Grand Rapids Area Library children's librarian Tracy Kampa returns to What We're Reading with four more great books to recommend.
The Five Sides of Marjorie Rice: How to Discover a Shape, by Amy Alznauer, illustrated by Anna Bron.
Tracy’s Take: By all accounts, Marjorie Rice was a quiet homemaker in the 1950s. Yet for her entire life, she had been fascinated with geometry and art, and that fascination led her down a rabbit hole to the land of shapes. Have you ever thought that shapes could be invented? For hundreds of years, mathematicians had wrestled with the problem of the pentagon--that is a 5-sided shape. They knew that any 3- or 4-sided shape with straight edges could be tessellated or tiled so that it would fit infinitely one against the other, with no gaps or overlaps. Some 6-sided shapes could be tiled as well. But what about 5-sided shapes? Why was this so difficult? Reading her son's Scientific American magazine one day, Marjorie found an article about the pentagon problem. In 1918, a mathematician had listed five types of tiling pentagons and thought the list complete. After working on the problem for 35 years, three more types of tiling pentagons were discovered. Marjorie's interest was piqued, and she started out drawing pentagons or “little houses” as she referred to them and started pushing and pulling the edges. Marjorie Rice ultimately discovered four types of tiling pentagons helping to solve a puzzle that had baffled mathematicians for hundreds of years. Out of the 15 types of convex tiling pentagons discovered throughout the history of mathematics, Marjorie Rice discovered over 1/4 of them. The back matter of this book not only includes a great author’s note, but it also encourages readers to discover shapes on their own and to look at the works of other tiling artists and mathematicians, such as MC Escher. I was absolutely blown away by this picture book biography and I think any reader of any age would appreciate learning about the incomparable Marjorie Rice. It lit my imagination on fire, and there are a few dozen cut shapes on my desk right now. Give your brain a break and a challenge and check out The Five Sides of Marjorie Rice: How to Discover a Shape.
Stella & Marigold, by Annie Barrows, illustrated by Sophie Blackall.
Tracy’s Take: If you have an early chapter book reader in your life, you may have heard of the “Ivy + Bean” series by Annie Barrows, with illustrations by Sophie Blackall. This duo is again coming together to bring us a new book that has the hallmarks of becoming just as iconic as Ivy + Bean. Stella and Marigold are sisters—Stella, a 7-year-old second grader and Marigold, a 4-year-old preschooler. They live in the bottom-half of a house and live the normal lives that sisters do. They go to school and the zoo and they have friends and they get sick. But in each short chapter in the book, there is a little magic sprinkled--in the magic that comes from great imagination. The sick blanket might hold the key to dreams of stars and lions. The book their mother read to them launches Stella and Marigold into a quest for survival when they are left inside the house alone. They even had to burn their toys to keep warm. Thankfully, the flames they used were made of construction paper. A challenge to a best friendship is handled quite nicely by a hopping bunny. A closet turned rocket ship takes Stella and Marigold to Japan to see the snow monkeys. Through it all, Stella and Marigold stick together, navigating the world with their sister by their side and using wonderful imagination to iron out all the wrinkles. I hope there is more to come as I loved the time I spent with Stella and Marigold.
Halfway to Somewhere (a graphic novel), by Jose Pimienta.
Tracy’s Take: Ave lives in Mexicali, Mexico, just South of the US border. They love the time spent with their family, especially time outside in the desert, hiking through the hills. Ave’s mom, however, takes a job offer in Lawrence, Kansas and moves Ave and younger brother Ramon to the United States. All three had been born in the US, which made the move easier for them. Older sister Cruz and Ave’s dad had been born in Mexico and would join the family when they were able to. Abe struggles in Kansas. They're not sure of their English and their mother's Mexican expectations of Abe seem impossible to meet in this new culture. Abe is frustrated as Ramon seamlessly accepts this foreign culture as his own and makes a best friend. On his first day in Kansas, running helps Abe clear their mind and work through memories. They are very much looking forward to when the family will be reunited and hopes for a return to some normalcy.
Tensions boil over, though, when Abe’s mother tells them that the separation is permanent and Cruz and their father aren't coming. Exploration of identity is central to this beautifully drawn and colored graphic novel. How does Abe assimilate into this new culture while their definition of who they are is falling apart? Ultimately, Abe gets along with a lot of help from some new friends. I very much enjoyed this graphic novel.
It’s All or Nothing, Vale, by Andrea Beatriz Arango.
Tracy’s Take: Vale is a world class athlete pushed by her parents to excel in the world of fencing. A motorcycle accident, however, not only takes her out of competition, it forces her to spend four months away from school, away from her sport, away from the identity she has created for herself. But now she's back at school and ready to practice with her team. Expecting to be greeted as a returning hero by her team, she is instead introduced to the new member, Myrka, who has taken Vale's place as the head of the team. Her first practice back leaves her in doubt and frustration. Her leg is weak and she can't stand that Myrka not only easily beats her, but that the coach praises Vale even though she lost. While subsequent practices go slightly better, Vale comes to a slow realization that her life may be permanently different. Her hated pink cane is a reminder of how much life has changed and how her life may never, ever be the life that Vale recognizes. She is forced to start looking around her, allowing her laser focus on fencing to blur and shift. With great courage, she tells her family that it's time for a break. She not only sees her family in a new light, but she finds friends and more as her world grows. This novel in verse is a magnificent reminder that as difficult as change may be, it is possible and sometimes might be the only way forward. I cheered for Vale and think you will too.
Looking for a good book recommendation? Want to recommend a book you've just read? Check out our What We're Reading page on Facebook, or text us at 218-326-1234.
What We're Reading is made possible in part by the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the citizens of Minnesota.
