And Then, Boom!

I'm putting off reading several book club books and found And Then, Boom! by Lisa Fipps at a library book testing event. The book description says, "Joe Oak is used to living on unsteady ground. His mom can’t be depended on as she never stays around long once she gets “the itch,” and now he and his beloved grandmother find themselves without a home. Fortunately, Joe has an outlet in his journals and drawings and takes comfort from the lessons of comic books—superheroes have a lot of “and then, boom” moments, where everything threatens to go bust but somehow they land on their feet. And that seems to happen a lot to Joe too, as in this crisis his friend Nick helps them find a home in his trailer park. But things fall apart again when Joe is suddenly left to fend for himself. He doesn’t tell anyone he’s on his own, as he fears foster care and has hope his mom will come back. But time is running out—bills are piling up, the electricity’s been shut off, and the school year’s about to end, meaning no more free meals. The struggle to feed himself gets intense, and Joe finds himself dumpster diving for meals. He’s never felt so alone—until an emaciated little dog and her two tiny pups cross his path. And fate has even more in store for Joe, because an actual tornado is about to hit home—and just when it seems all is lost, his life turns in a direction that he never could have predicted."

I LOVED this book. I finished it in one morning because it was written in verse and was a quick, engaging read. I loved Joe as a character and his relationship with his grandma. I liked how the book opened my eyes to kids who are living in poverty and hunger, and I liked how the book had such solid, helpful adults in Joe's life (besides his mom)--teacher, therapist, landlord, foster parents, case worker, etc. I feel like in lots of these types of books, the kid has a deadbeat caseworker or a bad foster home or something like that, so I was glad Joe just got a break in the end. This was a great read and one I'd recommend. I noticed that the age range online says 10-13, so it's kinda an upper middle grade or younger YA book. I also now want to read the author's book Starfish, a book I've seen for years but never got around to reading.

Rating: * * * (3/3 = Loved it)

The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman

I saw The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman by Gennifer Choldenko recommended somewhere online, and it looked like the type of book I would enjoy. The book description says, "When eleven-year-old Hank’s mom doesn’t come home, he takes care of his toddler sister, Boo, like he always does. But it’s been a week now. They are out of food and mom has never stayed away this long… Hank knows he needs help, so he and Boo seek out the stranger listed as their emergency contact. But asking for help has consequences. It means social workers, and a new school, and having to answer questions about his mom that he's been trying to keep secret. And if they can't find his mom soon, Hank and Boo may end up in different foster homes--he could lose everything."

This was a great read. I was super engaged in the story and got through the book quickly because I wanted to keep reading. I loved Hank as a character and was really rooting for him. I also liked Ray and felt like Lou Ann was a believable character even though I didn't always like how she treated Hank. Overall this was a great read and one I'd recommend for others who enjoy realistic fiction books like this. There were a few things I liked less about the book-- 1) The book was super formulaic for a foster kid book. Like I have read similar books with a lot of the same plot twists and things that happen. So it felt a little bit same ol' to me. 2) I was kinda irked by the character Ana, the girl he likes, because she had a couple instances where she lied or seemed to be on the verge of being a troublemaker, and I didn't like that since Hank really needed some solid, good friends that weren't going to get him in trouble. I wish her character was written a little differently. So I'm making this book a "liked it," but it was super close to a loved it. It got me teary-eyed and was an enjoyable read.

Rating: * * (2/3 = Liked it)

Just Mercy

In my book club group chat this month, someone recommended everyone share some of their top reads from the year. One person recommended Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson, and then several other people commented how much they loved the book and called it things like transformative, important, wrenching, amazing, etc. I was like, wow, I've got to read this, so I got it on audiobook. The book description says, "Bryan Stevenson was a young lawyer when he founded the Equal Justice Initiative, a legal practice dedicated to defending those most desperate and in need: the poor, the wrongly condemned, and women and children trapped in the farthest reaches of our criminal justice system. One of his first cases was that of Walter McMillian, a young man who was sentenced to die for a notorious murder he insisted he didn’t commit. The case drew Bryan into a tangle of conspiracy, political machination, and legal brinksmanship—and transformed his understanding of mercy and justice forever. Just Mercy is at once an unforgettable account of an idealistic, gifted young lawyer’s coming of age, a moving window into the lives of those he has defended, and an inspiring argument for compassion in the pursuit of true justice."

This book was SO GOOD. I was completely engaged throughout and always anxious to read more. The stories were just heavy and haunting, and I was so inspired by Bryan's dedication to help people in desperate need. The book really impacted my perspective on lots of things (like children being tried as adults and the death penalty), and I came away from this book being so grateful for all it opened my eyes to. This was an excellent read.

Rating: * * * (3/3 = Loved it)

Persuasion

I read Persuasion by Jane Austen for my book club. The book description says, "At twenty-­seven, Anne Elliot is no longer young and has few romantic prospects. Eight years earlier, she had been persuaded by her friend Lady Russell to break off her engagement to Frederick Wentworth, a handsome naval captain with neither fortune nor rank. What happens when they encounter each other again is movingly told in Jane Austen's last completed novel."

I am not really a fan of this type of book, and I will admit it was a challenge to push myself through this one. I don't really get the disparity of how some people love Jane Austen book so, so much and yet to me, her books are pretty boring and hard to follow. Clearly I'm missing the boat but alas. I think I just don't read books like this enough for me to follow the content easily, so I kept having to refer to cliff notes to make sure I wasn't missing something. At book club, we did get to discuss some of the funny characters (like Anne's sister Mary) and the things in the book that tie into our world today. But overall, not really my kind of book.

Rating: * (1/3 = It was okay)

Red Bird Danced

I saw Red Bird Danced by Dawn Quigley on the new book shelf at the library, and it looked like one I'd enjoy (in verse, Native author). The book description says, "Ariel and Tomah have lived in the city’s intertribal housing complex all their lives. But for both of them, this Dagwaagin (Autumn) season is different than any before. From his bench outside the front door of his building, Tomah watches his community move around him. He is better at making people laugh than he is at schoolwork, but often it feels like his neighbor Ariel is the only one who really sees him, even in her sadness.  Ariel has always danced ballet because of her Auntie Bineshiinh and loves the way dance makes her feet hover above the ground like a bird. But ever since Auntie went missing, Ariel’s dancing doesn’t feel like flying. As the seasons change and the cold of winter gives way to spring’s promise, Ariel and Tomah begin to change too as they learn to share the rhythms and stories they carry within themselves."

This was a good read. It was super quick but captured the characters Ariel and Tomah really well even with limited text. It introduced me MMIW (Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women) and the symbol of the red dress and also helped me see the strength and value of Native communities. Glad I read this.

* * (2/3 = Liked it)

Pie in the Sky

I got Pie in the Sky by Remy Lai after reading the author's book Fly on the Wall recently. I'd heard about Pie in the Sky a lot before and knew it was a well received book. The book description reads, "When Jingwen moves to a new country, he feels like he’s landed on Mars. School is torture, making friends is impossible since he doesn’t speak English, and he's often stuck looking after his (extremely irritating) little brother, Yanghao. To distract himself from the loneliness, Jingwen daydreams about making all the cakes on the menu of Pie in the Sky, the bakery his father had planned to open before he unexpectedly passed away. The only problem is his mother has laid down one major rule: the brothers are not to use the oven while she's at work. As Jingwen and Yanghao bake elaborate cakes, they'll have to cook up elaborate excuses to keep the cake making a secret from Mama."

This was a good read. The author did a great job creating distinct, believable characters, and I really was rooting for Jingwen throughout the book. I also loved Yanghaho and the contrast the author created between the two characters and their journeys toward learning English. The book was hard for me to keep reading at times because it was just so full of Jingwen's heavy feelings and the secrets he was keeping from his mom, so I felt like I often had to take a break from the book rather than plowing through, even though I wasn't losing interest. I liked how the book came together in the end. I think the combination of text and pictures is really well done, and my kids would probably enjoy this author's books.

Rating: * * (2/3 = Liked it)

In Order to Live

I've had In Order to Live: A North Korean Girl's Journey to Freedom by Yeonmi Park on my to-read list for forever and finally got the audiobook from the library. The book description says, "In In Order to Live, Yeonmi Park shines a light not just into the darkest corners of life in North Korea, describing the deprivation and deception she endured and which millions of North Korean people continue to endure to this day, but also onto her own most painful and difficult memories. She tells with bravery and dignity for the first time the story of how she and her mother were betrayed and sold into sexual slavery in China and forced to suffer terrible psychological and physical hardship before they finally made their way to Seoul, South Korea—and to freedom. Park confronts her past with a startling resilience. In spite of everything, she has never stopped being proud of where she is from, and never stopped striving for a better life. Indeed, today she is a human rights activist working determinedly to bring attention to the oppression taking place in her home country. Park’s testimony is heartbreaking and unimaginable, but never without hope. This is the human spirit at its most indomitable."

This was a great read. Yeonmi's story was heartbreaking and unthinkable. She really endured horrifying situations during her childhood in North Korea and escaped to China for a better life but then just found herself a victim of human trafficking as a young teenager. It was a relief that she was eventually able to escape to South Korea with her mother, but that wasn't the end of hardships in her life. Her story was inspiring and helped me see the power of the human spirit to never give up. I think it was a good book as well to just open my eyes to what it's like for those who live in North Korea. The story was compelling and kept me interested throughout.

Rating: * * (2/3 = Liked it)