"This is one of the saddest books available," Dia told me as she placed the book in my hand about two years ago." Perfect, I thought. If I'm not sad while I'm reading, I 'm not happy. To top it all off, Salt to the Sea is also historical fiction from WWII. I simply could not have asked for a better fit book. Put this book up against any other one that we are reading, and it is unlikely that I would vote against it. But The Hate U Give? How am I possibly supposed to choose between these two? When I am faced with the choice of eliminating a great book, I always try and remember my purpose for joining Mighty Smackdown: finding great books for the kids I teach. This is never actually stated anywhere in "the rules", but sometimes a tie-breaker is required. So...two great books - one undesirable choice. I needed something, and this is my go-to method. My vote is for The Hate U Give. This hate is happening right now. To quote Holly, give this book to the "Tiki Torch carrying white men".  


Lisa