The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander, illustrated by Kadir Nelson
I am so excited to start with the exceptional picture book, The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander & Kadir Nelson. This gorgeous, moving, honest, heartbreaking, inspiring love letter to Black America is an essential addition to every classroom, library & home. I am so grateful for the chance to see Kwame and Randy on tour this past spring and experience their read aloud of The Undefeated. I am eager to share The Undefeated during our #CaldecottClub this week - and provide opportunities for our kids to share their insights. Did you know you can download a recording of Kwame reading it? Check the copyright page of the print book for the access code. This book truly shows the genius of the picture book medium, which is anything but easy or simple but is often the best way to talk about our history and our present, about racism and systems of oppression that continue to today, about resilience and resistance and the beauty of our children. As Kwame writes on the final spread, "This is for the undefeated. This is for you. And you. And you. This is for us.”
[The Undefeated is the winner of the 2020 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award, winner of the 2020 Caldecott Medal, and a 2020 Newbery Honor Book. Congratulations, Kwame Alexander and Kadir Nelson, for all of the incredible accolades for this exceptional book! I can't wait to celebrate with you this summer at ALA!
One of the things I'm most proud of this year is being part of the text selection committee for our community's cultural initiative called Coming Together, where we worked together to evaluate and select books related to the theme of journeys. Our group selected The Undefeated as one of our core texts for 3rd-5th grade (and of course, it can and should be shared across age groups). I was happy to update our teaching resources with the exciting award news!]
Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga
Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga is an exceptional middle grade novel about Jude, a tween who has to flee her beloved home, father and brother in Syria for the unknown in Cleveland with her mother. Every page has something underlined or annotated in this powerful novel in verse. [Don't worry - it's my personal copy, not a library book.] The evocative minimalist language sparks essential conversations about identity, journeys, & finding home. It is a beautiful, engaging, eye-opening, & insightful page-turner book.[Confession: I really, really wanted this book to win an award at the Youth Media Awards this year. I even have myself on tape (since I record my programs to reflect on them) telling my library kids I believed that it would win. So when they announced that Other Words for Home had been awarded a Newbery Honor, I screamed so loudly and still have not calmed down. This book is particularly special since we selected it as a core text for 6-8 grade for our Coming Together program. I had the chance to discuss it during my Books & Bites book clubs - one for 3-5 grade and one for 6-8 grade. We had amazing conversations and activities about what home means to us, read passages from the book, and wrote 6-word memoirs. During our tween book club, I used an idea from our 3-5 grade discussion where some kids made "Home Webs," writing home in the center and ideas that connect to it - and had the tweens do this prompt. A couple of the tweens also made a pass the parcel activity for us. Basically, you put a prize in the middle (which for us was a copy of I Can Make This Promise by Christine Day, thanks to a giveaway from HarperCollins Children's Books. Thanks, HarperKids!). Then, you wrap each layer with a quote from the book and a candy. (I also brought my stash of book swag for the tweens to pick from.) The tweens suggested I play a playlist of clean tiktok songs (of course they did) and when I stopped the music, a tween would unwrap a layer, read the passage and share what they thought it was about, what it meant to them, or what it reminded them of. Basically, this was an epic reader's comprehension activity that tapped into the tweens' interests and got us all moving. Most importantly, it was the tweens' idea and efforts, so they helped co-lead the program with me. I will always remember our conversations that we had during this program with Other Words for Home as the catalyst, which is what makes this book so extraordinary. I am so grateful that our community will be hosting Jasmine Warga this coming Wednesday, February 5, with a free community-wide event at East Prairie School in Skokie at 7pm. You can even purchase a book from Booked and get it signed! Join us!
I also had the opportunity to update our teaching resources for Other Words for Home, which includes an educator's guide that I put together. I hope it helps other educators share this powerful book!]
Naperville Author’s Book “Other Words for Home” Receives Newbery from Naperville News 17 on Vimeo.
Native American Heroes by Dawn Quigley
Thanks to the generosity and kindness of my brilliant friend, educator Leanne, I was able to get a copy of Native American Heroes by Dawn Quigley. (Because Scholastic book orders.) I’m sharing a super quick preview below so you can get a sense of the real-life heroes in this book, as the book copy says, “Meet 18 Native American leaders from yesterday and today! (Emphasis on today, on contemporary Native people, artists and activists and writers and athletes and politicians and more..) “From activist Charlene Teters to astronaut John Herrington to Paralympian Cheri Madsen, these real-life heroes inspire us to learn about Native American history, language, & culture.” This slim book is accessible, informative, illuminating, inspiring, sure to spark conversations & propel readers to want to know more, to read more about these incredible role models. Real talk - I WISH this book was available through Baker & Taylor, Ingram, Follett, even Amazon.. I know we’d all buy this exceptional book for our classrooms and libraries. And many cannot buy books outside of their distributors - so it’s also essential that companies make books like Native American Heroes available. I hope Scholastic can make this happen! Our young people need this book! It’s SO good!Best Friends by Shannon Hale and LeUyen Pham
My copy of Best Friends by Shannon Hale and LeUyen Pham has more than 68 post-it notes with reactions, comments, connections and questions. I started our fall book club with Best Friends - and I think I’ll finish this school year by selecting it again (especially since copies were hard to come by this fall). This exceptional, dare I say distinguished (I do), graphic memoir resonated deeply with me, who like many in middle school and beyond, faced those big questions about friendship, grappling with anxiety, and used imaginative play and writing to process these big feelings. I literally changed how I program because of the scenes where young Shannon doesn’t see herself reflected in the literature she’s given - now I make sure to always share pictures of the creators we’re discussing. I thought deeply about the scene where Shannon ruminates, "All the poets we read were men who had been dead a long time. It made me think that the only good poetry was old poetry... and that girls couldn't be poets" (121) and the scene where Shannon is given The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley by her librarian, thinking, "I guess I thought authors only existed long ago and far away. I hadn't thought of authors as real people like me" (211). I now make sure to include photographs of the authors we read, whether that's in Books and Bites or Caldecott Club or any other program and I know from our conversations, it makes a big difference.
LeUyen’s extraordinary art helps bring Shannon’s text to life in moving ways, showing readers those sixth grade minefields, Shannon’s rich imagination, and the negative thoughts attacking her. These scenes especially show the power of the comics medium to make the invisible visible. You can feel WITH Shannon because it’s a comic. I was moved to tears many times while reading this book. This is a fantastic book for caregivers to read with their tweens, providing a catalyst for discussion with the book as the bridge. It is a gift to give young people and let them know that they are not alone, that we see them. And I fully expect young readers who love Best Friends to use it as inspiration to tell their own stories in their own ways.
[After writing this review, I decided I wanted to talk about Best Friends again now, so I selected it for our Tween Books & Bites for Wednesday, February 19 from 4:30-5:30. Register and join us! I am really eager to have conversations with the tweens about friendship, gender roles, anxiety and whatever they want to talk about. This book really has it all. I was so happy to see that Best Friends was included in the 2020 Rise: A Feminist Book Project List (formerly Amelia Bloomer list)! Best Friends is also on YALSA's 2020 Great Graphic Novels for Teens list!]
Hey, Kiddo: How I Lost My Mother, Found My Father, and Dealt with Family Addiction by Jarrett J. Krosoczka
Can the same story transform the storytelling medium twice? Yes, it can. Jarrett J. Krosoczka’s graphic memoir HEY, KIDDO: How I Lost My Mother, Found My Father, and Dealt with Family Addiction is an exceptional, groundbreaking work of art, deserving all of the accolades that have already been shared. I was lucky enough to be at a Scholastic Literary event at ALA Annual 2018 when I heard selections from Hey, Kiddo performed by Jarrett and a cast of fellow authors - and I knew I was experiencing something special and unique. But past me had no idea of the wonders yet to come. It has been transformed into an audiobook that is unlike anything I’ve ever heard before. With a full cast of friends, family and voice actors, Jarrett brings his story to life in new ways, painting with sonic paintbrushes with sound effects, musical soundbeds to transition between scenes, actual music referenced in the book (“Disarm me with your smile…”) and additional text/narration to make it all flow. I listened to it like a readalong picture book, with a worn copy of Hey, Kiddo beside me. I am planning on listening to it several times more & will discover new things each time. The note at the end about creating it overwhelmed me, feeling the love of the community who made this extraordinary audiobook. It changes things to know people narrated themselves in this audiobook. Has such a thing ever been done before? A much longer detailed review is forthcoming but trust me that the Hey, Kiddo audiobook should move much higher up your to-read list. [Hey, Kiddo was also named to YALSA's 2020 Top Ten Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults.][This fall, I joined as a reviewer for the Ears on the Odyssey blog, which is a Mock Odyssey award, the ALSC/YALSA/Booklist award for audiobooks for young people. I had the opportunity to share a review of Hey, Kiddo and expand upon my obsession with this groundbreaking adaptation of Jarrett J. Krosoczka’s graphic memoir. I really appreciate how Jarrett continues to share the behind-the-scenes process of making this production. Check out this Audiofile interview, "In the Studio with Jarrett J. Krosoczka and Odyssey Award Winner Hey, Kiddo" by Sonja Cole.
Congratulations to Jarrett J. Krosoczka, Paul Gagne, Steve Syarto, and the full cast of friends and family on the Odyssey award. I'm already envisioning the epic celebration at the Odyssey Awards at ALA this summer!]
When Aidan Became a Brother by beloved, award-winning children’s author Kyle Lukoff & illustrated by phenomenally talented Kaylani Juanita is a gorgeous, groundbreaking poetic gem. I fell in love with it even more when I had the opportunity to share it with our Junior Justice League & Caldecott Club, engaging in fantastic conversations with young people. We were SO lucky to then host Kyle Lukoff at our library & celebrate this beautiful book with him! (With books sold by the amazing local indie bookstore, Booked! Visit them; they are wonderful.) 
Kyle shared insights & answered our kids’ many, many questions. Want to know something amazing? Notice the drawing in the 1st spread on the easel? Turn 3 pages & notice the resemblance to Aidan once his room has been changed. These artistic choices shout distinguished & distinct to me, Caldecott committee…The warm watercolor & ink palette infuse the story with effervescent energy & anticipation, continually showing the deep love that Aidan’s family has for him, as his mom says, “When you were born, we didn’t know you were going to be our son. We made some mistakes, but you helped us fix them.” I love how Aidan corrects the gendered baby name books, which was Kaylani’s idea. There are other subtle ways that challenge the binary from the “It’s a baby” balloons to Aidan’s reaction when a stranger asks his mom the baby’s gender. This book offers subtle ways to help people, especially caregivers, think critically about raising children. My favorite spread is when Aidan is gloriously flying through the air in his dad’s arms as he & his dad paint a blue sky on the walls of the baby’s room, thinking, “He had always felt trapped in his bedroom before they fixed it, but his new sibling wouldn’t have to feel that way.” You can feel the freedom & weightlessness that comes from pure joy created by love & support. Love is at the core of this powerful book, as Aidan realizes: “Aidan knew how to love someone, & that was the most important part of being a brother.” This book will change you. It will change children’s lives, telling them how glad we are that they are here, that they are unconditionally loved for who they are. Buy this book & gift it!
[Ahhhhhhh! OMG. Kyle won the Stonewall Award for When Aidan Became a Brother! I'm still giddy with this news! I can't wait to celebrate at the Stonewall Awards at ALA in Chicago... yes, there is a pattern to this blog post: gratitude that ALA is in Chicago - and also awareness of the kinds of partying I like to do.]
If you’ve talked with me about books this year, you know that I am obsessed with NEW KID by Jerry Craft. I’ve read this book more than a dozen times this year & I discover new things each time I read it. Jordan’s story of being the new kid has sparked so many fantastic conversations. I selected New Kid as our March pick for Books & Bites, which was one of our most well attended book clubs ever, especially because we got to Skype with Jerry Craft himself! It was so wonderful to meet Jerry at ALA this summer & connect in person. We also had a youth and teen services staff book club in August about New Kid, which was an amazing learning opportunity to think about our roles as librarians serving young people & their caregivers. The scenes with the librarian & Ms. Rawle were particularly powerful to discuss & think about how they apply to our work. 
[I loved playing the Youth Media Awards press conference for our library kids and seeing their joyful reactions when they learned that New Kid won the Coretta Scott King Award & the Newbery Medal, making history as the first graphic novel to win the Newbery Medal! We were very loud in the library. Huge congratulations to Jerry Craft!! I really appreciated these School Library Journal and Publisher's Weekly articles about getting "the call." As Jerry said, "This will hopefully get new kids and new writers interested who might say, ‘I wasn’t a reader either, just like Jerry Craft, and then I read New Kid and I think I could do this and tell my own story.’ That would be amazing.”]
Vai [film]
I saw #VaiFilm on our library’s processing station and knew I had to watch it. This film is like nothing I’ve ever seen before, an extraordinary, visually stunning #OwnVoices film told in a series of 10-minute vignettes. Most stories are told in one continuous 10-minute shot, which is an incredible achievement. According to the film description, “Vai is a portmanteau feature film made by nine female Pacific filmmakers, filmed in seven different Pacific countries: Fiji, Tonga, Solomon Islands, Kuki Airani (Cook Islands), Samoa, Niue and Aotearoa (New Zealand). It is about the journey of Vai, played by a different Indigenous actress in each of the Pacific countries. In each of these Pacific nations ‘vai’ means water.” Via feels like the perfect film to bring into our classrooms and libraries that shows the impact of telling a story from the inside. I’d especially love for educators to see and share director Amberley Jo Aumura’s contribution to the film, a vignette about 21 year old New Zealand born Samoan Vai (acted by Agnes Pele) as a student at a university in Auckland, balancing her course-load while working full time and taking care of her sick father. I found each vignette to be eye-opening, provoking my curiosity to know more about each location and its history. The expert cinematography makes this film flow and weave together, with a style all its own, a perfect mentor text for film studies. Like the water and places that inspired it, it has endless depths, especially for those whose experiences it mirrors. I highly recommend suggesting your library purchase #VaiFilm and encouraging film festivals to screen it!The Avant-Guards by Carly Usdin, illustrated by Noah Hayes
Adorable, engaging, fun, and humorous, The Avant-Guards by Carly Usdin, illustrated by Noah Hayes, is a delightful comic series. Here’s the publisher’s blurb: “Welcome to the Georgia O’Keeffe College of Arts and Subtle Dramatics, an historically all-female school whose population is decidedly more drama geek than jock. Liv, aspiring actor and basketball enthusiast, doesn’t understand why she can’t be both, but she seems alone in that belief…until Charlie. Charlie is a recent transfer, a star basketball player, and the answer to all of Liv’s problems. She’ll stop at nothing to get Charlie to join the ragtag group of misfits that make up their fledgling basketball team. Carly Usdin (Heavy Vinyl) and Noah Hayes (Goldie Vance) present a touching tale about finding what you’re looking for… on and off the court.” The art style and palette is warm and welcoming. It's a likely readalike for fans of the Baby-Sitters Club, Lumberjanes, Smile, and The Crossover, who are interested a bit older fare. It's intentionally diverse and wonderfully queer. It spotlights sports and competition in radically positive ways. While it's set in college, I could see middle grade and teen readers enjoying the theater and basketball aspects, not to mention the will they/won't they potential romance between Charlie and Liv. You don’t have to be a basketball fan to enjoy this charming story - and if you do, it’s a great opening to all the other wonderful aspects of these friendships. I’m so glad that Boom will be collecting issues #5-8 of The Avant-Guards in Vol. 2, out this February. But you don’t have to wait. You can, of course, get your copy of Vol. 1 at our library, get the other issues at your local comic shop, and read all of them on Hoopla.[I'm so happy to see The Avant-Guards on YALSA's 2020 Great Graphic Novels for Teens list!]
The Last Last-Day-of-Summer by Lamar Giles
The Last Last-Day-of-Summer by Lamar Giles, with illustrations by Dapo Adeola, captures that feeling of final sips of lemonade, waning hours of long days of adventure and possibility, warmth of summer sunshine with the dappled leaves changing on the horizon. Open its pages and you’re transported to a world exuding playful joy. The Legendary Alston Boys, cousins Otto and Sheed, have spent their summer adventuring and saving the day, but they face their most formidable foe yet, time itself, when their wish to savor the last moments of freedom goes awry and they freeze time - and their entire town. Robots, time travelers, strange creatures, it’s all in a day’s work for our intrepid heroes in this magical fantasy. Also, I LOVE their rivals, the Epic Ellison Girls and I want a spin-off series with them, please. With apt comparisons to The Phantom Tollbooth, with its wordplay, humor, & memorable characters, it’s also distinct (and dare I say distinguished) all on its own. It is engaging, fun, hilarious, suspenseful, thought-provoking, mysterious & full of heart. It’s one of my favorite books to booktalk - and it’s literally never on shelf. I had to put it on hold to put it on our best books display and it will be gone again soon. Maybe I’ll see it again when summer returns.. or you can always check out our brand new Playaway audiobook of The Last Last-Day-of-Summer, perfect for winter break travel. This book is one of my favorite books of 2019 & can't wait to see what happens next for the Legendary Alston Boys! Thank you so much for checking out my Book a Day reviews! You can see the rest of them in Part II & Part III. Which books have you loved this year? Feel free to let me know in the comments.
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