fighting words Knockout

When You Trap a Tiger was sweet and a little magical, with a compelling portrait of family history and intergenerational female relationships. It may have taken on a few too many issues, but the story cracked along at a good pace, with interesting folk along the way. And the ending was beautiful, with a few tears as  a send off. 

fighting words is a cleverly paced narrative revealing the explosion of Della and Suki’s world when their mother is sent to prison.  10 year old Della, colorfully narrates the traumatic journey she and older sister Suki have been forced into.  Della heart-wrenchingly describes watching Suki steadily disappear.  Suki slips from protector to wounded teen and you root for both girls' triumphant recovery.  The realistic portrayal of a foster mother and a counselor provide a glimpse into supports that help survivors of abuse heal.  It was a knockout, fighting words over When You Trap a Tiger.  

This Place Slays

 Both of these books were so great! It was definitely a close call for us.

Slay- The imagery in this novel was amazing, and I felt myself getting pulled into the world. As a minority myself, I found myself often wishing that a game like SLAY existed and that I could play it. SLAY also did a great job of presenting issues that some students may be feeling (not fitting in, being the "black voice", ect without sounding preachy or overbearing. A few of us had trouble becoming engaged and could not relate to the voice in the novel. 

This Place- the sheer beauty of this anthology is breathtaking. This would also be an amazing resource when teaching history and multiple perspectives, as it tells history but in a way that is mythologized and grand. There is an assumption of prior knowledge for this book. 

At the end of the day, we settled on This Place moving forward!

 

This was the closest battle most of us have seen in our smack brackets. A battle to the last vote.

There were many things to love about Frankly in Love. We don't hear many Korean voices. And Yoon is a #ownvoices author. We also don't often read love stories from a boy's point of view. It was nice to see that romance isn't only for girls. Yoon really brought light to the experience of children of immigrants. The book celebrated being smart, being nerdy, expressing emotions. 

Kym wrote that she fell hard for Frank and his family. She added that reading the book created a bubble of joy and humour. Jessica agreed and thought she could happily read this book again and laugh like it was the first time. But Krystal hated Frank. Lynette wasn't on Team Frank either.

The book hits many checklist points, but for some of us we could see all that was good about the book without being captured by it. Others who were caught up in the beginning found that their enthusiasm fizzled over a too long book. Parts were very predictable.

Jessica reminds us, however, that we are wrong!

1) The way I read Frank (actually audio book I should say) it did not come across as a love story just about 2 people- the plot line was not the purpose of the book. One of the main purposes of the book was to try and put the readers into the shoes of a kid/person who is in limbo between the culture his family comes from- his only means of identifying with his family- and the culture of his the place he grew up in. In a way it is a love story between a high school kid and himself because he is trying to reconcile with the fact that he is not the quintessential example of an American, yet he is also not Korean enough. There is a massive internal battle in this story that is actually a very real thing for many many children in North America, including many of our own students. 

2) This book also offers a very unique perspective of racism- a minority speaking about his own parents who are racist; this is very rare perspective to come across in literature...what other book can you think of that has this perspective??

3) also, this book is filled with characters who are marginalized within our society, race/ sexuality/ academic achievement, but they were not presented stereotypically- I would argue in fact that they have rarely been at the centre of a novel- it just happened to be fact and the characters carry on with life. It is one of those books that you bump into once in  while, that you see yourself in because there are so many different ways to connect with it via the different characters that we rarely see so close up. 

The final votes seem to have tipped things in favour of Clap When You Land, but honestly, we discussed it less. It's beautiful and devastating. It's a glimpse into a different world. The detractors on Team Frank found it distant and cold. They argued that the characters didn't stay with them after they closed the covers. The poetry can make it hard for some to connect. 

You should probably read them both for yourself.

From the divided,

Renee, Kym, Jessica, Krystal, and Lynette

Upside Down Disagreement With No Insurrection

I still really like Ben. I have no plans to wrap myself in a flag and bash his window in and sit at his desk - even though we argued on opposite sides of this Smackdown battle.  In fact, Ben and I agreed on so many points:

1. Both books could easily find a way onto our classroom bookshelves.
2. The book we liked more was very exciting and more realistic than the other one.
3. The book we liked a little less seemed more formulaic, more been there done that.

Nothing is more exciting to a nerd like me than a enthusiastic debate about books we've recently read. But seldom have I heard the same argument used on both sides. The usual location for an ABM discussion is a classroom or the library and everyone talks at once, voices are raised and you can count on Holly disagreeing with Lisa and Arlene disagreeing with me. This time we were on a Google Meet and showing my age here - our borders were defined in a very Brady Bunch way. People hit the hand up icon furiously and we were off.  

Some of us really liked Stand on the Sky  - the action started right from the beginning, the setting was unique and made almost all of us research the Mongolian eagle races. Strong themes of girl power, family obligation and destiny were all woven skillfully through. The cover, we all agreed, was poorly done making a book talk or a chapter read a necessity to get this in the hands of readers. Those that disagreed felt this book was formulaic. Protagonist saves family and they all live happily ever after. Some felt to would not be as easy a sell to students as the novel in verse - Being Toffee would be.

Those that really liked Being Toffee felt that the novel in verse in the skilled hands of fave author Sara Crosson would fly off the shelf for grade 8s and up. This realistic look at a teen runaway and dementia and neglect of the elderly resonated with the readers. Those that disagreed felt this was not the author's strongest work (which some said was not a fair way to judge). They also felt that even though it was realistic it was also formulaic. Protagonist runs away, helps herself and someone elderly and learns she is stronger and can face the future. It did not stick in their memory as Stand on the Sky would do.

Now it was time to vote. Those present voted 5 for Sky 2 for Toffee and 1(Arlene - because she will always vote thoughtfully) needed time to think. Two others were not done the books. Math tells us that with 3 outstanding votes we could be looking at a tie.  Arlene voted the next day for Toffee (in part to keep our Dia/Arlene opposite alliance going and I salute that!) 5-3.  Angela also voted for Being Toffee 5-4. Later yesterday Holly saved the eagle and the day (my opinion) by emailing this:

I'm throwing my vote for Toktar (the eagle) because he had me crying at the end when he came down the mountain. What is it about animals in books that make me cry every. single. time.? 

And this is another bizarre event of 2021- I voted for the same book as Lisa.

Both were strong entries but Toktar flies higher.

Voices, Voices Everywhere

 

About halfway through the winter break I sent a text to my team that began “Has anyone finished the mermaid book yet?” (Please note, if you have read said book, that I am not making a correction that would inevitably turn into a spoiler) As seasoned Smackdowners will recognize, what I was really asking was “Do I actually have to finish this book?” That would typically be the kiss of death as the whole team had either finished or was part way through our other book The Field Guide to the American Teenager, but there did not seem to be a lot of excitement for that choice either. So, I dutifully finished A Song Below Water in the waning days of a strange and silent holiday, and while it was a bit of a slog, I’m glad I did. 

 It’s not too surprising that over my years doing the Smackdown my impressions of our YA selections have often been colored by whatever else I might also have been reading at the time. This break, I had a few things on the go and one of them - perhaps speaking to a growing embrace of childhood nostalgia as I age - was a history of Marvel comics.  It was not long after I sent that text to my team and sunk back into Sean Howe’s Marvel Comics: The Untold Story (stubbornly ignoring A Song Below Water) that I recognized my own hypocrisy. What was my beef with A Song Below Water? Primarily, that it was making me wade through a whole alternate mythic reality in order to connect with some interesting characters and a social justice narrative I was intrigued by. Sounds an awful lot like the very thing that drew me to comic books as a youth. Stepping into that alternate universe actually helped me to connect with some important ideas and the storylines that I remember to this day, while literally colored by Spider-man or Captain America, were actually “about” things that mattered both then and now. Whether mermaids, sprites, gargoyles or gorgons are your thing or not, this book isn’t really about them, and I think for some kids, engaging with this mythic dimension could deepen their connection with - and understanding of - race, culture and social responsibility.

 All that being said, I can’t get around the fact that the book just flat out wasn’t singing a siren song to me (Groan!). It’s well-written, the characters are engaging and there are some important issues to grapple with regarding social equity and general teenage social dynamics, but for some reason, it just wasn’t a book that I was longing to come back to. I wonder if it was possibly that I didn’t hear too much difference between the voices of our two narrators (which is perhaps not too surprising given how close they are and some of their shared experiences) and there were a few too many times where I felt lost in the narrative as a result. As always, I’ll own that as a potential flaw in my own cognitive processes, but the fact remains that engagement was not an issue that arose with The Field Guide to the American Teenager. While I may not have been pining to return to reading it during my work day, when I settled in to it in the evenings I was happy to do so and legitimately curious about where things were going to go for our young narrator. 

 If I offered a brief synopsis of the plot of the novel, I am not sure it would differentiate itself much from any formulaic teen book/movie (high school cliques, dueling romantic issues, new kid in town, divorce is hard etc.), but for me the reading experience was an engaging one and it wasn’t just a matter of the narrator’s sometimes acerbic voice. Like most of us, I presume, Norris - while bright, thoughtful and articulate - isn’t quite as self aware as he thinks he is and the ultimate drama in the novel comes through his moments of self-realization, That sounds all heavy and deep, but there is a lot of snappy patter and titillating drama and Norris will take you along with him on his journeys of self-discovery. It’s maybe not quite Bridgerton (so I hear), but it’s a fun read and I could see it being a hit with a really wide-ranging audience in junior high and high school. The Field Guide to the North American Teenager is our choice to move on into the next round. 

From the Desk of Zoe Washington vs All That is Sad is Untrue

Everything Sad is Untrue

I absolutely loved this book.  The fact that it is a memoir is all the more compelling.  It took a me a little while to get into the non-linear storytelling, and the way the author moved from Persian mythology to memory, but once I had the structure in my head, I could get lost in the beautiful words and stories.  I wondered if the average teen would struggle with this type of writing, as although the story is being told about a middle years boy, and references to a lot of “poop” stories, the mythology and style of writing is complex.  I had my friend’s son read it who is in grade 9, and an avid reader.  He found it challenging and it didn’t engage him, so for that reason, I would put forward From The Desk of Zoe Washington.  

I struggled with this book because it wasn’t linear. I had a lot of compassion for the character and can’t imagine the difficulty he must have felt adapting to his new life. I thought the author did an excellent job of making me feel the fear and reality of the difficulties that their family endured.

Many of our team ended up abandoning and not finishing the book because of this challenging plot and lack of background knowledge to Persian mythology that lost the plot when trying to connect.  We all believe younger or more reluctant readers would likely abandon it pretty quickly. 

From the Desk of Zoe Washington:

We all enjoyed From the Desk of Zoe Washington, and we think our Div 2 and 3 students could easily fall into Zoe’s story and come away with new insights and understanding. he story moved at a great pace to keep kiddos interested and engaged. The drama and suspense was more than age appropriate and does a really great job of walking younger readers through tough times. Janae Marks was successful introducing some heavy issues in a way that younger readers could understand and we don't need to focus on riots and the grotesque events of late for younger readers to understand the Black Lives Matter movement - or that too many innocent people are incarcerated each year because the system is broken.  Marksdoes a wonderful job of incorporating realistic and kid-friendly drama that will resonate with younger readers. I appreciated how realistic and authentic Marks was in how Zoe was able to address the tension and troubles with Trevor, her mom, Markus, and her grandmother.  I think younger students will be able to relate to these kinds of problems and may even learn a thing or two about working things out with their loved ones.   I thought this book hit on a lot of very relevant issues. I thought Zoe was a strong character who was so determined to find the truth.  I like the happy ending type books so I appreciated how Zoe found vindication for her dad and was able to reconnect with him. As an avid baker, I also enjoyed Zoe’s passion in the kitchen!  

I think Janae Marks did a wonderful job of introducing systemic racism in a way that is appropriate for younger readers. Zoe certainly gets our vote this round! 

 

New Kid by Jerry Craft

vs

The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart

Carrie: New Kid - Accessible read. Worth the read and I’d recommend it to others, but the story just wasn’t as strong for me as Coyote Sunrise. The main character is definitely relatable. 

Coyote Sunrise - Huge fan of Coyote Sunrise! Engaging narrative. Loved her perceptiveness. So many good, good moments in this one. My vote for sure!

Kim: Both these books were well worth the time it took to read them. 

New Kid

Follows Jordan’s journey through the school year. Humorous. Great for reluctant readers because the visuals and colors of the book are very appealing. This book moved me one step closer to appreciating and enjoying graphic novels.  Will definitely read Jerry Craft’s newest book, Class Act.

Coyote Sunrise 

The story of a girl losing her mother and two sisters drew me in and the quirky characters and livin’ on a bus kept me reading. This book took me through a span of emotions - heartwarming experience of Coyote getting her first kitty, joy and surprise at picking up stray travellers, angst as the minutes are ticking by and it looks like she won’t reach home, anger that her father is not letting her speak of her mother and sisters, etc. 

Thoroughly enjoyed this book and it is the hands-down winner of this duo for me.

Maureen: Enjoyed both books.  Although I loved the quirky characters of Coyote Sunrise the main character was a bit too insightful (thinking about her age and life story) - I appreciated the format New Kid much more than I thought I would and I feel like readers would be able to relate strongly to the pressures the main character felt. Winner - New Kid

Gisele: New Kid 

Loved the graphics and the way complex issues were explored so subtly - so many issues were touched on, but it was never an “in your face” sort of exploration; it felt very realistic to the character and the context, and felt very much like the life of any one of my students. I enjoyed the extra nuances and humor of graphic details like the angel on his shoulder.  A fun yet significant read.

Winner - New Kid

Suanne: This is a tough vote for me. I read both books last year and immediately purchased my own copies to add to my classroom library. The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise is my favorite and most memorable character. Yes, Coyote, seems to be a bit too wise for her age, but her adventures are what kept me reading. I’ve read a number of Gemeinhart’s books and keeping a box of kleenex nearby is a must. I book talked and recommended this book many times and only a few took me up on it. Those that did enjoyed the story but didn’t have the same love of the character that I have. Perhaps it’s my dream to travel the country in a converted bus that clouds my judgement? 

New Kid was a book that I could not keep on my shelves and had a waiting list of students wanting to read it. The graphic novel format was definitely appealing and the main character was relatable. Oh the struggles of Smackdown voting - do I vote for my favorite or my students? 

This round I am basing my vote on student recommendations so my vote goes to New Kid.

Everyone else: Winner - New Kid

Stamped vs When the Ground is Hard

  

  vs  

Long story short....When the Ground is Hard is moving on....it was a tough choice but we are hoping to see Stamped return as the Zombie pick.

Van: This round is going to be tough because although both books deal with the subject of racism and history, I feel like the audiences are very different.  Stamped is non-fiction, a compelling account of how racism really came to be in America but with a focus on racism vs anti-racism vs assimilation.  I thought this book was excellent, informative and balanced. It was something I would definitely recommend but more for junior high, high school students.  I have always appreciated a non-fiction read.

When the Ground is Hard is based on life in Swaziland in the 60’s.  It’s a lovely story of two girls in a school for mixed-race students, one who is “first class” and one who is not.  It explores the class system within Swaziland and at a time of apartheid. The story was heartbreaking then heart-warming.  Even though the characters in the story were older, I could give this book to students in grade 6.  

So two great read, both geared to different audiences, in different styles.  I believe that if this round went to JH/HS teachers, Stamped would move on but it’s in the hands of elementary teachers so When the Ground might move on.  It’s the viewpoint from which we see the lessons being taught.  I would have like to have read Stamped (for Kids) vs When the Ground is Hard so it was the same audience.  For this round... I am going with When the Ground is Hard (let the smack begin).

Norma:

Stamped: A powerful look at the roots of racism and racist ideas in a way that is easily understandable and accessible to readers and listeners of all ages.  As a black reader, not from the US,  I learned a lot about the history, struggles and activism of people of colour in the US.  It is timely and well written and not preachy.  The style of the writing makes it easy to understand as the writers’ voices add to the accessibility of the information.  When the Ground is Hard:  This is another good one.  The book tackles issues in a way that would be more accessible to Grade 5/6 students.  In another setting I would choose this book but because of the time we are in our history and our proximity to the issue of racism in the US and here in Canada, my selection is for Stamped to move forward.

Colleen: Still reading...will update her section but definitely leaning toward When the Ground is Hard

Emily: “Stamped” is a heavy read. I often had to stop to really process the information being presented. And I too found myself wishing for the addition of information about the history of racism in Canada, as this is not a uniquely American problem. With that said, I really appreciated how the author laid out the information, and how he followed the history of racism in America chronologically, so you could see how it built up over time. This gave the sense of a building narrative instead of a choppy history textbook which was helpful for me. I had several “oh wow” moments while reading as I realized how deeply ingrained racism is in popular culture, and in ways I never would have seen previously. In the end, I felt I had learned a lot. 

“When the Ground is Hard” captured me immediately. The story has a strong sense of place and as I was reading I felt like I was transported to another world, much like Adele is with Jane Eyre. I fell in love with the characters, and loved watching Adele’s growth throughout the book. I’m a sucker for stories about unlikely friendships, and it was so satisfying to watch the relationship between Adele and Lottie develop. It’s a beautiful and touching story that will stick with me for a long time. 

While I enjoyed both books, due to my own emotional response and how it resonated with me, I vote for When the Ground is Hard to move on.

Jon:  More information forthcoming, but I don’t see myself voting for Stamped.  

Rushmi: Well one book I couldn’t put down and the other I put down often just to look to the sky and take some deep breaths as a I reflected on the weight of the information. Undeniably, both books are excellent contenders. Stamped is so relevant to our times, and even though I was skeptical that it might just be based on US info, the ideas are so powerful that there are no borders, no limits in time, and no end to this cause. I too wanted to know more about our Canadian history on this topic, and found the ending to be a bit abrupt since it doesn’t quite make it to 2020 in the timeline. In any case, this is an excellent addition to a history collection...taught in a way we have never been taught history! After reading this, I moved to When the Ground is Hard, and this book draws you in right away. This story too had me reflecting on my own personal and family histories, coming from parents that went to school in the aftermath of British rule in post colonized India.  I think this book would reach audiences of all ages, and the narrative does a great job of providing enough of the background. I loved the growth in Adele and the strength of her character developing over the course of the book. This book is my pick for this round! 

Stephanie: This round was definitely tough. I read Stamped first and was so sold on it that right after reading it, I ordered a copy for my 15 year old nephew.  At times,  I found his writing style abrupt; however, I recognize this approach would probably be quite effective with younger readers. It did remind me when I needed to pause and just let some of the information settle because there is a lot of history-although it’s not a history book-to digest. It was very informative: the chronological approach and categorization of racist thought was very helpful. Although it’s a book I will recommend to everyone, my choice for this round will be When the Ground is Hard. It has everything I want in a novel: intertextual references to Jane Eyre, a scrappy heroine, personal transformations and this all takes place through the story of an unlikely friendship. Reading about the complexities of racism and classicism through the eyes of a young girl who is trying to find herself and survive socially at a Christian boarding school makes for a very compelling story. I couldn’t put it down and hope it makes it to round 3 for others to enjoy!!

Joni: “Stamped” was extremely powerful as an overview of racism in America and unclouded many aspects of how deeply rooted and all-permeating racism has been since the establishment of the United States. While the author’s conversational tone lightened the sheer volume of dates, names and facts in this ‘not a history book’, it made it, at times, distracting to be constantly pulled from the content that I was hungrier and hungrier to read as the book went on. The bite-sized bits of facts and events that we were fed throughout the book lead to many questions and lots of sticky notes, for further reading and research. This is a book that everyone should read, especially educators. While the lens of racism was mainly focused on the black struggle, there were vague mentions of other cultures who were a part of the fight for freedom and equality. It left me wishing there was an equivalent text documenting the history of racism in Canada.  

Then I read “When the Ground is Hard”, which I just fell in love with. It was a beautifully written coming of age story of a girl finding her place in the world, in a colonized Africa. The characters were relevant and relatable, with fine attention to detail that made the story feel palably real. The themes of racism and the comparisons between class systems in school and in life there brought up a lot of questions and topics for discussion. It was impossible not to be so immersed in the story that you felt that you were experiencing it all for yourself. The beauty, the sadness, the realness and the journey got me and I think would capture many different audiences. I would love to use this book in a novel study with my class (Grade 6).

This round is the worst! Both books have so many merits and are SO different but, for the purpose of using the book to teach my Grade 6 students, I am going with “When the Ground is Hard.”

Mel:  When I read “Stamped”, I was thinking it was going to end up as my pick.  I liked the way the author presented serious and heavy history in a tone that younger readers (and me) could handle.  However, I thought closer to the end, the tone changed and it started to lose me.  I disagree with my friend Norma!  I thought it DID get preachy at the end and its “non-preachy” tone is what pulled me in at first!

I completely pick “When the Ground is Hard” for this round.   I felt like I knew and liked the characters .  I was cheering for and grieving with Adele as she maneuvered through the challenges of race and discrimination.    I could totally see having great discussions with kids about what was not “fair”....they would get this and be able to  leap to our own Canadian culture.  We DO get a lot of news from the US and have similar but not identical histories.  We have our own challenges here (of our own making).  I think what stands out for me is this issue is in every culture and every country.  And how do we want to change and be different here going forward?  

SO many excellent quotes - I should have had my pen with me to write them down.  Love this book. 

This Place: 150 Years Retold vs. Slay

 And the winner is...

There was debate.  Two of our esteemed crew chose the book, and four chose the comic.   Truth be told, "Slay" had only one thing going for it... it was a book.   One of our team found "Slay" to be tedious.  Another found it to be stereotyped.  

"This Place", although only a glorified comic, was chosen based on the following rationale:

• Accessibility of Canadian History
• Some students appreciate the graphic novel format
• Indigenous perspective in literature is less common.

So there you have it.   "This Place" moves on.