An Artful Dodge by Karen Odden

AN ARTFUL DODGE by Karen Odden is an historical fiction mystery story set in 1879 London. The main character is Kit Jimeson, a twenty-year-old orphan who has been responsible for raising her younger sister, Sarah. Kit does so by acting as a thief (like her mother before her) in an all-female gang that is managed by Amelia. In fact, Odden introduces roughly three dozen characters (even providing a helpful list) and the relationships, spanning multiple generations, are a bit complex. Trouble really begins, though, when Maggie (whose mother used to run the gang) returns after being sent as a criminal to Australia and wants to replace Amelia and take things over. Kit then needs to balance Maggie’s demands (especially related to an expensive necklace) with safety for herself and Sarah. She relies on a small trusted group with surprising ties to Fleet Street and Scotland Yard, and the dangerous heist is on. The pace picks up in the last third of the book and while the ending is a bit abrupt, it looks like there will be more adventures to come. Publishers Weekly gave AN ARTFUL DODGE a starred review (“Odden matches vivid details of the hard-knock life in Victorian London with complex backstories for her large cast. Readers will be rapt.”). An entertaining, twisty and suspenseful tale from an award-winning author.

The Crooked Places Made Straight by Raphael G. Warnock

THE CROOKED PLACES MADE STRAIGHT by Raphael G. Warnock is definitely informed by his position as a “pastor who serves in the Senate.” He invites readers to take a spiritual journey with him, writing “Our country needs moral leadership and a renewed vision like Isaiah’s, one that invites us to reach out to one another, to pray for one another rather than prey on one another, and to reach toward our highest and noblest ideas rather than sink in our basest fears.” Warnock explores six issues to offer “Reflections on the Moral Meaning of America.” He devotes a lengthy chapter each to voter suppression, influence of dark money, poverty, incarceration, gun violence and the climate. He quotes the Bible frequently and notes, for example, that there are “some two thousand verses in the Old and New Testaments about the poor and how to treat them.”  Warnock is not afraid to point out hypocrisy and that “the harshest and meanest voices against poor people in our country are often Christian voices.” He notes the efforts to cut or restrict programs like Head Start, Upward Bound and Pell grants, all of which he had personally participated in. Saying “we suffer from a poverty not of resources but of moral imagination and from a deficit of courage and vision,” Warnock outlines three goals for his thought-provoking book, paraphrased here: (1) to inspire readers to renew a common sense of purpose and to talk to people outside their comfort zone; (2) to urge politicians to look beyond election cycles and to take action to help the people they serve rather than their own ambitions; and (3) to reengage, especially for all of our children, to “when you pray, move your feet.” Publishers Weekly called this “a clarion call for a fairer America” – have a look. 

Good Joy, Bad Joy by Mikki Brammer

GOOD JOY, BAD JOY by Mikki Brammer (The Collected Regrets of Clover) introduces readers to Joy Bridport, someone who at first seems truly too good to be true. Joy invariably looks on the bright side, gives others the benefit of the doubt, and sacrifices her own needs to help others. Her life, however, gets turned upside down (look at that cover!) when she learns that her best friend of eighty years, Hazel, has terminal cancer. Brammer shares Joy’s innermost thoughts about her parents’ values, her troubled relationship with her own daughter (Elizabeth) and grandson Finn, as well as a new friendship with Rowan, a neighbor recently released from jail. Joy starts to take some risks, and the lack of consequences will have readers nodding in agreement about how older women often are invisible. GOOD JOY, BAD JOY is a rather sad story and while Joy grows, it can be a difficult read emotionally. Like “good” Joy, Booklist describes this novel more positively as “a heartwarming, poignant story of self-discovery and hope.” Book groups will find much to discuss.

The Mountains We Call Home by Richardson

THE MOUNTAINS WE CALL HOME by Kim Michele Richardson is a work of historical fiction subtitled “The Book Woman's Legacy.” It continues the excellent series which began with The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, followed by The Book Woman’s Daughter. This time, readers find Cussy Mary, a young woman whose skin appears blue due to genetic factors, in jail for marrying a white man, Jackson Lovett. It is the early 1950s (prior to the Supreme Court’s decision in Loving v. Virginia) so the partners are separated and imprisoned. This is a hard book to read at first as Cussy works long hours in the prison kitchen and laundry, amidst harsh conditions. Eventually, she and the readers find hope and some respite as she is assigned librarian duties and begins to transform life for other inmates through literacy and the escape that books often bring. Concerned with freedom and bodily autonomy, there are many sad aspects, including talk of lobotomies, a botched death sentence, and threatened abortion. This title is a LibraryReads Hall of Fame selection and for interested book groups, a Reading Group Guide is included which also explores rural vs. urban life and several social issues. Library Journal describes THE MOUNTAINS WE CALL HOME as “a deeply satisfying companion novel … exploring injustice, belonging, and the transformative power of literacy with compassion and grace.” Kim Michele Richardson is herself passionate about literacy and has honored the Pack Librarians by founding an initiative called Courthouses Reading Across Kentucky, establishing Little Free Libraries across the state.

Lincoln Award - Illinois Teen Readers' Choice

Online voting is underway through mid-March for the 2021 Lincoln Award: Illinois Teen Readers' Choice Award. Each year, we publish a libguide with information on the nominees; here is the link for the 2021 nominees.  AND the 2022 list has just been released. Taking this opportunity to comment on a couple of the newer titles:

WE ARE NOT FROM HERE by Jenny Torres Sanchez is an absolutely stunning read which received multiple starred reviews and numerous accolades, including being named a Pura Belpré 2021 Young Adult Author Honor Book. The action-packed story focuses on the lives of three young people who are fleeing Guatemala.  As they follow the infamous train known as La Bestia north through Mexico, Pulga, Chico, and Pequena face a dangerous, brutally difficult journey. Kirkus describes WE ARE NOT FROM HERE as “a gripping, heart-wrenching, and thrilling tale of survival.” The short chapters will keep students reading and relevance to current headlines will further enrich discussions.

One of the selections from the student nominated committee for the Lincoln Award, PUNCHING THE AIR by Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam is an #OwnVoices novel told in verse, like this:

On the day of my conviction

I memorize

              my inmate number

              my crime

              my time

              On the day of my conviction

              I forget

              my school ID number

 my top three colleges

 my class schedule

Amal’s wrongful conviction and incarceration are eloquently described by Zoboi (American Street) and prison reform activist Salaam. The unjust treatment, physical intimidation, and solitary confinement drive the rage, confusion, and deep sadness which Amal feels. His art – painting and poetry – provide an outlet in this powerful, thought-provoking work which highlights the school-to-prison pipeline and other issues of systemic injustice. Reminiscent of earlier books by Walter Dean Myers (Monster) or Paul Volponi (Black and White), PUNCHING THE AIR received universal starred reviews (Kirkus: “a must-read”) and is recommended especially for fans of Jason Reynolds and Elizabeth Acevedo. 

The Exiles by Christina Baker Kline

THE EXILES by Christina Baker Kline (The Orphan Train) is another wonderful work of historical fiction, offering the story of the beginnings of Australia through the eyes of two convicts, Evangeline and Hazel, and those of Mathinna, daughter of an indigenous chief. The novel begins in London with Evangeline, a young, naïve governess, who is unfairly sent to Newgate Prison and weaves in the story of Hazel, sentenced for stealing a spoon. The two are exiled to Australia and much of the novel concerns their difficult ocean passage, circa 1840. Readers will feel both anger and compassion for the young women who are transformed by their circumstances. Kline describes Evangeline by saying, “She’d learned that she could withstand contempt and humiliation – and that she could find moments of grace in the midst of bedlam.” Mathinna, too, struggles with separation from her tribe and draws on inner strength and memories of her deceased mother who told her, “You carry the people and places you cherish with you. Remember that and you will never be lonely, child.” Kline does an excellent job of drawing in readers – not just to the time and place, but also to issues of women’s rights and social justice.  In the author’s notes, she explains, “three disparate strands of my own life history [helped] to tell the story: a transformative six weeks in Australia in my mid-twenties; the months I spent interviewing mothers and daughters for a book about feminism; and my experience teaching women in prison.” THE EXILES received a starred review from Kirkus.