parents

The Greatest Kid in the World

Leave a comment

by John David Anderson
First sentence: “Zeke’s letter informing him that he might be the greatest kid in the world came while his brother was baking in the driveway.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Content: There are a ton of pranks and less-than-stellar behavior, which may or may not give some kids ideas. It’s in the Middle Grade (grades 3-5) section of the bookstore.
I read this book for the Cybils, and this is a reflection of my opinion and not that of the whole panel.

Zeke is one of those kids. You know the ones: they’re smart, but almost too smart for their own good. (He tried to lead a revolution in his fifth-grade class, convincing everyone to go commando, until the teacher stopped him.) So when he got a letter saying he’s been chosen as a finalist in the “world’s greatest kid” competition, he thinks it’s a prank. Seriously: his single mom works hard to barely make ends meet, his older sister who is supposed to be watching Zeke and his younger brother doesn’t care… they’re the picture of a dysfuntional family. 

But they agree to do this competition, and over the days that Zeke is being filmed, he makes some realizations. Like maybe he really likes his family, after all. And maybe expectations for what is “great” aren’t necessarily what people thing they are. 

Oh this one was delighful. The family felt so real, from the struggles of the mom trying to make ends meet, to the exsperation of the older sister, to Zeke just trying to entertain himself for the summer. I also thought the whole competition, while silly and unreal, was handled really well. I think Anderson is exploring what it means to be “great” and the ways in which small things can be great as well. I love the way Zeke develops a relationship with his camaraman, and the way he is with his younger brother. Oh, and the ending made me ugly cry in the best way. 

I really loved this one.

Audiobook: Barely Floating

1 Comment

by Lilliam Rivera
Read by Victoria Villarreal
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Or listen at Libro.fm
Release date: August 29, 2023
Content: There are a couple of mild swear words. It will be in the Middle-Grade section of the bookstore.

Nat has been out-swimming kids at her neighborhood pool for ages. She uses the money to go with her friend to the Anime Con. But one day, she catches a performance of the synchronized swimming team the L.A. Mermaids and she’s hooked. The problem? Her activist parents think synchronized swimming is too white and too focused on appearance for Nat to participate in. The solution? Lie to her parents, get her older cousin involved, and use her money to join the team anyway.

This is going to end badly. (Mild spoiler, there, but you see it coming).

On the one hand: this was so full of representation! There’s a not-skinny Latinx girl at the center of it, someone who is strong and fierce and not the person you think of when you think of synchronized swimming. There’s a boy on the team! It’s made up of not-super-rich kids! And, yet I was super anxious the whole way through because Nat was making some Choices. I get the choices – she felt like she couldn’t do anything else because her parents, who said they were open-minded, didn’t want to listen to her. But ALSO, from a parent’s perspective: AAAAAAHHHHH really!? How did she not get caught sooner?? How clueless are you?! So, mixed feelings to say the least. I did love Villarreal’s narration, though. She was a delight to listen to and brought all the characters to life. Will kids like this? Maybe? I love that the main character is a non-white girl who doesn’t fit the usual swimming stereotype. And maybe kids will like all the subterfuge she goes through to get what she wants.

I hope it finds its audience if only so we get more books like this.

Spirit Hunters

1 Comment

by Ellen Oh
First sentence: “‘Harper! Come quick!'”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Content: There’s an abusive relationship, and it’s quite scary in parts. It’s in the middle grade (grades 3-5) section of the bookstore, but I wouldn’t give it to the faint of heart.

Harper and her family have recently moved from New York City into a Washington, D. C. house. It’s nominally for her parents’ jobs, but it’s also because Harper had a couple of incidents — at school and at the mental health hospital — that were kind of sketchy. However, she can’t remember anything about the fire at school that landed her in the hospital. And now, her younger brother is acting unlike himself, and no one can quite figure out why.

(Though you can probably guess from the title!)

This was SO good! I loved the characters, even the clueless/controlling/close-minded parents, and I loved that the main character not only figured out the problem, but also solved it, with the help from her friend and her estranged grandmother. I liked the historical detail that Oh wove into the book, and I loved the suspense that she built throughout the book. An excellent ghost story.