Tag: Fantasy

A Book of My Choice by Native American Authors

1. Bibliography

Smith, Cynthia Leitich (Ed.). 2021. Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids. New York: Heartdrum. ISBN 9780062869944

2. Plot Summary

In this middle grade anthology edited by Cynthia Leitich Smith, fifteen Native authors write short stories and poetry about protagonists attending the Dance for Mother Earth Pow-wow in Ann Arbor, Michigan—an intertribal event celebrating Native Americans from across the continent. Whether the characters are dancing, selling artisan products, storytelling, or even learning more about their Native heritage for the first time, the themes of belonging, healing, and celebrating heritage take center stage. Authors represent the Nations of Nulhegan Abenaki, Cherokee, Upper Skagit, Onondaga, Anishinaabe, Métis, Diné (Navajo), Ojibwe, Ohkay Owingeh, Cree, Wichita, Muscogee Creek, Cree, Choctaw, Apache, and Chickasaw. The back of the book includes a glossary and pronunciation guide, notes/acknowledgements about each short story, short introductions to all contributors, and a letter of gratitude to the readers.

3.  Critical Analysis

Ancestors Approved makes it abundantly clear that Native Americans are not a monolith. Characters have a diversity of interests and talents: Mel (Muscogee Creek/Odawa) is an avid reader, Ray (Cherokee/Seminole) is a budding artist, Rory (Cree) is a fancy dancer, Tokala (Chiricahua/Anishinaabe) is an amateur detective, and Kevin (Navajo) is a basketball player. Characters have diverse living situations. Some characters, like Dalton (Tuscarora), live on “the Rez,” while others, like Aiden (Cree), do not. Characters come from different backgrounds. Some characters, like Alan (Seneca/Navajo), are of mixed Native ancestry while others, like Luksi (Choctaw), are not. Characters experience diverse problems. Maggie Wilson (Cherokee) is dealing with the death of her father, Marino (Ohkay Owingeh) is trying to raise money to save his grandmother’s house, and Jessie (Wichita) is trying to keep it together despite the fact that her mother’s been deployed to the Middle East. Characters are distinct.

Still, while the anthology celebrates the diversity of the Native American experience, it also emphasizes their unity. The themes of belonging, healing, and celebrating one’s heritage crop up in story after story, emphasizing the similarities that the Native characters share.  Refreshingly, the emphasis of the stories isn’t on winning dance competitions or artisan lotteries or storytelling notoriety. The focus of each story is on “winning” something much more profound, whether it’s the trust of a brother, the money to help a grandmother pay her house expenses, the pride in one’s heritage, or the perspective to see someone more compassionately.

The anthology also calls out Native American stereotypes in its many forms. In Tim Tingle’s story, “Warriors of Forgiveness,” the Choctaw elders provide a foil for the so-called Native American “warrior” stereotype. While the elders could choose to prosecute the young man who has stolen Mrs. Simmons’s credit card as “warriors of battle,” they choose to perverse human values as “warriors of forgiveness” instead. In Eric Gansworth’s “Indian Price,” Dalton points out racism against Native Americans in the Boy Scout’s Order of the Arrow Ceremony and refuses to be the “typical Indian” that one stereotyping teenager calls him. In Erika T. Wurth’s “Little Fox and the Case of the Missing Regalia,” Tokala and Shana’s teen slang invite readers to see Native Americans not as “relics of the past” but as real people living today.

As is the case in all anthologies, Ancestors Approved is written in a variety of styles and voices, some more appealing than others. Standouts included Tim Tingle’s “Warriors of Forgiveness”; David A. Robertson’s “Brothers”; Eric Gansworth’s “Indian Price”; Brian Young’s “Senecavajo” and “Squash Blossom Bracelet”; Dawn Quigley’s “Joey Reads the Sky”; Joseph Bruchac’s “Bad Dog”; and Cynthia Leitich Smith’s “Between the Lines.” Still, every story was surprisingly well written. There were no fillers. Readers, Native and non-Native alike, are in for a treat. This book is recommended for all middle grade collections.

4. Rewards and Review Excerpts

Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

Horn Book Summer 2021 Middle School Selection

New York Public Library Summer 2021 Books for Kids Selection

CCBC Book of the Week (March 2021)

Amazon.com Editors’ Picks: Best Books Ages 9 – 12

Well-Read Native Youth Book of the Week

Dignity and Justice for All: Stories of Protest, Resistance, and Change: An Annotated Bibliography of New and Noteworthy Books for Young Readers, Published 2018 – 2021 from the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum

From AudioFile: “Sixteen Indigenous authors weave together diverse stories in celebration of coming together as a community while also highlighting the young protagonists’ many different personalities and experiences. . . . All will find much to love in this collection full of heart.”

From Kirkus: “A groundbreaking Indigenous anthology for young people. Readers can join the fun in this collection of 18 contemporary stories and poems about loving families from various parts of the U.S. and Canada who travel to meet, dance, sing, socialize, and honor Native traditions at an intertribal powwow. . . . A joyful invitation to celebrate the circle of ancestors together.”

5. Connections

Use this link (https://land.codeforanchorage.org/) to input the library’s zip code and show middle graders the Native nations whose land they are living on. Then find out more about those Nations by visiting the Nations’ official websites and checking out relevant library materials.

As part of a book club, ask middle graders to name their favorite Ancestors Approved stories. Invite them to discuss together the reasons why they liked the particular stories. Then have a “book show,” inviting middle graders to peruse other titles written by each of the book’s 16 authors.

*Note—This book review was created as an assignment for a course at Texas Woman’s University.

A Novel of My Choice by a Latinx Author

1. Bibliography

Ryan, Pam Muñoz. 2020. Mañanaland. New York: Scholastic. ISBN 9781338157864

2. Plot Summary

Maximiliano Córdoba is not looking forward to his summer break. While his friends head off to a free fútbol camp, Max feels constricted by his Papá’s overprotective grip. Instead of training with the other boys for the fast-approaching soccer tryouts, Max has to work for his father, the bridgebuilder of the village of Santa Maria, all summer long. Luckily, Papá and Buelo (Max’s grandfather) were both famous fútbolistas, so he won’t miss out on training. But fútbol training isn’t Max’s only worry. As tryouts approach, Papá reveals that he does not have the mandatory birth certificate that Max will need to prove his age and citizenship. Papá must go on a long journey to fill out the necessary paperwork. But when Max learns of a family secret that involves smuggling refugees from the country of Abismo, he realizes that tryouts are the least of his worries. Max will have to learn to take on the mantle of responsibility or face dire consequences for himself, his family, and the young refugee entrusted to his care.

3.  Critical Analysis

Max and his family live in a realistic modern setting, signaled by the transportation, sports pursuits, and technology that are a part of their world. In other words, Max’s world is much like our own. But while the setting of Mañanaland is realistic, the countries of Santa Maria (where Max lives) and Abismo (where the refugees flee from) are not real coutries. Furthermore, the reappearing female peregrine falcon (hinted at in the text as the spirit of grateful refugees), Max’s dreams (revealing the lyrics to the forgotten song that Max’s mother used to sing to him), and Max’s boat ride home (in which Max thinks he may have seen his future) blur the lines between fantasy and reality. This distinct style known as magical realism, mixing modern and fantastic, is a beloved style in Latine culture and is found at the heart of Mañanaland’s story, signaling its proud homage to its literary roots—writers like Gabriel García Márquez and Jorge Luis Borges. The style invites readers to find magic in their own lives and, just like Max, Buelo, and finally Papá, to view the “happy coincidences” that life brings as more than mere happenstance.

Beyond the cultural markers found in the genre of the story itself, the themes present in Mañanaland are timely messages that, sadly, continue to cause grief to many members of the Latine community today. Pam Muñoz Ryan deftly navigates themes of political violence, the crisis of fleeing refugees, and the backlash from neighboring countries. In the country of Abismo (an emblematic name that means “Abyss” in English), a dictator incites war, forcing “legions of people” to flee the violence, and the neighboring country of Santa Maria to pass the “Harboring Law” which states that refugees from Abismo are illegal and that nobody can help or hide them. Max’s family becomes part of a secret group, Los Guardianes de los Escondidos (The Guardians of the Hidden Ones), who try to help refugees through Santa Maria into another country so that they can find a better life.

The book certainly marks itself as a Latine title from Santa Maria’s love of fútbol to the intimate intergenerational connection that Max shares with his father, grandfather, and great aunts and uncles. Max lives in a three-generation household—grandfather, father, and son. The duties associated with being a part of the Córdoba household carry immense weight for Max as he works with his father as the bridgebuilding protégé and as the next Guardia in a long line of selfless refugee guides. It is also through his grandfather than Max learns the important oral legends that lead him and Isadora safely to refuge. Oral history provides essential guidance.

Mañanaland is a phenomenal middle-grade novel, not just for its Latine cultural output and its ultra-relevant social themes that will get kids thinking, but for its focus on bravery, love, and hope despite uncertainty. Ryan has written herself another winner. This book belongs in every middle grade library.

4. Rewards and Review Excerpts

International Latino Book Award, 2020, Winner, Best Fictional Youth Chapter Book

Cybils Award, 2020, Middle Grade Fiction Nominee

New York Times Notable Children’s Books List, 2020, Middle Grade

Publishers Weekly Best Children’s Books List, 2020, Middle Grade

Kirkus Best Middle Grade Books List, 2020

From Booklist: “In her first book since the Newbery Honor winning Echo (2015), Muñoz Ryan crafts a lyrical, fablelike tale of love, loss, community, and standing up for what is right. The novel is told with evocative and dreamlike writing and features authentic characters who tug at the heartstrings. As the impeccable pacing keeps readers guessing, the timely story line will resonate, especially bringing to mind the plight of young people who have to travel long distances in unfamiliar lands to find safety. This story, infused with magic, reminds children that humanity thrives when people embrace differences and construct bridges instead of borders. Another unforgettable work from a master storyteller.”

From Kirkus: “A boy journeys to self-discovery through the power of stories and traditions. . . . Kirkus Prize winner Ryan (Echo, 2015) beautifully layers thought-provoking topics onto her narrative while keeping readers immersed in the story’s world. Although set in the fictional country of Santa Maria, ‘somewhere in the Americas,’ the struggles of refugee immigrants and the compassion of those who protect the travelers feel very relevant. This tightly packed, powerful fantasy contains resonant truths.”

5. Connections

Learn more about refugees by doing some research together. You might look up statistics and stories from places like Amnesty International or UNHCR. You might consider ways you can volunteer to help refugees in your local community by browsing opportunities together on platforms like JustServe.org.

Create a display of children’s books highlighting refugees. This selection might include the following:

  • Maclear, Kyo. Story Boat. ISBN 9780735263598
  • Văn, Mượn Thị. Wishes. ISBN 9781338305890
  • Guidroz, Rukhsanna. Samira Surfs. ISBN 9781984816191
  • Umrigar, Thrity. Sugar in Milk. ISBN 9780762495191
  • Phi, Bao. A Different Pond. ISBN 9781479597468
  • Rodkey, Geoff. We’re Not from Here. ISBN 9781524773076
  • Buitrago, Jairo. Two White Rabbits. ISBN 9781554987412
  • Adewumi, Tanitoluwa. Tani’s New Home. ISBN 9781400218288
  • Jamieson, Victoria, and Omar Mohamed. When Stars Are Scattered. ISBN 9780593162576

*Note—This book review was created as an assignment for a course at Texas Woman’s University.

A Picture Book by Mem Fox

1. Bibliography

Fox, Mem, and Julie Vivas. 1983. Possum Magic. San Diego: Harcourt Brace & Company. ISBN 0-15-200572-2

2. Plot Summary

Hush and Grandma are two possums living in the Australian bush. To the amazement of all the other animals living there—kangaroos, kookaburras, and dingos included—Grandma Poss can do magic. She can even turn Hush invisible, keeping her safe from snakes and allowing her to have fun doing all sorts of silly shenanigans. Unfortunately, Grandma Poss forgets the magic to undo Hush’s spell. When she finally remembers it, Grandma Poss realizes that the two will have to take a culinary tour around Australia to make the poor little possum visible again. The back page of the book includes definitions of Australian (culinary) terms and a map of the Aussie cities that the possums visit on their journey.

3.  Critical Analysis

As someone who lived in Australia for two years, the “spell-breaking” foods introduced by Grandma Poss put a smile on my face. Many of them are Aussie classics—Anzac biscuits, Vegemite sandwiches, pavlova, lamingtons—and after I’d finished reading, I immediately felt the urge to bake my own lamingtons pronto. Mem Fox’s food tour has done what all good books do: it inspires action! I also appreciated the glossary of Australian terms found the in the back of the book, helping readers like me who aren’t quite sure what “mornay” is. According to the glossary, it’s “a supper dish of fish in white sauce, topped with bread crumbs and browned in the oven.” (Are you salivating yet?) In short, what a fun idea to write a book celebrating Australian animals, Australian cities, and Australian food all in one go!

I do wish that the illustrations put a little more emphasis on the fun foods the possums are eating. The pavlova is hardly recognizable sitting on an umbrella in the distance, similar to the only slightly visible packet of Anzac bickies in the cinema. But while the food illustrations feel a little underdone, I love that Julie Vivas’s illustrations highlight the unique Australian wildlife—possums, wombats, echidna, emu—you name it, she’s drawn it into the story, much to the delight of young readers.

I also wish the storyline were a little stronger. It seems almost as though Mem Fox threw together a jumble of three different storylines—one about Grandma Poss’s magic, one about Hush’s invisibility, and one about the Australian food tour—making the story less cohesive. Still, Mem Fox knows how to write a fun, if slightly forgettable, yarn, and Julie Vivas knows how to draw irresistible bush animals. All in all, Possum Magic is a book worth reading.

4. Rewards and Review Excerpts

International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) Honor List, 1986, Winner, Illustration

Kids Own Australian Literature Awards (KOALA), 1987, Winner, Primary

From Bookbird: “Another treat from Mem Fox that is sure to be treasured. The whimsical illustrations are a wonderful complement.”

From Children’s Literature: “The book provides a warm, wonderful first exploration of Australia!”

5. Connections

Ask children to brainstorm what Hush would eat if she came to your local city. Have the children present their answers to the group. Then have a food party complete with some of the Australian treats mentioned in Possum Magic and some of your own local food “magic.”

Create a display of Possum Magic and other children’s books set in Australia, such as the following selections:

  • Morrison, Yvonne. The Emu That Laid the Golden Egg. ISBN 9781921894008
  • Lai, Remy. Pie in the Sky. ISBN 9781250314093
  • Hameister, Jade. Polar Explorer. ISBN 9781250317681
  • Marshall, James Vance. Stories from the Billabong. ISBN 9781845077044
  • Coote, Maree. Robyn Boid: Architect. ISBN 9780992491741
  • Fox, Mem. I’m an Immigrant Too!. ISBN 9781534436022

Michael Printz YA Award Honor Book

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Stiefvater, Maggie. The Scorpio Races. New York: Scholastic Press, 2011. ISBN 9780545224901

PLOT SUMMARY

Every year, people come flocking to the little island of Thisby to watch men and their horses compete in the Scorpio Races. But these horses aren’t like other race horses. Scorpio horses are a bloodthirsty, wild species called capall uisce, predators that migrate once a year from their underwater homes onto Thisby’s shores. The man who wins the Scorpio Races takes home a hefty sum, but many of his competitors will die before they reach the finish line, prey to the dangerous animals. So when Kate Connelly, better known as Puck, decides to enter the race as the first female competitor and the first competitor to ride a farm pony rather than a capall uisce, she creates quite a stir on the island. Despite attempts to dissuade the fiery teen, Puck enters the races, hoping to save both her home and her wayward older brother. Sean Kendrick, another competitor, is a four-time Scorpio Races champion. Yet, Sean—a loner and an orphan—still doesn’t have the one prize he desires most of all: Corr, the capall uisce that he rides every year, owned by the richest man on the island. Striking a bargain, Sean agrees that if he wins this year, Corr will be his, but if he doesn’t, the offer is off . . . forever. Both teens have everything to lose in the Scorpio Races, but when the two form an unlikely alliance, they realize an uncomfortable truth: only one of them can win.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

The strength of The Scorpio Races lies in its characters. Puck is fiery and independent, unwaveringly loyal to her family and unafraid to speak her mind. Sean is quiet but passionate, wholly committed to Corr and perceptive to the horses under his charge. While both characters had every reason to be bitter—both have lost parents to the cappall and live unglamorous lives—both characters rise to meet their challenges and find beauty in unlikely places, in the island and in the cappall. Readers will cheer Puck on as she battles blatant sexism and continues training for the races, despite a few near-death encounters. Readers will cheer Sean on as he confronts those who have used his talents for their own gain. Although Puck and Sean don’t always make the right decisions, their decisions never seem childish or frivolous. Puck and Sean are written well, and readers will wait in breathless anticipation for the Scorpio Races to finally begin and for the destinies of the heroic pair to be revealed.

The Scorpio Races also sets itself apart with its highly detailed descriptions of the island of Thisby. The book begins, “Even under the brightest sun, the frigid autumn sea is all the colors of the night: dark blue and black and brown.” Readers will feel the chilly November air and hear the haunting call of the cappall uisce. The dark, gritty setting invites readers to immerse themselves in the island’s danger, mystery, and intrigue. Readers will understand Gabe’s insistent desire to leave the island and never return and Puck’s insistent desire to stay on the island forever. The setting also helps to convey an important theme: Puck loves the island wholeheartedly, even though loving the island can be dangerous and includes the possibility of pain. Love can be painful, but only by loving and hurting can Puck experience joy.

But if readers pick up this book hoping to read an action-packed racing story, they’re sure to be disappointed. While the plot is certainly creative, it trots along slowly and steadily, only galloping during the last fifty pages. Instead of high-speed chases and gory passages, the book is full of introspection, unhurried relationships, and a series of quiet events that gradually build into a heart-stopping finale. This story is focused on creating developed characters, not on creating a brisk plot. Still, the right readers will be thoroughly captivated by this novel and its perfectly bittersweet ending. The Scorpio Races is highly recommended to teens who enjoy character-driven stories, descriptive settings, and a dash of fantasy.

AWARDS AND REVIEW EXCERPTS

Michael L. Printz Award Honor Book, 2012

Odyssey Award Honor Book, 2012

Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children’s Literature Finalist, 2012

From Kirkus: “Masterful. Like nothing else out there now.”

From Booklist: “A book appealing to lovers of fantasy, horse stories, romance, and action-adventure alike, this seems to have a shot at being a YA blockbuster.”

CONNECTIONS

  • After reading The Scorpio Races, invite teens to draw their own depictions of the cappall uisce, the island of Thisby, the characters, or any other subject inspired by the book. Put up a gallery of the finished artwork.
  • Ask teens to decide whether they would choose to leave Thisby like Gabe or stay on the island like Puck. Team Gabe should discuss reasons why Gabe is right to go and Team Puck should discuss reasons why Puck is right to stay. Then hold a friendly debate.
  • Set out a teen book display featuring other books written by Maggie Stiefvater, such as the following:
    • Stiefvater, Maggie. Call Down the Hawk. ISBN 9781338188325
    • Stiefvater, Maggie. The Raven Boys. ISBN 9780545424929
    • Stiefvater, Maggie, Brenna Yovanoff, and Tessa Gratton. The Curiosities: A Collection of Stories. ISBN 9780761375272
  • Put out a display of all the 2012 Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children’s Literature finalists including Scorpio Races. Then allow middle-graders and teens to vote on their favorite title and hold an awards ceremony for the favorite pick.
    • Sherman, Delia. The Freedom Maze. ISBN 9781931520300
    • Mantchev, Lisa. Eyes Like Stars. ISBN 9780312380960
    • Pierce, Tamora. Terrier. ISBN 9780375814686
    • Valente, Catherynne M. The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making. ISBN 9780312649616

*Note—This book review was created as an assignment for a course at Texas Woman’s University.