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Saturday, February 8, 2020

Library display: ALA Youth Media Award winners

Counter-top display of books, arranged on stands with front covers facing outward: 'The Best at It' by Maulik Pancholy and '¡VAMOS! Let's Go to the Market' by Raul the Third. Next to them, at left, is a sign that reads, '2020 American Library Association Youth Media Awards Winners and Honor Books'

A definite highlight is the announcement each year of the Youth Media Awards, presented by the American Library Association during its midwinter meeting. To commemorate the latest celebration in “the best” among children’s literature, I looked for Medal winners and Honor books that were already present in our library, and I arranged them on a counter-top display. More books, having recently been ordered, are currently in processing. Throughout the library, I also put out books that were honored during previous years.

Sunday, February 2, 2020

‘Race to the Sun’ by Rebecca Roanhorse

Book cover for 'Race to the Sun' by Rebecca Roanhorse. Cover image depicts a girl with long, streaming black hair, sitting atop a large flying black bird while aiming a silvery bow and arrow. There are mountains and other flying birds in the background. The sun is depicted as a round golden orb behind the central figure and the other birds.
Race to the Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse is a recent addition to Rick Riordan Presents, an imprint that features stories about characters from world mythologies, written by authors who are inspired by the mythology and the folklore of their heritage.

In his introduction for Race to the Sun, Rick Riordan shares that the character of Piper McLean from his Heroes of Olympus series was “inspired by conversations I had with Native kids” during his visits to schools.

“They asked me repeatedly whether I could add a Native hero to Percy Jackson’s world. They wanted to see themselves reflected at Camp Half-Blood, because they simply never saw themselves in popular kids’ books. Piper was my way of saying, ‘Absolutely! I see you. I value you. You can be part of my world anytime!’”

Piper, who was half-Cherokee, was part of an ensemble that populated Heroes of Olympus. But Riordan believed that a story centered around a Native protagonist, inspired by Indigenous mythologies, needed to come from a Native writer.

Race to the Sun features a protagonist who is Navajo, or DinĂ©. The author, Rebecca Roanhorse, identifies her ethnic heritage as Ohkay Owineh and African American. She is married to a Navajo man and, “for the last twelve [years], I have been the mother to a smart, funny, and beautiful Navajo daughter.”

The book centers around the adventures of Nizhoni Begay, a seventh-grader who is able to see monsters - specifically, a monster who is able to change shapes but to everyone else around her, simply looks like “Mr. Charles,” the man who’s offering her father a new job.

Nizhoni and her brother, Marcus, are “practically twins” since only 10 months separate their ages. Marcus has a special power of his own and Mr. Charles hopes to make use of it as soon as Marcus’s power manifests. To defeat Mr. Charles, Nizhoni must embrace her legacy as a slayer of monsters.

In an afterword, Roanhorse shares that she drew inspiration from the Hero Twins of traditional Navajo stories.

I enjoyed the story, which features Nizhoni’s first-person narrative throughout. Given the appeal of Riordan’s own series, as well as other stories from Rick Riordan Presents, I believe that Roanhorse’s Race to the Sun will similarly be received by young readers who enjoy mythology-based adventure.

I received a digital ARC of this book from NetGalley

‘Gargantis’ by Thomas Taylor

Book cover, 'Gargantis' by Thomas Taylor. Cover image depicts a giant eyeball in the lightning-wracked clouds above a small seaside town
Gargantis, written by Thomas Taylor and illustrated by Tom Booth, is an entertaining adventure. While written as sequel to an earlier book, I believe that it can also work as stand-alone. It centers around Herbert Lemon, official Lost-and-Founder in the town of Eerie-on-Sea. It’s Herbert’s job to reunite lost objects with their proper owners - and sometimes to arbitrate who “owns” an item when more than one person lay claim to it. In this fantasy adventure, Herbert and his friend Violet must solve the mystery of a treasure that was stolen from an underwater creature. “Gargantis sleeps, Eerie keeps; Gargantis wakes, Eerie quakes ...” and thus the adventure begins.

I received a copy of this book through LibraryThing Early Reviewers

Saturday, February 1, 2020

Scholastic Book Fair needs volunteers

Red banner with white letters, which reads: 'Visit Our BOOK FAIR!'

The banners are up, promoting Scholastic Book Fair and Literacy Week, Feb. 21 to 28 at Santa Rosa Charter School for the Arts! Parents, if you're looking for ways to volunteer, this is a great time to do it. Set-up, tear-down, book fair shifts, raffle support, and more! Look for the SignUpGenius link in the parents' community group on Facebook.