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Tag Archive for: tbenham

Macy McMillan and the Rainbow Goddess by Shari Green

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Written in sparse prose, this offering from Shari Green is touching without being full of angst. Macy McMillan is a typical sixth grader with one exception – she’s deaf. In a refreshing twist, this story doesn’t use Macy’s hearing as a main focal point. Instead we are introduced to a pre-teen who is anxious about making and keeping friends, her mother’s wedding, a new step family, a school project, and oh, by the way, she happens to be deaf. Green’s ability to relate the story through Macy’s eyes sets this book apart.

When Macy has a fit of temper at school she is redirected by her mother to help out a neighbor next door. Octogenarian Iris is going through her belongings in preparation for a move to a retirement community. Through hand written messages and a few signs, which work very well within the prose, Macy and Iris are able to communicate. Macy, who loves to garden, asks Iris if she’s named after the flower. Iris immediately responds by providing a book that states Iris is the Rainbow Goddess, and the story takes off from there. Many popular and favorite books are referenced, including “El Deafo”, by Cece Bell. Through their love of literature and their shared task of packing, Iris teaches Macy some of the lessons she’s learned throughout her life while sharing the cookies she so expertly bakes.

Iris’ humor, wisdom, and the intensity with which she led her life burn through the pages. If you love something you should love it extravagantly, she tells Macy and we learn that Iris extravagantly loves to bake cookies. Iris bakes encouragement into her offerings, letting friends and family know she is sharing her love, and herself, through what she has baked. “Chocolate chunk..say, You’ll be ok, Oatmeal say(s) You’re strong enough, you can do this’, Sugar and Spice whisper, You are loved, you belong.”

When the day finally arrives for Macy’s mother’s wedding, Iris goes missing. Macy interrupts the ceremony because she knows something is wrong with Iris. After some angst and with the help of her new stepfather, Iris is found wandering through the neighborhood her memory having given her some trouble. She is picked up and taken to the ceremony where she shares her cookies with the assembled party.

As Macy’s life moves on, she is forced to face some hard truths, but with the help of Iris the Rainbow Goddess and her advice, her perspective changes. The life is hard but friends can make it easier message of this story comes through but is relayed subtly. Winner of the Schneider Family Book Award, Macy McMillan and the Rainbow Goddess is sure to appeal to anyone struggling with the challenges of friendships in the middle grades.

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The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl by Stacy McAnulty

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Reviewed by Tammie Benham

At age eight, Lucy Callahan was struck by lightning.  She survived however, the strike left her genius level Math skills, an inability to cope with germs, and the ability to recite the numbers of pi to infinity. Over the years Lucy has developed coping mechanisms to ensure the numbers of pi don’t overtake her life. She only allows the numbers of pi to be recited to the 314th decimal point, and apping her toe three times interrupts the number invasion in her head when she’s uncomfortable. Lucy realizes some of her behaviors may seem odd to others but her intuitive self tells her people will get used to them over time.

Since the lightning strike, Lucy has been mainly homeschooled by her Nana. However, things are about to change. When Nana decides Lucy needs to attend Middle School and enter a world of her peers, Lucy is less than thrilled. Thinking she should be in college, not Middle School, and with the brain power to succeed in such an advanced setting, Lucy tentatively gives in to her Nana’s demands-she must join an activity, read a book that’s not a Math textbook, and make a friend. She finds the new environment as challenging as she had anticipated.

With the help of a like-minded teacher, a germy dog who steals her heart, and a boy who has the knack of seeing things from a different perspective, Lucy might just be able to survive seventh grade.

Lucy’s experiences while making friends with Windy (NOT Wendy) and Levi, serve as the backdrop for this middle grade novel.  Lessons of trust, friendship, loyalty, and forgiveness permeate the storyline. Lucy’s character states she is diagnosed with Acquired Savant Syndrome, which explains her behaviors and abilities.  However, the characteristics Lucy exhibits may be familiar and help children identify with the story.

When the last written page of a book concludes and you find yourself wanting more, it’s always a good thing. Stacy McAnulty’s debut novel ends in just such a way. Here’s hoping the story of Lucy Callahan continues. Written for grades 3-9, the story contains some bullying.

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Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly

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This is the story of Virgil, Valencia, Kaori, and Chet, and their journey to friendship.

Erin Entrada Kelly’s 2018 Newbery Medal Winner has given a very important voice to diversity while at the same time disproving stereotypes. This character-driven novel reads like one of the fables, told by Virgil’s grandmother or Lola, interspersed throughout the book.

Virgil is an introvert in a family of extraverts and can’t quite find a way to stand up to bullies, including his own family, who call him by a nickname he despises. Valencia is feeling the weight of parents who are overprotective, she suspects because of her hearing loss. Kaori, who is on her third life, is the reincarnation of an Egyptian and a freedom fighter from Bangladesh. Chet Bullens is the school bully who hasn’t quite figured out what he’s good at in life and so points out perceived flaws in others.

According to Kaori, and her little sister Gen, the four are in the hands of Destiny during the few days in which the story takes place.  Virgil encounters Chet while on his way to seek fortune telling advice from Kaori and fate is set into motion. When Virgil falls down an abandoned well he learns to conquer some of his fears. The author deeply explores the sensory experience of Virgil while in the well, bringing the reader right along into his nightmare.

Virgil’s friends, Kaori and Valencia have to “feel” their way into finding Virgil, whose cell phone fell out of his pocket and shattered during his fall. We are treated to the eccentric Kaori consulting star charts to divine the fate of Virgil. Will the friends rescue Virgil or will his fears be realized when his bones are found in the well, beside the bones of his guinea pig, years into the future?

The funny, feel-good tone of this book compliments the pace. The suspense builds to a climactic, if somewhat predictable ending, which is nonetheless satisfying. What a wonderful breath of fresh air to read about children who are ability diverse as “children” without their differences defining their character.

An important read for children 3rd grade and up. This book is extensively quotable and would make a great classroom read-aloud. Perhaps the plot is best summarized with this quote from Valencia, “Meanness always shows on people’s faces. Sometimes you have to look hard for it. Sometimes it’s just a part of a person’s features.”

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Picture Books to Introduce Black History Month to Children

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Reviewed by Tammie Benham

February is Black History Month. Introducing the accomplishments of some of our descendants to children when they are very young is a good way to honor these extraordinary Americans. I took a look at offerings from the Children’s Department at Joplin Public Library and chose some old and new favorites to consider using.

Jazz Baby by Lisa Wheeler is a rhythmic, melodic romp through a day with a baby not yet old enough to walk. “Mama sings high. Daddy sings low. Snazz-jazzy Baby says, “Go, Man, Go!””  The story is written almost as a lyric and captivates young audiences, which is magnified by the energy of the reader.

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What’s Special About Me, Mama? By Kristina Evans features a young child who sees himself in the faces of his family and wants to be told what makes him special. His questioning is answered in a loving way by his mother, who reminds him that all the little things about him add up to the special person he is.

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Hey Black Child, by Useni Eugene Perkins reminds children that being who they want to be is within their reach, that perceived limits are meant to be surmounted and it is within the power of every child to make the world into a better

place.

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Little People, Big Dreams: Maya Angelou, by Lisbeth Kaiser introduces the life of Maya Angelou in straight forward age-appropriate prose. The books touches on her accomplishments, highlighting the impact she had on the world through her perseverance and unrelenting hope.

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This Jazz Man, by Karen Ehrhardt plays with the rhythm and sounds of jazz, translating music into sound so that read aloud, the story becomes music. The accompanying CD for this book features performance from legendary Jazz Men, who are also featured in the end pages.

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A Night Out with Mama, is written by Quvenzhane Wallis, who is written also the main character in the book. Quevenzhane is the youngest person ever to receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. This multi-talented young woman wrote of her experience attending the Oscars with her mother. Her fresh, authentic voices comes roaring through in this simple story of accomplishment and celebration.

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Want more ideas for pictures books to share during the month? Check out Scott Woods list at his blog, “Scott Makes Lists,” at https://scottwoodsmakeslists.wordpress.com/2018/02/07/28-more-black-picture-books-that-arent-about-boycotts-buses-or-basketball-2018/