The Moon Within by Aida Salazar
The Moon Within by Aida Salazar, a novel in verse, dances with boundless energy & wisdom on each page. The cover, beautifully illustrated by Joe Cepeda, practically sings with music, the magic of transformation, & embossed flowers that serve as a powerful metaphor. Celi is a tween whose mother wants to celebrate her first period with a moon ceremony. Celi’s mother rejects shame and fear, encouraging Celi to take pride in her body’s changing, connecting her to her ancestors & her heritage. The impact of colonization - & work to disrupt it - is made clear, as Aida Salazer shares in her author’s note, “People in many cultures across the globe have honored this connection (with the moon) & practiced ceremonies and rituals (both big & small) for thousands of years… In the Americas, much of the knowledge of this natural connection has been lost, erased or went underground as its peoples were conquered & forced to take on the customs of their colonizers. Many of the oral histories, passed down by indigenous women, tell us that our moon cycle is something beautiful and worth celebrating and honoring" (223). In an NPR interview, Aida Salazer shares, “I wanted this book to be part of the movement to dismantle that — to take apart those notions, to reframe the idea that our menstruations are something dirty, or to be feared, or the "curse. I wanted to shed light on its power, and its beauty, and its really profound celebratory aspect.” Gorgeous verse conveys Celi’s emotions, ones so common in our tweens - & ourselves. Nonfiction guides to puberty are important, yet it’s fiction like The Moon Within that would have helped me if I would have been given it as a tween. I can’t change the past but I can make sure young people at my library have access to this extraordinary book. It’s truly one of the best books of 2019! But you don’t have to take my word for it: It is the winner of the International Latino Book Award for Middle Grade Fiction & has been selected as a Charlotte Huck Award Recommended Book of 2019.
If you are looking for an informational guide to pair with The Moon Within, check out Wait, What? A Comic Book Guide to Relationships, Bodies, and Growing Up by Heather Corinna & Isabella Rotman. I think it could also be delightfully paired with the graphic novel, Go with the Flow by by Lily Williams & Karen Schneemann.
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The (Other) F Word: A Celebration of the Fat & Fierce, edited by Angie Manfredi
The (Other) F Word: A Celebration of the Fat & Fierce, edited by Angie Manfredi has the power to change the way we view ourselves, to push back against fat shaming, to celebrate body positivity in all its intersectional and diverse facets, "with stories from queer fat people, disabled fat people, and fat IPOC (Indigenous/people of color)." There is such intentionality and thought put into every aspect of this gorgeous full-color anthology. Every page proclaims Angie’s message from the introduction: “We love you, and we want you to know that you’re not alone… Your body is perfect. Yes, yours. Exactly the way it is, right now in this second… Don’t ever forget it.” The toxic messages are really hard to deprogram & decolonize and they’ve sunk their teeth in deep, but just knowing this book exists planted seeds that there’s another way of viewing my body. It radiates with self-love and claimed joy, as David Bowles writes in his poem, Seven Things I Would Tell Eleven Year Old Me, “... You are a human being,/unique and wonderful,/unlike anything that has existed/or ever will. Fat? Yes. In body/and in soul, brimming…./You overflow with stardust… There is love in the world for you./It surrounds you now. Don’t you see it?... (63). I love how this book introduces readers to fabulous writers, creators, artists, and entrepreneurs who they can then follow and read more of their incredible work. It is designed by Hana Anouk Nakamura with illustrations by Lisa Tegtmeier throughout the book that artfully enhance the text. This book has my favorite endpapers ever. They literally dance with joy. I am so grateful for this book both personally and professionally. All libraries should ensure young people can access this book, which will affirm their identities and celebrate their full selves. It is truly one of the best books of 2019.
I’m usually pretty shy at ALA and feel awkward asking for ARCs, but it was my goal to ask for a copy of I Can Make This Promise by Christine Day (Upper Skagit) this past summer - and I was so glad I was brave. (This is especially so I could give my ARC soon afterwards to a young reader who loved it.) I’ve you’ve seen my posts or talked to me, you know it’s one of my favorite books of 2019. Just behold the gorgeous cover art created by Michaela Goade (Tlingit) and you’re instantly drawn in. Kids often cut me off mid-booktalk to tell me they’re already hooked and want this book. In my booktalks, I amplify the mystery of Edie finding a box with photographs and documents belonging to Edith and her journey to learn more about her family history. I make sure to emphasize that this is a contemporary Native story about a Suquamish/Duwamish girl seeking answers about identity and adoption - and these issues are present and ongoing. I tell readers that I am eager to discuss it with them when they’re done - and we’ve had some amazing chats. It recently received a 2020 Charlotte Huck Honor, which is an award for books that have “the potential to transform children’s lives by inviting compassion, imagination, and wonder.” Christine Day does so much so well - capturing the middle grade angst of changing friendships, conversations left unsaid, and identity exploration. I’d highly recommend pairing it with Christine Day’s essay in the anthology, Our Stories, Our Voices: 21 YA Authors Get Real About Injustice, Empowerment, and Growing Up Female in America. I’m so excited for her second novel, The Sea in Winter, which will be available in 2021 from Heartdrum, a new Native-focused imprint with HarperCollins, led by Cynthia Leitich Smith & Rosemary Brosnan. 
I Can Make This Promise received a 2020 AILA American Indian Youth Literature Award - Middle Grade Book Honor! Congratulations, Christine!!
Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson
If you’re looking for a reading challenge for 2020, might I recommend diving deep into the works of Jacqueline Woodson, who has written all the things - picture books, poetry, middle grade, young adult, and adult works. I did that one summer - and I regret that I didn’t document the experience - but I remember the feeling of being immersed in Jacqueline’s extraordinary storytelling. How lucky we are that our young people can grow up with her work? Her latest novel, Red at the Bone, is one of her best books, a masterpiece of family, history, identity, race, gender, and love, crossing time and perspective to connect all the threads. I can’t even attempt to do it justice - just read it and you will know why it’s one of the best books of 2019.We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga by Traci Sorell & illustrated by Frané Lessac [Audiobook with Live Oak Studio]
We all knew we had experienced something powerful & special when we read We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga by Traci Sorell & illustrated by Frané Lessac, which chronicles a year with a contemporary Cherokee family, expressing gratitude with each season with their community. 
I was so thrilled to hear Traci and Frané talk about creating this extraordinary book this summer at the ALSC pre-conference and meet them afterwards, truly a highlight of my ALA.
This year, Traci worked with Arnie Cardillo of Live Oak Media to create an audiobook adaptation that is truly extraordinary. When I first heard it, I could imagine the care, hard work, dedication and craft that went into producing this work of art. Thankfully, Traci and Arnie agreed to be interviewed for the Ear on the Odyssey blog - and shared the behind-the-scenes details to create this production. (I also had the amazing opportunity to review it here.) I think this production can serve as a model for other audiobook productions - ensuring that authenticity and accuracy are at the core of the work. I hope all library systems & classrooms add this audiobook to their collections. When you check out our library’s copy of We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga, the audiobook is affixed to the back cover, ready for a paired listening experience. You can even buy your copy of the audiobook from the Cherokee Nation gift shop! Thank you to Ears on the Odyssey for the opportunity to spotlight this amazing production!
We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga received a 2020 AILA American Indian Youth Literature Award - Picture Book Honor! And an Odyssey Honor for the audiobook adaptation! I look forward to all the celebrations at ALA! I know it will be an incredibly special experience.
Lisa Jenn Bigelow’s middle grade book, Hazel’s Theory of Evolution is definitely one of my favorite books of 2019. Here’s the publisher’s description:
“Hazel knows a lot about the world. That’s because when she’s not hanging with her best friend or helping her two moms care for the goats on their farm, she loves reading through dusty encyclopedias. But even Hazel doesn’t have answers for the questions awaiting her as she enters eighth grade. How can she make friends in a new school where no one seems to understand her? What’s going to happen to one of her moms who’s pregnant again after having two miscarriages? Why does everything have to change when life was already perfectly fine?”
Lisa Jenn has a talent for expressing middle grade voices in ways that feel both universal and unique in their specificity. She talks about things that matter - family, loss, grief, friendship, identity, dogs - in ways that are engaging and relatable, showing a deep understanding for young people’s concerns and understandings. Hazel’s voice is so clear and real, especially in the ways that she grows. Just behold lines like: “I felt like a grain sack wearing through at its seams. Soon I would spill... I felt like I’d taken a scalpel to my own chest, laying out my beating heart bare for Carina and Yosh. One sharp poke, and it might burst..” Who hasn’t felt that way? I absolutely LOVE Hazel’s conversation with Mimi towards the end, which I will not spoil for you, but it’s a talk I haven’t seen elsewhere in middle grade literature that basically communicates “there are so many good ways to be in this world” and validates her identity. Again, read the book for yourself so you can experience its beauty - and don’t forget her thoughtful author’s note. If the Longest Shortest Time was still in production, I’d dream of an episode about this book, along with the rest of Lisa Jenn’s books. But hopefully Hillary Frank will take it on for her new project about middle school. Either way, you need to read this book.
Indian No More by Charlene Willing McManis with Traci Sorell
Indian No More by Charlene Willing McManis with Traci Sorell is truly one of the best books I’ve EVER read, not just in 2019. Here’s the publisher’s description: "Regina Petit's family has always been Umpqua, & living on the Grand Ronde Tribe's reservation is all ten-year-old Regina has ever known. Her biggest worry is that Sasquatch may actually exist out in the forest. But when the federal government enacts a law that says Regina's tribe no longer exists, Regina becomes "Indian no more" overnight--even though she lives with her tribe & practices tribal customs, & even though her ancestors were Indian for countless generations. Now that they've been forced from their homeland, Regina's father signs the family up for the federal Indian Relocation Program & moves them to Los Angeles. Regina finds a whole new world in her neighborhood on 58th Place. She's never met kids of other races, & they've never met a real Indian. For the first time in her life, Regina comes face to face with the viciousness of racism, personally & toward her new friends. Meanwhile, her father believes that if he works hard, their family will be treated just like white Americans. But it's not that easy. It's 1957 during the Civil Rights era, & the family struggles without their tribal community & land. At least Regina has her grandmother, Chich, & her stories. At least they are all together. In this moving middle-grade novel drawing upon Umpqua author Charlene Willing McManis's own tribal history, Regina must find out: Who is Regina Petit? Is she Indian, American, or both? & will she & her family ever be okay?”
This powerful historical fiction novel is heartbreaking, eye-opening, & hopeful. I learned so much from both the narrative - & the extensive back-matter, which really is exceptional. (I really want the back-matter to be required reading for everyone.) Lee & Low also have a fantastic teacher’s guide that offers many resources for engaging young people in important conversations. I’d love to see this book used in lit circles, ProjectLIT clubs, classroom selections, all the things! I don’t think I could do this book justice in a review myself. If you want to read one that does, read Indigo’s Bookshelf: Voices of Native American youth review by Ashleigh!
Indian No More is the 2020 American Indian Youth Literature Award winner for best Middle Grade Book!! Congratulations!
Shout by Laurie Halse Anderson
Can you believe that we had the opportunity to have Laurie Halse Anderson talk to us personally this year? I’m talking, of course, about the audiobook of her groundbreaking memoir in verse, Shout, which she narrates. I read the text as a galley, but nothing compares to hearing her tell her own story with her signature passion, vulnerability, & rage, claiming her voice - and the voices of so many young people who have shared their stories with her. I am so grateful for the chance to spend this time listening to her audiobook, often stopping everything else to listen & weep and get really, really angry. I am so grateful to have the chance to hear her NerdTalk this summer at NerdCamp, where she inspired us all with the declaration, “If we shout together, we can change the world.” One of the most powerful lines from her book rings throughout my mind frequently: “Too many grown-ups tell kids to follow their dreams/like that’s going to get them somewhere/Auntie Laurie says follow your nightmares instead/cuz when you figure out what’s eating you alive/you can slay it.” May we all come together to slay more dragons in the new year.Shout has been named to 2020 Rise: A Feminist Book Project Top Ten! The audiobook was included in YALSA's Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults 2020 Top Ten!
Unreserved with Rosanna Deerchild; All My Relations Podcast; Native American Calling, This Land hosted by Rebecca Nagle [Podcasts]
If you get into a conversation with me, I will invariably say something like, “That reminds me of a podcast.” I listen to lots of podcasts and am always seeking new ones. Some podcasts pass the time - and others have the power to change our perceptions, to open our eyes, to offer representation and community, to awaken action, and are powerful, beautiful works of art. I’m so glad to have encountered these amazing Indigenous, Native and First Nations focused podcasts this year, which always are illuminating and insightful. They are: Unreserved with Rosanna Deerchild (Cree from O-Pipon-Na-Piwan Cree Nation at South Indian Lake in northern Manitoba), All My Relations Podcast hosted by Matika Wilbur (Swinomish and Tulalip) and Dr. Adrienne Keene (Cherokee Nation), Native American Calling, This Land hosted by Rebecca Nagle (Cherokee Nation). It’s especially exciting when our world of children’s literature is discussed on these podcasts. It was so cool to hear Muscogee Creek author Cynthia Leitch Smith on both the Unreserved Podcast and Native American Calling, talking about Heartdrum, a Native-focused imprint of HarperCollins Children’s Books. I highly recommend listening to all of these podcasts. When they appear on my feed, I always prioritize listening to them first. And if you know of other podcasts, I’m always seeking recommendations.
At the beginning of 2019, during the Center for Teaching through Children’s Books institute, I had the opportunity to see Young People’s Poet Laureate Naomi Shihab Nye in conversation with extraordinary educator Kass Minor, talking about literacy, engaging young people and the power of poetry. I had Naomi sign my copy of her book, The Tiny Journalist: Poems, & spend time listening and learning and just being in her presence. How fortunate are we to start 2020 with her new book, Cast Away: Poems for Our Time? Her poetry always makes me want to see more possibilities - & make them realities. And also write more poetry.
Thank you so much for checking out my Book a Day reviews! You can see the rest of them in Part I & Part II. Which books have you loved this year? Feel free to let me know in the comments.
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