Nicky Deuce: Welcome to the family

Shirripa, S.R. and Fleming, C. (2005). Nicky Deuce: Welcome to the Family. New York, NY: Delacorte. 

Interest level: Grades 4-7

Reading level: 3+

Twelve-year old Nicholas Borelli is supposed to be spending his summer at Camp Wannameka while his parents are on a cruise, but when the camp suddenly floods an alternate plan emerges. Nicholas is sent to stay with his father's family in Brooklyn, a family he's never met. His Uncle Frank renames him Nicky Deuce and is determined to make him into a proper goomba. One of the local boys, Tommy, befriends Nicky and soon the two are getting into a little bit of trouble on their own. But what really concerns Nicky is the stuff he found in Uncle Frank's bag. He's pretty sure he's a mobster and up to no good.  As Nicky and Tommy investigate they find themselves in trouble only to be saved by Nicky's Uncle Frank and Nicky's dad.

This novel, authored by Steven Schirripa, an actor on The Sopranos is no serious read. But Nicky is a character that makes you laugh. The stereotypes abound in this short book, but they are mostly debunked at the end, when you see that Nicky interpreted cultural mannerisms and talk in a way based on his sheltered upbringing. In the end, this book is about family. Reluctant readers will eat this up be happy to hear that there is a second installment chronicling Nicky's adventures with The Family. Some of Grandma Tutti's recipes are included at the end, something young cooks will enjoy.

If I grow up

Strasser, T. (2009). If I grow up. New York: NY. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

Interest Level: Grade 7-10

Reading Level: 4+

DeShawn lives in the Frederick Douglass housing project in New York. This is a place where drugs, gang violence and teen pregnancy are commonplace and twelve year old DeShawn doesn't want any part of that. DeShawn is a good boy, a smart boy who wants to do the right thing. DeShawn's best friend Terrell sees it differently. He's looking forward to being accepted by a gang so he can start making some money to get all the things he can't afford. Unfortunately, no matter how hard DeShawn tries to resist, circumstances change and becomes involved with the Disciples. By fifteen life is about becoming daddy's, drugs and guns. And by the time the book ends DeShawn is no longer recognizable as the young boy determined to live a clean life.

This is an eye opening book for anyone not raised in the projects. The drugs, violence, teen pregnancy and poverty are overwhelming to an outsider, even in this book that seems to tone things down so that it's acceptable for the audience intended. You can't help but feel for all the players in this game, where gunshots and death are the norm and where the chance of escaping the drug and gang lifestyle are low. At times the novel sounds preachy, but in the end this book accomplishes what it intends to- opening the eyes of outsiders on to the gritty reality of the urban life. This book is especially appropriate for urban kids who sometime idealize "ghetto" life due to their exposure to rap music.

The total tragedy of a girl named Hamlet

 

Dionne, E. (2010). The total tragedy of a girl named Hamlet.  New York, NY: Dial Books for Young Readers.

Interest Level: Grades 4-8

Reading Level: 5+

Eighth grader Hamlet Kennedy just wants to be a normal eighth grader. Unfortunately her family is making it difficult for her to do so. In the first place, there's her unfortunate name. Not to mention the fact that her 7-year old homeschooled but genius sister Desdemona will be attending eighth grade with her as well, to give her exposure to school and the arts before attending college. And then there are her parents. If you haven't figured it out by now, they are Shakespeare freaks. Well, college professors actually, and they are perfectly happy to guest lecture in Hamlet's classes in full costume when the classes are doing a unit on Shakespeare. If all of that isn't bad enough, Desdemona is now tutoring 8th graders in Pre-Algebra, a subject Hamlet does not excel at, someone is leaving origami pigs in Hamlet's locker, and Hamlet knows that the "in girls" do not have Desdemona's best interests at hand when they befriend her.

This is a fun read, but one that most any middle schooler will relate to. While most kids don't have parents who dress as characters from Shakespeare's plays, they generally do have some quality that embarrasses their child. Struggles with classes, friendships, and members of the opposite sex are also common and those are all present in this novel. I wish Hamlet's parents were a little less clueless from the beginning, but it's easy to see how they are so wrapped up in what they find fascinating and which others idolize them for (Huzzah!) that they might miss Hamlet's discomfort. Give this book to those who enjoyed Stargirl.

The running dream

Van Draanen, W. (2011). The running dream. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf.

Interest level: Grades 7+

Reading level: 4+

Sixteen-year old Jessica is a runner. She can't really remember a time when she hasn't been a runner. It's not just what she does, it's who she is.  After setting her personal best record at an away track meet the school bus she's on is involved in an accident. One of her teammates died in the crash. Jessica's leg was crushed and 3/4 of it has been amputated. She wishes she were dead instead. Upon returning home from the hospital everything is a challenge. She can't get to her upstairs room, she can't shower on her own, and she can't run. Jessica spirals into depression, pushing everyone out as she learns to navigate on crutches and eventually on a prosthesis. When she returns to school she is behind on everything and to add to it, her math teacher puts her in the back of the class with Rosa- the girl in the wheelchair who has cerebral palsy and can hardly be understood. Jessica has to confront her own prejudices about the handicapped and figure out her place in the world.

Van Draanen has crafted an amazing story here. Readers can't help but empathize with the loss, pain and depression Jessica experiences even if they themselves aren't athletes. Rosa is a great addition to the story, tutoring Jessica in math and helping her to strive for all with handicaps to be seen as more than that. Jessica's discomfort at becoming a poster child so that she can get a runner's prosthesis is also realistic, but in the end she accepts it with grace and inspires many. This is a good book for anyone in need of inspiration, and aren't we all? It isn't preachy, just a real story about real like. Readers who enjoyed Sorta like a rock star by Matthew Quick will enjoy this one as well.

Code talker

Bruchac, J. (2005). Code talker: a novel about the Navajo Marines of World War Two. New York, NY: Dial Books.

Interest Level: Grades 5-9

Reading Level: 6+

Ned Begay, grandfather, recounts to his grandchildren the story of his life as a Navajo Code Talker in this novel. At sixteen, Ned enlisted in the U.S. Marines after spending ten years in a White boarding school where he was taught to shed everything Anglo. Ironically, what America needed most to help win the war is the Navajo language. The Japanese had been successful in breaking every code that the U.S. Troops use to transmit messages, until the Navajo come along. Their language is complex and has not been written down. The military realizes that they need this edge and recruit not only Ned, but over 400 Navajo men to aid in the transmission of messages. This enabled messages to be relayed across the Pacific, including at Iwo Jima, and helped win the war.

This novel covers a little known portion of World War II history. It's well written and will attract reluctant readers as well as history enthusiasts. Ned's tenacity at the White school, continuing to preserve his Navajo heritage despite the fact that he will get in trouble for it is an admirable quality. The tone of the novel, one of a tradition of storytelling, exposes the reader to a tradition that many may not be familiar with. The recommended reading section at the end will encourage readers to learn more about Navajo tradition in general, World War II in general, and Navajo Code Talkers specifically.