Review: Justin and the Best Biscuits in the World

Justin and the Best Biscuits in the World by Mildred Pitts Walter, illustrated by Catherine Stock.
Amistad, HarperCollins, New York, originally published 1986, my edition 2010.
Realistic/historical fiction, 132 pages.
Lexile: 620L .
AR Level: 3.9 (worth 3.0) .

Ten-year-old Justin doesn’t see why anyone expects him to clean his room, help with the dishes, or do any sort of housework. After all, his older sisters and mother always do it better than him anyway, so they must just be naturally better at it, right? That is, until he’s invited to stay on Grandpa’s ranch, where men learn how to do things they don’t know yet. Justin also attends a fair, learns about Black cowboys, helps ride fence, and is surprised by the history of his own family. Then he comes back home with a surprise of his own.

Justin and the Best Biscuits in the World by Mildred Pitts Walter, illustrated by Catherine Stock.

Credit where credit is due, our reading of this book was entirely based off Heritage Mom’s recommendation on this list, which I found so helpful – we already had a few, but I bought most of the rest (as I write this I’m reading her book also). Her youth book group also did this book so she has a guide as well.

Review: The Dream Keeper

The Dream Keeper and Other Poems by Langston Hughes, illustrated by Brian Pinkney.
Originally published in 1932 by Alfred A. Knopf, my edition Scholastic, New York, 1994.
Poetry collection, 84 pages.
Lexile:  1150L .
AR Level:  Not leveled.

Langston Hughes’ own selection and arrangement of his poems for young readers.

The Dream Keeper and Other Poems by Langston Hughes, illustrated by Brian Pinkney.

It’s books like this one that especially point out the lie that early literary education is not able to be diverse. Although my particular version was published in the early 90s, this book has been around since 1932!

The book opens with an introductory essay by Lee Bennett Hopkins, which succinctly summarizes the key points of Hughes’ life. It is skippable, but does add valuable context for those who choose to read it.

Review: The Hill We Climb

The Hill We Climb: An Inaugural Poem for the Country by Amanda Gorman, with a foreword by Oprah Winfrey.
Viking, Penguin Random House, New York, 2021.
Poem, 32 pages.
Lexile: not leveled.
AR Level: 5.1 (worth 0.5 points) .
NOTE: While the brief introduction is unique to this book, and the formatting differs slightly, you can read the full text of the poem, or watch it read by the author, on many websites.

An inaugural poem in book format.

The Hill We Climb: An Inaugural Poem for the Country by Amanda Gorman, foreword by Oprah Winfrey.

The 2021 inauguration was certainly a memorable one. Among the many happenings surrounding that election and installation of a new US president, Amanda Gorman was a surprising breakout star. Poets reading at inaugurations is not a novel concept – it’s been done for 60 years, although not at every single inauguration.

Gorman shone partly because she was not well known before the inauguration, but mostly because everything about her was on point. Her hair, clothes, deportment, poem, and delivery all stood out in the crowd. Although she already had a collection in the works, the popularity of this poem was so intense that it was rushed into print as a book by itself, and sold well.

Board Book Review: Lullaby for a Black Mother

Lullaby for a Black Mother by Langston Hughes, illustrated by Sean Qualls.
Text copyright 1994, illustrations copyright 2013, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Boston, MA.
Board book, 20 pages.

The text of a famous poem illustrated and reformatted as a board book.

Lullaby for a Black Mother by Langston Hughes, illustrated by Sean Qualls.

One of my children adores Langston Hughes, and I wish I’d had this when she was younger. Instead, I asked her to read it to the little one staying with us, and enjoyed her surprise and delight when she flipped back to the cover – “This is my poet!”

Of course, Langston Hughes died nearly half a century ago, so how is he still publishing new books? This isn’t new writing rediscovered – it’s a poem that can be found in Hughes’ collection for young readers, The Dream Keeper as well as his collected poems and probably elsewhere.

Where Lullaby for a Black Mother excels is in the alteration of the poem into the board book format. The poem is well broken down, with each spread containing between one phrase up to a full sentence worth of the poem. All of the text is entirely in all caps, which initially struck me as a bold choice, but makes sense for extending the life of the book.

Review: The Cassandra Curse

The Cassandra Curse (Muse Squad #1) by Chantel Acevedo.
Balzer & Bray, HarperCollins, New York, 2020.
MG fantasy, 360 pages.
Lexile: 650L .
AR Level: 4.6 (worth 12.0) .

Weird things have been happening to Calliope Martinez-Silva (call her Callie, please). She has a terrifying accident, her best friend transforms into a pop star, then she’s informed that she’s one of the nine Muses and a portal sends her to another country. It’s a lot for an eleven-year old! Thankfully there are some other young Muses too, which is timely because with her best friend unrecognizable, Callie needs some backup.

Muse Squad: The Cassandra Curse by Chantel Acevedo.

This book has so much going on. There’s the usual tween intrigue, but made bearable thanks to the magical and mystery aspects. There’s learning to be a muse, and all the different muses from around the world who each have specific powers and callings, and the many many people in Callie’s life and whom she meets on her adventures.

Review: Black Hollywood

Black Hollywood: Reimagining Iconic Movie Moments by Carell Augustus.
Ebony Magazine Publishing with Sourcebooks, Naperville, Illinois, 2022.
Art book, 230 pages.
Not leveled.

Photographs from an eleven year project to recreate iconic movie posters, screen moments, and pinups with Black models.

Black Hollywood: Reimagining Iconic Movie Moments by Carell Augustus.

Over the last few years I’ve been trying to expand our art collection. We’ve reached the “some disposable income” stage but definitely not the “buy independent artworks” level of wealth. Libraries, digital collections, and museums have been wonderful but I’d like to have more at home. Thus calendars, postcards, and art books! 

Because art books tend to be pricey, I usually research and apply coupons, wait for seasonal sales, or buy used. This one was more of an impulse purchase – saw a new copy at 50% discount and bought it without the previewing that I normally would have done.

You know how some kids are really into sneakers, or horses, or rap, or drawing? I was a book kid and always have been, so movies, television, and such tend to be what other people around me want to watch, rather than something I seek out. Honestly, I’d probably only heard of maybe half the movies or people in this book. But I still loved it. 

Pages 20 and 21 of Black Hollywood include a scene from Fight Club with all the characters modeled by Wesley Jonathan and notes from both the model and photographer.

Augustus recreates a wide variety of films including comedies, science fiction, horror, and action movies, as well as some portrayals of specific people (like Marilyn Monroe and Charlie Chaplin). The majority, although not all, of his models are actors and actresses. 

Review: Flying High

Flying High: The Story of Gymnastics Champion Simone Biles by Michelle Meadows, illustrated by Ebony Glenn.
Henry Holt and Company, Macmillan, New York, 2020.
Picture book biography, 40 pages.
Lexile: AD610L .
AR Level: 3.1 (worth 0.5 points) .

A picture book biography in verse of Olympic champion gymnast Simone Biles.

Flying High: The Story of Gymnastics Champion Simone Biles by Michelle Meadows, illustrated by Ebony Glenn.

I had gotten Brave Ballerina for a child a while back and was delighted to see that the same team worked on this biography of a world-famous gymnast. I’ve previously reviewed her autobiography way back in my first year of blogging, so long time readers of this blog will already know that I’m a fan. 

The Logan Family Saga

Please note that as of this writing I’ve only reread a few books in the series since starting this blog, so my understanding of some aspects might change as I read more.

Oh, the Logan Family Saga! Both the joy and the frustration of many a school librarian – because this series is excellent historical fiction, and because it’s rather difficult to get a handle on the series. Because I plan to review several, if not all, of the Logan Family books, it seems more expedient to make one post about the series order which can then be referred to in all future reviews.

Review: Double Cross

Double Cross (Twintuition #4) by Tia and Tamera Mowry.
Harper, HarperCollins, New York, 2018.
MG fantasy, 202 pages.
Lexile: 600L .
AR Level: 4.2 (worth 5.0 points) .
NOTE: Review will contain spoilers for previous books in the series.

The final installment of a quartet about tween twins with visions of the future.

Twintuition: Double Cross by Tia and Tamera Mowry.

I’m glad I persisted with this series as this last book was definitely the best of the four. Honestly, if the social hijinks of sixth graders don’t highly interest, an older reader could probably skip ahead and read just this book without missing too much. All the major plot points important to this finale are summarized within the text somewhere anyway.

Board Book Review: Jacob Lawrence

Jacob Lawrence in the City by Susan Goldman Rubin.
Chronicle Books, San Francisco, CA, 2009.
Board book, 24 pages.
Not leveled.

A board book presenting eleven of famous artist Jacob Lawrence’s paintings for the youngest readers.

Jacob Lawrence in the City, written by Susan Goldman Rubin.

It’s fitting that this would be our eleventh board book since it showcases eleven different paintings by Jacob Lawrence. I remember when I started this challenge worrying that it would be difficult to find nonfiction board books that were diverse. Instead I now find that there are plenty (and new ones being published each year), but it sometimes takes a bit more hunting since these are not always part of specifically diverse series (as many of the fictional board books are).