When it appeared in 2009, Kekla Magoon’s The Rock and the River took historical fiction about the African-American experience out of the “safe” terrain of the Underground Railroad and the Civil Rights Movement to an armed revolutionary organization that confronted…
Tag: reviews
When the President Looks Like Me
One of the treats of last month’s inauguration was listening to Richard Blanco read the poem he wrote especially for that day. Blanco, a gay Cuban American, is the youngest person to present a poem at a Presidential inauguration, and…
Dogs at Work: A Review of Adalyn’s Clare
Adalyn is a bright student but has trouble fitting into her fourth grade class. Friendless and prone to tantrums, she frequently has to take refuge in a small tent in the school counselor’s office. One day, a yellow Labrador retriever…
Respecting the Q: Review of Ask the Passengers, by A.S. King
What’s a questioning girl to do when the world demands answers, and then doesn’t like the ones you have to give? For seventeen-year-old Astrid Jones, the questions feel huge and the answers too scary to face head on. Who…
Regrets: A Review of Each Kindness
Most picture books have happy endings. The main character experiences a challenge or problem, resolves it on her own with some guidance from a wise elder, and grows in the process. Jacqueline Woodson’s haunting new picture book, Each Kindness (Nancy…
Children in the Spanish Civil War: A Review of A Thunderous Whisper
In her debut novel, The Red Umbrella (Knopf, 2010), Christina Díaz González mined her rich family history to tell the story of a 14-year-old girl sent with her younger brother to a refugee camp and then to a foster family…
Mystery, History, and Just Plain Fun: A Review of You Don’t Have a Clue
A year ago my friend René Saldaña, Jr. published an article in The ALAN Review about the need for more genre fiction for young readers, particularly mysteries, featuring Latino characters and settings. Given the long and lively tradition of detective…
Mestizo Heritage and Magic Realism: A Review of Summer of the Mariposas
For the final two weeks in November, The Pirate Tree will feature reviews and interviews that focus on Native American cultures. In the United States and Canada, we rarely speak of Native American cultures as including those of the rest…
Division and Partition: A Review of A Beautiful Lie
We’re nearing the end of an election season marked by the length and rancor of the campaign. Many on all sides long for it all to be over, but no matter who wins, I remain concerned about the level of…
Remembering Matthew Shepherd: A Review of October Mourning
Several years ago, the Albany High School Drama Club chose to perform The Laramie Project as their fall play. For those not familiar with the play, it explores the final days in the life of Matthew Shepherd, the 21-year-old gay…