Turtle Boy

 From the publisher:

Turtle Boy
by M. Evan
Wolkenstein

"Seventh grade is not going well for Will Levine. Kids at school bully him because of his funny-looking chin. His science teacher finds out about the turtles he spent his summer collecting from the marsh behind school and orders him to release them back into the wild. And for his bar mitzvah community service project, he has to go to the hospital to visit RJ, an older boy struggling with an incurable disease. Unfortunately, Will hates hospitals.

At first, the boys don't get along, but then RJ shares his bucket list with Will. Among the things he wants to do: ride a roller coaster, go to a concert and a school dance, and swim in the ocean. To Will, happiness is hanging out in his room, alone, preferably with his turtles. But as RJ's disease worsens, Will realizes he needs to tackle the bucket list on his new friend's behalf before it's too late. It seems like an impossible mission, way outside Will's comfort zone. But as he completes each task with RJ's guidance, Will learns that life is too short to live in a shell."

I am a sucker for books that are billed as "If you liked Wonder, you will like this". And yet, they never live up to the billing. I had a really hard time with this book and had to force myself to finish it. I will say that I am very glad I did finish it, but, boy, that first 2/3rds was rough going. It is hard for me to like a book when I don't like the main character, and Will is not very likeable through a lot of the book. RJ, on the other hand, is a wonderful, loveable character. I probably would have quit reading if it wasn't for RJ. The last 1/3rd of of the book was very good and I even teared up at parts. I ended up liking the book, but I feel like it will be a hard sell for my middle schoolers. I hope I'm wrong and that they keep reading until the end like I did because it has a lot going for it and teaches some beautiful lessons. I loved the supportive adults in Will's life, and the friends who mostly stuck with him even when he wasn't being a good friend himself. I loved the immense progress Will made. So yes, read this book and stick it out because it will be worth it.

Areas of concern:

*Triggers could include a dead father and a dying friend.

Suggested Ages:

Publisher's Weekly - Ages 10+

School Library Journal - Grades 5+

Find Layla

Find Layla
by Meg Elison

From the publisher:
"A neglected girl’s chaotic coming-of-age becomes a trending new hashtag in a novel about growing up and getting away by an award-winning author.

Underprivileged and keenly self-aware, SoCal fourteen-year-old Layla Bailey isn’t used to being noticed. Except by mean girls who tweet about her ragged appearance. All she wants to do is indulge in her love of science, protect her vulnerable younger brother, and steer clear of her unstable mother.

Then a school competition calls for a biome. Layla chooses her own home, a hostile ecosystem of indoor fungi and secret shame. With a borrowed video camera, she captures it all. The mushrooms growing in her brother’s dresser. The black mold blooming up the apartment walls. The unmentionable things living in the dead fridge. All the inevitable exotic toxins that are Layla’s life. Then the video goes viral.

When Child Protective Services comes to call, Layla loses her family and her home. Defiant, she must face her bullies and friends alike, on her own. Unafraid at last of being seen, Layla accepts the mortifying reality of visibility. Now she has to figure out how to stay whole and stand behind the truth she has shown the world."

 In the musical Wicked, when Elphaba and her sister get to Shiz University, the headmistress comes out personally to greet them because they are daughters of the governor.  When she sees Nessarose, who is in a wheelchair,  she says, "What a tragically beautiful face!" and then Elphaba introduces herself by saying, "I'm the other daughter, Elphaba.  I'm beautifully tragic.".   This book reminds me of Elphaba, it is beautifully tragic.  It is also vulgarly tragic and appallingly tragic.  There are children in our country, and many more than we care to recognize, that are in Layla's situation.  Living in horrible conditions, being brutally bullied on a daily basis, lacking adequate nourishment, shelter and security.  It is tragic.  I wish I had answers and ideas to overcome this tragedy but I do not.  Hopefully, reading books like this will help us recognize and get help for children in Layla and Andy's situation.   Do I recommend this book to all middle schoolers?  Let me just say that I wouldn't have let my daughters read it at a very young age because it is so disturbing and has so much bad language in it.   However, the bad language wasn't gratuitous in any way - as Layla would say, "That's life".  Fortunately that isn't MY life, but it IS her life so that is the kind of language she hears and uses.  I would recommend it to 8th grade and up as long as they are prepared for the content.  It is heartbreaking and sad, but you will want so badly for Layla to find safety and happiness.  It is gripping and you won't want to put it down.  That being said, I didn't love the ending, because while some things seemed rushed, other questions remained unanswered.  A big shout-out to caring, compassionate social workers who are overworked and underpaid.... pretty much like teachers.  

Areas of concern:

*A lot of bad language, including the *f* word over 15 times.
*Intense bullying with very few consequences.
*A hideously bad mother who takes neglect to an extreme.
*Middle school kids being very vulgar.
*Horrible living conditions for 2 children.

Suggested ages:

Kirkus Reviews - Ages 14-18
School Library Journal - Grades 7-10 

From the Desk of Zoe Washington

From the Desk of
Zoe Washington
by Janae Marks

From the publisher:
"Zoe Washington isn’t sure what to write. What does a girl say to the father she’s never met, hadn’t heard from until his letter arrived on her twelfth birthday, and who’s been in prison for a terrible crime?

A crime he says he never committed.

Could Marcus really be innocent? Zoe is determined to uncover the truth. Even if it means hiding his letters and her investigation from the rest of her family. Everyone else thinks Zoe’s worrying about doing a good job at her bakery internship and proving to her parents that she’s worthy of auditioning for Food Network’s Kids Bake Challenge.

But with bakery confections on one part of her mind, and Marcus’s conviction weighing heavily on the other, this is one recipe Zoe doesn’t know how to balance. The only thing she knows to be true: Everyone lies."

I really enjoyed this book because it was sweet and very readable, but also because it made me think and research.  I love it when books do that!  To me, this book is first and foremost a story of forgiveness.  Zoe is very mad at her next-door neighbor/best friend Trevor.  For quite some time in the book, we have no idea why she is mad at him.  Even her parents and grandma don't know and wonder what happened.  All they know is how upset and sad she is about it.  Trevor, himself, has no idea what he has done and tries to still be friends with her but Zoe won't have anything to do with him.  At one point her mother tells her,

"You're the one holding all this pain inside of you, which hurts you more than it hurts Trevor.  If you can forgive him, it might help you let go of the pain.  And you'll get your friend back.  It's a win-win."  

When Zoe finally tells Trevor why she is so mad and he apologizes, she has this insight:

"But it was like when you drew something in pencil and then tried to erase it - the pencil lines would mostly go away, but sometimes the indent would still be there, so you could sort of see what had been erased.  That's how Trevor's apology felt - like he was trying to erase my pain by saying he was sorry, but he couldn't make it all disappear."

Then later she has this insight:

"Maybe the pencil marks couldn't be erased, but at some point you could decide to turn to a new page."

I love that!  And what makes it even more interesting is that juxtaposed on Zoe and Trevor's story is the story of how Zoe's mom can't forgive Zoe's biological father.  He is in prison for murder, but continues to declare his innocence.  I love the things this book teaches about forgiveness!  I appreciated the supportive family that didn't always agree but always loved (although I had grave misgivings about a grandma going behind a mother's back, even though it was done in love).   

I also love how timely this book is and welcomed learning more about how POC (and particularly MEN of color) are wrongly imprisoned far more often than white men.  I had heard about The Innocence Project, but enjoyed learning more and studying more after I finished reading.  

I think this is a wonderful middle grade novel that was both entertaining and educational.  

Suggested Ages:

Publisher's Weekly - Ages 8-12

School Library Journal - Grades 4+