The King Was Our Jam

Well, befitting this frenetic time of year, we struggled to find time to get into any in-depth conversation about these two books, but it was very clear that it was The King of Jam Sandwiches that won the day for us, even though I think we all really liked The Land of the Cranes, as well. I am a sucker for books where kindness wins the day and that happens over and over in a novel with some legitimate darkness and sadness. You don’t have to teach very long before you get to know a few Robbies and Harmonys and those stories always stay with you, even if, and perhaps because, they aren’t quite so neatly packaged as these two characters. That isn’t meant as a criticism. This is a book for kids and I think Eric Walters fundamentally gets kids and knows that young people - and I could see this book being read right from upper elementary through to high school - will empathize with the characters he created. Our Robbies and Harmony don’t always speak as eloquently, but I think a book like this really inspires us to keep going in trying to draw out those stories and create that web of support and protection around our most vulnerable students.

 I think that last sentence is actually equally true of The Land of the Cranes. It is a poignant glimpse into a world that is every bit as troubling and debilitating as the world of poverty that Eric Walters explores. While I have no doubt that the book would have a different resonance for us were we living in the United States, it actually opens up a larger discussion about equity and immigration that should really be a part of any national discourse. I am not sure that the decision to present the novel in verse worked for me. Not because there weren’t moments of powerful imagery or lines that won’t stick with you, but I’m not convinced that it needed this structure to convey these ideas, with the possible exception of the interplay between the written poems and the picture poems. As in The King of Jam Sandwiches, I deeply appreciated the author note Salazar included at the end of the novel.

We feel fortunate to have a chance to read both books, but our vote here at QE goes to The King of Jam Sandwiches.