AND THEN BOOM! Written by Lisa Fipps. Nancy Paulsen Books, Penguin Random House. 2025. $24.99 ages 10 and up

 

Reading this book took me straight back to reading Starfish, my first encounter with Lisa Fipps' remarkable storytelling. It's hard to find the right words to tell you about it. So, as I did then, I 
will include a few of the passages that made me gasp. I started reading, and could not put it down. 

 https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/7130079189010543417/9068845498303028036

Joseph Oak's life is filled with sudden and inexplicable change. He immediately introduces the people in his life who make it bearable, for the most part. 

"I do have one thing in common
with superheroes. 
I have an origin story. 
So does Grandma, who's from England, 
Mom, who gets The Itch, 
my best friends, Hakeem and Nick, 
Uncle Frankie, who's not really my uncle, 
and my sixth-grade teacher, Mrs. Swan. 
Each of us has an origin story, 
the story of how we became who we are."

Meeting them, but for Mom, will fill your heart. What a phenomenal community they provide for each other. Joe's life with Grandmum is happy, if not easy.  Grandmum cleans houses and offices, owns the home she lived in with Grandpa, and manages to feed the two with food stamps. All that changes when Joe's often-absent mother is arrested, and Grandmum uses the house to pay her bail. When Mom jumps bail and leaves without warning, they lose the house and end up living in their old car, which has seen its best days. 

"We all have at least 
one day,

One day, 
I'm gonna be the world's best chef
at my very own restaurant, and 
the food's gonna be so good
that when Michelin reviews it, 
it'll create a fourth star just for me, 
Hakeem says. 

One day, 
I'm going to find a cure for depression, 
Nick says. 

One day, 
I'm going back to my beloved old England.
Everybody longs for home, 
Grandmum says. 

One day is 
a hope, 
a wish, 
a dream that gets you through 
ordinary days, 
hard days, 
the worst days. 

One day, 
I'll never be filled with 
the ache of hunger again."

With help from the generous, creative and kind Uncle Frankie, they are able to find an old mobile home to rent. Life is turned upside down when Grandmum dies, Mom returns, and then soon leaves. Joe is now fully on his own, and not wanting anyone to know. His best friends are always there for him, but don't know the depth of his poverty or the true nature of the life he is living. 

Being able to find the perfect words to tell this story in verse with emotion, humor and hope is Ms. Fipps' superpower. I will forever remember every character, every scene, every bit of courage displayed by Joe as he navigates unsteady ground at every turn. Using his journals and the lessons he has learned from his superheroes gives him a way to keep his head above water. AND THEN BOOM ... a tornado! 

"It's amazing 
how long you can live 
without anyone realizing 
how you live"

The King of Jam Sandwiches, written by Eric Walters. Orca Book Pulishers. 2020. $12.95 ages

 

"Maybe we feel tired because we have to think about things other kids don't have to think about," I said. "That's probably it. Some people have to be older because of what life gives them. You have to be older just like I do. And so you know, like I said before, I won't tell anybody that you're poor," she said. "What?" "I won't tell anybody that you're poor." "I'm not poor." Harmony gestured around the room."

The two teens whose stories are told here will capture hearts and open readers to discussions of family, mental health, friendship, and fears. Both are surviving in the wake of truly dysfunctional parenting. It is with luck they find each other at school, and forge a strong and very supportive friendship. 

Robert is 13, and barely remembers the mother who died when he was young. His father is unable to properly care for his son. Robert describes his father's moods and behaviors as being on an elevator. The highs and lows he exhibits are only occasionally matched by a sense of things being normal. Robert cannot determine when the swings will happen. He lives in fear of the demands for perfection made of him, and for the periods of time when his father just disappears. He doesn't want anyone to know how bad things are, always fearing placement in foster care. 

Meeting Harmony, a new kid at school, brings a change for both. Harmony is not an easy friend or student. She is in foster care while her alcoholic mother is in rehab ... again. The beginning of their relationship is rocky. Robert's concern for Harmony and his support to help her stay in a caring foster home allows the new friendship to develop in a way that is mutually beneficial. Both are dealing with their parents' issues as best they can. 

Robert is a very good student who has managed to find his place in school, and at home. He knows what to do when the next crisis occurs and manages to remain an outstanding student and athlete while caring for his father to the best of his ability. Harmony is dealing with a complicated childhood, and many lasting scars. Her foster placement is a very good one, with a family who want what is best for her. As they spend time together and learn to trust one another, they are able to look forward to a better future. 

Both are amazing characters - strong, resilient, and worthy of the reader's attention and admiration. Their stories are realistic, compelling and often heartbreaking, and told with compassion. It's a keeper! 

When Stars Are Scattered, written by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed. Color by Iman Geddy. Dial Books, Penguin Random House. 2020. $27.99 ages 10 and up

"I heard you're quitting school. 

Yeah. I have to take care of
Hassan. You of all people must
understand.

No, I don't understand. I don't 
understand how anyone would 
turn down the chance to go to
school. 

Do you think if I were a boy I'd ... "

Omar and Hassan are brothers forced to flee Somalia when their father is killed during the civil war. As they fled on foot, they became separated from their mother and eventually made it to Dadaab Refugee Camp in Kenya. The two are fostered to one of the camp's citizens, Fatuma. She treats the boys as her own, helping Omar with Hassan who has a seizure disorder and cannot communicate clearly. Always at the back of Omar's mind is that they will one day find their mother and return to their homeland.

The boys are at Dadaab for seventeen years. Omar is lucky to be going to school, and having good friends. He studies hard, helps Fatuma, spends time wtih those friends, and harbors wishes to be resettled through the United Nations to a Western country, at some point. Food is scarce, there are few resources, and there is little to no medical care for Hassan. This is Omar's mostly personal story, impressively told in a graphic novel by the talented Victoria Jamieson. It flows perfectly from the first page to last.

This novel gives readers a very personal view of life in a refugee camp settimg that is a reality for many people around the world. Displaced by circumstances beyond their control, the boys get emotional and physical support to help them deal with their new normal. In the end, when they set to go, they must leave the family they have always known. This story needs to be told, and should ensure empathy for their plight. Readers will not forget these boys, their friends, neighbors and supporters.

Back matter includes photos of the brothers before and after leaving Dadaab, an afterword that continues their story, and separate author notes from both Omar and Victoria. It is an amazing tale, both heartbreaking and heartwarming. You will not be sorry to spend time with these quite remarkable characters. It is stark account of life as a refugee, and an eye opener. Fitting for our times and a needed resource.
                                                                        

Ghost Boys, by Jewell Parker Rhodes. Little, Brown and Company, Hachette. 2018. $22.49 ages 10 and up

"Being dead, I see places I never saw before. See homes not high-rise projects, schools better than I ever imagined. Who knew there were schools with computer and science labs? Libraries with fluffy pillows and couches? I wouldn't have minded going to Sarah's school, I never would've been late or faked being sick. I don't think any kid at my old school - even the troublemakers - would've minded a sky-blue-painted school ... "

One of my good friends recently tole me that had I asked her grade seven and eight students which book had the most impact on them last year, they would have chosen this one. Deservedly so.

It is a story of a young black boy killed by a white police officer. Readers watch as the scene unfolds. Jerome lives in a poor neighborhood, and attends a school that does not have the funding it needs to support the children it serves. He is bullied and scared each day as he walks to school; and he is scared for his little sister as well. He protects her as best he can.

When Carlos, a new student from San Antonio, arrives and befriends Jerome, he shares what he learned there. When the bullying starts for him as well, he scares the three boys with his attitude and his toy gun. They stand off; Jerome is surprised and thankful. After school that day, Carlos encourages Jerome to take the gun for some imaginary play in the park near his home.

A police officer finds him there and shoots him, concerned that he is carrying a gun. Jerome's ghost is witness to all that happens following the shooting - his family's anguish, Carlos' guilt, the police officer's trial and subsequent not guilty verdict. Jerome also spends time with other ghost boys, including Emmit Till. He learns their stories, and the history that he is now a part of, and he is only seen by Sarah, the police officer's daughter. She can see all of the ghost boys, and is trying to come to grips with the action that changed all of their lives. 

Jerome's story is written in the past and his ghostly present (Alive and Dead), allowing readers to begin to understand the realities faced by black families as they lose their sons to the reality of racial injustice, and to the plight of those officers' families who must also deal with the aftermath of making a grave (conscious or unconscious) mistake. 

Challenging, historical, filled with enduring pain, and sure to spur discussion in middle years classrooms, you will not forget Jerome, his family, his friends or his circumstances.

I will leave the last words to Ms. Rhodes:

I write for children now. I believe they are our best hope for a better world. The young are curious and have such open hearts. I write challenging stories not to embitter them but to empower them to “be the change,” to remember always the sense of justice and fairness they knew instinctively as children when they become adults. Writing stories about ending all forms of bias and discrimination, I hope will be my legacy—my own personal attempt to “bear witness” beyond the grave.

The Patchwork Bike, written by Maxine Beneba Clarke and illustrated by Van Thanh Rudd. Candlewick Press, Penguin Random House. 2018. $21.99 ages 7 and up

"These are my crazy brothers,

and this is our fed-up mum.

Here is the sand hill
we built to slide down.

whooping 
and shrieking 
and laughing."

What a debut this is! It begs to be read repeatedly to savor the sounds and rhythms of word choice and storytelling. A tour of their village allows readers a glimpse at the mud homes, the abandoned car, and the amazing sand hill they have built for sliding but also for much more boisterous fun. There's even a huge tree for climbing and for jumping.

"But the best thing of all
in our village
is me and my brothers' bike."

Readers will be astonished to see the workmanship using wood scraps, tin cans, old books, a bent bucket seat and Mom's old milk pot. That bike is a wonder of modern design, and can take the children anywhere they want to go. Who would have guessed?  It 'shicketty shake's, and 'winketty wonk's, and 'bumpetty bump's ...  all the while providing speedy hi-jinks and more fun than you can shake a stick at!

The artist uses acrylic paints on recycled cardboard to create energetic and detailed art that brings glorious life to a trio of children who use their ingenuity and resourcefulness to make the best of their days, despite the poverty of their surroundings. The BLM license plate is telling and timely.

In her author's note, Ms. Clarke says:

"What these times have taught me was how to make something out
of nothing, and that children will try to find joy no matter the
circumstances. ... The girl and boys in this story love their patchwork
bike just as much as a kid with a brand-new, expensive BMX might
love theirs - or maybe even more. All they see in it is possibility and fun."

Little ones will love hearing the little girl's story, while older students will take their understanding to a deeper level, and want to discuss issues of poverty, justice and persistence of spirit.