Heart of a Samurai, by Margi Preus – The Newbery Project

Heart of a Samurai, by Margi Preus

Heart of a Samurai, by Margi Preus

Newbery Honor – 2011

A.R Level – 5.4; Middle Grades

The whole time I was reading Heart of a Samurai, I felt like it was the kind of book my sixth grade teacher would have assigned, claiming that I was going to LOVE it. In fact, it was just a little…stiff. More like an assignment than a novel. Maybe I was biased from having just read the magical Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. That book is a hard act to follow!

I wondered if the Newbery judges picked it for its cultural significance (as opposed to literary beauty?). The general story line is that Manjiro, a boy from a small fishing village in Japan, is shipwrecked and eventually rescued by a ship captained by an American. The captain takes Manjiro home with him and treats Manjiro as a son, but Manjiro nevertheless faces discrimination. Eventually, Manjiro succeeds in returning to his native Japan (after about 10 years, I think), where is he imprisoned as a suspected spy. Manjiro convinces his captors that he is not a spy and that Japan needs to become more open to interaction with foreigners.

It’s based on a true story, which may be the cause of the “assignment” vibe. I think it can be a very difficult task to follow a story line that has already been set out for you, and maintain the creativity and flexibility necessary to write a really compelling book.

I feel a little big crazy complaining about this book — I mean, out of all the books published in 2011, only 5 were honored by the Newbery committee. But it wasn’t my favorite. There. I said it.

After Tupac and D Foster, by Jacqueline Woodson – The Newbery Project

After Tupac and D Foster, by Jacqueline Woodson

After Tupac and D Foster, by Jacqueline Woodson

Newbery Honor Book – 2009

A.R. Level: 4.7; Upper Grades

I was beginning to think that the Newbery awards were only given to middle grade books. Some, like The Tale of Despereaux (and possibly, The Higher Power of Lucky), have felt like they were more appropriate to lower grades , but none have seemed like anything a high schooler would listen too. Even though, I have to admit, I felt a little bit uncomfortable about the language in After Tupac and D Foster. In fact, I’m still wondering about the AR Bookfinder categorizing this UG. Although the plot (and some language) may seem more appropriate for teens, the main characters are 12-year old girls — which usually lands a book smack in the middle of the MG category.

But, back to the story…

I remember when Tupac died. And I remember thinking it was really sad because I thought he was kind of interesting, and I liked his music — which is saying something, considering that rap never was my favorite musical genre. But ultimately I was too old, and maybe a little too white and comfortably situated, to really get it.

One thing I really liked about this book was that D’s current foster mother was actually portrayed in a (mostly) positive light. As a former foster parent myself, I can be a little sensitive to negative portrayals of foster parents. I know there are bad people out there — we get to read about them in the news, after all — but there are also plenty of folks who get into foster care simply because they love children. Although we never meet her, we learn that D’s foster mom is one of the few people who have provided any stability in her life.

Oh way, you want to know something about the plot? Hmmm…there’s not really much to say in that regard. It’s a coming of age story that follows the lives of the narrator (who is never named), Neeka, and D from shortly before Tupac was shot the first time, until he was finally killed. The girls relate to Tupac, even though the narrator’s and Neeka’s lives seem pretty stable by comparison.

A couple of scenes that stuck with me:

- The bus trip out to visit Neeka’s brother, Tash, in jail. There’s something so loving, and so sad about the way Neeka’s mom has packed up all the kids and a huge lunch for the half-day trip to the jail.

- J Jones bragging about how many baskets he’d shot one day. And yet, despite his  hard work and college goals, being harassed by the police, pretty much just for walking own the street.

- The retelling of how Tash was taken in by a guy he cared about and ended up hurting his true friend and getting jail time to boot. That story hurt. And it didn’t matter that Tash was gay. His heartache was the same as anyone else’s would be. I also liked the way Neeka’s family both accepted Tash and tried to convince to be less gay. It was real to me.

So did I like the book? Yeah. I did want it to have a little more direction sometimes, but having said that, it was one of those audiobooks that made me actually look forward to my commute (and trust me, there is nothing else good about my commute).

Our Only May Amelia, by Jennifer Holm – The Newbery Project

Our Only May Amelia, by Jennifer L. Holm

Newbery Honor Book – 2000

AR Level: 4.8, Middle Grades

Okay, I admit it. I cried. And cried. And cried. In fact, I’ve been trying to decide for days how I was going to write up this post. My feelings about this book were a lot like my feelings about certain movies I’ve seen that were deep, powerful, moving, and so painful that I couldn’t recommend them to anyone else.

Most of Our Only May Amelia is just purely entertaining. May Amelia is the only girl in a family of seven boys, and in fact, is the only girl in the whole settlement. She wants to do everything her brothers do, and why not? Except that May Amelia lives in rural Washington in 1899. So we get to follow May Amelia as she pushes against the boundaries of propriety, and that part is enjoyable. I was really rooting for her.

SPOILER ALERT 

Which I guess is part of the point. I was so completely rooting for her, that when bad things started happening, I just couldn’t handle it.

Now I know that life in 1899 was hard. I guess maybe I have no concept of how hard. Or maybe I’m just weak. I had a similar feeling reading Wuthering Heights recently. As one person after another in Wuthering Heights died, I thought either this is the most depressing book of all time, or life was really, really, horrible in England in the 1800s. (For the record, Wuthering Heights IS the most depressing book of all time.) Apparently life was just as hard, and death just as real in May Amelia’s Washington. I know that some my over-reaction is because the one main death that occurs is my worst fear — the thing that wakes me up in a cold sweat at night and causes me to place a hand on baby’s chest to make sure he’s still breathing. So, yes, I am weak, and May Amelia’s pain was so real to me that I still feel overwhelmed with sadness as I type these words — a week after I finished the book.

If you’re stronger than me, read this book. Just keep a box of tissues handy.

Wednesday Wisdom

“Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm”

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, by Grace Lin – The Newbery Project

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, by Grace Lin

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, by Grace Lin

Newbery Honor Book – 2010

AR Level: 5.5; Middle Grades

I’m a few books in on a new project to “read” the Newbery Award medal and honor books. I put the “read” in quotes not because I’m one of those people who like to overuse quotes (that’s one of my pet-peeves, actually), but because I’m doing most of my “reading” by audiobook. As I’ve mentioned on this blog previously, I have a painfully long and gas-wasting commute. The only thing I’ve found that can make my 2 hours of driving per day less excruciatingly painful is the company of a good book.

Happily, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon met the “good book” criteria and then some.

NOTE TO SELF: The above post is what you get when you start a post, schedule it for posting a few days later, get busy, then have a family emergency the afternoon before the post was scheduled to be published.

I’m sure I had so much more to say about Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. It was such a good book, and the audio version, narrated by Janet Song, was so entrancing that even my 12-year old didn’t want to get out of the car when we arrived at our destination. We ended up about an hour later crowded around a laptop just…listening.

Just Like You – Down Syndrome

 

This is a great video for those of us who love someone, know someone, or know someone who loves someone with Down Syndrome.

Owen gives it two thumbs up.

For more information on this important campaign take a look at the Just Like You webpage.

Not All Babies Are Cute

But this one certainly is:

What a sweet smile!

She’s the new face of designer Dolores Cortez‘s 2013 children’s swimwear line. And she has Down Syndrome.

I know another baby who’d make a GREAT model:

He’s pretty cute too.

Any takers? Target? Nordstrom? We await your call.

What are you gonna do about it?

If you need a good laugh this Friday, click here to read about the coolest dad ever (other than my own sweet husband, of course!).

And my own dad.

And my brothers.

And any other dad I should have listed, and who would be just like this guy if ever they have the chance.

Our Deepest Fear

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant,
gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking
so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine, as children do.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.
It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously
give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear,
our presence automatically liberates others.

A Return to Love - Marianne Williamson

*Special thanks to Father Gee for reading this passage during his sermon yesterday. It spoke to me.

Everything that is worthwhile in life is scary.

Paul Tournier

Everything that is worthwhile in life is scary. Choosing a school, choosing a career, getting married, having kids–all those things are scary. If it is not fearful, it is not worthwhile. 

~Paul Tornier