is predicted. Last night I had dinner with Bailey and Cam and their three cats 🐈 😻 🐈‍⬛️ who are purrrfect hosts. They have a new second floor apartment right in downtown Bangor. Their living room has these incredible arched floor to ceiling windows that afford quite a view. We had a really good time. When I got home Tobago was quite excited to smell the other cats on me. I am feline Facebook. 

A great big shout out goes out to Bailey, Cam, and their precious cat companions.

Jules Hathaway 

     

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Up In Flames (YA fiction)

     The first time I read a book by an excellent author I check to see if they have any others published. I was over the moon when I discovered that Hailey Alcaraz's Rosa By Any Other Name was her sophomore offering. I speedy quick sent away for her Up In Flames by inter library loan...

     ...and it was all I hoped for and more. The plot was super engaging and suspenseful. The characters were complex and believable. It was easy to imagine and relate to. Very relevant social justice issues were integral to the plot...

     ...and it was a reworking of a century old classic. I admit I'm not a big fan of this genre. >

It generally involve works that I read ages ago to not flunk classes--like The Iliad, The Odyssey, and anything by Austin. But this is a reworking of a novel I read of my own free will and, in my opinion, captures the ambiance of the original. See if you can guess what it is by the end of this review. Hint names and initials are big tells. 

"Ruby Ortega always got what she wanted. 

     However, Ruby Ortega also often wanted what she couldn't have"

     When we first meet Ruby, Alcaraz's narrator, she's basically stealing the show at her younger sister's quinceanera, wearing a dress her mother considers indecent and being wooed by the male attendees, bored by their attention because they aren't her long time crush, Ashton Willis...

     ...but when he arrives his news is a real buzz kill for Ruby. He's excited for her to meet his girlfriend, Millie Hamilton. 

     "Girlfriend? For as long as she had known him, Ashton had never had a girlfriend. She had always thought of him as patiently waiting for her to come around, and now that the stars had finally aligned, he had a girlfriend? They were supposed to be together."

     Much to Ruby's chagrin, an aggravating stranger, Remy Bustillos, was eavesdropping on their conversation. 

     Ruby starts college at Ashton's school determined to make him see the light. But a crisis is on the way in the form of wildfires that have been drawing nearer to Ruby and Ashton's homes. When they arrive Ruby rushes home to find her mother dead and the rest of her family in a state of shock. 

     Even after the flames have retreated there's no going back to school for Ruby. True her home is intact. But the luxury bed-and-breakfast the Ortegas run and the reception hall they were having built suffered serious damage. Her father has become incapable of running things. Her sisters are too young to share the burdens of being in charge. So it's all on Ruby. 

     Ashton drifts in and out, unsure of his role and future. Remy, however is providing assistance and connections when she really needs them. 

     Will Ruby ever wake up and smell the coffee ☕️?

     Have you figured out what the original book is? I'll reveal tĥe answer in my next review. 

On a purrrsonal note, wintery weather is closing in much too fast. I have to wear a coat when I go places or read near my flowers 💐. The furnace kicks on. Tuesday night was our first frost. I covered my flowers and they did fine. I hope we get at least a few warm days before the worst season of the year assaults Maine. 

A great big shout out goes out to the people who deliver heating fuel. 

Jules Hathaway 

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Monarch and Mourning Cloak (picture book)

     Monarch and Mourning Cloak: A Butterfly Journal is one of the most beautiful nature books I've ever seen. It's a true scientific/artistic collaboration between Melissa Stewart (author) and Sarah S. Brannen (illustrator).

     I really love how, instead of discussing generic butterflies, Stewart and Brannen focus on two distinct species--contrasting their life cycles, their foods, their hibernations, and the ways of staying safe from predators. 

    The pictures are gorgeous. The ones that show settings are very location and time specific. 

     Stewart has been keeping nature journals since she was twenty. Brannen started drawing in sketch books as a child. They encourage readers of all ages to incorporate these practices into their lives, emphasizing that there is no right or wrong way to do so.

     Just think of the proven physical, psychological, and spiritual benefits of spending time in green spaces!

On a purrrsonal note, I had a wonderful weekend. Saturday I was paparazzi for UMaine's Family and Friends weekend activities on the Mall. The weather was perfect. Between the sunshine and the foliage the day had a golden glow. The people and dogs provided a plethora of photo ops. I got the chance to hang out with really good friends. I got tinsel put in my hair for free. And because I was volunteering I got a free event tee shirt and a food truck voucher to buy a delicious lunch I wouldn't have afforded. In the afternoon I campaigned door to door for Mike Tipping. Sunday after our Governers breakfast Eugene and I went leaf peeping. 

A great big shout out goes out to all who participated in Family and Friends weekend and campaigned for Mike and Troy Jackson and Eugene. 

Jules Hathaway 

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Fall foliage

I laugh when people in Maine act like they have to go somewhere else to view fall foliage. In autumn 🍂 we're surrounded by it.

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Birthday 🎂 present

My birthday present from Bailey and Cam (the lovely gemstone figure) in its place of honor in my library. 

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Anger Is Only A Shadow (YA fiction)

     Award winning YA author, Elizabeth Acevedo, is a bright shining light in teen literature. With relatable characters, believable and engaging plots, and plenty of inconvenient topics, her books never fail to deliver. Anger Is Only A Shadow is a perfect example. 

     When readers meet Lil, Acevedo's narrator, she's locked in a juvenile facility, waiting for a hearing that will determine whether she'll be released. It's not her first time there. 

"I haven't cried. Even though I know this time is worse than the last time. This time I might get time. Might get time taken away from me. Might be removed from home, from all I know, from our family."

     One thing you need to know about Lil--she's very good at making very bad decisions. Those decisions get her in a world of trouble. She gets so focused on getting what she wants that she doesn't see that she's setting herself up for consequences until her actions are irreversible. She's impulsive to a fault, a victim of her urges.

"And sometimes, when you're from a hood, even if your parents both got jobs, and pay the bills, and you go to a school where your teachers knew your brother and your parents before him, you might still get caught up. You might have urges inside you that ain't got a clear name, that got their own heat and heart, and they flare up and unmake your raising."

When the urges involve actions like shoplifting or joyrides law enforcement gets involved. 

     Lil is lucky this time. She's released to her parents' custody with court ordered supervision and an ankle monitor. Her lawyer warns her that she's skating on thin ice. The ankle monitor is showing a lack of trust. The judge won't go easy a third time. When she's eighteen that could mean adult sentencing. 

     Her lawyer tells her,  "I can't pull off another miracle. Put your head down. Try your best in school. Make some new friends. Follow the rules your case manager sets. Join a club. Get an after-school job. Stop hanging out with girls that drag you into trouble."

     You know that Lil is going to get into trouble before her court hearing three and a half weeks away. Ironically this time it's not due to impulsivity and lack of self control, but to love and loyalty. Her beloved brother, Aldwin, is away at college. She'd been alarmed by his behaviors over the summer. Now he's posting all kinds of conspiracy theories and behaving in ways that put him in real danger. Lil is seeing all kinds of red flags. But the adults aren't taking her seriously or doing enough to get him help. Her father says it's just normal developmental pains. 

     Lil knows it isn't. She knows that she'll be in deep trouble if she tries to rescue Aldwin. But whatever she goes through will be worth not losing him. Her passion and unique voice will get readers to empathize and really care.

     Acevedo has personally experienced having a relative with schizophrenia. In Anger Is Only A Shadow she brings up some serious questions. "How do we support loved ones who have illnesses that are not easily treated? How do we allow dignity and value to humans who make choices out of sync with societal norms? What does it mean to find alternate and holistic forms of care and repair alongside the options offered by traditional medicine?"

     To which I would add how do we remove the stigma that prevents so many people from seeking help? How do we make help accessible to people without privilege and power? How do we make help culturally relevant in our increasingly diverse population? We do not talk nearly enough about mental health in our society. Anger Is Only A Shadow has the potential to help catalyze important and necessary conversations. 

On a purrrsonal note, I am a poster adult for the importance of counseling. I needed help after my father died, coping with pandemic isolation, and learning to cope with anxiety. My father, on the other hand, had no help coping with what was probably bipolar which cost him his job and his family and quality of life and fueled his later alcoholism. 

A great big shout out goes out to UMaine's dedicated professionals who run its Counseling Center and Student Wellness office so compassionately and effectively and their colleagues in other higher education institutions. 

Jules Hathaway 

     

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