Tag: middle grade reads

Non fiction

Free Lunch

Zoha Siddiqui

“Free Lunch” by Rex Ogle is a biography about Rex who is a poor kid living in a wealthy district. Instead of giving him lunch money, Rex’s mom has signed him up for free meals at school. The wealthier kids always crowd impatiently behind Rex as he tries to explain to the cashier that he is part of the free meal program. Unfortunately for Rex, the lunch lady is hard of hearing and so Rex has to shout. This story is about Rex’s efforts to find his way through his first semester of sixth grade – who to sit with, not being able to join the football team, dealing with classmates and teachers who look at his secondhand clothes and assume he’s all trouble. In addition, his mom and her boyfriend are out of work and Rex’s life at home is filled with outbursts of violence. 

This book is definitely a favorite of mine! It moved at a fast pace without missing any necessary details. Just like in my last book review “Blended” the author, Sharon M. Draper, took the complexity of racism and packaged it down for younger kids. Ogle has done the same thing in his book. He shared his experiences from living in poverty in America, but simplified it down into a simple, emotional story that young adults can relate to. It was inspirational because it makes you think about the poor kids and the hardships that they have to face in some parts of America. 

In my opinion, one of the things that I would have liked to see done differently, would be the way in which Rex described his mother. It was a little repetitive with the words that he used:

“She shrieked”

“She yelled”

“She screamed”

Overall, this book is by far one of the best books I’ve read. Have you read any other books by Rex Ogle, if so which ones?

fiction

Blended

Zoha Siddiqui

If you’re only seen as half of this and half of that, how can you ever feel whole?

This book by Sharon M. Draper is about eleven year old Isabella who has been through this situation. Her father is black, and her mother is white, and now that her parents are divorced, Isabella feels like a push-me-pull-me toy. Isabella learns to define her identity, and find her voice through personal and social visits. She’s constantly changing between visiting her mom, and her dad that seems to add a lot of pressure on her.
Continue reading “Blended” →

fiction

Eventown by Corey Ann Haydu

Zoha Siddiqui

This book by Corey Ann Haydu is about Elodee, her twin Naomi who along with their family move from Juniper to a place called Eventown. This seems like a great move for them, because it is a chance for a fresh start. Things in Eventown are exciting and perfect when they first move. The food that Elodee cooks is amazing, her father’s rose bush is blooming and her mother is the happiest she’s ever been. There is also a Welcoming Center, where you talk about your most embarrassing, angry, or scary stories and then your memories are locked forever.

Continue reading “Eventown by Corey Ann Haydu” →
Uncategorized

Piecing Me Together by Renée Watson

Zoha Siddiqui

This book by Renée Watson is about a girl named Jade who believes she must leave her poor neighborhood in order to succeed in her education, so when she moves to a new school, she joins a club called “Woman to Woman” where she has a mentor named Maxine. Even though joining the club was a good idea at first, it makes her feel even more judged. The first day of Woman to Woman, Maxine doesn’t even show up which leaves Jade devastated. Another time, the Woman to Women club went out to a museum but Maxine had to take a really “important” call from her ex boyfriend, Jon. Jade is now unsure of whether to quit Woman to Woman. Though Maxine has good intentions, she comes from a wealthy family and Jade feels pitied.

Jade always gives Maxine a second chance whenever Maxine messes up, but sometimes Jade gets frustrated and agitated.

Continue reading “Piecing Me Together by Renée Watson” →
Uncategorized

Other Words For Home by Jasmine Warga

Zoha Siddiqui

This book by Jasmine Warga is about a girl named Jude who has to leave Syria with her mother and fly to Cincinnati, leaving her beloved father and brother behind. They stay at Jude’s uncle’s house where Jude meets her cousin Sarah. Sarah seemed nice at first, but in school she can be different. Jude was the best in her English class when she lived in Syria, but when she moved to Cincinnati, she has to take ESL (english as a second language), where she also has to deal with questions about her hijab. She is labelled as being from the ‘Middle East’ which causes some questions too.
Her cousin Sarah knows little Arabic, so it’s very hard for them to communicate with each other. making things difficult.
When Mrs. Bloom( their Drama teacher) says that there school will be performing a play, Jude is ecstatic and that is where she met Layla. Layla understands what Jude is going through and can help her but, when an argument occurs between them, Jude is not sure she wants to take part anymore.

What this book teaches us:

This book’s overall message was to show children to be brave and to not give up. In the book Jude says “I am bold and fearless and do not care what other people think.”

In another part of the book Jude says is “And that’s when I realize I don’t have a choice. I’m going to have to learn how to be brave.”

One of my favorite characters would probably be Miles because he always is positive even when things are going down. He also is very supportive and helpful to Jude when she’s not feeling very well.

My favorite parts of the book:

I really liked Jude and her brother, Issa’s bond together. “He squeezes my hand again. It feels like some sort of promise, an assurance that he won’t leave me all alone.”

I absolutely loved Jasmine Warga’s style of writing. It wasn’t like many author’s where they have 12 lined paragraphs. Warga’s paragraphs were 3-4 lines which is quiet unique.

Have you read any other books by Jasmine Warga?

fiction

Restart by Gordon Korman

Zoha Siddiqui

Synopsis

This book by Gordon Korman is about a boy called Chase who fell off his roof. He woke up in the hospital remembering nothing. The doctors told him he had amnesia. He also loved to play football, but after his fall he couldn’t play, since he had dislocated his shoulder too. When he was able to go back to school, he saw kids with very different reactions towards him. Some of them treated him like a hero, others were very afraid of him. After, not playing football for months, he decided to join the video club where he met Shoshana Weber -Joel Webers sister. Before Chase’s fall, Chase and his 2 best friends Aaron and Bear would bully Joel so much that Joel had to leave and go to a boarding school.

My Thoughts.

Each chapter is written with the perspective of a different character. I didn’t realize this until I read a couple chapters. This book was quite different book because the main character was actually a bully . How often do we see that? It seemed upsetting at first. however, when Chase joined the video club and realized he was actually decent at filming, it lifted the sadness that was floating around. There was also bits of humor sprinkling around in the book.

My favorite character was Chase because he was a different person after the accident. I think this meant that perhaps people can change for the better. Even bullies. My least favorite character was Shoshana’s mom and dad because even though they don’t have a major part in the book . They didn’t believe Shoshana when she said that Chase was a different person after his fall.

The author’s writing was brilliant. He was able to have me hooked from the very first page. Korman used simple but effective writing and carried the story forward at a good pace.

This book is available at the ASD school library. Maybe you can check your school library to see if it’s there.

fiction

George by Alex Gino

Zoha Siddiqui

This book called George by Alex Gino is about this girl named George, but when people look at her they see a boy. Her teacher says their class play is going to be Charlotte’s Web. Now, George really wants to play Charlotte’s role but she’s not allowed to because she’s a boy. But with her best friend, Kelly by her side, George comes up with a plan…

As soon as the roles for who is going to be who in the play is out, George realizes that her best friend, Kelly is Charlotte. Even worse, Jeff and Rick the class bullies keep on hectoring George calling her names like “FREAK” even punching George right in the stomach.

What this book teaches us:

The book teaches us how to be brave and stand up for ourselves, and how to not be ashamed of who we are. Furthermore, it teaches us not to give up. In the book, George had the determination to be Charlotte and didn’t give up despite the fact her teacher said no.

How I felt during this book:

It was definitely an emotional roller coaster. George had many ups and downs. For example getting bullied was a put down but being able to tell Kelly what she was feeling over the phone made her feel better. In the end George knows that she has Kelly and her family by her side every step of the way.

My favorite part of the book was when George fought back with Jeff, “accidentally” dropping a piece of paper on his back that said ‘SOME JERK’. My favorite character was Kelly because she helped George when she was feeling upset.

Have you checked out my other review by Alex Gino called You Don’t Know Everything Jilly P?

Non fiction

We Are Displaced

Zoha Siddiqui

About the Author:

Malala Yousafzai was born in Mingora, Pakistan on July 12th, 1977. In Pakistan, when a girl was born they would not celebrate her birth or let her pursue an education; however Malala’s father was different. He wanted to give her every opportunity that a boy would have. In 2012, an unfortunate incident happened on the way back from school. Malala was shot on the left side of her head by the Taliban (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taliban). She went through surgery and recovery in London. She now studies at the University of Oxford. Her book, We Are Displaced, was released on September 4th, 2018.

This book is an autobiography by Malala Yousafzai. Malala’s exquisite story is told through different perspectives, ranging from herself to her friends, to her friends’ sisters who have all lost their community and family.

In my opinion, the story was a little confusing at the start because it changed from person to person and that made it quite perplexing for me, but soon it became clear. All the stories in the book showcase the struggles that the girls and their family members face when they are displaced from their homes.

In her other book, “I am Malala” she has a famous quote “If one man can destroy everything, why can’t one girl change it?” The reason that I really liked that quote was because it shows how strong one girl can be. In this book, Malala talks about the girls and their real stories of how they had to escape from their war torn homes and settle in other places.

It provides a vivid description of the refugee conditions that these girls lived in and compares them to their new homes where they were able to settle. I got a very good knowledge of geography based on the maps and the descriptions of the climate and landscape.

While reading the stories, I felt a little upset about how families got separated and the dangerous conditions the girls had to travel through. I feel blessed to think about all the things that we have and that we take for granted.

This is a very important book to pick up and read if you really want to experience how these girls fight for their right to survive.

Have you read any other books about refugees? If so, which ones?

Uncategorized

You Don’t Know Everything, Jilly P!

Zoha Siddiqui

This book by Alex Gino is about Jilly P.’s younger sister, Emma, who is born deaf. Jilly needs to learn how to cope with her sister as she grows up.

In the book, Jilly then makes a connection with Derek, who is an American Sign Language user. So now she has someone she can go to for help but she never knows when it’s the right time to ask for it. She makes some mistakes and encounters minor frustration with Derek and her family members.

During the course of time certain events allow Jilly P to learn how to support other people and not just focus her attention on her little sister. When she finds out that a girl in her school, who is black, got shot she soon realizes that she needs to start supporting other people.

What I Liked About This book:

I liked how the book taught us about modern racism and police violation in the United States. Alex Gino said that this book was aimed especially at white people to help them not be very judgmental about blacks.

What I also liked about this book is that Alex Gino’s writing style was perfect. It wasn’t overly descriptive, so that I would get lost, and it wasn’t too concise that I would not be interested in it. Jilly also told me how to make a perfect PB&J sandwich which was so interesting to read and it made the book way more interactive. My favourite character is Derek because he was very friendly to Jilly even if she didn’t know how to ask for help.

About the characters:

Jilly P is a sweet and lovely girl. She is very eager to learn sign language and she is very determined to help her baby sister. However she wants tips and tricks from Derek she sometimes not know the best way to ask him.

Derek (aka, profoundinoaktown which is his name on an online chat called Vidalia) is a very cool and inspiring character. He is very patient with Jilly and teaches her how to cope with deaf people since he is deaf himself.

Have you read any books by Alex Gino? What did you think?

Uncategorized

Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsberg

Zoha Siddiqui

This book, Notoirous RBG: TheLife and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsberg by Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik is based on a true story about the second female justice of four to be confirmed to the court. This book had a number of pros and cons. Before we get into the pros and cons, let me tell you a little bit about RBG.                                                                           

RBG’s real name is Ruth Bader Ginsburg but people call her RBG. People call and name her after Notorious BIG, the famous rapper who died in 1997. RBG also wrote some of her own books such as My Own Words, Text, Cases, and more. She was also referred to as”the smartest person on the East Coast.” Although, she had lost her older sister and mother it didn’t interfere with RBG’s achievements.

A famous quote RBG stated was “Fight for things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you.”

Furthermore, she isn’t just strong on the inside, she is also strong on the outside!  In the book, it told us what she did for her workout to stay fit, which was really interesting to read!

Pros

  • I learnt a lot of interesting facts about RBG
  • It was packed with information
  • This book was very inspirational

Cons

  • The story moved a little slowly and it took me a while to get through it

Here is a video clip that I enjoyed watching with my dad that casts Steven Colbert and RBG. The clips shows her workout!