Angie's
Peeks & Picks
#AngiesPeeks
Did you know that every month I partner with my friends at Joyride Books to help you figure out what middle-grade books to read? They are a wonderful women-owned independent children's bookstore in San Diego whose mission is to provide books for all children everywhere. Below are some of my past reviews. Follow along at #AngiesPeeks and #READ!
The Latest Peek!
This month’s #AngiesPeeks, Genesis Begins Again by Alicia D. Williams, is a multi-award middle-grade novel that is character-forward and positively stunning, in my opinion. The story centers around thirteen-year-old Genesis Anderson, who keeps a running list of why she hates herself. Genesis’ family family has been evicted several times from their home due to her father's drinking and gambling addictions. As a result, Genesis struggles to overcome internalized racism and her unstable home life as she starts at yet another new school. As a character, Genesis is endearing, compelling, and hopeful. The book reminds me of literary greats such as The Color Purple by Alice Walker or The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison but for younger readers. It’s an incredibly powerful read for young people, and I cannot recommend it highly enough. Recommended for ages 10-14.
Do you have a book you think I should #READ?
Past Peeks!
The Everybody Experiment by Lisa Moore Ramée
This month’s #AngiesPeeks, The Everybody Experiment is Lisa Moore Ramée’s newest middle-grade novel. It is a great read for young readers who wrestle with their emotions. The story chronicles young Kylie Stanton’s struggle to manage her feelings as she finishes elementary school and prepares to transition into seventh grade. Kylie feels she is not grown up like her friends, mostly because she cries so easily. In a quest to prove her maturity to herself and her friends, she uses her scientific savvy and conducts “The Everybody Experiment.” The novel captures so many of the worries of young readers this age with candor and humor. The story is heartwarming and Kylie’s gradual maturation is realistically developed. Recommended for ages 8-12.
This month’s #AngiesPeeks, Something Like Home by Andrea Beatriz Arango, is a powerful and moving novel in verse about 11-year-old Laura Rodríguez Colón as she copes with being ripped from her home after calling 9-1-1 to save her parents from a possible overdose. Young Laura finds herself living with her Aunt Titi, who is practically a stranger, and navigating a lot of complicated feelings. When she finds an abandoned puppy whom she names Sparrow, the two embark on a beautiful and healing journey together. The story doesn’t shy away from confronting complex and contradictory emotions. It is compellingly honest in its narration and characters while conveying true moments of joy and remaining hopeful. This book obviously would be an excellent read for any middle-schooler who finds themselves being forced to leave home. But it's also an invaluable way to teach youngsters about friendship and empathy. It is just a lovely, lovely book. Recommended for ages 10-14.
Olivetti by Allie Millington
This last month, there has been much focus on Alli Millington’s debut middle-grade novel, Olivetti. It is a unique tale told simultaneously from the perspectives of a typewriter and the shy, dictionary-toting 12-year-old Ernest. The typewriter is a keeper of memories who is longing to be used again. But when the owner, Beatrice, suddenly sells Olivetti to a pawn shop and disappears, the family’s world is sent into upheaval. Ernest takes center stage here as he, his three siblings, and his father frantically try to find his mother and explain why she has disappeared. The reader learns that the family has suffered a traumatic event referred to as “Everything that Happened.” What unfolds is a heartfelt journey full of emotion and a quest to understand, with an underlying theme of the importance of communication and familial love. The story is a complex and rich journey of healing. I am happy to celebrate Millington’s wonderful debut novel as this month’s #AngiesPeeks. Recommended for ages 10-14.
Keeping Pace by Laurie Morrison
For this #AngiesPeeks, I wanted to highlight Laurie Morrison's terrific upper middle-grade book Keeping Pace. The novel tackles the transition between middle and high school, evolving friendships, and peer competition. It’s a fantastically layered story about friends turned rivals, Grace and Jonah. As they train for a half-marathon and navigate familial challenges and evolving feelings for one another, Grace and Jonah mature in their understanding of success, failure, and friendship. It is a story, brilliantly set in the summertime, that beautifully captures all of those “in-between” feelings. Morrison's insight as an educator is evident as she skillfully tackles the insecurities, stressors, and motivators accompanying academic and athletic competition through engaging and relatable characters. Keeping Pace would be a wonderful read for middle-graders to pick up this summer. Recommended for ages 10-14.
Isabel in Bloom by Mae Respicio
For this #AngiesPeeks, I wanted to highlight a beautiful novel in verse, Isabel in Bloom by Mae Respicio. Set in 1999, the story is about twelve-year-old Isabel, who immigrates to the United States from the Philippines. Isabel is finally going to join her mother, who moved there five years ago, to provide a better life for Isabel and her grandparents. In the Philippines, Isabel and her Lola and Lolo had a beautiful garden. When she moves to the US, Isabel misses her garden, feels like she doesn’t really know her mother anymore, and struggles as a newcomer in school and everywhere she goes. But when she finds a garden that needs to be saved and joins the Cooking Club at school, Isabel begins to find her way. This is a delightful middle-grade read that warms the heart through and through. The verse is beautiful and captivating, and the emotions tangible and relatable. Respicio even includes backmatter about the different kinds of poetry she used. This is a wonderful addition to any middle-grade library. Recommended for ages 8-12.
As always, this book is available through my friends at Joyride Bookshop.
The First State of Being by Erin Entrada Kelly
This month’s #AngiesPeeks, Erin Entrada Kelly’s The First State of Being, is a delight from start to finish. The book is a stand-out amongst middle-grade reads for its many layers as it takes a nostalgic look at the past and an inquisitive look at the future. Set in 1999 and the impending presumed Y2K disaster, when a strange teenager from the future suddenly appears in 12-year-old Michael‘s life on his birthday, he is challenged to view his life through a different lens. The story is full of heart-warming and rich characters whose adventures and interactions explore themes of family, self-confidence, and philosophically how we approach living our lives every day. The book turns the concept of time travel on end as it cleverly, with humor and warmth, asks the reader to consider how the past and present shape our collective futures. Truly brilliant and a joy to read! Recommended for ages 8-12.
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
This month’s #AngiesPeeks isn’t new (it was released in 2014), Jacqueline Woodson’s Brown Girl Dreaming, but one I like to remind people is out there. The book is a deceivingly simple autobiographical tale of the author’s life written in verse. The brilliance of it lies in this deception, as the reader floats through the author’s memories as if it were a dream. But it is a dream that is rich in experience, confusion, love, and those treasured glimpses into childhood that help mold us into the people we become. I cannot say enough how I am in awe of the author’s craft in this book. For young readers, the story is completely accessible and relatable as Woodson paints a picture of her life while inspiring them to hold up a mirror to theirs. Recommended for ages 8 and up.
*National Book Award for Young People’s Literature 2014, Coretta Scott King Award 2015, NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work in Young Adult Fiction 2015, Newbery Honor Book 2015
Merci Suárez Changes Gears by Meg Medina
This month’s #AngiesPeeks is a book that I’ve been wanting to dive into for a while: Meg Medina’s Merci Suárez Changes Gears. The book is a beautiful exploration of the intergenerational home and family dynamics through the lens of eleven-year-old Merci Suárez as she navigates the shifting social dynamics of middle school, her family’s financial challenges, and balancing her personal wants with familial responsibilities. Medina is a master of the middle school voice, and the book balances humor and emotion with an authentic touch. Young readers will relate easily to Merci’s wants, frustrations, and triumphs. Merci Suárez Changes Gears is a delightful and moving story from start to finish. Recommended for ages 9 and up.
*John Newberry Medal Winner 2019, Charlotte Huck Award 2019, Kirkus Prize for Literature for Young People Finalist 2018
Mascot by Charles Waters and Traci Sorell
After a short hiatus from reviewing, I had the pleasure to pick up Mascot by Charles Waters and Traci Sorell. It’s a novel in verse set in a contemporary middle school wherein six students grapple with whether or not the school’s mascot is racist. It’s an interesting and captivating look at a very important and topical issue from different perspectives. As Kirkus Reviews says, Mascot is “A brilliant story not to be missed; deeply engaging from the first page.” The beauty lies in that this book invites the reader to take a look at a hot-button issue from multiple perspectives and witness how those perspectives evolve. Recommended for readers ages 10 - 14.
Before the Ever After by Jacqueline Woodson
In honor of Banned Books Week 2023, I decided to do a deep dive into middle-grade books that have been banned, removed, or challenged in the last five years. Acclaimed award-winning author Jacqueline Woodson is sadly no stranger to being the target of book bans. This month’s #AngiesPeeks celebrates her novel in verse Before the Ever After (banned in 2020). The book is a deeply moving and personal account of 12-year-old ZJ’s struggle to understand the recent changes in his father’s behavior. ZJ’s “Daddy” has been long celebrated in his community as a football star and hero. But after too many concussions, his father struggles with intense headaches, pain, memory loss, and anger. Woodson’s novel brilliantly and empathetically takes young readers on a journey with ZJ to try to understand and help, as he wishes everything would just go back to the way it was before. It is such an important story illuminating how all kids face adult behaviors they don’t understand, and all families encounter challenges that impel its members to adapt. Beautifully written, this short book is sure to pack a powerful punch and bring young readers all the feels. Recommended for ages 10 and up.
*Coretta Scott King Award 2021, ALSC’s Notable Children’s Selection 2021, ALA’s Best Fiction for Young Adults Selection 2021, NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work - Youth/Teens 2021, Goodreads Choice Award for Middle Grade & Children’s 2020, Book Editors’ Choice: Youth Audio Selection 2020
Those Kids from Fawn Creek by Erin Entrada Kelly
In honor of new beginnings, I wanted to feature a book I read earlier this year and absolutely loved, Those Kids from Fawn Creek by Erin Entrada Kelly. The story centers around the arrival of a new student, Orchid Mason, in a town and community that rarely sees change. The reader is taken on a beautiful journey of how new perspectives and new people can inspire us to view ourselves and those around us in new ways. When Orchid arrives, the twelve seventh graders who have been together their entire lives are challenged to imagine and do things differently. Entrada Kelly cleverly explores the all too real social dynamics of middle school, how hard it can be to step out of your comfort zone and embrace your true self, and all the challenges of being “new” to any group. The story is an honest, heartfelt, and captivating read for any young person facing something new or struggling with the old. Recommended for readers ages 8 and up.
