From a girl who loves to work on cars to a boy who grows a tiny garden; a reality TV competition turns dangerous and odd family stories (why does Grandpa only have 9 toes?)—Grand Rapids Area Library children’s librarian, Tracy Kampa, shares a new batch of recommendations with What We’re Reading.
Sarabeth’s Garage, by Melanie Florence, illustrated by Nadia Alam
Tracy's take: Every Saturday, Sarabeth joins her dad at his garage. There she spends the day helping to change oil, diagnose problems and fix engines. In the garage, surrounded by cars, is her happy place. While her parents are wildly supportive of her interest in cars, her grandma often reminds her that in her day, girls played with dolls rather than cars. They wore dresses instead of grubby work clothes and had clean hands. Sarabeth is a little taken aback by Grandma's comments, but with her parents’ advocacy, she continues to enjoy her hobby.
One day, as Grandma was leaving, her car did not purr like a kitten. Rather, it grumbled and groaned like an unhappy walrus. Sarabeth opened the hood of the car and got to work, with her dad handing her the tools. Soon, she closed the hood and invited Grandma to try it again. This time, the engine roared to life. The final spread shows us an interior of Dad's garage. And who's wearing the grubby overalls now? A wonderful validation for all children who may not have traditional aspirations. I highly recommend Sarabeth's Garage by Melanie Florece, with delightful pictures by Nadia Alam.
Tiny Garden, by Deborah Underwood, illustrated by Jax Chow
Tracy's take: Andrew loved plants, but sometimes the sheer size of his neighbor's gardens felt too overwhelming. So Andrew carefully plotted out the space, dug the soil, and planted a tiny garden. His neighbor did not understand. Tiny seeds brought forth tiny plants. Andrew was content. His neighbor: confused. Tiny plants attracted tiny animals: an exhausted moth, a tiny earthworm, the tiniest hummingbird excited to find a home. The Neighbor still didn't get the point. But as Andrew watched a tiny ladybug scurry to the garden, he assured his neighbor that it was okay that he didn't understand. Because Andrew did.
If you love a good garden picture book, particularly one in which the smallest of inhabitants are both seen and celebrated, I think you'd very much enjoy Tiny Garden by Deborah Underwood, with outstanding illustrations by Jax Chow.
Wilderness Hacks, by Joslin Brorsen
Tracy's take: Sadie will do almost anything for her younger brother, Silas. Especially since the death of their father the previous summer, Sadie has been extra vigilant, trying to smooth Silas's path as much as possible.
Silas is obsessed with YouTube teen survivalist Radley Shaw, but is disappointed when a contest is announced to appear on Radley's show, an opportunity for which Silas is too young. And that is how Sadie ends up eating a grub cooked over a fire. Because anybody can eat one raw, right? It takes far more survivalist skill to make the fire before cooking and consuming said grub, at least according to Silas.
Sadie is relieved when their video does not make it to the top—until it does. Sadie will now be Rad's co-star of the week, and Silas is allowed to tag along for the day of filming. The more time Sadie spends with Radley, however, the more she feels this whole thing is a fraud. Neither Sadie nor Rad is looking forward to their time in the wilderness.
During their day of filming, however, a true natural disaster strikes as an earthquake rains rocks all around them and shatters a dam. As their rafting trip becomes a whitewater survivalist test, their adult guide ultimately chooses to give Sadie and Rad the best chance for survival, and his actions leave the two young people alone in the wilderness. The author pulls no punches as Rad and Sadie must use every skill they have to survive. But foraging for food, finding shelter, and building fires may be the least of their concerns when the wolf pack and ultimately the mountain lion shows up.
Every aspect of this book felt believable, from the initial setup of the YouTube contest to the ultimate survival test in the Colorado mountains. Sadie and Rad grew from barely tolerating each other to true friends as they shared what got them to this point in their lives. Parental death, autism, and celiac disease are all handled with grace over this three-day trial. If you are looking for a great survival story with the perfect tone for today's reader, I'd suggest you pick up Wilderness Hacks by Joslin Brorsen.
You Are Now Old Enough to Hear This, by Aaron Starmer
Tracy's take: From first seeing the title, You Are Now Old Enough to Hear This, which I read out loud just to hear it in the air, to reading the book reviews, to actually reading this book, I've been in a state of wonder. And now, a week later, I'm still thinking about it, both in awe of how well the story was constructed and also ruminating over the ending.
Twelve-year-old Roman is the youngest in his extended family. Like many families, his is full of tales that happened long before Roman arrived. Unlike other families, though, one of the most popular stories that Grandpa tells is of the Toe Beast. And it is the terrifying tale of why Roman's Grandpa only has nine toes. Roman, however, has never heard the tale all the way to the end, as it always felt too scary.
After Grandpa dies, Roman is tasked with helping to clean out the house. He discovers several very odd things in the attic, including a jar of formaldehyde. This is nothing, though, compared to what Roman finds when he's able to break into the locked backyard shed. Thus, the story unfolds, one odd experience after another. A notebook Roman finds in the attic tells the tale of a girl who appears in a village one day, surrounded by a small pack of dogs. Some dogs from the village strain on their leashes to join the pack. Others do not. For the families of the dogs who do go, they are gifted a miraculous bush with fruit that may or may not cause marvelous happenings. Later, we are led to wonder if this tall tale could be true. And who is the girl? Roman's magic eight ball, a mysterious gift for his birthday when his secret desire was to have somebody to talk to, answers yes to every question, until one day it doesn't, with great urgency. And when Roman finds an old bucket in the shed, why does his mom freak out and insist that it must be buried immediately at the bottom of the trash can? Perhaps most pressing, why does Roman's brother continue to ask him a question for which he has no answer?
I reread most of the parts of this book after the ending so astoundingly tied up all these disparate loose strings. A slower, perhaps more clever reader might pick up the first time what I missed, but I was happy for the second read, as it convinced me of the brilliance of the author. I think this story will stay with me for a long time, similar to how, every now and then, scenes from Charlotte's Web or The Outsiders still flash through my brain. I so appreciate a book that requires me to think and continues to sit with me long after I've closed the cover. If you, too, enjoy original stories told exceptionally well, I highly recommend You Are Now Old Enough to Hear This by Aaron Starmer.
Happy reading!
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