When Bob Met Woody: The Story of the Young Bob Dylan

Golio, G. (2011). When Bob met Woody: The story of the young Woody Guthrie. Illus. by M. Burkhardt. New York: Little, Brown. Folk singer Bob Dylan grew up as Bobby Zimmerman, the son of Jewish parents who dreamed of their son becoming an engineer. Instead, he was drawn to music and songwriting. This partial picture book biography examines the social and musical influences that created Bob Dylan--even explaining how his fondness for the poems of Dylan Thomas led to his name change. Despite his somewhat privileged upbringing, the future Dylan, who would go on to write some of the most famous protest songs of the 1960s, related to the stories about humble folks struggling to make a living. Woody Guthrie used his own musical talents to bring attention to those particular struggles. Perhaps they resonated so powerfully with Dylan because he often felt as though he were an outsider even in his hometown. Although brief information is provided about Dylan's early years, the focus of this book is his meeting with an ailing Guthrie who would provide inspiration for Dylan's future work. The author does not stint on Dylan's more questionable qualities such as his tendency to embellish his background so he seemed to have grown up working class and poor when nothing could be further from the truth. This is another strong effort from the author of last year's Jimi: Sounds Like a Rainbow: A Story of the Young Jimi Hendrix.  This one needs to be read while listening to music from Dylan and from Guthrie in order to establish the proper mood. While the story is told in simple engaging fashion, a treat for the ear and heart, the acrylic and oil illustrations offer another treat: a folksy artwork for readers' eyes.

Fake Me a Match

Barnholdt, L. (2011). Fake me a match. New York: Aladdin/Simon & Schuster. Seventh grader Avery is in the middle of adjusting her life to accommodate her mother's impending marriage and the addition of a stepsister to the family. She is hopeful that Blake will turn out to be a BFF since she's just been dumped by her former best friend Sophie Burns. But her adjustment will require quite a bit of patience since Blake is accustomed to having things her way right now. Avery is also busy with the school charity project which involves a matchmaking service, and she decides to match up Blake with Sam, a neighborhood boy who Blake has a crush on. Somehow, things don't work out the way she expects, and she and Sam are matched. When they realize that they actually like each other, Avery must figure a way to keep both Blake and Sam happy.

Favorite Line:
"Will is obviously kind of clueless when it comes to middle school politics, otherwise he woudl have taken one look at Sophie's manicured nails and curled hiar and Michael Kors jeans and he would have known that she was not the type of friend that becomes your BFF" (p. 91).

The Visconti House

Edgar, Elsbeth. (2011). The Visconti house. Somerville, MA: Candlewick.  Middle grader Laura Horton and her family move from their home in Melbourne into a somewhat ramshackle and shabby house that some would consider to be a mansion. Laura's family is a bit eccentric with her mother cluttering the house with all of her various art projects, a penchant for the dramatic, and the collection of decidedly different albeit interesting friends. Laura herself has trouble fitting in at school as does Leon, another student new to the school. Laura is the butt of teasing because of her love for writing--she is constantly working on a story about dragons, even in school--while Leon is regarded as fragile compared to many of the other students. Somewhat to her chagrin, Leon and Laura become friends, growing closer as they try to uncover the house's secrets. Rumor has it that the original owner built this house for the woman he lived, but there is some tragedy surrounding that story.

As the two solve the mystery behind the story of the Visconti house, Laura is offered entree into the popular group of girls at school, but in order to claim her place, she initially rejects Leon's invitation to attend the school dance together. Does fitting in mean that Laura must give up the parts of her that are unique as well as shunning someone with whom she has so much in common? This story for middle graders makes it clear how high the price for fitting in may be.

Mission (Un)Popular

Humphrey, A. (2011). Mission (Un)popular. New York: Disney/Hyperion. It's the start of seventh grade for Margot Button and her best friend Erika, and they're all set to choose the perfect outfits for the first day. Maybe this will be the year she will finally catch the eye of Gorgeous George, the guy she's had her eye on for years. But Erika's mother decides to move her to a parochial school in order to remove her from the more unsavory elements in public school. Although the girls vow to keep their friendship alive, through a series of miscommunications, things fall apart. In addition to having lost her best friend, Margot has a lot on her mind: Her eyebrows need plucking, her triplet siblings need minding, and her new stepfather needs ignoring. She feels lost at school without Erika and is relieved when Em, a transfer student from New York, befriends her. Em is outspoken and daring and gives the school Mean Girl, Sarah, a run for her money. Naturally, Sarah strikes back, and the war is on. As Em's campaign against Sarah escalates, Margot finds herself becoming increasingly popular with her classmates--but at what price? As she moves further from the person she once was and the friends she once had, Margot hardly recognizes herself. Once Margot realizes that Em has some dark secrets in her past and has no problem with stretching the truth, she also wonders how much she can really trust her new friend.

Middle grade readers will enjoy the humor and realism in this book while realizing how quickly things can go wrong when the truth is stretched even a tiny bit. The characters have some complexity, and even the antagonist has her own motivation for behaving as she does. While there is much to admire about Em, there is also much to disparage, and readers may find themselves thinking about the many reasons for certain kinds of human behavior and realizing that bullying comes in many different forms.

Favorite Lines: "It's weird, isn't it, how other people's photos are boring...but you can look at a photo from your own life for ages" (p. 375).

"He flipped his hair, and suddenly I could see it. Em hadn't been that far off when she's said he was like a Surfer Ken doll. Gorgeous George was always cool, always well dressed, and he was incredibly hot. But he was also kind of empty, and a little bit plastic. Like another accessory in Barbie's closet" (p. 380).

Greek Myths

Turnbull, A. (2011). Greek myths. Illus. by S. Young. Candlewick. I've always loved reading myths and dreaming of the mortals and immortals that populated these myths.

The Grand Plan to Fix Everything

Krishnaswami, U. (2011). The grand plan to fix everything. New York: Atheneum. Eleven-year-old Dini and her best friend Maddie love everything about Bollywood especially the beautiful, daring, and always optimistic star Dolly Singh. When her mother moves the family to Swapnagiri, a small town in India, for two years, Dini is dismayed and not exactly excited to leave everything familiar behind. The only thing that might make the move palatable is that Dolly lives and works in India too, and Dini thinks she just might meet her idol.

Hatch!

Munro, R. (2011). Hatch! Tarrytown, NY: Marshall Cavendish Children. Upon discovering a nest, who hasn't been intrigued about what lies inside the eggs in that nest? This clever picture book provides some answers in an interactive fashion. The author/illustrator devotes two two-page spreads to each winged creature. The first spread asks readers to guess what kind of eggs these are and then on the facing page offers interesting clues and odd facts about the bird. The facts are contained in a colored shape precisely the shape of the egg or clutch of eggs on the facing page. When the page is turned, two brightly colored pages reveal the answer to whose eggs these are and offer even more interesting facts about the bird. Particularly appealing is Munro's refusal to paint the birds in isolation. Instead, she depicts them in their familiar natural habitat and shows other species that can be found in the same area, reminding readers of the interconnectedness of life. Thus, a mallard duck family is shown coexisting with a great blue heron, an alligator, an osprey, and a frog. Although readers are likely to be familiar with most of the nine birds she features, they certainly will not be familiar with the facts she provides or the particular characteristics of the eggs. The use of India ink and colored ink for the illustrations as well as plenty of space around the eggs allows the eye to be drawn to each unique egg, none of which is exactly alike. The back matter offers places to find more information as well as interesting bird-related vocabulary. Knowing how the author chose the particular birds for this text would have made it even better. This book would be a nice addition to a collection containing the impressive An Egg Is Quiet by Dianna Hutts Aston and Sylvia Long.

Page by Paige

Gulledge, L. L. (2011). Page by Paige. New York: Abrams. Moving to a new place isn't easy--especially when you're in your late teens, and the move is from Virginia to New York. While the move offers Paige a chance to recreate herself, it also leaves her unsure about who she is or where she fits in since everything around her is unfamiliar. The notebook is one of the few things that are familiar to her, and she relies on it to keep her company as she learns about her new home. In this graphic novel, the teen explores her identity through the notebook she maintains. She uses it to record her concerns and observations on the world around her. As she grows more confident in her own artistic and written abilities and makes new friends, she takes risks, some of which surprise her family and even Paige herself. As she becomes more like the person she creates in her notebook, she encounters some resistance on the part of her family. Watching Paige bloom and embrace her creativity is a delightful, eye-opening experience that is certain to inspire young artists hesitant to push the boundaries. Gulledge's highly original art will surely provoke responses and conversations.

Boyfriends with Girlfriends

Sanchez, A. (2011). Boyfriends with girlfriends. New York: Simon & Schuster. When Lance and Sergio decide to take their budding online relationship public, sparks fly between the two of them. But the two teens must negotiate the fact that Sergio is bisexual, which, to Lance, means he just hasn't come out as gay yet, and to Sergio, means he feels attracted to guys and girls. Their female friends, Allie and Kimiko, also feel an attraction--to each other despite the fact that Allie has a long-time boyfriend, and Kimiko has never been in a love relationship. As the four likeable characters do their own versions of the mating dance, coming closer, moving apart, coming closer, all of them learn a great deal about love and sex. There are moments of insecurity and doubt and problems with parents' inability to accept the chosen paths of their offspring. Moments of jealousy give rise to moments of passion, and secondary characters weave in and out of the narrative. As is usually the case with characters in books by Sanchez, these seem familiar and real, speaking and behaving in ways that will remind many readers of themselves, their friends, and the heady moments associated with taking risks in matters of the heart.

Favorite Line: "This was their first time alone together, and the energy between them felt almost strong enough to power the car" (p. 60).

Small as an Elephant

Jacobson, J. R. (2011). Small as an elephant. Somerville, MA: Candlewick. Much as Jack loves his mother, he also knows that she can be quite unpredictable. Still, he would never have dreamed that their vacation would end with her missing and him alone in a campsite in Maine far from their Boston home. He waits, hoping she will return with the car and take them home, but when she fails to turn up, and he is running out of food and options, he decides to get home on his own. Jack's predicament is made even more challenging because he cannot turn to the authorities for help since he knows they will consider her to be an unfit mother and remove him from her care. As Jack tries to dodge most suspicious adults, he must fend for himself and find a way back home, a path that leads him to spend the night in a mall store, and to a brief encounter in a bank vault.

Pick-Up Game: A Full Day of Full Court

Aronson, M., & Smith, Jr., C. R. (2011). Pick-up game: A full day of full court. Somerville, MA: Candlewick. Nine authors and a poet turn their creative energies to the game of basketball, showing in their offerings the different ways the ball bounces. Each story connects to the next story in some way, allowing different characters to come to the forefront in one story while fading back to the background in the next. It's all great fun, and sure to pull in reluctant readers and basketball fans as well. The feminine perspective is offered by Sharon G. Flake and Rita Williams-Garcia as Flake looks at basketball from the point of view of a spectator, and Williams sends into the game a character from her earlier book, Jumped.

Blink & Caution

Wynne-Jones, T. (2011). Blink & Caution. Somerville, MA: Candlewick. This book starts off fast, and the pace really never lets up. Two teens living by their wits and by sheer determination in the seedier environs of Toronto find their paths eventually crossing in the most unlikely ways. Both of them are carrying stories that are sure to tug at the reader's heartstrings. Blink has devised a unique way of keeping himself fed. He dons the attire befitting a prep school boy, and enters the town's hotels where he eats from the room service leftovers in the halls. Caution herself is a girl on the run from her past, and her present circumstances guarantee that her future will be pretty dismal as well. Blink inadvertently stumbles into a fake kidnapping, and decides that he could insure his financial future with a little blackmailing. Having no one but each other to trust, the two embark on a journey that takes them to even darker places than they have been before, but it also offers a glimmer of hope. The writing in this one is memorable as are the plot's intricate twists and turns.

Original Sin

Desrochers, L. (2011). Original sin. New York: TOR. What's a girl to do when she has helped tame a demon and made him into a mortal who is in love with her? Sounds too good to be true, and it is since Frannie Cavanaugh--heroine of the first Personal Demons book--also finds herself attracted to both Luc and Gabriel. When Gabriel leaves her under the protection of her guardian angel, her brother Matt, she faces a horde of demons intent on punishing Luc for leaving Hell.

Everything I Was

Demas, C. (2011). Everything I was. New York: Carolrhoda Books. Images and possessions play a big part in the life of thirteen-year-old Irene. They're even more important to her mother. When the economic downturn causes her father to lose his job, they must leave their New York City apartment to live with her paternal grandfather.

Birds of a Feather

 Yolen, J. (2011). Birds of a feather. Photos by J. Stemple. Here they go again, that talented mother and son team--helping us see nature from different perspectives. Fourteen poems focus on those feathered friends of ours with peons to the magestic eagle, the "sweet little puffball" (p. 9) of a chickadee, the eye-catching "blue Mohawk" (p. 10) of the kingfisher, and the oystercatchers who, "unafraid,/ Continue on their stiff parade" (p. 21). The varied types of poems include haiku, and brief notes about each bird species. The photographs abound with vibrant colors, prompting readers to marvel on their beauty and the impossibility of their flight.

Words in the Dust

Reedy, T. (2011). Words in the dust. New York: Arthur A. Levine. Life in Afghanistan isn't very easy for thirteen-year-old Zulaikha. Born with a cleft palate which she constantly tries to cover with her scarf, the other youngsters tease her constantly, comparing her face to that of a burro. Her home life isn't all that much better since the deformity makes it hard for her to eat without making a mess.  In Cinderella fashion, she spends her days running errands and doing household chores for her father's new wife. When she has a free moment, she and her older sister Zeynab dream of their future lives when both of them will have husbands and they can raise their own children together. Additionally, Zulaikha misses her mother who was killed by the Taliban because she was educated and read books. Her family is tradtional, and in some respects, she is trapped by its confines as well as by her own fears. One day, as she races through the streets to avoid yet another round of bullying, she encounters a woman willing to teach her how to read and write and how to understand poetry. She also comes to the attention of the American soldiers stationed in the area. Eventually, they arrange for her to be flown to a hospital where a simple surgery corrects her deformity. Hope blossoms in Zulaikha's heart, and she dares to dream of more than her simple day to day existence serving others. When the possibility of higher education is broached initially, her father will have none of it. It takes a family tragedy to change his mind so that the possibilities the world has to offer open up to this sweet-natured but determined young woman.

Fetching

Stewart, K. (2011). Fetching. New York: Disney/Hyperion. Eighth grader Olivia has put up with more than her fair share of teasing from Queen Bee Brynne Shawnson. The popular girl and her followers play various pranks on Olivia, even barking like dogs when she climbs on the bus. Olivia lives with her grandmother while her father works in another town, and her grandmother is a dog trainer who also shares her home with several canines. It occurs to Olivia that her classmates could easily be categorized as one of the seven standard breeds of dogs, and that possibly the training used on dogs could be used successfully on them. Consequently, Olivia shares her brainstorm with her friends, all members of the extracurricular Bored Game Club, a group that is decidedly not among the top breeds at their school. The challenge is on, and Olivia persuades her friends to reward good behavior with candy, gum, even office supplies. Slowly, the balance of power shifts, and the top dog is no longer the top dog. As Olivia's theory about human behavior is proved true and all her wishes seem to be coming to fruition, guilt plagues her, and she wonders if there is an insecure person hidden deep inside even the most popular students in school. Could she possibly have more things in common with Brynne than she might have imagined? This hilarious story about middle school politics also contains several kernels of wisdom for navigating the well-worn path to popularity.

Favorite Lines: "I wonder how she feels about carrying her own little personal crazy gene. If she worries about it rising up and taking over too--if it's not starting to already. I imagine us old and graying together, in some white-walled institution somewhere, weaving brightly colored pot holders even though neither one of us is allowed near kitchen knives or a hot stove" (p. 210).

"There's something incredibly sad about it all--the sense of desperation under all those snacks laid out on the table, the tiny room--that keeps me from just standing up and walking away. So I grab some M&M's and let her turn up the volume on the TV, and we both watch like we completely understand Spanish. But all I'm understanding is that everything feels broken and I don't know how to piece it back together" (p. 234).

I Am J

Beam, Cris. (2011). I am J. New York: Little, Brown. Seventeen-year-old J (born Jennifer) has always considered himself to be a boy. That posed no real problem until puberty hit, and his body betrayed him, sprouting breasts and body hair in a most decidely feminine fashion. To avoid facing the truth of his physical being, J never looks at his body and covers it up so that he looks as androgynous as possible. Naturally, he prefers to be called J rather than Jennifer. J seems to have a few folks in his corner. His mother and best friend Melissa are supportive although they don't really understand how he feels. But Melissa's betrayal sends him on a desperate spiral that leads to moving out of his home so that he can be himself. The homeless teen searches for a community where he can be himself, finding that in a school where students like him can feel safe and in a support group. As J learns about others like him and the promising possibilities that exist for him, he turns to his photography to express his feelings. J is not one of those verbal characters who spout of philosophical truths; instead, he lets his pictures speak for him.

Human.4

Lancaster, M. A. (2011). Human.4. New York: Egmont. Through a series of cassette tapes, Kyle tells the story of how his world went decidely wrong. While participating in a magic show, Kyle and three others are hypnotized by their friend Danny. But once they awaken, things are not the same. The computer and television set in his house doesn't work although some strange code or language seems to stream across the screens. Something's wrong with his parents too, and Kyle quickly realizes that he is no longer safe in his own home, much less his own town. Over time, he and the others realize that there has been an upgrade of the humans in their town, and they are now obsolete. Apparently, human emotions and some of the very things that make us human have been lost in the upgrade, and the small band must decide what to do. There are all sorts of twists and turns in the story, but it stays with readers long after the last page is turned.

Between Shades of Gray

Sepetys, R. (2011). Between shades of gray. New York: Philomel. The good life becomes quite bleak for fifteen-year-old Lina, her brother Jonas, and their mother after Soviet secret police give them twenty minutes to pack in preparation for leaving their Lithuanian home in 1941. While Adolph Hitler was rounding up Jews across Europe, the minions of Josef Stalin effectively erased Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia from the maps by deporting many of its citizens to labor camps in Siberia. He wanted their land for his own citizens. The author details the family's journey eloquently, providing enough description that readers can feel the nervousness, fear, and anxiety that fill their days as they travel through unfamiliar territory. She also descibes the hunger pangs that assail the stomachs of the prisoners, who travel across Europe in railcars labeled "thieves and prostitutes." As the men, women, and children are transported to their final destination, they watch as others around them sicken and die. If the journey itself was difficult, what faces them in the labor camps is even worse.

As often happens during times of crisis, some rise to the occasion and behave heroically while others become selfish and untrustworthy. The author does not judge those who make choices that others disdain, reminding readers that it is impossible to know how one would behave when faced with difficult choices or the survival of oneself or one's loved ones. She also surprises readers by revealing that even those who might seem the most grasping have hearts filled with at least a drop or two of compassion. Lina's family members are portrayed vividly, and even her missing father lives on in her memories of happier times. Even secondary characters come to life on the book's pages with subtle passages describing the way the camp commander rolls a toothpick across his tongue or the constant scratching and searching for lice, even on the prisoners' eyelashes. Details such as the fact that the Soviet secret police came for Lina's family while she was wearing a nightgown and that her brother's life was bargained in exchange for a pocket watch add poignancy and immediacy to the story. Her use of italicized flashbacks to the times in Lina's life when she dreamed of her first kiss and going to art school are interspersed with Lina's reduced circumstances and motivate her to survive.

Lina is lucky in some respects. A gifted artist inspired by the work of Edward Munch, she draws illustrations on a handkerchief, tree bark, on the ground, and writes to keep a record of the treatment of the prisoners. She vows that their stories, their experiences, and their lives will not be forgotten. She also finds love in an unlikely place, and relies on a talisman for inspiration.

This story of determination and bravery and the will to endure under the harshest of conditions is unforgettable. Although some of the author's family escaped from Lithuania before the deportation, others did not. The story feels very personal and sheds light on another aspect of World War II about which little is known. Although I knew a little bit about the gulags of more modern times, I knew nothing about this particular chapter in history. By juxtaposing unspeakable cruelty against inspiring acts of hope, the author provides clear evidence of the resilience of humans and a memorable heroine in Lina.

Favorite Line: "Mother's absence left a gaping hole, a mouth missing its front tooth. The eternal grayness in camp became a shade darker. Amidst the polar night, our only sun had slipped under a cloud" (p. 330).

Bitter End

Brown, J. (2011). Bitter end. New York: Little, Brown. Seventeen year-old Alex has never had a boyfriend before, and when Cole, the handsome jock who has just transferred to her school, seems attracted to her, she is thrilled although somewhat surprised. Everything about their budding romance seems perfect, and she can't believe that he has chosen her and that he "gets" her. He understands her personality quirks and her poetry. He even understands her need to go to Colorado because her mother was on her way there when she died. Yes, things are almost too good to be true. Now, if only Cole weren't so jealous of her relationship with her two best friends, Bethany and Zack. Still, Alex tells herself that it's normal for a boyfriend to want to keep her to himself. What guy wouldn't be concerned about his girlfriend spending lots of time with another guy? To complicate matters, Bethany and Zack aren't all that enamored with Cole, and Alex starts feeling that she has to choose. Even Georgia, her boss at The Bread Bowl, seems to feel that the couple is moving too fast and becoming close too quickly. The time for playing it safe is over for Alex, and she is determined to take risks with the man in her life. Cole helps her feel protected and loved--and she never wants to lose that feeling of safety that he provides.

Cole's mask of perfection slips, though, as he becomes increasingly fearful of losing the hold he has on Alex. First, it starts with subtle verbal putdowns and looks that are hard to read. Then, inevitably, there are pinches, pushes, and punches. Still, Alex is sure that together they can fix things; certainly, all relationships have rocky points. If she can only figure out what she is doing to trigger his rage, then she can avoid it and defuse the situation. Alex hides the bruises and her fears. She also hides the truth from everyone around her since she knows they wouldn't understand. After all, she simply can't lose Cole, can she? What else does she have going for her? And he is so sorry whenever his temper gets the best of him--even covering her car with roses and promising to get therapy for his anger management issues. For the good moments and the feelings of love they share, Alex hangs on--until she no longer can hang on without giving up more of herself than she can afford.

Alex's difficulties in simply walking away from Cole even while sacrificing parts of herself are described clearly in this important novel by Brown, who wrote the impressive Hate List last year. She makes it clear that often leaving is much harder than staying, and that only the person inside the relationship with an abuser is able to understand what he/she is experiencing. It's impossible to know what you would do in such a situation. Give this title to all the teens in your life.

Favorite Lines: "He stood up, coming around the table and getting so close to me, our noses were practically touching. I could smell the gum on his breath. He stared at me, and whatver thoughts were in his head made his eyes grow darker. The smile had gone and been replaced by a snarl. I didn't think it was possible, but he gripped me even more fiercely. I felt something inside my wrist thump and strain. I sucked in air through my teeth, my knees buckling even further. There was nothing I could do about the tears now, and I blinked them away angrily" (p. 193).

I'll Be There

Sloan, H. G. (2011). I'll be there. New York: Little, Brown. With its origins in the familiar Jackson Five song, this haunting title features several memorable characters whose lives intersect in unexpected ways. There's Sam Border, raised by an abusive and mentally ill father, who longs for more and finds solace in music. He can't leave his father because he could never abandon his younger brother Riddle whose quietness hides a gift for architectural detail. There's also Emily Bell, who believes in destiny and who knows that Sam is special from the first moment their eyes meet while she is singing--badly--in church. There is Bobby Ellis, a detective wannabe who is on the case from the beginning. When Clarence Border, the boys' father, moves them from place to place, they find ways to cope with Sam often going on long walks. On one particular day, he happens by the Unitarian Church and hears Emily singing "I'll Be There." Although he fights the attraction, there are definitely sparks between the two. Emily's family ends up inviting Sam for dinner, each of them falling in love with the boys for different reasons. But things are not meant to be. Clarence discovers the cellphone that Emily has given to Sam so they can stay in touch, and he forces the boys to leave town. They head to the wilds of Utah where he ends up wrecking his truck. The boys are left to fend for themselves, and mischance after mischance leads to their being rescued from a river in which they almost drowned. Through a series of fortunate events, a detective is able to trace Riddle back to Emily's mother. Sam somehow makes his way back to town on Prom Night.

The Great Wall of Lucy Wu






Shang, Wan-Long, W. (2011). The great wall of Lucy Wu. New York: Scholastic. It's sure to be a great sixth grade year for Lucy Wu. After all, she will have freedom, privacy, and a room to herself now that her sister is leaving for college. Plus, she and her best friend Madison are sure to dominate the basketball courts this year. But the best laid plans of sixth graders are sure to go awry--especially when a heretofore unknown great-aunt from China comes for an extended visit and shares Lucy's space. Lucy draws a line down the center of the room to insure that the elderly woman stays on her side of the room. In fact, she even builds a furniture wall so that her message is delivered: This side is mine, and you are not welcome here. Li Po handles all this with great aplomb, simply going about her routine. Lucy meanwhile must deal with her mother's insistence that she attend Chinese language school on the weekends, which unfortunately conflicts with basketball practice. Clearly, Lucy is caught between two cultures. While her friend seems to appreciate Li Po's wonderful cooking more than Lucy does, eventually Lucy comes to realize that her great-aunt actually has much to offer and loves her. A conflict with Sloane, a classmate determined to be in charge of the basketball team for a school competition, gives rise to all sorts of antics since the winner will be determined by the number of cans brought in for the area food bank. In the end Lucy realizes that she has many more supporters than she ever realized, and that perhaps she, herself, has been holding herself back.

Favorite Line:

“I wish there were a way to record flavors the way you can record music, and then you could play it over and over in your mouth” (p. 83).