Sharon G. FlakeReseñas

Normally I do like to include a first sentence, but sometimes Amazon samples are absolutely unhelpful. If you can't preview the first page of a picture book, then why bother.

Premise/plot: Cat and Duck are back. These two "friends" are back for another adventure. Duck is convinced that he is allergic to Cat. But instead of creating distance and space between the two, Duck is more stuck on Cat than ever. Cat hopes, perhaps, that Duck will go away. Alas, Cat is not the source of Duck's sneezing.

My thoughts: These two are very silly. Are they as delightful as Elephant and Piggie? No. Not really. The book descriptions sure do like comparing these two to Elephant and Piggie. They do have some surface level similarities. Two friends banter back and forth in speech bubbles.

I liked this one okay.

First sentence: I am a cat. Meow. You are not a cat. You are a duck. Quack, quack.

Premise/plot: A cat and a duck quibble and fuss. Duck is definitely getting on Cat's last nerve. Duck insists that *today* he is a cat. Yesterday Duck was something else. Tomorrow Duck may be something else. But Duck is a cat...today...and insists on following Cat around.

My thoughts: Cat definitely had decided opinions on what is "regular." Cats meow. Ducks quack. End of story. Cats cannot be ducks. Ducks cannot be cats. And Cat doesn't have time for nonsense. Perhaps if Duck wasn't so insistent at being glued to his side. If Duck had gone away, far, far, away then would Cat have cared if this Duck wanted to meow? Maybe. Maybe not.

I liked this one okay. It was silly. It had humor. It's an early reader with speech bubbles.

An actual cat grows increasingly frustrated with a duck pretending to be a cat. The duck's vivid imagination allows it to pretend to be many creatures, meowing like a cat, squawking like a parrot, and mooing like a cow. All text is dialogue in speech bubbles.½

Adorable! Duck is seemingly allergic to Cat and has Cat do all kinds of crazy things to make Duck feel better. When it gets to be too much for Cat and tensions run high, Duck explains:

"You are my best friend. And even if you make my beak tickle and wiggle, my eyes swell up, and my whole body feel like it's covered with ants, I would rather be with you than with anyone else in the whole wide world."

Sniff.

But why does Duck have those bloodshot eyes? I could have done without those. Aside from that, this book deserves multiple readings, especially as a fun read-aloud.

Note: I received this as a promo copy for review.

#AstraBooks #AstraYoungReaders

In 1953, young Octobia May lives with her aunt Shuma who runs a boardinghouse, and she's convinced that Mr. Davenport, far from being the reliable boarder and war hero he appears to be, is actually a vampire. Her friend Jonah's mother thinks she's been allowed to get above her place as a young Black (the word of the time would be "colored") girl, and she has far too good of an imagination. But Octobia May already died once and she's come back strong, determined to make her way in the world.

I particularly like the narrator of the audiobook, Bahni Turpin, who does a fabulous job with a variety of characters, from young Octobia to an Irish cop. The story itself is sometimes episodic but also has this mystery of Mr. Davenport threaded throughout, which made it include an awful lot and became hard for me to follow on audio. There are details I picked up on early as an adult that wouldn't have been so obvious to a young reader, such as "passing." Other times, I recognize I would've liked it better reading it as a child - the ending is completely over the top and I couldn't quite shut off my analytical brain and just enjoy the adventure.½

Read:
Don't be Disrespecting Me - I love this author. This story completely wasn't what I expected. It was much sadder, and I wished I could've stepped in to stop the characters.

So I Ain't No Good Girl - Sharon Flake is a great writer. I got all tense because I could feel this character's desperation.

Gettin' Even - I don't know is this author is as good as getting inside boys' heads as she is girls', but I stopped worrying about it a few seconds after I started reading this story and got completely caught up in it.

Don't Read This - This story is written in diary format, and fans of Glimpse by Carol Lynch Williams will like it.

I'm completely exhausted and too incoherent to write well about this book, but I wanted to leave myself a quick note before my thoughts about it are lost. I really was impressed by the writing and the frank, non-sugarcoated look at the hellish experience of being at the mercy of other kids' jealousy and insecurities. Maleeka is a strong and smart narrator who I was interested in from the first page. Her voice is loud and clear and you can tell she will have a lot of interesting things to say.

I'm not part of the target audience for this novel, so the plot wasn't challenging or surprising, but I enjoyed the author's voice and Maleeka's personal growth, and in particular I enjoyed all the flawed adults.

e-audio (hoopla, 6+ hours) Children's middlegrade historical fiction - action-packed mystery/adventure with spunky 10/11 y.o Black protagonist, set in 1950s.

this was recommended by the Novelist service for fans of Harriet the Spy and it does not disappoint.½

This book tackles the struggles that Mann, a thirteen year old, struggles with. His struggles truly begin after his kid-brother is shot and killed. Throughout the story, other people he knows wind up dead from gun violence as well. This novel does a great job at explaining difficult situations that children can face. I would have this book in my classroom library because some students may have faced some of the things that Mann does in this book.

Maleeka is tired of being teased because her skin is so dark, but when a new teacher arrives at school that has a white patch on her face, Maleeka thinks maybe Ms. Saunders has it worse than she does. As she tries to navigate school, Maleeka hides behind a popular girl, remaining her friend by doing her homework and borrowing her clothes. Slowly, though, under the influence of Ms. Sanders, Maleeka starts to see that she has worth when she finds courage enough to get a more natural hairstyle and begins writing a fictional diary of a girl that has been captured into slavery, making her way in a ship across the Atlantic. However, Maleeka's problems get worse before they get better.

The Skin I'm In is a very timely novel even though it was written more than 20 years ago. The issues that the characters face in this book are not only include dealing with race but also with just being a kid in middle school. The slave girl's diary entries that Maleeka writes are not only insightful, but they also mirror the feelings and experiences that most affect Maleeka in the present. Overall, The Skin I'm In is a serious story that reflects serious issues.

RGG: A wonderful character, Raspberry, struggles to come to terms with the hardships of her life--homelessness, a drug-addicted father--with the help of her friends and her mother.

I especially liked that the audio used different readers. Pretty good collection overall--the nuances are particularly shining--though I found "Jacob's Rules" to be absolutely painful. The teacher's assignment, behavior, and reasoning was 100% inappropriate and inexcusable. The story made it seem like the whole situation was a positive thing, but not only did it enforce heteronormativity as a rule (yeah yeah, I get that this collection is based on that) but traditional gender roles were gospel. And then he purposefully culls the popular and beautiful children to use against the rest of the students AND TELLS THE CLASS JUST SO at the end. That is so wrong in so many ways.

The main character in his story is Maleeka who is in seventh grade. She endures discrimination and bullying both for her dark skin color and her shabby clothing sewn together by her mother. Maleeka's teacher in this story is portrayed as someone who could both sympathize and identify with Maleeka. This book gives strong lessons about overcoming discrimination and personal struggles, fitting in your own skin with confidence, and the importance of the acceptance of yourself and others. This book is a perfect fit for any middle grade classroom. I absolutely love this book, five out of five stars.

RGG: A wonderful character, Raspberry, struggles to come to terms with the hardships of her life--homelessness, a drug-addicted father--with the help of her friends and her mother.

I don't know how this could be better. Short stories about African American teen girls and their relationships with boys. Flake really gets the people she is writing about, and the problems they face. Wish I had read this when working in an urban high school: I would have been pushing this on teachers. What's especially nice is the length of the book and the stories it contains, would not discourage the most reluctant reader. Brava!

Good audiobook, likeable and bold main character, a bit weird on the story side. The mystery kind of flip flopped around, but this could be a good fit for someone who wants a decisive (though occasionally mistaken) heroine.

A book focused on loving yourself, being true to you, and never allowing someone else to define you!

Maleeka is in seventh grade and deals with bullies giving her a hard time about her clothes (sewn by her mother after her father's death) and her dark skin. Even her best "friend" Char is trouble, but Maleeka keeps her head down because Char's attention and changes of clothes are all that keep her from being picked on even more. But then a teacher with a light patch on her face who also draws the kids' attention takes an interest in Maleeka. Will she be able to fit in her own skin and stand up to the bullies?

Though the book originally came out over 20 years ago, its themes of accepting yourself and standing up for what's right are just as relevant as ever. Maleeka's doubt, fear, and gradual growth unfold naturally in the course of this quiet, character-driven story.

Update, March 11, 2018: I was able to connect with Scholastic, the publisher, concerning use of the phrase "confined to a wheelchair" in descriptive copy that appeared on the book's back cover. (See my original review, below.) I was told that Scholastic will change the phrasing for future printings of this book, and wish to express my appreciation to Scholastic for being receptive to concerns about ableism shaping how people with disabilities are viewed.

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My reaction to this book was mixed. I empathized with Autumn's plight as she struggled to unlock reading, because one of the people closest in my life is dealing with a print-disability. And both of the protagonists, Autumn and Adonis, seemed to be well fleshed-out characters. I was able to relate and empathize with ways that the characters grew and developed.

One area where I struggled to keep up with the story was the two of them ending up together. (I don't think that's a spoiler, because I think the publisher's description made clear that they were headed toward that pairing.)

Autumn was pretty clear with her feelings: she was attracted to Adonis and aggressively acted upon that attraction. (Another reviewer has addressed, with concern, Autumn's trampling upon consent and legitimately asked, how this book would read if the two character's genders were reversed.) But throughout much of the book, Adonis expresses that he does not like Autumn. So going from not-liking to liking, even loving someone: it was hard to keep up with those changes.

One thing I feel that I need to address is the publisher's choice of language when describing the book's protagonists. In its back-cover copy, Scholastic states that Adonis is "confined to a wheelchair." This judgement is ableist, and it goes against the stated experiences of many people who rely upon wheelchairs.

I'd like Scholastic to consider the views of one such user, Heather McCain: that a wheelchair, far from being "confining," offers mobility, freedom, and independence.

"Without a wheelchair I would have been stuck at home for an entire decade. With my wheelchair I was able to start a non-profit organization, volunteer in the community, be active in sports, have a great social life, and be independent. At no point, in my ten years of using a wheelchair, did I ever feel confined or bound. I felt free, independent, and able to participate as a productive member in our society thanks to my wheelchair."

(https://canbc.org/blog/proper-terminology-dont-use-confined-to-or-wheelchair-bound/)

The publisher's description will serve, for many readers, as an entry-point to this story, and provides readers with a first impression of the characters Ms. Flake has created. And the most terrifying past experience of Adonis' life involved his being suddenly without the mobility that he derives with his wheelchair.

Beyond the story, the publisher's choice of words helps to shape the way that disability is understood, and discussed in our society.

In McCain's words, again: "It is true that there are a lot of accessibility issues that create barriers for people who use wheelchairs, but the barriers stem from the inaccessibility of communities that aren’t inclusive, not the wheelchair itself."

Great lessons on accecpting who you are

Enjoyable, though it hits a bit too close to home.

This story is the story of a girl that just doesn't feel like she fits in; a story that many girls Maleeka's age can relate to. Flake tells the story of a girl who is taught to be comfortable in her own body and teaches her readers how they can do the same through Maleeka's story.

I absolutely love this book! The raw truth that lies within the pages of this book is heart wrenching. So many kids go through what Maleeka experiences throughout the book and they have no way to escape their fate that has been chosen for them, but since Maleeka has that guidance she didn't know was there, she defies the odds and so many black and brown girls will be able to see themselves in that.