King and the Dragonflies by Kacen Callender
It begins with dragonflies. Dragonflies flitting everywhere in a sultry Louisiana town.
Kingston James, known as King, has become fixated with dragonflies. There's a reason for his obsession. After his older brother Khalid suddenly and tragically dies, King is convinced that his brother has morphed into a dragonfly. Whenever he sees one of these large-eyed iridescent insects he feels that Khalid is nearby.
Callender tells a compelling story of grief and the oppressive burden that death places on a family. The loss of his brother has cast a pall over King's home. Familiar family routines have been set aside. There is now an empty place at the table. The family dynamic is fractured.
One of the few constants for King is Sandy Sanders. Sandy is the friend he can confide in, can talk with about things that really matter. The two friends share a love for anime and manga, spending spend hours sketching characters and discussing their favorite stories.
To please his brother, King has severed this treasured friendship because Sandy is gay. Khalid convinced King that he should not associate with gays.
King knows that Sandy's home situation is painful. He is physically and emotionally abused by his father, the town sheriff. Sandy's life becomes unbearable when his father discovers that his son is gay. Sandy runs away to escape his father's vicious attacks.
King is the friend who comes to Sandy's rescue, finding him sanctuary in an abandoned shack. Together in this secluded place, the two learn to forgive, to accept one another, and make plans to move on with their lives. Sandy is ready to leave his abusive home for good. King is not sure if he should join Sandy. Is he ready to leave his grieving parents? Will his father accept his gay son?
King felt bound to honor his brother in a way that required him to deny his identity and hurt a friend. He now wonders: Will he honor his brother if he chooses his own life path?
The choice of the dragonfly is an apt metaphor This insect with large, often many-colored wings symbolizes change, transformation, adaptability, and self-realization. King experiences a change in his view of himself and his world. Like the dragonfly he is emerging, ready to embrace his identity, his family, and friends.
King and the Dragonflies is a thoughtful exploration of grief, coming out, abuse, friendship, and healing.
​Uncorrected copy provided by publisher.
Pub date: February 4, 2020 Publisher: Scholastic Press ISBN: 978-1338129335
"I was so close to feeling like I had Jun's story nailed down. But no. That's not how stories work, is it?
They are shifting things that reform with each new telling, transform with each new teller."
Someone close to you goes missing. There are questions. What happened? Why?
This is an interesting premise for a young adult novel. The search rarely involves the simple task of locating an individual. It requires dogged determination and methodical sleuthing. This pursuit brings teens face-to-face with painful realities. Not all searches are successful. Not all that was lost is found.
Three unique stories have three common elements: drugs, crime, and family. ​Join each of these protagonists as they search for a missing person and in the process, learn more about themselves.
Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay
Pub date: June 18, 2019 Publisher: Kokila ISBN: 978-0525554912
Born in the Philippines but raised in the United States, seventeen-year-old Jay learns that his Filipino cousin is dead. Stunned by the tragedy and his family's reluctance to divulge any of the details, Jay returns to the land of his birth to ascertain what happened to his gentle, thoughtful relative.
​Tracing the life of Jun is challenging. The family is unwilling to discuss anything about him or his life. Jay suspects a cover-up and wants to learn the truth.
He is startled by what he eventually finds and realizes that surviving can be dangerous for a young man trying to make his way through a drug-infested sub-culture.
Ultimately Jay develops an appreciation for his Filipino heritage and decides to make a major life change.
​Hopeful, heart-wrenching, unforgettable storytelling.
Disappeared by Francisco X. Stork
​Audiobook accessed via Overdrive
​Pub date: October 1, 2019 Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books ISBN: 978-1338312829
Devastated by the disappearance of her friend, investigative reporter Sara Zapata discovers the astonishing number of young girls who have gone missing. Her published news articles begin to draw attention. As she searches for answers, things take a frightening turn when she discovers that key pieces of information are missing. Her family is threatened and her home is no longer a safe place. Sara learns that her brother may have jeopardized the family's future by a decision which will brings him into the influence of the drug cartel. Will she find her friend? Can she protect her family? Sara will risk all to discover the truth and remain true to herself.
Seeking asylum and crossing the border from Mexico into the United States make this book particularly relevant.
I Am Princess X by Cherie Priest
​Pub date: April 26, 2016 Publisher: Scholastic ISBN: 978-1338032352
Best friends Libby and May invented Princess X, a comic featuring a sword-wielding warrior princess wearing a gold crown and red sneakers. One fateful night Libby's mother fell asleep while driving across a bridge. The car tumbled into the icy water with Libby and her mother trapped inside. Libby is dead. Princess X is no more.
Three years later May discovers Princess X stickers directing her to a website. She wonders: Why this sudden reappearance of Princess X? May sets off on a dangerous mission to uncover what happened that fateful night. Her quest pits her wits and her nerve against a cunning man with a deranged plan. A can't-put-it-down combination comic and prose thriller. ​​
Faith & Miracles
The Miraculous by Jess Redman
To me, every hour of the light and dark is a miracle...unspeakably perfect miracles!
Wunder Ellis is a miracologist, a person who collects evidence of miracles. From the time he was six years old, he became aware of phenomena that could not be explained with traditional logic. He records and numbers these entries in a journal titled The Miraculous.
Wunder's faith in miracles is destroyed when his infant sister dies. He no longer believes. He removes all evidence of miracles from his room: a Calendar of the Saints, statues of angels, books and scriptures from many different faiths, and his framed baby photo inscribed with the Willa Cather quote Where there is great love there are always miracles.
The Miraculous is a story of grief, viewed from the perspective of faith. Faith that is lost and faith that is eventually regained. Wunder and his father worship at St. Gerard's, a traditional Christian church. However, the narrative includes references to numerous faith traditions including Jesa, the Korean ceremony to honor the dead, the Hand of Fatima, and the Twin Miracle of the Buddha. His newly found friend Faye wears a black cloak and is a student of the paranormal, specializing in the study of witches and ghosts.
Wunder and Faye visit an abandoned house located near the cemetery. An old woman, who Faye suspects might be a witch, lives there. The witch sends the two on various missions, first to deliver letters to community members who have experienced a loss, then to locate a branch from a mysterious tree. As they perform these tasks, they come to understand loss, both their personal losses and the losses of others. They discover connections between people and bereavement. They see that miracles can take many forms. They begin to believe.
A New Testament verse plays an important part in the story. Redman alters the Biblical text slightly to read.
Behold! I tell you a miracle. We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed.
This is a richly layered story of pain and grief. Fantastical elements blend perfectly with the heartbreaking reality of death. ​Like Wunder, readers will recall their own encounters with miracles. And like Wunder, they will be changed.
....hidden miracles, the ones that are so often forgotten, the never-ending memory of a cherished one, the hands of friends, new and old, reaching out to hold you up, the love you receive, even when that love comes from someone you cannot see or hear.
A Grief Observed
These fictional accounts of children who suffer loss are some of my personal treasures.
Pub date: July 30, 2019 Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) ISBN: 978-0374309749
Blue by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
Sometimes it's not simply that a picture that is worth a thousand words. Blue conveys a wealth of emotion with hues of a single color. Laura Vaccaro Seeger's signature painting style captures the essence of the relationship between a boy and his dog primarily with a variety of blues.
Ingenious cut-outs lead the reader to explore vignettes of the twosome's shared experiences: exploring outdoors, frolicking at the beach, playing tug-of-war. From infancy, the bond between these companions remains constant through the seasons of their lives: midnight blue, silly blue, stormy blue, chilly blue. Rhymes are subtle and flow naturally, never feeling forced or contrived.
Tender moments. Poignant memories. A heart full of love.
It is impossible for me to read this book without tears.
For anyone who has loved and lost a treasured pet, this little gem offers solace and comfort. A stellar picture book that celebrates the capacity that art and color have to heal a wounded heart.
Thank you Laura for this treasure.
Copy provided by publisher.
​Pub date: September 25, 2018 Publisher: Roaring Brook Press ISBN: 978-1626720664
​For Sam, the little pup I tucked inside my coat
​and brought home one Friday night.
"Please, can we keep him?" I begged.
From that night on, you became a true companion.
I will never forget you, my dear friend.
Matylda with a y
Matylda Bright and Tender by Holly M. McGhee
I absolutely did not want to read another book about death. Just like Wallace Wallace in Gordon Korman's Classic No More Dead Dogs, I was finished with books where an important character dies. As a result, little Matylda sat and sat and sat on my shelf. No more dead or dying characters. No more stories about death.
But then... there was that bright orange cover with the striking gecko image. Hard to ignore. Eventually I succumbed and read Matylda, Bright and Tender and I'm thankful that I did.
​Sussy and her best friend Guy are on their way to the local pet shop when a tragic accident takes Guy's life. She is left with excruciatingly painful flashbacks, an emptiness inside that can never be filled and their shared pet gecko. What makes this story of hurt and healing distinctive is the voice of young Sussy. Holly H. McGhee captures the essence of a grieving soul. Narrative carefully straddles but never crosses the line between poignant and maudlin.
This slim middle grade book lives up to its name, a tale that is both bright and tender.
Bright Spots
A gecko named Matylda "spell it with a y so it's all her own... Matylda of the Ancient Face and Starfish Toes...Matylda, the warrior with heart who'd never been beaten."
Trapping crickets "MAKE YOURSELF KNOWN!" Guy called to the crickets in the backyard.
Feeding crickets to a gecko "I couldn't stop looking at the antenna sticking out, still moving back and forth, slowly... It's between two worlds, You know what I mean...the antenna is still in this world, but the rest of her isn't anymore...like the cricket's here and somewhere else at the same time."
Luck "Luck's another story...You just get it, sometimes good, sometimes bad. Unless there's a ladybug, of course - then it's always good."
Tender Moments
​Friendship "It was like we were backward and forward at the same time." I'm okay with it," I said. "As long as you're with me!"
​Power of love "Love can make anything happen...The world can be a perfect circle sometimes."
Turning back time "I wanted to do it over, and I couldn't do it over. The spokes came fast, faster, spinning spinning spinning..
Loss "The days came and floated in and out, and my blinds were open and they were closed, and I lay in my bed and I wanted to go to the boy I loved, I wanted to go to Guy, to follow the path of my friend."
Healing "You and me, Matylda with a y, we're different now."
​Prior to reading McGhee's book, I was vaguely aware of leopard geckos, but had little specific knowledge about these fascinating little reptiles and their capability to be excellent pets. Need further convincing? Check out this video.
Just look at that face. Peer into those expressive eyes. Who can resist such little charmers? Not Guy. Not Sussy. Not me.
Magic and Miracles
"Where there is great love there are always miracles...One might say that an apparition is human vision corrected by divine love..."
"Miracles... seem to me to rest not so much upon... healing power coming suddenly near us from afar but upon our perceptions being made finer, so that, for a moment, our eyes can see and our ears can hear what is there around us always."
Willa Cather, Death Comes for the Archbishop
I recently pulled out my worn, well-marked and beloved copy of this Willa Cather classic.
Does magic exist? Are miracles real?
I believe that the answer to both questions is "yes".
Stories provide readers with the opportunity to step into the very real world of wonder and enchantment.
Circus Mirandus by Cassie Beasley
Circus Mirandus by Cassie Beasley weaves a spell around readers as they follow young Micah on his quest to discover the circus of his grandfather's childhood. He hopes to lay claim to the miracle that his grandfather was promised so long ago.
"You have to believe it to see it".
Nine qualities of miracles and magic:
1. Where there is hope, there are miracles.
"Something magical, he reminded himself. Maybe a new story. Maybe something happy."
2. Sometimes the most unexpected event can be a miracle.
"I've got a fish...Will that work?"
3. Miracles defy logic.
"There must be a logical explanation for this."
4. Miracles are not a question of size.
"Just because magic is small doesn't mean it is unimportant,"
5. The time table for magic is indeterminate.
"It means it's good for as long as it's good," he said. "And then it's not."
6. Magic requires faith.
"As if we did not already know that faith is such a fragile thing," he murmured.
7. Magic means enjoying the moment.
"Because when you try too hard to hold on to something, you break it."
8. Memories are tied to magic. Magic is tied to memories.
"I've never seen anything like this in all my days. You've put memories into a bit of leather. Don't you see how remarkable that is?"
9. Magic is meant to be shared.
"What do you think magic is?"
"I guess it's what's inside of people like you," he replied. "The parts of you that are too big to keep to yourself."
The Boy in the Black Suit by Jason Reynolds
Jason Reynold's latest book takes readers into the world of seventeen year old Matt. To help him cope with the crushing pain of losing his mother to cancer, he begins to attend funerals of strangers.
Nine reasons to read The Boy in the Black Suit
1. Bob Marley
Listen to his Jamaican Regge Three Little Birds
2. Brooklyn Botanical Gardens
Free admission in winter. Tuesday-Friday 8:00 am -4:30 pm
3. Chocolate chip cookies.
Matt's recipe included in the book.
4. Daisy Miller
Remember the Henry James classic? This is not that Dasiy Miller.
5. Funeral home. How many YA books include this in the setting and plot...but not in a creepy way?
6. My Girl
Soulful rendition by the Temptations
7. Polaroid cameras
Remember waving the photo to develop the image?
8. The suit
Matt totally carries off the look. See cover photo.
9. Love
It's all about love and loss and healing.