~Review by Amanda Smith

Go with the Flow (First Second, 2020) is written and illustrated by Lily Williams and Karen Schneemann, co-creators of the online comic series The Mean Magenta and is the book I wish I had when I was a teen.

Brit, Sasha, Christine and Abby are four sophomore friends, who share laughs, rides, cookies and quiet conversations about their struggles with their periods. These four girls could not be more different in ethnicity, body types, personalities, and menstrual experiences, which makes this book super relatable to its YA audience. (No one-note, perfect, fictional girls here!) Upbeat Abby, fierce defender of women’s rights, decides to address the lack of feminine products in their school’s bathrooms after Sasha has a period emergency. Her passion and determination to be heard leads to hurt feelings, teetering friendships, and important lessons about listening. Brit deals with excruciating cramps that forces her to miss several days of school per month. She has to face well-meaning but clueless male teachers, and experiences anxiety about what might be wrong with her. Go with the Flow also addresses other teenage topics such as boys (the nice ones and the “fart bags”), sexual identity, generational and cultural gaps, activism, and kindness, without ever being preachy.

This YA graphic novel, filled with interesting facts throughout and containing oodles of relevant backmatter, is geared towards a more mature audience. However, it is a must-read, helping teens feel more comfortable about their changing bodies, and opening their eyes to what peers might be experiencing. Readers will recognize themselves within these pages, and all the characters will inspire them to be their best selves.

On Writing:
Bravo for bravery! Lily and Karen unabashedly tackle a subject that has been dubbed as “inappropriate” and “gross” for generations. In Abby’s words “you know, the patriarchy, and all that (barf)”. They deliver a plot focused on the menstrual cycle with lots of heart and tons of humor. They give the reader relatable characters, who feel as real as flesh-and-blood friends. They sprinkle thought-provoking ideas and acts of kindness throughout, educating and arming their readers with knowledge, courage, and hope.  If you are feeling hesitant about your own work in progress with “taboo” themes, study Go With the Flow for a dose of daring.
 
Browse the original Mean Magenta comics here: themeanmagenta.com/
Learn more about Karen at www.karenschneemann.com/
 To learn more about Lily, visit lilywilliamsart.com/ 

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~ Guest Review by Megan Litwin

​In What If, Pig? by Linzie Hunter (HarperCollins, 2021), we meet Pig and Mouse, and a supporting cast of colorful, cheerful animal characters. Pig is so kind and fun and generous that one day he decides to throw a party for all his friends. But Pig is also a worrier. A tremendous worrier. He worries that the party is a terrible mistake. A series of “what if” worries follow and spiral out of control. (Sound familiar, anyone?) Fortunately, Pig has good friends…friends who, as it turns out, sometimes worry too. The vibrant, colorful art and dynamic font that mimics Pig’s growing anxiety are perfect complements to the snappy text. What If, Pig? is a thoughtful book about friendship and kindness, worry and wonder. And a timely one too. As the world keeps changing and as perennial back-to-school worries crop up, this book offers a gentle springboard for discussion.

On Writing:
Purposeful repetition can be a powerful tool in picture books, and Linzie Hunter does a fabulous job playing with repetition in her text. The use of “what if” as a sentence starter throughout the book, and also in the title, gives this a rhythmic hum, a predictable beat. But not too predictable. Hunter continually surprises the reader by changing the nature of the “what if” and the meaning behind it. “What if” thinking can be worrisome and negative, but it can also be wonderous, hopeful, and full of positive possibility.
 
What if you read a book that warmed your own sometimes-worrisome heart so much that you told everyone about it?
 
What if?

You can learn more about Linzie Hunter here.  
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~ Review by Kelly Carey

I am not always a big poetry fan and almost never a poetry collection champion, but Night Wishes (Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2020) has won me over. Poetry collections usually offer up a shared theme, but can lack a continuous story and solid character. Not true with Night Wishes! This collection of poems, selected by Lee Bennet Hopkins, is masterfully arranged to capture the wistful and chaotic moments of bedtime with a prominent beginning, middle and end. From the opening poems, "Bed", "Pillow" and "Blanket" that give the reader the anchor of place, to the poems that recall the day now gone and the hopes for the sweet dreams found in slumber, to the final poem, "Bed Again" that encourages our sleepy child to explore a new day, Night Wishes is a gem. Hopkins has set the poems in an order that reads from poem to poem into a joyful page turning story.  Caregivers looking for a peaceful bedtime read or teachers reaching for a book as part of a poetry unit will not be disappointed. 

On Writing

When honing your writing skills, it is always helpful to study the mastery of fellow authors. In Night Wishes, you get the benefit of poems by thirteen fellow authors.  Use Night Wishes to consider the power of sparse text, word choice, and cadence. All three attributes are essential building blocks for both poetry and prose and all three are on full display in Night Wishes.

In addition, this collection of poems provides ample examples of smart metaphors and lyrical similes. Both writing devices can be tricky to manage without sinking into common boring tropes or forced sugary language, the authors in Night Wishes each hit the mark with their own unique writing voice.   

To learn more about Lee Bennett Hopkins visit leebennetthopkins.com.  

Review by Kelly Carey 

In this lyrical and beautifully illustrated picture book, THE LITTLE BLUE COTTAGE (Page Street Kids, 2020) anticipates annual summer visits from a young girl. Each visit bonds the cottage and the growing girl as she sits in a quiet reading nook, swims with dolphins, and shelters from a wave crashing storm. Families will recognize their own vacation traditions tucked in the pages as this book celebrates the continuation of trips to favorite destinations that are passed down from generation to generation. If your summer plans involve a visit to grandmother’s or a getaway with your own children to a spot you were taken as a child, this is the perfect read-aloud. 

On Writing
In addition to gorgeous and sparse writing, author Kelly Jordan employs writing techniques that make The Little Blue Cottage an excellent mentor text for pacing and tension, and the use of senses.

Each time the girl returns to the cottage, Jordan creates a rhythm for the reader and this page turning beat adds a comfortable pacing to the book. She masterfully breaks this rhythm when the girl skips summer visits, and the result is a wonderful escalation of tension right in the middle of the book. This use of a repeating incident, the girl's visits, and the break from that repeat become a sharp tool for controlling the pacing and tension in the story.

Jordan also uses language to infuse a static house with emotion. The house “whistled and hummed and filled with light” when the girl arrives and from those well-chosen words, we know just how the house is feeling.  When the text shares that the house smelled like "bacon, pancakes and popcorn" the reader will overlay their own experiences with those scents. Use this book to study how Jordan used all five senses to assign emotion and heart to a static main character.

The Little Blue Cottage is the perfect place to explore themes of seasons passing, weather, time, and the cyclical nature of shared traditions. 

To learn more about Jordan Kelly visit her website. 

Review by Amanda Smith

Gary Schmidt did it again! As in Ok For Now, Just Like That (HMH, 2021) takes place directly after The Wednesday Wars and follows a minor character from the Newbury Honor novel in their own coming of age story.

Meryl Lee Kowalski, Holling Hoodhood’s best friend, is sent to a Maine boarding school after a devastating personal loss. Surrounded by shallow, spoiled girls, strict teachers blinded by tradition and decorum, and disturbing news from the war in Vietnam, Meryl Lee battles to keep the Blank at bay.

But she also makes friends: Heidi with her hockey sticks; Mousy Marian (who learns to roar); and Bettey, a local girl employed by the school as serving staff. And Matt Coffin, the boy whose eyes tell Meryl Lee that he knows the Blank too.

And then there is Dr. Nora MacKnockater, headmistress of St. Elene Preparatory Academy for Girls, who inspires Meryl Lee with her assembly speech on the first day of school. There will be Obstacles, Dr MacKnockater said, but the girls should have Resolve. And then they will grow Accomplished. Dr. MacKnockater who can focus her searchlight eyes on Meryl Lee as if she can spot the Blank when it attempts to overcome Meryl Lee. Dr. MacKnockater who takes Matt Coffin in from the streets and helps him face his own dark past when he cannot run from it anymore.

Individually and together, under the protection and wisdom of Dr. MacKnockater, Meryl Lee and Matt resolve to overcome obstacles and challenge the status quo. The reader is swept along on their captivating journey to becoming increasingly Accomplished as they banish the Blank.
 
ON WRITING:
There is always so much to learn from a Gary Schmidt novel. One can get all wrapped up in his beautiful language use and unique turn of phrase. But more than anything else, Schmidt is a master at creating a rich and layered reading experience.

In this novel, he adds layers through different devices:  Just as in The Wednesday Wars and OK for Now, he uses classic literary works to emphasize character traits and showcase character development. For example, Meryl Lee draws parallels from The Wizard of Oz to her own life, while Matt dubs Dr. MacKnockater Bagheera after she reads The Jungle Book to him.
As another layer, Schmidt solidifies setting by weaving paraphrased song lyrics from the sixties through the novel in a delightfully sweet and original way.
Clever repetition, both in close proximity to emphasize emotion or heighten tension, as well as throughout the novel to bring deeper understanding, adds to the layers.
He also uses capitalization of abstract concepts, such as resolve, to make them concrete and real, and give them presence.
And he sprinkles in unexpected moments of laugh-out-loud humor to lighten the heaviness in both Meryl Lee and Matt’s stories.
All of these layers lead to a tight narrative and a truly satisfying read.

Learn more about Gary Schmidt and his books here.
 

​Review by Annie Cronin Romano

Who wants to go swimming inside a shipwreck in the middle of winter with a sea monster that lays a glowing ruby egg that can grant wishes? I do! I do! Sign me up! This book is a delight and swept me up from page one! With zingy humor and a fanciful cast of characters, MALAMANDER (Candlewick/Walker Books 2019) is a mystery/fantasy about two young orphans: one a worker at a hotel's "lost & foundery," the other a newcomer to town searching for the truth about what happened to her parents. Together, the go on a fantastically daring adventure, discovering along the way that all people are not as they seem and that some creatures are best left alone. Quick-moving, funny, engaging read! 

On Writing
Thomas Taylor creates a strong, atmospheric setting with his creation of the ocean side town of Eerie-on-Sea. The reader shudders at the whip of the icy wind off the water and tastes the salty fog hanging in the air. Taylor also excels at creating a sense of whimsy and magic that isn’t forced but rather is interwoven seamlessly into the plot. The pacing of this middle grade would keep even an antsy reader engaged, as Taylor hooks the reader from the get-go with questions of how and why a young boy, Herbert Lemon, would be employed in the “lost and foundery” of a hotel, then efficiently and smoothly slides into the appearance of a mysterious character, Violet Parma, outside the boy's window. Strong setting, intriguing charaters, curious unknowns...and you're off on an imaginative adventure!

~Review by Amanda Smith
 
Red, White, and Whole by Rajani LaRocca is a touching novel in verse about Reha, a first-generation Indian American girl who comes to terms with living in two worlds. As an immigrant and mother of first-generation American children, this novel truly resonated with me. Even though our countries of origin are different, LaRocca touches on universal immigrant experiences such as missing extended family and always feeling a little different or other. But Red, White, and Whole isn’t just about the immigrant experience. It is a tender look at mother-daughter relationships, and it is a beautiful coming of age story as Reha faces the unimaginable: her mother's battle with Leukemia. LaRocca entwines Indian folklore into the narrative to add another layer to her poignant storytelling and character development. Subtle repetition of key phrases and the calculating use of “red” and “white” throughout the novel bind the individual poems together – and the result is synergy:  a WHOLE that is greater than the sum of its parts.


On Writing:
LaRocca supports the main theme of "two worlds" with recurring images of the colors red and white, and how they relate to the parts of blood, as well as virtue and grief in Indian culture. Red, White and Whole is a study in repetition within a verse novel. LaRocca weaves threads and themes seamlessly throughout, often when the meaning of the phrases are altered by context or circumstances. The similarity of the words paired with the difference in context delivers a forceful emotional punch.

To learn more about Rajani, visit her website at www.rajanilarocca.com/