All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely

Today's read was All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely.  It is a book I've had on my shelf for a while, and as I went through all the books I wanted to read, this made it to the top of my list.  

I haven't read anything by Jason Reynolds yet, but I have a few by him on my shelf. 

This book, like other's I've been reading this summer deals with young adults being confronted with race and racism as they are trying to navigate their world.  This story is about Rashad, a young black boy who is shopping one night before heading out with his friends when he is suddenly arrested on charges of theft and beaten for supposedly resisting the arrest.  As we watch Rashad deal with the aftermath of that event, we also get a different outlook on the event from Quinn, a fellow classmate of Rashad who is not only white, but also best friends of the Guzzo, the younger brother of policeman who beat Rashad up while arresting him.  Quinn has always idolized his best friend's brother and is conflicted between what he knows of Paul and what he witnessed.  

 Teachers, administration and coaches just want to push things down and not let this issue affect what is happening at school, but that is impossible as things start to heat up with students, adults and family members taking sides.  

I thought this was a great story, that deals with issues that must crop up every time something like what we see in the news happens.  The two main characters are quite rich and complex, both dealing with their families expectations while trying to determine how they want to handle the events and the aftermath.  It think this would be a great book to read with high school students.  There is a bit of swearing in it, I will keep it in my library for my grade 7 & 8's, but I wouldn't use it as a read aloud for that young of a group.  

Black Brother, Black Brother by Jewell Parker Rhodes

This is the second book I've read this summer by Jewell Parker Rhodes. The first one was Ghost Boys .  Black Brother, Black Brother was on my radar, but it was after my friend Heather read it and loved it that I bumped it up to the top of my reading list.  

Black Brother, Black Brother is the story of Donte, a grade 7 boy who goes to a prep school where he is constantly being blamed for things and teased by the popular boys at school.  Dubbed "Black Brother" because Donte is black and his brother Trey is lighter skinned because they are the children of biracial parents.  Donte is tired of feeling like he doesn't fit in and tired of being picked on by Alan, captain of the fencing team.  Donte wants nothing more than to show Alan that he is as good as him.   Donte then finds a former Olympic fencer at the local Boys and Girls club and begins to train with him.  Along the way, Donte deals with racism, bullies and determines what is important to him and the type of person he wants to be.  

I enjoyed reading this book- I read it in about 2 hours straight because I couldn't put it down.  Both books I've read by Jewell Parker Rhodes have a very unique writing style- the prose is choppy and doesn't flow naturally.  However I believe that is purposeful because her books deal with uncomfortable topics.  I loved the fencing references throughout the story. Fencing is a sport that is not as well known, and I can see how the detail about the sport would be of real interest to many who read this book.  

Several of us are looking for a book to read aloud to our grade 6-8 students this upcoming school year, this is one that is in contention for sure.   Even if it isn't the book to we choose to read aloud, it is a book that belongs in every classroom/ school library for sure.  

Black and White by Eric Walters

I've always loved Eric Walters books.  I love reading them, love recommending them and love watching kids come back for more.  Back in 2009 (holy cow that is a long time ago!), I read Black and White and reviewed it here, my copy of the book has gone missing- hopefully some past student kept it because it was one of their favourite books.  I ordered it again this week to go along with my theme of reading books dealing with racial issues.  I sat down to read it again today.  

Black and White is the story of Thomas and Denyse, both share similar passions of basketball and eating sugar on their popcorn.  They find that they have so many things in common, but the one thing they don't have in common is the colour of their skin, Thomas is white and Denyse is black.  For them, this doesn't matter, but their families are concerned about how difficult it will be for them to be in a relationship because of what others will think.  Both Thomas and Denyse are confronted with people who take issue with their relationship and have to figure out how to deal with the anger that is thrown their way when people see them together.

I'm really glad I reread this book today.  I can see a lot of my kids enjoying this story with all of the complexities in it.  Thomas is a boy who reminds me so much of the kids at school, loving basketball, unsure of how to be around girls and navigating challenges that are thrown at them.  It was interesting reading this 11 years after it was published, I'm not sure how much has changed and that is something that I will be able to talk to kids about when they borrow this book from me next year.

The Skin I'm In by Sharon G. Flake

This is a book I read years ago, apparently before I was even writing this blog since I don't have a record of what I thought about this book.  I ordered it again because it is a book that comes up a great deal when I was searching for books to read this summer.  I was also interested to read the foreword by Jason Reynolds, an author I've also ordered several books by this summer. 

The Skin I'm In is the story of Maleeka, a girl in grade 7 who is teased terribly every day because of how dark her skin is, how ugly her clothes are and how smart she is.  Maleeka is a pretty lonely girl, who is able to hang out with Char, who treats her terribly.   When a new teacher comes to school, Maleeka learns from her about how to deal with being different from those around you and how to stand up for what is right.

I really liked the foreword in this book.  Reynolds talked about how this is the book he gave to all of his female family members so that they could appreciate the beauty they carry.  This wouldn't be a book I would use as a read aloud for a class, however, it certainly belongs in a classroom library.  There are a few mature pieces mentioned in this story, however it is age appropriate for grade 7 & 8 students. 

The Field Guide to the North American Teenager by Ben Philippe

This book came recommended to me by a friend on Facebook when I wrote that I was looking to read books with more diversity.  

The Field Guide to the North American Teenager is the story of  Norris Kaplan- a Black French Canadian who has just moved from Montreal to Texas.  Norris is determined to not like Texas, he is convinced he won't fit in, he is missing his best friend from home and playing hockey.  But slowly, Norris begins to find his place in his high school and starts to learn what makes Texas such a great place.  He has a love interest, a new friend, a job and is even coaching a hockey team.  However, Norris is still not convinced that Texas is where he belongs, and still feels awkward in a new country with new friends.  

I loved this story- I laughed out loud in places.  Norris's observations about the people around him are quite funny to read (although not so funny when they are about you) Norris is a great character, not perfect- but interesting to read about.  

This book might be a little mature for grade 7 & 8's, but I can see boys quite enjoying reading this one.  

New Kid by Jerry Craft

I am not a graphic novel reader- I never really know how to follow the story and I like making the pictures in my mind.  However- this book- blew me away and has convinced me I need to read more of not only Jerry Craft's books, but graphic novels in general. 

New Kid is the story of Jordan, a young black boy in 7th grade who is leaving his home school and traveling across town to attend a rather expensive private school.  At Riverdale Academy Day School, Jordan finds himself one of the few students of colour and he finds the difference between being at school and traveling home to be quite different.  Jordan isn't really sure who he should be, or how he should be acting.  His parents also have different opinions on the benefits of being at Riverdale.  Throughout the story, Jordan needs to learn how to stay true to himself and his family, but also learn to navigate different perspectives and opinions of the people (both students and adults) at school. 

One of the things I liked about this story was that Jordan is an artist and there are times throughout the story that Jordan sketches his feelings about events taking place.  Many of his drawings made me laugh out loud.  I also really liked the way micro-aggressions were brought up in the story- I think this book would make a great read aloud for grade 7 & 8 (and younger).  Right now this book is one I would like to see my whole school read aloud in the fall- I just have to figure out how to do that with a graphic novel...any thoughts on that? 

Piecing Me Together by Renee Watson

I picked this one up after lunch today and read it in one sitting- it was THAT good!  This is the first book I've read y Renee Watson, but I will be ordering more of her books today!

Piecing Me Together is the story of Jade, a young girl who is trying to find her voice as she learns to navigate the world.  Jade lives with her mom and her uncle in a poor neighbourhood in Portland, but she goes to private school a few neighbourhoods away.  She attends this school on a scholarship which sets her apart from the other students at the school.  When Jade is there, she often hears stories of opportunities her peers have that she doesn't.  But, when she is asked to participate in a new mentorship program called Woman to Woman, she isn't convinced she wants to join.  Jade is tired of being made to feel like something is wrong with her, that she needs help and needs to be fixed.  However, girls in this program also have the opportunity for a scholarship to college, which is impossible to pass up on. 

As Jade navigates the different worlds she lives in, she feels different pressures from her mom, her uncle, her best friend from her previous school, her new friend and her mentor.  Jade is learning to speak up and speak out in order to share her thoughts, ideas and feelings. 

The women in this story are real women- they are not perfect, but along the way, they speak to Jade and help her figure out how she wants to operate in her world and how she needs to fight for the opportunities she is looking for.  One of my favourite characters in this story is Jade's mentor Maxine.  Jade thinks Maxine as her mentor should have all of the answers, but what Jade comes to learn is that everyone is trying to figure out how to make their voices heard- no matter what age they are. 

I think the girls at school are going to love reading Jade's story, she will stay with me for a while I think.