“And then, Boom!” Lisa Fipps

Rated 5 stars ***** ARC. Nancy Paulsen Books (Penguin Random House). To be published May 7, 2024. 244 p.

Joe is in 6th grade with a mother who regularly disappears, leaving him with his grandmother. To understand the many changes in his life he uses comic book analogies, knowing change happens with “and then BOOM!” moments. Joe has had many of these, but the biggest came when his mother got arrested, his grandmother put her house up for bail money, but it had to be sold when his mom didn’t show up at court. Now homeless they lived in his grandmother’s car, struggling to find places to wash up and eat.

After a few weeks they found a rickety mobile home, but change came when his grandmother died. Joe’s mom returned but abandoned him. With no money or food, Joe ate the free breakfast and lunch at school plus his teacher’s snacks, but worried about the upcoming summer break. Two friends loaded him up with food before leaving for vacation, but it spoiled when the electricity was turned off. As days and weeks passed without eating, Joe was starving. Will he make it through the summer?

“And then BOOM!” is a heartbreaking story played out across this country, and the world, every day. In her foreword the author indicates Joe’s story is also her story, and she wrote it to let kids like Joe know they’re not alone. THIS is why books need to remain on shelves and not be banned. Every book has a reader who sees themselves, and that book could be the difference between life and death for them. This book would make an excellent middle school book club read, as students could discuss what each “and then BOOM!” moment meant to Joe as well as ways to help kids like him.

Highly recommended for ages 11-14.

“Amil and the after” Veera Hiranandani

Rated 5 stars ***** ARC. Kokila (Penguin Random House). 244 p. (Includes “Glossary” and “Author’s note.”). To be published January 23, 2024.

In this sequel to “The night diary,” twelve-year-old Amil is having a hard time, as memories from the horrors of his family’s forced crossing from Pakistan to India threatens to overwhelm him. Though his family is both Hindu and Muslim, all Muslims were being forced to leave the place he’d called home for his entire life. Amil will never forget almost dying of thirst and the torturous voyage.

After their ordeal, his twin sister Nisha had been mute. Though she now speaks a little, she spends her time writing stories in her diary. For Amil, drawing seems to be the only thing that calms him so, whenever he has issues with his father, feels frustrated at school, or is lonely, he buries himself in illustrating his world and writing notes to his dead mother.

School is hard for Amil, as he finds it hard to concentrate. His two wishes are for a bicycle and for a best friend, but neither seem possible until he meets Vishal at school. Though thin and always hungry, Vishal is the first boy who wants to spend time with him. Amil is thrilled to have a friend but, when he finds out Vishal has been living in the street, is very sick, has no family members, and is posing as a Hindu to avoid violence aimed at Muslims, his eyes are opened to his own blessings. Amil finds ways to confront his own painful memories to make sure his friend lives to have his own.

Hiranandani’s descriptions of the 1947 partition of India and its effect on the previously tolerant population is eye-opening. Though Muslims, Sikhs, and Hindus had gotten along well for over three hundred years, it was difficult to understand why people turn on each other in chillingly murderous ways.

Recommended for ages 14 and older.

“The night diary” Veera Hiranandani

Rated 5 stars ***** Dial (Penguin/Random House). 2018

Twelve-year-old Nisha and her twin brother Amil live with their father and grandmother in a small village in India. Their cook, Kazi, has been with them for many years, and Nisha feels a special closeness to him as she cooks by his side. Their mother died when they were born so, when Kazi gives her a diary, she writes to her mother expressing her hopes and fears since she has difficulty expressing herself verbally.

It’s 1947 and, after almost 200 years, Great Britain is giving India its freedom. Its new leaders decided to partition her into two parts, forcing Hindus to relocate to the new country of Pakistan. Though Nisha and her brother are half Muslim through their mother, all anyone sees is their Hindu side. Partitioning the country caused Sikhs, Muslims and Hindis to see each other differently. Now, instead of getting along like they’d done for generations, each is intent on murdering the other confusing Nisha “I guess we’re Hindu because Papa and Dadi are. But you’re still a part of me, Mama. Where does that part go?” (p. 21)

Fearful for their lives, the family is forced to leave Kazi and their home behind, setting out on foot to travel hundreds of miles to the border. Along the way they experience near dehydration and starvation, while being witness to acts of savagery including murder. Halfway through their harrowing journey she meets her mother’s brother for the first time and enjoys their time together. However when her father finds her and Amil talking to a neighbor girl, they’re forced to leave her uncle’s home to try and reach the border via train.

Based on the experiences of the author’s family, “The night diary” is vividly realistic while the hatred mentality of former neighbors is disturbing.

Recommended for ages 14 and older.

“I am not alone” Francisco X. Stork

Rated 5 stars ***** ARC. Scholastic Press (Scholastic). 306 p. (Includes “Author’s note” and “Mental health and Crisis resources.” Published July 18, 2023.

Alberto is 18 and has been living illegally in the United States for three years with his sister and her young son. He works at odd jobs, sending half of his earnings to his mother and sister in Mexico, while trying to earn his high school equivalency diploma. Alberto was upset when he started to hear a voice calling him names or telling him to do bad things. Hoping to keep the voice at a distance he called it Captain America, but the voice grew louder. When a woman was murdered at a job he was working, Alberto couldn’t remember what happened. The police wanted to arrest him, but Alberto went on the run – hoping to prove his innocence.

Grace had her life planned out. In a few months she would graduate, attend college with her boyfriend, and become a psychiatrist. When her parents divorced, she seemed to lose focus. School and her boyfriend paled in importance as she struggled to figure out her place in the world. When she met Alberto, he was cleaning the windows in her apartment and seemed nice. They shared time together making pottery which he’d learned how to do in Mexico, so Grace was surprised to hear he was accused of murder.

His illegal status, the voices he heard, and the murder accusation were red flags signaling her to stay far away, but Grace was certain she needed to help him. However, time is running out because Captain America has decided Alberto doesn’t belong in this world and Alberto is listening to him.

Stork realistically portrays Alberto’s mental state of mind, while Grace’s character depicts a bystander who sees this struggle and decides to either turn away or help. Stork emphasizes not losing sight of the person behind a mental illness.

I believe this should be a 2023 Pura Belpre Young Adult Author winning title. Here’s hoping the January 2024 announcements from the American Library Association’s Youth Media Awards will prove me correct. I will be in attendance that day to root for “I am not alone” to win.

Highly recommended for ages 17 and older.

“The Displaced” Rodrigo Ribera d’Ebre

Rated 5 stars ***** Arte Público Press. 2022. 271 p.

A brick and glass-filled lot in one inner city became new apartment buildings, while outdated buildings were replaced with new houses. Homes and population growth were generated, without displacement.

In contrast, huge rent increases in many inner cities forced residents to become homeless since they couldn’t afford to live anywhere else. Greedy landlords renovated and charged astronomical prices. People from other states thought these prices were reasonable. Strangers to the area’s customs and traditions, they moved in and changed the neighborhood so it resembled where they used to live. Displaced residents of color were forced out, taking their cultures with them. It is White flight in reverse.

This is the premise of “The Displaced,” as the alternating voices of a gang member, a doctor, and a journalist shine lights on this issue. A local gang fights to protect its neighborhood through tactics of murder, intimidation, kidnapping and warfare. Though their methodology is cruel, the fate of the displaced is also cruel. Each narrator has his own reasons for wanting the neighborhood to stay the same, sharing the hope that it is possible to fend off a wave of outsiders determined to forever change everything they hold dear.

Readers can draw their own conclusions to this dilemma, but I believe true affordable housing (nothing higher than $100,000) is a solution (along with true affordable rent.) I believe neighborhoods can be changed, but its residents shouldn’t have to flee because of these changes.

If you run a book club, “The Displaced” would be excellent to use with your group because it has much food for thought. Each chapter will lead to debates and discussions. Perhaps true change can come about through one of these conversations.

What are your suggestions for the problem of neighborhood displacement? Write them in the comments. 

Recommended for Adults.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

 

“Find Layla” Meg Elison

Rated 5 stars ***** ebook. Skyscape. 2020.

Fourteen-year-old Layla learned survival skills when she was a little girl with a deadbeat mother. Over the years her mother’s constant absences, and unexplained anger issues made her the default mom for her little brother Andy. They are left hungry and alone for long periods of time in a mildewed, moldy apartment with no electricity. A broken sink constantly overflows and, though six inches of newspaper cover the floor, water still flows and the smell of mold is ever present. Despite their home life, Layla wants to go to college and adopt Andy so has maintained a 4.0 average. They survive on the school’s free breakfast and lunch program, along with sneaking into restaurants to eat leftover food off diner’s plates. Though school bullies constantly make fun of her tangled hair, dirty clothes and odor, Layla manages to get through each day.

Layla’s favorite subject is science so, when her teacher announces a biome video contest, she believes her home has examples of every biome. She videos the living creatures, mushrooms in her brother’s dresser, black mold, swirling water, and the things growing in her refrigerator. Layla wasn’t planning on using the video but, when Child Protective Services take Andy, she uploads it to see if she can change her life for the better. Layla knows the odds are against her because of her age, but she has to try.

Layla’s desire to care for her brother and further her education, despite her circumstances, was very moving. It upset me that, though she’d been in the same school district since 5th grade, no adult had ever investigated her situation. CPS has always been overworked, and I’m sure there are thousands of children overlooked by those who are supposed to be their lifelines. I hope everyone reading this book will reach out to anyone they know at school who seems to be another Layla or Andy, and be the lifeline (and friend) they desperately need.

Highly recommended for ages 14 and older.

Available on Kindle Unlimited.

“Being Toffee” Sarah Crossan

Rated 5 stars ***** ARC. ebook. Bloomsbury YA. First published in Great Britain in May 2019 (Bloomsbury Publishing Pic.) United States of America edition to be published July 14, 2020.

Sixteen-year-old Allison’s mom died when she was born, leaving her with a father who mentally and physically abused her. For years she tried to stay out of his way but when he got angry, there wasn’t anything she or his girlfriend Kelly-Anne could do to avoid his cruelty. After Kelly-Anne left them, things got so bad that Allison ran away.

Now homeless, Allison eventually wandered into a home where an elderly woman lived alone. Marla’s dementia caused her to mistake Allison for a long-lost friend named Toffee so, for lack of anywhere to go, Allison moved in with her. They soon struck up a friendship but as Marla’s dementia got worse, Allison’s peace of mind improved. As Marla helped her learn to find her voice, she helped Marla gain the strength she needed to face changes coming in her own life.

Allison’s moving story of love lost and found is told in poetic verse. Readers will find themselves rooting for both Allison and Marla. I’m glad Bloomsbury YA decided to release this book in the United States. It’s an important story of finding hope and joy in unusual ways.

Recommended for ages 14 and older.

I received a digital advance reading copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

 

 

“The bridge home” Padma Venkatraman

Rated 5 stars *****. 2019. Nancy Paulsen Books (Penguin Random House). 187 p. (Includes “Glossary” and “Author’s Note.”)

Eleven-year-old Viji and twelve-year-old Rukku’s mom was abused by her husband, but always believed him when he said he was sorry. Viji knew Rukku had special needs, and had always taken care of her older sister but, when her father hit them in a fit of rage, she knew they’d have to run away.

With nowhere to go and only a bit of money, they bus to the city where Rukku becomes attached to a homeless puppy, and they become friends with two homeless boys living on a bridge. There they build their own ramshackle tent, and the boys help her forage for recyclables in stinking trash dumps with other homeless children that they sell for pittances.

Hunger dulls their strength but, as time passes, the four forge strong bonds of friendship. Though they wind up living on a grave under a tree in a cemetery after marauding men destroy their home on the bridge, Viji tries to keep believing in her dream of becoming a teacher. Each day of looking for food in trashcans, and hoping to earn money on the dump, makes her dream seem impossible.

This moving story, based on real children’s first-person accounts, is an eye opener for many who might be unaware of the plight of over 1.8 million children living on the streets of India, working and eating from its many garbage dumps while trying to avoid abuse and slavery.

Recommended for ages 10-14.

“The secrets of lost stones” by Melisa Payne

Rated 5 stars ***** ebook. Lake Union Publishing. 2019.

A hit-and-run driver killed Chance, Jess’s 8-year-old son eight years ago leaving her devastated and feeling as if life isn’t worth living. When Jess leaves town to start fresh elsewhere, her car breaks down in a small mountainside town. There she’s invited to be a caretaker to an older woman named Lucy who has a way of knowing things that are going to happen. She believes Jess and a ghostly little boy are “loose ends,” something she has to fix.

Fifteen-year-old Star has been living on the streets for months, after running away from a foster home. When a strange older woman calls her a “loose end” and arranges for her to get a bus ticket to a small, out-of-the way town, Star is dumbfounded. When she arrives Lucy convinces her to stay for a little while. Though Star has tough street bravado, she feels herself melting into the kindnesses offered by Lucy.

In alternate voices Jess and Star tell their stories of loss and fear, with a dose of hope. Readers will become invested in their lives, hoping for their “loose ends” to be tied up so they could have hope filled new lives.

Recommended for Adults.

“Always” Sarah Jio

Rated 3 stars *** ARC. Ebook. Ballantine Books. To be published February 7, 2017.

Kailey loved Ryan, her handsome and rich fiancé who she’d been dating for 4 years. Though secretly still in love with a man from her past, they were set to marry. The day she runs into a homeless man she recognizes as Cade, the love of her life who had disappeared years earlier, her life forever changes.

Through flashbacks, readers are shown their love story, setting the stage for Cade’s disappearance and Ryan’s appearance in Kailey’s life. The more she remembers the former life she had with Cade, the more she begins to question her life with Ryan. Should she give up an old love for a new one? Could she learn to live a new life and leave her old one behind?

As Kailey debates what to do, readers easily split into Pro Ryan or Pro Cade camps. The decision is not as hard as Kailey makes it out to be; she’s just too dense to figure it out as fast as I did. In the midst of trying to understand what happened to Cade, I couldn’t figure out the point of all the “cloak and dagger” mysteries around him. “Always” was okay but was a bit too predictable, with a few too many loose ends, for me to rate it higher than three stars.

Recommended for Adults who don’t mind the occasional “huh?” thrown into their reading.

I received an Advance Reading digital copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.