The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano

The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano

by Sonia Manzano aka Maria from Sesame Street! (2012)

Three generations of women deal with being Puerto Rican in New York City, the past and present of poverty, politics, and class struggle, and the family drama of being three women. Set in 1969 Spanish Harlem the story is full of true events and shows how larger events change personal daily lives, and how people can also affect larger events. Lots of discussion also for holding on to ethnic roots and traditions.
The newspapers from the story's events can be seen here at the book's website.

Water Street

Water Street

by Patricia Reilly Giff (2006)

Brooklyn, 1870s, as the city builds a bridge families try to build lives. Bridget, aka Bird, follows in her mother's footsteps as a neighborhood healer while being a friend to a boy with a drunk father and worrying about her older siblings. Interesting picture of inner city life and how friends and neighbors need to help each other.  Bird faces fears and has the strength to help when needed.

"12+" not for content but writing style, some passages jump back or forth and from character to character and can be confusing. The family life and interaction was done very well, easy to know and care for the characters.

I Funny

I Funny

James Patterson (2012)

Are all Patterson's books written with someone else these days? Whoever wrote what in this one did well, and the illustrations work very well also.

James is in a wheelchair, lives with uncaring family and a bully cousin, but wants to be a comedian. Using humor to deal with/avoid the pain in his life he learns to trust the people who care for him and have confidence in himself. Quick read with good message.

Lots of classic humor, great way to introduce students to some old time comedy.

Wonderstruck

Wonderstruck

by Brian Selznick (2011)

Just in time to go watch Hugo Cabaret on the big screen I got to read Selznick's new magical combo of words and illustrations.  There is a lot going on, the two stories in words and pictures across different time periods are not always the smoothest to follow, but it all wraps up cleanly and clearly in the end. The pencil drawings are incredible, telling a beautiful and emotional story all on their own.

 Set both in the 1920s and 1977, the stories follow a boy and a girl each searching for a parent and running away from an unhappy home situation. It's not light-hearted -- one mom dies, the other leaves the family and rejects her child -- but there are elements of mystery, searching, danger and adventure, not to mention wolves!, that will keep readers interested. I would be curious to see how a child reads just the drawing pages all the way through first, just to see how much or what story they make from it.

Lots of connections -- museums, collections, sign language, Deaf community/school, that Basil Frankenriter (?) book about kids running away and living in the museum...