Tag: wndb

Amari and the Night Brothers

~ rachelbenzine ~ Leave a comment

Plot:

Amari’s big brother, Quinton, was always her guide and her protector. He’s been missing for months, and Amari doesn’t understand why people are giving up on him. She’s determined to keep searching. She never expected to receive a magical briefcase that Quinton left for her eyes only… and she definitely never expected to find out that werewolves and mermaids and magic are real. Amari and the Night Brothers is a super fun, immersive world that middle school kids will love sinking their teeth into.

What I loved most:

One of my favorite series is The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis – the name of this blog is pulled from a line in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. I feel like every kid loves reading stories where a normal kid (like them) finds out that magic is real, and gets pulled into this mysterious new world without the limitations we have in our current world. Plus, I’m HERE for #OwnVoices books, strong female protagonists, and teaching kids not to accept the constraints placed on them by society, so this book gets a solid 5 out of 5 stars from me.

Read this book if you like:

The Chronicles of Narnia series, the Harry Potter series, strong female protagonists

Book details:

  • Author: B. B. Alston
  • Publisher: Balzar + Bray
  • Date of Publication: January 19, 2021
  • Interest Level: 5th – 8th graders

From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry

~ rachelbenzine ~ Leave a comment

Plot:

In 1982, a Chinese American man named Vincent Chen was beaten to death by two white men. Off-duty police officers witnessed the murder. The men pled guilty to manslaughter, had to pay a $3,000 fine, were placed on probation for three years, and served no jail time. From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry is the story of how this terrible tragedy sparked the Asian American movement. I listened to the audiobook, and would highly recommend it in this format.

What I loved most:

Y’all, there’s just so much history that I don’t know about. I’ve been trying to intentionally expand my knowledge base over the last few years, and I have so much to learn. Paula Yoo did a great job in From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry of not only discussing the murder of Vincent Chen, but giving the bigger picture of the general culture at the time. Especially with the rise in hate crimes against Asian American people over the last year… this is a crucial read. Check it out.

Read this book if you like:

Know My Name by Chanel Miller, social justice, #BlackLivesMatter, narrative nonfiction

Book details:

  • Author: Paula Yoo
  • Publisher: Norton Young Readers
  • Date of Publication: April 20, 2021
  • Interest Level: High school students – Adults

Hard Truth

~ rachelbenzine ~ Leave a comment

Plot:

Dr. Lynda Ince-Greenaway was born in Barbados. Her father died when she was young; her mother migrated to England in hopes of creating a better life for her family. Lynda was able to join her eventually, fell in love, and got married. Her husband died just shortly before the birth of their son. She was a single parent, determined to make it through. Hard Truths is a reflection on grief and persistence and overcoming adversity and God’s faithfulness. It shares her story of prevailing over all of the obstacles she’s faced in her life, culminating in her son’s success in the medical field, her own successful attainment of a PhD, and a life lived in service to other people.

What I loved most:

Being vulnerable is one of the hardest things of all time to do. Yet being vulnerable, showing who you are and what you’ve been through, is the only way to form real connections. Ince-Greenway models vulnerability beautifully in this book. She never shies away from being honest about her trauma, her losses, what she’s been through – and this is what allowed her to grow.

As I live in my truth, I am able to take one step at a time and it gives me the confidence to keep moving forward with the intention of increasing my capacity to cope with adversity located in the past and the present. Knowing where I am coming from, remembering my roots and hot hiding the truth has been a powerful way to overcome adversity. As I accepted truth as it stood, I was able to accept the negatives and with time, grew out of them.

Hard Truths, page 164

Read this book if you like:

Pulling yourself up by the bootstraps, processing trauma, social work, reflecting on values

Book details:

  • Author: Lynda Ince-Greenway
  • Publisher: Balboa Press
  • Date of Publication:July 27, 2017
  • Interest Level: Adult

I received a free copy of this book from the author, but all the thoughts in this review are my own. I only write about books I enjoy, and was not financially compensated for this post.