Review of Just a Girl, by Lia Levi

Award Winners, Beginning Chapter Books, Children's Fiction Review, Historical, Starred Review 0

Just a Girl

A True Story of World War II

by Lia Levi
with pictures by Jess Mason
translated from Italian by Sylvia Notini

Harper, 2022. Originally published in Italy in 2020.
Review written February 24, 2023, from a library book.
Starred Review
2023 Mildred Batchelder Award Winner

The Mildred Batchelder Award is given every year to a children’s book originally published in a language other than English in a country other than the United States. It’s given to the publisher, to encourage them to find and translate such books.

Just a Girl is a gently told early chapter book about a terrible time. The author Lia Levi was a girl living in Italy in 1938, having just finished first grade. The book begins as she’s told she won’t be able to go back to school this year, but will have to go to a Jewish school.

As the war progresses in Italy, her father loses his job. They think things will get better after Mussolini is put out of power, but then the Germans come and things get worse. Lia and her sisters have to hide in a convent boarding school and use fake last names.

The author does a good job of telling about bad things, but also reassuring the reader with insertions as her older self. She does acknowledge that she was luckier than many others and does highlight the unfairness of her family being targeted for who they were. And through all of the story, the worries and troubles are punctuated with stories of kids finding ways to have a good time.

And in the last chapter (I don’t think this is a spoiler.), she wrote a letter to a radio station and began with, “I am a Jewish girl.” She was surprised when her mother tore it up.

What terrible mistake could I have made? And even if I had made a mistake, couldn’t we have fixed it?

Mama’s face isn’t serious, though.

Now she’s happily tossing all those bits and ripped-up pieces of paper everywhere as though they were confetti at Mardi Gras.

“You’re not a Jewish girl,” she says, smiling. “You’re a girl. Just a girl.”

What’s this all about? For years now, they’ve been shouting and writing female student of Jewish race next to my name everywhere.

I know perfectly well that the laws against the Jews have been repealed. But what is this about not being a Jewish girl?

Mama laughs.

“You’re mixing things up. Of course you’re still Jewish,” she says. Then her face gets very serious and she tries to explain. “You’re Jewish, but that’s something personal. It doesn’t need to be a label you wear on your forehead. You’re Jewish, you have two sisters, you go to school, you like going to the movies. . . . These are all facts about you. If you want to, you can tell others, but only if you choose to. These facts are no longer of any importance to the State, to the authorities. They have to let you go to school, to the gym, to the library, to your tennis or dance lesson, without saying: she can, but she can’t; he can, but he can’t.”

A lovely story that gives a gentle way for young children to learn about discrimination.

harpercollinschildrens.com

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Review of A Sliver of Moon and a Shard of Truth, by Chitra Soundar

Beginning Chapter Books, Children's Fiction Review 0

A Sliver of Moon and a Shard of Truth

by Chitra Soundar
illustrations by Uma Krishnaswamy

Candlewick Press, 2022. First published in the United Kingdom in 2021. 101 pages.
Review written April 3, 2023, from a library book.

A Sliver of Moon and a Shard of Truth is a sweet beginning chapter book with stories of two clever boys solving problems in surprising ways.

The author explains at the back that when she grew up as a child in India, her favorite stories were trickster tales. She has reimagined those stories as adventures of Prince Veera and his friend Suku, a farmer’s son. She’s done a wonderful job keeping the spirit of the folktales, with the added bonus of clever children outsmarting adults.

There’s an earlier book about Veera and Suku, Mangoes, Mischief, and Tales of Friendship, but I understood this one fine without having read the first.

At the start of this book, Veera and Suku are well-known for their prowess in solving problems, and Veera’s uncle, Raja Apoorva, has invited them to his kingdom of Peetalpur. This book covers four stories of their time there, with problems such as tricking a peahen into singing, winning against a powerful wrestler, unmasking a burglar, and arbitrating a dispute over a fig tree.

Chapter books for beginning readers are always fun when they have a reward of a clever twist in each story, and these fit that description nicely. Give this to kids ready for chapter books or use as a read aloud for everyone’s entertainment.

chitrasoundar.com
candlewick.com

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Review of Leeva at Last, by Sara Pennypacker, read by Stephanie Willing

Audiobooks, Children's Fiction Review, Contemporary, Starred Review 0

Leeva at Last

by Sara Pennypacker
read by Stephanie Willing

Balzer + Bray, 2023. 5 hours, 36 minutes.
Review written September 11, 2023, from a library eaudiobook.
Starred Review

Leeva at Last is, essentially, a modern-day version of Roald Dahl’s Matilda without the telekinesis.

In both books, we’ve got over-the-top evil and neglectful parents with a sweet and brilliant daughter who has taught herself by reading and who is completely unappreciated.

Leeva has always followed her parents’ orders, as outlined in her Employee Manual, but one day she ventures beyond the hedge to the town library and a new world opens up to her. She meets Harry, who is running the library for his aunt, a librarian who has a life goal of making every kind of cookie in the world, but who can’t navigate the broken stairs of the library.

Leeva’s parents are the mayor and the treasurer of the town, and they rule it with an iron fist. And charge extra taxes to anyone who questions them.

There are more quirky characters, especially a boy who lives his life in Hazmat suits because his parents are insurance salespeople and have taught him all about risk. He convinces Leeva to take on the care of a badger who was orphaned when excavation was done for the mayor’s giant statue. Another friend Leeva finds is Fern, who must care for her many siblings and her great-grandparents — until Leeva gets them hooked on an exercise show.

All these characters combine together in brilliant and quirky ways to teach Leeva about community and to work things out so that people get what they deserve and everyone is happy.

None of this is meant to be realistic. However, it is fun, and it will warm your heart. In all her adventures, Leeva learns that everything is better when shared with other people.

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Review of Too Small Tola Gets Tough, by Atinuke, illustrated by Onyinye Iwu

Beginning Chapter Books, Children's Fiction Review, Starred Review 0

Too Small Tola Gets Tough

by Atinuke
illustrated by Onyinye Iwu

Candlewick Press, 2023. Originally published in the United Kingdom in 2022. 89 pages.
Review written May 3, 2023, from a library book.
Starred Review

When I reviewed the second book about Too Small Tola, a small girl who lives in Lagos, Nigeria, I was a little critical that it made me sad that Tola’s fifteen-year-old brother had to work to keep the family from starving. But the author does make it clear that this brother hated going to school and loves being a mechanic.

This book, too, is sad. But I’ve decided that it’s a gentle way to help kids understand poverty and have compassion for people in tough situations.

In this book, the coronavirus hits. When a lockdown threatens, brother Dapo goes to stay and sleep at the garage, and sister Moji goes to stay and sleep at her principal’s home so she can continue her studies. So Tola and Grandmommy are the only ones home. Dapo plans to continue to send them money — only work at the garage slows down during the pandemic. Tola gets hungry.

A neighbor finds Tola a place where she can work as a house girl. So she can eat. (This is the sad part, to me.) Though there’s a happy ending — Tola uses math to help the wealthy owner discover he’s being cheated — and she gets to go home back to Grandmommy, with reward money.

Yes, it’s a very tough situation. But yes, Tola gets tough.

It’s all in a beginning chapter book package with three chapters and plenty of pictures. And American beginning chapter book readers can learn about an ordinary but clever girl living on the other side of the world with people who love her.

atinuke.co.uk
onyinyeiwu.com
candlewick.com

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Review of Simon Sort of Says, by Erin Bow

Audiobooks, Children's Fiction Review, Contemporary, Starred Review 0

Simon Sort of Says

by Erin Bow
read by Will Collyer

Disney Hyperion, 2023. 7 hours, 40 minutes.
Review written August 21, 2023, from a library eaudiobook.
Starred Review

Ever since I was on the 2019 Newbery committee, I’m convinced that I’m not any good at figuring out which book will win the Newbery Medal on any given year — but I believe I am very good at identifying books that will be considered by the committee. Simon Sort of Says is one such book. I have no idea if it will win or get honor, but this is a book the Newbery committee will surely discuss. And a book those who love children’s books will love to read.

It’s got so many wonderful ingredients: Quirky characters who seem more realistic because of those quirks, a new kid in school at a very distinctive place, loving parents but kid-centric adventures, a main character who’s exceedingly likable, plenty of humor, and a serious theme dealt with realistically and sensitively. Hmmm. Listing the ingredients doesn’t convey how wonderful this book is.

Simon Sort of Says is about 12-year-old Simon O’Keeffe, who’s moving with his family to Grin and Bear It, Nebraska, part of the National Quiet Zone. [Note: The real National Radio Quiet Zone is in West Virginia. So this is a fictional town.] It’s a center for radio telescopes, astronomers, and back-to-nature types. But what Simon loves about it is that nobody has internet access. Okay, he’d like internet access himself, but if none of his classmates have it, no one will have found him on the internet, for that thing that happened two years ago and left him traumatized. Instead, he tells his new class that his family moved there because of the Alpaca Disaster when his father, a lay official with the Catholic church, was overseeing the Blessing of the Pets. Now his father works at the Catholic church in Grin and Bear It, and his mother is the new funeral director, with the family living over the funeral home.

The book begins with new-school stuff and making new friends. Especially notable is Agate, who comes from a very large family who lives on a farm. She’s brilliant, and immediately enlists Simon into a scheme to fake a message from aliens – believing that will encourage the radio astronomers. She also gives Simon a puppy to train to be a therapy dog. And it turns out the puppy is very helpful for Simon.

Okay, that description doesn’t convey the charm of this book either. I can talk about some of the quirky incidents: A peacock named Pretty Stabby. A dog named Todd who opens the refrigerator and gets himself a beer. Emus on the loose that have to be “attracted” rather than forcibly herded. A squirrel that ate the consecrated host — which Simon’s father didn’t find out about until he was leading Communion.

Now, let me also say that I hate that a book about a traumatized kid is completely realistic in this day and age. But I love that this book shows the traumatized kid finding friends, healing, and joy. And a puppy!

This is a truly wonderful book that I already want to read over again.

erinbow.com

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Review of Squished, by Megan Wagner Lloyd and Michelle Mee Nutter

Children's Fiction Review, Contemporary, Graphic Novel 0

Squished

by Megan Wagner Lloyd and Michelle Mee Nutter

Scholastic Graphix, 2023. 250 pages.
Review written July 12, 2023, from a library book.

Hooray! Big family representation in a graphic novel!

I’m third from a family of thirteen children, and I’ve noticed that there’s not a whole lot of big family representation in children’s books, so I was delighted to learn that the creators of the charming graphic novel Allergic have taken this on.

Avery’s the second in a family of seven kids. (So that’s just over half as big as my family — but let’s not get crazy. It’s a big family.) She’s 11 years old, and all her younger siblings look to her. And she’s desperate for her own room and a place to paint — and sleep — without being disturbed by little kids.

So when her older brother gets his own room, and the toddler comes into the room she already shared with a sister — well, it’s simply not fair.

This book mostly shows the light side of big families. But it does show how an older sister ends up doing lots of caretaking, like it or not. And the embarrassment of a huge family showing up to “support” her at school events. I enjoyed the way all the kids were invested in getting the baby to crawl. All of that is for sure realistic, and fun to see in this book.

And yes, older siblings really do need their own room!

meganwagnerlloyd.com
michellemee.com
scholastic.com

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Review of Mirror to Mirror, by Rajani LaRocca

Audiobooks, Children's Fiction Review, Contemporary 0

Mirror to Mirror

by Rajani LaRocca
read by Rasha Zamamiri and Reena Dutt

Quill Tree Books, 2023. 4 hours, 1 minute.
Review written July 9, 2023, from a library eaudiobook.

Mirror to Mirror is a novel in verse about twins Maya and Chaya, during a year when they grow apart.

Maya and Chaya do everything together. They are there for each other all the time. But Maya is hiding a secret that almost seven years ago, she broke a mirror, and she believes that all the bad luck that has hit their family since then is all her fault. Her solution is that she needs to be perfect. She needs to do everything right, and maybe that way she can protect her family.

Chaya notices that Maya’s anxiety is getting out of control. She wants to tell their parents — but their parents are having trouble with each other, and Maya’s convinced she can handle it. Chaya decides that Maya needs space, that competing with her is what’s causing the trouble. So she changes her class schedule to sign up for completely different kinds of music, including the musical theater production. But this ends up breaking the twins apart even more.

It all comes to a head when the twins switch places at music camp, making a bet to see who can fool their friends the longest. But that means they have to step into each other’s shoes.

I do still feel like I miss something when I listen to a novel in verse rather than reading it and seeing what the author does with layout and formatting. I also have a better visual memory than an auditory memory, and I really had trouble for a while knowing the differences between Chaya and Maya. I think reading the book would have helped with that. There were two narrators, but their voices were very similar. But as the story picked up with the conflict between the two, it became easier to follow.

The author dedicates the book to her twin, so I’m thinking she presented an authentic picture of finding your own voice, your own music when you’ve got an identical twin.

rajanilarocca.com

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Review of The Lost Year, by Katherine Marsh

Audiobooks, Children's Fiction Review, Historical, Starred Review 2

The Lost Year

by Katherine Marsh
read by Anna Fikhman, Christopher Gebauer, and Jesse Vilinsky

Macmillan Young Listeners, 2023. 9 hours, 5 minutes.
Review written July 9, 2023, from a library eaudiobook.
Starred Review

This book begins with Matthew, a boy bored at home during the start of the Covid pandemic. His 100-year-old great-grandmother, Gee-Gee, has come to stay with him and his mother, so they are being extra careful to keep the virus away.

Yes, that’s a slow start. But when Matthew’s mother takes away his video games and assigns him to help Gee-Gee go through boxes, he uncovers the stories of two other girls from 1933. And an old picture of two little girls makes Gee-Gee start crying — because she says there should have been three girls.

And what unfolds is a story of Ukraine during the Holodomor — a famine during which millions of Ukrainians died. We get this story from the perspective of Mila, whose father is a high-ranking Communist party member, and from Helen — a Ukrainian girl living in America.

Mila lives a life of privilege, believing that Papa Stalin and her own Papa will take care of her. And believes the stories her father tells her that any problems are caused by the dirty peasants in the countryside who refuse to collectivize their farms. So when a malnourished girl shows up at their doorstep claiming to be her cousin who says her whole family starved to death, Mila doesn’t want to believe her.

Meanwhile, in class in America, Helen’s teacher reads an article from the New York Times from a correspondent in Moscow saying that no one is starving in Ukraine. But Helen’s family has gotten a letter from their Ukrainian cousin begging for help, and she knows other Ukrainian American families who have received similar letters. So she collects stories and writes to the Times, but they tell her she needs first-hand accounts. That her reporting isn’t good enough.

Of course, one of these three girls is Gee-Gee, and we also know that one of the three is not going to make it to America. The book snowballs in tension as it progresses, telling the gripping story of a tragedy the Soviet Union covered up for decades, one that readers won’t know much about. (I certainly didn’t.) It’s unfortunate how timely it is, as the author had this book written before the attack on Ukraine brought the country back into the headlines. I hope that will lead more kids to pick up this book.

katherinemarsh.com

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Review of The One and Only Ruby, by Katherine Applegate

Animal Characters, Children's Fiction Review, Contemporary, Starred Review 0

The One and Only Ruby

by Katherine Applegate
illustrated by Patricia Castelao

Harper, 2023. 217 pages.
Starred Review

Katherine Applegate has done it again! She’s written a third book about The One and Only Ivan and his friends. This one features Ruby, the little elephant whom Ivan resolved to protect, and the reason everything changed for them.

In this book, Ruby’s tusks are growing out, and the other elephants in her herd at the Park are teasing her and getting her ready to celebrate her Tuskday.

But Ruby has complicated emotions about growing tusks. In this book, we get her story, back in Africa, of when her mother was killed for her tusks, and what happened to Ruby afterward.

I wasn’t as enchanted by the voice of this book as I was with Ivan’s story, which I could easily believe was a gorilla talking, and a gorilla who’d heard lots of television. I’m not quite sure how Ruby’s vocabulary got so big, but her story was moving. And we did come to understand how mixed her emotions would be about growing up.

Once again, this will motivate young animal lovers to want to help, while entertaining them in the company of long-time friends.

katherineapplegate.com

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Review of Ride On, by Faith Erin Hicks

Children's Fiction Review, Contemporary, Graphic Novel 0

Ride On

by Faith Erin Hicks
colors by Kelly Fitzpatrick

First Second, 2022. 220 pages.
Review written May 9, 2023, from a library book.

Ride On is a sweet graphic novel about making friends – and riding horses.

The book starts with a new girl at the riding stable, named Victoria. At first, she rebuffs the overtures of one of the regulars. We learn that she had a falling-out with her best friend at the other stable because Victoria decided to have a gentler summer and not focus on competing in shows. So now, she hopes to just focus on horses and not mess with human friends.

But humans have a way of getting into your heart. The book has lots of interactions with people and with horses. My heart was warmed by an adventure at the end with Victoria and her new friends.

Graphic novels are always popular with their accessible story-telling, and this one will especially appeal to horse lovers.

faitherinhicks.com
firstsecondbooks.com

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