Just Jerry

I read Just Jerry by Jerry Pinkney after seeing it on the new-book shelf at the library. It is a memoir by Jerry Pinkney (well-known children's book illustrator) written for a young audience. The book description says, "Jerry Pinkney—creator of Caldecott Medal-winning The Lion & the Mouse and The Little Mermaid—drew everywhere, all the time. Since childhood, it was how he made sense of the world—how he coped with the stress of being a sensitive child growing up in crowded spaces, struggling with a learning disability, in a time when the segregation of Black Americans was the norm. Only drawing could offer him a sense of calm, control, and confidence. When friends and siblings teased him about having the nickname “Jerry” as his only name, his mother always said, “Just ‘Jerry’ is enough. He’ll make something of that name someday.” And so he did, eventually becoming one of the most celebrated children’s book illustrators of all time and paving the way for countless other Black artists." 

This was a great read. It's a little bit shorter of a book than I usually include on this blog, but I thought it was worth including. I really liked learning about how Jerry struggled with dyslexia and the people in his life who believed in him and helped him become all that he did. The book was engaging and inspiring, and I think anyone who has read any of Jerry Pinkney's books would enjoy this memoir.

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

Life with Father

I read Life with Father by Clarence Day for my book club. It was written in 1935 and is an autobiographical book of short stories. Wikipedia describes the book this way: "Clarence Day wrote humorously about his family and life. The stories of his father Clarence 'Clare' Day were first printed in The New Yorker. They portray a rambunctious, overburdened Wall Street broker who demands that everything from his family should be just so. The more he rails against his staff, his cook, his wife, his horse, salesmen, holidays, his children and the inability of the world to live up to his impossible standards, the more comical and lovable he becomes to his own family who love him despite it all."

This was another one of those books that I would have never read if it weren't for book club, but the stories were engaging enough and made me chuckle at times. I was also just appalled by the lifestyle/dynamic that existed back in the day (like the wife not having access to money or things like that). I wouldn't say I super enjoyed the book or anything, but it was interesting enough that I was tempted to continue reading his other book, Life with Mother, just to see stories from the mother's side, since she seemed likable and entertaining.

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

Wildoak

I read Wildoak by C.C. Harrington after seeing it won the Schneider Family Book Award this year. The book description says, "In 1963 London, Maggie Stephens’s stutter makes school especially hard. She will do almost anything to avoid speaking in class or calling attention to herself. So when her unsympathetic father threatens to send her away for so-called “treatment,” she reluctantly agrees to her mother’s intervention plan: a few weeks in the fresh air of Wildoak Forest, visiting a grandfather she hardly knows. It is there, in an extraordinary twist of fate, that she encounters an abandoned snow leopard cub, an exotic gift to a wealthy Londoner that proved too wild to domesticate. But once the cub’s presence is discovered by others, danger follows, and Maggie soon realizes that time is running out, not only for the leopard, but for herself and the forest as well."

This was a nice read, and I got through the book very quickly. I really liked Maggie as a character, and based on my limited experience with stutters, I feel like the book did a good job describing what it would be like to live with that difficulty. (My 6-year-old has a mild stutter, and his speech therapist has given advice like to give him time to finish and not finish words/phrases for him, which Maggie had someone doing to her and it really bugged her.) I was kind of hoping at the end to find an author's note saying the author struggled with stuttering, but she didn't. But I did enjoy the story and seeing Maggie find herself throughout the book and also watching her dad change. I really liked the character of Maggie's grandpa as well. My daughter loves snow leopards, so I think she'd enjoy this book.

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

Hummingbird

I saw Hummingbird by Natalie Lloyd received a Schneider Family Book Award this year (which honors an author for a book that embodies an artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences). The book description says, "Twelve-year-old homeschooled Olive is tired of being seen as 'fragile' just because she has osteogenesis imperfecta (otherwise known as brittle bone disease) so she's thrilled when she finally convinces her parents to let her attend Macklemore Elementary. Olive can't wait to go to a traditional school and make the friends she's always longed for, until a disastrous first day dashes her hopes of ever fitting in. Then Olive hears whispers about a magical, wish-granting hummingbird that supposedly lives near Macklemore. It'll be the solution to all her problems! If she can find the bird and prove herself worthy, the creature will make her most desperate, secret wish come true. When it becomes clear that she can't solve the mystery on her own, Olive teams up with some unlikely allies who help her learn the truth about the bird. And on the way, she just might learn that our fragile places lead us to the most wonderful magic of all . . ."

This was a good read. It was a little slow for me until closer to the end, and I found myself a little confused by the genre (was it realistic fiction or fantasy?), which was distracting. (But by the end I figured out it was a little bit of both--magical realism.) But I loved Olive from the start and thought she was just a wonderful character. I thought the author did a great job with so making so many of the characters so likeable, including Olive's parents, Grace, and Hatch. I really loved the ending of the book and how things fell together; I may have shed a tear or two. I also loved reading the author's note at the end and learning that the author has OI just like Olive. I really loved the author's description of her journey of creating Olive's character in the book. I think I'll recommend this book to my 12-year-old daughter.

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

The Downstairs Girl

I read The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee for my book club with friends at church. The book description reads, "By day, seventeen-year-old Jo Kuan works as a lady's maid for the cruel daughter of one of the wealthiest men in Atlanta. But by night, Jo moonlights as the pseudonymous author of a newspaper advice column for the genteel Southern lady, "Dear Miss Sweetie." When her column becomes wildly popular, she uses the power of the pen to address some of society's ills, but she's not prepared for the backlash that follows when her column challenges fixed ideas about race and gender. While her opponents clamor to uncover the secret identity of Miss Sweetie, a mysterious letter sets Jo off on a search for her own past and the parents who abandoned her as a baby. But when her efforts put her in the crosshairs of Atlanta's most notorious criminal, Jo must decide whether she, a girl used to living in the shadows, is ready to step into the light."

This book was my suggestion for the group, and I recommended it because I had liked Stacey Lee's book Under a Painted Sky last year. This was a great read (though I did it via audiobook, which isn't my preferred method of reading--so I think I may have liked it even more if I had read it normally). I loved the unique approach to historical fiction (1890s southern United States but a Chinese main character) and getting a glimpse into that world. Jo was a great character, and it was fun to follow her and her life and secrets. I really liked some of the side characters (Old Gin and Nathan) and also felt like the author did a great job making me super annoyed with some of the other characters (Caroline). I thought this was a fun read. I would definitely pick up another book by this author.

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

Honestly Elliott

I read Honestly Elliott by Gillian McDunn after seeing it won the middle grade Schneider Family Book Award (which honor books that well represent the disability experience). The book description reads, "Elliott has been struggling since his closest friend moved away, and he's not too sure where he fits into his own family, especially since his newly remarried dad and stepmom are expecting a baby. His grades aren't too great, he's always forgetting things, and he doesn't really like sports. All together, the result is someone the complete opposite of his dad--a fact they're both very aware of. Elliott's only solace is cooking, where he can control the outcome, testing exciting recipes and watching his favorite cooking shows. When he's paired with the super smart and popular Maribel for a school-wide project, Elliott worries they won't see eye to eye. But Maribel is also looking for a new way to show others her true self and this project could be the chance they've both been waiting for. Sometimes the least likely friends help you see a new side to things . . . and sometimes you have to make a few mistakes before you figure out what's right."

I really enjoyed this book. Elliott has ADHD, so the book gave some insight into what it's like to live with that disability. He was a great character, and the author did a great job with giving us a look into so many relationships in his life--his parents, therapist, classmates, friends, etc. I felt like I really got to know the characters. The story was engaging and fun, and I really liked how things came together in the end. This is another book that my daughter read before me on vacation, and she also sped through it--which to me showed it was an excellent read.

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

Maizy Chen's Last Chance

I read Maizy Chen's Last Chance by Lisa Yee after seeing it won the Newbery Honor Award this year. The book description says, "Maizy has never been to Last Chance, Minnesota . . . until now. Her mom’s plan is just to stay for a couple weeks, until her grandfather gets better. But plans change, and as Maizy spends more time in Last Chance and at the Golden Palace—the restaurant that’s been in her family for generations—she makes some discoveries. For instance: *You can tell a LOT about someone by the way they order food. *People can surprise you. Sometimes in good ways, sometimes in disappointing ways. *And the Golden Palace has secrets... But the more Maizy discovers, the more questions she has. Like, why are her mom and her grandmother always fighting? Who are the people in the photographs on the office wall? And when she discovers that a beloved family treasure has gone missing—and someone has left a racist note—Maizy decides it’s time to find the answers."

This was a great read. I had a library copy on the Kindle when we went on vacation overseas, and Emmeline (my 12-year-old) read the book before I even got a chance to. She was super engaged from the start and finished the book in a few days--which is saying a lot because she hasn't been a super engaged reader lately. I then read it on the flight home and really enjoyed it. I did shed some tears at the end but was able to keep it together since I was surrounded by people on the airplane. :) The author did a great job creating an interesting story with lovable characters, and I liked how the book taught meaningful lessons about racism and prejudice and on knowing and learning from our family history. Great read.

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