Shorter Musings: Realistic MG

Here are some musings on some recent realistic MG reads.

Look Both Ways by Jason Reynolds
This is an excellent MG book to give students who love realistic stories of friendship, family, and school. It is also a good selection for those who have more trouble concentrating on long form novels. The stories in here are all interconnected because the characters featured all go to the same school. However, each is its own separate story with a different characters. Each plot focuses on the walk home from school but in different ways.

My Life as an Ice Cream Sandwich by Ibi Zoboi
This is an interesting story about family troubles, friend troubles, and finding your place in community. It is quintessentially middle grade. It is a good book to have on hand for voracious readers of this story type. It takes place in the mid 1980s and is about an African American girl whose grandfather was one of the first African American NASA engineers. From him she has inherited a love for science-fiction and fantasy. Over a summer, she must learn to live without him as she visits her father in Harlem. The narration of this is tricky for several reasons. It is first person, and therefore extremely limited to the things the main character knows and her view of them. As a result, I spent the majority of the book wanting to throttle all of the adults. This hampered my personal enjoyment of it. I will also add I don't know that the mentions of the Challenger crew will be that impactful on today's current generation of middle schoolers.

The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnston
I thoroughly enjoyed the historical parts of this novel. The characters from the past were interesting, and the events that made up their lives in this small SC town are what kept me reading. The contemporary part felt like it was trying to do a little too much. There were so many story lines and threads happening that it took way too long for the actual mystery part to get going. When you are constantly referencing [book:The Westing Game|902], the greatest children's puzzle novel of all time, and you're trying to say your book is also a puzzle book, you better deliver on the mystery/puzzle element. This didn't do that for me. It wasn't all that twisty. The majority of what the reader discovers  is through the flashbacks. Half of that stuff Candice and Brandon never even know. The historical parts are what kept me interested and reading, not the puzzle. (Siobhan Washington is my hero, and I would like a book all about her please.)

Some Places More than Others by Renée Watson
This is an excellent story of family and friendship for modern MG readers. Nothing earth-shattering or tragic happens. It is a story about girl trying to figure out her history and family's past. She has loving parents and a great home, but like every human ever, she is searching for her place in it all and trying to discover her identity independent of them and also how she fits with them. Renée Watson does an excellent job of developing character and place as she always does.

The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Karina Yan Glaser
This is cute and "wholesome" in a nostalgic way that is like someone tried to move E. Nesbit into the 21st century. It is sugary sweet and predictable. It a was a little too sweet for me personally. The kids are pretty near perfect. As a result, I was fairly bored through most of the book. It was easy for me to put down and completely forget about. I'm not inspired to read the rest of the series. It is perfect for having on hand to recommend to any who want those fluffy, life-is-conquered-through-positivity type of books. I can see it being perfect for younger MG readers who are new to novel size books.