Where has summer gone?
Ok, I realize at this point I owe an update so massive, it's ridiculous.
School: Got out on 22 June, super late. Two took his senior pictures that same day. We got his proofs in early July and sucked it up to order a couple, despite the ridiculous price tag for senior pics, so we could complete the set of school photos we have in one of those all-in-one frames.
Grad school: Summer classes started June 1 and ended mid-July for me. I only took one class this summer, Children's Lit. Class was light on lectures (I honestly would have liked more in this department) but had some interesting and thoughtful discussions, along with some books I never would have thought to read without this class. Enjoyable term.
Blood donation: MiniPlu and I went to donate blood a couple of weeks ago. I'm super proud of MiniPlu for doing this as she's terrified of needles. Only her second donation. Unfortunately, they wouldn't take me - I have a naturally high resting heart rate that was slightly elevated that day but meant that it went just a little over their limit. Grump. Am trying again in 9 days, so here's hoping that one is successful.
Dad: Will and I flew to OR on 5 July and spent 5 days getting my dad TB- and Covid-tested, got several loads of his clothing washed thanks to his neighbor, scrubbed off several months of soot, packed him up, and dealt with some other legal and financial logistics, then flew with him back to NJ on 9 July. It was exhausting having the "You're moving to NJ so you can be closer to me, to an assisted living facility" (it's memory care but I didn't say that to him) multiple times during the week because of course he didn't remember each previous conversation. Thankfully, he got more cooperative the longer it went on and came back with us without issue. He did balk once we actually arrived at the facility, after having lunch with the residents as part of his arrival, because we'd woken him up, cognitively, so to speak, and he didn't want to be with people who were not all there upstairs. But aside from that traumatic first day, he's been fine - totally compliant, no complaints, has no idea he's only been there a few weeks. It's emotionally hard on ME to see him in there, a quiet little sheep, instead of the vibrant man he used to be, but he's safe, well-looked-after, and CLEAN.
Weather: We had a tornado scare a week ago, when a nasty storm spawned at least three twisters, two of which crossed by close enough to us that we spent over an hour in the basement - all 7 humans and 5 pets - Thurs night (29 Jul). Thankfully, the tornadoes missed us.
Pets: And speaking of pets, my SIL adopted a fifth cat two days ago, a 3.5-month-old kitten named Rachel (part of a Friends-themed litter). She's not too sure about the other animals on the limited exposure she's had to them (we're still keeping her mostly sequestered in MiniPlu's bedroom or R&K's bathroom so she can get used to us in less chaotic circumstances) and the other cats aren't too thrilled by her, either. (Jade thinks she's interesting, but tiny kitten is not delighted to have giant dog nose thrust in her direction.)
Two: applied for a job with our local grocery store chain in early summer but nobody told us we'd have to follow up with a direct call to the individual store's HR, so several weeks got wasted without hearing anything. He interviewed for the store closest to us, which was clearly a "I have no intention of hiring you but I'm being polite" 5 min affair, and a more serious interview with the next-closest store, which resulted in his being offered the position of cart-retrieval dude. He starts on Sat. The chain is union, which sucks in that Two's hours are severely dictated: He can only work 4-4.5 hour shifts and must work 20 hours a week, which means going to work 4-5 days a week even during the school year. However, as he pointed out, he deliberately planned for an easy senior year so hopefully this will work out. We bought his uniform pieces last weekend (black pants/jeans although, as cart dude, he's also allowed to wear black shorts in hot weather; white collared shirts - polo shirts for now, and Two hates polos, poor boo :P; black shoes - black sneakers are fine). He'll also be given a store vest or apron, probably a high-viz vest given his job. This is his first-ever paying job. Hopefully it'll turn out to be decent. It's been a struggle for him, as it involved talking to people, and he tends to seize up in a stammer when faced with people he doesn't know. But he's managed, with support.
Two, Part II: We also visited JWU (Johnson & Wales Univ) in Rhode Island last Fri; Two is interested in their associates' degree baking/pastry program. We both liked what we saw. Now to see if he can get in. I admit I'm not super confident about that, but I can hope for the best. The part that really sucked was all the driving. It's 4 hours each way under ideal circumstances, about the same as MiniPlu's school, but in reality it took 4:35 up and 5:15 back, and that's not counting the 30 min dinner break we took on the way home. We were gone 14 hours, ergh. The one thing that WAS awesome about the trip was that I finally got to meet purpleink in person for the very first time, after 19 years of friendship. ♥ Had a delicious lunch with her at a pub-cafe in downtown Providence before our tour of JWU's culinary campus 10 mins away.
MiniPlu: She had two choices for housing this coming year: a) join the regular lottery to pick a room, and either have a roommate in mind already or allow the school to pair her with literally anybody. Or b) allow the school to pick her room, but be matched with someone compatible, like they do for freshmen. In the end, she chose the latter, but MHC royally screwed her over, putting her and her roommate (who, admittedly seems nice - she's from Nepal, which I think is beyond cool) in a dorm that's the square footage of the average single (aka much smaller than the usual double), on the third floor of a dorm with slanted roof so they'll have an angled ceiling, making it feel even smaller, and it's also the dorm usually given to the "nontraditional" students, so it's across the street from the main campus, set back from the road, so it's much more isolated. She is NOT amused.
Movies: Have not yet been in a cinema, but we've seen some movies on Disney+: Black Widow and Jungle Cruise, both of which we liked. Black Widow fills in some canon gaps and Florence Pugh was amazing, while Jungle Cruise was just a fun romp.
TV: Been slowly working our way through Love Victor S2 with Two as time permits (just finished), and am halfway through Young Royals, which I'm watching in Swedish with English subtitles (it also comes dubbed in English, but ick). Apparently I have a thing for cute Hispanic boys falling in love with white boys? (See also: Red, White & Royal Blue. :-P)
Olympics: I have seen absolutely NONE of the TV coverage, and only seen video clips of certain things I've hunted down, like Tom Daley's Gold-medal-winning dive, a few artistic swimming things, a couple of US women's gymnastics routines. The last time I watched so little of the Olympics, it was 1992 and I was staying with Steve in an apartment without a working TV.
Books: SO MANY BOOKS. Many for school, some read aloud to Two, some on planes, or at 1am, or when I'm supposed to be doing something else.
Only Mostly Devastated by Sophie Gonzales
Kate in Waiting by Becky Albertalli
One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston
Any Way the Wind Blows by Rainbow Rowell - in progress
Death Beside the Seaside by T.E. Kinsey Lady Hardcastle #6
Chain of Iron by Cassie Clare
Two Rogues Make a Right by Cat Sebastian
How to Be Remy Cameron by Julian Winters
Beyond by Mercedes Lackey - in progress
Books in Verse for class:
Red, White and Whole by Rajai LaRocca
Before the Ever After by Jacqueline Woodson
The One Thing You'd Save by Linda Sue Park
Chapter books for class:
Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein
The Curious Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angelberger*
George Melissa's Story by Alex Gino
Rick by Alex Gino
The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
Princess in Black by Shannon Hale
Graphic Novels for class:
All's Faire in Middle School by Victoria Jamieson
When Stars are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed
Class Act by Jerry Craft
Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute by Jarrett Krosoczka
Sticky Burr: Adventures in Burrwood Forest by John Lechner
Kate in Waiting by Becky Albertalli: Read aloud to Two, but I would have read it anyway. Straight white girl and gay black best friend fall for same boy. Oh, and everyone - the boy in question included - are all in the same school musical together. There's a lot about setting your own feelings aside for the sake of someone else's happiness, and also recognizing love when it's right in front of you. I wish I knew the musical Once Upon a Mattress more, because I would have gotten a lot more of the references, but it was a fun story, nonetheless.
One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston: Read aloud to Two, but I would have read it anyway. I *adored* Red, White and Royal Blue. I never quick clicked as much with this book, although it's a good story. Honestly, what grabbed me the most wasn't the romance between Jane and August - although that was nice. What I really loved was August's emotional and social growth, going from someone trying to figure out what she's doing with her life, and not having any friends, any roots or any possessions, to someone who is gathered into the most amazing "found family" and uses their friendship and love to grow in all sorts of ways.
Any Way the Wind Blows by Rainbow Rowell - in progress. Reading it aloud to Two, but I would have read it anyway. Third in the "Carry On/Wayward Son" series of Simon Snow books. I'm liking this one better than the previous book, mostly because Simon is coming out of his depression and is learning to function better. Hopefully I'll like the ending - am about 80% of the way through at this point.
Only Mostly Devastated by Sophie Gonzales: It starts off sort of like the movie Grease: Two teens spend a magical summer together and part, thinking they live in completely different parts of the world and will thus never see each other again. When circumstances involve one teen unexpectedly moving so now both kids go to the same school, one of the kids pretends not to know the other because it doesn't fit with his image. In this case, the teens are both boys, one being very out, and the other being Not At All Out - in North Carolina. There's a lot of heartbreak, including a family member struggling with cancer, but also some really nice lessons about respecting yourself and what you will and won't put up with. And yes, there's a happy ending.
Death Beside the Seaside by T.E. Kinsey Lady Hardcastle #6 Another in the fun Edwardian-England cozy mystery series. Lady Hardcastle and her maid/confidant/co-conspirator Flo go on holiday to the seaside, only to get caught up in a series of disappearances and murders. More death and danger than usual, but well-done.
Chain of Iron by Cassie Clare: Second in the Edwardian-era Shadowhunters trilogy. Liked this one better than the first one, although it absolutely BROKE MY HEART at the cliffhanger ending. May have to throttle Cassie.
Two Rogues Make a Right by Cat Sebastian: Third in a trilogy about a series of brothers, all of whom seem to be gay or bisexual (except the two youngest, whom we never meet). A redemption story for the guy who seemed to be the villain in the first book. I liked this book better than the second one, but still not as much as the first one. Much is made of this brother's former opiod addiction, but it never really becomes an issue.
How to Be Remy Cameron by Julian Winters: I loved the first book I read by this author, Running With Lions so I thought I'd give another book a try. Remy is a black (or mixed-race? father is unknown, but given Remy's description of his hair and coloring, I'm thinking ... maybe?) teen who was adopted by loving white parents. He's out and gay, but ends up connecting with a Korean-American boy at school who has just moved back to town after several years in another state. Meanwhile, he's trying to figure out who he is, given his adoption. Who is he beyond his labels? Black, gay, adopted. Is that all he is? This book really spoke to me, as the parent of two kids adopted from another race. Loved it.
Books in Verse for class:
Red, White and Whole by Rajai LaRocca: Of the three I read that week, this was hands-down my favorite. Really lovely book about being torn between two worlds when your parents are immigrants but you just want to be American. Warning: character death, which I was NOT anticipating, and which broke my heart.
Before the Ever After by Jacqueline Woodson: This one explores CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy as it was only JUST being explored (around 2000) as an explanation for what happened to (American) football players who got knocked in the head too many times. Told from the viewpoint of a former NFL player's son. You really get the sense of how bewildering and frightening it must have been to watch happen to your loved one, without any understanding of what was going on.
The One Thing You'd Save by Linda Sue Park: This was pretty short, and I had trouble recognizing the text as actual verse. But it was a fascinating look to how a classroom full of kids might answer, "If your house were on fire and you could only grab ONE thing" - with the assumption that all living things were automatically going to be safe, so no claiming parents, pets, etc - "what would you take, and why?"
Chapter books for class:
Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein: My absolute favorite of the bunch. Twelve 12-year-olds are permitted first visit to the fantastical new library in town. Part of the event is that they get locked in and must solve puzzles and clues to get back out. It was not only fun to solve the puzzles and clues, but there were also TONS AND TONS of literary references, enough to keep any adult reader amused as well. First in a series.
The Curious Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angelberger*: I read this to Two when he was much younger. Dorky middle school kid dispenses advice via an origami Yoda finger puppet. The book presents itself as a "casebook" to decide whether origami Yoda is the real deal, who can really know what advice to give, or a big hoax being pulled by the dorky kid. First in a series.
George Melissa's Story by Alex Gino*: Told from the POV of a 4th-grade transgender girl, who is still being identified as a boy named George by her family, peers, teachers, etc. She finally comes out to her best friend (a girl) and at the end gets the chance to visit the zoo with the friend's relative, who has never met Melissa (as she wants to be called), which means Melissa gets to dress up as a girl and be identified correctly for the first time. I read this three years ago after a parent brought a box of these books to family camp at Camp Aranu'tiq and took advantage of the re-read in order to save time because it was the end of the semester, I was just dealing with my dad and two final projects. Please note: The author has since regretted titling the book by the girl's dead name, and has since said she wants the book to be known as Melissa's Story.
Rick by Alex Gino: Actually, I didn't have to read this for class, but I have been wanting to read it, so, after re-reading Melissa's Story, once the semester was over. Rick used to be Melissa's best friend back when they were in 2nd grade, but then had gotten caught up with the class bully. Now it's 6th grade, Melissa is finally out to everyone, and meanwhile Rick is feeling bewildered that everyone expects him to find girls (or boys) hot, and he ... doesn't. After some exploration, he thinks he might be ace, and finds new friends with the school's GSA club.
The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate: I've heard a LOT about this book but never had read it. Based on a true story, it's told from the POV of a gorilla who was held captive for decades in a little strip mall. It's sad but also funny and full of hope.
Princess in Black by Shannon Hale: Aimed at younger children, maybe 2nd grade? Cute fluffy little story (first in a series) about a pink frothy princess who has a secret ID as a badass ninja.
Graphic Novels for class:
All's Faire in Middle School by Victoria Jamieson: 11-year-old Imogene has been home-schooled all her life, as her parents work in a state RenFaire. But now she's got 2 big changes: she's old enough to start working in the Faire herself, and she's starting public middle school for the first time. She really struggles with learning the social ropes of dealing with her peers, and class exams, etc, but there's a happy ending. Fun story, especially for RenFaire fans.
When Stars are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed: Based on Omar Mohamed's true experience as a Somali refugee in a Kenyan refugee camp, where he spent almost all his childhood, watching out for his nonverbal little brother. Wow, will you recognize how fortunate you were in comparison to Omar. Thankfully, he got a second chance to move to the US, go to college, and have a family in safety.
Class Act by Jerry Craft: The follow-up to the only graphic novel to win the Newbery Award. Follows a couple of nonwhite boys in 8th grade at a posh school, as well as their rich white friend who nontheless has his own issues to deal with.
Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute by Jarrett Krosoczka: Sure, she seems like a mild-mannered Lunch Lady and her assistant, but she really has a pile of fancy spy gadgets to put James Bond to shame. For this first book, a substitute teacher is more than he seems.
Sticky Burr: Adventures in Burrwood Forest by John Lechner: Aimed at younger students, this follows those little sticky balls - anthropomorphic, of course - and overcoming challenges, etc. Typically kid-friendy fare.
So, uh, yeah. I'm a shitty friend and updater and I want to do better but Life keeps getting in the way. Here's trying.
School: Got out on 22 June, super late. Two took his senior pictures that same day. We got his proofs in early July and sucked it up to order a couple, despite the ridiculous price tag for senior pics, so we could complete the set of school photos we have in one of those all-in-one frames.
Grad school: Summer classes started June 1 and ended mid-July for me. I only took one class this summer, Children's Lit. Class was light on lectures (I honestly would have liked more in this department) but had some interesting and thoughtful discussions, along with some books I never would have thought to read without this class. Enjoyable term.
Blood donation: MiniPlu and I went to donate blood a couple of weeks ago. I'm super proud of MiniPlu for doing this as she's terrified of needles. Only her second donation. Unfortunately, they wouldn't take me - I have a naturally high resting heart rate that was slightly elevated that day but meant that it went just a little over their limit. Grump. Am trying again in 9 days, so here's hoping that one is successful.
Dad: Will and I flew to OR on 5 July and spent 5 days getting my dad TB- and Covid-tested, got several loads of his clothing washed thanks to his neighbor, scrubbed off several months of soot, packed him up, and dealt with some other legal and financial logistics, then flew with him back to NJ on 9 July. It was exhausting having the "You're moving to NJ so you can be closer to me, to an assisted living facility" (it's memory care but I didn't say that to him) multiple times during the week because of course he didn't remember each previous conversation. Thankfully, he got more cooperative the longer it went on and came back with us without issue. He did balk once we actually arrived at the facility, after having lunch with the residents as part of his arrival, because we'd woken him up, cognitively, so to speak, and he didn't want to be with people who were not all there upstairs. But aside from that traumatic first day, he's been fine - totally compliant, no complaints, has no idea he's only been there a few weeks. It's emotionally hard on ME to see him in there, a quiet little sheep, instead of the vibrant man he used to be, but he's safe, well-looked-after, and CLEAN.
Weather: We had a tornado scare a week ago, when a nasty storm spawned at least three twisters, two of which crossed by close enough to us that we spent over an hour in the basement - all 7 humans and 5 pets - Thurs night (29 Jul). Thankfully, the tornadoes missed us.
Pets: And speaking of pets, my SIL adopted a fifth cat two days ago, a 3.5-month-old kitten named Rachel (part of a Friends-themed litter). She's not too sure about the other animals on the limited exposure she's had to them (we're still keeping her mostly sequestered in MiniPlu's bedroom or R&K's bathroom so she can get used to us in less chaotic circumstances) and the other cats aren't too thrilled by her, either. (Jade thinks she's interesting, but tiny kitten is not delighted to have giant dog nose thrust in her direction.)
Two: applied for a job with our local grocery store chain in early summer but nobody told us we'd have to follow up with a direct call to the individual store's HR, so several weeks got wasted without hearing anything. He interviewed for the store closest to us, which was clearly a "I have no intention of hiring you but I'm being polite" 5 min affair, and a more serious interview with the next-closest store, which resulted in his being offered the position of cart-retrieval dude. He starts on Sat. The chain is union, which sucks in that Two's hours are severely dictated: He can only work 4-4.5 hour shifts and must work 20 hours a week, which means going to work 4-5 days a week even during the school year. However, as he pointed out, he deliberately planned for an easy senior year so hopefully this will work out. We bought his uniform pieces last weekend (black pants/jeans although, as cart dude, he's also allowed to wear black shorts in hot weather; white collared shirts - polo shirts for now, and Two hates polos, poor boo :P; black shoes - black sneakers are fine). He'll also be given a store vest or apron, probably a high-viz vest given his job. This is his first-ever paying job. Hopefully it'll turn out to be decent. It's been a struggle for him, as it involved talking to people, and he tends to seize up in a stammer when faced with people he doesn't know. But he's managed, with support.
Two, Part II: We also visited JWU (Johnson & Wales Univ) in Rhode Island last Fri; Two is interested in their associates' degree baking/pastry program. We both liked what we saw. Now to see if he can get in. I admit I'm not super confident about that, but I can hope for the best. The part that really sucked was all the driving. It's 4 hours each way under ideal circumstances, about the same as MiniPlu's school, but in reality it took 4:35 up and 5:15 back, and that's not counting the 30 min dinner break we took on the way home. We were gone 14 hours, ergh. The one thing that WAS awesome about the trip was that I finally got to meet purpleink in person for the very first time, after 19 years of friendship. ♥ Had a delicious lunch with her at a pub-cafe in downtown Providence before our tour of JWU's culinary campus 10 mins away.
MiniPlu: She had two choices for housing this coming year: a) join the regular lottery to pick a room, and either have a roommate in mind already or allow the school to pair her with literally anybody. Or b) allow the school to pick her room, but be matched with someone compatible, like they do for freshmen. In the end, she chose the latter, but MHC royally screwed her over, putting her and her roommate (who, admittedly seems nice - she's from Nepal, which I think is beyond cool) in a dorm that's the square footage of the average single (aka much smaller than the usual double), on the third floor of a dorm with slanted roof so they'll have an angled ceiling, making it feel even smaller, and it's also the dorm usually given to the "nontraditional" students, so it's across the street from the main campus, set back from the road, so it's much more isolated. She is NOT amused.
Movies: Have not yet been in a cinema, but we've seen some movies on Disney+: Black Widow and Jungle Cruise, both of which we liked. Black Widow fills in some canon gaps and Florence Pugh was amazing, while Jungle Cruise was just a fun romp.
TV: Been slowly working our way through Love Victor S2 with Two as time permits (just finished), and am halfway through Young Royals, which I'm watching in Swedish with English subtitles (it also comes dubbed in English, but ick). Apparently I have a thing for cute Hispanic boys falling in love with white boys? (See also: Red, White & Royal Blue. :-P)
Olympics: I have seen absolutely NONE of the TV coverage, and only seen video clips of certain things I've hunted down, like Tom Daley's Gold-medal-winning dive, a few artistic swimming things, a couple of US women's gymnastics routines. The last time I watched so little of the Olympics, it was 1992 and I was staying with Steve in an apartment without a working TV.
Books: SO MANY BOOKS. Many for school, some read aloud to Two, some on planes, or at 1am, or when I'm supposed to be doing something else.
Only Mostly Devastated by Sophie Gonzales
Kate in Waiting by Becky Albertalli
One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston
Any Way the Wind Blows by Rainbow Rowell - in progress
Death Beside the Seaside by T.E. Kinsey Lady Hardcastle #6
Chain of Iron by Cassie Clare
Two Rogues Make a Right by Cat Sebastian
How to Be Remy Cameron by Julian Winters
Beyond by Mercedes Lackey - in progress
Books in Verse for class:
Red, White and Whole by Rajai LaRocca
Before the Ever After by Jacqueline Woodson
The One Thing You'd Save by Linda Sue Park
Chapter books for class:
Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein
The Curious Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angelberger*
George Melissa's Story by Alex Gino
Rick by Alex Gino
The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
Princess in Black by Shannon Hale
Graphic Novels for class:
All's Faire in Middle School by Victoria Jamieson
When Stars are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed
Class Act by Jerry Craft
Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute by Jarrett Krosoczka
Sticky Burr: Adventures in Burrwood Forest by John Lechner
Kate in Waiting by Becky Albertalli: Read aloud to Two, but I would have read it anyway. Straight white girl and gay black best friend fall for same boy. Oh, and everyone - the boy in question included - are all in the same school musical together. There's a lot about setting your own feelings aside for the sake of someone else's happiness, and also recognizing love when it's right in front of you. I wish I knew the musical Once Upon a Mattress more, because I would have gotten a lot more of the references, but it was a fun story, nonetheless.
One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston: Read aloud to Two, but I would have read it anyway. I *adored* Red, White and Royal Blue. I never quick clicked as much with this book, although it's a good story. Honestly, what grabbed me the most wasn't the romance between Jane and August - although that was nice. What I really loved was August's emotional and social growth, going from someone trying to figure out what she's doing with her life, and not having any friends, any roots or any possessions, to someone who is gathered into the most amazing "found family" and uses their friendship and love to grow in all sorts of ways.
Any Way the Wind Blows by Rainbow Rowell - in progress. Reading it aloud to Two, but I would have read it anyway. Third in the "Carry On/Wayward Son" series of Simon Snow books. I'm liking this one better than the previous book, mostly because Simon is coming out of his depression and is learning to function better. Hopefully I'll like the ending - am about 80% of the way through at this point.
Only Mostly Devastated by Sophie Gonzales: It starts off sort of like the movie Grease: Two teens spend a magical summer together and part, thinking they live in completely different parts of the world and will thus never see each other again. When circumstances involve one teen unexpectedly moving so now both kids go to the same school, one of the kids pretends not to know the other because it doesn't fit with his image. In this case, the teens are both boys, one being very out, and the other being Not At All Out - in North Carolina. There's a lot of heartbreak, including a family member struggling with cancer, but also some really nice lessons about respecting yourself and what you will and won't put up with. And yes, there's a happy ending.
Death Beside the Seaside by T.E. Kinsey Lady Hardcastle #6 Another in the fun Edwardian-England cozy mystery series. Lady Hardcastle and her maid/confidant/co-conspirator Flo go on holiday to the seaside, only to get caught up in a series of disappearances and murders. More death and danger than usual, but well-done.
Chain of Iron by Cassie Clare: Second in the Edwardian-era Shadowhunters trilogy. Liked this one better than the first one, although it absolutely BROKE MY HEART at the cliffhanger ending. May have to throttle Cassie.
Two Rogues Make a Right by Cat Sebastian: Third in a trilogy about a series of brothers, all of whom seem to be gay or bisexual (except the two youngest, whom we never meet). A redemption story for the guy who seemed to be the villain in the first book. I liked this book better than the second one, but still not as much as the first one. Much is made of this brother's former opiod addiction, but it never really becomes an issue.
How to Be Remy Cameron by Julian Winters: I loved the first book I read by this author, Running With Lions so I thought I'd give another book a try. Remy is a black (or mixed-race? father is unknown, but given Remy's description of his hair and coloring, I'm thinking ... maybe?) teen who was adopted by loving white parents. He's out and gay, but ends up connecting with a Korean-American boy at school who has just moved back to town after several years in another state. Meanwhile, he's trying to figure out who he is, given his adoption. Who is he beyond his labels? Black, gay, adopted. Is that all he is? This book really spoke to me, as the parent of two kids adopted from another race. Loved it.
Books in Verse for class:
Red, White and Whole by Rajai LaRocca: Of the three I read that week, this was hands-down my favorite. Really lovely book about being torn between two worlds when your parents are immigrants but you just want to be American. Warning: character death, which I was NOT anticipating, and which broke my heart.
Before the Ever After by Jacqueline Woodson: This one explores CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy as it was only JUST being explored (around 2000) as an explanation for what happened to (American) football players who got knocked in the head too many times. Told from the viewpoint of a former NFL player's son. You really get the sense of how bewildering and frightening it must have been to watch happen to your loved one, without any understanding of what was going on.
The One Thing You'd Save by Linda Sue Park: This was pretty short, and I had trouble recognizing the text as actual verse. But it was a fascinating look to how a classroom full of kids might answer, "If your house were on fire and you could only grab ONE thing" - with the assumption that all living things were automatically going to be safe, so no claiming parents, pets, etc - "what would you take, and why?"
Chapter books for class:
Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein: My absolute favorite of the bunch. Twelve 12-year-olds are permitted first visit to the fantastical new library in town. Part of the event is that they get locked in and must solve puzzles and clues to get back out. It was not only fun to solve the puzzles and clues, but there were also TONS AND TONS of literary references, enough to keep any adult reader amused as well. First in a series.
The Curious Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angelberger*: I read this to Two when he was much younger. Dorky middle school kid dispenses advice via an origami Yoda finger puppet. The book presents itself as a "casebook" to decide whether origami Yoda is the real deal, who can really know what advice to give, or a big hoax being pulled by the dorky kid. First in a series.
George Melissa's Story by Alex Gino*: Told from the POV of a 4th-grade transgender girl, who is still being identified as a boy named George by her family, peers, teachers, etc. She finally comes out to her best friend (a girl) and at the end gets the chance to visit the zoo with the friend's relative, who has never met Melissa (as she wants to be called), which means Melissa gets to dress up as a girl and be identified correctly for the first time. I read this three years ago after a parent brought a box of these books to family camp at Camp Aranu'tiq and took advantage of the re-read in order to save time because it was the end of the semester, I was just dealing with my dad and two final projects. Please note: The author has since regretted titling the book by the girl's dead name, and has since said she wants the book to be known as Melissa's Story.
Rick by Alex Gino: Actually, I didn't have to read this for class, but I have been wanting to read it, so, after re-reading Melissa's Story, once the semester was over. Rick used to be Melissa's best friend back when they were in 2nd grade, but then had gotten caught up with the class bully. Now it's 6th grade, Melissa is finally out to everyone, and meanwhile Rick is feeling bewildered that everyone expects him to find girls (or boys) hot, and he ... doesn't. After some exploration, he thinks he might be ace, and finds new friends with the school's GSA club.
The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate: I've heard a LOT about this book but never had read it. Based on a true story, it's told from the POV of a gorilla who was held captive for decades in a little strip mall. It's sad but also funny and full of hope.
Princess in Black by Shannon Hale: Aimed at younger children, maybe 2nd grade? Cute fluffy little story (first in a series) about a pink frothy princess who has a secret ID as a badass ninja.
Graphic Novels for class:
All's Faire in Middle School by Victoria Jamieson: 11-year-old Imogene has been home-schooled all her life, as her parents work in a state RenFaire. But now she's got 2 big changes: she's old enough to start working in the Faire herself, and she's starting public middle school for the first time. She really struggles with learning the social ropes of dealing with her peers, and class exams, etc, but there's a happy ending. Fun story, especially for RenFaire fans.
When Stars are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed: Based on Omar Mohamed's true experience as a Somali refugee in a Kenyan refugee camp, where he spent almost all his childhood, watching out for his nonverbal little brother. Wow, will you recognize how fortunate you were in comparison to Omar. Thankfully, he got a second chance to move to the US, go to college, and have a family in safety.
Class Act by Jerry Craft: The follow-up to the only graphic novel to win the Newbery Award. Follows a couple of nonwhite boys in 8th grade at a posh school, as well as their rich white friend who nontheless has his own issues to deal with.
Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute by Jarrett Krosoczka: Sure, she seems like a mild-mannered Lunch Lady and her assistant, but she really has a pile of fancy spy gadgets to put James Bond to shame. For this first book, a substitute teacher is more than he seems.
Sticky Burr: Adventures in Burrwood Forest by John Lechner: Aimed at younger students, this follows those little sticky balls - anthropomorphic, of course - and overcoming challenges, etc. Typically kid-friendy fare.
So, uh, yeah. I'm a shitty friend and updater and I want to do better but Life keeps getting in the way. Here's trying.