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.

What a book...

What a beautiful meditation.  What a gift Jesmyn Ward is to the world.  Navigate Your Stars is a must-read for any graduate or soon to be graduate or someone who is breathing.  This book is inspirational for everyone.  EVERYONE.
I felt especially blessed to have listened to it because she reads it.  Just read or listen to this book right now.  It is the commencement speech that Ward gave to the students at Tulane and I bet they never will forget it.  I know I won't. 

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.

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. 

Morning with Gayle

I had heard about Gayle King because she is Oprah's best friend, but I knew she was more than just Oprah's best friend, but I never really knew how awesome she was until I started watching CBS This Morning.  For that reason I was so happy to read Notes to Self:  Inspiring Figures Write to the Young People They Once Were.   I had thought that it was a book written by Ms. King about her own life, so at first I was a little bummed that I wouldn't learn more about King from it, but wow, she really picked the heavy hitters here!  Maya Angelou, Joe Biden for example.  And there's also Jane Fonda!  Along with some people I didn't know, but each one had really inspiring stories and wonderful things to say.  It was great listening to the book because each person read their own story! 

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.

Countdown

Four Three Two One really grabbed me right away and it kept me most of the way, but I feel like the editor just really didn't do this book justice.  I really would and will recommend this book but will be honest that I did think it was a little too long in some places.  But I will do so by way of encouraging them to stick with it.  Because I do think this is a really good book.  With a good message, too about different POVs and about forgiveness and healing. 

A Sweet Story about Death

Yes, Have a Nice Day is about death!  But it's not a downer.  I swear.  It's one of those audible originals and it narrated so well!  It stars Annette Bening, I LOVE her!  And Kevin Kline and Billy Crystal.  Kevin Kline is the President of the US (again!) and Ms. Bening is the First Lady.  All of them are just excellent and it really does make one think, "What would you do, if today were your last day on earth?"

Someday David Levithan Will Like Me!

When I get down to 105 lbs., maybe?  Maybe?  Or 100?  Not sure!  Someday is the third in the Every Day series.
The thing about this book is that given my history with Levithan, I feel like when I give one of his books a bad review it is because of my personal feelings instead of the book.  But honestly, I have enjoyed so many of his books.  I guess that is why it bothers me that he hates fat people.  The thing with this book is that it just isn't good.  I mean, at least for me.  It was rambling and I don't know...it just didn't cut it for me.  I do expect a lot from him because he is a great writer and so many of his books are just heart tugging and inspiring.  But not this one. 

Different and Good!

Archer's Quest by Linda Sue Park was a very good read and one that I will recommend for sure.  I like magical realism and it works really well here.  I liked learning about Korean mythology for the first time ever.  The story is about a normal kid from Upstate NY who happens to meet Chumong, a dude from Korean Mythology. 

Who am I?

Louisiana's Way Home is about self-discovery and finding home.  And man, Kate DiCamillo can write from and for the heart, can't she?  The character of Louisiana Elephante was introduced in Raymie Nightingale which was just another incredible book.  A sweet and powerful story. 

Sports

Chris Crutcher has that gift of making books about sports into books not really about sports, but for those who love sports, it has that way of making them insta-likeable.  That is probably the case for Loser's Bracket.  I just didn't like Annie enough to LOVE the book.  But I still gave it 5 stars, I actually changed it from 4 to 5 because I realized that Annie is such a real and well-written character, you know? I will recommend it to guys and gals and lovers of basketball and lovers of just really good, coming of age, self-discovery realistic fiction.  What makes a family?  What does forgiveness look like?  What does acceptance look like?  What does love look like?  Love comes in so many forms.  We have love people as individuals, you know?  People require different kinds of love.  This book would be a great book discussion book, I think. 

The Jigsaw Jungle was wonderful.  I was so excited to see another book from Kristin Levine who wrote the exceptional The Paper Cowboy and one of my all time most favorite books The Lions of Little Rock.  This new book is just incredible.  It is really is.  This is the best book I have read so far this year.  What an important and, as far as I know, less talked about subject.  I don't want to give any of it away, but wow.  This is just such a book that everyone should read even if they aren't experiencing this.

Sweet Story

Siobhan Vivian is coming to my neighborhood!  And I am so glad I just finished Stay Sweet! One of the things I really loved about SS was that the teens in this book actually act and think like regular people, not poets or people who understand everything and know exactly what to say at exactly the right time.
I won't call out any specific authors, but have you ever read a book in which a character always has the most insightful thing to say in any situation?  And they are also able to quote a 14th century mystic to back it up their position?
In SS the main character experiences the death of someone.  Her best friend says things like "Don't cry!"  "It will be okay!'  "Everything happens for a reason!" and behaves like a REAL person! 
Or maybe just like I do.  Because I don't always have the right words.  And I know that I have asked people not to cry, when they had every right to do so.  So I appreciate that Vivian shows characters who make the same mistakes. 

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. 

Pudgy

Lot of remarks about pudginess!  Oh David Levithan, we are all trying to be the right size!
This was terrible.  Not just because of that but I found the characters to be so uninteresting or awful.  Just really, really bad.  Sam and Ilsa's Las Hurrah might be my last hurrah for Karl Lagerf- I mean, David Levithan.  I have enjoyed Rachel Cohn's books so much in the past it is hard for me to believe she had anything to do with this book.

Iran

The Authentics was good.  Many thanks to Americanized again because now I do understand the Shah and recent Iranian history and all of that, much more.  So it was made it easier to get into the book.  The main character, Daria has a unique heritage but also her questions and feelings are universal.  Belonging, family, that kind of thing.  Good stuff. 

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! 

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!