When Lightning Struck by Betsy R Rosenthal

James has lost his dad - he was killed by a lightning strike. His mum is in jail for bootlegging and she is also suffering from depression. James lives with his grandfather (Pappy) and until recently with his beloved grandmother (Abuela) but six months ago she died. Abuela was a town healer. Pappy runs the local diner and he makes delicious food for the people in the town. I loved the way James tucks into pie and hamburgers. 

There is a new kid who has moved to Odessa, Texas. He is from Ukraine and he has very little English. He is older than the kids in the class and so he is taller which is helpful for James because he is regularly tormented by a bully named Virgil and now Paul is his friend so her has someone on his side when the bullies attack. Paul's family seem very different to James. They speak a strange language (he later discovers this is Hebrew) and they observe unfamiliar customs which often include special rituals and very delicious food. They don't go to the local Christian church. 

Just before she died Abuela gave James an amulet which has a strange symbol on one side and foreign writing on the back. The Pappy shows James the family bible and it seems Abuela has a connection that goes back to 1492 when Jewish people were expelled from Spain. You can read about that in this picture book:

The Key from Spain

"Things were starting to get a little less muddy. Between the charm and the Bible with my name in it and the Hebrew writing, I felt like Abuela was sending me a message from the grave, trying to tell me that I was somebody different than I'd thought I was. And I go to wondering, too, if this news about my family's past could have something to do with me finding my purpose."

"I think your Texas Odessa is named after my Odessa because railroad workers here said this place reminded them of their home in Ukraine. ... Same name but better place for our family that Ukraine, Odessa ..."

Readers aged 10+ might gain a little more understanding about Jewish culture and the history of their persecution through this story. Paul talks about the terror his family experienced in Ukraine - a situation which has been repeated today with the Russian army. 

Our famous children's bookshop The Little Bookroom has reopened in a different location in Melbourne and I was there on their first day (not their official opening which was held two weeks later). The new owner filled several shelves with books from the previous store and marked them at 90% off the retail price and so that is how I came to find When Lightning Struck. This book was published in 2022. The ebook version is available. 

The setting for this book is Texas in 1928 but apart from references to prohibition, the Klu Klutx Klan and a few sporting heroes the parts of the story set in Texas didn't feel historical enough for me.

Here is list of other books by Betsy R Rosenthal (and there is a link to teachers notes from When Lightning Struck).

Bookseller blurb: It's 1928 in Odessa, Texas, and eleven-year-old James is struggling to find his purpose in life and to uncover a family secret. With his father struck dead by lightning and his mother in jail, he is taken in by his grandparents. Treated as a pariah at school, James is taunted as being cursed by his family's bad luck. But he finds a friend in Paul, a Russian immigrant, who is also treated as an outcast, and together, they battle the school bully. But James's life is turned upside-down yet again when he uncovers a family secret involving his beloved grandmother. His discovery leads him to find the sense of purpose he's been seeking.

The Magpie Riddle: A Goldfish Boy Mystery by Lisa Thompson

Melody and her mum live in a Chestnut Close. The houses form a semi circle and so naturally everyone knows everyone. Near the street there is a old graveyard and Melody likes to wander through with her dog Frankie. Melody has one friend in the street - a boy called Matthew. We met him in the first book. Jake also lives in Chestnut Close but he speaks very bluntly to Melody and he almost feels like a bully at times. He also seems to be taking Matthew away from Melody. Then Melody meets Hal. Hal is a boy with a strange story. He is living in an old abandoned house at the back of the graveyard. He tells Melody he works for a spy agency and that he is reporting on the activities of a jewelry thief. Some of his story seems quite impossible but Hal persuades Melody that he does work for MI8 and he enlists her help to decode mysterious riddles that are left in the graveyard.

Melody, herself, has her own life problems. Her father left the family some time ago in awful circumstances. Now mum is trying to sell their house. Melody misses Matthew too.

A neighbor decides everyone should help to clear up some weeds in the graveyard but Melody is worried the adults will find Hal. She needs to call on Matthew and also Jake to help her move Hal into an empty house in Chestnut Close. But Mr Charles has the only key and Mr Charles also seems to be holding onto a letter from Melody's dad. 

Blurb from author page: Melody Bird has discovered an old, abandoned house in the corner of the graveyard, and a mysterious boy called Hal who is hiding out there… Hal tells her that he’s a spy-in-training, using the house as a base for his undercover surveillance of a known local criminal. Her friends Matthew and Jake don’t believe that a teenager would be entrusted with this mission and turn the tables to spy on him, uncovering secrets and unravelling a mystery as they go.

In the US this book has a different cover and title:

Take a look at the Kirkus review

I confess I wrecked my own reading of this book by, early into the reading experience, jumping to the final pages to preview the ending. My reaction to this book is less positive than the first installment. There were a few too many 'issues' and the idea (spoiler alert) that a child could be totally hidden from the system seems a little too farfetched. If this was at all possible I needed Hal to be more confused about 'real life' and also I did worry that he was not getting enough food! My labels on this post will give you some idea of the 'issues' faced by the main characters.

When I spotted this book I recognised the series - The Goldfish Boy. Here is my previous post:

The Goldfish Boy

Kirkus Star review

Here is the third book in the series and I think Lisa Thompson has a plan for a fourth title:

Blurb: When a skeleton is found buried in an elderly neighbour’s garden, Matthew, Melody and Jake are determined to discover its identity and who was responsible for its death. At the same time, the long-lost son of the neighbour arrives, with his young son in tow. But are the pair really who they are claiming to be – or are they imposters? As the kids investigate, they uncover incredible secrets and a plot to stash some priceless jewels on the Close…

Here is the webpage for Lisa Thompson. I do think this series have very appealing covers. 

Free Lunch by Rex Ogle

Ministers and priests and Buddhist monks and talk-show hosts—all those people who are supposed to be real smart and wise and stuff—always say dumb things like “Money isn’t everything,” or “The best things in life are free.” 

But they’re wrong. Money is everything. The best things in life aren’t free.

I hate Sam 'cause he beats Mom. I hate him even more for beating me. I hate Mom for beating me. And I hate her even more for going crazy all the time. I hate that they don’t have money. I hate that they always fight about not having money. I hate that all the kids at my school seem happy all the time. Sometimes I hate the whole world. Sometimes I don’t know who to hate. I guess, most of the time, I just hate myself.

Rex lives with his mum, her partner Sam and their son Ford. It is a home filled with violence, neglect and often there is no food. School is a refuge for Rex, but it is also a tough place with traps and rules. Thank goodness Rex does make a friend - I just wanted to hug this kid named Ethan. Ethan just accepts Rex - no judgement - only genuine kindness. His grandmother is also someone wonderful but sadly her daughter, Rex's mum utterly rejects her help and even throws away all clothes, toys and the groceries she brings on her visit.

Even though his situation is utterly dreadful Rex has intelligence and integrity. He does understand his mother, he tries to help her, and he would deny this, but he deeply cares about his much younger brother. I was sure Rex would make something more of his life - it is fantastic to read that he wants to succeed at school and while he knows others have a way better life than his I felt certain Rex would be okay. 

Here are some text quotes (note this book has strong language and explicit violence) - I really enjoyed taking this journey with Rex. I recommend this book for readers aged 13+. Free Lunch was published in 2020 and it is still available in paperback. There is a sticker on the front cover because this book won the YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association) Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults Award.

It’s not just Mom’s fault—it’s mine too. I shouldn’t have raised my voice at her. I really do try to be a good kid, but sometimes I get so angry. Everything turns red. Feels like my blood is on fire and I’m going to puke or pass out or . . . I don’t know. Next thing I know, I’m screaming so hard. But that’s all I do is yell.

This year was supposed to be great. It’s only the first day, and everything is falling apart already. Yesterday, I was so excited. Now, I’m angry and pissed off and alone. All ’cause of . . . ’cause of what? I come to school with a black eye and have to beg for a free lunch. It’s bull crap. No one should have to ask for handouts. No one. Especially not kids. Now everyone knows I’m nothing but trailer trash.

I hate that Mom and Sam are in charge of me. Adults aren’t always smarter than kids. I’m always doing stuff that parents should do. Like hooking up the wires for the TV or the stereo, or jump-starting a car. That stuff is easy for me. Mom doesn’t even know how to make toast, and I can cook, like, twenty kinds of meals, even stuff without recipes. Plus, I know a bunch of facts ’cause I read a lot. I for sure know more than Sam. He can barely write a full sentence. Sometimes he has me fill out job applications for him. And I’m good at math. Mom has me double-check hers in her checkbook all the time.

Mom’s bedroom is empty except for the mattress and the box spring under it, and the metal frame under that. Some clothes are in the closet on wire hangers. There’s a fan in the corner. That’s it. No photos. No albums. No books. No jewelry box with a ballerina in it. No tin of little keepsakes. My mom doesn’t have anything.

I think about how we were homeless for one night, and that was awful. But now we have a roof over our head. And Sam and Mom never let us starve, even if we have to do without TV or a toaster for a little while. Mom didn’t sign me up for the Free Lunch Program to punish me. She did it so I could have food.

I guess I should have realised this book is a true story because the name of the author and the main character match, but it just didn't occur to me until I read the heart wrenching afterword.

Bookseller blurb: Instead of giving him lunch money, Rex’s mom has signed him up for free meals. As a poor kid in a wealthy school district, better-off kids crowd impatiently behind him as he tries to explain to the cashier that he’s on the free meal program. The lunch lady is hard of hearing, so Rex has to shout Free Lunch is the story of Rex’s efforts to navigate his first semester of sixth grade—who to sit with, not being able to join the football team, Halloween in a handmade costume, classmates and a teacher who take one look at him and decide he’s trouble—all while wearing secondhand clothes and being hungry. His mom and her boyfriend are out of work, and life at home is punctuated by outbursts of violence. Halfway through the semester, his family is evicted and ends up in government-subsidized housing in view of the school. Rex lingers at the end of last period every day until the buses have left, so no one will see where he lives. Unsparing and realistic, Free Lunch is a story of hardship threaded with hope and moments of grace. Rex’s voice is compelling and authentic, and Free Lunch is a true, timely, and essential work that illuminates the lived experience of poverty in America.

Ms Yingling has written a very thoughtful review of Free Lunch - please take the time to read it. 

A mighty portrait of poverty amid cruelty and optimism. Kirkus Star review

There is a rawness to Ogle’s writing, an honesty that shines on the page. His weaving in of hope makes reading this book possible, not leaving the reader to languish in the haunting and horrible world he writes of. That hope is vital for the character of Rex too, it keeps him making new friends, finding a way forward, and being willing to change himself to make his family better. Profoundly honest and full of heart, this book is one that all teachers and librarians need to read to understand the children they serve.  Waking Brain Cells

Here are some words from the author about his life:

The worst part of living like this is thinking as I did—that I was alone, that I was shameful, and that I had less worth because of the situations into which I was born. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. No child should feel alone. Or ashamed. Or worthless. They need to know that their circumstances are not their fault. ... No matter how bad your circumstances may seem, things can change. And until they do, no one can take away your most powerful gift—your ability to hope for the better.

Companion books:

The Other Shadow

Orbiting Jupiter

Gossamer

One for the Murphys

Louder than Hunger by John Schu

What does it feel like to eat without worry? 

Without a voice constantly 

quacking and crying 

inside your head? 

A voice 

pound, pound, pounding

yell, yell, yelling

ALL DAY.

Foreword: What if someone was brave enough to tell you the truth? What if someone dared to reveal their heart to you? The book that you hold in your hands tells a painful truth. It reveals a beautiful, broken heart. Jake’s heart. Jake is thirteen years old, and he has an eating disorder. You and Jake are about to go on a harrowing journey together; by the time you finish this book, you will be friends. Reading Jake’s story will change you. You might find that you want to reveal your heart, tell someone your truth. Telling your story can save your life. It may save someone else’s life, too. Jake knows this. John Schu knows this. That is why he wrote this book. For you. —Kate DiCamillo

Jake is thirteen. He has a voice in his head that is truly awful and it is voice that controls his actions and thought and he cannot seem to 'turn it off' or ignore it. The voice tells him he is ugly and fat and so he stops eating. He wears really baggy clothes to disguise his body and he weighs himself compulsively.

Grandma: You’re too thin. I worry. I see it even when you’re always wearing those baggy sweaters over your overalls. I don’t think you’re eating enough. You’re a growing boy. 

Me: I eat enough. I promise.

Elementary school was good, high school is torture. Jake takes some comfort though, from musicals. Louder than hunger is an autobiographical story. I used to follow John Schu when he was an ambassador for Scholastic and every time he visited a different city he would talk about the musicals he had attended - often seeing the same show many many times. This used to make me smile but now I know why. Visiting his grandmother is also a comfort. They both love musicals and the same television shows. Finally a former teacher who he visits in the nursing home where he goes as a volunteer alerts his mum that Jake is ill and after a visit to the doctor he goes into a mental health facility for adolescents. In The Pines he meet Kella

I love the way John Schu weaves into his story so many fantastic children's books (of course I would have expected him to do this!) such as Sarah, Plain and Tall; Shiloh; The Giver; Roll of Thunder Hear my Cry; and Where the Sidewalk ends. Jake also quotes poems by Emily Dickinson - I recently talked about this picture book for an IBBY Australia presentation:

Some reviewers list this book for readers aged as young as 12 but this book is so raw and distressing, I think it better suits mature readers aged 15+. The scene where Jake is fitted with a feeding tube is absolutely harrowing. My own connection to this story comes from around 1975 when I visited a mental health facility like the one in this book and I saw teens not much younger than me who were suffering like Jake - that moment had a profound impact on me. 

Written in a combination of non-rhyming poetry and prose, this elegant and unique verse-novel is propulsive and compelling. ... This visceral and raw memoir type book instantly draws the reader in and spits us out at the other end – in the best possible way. Kids' Book Review

Here is a podcast (one hour) where you can hear John Talking about his book.  You can read an extract on the Candlewick publisher page. 

John Schu (Schumacher) has made a career out of advocating for the people and things he cares about most: kids, books, and the people that connect them. He was named a Library Journal Mover and Shaker for his dynamic interactions with students and his passionate adoption of new technologies as a means of connecting authors, illustrators, books, and readers. He is the children’s librarian for Bookelicious, a part-time lecturer at Rutgers University, and shares his love of reading with countless educators and students around the world. He served as the Ambassador of School Libraries for Scholastic Book Fairs for almost 6 years.

You know that I am not a fan of endorsements but so many very famous authors have said such profound (and true) things about this book:

“Louder Than Hunger is a powerful and important book, giving readers entry into the world of a sensitive teen struggling physically and emotionally with crippling anxiety and anorexia. Through his free verse voice, we accompany Jake into his honest, raw, vulnerable world. I think readers of all ages will empathize with him, worry for him, and root for his journey to understanding, recovery, hope, and joy. Those who know the author, John Schu, and have witnessed his boundless enthusiasm and legendary passion for reading and the transformative power of story will connect on an even deeper level upon learning that Jake’s story parallels John Schu’s own. From troubled teen to author and speaker surging with compassion and joy and willing to share it all with the world—that is John Schu.”   —Newbery Medalist Sharon Creech

I read Louder than Hunger on my Kindle but I wanted to show you the way the verse in this novel is set out - it is so sparce and so very powerful. Louder than hunger has over 500 pages but you can see from this example that you can fly through this book and you do fly through because if you are like me you just wanted Jake to feel well again and for that dread anorexia voice to at least quieten down if not completely turn off:

This is not quite the final page but I hope reading these words from Jake will help you see that he will be okay:

I say to Dr. Parker, Thank you for “forcing” me to share complicated, hard-to-think-about thoughts. You helped me see anorexia nervosa isn’t really about food.

Not Nothing Gayle Forman

Before I start, I want to make it clear. He did something bad. Truly bad. I don’t want you to think I’m sidestepping that, or excusing it, or even forgiving it; it’s not for me to forgive, anyhow. But I’m telling you the story so you understand how he got where he did and how I got where I did and how both of us learned to rise to the occasion of our lives.

Alex, aged 12, has done something truly awful. The judge is giving him one more chance or one more opportunity. Alex hates that word and it's one the adults seem to use way too often. Now he finds himself at the Shady Glen retirement home: The Shady Glen residents were the living waiting to die. Places like Shady Glen are antechambers of death, the last stop where you wait for the Last Stop.

Because, honestly, no one had asked him if he wanted to be here. No one had asked him if he wanted another stupid opportunity. But, remembering what the judge had said about him throwing away chances ...

Alex is assigned work in the care home. He finds the residents weird and scary but even worse there is a young girl named Maya Jade also aged 12 who is working there - not as a community service order but as a volunteer - and she is bossy and opinionated and very annoying. The facility goes into lock down and Alex is sent to deliver meals to the residents. He meets Joseph “Josey” Kravitz aged 107 AND we meet him too because this book uses that appealing plot style of alternating voices so we can hear what Alex thinks and hear Josey. This is lucky in two ways because Josey is nonverbal (at least at the beginning of the book) and Josey is able to share the things he really 'sees' about Alex. Josey also opens up to Alex and over the following months he shares his own story - a harrowing story of love, loss and the holocaust.

Alex is suffering at home. He has been sent to live with his aunt and uncle. They are cold, disinterested and show Alex no love or affection. So 'home' is a misery. 

He lived on a lumpy couch with an aunt and uncle who did not want him. He had a judge who had warned him of last chances. He might go to juvie. And his mom… He hadn’t seen her in almost a year. He didn’t know if or when he would ever see her again. How could it get more permanently bad than this?

And the new school is also terrible. 'They' decide Alex is failing and so he is given special tutoring in maths. Alex is good at maths but he has totally switched off because everything in his life is so broken. He is so angry about the tutoring and the tutor. 

This book was published in 2024 and so here in Australia the hardcover edition is priced way beyond a school library budget. I read my copy on a Kindle but hopefully a paperback will arrive eventually. Not Nothing has won a Banks Street Award - Josette Frank Award 2025.  The Josette Frank Award for a work of fiction of outstanding literary merit for young readers in which children or young people deal in a positive and realistic way with difficulties in their world and grow emotionally and morally.

There is a raw honesty in this story - both in the story from Josey and from Alex. I cannot tell you exactly what Alex did but even though it is dreadful Gayle Forman has crafted a story that builds our empathy. I highly recommend Not Nothing for readers aged 12+.

Best-selling award winner Forman interweaves the tales carefully, with striking language and depth of feeling, allowing readers to understand the characters’ changing perspectives as they learn more about themselves and open up to people around them, many of whom become advocates and friends. Powerful, heartbreaking, and hopeful. Kirkus Star review

Book seller blurb: Alex is twelve, and he did something very, very bad. A judge sentences him to spend his summer volunteering at a retirement home where he's bossed around by an annoying and self-important do-gooder named Maya-Jade. He hasn't seen his mom in a year, his aunt and uncle don't want him, and Shady Glen's geriatric residents seem like zombies to him. Josey is 107 and ready for his life to be over. He has evaded death many times, having survived ghettos, dragnets, and a concentration camp--all thanks to the heroism of a woman named Olka and his own ability to sew. But now he spends his days in room 206 at Shady Glen, refusing to speak and waiting (and waiting and waiting) to die. Until Alex knocks on Josey's door...and Josey begins to tell Alex his story. As Alex comes back again and again to hear more, an unlikely bond grows between them. Soon a new possibility opens up for Alex: Can he rise to the occasion of his life, even if it means confronting the worst thing that he's ever done?

Here are a few text quotes:

For three days the boy cleaned banisters, safety rails, doorknobs, coffee tables, more doorknobs, Rummikub sets, book spines, outdoor tables, indoor tables, outdoor chairs, indoor chairs. The bleach stung his eyes, scraped his throat, and stole his appetite. The baloney sandwich his aunt packed him went uneaten. He would’ve thrown it away except he couldn’t bring himself to throw away food.

But then, as the months dragged on, his mom started to go to one of her bad places. He could recognize the signs as easily as the freckles across the bridge of her nose. He’d wake up in the morning and find her in the same chair she’d been in when he’d gone to bed, the TV on the same channel, the dinner he’d left out for her cold on the table. She didn’t cook any meals or eat the ones he put together.

“You shouldn’t separate them, because they love each other,” he continued in a halting voice. ...  So many people in Shady Glen had lost the people they loved, because their spouses had died or their children had moved away. When the people you loved left, that love remained, floating around, desperate for a place to go. And if it didn’t find a place to go… bad things happened. Love turned into anger, fear, hate. This was something the boy at twelve knew all too well. How did the grown-ups not see this?

“I’ll tell you why!” The words felt like a rocket countdown. Ten, nine, eight… “Because everyone who has promised me an opportunity has just made things worse. When I told the people at my old school about me and my mom, they all congratulated me on doing the right thing. Because now they had an opportunity to get us some help. I thought they meant food.” His voice began to crack, but the rocket was lifting off now, and there was no turning back. “But you know what they did? They made me go live with strangers and dragged my mom to a hospital and told her she’d have to get better if she wanted to be my mom. But if you know my mom like I do, you know she can’t stand to be stuck in one place. It’s why she moved so much. It’s why during the lockdown she got so much worse.”

I have also read this story where an elderly character also shares their holocaust experience. This one is for a slightly young audience - 10+.

The Boy in the Suit by James Fox

Right from the beginning of this book it is clear this young boy has a fraught relationship with his mother and also it is clear that she is suffering from a serious mental illness. When he was born, she named her son Solo. This name means Solo has to suffer lots of bullying and name calling at school. 

On page two we read a description of Morag's clothing:

"Morag was wearing her favourite party outfit: a black leather jacket, black hat with lace that partially covered her eyes, smart black skirt with black tights, and black boots that came up to her knees."

Then we read about her moods:

"Morag got in a mood like this sometimes. She had a special name for it: the Big Bad Reds, or the BBRs for short. Apparently, an evil red mist would descent into her eyes, and all she could see was how rubbish the whole world was. Whenever Morag was suffering from the BBrs, her voice went snappy and the words she used didn't sound anything like the real her .. There were so many words like depression and anxiety floating around, but I wasn't sure that's what Morag had. All I knew was that some of her mood were trickier than others."

Dad left long ago and now mum (Solo calls her Morag) has lost her job. It is clear they will be evicted very soon because the rent has not been paid. As a way to find food Morag takes Solo along to funerals. They sit though the church service and then 'gate crash' the after party. Solo wears an old charity shop suit which is way too big for him but it does have large pockets. He also carries small plastic bags. He collects the buffet food surreptitiously and then deposits it Morag's large handbag. Solo hates doing this and he is also in desperate fear they will be found out. It is even worse when Morag finds the free drinks at the 'party' and often becomes quite drunk.

Then comes the funeral where they are 'found out'. And even worse a newspaper publishes photos of Solo and Morag and the social media world goes viral. And Solo get a new horrid name - Funeral Boy.

The part of this book that made me shudder is the description of the way Solo's teacher treats him. She has absolutely no emotional intelligence, no empathy and is at times, even cruel towards Solo who clearly is suffering. He has no food, the wrong clothes and with no access to proper hygiene I am sure he must smell. All she can do is give him demerit points and threats. The scenes near the end of the book when she learns the truth about Solo and his dreadful life circumstances left me feeling hollow. Her apology feels somewhat fake especially when she tells Solo her own mum also had mental health issues. I was left wanting to scream at her for her terrible behaviour. Luckily there is a teacher's aide in the school who does see Solo needs help. She is able to give him shoes and information about a local food bank. Sadly his mum will not accept charity and so they do not visit the food bank and she refuses to complete the necessary forms. The other wonderful character in this book is a new girl called Chetna. She is kind to Solo, she is patient with him, and she is even willing to take huge risks when Morag goes missing and Solo makes a plan to travel to a seaside holiday resort by running away from a school excursion. 

There are other adults who want to help Solo but he is so protective of Morag - these parts of this story will break your heart. 

The Boy in the Suit is a stark portrayal of the cost of living crisis and its impact on children. It highlights those invisible children who can easily slip through the cracks if other adults in their lives are not checking in and providing support (without waiting for the child to ask). Empathetic, sensitive and honest, this story is one that will stay with readers long after the book is finished. Scope for Imagination

While it highlights the reality of life with a parent experiencing mental health issues and the difficulties caused by child poverty, it also carries a message of hope, the value of friendship, and the courage it can take to accept help from others.  Book Trust

There are more plot details and some discussion questions here. 

This book will be available here in Australia in May 2025. Somehow a copy arrived in the Westmead Children's Hospital Book Bunker library so I borrowed it last week. The cover makes this look like a Young Adult title and indeed The Empathy Lab collection for 2025 put this book into their 12-16 book set. Other reviewers, however, say 9-11. In my view this is one of those cross over books - it will appeal to mature readers in Grade 6 but it could also be enjoyed by students in Grade 7 and 8.

Here are the 2025 Empathy list book titles:

Companion books:

The wrong shoes

Small as an Elephant

Attack of the Black Rectangles by Amy Sarig King

Mac and his friends are assigned to a reading group Table 6. The way this works, their teacher. Ms Sett, gives each group a different book. They are told 'not to read ahead' and after each class session they have to complete vocabulary and response tasks. Just as an aside I do not like this format of teaching - especially the instruction 'do not read ahead'. And so I did cheer when one of the Table 6 group - Hannah Do (later we learn her real name is Hao Do) declares she has already read the whole book. In fact she has read all the class assigned books!

This group are assigned The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen (1988). Hopefully you do know this is a real book. I will confess I had not read it but it is now on my list. Here is the Kirkus Star review. And Jane Yolen writes about her book here. 

When Mac opens his copy of this book there are words that have been blacked out - we would call this a texta here in Australia but in the US it is called a Sharpie. Why has this book been censored? What do the missing words say? Mac and his friends are completely shocked and so they decide to take action. First off, they talk to the school Principal, but she just offers platitudes. So, then they make a presentation to the school board. Their local independent bookstore has their assigned book and so they can read the 'offending' passages. This content is simply about body parts and these kids can see absolutely no reason why these words are covered in rectangles. They decide to protest outside the bookshop each Saturday in the hope of raising awareness about this issue. 

Meanwhile Mac is navigating some difficult times in his family. His dad no longer lives with them but he does visit once a week. His behaviour is very strange and then his father robs their house and takes the car owned by Mac's grandfather. 

And there is also the issue of their class teacher. She has assigned herself as a rule maker for the whole town. Halloween is banned; there is a curfew of 9pm; in some streets the houses are expected to be painted white; and no one is allowed to eat junk food. Also at school girls are banned from wearing shorts even though this is okay for boys.

Objections to the town rules are presented in the form of letters to the editor. This part of the story really resonated with me. I often despair when rules at every level are set as reaction to one event. In this case some teenagers scare some little kids at Halloween so Halloween is banned - ridiculous. 

Having finished another book a couple of days ago I picked up the next one. I thought I would just dip in and perhaps read a few pages - I lifted my head around page 176 and then when I couldn't sleep, because I wanted to know how this story could possibly be resolved, I read the remaining pages, up to page 258 from 1-2am. YES this book is THAT good. And page 248 contains the best scene I have ever read in a book - it made me smile and gasp. 

Attack of the Black Rectangles was published in 2022 but the paperback edition from Scholastic has only just reached Australia. I purchased my copy for AUS$17 but I see it is offered by Scholastic Book Club here is Australia - issue 3, 2025. 

The students in this book are in Grade 6 but my recommendation is that this is a book for students in Grades 7 and 8. There is some confronting content about the holocaust and also the issue of censorship which I think better suits an older group. And of course the key text - The Devil's Arithmetic is a Young Adult title for readers aged 13+. 

Listen to an audio sample here. This is a timely and important book. It is easy to read and there are touches of humour. These kids, as Colby said (see below) feel so real. I highly highly recommend Attack of the Black Rectangles for readers aged 11+. 

Here is a quote from a review about the audio book: The group of narrators do a great job with the audiobook and King’s vivid storytelling and great characters come to life as the story unfolds. It’s a wonderful insight into the American censorship battle and shows there’s hope and always a fight to have against those who try to silence others.

Colby Sharp said: "It just so real." "I love how real this felt." "How possible it felt for kids to make a difference and for kids to find their voice and demand that they are heard." "One of the best books of the year." Listen to this audio interview at The Yarn. 

But this book is not just about book banning, it’s a moving story of a young teen boy trying to figure out who he is and navigating family, friendship, first crushes, and his own emotions as he transitions into adolescence. It’s a powerful and inspiring look at the inner lives of teen boys and it moved me at times to tears. At other times, I cheered for our Mac, who is genuine, authentic, inspiring while also being complicated, complex, at times messy and flawed. School Library Journal

Take a look at these review comments quoted on the author web page:

“Poignant, humorous, and bright . . . Whip-smart, tuned in to the mind of sixth-graders, and beautifully concluded, the novel takes a bold stand in a time of book bans and rampant censorship . . . Against the backdrop of family issues, first crushes, and the end of elementary school, this is a beacon of hope for middle grades and an object lesson in treating kids like the intelligent readers they are.”—Booklist, starred review

“[Amy Sarig King’s] respect for young people is exemplary, and her characters indelible.”—Horn Book, starred review (contains spoilers)

“Skillfully encourages keeping open minds and extending grace to the oblivious and hostile alike . . . A searingly relevant opus to intellectual freedom.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“King’s latest novel is so timely and relevant, some readers may feel like the author has been privy to what’s going on in their own schools . . . A striking book on censorship; a must-have in all middle grade classrooms and school libraries.”—School Library Journal, starred review

The Other Shadow by Tania Ingram

Thomas is only ten at the start of this book, but his life is so complex. His dad has died and mum is not coping. There is no food at home and she often stays in bed all day. Thomas needs food for himself and his little sister, who is only two years old, so he is forced to beg and steal. Then one evening mum goes out and she does not come home. 

Thomas and Tilly are taken to their first foster home. The parents in that home are kind but after just two weeks Thomas and Tilly find themselves back with mum. A social worker is assigned to visit but this will only happen once a week, then once every two weeks and then the social worker goes away and no one comes for six weeks. Mum becomes very ill again and so Thomas and Tilly are taken to a different foster carer. This place is not a kind home. The older son from this family is cruel and violent. Eventually Thomas and Tilly are taken to another foster home and this one is good. The children get their lives back and there is love and food and clean clothes and a new school for Thomas which means he can and does make a fresh start. But ... then they have to go back to mum and it is clear things will again spiral out of control. 

Reading this book is a roller coaster ride. I started my reading late at night and then had to put the book down after one especially violent incident. I resumed my reading this morning desperately hoping no other truly bad things would happen to these kids. 

Terrible things do sadly happen to these children but then someone steps into help. That's the roller coaster. I cried and then I sighed. I gasped and then I felt some relief. Chapter 13 is one turning point where Thomas feels able to talk to an adult and the loss of his dad and the moods of his mum. In Chapter 20 he talks to Em his foster sister about the Other Shadow. I am a little confused about the role of the shadow - at times it feels connected with Dad because it offers some wisdom (which Thomas doesn't always follow) then at other times the shadow is a distraction. The shadow is a tall thin man with a mop of curly hair - no one else can see him and Thomas worries that seeing this shadow might be sign that he also has bipolar like his mum. 

Here's how The Book Muse explains the shadow: Throughout the novel, Thomas has an invisible friend, I guess you could call it, that he refers to as the Other Shadow who turns up at various stages throughout the book. The Other Shadow is a protector of sorts and makes Thomas feel safe at times, but at other times, he wants it to go away so he can settle and be calm again, be able to move on with his life. ... It is almost a manifestation of his worries at times, the thing that he is unsure of, and unsure of how to deal with, but there is also a sense of hope as Thomas starts to feel like he can talk to people about it 

I have read quite a few middle grade books about parents (often mothers) who have a serious mental illness. I have also read other middle grade books about the experience of living in foster care. Tania Ingram does not spare her readers in this, at times harrowing, story of Thomas and his little sister who have to navigate their complex life circumstance following the death of their dad. It seems especially hard that Mrs Douglas, the social worker, cannot offer more help but I guess that is actually the reality of our Mental Health system. I did celebrate the ending of this book but I am not going to spoil this. 

In the interest of disclosure - all of life experiences do influence us - I had a very strong reaction to this book. As a teenager I did experience very similar confusions to Thomas - I won't go into any details here, but my own family relationships made this book, at times, very hard to read. 

The reviewer at Just So Stories loved this book and she goes into a lot more plot detail: This is a book that will go straight to the heart and will remain with the reader for a very long time. I believe it is a book that will speak to those children who are in the most fraught of circumstances and will give others an insight into the tragedy of some families. ... I cannot urge you strongly enough to get hold of it – I know the cover is not one that jumps up and grabs you – but this is the time for discerning readers to look past that and walk a mile in another kid’s shoes.

I do agree it is an important book and it is sensitively told but this is a book that I would only share with very mature readers aged 11+ or better yet 12+.

Just a word of warning. The Scholastic teachers notes for this book make NO concession for class groups where a student or even more than one student has had an experience like Thomas. I was so shocked to read their suggested activities. As the child of a parent with mental health issues I would have found these tasks very confronting:

Thomas’s mother has bipolar disorder, which, while it can be well-treated with medication these days, as we see in the novel, a severe case like Thomas’s mother can also be difficult to treat because people often dislike how the medication makes them feel. How common is bipolar disorder, and how does it affect people? In pairs or small groups, research more about how it manifests, how it can be treated, and how it affects the person who has it, as well as their family, when it is untreated. What are some other mental health conditions that you have heard of? As a class, name as many of them as you can, and then write down next to each one what you know of it. In pairs or small groups, choose one mental health disorder that you have named, and research it further.

In my view these two activities are highly inappropriate for a Grade 6 Primary school class. 

Tania Ingram is an internationally published author of children’s picture books, novels and poetry. She has a master’s degree in clinical psychology and prior to becoming an author, worked as a child psychologist.

This book has been added to the CBCA 2025 Younger Readers Notables list, but I think it better suits the Older Readers category. If you are considering this book for your school library or if you received it as a part of a Standing Order package, I strongly suggest you read it yourself before recommending it to a student and I also strongly caution against using this book as a class read aloud. 

This book might make you think of the mother in Goodnight Mister Tom and also The Illustrated Mum by Jacqueline Wilson. Other companion books:

Small as an elephant

The Secrets we Keep

Waiting for Normal

How I saved the world in a week

The Star outside my Window

This book explores the experiences of foster care

Eventown by Corey Ann Haydu

Elodee and Naomi are twin sisters, good friends and girls with so much in common but over the course of the next few weeks and months we watch them grow apart. The family have been living in Juniper but after a visit to Eventown they decide to move. There is a hint early on that the family need a new start, but you need to read the whole book to discover why.

Naomi is good at gymnastics and good at 'fitting in'. Elodee loves to experiment with cooking. She watches her sister and wonders why Naomi now copies the clothes and behaviours of her new friends. Why have they become so different?

Eventown is a very strange place - well as a reader you are sure to think it is strange - but it takes quite a while for Elodee to realise this. I think the turning point comes when the girls finally visit the town library. More about that in a minute. Before this scene we read that there are only three ice cream flavours which are on rotation; every garden in the town has an identical manicured yard with perfect rose bushes; there is no internet and no television; no cars; and it never rains and every day ends with a perfect sunset. In the music class at school the students only play one song - the same song - week after week and when Elodee questions this she seems to get into trouble with the teacher.

Now onto the library:

"Naomi likes books about animals and magic. I like books about people and food, so we go to the cooking section and the animal section and the fantasy section and choose titles that sound right. We have a mix of everything we love. ... We open one book each. 

I turn a page.

Then another.

Another.

Another.

They are blank.

I flip through the whole book. Every page is blank. It is a book of blank pages. A book of nothing. ... I pick up another book. Blank pages. Over a hundred of them."

Apart from all of this though, there is a deeply sinister layer to this story. Every member of the family has to go to the Welcome Centre. When Elodee has her turn, we discover this is all about telling stories - there are six stories. Your most scared moment; your most embarrassed moment; your most heartbreaking moment; your loneliest moment; your angriest moment and your most joyful moment.

BUT something goes wrong, and Elodee only tells three of her stories. AND even worse once the stories are told, the teller has no memory of them - the stories are lost forever. Why? 

Eventown is at times a heart breaking and difficult book to read. I did have to keep stopping to take a breath. I would recommend this book for mature readers aged 11+. I don't want to spoil the ending but the final reveal about why the family needed to move could worry or upset some readers. Having said that please do not skip to the end if you are reading this book - let Corey Ann Haydu take you on her compelling journey. 

Here are some text quotes to give you an idea about this story:

"I haven't thought to look around to see what else we aren't bringing, but do it now with Naomi, running from room to room to see what's left behind. Mom's not bringing her old-timey record player or all the records she's collected over the years ... She's leaving behind shelves of books and a bunch of framed photographs of the family ... She's leaving behind all our winter coats and hats and scarves, our silver sled and a painting of the sun that has been in our living room forever."

"When mum and Naomi get back from grocery shopping I get right to work, and the cooking comes easily. The instructions are clear, and following the recipe feels like a dance with the kitchen. The result is incredible. The chicken is golden brown, crispy on the outside and buttery on the inside. ... I've never made anything this delicious. ... The recipes I invented back in our old kitchen in Juniper were never like this."

"And we're hoping we can learn a little more about your life before today. Part of our welcoming you here to town is making sure you're able to start fresh here in Eventown. We want to help you say goodbye to everything that made life before hard ... "

Here are some quotes from the review by Betsy Bird for SLJ. Do click the link Besty's review is fabulous:

In Eventown by Corey Ann Haydu, you’ll find a marvelous defense of messiness, mistakes, and uncomfortable conversations. We all want to run away from our problems, but it’s like that old phrase says: Be careful what you wish for. ... Need a novel for 9-12 year olds that epitomizes the very definition of “foreshadowing”? Meet my little friend here. It knows that some of the most effective horror comes from the people we love the most. Elodee’s whole family has drunk the Eventown Kool-Aid without so much as a blink, but she doesn’t see that for a long time.

Betsy refers to this book:

Orphan Island

Publisher blurb: The world tilted for Elodee this year, and now it’s impossible for her to be the same as she was before. Not when her feelings have such a strong grip on her heart. Not when she and her twin sister, Naomi, seem to be drifting apart. So when Elodee’s mom gets a new job in Eventown, moving seems like it might just fix everything. Indeed, life in Eventown is comforting and exciting all at once. Their kitchen comes with a box of recipes for Elodee to try. Everyone takes the scenic way to school or work—past rows of rosebushes and unexpected waterfalls. On blueberry-picking field trips, every berry is perfectly ripe. Sure, there are a few odd rules, and the houses all look exactly alike, but it’s easy enough to explain—until Elodee realizes that there are only three ice cream flavors in Eventown. Ever. And they play only one song in music class. Everything may be “even” in Eventown, but is there a price to pay for perfection—and pretending?

Part mystery, part fabulism, with a dash of dystopia, this story is as layered and delicious as one of Elodee’s concoctions. At once enchanting, heart-rending, and bittersweet ... Kirkus Star review

Website for Corey Ann Haydu. I am keen to hunt out more of her books. 

Awards:

• A Kirkus Best of 2019 Selection
• A Junior Library Guild Selection
• An Amazon Best Books of the Month Selection
• A School Library Journal Best Book of 2021
• Edgar Award Nominee

Eventown reminded me of movies like The Truman Show; The Stepford wives and Pleasantville.

Companion books:

The probability of Everything

Right as Rain

The Kindness Project by Deborah Abela

This is perhaps a minor aspect of The Kindness Project but the teacher has such a powerful role in the lives of the four children who you can see on the cover of this new verse novel. She sets an assignment.

"Each term
we do a class project.

This time Ms Skye says,

'We're doing a project

to change the world.

It's called

The Kindness Project.'

Ms Sky is the BEST teacher

and it think it's great that

she wants to change the world

but doing it with a school project

is a BIG ask. 

Ms Sky says

we need to aim HIGH

and that big changes

come from small beginnings

and that just because we're small

doesn't mean

we can't make a difference."

The school project is one thing but setting up the groups of students who will work together is an even bigger issue. Ms Sky uses a Harry Potter-style sorting hat. She picks Nicolette first, then the new boy named Leaf - Nicolette is not sure he will want to work with her - she has no friends in this class. 

"I feel like there's a manual

for making friends

and it was handed out to everyone

except me.

Maybe mine was lost in the post

or someone got two by mistake

and that's why 

they have so many friends

and get invited to parties

and seem to know

how to talk to each other

at lunchtime

or during sport

or when you're suddenly

put in a group

with kids who don't like you"

Then Ms Sky pulls out Layla. She is one of the cool kids. And finally, it is DJ. Oh no he is the class bully. He is so mean. He has called Nicolette Knickers since Kindergarten. Everyone is frightened of his anger and vicious taunts. 

What these four kids don't know is that each has a deeply personal back story. As they come to trust each other these four stories will form the basis of their class project. 

Nicolette is the narrator of this story so it is her story that we explore the most deeply. She visits her grandmother in the afternoons at an aged care home that Nanna calls Alcatraz. The way lines of this verse novel say so much about this dreadful place - "dry cake"; "a nurse with a bushranger beard and a grey uniform ... talks over her"; "He clangs the metal dinner tray on the bedside table"; "the food is brown and lumpy like carrots floating in mud"; "He pours her a tea that looks like grey dishwater and pats her on the arm like she's a puppy."

When the teachers sets the class assignment Nicolette thinks of all the people who have changed the world - Greta Thunberg and Malala Yousafzai. For some reason which I didn't quite grasp she also lists Roald Dahl. But for Nicolette, her Nanna is the real hero!

Huge congratulations to Deb Abela on writing a verse novel - the world needs more of these - especially by Australian authors. 

Here is an interview with Paperbark Words. She says:

I’ve written 30 books, all in prose, but this novel demanded to be written in verse, which I’ve never done before. I’ve always LOVED verse novels, but I kept thinking, ‘I can’t write in verse! I have no idea what I’m doing’. Having written for over 20 years, I know I have to trust the process. So, I tentatively began writing in verse and found it freeing and fun! Not only did it force me to get to the point more quickly, it was exciting to play with form, fonts, font size and verse length, which together, create the feel and meaning of the story. The Kindness Project is my first verse novel, but hopefully not my last. 

If you are thinking this book sounds incredibly serious…yes, the themes and situations are serious: dementia, grief, breakdown of family, mental illness, feelings of abandonment, trauma, loneliness, hyper-anxiety. But there are also moments of levity as Deborah skilfully lightens the tension ...  Just So Stories

Here is an link to an audio interview with Deborah Abela. 

This is a beautiful story told in verse. With wonderful characters, it is very relatable and has strong themes of friendship and family throughout, lots of fun and laughter, as well as a few tears. This is Deb Abela at her very best and will be a story you remember long after you finish reading. I loved it. Lamont Books (this book was a title in their Primary standing order). 

Here are some other favourite verse novels for readers aged 10+. You can search for the title in my side bar or just select the label verse novel. I think verse novels can be an ideal text to share in a school library with a group of senior students because they are short, and you can pop one or two powerful text samples on your screen for all the class to read.

One more comment about Verse Novels. I was chatting with a well known Sydney bookseller recently and she said a poet had visited her store (I have no idea if he or she was a children's poet or one for adults) and they complained that verse novels were not real poetry! Such a strange comment. What do you think - please add a comment to this post. 

The relationship between Nicolette and her precious grandmother also links with this book I read this week (for ages 11+) - I'll Keep you Close by Jeska Verstegen. This one is not a verse novel - it is a biography/autobiography centered on a child who is making discoveries about her family and the holocaust.