Ten year-old Manami loves her home on peaceful Bainbridge Island. Then her family and other Japanese American members of the community are forced to relocate to internment camps. Manami tries to smuggle her family’s dog, Yujiin, into the camp, but is forced to leave him behind. The foreign circumstances and grief over her lost dog cause her to stop speaking. Instead, Manami expresses herself through drawings she creates every night. She draws memories of Yujiin and writes asking him to find her family. She will only find her voice again if she can work through her guilt over losing Yujiin.
This realistic debut tackles a dark moment in US history, when in 1942, President Franklin Roosevelt ordered the incarceration of many Japanese Americans. As is so typical of the experience of a child, Manami focuses on one traumatic change—having to leave her dog behind—and this becomes representative to her of all that her family has lost and the grief they suffer. Sepahban’s story stays true to many elements of the historical account of Manzanar, an internment camp in California. While this is a heavy subject for middle readers, the tale walks a fine balance between capturing the true injustice of the camps without relaying too much for young readers to understand.
I love that an author has written something about this moment in our history. I think too often we want to forget the bleakest moments, especially in our own history. To do so leaves us vulnerable to making the same mistakes again. Certainly this story comes as a timely reminder even today, that to judge an entire group of people by the actions of a very small number of radicals, is not only tragic but terrible and wrong.
When I read Paper Wishes, it reminded me in some ways of Number the Stars by Lois Lowry. In Number the Stars, Lowry follows the story of a girl whose best friend must go into hiding because she is Jewish. While the story doesn’t delve into the true horrors of Nazi occupied Holland, it does give readers a view into those events that is child-sized, both in its simplicity and its relating of historical facts.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.
Romance/Sexual Content Manami learns that her brother has a girlfriend, and her family is unhappy about it. She wrestles with her own feelings about the relationship.
Spiritual Content None.
Violent Content Manami learns of a riot in the camp. Her parents rush her inside and away from noises of an angry crowd. One boy has been killed. Another dies soon after. She’s largely sheltered from the actual events.
Drug Content
None.
Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Today, my spin on the topic is this: middle grade reads. As the parent of an enthusiastic middle grade reader, I’m always looking for books that will spark conversations, explore interesting ideas, or generate all those deep emotions as only a well-written book can. Here are the best of the middle grade books I’ve read in the last couple of years.
I loved the way the author used information about jellyfish in this story, but what was ultimately most powerful was Suzy’s voice. This story packed a big emotional punch, and I love that.
While I haven’t made it to posting this review yet, this is another must-read, in my humble blogger opinion. I completely identified with Anna’s struggle to connect with her friends and find peace in her identity.
Quirky characters were the big win for me in this novel. I mean, seriously?! A shape-shifting mouse? So cute. And the team of unlikely allies reminded me of the team of odd part-dragon characters helping Seraphina in Shadow Scale by Rachel Hartman.
This was another unexpected find. When the author, who’d been a missionary to this part of the world, approached me with Escape from Sudan, the subject of the story definitely interested me. Books like this one are great ways to start conversations about world events and to introduce those ideas in ways appropriate for middle readers.
This is another tale with a powerful punch. In the wake of the hostage crisis in Iran, an Iranian-American girl navigates a suddenly hostile California town. She’s smart, funny and immediately goes for the heartstrings. I want this book in classrooms everywhere.
Too often simple kindness gets overlooked in our fast-paced modern world. In this story, Benny wrestles with being kind to others in the midst of troubling family circumstances: his father suffered an accident and may never be the same. I loved Benny from page one.
As part of a school history project, Deja discovers the truth about what changed the New York skyline on September 11, 2001, and the connection it has to her family. While this one got a little preachy– a side effect of the classroom setting for many of the book’s scenes– I really appreciated the honest but not graphic look at another big moment in US history.
I’m cheating a bit, since my review for this book won’t be posted until the middle of July. But seriously. Another great, really relevant book. A young girl is forced to leave her island town with her family to live in a Japanese Internment camp. The details are all gentle– it’s very middle grade level stuff– but it absolutely captures the message about how traumatic and wrong that moment in American history was.
I love the blend of noir and humor in this wacky mystery. This was one series that had both my daughter and me watching for release dates and rushing to the bookstore to get the copy of the latest release.
I had the pleasure of meeting this author on vacation a few months before her book came out. My grandmother’s death was a hugely significant loss in my life, so when she described her novel about a boy and his family rediscovering one another after his grandfather’s death, I was instantly intrigued. I’m super excited that I got to read it!
What are your favorite middle grade books?
You’ve read my list. Have you read any of them? What did you think? Which books top your favorites for middle grade literature? (Thing ages 8-12.) Leave a comment with your answer!
Jess survived induction into the Library, but life as one of their soldiers is far more grueling than he expected. The girl he loves is locked away forever, and his best friend is lost. When rumors bring Jess’s old classmates together again, they face a terrible choice: a rescue mission that would mean living the rest of their lives on the run from the Library, if they manage to escape. Jess promises refuge with his family, but even he isn’t sure he can count on his father to hide them without having something valuable to offer in return.
After devouring the series opener, INK AND BONE, (and then pestering everyone I know to also go read it) I was anxious to start reading PAPER AND FIRE. I love Jess. Something about the combination of his cleverness and vulnerability makes it essential for me to root for him.
I felt like the story in INK AND BONE was a tiny bit more organized, but I still really enjoyed PAPER AND FIRE. In the first book, I was nervous about liking each new character as they were introduced. In PAPER AND FIRE, I was biting my nails down to the quick because again and again, all the characters I love find themselves in mortal peril. I kept having to stop and take a breath.
One of the really difficult things for a series like this where the story world is so unbelievably inventive is that the second book doesn’t have that wow factor with regard to that story world. We already know about the Great Library and the sinister automata. Though they’re still as unique and interesting, I didn’t feel the same awe, because I had kind of already acclimated to the wonder. If that makes sense. I felt the same way about THE HUNGER GAMES. But by the second book, I was like, oh yeah, the Arena. I remember that. Not quite the same.
So yeah. That’s my take. Still a great read, and possibly cleaner than the first book. I’m super excited to see what happens in the next book, ASH AND QUILL.
Content Notes
Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used infrequently.
Romance/Sexual Content Some passionate kissing. At one point, it seems like two characters are winding up to have sex, but they argue instead, and that kills the mood.
Two men kiss.
Jess and his friends learn that in the Iron Tower, Obscurists are matched based on ability and forced to have sex in order to produce children. The process isn’t described, but during Morgan’s imprisonment, Jess worries for her and hates the idea of her being forced into anything.
Spiritual Content Khalila is a practicing Muslim.
Violent Content Burners use Greek fire to set books and themselves ablaze. They also use it against soldiers and members of the Great Library. Jess serves as a soldier and faces battle. The battle descriptions are more about the strategy than about warfare. Guns are used.
Jess and the others learn that Wolfe and other prisoners were tortured. While there aren’t scenes actively depicting the torture, characters who’ve experienced it react strongly to any triggers, and there are some references to the fact that it happened. At one point, Jess and the team find the room where others have been tortured.
Drug Content
None.
Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. This post contains affiliate links which don’t cost you anything but help support this blog.
Several years ago, I reviewed a book called Clifton Chase and the Arrow of Light by Jaimie Engle. Since then, I’ve been impressed with Jaimie’s passion to educate kids about standing up against bullying. Her book addresses the issue, but she doesn’t stop there. Jaimie also visits schools to speak about bullying and how to combat it. I asked her to share some of her insights with us here today.
About Jaimie Engle
Jaimie Engle is an award-winning author of fantasy, horror, and science fiction books from the Space Coast of Florida. Her passion is talking to kids about writing and social issues because words have power. Her first novel, an anti-bullying fantasy adventure, was written after her own son was bullied in school. She took him to archery club, where she imagined a stalking dwarf seeking a magic arrow. Clifton Chase and the Arrow of Light was born. Since then, Engle has published several award-winning books and spoken to tens of thousands of kids across the country about their part in bullying.
Students are burdened to identify themselves as aggressors, victims, passive bystanders or aggressive bystanders. According to the US Department of Education, more than 8 million students nationwide ages 12-18 reported being bullied.
As parents, how can we not encourage kids to confront these individuals? To passively walk away and hope the bully will leave them alone. What does this resolve? Won’t they just seek a new, weaker person to prey upon? It is our responsibility to teach the next generation to stand up for someone when they don’t have the words, courage, or ability to stand up for themselves.
The National Education Association reported that 160,000 bullied children miss at least one day of school a month. These children are more likely to experience mental health concerns resulting in issues such as head and stomachaches, inability to concentrate, poor performance in school, to the worst cases of depression, isolation and suicide. How can a child who is told to ignore a malicious statement possibly pay attention in class? Or a student who is threatened physical harm able to attend school when told to turn the other cheek?
When my son was in first grade, he was bullied and no one was there to help him. That’s why I wrote my first book. I grew up letting people push me around and I didn’t want to see my son make my same mistakes.
Bullying is not a new thing, and it doesn’t just occur between kids. In my book, Clifton Chase and the Arrow of Light, Clifton is dealing with the school bully and failing miserably until he is magically whisked away to Medieval England. There, he helps two forgotten princes face their tyrant uncle while being guided by a dwarf named Dane and a mythical creature called Simurgh. Through discovering the true meaning of friendship and the courage to do what’s right, Clifton discovers his purpose, rescues the princes, and faces his own bully.
Everyday kids can stand up for themselves, just like Clifton Chase. Through a fun story filled with mermaids, dragons, and magic, truth is discovered and bullies never win! Clifton is perfect for fans of Percy Jackson and the Chronicles of Narnia, ages 8+. And the companion book, Clifton Chase the Coloring Book, shares the same story and message in an easy to read coloring book for the younger brothers and sisters of Clifton Chase fans (and the young at heart)!
With #everykidsvoice we can #targetbullying to stop it!
Visit Jaimie Engle on her web site to learn more about her books, school visits, and services to help authors.
Clifton Chase and the Arrow of Light
Clifton Chase couldn’t possibly know the mysterious arrow he finds in his closet will lead him to the year 1485. Two princes need his help, but why? Carrying the Arrow of Light, a weapon forged from the Tree of Knowledge itself, Clifton is led on a journey to face fire-breathing dragons, kidnapping by merpeople, and a final battle, which will end the War of the Roses and the reign of a tyrant king. Will Clifton discover his purpose on time and save the day? Or has the arrow chosen the wrong boy?
History clashes with fantasy in this middle grade adventure story. (From Goodreads)
Author Jeff Wheeler joins us today to talk about his new Kingfountain Series. If you missed my review of The Queen’s Poisoner, the first book in the series, you can check it out here.
About Jeff Wheeler
Jeff took an early retirement from his career at Intel in 2014 to become a full-time author. He is, most importantly, a husband and father, a devout member of his church, and is occasionally spotted roaming hills with oak trees and granite boulders in California or in any number of the state’s majestic redwood groves. He is also one of the founders of Deep Magic: the E-zine of Clean Fantasy and Science Fiction.
A story is often inspired by a question. What question inspired you to write The Queen’s Poisoner?
If a parent had to choose one of their children to die, who would they pick? I know it’s an awful-sounding question and being a parent of five kids myself, it would certainly be an anguishing experience. But it was also a thought that I believed would instantly help my readers connect with Owen Kiskaddon and his family. Even though they are from a different world full of magic and secrets, at its heart this is a story about families and how it can tug at your heart strings.
It’s definitely a tough question, but I think you’re right – it does help connect us to the story and to Owen. The best stories wrestle with hard questions. Was there anything about The Queen’s Poisoner that came as a surprise to you as you were writing it? Something that emerged unexpectedly?
Absolutely and the surprise was an eight year-old girl named Elysabeth Victoria Mortimer. When I had originally dreamed up this story several years ago, she wasn’t part of the cast. Normally I get to learn about my characters over time as they stew inside my brain and are slowly developed. She struck my imagination like a lightning bolt, an Athena bursting from Zeus’ head. She absolutely changed the story and added to several poignant scenes. It was she who taught her friend Owen how to be brave.
How cool! I liked her from the moment she stepped into scene. It’s hard to imagine The Queen’s Poisoner without her. What do you most hope that readers take away from the story?
It’s my hope from all my books, and especially this one, that a story can be exciting, suspenseful, emotional, and profound without relying on provocative sex scenes, strong language, or graphic violence. I think some readers are even more cautious now about picking up a new book for fear of what mature themes are going to be inside. I want parents and grandparents as well as younger folk to enjoy reading all my stories. Literature is more interesting when people share it with each other and talk about it. It shouldn’t just be a guilty pleasure.
That’s a great take-away, and obviously something near and dear to my heart here at The Story Sanctuary. And you’re right – emotional power doesn’t have to come from violence, profanity and graphic sex. You’ve certainly proved it in your novel. What’s your favorite moment in The Queen’s Poisoner? What makes it so special?
It’s the ending, which I don’t want to spoil for the readers, so don’t worry, I won’t. I really like trying to be unpredictable and weaving things into my stories that make a reader stay up to all hours of the night trying to finish it. It needs to deliver something unexpected but also an emotional payoff. This book doesn’t end on a cliffhanger but I believe with a moving resolution that plays out like a beautiful piano chord at the end of an especially intense crescendo. It made it so that the book stands all on its own even though there are sequels.
I love that. It’s definitely important to me as a reader that a story has a satisfying ending, even if there are bits left unresolved and making me desperate for the sequel. Let’s talk about your readers. What is one question about your writing that you are often asked by readers?
When is your next book coming out? I get asked this a lot, even though I’ve been publishing three books a year and try to have a short window in between them. I get that folks love to binge read and it’s great having loyal fans who anticipate new novels and jump in as soon as they are released. I wish I could write as fast as they can read!
Ha! That’s great – definitely shows you’re doing something right. 🙂 I know for me, being a writer has changed how I read things. Do you do a lot of reading? Is there an up-and-coming author you’re following with interest right now? Can you tell us about an author or novel you think deserves a greater spotlight?
I’m not a big sci fi reader, but one of my fans pointed me to Josi Russell’s novel Caretaker and I really enjoyed it. It’s the story of a space ship bound to a distant planet for colonization. But the ship’s ‘Caretaker’ dies and the computer chooses a man to fill his shoes who hasn’t been trained for that kind of role. It meets my definition of a clean read (no sex, swearing, or graphic violence) and it had the kind of Virtus plot that really appeals to me (a few years ago I wrote a blog called “A Manifesto on Virtue” and talked about the Roman concept of Virtus). Caretaker was a great read and I’m looking forward to more from this author.
Sounds like a great story – and I appreciate the recommendation for a clean read! What are you most looking forward to reading next?
Charlie Holmberg’s newest novel Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet. I love all of Charlie’s books and I got an early peek at the first six chapters putting together the first issue of my resurrected e-zine Deep Magic. Folks are in for a “treat” with this one (pun intended…the story is about magical baked goods)
Yum! That sounds like a lot of fun. I’ve had Holmberg’s The Paper Magician on my reading list for some time. I love the sound of this latest book, too.
Thanks for joining us today and taking time to share a little more about your writing and reading. I look forward to more of the Kingfountain Series. I’m excited that book two is already out.
When Becca’s dad is involved in a serious accident, Riley vows to do whatever he can to help her. As her family packs up their motor home and takes off to be with her dad, he watches helplessly as she leaves him behind. A call asking for help is all it takes to send Riley on a journey after her. But then his car breaks down and Riley finds himself stranded with only one option: to call the father who abandoned him for fortune and fame as a pro surfer. Determined not to let his dad back into his life, Riley plans on keeping his head down and focusing on what matters: making it to Becca’s side. But the long journey isn’t without its own ups and downs, and Riley has to admit that there’s more to his dad than he wanted to credit him with. The two hammer out their differences as they cross state lines, making their way toward Becca’s family and the girl Riley hopes to make his future with.
At first, I wasn’t sure I’d like this book. The pro surfer thing didn’t really resonate with me, and I worried that it would be kind of too feel-good or obnoxiously clean or something. While the writing is very clean, I found the story to be largely authentic. I liked that Riley finds value in Becca and wants to protect her, even from things he thought were okay in his own past. Honestly, I liked Riley, period. I liked his dad and Saul, too. I thought Saul made a great third wheel and really brought some humor and warmth to the story in some of its harder moments.
I loved that Riley connected with not only Becca but her larger family, too. In my own life, my parents were kind of those sort of people, where our home was a place our friends liked to be, and their connections went beyond my sister and me to include my parents as well. That model definitely resonates with me as an authentic expression of Christianity, so I enjoyed that part of To Get to You, even though it was a smaller, less central element.
Overall I found this book to be a great clean read with a strong spiritual center. It’s the first time I’ve read anything by Joanne Bischof, but I’d definitely read other novels she’s written. To Get to You is a 2016 Christy Award finalist, an honor I think is well-deserved.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.
Romance/Sexual Content Riley makes some oblique references to his past dating experience, stating that he probably owes some girls an apology. We never get specific details about what happened, but we definitely sense his shame and how foreign Becca’s family’s strict rules are.
Spiritual Content Riley has a mentoring relationship with a local pastor who holds him accountable. Riley thinks a lot about wanting to treat Becca right according to the guidelines her conservative Christian parents set for her.
Violent Content None.
Drug Content
Brief references to the fact that Riley used to smoke.
