Black Out

YA short stories 

     "This book was born during the COVID-19 pandemic.  The world paused and we all felt like we were in a metaphorical blackout, fumbling around in the dark, trying to make sense of everything happening around us.  But out of the chaos came this light, this beautiful little love, our novel."

     This light consists of teen love stories by some of today's most amazing Black YA authors.  They're all set in the Big Apple during a blackout.  Common characters create a tangible sense of community among them.

*In Tiffany Jackson's The Long Walk Tammi learns  that she'll be competing with an ex boyfriend for an internship she really needs.  But when they have to walk home in the dark together...

     ...maybe he isn't totally in her past.

*In Nic Stone's Mask Off JJ and Tremain work on achieving honest communication in a blacked out subway car.

*In Ashley Woodfolk's Made To Fit a subterfuge on the part of her grandfather sets Nella, who doesn't feel ready for a new relationship, up with a dynamic duo: gorgeous Joss and her therapy dog, Ziggy.

and *In Nicola Yoon's Seymour & Grace a Ryde driver may be more than paid transportation.

     If Black Out can captivate a reader like me who is very picky when it comes to romance I imagine it will engage just about everyone.  Try it.  I think you'll more than like it.

On a purrrsonal note, it's my son, Adam's birthday.  My baby is 26!!!  And I actually refrained from singing Sunrise Sunset when I called.  I'm so proud of him!  (Jules)

He's my human brother.  He's coming to visit next weekend.  I can hardly wait to see him!!! (Tobago)

A great big shout out goes out to our Adam.

Tobago and Jules Hathaway 

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We Are All We Have

YA fiction

      Well, while we're on the topic of how America is betraying the promises of the Statute of Liberty in so many ways that grand lady would take off across the ocean if she wasn't welded to her pedestal I have another gem.  This one is for YA readers.

     "And then we are watching, stunned, as Ammi disappears down the stairwell, swallowed up in a mound of heads and shoulders.  It's only after she leaves that it sinks in.

     This was a raid.  An ICE raid."

     Raina, protagonist of Marina Budhos' We Are All We Have, is just weeks away from high school graduation.  She and her best friend, Fatima have worked really hard, getting top grades while handling family responsibilities.  The summer between high school and college is supposed to be a reward, a chance to chill.

     But one night people in black are in Rania's apartment about to take her single mother into custody.  The Department of "Justice" has implemented a zero tolerance policy.  ICE is swooping up even people having asylum requests processed.  Now Raina has only moments to learn how to protect herself and her little brother, Kamal, while separated from their only living parent.

     Rania is seven months away from turning eighteen.  She and Kamal need a legal adult to be able to stay in their apartment.  The person their mom designated as in case of emergency guardian backs out.  With her own daughter facing a misdemeanor charge Maria Auntie is afraid to do anything that could get them deported.

     The next outsiders to arrive are from Human Services.  They take Rania and Kamal to a shelter where they must stay 24/7.  The agency is too understaffed to escort the children to school.  They don't see that it matters.  It is, after all, the last week.

     Raina is not about to miss her graduation at which she's slated to receive an important award.  Accompanied by Kamal and a new friend, Carlos, she runs away into very precarious future.

     We Are All We Have is Budhos' third novel centered on immigrant teens post 9/11 experiences.  All her work is well worth reading.

On a purrrsonal note, the rest of my weekend was blissful.  I was up to date on homework and event stuff.  I was able to spend time on the sofa near the tree (which is still up.  Can you believe it?) with Tobago snuggling reading and writing.  I made individual pizzas for Eugene and me.  Premade shells sure.  But they were good.  I put pepperoni on his but not mine.  Tonight we're having the same.  This school week will be super busy.  Monday I have 3 meetings and internship office hours.  I have to make a big meal Monday night so Eugene will have enough leftovers for Tuesday and Wednesday when I run canteen for the Red Cross blood drive.  I'm bringing in materials for donors to make Valentines cards while they're in canteen.  Then Thursday and Friday I have office hours.  Meanwhile Emma and I will be working on Black Bears Have Heart.  (Jules).

Of course I take care of the house while she's at school.  It's in good paws.  (Tobago)

A great big shout out goes out to Emma.

Tobago and Jules Hathaway 

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Solito: A Memoir

Adult memoir 

     "What's gonna happen?  We had to make it this time.  I might never see my parents.  I don't want to sleep in that cage.  I don't want to sleep without Carla and Patricia.  I want my parents.  I want a real bed.  I want McDonald's and snow and a swimming pool.  I don't want to walk the desert ever again."

     Javier Zamora was born the same year as my older daughter.  When they were both nine years old, while Amber finished a school year and started her summer vacation, always securely tucked into her bed at night, always with plenty to eat, surrounded by family and friends, he was struggling to cross a desert apart from his family, often too cold or hot, hungry, thirsty, exhausted.  Solito is his story.

     He was being raised by his grandparents and his aunt.  His father had fled to the United States when he was a baby.  His mother had followed when he was five.  They both had to leave because of a United States bankrolled civil war.  For awhile he's been told that he will take a three thousand mile trip to join them.

     When the time to set off to join his parents arrives Zamora's journey is much harder than anyone had predicted.  It was supposed to last two weeks.  It became a two month nightmare.  

     His narrative reads like a fictional chiller.  Only the most chilling aspect is that this is the experience of a flesh and blood child who had not even shed his baby teeth...

     ...and so many others like him.  

     It is an extremely well written narrative.  Only as you read it pause now and then and imagine your child, grandchild, niece or nephew in Zamora's plight.  Let it get you royally pissed off.  It will take a lot of us to change things.

On a purrrsonal note, my day got off to a beautiful start.  Anna was my manager at Wells in the Great Before.  We're still good friends and animal lovers.  She took me out for hot drinks and donuts.  We had a great time and so much to talk about!  Friends with whom you can be you authentic self are some of life's great treasures.  (Jules)

Anna visited me too.  She's the one who helped me find my home and family by driving Jules to Waterville Humane Society.  She's my godmother.  That is why my full name is Tobago Anna Hathaway.  (Tobago)

A great big shout out goes out to Anna.

Tobago and Jules Hathaway 

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Swim Team

Juvenile graphic novel 

     "Have you learned how to swim yet?  No?  Then what are you going to do during fourth period?  You're going to be so embarrassed.  This is going to be the worst day ever."

     Bree, protagonist of Johnnie Christmas' Swim Team, has moved with her father to Florida.  She's excited to start a new school where she already has a friend...

     ...until she finds out that the only open fourth period elective is swim class.  She's terrified of swimming.  She starts cutting fourth period.

     Meanwhile her new school's swim team, the Mighty Manatees, is in hot water.  If they don't do better in competition their school will lose its pool.

     It seems that the two need to join up to solve their crises.  But how is this even possible?

     There's one way to find out.

     Swim Team will fly off library shelves.  Young readers will relate to Bree.  With her expressive face and her fears and negative self talk written out in grey clouds she's a shero kids will really relate to.  

On a purrrsonal note, today is the beautiful end to a great second week of spring semester.  We had pancakes cooked right in the commuter lounge.  Mmm mmm good!  I got an email from our school president concerning our talk at her open house.  I've never before heard of it happening!!!  In the interest of networking I'll have to check out the popcorn in the multicultural lounge a little later.

I hope you have a great weekend to look forward to.  I do.  Two days of no winter commuting!  A friend is going to take me out for coffee.  Otherwise it's me and my best little cat in the world.  (Jules)

That's me.  The gorgeous one.  (Tobago)

A great big shout goes out to our readers with best wishes for a sensational weekend!

Tobago and Jules Hathaway 

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Sent from my U.S.Cellular© Smartphone

Trombone Shorty

Juvenile autobiography 

     Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews is now a famous musician who has played for President Barack Obama and been chosen to do the closing set at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.  His Trombone Shorty tells readers how he got his start.

     Andrews grew up in New Orleans Treme neighborhood, a community poor in money, but rich in music.  His home too was rich in music.  His older brother led his own band.

    During Mardi Gras brass bands paraded through his neighborhood.  He and his friends would make their own instruments out of whatever was on hand.  Then one day he found a discarded beat up trombone about as long as he was tall.  He taught himself songs and practiced religiously.

     Bryan Collier's illustrations, a combination of collage and watercolor, help bring the text to life vividly and dynamically.

     As a professional musician, Andrews looks both backward and forward, determined to help preserve New Orleans' rich musical heritage and to help its fledgling musicians get a start.

     " I wanted to write this book to try to inspire hope in kids who might be growing up under difficult circumstances but who also have a dream, just like I did.  I'm living proof that as long as you work hard, you can make your dreams come true."

On a purrrsonal note, I have some AMAZING news to share!  I've been working with my event planning partner, on an event to celebrate UMaine student volunteering.  It will be held on Valentines Day.  Yesterday the college president told me that her office will do whatever is necessary to make sure it happens and we can have tee shirts made up.  She'll find the money.  OMG!!!  To think a little idea I had can have that kind of buy in!!!  This feels like a major step toward making my dream which is earning my degree and getting a job at UMaine come true.  (Jules)

I made my dream of having a home and family come true.  When I was at Waterville Humane Society I kept myself well groomed and acted adorable and irresistible.  Now I am a happy house cat.  (Tobago)

A great big shout out goes out to dreamers and mentors.

Tobago and Jules Hathaway 

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Don't Touch My Hair

Picture book 

     The clueless and disrespectful tendency of many whites to touch Black peoples' hair, often without even asking permission, has been thoroughly explored in adult books.  Now in Don't Touch My Hair Sharee Miller brings the topic to life for the picture book set.

     Aria loves her hair and the many things she can do with it.

"Styled or wild, I don't care!

I just want it to be free."

She likes the compliments she gets.  But she doesn't appreciate all the unwanted touching.  When it gets to be too much she decides to assert her hands off message.

     Miller based the book on her own experiences.  Although it focuses on hair, she considers it a teaching tool on the importance of boundaries.

On a purrrsonal note, we had a snowy night.  Only somehow in the wee hours of the morning the snow morphed into rain which made for a damn mess.  Luckily for me Eugene was able to give me a ride to school.  He's also going to pick me up when I finish my internship office hours.  :) I'm also lucky that school is opening late instead of being totally canceled.  I can tack an hour onto my office time today  and tomorrow.  But having to reschedule a whole day would have been problematic.  Next week with three internship days and two days running canteen for the Red Cross blood drive I am booked.  The week after that I'll lose a day for my pre surgery appointment.  I am so glad I had the good sense to not be trying to also work dining.  (Jules)

It is truly gross out there.  (Tobago)

A great big shout out goes out to blizzard battlers and the people who didn't cancel school today.

Tobago and Jules Hathaway 

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That's me and a bunch of that white stuff that's piling up.  Admittedly I'm short.  But still.

Sparkle Boy

Picture book

    Sparkle boy wants to wear a shimmery skirt, glittery nail polish, and a sparkly bracelet like his big sister, Jessie.  His mother, father, and grandmother fulfill his wishes.  But Jessie is disgruntled.  Boys, she insists, don't wear such things.

     When Jessie and Casey go to the library and other kids pick on him, however, she sticks up for his right to be himself.

     In the final picture she's polishing his toe nails.

     A delightfully sparkly read aloud for families who value diversity and inclusion.

On a purrrsonal note, the weather continues to be the big story here.  After the big blizzard snow day we had two days of uncomplicated commuting they're promising a morning mess.  (Jules)

Oh yuck, yuck, yuck!!!  (Tobago)

A great big shout out goes to the unsung rock stars at UMaine who keep campus walkable.

Tobago and Jules Hathaway 

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From The Desk of Zoe Washington

Juvenile nonfiction 

     "I picked up the envelope and rubbed my thumb across the seal, but all of a sudden, my fingers stopped working and I froze in place.  I wanted to read it, but I was also terrified of what it might say.  He'd committed a horrible crime."

     Shortly after turning twelve, Zoe, protagonist of Janae Marks' From The Desk of Zoe Washington, sees an audition announcement for the show Kids Bake Challenge!  She's finally old enough.

     "If I won I'd be just like Ruby Willow!  It would be a dream come true.  I never saw many Black pastry chefs on the shows I watched, or in the cookbook section of the library, but I was still determined to be one when I grew up. "

     After Zoe's mother and stepfather look at the show's website they aren't sure she's ready yet.  They propose a test.  They've set up an internship at her favorite bakery.  If she gets a good review when her summer vacation ends they'll fill out the papers.

     There's one secret Zoe is hiding from her parents.  On her birthday she received a letter from her biological father, Marcus, who is in prison for murder.  She knows that her mom wants her to have nothing to do with him.  But in the letter he sounds so nice and normal, not at all like a felon.  Maybe it wouldn't hurt to write back just once and ask him some of the questions on her mind, like why he committed a crime when he was about to become a father.  

     Only one letter becomes a series.  He seems to really care about her.  Then he claims to be innocent of the crime he was convicted of.

     Could he possibly be innocent?  Do people who don't commit crimes end up in prison?  Is there any way she can help get evidence to help exonerate him if he's telling the truth?  

     And what will her mother do if she discovers her secret?

On a purrrsonal note the snow continued through the day and well into the night.  Eugene had only a few hours to eat supper and sleep before he had to go out and plow again.  He got back in time to give me a ride to school.  (Jules)

They said we'd get 2" to 4" of snow.  If that's 2-4 out my window I'm an iguana.  I'd hate to see what the folks who had 4" to 8" predicted actually got.  (Tobago)

A great big shout out goes out to Eugene and the other blizzard battlers.

Tobago and Jules Hathaway 

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Zara Hussain Is Here

YA fiction 

     "My presentation in class has reminded me that I exist in a sort of no-man's-land.  I wasn't born here, but I don't remember much of Pakistan, and I can't imagine what my life would be like if I still lived there.  But I know how a lot of people here feel about immigrants.

     So...where do I belong?"

     When Zara, protagonist of Sabina Khan's Zara Hussain Is Here, was a toddler her family moved to America to give her better opportunities.  Corpus Christi, Texas is the only place that feels like home to her.  But she's constantly aware that many people, because of her color and religion, see her as dangerous, an other who can never really be assimilated, an alien who must be deported back to where she came from.

     One of these people is Tyler, a football player at her Catholic school.  He keeps her on edge with his arrogant racist comments.  Then one day he crosses a line, painting a racist message on her locker.  A witness reveals his identity and he is suspended.

     A loud noise wakes Zara up in the middle of the night.  There are footsteps outside her house.  The words Go Home Terrorist are spray painted on her garage door.  Tyler is spotted running away.

     Zara's father, sure that calling the police will be a futile gesture, goes over to Tyler's house, hoping to speak to his father.  Only that goes horribly wrong.  Zara and her mother get a call from the hospital notifying them that he has been shot.

     Police arrive at the hospital.  Zara's father, in a coma, is charged with trespassing and threatening.  Tyler's father is claiming self defense, insisting that her father was carrying a weapon.

     The family has been working for years on getting their green cards.  Now they're in danger of having to return to a country in which Zara would be a stranger, one in which her sexual orientation could put her in peril.

     Khan's own family spent years in the United States, only to have the whole process undone by a clerical error.

     "The precariousness of the Hussain family's immigration status is a permanent fixture in the US today, and Zara struggles to feel what so many others seem to take for granted: a sense of belonging."

     This book is truly engaging.  Every time I read some more I got caught up in Zara's plight.  One morning if the bus driver hadn't known I was waiting for her vehicle and stopped right in front of me that big red bus would have rumbled right past my clueless self.

On a purrrsonal note, it's me, the gorgeous one, with real international Lunar New Year news.  While other countries move into the year of the rabbit Vietnam will be rocking year of the cat.  I saw Google pictures of the beautiful art work they're putting up.  In my very biased opinion they have made the purrrfect choice.  (Tobago)

I couldn't agree more.  (Jules)

A great big shout out goes out to the Vietnamese.

Tobago and Jules Hathaway 

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Where Secrets Lie

YA thriller 

     "Summer belonged to the three of us--belonged to the cove and the trees, the green pull of the Kentucky River, the rolling, swooping land of horse country.  Our world was the outskirts of River Run, where the prefab houses gave way to mansions and trim black fences butting up against a tangle of wild dark woods."

     Amy, protagonist of Eva Gibson's Where Secrets Lie, has spent every summer in River Run, Kentucky, the place her mother grew up in and fled the moment she was able to.  It's a place where Amy's remaining family is basically royalty, her Uncle Peter owning the quarry which most of the town relies on for jobs.  It's an outwardly pretty town with a lot of rot under the surface.  But it's the one place Amy can escape from her mother's demands for perfection and run with the people she's closest to--her best friend, Teddy, and her cousin, Ben.

     In 2018, however, an argument at their traditional at their traditional end of the summer campfire shatters the trio.  The next summer is a time to try to repair the damage.  But as they attempt to navigate their new normal tragedy strikes.

     Teddy's lively little sister, Nat, goes missing and is discovered dead.  The police ascribe her death to natural causes, drowning to be exact.  Ben, sure this is evidence of their incompetence, starts his own investigation...

     ...one that will uncover some of the uglier secrets of the family and town.

     Told in alternating chapters between the year the trio's relationships change and the year tragedy alters their world forever, Where Secrets Lie is a real treat for YA and adult thriller affecianados.

On a purrrsonal note, as I write this Penobscot County, Maine, is caught up in the meteorological drama of a blizzard.  It's one of those rare times when the actuality of the weather event lives up to the meteorologists' night before hype.  Eugene has been plowing since he got called out in the middle of the night.  UMaine has canceled classes both in person and online.  Mr. Ben Evans has told me  to stay home when school is canceled or when it isn't but commuting would be unsafe.  Where he's my internship supervisor he's the boss.  Actually I'm glad to have a stay home mandate.  That is some mess going on outside, not what I want to walk to the bus stop in.  (Jules)

What a purrrfect day 

To snuggle and play!  (Tobago)

A great big shout out goes out to Eugene and the other blizzard battlers, whoever decided to call off school, and Mr. Ben Evans for prioritizing the health and safety of his crew.

Tobago and Jules Hathaway 

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The Forgotten Girl

Juvenile fiction

      "She did this twice more, then started to get discouraged.  Daniel was much more of a rule follower than she was.  Iris could go by herself, of course, but it wouldn't be as fun without him."

     In Easaw, North Carolina, setting of India Hill Brown's The Forgotten Girl, it's the first snow of the winter.  Iris' parents have told her she can go out and play in the morning.  But morning isn't soon enough.  Iris decides on a stealth mission with best friend Daniel.  If they get caught they'll be in trouble not only for sneaking out in the middle of the night, but for entering the woods beyond the houses.

     When Iris makes a snow angel Daniel spots something under the angel's chest.  They discover the tombstone of Avery Moore, a child who had been their age when she died.

     "Iris shivered again.  They were both silent, probably thinking the same thing--What happened to her?  Why was she buried there?"

     Both kids feel a frightening presence and hurry home.  A sinister entity seems to follow them.  Iris begins to have vivid nightmares.  She keeps waking up to find her window open.  Her little sister, Vashti, begins talking to and laughing with an imaginary friend.

     When Iris and Daniel do some research on Avery they discover not only her story, but an ugly facet of her town's history.

     I consider The Forgotten Girl to be a great read for kids who enjoy spine chilling mysteries.  But you don't have to take my word for it.  According  to none other than R. L. Stine, author of the Goosebumps series, "This ghost story gave me chill after chill.  It will haunt you."

On a purrrsonal note, I had such a lovely relaxing weekend.  I stayed in pajamas and didn't go any further than the mailbox.  What's exciting is that my writing muse got really fired up and I made good progress on my memoir.  Maybe I'll have the first draft ready by Amber's late May birthday.  What was most enchanting was all my cuddle time with my best little cat in the world.  (Jules)

Yeah, me!!!  The enchantment was mutual of course.  (Tobago)

A great big shout out goes out to Eugene who spent a lot of his snow plowing overtime on food.  The freezer, fridge, and cupboards are packed.  Lots of people and cats aren't this fortunate.

Tobago and Jules Hathaway 

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Surviving the White Gaze

Adult memoir 

     "My ballet teacher was black.  The first black person I had ever seen in real life.  Was she real?  Did she know Easy Rider from The Electric Company?"

     Rebecca Carroll, author of Surviving the White Gaze, was a biracial adopted child growing up in a Wonder Bread white small New England town.  She didn't meet anyone who looked like her until she started ballet school.  There were intimations of racism in the larger community.  And she was never connected with her racial heritage.

     Carroll had been told that when she was old enough she'd meet her birth mother.  But doing so became a source of pain and confusion rather than healing.  Tess was volatile and unpredictable.  When Carroll began to explore her Black identity Tess would gaslight her, telling her that she was really white and a pretender to Blackness.

     In Surviving the White Gaze Carroll takes readers on her journey of self discovery from early childhood through adulthood.  It's a journey well worth making.

On a purrrsonal note, I very much appreciate the bus drivers who take me places I need to go, especially to school.  I wanted to think of a way I can show my gratitude on a regular basis.  Last week I started carrying wrapped candies in my coat pocket and giving one to the driver every time I get on a bus.  They seem to really like that.  (Jules)

Human treats.  Of course they do.  (Tobago)

A great big shout out goes out to the bus drivers.

Tobago and Jules Hathaway 

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Home Now

Adult nonfiction 

     "It wasn't until the 80s, passing through on the way too and from college and later from my home in Massachusetts, that I realized how much Lewiston was changing.  The couples and young families had vanished, and Lisbon Street was losing businesses like a mouth losing teeth, with only scattered stores remaining."

     As a child Cynthia Anderson, author of Home Now: How 6,000 refugees transformed an American Town, considered Lisbon Street in Lewiston to be "the center of the world." Stores did good business, fueled by the prosperity of the city's mills.  Couples and families with children strolled about.

     When the textile and shoe factories shut down one by one the stores took quite a hit.  What had been a prosperous city went into serious decline.  As jobs disappeared younger people moved out.  Many of the families that stayed were mired in poverty.

     But Lewiston was not down for the count.  Its unlikely saviors were African refugees, many of them Somalis, looking for safe streets and affordable housing, willing to risk anything from an almost all white citizenry to a climate far different from what they had left behind.

     Anderson provides in depth coverage of several recent years in Lewiston: the events large and small, the politics, the progress of the newcomers, and the reactions of the natives, both positive and negative, to them.

     The most special strand of the narrative is the in depth portrayals of the newcomers and their experiences.  Readers interested in better understanding the complex dynamics through which refugees shape and are shaped by their host communities will find Home Now to be a must read.

On a purrrsonal note, my internship got off to a great start the first week of the semester.  I did my office hours.  That felt strange at first.  Unlike most of my peers, I hadn't had the experience of being a GA.  I'd bankrolled my education working dining where I was on my feet doing physical work.  My first internship with Upward Bound shepherding teens was also an on my feet thing.  So a job involving a lot of sitting felt strange.  I'm getting to know the students who drop in, talking to students who don't know about the place, and networking with other people who run other spaces where commuter students spend time.

I have dishes and laundry to catch up on.  But Tobago is curled up between my feet on the sofa, keeping me in a state of inertia.  (Jules)

That's right.  Respect the right of a cat to snuggle.  (Tobago)

A great big shout out goes out to Eugene and the others who were out plowing last night.

Tobago and Jules Hathaway 

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The Mamas

Memoir 

     "It sounds so self-helpy, right?  Mom group.  So desperate.  So fluorescent overhead lighting.  So awkward folding-chair circles in Baptist church basements, with Styrofoam-flavored coffee.  Women taking polite turns speaking their 'truths' about cracked nipples, nutty grandmas, shitty babies, and FUPAs."

     Anyone who has given birth and brought the baby home knows the feeling of being in uncharted territory on a voyage that's terrifying and exhilarating--sometimes at the same time.  If you're one of us you'll probably find Helena Andrews-Dyers' The Mamas: What  I Learned About Kids, Class, and Race From Moms Not Like Me to be a fascinating and engaging read.  While she faces many of the same challenges as the rest of us...

     ...To breastfeed or not to breastfeed; that is the question...

     She comes to her narrative from several distinct identities.

     She's the only Black woman in a majority white mothers group.  These other moms are a major source of support--people with whom she can share the intimate challenges of marriage and parenting.  But they all tiptoe around the elephant in the room.  They don't see much of what she has to deal with.  And there's the sense that her acceptance may be contingent on not bringing up racism.

     She may be a gentrifier.  True she isn't white.  But she's upper income--one able to spend more on housing in a suddenly chic neighborhood in a way that makes staying in their homes out of the reach of long term less affluent residents.

     She's in the "sandwich generation."  She has to deal with not only the responsibilities and challenges of parenting, but those of her mother in a state of decline following a severe and near fatal illness.

     And then there's dealing with the omnipresent social media.

     The Mamas is a great read.  Andrews-Dyer's voice is candid and conversational.  

     "'Oh, don't worry,' replied Meghan in an offhanded tone that was meant to be reassuring but, filtered through my Black Mama universal translator, was condescending as hell.  'She'll get there.  Remember, you can't compare them.'

     Bitch, what?  The hell I can't."

     But there is a lot of food for thought for white parents like me.  At one point she intervenes in a bullying incident involving Black teenage girls.  White women ask her why she hadn't just called the police.  "A crime was committed.  If that were my daughter, wouldn't I want her protected?  Yeah, of course I would.  Which is why the thought of calling the police never crossed my mind." 

     In other words, some people's protectors are other people's predators.

     Andrews-Dyer has plenty of research to back her musings.  And her bibliography is a great resource for people wanting to learn more about topics she deals with.

     Heck, I'd have read the book even if I hadn't procreated and had no intentions of doing so.  It's just that good.

On a purrrsonal note, UMaine didn't cancel.  While UMaine Augusta, where they probably got half the snow we did, caved.  Which goes to show that school cancellations are often as much crap shoot as exact science.  I made it in which, with my walk to the bus stop, makes me feel like a rock star.  As soon as I finish my commuter lounge office hours I'm going to bus home and enjoy two days of chilling with my cat, staying in pajamas, and not having to leave the house. (Jules)

Chilling with me!  Celebrate good times!  (Tobago)

A great big shout out goes out to commuters and blizzard battlers.

Tobago and Jules Hathaway 

     

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Two Thought Provoking Juvenile Novels

     Fiction for non adult readers that combines captivating plots with controversial issues is rarest in that long stretch between picture books and YA novels known as juvenile literature.  YA fiction tackles just about every issue known to humankind.  Picture books bring the Holocaust, indigenous boarding schools, immigration, and other formerly taboo topics vividly to life in often haunting text and illustration combos.  Fortunately juvie lit seems to finally be coming around.  Rick and Linked are two signs of this change.

 

    Remember how in Alex Gino's George we met a character who didn't identify with birth gender, longed to become Melissa, and encountered challenges at home and school?  Now out, Melissa (YESSS!) has moved up to middle school and is a classmate of Gino's Rick.

     Rick isn't attracted to girls " in that way."  But he also isn't attracted to boys.  If he isn't gay or straight what is he?  Sometimes he feels like he's the only one who hasn't figured his identity out.  

     At first Rick isn't sure whether he wants to try going to the Rainbow Spectrum Club.  But when he does go he begins to understand himself and make new friends.  There's one major problem though.  His long term best friend, Jeff, is a jerk, a bully, and a homophobe.  Can Rick keep his two worlds separate?

     What if he has to choose one or the other?

     Gordon Korman's Linked takes readers to Chokecherry, Colorado, a small town that may not be so small in the future.  

     "Why does a snooty college in Massachusetts have an office two thousand miles away, in Chokecherry, Colorado?  That's where the dinosaur poop comes in.  This is where they found it all neatly fossilized."

     Remember dino poop was excreted by dinosaurs.  Footprints and bone fragments have been discovered.  A realtor and big time Chokecherry booster is sure that the discoveries will turn his beloved town into a tourist destination.  "Then hotels, restaurants, ski resorts, golf courses.  Our town is destined for greatness."

     Except that it may not be.  A painted swastika is found in the middle school.  In spite of a new tolerance curriculum others start popping up all over the school.  There are rumors of a huge KKK presence in the town decades ago and a Night of a Thousand Flames featuring burning crosses.

     Plus a famous YouTube vlogger has set up shop, airing Chokecherry's dirty laundry to his legions of followers.

     An ensemble cast of narrators brings the story to life in a very engaging manner.

On a purrrsonal note, the sky is spitting snow with the prospect of it keeping up all day.  I'm in pajamas, chilling with Tobago and waiting to see if UMaine has decided to cancel classes.  If they don't I'll head on in.  If they do I have a problem.  Somehow, even though big ass snow storms are to be expected in Maine this time of year I neglected to ask my internship supervisor whether a cancellation on a day I have office hours means I go in anyway (which seems like a dumb idea because the folks who hang out in the commuter lounge will probably sensibly stay home) or stay home and put in the hours next week.  Ugh!  My third day of internship and I have to make a major decision.  (Jules)

If the decision makers are smart they'll close the school.  It is nasty out there.  (Tobago)

A great big shout out goes out to the blizzard battlers.  

Tobago and Jules Hathaway 

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Good Enough

Juvenile fiction 

     "This has to be a quick stay.  I'm not that sick.  I just don't eat as much as Mom and Dad want me to.  This is so unfair.  I definitely don't look as bad as IV girl."

     Riley (12), protagonist of Jen Petro-Roy's Good Enough, has been admitted to an inpatient eating disorders unit.  Her whole life will be regimented.  Exercise is forbidden.  She must eat everything at meals and snacks.  She won't even be able to use the toilet without supervision.  

     The year before all the sixth graders in Riley's school had had their Body Mass Indexes calculated.  This information was supposed to be confidential.  But when the school nurse told Riley that she was overweight a mean girl heard and informed their peers.

     Suddenly Riley was eating less and less and running more and more.

     Now part of Riley is terrified of getting fat as a result of her new regimen.  But part of her yearns to be able to enjoy food and join her friends...

     ...if they still are her friends...

     ...in activities involving food like birthday parties.

     Riley's story is Petro-Roy's.  Her struggle with anorexia began when she was twelve.  As someone who has been there herself she is able to add an element of authenticity to her character, creating a young woman readers will care about and cheer for.

On a purrrsonal note, I started doing my office hours in the UMaine commuter lounge.  My second day, today, I impressed my supervisor.  A siren went off with lights flashing.  People were looking confused.  I stood up to my full insignificant height and calmly told them to grab their coats and head out by the nearest exit to the plaza right outside.  I watched them leave and followed the last one out and commended people on the awesome way they evacuated.  Later on my supervisor said, Good job, Jules!  You're really on top of things!  

I'm beginning to think I actually might be.  (Jules)

Well of course she is.  (Tobago)

A great big shout out to the commuter lounge crowd for a most efficient evacuation.

Tobago and Jules Hathaway 

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We Are Still Here!

Juvenile nonfiction 

"Despite the continued occupation of our homelands, 

regular attacks on our sovereignty,

and being mostly forgotten in US culture,

Native Nations all say 

     'We are still here.'"

     That's a concept a lot of whites don't grasp.  Some see Native Americans as part of the past.  In We Are Still Here! Native American Truths Everyone Should Know Traci Sorrell beautifully shatters this illusion.

     Readers enter a school for a set of Indigenous People's Day presentations.  Twelve key concepts are discussed and illustrated.  Relocation is about the forced removal of indigenous peoples from tribal lands to cities not equipped to meet their needs.  Religious freedom speaks about challenges to laws prohibiting traditional beliefs and practices.  Assimilation addresses all the ways in which indigenous people were forced to become more like whites.

     I consider this fine book to be a good acquisition for school and public libraries.  

On a purrrsonal note, I did luck out.  Eugene got home in time to give me a ride to school.  I was able to get out of school in time to bake Eugene a chocolate birthday cake.  I gave him a choice of going to a restaurant or eating my cooking and didn't feel insulted in the least when he chose to go to Ruby Tuesdays where we had a first class meal.  We had cake for dessert back at home.  (Jules)

I sang Happy Birthday.  ( Tobago)

A great big shout out goes out to our beloved Eugene on his special day.

Tobago and Jules Hathaway 

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The First Rule of Punk

Juvenile fiction 

     "Dad kept telling me not to worry.  That everything was going to be okay.  I really wanted to believe him.  But as I watched Dorothy's house fly up into the air and spin around in the twister I wasn't so sure"

     MaLu (Maria Louisa), protagonist of Celia C. Perez's The First Rule of Punk, is sure that Chicago will never feel like home.  She's moved half way across the country for two years.  When she returns she'll be in high school.  Her mother received an offer she couldn't pass up and wouldn't let her stay with her father.

     MaLu loves her father's music store, Spins & Needles which she considers a second home.  She loves punk from the seventies and eighties.  Loving punk, skateboarding, and zines, she's sure she falls far short of the more traditionally feminine Mexican American senorita she feels that her mother would like her to be.

     MaLu's first day of school doesn't go well.  A popular mean girl picks on her.  She gets sent out of homeroom for a dress code violation.  She has to bring a note to her mother who suggests that she be "less punk rocker and more senorita."

     MaLu doesn't like to stand out.  But when she senses unfairness in her school's choices of talent show acts she knows that she has to do something.

     A number of MaLu's zines add visual interest to the narrative.

     This perceptive coming of age story is a Pura Belpre honor book.

On a purrrsonal note, I shudder when I look out the window at all the slippery snow.  It snowed well into the night.  Eugene left the house about 11:00 to plow.  I'm hoping he gets back in time for me to make him breakfast and get a ride to school.  Walking will be less treacherous when I go back home in the afternoon.  (Jules)

I don't like her going out in that mess.  (Tobago)

A great big shout out goes out to all the blizzard battlers making commuting safer and easier for so many people.

Tobago and Jules Hathaway 

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The Revolution of Birdie Randolph

YA Fiction 

     "Mimi has done everything before me, so I know what my life is supposed to look like.  I'm supposed to graduate at the top of my class and go to a good college where I will study something respectable that will get me an impressive high-paying job."

     Birdie, narrator of Brandy Colbert's The Revolution of Birdie Randolph, is spending her summer getting ready to nail the SATs.  Her parents have sky high expectations for her.  Anything other than academics is considered a waste of time.  She's even had to quit soccer.

     Birdie's parents are also strict about dating.  They very much approved of her ultra respectable non partying ex-boyfriend, Mitchell.  They will feel very differently about her current guy, Booker.  He's spent time in juvie.  Sneaking out to meet up with him can't give them nearly enough time together.  But she doesn't want to have to give him up.

     And then there's Birdie's aunt.  Carlene, in and out of rehab, struggles with addiction.  Her relationship with her high achieving sister, Birdie's mother, is anything but smooth.  Now she's moved in.  Her presence may reveal a well hidden family secret.

     Join Birdie and her family for a far from dull, verging on explosive summer.

On a purrrsonal note, tomorrow is showtime, the first day of the new semester.  Hopefully my third from last in my masters degree pursuit.  I'm excited and anxious, cycling between I've got this and OH, MY GAWD!!!  (Jules)

She's got this.  She's hard working and smart.  And it's not like it's her first internship.  (Tobago)

A great big shout out goes out to other students about to start spring semester.

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There's the gorgeous tree.  If you look closely you'll find some of the little angels.

The Black Panther Party

Graphic novel 

     The Black Panthers were very much in the news in my later teen and immediately beyond years.  Unlike Martin Luther King Jr. and his followers, they'd given up on nonviolent action as the way to change the world.  White people who talked about them either loved them or hated them.  There seemed to be no middle ground.  Establishment minded people saw them as thugs.  I saw them as heroic defenders of the oppressed.

     David F. Walker's The Black Panther Party, brilliantly illustrated by Marcus Kwame Anderson, shows that neither side represented the Panthers accurately.  They were much more complex than all that.  They created and ran a lot of service programs for the people they served.  Probably the best known one was free breakfast for children.  On the other hand, there was a lot of violence and drama.  But much of that stemmed from old J. Edgar Hoover's paranoid FBI undertaking actions, not all of which were legal, to discredit and destroy them.

     Walker presents readers with a well researched and nuanced history of the group.  We get to see the events, large and small, and meet the principle players.  Given the dynamic nature of the movement, graphic novel is the perfect format through which to present it.

     This book was difficult for Walker and Anderson to create.  During the time they were working on it they kept hearing of the deaths of unarmed Blacks at the hands of police and vigilantes.  This violence left them with a sense of no progress having been made since the demise of the Panthers.

     "In the end, perhaps the legacy of the Black Panthers isn't about what they may have done right versus what they may have done wrong.  Perhaps it is all about the pathology of a nation so corrupted by inequality and oppression that it gave birth to the Panthers, only to then destroy what it created.  Maybe it is about a system so unbalanced that armed white supremacists could march on a state capital with no repercussions in 2020, but the Panthers were targeted for doing the same thing in 1967."

On a purrrsonal note, today was the sad day of taking down the Christmas tree ornaments after its five week beautification of the living room.  Tobago and I spent lots of precious time snuggling and reading on the sofa near it.  My favorite of the new ornaments were the two dozen racially diverse angels I found in a box at Clean Sweep.  So precious.

Actually this transition is my New Years Day.  It signals the official shift from self restoration to the busyness of getting ready for next semester.  Only, as you'll see in future posts, not all ornaments get put up until next December.  Some stick around to bring joy and help me keep the spirit of Christmas alive in my heart.  (Jules)

I'm going to miss that beautiful tree.  (Tobago)

A great big shout out goes out to the tree that presided so graciously over a memorable holiday season.

Tobago and Jules Hathaway 

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Under the Skin

Adult nonfiction 

     "At every stage in life, Blacks have poorer health outcomes than whites and, in most cases, than other ethnic groups.  Black babies are more than twice as likely as white babies to die at birth or in the first year of life--a racial gap that adds up to thousands of lost lives every year.  Blacks in every age-group under sixty-five have significantly higher death rates than whites."

     Over decades and centuries people have offered up explanations for this phenomenon of Blacks living sicker and dying quicker.  Some looked to genetic or physiological differences.  Victim blaming has been quite popular for a long time.  Stereotypes of uneducated Blacks smoking, drinking, abusing drugs, dining on junk food, and forgoing exercise abound.  And now there are people saying that it's not race; it's class.  These differences disappear with education and high income.

     Bzzzt!  Not true!  In her groundbreaking Under the Skin Linda Villarosa indicts a villain that the medical establishment has been and still too often is reluctant to address.  It's racism, not race.  She has a lot of scientific evidence to show that it lurks in settings ranging from hospital delivery rooms to communities devastated by the toxins of environmental racism. 

     But she delivers those truths in a user friendly voice.  She's not one of those writers who you need an advanced degree to understand.  Chapters are centered around the plights of individual human beings: people like the Relf sisters, Minnie Lee and Mary Alice, who were sterilized without informed consent when they were only fourteen and twelve; Simone Landrum, who lost a baby and almost died herself when her symptoms weren't paid attention to; and brain cancer patient Danielle Bailey who grew up swimming in a coal ash polluted lake close to her home.  Their stories put human faces to statistics.

     There are still too  many people people, including very powerful people, who want systemic racism in health care and environmental policies to remain the elephant in the room we tiptoe around.  To change that a lot of us need to be enlightened and agitated and help speak truth to power.

     Maybe you could be one of us.

Jules Hathaway 

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How about these sparkly sneakers?  Aren't they just the cat's pajamas?

Don't you just love the pajamas?

Thriller Chiller Double Feature

     I have a real treat here for YA mystery lovers--two Megan Miranda novels that revolve around missing people.

     "His mother asked me to do this, because she said it wasn't something a mother should ever have to do.  I don't think it's something an ex-girlfriend should have to do either, but mother trumps ex any day of the week."

     It was a dark and stormy night when Caleb disappeared, driving too fast under adverse conditions.  The speculations that his car plunged off a bridge seem to be confirmed when parts of it start washing up.  It seems unlikely that he'll turn up alive.

     Caleb's mother has decided to move.  She's told Jessa, protagonist of Fragments of the Lost, to pack up his room.  It's an odd request for a mom to make.  But Jessa wants to know what really happened.  Maybe she'll find clues in his belongings.

     The room is exactly as Caleb left it.  His clothes are strewn on the floor.  The necklace with the broken clasp Jessa had asked him to hold the last time she saw him is in his jeans pocket.  The walls are covered with pictures of the previously happy couple...

     ...or maybe not so happy couple.  As the objects in the room trigger memories, Jessa gains new insights.  The sum of things she didn't see before begins to add up in a disturbing way.

     Caleb's mother is acting very strangely--monitoring Jessa both tangibly and virtually.  Could she blame her for Caleb's death?  Or could she be hiding evidence of something truly sinister?

     "Most searches have scanned just a fraction of the universe.  They're guessing, grasping, listening for a very specific signal.  It's no wonder they've come up empty so far."

     Kennedy, one of the protagonists of Come Find Me, has survived a horrific crime.  Her home is THAT HOUSE where the unimaginable happened.  She's living in the apartment of the uncle who has been given custody.  But when he's asleep she rides her bike to her former home.  Her brother, Elliot, convinced that intelligent life had developed elsewhere in the universe, had set up an observatory in a building that had been a small stable.  She now takes down the data that he no longer can.  Plus the house, in danger of being sold, is the only place she can feel the presence of her family.

"That was two years ago.  My brother is still gone.  Missing.  The police, the FBI, the volunteers who have devoted thousands of hours of labor, have found nothing.  The newspaper headlines crackled for attention: The Unsolved Mystery of Promising Student Athlete, All-State Soccer Goalie, National Merit Scholar, golden child of Battleground High, disappears without a trace.  Liam Chandler, stuff of legends."

     Nolan, the other protagonist, lost his only brother, Liam, when he disappeared with his dog on a family outing.  His grieving parents, after deriving as much hope as they could from law enforcement and a psychic, have converted their home into something decidedly unhomey.

     "Okay, the truth: they run a nonprofit foundation for missing children throughout the Southeast.  They've channeled their grief into action (so said the local paper).  But if you ask me, they just feel at home in it now.  And so they've willingly inherited the cause of every grief-stricken parent."

     Nolan has become invisible in his own home except when the foundation requires him to work.  He privately searches for Liam who he believes is alive and in need of help.

     So how can these very different protagonists possibly help each other to accomplish their goals before time runs out?

     There's one way to find out.

On a purrrsonal note, I had the most amazing day possible yesterday.  I spent the morning snuggling with precious Tobago on the sofa near the tree reading.  Then, for the first time since the Great Before my friend, Mazie, and I went to our favorite hang out which is Sweet Frog.  It's a place where you can get frozen yogurt with all kinds of toppings.  We enjoyed our sweet treats and had so much to talk about.  Then we stopped at Goodwill.  I found a cute cat leotard, a pair of Christmas sloth pajamas, and THE MOST AMAZING HIGHTOPS which ACTUALLY FIT!!!  Purrrfect for my first day of internship!  Mazie bought the chocolate chips which I need for Eugene's birthday cook which I can make Monday.  I was so hyped up from all the wonderfulness of the day I needed chamomile tea to calm down enough to sleep.  (Jules)

I met Mazie.  I really like her.  (Tobago)

A great big shout out goes out to Mazie.

Tobago and Jules Hathaway 

     

     

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YA intersectionality

     These are two books that explore the interlocking challenges of race and sexuality in identity formation.

     

The Black Flamingo 

"I am the black flamingo.

The black flamingo is me,

trying to find myself."

     Michael, protagonist of Dean Atla's novel in verse, is growing up in London, learning what it means to be gay and racially mixed.  For his sixth birthday, for example, he yearns for a Barbie doll and gets a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle.

     Because of singing ability Michael gets accepted to an all boys school well respected for its choir.  It turns out to be a disaster.  Athletes bully him for being in choir.

     For Michael's second year in middle school he transfers to a coed Catholic school where he's told that gays end up in Hell.  He wrestles with his identity, unsure of whether he's attracted to his best friend, Daisy, or his crush, Rowan.

     At university, although he initially doesn't feel Black enough, Greek enough, or queer enough for established campus groups, he is finally able to find a space of acceptance.

     His journey will be reassuring for teens who haven't found their place and enlightening for peers who have or never really had to search for it.

All Boys Aren't Blue

    "There were no books for me to read in order to understand what I was going through as a kid.  There were no heroes or icons to look up to and emulate.  There were no roadmaps or guidelines for the journey.  And again, because I know there wasn't and still isn't much out there, I made it my goal to get this [his memoir] right."

     We've now crossed the puddle from England to America, Plainfield, New Jersey to be exact.  And we've jumped genres from fiction in verse to memoir.  

     "This book is an exploration of two of my identities--Black and queer--and how I became aware of their intersections in myself and in society.  How I've learned that neither of those identities can be contained within a single box, and that I enter the room as both of them despite the spaces and environments I must navigate."

     Writer/activist George M. Johnson has spent much of his life in spaces where he's been defined by difference.  Whites see him as a Black man.  Blacks often other him for being queer.  Because his book is part memoir he shares very candid memories including very painful ones.  Because it's also part manifesto, he calls out dominant society's suppression of differences by pushing the definition of normal.

     Johnson knew that he was different from a very early age.  He preferred dolls and hairstyling to sports and toy trucks.  In his daydreams he was a girl.  He preferred having girls as friends. 

     But he also knew early on that being too different from other boys could be dangerous.  At school recess he came to enjoy double dutch.  One spring day a classmate told him what the other boys were saying about him.  He knew that he had to drop jump rope to fit in with a cultural definition of masculinity.

     Johnson shares his memories right up through college graduation.  They're analyzed not only from experiential perspective, but from societal implications.  For instance, there's the chapter on his learning how to swim.  After describing how it felt, he reminds us that many more Black kids drown than white peers.  The many communities that closed public pools rather than integrating them deprived Black families and children of the chance to learn water safety.

     At the end of his author's note Johnson says:

     "I hope this book will make you laugh at moments.  I hope this book will make you cry at moments.  I hope this book will open you up to understanding the people you may have never spoken to because of their differences from you.  We are not as different as you think, and all our stories matter and deserve to be celebrated and told."

On a purrrsonal note, right now we're getting a lot of precipitation--rain in Maine in the middle of January!  The snow we'd accumulated so far is just about washed away.  I'm so glad I don't have to take the bus anywhere.  Only one problem.  I just realized yesterday while doing the dishes that Eugene's birthday is Tuesday.  I'd like to give him a gift card to his favorite locally owned sporting goods store.  But it isn't even on the bus line.  So his gift will be cash.  I want to also want to give him something personal.  My friend Kate suggested baking cookies.  And he loves his mom's recipe applesauce chocolate chip cookies.  Now I have to figure out how to get to a store where they sell chocolate chips without asking him to drive me.  How I envy people who can drive!  (Jules)

I'm confused.  It's January.  Shouldn't it be snowing? Is this that climate change people keep talking about?  (Tobago)

A great big shout out goes out to all who accept and value divergence in humanity.

Tobago and Jules Hathaway 

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And here she is, the little girl who rocks my world.  

Me at the trunk or treat in fabulous downtown Orono.  To quote Dr. Seuss, " It's fun to have fun.  But you have to know how."

Here I am cosplaying at Friends and Family weekend with the another celebrity, the UMaine mascot, Bananas.

Here, Kitty, Kitty, Kitty

     Anyone who has read this blog for any length of time knows what kind of critter is my idea of a purrrfect animal companion.  So imagine how happy I was to find four cat books for our younger readers.

     I bet you encountered Dr. Seuss's The Cat in the Hat as a child or parent.  It's enjoyed great popularity since it was first published in 1957.  More recently we've seen a movie version.  I mean who can resist the Cat and chums Thing One and Thing Two?

     Fortunately our friends at Random House have published a new board book, I Am the Cat in the Hat, celebrating one of America's favorite felines.  The old Cat, every bit as dapper as he was sixty-five years ago, gives a tour of his very unique world.  I predict this volume will be a much requested read aloud.

     I love cosplaying as the Cat in the Hat.  Last fall I let my inner feline loose at UMaine Friends and Family weekend and at Halloween on campus and at a trunk or treat.  If you're lucky I'll share a picture.

     Families with cats realize that they are fabulous but flawed.  In This Little Kitty, a charming picture book with lively illustrations, Karen Obuhanych follows a litter of kittens through a typical day.  They wake up hungry and devour breakfast before playing with their human and napping in a ray of sun.  Newly refreshed, it's time to climb curtains, claw up a chair, try human food, nap in flower pots...

     This purrrfect book will be a favorite with families who share space with at least one cat.  It can help kids realize other people's kitties also terrorize the fish or hack up hairballs.

     Tobago tested the concept of gravity her first Christmas tree with us.  Now Eugene is very careful when he secures the Christmas tree.  He isn't going to buy a new sofa until she decides that our ancient one is not a scratching post.  So not gonna happen.  But right now the two of them are snuggled up watching their TV shows.  

     Moving up to juvenile graphic novels we have a couple of Mason Dickerson's Housecat Trouble volumes.  Buster is the beloved and pampered companion of a blue haired girl.  She keeps his food bowl full and his litter box clean.

     In the initial volume Buster's girl goes away for the night, probably assuming nothing bad can happen.  A passing grey cat warns him that evil spirits have invaded his house.  Buster is skeptical until he sees them.  Two street cats, Chauncey  and Nova, come to his rescue.  The three go in quest of shadeberries, encountering scary advisories.  And that's only the first step in exorcising the spirits that are gleefully trashing Buster's home. 

     This is a book that kids and adults can enjoy.  The action is lively.  The cats and other critters are very expressive.  Although the humor is quite child accessible, there are lines that adults will find especially humorous as in when Buster decides to watch TV so he won't have to think.

     In the sequel, Housecat Trouble: Lost And Found, Buster wakes up in the middle of the night to see an unfamiliar white kitten who doesn't remember where he lives.  Actually he doesn't even remember his name.  (Buster dubs him Onion.)  Buster offers to help him find his home in the morning.

     Only in escaping from a big, fierce looking dog Buster loses Onion.  It's a good thing Chauncey and Nova show up.  In his quest to find his new friend and bring him home Buster is going to run into ample danger in the form of an overzealous dog (and cat) catcher...

     ...and more of those pesky evil spirits.

     Let's hope there are more Housecat Trouble books in the future.  Kids will love them, even those who adults label reluctant readers.

On a purrrsonal note, with our kids grown and flown, Eugene and I focus our parenting on our rescue cat, Tobago.  She's been with us three years now.  True she can't break the sofa shredding habit, gets into stuff she shouldn't, and hacks up the occasional hairball.  But our family life would be far less rich and vibrant without her in it.  (Jules).

I've been in my home about half my life now.  I'm experienced enough to know that you can't expect people to be purrrfect.  Mine keep me on a diet to prevent something they call diabetes, keep the door to outside (and all those tasty looking birds) shut, and yell when I sharpen my claws on that old sofa.  But at the end of the day, especially a really cold day I'm glad to have them to snuggle up with.  (Tobago).

A great big shout out goes out to house cats and the people who treasure them.

Tobago and Jules Hathaway 

     

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