The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek 

By Kim Michele Richardson

 Cussy Mary "Bluet" Carter is a young woman living in Troublesome Creek, Kentucky in the 1930s. She works hard on the homestead taking care of her ailing father and the animals there including, her donkey Junia. Her life is pretty normal except for the fact that Cussy has a condition that makes her skin turn blue. This ostracizes her from the other people in her town and she often faces discrimination. She soon decides that she needs a job and decides to become a Pack Horse Librarian. This means that she takes books from town to rural areas so she can spead literacy and a love of reading. All of the characters that she meets througout the novel are one of the things that made this book so special and unique. The reader can get an inside look into what it was like to live in this time period. Even though she goes through many hardships including abuse and medical testing, Cussy's spirit never wavers. This book would be a perfect fit for an adult collection. 

BIBLIO: 2019, Sourcebooks, Adult, $13.99 

REVIEWER: Ella Frey  

FORMAT: Paperback

ISBN: 9781492671527

Fire on Headless Mountain

Fire on Headless Mountain

by Iain Lawrence

After their wilderness loving mother passes away, the three Pepper children, 19-year-old Joshua, 15-year-old Kaitlyn, and 11-year-old Virgil go to Headless Mountain to scatter her ashes. Little do they know, a wildfire started by a lightning strike is coming. After their camper van breaks down on the road and Kaitlyn breaks her ankle, Joshua goes up the mountain to get help. Virgil and Kaitlyn are left alone. However, they are eventually separated. Virgil must rely on his knowledge of survival and the forest to stay alive. This book is told partially in memories and flashbacks. This book offers a lot of useful science and survival tips and was very educational. Fire on Headless Mountain is both a classic survival story and a powerful story about grief and how our loved ones never really leave us. This book would be great for a middle school classroom or library as well as a good choice for a science related book club.  

BIBLIO: Holiday House, 2022, $17.99, Middle Grade  

REVIEWER: Ella Frey

FORMAT: Hardcover

ISBN: 9780823446544

  

 

Barakah Beats

 

Barakah Beats

by Maleeha Siddiqui

Nimra Sharif is a young Muslim girl going to middle school for the first time. She has always gone to an Islamic school and has also memorized the whole Quran, which makes her a Hafiza. This is a big accomplishment in her faith and her family are very proud of her. This book gives a lot of information on Islam, and one big thing it teaches the reader is that in some sections of the religion the performance of music and dance is seen to be bad. Nimra’s family believes this, but when she is approached by the members of Barakah Beats (a band with a lot of popular kids at school), she can’t say no. This is partially due to her wanting to impress her estranged friend, Jenna, but also to make some Muslim friends her age. Nimra will go through a lot of internal and external turmoil while she tries to keep this secret from those around her. This book was very educational and fun to read. This book is perfect for any Middle School classroom or library.  

BIBLIO: Scholastic Publishing, 2021, $17.99, Middle Grade  

REVIEWER: Ella Frey

FORMAT: Hardcover

ISBN: 9781338702064

Rosie Loves Jack

 

Rosie Loves Jack

by Mel Darbon

Rosie Loves Jack tells the story of a 16-year-old girl named Rosie Tremayne. Rosie has down syndrome and used to attend a special needs program with a boy named Jack. Jack did not receive enough oxygen at birth which resulted in both disabilities and anger issues. Rosie’s parents worry about Jack’s anger and therefore do not approve of him being around Rosie. One day, Rosie runs away with the goal of seeing Jack. There are many complications on her journey, one of them being the fact that it’s winter and many of the train lines are closed. Some people will help Rosie and many others will try to take advantage of or hurt her. There are many triggering topics discussed (although not in the most detail), including slurs, suicide, abuse, and human trafficking. While this story could be upsetting to read, it talks about important issues and gives a voice to an often-silenced population. This book would be good in a High School Library setting.  

BIBLIO: Atlanta: Peachtree Publishing, 2021, $17.99, Young Adult 

REVIEWER: Ella Frey

FORMAT: Hardcover

ISBN: 9781682632895

The Miseducation of Cameron Post

The Miseducation of Cameron Post  

By Emily M. Danforth  

Cameron Post is a girl from Montana. She loves to swim, watch movies, and hang out with Irene, her best friend. One night Irene and Cameron share a kiss. Sadly a few days later Cameron’s parents die in an accident. This leaves Cameron to live with her grandmother and Aunt Ruth.  The book chronicles her life as she gets older. After Cameron is outed, she is sent away to a conversion therapy camp called “God’s Promise”. There, she is put into therapy sessions and makes friends with other ‘sinful’ teens. It’s a very horrible place as one may expect and after an incident when one teen is badly injured, Cameron and two other teens make a plan to run away. The book ends with the reader not knowing what will happen to the teens, only that Cameron has made peace with her parents. While it is a good ending the reader wants to know more. It is easy to see why this book has gotten banned a lot. There are scenes with sex, drinking, and drugs in them. The main character is a lesbian girl struggling with her sexuality and abuse. These are all very popular reasons books have gotten banned. This book could also be very triggering to some. However, this book can also be very therapeutic to read. So many people have tried to change who they are because they think they are ‘wrong’ or because someone else thinks they are ‘wrong’ as well. This book should be in libraries, but it may not be appropriate for every student to read, because of its triggering elements. It is up to the librarian to know the students and help them decide if it’s the right book. This book is a great addition to a High School or public library. 

BIBLIO: 2013, Blazer Bray, Ages 15-17, $12.99- $22.80 

REVIEWER: Ella Frey  

FORMAT: Young Adult  

ISBN: 978-0062020574