Bees

A lot of people are afraid of bees.  I get it.  I have been stung by a bee.  I have also been stung by a yellowjacket and a wasp and many, those guys hurt a LOT worse than a bee!  But still, getting stung is not fun.  It is super painful.  At first it doesn't seem SO bad but then whoa...whoa...it hurts more after a few seconds!  A LOT more! 
Anyway, The Queen Bee and Me is a story that shows that people can hurt each other a lot more than a bee or a yellow jacket or a wasp and a hornet.  Well, actually yellowjackets and hornets are wasps (I didn't know this until today!), but you know what I mean!   I think, anyway.  Relationships can be painful.  Especially among middle schoolers.  I really loved this book.  It was so well done, right to the end. 

It's Not that Easy

Do you remember this song?  Man...that was a good one...Here in the Real World was an even better book.  Ah...the characters were so well crafted and the whole thing...just so well done.  I loved this one.  Endearing, without being shmaltzy.

A Grimes Book is ALWAYS a Perfect Choice

Gravey's Choice is a beautiful book. And as my post title says, any book from Nikki Grimes.  This brilliant work, written in tanka  addresses young Garey (named for Marcus Garvey and I think it is cool that it is brought up in the book because I don't know if kids learn about Garvey in school) is coming of age, deciding who he is and how to be who he is in light of who is dad is, who is mom is, who his friends are.  Fantastic book. 

The Guy

with whom I pastor has a daughter who did her undergrad at Greenville University in Greenville, IL where The Best at It is set.  She then went on to Princeton Theological Seminary and is now an ordained American Baptist pastor, serving as chaplain at the Vandalia Correctional Facility.  You can read a cool interview with her here.
Thing is, Erika is 18 years younger than I am.  I was the Associate Pastor at the church in which she was raised.  I don't know what kind of impact I had on her life, but I can tell you she has made a huge impact on mine.
First of all, when she was going through the process of being ordained, she was firm in her commitment to our siblings in Christ who are members of the LBGTQ community.  She fought for her right to say proudly and with assurance that gay people are no different from straight people when it comes to being children of God and therefore their rights, marriage and otherwise, she upholds and affirms.  In this corner of the world, there are still people who don't seem to get this.  And there was push back, but Erika stood firm.
I did not.  Back when I was ordained in the mid-90s, I stood before my ordination council and said what they wanted to hear, not what I really believed and not what is true in God's eyes.  I was asked if marriage should only be between a man and a woman.  And I said yes.  How wrong I was and how I regret that.  But here was Erika, probably the same age that I was (mid to late 20s) and standing proudly for with God on her side, promoting God's word, not the word of the world.  Proclaiming love, not the hate and fear and ignorance of people who are still struggling to hear the loving, inclusive word of God.
On Sunday I was preaching at a nursing home in the South Hills of Pittsburgh and her mom and her grandmother (who is a resident there) were in attendance.  I was honored to be able to tell Erika's grandmother what an example the Rev. Erika Spring is to me.
Oh I do go on, don't I?
Let me get back to the book, and thank you for letting me share about one of my heroes in the faith!
The Best at It is a beautiful story about young Indian-American boy coming of age and discovering that he is gay.  The book isn't just a preachy "this is a story about a gay kid" kinda book, the characters are real and racism is addressed and bullying and all that kids and we deal with in the world.
Funny in places and it will make you laugh and cry. I highly recommend The Best at It.  The author, Maulik Pancholy can certainly say that he is doing what he loves and we readers are all the better for it!

Happiness is

I remember this little Peanuts book that we had at our house when I was little. I loved that book!  It was one of the first books I read on my own!  The Other Half of Happy by Rebecca Balcárcel is just outstanding.  Finding a book like this is happiness.  Just. Excellent. 

This is a book

that makes me want to jump and shout!  Ivy Aberdeen's Letter to the World was just awesome.  Just awesome.
Ivy is a fantastic character, and so is June.  Although I did keep thinking of Faith, Hope and Ivy June every time I heard their names! 
Just so good.  So good.  I loved Ivy's best friend, too.  This book is one of the best books I have ever read about LBGTQ issues, but it is WAY more than that because it is just one of the best books I have ever read for middle grades on any topic, with any kind of characters.  Ashley Herring Blake has that way of just getting into the young mind/character, etc. like Andrew Clements, she just puts you THERE.  So good highly recommended and so NOT predictable and more of the same old same old. 

Sometimes

I think that I am far too old to connect with someone far younger than I.  The main character of Red Polka Dot in a World Full of Plaid just seems SO young to me that I didn't enjoy this book as much as I might have.  I can't say if this is a fair reading of the book, though.  I expected Maxine to have more understanding, a greater sense of the people around her and herself, but then I think, what do I know about being 18 anymore?  And could it be that other, more mature 18 year old book characters are simply TOO old.  I have criticized books before for having teen characters who have all of the right answers and can spout poetry, so why did Maxine's innocence bother me so much?
I like RPDIAWFOP's look at faith, though.  That was well done.  So I could recommend this, but I would like to see what real 18 year olds think about it.
I loved Varian Johnson's The Parker Inheritance, it was one of the best books I read last year and and will keep reading him.  I am just curios as to what others thought about the thoughts and feelings and actions of Maxine and how "real" they were.

Really Something

I didn't have SUPER GREAT expectations for Nate Expectations. I had decent expectations.  I did enjoy the first two.  Especially the first one, but the second one not as much.  So I figured the third would be as good or maybe even a little less good than the second one, but I was so wrong.  I really, really loved NE.  Very much!  Start with the first one, but the whole series is a keeper! 

Prejudice

I had to acknowledge my bias before I read The Diary of a Hounslow Girl.  As I have stated many times, I am NOT a fan of off-putting Briticisms or what I perceive to be arrogance on the part of the British in general.  But this was worth reading despite of all of that, so I am glad that I gave it a chance.  I am so glad that I did.  Ambreen Razia has written a one-woman drama and wow, this is really, really good.  Very insightful and eye-opening and compelling.  No matter where it is set!  Haha!  I mean, I know it's setting is important, it's just that I was able to learn from it and enjoy it even though I am NOT a fan of the UK!  But I am working on it.

Aurora

I really didn't like Aurora.  At all!  Not one tiny bit!  I felt that her attitude was just terrible!  I mean, man, she just bugged me the whole time.  The only thing is, I loved So B. It and I love Sarah Weeks and I love this story so I couldn't give this less than five stars, but man...I would NEVER want to meet Aurora!  Haha!  Well...now that I look at the cover...and what it all means...and yeah...okay...Aurora, I do like you.  Soof. 

Maybe I just wasn't in the mood

for a love story.   This wasn't chick-lit, no.  It was more than that, deeper, better written and more interesting.  It WAS good.  It was just that it maybe was a little bit predictable?  But predictable books need to be written, too and this was very well written.  Maybe it hit a little too close to home for me?  Maybe that was it.  The Seven Torments of Amy and Craig has me wondering about the title.  Were there really seven torments for Amy?  It seemed like Craig was the one tormented!  But yes, I suppose I must be fair...Amy was tormented, too.  Just not in the same way.  I read the book because it was set in Janesville, where I have stayed twice!  And I ate a pretty good Mexican meal, there, too, back when I ate!  Don't worry, Mr. Levithan!  I don't eat Mexican food now!

When I was back in seminary school

there was a professor who really didn't like a lot of people.  I know he loved God, but God's people?  Not so much.  His last name was Sunquist, which stuck in my head as I was listening to We Should Hang Out Sometime because the author has a similar last name and came from the same kind of theological place that Dr. Sunquist did.  Josh Sundquist is the author of WSHOS and this book is QUITE funny.  It is memoir, dealing with Sundquist's adventures in unsuccessful dating.  I really enjoyed this! 

The G Word

Pride deals with the G Word.  And you know I HATE the G Word (check out an alternative!)so I was very interested in the book right way.  This was written by Zoboi, who also wrote American Street which I LOVED and so that made me interested in the book, too.  What didn't interest me, but didn't impact my love for the book was that this is a take on Pride and Prejudice, which I still haven't read and won't ever read.  Great book though! 

Something Else

Darius the Great Is Not Okay was a truly 5 star book.  I do think that this has great Printz potential.  Really, really good at showing insight into the Persian culture and Iran and how much alike we all are, no matter where we live or our DNA or our sexual preference or anything at all.  I loved this book.  This is the first book from Adib Khorram and already I can't wait for the next one.  I also learned a lot about tea!

Lucky Me

The Thing about Luck is a new book from the amazing Cynthia Kadohata.  I loved this book for a lot of reasons.  I loved that it taught me a LOT.  I had no idea about the lives and jobs of those who follow the harvest through the midwest and harvest wheat.  That is just one company of many.  And also I thought the book was really subtle and gentle, yet things happened and it was interesting and just so well written and nuanced.  There was so much in here about intergenerational relationships and cultural differences and brothers and sisters and exceptional needs.  This was just really, really good, you know?  Highly recommended! 

Meh

Girl in Snow looked so good.  I kept waiting for it to get better, but by the time I was halfway through the book, I realized it wasn't going to get better.   I had to read it from the end to the middle, just to get through.  Probably should have broken up with it, but I had come so far.  All of the characters were so unlikable and uninteresting to me.  Blah. 

Just so well done

Rain is Not My Indian Name is a book I can highly, highly recommend for so many reasons.  It made me wonder why I have not read more from Cynthia Leitich Smith. One of places I always check when I read about with Native American characters is this site.  I was so pleased to see that this book is

Another Good One

Saving Montgomery Soul was good.  What I really loved about it was it is another example (and I am SO excited to see that there are more and more of these out there) where we hear from Christians who know that Jesus doesn't care WHO we love, He just wants us to LOVE. 
Yes, there are people who call themselves Christians like the Rev. White who chose to not follow Jesus on this issue.  And for them, we pray and pray and pray and pray.  Thank you, Mariko Tamaki, whatever your faith may or may not be, for not taking the easy, cheesy and unformed way out and making all "Christians" right-wing bigots who choose to follow someone other than Jesus Christ on this very important issue. 

The Title Gets it Right

For Everyone by Jason Reynolds is, indeed, for everyone.  However, I think that every Jason Reynolds book I have read should be read by everyone.  That's just how good Reynolds is.  The thing is, this is the time of year when people buy all kinds of gift books.  You know the type, those little mini books with a word or picture on each page, that people mean well by giving and are usually an add on, impulse buy at a book or card store.  And then there is Oh, the Places You'll Go!  I feel bad mentioning that because Dr. Seuss was such a nice dude. 
But this is the PERFECT gift for a graduate.  Or a non-graduate or anyone.  What a fantastic, fantastic, thoughtful and powerful, meaningful book. 

I Have No Idea

How I chose to read Setting Free the Kites, but wow, I am so glad that I did. 
Do I overuse the word "wow?"
Probably.
But wow.
What a really good book.  Alex George is a new-to-me author and I need to read more from him. 
I loved this quote, described as an "old Irish rhyme:"
"Death leaves a heartache no one can heal.  Love leaves a memory, no one can steal."
I don't want to say too much, don't want to spoil.  But man, read this.  Excellent.