Pretty Awesome!

In the Role of Brie Hutchens was not only great because our hero Brie watches All My Children (reruns, the book the set in current times, I am pretty sure) and she uses Bianca's coming out to Erica as an audition monologue, it is SO real and so faith-based and just lovely.  And real and fresh.

The List of Authors Everyone Loves

Rebecca Stead is on that list!  The List of Things that Will Not Change is her latest.  And I did like it.  But for some reason I just can't really get into Stead.  I loved the love.  I heart-broken about Mission.  I thought the relationship between the two main character and her soon to be sister was very real.  I just thought the whole cousin thing wasn't needed.  I am not sure why it just seemed so out of place for me.  But the big secret surrounding Bea and her cousin...it just didn't fit for me and really did a lot of take away from my experience with the book.  

No More Divisions

Efrén Divided was an excellent book that reminds all of us, especially those who are attempting to follow Christ, we are all one.  People matter.  When we put a name and face on those we might otherwise simply call "undocumented" or even, "illegal" it makes a difference.

Stand Up!

Jessica Kim wrote Stand Up, Yumi Chung! and I don't know if she has done stand up, but man she nailed it!  The whole "why" and the nervousness and the exhilaration.  I really appreciated learning more about Yumi's experience as a Korean-American, too.  And I love the grace that was demonstrated in Jasmine's reaction- especially since, while I know that Yumi should have said something right away,  Jasmine just to assumed that Yumi was Kay because she was Asian and well that was hopefully a teachable moment for Jasmine, too!
Great great book!

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. 

Tristan is STRONG

Strong character, strong series, strong everything!  Tristan Strong Punches a Hole is the Sky is one of those books that I am so glad to have read, but now mad that I didn't wait until the second and third and fourth were published because I want more!  I will have to wait until October, sad to say! 
This is part of a Rick Riodan Presents which I think is a pretty cool venture!
I haven't read any other books from the RRP imprint, but man, Kwame Mbalia has written a book that spins together today's world and myths that I found fascinating and funny and smart.  I don't know if I ever will get into the genre, I enjoyed the first Percy Jackson book but never read further even though I know they were well loved and probably are awesome but they are just so not for me. 
Mbalia's writing, the voice of Tristan and the supporting characters, um who couldn't love Gum Baby and John Henry and man...I have to admit it...I have to...I even dig Anansi!  I laughed a lot through this book but it also holds many universal truths, like myths do.  October can't get here fast enough.
And man, man I hope this becomes a MOVIE!!!!

And Now for Something Completely Different

Left Out is totally different from Serafina.  But I loved it just as much.   I love Tim Green.  I really do.  I had a lot of questions while reading this.  There were just a couple of things that made me wonder.  It got me thinking a lot about the cochlear implant that Landon has and the varied ways in which the implant is viewed by members of the deaf community.  I know that the book would have been way too long to go into all of that, but it did get me thinking about it.  Also Landon use any form of sign language (though I did get a little hint, but maybe I was reading into it, that his dad and he probably would have used it if the mom wasn't so set on not using it.)
I looked around a little and found that members of the CI community really praised the book, just wondered what others in the D/deaf community think. 

Serafinas

There are a couple of books about a gal named Serafina.  The one I read for work was Serafina and the Black Cloak.  It's the first in a series.  There's also a Dragon Born Serafina.  I didn't read any in that series.  And then there is this Serafina.  And I haven't read any of those.
For a few years now I have been told by friends, "Have you read Serafina? It is so good!  You have to read it!" and these friends are friends who read YA and Children's lit and so now I have no idea if they meant any of these Serafinas or another Serafina altogether. 
All I can say is, I really liked Serafina and the Black Cloak.  I loved the Vanderbilt stuff, I loved the animal stuff, I loved the whole temptation of the Black Cloak and the question that Serafina asked herself.  She was wondering if she was "good" or "bad" and did the "bad" people even know that they were doing bad things, did all "bad" people think they were doing "good."
Anyway, I will read the next one!