Fri Mar 15: what we talked about (revised)

Fri Mar 15: what we talked about (revised)
  • We looked at the list of 20 books nominated for the 2020 Illinois Teen Choice Award. Get a brochure in the LMC if you missed it today.
  • Some Book Club members have already read some of the books!
    • Cayla has read 5
    • Ema has read 4
    • And everyone else found titles they *want* to read!
  • Of particular interest:
    • I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sanchez
      • Summary: Perfect Mexican daughters do not go away to college. And they do not move out of their parents' house after high school graduation. Perfect Mexican daughters never abandon their family. But Julia is not your perfect Mexican daughter. That was Olga's role. Then a tragic accident on the busiest street in Chicago leaves Olga dead and Julia left behind to reassemble the shattered pieces of her family. And no one seems to acknowledge that Julia is broken, too. Instead, her mother seems to channel her grief into pointing out every possible way Julia has failed.
      • Author is a Chicago resident; would she be a good author speaker here?
    • Words in Deep Blue by Cath Crowley
      • Summary: Years ago, Rachel had a crush on Henry Jones. The day before she moved away, she tucked a love letter into his favorite book in his family's bookshop. She waited. But Henry never came. Now Rachel has returned to the city -- and to the bookshop -- to work alongside the boy she'd rather not see, if at all possible, for the rest of her life. But Rachel needs the distraction, and the escape. Her brother drowned months ago, and she can't feel anything anymore. She can't see her future. Henry's future isn't looking too promising, either. His girlfriend dumped him. The bookstore is slipping away. And his family is breaking apart. As Henry and Rachel work side by side -- surrounded by books, watching love stories unfold, exchanging letters between the pages -- they find hope in each other. Because life may be uncontrollable, even unbearable sometimes. But it's possible that words, and love, and second chances are enough.
    • Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
      • Summary: Seventeen-year-old Zélie, her older brother Tzain, and rogue princess Amari fight to restore magic to the land and activate a new generation of magi, but they are ruthlessly pursued by the crown prince, who believes the return of magic will mean the end of the monarchy.
    • How Dare the Sun Rise by Sandra Uwringiyimana
      • Summary: Sandra Uwiringiyimana was just ten years old when she found herself with a gun pointed at her head. The rebels had come at night -- wielding weapons, torches, machetes. She watched as her mother and six-year-old sister were gunned down in a refugee camp, far from their home in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The rebels were killing people who weren't from the same community, the same tribe. In other words, they were killing people simply for looking different. "Goodbye, life," she said to the man ready to shoot her. Remarkably, the rebel didn't pull the trigger, and Sandra escaped into the night. Thus began a new life for her and her surviving family members. With no home and no money, they struggled to stay alive. Eventually, through a United Nations refugee program, they moved to America, only to face yet another ethnic disconnect. Sandra may have crossed an ocean, but there was now a much wider divide she had to overcome. And it started with middle school in New York. In this memoir, Sandra tells the story of her survival, of finding her place in a new country, and of her hope for the future.
  • Yon is collecting a list of potential book character names. See her to add to the lis.
  • Make time next week to stock on book for Spring break! Whether you're heading to Spain (Emily, with VHHS Band), San Diego (Ashleigh), Florida, or to your own warm bed to sleep in and read, be prepared!