Tag: fiction

Punching the Air

~ rachelbenzine ~ Leave a comment

Plot:

Amal is an artist, a poet, a sensitive soul trapped by his circumstances. He was convicted of a crime he didn’t commit, and now he’s been sentenced to prison. In gorgeous verse, Punching the Air explores the harsh realities of mass incarceration, the school-to-prison pipeline, and the intersection of race and justice. Yusef Salaam, one of the coauthors, is a member of the Exonerated Five (formally known as the Central Park Five); he and Ibi Zoboi draws on his memories of being a falsely convicted teen to paint a beautiful, heart-rending picture of hope amidst tragedy.

What I loved most:

This book focuses on Amal’s time in prison. There are some flash backs to his life in school, and the night of the incident that landed him in prison, but it’s specifically a book about a teen being incarcerated. I recently heard the authors give the opening keynote at SLJTeen Live, and they mentioned that they are working with their publishers to get copies of this book into the hands of incarcerated teens. I love when authors and publishers are willing to do what’s right – in this case, that they are ensuring that the book will be accessible to the very population who will see themselves reflected in its content.

Another cool thing: the pages of this book are art. Not only is this story written in verse (an art in and of itself), but there are graphic elements on many of the pages. I read the story in an Advanced Readers’ Copy (thanks, Balzer + Bray!), so I’m sure the design will be a little different in the final book. However, the gorgeous layout added so much to the story.

Things to be aware of:

There is a decent amount of swearing in this book, as well as violent content.

Read this book if you like:

Novels in verse, criminal justice reform, artistic expression, books inspired by a true story

Book details:

  • Author: Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam
  • Publisher: Balzer + Bray
  • Date of Publication: September 1, 2020
  • Age Recommendation: High school students
  • Look up Punching the Air on Worldcat to find it at a library near you!

Welcome to Unicorn School

~ rachelbenzine ~ 1 Comment

Plot:

Mira is so pumped for her first time at Unicorn School. Her older sister has gone for the last two summers, and it’s finally Mira’s turn! She’ll get paired with her own unicorn, and they’ll go on magical quests and earn medals and probably be best friends. This is going to be great! But then, on her first day, she gets paired with Dave. Dave is small, and rotund, and falls asleep in class, and doesn’t seem anything like the unicorn best friend that Mira has dreamed of. Welcome to Unicorn School is full of unicorns, glitter, and fart jokes… what more could you ask for? This is absolutely going to be a hit with all of the kids I know. 

What I loved most:

There’s such awesome diversity in this book. Mira is a person of color, as is her new friend, Raheem. Her other friend, Darcy, uses a wheelchair, and her inclusion in all of their activities is natural and presented as the norm. I love when books exhibit diversity as something to be expected, especially in stories for younger kids. 

Read this book if you like:

Like I said above… unicorns, glitter, and fart jokes (so basically the trifecta for elementary kids). Also read if you like laughing, adventures, summer camps, and donuts. 

Book details:

K-Pop Confidential

~ rachelbenzine ~ Leave a comment

Plot:

Candace has always kept her appreciation for K-Pop music on the down low. It seems like way too much for the Korean-American girl to also be into K-Pop. But when she finds out that one of the biggest labels in K-Pop is holding open auditions for the next big girl group in her home state of New Jersey, she takes the jump and decides to audition. She never actually thought she’d make the cut… but then she’s chosen to head to the label’s headquarter’s in Seoul for a training program. Will she be able to rise above the strained social dynamics between her potential group mates, the prohibition on dating, and the intensity of the K-Pop stans to become the next big K-Pop star? 

What I loved most:

This is literally a book that I opened with the intention of reading the first chapter or two before moving on to productive activities in my life… and before I knew it, I was halfway through. I just could not put it down! Books about singers/actors/famous people in the entertainment industry are my non-guilty pleasure (#sorrynotsorry), and I loved following Candace’s journey from standard American high school student to trainee in this super hard core program. I’m also here for any books about identity formation, and watching Candace reconcile who the label wants her to be with who she is on the inside is such a beautiful journey. Other bonus: this is an #OwnVoices book, which I’m always pumped about.

Things to be aware of:

Candace (and the rest of the trainees) are placed on a crazy-strict diet by the label. There’s a lot of problematic body expectations that are placed on all of the trainees, which I do think are an accurate depiction of the way that the entertainment industry treats people. It could be triggering/hard to read for people who have struggled with an eating disorder. 

Read this book if you like:

Books that suck you in right away, K-pop (obvi), the entertainment industry, following your dreams, I’ll Be the One by Lyla Lee, summer reads

Book details:

  • Author: Stephan Lee
  • Publisher: Point
  • Date of Publication: September 15, 2020
  • Age Recommendation: High school students and young adults
  • Look up K-Pop Confidential on Worldcat to find it at a library near you!