Tyler Reynolds's Blog - Posts Tagged "kid-reviews"

This week I read My Family Divided: One Girl's Journey of Home, Loss, and Hope by Diane Guerrero with Erica Moroz. Sort of like the Dudes, it's the author telling about what happened in her life when she was a kid. The problem is, a lot of bad stuff happened that wasn't her fault. Her parents came to the U.S. as visitors and decided to stay, which is sort of illegal. So Diane has to keep their secrets and worry. And then, one day, the worst happens: her parents are taken by officers of ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and sent away to Columbia. That leaves her, a middle schooler, alone and taking care of herself.
This book is kind of scary, even for kids like me whose parents have all the papers they need to stay in the country. I mean, the idea that officers wouldn't help you, that the government wouldn't care, that there could be no way to legally solve your troubles. It sounds like the Nazis rounding people up.
It's also really interesting on another level: It turns out Diane is famous now. She's an actress on a TV show. So you can see how she starts as a kid, training and working and hoping in order to become a real actress for her job.
The truth is, if she didn't become a famous actress, her story probably wouldn't have been published.
This book was a fast read and really exciting. I finished it in about three days. I highly recommend it.
On the Dude-A-Rrific Summer Reading Bingo Card, it fits these squares: BEEN THERE, HAVEN'T DONE THAT (if you've been to Boston or Columbia), ITEOTWAWKI, NOT MY CULTURE, RACE OR RELIGION (Diane is Latina and Catholic), and, of course, CURRENT EVENTS.
You can download and print the bingo card for this year at the Dudes website: https://emilykayjohnson.com/TheDudesC...

This week I'm reviewing The Island Stallion by Walter Farley.
Check it out here: https://emilykayjohnson.com/TheDudesC...
Get your bingo card here: https://emilykayjohnson.com/TheDudesC...

Find out what it's like to be a homeless kid and an artist in my review this week: The Boy Who Painted the World by Melody J. Bremen.
Find my review here: https://emilykayjohnson.com/TheDudesC...

I review The Golden Compass Graphic Novel by Philip Pullman. It's weird and wonderful but scary.
Read my review here:
https://emilykayjohnson.com/TheDudesC...

Print your own bingo card and start reading!
https://emilykayjohnson.com/TheDudesC...

#children #childrensbooks #kidsbook #kidsbooks #readingisfun #summerreading #readaloud #kidsreviews