Hello! The following blog post has been taken from the discussion boards in my online Children's Literature class. Yes, I'm back in school- this time I'm completing my Master's degree so that I can be a real librarian when I grow up. 😉 For this week's discussion post we had to read and discuss two Newberry Award books from the following list :
Hello Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly
The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill
Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña
The Crossover by Kwame Alexander
Title: Last Stop on Market Street
Author: Matt de la Peña
Genre: picture book, thankfulness, helping others, city life
My first pick from the list is Last Stop on Market Street. In this book
CJ and his Nana take their weekly bus ride after church. The destination is not
explained to the reader and along the way we meet the interesting people that
inhabit CJ’s world. Like all small children, CJ is curious about his
surroundings and other people and he’s not afraid to ask questions. Some of his
questions relate to why things or people are the way they are: “How come that
man can’t see?” Instead of lecturing CJ about disabilities, Nana responds with,
“Some people watch the world with their ears.” (In other words, there are
multiple ways to view the world). Nana uses this philosophy every time CJ’s
questions is really a complaint in disguise:
“How come we gotta wait for the bus in all this wet?”
“Trees
get thirsty, too.” (Be thankful for the rain which nourishes nature).
“Nana, how come we don’t got a car?”
“Boy, what do we need a
car for? We got a bus that breathes fire, and old Mr. Dennis who always has a
trick for you.”
(Hidden meaning: A bus is more exciting than a car. A car keeps
a person or family in isolation from their community. A bus rider gets to meet
interesting people every day).
“How come we always gotta go here after church? Miguel and
Colby never have to go nowhere.”
“I feel sorry for those boys,” she told him.
(“Here” is not explained until the end of the book when the reader realizes that
Nana and CJ are volunteering at a soup kitchen. Nana feels sorry that CJ’s
friends don’t experience the joy of helping others).
When CJ pines for a
personal music player, Nana gently reminds him that he is in the presence of a
live musician.
I interpreted the overall themes in this book to be
community, gratitude, and finding the beauty in everyday things: “He wondered
how his nana always found beautiful where he never even thought to look.” I
would suggest this book for families that want to inspire the attitude of
thankfulness in their children and for urban children that ride the bus every
day since this book is reflective of their experiences.
Title Hello, Universe
Author: Erin Entrada Kelly
Genre: middle grade fiction, friendship, perseverance, bullies, differently-abled character
My second Newberry pick is Hello, Universe and I just want to start off by telling everyone that I absolutely loved this book! I thought a 311-page
book was going to dominate most of my reading time this week and I read this
book in 2 ½ hours! Even though the book is somewhat thick for a middle-grade
book, the multiple, interwoven plots and the author’s writing style keep the
reader engaged and makes time fly by!
The themes in this book are fate/destiny, coincidences,
friendship, and inner strength/self-empowerment. This book is told from
multiple third person points of view: shy Virgilio Salinas (Virgil), deaf but
determined Valencia Somerset, spiritual Kaori Tanaka and her little sister
sidekick Gen, and the school/neighborhood bully Chet Bullens.
Virgil and Valencia are destined to be together (according
to Kaori) since they share initials, attend the same class, and have compatible
star signs on the zodiac. What Kaori doesn’t know is that Virgil and Valencia
are both in search of friendship but find it difficult to make or keep friends
for different reasons. Virgil suffers from severe shyness and social anxiety
while Valencia finds that people are intimidated by her deafness and hearing
aids. Virgil retreats into himself and his thoughts, earning the nickname of
“Turtle” from his family which he secretly despises. Valencia channels her
frustration into observing nature, drawing, and secretly taking care of a stray
dog in the woods.
The signs of destiny/fate are sprinkled throughout the book
and the reader can put the pieces together before the characters do (at least
that’s the way it happened for me). Virgil’s Filipino grandmother, Lola lives
with Virgil’s family and she is always telling Virgil snippets of Filipino
folktales or stories of her fellow villagers. Even though Lola grew up in a
different time and place, she seems to understand Virgil and accept him as he
is (we all need someone like that in our life, don’t we?). While Virgil really
doesn’t understand the point of these stories, Lola’s stories give him the
inner strength he needs to stay calm after rescuing Gulliver and getting stuck
in an abandoned well. When Virgil is ready to give up, the spirit of Ruby San
Salvador visits him in the well, encourages him mentally, and prompts him to
yell for help at just the right moments after he has given up: “Of all the
things you ever tell yourself in life, never say, ‘There’s no chance.’”
(p.247).
When I finished this book, I had a satisfied grin on my face
and I would recommend this to parents who are looking for books about
friendship and/or perseverance. Since one of the main characters is deaf, this
would also appeal to readers looking for books with differently-abled characters.
Even though Virgil is in a dark well, the book never veers off into scary territory,
so this would be suitable for children who want to read an adventure story but
don’t want to be scared. I think this book is a great example of a book that
“inspires youth to formulate new ways of thinking, overcome obstacles, and
explore multiple perspectives” (Carruth, 2018). Virgil’s inner monologue and belief
in himself changed after his time in the well. Virgil and Valencia overcame the
obstacles of personality, friendship, and bullies.
My read alike recommendations are Pax by Sara Pennypacker and The
Wild Robot by Peter Brown. I have listened to these on audiobook with my
10-year-old son multiple times and they are high quality stories of survival
and friendship. A disclaimer: of the two books, Pax is a bit heavier in content and is not as lighthearted as The Wild Robot and Hello, Universe.
