Tag: wndb

Grown

~ rachelbenzine ~ Leave a comment

Plot:

Then… Enchanted Jones is a high school student who dreams of being a singer. When super-famous R&B artist Korey Fields takes notice of her at an audition, she can’t believe her luck. Korey gives her his number, but tells her to keep it on the down low.

Now… Enchanted wakes up with blood on her hands, and Korey is dead.

Grown is a riveting thriller that touches on power dynamics, racial identity, and our culture’s determination not to believe girls and women.

What I loved most:

Tiffany D. Jackson is an astounding writer. I love her books, and I tend to burn through them quickly – she writes the kind of stories that are next to impossible to put down. She depicts the cycle of abuse in such an engaging way, juxtaposing Korey’s violence in one minute with his sweetness in another. Honestly though, one of my favorite parts of this book was the inclusion of the text chain between a group of people that Enchanted hangs out with. Their reactions line up so well with how our culture tends to respond to accusations of sexual assault.

Things to be aware of:

With all of the aforementioned love for this book that I already stated… Grown is being marketed as a YA book, and I would not recommend it for (most) high school students. There’s extremely mature content in this book – sexual and physical violence are intrinsic to the story. The protagonist is still in high school when the narrative starts, and these are absolutely issues that are real for many high school students. However, I would exercise caution before handing this to a kid in high school.

Read this book if you like:

Mysteries, the entertainment industry, the #MeToo movement, calling out abuses of power

Book details:

  • Author: Tiffany D. Jackson
  • Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
  • Date of Publication: September 15, 2020
  • Age Recommendation: College Students to Adults
  • Look up Grown on Worldcat to find it at a library near you!

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: