Squint (Chad Morris & Shelly Brown)

Middle school is hard enough, but imagine having to go through all the craziness of school while also losing your vision.  In Squint, Morris and Brown introduce Flint, a very sweet and uplifting character who’s going blind and is not part of the in-crowd, but who finds solace in drawing his comic book and making a new friend.

 

1.  Squint (real name Flint) is such a nice guy.  I wish there were more kids like him.  He’s very observant about the dynamics of school and how people interact with one another.  He’s also quite honest about his fears about losing his sight, not finishing his comic book on time, and generally not ever being accepted.  What I love most about him is his authenticity.  The story is told from his perspective, and I think my students will really find a friend in him because he tells his story well.

2.  McKell is also a great character.  It must be difficult dealing with a terminally ill sibling.  It’s one thing to deal with death, but even at my “mature” (ha) age, I still find it hard to hear that someone my age is dying.  Mostly, I’m happy that McKell chooses to not follow her friends in the way they make fun of Squint.  I’m hoping that someone who reads this story will be inspired by McKell deciding to befriend him instead of treating him poorly.  Imagine what both of them would miss out on if they had never met.

3.  I love that Squint lists various rules.  In fact, I think they would have made great chapter subtitles!

4.  This whole narrative gently nudges readers to consider their choices carefully without seeming too … preachy, for lack of a better word.  When Squint’s grandpa encourages him to be proud of the hard work he puts into his drawings, it highlights the idea that quitting, while sometimes easier, is not necessarily the best choice.  And when Squint comes into the kitchen with a glint in his eye, and his grandma tells him that his grandpa would advise him to treat his friend really well, it was a much nicer way of teaching Squint to be considerate of others.  You catch more flies with honey, they say, eh?

 

  

5.  I like the multimodal aspects of the story.  Besides the rules that Squint mentions periodically, there are comic-book excerpts and text exchanges between the characters.  They enhance the story simply by giving readers a break from the traditional narrative format.  More and more, I see my young readers devouring these kinds of texts.

6.  Teachers/parents: You’ll definitely want to add this story to your shelves.  It’s a nice way to introduce readers to topics like fitting in, making friends, being sick, getting advice from your grandparents, and ultimately accepting who you are.

 

 

Chad Morris’ Online Corners
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Shelly Brown’s Online Corners
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Thanks, Shadow Mountain, for sending me a copy of Squint in exchange for an honest review.  All Squinklethoughts expressed herein are entirely my own.

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My So-Called Bollywood Life (Nisha Sharma)

I had a feeling, as soon as I read the synopsis for the book, that I was going to love My So-Called Bollywood Life, and I’m happy to be right.  I half hope that this will be made into a movie – but only half hope because as much as I’d like to see Winnie Mehta’s life played out on screen, I also don’t want to risk ruining a great narrative along the way.

 

1.  I love Nisha Sharma’s voice and writing style.  There’s so much wit (and snark!) in all the characters’ words.  Even in just describing Winnie herself, Sharma has so many funny, quotable lines to make the reading experience pleasurable.  As someone who has never really not code-switched in everyday communication, I not only appreciate but also enjoy and welcome all of the characters’ flips among English, Hindi, and Punjabi.  I really would have loved a glossary at the back of the book (I’ve only seen the ARC and eARC, so I’m not sure if the final copy has one) alongside the list of movies Winnie mentions throughout the novel.

2.  In recent years, the call for stories (in novels and movies, especially) with diverse characters has grown louder.  Of course, it only makes sense that narratives highlighting the experiences of characters from different ethnic backgrounds should be readily available, even prevalent, in our modern global society.  However, I also believe that any story – whether featuring diverse characters or not – should, above all, be well told and authentic.  One of the reasons I really enjoyed this story is the way Sharma doesn’t force Indian/American-Indian culture down the reader’s throat (Eye?  This idiom got away from me …).  Winnie’s life (and, therefore, this story) is intrinsically entrenched in the culture of her family, but not everything is about being Indian.  She’s deeply stressed by her family’s pandit’s prophecy about her love life, but she’s also worried about whether she has enough worthwhile entries on her university application to give her a fighting chance to attend the school of her dreams.  In this way, Sharma encourages her readers to learn and appreciate the idiosyncrasies of our ethnicities while reminding us that we belong to more than one culture/subculture.  Our everyday experiences reflect the fact that we are so much  more than just Indian/Italian/ Indonesian/Iranian, etc.; we are also students/bookworms/film buffs/artists/athletes, etc.  Sharma gets this so right in the story.  Winnie can simultaneously worry about organizing a student film festival and finding a nice lengha to wear to prom.  Neither action defines her, but they both contribute to who she is.  THIS is something that will come up in my lessons when I use the book in my lessons.

3.  On a less wordy note, Sharma’s characters are endearing and interesting.  Bridget is a great sidekick, Dev is charming and enigmatic, Pandit Ohmi is adorably funny, and Winnie’s grandmother is a tough-but-sweet cookie.  Sharma took care to create characters with unique quirks that enhance the plot in their own ways.  If I had to write a story, I wouldn’t have the faintest idea how to make characters’ voices authentic and different from one another’s, but I can definitely spot an author who can masterfully do so.  I wish I could meet Winnie, and that’s a testament to how real of a person she became to me as I read the novel … as well as a testament to Sharma’s narrative prowess.

4.  Teachers/parents: There are many reasons why this title should be added to your shelves.  It can be because it’s a book with diverse characters in it, or because it’s a novel that has tons of allusions to various Bollywood films, or something else completely.  Point #2 includes many reasons for why My So-Called Bollywood Life has been added to my curriculum this term.  Ultimately, I found this title to have a lot of heart, and I think a lot of my students will love it, too.

 

 

Nisha Sharma’s Online Corners
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Thank you, Crown Books for Young Readers and Penguin Random House, for sending me a copy of My So-Called Bollywood Life in exchange for an honest review.  All Squinklethoughts expressed herein are entirely my own.

Megabat (Anna Humphrey and Kass Reich)

The tagline alone will hook you: “Itty-bitty bat, mega personality.”  Megabat is a sweet story about friends who discover each other by chance and hatch a plot to get one home … only to realize that they’ve already made a new home with one another.

 

1.  Daniel is sad to have left his friends behind when he and his family moved three hours away, but soon, his mind is occupied with other thoughts.  Megabat is sad to be so, so far away from his home and family (definitely more than three hours away), but since Daniel doesn’t chase him off with a broom, he supposes that the boy may not be all that bad.  Sometimes we find people at the time in our lives when we need them most, and this is a great message in the story.

2.  It was cool learning a bit about Papaya Paradise, Megabat’s home, and I think kids would enjoy this part, too.  I would’ve liked to know some more though – maybe a comparison between Borneo’s and Toronto-ish’s climates, available food sources, or even natural predators, all of which Megabat has to contend with.

 

  

3.  This story is super cute, but I’m not completely sold on the author’s choice to have Megabat speak a sort of pidgin language.  On the one hand, I appreciate the fact that a talking bat wouldn’t have the same English-language skills as Daniel or Talia (Daniel’s new neighbour and friend), but how would Megabat have even known to speak his simplified version of English?  Also, the ease with which Daniel and Talia understand Megabat seems unlikely to me.  I know this might seem like a nitpicky thing, especially when considering that the story is lovely, but from a teacher’s perspective, I would find it difficult to use this text in class.  I’d be worried about how much of Megabat’s grammar my young students might retain.

4.  On the other hand, I can totally see someone reading this aloud to his/her kids (or students!) and employing a made-up or cutesy voice for Megabat.  If done well, that’s something I’m sure readers/listeners would enjoy.

5.  Bottom line: Despite the awkwardness that might come from Megabat’s grammar/diction, the sweet, underlying messages of friendship and family make this a worthwhile read for young kids.  There’s still a lot of good stuff to take away from this story.

 

 

Anna Humphrey’s Online Corners
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Kass Reich’s Online Corners
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Thank you, Tundra Books, for sending me a copy of Megabat in exchange for an honest review.  All Squinklethoughts expressed herein are entirely my own.

The Nocturnals #4: The Hidden Kingdom (Tracey Hecht and Sarah Fieber)

Oof … Apologies for all the “Temporary Posts” emails!  Since WLW doesn’t do updates or support anymore, I can’t figure out how to do some things.  It’s all a bit trial-and-error for me, Squinks!

Anyhoo, the Nocturnal Brigade is back in their fourth adventure, and it’s the best one yet!  Tobin (a pangolin), Bismark (a sugar glider), and Dawn (a fox) have to find a way to save themselves and their night-time neighbours from a drought that has plagued them all.

 

1.  Okay, first things first, this series taught me that there is even an animal called a sugar glider.  Yup … had no idea it existed until now.  I love that a whole menagerie of animals are found in these books, and I love it even more that many of them work together (for good and for bad!) to accomplish their tasks.  Stories are always fun when you’ve got a bunch of different characters join forces for a common goal, and this tale is no exception.

2.  Bismark is ever charming, as he was in the first three books.  He is incorrigible in his flirting with Dawn, but he genuinely cares for her and the rest of his friends.  His anecdotes and bravado get wilder (and funnier) as the story progresses, which add some levity to the brigade’s troubles.  Tobin is quite funny, too, especially when he’s constantly blamed for the strange odours and squeaky noises around him.  My students found these bits particularly funny.  All in all, the characters drive this series just as much as the plot lines do, which is a great reason for the success of these stories.

 

 

3.  One of the best things about The Nocturnals series is the cast of characters that Hecht and Fieber have assembled.  Whether they’re part of the Nocturnal Brigade or playing a supporting role, the animals are witty, unique, and memorable.

4.  Teachers/parents: There are so many animals in this book and in the series that ways to incorporate them into lessons and classes just kept popping into my head as I was reading.  But beyond its potential use in the classroom, anyone who loves animals or enjoys reading stories with animals in them would definitely enjoy this series.

 

 

Tracey Hecht and Sarah Fieber’s Online Corners
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | Chapters/Indigo

 

Thank you, Fabled Films Press, for sending me a copy of The Nocturnals: The Hidden Kingdom in exchange for an honest review.  All Squinklethoughts expressed herein are entirely my own.

Tales of Sasha #1: The Big Secret (Alexa Pearl)

If you have little ones looking to start a well-established series that’s about friendship and bravery, look no further than the Tales of Sasha books by Alexa Pearl.

 

1.  In The Big Secret, Sasha, a young horse, has always felt just a little different from her friends and family.  She sometimes has a hard time following the rules – not that she wants to be a troublemaker, of course!  But something inside her just makes her move differently.  The way that Sasha leaps across the sky, enjoying the breeze blowing through her mane, seems so magical, and is enough to hook kids into wondering what surprises the rest of the story has in store.

2.  I love that this book lets young readers know that it’s okay to be different because sometimes a person’s differences are actually sources of strength.  The whole series makes it easy to talk to kids about topics like uniqueness, appearances, and finding oneself.

3.  The friendship between Twinkle and Sasha is sweet.  Although Twinkle is wary about getting into trouble because of her friend, she is just the companion that Sasha needs.  In subsequent stories, we get to know more about the rest of the horses in Verdant Valley and Crystal Cove, and they’re a wonderfully colourful cast of characters!

4.  The illustrations in this series are top notch.  Are there going to be stuffed toys made of the cute little horses?  Gorgeous images!  I seriously think that part of the reason my younger students love this series is the lovely world of Sasha and her friends, which are so richly drawn and coloured.  I’d love to put up posters or give away postcards of this story for Halloween or something.

 

 

  

5.  Teachers/parents: This book and series would be great for early readers, especially those who invest themselves in long-term stories with the same characters.

 

 

Alexa Pearl’s Online Corners
Website | Chapters/Indigo