Tag: Social issues

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The Silence Between Us by Alison Gervais

There’s a difference between deaf and Deaf. The former is a physical condition, the latter is an identity. Having grown up with a deaf sibling, I’d always been aware of the frustrations in communicating with someone who can’t hear, but until recent years I had not known there was an official community. Deaf with a capital D.

In The Silence Between Us, Alison Gervais gives us a personal and very real peek into how deaf people are forced to deal with the hearing world. In addition, she presents the Deaf community’s ongoing discussion (debate? argument? quarrel?) over cochlear implants. Should they endure the surgery or not? Should they make it easier to live in the hearing world, or should they insist the majority population give consideration to those who communicate with their hands and not their voices?

Synopsis

Maya lost her hearing after surviving meningitis. Her deaf school uses sign language as the best means of communication. ASL is so much easier than reading lips.

When her single mom moves the family across the country for her job, Maya must attend a hearing school. In classes, she has the convenience of her delightful interpreter, Kathleen, but only two students show any interest in reaching out in friendship and learning sign language. Beau is annoying and endearing all at the same time, and Nina isn’t good at sign language, but her friendship is precious.

The stress of Maya’s little brother, who has cystic fibrosis, combined with the chip on her shoulder and her worries about getting into a hearing college, and you have a great story with dozens of obstacles to be overcome on a daily basis.

Pros

  1. If you want to know what it’s like to live as a deaf person in a hearing world, The Silence Between Us will answer every question. Maya immediately immersed me into her world.
  2. Alison Gervais addresses the quandary that hearing people have in relationships with deaf friends and family. Like many of the hearing characters in the book, I am so slow in learning ASL and in reading combinations of signs at flying-finger speed.
  3. The Silence Between Us is one of those stories that you don’t want to end. Where is the sequel of new challenges for Maya at the college level? Or the obstacles she faces when she begins her career as a respiratory therapist?

Cons

My only objection to any part of this novel is how unlikable Maya was for several chapters. But then again, how many teenagers are likable when every day is an exercise in frustration?

Discussion Questions

  1. As a hearing person, if a new student attended several of your classes, would you try to welcome him or her? Would you go so far as learning sign language?
  2. If you were a deaf person and you were a new student in a hearing school, how would you try to cope? Would you be as angry as Maya was?
  3. Dating between hearing people and members of the Deaf community is often frowned upon. What was Maya’s answer to that criticism?
  4. Another bone of contention within the Deaf culture is whether to use cochlear implants or not. Do you agree with Maya’s decision not to use an implant even though the device would make it easier to communicate in her future job? Why or why not?

Conclusion

Of all the books that I’ve reviewed  that contained deaf characters, The Silence Between Us is my favorite. Alison Gervais has done more than tug on my heart strings. She inspires me to do more regarding my own relationships with the Deaf community. Inspiration. That’s what makes a great book!

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Peas and Carrots by Tanita S. Davis

Peas and Carrots by Tanita S. Davis, a Coretta Scott King Honor Winner, is the story of a journey of trust.

 

Fifteen-year-old Dess—white, rebellious, defensive—who long ago learned that she had to depend on herself has accepted the necessity of becoming a foster child. Not that she couldn’t make it on her own, but this foster family also cares for her half brother Austin (age four) whom she hasn’t seen for three years. She will do anything for him.

Fifteen-year-old Hope—African-American, a compliant kid most of the time who wants to please—accepts that the foster kids in her home have had it rough. She should be kind. Until she meets Dess. It’s awfully hard to be kind to Dess.

.Hope doesn’t realize the terror that follows Dess in the form of a criminal birth father. Dess doesn’t understand that some people are trustworthy. Like Hope and her parents.

In spite of the initial antagonism, both girls gain compassion for one another as each sees the neediness in the other.

Pros

The author gets her characters’ voices just right. Real teens with all their flaws and their idealism. Since Davis grew up in a family who truly cared for their foster children, it’s no wonder that both Hope and Dess seem like real people. And Davis would understand that not all foster homes were as loving as hers was, which allows Dess to be a totally sympathetic character.

Cons

What cons? Peas and Carrots is one of those books that I couldn’t put down, not even to make supper!

Discussion Questions

  1. If Dess were the new kid in your school, what would be your first impression?
  2. If Hope attended your school, do you think you would be her friend? Why or why not?
  3. How did Dess use her talents?
  4. Why was Dess willing to throw away her happiness near the end of the book?

Conclusion

If you haven’t read Peas and Carrots, do it. Dess and Hope teach us the pithy truth about families—their flaws and their beauty.

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Shadow of a Bull by Maia Wojciechowska

The publishing powers-that-be claim today’s readers are impatient. If you don’t hook them on the first page, the first paragraph even, you’re not publishable.  Vintage Reads always start a little slower. Teach your children patience for this book.  In turn, it will teach them how to respond to life’s challenges with integrity and faith, especially appropriate for middle grade boys as they search for what will make them good men.

Synopsis

The first paragraph caught my interest. Everyone in the bullfighting town of Arcangel expected Manolo to follow in his father’s footsteps as a bullfighter. The rest of the chapter? Not so interesting because the writing style is from fifty years ago –until the last lines that added deeper emotion: “…that hero had left them a son who was growing up once again to take arms against death. They were waiting for the son to be like his father.”

Except the son had no interest in becoming a bullfighter, which is the gist of the plot. How Manolo comes to terms with honor and bringing pride to his family and his town is what makes Shadow of a Bull a gripping read.

Pros

  1. Maia Wojciechowska gives us an enlightening peek into the world of bullfighting. Personally, I have always been adamantly against the “sport,” but the author shows us the spirit of a magnificent bull. As one character put it (and  I paraphrase): such a creature prefers to die in battle rather than be shoved into a slaughterhouse unable to defend himself.
  2.  Manolo’s character matures as he prepares for his first bullfight (at the age of twelve!). His final decision will please the bullfighter aficionado as well as  those who abhor bloodsport.

Cons

As with any Vintage Read, children of the 21st century will find it difficult to stay with the long descriptions and inner monologue, so maybe it can be a read-aloud for the whole family.

Discussion Questions

Lots of deep thinking abounds! I will limit myself to three.

  1. Why didn’t Manolo just tell people (or at least his mother) that he didn’t want to be a bullfighter?
  2. Did Manolo ever see the beauty in bullfighting? Explain your answer.
  3.  Did you like Manolo’s final decision? Why or why not?

Conclusion

If your public library, like mine, has a section on Newbery Awards, Shadow of a Bull should be there. Relish the story.

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The Other Side of Freedom by Cynthia Toney

Last month I interviewed one of the Scriblerians’ own, Cynthia Toney, regarding her Birdface series. Cynthia also has another book out which is historical fiction, and I loved the story. I don’t give five stars all that often, so you know it’s wonderful!

Synopsis

In a southern U.S. farming community in 1925, thirteen-year-old Salvatore and his Italian immigrant father become involved against their will in a crime that results in the murder of an innocent man and family friend. Amidst bigotry, bootlegging, police corruption, and gangland threats, Sal must discover whom he can trust in order to protect himself and his family and win back his father’s freedom. Sal’s family, their African-American farmhand, and the girl who is Sal’s best friend find their lives forever changed as dreams are shattered and attitudes challenged in a small community called Freedom.

Pros

1. Books set in America in the 1920s are not nearly as numerous as those set during World War II or the Civil War. Cynthia Toney brings the Prohibition Era to life, living in a time of gangsters  and graft.

2. The premise of the story is based on moral dilemma. A young teen finds there is no easy right or wrong answer as to what he should do. If he does what he knows is morally right, someone dies. If he compromises his values, evil continues, and he is guilty of allowing it to continue. Middle-graders are ready to confront ambiguities in life, and Cynthia Toney does a marvelous job of keeping Sal’s anguish at a gentle level rather than going at the problem with a battering ram.

3. The Other Side of Freedom has won several national awards with good reason. I’ve included a small portion of the list.

2018 Next Generation Indie Book Awards: 1st Place, Grand Prize Fiction, 1st Place, Children’s/Juvenile Fiction.

2018 Readers’ Favorite Book Awards: Gold Medal, Children: Coming of Age

2018 Literary Classics Book Awards: Gold, Upper Middle Grade, General and Gold, Upper Middle Grade, Historical.

Cons

What cons?

Discussion Questions

1. Why do you think Sal wanted to leave Freedom as soon as he was old enough?

2. Sal’s Uncle Enzo was both a friend and a mentor to him. Why was Sal so concerned for him?

3. Name something Sal chose to do that his parents would not have approved of. Why did he do it? Was that a good reason?

4. Why did Antonina’s father want her to stop being friends with Sal?

Conclusion

The Other Side of Freedom is a novel of struggle and hope, of friendships gained and friendships lost. With a boy as a main character and a girl as a strong secondary character, children of either gender will enjoy the book.

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3 Things to Forget by Cynthia T. Toney

We’re adding a new segment to Scriblerians book reviews–reviews on books written by the Scriblerians! Several of us have been very busy in the publishing world, and it’s time to crow a little over our successes.

Cynthia is one of the original Scriblerians, initiating a small critique group for yet-to-be-published young adult/middle grade authors. She is now multi-published. The Other Side of Freedom is an award-winning historical fiction, and 3 Things to Forget is the fourth and final book of her Bird Face series from Write Integrity Press. Read on to see what goes on in Cynthia’s writing process.

  1. What was the seed of this story? What got it started?

My main character, half-Cajun Wendy Robichaud, finally makes it to Alaska to see her dear friends Mrs. V and Sam. Readers particularly wanted to know more about Sam and how his friendship with Wendy would develop.

In Alaska, Wendy thinks she’s left behind the problems resulting from her mistakes in Louisiana and wants to forget them. But starting the summer at her friend Sam’s house and volunteering with Alaska Wildlife Conservation bring not only strange surroundings but also strangers into her life. And those strangers have a secret involving a troubled girl who threatens Wendy’s friendship with Sam.

As Wendy struggles to understand the Alaskans she meets and gets to know, she must also say good-bye to old friends she might never see again and decide whether to forget the past or to learn from it.

NOTE: While 3 Things to Forget concludes one season in Wendy’s life, each book in the series is easily read as a stand-alone. 

2. In your writing process, what was the balance between research and your own life experiences?

This novel required more research than the previous Bird Face books. I had traveled to the Anchorage area of Alaska years ago, but I did not visit the Wildlife Conservation Center that is featured in this story. I also sought help with depicting my Jewish characters. I had worked among deaf adults, so I had some knowledge of deaf culture, but I read other novels with deaf teen characters to try my best to portray them realistically.

3. Did you help design the cover or have any input regarding its concept?

No, I didn’t, but I liked this design right away when my publisher showed it to me. I offered more input for the previous Bird Face covers.

4. How do you come up with names for your characters?

Sometimes I use a name I’ve heard only once, but it has stayed with me. I use place names I’m familiar with for people and people names for places. Sometimes I use a surname for a first name or the other way around. I’ve even created character names that don’t seem to exist anywhere. I really admire the clever character names other authors create.

5. If you could meet one of your characters in real life, which one would it be and what would you do together?

It would have to be my main character, Wendy! I think we’d have fun riding bicycles or hiking through woods and trying to identify plants and animals.

6. Are you a plotter or a pantser? What works for you in that modality?

A little of both. I start with how I want the story to begin and to end. Then I create the most exciting middle I can think of for my main character’s predicament. My first drafts tend to be sparse, perhaps because I see so much in my mind’s eye but forget to write it all down for the reader. I’ve learned to expand my descriptions and my characters’ reactions. After the first two books, I was able to let my character start telling me what she’d do next!

7. What do you hope readers take away from your book?

That change is inevitable. Change in relationships, in family dynamics, in resources, and sometimes in physical environment. But God gives us the power to adapt, to find creative solutions, and to find acceptance and love.

Cynthia writes for tweens and teens to show them how wonderful, powerful, and valuable they are. Her interests are American Sign Language, Cajun and Italian culture, growing herbs, and rescuing dogs. She also enjoys studying the complex history of the friendly southern U.S., where she resides with her husband.

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Of Sound Mind by Jean Ferris

Third in a series of reviews about deaf characters and their siblings, Of Sound Mind zeroes in on the burdens a CODA (child of deaf adults) carries when his parents cannot or will not connect with the hearing world.

Synopsis

Theo, a senior in high school, learned sign language before he learned to talk.. His mom is a famous artist—with a stereotypical temperament to match—and his dad is a carpenter. Both are deaf and rarely speak, which means Theo is their live-in interpreter. He hates the never-ending responsibility.  Then there’s Theo’s little brother Jeremy, who is also deaf.

A loner, Theo takes refuge in mathematics until he meets Ivy. Ivy lives with her deaf father, also serves as his interpreter on occasion, but she embraces the world with a vitality that Theo has never witnessed before. He’s smitten.

As he spends more and more time with Ivy, he meets her dad and the people she serves in her after-school catering business. She welcomes Theo’s family into her circle, especially Jeremy, who is one lonely little kid. Theo begins to dream he can break free of the family chains and actually attend MIT next year. Then his dad has a stroke, and the dream disintegrates. It’s Ivy who provides a solution to the dilemma, at which point Theo must come to terms with the flaws in himself.

Pros

  1. Jean Ferris provides the best view of Deaf Culture at home that I’ve ever read. She has Theo point out where hearing people commit errors in etiquette, from turning away while you’re speaking to grabbing a person’s hands who is signing.
  2. In life, people make choices as to how they will respond to the situations that come up. Ferris demonstrates how a hearing child living with deaf parents reacts in a variety of ways. Theo started to look at his life more optimistically with Ivy’s help. Ivy also had to face some of the negatives in her life, things she had repressed, covering them with an almost-manic desire to nurture others.

Cons

For some younger readers in this overlapping category of middle grade and young adult, the life issues that come up might be overwhelming. Theo’s mother is not in the least bit motherly, and his father dies. Ivy’s mother abandoned her.

Discussion questions

  1. If you were the only hearing person in your family, would you resent being given the job of interpreter for your parents and brothers and sisters, or would you be happy to help out every day?
  2. Why did Theo’s mother refuse to talk in public (and hardly ever at home either)?
  3. Why did Theo resent other people coming in to help his dad, even when they knew sign language?
  4. Theo decided to attend MIT in spite of everything that went wrong. Why did he make that decision?

Conclusion

With the best of intentions, people often fall into the trap of needing to be needed. Of Sound Mind teaches us how to climb out of that trap.

 

 

 

 

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When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

Last month I reviewed a Newbery winner which fascinated me with its intricate puzzle mystery. When You Reach Me is based on another complicated mystery, which, if I tell you the type of puzzle it is at its core, I would ruin the ending for you. So let’s just use the broad genre of science fiction to label it.

Synopsis

Written in 2009 but set in the 1970s, When You Reach Me reads like a vintage novel. Miranda is in sixth grade, lives in New York City, and Sal has been her best friend since before they learned how to talk. But when Sal gets punched by a kid for no apparent reason, he refuses to have anything more to do with Miranda. She’s hurt, but gradually finds some new friends.

Life would be okay, but mysterious things begin to happen. Her hidden emergency key is stolen. A shoe goes missing. And she receives cryptic notes from someone who knows an awful lot about her. The notes leave her thinking that tragedy could be heading her way. By the time she solves the puzzle from the notes, she might be too late to save a friend’s life.

Pros

1. Rebecca Stead had my brain whirring with possibilities from page two through the rest of the book until the satisfying final reveal. Does Miranda’s mother get hurt? Why does Miranda never want to remember the last six months of her life?
2. The chapters are titled as if they are topics on The $20,000 Pyramid TV game show, which is a fabulous detail to integrate into the setting, and highly entertaining for me.
3. Through Miranda’s new friendships, the author touches on current issues of the era, and does so in such a manner that young readers learn a great deal of the culture while they are immersed in story.

Cons

1. The average reader might get lost with so many clues to follow when none of them make sense. Rebecca Stead gives nothing away until the “veil” is lifted from Miranda’s eyes. And then it ALL makes sense.
2. Some parents may be uncomfortable with Miranda’s living situation. Her mom is single, and Mom’s boyfriend is in their home a lot. The author doesn’t specifically say he spends the night, but he does keep clothes in the apartment. They do plan to marry at the end of the book.

Discussion Questions

1. Marcus had punched Miranda’s best friend for no apparent reason. Why did she end up being Marcus’s friend?
2. If you had a friend with Annemarie’s health problems, what would you do to be helpful?
3. Miranda didn’t like Julia for a long time. What changed?
4. Is there someone in your class that you don’t like? Do you think you could change the situation for the better?
5. Who is the homeless old man?

Conclusion

Discussion question #5 will inform you if your child understood the story or not. And the answer will give him or her plenty to reflect upon regarding how people treat one another.

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The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

Synopsis

Ivan is a silverback gorilla, captured as a baby and living his entire life in captivity—a featured attraction in the third-rate Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade. With his artistic talents (drawings by Ivan sell for twenty bucks apiece), life is bearable. Plus, he has two good friends, Stella the elephant and Bob, a stray dog who enjoys leftover scraps from Ivan’s domain.

The arrival of a baby elephant changes everything. Ruby’s grief in captivity stirs Ivan’s memory, and when tragedy strikes this little circus family, Ivan is determined to find a better home for Ruby.

Pros

  1. Ivan’s predicament and how he solves it teaches children to think outside the box.
  2. The book unashamedly promotes animal rights. While there are no evil villains, the owner of the arcade struggles to maintain his business, and as a result, the animals are not well cared for. Applegate rightly shows how horrible it is for animals to live in such conditions.
  3. The second half of the book had me cheering Ivan on as he attempts to execute his plan to save Ruby. Your kids will do the same.
  4. The novel is written in charming, simple prose as if a gorilla really could write his story in book form.

Cons

While I admire the author’s passion for animals’ well-being, I found the first half of the book totally depressing. So much so that I almost stopped reading. Ivan philosophically accepts his crummy life and has no hope for freedom, fully expecting to stay in his domain all his days. He refuses to use the word “cage.”

Discussion Questions

You may have a sad, thoughtful child on your hands when you read this book together. I don’t recommend it as silent reading for anyone under ten. A  current of despair runs under the setting. Natural questions will generate discussion. Possibles:

  1. “Why is Stella’s leg injured?”
  2. “Why doesn’t Bob have a home?”
  3. “How did Ivan end up in the arcade?”
  4. “Who is the nicest human in the story?”

Conclusion

Once the reader accepts Ivan’s depressing conditions, they gain the satisfaction of a happy ending. All the characters—human and animal—end up in happier circumstances. The reader will close the book with a smile.

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The Milk of Birds by Sylvia Whitman

 

When a tree leans, it will rest on its sister.

Synopsis:

Fifteen-year-old NAWRA from Darfur lives in a camp for refugees displaced by the Janjaweed’s trail of murder and destruction. She can’t read or write but when an organization called “Save the Girls” pairs her with a girl in the states, she gets her best friend to be her scribe her thoughts and experiences.

K.C., an American teen in Virginia hates reading and writing. But when she receives letters  from Nawra she is forced to look beyond her own struggles.

Through the letters the girls form a bond that bridges two continents. Both girls find that strength is found in numbers and together they can fight for a brighter future.

Pros:

  • informative book about the atrocities of Darfur
  • Nawra and her experience in Darfur are very relatable
  • addresses issues of learning issues and how it doesn’t mean a person isn’t intelligent just because they don’t learn like everyone else.

Cons:

  • I found the character of K.C. was written a little stilted (stereotypical teenager)
  • there is rape in the book however the author doesn’t dwell on the details of it.

Conclusion:

I was instantly attracted by the cover and the saying on the front cover of this book. It is a book full of rich details about Darfur. It did keep my turning the page although I often found K.C. to be not as full of a character compared to Nawra. If you have teens who want to know more about world affairs and how they can help this is a great book.

Discussion Questions:

There are reading group questions inside. 🙂

 

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Miracle’s Boys by Jacqueline Woodson

Sometimes, life gets too hard. How can the remnants of a family hold on to what was good?

In Miracle’s Boys, Jacqueline Woodson answers the question: how does a kid survive losing both parents before he’s reached adulthood? That question must pass through every child’s mind at some point in their growing-up years. I remember asking those questions around the age of ten. Who would take care of me? Would I ever be happy again?

Winner of the 2001 Coretta Scott King Author Award, the novel is told through the eyes of Lafayette, the youngest of three boys. Laf had lost his father years before and barely remembers him, but his mom died from insulin shock, and he didn’t know how to save her. He and his brothers, Charlie and Ty’ree deal with their grief and sense of helplessness in three different ways.

Ty’ree, the oldest, sacrifices his college scholarship to take a job and support his brothers so they can remain a family. Charlie already angry over his father’s accident, finds his “family” in gang activity, and ends up in a boys’ prison for armed robbery. Lafayette, has withdrawn into himself, keeping an emotional wall between himself and the rest of the world.

While Charlie has been gone for two years, Ty’ree and Laf manage to find a quiet, comfortable relationship, but once the still-angry Charlie returns, the boys have to figure out a new dynamic. Lafayette calls him “Newcharlie” because this middle brother is not the kindhearted boy from years before. Still, Laf has hope that something will change for the better.

The story progresses as each boy faces his fears and the obstacles of living in the inner city. Can Ty’ree keep Charlie in check, or will he lose his brother once and for all to the state? Can Charlie resist the temptation of the gangs, or is he willing to trade in his anger for acknowledging the pain of his loss? Can Lafayette get Charlie to remember what a great big brother he used to be, and can Laf ever get rid of the guilt for his lack of action when his mother was dying?

Pros

  1. The setting gives young readers an accurate view of the inner city without getting too graphic.
  2. Regardless of setting, all readers identify with the problems of family. How siblings relate to each other is a key component to the plot and theme.
  3. Woodson does a superb job in getting the reader to eagerly flip to the next page, and the next, and the next.

Cons

Woodson covers a lot of social issues in a small space which leaves us with a sense that some problems got solved too easily. But then again, the book is aimed at young readers, as one reviewer pointed out. Miracle’s Boys serves as an introduction to a complex society.

Discussion Questions

  1. If you had to depend on an older brother to take care of you, how do you think you would try to help out?
  2. Why do you think Charlie was the only brother who reacted in anger? (Hint: this becomes clear by the end of the book.)
  3. How was Lafayette able to steer away from the gangs in his neighborhood?

Conclusion

The novel is worth reading to discover what works out for the boys—and what doesn’t.