Growth and Stagnation

Nov21

I spoke with a friend recently who implied, perhaps without intending to do so, that my story and my growth in wisdom and understanding are at an end. This friend was, of course, a young person, and I am, to her, a very old person. Because I am not becoming more progressive in my political ideas and more culturally attuned in my thoughts and beliefs, I must be stuck in the past and somewhat irrelevant. I am not growing.

A lot of that first paragraph consists of what I read into and sensed from my friend’s attitude, but I don’t think it’s inaccurate. There is an idea abroad in the culture that if you are not moving in a progressive direction in your beliefs and convictions, you are not growing. Conservatives are assumed to be mired in a web of out-dated and prejudicial beliefs that are destined to die. In fact, as far as the life of the mind and the spirit are concerned, conservatives, particularly Christian conservatives, are half-dead already.

But I say, along with Mr. Twain, that the report of my death is an exaggeration. I am not becoming more unsure and doubting and open-to-all-comers in my beliefs. I no longer feel the need to revisit the intellectual and emotional struggles and insecurities that I went through and that were resolved (by my own work and the work of the Holy Spirit) years ago. I believe in certain things by faith and by decision, according to the preponderance of the evidence that I have been able to see and evaluate. I believe in God, in Jesus Christ His only Son, in the Christian church, in the authority of Scripture, in Christian marriage and family, in life, liberty, and the pursuit of joy in a free society. I believe in representative democracy with all its flaws and in a free market economy with all its limitations and inequities as the best political and economic systems geared to produce the most human flourishing in a broken world. I have seen very little that inclines me to doubt those fundamental truths and much that leads me to trust them.

But that does not mean that I have ceased to grow. I believe that, with much hesitation, vacillation, and indecision, three steps back and then four or five ahead, I am growing in the right direction, thanks to the Holy Spirit within me. I am growing in trust in a good God who will make all things right and just. I am growing in peace and acceptance of what is and what will be. I am growing in firmness of conviction and courage to face whatever may come, whether it be pandemic or hurricane or misunderstanding or disappointment or grief. I am growing in the knowledge that God is enough, that the life He gives is abundant and filled with joy, and that I am allowed to rest in Him. I am growing in prayer that believes even when the answers are not seen. I am growing in the assurance that even death itself will not put an end to the growth that I will experience in Him because Jesus Christ has promised me eternal life through His name.

If my friend sees me as old and set in my ways, perhaps she is right, in a certain sense. Nevertheless, just wait! “Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.” (I John 3:2) And that, my dear young friend, is growth indeed!

Cattywampus by Ash van Otterloo

Nov17

From the author’s website: “I’m enby/nonbinary, which means I don’t have strong leanings involving gender identification! My pronouns are they/them.”

From the book for middle grade readers: “Katybird shuddered as she recalled the crinkly, uncomfortable paper covering of the medical exam table and the sterile smell of the doctor’s office. The place had felt about as hospitable as a bed of skunk-infested stinging nettles outside a funeral parlor. A monotonous specialist had announced to Katy’s mother that Katy was ‘androgen insensitive,’ meaning she had XY chromosomes like most boys, but that nature had knitted her body up using a more traditionally female pattern. That hadn’t phased Katy much. She was a girl. That’s all she cared about. According to the doctor, she also had a pair of internal testes (the doohickeys that made all that testosterone her body didn’t use). No biggie, Katybird had yawned and swung her heels over the exam table, itching to go home. “

p.43

Also: “Except she wasn’t the same, not really, at least in her family’s eyes. There was a question now. Katybird was a girl, obviously, but words like ‘internal gonads,’ ‘testes,’ and ‘Y chromosome’ seemed to muddy the creek in their minds, as far as magic was concerned. Hearn magic had always been used by females. When her family talked about conjure now, Katybird always felt studied. She imagined them thinking, Is she a witch or isn’t she?

p.44

Middle Grade Speculative Fiction: Capsule Reviews

Oct28

Quintessence by Jess Redman. Ms. Redman is both a therapist and an author, and it shows. Quintessence is all about stars, and the essence of life, and finding one’s true self. It’s also about a girl, Alma Lucas, who after moving with her family to a new town, begins to experience panic attacks. Alma manages to join forces with three other children to form an Astronomy Club as well as a group dedicated to returning a fallen Starling to the heavens. As the children work together, they discover both their limitations and their strengths. The writing is beautiful at times throughout the book, but it’s all a little too therapeutic for my taste.

Catalyst by Sarah Beth Durst. When Zoe’s newfound kitten Pipsqueak grows to an enormous size almost overnight, Zoe and her best friend Harrison try to keep the giant kitten a secret. However, the only people they can trust to help are Zoe’s estranged aunt, Aunt Alecia, and the summer babysitter, Surita. Can Zoe and Harrison make it to New Hampshire during the time they’re supposed to be at summer camp without anyone finding out about Pipsqueak? A lion-size kitten is hard to hide, hard to move, and hard to keep quiet. The premise was good for this fantasy adventure, but the plot felt jerky. The denouement was too long in coming, and then it happened too quickly. And after the solution to the problem was revealed, then the mop-up action felt disappointing. Still, cat lovers and cat fantasy lovers will enjoy.

The Forest of Stars by Heather Kassner. Deserted by her father long ago, twelve year old Louisa LaRoche is left alone when her mother dies. For some reason, she decides that her father might be found in forest at the Carnival Beneath the Stars. If you want a book about magic at the circus, I would recommend Circus Mirandus and The Bootlace Magician, both by Cassie Beasley. The Forest of Stars is darker and much more incoherent than I prefer.

Scritch Scratch by Lindsay Currie. Claire has absolutely no belief or interest in ghosts, unlike her father who makes his living writing about Chicago’s ghost stories and leading a ghost tour of the most haunted sites in the city. But she can’t ignore the ghostly boy who keeps playing tricks to get her attention and writing, whispering, and scratching the number 396 for some unknown reason. Claire is afraid the ghost boy might injure, or even kill her, and she needs help. But where can she get that help now thather best friend, Casley, prefers to hang out with the new girl, Emily, instead of Claire? Unfortunately, the ghostly number changes from 396 to 369 in the middle of a page (169)–an editorial error that threw me out of the story and into a rant (in my own head) about the lack of good editing these days.

The Copycat by Wendy McLeod MacKnight has protagonist Ali Sloane discovering her own magical ability to transform into copies of other creatures as she’s trying to fit in at a new school and to resolve old family rifts and to deal with her great-grandmother’s illness and aging and to deal with her family’s lack of money in comparison to other kids at school. It’s all a bit much rolled into one book. Or as the blurb in the front says, “The Copycat is a perfect storm of family, magic, mystery, and friendship.”

Arcade and the Fiery Metal Tester (The Coin Slot Chronicles) by Rashad Jennings. This book is from Zonderkidz, a Christian imprint, and I really liked the way prayer and faith in a good God are presented as natural parts of everyday life for Arcade Livingston and his Black family living in New York City. It reminded me a little of Adventures in Odyssey, in a good way. But the plot is sometimes creaky and episodic as Arcade and his friends experience unexpected and uncontrollable time travel, care for a displaced flamingo, and search for Arcade’s lost dog. In a somewhat implausible subplot, Arcade’s friend Doug has been living with his great-grandmother, but when she has to go to a nursing home, eleven year old Doug is left to live alone in the building his great-grandmother owns.

The Girl and the Ghost by Hanna Alkaf

Oct27

For the kids who are afraid—whether it’s of bullies or ghosts or grumpy moms, first days or bad days or everything in-between days. You have more courage than you know.

Thank you to my parents, who never told me “this book is too scary for you.”

~Dedication at the beginning and Acknowledgements at the end of The Girl and the Ghost by Hanna Alkaf

Well, my first reaction is to tell all but the most intrepid readers that this book is too scary and dark and psychologically twisty for you. This is not a Casper-the-Friendly-Ghost sort of story. It is instead a story steeped in Malaysian folklore and culture about a witch grandmother who bequeaths to her granddaughter a pelesit, a ghost-monster-demon that lives to serve and obey its master but also survives by sucking a bit of its master’s blood every month during the full moon. Yeah, it’s called a blood-binding, and yes, this is a middle grade fiction book.

Suraya is the granddaughter, and she lives in rural Malaysia with her widowed mother and the pelesit that Suraya names Pink. Pink is Suraya’s only companion and only friend, and even though Pink is a rather dark and brooding presence in Suraya’s life, he’s certainly better than nothing—until Suraya makes a real friend, Jing Wei, who is wealthy, happy, and obsessed with Star Wars. Pink becomes jealous, and essentially goes over to the Dark Side.

Other than Jing Wei and her sunny and heedless personality, there’s not much in this book to lighten the darkness. Bullies, demons, an evil exorcist, and tortures (think: nightmares, blood, and insect infestations) inflicted by one’s erstwhile best friend are the main aspects of the plot and characters, and the sort of happy ending doesn’t really make up for the nightmare inducing remainder of the book. I was strangely fascinated and at the same time repelled by this story. I wouldn’t recommend it to any middle grade readers I know. But there may be some who would enjoy it and identify with the deeper themes of betrayal and family dysfunction and overcoming the darkness within ourselves and our own families.

Before the Sword by Grace Lin

Oct13

Written as a sort of prequel to Disney’s Mulan (movie), Before the Sword takes Hua Mulan on a journey with the healer Jade Rabbit to save Mulan’s sister, Xiu, from dying from the bite of a poisonous spider. It turns out that the spider is more than a simple spider, and even Mulan herself might be something more than a clumsy, persistent, horse-loving, and unconventional village girl.

I’ve never watched the movie Mulan (can you believe it?), so I can’t say how well the book meshes with the characters and plot of the movie. However, Ms. Lin, a best-selling author of middle grade novels, easy readers, and picture books, with Disney’s permission and imprimatur. So, someone must have thought it paired well with the franchise.

The book read a lot like Ms. Lin’s previous non-Disney character middle grade novels—Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, When the Sea Turned to Silver, and Starry River of the Sky—which all have short legends and stories embedded in between chapters that tell an over-arching story. Before the Sword not only has short legends and folktales that illuminate and explain the main novel’s story, but it also switches point of view from time to time to tell the story from the perspective of the enslaved servant, the Red Fox, of the villain of the piece, who is Daji, the White Fox.

Fans of Ms. Lin’s previous novels of Chinese folklore and culture will enjoy this one, too. I actually liked it better than the others she has written because it seemed more approachable from my own cultural background. Maybe it’s more Westernized? Or maybe I’m just getting better at understanding how a story from a Chinese/Asian culture works? I’m not sure. At any rate, with the live-action movie version of Mulan already streaming on Disney+, this book should get some traction and should please a number of young readers.

Rival Magic by Deva Fagan

Oct12

As I began reading this middle grade novel about two rival magician’s assistants, I thought I could see immediately where the story was headed. The two girls, with different political interests, talents, and abilities, rivals so to speak, were going to need to learn to work together. And indeed, that’s exactly the point of the story. I thought that theme might be too obvious, even for a child reader. However, the more I read the more I was drawn in and intrigued by how the author got the girls to learn cooperation and peaceful political negotiation. It might even be a lesson in reconciliation and understanding that could be applied by adults in the current political and cultural moment.

Antonia and Moppe are dissimilar in many ways. Antonia comes from a rich, politically powerful family. Moppe is a servant girl from a poor background. Antonia has worked hard to earn her place as apprentice to the famous sorcerer Master Betrys and to learn all the magical words and intricacies that make sorcery work. Moppe happens to be a magical prodigy whose first attempt at spell-casting is amazingly successful. Antonia has read all of the magic books and memorized most of the grimoires in Master Betrys’ house. Moppe can’t read at all. Antonia believes her island is safe and protected by the powerful empire to which it owes allegiance. Moppe doubts the Empire has the best interests of their island nation at heart.

Of course, the girls are forced to go on a quest together to save the island of Medasia and its people from the dreaded Black Drake. They must find the crown which controls the monster and decide how to keep the island safe. Can Moppe and Antonia trust each other and their own complementary abilities enough to complete their quest? What if they have completely different ideas about what it means to be free and at peace? And what if the adults in their lives are manipulating both girls to get something that neither of them really wants?

I ended up enjoying this romp quite a bit. It’s well-written, if slightly predictable, and Antonia and Moppe were fun to get to know. Most fantasy readers will find it fun to read, and girls in particular will appreciate the emphasis on females in positions of political power and as the dual protagonists of the novel itself. Indeed, boys should appreciate the strong female characters, too. Recommended for those who like magic, sorcery, and peacemaking at the center of their reading adventures.

Cybils Nominations Open Through October 15th

Oct9

Nominations for the Cybils Awards for Children’s and Young Adult Books (winners chosen by book bloggers) are now open, and guys, anyone can nominate books in several different categories. Head on over to the Cybils website and check out the categories. Then, if you’ve read any good, worthy books published in 2020 or in the last couple of months of 2019, nominate them!

Charlotte (Charlotte’s Library) and Katy (alibrarymama) have suggested several titles in the Middle Grade Speculative Fiction category that have NOT yet been nominated. Any of these would be great to nominate, and I have a few more that you might want to consider. Or come up with your own ideas. But do nominate your favorites so that they can be considered for the Cybils Awards.

Middle Grade Speculative Fiction (not yet nominated):

What is the best middle grade fiction, fantasy or science fiction, you’ve read this year? Have your favorites been nominated for the Cybils Awards?

The Magic in Changing Your Stars by Leah Henderson

Sep30

When Ailey tries out for the part of the Scarecrow in his school’s production of The Wiz, he experiences an attack of panic and stage fright. Then, Ailey’s beloved Grampa ends up in the hospital after a nasty fall. How can things possibly get worse?

Well, when Ailey tries to carry out Grampa’s wishes in regard to a secret box in the closet at home, he somehow finds himself stuck in the past—trying to save Grampa in the present by encouraging Grampa-in-the-past, as a boy, to be brave and follow his dream. This time travel story includes real characters from American Black history: Bill Bojangles Robinson, Madame C.J. Walker, Paul Cuffe, James Van Deer Zee. And most of the other characters are named after notable Black Americans: Alvin Ailey, Benjamin Banneker, Mahalia Jackson, Josephine Baker, Canada Lee, and others. It’s fun trying to spot all of the names, which are listed in a “Black Excellence List” in the back of the book.

The time travel works pretty well. Ailey changes the past, in a good way, when he travels back in time, and thereby he also changes the present or the future, depending on how you want to think about it. Time travel is always somewhat mind-boggling. Themes and subjects are: tap dancing, performing, stage fright, regret, Black history, Harlem Renaissance, overcoming fear.

The Highland Falcon Thief by Sam Sedgman

Sep29

Trains. Mystery. Scotland. If you like any or all of those, The Highland Falcon Thief is the right book for you. And it’s the first in a projected series, called Adventures on Trains.

In this first book, Harrison Beck’s parents send him on a train trip, the last journey of the historic Highland Falcon steam train, with his uncle, while Harrison’s mother is giving birth to his new baby sister. Harrison, knowing nothing about trains, is expecting a boring journey with all adults, but he meets a stowaway his age on the train. And the two of them become friends and fellow detectives in order to solve the case of a jewel theft. Can Harrison and Lenny find the thief and the princess’s missing diamond necklace before the Highland Falcon retires from service?

Lots of information about trains and railway history is woven into this mystery. And the solution to the mystery is satisfactory, even if it’s a bit ugly. Harrison and Lenny are brave and intrepid characters, and Lenny’s Indian British heritage adds a bit of diversity to this middle grade mystery story.

“You would have to look for a long time to find an engine more impressive and downright beautiful than this one,” Uncle Nat walked toward the nose of the train and laid his hand on it, patting it as if it were a horse.

Copying his uncle, Hal laid his hand on the metal casing and was surprised to find it was warm and vibrating. The locomotive sighed out a puff of steam, as if it were alive—a dragon, ancient, powerful, and ready to fly.

Picture Book States: Massachusetts

Sep16

Massachusetts

  • Motto: Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem. By the sword we seek peace, but peace only under liberty.
  • Nickname: The Bay State
  • State Flower: Mayflower
  • State Bird: Chickadee
  1. Letting Swift River Go by Jane Yolen. Illustrated by Barbara Cooney. Little Brown, 1992.
  2. Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey. Viking Press, 1944.
  3. Bus Route to Boston by Maryann Cocca-Leffler. Boyds Mills, 2009.
  4. Comet’s Nine Lives by Jan Brett. G.P. Putman, 1996.
  5. Obadiah the Bold by Brinton Turkle. Viking, 1969.
  6. Pennies for Elephants by Lita Judge.  Disney-Hyperion, 2009.
  7. Bernard Sees the World by Berniece Freschet. Illustrated by Gina Freschet. Scribner’s, 1976.
  8. A Year in the Woods by Henry David Thoreau. Illustrated by  Giovanni Manna. Creative Editions, 2017.
  9. C Is for Cape Cod by Christie Laurie. Photographs by Steve Heaslip. Islandport Press, 2014.
  10. B Is for Berkshires by Joan Duris. Illustrated by Gillian Jones.  Islandport Press, 2015.

It seems as if there should have been more Massachusetts picture books that rise to the surface when I think about Boston and Cape Cod and Cambridge and all that kind of American heritage kind of stuff. I suppose if I had included the Pilgrims and Massachusetts Bay Colony, there would have been more. But I thought I’d concentrate on the many other sights and events and cultural artifacts that make Massachusetts interesting.

What picture books do you associate with the state of Massachusetts?