An Ellis Island Christmas by Maxine Rhea Leighton illustrated by Dennis Nolan

This is a curious Christmas book to share here in Australia because it recounts the history of migrants to the US who arrive in New York and who were 'processed' on Ellis Island. 

Publisher blurb: Krysia does not want to leave her home and her friend, Michi, but there are soldiers with guns on the streets and her mother says that they must go. Krysia, her two brothers, and her mother pack their favorite belongings and begin the long, harrowing journey to America. Krysia is scared but she finds courage when she thinks of her father waiting for her in America with the promise of a better tomorrow. Inspired by Maxinne Rhea Leighton's father's journey from Poland to America, this is a powerful reminder of the beacon of hope and opportunity that Ellis Island symbolized and the importance of family at Christmastime.

I enjoyed the discovery of this book because many years ago I visited Ellis Island (on the recommendation of a friend) and I did the audio tour where you follow the footsteps of someone arriving on Ellis Island. Later I also did a fabulous tenement tour where you also followed on family and discovered how they lived between 1892 and 1924. How did I come to read this book? Well, I found it at a recent charity book sale for just $1. This book was published in 1992. I wonder how this copy came to Australia and who has had it on their shelves before it reached the book sale?

"Upon reaching the New York harbour, steerage-class passengers were transferred from the steamship to a barge that took them to Ellis Island. After disembarking, they walked under a canopy, through the baggage room, and up the stairs. In the Registry Room each person had to go through a routine inspection and medical examination that lasted between three and five hours. ... Passing meant entry into America; failing meant detainment or deportment back to the very country the immigrant had just left. "

Here are other books illustrated by Dennis Nolan - his style is very painterly. 

Home by Nicola Davies

The date is 2067. Society is now divided into two (or maybe four groups) - there are the corrupt rulers called Supas with family names like Murdoch and Nabisco, the Workers who are named for the tasks they perform such as Sacks, one of the two main characters in this story, there are also Rebels and Outsiders.

The Workers are controlled through drugs that are added to their food:

"No one needed to be told about Meal One or Two. Your body did that for you. Every morning you woke up wanting that fat straw in your mouth, and until you got it you felt very bad."

"Product helps Workers. It keeps them happy. Keeps their minds free of worry, of thoughts that might get in the way of their desire to work. And of course it makes them unwilling to leave their Stations."

Workers are also controlled via media propaganda. Meal Two works to calm the down and put them to sleep but before this Workers watch tv. The messages on tv are filled with the dream of Planet Home. They have been told there is another planet, life on this one where they live exist now is dangerous and toxic. Sacks does not even know words like bird or buffalo. Workers are told one day everyone will climb onto space rockets and they will be taken to Planet Home.

Supas "they were the richest, most powerful families. They had resources to build crystal domes to protect their Cities and grow food inside vast buildings. Stations. But they needed workers to grow their food and run their Cities - building, mending, cleaning. All the things Supas didn't want to do. So they offered ordinary people a choice: stay Outside and take your chances with the poisoned world or become a Worker."

The actual setting of this book is several hundred miles from Manhattan. The city is filled with disgusting refuse. The Supas live in the top floors of the badly damaged city towers. 

As this story opens rebels attack. Sacks escapes and so does a young Supa named Nero Nabisco. The race is now on for survival and to expose the corruption and overthrow the leaders and find a way to free the workers. Along the way Sacks and Nero also discover their own heritage, identity and most amazing of all they discover they are connected -they are twins.

Take a look at the labels I have added to this post - these will give you an idea about some of the themes.

There are graphically described battles in this book and horrible descriptions of battery chickens called Units so I will only recommend this book to mature readers aged 11+ especially if they enjoy Science Fiction or dystopian stories. Readers in Australia will not identify with the Native American culture that is explored in this story - it is a minor theme but one that added an interesting layer to the story for me. I do enjoy books which explore corruption and coercion and brainwashing (such as in cults) but clearly these are deep ideas suitable for mature readers. The prologue to Home is chilling. 

Companion books (many of these could have the label Post Apocalyptic):

The Last Human

Where the River runs Gold

The Dog Runner

The Glass Tower

How did I miss this book from 2005? I wonder how it came to be in the library where I have been working as a volunteer?  I told a bookseller in a shop the other day that I am a huge fan of dystopian middle grade books - Home is a perfect example. Home was shortlisted for the Branford Boase Award. I wonder if IBBY UK have considered nominating Nicola Davies for the Hans Christian Andersen Award. Her body of work is SO impressive - from non fiction to picture books to complex novels like Home. Wikipedia have a list here of all her books up until 2023. Here is a 2021 interview where Nicola Davies talks about animals and non fiction and climate change. 

Bookseller blurb: Thrilling futuristic science fiction with an environmental slant. It's 2067 and the world has become virtually uninhabitable with all the pollution and toxins created by mankind. Ruling classes live holed up in the cities and workers live in Stations, safe from the outside world. But one day Station 27 is taken over by rebels. Nero, from the ruling classes, and Sacks, a worker, find themselves thrown together as they're captured by the rebels, their common enemy. As they begin to discover the terrifying truth about their world, the two children get separated and find themselves in great danger. Will they find each other before it is too late?

Listen to an audio sample here. This sample is a perfect introduction to this book - you could use it in a book talk with your library group of readers aged 11+.

Here are some other books by Nicola Davies which show the breadth and depth of her writing:

Ride the Wind

Last the story of a white rhino

Just Ducks

Butterflies for Grandpa Joe

King of the Sky

All the Blues in the Sky Renee Watson

"I didn't know

best friends could die"

"You will miss her every day of your life.

Sometimes, the memories will bring tears and sometimes a smile.

The memories won't always overwhelm you,

they will bring comfort too."

You HAVE to let this novel, which is partly told in free verse, unfold slowly. Yes, on the day of Sage's 13th birthday her best friend has died but the when and where and how why are found in the journey you take as a reader.

Sage is grappling with her grief and the adults don't seem to have any answers:

If I live long enough to be an adult

and if I have children when I am an adult

I will tell them.

And I will tell them that sometimes

you go to sleep crying

and wake up crying

and that life after losing someone you love

feels like one big ocean of sorrow

and you might feel like you are

drowning,

but always there is something 

to hold on to 

to keep you afloat.

Sage meets four other students in her school grief group. Ebony's dad died suddenly from a heart attack; Zay's grandmother died in her sleep after a long illness; Ana's twin sister died from leukemia; and DD's brother was murdered by the police. Sage feels that she can relate to Ebony and DD because in both cases the death came suddenly, and these deaths were totally unfair. Sage is sure the death of HER friend is all her fault but how can a car accident be her fault?

There are two rules in the grief group - everyone shares openly and everyone listens with compassion.

DD's brother was murdered:

Now she is a sister familiar with words she's never had to say

so often, know so well; police brutality, death, rage, injustice, press conference

obituary, funeral, casket, hearse, graveyard, protect, indictment, trial, jury, verdict, guilty, sentence,

involuntary manslaughter, memorial, closure?, closure?,

grief, grief.

Sage has her own set of words such as vehicular manslaughter, hit and run, and criminally negligent homicide.

Blue is the empty chair at the desk in the classroom where my best friend used to sit.

Blue is the ache in my heart when I pick up the phone to call her and remember she's gone.

Blue is Aunt Ini's warm hugs.

Blue is a hot mug of cocoa on a cold stormy day.

Blue is all the calm, all the heartbreak,

all the hope

all the tears, all the laughter. ...

For all the blues in the sky,

there are as many blues in the heart.

Just a warning you will be sobbing by the final pages of this book.

Bookseller blurb: Sage's thirteenth birthday was supposed to be about movies and treats, staying up late with her best friend and watching the sunrise together. Instead, it was the day her best friend died. Without the person she had to hold her secrets and dream with, Sage is lost. In a counseling group with other girls who have lost someone close to them, she learns that not all losses are the same, and healing isn't predictable. There is sadness, loneliness, anxiety, guilt, pain, love. And even as Sage grieves, new, good things enter her life -- and she just may find a way to know that she can feel it all. In accessible, engaging verse and prose, this is an important story of a girl's journey to heal, grow, and forgive herself. To read it is to see how many shades there are in grief, and to know that someone understands.

This is a verse novel from 2025 for sensitive mature readers aged 12+ but sadly here in Australia you will need to wait for the paperback edition - the hardcover will be well beyond the budget of most school libraries. 

A heartfelt portrait of the complexities of grief and the indomitable human spirit. Kirkus Star review

The counselling group in All the Blues in the Sky reminded me of this book:

Just Like Jackie

Other books by Renee Watson:

Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All by Chanel Miller

Magnolia was not a trench-coat-wearing, magnifying-glass-holding detective. She wore a simple T-shirt and reasonable sneakers, and her strengths were asking questions and being able to talk to people. Most importantly, for the first time in a long time, she had a friend, 

someone who believed in her before she did, which is a powerful thing.

Magnolia's parents run a laundry in New York City. Her parents are migrants from China and so this means they love living in America but they do work very very hard - seven days a week. Magnolia is not unhappy but she would love her parents to spend more time with her and also she wishes they could take a little time off now and again. 

People often leave things behind at the laundromat. Magnolia collects these strange things and she also collects single socks. She has put these on a display board in the laundromat in the hope that someone will come back and claim their sock but so far no one has done this. 

A new family move into the neighborhood and Magnolia's mum organises a visit hoping Magnolia might make a new friend. Magnolia is very inexperienced with the whole process of friendship but very quickly she and Iris do form a connection. Just before Iris arrives the board of sock crashed onto the floor and Magnolia is so upset by the way a rude customer has just treated her mum that she throws the sock board out with the trash. Iris sees the socks and comes up with a splendid plan. Perhaps Magnolia and Iris could spend their summer holidays tracking down the owners of these socks. AND so a wonder story begins - Magnolia and Iris become great friends, Magnolia makes a series of amazing discoveries about her neighbors and about her parents and their past lives and Magnolia learns that first impressions of the kids from school are not actually even close to correct.

I love the title - yes mum folds the washing but also Magnolia unfolds the sock mystery with the help of her friend and in the process she unfolds herself - opens herself to making new friends and opening herself to a better understanding of her parents. The chapters are named after the socks - that's fun too - The Pink Knitted Sock, The Flamingo Sock, and The Ice Cream Sock

Here are some text quotes - I highlighted so many fabulous passages in this book - that is one great feature of reading on a Kindle.

Magnolia Wu was almost ten. She was eager to turn ten, because the number 9 looked like a sprout coming out of the ground, small and easily stomped. Ten was a strong, two-digit number that looked like a sword and a shield that belonged to someone who was about to conquer the world.

To Magnolia, each sock was a mystery, and she waited for the day that their owners would return to claim them. She wondered where the socks had been, if they’d trekked through mud or snow, climbed a flowering hillside, or danced on Broadway stages. But so far no one had come back, the socks forgotten or replaced by whatever other important things adults were out there doing.

When Magnolia saw the laundromat through a classmate’s eyes, she became self-conscious of the smallest things. The Christmas ornaments dangling from their potted plants year-round. The statue of Guan Gong in his shrine, surrounded by oranges and burning incense set out as offerings. The pile of strangers’ underwear stacked on the counter. The recycled peanut butter jars they used as pencil holders. The way her dad wore a Snoopy sweater and floppy sandals, while other dads strode down the street buttoned up in crisp collars and polished shoes.

So I’m going to help you return each sock to its rightful owner, and you’re going to show me around New York City.” It had never occurred to Magnolia to take action to return the socks herself. She thought of life as something that unfolded around her and happened to her while she was content being an observer.

Suddenly, with a knapsack of socks on her back and a friend by her side, Magnolia felt like anything was going to be possible this summer.

Magnolia had never had a best friend and didn’t know the responsibilities of her new position. How did best friends make up? Did they shake hands or high-five? Did fighting mean the end of things? Did people recover from these kinds of wounds?

Wildly funny, charming, and deeply heartfelt. Kirkus Star review

Today I took a bus ride to the city. If the bus driver gives me a fairly calm trip I can read a book on my Kindle. I started Magnolia Wu Unfolds it all and I was transported. I read half of the book on the way into the city and the other half on the way home. THIS BOOK IS FABULOUS. Sorry to shout. No wonder it won a Newbery honour. Now for the sad news. So far this book is only available as a hardcover edition and so here in Australia it is way too expensive (AUS$40). There is a paperback edition [9780593624531] but it does not seem to have arrived here. I am not a fan of the cover - but please do not let this stop you hunting out this book. 

Here is a quote from the author: Remember, stories can be found everywhere in your life. Pay attention to the details in your day-to-day routines and the people you interact with; build adventures out of them. Celebrate your history and connectedness. I hope you can tell how much I enjoyed writing this whimsical, emotional, slightly nonsensical story, spending time with two girls who are capable of solving the impossible. You can too.

You can read a sample of this book on the publisher page. Here are some teachers notes from the US publisher. I follow a children's book discussion group on Facebook - we used these questions for our discussion.  Here are a few questions and my answers:

1. Iris brings in the sock board from the street, saying she wants to help find the socks’ missing owners. This idea surprises Magnolia because “it had never occurred to Magnolia to take action to return the socks herself. She thought of life as something that unfolded around her and happened to her while she was content being an observer” (p. 24). Do you recall times, as a child, that life unfolded around you? As an adult? Were there times when you took action instead?

I’m probably more of an observer but if someone suggested taking action like Iris I think I’d join in.

2. Magnolia is embarrassed after suggesting the wrong spelling for a word in Lisa’s crossword puzzle. However, Lisa says her error was “a creative act” and evidence of how smart she is (p. 36). How might our mistakes show our imagination and intelligence?

I love authors who create characters with emotional intelligence. Readers of this book will see a “different” way to react. Hooray!

3. While searching for the owner of the flamingo sock, Magnolia and Iris run into Aspen, a boy from school. How does Aspen act toward Magnolia and the laundromat? The story about his stuffed animal Otto and Magnolia’s father explains the reason for his actions but doesn't excuse the racist taunts and bullying. What is Miller trying to show child readers in this scenario?

Everyone has two sides. Humans are complex! I loved discovering his “soft side”.

4. Aspen tells Magnolia and Iris that flamingos are naturally gray but turn pink after eating shrimp. He says, “Flamingos become what they consume,” and Iris writes him a note that says she hopes he stays gray (pp. 86–87). What does she mean by this? What are some things you consume (literally or figuratively), and how have they made you who you are?

I really do not enjoy books that are overly didactic but this scene does not feel like that at all. I loved the quiet wisdom of this idea. And he way Magnolia and Iris have to take a journey to find this reflects in a small way the enormity of the journey to understanding taken by Aspen.

I have two favourite picture books about visiting Laundromats - A pocket for Corduroy; and Knuffle Bunny. Small confession - I am slightly crazy about socks and I do have quite a large collection including some special ones from Japan and some I bought in Paris! Last year I visited a wonderful Laundromat in Portsmouth Laundrycare (145 Albert Rd, Southsea, Portsmouth, Southsea PO4 0JW, United Kingdom). I highly recommend them if you are in the area.

Here is a poem about missing socks:

The Missing Sock by Angela Wybrow

This afternoon, I had quite a big shock: 
I discovered that I have a missing sock! 
I put my socks inside the washing machine, 
But now one sock is nowhere to be seen.

I started my hunt earlier - had a scout around, 
But, as yet, the missing sock is still to be found.
It's not hung on the line or the clothes airer.
It needs to be reunited with me: its wearer.

The socks were one of my favourite pairs: 
Light blue with a snowy white polar bear.
They also had stars sewn with silvery thread.
I've looked on the floor and inside my bed.

With a missing sock, I've no peace of mind; 
That missing sock, I simply need to find.
It has to be somewhere within the house -
Or maybe it has been stolen by a mouse! 

That poor little sock is all lonely and lost; 
I'll do anything to retrieve it: whatever the cost.
I'm feeling quite upset, as I really do hate
The thought of it coping without its mate.

With the missing sock, I am quite obsessed, 
And, until I have found it, I will not rest.
That missing sock, I will keep looking for
Until it's safe and sound back in its drawer. 

Just under the clouds by Melissa Sarno

"Then I brush my notebook off and stuff everything in, fishing around for my Tree Book. But it's not there. The worn leather, with its little ribbon tail is missing. I check the front pocket. I check the sleeve inside. I sit down on the wet ground and throw my backpack to it, opening it wide. I take all the withered papers out and stack them. I take each covered textbook and each notebook out. Purple, red, green, blue. I check the front pocket - a jumble of pens and pencils and paperclips, an eraser that feels like it's coated in sand and crumbs. I check the empty sleeve, I fan the colours, in a pinwheel, looking for the soft brown leather. Its gone."

This notebook is everything to Cora. It is her link to her father who died several years ago. Her father was Irish and mum has Mexican heritage. Cora's little sister lost oxygen to her brain during birth and so she has a fairly profound disability. Money is very tight and so the family of three keep having to move. As the story opens, they are living in a homeless shelter, but it is a very dangerous environment. After they are robbed, they move in with mum's friend. Willa seems to have a perfect life and a perfect home and so mum just needs to move again. Cora would love to stay because it is the first place in a long time that she feels safe, but they do move this time into assisted housing. Now school is even further away. 

One thing that connect Cora to her father is the drawing in his notebook of a tree he called The Heaven Tree. Cora finds the tree down by the canal. She is determined to climb it but there are no low branches. The only way seems to be through the window of a disused factory. This will be very dangerous. 

Little Adare loves cats. There is a stray cat that hangs around near the tree and near the canal. On the day Cora loses her dad's tree notebook, little Adare goes missing. Can Cora put all these puzzle pieces back together and find her little sister in time?

This is a debut novel for Melissa Sarno. Kirkus say ages 10-14 so I have listed this as a senior primary novel. Just Under the Clouds was published in 2019 but it is still available. This book will appeal to thoughtful readers who have good reading stamina and who enjoy quiet books about family relationships and children living in complex situations. 

Troubling, affecting, and ultimately uplifting, from a promising debut novelist. Kirkus

There is a delicate balance of things my readers like in a sad book. They like lots of descriptions of what life is like, but they are not as fond of the character's introspection about their situation, if that makes sense. (I spend a large part of my day involved in the nuances of what students want in a book!) This is a little slower than my students usually want, but I will probably purchase it, and this is certainly a great book to look at for most collections. Ms Yingling

Companion books - pop these titles into my sidebar:

And here are some picture books on the topic of homelessness.

This book might be in a library or available as an ebook - it also deals with the heartbreak of a disabled sister.

And this new Australian book has a World War II setting and the story centers on saving the disabled sister from capture.

The Book of Gold by Bob Staake

Isaac visits the New York public library with his parents:

"Isaac's parents loved books. They adored how they smelled and the way they felt in their hands, but most of all, they loved discovering the answers hidden inside."

Isaac is not interest in books but later his parents take him into a curiosity shop and the owner tells Isaac:

"There is a legend,' she explained, 'that somewhere in the world there is one very special book that's just waiting to be discovered. It will look like any other book, but it holds all the answers to every question ever asked, and when it is opened, it turns to solid gold."

This idea puts young Isaac Gutenberg, a boy who has declared he does NOT like reading, on the road to discovery. He hunts high and low looking for this promised golden treasure and along the way he finds a love of reading, develops his curiosity and finds answers to his questions. Perhaps the "book of gold" will never be found but Isaac finds an even better treasure. I hope you have guessed what this is.

Here are some of the questions Isaac asks:

• Why don't the pyramids have windows?
• How can something as heavy as a ship float?
• Who invented pizza?
• Were dinosaurs covered in fur?
• Why don't elevators also travel sideways?

and my favourite question

• How did the number eight get its name?

It is also fun to think about the name Gutenberg. 

You might like to use this book when you talk about the 2024 CBCA Book Week Slogan "Books are Magic." 

For adult readers here is something you need to know about The Book of Gold.  I picked up a copy of this book at a 50% off sale and so now I have seen under the dust jacket - it is truly special but of course difficult for libraries to cover the book and still allow the removal of the jacket:

The book has two covers. If you detach the wraparound cover with the image that everyone associates with the book, you'll find the paper-on-board cover -- which I designed to look like an artifact squirreled away in the recesses of any dusty attic. It's my hope that children will find the book years from now (minus the wrap) and realize that THEY have indeed found the elusive Book Of Gold.

Publisher blurb: Young Isaac Gutenberg isn’t a curious boy . . . that is, until he meets an old shopkeeper who tells him about The Book of Gold. This special book, hidden somewhere in the world, holds all the answers to every question and turns to solid gold when opened. Isaac is determined to find the book—it will make him rich! He opens many books in his search, but quickly closes them when they don’t turn to gold. That changes one day when he opens a book, looks at the page, and a question pops into his mind. From then on, he reads every word. Time passes and Isaac ages, but he still scours dusty attics and flea markets, crisscrossing the world, searching for The Book of Gold. This sweeping picture book asks important questions: Is searching for knowledge better than having it? How important is curiosity? And what makes a life meaningful?

Here is the author web site. You can see a few pages inside this book on the publisher web site. There are some lovely touches in this book. The sepia pages that give that olden days feel, the name Gutenberg of course and the scenes inside and outside the splendid New York city Public Library. Make sure you look for another special book by Bob Staake - a wordless treasure called Bluebird. Here is a CNN interview where Bob talks about the ideas behind Bluebird.

The Summer We Found the Baby by Amy Hest

 

Julie Sweet and her little sister Martha find a baby on the steps of the library. The sisters have come to the library because today is the day the new children's library will be opened and they are hoping a very special guest will arrive to cut the ribbon. Julie, aged eleven, has even made a cake for the celebration but all of this goes out of her mind when she sees the baby on the library steps in a carry basket. 

Julie picks up the basket and heads off to the beach with her little sister tagging behind. Where did this baby come from? Bruno sees Julie pick up the basket. He sees there is a note inside. He and Julie used to be friends but something has gone seriously wrong and she won't speak to him even though he lives next door.  Little Martha adores Bruno's mum Mrs Ben Eli. Mr and Mrs Ben Eli run the local store in this seaside place and Summer is their busiest time. Bruno is sure Julie is kidnapping the baby so he feels he has to follow her. He did have a more urgent plan for that day having just received a letter from his brother who is serving in the army. The letter told Bruno to catch the train to New York to find his brother Ben's girl friend, Tess. 

This story is told in three voices - Julie, Martha and Bruno - and as we read we slowly piece together the events of the Summer, why Julie is not speaking to Bruno, the importance of letters from young soldiers and a little about Julie and Martha's mum who died many years ago. 

I selected this book because I have read and enjoyed other books by Amy Hest and as you can see I have given this five stars. I highly highly recommend this book for readers aged 9+. It is a short book with lots of white space and empty pages between scenes. I read the whole thing in less than an hour. Read more plot details by Ms Yingling.

Warm family stories laced with some sorrow and great joy. Kirkus star review

Throughout the tale, Hest juxtaposes childish bickering with the heavy weight of grief and ultimately hope in the form Eleanor Roosevelt. Historical novel society

This brief story unfolds in short vignettes which prove surprisingly engaging and will draw the reader in quickly. Kids Book a Day

The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Karina Yan Glaser

The Vanderbeeker family (Dad, Mum, twins Isa and Jessie aged 12, Oliver aged 9, Hyacinth aged 6, Laney aged 4 and their three pets) live in a brownstone on 141st Street Harlem. The family love their apartment home. On the floor above live Miss Josie and Mr Jeet an older couple who have formed a close relationship with the family. On the top floor lives the landlord - Mr Beiderman. He is a reclusive and angry man so the children have to work hard not to make too much noise in certain parts of the building. It is only five days until Christmas and this should be a very happy time of preparations and presents but instead everyone is sad and distressed because Mr Beiderman has told the family he will not renew their lease and they must leave their home by the end of December.

It is time for action. The children meet and make plans. They devise a series of different ways to make Mr Beiderman, or the Beetleman as little Laney calls him, change his mind. 

I loved the problem solving in this story and the team work and the strong sense of community. I also loved the way each of the children have very different personalities and different skills/strengths. Here are some text quotes to give you a flavour of this book:

"The Vanderbeeker kids glanced around at their home, a brownstone in Harlem, New York City. It consisted of the basement; a ground floor with a living room that flowed into an open kitchen, a bathroom, and a laundry room; and a first floor with three bedrooms, a walk-in-closet-turned-bedroom where Oliver lived, and another bathroom, all lined up in a row. ... 'We've lived here most of our lives ... It's the perfect home."

"The kids exhibited an eclectic mix of  physical characteristics and loved comparing which traits they got from what parent. Isa inherited her mother's stick-straight black hair, which Isa always wore in a sleek ponytail or an elegant French braid, while her twin Jessie had Papa's wild, untamable hair, which she never bothered to do anything with. Oliver had Papa's unruly hair but Mama's dark eyes. Hyacinth got Mama's nimble fingers but Papa's large feet. Laney was an exact blend of both of her parents ..."

"So I've been thinking ... that the key to winning the Beiderman over is to play to our strengths."

Hyacinth is crafty, Isa is a musician (violin), Jessie is a scientist, Oliver is a thinker and Laney gives fabulous hugs! Laney is my favourite character and I also want to eat some of the delicious cookies mentioned in the story and the bakery goods from Castleman's Bakery especially those cheese croissants. 

"The kids transferred the remains from the morning's coffeepot into the teapot; then Oliver dumped three generous spoonfuls of sugar into it and Isa added milk. After Jessie stirred it, Isa placed the teapot on the tray and Hyacinth artfully arranged the pastries from Laney's bag. To their knowledge, the Beiderman had never experienced the joy of breakfast in bed, and they were certain that Oliver's excellent idea would win him over."

This plan ends in a disaster - I just exclaimed out loud when the precious teapot tipped off the tray and shattered outside Mr Beiderman's closed door.

I do enjoy books that include maps:

Image Source: Illustrator Jennifer Thermes

I am very late coming to this book as it was published in 2017. I kept seeing this book mentioned in book lists and blog posts but I wondered if it was just too "New York" for an Australian reader. It is not - this is a fabulous book for ANY reader. I read the whole book, 293 pages, in one sitting. An Australian child will have no idea about a brownstone but you can see this architecture on the cover and there are terrific line drawings by the author inside the book too. Oddly Ms Yingling did not enjoy this book. You can read her plot summary and comments here. 

A heartwarming story about family and community that will appeal to readers who also enjoy an old-fashioned feel. Kirkus

This debut novel reads like a joyous, heartwarming Hallmark movie. The conclusion seems inevitable, but the journey will fill listeners' minds with unique pictures of a loving family. School Library Journal audio book review

Here is something fun - a character interview by Karina Yan Glaser with her character Oliver. Here is an audio sample.

Awards:

• - A New York Times Notable Children's Book
• - A Junior Library Guild Selection
• - An American Bookseller's Association Kids' Indie Next List Title
• - A Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Children's Fiction Book
• - A Southern Living Best Children's Book
• - A Nerdy Book Club Award Winner
• - A Massachusetts Children’s Book Award Finalist
• - A Georgia Children’s Book Award Finalist
• - A Bank Street Children's Book of the Year Selection

The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street was a debut novel for Karina Yan Glaser. There are now six books in the series. The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street; The Vanderbeekers and the Hidden Garden; The Vanderbeekers to the Rescue; The Vanderbeekers Lost and Found; The Vanderbeekers Make a Wish; and The Vanderbeekers on the Road.

The Vanderbeekers reminded me of the Hazel Green book series by Odo Hirsch and also View from the 32nd Floor which is a book I often think about and wish with all my heart had a better cover!

Subway Sparrow by Leyla Torres

This is an obscure old (1997) book but the art is so brilliant I just needed to share it here. I am amazed to discover it might still be available.

"Moja apaszka'. 'Yeah, cover him with the scarf!' 'Si Cubramoslo'. 'Hurry, I'll pick him up."

A young girl is sitting in the subway train when a small sparrow flies in the door. In the carriage there is a man who speaks Spanish and a lady who speaks Polish. Somehow the girl, who only speaks English, needs to ask these people to help her catch the bird, gently, and then carry it off the train and set it free.

There is no translation of the dialogue in Spanish and Polish but somehow it is easy to understand that everyone has a common goal of helping this small, helpless bird, to escape from the train, to find freedom and blue skies.

Torres's first picture book ...  is a charming multicultural vignette. Kirkus

I am not going to say this is an essential purchase for a library or home collection but if you do stumble upon this book, as I did, I am certain you will enjoy the gentle story which captures a tiny moment in time and the small but important actions of a group of people on a train. The tiny moment in time idea reminds me of the special books by Bob Graham such as Silver Buttons; How the Sun got to Coco's House; Vanilla Icecream; and Home in the Rain. Here is a video of the whole book. Take a look so you can see the fabulous illustration of shoes worn by a boy on the train. 

I have read a few other books about subways recently:

I am the Subway

The man with the Violin

Milo Imagines the World

IBBY Honour list 2018

Here are some other books by Leyla Torres:

Something I Said by Ben Bailey Smith

"Look at any price, Something I said is a bargain, because for the same price you don't just get funny, you also get a nice double scoop of heart and high drama." Ben Bailey Smith

Carmichael Taylor is not quite a nerd and not quite the cool kid. He has a good group of friends. He comes from a fairly regular family. His days are filled with friends and school. School is okay mostly except for Geography and PE. Carmichael (or Car as he likes to be called) wishes school consisted of only one subject - English. He loves the power of words. He is talked into taking part in the school talent quest performing 'Spoken Word'. This starts out as a project devised by his English teacher and his overbearing mother, then it morphs into a punishment for leaving school without permission. But when Car finally stands on the stage his 'Spoken Word' piece turns into something way bigger than any one anticipated. Some one (his friend Alex) has filmed his standup. The standup routine was basically an attack on his family and teachers and now it is on the internet. Will Car become famous or will this backfire? Is it a good thing that the US producer of a talk show called The Missy Show has seen his performance and now wants him to travel to New York to perform on the show? 

Publisher Blurb: For thirteen-year-old Carmichael Taylor, life is one big joke - in a good way. He just can't understand why no one else seems to find everything as funny as he does. When Car is filmed stumbling into performing a piece of hilarious stand-up at the school talent show - targeting his family, school and friends - the footage ends up creating international infamy. But with the promise of fame and fortune comes trouble, and it's up to Car to decide what or who he's willing to risk to chase his comedy dream. Get ready to laugh at life with this heart-warming, unashamedly honest and hilarious look at family, friendship and what really matters.

When I added this book to my to read pile of Advanced Reader copies (thanks Beachside Bookshop)  I will confess I put Something I Said right at the bottom of my pile. Why?

• It's a long book 370 pages, and the print is fairly small
• The author is a celebrity - often books by celebrities lack quality (sorry Ben) See below for more commentary about this topic
• I recognised the author from his bio photo - he was a very nasty character in a television series (The Split). I find it hard to separate the tv character from the author. I am not familiar with his work as a rapper (Doc Brown) or his work in Children's television on the Four O'Clock Show.
• This is a book about comedians and comedy standup - not things that I'm keen on
• The main character, Carmichael is thirteen - is this a Young Adult book?

Having said made all of these points I have amazed myself. I read this whole book in just two days. I didn't laugh at the jokes but I enjoyed the poignancy of self discovery which is a major theme in the story. Perhaps this is because I do not have siblings, but I really do not like unkindness especially unkindness in a family expressed through sarcasm and smart remarks. Yes there are 'put downs' in this book but they were not overdone for 'cheap laughs'. I enjoyed watching Carmichael eventually realise his family should come first. His words are powerful - they can hurt (that's easy) but they can also heal. My only small criticism of this book is the way Ben Bailey Smith portrayed Carmichael's father Stuart. I really wanted him to discover his voice too. 

I think this book will be enjoyed by readers aged 10+. The tone reminded me of The Fourth Stall by Chris Rylander. 

Celebrities writing books for kids:

The Guardian "Famous first words: how celebrities made their way on to children's bookshelves"

Wild Things: Acts of Mischief in Children's Literature