CHUNKY by Yehudi Mercado

 

Yehudi "Hudi" Mercado shares stories from his younger years in hopes that readers will "find their chunky. " Growing up in Texas as a Mexican Jewish kid definitely provided some challenges. The story begins when his parents began nagging him about his weight, claiming that lung surgery when he was only six years old required that he work toward a healthier body. Hudi tells the tales of his less than successful athletic pursuits resulting in reaffirming his love of art. Fortunately, for readers that art talent fills this graphic novel with colorful versions of Hudi's escapades.

Baseball, soccer, swimming, tennis, and finally football prove to be mostly beyond Hudi's skill level. With the help of Chunky, his imaginary cheerleader, Hudi manages to survive with only a few trips to the hospital and numerous frustrated teammates and coaches.

Hudi faces other challenges as his family deals with financial issues and his father's layoff and work requiring travel across the country. All the while Hudi maintains his sense of humor, although his jokes aren't everyone's cup of tea. 

Readers will enjoy Hudi's love of Saturday Night Live, his crazy art, and his never-ending determination to find his place in life.

JUST LIKE THAT by Gary D. Schmidt

 

Meryl Lee and Matt form an unlikely friendship at a boarding school in Maine. Meryl Lee hopes to get a fresh start at the school. Making friends is not one of her strengths, but with her parents' encouragement she hopes to fit in at St. Elene's and at the same time move on after the sudden death of her best friend Holling.

Matt has been on his own for longer than he wants to remember. On the city streets he used his wits and questionable talents he learned from an unsavory character by the name of Leonidas Shug. When Matt parted ways with his "boss" he took a pillowcase filled with cash so now he is on the run. St. Elene's might also be the answer to Matt's problems.

Set in the late 1960s, the Vietnam War fills the backdrop of the story as Meryl Lee and Matt reveal their stories. With the help of a lobster fisherman and the sympathetic headmistress of St. Elene's, the two confused young people may just find the hope and direction they both crave.

Author Gary D. Schmidt is known for THE WEDNESDAY WARS and ORBITING JUPITER. His storytelling includes graceful elements and quick turns of phase that make reading a pure joy.  

REZ DOGS by Joseph Bruchac

 

As the Covid-19 pandemic stretched on, I was interested when TV commercials and programs began showing evidence of the times as characters began wearing masks and mentions were made of social distancing and other of the many changes in our world. REZ DOGS by Joseph Bruchac is the first book I've read where the pandemic is front and center. I'm hoping there will be more.

Malian is visiting her grandparents on the Wabanaki reservation when travel is suspended. Her parents are back in Boston, and she must stay where she is. They are able to stay isolated and safe which is especially important since Covid-19 is proving to be a devastating illness for Indigenous people. 

Malian deals with the challenges of missing her parents, trying to stay connected online with her school despite the intermittent Internet connections on the reservation, and helping her grandparents as much as she can. Some positives of her experience include befriending a rez dog she calls Malsum and listening to stories of her ancestry as told by her grandmother and grandfather. 

Author Joseph Bruchac, well-known for his book CODE TALKER, takes readers along for the journey as Malian learns about some of the painful memories of her people's past as well as stories of their beliefs. REZ DOGS is written in verse and is a must have for middle school and high school collections.

I WISH YOU ALL THE BEST by Mason Deaver

 

Author Mason Deaver indicates in his author's note he wrote I WISH YOU ALL THE BEST because it was the book he needed when he was younger. Readers can now have the book they need to be recognized as humans of value no matter how they think of themselves. Deaver's words will help countless youth looking for a special story with characters who learn to speak their truth.

Ben used to think he was gay, but reading online blogs and "meeting" others who felt the same, Ben realizes they are nonbinary. Briefly, this means they don't identify in a binary male vs female sense. Ben's descriptive pronouns are they and them. After this realization, it seems obvious that Ben should reveal this to their parents. 

The result of saying those three words, "I am nonbinary," ends with Ben's parents kicking them out. With only one semester of senior year left, Ben calls their sister Hannah. She left home ten years ago and they haven't spoken since.

Fortunately, Hannah and her husband Thomas come to the rescue. They invite Ben to live with them and help them enroll in the school where Thomas teaches so they can finish senior year and graduate. Reuniting with Hannah isn't easy. She's helpful, but since she hasn't truly come to terms with leaving home years earlier which left Ben to deal with their parents alone, she has her own ghosts to deal with.

A bright spot in Ben's new life is meeting Nathan Allan. He is the perfect person to be chosen to guide Ben around their new school. Although, Ben finds it difficult while hiding his true identity, a fast friendship develops between the two. 

Readers will follow Ben's story as they become reacquainted with their sister, start seeing a therapist, and deal with parents trying to get them to return home. It's not easy, but with the right support, coming to terms with a difficult situation may be more possible than Ben first realized.

ALL ABOUT HORSES: A Kid's Guide to Breeds, Care, Riding, and More! by Kelly Milner Halls

 

If there's a horse-loving kid in your life, check out this soon-to-be-released book about the gentle giants. ALL ABOUT HORSES introduces elementary readers to all sorts of horsey facts. 

Who knew there are hotbloods, coldbloods, and warmbloods in the world of horses? Author Kelly Milner Halls explains the history of horses and breeding in her clear, easy to understand text. Also, included are facts about their behavior and appearance. Added illustrations by Jessie Willow Tucker make recognizing various breeds, sizes, and colors fun.

 

Readers will find chapters on care and riding that offer valuable tips and will convince eager readers that there's a lot to the upkeep of these large creatures. Halls does an excellent job of reminding readers that even if they love horses, keeping them is a huge responsibility.

Scattered throughout the text are random facts about famous real and fictional horses. Fun jokes and quizzes round out the reading as additional entertainment. A glossary and other resources for further reading are also included.

Thank you to Callisto Publishers for the review copy.

HALFWAY TO HARMONY by Barbara O'Connor

 

Author Barbara O'Connor hits it out of the park once again. HALFWAY TO HARMONY is full of humor, adventure, and downright fun.

Walter and Posey become a problem solving duo as they try to help an odd man named Banjo on what he describes as his "bodacious adventure." Walter misses his older brother Tank who was killed in action after enlisting in the army. Posey, addicted to facts and finding fun for the summer, takes Walter under her wing promising to teach him the rules for making new friends.

When a strange man shows up with a broken truck and a story about the colorful hot air balloon that needs rescuing, Posey and Walter decide to lend a hand. According to the man nicknamed Banjo, he needs to fix his truck and find his balloon before an event called the Macon County Key Grab. Banjo's great dream is to fly his balloon and successfully grab the key to a brand new pickup truck from the top of the goal post at the nearby high school.

There are many problems to solve before Banjo can reach his dream. Walter and Posey agree to help, but it will mean breaking some rules and daring some dangerous situations. Readers will be rooting for the duo and holding their breath as the fast-paced action of HALFWAY TO HARMONY begins to roll.

REVOLUTION: The Sixties Trilogy #2 by Deborah Wiles

 

REVOLUTION by Deborah Wiles may be part of a documentary novel trilogy focused on the 1960's, but it's like reading about 2021. The Freedom Riders are swinging through Southern communities speaking about Civil Rights and helping folks register to vote. Throughout the story of Sunny and her family, Wiles includes posters, speeches, quotes, and more that detail the unrest of the Civil Rights era.

People say Sunny's small town of Greenwood, Mississippi, has been invaded. The invasion is people both black and white and young and old who have come as part of a drive to register more black people to vote. They come from all walks of life, but many are college students spending their summer in the South to work for the cause.

Sunny must adjust to all these newcomers as well as the new family she inherited when her father remarried. She has a new brother and a new little sister. They seem ok, but she isn't used to sharing her father and her home with anyone since her mother left years ago.

Summer adventure for Sunny begins when she and her step-brother sneak into the local swimming pool one night. It turns out they aren't the only ones with that idea. Sunny brushes up against a black boy looking for the same adventure. With all the upheaval in town, Sunny isn't sure how her father will respond if she tells him the truth about their unapproved late night swim. Because of the tension of the times, Sunny's summer is not going to be a peaceful one.