Late to the blogging and I now feel like this post has to become a defense of why Traci Chee's We are Not Free should be our zombie pick!

We've had some meh selections this year - four books we didn't love. This bracket changed that. These are both great books. 

Although we're not all fans of multi-narrator books, we all agreed We are Not Free was well crafted. The different viewpoints drew us in and kept us reading. We enjoyed  that the narrators didn't retell the same parts but moved the story forward. The chart of characters at the beginning helped us to keep track of who was who. We loved how Chee experimented with different styles for the different voices - verse, letters, etc. The varying styles really mirrored how individual the experience was for internees. Some of us grew attached to the characters and wanted more from their perspectives. More than one reviewer was moved to tears by the powerful narrative. 

Although one can be intellectually aware of Japanese internment camps in Canada and the US, a book this well written shows us, emotionally, what it was like. The war sections were very powerful.  I will be recommending this one to my 9s next year when we talk about Canada's internment camps in WWI and II. The exploration of racism makes it an important book for any classroom.

We liked Me and Banksy too. It was well written and dealt with some important topics. A Canadian setting is a nice change. It's an interesting exploration of topic we probably don't give enough though to - surveillance. The exploration of the power of art and of Banksy in particular was interesting. We appreciate the interwoven nature of Banksy and how people can connect social movement/reform through multiple avenues such as art, There's a great lesson about the importance of using one's voice.

The main character is a strong female lead. The secondary characters were not as appealing to some reviewers. We wish the principal had been given a more unlikable back story - as educators, as moms, some of us felt sorry for her and couldn't root for her demise; young readers may not have that problem! Some of the surveillance aspects / security concept were a bit incredulous.

 I appreciated that the girls realized the problem was too big for them and went to the principal for help. I know it's a more exciting story when the young protagonists take on the problem without adult help, but I like that the author showcased that as a way to get help and then got around it to still write the exciting story of the kids having to fix the problem themselves.

Overall, our vote was for We Are Not Free. It's a great story; it's well-written, and the themes are so important. Maybe it has a future as a zombie pick.

Renee, Nikki, Kelly, Krystal, Evelyn