CLUES TO THE UNIVERSE by Christina Li

Clues to the Universe by Christina Li

Realistic Fiction, Astronauts & Space, Comic Books, Art, Friendship

292 pages

Description

School Library Journal (January 1, 2021)

Gr 4-7-Twelve-year-olds Ro and Benji are both having a rough start to the school year. Ro's father recently died, and her mother can no longer afford her private school tuition. Transferring to a school where she knows no one proves difficult, and overhearing conversations of students trying to guess her biracial ethnicity (she is white and Chinese) is painful. Benji, who is white, is lonely and aimless because his best friend, Amir, moved across the country. When Ro and Benji begin working on a science fair project together, an unlikely friendship is formed. While the two are very different in terms of personality and interests, they bond over the shared experience of not having a father. The combination of Ro's aptitude for science and logic and Benji's artistic talents and laid-back personality results in a good team. Soon the two are working on more than a science fair project. They are helping each other fulfill a dream that will bring them closer to their absent fathers-building the rocket Ro and her dad were going to work on together and tracking down Benji's comic book creator father. Since the story is set in the 1980s, before use of the internet was widespread, finding Benji's father is no easy task. The novel feels contemporary, so the setting may be somewhat confusing for readers who don't understand the technological limitations. Ro and Benji alternate narration, which helps the reader see their evolving perspectives of each other and provides a mechanism for telling their backstories. The book would have benefited from a stronger distinction between the two voices, though a heading at the beginning of each chapter indicates which character is speaking. It is refreshing to see a strong friendship between female and male characters depicted in a middle grade novel; it's the authenticity of this relationship that drives the heart of the story. VERDICT The message of resilience, courage, and friendship will resonate widely with young readers. Themes touched on include grief, fears, bullying, and identity, making the work highly discussable and a good candidate for classroom use.-Juliet Morefield, Multnomah Cty. Lib., Portland, OR © Copyright 2021. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

My Comments
Intriguing and creative. I think it could have been a bit shorter, but still a wonderful story. Grade 4-5 seems a bit young.

 

CHASING VERMEER by Blue Balliett

Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett

Mystery, Art, Math

254 pages

Description

Kirkus Reviews starred (May 15, 2004)

Art, intrigue, and plenty of twists and turns make this art mystery a great read. Petra Andalee and Calder Pillay set out to find the connection between their teacher (a freewheeling constructivist teacher), the eccentric woman in their neighborhood, the bookstore owner, and an international art thief. Balliett intersperses fascinating information about Johannes Vermeer and his paintings throughout the two friends' quest to solve the mystery-a mystery layered with pentominoes (a mathematical tool consisting of 12 pieces), puzzling clues, and suspicious strangers. Helquist's detailed black-and-white chapter illustrations hold hidden messages, clues related to the pentominoes, and more puzzles. Fans of E.L. Konigsburg's From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler or Ellen Raskin's The Westing Game will find equal pleasure in this debut by a talented writer. (Fiction. 11-14)

 My Comments
Timeless, fun, quick-paced mystery. It would be great to pair this with a biography of Vermeer as well as a book of his paintings. A good choice for sixth graders.

THE GILDED ONES by Namina Forma

 The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna

Fantasy, Human Rights, Women's Issues, Women Soldiers, Mythical Creatures, High School

418 pages

Description

Booklist starred (December 1, 2020 (Vol. 117, No. 7))

Grades 7-10. Deka lives in a society where women are intended to be pure and serve those around them. So when she bleeds impure gold during the coming-of-age ritual for girls at age 16, her life’s presumed purpose—the care and keeping of a husband and family—is destroyed. Left to decide between death or dedicating herself to the protection of Otera from the ghastly deathshrieks, Deka joins the ranks of girls deemed impure, known as the alaki. Soon she realizes that even among them she’s different, leading Deka to question who and what she is, and what she’s fighting for. The world building here takes some time to get used to, but Deka’s entrancing character development is so wrapped up in these systems that they are quickly understood. The action and intensity are relentless as Forna builds not only Deka’s character but also those of a kick-butt posse of fellow alaki, whose histories speak to various ways Otera’s patriarchy has weighed women down. While elements of action and social justice are strong, there is also mystery, as readers journey to understand just what is at stake in the heat of the war. At the close of the first of what is rumored to be a trilogy, readers will find themselves awestruck with satisfying revelation, leaving both a clean ending and desire for more.

My Comments

Fast paced plot with lots of suspense and twists and turns. I enjoyed seeing how Deka comes into her power. There are a lot of ethical dilemmas in this book, but good triumphs! The torture scenes lead me to recommend it for grade 8-12 depending on the reader.

DRY by Neal Shusterman

 

Dry by Neal Shusterman

Realistic Fiction, Horror, Survival, High School

390 pages

Description

Horn Book Magazine (November/December, 2018)

A major drought in Southern California has been going on long enough for people to adjust, with everyone conserving as much water as possible. But one day Alyssa turns on the faucet in her suburban home, and nothing comes out. Suddenly, with this new stage of the drought (which the media calls the Tap-Out), everyone is scrambling, and Alyssa’s neighborhood becomes more dangerous. Alyssa’s neighbor Kelton McCracken, a “weirdo” teen who lives with his family of doomsday preppers, has always wanted to have a reason to interact with Alyssa, but the Tap-Out creates a scenario he could never have imagined. As people become increasingly desperate for water and institutions begin to break down, the thread between selfishness and survival begins unraveling as ethical dilemmas present themselves around sharing water, selling water, and deciding who is worthy of saving. Alyssa, her brother Garrett, and Kelton wind up on a road trip to survive, picking up strangers along the way who may or may not be allies. Throughout this compulsively readable and unnerving tale, the authors present a dystopia that is all-too-close to our current world, leading readers to realize just how tenuous our societal norms are and raising important questions about how we will handle the crises we have created. christina l. dobbs

My Comments
I immediately stocked up on water after reading this book. It makes you think. What if....This was an addictive read that has stayed with me. I will never forget it. Powerful is an understatement. There are some extremely disturbing gun violence episodes that lead me to recommend it to high school students, not middle school. That said, I think it's one of my top picks this year.