lgbtqia+

Almost Flying

/ Kathie MacIsaac / 1 Comment

Author: Jake Maia Arlow

Publisher: Dial Books

Release Date: June 8/21

Reviewer: Kathie

Thank you to Edelweiss+ and the publisher for an eARC of this book.

Here’s a story that will be an asset to any middle grade collection. I loved so many aspects of it, including family drama, a first crush, a week-long road trip with reluctant participants, and so many fun and cool things to learn about roller coasters.

Dalia is horrified when he learns that her dad has a girlfriend, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. She discovers that his new girlfriend has daughter, Alexa, whom she’s forced to meet before she returns to college in the fall. Then it slips that Dalia’s dad is actually engaged to Alexa’s mom, and the girls are pushed into spending some quality time together before they become a family. When Alexa reluctantly agrees to take Dalia on the road trip she planned with her friend, Dhruv, to visit some amusement parks, Dalia convinces her dad to let her invite her new swim friend, Rani, to join them. Dalia is so pumped to ride her first ever roller coaster, but Alexa makes it clear she’s not excited to have her along. As the week progresses, Dalia starts to realize that her feelings for Rani are different than those she has for her best friend, Abby. She also learns that Alexa’s girlfriend, Sara, is joining them for part of their adventure, and Dalia starts to wonder how many secrets this road trip can handle before things start to fall apart.

What I loved most about this story is the way that Dahlia’s first crush slowly develops over the course of the week, and the wide range of emotions that she experiences. I love that she has older teens that are there to support her and model queer relationships for her, yet who also make mistakes in how they handle her secret. There are many different relationships at play in the story that connect and influence each other, and I appreciated the wide range of perspectives.

I also really loved how much fun this story was! I laughed at loud as the author described the build up to Dalia’s first roller coaster ride, and the group has many moments of truly enjoying the adrenaline and food in the amusement parks. I love a book that centers around a road trip, and so much bonding happened over the course of this trip that wouldn’t have been possible without an opportunity to be together without adults for a period of time.

I will definitely be adding this book to my collection when it’s released in June.

Recommended: Gr. 5-8

Thanks A Lot, Universe

/ Kathie MacIsaac / 2 Comments

Author: Chad Lucas

Publisher: Amulet Books

Release Date: May 11/21

Reviewer: Kathie

Thanks to Edelweiss+ and the publisher for an eARC of this book

This author’s voice is one that is desperately needed in Canadian middle grade literature. There are so few books that deals with so many important topics, many from an ownvoices perspective, available for young readers by a Canadian author. But this story is one that middle graders will enjoy regardless of where they live, because the author just gets it. He gets that readers need to see male relationships that aren’t full of toxic masculinity. He gets that those exploring their sexuality need to see support from their friends. He gets that biracial and Black kids need to see someone stand up to the joking comments about race. He gets that older male teens need to be seen as wonderful role models and understanding about mental health issues. He gets all of this, and so much more, and he writes those truths into this story.

This book is told from the dual perspectives of Brian and Ezra. Brian’s home life becomes unstable when his dad takes off to avoid being arrested, and his mom overdoses on medication and is hospitalized. Without other family around, Brian and his brother, Richie, are put into the foster system, which is challenging for someone like Brian who has issues with social anxiety. Ezra is a basketball team-mate of Brian’s, a boy whose friendships are starting to change, and who is changing himself as he gets to know Brian and realizes he has feelings for him. As the boys start to trust each other with their stories and their vulnerabilities, their friendship becomes something dependable even as the world around them is in flux.

What I loved most about this story is the wide range of male representation; this is not a story where the characters play stereotypical male roles. Gabe, the older teen, is perhaps my favorite character because of how sensitively and supportively he supported Brian during his panic attacks. Brian is handling the responsibility for his younger brother, the absence of his parents, living with foster parents, social anxiety, and is barely juggling it all. Ezra is struggling with his feelings for Brian and coming out to his friends, as well as his changing friendship with his best buddy. The cast of supporting friends provide even more male perspectives with different levels of popularity, cultures, and responses to events. It’s been a long time since I read a story that so sensitively and honestly looked at male friendships from so many viewpoints.

Although there is a lot going on in this story, I didn’t feel overwhelmed by the number of different topics it addressed. I could put this book into the hands of many readers, for many different reasons, but I recently heard some excellent advice that said simply hand a book you love to a young reader and say “I loved this book, maybe you will, too”, and let their take their own meaning from the story.

Recommended: Gr. 5-7

The Fabulous Zed Watson

/ Kathie MacIsaac / Leave a comment

Authors: Basil Sylvester and Kevin Sylvester

Publisher: HarperCollins

Release Date: January 26/21

Reviewer: Kathie

Thank you to the authors for sending me an ARC of this book to review.

This was my most anticipated read of 2021, and it exceeded my expectations. I first heard about it last year at NerdCampMI, when Kevin shared that he was writing a middle grade fiction book with his child, Basil. It was the same time that I learned Kevin’s picture book, Gargantua Jr., had a lot more depth than I realized because the main character’s gender was never discussed yet I had attributed one to them without realizing it. I was eager to read The Fabulous Zed Watson and see the world through the eyes of a nonbinary tween, not only for the perspective, but with the hope of expanding my own knowledge about the idea of gender. I was pleasantly surprised that the story did that, and also treated me to a funny, entertaining, and uplifting mystery about a road trip quest to discover the whereabouts of a long lost book.

Zed is part of an online fandom for The Monster’s Castle, a manuscript written by H.K. Taylor that was buried several years ago by the author when he was told the world was not ready for his book’s storylines. Zed and the other fandom members are left to try and crack the code of the poem left behind, unsure if the manuscript even truly exists, but full of hope that it’s waiting to be found. When a discussion leads to a breakthrough, Zed desperately wants to take a road trip to follow the clues and look for it. They team up with their neighbor, Gabe, and his sister, Sam, on her return trip to college to head off on their quest. Although the trip is far from easy with three very different personalities in a small space, the trio not only learn to accept each other’s idiosyncrasies but have a lot of fun (and SO much ice cream!) along the way. They discover they are on the right track, and have interesting experiences at each of their stops as they start to put together clues to the location of their final destination. But they discover they are not the only ones searching for the manuscript, and it becomes a race to see who can find the book first.

My favorite thing about this story was how positive and fun it was to read. I was expecting an “issues” book which often come across as heavy and serious, but this was a joy-filled adventure that still communicated who Zed is and what they experience. Zed has a big personality but Gabe accepts them and tries to understand them rather than judging them. Gabe struggles with having interests that aren’t accepted by everyone around him, but Zed provides support and respect for his interests. It’s a story about friendship, but also about identity and acceptance.

There are so few ownvoices middle grade stories with nonbinary characters, so I sincerely hope this book will make its way into as many classrooms, libraries, and homes as possible. Although this is Basil’s debut, Kevin has a wide range of books for kids all ages. My personal favorite is the science fiction MiNRS series, but his latest is a humorous chapter book series called Hockey Super Six about a team of hockey players with special powers. Both The Puck Drops Here and On Thin Ice are available now in Canada from Scholastic.

Recommended: Gr. 4-7

From The Roots Up

/ Kathie MacIsaac / 2 Comments

Author: Tasha Spillett

Illustrator: Natasha Donovan

Publisher: Highwater Press

Release: October 27/20

Reviewer: Kathie

Thank you to the publisher for an eARC of this book.

I was very excited to get a chance to read this YA graphic novel sequel to Surviving The City. The series is set in Winnipeg, and it’s an important book for readers not only for its insightful and honest depiction of what many Indigenous youth face, but for greater empathy and understanding about the Two-Spirit person experience.

In this story, Dez is living in a group home after the death of her kokum. She and Miikwan are still best friends, but they’re both exploring relationships with other people. Dez is discovering that she is a Two-Spirit person, but she isn’t sure how to tell Miikwan. Miikwan is attracted to a new boy at school named Riel, and invites him to take part in an after school program for Neechi students. When Dez wants to take part in the drumming that is traditionally a male-only activity, the Elders are faced with addressing change and expanding their understanding of the gender roles with which they were raised. Riel’s Auntie Alex, who is a Two-Spirit person, attends one of the group’s meetings and talks about their experience, and the fact that many nations have had individuals who have different genders or sexualities, but that it’s a part of their cultures that were also taken from them. As Dez begins to connect to a new identity, each person in the story is affected by it.

I think this story is so important because I have never read a story for young people that addresses Two Spirit people, and how they can feel like they belong just as they are. Not only does the author teach the reader, but she does so in a way that’s relatable and respectful of teens and their relationships. I loved the older and supportive female characters such as the group mom, Karen, and Elder Linda, who help Dez and accepted her period of self exploration. The illustrations in this book are gorgeous, and add so much depth to the story.

This book is an essential addition to classroom and libraries not only in Manitoba, but also across Canada and the US. Please make sure you also have the first book in the series, Surviving the City.