L.P. Simone's Blog

Riding Freedom tells the story of yet another woman proving that whatever a man can do, a woman can do at least as well, and often better. In Muñoz Ryan’s 1999 story, Charlotte Parkhurst, a real person, comes to life. Raised in a orphanage, Charlotte fought against the constrictions of her day, 19th century America and what a girl should be. And she wins. Although Charlotte, disguised as Charlie, faces multiple setbacks and tribulations (at one point losing the vision in one eye), her skill with horses, and her unwillingness to be who the world wants her to be sets her on a path that few girls or women of her day would have dared to dream about accomplishing. Along the way, Muñoz Ryan tells of many more unsung women of Charlotte’s day who defied the odds and lived lives of meaning and accomplishment. Riding Freedom is a wonderful story about what a girl has to do sometimes in order to overcome tremendous odds. It’s a story that shows what courage, determination, and persistence look like.

No Violence, foul language, or questionable behavior, except,of course, in the decision to run away, and hide her true identity.

A welcome addition to the Middle Grade Fantasy novel that isn’t about somebody going to a wizard school. The premise and setting offer a fresh on the genre of young people discovering they have unknown power, and also introduces readers to entirely new “not western” gods and goddesses. The problem Kwame, his friend Autumn, who happens to be hearing impaired, and the spirit of his recently-deceased grandmother face is real, the destruction of the earth by human activity. The journey they take to an unfamiliar underworld to salvage the last gift Grandma gave him, will entertain young readers while also making them think about their own connections to friends, family and the earth. Well worth reading. Looking forward to more adventures with Kwame and his crew.

V – Some moderate violence in the form of sword fighting and threats of violence but otherwise nothing shocking or disturbing.

No off color words or questionable behavior.

In her book Wish, Barbara O’Connor handles dysfunctional family, friendship, and hope with grace. When Charley Reese, the “scrappy” protagonist, arrives at her aunt and uncle’s home among the “hillbillies” of North Carolina, she tells of a life of loneliness, neglect and anger. Slowly, and with the honesty of real life, the story unfolds as Charley learns to trust, to love, and to let go of all the things that made her “scrappy” to begin with. We never stop rooting for her wish to come true, even if we have no idea what she is wishing for. This poignant story of one child’s hope is well worth reading with Middle School students who see the world as it is, and especially with those who might need a heroine to help them see how it might be.

Dave Eggers’s Newberry Award-winning work, The Eyes and the Impossible, could be the most kid-friendly illustration of a song lyric I’ve ever heard or read. In this middle grade story about animals who live in a park on an unnamed island, the truth of having nothing left to lose comes starkly to life. 

Johannes, the story’s protagonist, is the son of a coyote and a “kept” dog. Because of his impossible speed -he runs like light, his running keeps the world spinning- he is invisible to all. The triumvirate of bison who are the keepers of the park’s Equilibrium designate Johannes as the “Eyes.” Each evening he reports the comings and goings of the Park to these wise elders who dispense advice and knowledge to the other animals. 

The cast of this charming, funny, and at times serious middle grade offering includes a chorus of raccoons, a one-eyed squirrel, a sea gull who revels in tempting fate by flying through an archery range, a visiting flock of goats, and the various humans with whom they interact.  Each one, including the humans, provides glimpses into their own personal version of freedom. And, more importantly, only when each of them recognizes independently the limits of the others’ freedom does the true meaning of what it means to be free come into sharper focus. 

When Johannes is unceremoniously leashed while daydreaming about art, or forced to hide because of an heroic act he performs instinctively, he becomes painfully aware of what he has lost. Or, when Bertrand, the daredevil seagull is wounded and unable to soar like he did before, and when the bison face a decision of freedom versus the comforts of the only life they have ever known, the famous song lyric gains new meaning. All of these creatures lose the things they valued most, and having lost it are finally able to embrace the possibilities in front of them. Freedom is redefined, not by boundaries, but by possibilities. 

Along the way, Eggers offers tantalizing and profound insight into a variety of subjects, specifically, the way art, service, love, and choice influence and enrich our lives. In one almost throw-away comment Johannes explains how a work of art that has come to the Park intrigued him. He explains to his friends that he was mesmerized by one particular “rectangle (his way of describing the artworks newly installed in the Park museum). It seemed to be a “crazy combination of actual things and made up things and everything stuck together in this way that made no sense and seemed like the answer to a bunch of questions I felt in my bones.” Art, Johannes and Eggers suggest, provides answers to questions we didn’t even know we were asking.

Later, Johannes muses about a “nobler purpose” that Bertrand had talked about. “Freedom begins the moment we forget ourselves, ” Johannes reports. “Every reasonable creature knows that the worst thing any creature can do all day is think of themselves. If there are troubles in your mind, you should think first of the troubles of others. It is the essence of liberation. That is, freedom begins the moment we forget ourselves.” Forgetting ourselves in all the variety of ways Eggers’s characters do in this enjoyable, fun, poignant novel, leads to acting for others. There we find a kind of freedom we didn’t know we had. 

It is well worth sharing this Newberry winner with all the readers in your life, from 8 and eighty. 

No violence, or foul language. A few scary moments dealing with potential drowning, and death.

Grades 4-9.

Become a paid subscriber to get access to the rest of this post and other exclusive content.

When the award boards get it right, they really get it right. Kekla Magoon’s story of two brothers and their summer learning to be Extraordinary, resonates with truth, honesty and youth longing for fun. This wonderful tale deals with growing up and all that entails: knowing what’s important, and doing what one can for friends, and family. It’s about a father’s love, and his efforts to keep his boys safe in a world that is threatening. It’s about doing what it takes to get what you want. It’s about doing what you say you’re going to do and not flinching when others object. It’s about the moment in childhood when you burst the boundaries that keep you from being who you are and you realize that you are the agent of your decisions, come what may.

Caleb and Bobby Gene Franklin begin the summer with one grand mistake. They trade their baby sister for a bag full of fireworks. Never mind that they knew they would have to get her back. It’s the first step toward liberating themselves from the tyranny of parents who control their every move and for whom obedience is a way of life. Enter Styx Malone, the mysterious boy who seems to know enough about life for three Calebs and Bobbys.  Styx introduces the brithers to the idea of the Great Escalator trade in which one trades something of lesser value for something greater all in an effort to get what one wants, in this case a bright green motorized scooter. Along the way, the three break more rules, push more boundaries and eventually learn the true meaning of love, family, and friendship — a lesson that doesn’t come easily or without its share of pain and punishment.

This lovingly told and carefully crafted story is more than a coming of age novel. It’s a view into the workings of a young boy becoming a man while recognizing that honesty and loyalty are more than mere bywords. They are the foundation upon which friendships and a life are built.

Originally published in German in 1997, this light fantasy has something for everyone in your circle of readers. While there are dragons and other fantastical beasts in this tale, the emotional core of the story is eponymous Dragon Rider.The story does not disappoint, however, even for those who have a soft spot for all things dragon.

When a community of dragons, hiding in the mountains of Scotland find out that their pristine valley is about to be flooded by humans, one brave young dragon named Firedrake and his irascible brownie friend, Sorrel, set off to find the legendary home the dragons left centuries before. Their journey takes them to a city of canals where they meet Ben, an orphaned human boy who joins them on their quest and helps the two fabulous beasts navigate the human world.

As the friends journey through Europe and Northern Africa they encounter basilisks, mountain dwarfs, enchanted ravens, a homunculus, a sea serpent, and all-seeing genie who provides them with the clues they need to find the legendary Rim of Heaven that they seek.

As they overcome obstacles and pitfalls, the band of travelers befriend a professor of legends and myth while being pursued by the dragons’ ancient nemesis, Nettlebrand, the Golden One. Nettlebrand’s only purpose is to hunt down the last remaining dragons and eat them.

The friends’ journey provides a perfect balance between scary trials and fun adventures, while also offering enough twists and turns in the plot to satisfy even the most advanced reader.

Although others of Funke’s works for young people have overtones of horror, this story’s tense moments will not terrify anyone, but they will keep them turning pages to see what happens. Well worth adding to your collection.

Violence = V (Mostly threats of violence by the antagonist that are not carried out, although he is frightening.)

Grades 4-7

For fans of middle grade fantasy, Kari Sutherland and Tui Sutherland’s The Menagerie offers a fun romp in the world of fantastical beasts. The heart of the story, however, is the search for missing griffin cubs and the struggle to fit in. The premise is solid middle grade: a boy in a new school and community, with a touch of magic. The Sutherlands do a stellar job of capturing the frenzied feelings of middle school, and the fun inherent in glimpsing a hidden part of the real world.

After Logan’s mother disappears, he and his father move to Xanadu, a small town in Wyoming, where the two can escape constant reminders of her absence, Logan uncovers the existence of a refuge for magical beasts and the family charged with their care. Underneath the main action is Logan’s grief over his lost parent and the growing friendship with a classmate Zoe. When Logan’ discovers a missing griffin cub in his home, and that he is able to communicate with it and other fantastic beasts he is reluctantly welcomed into Zoe’s family’s inner circle. With the constant threat of a memory-erasing potion always hanging over his head, Logan must tread carefully around both beasts and caretakers alike.

The Menagerie is a fun opening to a new series, and well worth acquiring for younger readers craving more of the magic of the early Harry Potter books, and the timeless allure of Dr. Doolittle.

 Christopher Paul Curtis’s classic middle grade novel, The Watson’s Go to Birmingham, is a favorite of children and teachers alike. It has everything a middle grade story needs–mischief making boys, school and friend trouble, hints of the awakening of interest in the opposite sex, and honest about the  love/hate nature of sibling relationships. What it also has, more importantly however, is truth. Curtis’s novel speaks frankly and pointedly about growing up African American in a nation where race relations belie the hope and promise spewed by politicians and history teachers across the country.

Kenny Watson, the narrator of Curtis’s poignant story, suffers all the normal highs and lows of school life, especially when you’re smart, and the younger brother of a “bad boy.” It’s the chapters that speak openly about his life as a black boy, first in Michigan, and then in Birmingham, Alabama —in 1963– that lay bare the heart of a child struggling with the trauma of racism on a societal level. As a chronicle of a boyhood, the love, affection, humor and personal discovery will make even the most savvy reader laugh. However, as a chronicle of the courage it takes to be an African American boy in this country, it will make even the most jaded adult cry.

Parents and Teachers should be prepared to talk about the Birmingham Church Bombings, class differences, and black body image.

Some mild cursing and innuendo around the sexual activities of adults.

Some rather intense moments involving teasing, bullying, and violence.

For 5 grade and up.

It may seem like a strange origin story but I conceived of the idea of a Rat secret agent when shopping at my local whole foods. In the garage, multiple black rat traps lined the walls. It occurred to me that I never saw anything, rat, bug, mouse…anything go in or out despite their ubiquity (that’s just a big word that means all over the place).

I began to wonder if they were entrances to secret surveillance stations where the rats could keep an eye on humans. They protect their own.

The first thing I came up with was a recruiting “video” for the RRAT force. RRAT f course stands for Rapid Response animal Taskforce. And that was all I had for a while. Then I read about a kind of wasp that, when it stings an ant, it gains control of the insects mind leading it into it’s nest where it begins to farm in the ant’s body. It cultiates the kind of fungus the wasps feed their larvae.

I have always loved zombies. They are the quintessential American monster. Having written a doctoral thesis on the source of evil in YA literature, I have read quite a bit on the theory of zombies as the the manifestation of the horror of mass culture and the inability of crowds to think independently. To me they represent something different. To me they represent the loss of freedom. The loss of one’s ability to control one’s body and to live for one’s own fulfillment.

What better way to put Titus, the newly created Secret Agent Rat to work.

The story has evolved and changed multiple times, in multiple ways. Follow along as I spin a yarn, or rather tell a “tail” of a member of one misunderstood species exposes the threats we face when we are all addicted to our phones.

Here’s the cast: (Come back for future entries on their personalities and their struggles.)

Titus Benttail: Our Rat protagonist. He’s fighting to prove that rats are ass good as any other creature.

Dylan Rosetree: Girl genius in a family of math and science nerds, only she only has eyes for internet stardom. She wants to be famous. er efforts beginning with the hacking of one very infamous internet phenom.

Victor V. D’Vici: An internet phenom wantabe. He’s a gazillionaire with a plan that will catapult him to throne of the internet.

Keep your eyes open, my friends. And get ready to witness the birth of a new secret agency: The Federal Animal Rapid Response Team. If you smell a rat, it’s FARRT.