The Bitter Side of Sweet by Tara Sullivan

The Bitter Side of Sweet was the last book from my school's book fair that I read while home for the holidays in Florida. I picked it up based on the summary on the back, which showed it was about modern day slavery in Africa. Later on, I realized that one of my students had been reading it too and showed it to me once, so it's been getting a bit of traction among my kids. It ended up being excellent, so I'm glad I chose it!

The story follows two Malawian children, Amadou and his younger brother, Seydou. Both were unwittingly sold into slavery in the Ivory Coast when they left their drought-stricken home to look for work to support their family. They were sold to a cacao plantation and spend their days harvesting cacao pods for the farmers. They are beaten regularly, work under extremely dangerous conditions, and given barely enough food and water to stay alive. The brothers have been working on the farm for two miserable years when the story begins. After an early, failed escape attempt. both are broken and resigned to their fate. The best Amadou can do each day is try to protect Seydou and keep him alive.

Their story changes, however, when a young girl named Khadija is brought to the farm to work. She has the spirit of a wildcat, and constantly tries to escape the farm. She is continually caught and beaten, but she refuses to give in. Before long, she befriends Amadou and begins to make him think about trying to escape again. When Seydou is grievously injured one afternoon, he decides that the time is right to take his brother and attempt an escape once more. With Khadija there to help, the three embark on a terrifying and dangerous journey to freedom.

This novel was amazingly compelling. The writing was smooth and the action was well-paced. I was completely engaged in Amadou's journey and raced through the pages to see how everything turned out. What made the reading experience even more powerful was the fact that the story is based on the truth of what happens on cacao farms in Africa. I had no idea that child slave labor was regularly used to make chocolate. The author, Tara Sullivan, includes some information in the back of the book about this issue and it was equal parts disturbing and educational to read about. The fact that child slaves are used to produce a sweet for more privileged children across the world is awful to contemplate. It made me think a lot harder about all that Christmas candy I got over the holidays. Buying those fancy chocolate bars labeled "fair trade chocolate" is something I will try to do from now on.

This was my favorite book out of the three I read during my trip. It was well-written and alerted me to an issue that I didn't know anything about. This is definitely a high-interest book that I will place in my classroom library and recommend to my kiddos.


Challenge Tally
Clear the Shelves 2018: 21 books donated

Total Books Read in 2018: 44

That's Not What Happened by Kody Keplinger

That's Not What Happened was the second young adult book that I read while I was home in Florida for the holidays. I found this one at my school's book fair and was intrigued by the description on the back, so I picked it up.

The story follows a high school senior named Lee, who is dealing with some significant emotional trauma. When she was a freshman, she was involved in a school shooting. During the shooting, she was hiding in a bathroom stall with her best friend Sarah. Both girls were shot at, but the gunman missed Lee. Sarah was killed instantly. In the days after the shooting happened, a lot of stories about the victims began circulating in the inevitable media frenzy that followed. One of the stories was that Sarah died bravely defending her Christian faith to the shooter. This story, circulated by another surviving student listening from outside the bathroom, has become a legend in Lee's small town. Sarah is regarded as a hero and her story is an inspiration to the community.

The problem with this is, that the story is completely untrue. Lee knows that Sarah didn't say anything before she died. They were huddled together silently in that bathroom stall, scared out of their minds. Lee doesn't know what anyone else may have said to the shooter, but she knows for sure that Sarah did not speak to him at all. When the story was first circulating, Lee didn't say anything to stop it. She believed it was more helpful to Sarah's parents to let them believe the lie. However, now it's three years later, and Sarah's parents are now going to write a book about the incident. Lee can't stand the misinformation that will result when the book is published and believes that it's time for all the survivors of that terrible day to share their stories about what it was really like. Dismantling the myth around Sarah's death won't be easy though, and could turn the whole town against Lee. Many people have made significant life changes around this story and won't let it go easily. She must decide if it will be worth it to speak up or if she should just stay silent.

I found this story to be very interesting, and, sadly, very timely. School shootings are a disturbing reality that kids have to think about today and it was interesting to explore the fallout and trauma of such a terrible event. Lee and her friends struggle with survivor's guilt and PTSD, as well as a lot of the modern difficulties of being involved in a high-profile crime, including the agony of being accused of being "crisis actors," becoming figures in a political debate about gun control, and being hounded by the press for details of what happened. Lee's struggle with what to do in the aftermath was compelling and multifaceted. I could see reasons for her to stay silent and reasons for her to speak out. Her struggle was portrayed sensitively and realistically in a way that younger readers will be able to understand.

Mixed in with the sections about Lee's story are letters written about the students and teachers that died in the shooting. These letters help to give readers a sense of all those who lost their lives in the event. The point is stressed that even if someone wasn't particularly heroic during the incident or if they weren't a particularly good person before the incident happened, they still deserve to be remembered and mourned. No attention is paid to the shooter himself or his possible motives for his crime. He isn't even named in the book. All of the focus is saved for those impacted by what he did, and how the ripples of his crime spread across an entire town. No gory details or graphic descriptions are given; the focus here is on how people tried to pick up the pieces in the wake of the tragedy. In this way, the story is able to deal with a difficult topic without being exploitative or disrespectful.

I definitely enjoyed this novel and thought it portrayed school shootings in a realistic and sensitive way. I think young adult readers will be completely engaged in the story and come away from the novel with a better understanding of the power of stories and the impact of violence on students and communities. While the serious subject matter may not be appropriate for all readers, for the right kids, That's Not What Happened will be a deeply moving read.


Challenge Tally
Clear the Shelves 2018: 20 books donated

Total Books Read in 2018: 43

Screenshot by Donna Cooner

I traveled home to Florida during my winter break and I brought a bunch of young adult books with me. I managed to finish three of them during my trip, and they were all surprisingly solid picks. All three came from my school's book fair, so my main reason for picking them up was to preview them for my students; it was an added bonus that I legitimately enjoyed them myself as well.

Screenshot was probably the book my students were most excited to pick up this year, thanks to an intriguing trailer in the preview video Scholastic put out for the kids. The story follows a sixteen-year-old high school student named Skye. She's an ambitious young woman who dreams of a future career in politics. She's been working hard to win an internship with her state senator for the summer, so maintaining a clean and professional public image is very important to her. She's been very successful so far and has earned good grades, held down a part time job, and served on her school's student council.

However, all of Skye's careful planning is thrown into jeopardy when her friend uploads an embarrassing video from a slumber party to a social media platform. Although her friend takes the video down a few minutes later, the damage is done. Someone online takes a screenshot from it and begins using it to anonymously blackmail Skye into doing embarrassing things. At first, the blackmail requests are small, like telling her to paint her nails a certain color. The demands quickly ramp up though, and the tasks Skye are asked to do threaten her friendships and her future. If she refuses to comply with the demands, the person will post the screenshot online, and her family, classmates, and, potentially, the senator's office, will see it. Skye must decide how far she's willing to go to protect the public image she's so carefully crafted and figure out who is trying to ruin her life.

This plot summary definitely sounds a bit silly, and it is, but the book as a whole was surprisingly enjoyable, very timely, and full of excellent points about social media, the cost of maintaining a public image, and self-confidence. Skye's character felt realistic, and her worries and anxieties over her reputation were spot-on to how teenagers think.The story was interesting and fast-paced enough to keep me reading. I was engaged the whole time and I believe that younger readers will be as well. I really wanted to know who it was that was blackmailing Skye and why they were doing it, and I wasn't able to guess the ending ahead of time.

The narration in the novel is primarily from Skye's point of view, but each chapter ends with a few pages written from the perspective of one of her friends. These short sections contain bits of information that Skye doesn't know, and serve to show how the pieces of ourselves that we share with others or post online are only a small part of our lives. For example, Skye views her friend Asha's near-constant status updates as being annoying and self-centered, but when the narration hops over to this friend, we learn that she is in deep pain over a significant health issue her mother is dealing with. The online posting is a way for her to deal with the hurt and turmoil in her home life. Skye and Asha have been best friends since they were little kids, and Skye has no idea what Asha is going through. It really makes readers consider how much we truly know about the people closest to us, and wonder about how much of what we see online from them is genuine.

Screenshot is an excellent choice for teen readers. While it is definitely a young adult book, I manged to get a lot of enjoyment out of its story and the questions about social media that it raised. Any story that can remain interesting, feel relevant, and encourage kids to show empathy and kindness to others is an extremely valuable resource. I will be placing this in my classroom library and I can see myself recommending it quite frequently to my seventh graders.


Challenge Tally
Clear the Shelves 2018: 19 books donated

Total Books Read in 2018: 42

Quiet Girl in a Noisy World by Debbie Tung

After reading and loving everyone's a aliebn when ur a aliebn too, I decided to read another graphic novel next. I found Quiet Girl in a Noisy World through one of those Amazon recommendations that appear when you add items to your cart (I fell prey to those all the time). As an introvert, I was instantly intrigued by the title and cover image, so I decided to give it a try.

The novel is about the coming of age of the author and artist, Debbie Tung. It follows her from college to marriage to career as she tries to manage social situations and handle the anxiety that comes from having an introverted personality. Rather than tell one detailed story, the narrative hops around from moment to moment, showing her struggle to be at peace with herself and to feel comfortable in the world around her. Initially, she struggles a lot with feelings of inadequacy and depression. She feels awkward when interacting with others and is usually pretty quiet in public places. This leads to people asking her if anything is wrong, which only serves to add to her negative feelings. It's a vicious (and very real) cycle. As the novel goes on, Tung starts to learn more about her personality and feel comfortable in her own skin.

For introverted readers, this is a satisfying reading experience. It validates their feelings and encourages self-acceptance. For extroverted readers, this is like a guide for how to understand introverts. So much of this novel rang true to me that the title might as well have been "Quiet Girl in a Noisy World: The Kristina Story." Nearly every page showed something I have felt, said, or done during my life. It was really nice to see that there are other people in the world who feel like I do about things.

The illustrations are all black and white and are very cute. You can't help but root for the cartoon version of Tung, as she loafs around the house in sweatpants with a mug of tea.I even thought the font choices looked friendly and comforting. It was a visual treat to flip through the pages.

I would highly recommend Quiet Girl in a Noisy World to anyone. You will either be comforted by it or learn from it (or maybe both). It also takes less than an hour to read, so there are literally no downsides to picking it up. It's a nice, artistic, and realistic reading experience that I am so happy I got to have. This is joining Susan Cain's Quiet for me as one of my favorite books about introverts.

Challenge Tally

Total Books Read in 2018: 41

everyone's a aliebn when ur a aliebn too by Jomny Sun

After the intense, difficult experience that was Ulysses, I really wanted to read something light. I decided on a graphic novel that I bought a few months ago and never got around to reading, the curiously named everyone's a aliebn when ur a aliebn too by Jomny Sun. I first heard about it through a YouTube review and it sounded really interesting and heartwarming. Excited to read something that didn't require a Ph.D. in literature to understand, I dove in.

everyone's a aliebn when ur a aliebn too follows a cute little alien who is sent to earth on a mission to learn all he can about humans. He wanders around and talks to every creature he sees, including a tree, a bird, a bear, and a swarm of bees. He assumes all of them are different kinds of humans and he asks them all sorts of questions about their lives. Their answers are simple and surprisingly deep. They talk about happiness, sadness, self-discovery and achieving your goals. The alien stays on earth for quite a long time learning about these "humans" until he is called back home.

I really, truly enjoyed this novel. The simple, black and white illustrations were charming, the little typos and grammatical mistakes added character, and the themes of acceptance and positivity were a joy to explore. It was sweet and uplifting and exactly the little bit of happiness I needed. This is the kind of book that makes you feel good when you read it, and I can definitely see myself returning to it whenever I need a pick-me-up in the future.

Aliebn is an extremely quick read. I finished in less than an hour, but it was time very well spent. What's better than a whole story about kindness and encouragement? It has definitely become a new favorite for me and I can already see myself recommending it to all my friends. This was such a nice story to read after Ulysses!

Challenge Tally

Total Books Read in 2018: 40