Last Stop on Market Street earned the 2016 Newbery Medal, which is unique since this is a picture book and that award more commonly goes to a middle grade novel or other novel. That said, I can see the strong literary merit of the book. In a picture book, every word counts, and this book choose fantastic words to describe the setting: “The outside air smelled like freedom,” the second page begins. Later “He watched water pool on flower petals” and “patter.” The strong sense of place is complemented with the vivid verbs. The bus “creaked,” “sighed[,] and sagged.” Other pages likewise use strong verbs and descriptive words. CJ learns to appreciate the ordinary as he watches outside and listens to the “the magic of music” with his eyes closed. Further, the imagery creates a strong message of finding the beauty in the ordinary. Nana says, “Sometimes when you’re surrounded by dirt, CJ, you’re a better witness for what’s beautiful.”

All of the text and the metaphoric language is strengthen by the illustrations, which are essential to understanding de la Peña’s story. The illustrations are created using acrylic paint and collage. Geometric edges are created on strong lines, but some rounded corners and stamped shapes (like leaves on the tree) keep it from feeling too stark or cold. Bright colors give a light feeling to the pages and the story, even as the setting shifts into a less well-off neighborhood. The cheerful illustrations are not realistic or detailed, but they are consistent and clear in representing real items. The Caldecott Honor was also awarded to this book, honoring these illustrations.

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The illustrations as well as the text show these two perspectives. The pages narrated by the beast show the illustrations from a lower perspective, with himself as the main character. The illustrations are cartoon-like pencil drawings and the beast is illustrated as a non-recognizable animal, kind of a mix between a fox and a squirrel, and this adds to both the humor and the general storyline: children might know not to bother a squirrel, but what about a friendly animal like this?

Because it is the same story, but told from two different perspectives, it is a perfect book for discussing a narrator’s perspective, and of course to learn to compare and contrast characters. It is a great book for reading aloud thanks to the humor involved, but it also a touchstone work when looking different perspectives from a different narrator.

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At first, I disliked the digression of “feedback” correspondence from Leo, the man who writes to author Hannah in between each chapter. I thought it was a strange addition to the story. Instead of being strange, it added the additional layer of “writing a book about writing a book.” It gave a different type of mystery as I considered what things he was suggesting in his letters to Hannah. We didn’t see Hannah’s emails to him, but only the developing story and his responses. His tone changes through the letters and there is a side to him that was not at first apparent.

The first person story about author Freddie was a fun mystery. We don’t learn much about the novel she is writing; we don’t need to know. The main crux of the novel is the mystery that mystery writer Freddie must live through. As she and a table of strangers work in the Boston Public Library, they hear a woman’s scream, and wonder if there must have been a murder in the building. Later, a body is found. Somehow, the event of hearing a scream brings the four people at that table together as friends: Cain McLeod, famous author; Whit, a law student; and Marigold, a psychology student. Together they begin to seek out how the woman was murdered, why, and by whom.

I don’t often read mysteries but this was a good start to the genre. I loved the “meta” book within a book within a book structure, and the mystery remained such until the end. I suspected everyone at some point but in retrospect all the clues do point to the person who did commit murder.

I read this book for my library’s challenge category: a book that takes place in a library or museum.

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The first big “historical” event for Adams was his role in defending the British soldiers who had fired on civilians during the Boston “massacre.” Although it was called that, he felt strongly that all deserved a fair hearing. That is what he provided. He quoted the Marchese di Beccaria as to why he felt he needed to do that:

“If, by supporting the rights of mankind, and of invincible truth, I shall contribute to save from the agonies of death one unfortunate victim of tyranny or of ignorance, equally fatal, his blessings and years of transport will be sufficient consolation to me for the contempt of mankind.” (page 60)

That he did so led to a loss in reputation, for people were not happy about the British soldiers in 1770. Yet, Adams did not let unpopularity stop him from doing what he knew was right.

He then helped Thomas Jefferson draft the Declaration of Independence. Of government, he had much to say, especially emphasizing the need for morality and goodness in government: “That form of government with virtue as its foundation was more likely than any other to promote the general happiness” (page 93). And though he wasn’t pleased to be only relegated to the role of politician, he observed, “I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy” (page 216). He knew his role and strived to be the political leader needed in his time.

He had faults, of course. In a letter in 1783, Benjamin Franklin wrote of Adams, “he means well for his country, is always an honest man, often a wise one, but sometimes and in some things, absolutely out of his senses” (Benjamin Franklin to Robert Livingston, 1783; page 259). Yes John Adams was vociferous and probably not always the most kind person. He’d say what needed to be said. He made plenty of mistakes. When he was Vice President, he owned up to this: “I have looked into myself . . . and see no dishonesty there. I see weakness enough. But no timidity.” (Adams, in response to criticism as Vice President and President; page 418). I love that for him, it was honesty that meant the most. I feel like it still does, which is why it’s so hard to see the USA failing to live up to its potential lately. Honesty is the best policy. In a letter to his daughter, he wrote “regard the honor and moral character of the man more than all other circumstances” (page 263).

(Incidentally, during various scandals, Adams’ friend Dr. Benjamin Rush wrote, “A hundred years hence, absolute monarchy will probably be rendered necessary in our country by the corruption of our people” (page 374). I’m not ready to give up yet, but this does seem somewhat prophetic given how corrupt our government is today. It’s too bad that it is the government that is trying to be a monarchy that is so corrupt. Sigh.)

Adams knew the significance of the era he lived in. “These are the times in which a genius would wish to live.” (John Adams in a letter to his son in 1783?, page 206). He and his son were nicely situated for that! Although they may not have been geniuses, they certainly were in the right place to make a huge difference. Signing the Declaration of Independence. Negotiating peace with England. First Vice President. Second President. He was in the right place at the right time.

Newspapers were not kind to John Adams, who was overweight, short, bald, and toothless by old age. Yet when he first accepted the presidency, there was some kind press: “John Adams, it was said, was ‘a good husband, a good father, a good citizen, and a good man'” (page 500). McCullough goes on later to exoll some of Adams’ successes: “In his four years as President, there had been no scandal or corruption. . . .he had managed nonetheless to cope with a divided country and a divided party, and in the end achieved a rare level of statesmanship.” (page 516)

So why is this great man not known more? Maybe because he was so humble about it all. He said, “I never could bring myself seriously to consider that I was a great man, or of much importance or consideration in the world… Enough surely of egotism” (page 537). I like the humility, but it does make it hard to brag on and get schools named after you. How many Washington and Jefferson schools are there? And why not Adams? It makes me sad because he was such a good guy.

McCullough’s long and thorough biography used letters and journals for much of the material, and Adams did not, as can be seen, think too highly of himself. He made mistakes. I loved how readable the biography was, and with all the letters, it did feel like I was there for the significant events.

McCullough suggest this be Adams’ epitaph: “Griefs upon griefs! Disappointments upon disappointments. What then? This is a gay, merry world notwithstanding” (page 593). What love for life this great man had!

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I’ll start with what I liked. Malkus does create a world that seems consistent. I read the forward again after I read the novel and it does seem to line up with what the tradition tells. The writing was sufficient and some descriptions of the setting are beautifully written. I also saw some of the Mayan traditions I’ve read about portrayed, such as the game Tzatzli (the rubber ball game played to the death). There is a nice twist at the end of the novel that I liked a lot.

For me, however, there were far too many negatives. The book as a whole moved so slowly. I struggled to get into it and disliked the characters in the beginning. The entire pagan religion felt foreign and made-up, especially in the very beginning when Nicté is starring into the stone and going in to a trance to see the future. Malkus made up a Mayan language and wrote it in poetry, which was also very strange. As is always the case with historical fiction from a different culture, society must have simply imagined. Further, the author used terms like “Khan” to refer to leaders and “baptism” to refer to a ritual with the babies, which seemed very anachronistic for a novel that took place in the Americas in the 1300s or thereabout, far away from the term Khan or Christianity.

And then there was the violence. A good portion of the book was not violent. However, there are plenty of scenes and reference to human sacrifice and other things. It is a book about a war and conquering, so the author holds very little back. There is a scene when our main character happens to glance out her window and see a human being sacrificed with the heart torn from the warm body. Then the body is torn limb from limb. Our heroine screams. I’d hope so, but the author writes about human sacrifice so matter-of-factly, I wondered how our main character felt about it at other points in the story too. At another point, Nicté is luckily rescued from being raped but the language says others were. It was a shock to read in a book supposedly for children, even for 1930s children.

Can you imagine reading this with a child today?

“Mommy, what does dismembered mean?”

“Mommy, what does it mean that they were raping the women?”

Obviously, I cannot recommend The Dark Star of Itza as a story to be read today, especially to children.

ETA: I understand that each book has the appropriate audience, and this is not a book for younger children. Still, given the qualms I already have about the non-authentic stereotypes in the book, the questionable content, and the slow pace, I still don’t see this as a book to be read today to children. I cannot recommend it.

Although she is treated with kindness, few opportunities present themselves to her in the city, especially when her beloved tutor retires to return to the highlands. When a choice opportunity opens up for her to flee to the Americas, she takes it, pretending to be her cousin Veronica eloping with their friend Ewan. Ewan is not happy to find that Meggy has taken Veronica’s place. Yet, Meggy has plans for her time in the Carolinas and is determined to find her way.

I found Meggy’s story to be a bit slow in developing. She doesn’t leave Edinburgh until a third of the way through the book, and a good portion then follows her journey aboard the ship. Her time in South Carolina seems focused around experiencing different places (town, a plantation, a small Scottish village), and she doesn’t actually seem to do anything. Her main turmoil is determining which side of the Revolution she wished to be on: the Yankee “rebels” or the Scottish enclave of loyalists. Although her friend Ewan gets a job, Meggy by comparison is a wealthy observer of the various places she lived, only becoming useful toward the end, in the Scottish village. There is a subtle romantic friendship that develops as a subplot.

My main complaint with the book, however, was the painful racism. During Meggy’s time in Wilmington and on the Plantation, the slaves are referred to with inappropriate names, called “monkeys,” and otherwise treated as non-human in their approach to those around them. I understand that books are a product of their times. However, this made Meggy MacIntosh a book wholly unsuitable for modern-day reading, especially for children, who are the main audience for the book. (Side-note: There is also a social class discrimination against the indentured servant.)

As a historical fiction novel, Meggy MacIntosh gave a unique look at a particular people during the American Revolution. Because of Scottish history, the Scots feel a deep need to be loyal to the crown. The Battle of Culloden, the final defeat of the Jacobist uprising in 1746, is still a recent memory, and many had taken an oath of loyalty to the crown in the aftermath. Thus, although they are now in America, as colonists of the crown, loyalty is imperative. For the Scots, then, those who supported the war with England are traitors. I had never seen a perspective like this, and I learned about the Jacobist uprising and the aftermath. These are interesting points.

As a whole, I cannot defend or recommend Meggy MacIntosh. The interesting aspects are overshadowed by the racism. I sincerely hope no young child reads it at this time, as it cannot easily be amended. Some will say: oh, it’s an opportunity to teach my kids what is not appropriate. However, there are so many moments of insidious suggestion that this would not be a successful technique. There are too many subtleties to the racism that no one can edit them out: the whole attitude is of white superiority. What a shame I cannot suggest yet another Newbery book due to racism.

All I knew going in when I read it 4 years ago was that it was a space novel. I learned what Ryland Grace, our main character, knew as he learned it. It was an amazing awakening experience. To consider that there are spoilers sometimes. For that reason, I don’t want to post too much about the plot: just experience it. But, if you do, indeed, know about the book’s general premise already, keep reading.

Ryland Grace awakes from a supposed coma not remembering anything, not even his name. He doesn’t know where he is and why. He must come to figure it out as flashes of memory return throughout the novel. Pretty quickly he figures out he is a scientist because he remembers science. Soon he learns he’s alone on a spaceship and that he is there to save the world. Thankfully, it turns out he doesn’t have to solve it all on his own. An alien named Rocky is there to help him out.

Science was my only downside to the book. The book has a lot of science and math. When I read it the first time, I skimmed over anything science-y. Upon listening to the book, I found sometimes the science felt a tiny bit boring. BUT it is all explained and anyone who truly knows science will probably appreciate that all the more. Andy Weir knows his science! It wasn’t really overwhelming: just know that you personally don’t have to understand it to enjoy the entire book.

The audiobook was amazing, truly. I read that the narrator, Ray Porter, did not read the entire book before he began recording. Thus, he too was reading it with that sense of surprise that I found as I read it the first time. As a result, the narration is full of emotion and surprise that feels real. The alien speech is really well done in the audio. Since in the beginning Grace does not know what the musical language means, our experience hearing the musical notes likewise feels like hearing a foreign language. The characters are so much more alive and loveable in the book than in the movie, which (in comparison, having reread/listened to the book) was not nearly as rich, interesting, or loving.

In short, whether or not you like science, you’ll probably like Project Hail Mary. It has science, yes, but it has much more. It is a story most of all of friendship. What would you do for your friends?

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First, the short story “Unauthorized Bread” examines the struggles of being poor in the midst of a society full of “smart” devices that ultimately limit freedom for those unable to afford it. Salima is a refugee in a futuristic America, and while she finally has public housing help, it turns out that the inconveniences are too expensive for her small budget. The smart toaster only allows approved bread. The smart dishwasher only allows approved dishes. This is how her government approved housing is subsidized for the landlords. But once the companies behind the smart devices go broke, suddenly the appliances no longer work. Salima finds ways to survive and to help her other poor friends survive, but this exposes her in undesirable ways. Salima is just trying to survive in a society that is making things harder than ever.

I loved this story. The concept of smart devices requiring brand-specific bread or dishes seems like such a small step from where we are today. Can companies get any greedier? Salima and her friends were completely loveable and relatable. It’s a further commentary on how the hard-working poor really do want to improve life for themselves and others. And I really enjoyed the resolution to the story. In some ways, things were not solved, but people in this dystopia did find ways to work with others, and that is a testament to the goodness of people. Also, although this is a dystopian world, the socialism of society at least was trying to help people, so that was also a positive for me about the world in this story.

“Model Minority” follows a Superman-type figure (American Eagle) as he strives to right social wrongs, specifically racism. Why hadn’t American Eagle, who is now hundreds of years old, helped during the Civil Rights Movement? Why is he taking a stand about police brutality now? These are the questions society has for the Eagle as he does take an interest in an unfair situation. The end result of American Eagle helping is his own ostracism, losing the things he cares about, because society still too divided on the appropriate response to racism, including what actual is unfair. No one seems to care as does the American Eagle, and he only has gotten in the way.

This story was frustrating for me, which is I’m sure how the author intended me to feel. The title of the story certainly refers to American Eagle himself as the minority, the model of a hero for everyone else, and yet he is not appreciated. Even the man who had been assaulted by police is not happy about American Eagle’s involvement. Social justice is one thing that the superhero cannot resolve. Imagine being that powerful but still powerless. That is what this story is about.

“Radicalized” takes on health insurance as bitter citizens make a stand against wrongful denials with violence. This one was painful in the fact that there was violence. Joe becomes well involved with an online chat site about people who have been denied life-saving medical care by insurance. While Joe’s wife’s cancer went in to remission, so many others lost their loved ones because of the medical care being denied. Thus, Joe cannot seem to let up on his involvement, especially when he finds that others in the group are encouraging violence against the insurance companies. Can Joe stop them? As a result, he is now tied up with the radical group, even though he hasn’t done anything violent himself. Is one radical for trying to support others in mourning? How does one then help social media strangers from pursuing a path of violence? Is Joe himself a radical? This one left me with a shiver.

Finally, “The Masque of the Red Death” is an Armageddon story, in which Martin provides a utopia for a select few to survive. But survival is not quite as utopian as he imagined. The title of this story refers to the Edgar Allan Poe story of the same name: to save themselves from plague, people gather into a ballroom, only to be confronted by death after all. That should tell you how Martin’s story goes! His story is definitely believable and a bit creepy. But, I found him unlikeable, so the ultimate fate and ending was satisfying to the extreme!

Cory Doctorow’s stories were engaging glimpse into societies that are different and yet so similar to my own. Which of these is most likely to happen? Probably Martin’s attempt to escape societal collapse. Or, maybe the plague of violence against insurance executives. While there is no true superhero, as in “Model Minority,” in some respects the battle in that story is still and always will be ongoing. Could bread ever become “unauthorized”? Doctorow gives some great food for thought. I won’t forget these stories quickly.

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The rich illustrations were an intriguing connection between the text. It helped to show just what the seeds and other creatures looked like. Wordless scenes conveyed the truth about the “giants” being dinosaurs and the “scientists” being microscopic creatures. Also, when Merwin learned from Mother Earth about her history, the wordless illustrations explaining the Big Bang were the most interesting to me. Just as the illustrations are integral in other books by Brian Selznick, the illustrations in this thick volume were essential to telling this story about the natural world.

Without spoiling the ending, I’ll just say that this ancient story comes full circle and may still resonate with the reader today. I did sincerely appreciate the author’s note at the end about the science of the book. I feel I would have benefited for a bit more clarity as I was reading. Although I cannot say I liked Big Tree as much as I enjoyed Hugo Cabret, for example, it is a strikingly different story so comparison is somewhat unfair. I’d love to know how the child reader appreciates this story about the interconnectedness of nature. Will they enjoy it more than I did? Or, does a deep and abiding love for nature make Big Tree a more compelling read?

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Martin is a most desirable villain in this book. He has not just a hot-head but an unfortunate tendency to profess his love to Miss Bolderwood. He is darkhaired and mysterious. In addition, there are secret passageways, night time wanderings, and mysterious attacks, giving the entire book a Gothic feeling. The ancient castle of Stanyon helps by seeming like its own character in this novel.

I was about a quarter way through the novel when I realized I’d read it before. Sometimes it takes a specific memorable event to bring it all to remembrance. It was a nice reread, and I certainly appreciated the gothic elements a lot more now.