SATURDAY MORNINGS FOR KIDS 8/8/2020 THROWBACK EDITION
This was one of my favorite Cybils contenders in 2019 when I acted as a first round reader for the award. Wendy S. Swore has written a sensitive, special book about Sophie, who has a port wine birthmark that she considers “hideous,” and convinces this fairy-tale fan that she is some kind of a marked monster, that some evil fairy or evil stepmother has cast a curse on her and all those she cares for. This obsession becomes a psychological problem that dictates Sophie’s every thought and move. It is a moving, unforgettable book.
Emma Otheguy brings another 2019 publication, Silver Meadows Summer to tweens, especially artistically “gifted” young girls. Gabriella wants to be like her girlfriends, but her cousin, Carolina, who is a “country bumpkin” is staying the summer. Loyalties to friends and family are at stake.
Carolyn Macklin has written about a problem many tweens face in Not if I Can Help It, remarriage. However, there is a twist–Willa’s father wants to marry Ruby’s (Willa’s best friend’s) mother. Both girls are heading to middle school as sixth graders, and all their friends, teachers, and even the principal think the situation is “cool.” Willa does not agree. How to handle the girls’ mutual friends and Ruby’s excited anticipation of becoming “sisters” is a bitter pill to swallow!
Maggie “saves” little things, anchors to keep her Altzheimer’s-afflicted grandmother grounded. She refuses to let her mom or anyone throw her “treasures” away. This is a story of “loss” and “leavings”; it is a story of anxiety and hoarding in children, a real and challenging problem.
Gail Villanueva’s My Fate According to the Butterfly introduces the reader to Sab who sees a black butterfly and is convinced it is the harbinger of her imminent death. She awaits only her birthday to meet her fate. Set in the Philippines, this story is beautifully, hauntingly written.
An unusual book with a tough but important topic is Lisa Bunker’s Zenobia July. It deals with a transgender protagonist, “Zen,” short for Zenobia (Who wouldn’t go by a nickname if she/he had the name Zenobia?) who teaches others around her (and this reader) to use the pronouns “va” and “vien” rather than “she” and “them.” Zen lives in Maine with her lesbian aunts who are her legal guardians, and va meets many unusual people at her aunts free-thinking home. Va is a computer genius and a very gifted individual. As Zen seeks to find her identity, the reader is led to question the basic question of “Who am I?” Sharing Zen’s journey is a thought-provoking, often humorous experience most middle graders will enjoy.
For girls whose lives are spelled B-A-S-K-E-T-B-A-L-L, Barbara Carroll Roberts’ Nikki on the Line is a must-read. A humorous look at family and the frequently assigned project of developing/drawing a family tree is the vehicle that carries 13-year-old Nikki to search for her identity, only to learn that the best advice is to “Be yourself.”
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