Review: Pura Belpré

 Have you heard of the ALA Pura Belpré Award?

It's an award given to Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature.

And it's because of this woman here:

Pura Belpré grew up in Puerto Rico but came to the US for her sister's wedding. She never left. Instead, she found a job at a library where the head librarian was starting to admit children into the library. She wanted someone to engage them. 

Pura Belpré was a natural storyteller; she was very engaging. She spoke Spanish and brought cultural stories to a storytime. She created puppets to help elevate the storytime. She was a pioneer in the field of Librarianship. She wrote her own stories and wrote English versions of the Puerto Rician tales. 

My Thoughts: I've read a couple picture books biography about this amazing woman, but this book highlighted much more about her life. I loved learning about her. 

Library Recommendation: A must have book for your school and public library's collection

Reviews: Children's Biographies

 We have two biography series that are popular at my library - Who Was/Is and She Persisted. With a new book order, a bunch came in. Here are my thoughts:

This was good - I loved how detailed the younger years were and how Maya Lin got her first big break. However, I would have liked more details pictures of her creations after the Vietnam Memorial. That seemed a little glossed over to me. 

This was a great read - not enough time spent on the Celtics (but I'm just picky because I bleed green). I enjoyed how this covered more than just basketball for Shaq. 

I'm a huge fan of Michelangelo's work - he's one of my favorite artists. This is a great biography of his struggles, his art, and politics of the time. 

I really enjoyed getting to know more about Diana Taurasi and her awesome skills at basketball. I only wished I had seen her play in person...

I enjoyed learning more about Alex Trebeck - especially his time before Jeopardy! and the other games he hosted and of course his moment with Queen Elizabeth. 

I confess I didn't know anything about Wilma Mankiller, but know I do! She's an impressive woman who has helped the Cherokee Nation. 

A little look into the life of the first Black woman on the Supreme Court. I enjoyed reading about her moment with Obama. 

* These two series are must have books for your school and public library collections.

Series Spotlight: She Persisted

She Persisted

I've read several of these books. I just finished:

And it was super good. Of course, I've heard of Maria Tallchief, but besides being awesome at dancing, I didn't know much. And I know a lot more. I know when she fell in love with ballet, how she went to New York City by herself, and how her sister was also a talented dance. I learned how she valued her Osage heritage, how she was the first American ballet dancer on many world stages, and that ballets were written just for her. 

Talk about inspiring! 

Every time I read a She Persisted book, I feel inspired by these women and their stories. I love their big dreams, their determination, and of course their persistence. These books are perfectly wonderful, perfectly feminist, and perfectly fun to read while learning about amazing women.

I'm so happy that more are being published. I have a few to catch up on. But I have so enjoyed the ones that I've read.

Library Recommendation: Must have books for your school and public libraries

Blog Tour: Never Say Die

BOOK DESCRIPTION

Alex Rider is back in action! His new mission? Rescue an entire bus filled with children belonging to wealthy families. At stake are not only the lives of each child, but the very future of the terrorist organization known as SCORPIA. Thrilling action and pulse-pounding heroics make the pages fly.

The world's greatest teen spy is back in action in a thrilling new mission: destroy once and for all the terrorist organization SCORPIA. Following the events of Scorpia Rising, Alex relocates to San Francisco as he slowly recovers from the tragic death of his best friend and caregiver, Jack Starbright, at the hands of terrorists working for SCORPIA. With Jack gone, Alex feels lost and alone, but then, out of the blue, he receives a cryptic email--just three words long, but enough to make Alex believe that Jack may be alive. Armed with this shred of hope, Alex boards a flight bound for Egypt and embarks on a dubious quest to track Jack down. Yet SCORPIA knows Alex's weakness. And the question of whether Jack is alive soon takes a backseat to a chilling new terrorist plot--one that will determine the lives of many. From Egypt to France to Wales, from luxury yachts to abandoned coal mines, Alex traverses a minefield of dangers and cryptic clues as he fights to discover the truth. The #1 New York Times bestselling series, perfect for fans of James Bond and Jason Bourne, is back with a vengeance!  

My Thoughts:

I Love Alex Rider and I'm so glad he's back. I wasn't crazy about the ending of the last book, so I'm grateful for more books about him. I loved this one. I enjoyed watching him struggle to fit into a new life, knowing that he doesn't belong. There are just some people not meant to have a normal average life and Alex is one of them.

Interesting but creepy villains add to the novel as their evil plan fools MI6. Their plan was ingenious and diabolical. I really liked their identical nature. It's easy to hate villains because of their evilness, but you have to admire their ruthlessness 

I love the settings, from the West Coast, to Egypt, to England, and to Wales. I love the differences between the places. And as someone of Welsh descent, I love the part in Wales. 

I love how the anonymous email spurs him into action. The action and danger never let up, creating plot twists and turns kept me turning the pages quickly. I also wanted to discover if Jack was alive.

I hope this new book adds more fans to the Alex Rider series and I'm happy that at least one more book is coming next summer! 

AUTHOR BIO

Anthony Horowitz (anthonyhorowitz.com) is a world-renowned screenwriter for film and television, having received multiple awards. And he is, of course, the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling Alex Rider novels, which have spawned a major motion picture and a line of graphic novels. Anthony was also commissioned by the Conan Doyle Estate to write two Sherlock Holmes novels, the critically-acclaimed The House of Silk and Moriarty. Most recently he was commissioned by the Ian Fleming Estate to write the James Bond novel Trigger Mortis, incorporating never-before-published material from 007's creator. Anthony lives with his wife in London, England; they are parents to two grown boys. He will be touring the US for the publication of NEVER SAY DIE.

Anthony Horowitz is coming to CT in two week, I'm excited to finally meet him!

Picture Book Review: She Persisted

13 American women who didn't give up and who conquered their dreams by not listening to the naysayers. 

A very sweet and inspiring story with amazing art work. I loved reading about this diverse group women and how they made their dreams come true. An important book in our world and one that should be in all libraries! 

And I wouldn't mind a few sequels.

Review: Enemy Exposure

Book 2 in the Raven Files

With Raven's cover blown, she's got to stay one step ahead of KATO intelligence. But in order to get her revenge on the agency that held her captive for years, she might need a little inside help. Can she trust her old enemies to become allies with her? Can she get close enough to talk with them and perhaps turn them or will they complete their mission and recapture her alive?

My Thoughts: I love this series - lots of action and danger. I love the idea of taking down KATO from the inside. I love that Raven's father enters the picture and how that messes with her head. I love the tangled relationships Raven has with the other IDA agents, especially with Scorpion. I loved meeting the other KATO girls - and seeing the world through their eyes. They added humor to the story. After that cliffhanger ending, I can't wait to see what happens next.

Cover Thoughts: Love it!
Source: Book sent for review

Library Recommendation: Get this for your school and public library - it's a fantastic series with a female heroine who doesn't take no for an answer and goes after what she wants. 

Upcoming Review: Last Man Out

Tommy loves football. He lives for it both on and off the field. During one of the most important games of the season, he hears the fire whistle. He knows his dad's out there battling the flames.

It isn't until afterwards that he learns the truth - his father didn't make it out. He always said be the first man in and the last man out, but not this time.

Now Tommy, his sister, and his mother must learn to live without him. Tommy becomes angry at the world and a little reckless. His sister Em quits the soccer team and shuts out the world. And their mom just tries to keep everyone together.

My Thoughts: I really liked this book. It made me tear up twice in the first few pages and it certainly tugged at my heartstrings a few more times. I liked the football moments. I liked learning more about Tommy's dad. He had great philosophies. I liked the moments between Tommy and his sister - how he tried to coax her out of her shell after the death of their father. 

The one problem I had was Tommy's age. The back cover of the ARC didn't mention Tommy's age and it wasn't until page 170 that it was mentioned. From the rest of the book, I thought he was older at least 14 if not 16 from the way he acted.  It changed the perspective of the book for me. 

Cover Thoughts: Great - Love the placement of the two helmets
Source: Book sent for review
Release Date: September 13th
Library Recommendation: Perfect for tween library collection - both school and public libraries. 

Review: Crossing the Line

 * First in a new series *

Jocelyn has been North Korean property since they kidnapped her. They raised her, forcing her to do all kinds of deeds after addicting to her to drugs. Jocelyn can't go too long without her fix.  But now they're sending her home - undercover.

They have plans for her, but she plans to double cross them. It takes a month for her to get the drugs out of her system. Then she meets with the head of the agency. She convinces him of her mission.

Now she's playing a double agent - except for the wrong team. If North Korea finds out, she'll be killed. But the North Koreans are up to something and Jocelyn vows to uncover the truth and finally shut them down. But they've always been one step ahead of her...

My Thoughts: I Loved this book. It was so hard to put down! I loved the double crossings, learning more about Jocelyn's life in North Korea, and her new life as an American and trying to fit in. I liked the training moments where she kicked serious butt. I liked her banter with Scorpion and with his friends. I loved how she tried to get things done without taking credit or letting anyone really know the whole truth. It made the stakes much higher. That ending was amazing and I'm really really looking forward to the next book!

Cover Thoughts: Wicked
Source: My Library
Library Recommendation: Highly recommended for YA collections

Next Book Cover:

Review: Russian Roulette

Alex and Yassen Gregorovich have a history - a long complicated one. While sworn enemies, one day Yassen saves the life of Alex Rider. Why would he do that when he had orders to kill him?

Yassen's history led him to this point at the top of the roof. He had a happy childhood with great parents and an even greater best friend. But everything vanished one day. His parents died along with everyone in town. Yassen was the only survivor. From that moment on, he did everything he had to do in order to survive. 

My Thoughts: I thought this book was the last in the Alex Rider series - but in actuality it's more of a companion novel than part of the series. Alex Rider makes a small cameo, but most of the book focuses on Yassen and how he came to become a ruthless killer. 

I liked learning more abut Yassen. My heart broke for his and all that he went through at such a young age. He was resourceful and intelligent. I found his history fascinating, especially his time with John Rider. 

Cover Thoughts: I like it!
Source: My Library

Review: Scorpia Rising

The final book for the Alex Rider series is divided into two parts. The first part comes from the perspective of Scorpia - an terrorist organization twice defeated by Alex Rider. They are devising a plan to bring Alex Rider's involvement in MI6 to the attention of the world thus bringing down two enemies with one strike. They need to get Alex Rider back into the field and they have developed an idea to lead him just where they want him.

Alex Rider's life has gone back to normal. He's happy just hanging out with his friends, doing school work, and rehearsing for the school play. Unfortunately, his normal life ends when a sniper appears on the roof across the street from his school, sending a bullet through the window into Alex's classroom.

Jack - his guardian is determined that Alex won't be caught up in MI6 again. However, even she can not stop him from agreeing to protect his friends at school from further harm. Jack insists on accompanying him to Egypt where they will keep an eye on a school for anything out of the ordinary. Someone might be targeting the students of wealthy families from around the globe.

Alex realizes the school isn't under threat. He knows something's not right, but he's unable to put his finger on anything specific. Instead he and Jack make plans to head to America. That's when things start going wrong - deadly wrong.

My Thoughts: I'm sad to see the last of Alex Rider. I LOVED this series for the: action, danger, adrenaline scenes, the crazy double crossings, the spy gadgets, and the determination of one teenage boy. I think the series ended the only way it could, but I don't love the ending.

As for the book: It took me a bit to get used to the two difference segments of the book. However, I liked learning more about Scorpia. I loved how they dropped certain clues to make their plan come together. After reading their section, I found myself annoyed at MI6. MI6 seemed naive, very naive. They also seemed horrific at research. I've always loved Mr. Smithers and was pleased he had a bigger role in the final book. I loved reading about his gadgets and tricks, especially his last trick. I loved the deviousness of the Scorpia group ad trying to uncover their plot from Alex's perspective. I love watching Alex in action.

Cover Thoughts: I'm not crazy about the covers - but they are interesting and eye catching.

Source: My Library
Good Reads
Similar Read: Sure Fire (1st in a series)