Maw Books » published 2005

Year of No Rain by Alice Mead

Natasha Maw — Wed, 12 May 2010 15:14:54 +0000

Year of No Rain by Alice Mead is a story of children and civil war. So right away you know it’s a sad book. But yet it’s one of hope, determination and optimism.

Eleven-year-old Stephen Majok lives in a small Sudanese village. When he is not playing with his friends he tends his family’s two cows. His father had become a soldier when he was just a baby and had never come back. One of his best friends, fourteen-year-old Wol, becomes engaged to his sister. He wants to marry before he joins the guerrillas in southern Sudan fighting against the northern government soldiers simply so she can remember him. It’s a war that Stephen doesn’t want to go looking for, he just wants to study but with the war school hasn’t been in session for over a year.

But the war soon finds him anyways, as his village is bombed from government soldiers. His mother tells him to pack his back with his most valued possessions and run into the forest with his friend Wol. His mother and sister stay behind. In the forest, they face hunger, thirst, and fear that their family has been killed. Orphans they yearn for home but wander unsure of where to go or who to trust.

A story of how children are caught up and affected in a horrible war. Stephen is a character whom readers can easily sympathize with. It’s easily written and perfect for young readers who are discovering the stories of people outside of their life circle and culture. It’s one that will elicit discussion about the ill effects of war, brutality, hunger, thirst, and the power of the individual, optimism, and the hunger for stability, family, love, and education.

Links of interest: Alice Mead website, more book blogger reviews. I read this book as part of the water theme for the Social Justice Challenge.
Genre: Middle Grade Fiction, approx ages 9-12.
Publisher: Perfection Learning. January 2005.
Hardcover, 129 pages. ISBN 0756951585
Source copy: Own
Year of No Rain is available from your favorite independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.

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Sixteen Years in Sixteen Seconds: The Sammy Lee Story by Paula Yoo, Illustrated by Dom Lee

Natasha Maw — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 15:30:53 +0000

As an adult, I have found that I am introduced to much of history through picture books. Do you know the Sammy Lee story? Read Sixteen Years in Sixteen Seconds: The Sammy Lee Story by Paula Yoo and illustrated by Dom Lee and you will. Son to Korean Immigrants, Sammy Lee, would watch children play in the public swimming pool on the hot summer days in 1932. But people of color, like himself, were only allowed to use the pool one day a week. During that single day, he began to learn how to dive.

But discrimination wasn’t just apparent at the swimming pool, he wasn’t even allowed to attend his own prom despite being class president. Over the next sixteen years, he dreams of becoming an Olympic diving champion. He works hard and relentlessly. And all the while, fulfilling his father’s dream to become a doctor.

At the age of twenty-eight he finally gets his chance to compete for Olympic gold. Despite the international venue, he still faces prejudice because he wasn’t white. This only added to his determination to win. Winning a bronze medal in one competition, he aims for gold in his strongest competition – the 10 meter platform. Training for sixteen years brings him to a moment that would last only sixteen seconds – from the time he begins the dive to finding out his score. A score which would bring a perfect score from one judge and thus earning him the title of being the first Asian American to win an Olympic Gold medal.

A very inspiring story that ends with his father’s words: “In America, you can achieve anything if you set your heart to it.”

A short video that features an interview with Sammy Lee:

There is so much going for this book. It is a story of immigration, prejudice and discrimination, dreams, determination, practice, perseverance, struggle, and triumph. But this is no story. This is life. And an inspiring one at that. This picture book and Sammy Lee’s story deserves to be in the classroom, the library, the home, and in a child’s hands.

Links of interest: Paula Yoo website. Dom Lee is also the illustrator of the following picture books which I’ve reviewed: Baseball Saved Us, Be Water, My Friend: The Early Years of Bruce Lee, and A Passage to Freedom: The Sugihara Story.
Genre: Non-fiction Picture book, approx ages 9-12.
Publisher: Lee and Low Books. April 1, 2005
Hardcover, 32 pages. ISBN 158430247X
Source: Review copy
Sixteen Years in Sixteen Seconds: The Sammy Lee Story is available from your favorite independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.

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Brothers in Hope: The Story of the Lost Boys of Sudan by Mary Williams, Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie

Natasha Maw — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 06:01:48 +0000

I’m excited today to recommend to you another book about the Lost Boys, Brothers in Hope: The Story of the Lost Boys of Sudan by Mary Williams, Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie. Mary Williams is a name that I have heard often when reading about the Lost Boys of Sudan as she is the founder of the The Lost Boys Foundation, a organization dedicated to raising awareness about these amazing young men and organizes resources to help them.

If you are not aware of who the Lost Boys are, let me set it up for you as I have three more book reviews to quickly follow this one on the same subject. During the mid-1980’s Sudan had a period of renewed fighting in its long-running civil war. More than two million people have died. Many of the children, particularly boys, were left orphaned and approximately thirty thousand Sudanese children, many under ten-years-old, were forced to march across Sudan to Ethiopia then Kenya in search of refuge. They faced death through war, hyenas, lions, crocodiles, lack of water and starvation.

Their stories are heartbreaking and a testament to the will to survive. Those boys have now become young men and many have sought refuge in foreign countries including the United States. Two fantastic documentaries that I would recommend about the refugee experience is God Grew Tired of Us and Lost Boys of Sudan, both excellent insights into the hell that these boys went through and their readjustment to living in the United States.

I loved Mary’s words in her author’s note and wanted to preface my thoughts about the book with her thoughts:

Before meeting any of the Lost Boys, I assumed they would be hardened and embittered by their experiences: the loss of their parents, near starvation, and exposure to violence, persecution, and deprivation. Imagine my surprise when the first group of ten young men walked into my office with huge smiles on their faces and excellent manners. They spoke English well and were quick to laugh. It was obvious they felt blessed to be given the opportunity to come to the United States.

When I asked one young man how they had endured such an arduous journey, he simply smiled and said, “It was the grace of God.” The Lost Boys’ unrelenting faith in God, their loyalty to one another, and their desire to acquire an education to better themselves and their country is a powerful testament to the strength of the human spirit.

This book is based on the true story of the Lost Boys as told to me by the young men who lived it.

Brothers in Hope tells the story of eight-year-old Garang as he is orphaned by war, joins with other lost boys, walks to Ethiopia,lives in a refugee camp and then forced back to Sudan and then to Kenya. Along the way, he takes care of Chuti, a boy younger than him and leads a group of 35 boys. Garang lives in the refugee camps until he becomes a young man of twenty-one, and he is invited to the United States. Although apprehensive about such a huge move, Garang remembers the words of his father “Your heart and mind are strong. There is nothing you cannot do.” Garang looks to the future and knows that although the road will be rough, he is no longer afraid.

A wonderful book with amazing illustrations by R. Gregory Christie in the African tradition. I would highly recommend this picture book to introduce young readers to the stories of The Lost Boys.

In addition to the two documentaries mentioned earlier, I’d also recommend What is the What by Dave Eggers (which I hear is being made into a movie), War Child by Emmanuel Jal, They Poured Fire On Us From The Sky: The True Story of Three Lost Boys from Sudan by Alphonsion Deng, Benson Deng, Benjamin Ajak with Judy A. Bernstein for adult readers and another picture book My Name is Sangoel by Karen Lynn Williams and Khadra Mohammed; all of which I can personally recommend and hope to review this week as well.

Links of interest: To learn more about the Lost Boys,visit the publishers classroom guide, and book talk with author Mary Williams.
Genre: Picture book, ages 9-12.
Publisher: Lee and Low Books. May 30, 2005.
Hardcover, 40 pages. ISBN 1584302321
Brothers in Hope is available from your favorite independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.

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Leonardo the Terrible Monster by Mo Willems

Natasha Maw — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:17:17 +0000

My boys can not get enough of Leonardo the Terrible Monster by Mo Willems which we’ve been reading in anticipation for Halloween although I would stress that although great for Halloween with its monster theme is a great everyday picture book. And I must admit (although embarrassing), that Mo Willems is a new addition to our household. But he’s been welcomed with open arms.

I have a fun video for you of us reading Leonardo the Terrible Monster together. At one point, it gets most rambunctious. Another book that we will be sad to return to the library and will be added to boys permanent wish list.

Links of interest: Mo Willems website and blog, more book blogger reviews.
Genre: Fiction Picture Book, approx ages 4-8.
Publisher: Hyperion Book. August 23, 2005
Hardcover, 48 pages. ISBN 0786852941
Leonardo the Terrible Monster is available from your favorite independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.

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The Lightning Thief, Book One of Percy Jackson & The Olympians by Rick Riordan

Natasha Maw — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 12:45:20 +0000

I read The Lightning Thief, Book One of Percy Jackson & The Olympians by Rick Riordan as part of my reading for my Children’s Literature Book Club this past month. This young adult book is normally not the type of book that I would pick up on my own, but I found it to be fun and engaging. I can see why it’s all the rage, especially amongst boys. Who wouldn’t want want to read about Percy Jackson’s adventures amongst the gods of Mount Olympus? When I began reading, I hadn’t read any reviews nor did I know that it had anything to do with Greek mythology or gods and found that it was a pleasant surprise when I found out. And of course, here I am ruining it for you by telling you that. But let’s be honest, I was probably the last one to know that about this book.

From the publisher:

Percy Jackson is a good kid, but he can’t seem to focus on his schoolwork or control his temper. And lately, being away at boarding school is only getting worse — Percy could have sworn his pre-algebra teacher turned into a monster and tried to kill him. When Percy’s mom finds out, she knows it’s time that he knew the truth about where he came from, and that he go to the one place he’ll be safe. She sends Percy to Camp Half-Blood, a summer camp for demigods (on Long Island), where he learns that the father he never knew is Poseidon, God of the Sea. Soon, a mystery unfolds and together with his friends — one a satyr and the other the demigod daughter of Athena — Percy sets out on a quest across the United States to reach the gates of the Underworld (located in a recording studio in Hollywood) and prevent a catastrophic war between the gods.

Fun book. And a very creative way to teach Greek mythology. If I had tried to learn how all the gods were related to each other by reading this book, rather than studying charts I probably would have had a lot more interest in the Greek mythology unit in school. The story was very fast moving. There was never a lack of adventure, nor humor in The Lightning Thief. A great series for all ages.

I’m sure I’ll pick up the other books in the series at some point, although I admit that I need a little break from Greek gods for just a moment. I’m looking forward to the movie that is coming out early 2010 directed by Chris Columbus.

Links of interest: Listen to the first chapter of The Lightening Thief as read by Rick Riordan. Visit Rick Riordan’s website and blog. The other books in the series are The Sea of Monsters, The Titan’s Curse, The Battle of the Labyrinth, and book five coming out in May of this year is The Last Olympian.
Genre:
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion. June 14, 2005
Hardcover, 384 pages. ISBN 064172344X
Source copy: Library
The Lightening Thief is available from your favorite independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.

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Criss Cross by Lynne Rae Perkins

Natasha Maw — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 19:30:04 +0000

Criss Cross by Lynne Rae Perkins has perhaps been my least favorite Newbery book thus far. It just didn’t do anything for me. I was never excited to pick it up, it took me forever to read. I just didn’t get into the characters, the setting, the plot, nothing. It’s been about two weeks since I read it and I can’t remember a thing about it. So this one obviously didn’t stick with me. That doesn’t necessarily doesn’t mean it was bad because obviously it won the Newbery Medal Award. You certainly may enjoy it.

I didn’t want to leave you hanging so here is a review from Lynne Rae Perkins website:

From School Library Journal, Starred Review. Grade 6-9–The author of the popular All Alone in the Universe (HarperCollins, 1999) returns with another character study involving those moments that occur in everyone’s life–moments when a decision is made that sends a person along one path instead of another. Debbie, who wishes that something would happen so she’ll be a different person, and Hector, who feels he is unfinished, narrate most of the novel. Both are 14 years old. Hector is a fabulous character with a wry humor and an appealing sense of self-awareness. A secondary story involving Debbie’s locket that goes missing in the beginning of the tale and is passed around by a number of characters emphasizes the theme of the book. The descriptive, measured writing includes poems, prose, haiku, and question-and-answer formats. There is a great deal of humor in this gentle story about a group of childhood friends facing the crossroads of life and how they wish to live it. Young teens will certainly relate to the self-consciousnesses and uncertainty of all of the characters, each of whom is straining toward clarity and awareness. The book is profusely illustrated with Perkins’s amusing drawings and some photographs.–B. Allison Gray, John Jermain Library, Sag Harbor, NY Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc.

Do you know what bothered me with this one? It was told from a omniscient point of view, which I think was really weird. It made it hard to follow when we knew what all the characters were thinking.

Have you read this one? What did you think? (Tarie??)

The Memory Keeper’s Daughter by Kim Edwards and a GIVEWAY

Natasha Maw — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 01:57:26 +0000

The Memory Keeper’s Daughter by Kim Edwards was one of those books that I’ve had on my bookshelf for way too long. I had purposely shied away from reading reviews of this book because I hate to know too much about a book before I read it. The only thing I knew was that I liked the cover and I see this book on display every time I go into Target.

The story begins when Dr. David Henry is forced to deliver his own set of twins. The first baby, a boy, is healthy, but the second baby, a girl, is born with Down’s Syndrome. Confronted with feelings of losing a little sister at an early age, he makes a split second decision to give his little girl away. He tells his nurse, Catherine, to take the baby girl to an institution and then tells his wife, Norah, that the baby died during childbirth. Catherine decides to take the baby to another city and raises her on her own. So I’ve just given you more information about the book than I knew, although this much can be found on the back cover (which by the way, I hardly read back covers).

The story intertwines the lives of these two families as they raise each child separately and how secrets can tear our lives apart. A few of my thoughts: I was dumbfounded by how quickly he could just give away his own child and than take that secret to his grave. I mean, who just hands over their kids after birth? But I suppose there wouldn’t be a story right? I felt sorry for Norah, who continually grieved her dead child and didn’t know she was really alive. I couldn’t understand how Catherine could have raised someone else’s child knowing how much the mother truly sorrowed over her lose. I kept waiting for something really big to happen, which never did. And the story was much too long. Would I recommend it? Yes, I would. It was interesting to take a glimpse into these peoples lives even if I thought they were all a little crazy. I liked analyzing how secrets affect our everyday actions and how they change our very being. This book would make a good book club selection s there would be a lot to discuss.

An interview with Kim Edwards and group discussion guide here.

GIVEAWAY: I’m giving away my used copy of paperback of The Memory Keeper’s Daughter (I’ve since picked up the hardback and I don’t need two). Simply leave me a thoughtful comment and I’ll enter you in the drawing. And don’t worry if you’ve never left a comment before (I’m always worried when I see giveaways and it’s my first time there). I love comments, I crave comments, I’m always checking to see if anybody has commented, and I always respond to comments. Don’t be shy, I’m quite friendly. So if you’re a friend, a neighbor, a blogger, a Cafe Mom-er, or here from a Google keyword search, go ahead and enter if you’d like to win a copy of this book. Enter before Tuesday morning, February 26th.

Slow Man by J.M. Coetzee

Natasha Maw — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 18:00:08 +0000

I read Slow Man by J.M. Coetzee because I was participating in the Literature Network online book club and I was excited to read a novel by a Nobel Prize winner. I struggled through this book, but kept with it, mainly because I was scared that I would get on the boards and find glowing reviews. They must have chosen it because it would be good right? So after I finally plowed my way through it, I decided to see what my fellow book club members thought. What a relief!! Most everybody thought it was just average or disliked it altogether. Apparently, this is not Coetzee’s best work. No wonder the back cover only gives glowing reviews for his other books, did he even get any good reviews for this one? I don’t even want to take the time to find out, I’m just not even interested one bit and want to put this book behind me.

To very briefly summarize, the book begins as Paul Raymant, sixty years old, is hit by a car and loses a leg. Once home, he laments not only the loss of his leg but the life that he didn’t create for himself. He longs for a family and children, and in his hopelessness he falls in love with his Croation nurse, Marijana and hopes to become a part of their life. Along the way, he is visited by the mysterious writer Elizabeth Costello, but I never could figure out her role or even why she was in the story. That goes for a blind woman character as well.

Coetzee tries to offer up some themes: what does it mean to grow older, how have we lived our lives, the search of truth, what is the home, care vs. love, what is meaningful, etc, etc, etc. The only redeeming quality of this book was that the main character had once worked in photography and there were some nice photographic descriptions (my degree is in photography, I can relate to some of the stuff he said).

Should I give Coetzee another chance? Should I read Disgrace? Elizabeth Costello? If I do, it won’t be this year, but honestly there just is too many books with so little time, and this one was not worth the time!