Middle Grades Pick: The Night Diary

The Night Diary
by Verra Hirandani
2019
Dial Books for Young Readers
258 pages
 glossary of terms

A compelling read for middle grades, The Night Diary is a series of letters (diary entries) written by twelve-year old Nisha to her mother who died in childbirth.

The year is 1947 and India is facing freedom from British rule. As the British move out, India struggles with religious upheaval and in-fighting. India splits into two countries with two religious groups. Pakistan becomes mostly Muslim and India mostly Hindu. The split causes millions of refugees to flee their homes.

Nisha's parents come from two religious backgrounds. Her doctor father is Hindu and married her Muslim mother (now deceased). The family  lives in what becomes Pakistan. Violence erupts around them, the kids are forced to leave their school. It is no longer safe for the family to stay in their home. Nisha is forced to say goodbye to the beloved family cook Kazi who is Muslim. Leaving under cover of  the night, her father, Nisha, her twin brother Amil and their paternal grandmother flee and attempt to cross the border into what they hope is a safer life. Along the way, Nisha witnesses violence and murder as overloaded trains carry the refugees across the border. They stay with Nisha's uncle (her mother's brother)  who keeps them safe until the children make friends with a neighbor girl which could put them all in danger. Uncle also tells Nisha about her mother and what kind of a person she was.

Nisha questions why all this fighting is happening. Why are people fighting and getting killed just because of their religion? Throughout the book, her father is closed off from the children. Nisha and Amil are rarely shown attention and never love from him. Nisha turns to her diary where she finds solace from the world around her and love from a mother she never knew.

The Night Diary tells a story probably unfamiliar to most western children. Even in history books, classes rarely get beyond World War I. More recent history, even American history, is never touched upon. The Korean War, Vietnam, the Gulf War may not even be mentioned.

The book is marketed for an older audience: grade 8 and up, but I question using a twelve year old narrator. I would place this book middle grades and important for its historical perspective.

Grade 5 and up.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.

YA Pick: Mosquitoland

Mosquitoland
by David Arnold
Viking
2015
342 pages
ISBN: 9780451470775


ACCOLADES FOR MOSQUITOLAND:

— Kids' Indie Next List "Top Ten" Pick (Spring 2015)

— ABA Indies Introduce Debut Authors and New Voices title

— A Junior Library Guild selection

"In Mosquitoland, David Arnold has created one of the most unique narrative voices to show up in the world of young adult fiction. I don't remember life before Mim, and I don't want to. Mosquitoland is equal parts sharp, sad, and surreal.  This book is genius, war paint and all."

—John Corey Whaley, National Book Award Finalist and Printz-winning author of Where Things Come Back and Noggin

“David Arnold’s writing is both heartfelt and hilarious. You will fall in love with Mim, even as her grand journey will keep you guessing. Mosquitoland reminds us that sometimes imperfect is just perfect.”

—Ruta Sepetys, New York Times bestselling author of Between Shades of Gray

— "Wholly enjoyable... There is no shortage of humor in Mim’s musings, interspersed with tender scenes and a few heart-pounding surprises. Mim’s triumphant evolution is well worth the journey. "
-- Publishers Weekly, STARRED review

— "Arnold pens a stunning debut, showcasing a cast of dynamic characters... Mesmerizing." -- Kirkus, STARRED review

— "Arnold boldly tackles mental illness and despair, and sexual assault and sexual identity, without ever once losing the bigheartedness of the story. . . In the words of one of Mim's Greyhound seatmates, Mosquitoland has pizzazz--lots and lots of it." -- Booklist, STARRED review

— “It's a breath of fresh air when a novel like David Arnold's Mosquitoland bucks the usual classifications and stands defiantly alone. . . like any odyssey worth embarking on, what the heroine—and the reader—finds along the way is far more interesting than we ever could have expected.” —Entertainment Weekly (full review)

— “A YA road trip novel that takes you across the country, with a protagonist on her way to visit her hospitalized mother. And can we talk about that gorgeous cover for a second? My goodness. Get me a poster, right now.” —The Huffington Post

— “A wacky road trip... [Mim's] voice is so singular and full of heart.” —The Horn Book

— “This book makes me wish I were a school librarian, just so I could buy ten copies for my collection.” —Barnes & Noble Teen Blog

My Review:

Mosquitoland is that one road trip book that will change your thinking! Mim Malone is at a crossroads in every facet of her life. Uprooted from her mother, taken to live in rural Mississippi, aka, Mosquitoland, Mim hates living with her father and her newly acquired and newly pregnant step-mother. Something bad has happened to her mother in Ohio. The adults won't tell Mim what is going on, but Mim is going to find out. Having made the decision to split Mosquitoland, Mim "steals" money from her stepmother's hidden coffee can cache and buys a bus ticket.

Everything that can go wrong does. As the story unravels, so does Mim, literally. Fighting off mental illness is no joke, but Mim doesn't want to take any more drugs for her "condition." Her parents have tried to get her help in the past. She liked her first doctor but doesn't trust the next one. He just wants to medicate the problem, not cure it. The beauty of this story is in its telling. Mim is one unforgettable character; her voice is strong and true, albeit sometimes off kilter and sometimes wonderfully warped.

The passengers of the bus are laughable. Mim is at her poetic best when describing her traveling counterparts. Several near death experiences, rotten con men, a scary rapist, a maybe, someday hero, a special homeless kid with a knack for the Rubik's cube  and a meeting with her mother will cause Mim to come to terms with her own illness. Readers will root for Mim, a not-so-strong, not-so-brainiac, not-so-wonderful, not-so-normal Everygirl. Mim may not be the normal heroine, but she's got moxie and spunk! There should be more Mims in YA fiction. David Arnold, you are a character genius!

You will love this book for its every quirky turn.

Highly, highly recommended grade 9-up. Mature content, language, rape, but laughter, lots of laughter.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.

This review has been posted in compliance with the FTC requirements set forth in the Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (available at ftc.gov/os/2009/10/091005revisedendorsementguides.pdf)

Middle Grades Pick: In Search of Goliathus Hercules

In Search of Goliathus Hercules
by Jennifer Angus
Albert Whiteman & Company
2013
350 pages

for more, visit the author's website

Smart, satisfying and sensational, In Search of Goliathus Hercules is an adventure story with real bite (pun intended). When ten year old Henri Bell is shipped off to Woodland Farm in the United States to live with his ninety year old Great Aunt Georgie, he is crestfallen. Henri discovers he has a  strange  gift--he can hear and understand insects. His first bugg-y friend is a housefly named Dom.

Henri's mother writes that she is going in search of his missing father who was last heard from in British Malaya. Henri spends his days playing outside, staying out of Great Aunt Georgie's way  and avoiding his scary neighbor Mrs. Black--who seems to be studying him each time he sees her. Henri visits the circus and takes a job as a flea trainer, leaving behind Woodland Farm and Great Aunt Georgie.

Traveling with the circus and making new  friends excites Henri; he is going in search of Goliathus Hercules, a rare insect that Dom insists is real. Henri is not the only one interested in the rare beast. Someone else is looking for Goliathus and this is someone who  has evil intentions--both for the beast and the boy. Henri's quest will take him to foreign lands as he searches for Goliathus and any news about his father's whereabouts. The more Henri communicates with insects, the stranger he begins to feel.

Readers are in for a real treat. In Search of Goliathus Hercules is that rare book where a boy (or girl) can talk to animals (Charlotte's Web, Gregor the Overlander) and travel  on a long quest or journey (Gregor the Overlander, The Oracle of Delphi Keep). The ending of this novel will delight, excite and amaze. Beautiful illustrations of insects are done by the author and they are simply brilliant!

Highly, highly recommended grade 4-up.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.

This review has been posted in compliance with the FTC requirements set forth in the Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (available at ftc.gov/os/2009/10/091005revisedendorsementguides.pdf)

Guest Review: High School Pick: Thou Shalt Not Road Trip

Thou Shalt Not Road Trip
by Anthony John
Dial Books
April 2012
329 pages

Read an excerpt here


Blogger's Note: This review is courtesy of Leslie Rush, my BFF in writing and publishing and all things ya novels. Leslie is a high school teacher and avid reader of ya novels. Enjoy her review, Pamela

Luke Dorsey’s Bible class assignment has gone viral in the publishing world. What started out as a joyful collection of parables for the younger children in his church has become a best-selling book called Hallelujah, and now 16-year-old Luke is scheduled for a whirlwind book tour.

The parables are witty and relevant :

"For there were two brothers. And yea, one was shorter than the other, and weaker. And though he bestowed upon his big brother gifts of kindness and thoughtfulness and love, yet did the taller boy mock him, lamenting, “Why art thou so short? Art thou a leprechaun?” However, Luke worries that the editing and packaging of his thoughts have turned his spiritual chronicle into a commodity he barely recognizes.

After a dazed TV appearance with his pastor, Luke flies to Los Angeles, where he and his brother Matt will rent a car and follow historic Route 66 east to all of Luke’s book signings, until he reaches his home in St. Louis. The first hint that something has gone amiss is when Matt’s girlfriend Alex, and Alex’s sister Fran show up for the road trip. Luke and Fran have a history. They were once best buddies, sharing church and school activities for several years, and Luke has had a raging crush on Fran the whole time.

But something has happened to Fran in the past year---she used to be a peaches-and-cream blond, wearing floaty dresses and soft sweaters--and now she has gone Goth/punk, with purple hair, multiple ear piercings and weird tattoos all over her arms. It’s not just her looks that have changed. Fran seems cynical and defiant; self-destructive behavior is her new normal. Luke can barely stand to see her like this and worries that the road trip will be a nightmare.

In a bright yellow Hummer, armed with Luke’s publicist’s credit card, the foursome sets out on their odyssey across the desert Southwest. Matt’s plan to add some sight-seeing hikes into the schedule makes Luke late to almost every book signing, and the tension between Luke and Fran does not seem to be getting better. Along with the natural wonders along the way, a parade of fans, well-wishers and paparazzi greet Luke at every signing, including the mysterious, beautiful Theresa who shows up at all of them, looking different every time.

Luke‘s feeling of being disconnected from his own book grows stronger at every stop, yet at the same time he seems to be close to solving the riddle of Fran’s complete personality change. A series of embarrassing missteps and misunderstandings seem to put everything he believes in out of reach, and Luke must figure out how to redeem himself and reclaim his life.

Thou Shalt Not Road Trip is witty and authentic in its teen dialogue. There are mild sexual situations, some underage drinking from Fran, and some brief profanity (damn and hell).

Christian students will appreciate the crisis of faith, and Luke’s search for his own identity will resonate with all readers.

Very enjoyable, recommended for ages 12 and up.

FTC required disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. Neither Leslie nor I received monetary compensation for this review.