One of the great pleasures of being a book review blogger is getting to know other bloggers, hearing what they’re reading, and sharing notes. I met Maggie Desmond-O’Brien two years ago when she reviewed Gringolandia, and we’ve stayed in touch…
Tag: reviews
Egypt on the Edge: A Review of The Glass Collector
Nearly a year ago, the people of Egypt toppled the long-standing dictatorship of Hosni Mubarak and last week conducted their first democratic elections in many years. The revolution—the largest and most successful of the Arab Spring—began with a sit-in at…
Marriage Equality for Kids: A Review of Operation Marriage
After years of struggle and frustration—including a close call in 2009—same sex couples gained the right to marry in New York State this past summer. The victory followed countless demonstrations, endless negotiating, the declared support of newly elected Governor Andrew…
Portraying War Through Magic Realism: A Review of The Midnight Zoo
At the regional IBBY conference in Fresno last month, three of us from The Pirate Tree spoke on a panel about war and children’s literature. The books we discussed were for the most part realistic depictions of war past and…
The War Comes Home: A Review of Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty
We think of war as happening to children in other places. In doing so, we fail to think about young people in the United States whose everyday lives mirror the lives of young people in the world’s combat zones. For…
Children as Combatants: Young People Standing Up
On Saturday I journeyed to Zuccotti Plaza in New York City, site of the two-week-old Occupy Wall Street action. Occupy Wall Street began with a sit-in by a small group of college students—some still in their teens, others just beyond…
Young Teens at War: A Review of Bamboo People
My review of Abe in Arms two weeks ago focused on the continuing struggles of a former child soldier in Liberia to overcome the trauma of a violent childhood. As Abraham Odo (his name before being adopted by the Elders…
Children as Combatants: A Review of Abe in Arms
At the end of October, some of us Pirate Tree-sitters will be gathering in person in Fresno, California for a panel at the USBBY conference, where we will explore the literature of children in wartime. Each of us will talk…
Daniel Half Human and the Good Nazi
I’ve been thinking a lot about how citizens in a democracy come to support extremists in hard times, and whether they understand the consequences of extreme ideas and politicians who consider their opponents enemies deserving of elimination. A recent bestseller,…
In Trouble: The Past That May Become Our Future
Peter Marino’s thoughtful review of Ruth and the Green Book made me think of the 1950s—a time many people idealize as one of harmony and prosperity. Yet much of this harmony and prosperity was achieved through the exclusion and exploitation…