Ghost Boys vs. Mason Buttle

Outvoted at ABM 

Although, it was another tough Smackdown round, my vote goes to Ghost Boys. I think this is a story that is accessible (length, language) to more students then Mason would be. Simply put, it is a must read, in order to change deep rooted beliefs of racism. People need to hear the stories of others over and over again allowing them to sink in. Building understanding and empathy takes repetition and time. I think reading Ghost Boys could help to spread the message for the change that is still badly needed. 
Andrea 

Ghost Boys vs. Mason Buttle

I started this round off with the quicker read which was Ghost Boys, it is short, sweet, and I know kids will love it. Having read it at the beginning of this round, I should have blogged right away and now I find myself trying to reminisce about the aspects I loved. I recall the lovely way that the reader follows the protagonist in his before death and after death 'worlds'. Jerome's journey leads the reader to an understanding of what lead to his death and the resulting impact it has on his family and community. I believe this book would be an introductory book to read when discussing racism, racial profiling, and stereotypes, amidst current YA loves like The Hate U Give, this novel reaches a younger reader with a similar message. It really needs to be discussed and not read just for face value. In reading some other reviews, I think it's important to note that this novel is written with the author's bias and perhaps using it in grade 8/9 where we really look at author's purpose, could lead to further/ deeper connections.

As for The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle, I'm not sure why it took so long to pick this one up, I had tons of time! It has an incredibly slow beginning and drags on as we learn more about our protagonist and his contribution to the loss of his best friend. I was reminded of a Freak the Mighty comparison with the big kid befriending the little/weaker sidekick and their struggles within the greater social aspects of growing up and not fitting in, which as we all know, isn't really a bad thing. In the end, this one just didn't hold out against Ghost Boys.

~Jan Reimer (Krystal and Rachel)

Ghost Boys vs The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle

This will be a short blog from us this time. Both Katrina and I read Ghost Boys and The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle last year. Mason Buttle reminded us of the book, All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook by Leslie Connor and we both found Perry T. Cook to be a more interesting read than Mason Buttle, which at times I found to be a bit boring in comparison. I booked talked both books in my classroom. Our vote is going to the book we couldn't keep on our shelves and the book we both saw our students enjoy the most  - Ghost Boys. (Hillcrest)

One Vote for Moonrise

I've lost contact with my team - hopefully that wasn't strategic on their part - so this is my solo vote. I vote for Moonrise.
While I enjoyed both books, I found myself expecting more from Patron Saints, but getting less, and expecting less from Moonrise, but getting more. What I really enjoyed about Patron Saints was that it explored filipino culture and took place in the Philippines, which isn't overly common in the YA that I've read, and I felt that it also incorporated LGBTQ+ characters pretty seamlessly. I think that, overall, my vote might've went to Patron Saints if it had been grittier. I wanted some grit!
With Moonrise, I was pretty engrossed right from the start and enjoyed finishing an entire book in about three hours. Something I found neat (for lack of a better word after a long day) was that I had no idea about the nationality of the protagonist and his family until about half to three-quarters of the way through the book; I found myself imagining the family a certain way, and was a bit shaken when they were not as I suspected. I think this is a good thing as it made me question why I was imagining things as I was, and could start some great conversations in classrooms.
Books written in verse aren't usually 'my thing', and Moonrise didn't change that. I didn't find that the verse added anything to the book aside from making it a quick read, but I do think that it packed quite the punch for a book that contained such a small amount of text.

Mason Buttle vs. Ghost Boys

      

My vote this round goes to Ghost Boys. I read Mason Buttle first and found it to be a bit boring. I was waiting for something big to happen for the majority of the book. When I was ten pages into Ghost Boys I was more entertained and intrigued than I had been halfway into Mason Buttle. I think Mason Buttle would be a good read for elementary aged kids, maybe around grade 5 or 6 (the main character is in grade 7). Ghost Boys would be more suitable for junior high, in my opinion. I would recommend it as a grade 8 independent read. It does remind me of The Hate U Give which a lot of grade 8 and grade 9 students have enjoyed.

Mason Buttle vs Ghost Boys

Everyone at Ellerslie loved Mason Buttle.  It was one of our first books to read in Round 1. 
We loved the character of Mason Buttle, and all of us concurred that when we started to
read it, we couldn’t put it down! His character was very well developed, although at the
expense of some of the other secondary characters being a bit more flat!

Mason Buttle was a bit of a mystery, with an anti-hero, and yet teaching empathy
the whole time.  We think this is a great read and accessible for children in Divisions
2 and 3 and will be an excellent read aloud:)

Some ABM Thoughts

In strange times I sent out my email to the team expecting nothing and was pleasantly surprised that a few colleagues got back to me. The others...hard to say. They could be weeping quietly because Screencastify has booted them out for the 18th time, they could be hiding from their family or they could be in their basement counting toilet paper rolls. Here are the thoughts from the people I can account for:



Andrew:  Mason all the way. Ghost Boys made me feel as if I was in a history class disguised as a YA novel. Too much of the "Hey let me just tell you about the history of...."  Mason Buttle is a wonderful story that I connected to. His story and the struggles of Mason had me hooked from the beginning. Going to wash my hands now.

Lisa:  I think the political issues in Ghost Boys will sway my vote. I loved the way it dealt with the white police office who did the shooting. You could see how conflicted and confused he was, and I think sometimes this aspect of police shootings is lost in the books that deal with these tragedies. I appreciated how the author tried to show all sides of this issue while keeping the focus on the vulnerability of the African American boys/men who are the true victims in all of this.

Shocker Lisa and Andrew disagree.

Lil: I found both stories followed very similar story lines - two boys that don't fit in for varying reasons, both get bullied and both befriend another that they can trust. I was taken into the story line of both and loved Ghost Boys with the lens of storytelling from the before and after. Mason Buttle started slow but layered the story that made you cheer for Mason's tenacity even when the bullying was appalling. I did love the karmic twist that often mimics real life. I find Mason's character sticking with my thoughts much more. Mason Buttle for the win.

And just as I go to close this doc...here comes Holly:  I'm voting for Mason. My kids read it last year and loved it. It is a silent sleeper. By the end if you aren't suffering a case of the sads then you might want to check if you have a pulse. I sobbed when I read it the first time when Matt's mom came to pick up the dog - or so he thought. Ghost Boys is a relevant story for today's society with lots of ties to real life victims, but most kids don't have the background knowledge to properly understand what a piece of craft this truly is.

Dia:  I very much enjoyed Ghost Boys and recommend it for a lot of my kids. I learned more history from this story - which some of you know is my favourite way to learn history other than sitting next to Andrew and Lisa. However, Mason Buttle was one of my few 5/5 books last year and I absolutely love it. It starts slowly, has an eccentric family and slowly starts boiling into an intense who dunnit with a narrator we are not sure we can rely on. Buttle all the way.

Tally: 4-1 Buttle from the ABM Survivours.

Mason vs. Ghosts

This was a very hard decision. We really liked both books. 

We loved Mason, perhaps more than we would have loved him in the (sweaty) flesh. We recognize that many students could identify with him and what he faces. Bullying is everywhere. But maybe his story is too easy to identify with. Connor uses a lot of themes and motifs that have been pretty common in middle grades fiction lately. And there is a striking resemblance to Freak the Mighty. So, unique but familiar?

For our population, Ghost Boys is much less familiar. Extreme poverty, violent neighbourhoods, and fear of the police are not part of our students' daily lives. Maybe that's why they need to read this book. It's an important reminder that we cannot forget the injustices people of colour have faced and continue to face. It's also brilliant because it shows two sides to the story. While it is very easy to demonize the police, Jewell Parker Rhodes gave us a glimpse into the police officer's thoughts and fears, and the impact on his life and family. 

Renée read Ghost Boys aloud to her class (the last chapter via Google Classroom after classes were suspended). They were hooked when it started with Jerome's death. They were fascinated. They did not know the history with Emmett Till. They were furious that the judge ruled there was insufficient evidence to lay charges. Although it was often hard to tell when or where we were in the story and sometimes even who was speaking, they were excited to hear more. The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle would be on Renée's list to read with her struggling 7s. They'd love it, despite the slow bits in the middle. 

After much debate, we're casting our three votes for Ghost Boys.

Zombies:

Dianne - The Prince and the Dressmaker

Megan - The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle (or The Benefits of Being an Octopus if Mason advances)

Renée - Sadie

Mason Wins Over Harry Ainlay

Ghost Boys
We enjoyed this novel that weaves a narrative between the afterlife and the events that lead up to Jerome's death. We found that this novel lacked depth, however, we agreed that it could be used in the classroom to engage conversation about this reality. Having mentioned this reality - this is something that we, as Canadians, don't face, yet we can empathize. This story of violence in neighbourhoods associated with poverty and random shootings has been told and re-told. It is an important perspective and one that is authentic, but in many ways becoming a single story for the young African American male way of life.

The idea of "being seen" or "not being seen"was intriguing and well-developed throughout the text. The novel touched on some big ideas/themes such as systemic racism, taking action, bullying... but were not fully developed given the audience for which the text was written.

The Truth as Told By Mason Buttle
We instantly fell in love with Mason! The adversity this young boy faces and he perseveres through it. He has a strong voice and well-developed character that makes the reader easily empathize. We have all had hardships whether it being the loss of a loved one, difficulty learning, family issues, facing uncertainty, and of course, a great friend, teacher, a pet, and someone who treats us cruelly. The pacing of the novel kept us intrigued and we loved how Mason accepted the hand he was dealt. He kept persevering and believed things were turning around after becoming friends with Calvin. Until - bam - Calvin goes missing and some truths are uncovered. 

The idea of truth: seeking truth and one's own truth sang out to us - and the importance of it. We all need to tell our truths in safety. Mason was offered a safe place where he could do that and eventually, this led to a connection with Ms. Blinny and Calvin. Even the Moonie, the dog, showing a preference for Mason evidenced the dog looking for a true companion. The uncovering of truth, as sad and tragic as it was, shows the truth of Mason's character. Although the content could be difficult for some years, the message transcends the content.

Patron Saints of Nothing vs Moonrise

Smackdown the Tenth - Round 4

Debbie, Vanessa, Norma and Joelle

  vs

Vanessa: These were both really good books and it was nice to have to think hard about

which book to move forward.  Although the stories were rich in both, I am going to have

to go with Moonrise. It was so beautifully written and crafted - not good for my

elementary library but I know many older kids I could share this with.  Loved it. My

vote is Moonrise.

Zombie pick: Ebb and Flow

Norma: Both books were great.  My pick to move forward is Moonrise. I found the

way Moonrise was written was very appealing.  It made for easy reading and sustained

my attention all the way through.

Zombie pick: Ebb and Flow

Debbie: I enjoyed Patron Saints, but loved Moonrise. I am a sucker for a well-written

novel in verse and this book was just that. My heart broke for Joe and his family and

I thought the author  peeled back the layers of this story masterfully. Her portrayal of

Joe and all he had to go through, as a 17 year old, highlights for us the fact that we

can never truly know what goes on in the lives of our students. Sometimes, for some

of our students, just getting to school everyday is a major accomplishment. My vote

is for Moonrise. 

My zombie pick: Ebb and Flow

Tough Call Y'All (Too much Self-isolating with Tiger King/Ozarks)

Well, as befits this late stage of The Mighty Smackdown, this was a tough one for us. I had actually bought Moonrise for my daughter last summer, I think, and it’s a book that is solidly in my recent wheelhouse of social justice literature. So, I went in expecting to love it and I wasn’t disappointed; it is a powerful and evocative novel and while it deals with specific circumstances that few of us could imagine - nevermind, experience - it is a meaningful way into a larger discussion about what happens when the facade of equity in a society starts to crumble in real time. It’s easy to feel smug as we cast a weary - and wary - eye towards the crumbling republic to the south, but this book speaks to the emotional and physical costs of inequity that are really universal. It also seems to provoke me to be preachy and didactic, apparently. 

Patron Saints of Nothing, on the other hand, was a book I had never heard of and wasn’t too excited about reading, but as it morphs fairly quickly from a coming of age story into a deeply felt detective story that - as all great detective stories do - moves both inward and outward I became pretty captivated and invested. As we talked through the competing merits of these two excellent books it was actually remarkable how much they have in common despite some surface level differences. At the heart of Patron Saints of Nothing there is also a deep and abiding concern with social inequity and the complexities of any discussion of crime and punishment. 

It is, perhaps, the latter that makes this such a difficult decision because both authors resisted the temptation of writing a one-note feel good response to extremely complex circumstances. If we look at the characterization of Joe and Jay, the warden and Tito Manning, and perhaps, most notably, Ed and Jun, we see authors who recognize that there is no simple classification of saints and sinners and, to paraphrase Bryan Stevenson - who Crossan mentions as an inspiration for Moonrise - these characters are more than their worst - and even their best - moments. The final pages of both books are framed by letters and if we go back to read these - as I did in attempting to break this tie - you’ll see that the letters and the specific circumstances surrounding them help unify the narratives, providing both closure and reflection. Both texts are also characterized by prose that is accessible and at times beautiful - with Crossan’s being literally more lyrical at times - and a big part of this is a tip to each author for creating authentic voices, particularly for their teen narrators. 

So, I realize we’re kind of spinning our wheels here. We really liked both books and we’re going to attempt to eat our cake and have it too by moving Moonrise forward on the grounds that it is perhaps moderately more accessible to a wider-ranging audience through its prose poem delivery. We would like to offer up Patron Saints of Nothing as our zombie pick, though (Or Moonrise if the big vote swings the other way - this is our cake-eating and having) except for Sara who love, love, loved We’ll Fly Away, so that is 4 zombies for the runner up here and one for We’ll Fly Away. 

GHOST BOYS FOR THE WIN

GHOST BOYS VS MASON BUTTLE




“Say what you will. But a person just cannot know what he doesn't know. And you can't always see that a bad thing is going to happen before it happens. If you could, no bad would ever come.”
Seems fitting in our lives right now.

And yet another tough round of smacking down this year. I loved both of these books!
My first read was The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle and I instantly fell in love with Mason. There was a personal connection as he reminded me of a student I had taught for two years when I first started my career. And once you have that, you are hooked as a reader! Mason's honesty and compassion along with his desire to be a good friend is endearing and with all that this young boy has stacked against him, you just want to jump in and help. Although these two books are different in many ways they both are the story of a young boy dealing with challenges far too much for a child to handle on their own.

Ghost Boys wins this round for me. This story weaves history and racial injustice together in a way that engages the reader and makes you want to read more about the events referenced in the book (reminds me of the Patron Saints of Nothing and The Faithful Spy). The historical and current events of illogically killing children based solely on racial judgements is profoundly heartbreaking. Has much changed since Emmett Till's death or have we sadly become accustomed to hearing about unjust tragedy? But through her exceptional talent, Jewell Parker reminds us that bearing witness empowers us to make a positive change. Ghost Boys is a fluid and compelling read that needs to be shared in many classrooms. This is a book that I will definitely be sharing with my classes!

Ghost Boys won't let US forget

Jeff and Cristina from Dr. Lila Fahlman School

We have Smack'd many a Smack. We have passed from book to book, often with slight indifference or a whole-hearted push for one particular book throughout the years. This round was different. We loved BOTH of these books so so much.
First, The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle. If ever someone could create a world in which I wanted to jump in and help someone, this was it. I love Mason like a real person, and I think of him often as life has gone on past his story. In fact, I am using this book in my grade 8 class already as my exemplar for independent novel study work. I think students can feel my palpable love for this story because now they all want to read it after I talked about it. Mason Buttle, you're all heart and I want to give you a big sweaty hug - let's not be now and then about it.
Second - Ghost Boys. I read this story 3 or 4 years ago. I could not find it anywhere locally or on Amazon, so I ordered it from a UK Bookstore called Blackwell's of Oxford. They sent it to me and included an oh-so-cute Blackwell's bookmark as a little souvenir. Since then, I have done this book as a read aloud for grade 8 language arts classes and EVERY SINGLE CLASS was enraptured and moved to emotional breakdowns and then lift-ups like a really cruel roller-coaster. The pages of my book are well worn, dog-eared and smell like coffee and potato-chip dust. What I'm getting at, is that this book is an immense treasure, and students cannot get enough of it. By FAR this is the most deserving book of moving on to the final round because how many books can you say you have encountered in your years of reading that turn the heads of every single person in earshot, stay with you for years to come, you can pick up time after time and read the story as though it were the first? I can honestly think of one other, perhaps you've heard this famous line a few times: "Stay gold, Ponyboy."
Look, this round was not easy for me, but it was cut and dry and I feel absolutely confident in my choice. Ghost Boys is an absolute essential read for every single human. Read it. Then read it again. Then share it with everyone you know.

Two Enjoyable Reads

These two books are full of family and reflection.  What can you forgive?  How does love and family navigate loss and death?  Both main characters in the book are filled with juxtapositions.  At times they critically judge others; alternatively, there are times they are filled with hope and compassion.  Both books are good reads - sad, thoughtful and poignant; however, this is a competition and a winner must be chosen.  My vote to move on is Moonrise.

Maureen