Patricia Hruby Powell Reviews and Book News

In the spring of 1942 the U.S. government imprisoned 110,000 Japanese and Japanese-Americans who lived on the United States west coast after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. America declared war on Japan, and the fighting that had begun in Europe became World War II. The Japanese living in California were considered a threat to American safety.

“Best Friends Forever: A World War II Scrapbook” (Marshall Cavendish 2010) by Beverly Patt is the story of friends—an American girl of European descent, Louise Krueger, and one of Japanese descent, Dottie Masuoka—who are wrenched apart by this unfortunate event.

Dottie’s family loses their home when they are taken away and forced to live behind barbed wire in a Japanese internment camp. She must leave behind friends, school, and her puppy. Louise takes the puppy who grows into a dog in the ensuing months.

Louise also constructs a scrapbook for Dottie, so she’ll have a keepsake when she comes back—if she comes back. A frayed program for Washington Junior High School’s May Day celebration, drawings of the socks Louise knits for the soldiers as part of the war effort, or the pressed flower from Dottie’s grandfather’s garden go in the scrapbook.

In return, Dottie writes letters describing the experiences living shoulder to shoulder with hundreds of displaced Japanese families. To help her pass the time, old Mrs. Yatsushiro trains Dottie in flower arranging, tea ceremony, while kneeling—all part of traditional Japanese culture.

Louise mentions the new couple who now own the Masuoka’s home. She is not horrified, but the modern reader will be. The Masuokas will have no home, if they return.

Details of the times are woven seamlessly into the story, such as the Kruegers driving 35 mph or “victory speed” (to save gas) when they visit the Masuokas at the camp (Mr. Krueger, a journalist, has been assigned to write about the camps). Louise is shocked to see soldiers pointing guns at them while the two families talk on either side of the fence.

The author uses the name and picture of her own mother (Louise) and that of a friend (for Dottie). It’s surprising how mature they look at 13. I see the same maturity in pictures of my own mother, from that era. They wanted to appear grownup. In contrast, the reader will be surprised how innocent they seem. I think that’s accurate, too.

This sweet story of friendship shows a shameful episode in American history and the endnote describes both sides of the story. The scrapbook format will be attractive to both willing and reluctant readers.

Patricia Hruby Powell is a nationally touring speaker, dancer, storyteller, occasional librarian, and children’s book author.

In Kansas, near the end of WWII, Jack’s mother dies. His father, off at war, has Jack sent to a boys’ military school in Maine. There, Jack meets “the strangest of boys” whose name is Early Auden. So begins “Navigating Early” (Delacorte 2013) by Clare Vanderpool (Newbery Winner 2011 – “Moon Over Manifest”).

Early lives in the school basement rather than the dormitory. He rarely attends class. He’s alone. He’s also a mathematical savant. (Today, we’d say he was on the autism spectrum, but such labels were rarely used in 1943). Early is an outsider, but so is Jack, and they become friends.

Early sees colors, textures, and best of all, a story in the infinite number of pi, which begins 3.1415926…The boys’ math professor believes a theory that the number pi is finite, that it can be calculated to completion. Early doesn’t think so. According to Early, the digit 3 is the mother, 1 is a boy named Pi, 4 is his father. Pi then begins his adventure. The numbers tell Early the story of Pi being swallowed by a whale, of being lost on an island, of being cast out at sea, and that’s just the beginning.

During a school break Jack and Early set out on a quest together along the Appalachian Trail. For Early it is a matter of following Pi’s story. First, they are searching for a legendary bear foretold in the numbers. Jack is telling their adventure story and he frequently invokes his mother’s folksy wisdom, such as, “What’s more important? The seeking or the finding?”

But it is Early who tells Pi’s story—and he finds the story by calculating the next digits of pi. That is their guiding light.

Pi’s story seems to be a metaphor for the boys’ adventure. And at first Jack doubts Early’s guidance, but having nowhere else to go, he follows. When the boys meet characters who have been foretold in Pi’s story, Jack begins to believe. Pi has been abducted by pirates on the open seas. Early has taken the beautiful sculling boat from the school’s boathouse saying it belongs to him. On the river, some tough men lure the boys ashore and take their boat. Pirates.

            The boys’ adventures are harrowing and at times we’re reminded of the war going on in Europe. The boys get trapped in a cave behind a waterfall. An old woman thinks Jack is her long lost son who died a generation ago. They have major mishaps and Jack recuperates with a mountain man. Early is not surprised by the twists of their quest, because they’ve been foretold in the numbers. The boys’ quest goes from paralleling Pi’s quest to becoming one and the same quest.

It’s hard to believe that Early will find what he’s looking for. He doesn’t get exactly what he wants, but the reader will be surprised by what he does find. Jack finds comfort in his life and gratitude for his odd friend.

All the complex threads of the quests—both real and imaginary—are knitted together in a satisfying end. It isn’t always a fast read, but those who are carried along in the magical realism will have a more than worthwhile adventure.

Patricia Hruby Powell is a nationally touring speaker, dancer, storyteller, occasional librarian, and children’s book author. See more on-line at www.talesforallages.com/reviews/

I introduced my book Josephine (The Dazzling Life of Josephine Baker) to the students of Central Park School (K-8) in Midlothian, a

Josephine: The Dazzling Life of Josephine Baker

south suburb of Chicago. Which means I showed them an image of the book cover illustrated by Christian Robinson, read them the first razzle dazzle pages, and danced the Charleston. Josephine (Chronicle Books) will be released in October 2013.

In the assembly presentation for the 6^th -8^th graders I told them about my research for my newest book, Loving vs Virginia. They seemed fascinated. The population of Central Park School is one third black, one third Hispanic, and one third white. The diversity is terrific. So yeah, they’d be interested in Richard Loving (white) who married Mildred Jeter (“colored”). The couple was arrested in their bed, for being married in Virginia in 1958. It took nine years for their case to go the US Supreme Court and for a ruling in their favor. All that time Mr. and Mrs. Loving (yep Loving—perfect name) could not live together as a couple in Virginia. They were very much in love. In those nine years of struggle they were raising three children, but had to live in Washington DC or hide while in Virginia to avoid being re-arrested.

Family Reading Night at Central Park School, on February 12 brought out 38 families as well as the Honorable William Davis, Illinois State Congressman. The Congressman spoke about the benefits of reading and his work to fund education, so I figured he was a democrat, which he is. So I commended him. Actually I might have said something like, “Great, I love you.” But it being just before Valentine’s Day, I wasn’t arrested or anything.

Ellen Mientus, Patricia, Beth Schramm

Thank you Illinois Arts Council and Central Park School’s wonderful staff and students—that’s:

Principal: Colandra Hamilton

Assistant Principal: Adam Thorn

Reading Recovery Teacher and my main sponsor: Ellen Mientus (yay)

Reading Recovery Teacher and assistant to Ms. Mientus: Beth Schramm

3^rd grade Teacher to my Core Class: Karen Irwin (with whom I loved team teaching)

and the whole rest of the staff. And the students. You are great!

“Liar and Spy” by Rebecca Stead (Wendy Lamb 2012) has my vote as the next Newbery winner, the highest honor given to a middle grade book. We’ll know what the committee decides nest week, January 28. I haven’t read EVERYTHING this year, so I might have missed something, but this is a great novel, as are all of Rebecca Stead’s three novels.

Georges is a seventh grader, a city kid, named after the post-impressionistic artist Georges Seurat who painted A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte in millions of colored dots. That ‘s’ at the end of Georges is enough for class bullies to call him Gorgeous, bump him in the cafeteria, and tease him mercilessly. His mother has often told him that these small incidents are each like one small dot in the Seurat painting. They don’t much matter. The big picture is made up of millions of tiny dots of color. Stand back so you can see the complete picture. In a few years everything will change.

Sunday Afternoon on the Island of la Grande Jatte on display at the Art Institute of Chicago

His dad says, the individual dot—what’s happening now—is important. The reader knows that both viewpoints are true—the one dot (or point) and the larger picture they create are both important. Pointillism.

Georges’ upstairs neighbor, Safer, who is homeschooled, introduces Georges to his Spy Club. Georges wonders at the boredom of having to endlessly observe (spy on) the image projected from the foyer webcam, watching for Mr. X to enter the building. Safer says, “Boredom is what happens to people who have no control over their minds.” Safer,

When You Reach Me – past Newbery Winner

besides having an odd name, seems wise and mysterious.

Moral issues are addressed in a real way. When Georges visits the candy store, he says, “I debate the morality of eating a Starburst before the pack is paid for and decide not to.” That’s small but the issues become much larger. What about the moral ground of ‘breaking and entering’ a stranger’s apartment?

Candy, Safer’s little sister, another wonderfully odd character, named after her dearest love, also homeschooled, always answers their apartment door wearing pink pig slippers, but everything else changes radically—overalls, flowery dress—sometimes changing every fifteen minutes.

Apart from some hilarious scenes, the feel of the story is slightly dark, but it’s the dark inside a New York City apartment building. And in the end, with a twist that knocked me off the chair, in its way, brings a flashflood of light.

Read more about the Seurat painting and pointillism at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Sunday_Afternoon_on_the_Island_of_La_Grande_Jatte

Or it’s possible “Wonder” by R.J. Palacio could win. That will be my next review, due out February 10, 2013.

Patricia Hruby Powell is a nationally touring speaker, dancer, storyteller, occasional librarian, and children’s book author.

In Pat Schmatz’s “Bluefish” (Candlewick 2011), Travis, 13, has to move into town and live with Grandpa. Travis’ heart is broken over his lost hound, Roscoe. And school is painful.

Grandpa has stopped drinking, but Travis knows it won’t last.

The only bright spark in his life is classmate, Velveeta, who is the liveliest, flirtiest girl, who wears old lady scarves—different colors every day—with her hoody.

Velveeta inherited the scarves from Calvin, the old man who lived in the next trailer, the one who bought her school supplies each year, who helped her build confidence, but now he’s died. Actually, the scarves belonged to Calvin’s wife, but she’s been gone for years.

Travis and Velveeta’s stories alternate. Taciturn Travis is voiced in the third person, which is perfect for his strong silent character. Vivacious Velveeta, in the first person, writes to Calvin. So we get to see what Travis is feeling and Velveeta shows her feelings. Perfect.

Travis and Velveeta like each other—really like each other—but relationship is complicated between two eighth graders, especially when each has a big secret. Can they trust each other? Help each other? You want it for them. They are both so likeable. And believable.

If Velveeta goes home to her own trailer, she must suffer her selfish alcoholic mother, so she moves into Calvin’s empty trailer. Until she gets kicked out by Calvin’s grown daughter.

Travis cuts class and sets out on foot to the country to find his dog. When the trip goes wrong, Travis acts like a kicked dog. Back at school he snaps at Velveeta.

Velveeta, clever girl, figures out Travis’ big secret just as you, the reader, will. She tries to help him, but she’s just a kid and maybe a little awkward in helping. Travis snaps again.

Now Velveeta is no longer Travis’ friend and his dog Roscoe hasn’t been found. School gets worse. He longs for some bully to start a fight with him so he could “blow loose all over them” and it wouldn’t be his fault. But the bully won’t start and Travis won’t start it.

Thank heavens for McQueen the reading teacher. With his help and Velveeta’s smarts, maybe Travis will break out of his self-made prison of anger and loneliness.

I loved these characters and the writing. I bet Schmatz follows through on Velveeta’s story in her next book.

Patricia Hruby Powell is a nationally touring speaker, dancer, storyteller, occasional librarian, and children’s book author. She has new books coming out with Chronicle Books.