When Grandmama Sings by Margaree King Mitchell

I called my grandmother Grandmama.

I rarely see that name written that way, so of course, right away I was caught by that title. I saw my grandmother, imagined what made her "sing." Looked at some of the paintings we have around the house and a couple of photos of the last few times I sat with her before she died. Since my mother's mother died long before I met her, this is the only "grandmother" I have ever had. It was a sweet relationship, one that matured as I did. Who knows: maybe she was waiting for me to grow up a little? I don't know; I just know this title sent me on a memory trip I really enjoyed.

The story itself was far different than my own stories of time with my grandmother. Belle, the young girl, goes traveling with her grandmother around the segregated South while her grandmother sings for churches and concerts. Racism was alive and well then, and the storyline addresses some of the challenges the grandmama and band experienced during their tour. The power of song outweighs the insidious judgment of the racist folks they encounter, and throughout the story, the band meets up with plenty of people willing to look beyond their own hatred.

I am not sure how close to a true story this story is, but it sure seems possible. I enjoyed the read and would definitely use it with kindergartners and primary students. The illustrations are just as engaging as the story. Score another one for our library: they led me to another terrific read in When Grandmama Sings.

***Side note: I am still in the midst of inviting Alysa to think a little differently about this blog. She is mid-way through an entry and hopefully we will see it posted in the next couple of days. Fingers crossed!!

Kindred Souls by Patricia MacLachlan

You know those books that you read in one sitting, that you just can't put down, that hook you from several levels inside of yourself? This was one of those books for me.

Written from the voice of a young boy who loves his grandfather more than anything, we travel through the days and nights of Jake. Jake will do anything for and with his grandfather. When his grandfather starts talking about wanting to rebuild the sod house that used to be on the farm property where they all live, Jake considers it. But then the grandfather Billy gets sick and has to go to the hospital, the story takes a deeper turn into what we do for people whom we dearly love: we try to create ways to keep them around and alive. So Jake and his family build the sod house while Billy is in the hospital, and the hope for living looms large. I don't want to stop you from reading this terrific book, so I will not tell the ending. I feel certain that you will want to finish it for yourself.

The decision to make this book a children's book stunned me. The font is large and the paragraphs short, meaning it is written for someone newer to reading. It is common for books of readers this age and experience to hold a watered-down feel, a softening of the blows of life. Not in Kindred Souls. MacLachlan holds such great respect for her readers that she crafted this book in a way that they would know how important they are to her, how wise and thoughtful. Really. Read it and see what you think. I find it masterful. Brilliant.

Freedom Song by Sally M. Walker

Look what I found at the library yesterday! I stumbled across this gem in the children's section. Did I mention somewhere in this blog how much I love, love, love our Multnomah County Library system? Amazing....and here they are, offering me another book I had never heard of AND obviously needed to. The illustrations rock. The storyline astounds. Simple yet massively complex, quiet yet heart-pounding, this book made me stop and sit down in the library floor and read it. Seriously.

Freedom Song: The Story of Henry "Box" Brown is based on a true story. Slave Henry carries a song inside always. His song gets far quieter when his wife and children are sold. To survive his loss, he decides to try a gigantic risk, one that changes his name and life forever. This was a surprising story to me, and the documentation at the end of the book stunned me.

Looking for a picture book that sets accusations that picture books are for children only on its side or a historical fiction book that is sure to surprise? Look no further: this one is a keeper.

Room by Emma Donoghue and a side note...

Room has gotten pretty solid reviews over the last year and a half of so since being published. Seriously this was a tough read for me; the subject is grim and so realistic, so imaginable, I had a hard time allowing myself to keep reading. In fact, I started it last summer and then stopped, believing I wasn't ready to make sense of it all. I am glad I returned to it.

Donoghue frames the story around a mother and her five-year-old boy and the Room they are forced to live in. The boy had never been outside of Room, the mother held captive by a pyschopath for seven years and forced into motherhood. Like I said, grim. But the mom figures out how to get them both out and start their lives over, a powerful, compelling complement to an otherwise gruesome story. I am glad I returned to this story, and I can totally understand why the reviews for the book are stellar. Donoghue has a keeper here; just be ready for a rich, dense, emotionally- challenging read.

On a side note, reader: I wonder if you all have been noticing how often I post and how infrequently Alysa posts. As an educator completely immersed in literacy, I am somewhat familiar with the research that points to high- school students not reading for fun and at home and all. I am perplexed about what makes Alysa hesitate to write here for this blog. Is she just too busy? Is the format of this blog unexciting now? Would a format with more pictures and media variety be more interesting? I honestly don't know, but I have been thinking about it for a while now. Just know that I am exploring what she would say she needs to become more active again here. I know she is reading for pleasure, something seems to stop her before she brings her interpretations to this page.  I will keep you posted as I search forward of what she needs, what might invite her here again, and what we have to change to help her continue to share her wisdom with a wider audience.

Flyaway by Lucy Christopher

I loved the gentle, flowing story in this book. Christopher writes so calmly, even in the midst of great tension and trial. She is a new author to me; I haven't read her Prinz Honor book Stolen yet. Have you?

Flyaway is the story of a young teen who loves her father, swans, and feathers. While out birding, her father falls gravely ill and she acts powerfully to save him and get him help. While in the hospital, she meets another ill boy who ends up playing quite a powerful role in the book, offering both solace to her as she maneuvers the challenges of witnessing the treacherous times of a severely ill parent as well as inviting her to grow beyond what seems like a stopping point in her own love of birds. As a children's chapter book, this read ends fairly well, common with this genre, but the entire story feels very realistic to me throughout.

I can see a number of audiences for this one: young teens and pre-teens in particular. I know that I enjoyed it, but I am a total sucker for life-connecting texts written in realistic ways, with realistic and at least at times compassionate characters, and with a possibly true ending. This one rocked the boat for me, meaning I put down other books to read this one by itself. Yep, it was a keeper.

Bird by Zetta Elliott

I loved this one. Bird surprised me by its instant catch of unique and powerful storyline, fabulous illustrations (by Shadra Strickland), and sweetly told text swept me along. The cover is an intriguing one for me, and it makes me wonder what this young man is thinking. Mentored by wonderful and present elders, Bird finds his own way to hold the loss of his brother due to drugs.

At one point in the story, Bird sits with Uncle Son, his deceased-grandfather's friend, talking about what had happened to his brother. Bird tells Uncle Son that he wished he could have fixed his brother. The next words offer a brilliant glimmer into some of the wisdom setting in this book:

"You can fix a broken wing with a splint, and a bird can fly again, he said. "But you can't fix a broken soul."

Boom. Maybe this doesn't speak so loudly out of the context of the book, but within it, the words and message lit inside of me. When I finished reading the book, I actually felt inspired to write, as if some truth was waiting to emerge from me. Seriously. 

I found myself nodding as I read Bird, like somewhere in me a part of me was confirming that yes, I should have read this and that more people should too. At our local library, staff can write a little blurb about their interpretations of the book to entice you. Someone wrote this: I just read this book and I think everyone else should too. The drawings are heartwarming, and emotional. You can really feel what he is thinking." I am guessing by the handwriting that this staff member is younger than me by a good few decades, and still they are spot on: this is a rich read. It won a number of awards, including the new Voices Award. You owe it to yourself to read this. Really. It is that good.

Small as an Elephant by Jennifer Richard Jocobson

One of my family members is an elephant fanatic. Ever since our trip to India several years back, she has been seriously passionate about elephants. Not crazy rabid or anything, just totally faithful that they carry great wisdom and spirit, and for that and more, she loves 'em. Loves 'em. She has spent time here locally very near some elephants ( I am sworn to secrecy for that story), she always has her elephant pendant on, and she created a tattoo with an elephant (as in Ganesh) at the center: see, committed. So when I saw the cover of this juvenile fiction book, I wondered about if someone like Laurie would like this book. Turns out the answer is very likely yes. I am not an elephant-driven gal, but the story sure made me wonder about the possibilities.

The story centers on a young man whose mother desserts him in a campground. Yep, she has her own issues and she makes a big mistake. And Jack, being the upstanding and dedicated kid he is, like most kids, he decides to go find her. It is not an easy journey for him, but let's just be sure we remember that he keeps his eyes on the prize of possibility. He comes across some very kind people in his travels, he has stuff stolen, he steals stuff, he realistically doesn't trust the cops, his old friends, and his new friends. He struggles to figure out what to do until he realizes where he must go (yep, this is one key point where elephants come into play). The storyline holds merit and seems plausible, and I would love to believe that if I had been in his shoes at his age that I would have had enough gumption to do what he did. I doubt I did. But on the converse side, I grew up around adults whom for the most part I trusted to help me out if I needed it. I grew up totally different than the frame Jacobson writes from for Jack. And I guess that is where I would love to believe I would have enough gumption, wherewithal, guts to show up and act like he does. It's pretty powerful, and the greatest thing to me was how one key person figured it all out just about when he did. And that is what made this book worth reading for me. Yep, the elephant piece is powerful, but for me, I maintain hope in connecting deeply with others and this "other" does just that.

This is a keeper. I really enjoyed it and can imagine young readers swallowing it all down and then needing to talk about it. You would be offering yourself a gift if you read it with or before your child or student; then you too get to witness Jacobson's handy work and enjoy a sweet story about elephants, survival, and relationship.