Teen Top Ten List

The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) has released their Teen Top Ten list of 2022. This is a fascinating list of literature that was nominated by teens and voted on by teens.  They picked their top choices of this year. I have only read one of these books. I am looking forward to reading all of them over the next few months!

You can read more about the Teens Top Ten List for 2022, Download this list with annotations, and find the nomination form for 2023 here: https://www.ala.org/yalsa/teenstopten

1) Ten Truths and a Dare by Ashley Elston.

2) Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé.

3) All of Us Villains by Amanda Foody and Christine Herman.

4) All These Bodies by Kendare Blake.

5) Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas.

6) The Hawthorne Legacy by Jennifer Lynn Barnes.

7) Here's to Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera. 

8) The Ivies by Alexa Donne.

9) Rule of Wolves by Leigh Bardugo.

10) We Can't Keep Running Like This by Rachel Lynn Solomon.

Swim Team

 Christmas, Johnnie. Swim Team. Harper Alley Publishers. 2022.

Book Talk:

In this marvelous graphic novel, Bree and her father have moved to a new town.  She is looking forward to starting school at her new middle school, Enith Brigitha, home of the Mighty Manatees.  

Until - that fateful first day of school when Bree discovers that the only elective open to her is Swim 101. Bree is terrified of swimming and does not want her classmates to know that she doesn't know how to swim. But the day that Bree falls into the pool in her apartment complex and almost drowns... and is rescued by an elderly resident of the community named Etta becomes a turning point in Bree's life.

Etta was a swim team captain when she attended Enith Brigitha and she is determined to help Bree get over her fear of the water, learn how to swim, and participate in swim meets with the swim team. A rigorous training session helps Bree and Etta turn the team around.

As the Mighty Manatees become a swimming powerhouse, the question in everyone's mind is - will they be able to make it to States? And win?

My thoughts:

I think what struck me the most about this book was the history behind black children and swimming pools. Many black children find themselves denied access to swimming pools. In the past, it was segregation that kept the children out and now, it is economic segregation in that the pools are either priced too high or not located in neighborhoods where poor children can not access the pools and never learn how to swim or get over the fear of the water. Swim Team does a great job of exploring our history.

The plot of this story is so strong. I was rooting for Bree and the Manatees up until the very last page. I'm also a swimmer, and the author does an excellent job of capturing the work that goes into swimming, being part of a team, and participating in swim meets.  

*Keep an eye on this title. I think we're going to see it appear again on some award lists this winter.*

Five stars from me!

Author's Web Site: https://johnniechristmas.com/

Piecing Me Together

Watson, Renee.  Piecing Me Together. 2017. Bloomsbury Press. New York, NY.

Jade lives with her mother and uncle in the projects in Portland. She attends a prestigious private school on a scholarship.  She is also one of the few black students in the program. She is an artist who loves to collage. 

While Jade enjoys the opportunities she is being given, she resents feeling that she has become a project of the school.  Given opportunities to help her improve herself.  But when she is given a referral to a Mentorship program things begin to change. She finds her voice. She discovers that she can make a difference in her world. 

What I like about this book:

I love how this book takes a look at the micro aggressions that Jade faces in her everyday life, at school, at the mall, and out in the community. The author does a wonderful job of not only pointing out the micro aggressions but also making the reader aware of just how egregious they are through the powerful voice of Jade.

Most of all, I love how Jade harnesses her energy as an artist and the voice she has found with the aid of the mentorship program to hold a huge event with the aid of the mentors to hold a community event to benefit a young black girl who was beaten by police.

I'd like to note that I had a very difficult time writing this book up.

There is so much going on in the plot of this book, that I felt I couldn't write up a good book talk without basically giving away the entire novel.  There is so much more to this mentorship program, and the growth that Jade shows, and how her relationships with her friends and family changes as she grows is one of the things I enjoyed most. 

Seriously, you need to read this book.

Author’s Website: https://www.reneewatson.net/

Book Awards:

Coretta Scott King Award, Newberry Honor Book

Isla to Island

image: world cat

 Isla to Island by Alexis Castellanos

Publication Date: March 15, 2020

Publisher: Athenum Books for Young Readers

ISBN: 978-1534469242

This wordless picture graphic novel details Marisol's arrival in the United States from Cuba.  Images show the challenges Marisol faces as she struggles to learn a new language and a new culture. The depiction of Marisol's life in this new world is depicted in high quality illustrations that do a fantastic job of depicting Marisol's new life in New York City.

I particularly love that the wordless nature of this book does such a phenomenal job of shadowing the struggles of attempting to live in a country where you do not speak the language.  Without command of the language of the world she now lives in, Marisol's world is in many ways a wordless one.

I give this book 4 stars!