Neurodiverse

After reading Tornado Brain I found out about the term neurodiverse. Now I say right out that I am not

neurodiverse.  The main character of the book, Frankie a seventh grader, is and I do know people who would fall under the term, if it is applied in the way I have seen it defined.  Saying that, I like the term, because it seems to negate the idea idea ADHD and autism aren't abnormal, they are just part of the spectrum of the diversity of human brain function.  I think that any time we stand up and say, "You aren't weird, or your way isn't the 'different' way just because it is different from my way" we are on the way to recognizing our oneness.  We are on the way to remembering that we are all created by the same Loving and All-Good Creator, the image of that Loving and All-Good Creator and therefore we are all good as well and then our job is grow in the likeness of our Loving Creator.  We must affirm our own and one another's holy personhood, our place in the collective family of God.

For me as a Christian, I follow Jesus, Love in the flesh and see the way He lived in the world and try to act as He did.  But now I am off on a tangent-- so let me get back.

When we stop saying "abnormal" when we stop "us" and "them"ing our siblings, we live are getting better.  We are growing into the likeness of the Love that made us all.  

And so for me, is a good term.  

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. 

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!

Very Cool

The third installment of The Perfect Score series, The Perfect Star was really, really good.  Again, Buyea took on important issues without it feeling forced or preachy.  Made it really real and again, the characters are really real.  Great, great series. 

Since I Fell for Buyea

I have been a loyal fan and a very happy reader (listener) when Robert Buyea comes out with a new book.  I was super glad to see a second book with the characters from The Perfect Score and I hope there is another yet to come because The Perfect Secret was another great one, with real kids in real situations.  And this one addressed very timely issues.  Now that Andrew Clements has gone to his reward, it is even more important to have writers like Buyea who can preach without preaching and develop middle school characters who speak with authenticity. 

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. 

Nic Stone!

Clean Getaway is for sure a contender for a Newbery.  I was worried that 2020 would be like last year.  I just couldn't get overly excited about much.  Probably that was me, like I said, it was a rough year, but wow, Stone has written a really different, excellent book here.  I didn't know about the Green Book.  I am embarrassed.  And I am glad that all who read this book will know about it.  The NYPL has digital copies online.  Stone is such a "real character" writer.  No easy answers, no dualistic thinking.  Excellent.

Don't They Know...

it's the end of the world?  That song always comes back to me.  The World Ends in April was quite good.  It was funny and it was real and it was the first book that didn't fall into the white default problem.  Every character was clearly described as white, black, Asian, etc.  And it wasn't clunky and it wasn't weird.  It was actually refreshing!

More than "for fans of..."

I have ranted about the "for fans of" and "for those who like" in book blurbs and I have to say this one really bugged me.  Unteachables is by Gordon Korman who has long proven to be one of the best writers for children and/or tweens and to say that "for fans of...." about one of his books just seems to reduce the book to seeming like one capitalizing on what's popular at the time. 

Not EVERYTHING

You Don't Know Everything, Jilly P.!  is a terrific book and very original, the only thing I think is a little odd is the title.  I mean it isn't a bad title, but for me the title just didn't click!  Tackles some important issues.  Just great.

Not Me!

It Wasn't Me was such a good book!  From the characters and their stories to the author's note, I appreciated all of this!  Even though I am not a fan of The Breakfast Club (simply because I am not a fan of the 80s in general) I loved it!  It will be easy to recommend to guys and gals!  I also thought it was neat that this was the second book this week that talked about restorative justice.  Something of which I was sadly and and ashamedly unaware prior to reading about it in one of Anne Lamott's books. 

OCD

It does bug me when people say, "I am OCD.," when they are just meaning that like to control things or like things to be neat.  Ever since I started struggling with my eating and I hear people say, "I wish I had a little bit of anorexia.  OCDaniel was an excellent book about a young man dealing with OCD.

Timely

Probably books like Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish are timely at any time.  It's just that "these days" (the years the locusts ate, it seems) MVDSS seems especially meaningful.  Pablo Cartaya is also the author of The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora which I absolutely loved. 

Hidden Brain

The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl was a book I understood better because of the Hidden Brain and this podcast I heard last winter.  I really, really thought that TMOFG was really well done.  One of the reviewers remarked that it has really flown under the radar and was surprised that more people hadn't read it.  I am, too.  I loved the friendships in this book.  I loved them.  And I highly recommend it!

REALLY good!

Middle grade fiction is SO good!  You Go First is SO good!  Erin Entrada Kelly won the Newbery for Hello, Universe which I really liked a lot, but I loved this one more!  Very realistic and heart-felt.  Great characters.  The article in the NY Times is what pointed me to it.  Good article.   I wasn't too excited about HU winning the Newbery.  I think last year there were so many better books, even though it was good.  But I am going to keep reading Kelly's books because this one was even better! 

Too Much Mean to Be Redeemed

Invisible Emmie was just not a good fit for me.   Even the ending could not redeem it for me but I do think it made it a little better.  A little.  I can see why this would be popular, maybe, but I also think it would be off-putting, at least to dorks like me, who were/are the kids that Emmie criticizes endlessly.  I definitely think that David Levithan would like it because there is a lot of subtle fat-shaming!  It might be too subtle for him though...but for me, the thing that bothered me most was the rip on people with a disability.  I know, I know, pain in is pain out.  And no one can measure anyone else's pain and it isn't fair to compare someone's pain to another person's pain.  But wow, I mean, for the amount of pain in that Emmie expresses, she sure does give a lotta pain out! 

I Wonder

what the stats are on series that make it all the way to 12, like DOAWK and haven't lost any of their magic.  This has to be a record.  The Getaway is great. 

Book By Its Cover

So many graphic novels have fabulous covers.  I mean, art is their thing, right?  So when I was at a middle school READATHON and I wanted to read a book instead of listen and this was sitting on the shelf in the middle school library, I grabbed this baby up!  All's Faire in Middle School has a great cover.  And Roller Girl was a great book so I was excited to get a chance to read this.  

This one didn't do it for me like RG did, though and that was through no fault of the book.  It was the whole Renaissance Fair aspect.  Renaissance Fairs are REALLY not my thing.  I think it might be because of the commercials that were played ENDLESSLY with some singer singing, "The Renaissance Festival is back in time!" And then there was the festival itself which I went to at a particularly hard time in my life with some people who were REALLY into it and even made their own costumes.  Good for them, man!  I mean if a Ren-Fest, as the kids call them, is something you enjoy, then great!  But it was NOT something I enjoyed.  At all.  So I probably should have paid more attention to  the fact that AFIMS was going to be all about a Ren-Fest.  So it wasn't a favorite of mine!  But I did appreciate the  clever way the "now" was woven in the "ren" part and I did appreciate the art, for sure.  It is really well drawn!  And middle school...well, while it might have been "faire" it really isn't fair at all.  So there is a lot of good in this book and I can and have and will continue now to recommend it, as long as someone doesn't mind the Ren Fest Factor!

Not Terrible, but...

The third installment of The Terrible Two, The Terrible Two Go Wild, was pretty clever.  There is no doubt that these guys are funny writers.  The only thing is that every adult in the book is a complete idiot!  I mean, I have to say that I find the principal to be a sympathetic character and I like the characters enough that I want to see how this develops and I do care!  And I am not ripping on how adults are portrayed because of any moralistic high-ground here, it's just that it doesn't seem realistic.  I mean, I hope that there is at least ONE half-way-non-idiot adult in the lives of these kids!  On the other hand, didn't all of the adults in Charlie Brown have a seriously hard time communicating?  So it happens!  Still I can recommend this series!