Token Black Girl – ARC Book Review

I received this book as an Advanced Reader Copy via NetGalley. Token Black Girl will be published on Oct. 1, 2022.

Token Black Girl by Danielle Prescod was a great read! I was really impressed by how Ms. Prescod described her childhood and explained growing up black in an elite (white) private school. The pressure she felt to fit in, to conform to a standard that was not her own, to essentially change, code switch, and manipulate herself to feel accepted by her age-range peers just because she was the only black girl in a sea of white girls was extraordinary to read. And then her college and professional life was really telling.

I will be honest, I started reviewing my own childhood and adulthood and thinking if I ever made expectations of friends to either conform or adopt a certain way of being just because of who I expected them to be. This book has definitely made me more aware of those who are living black in white society (because let’s be honest, it is a thing within itself in the middle/upper middle/elite world…) and the pains they go through just to be “accepted” when they shouldn’t have to be. This is definitely something that everyone needs to read in order to understand the black experience in the world of white superiority (whether or not they believe in white superiority…)

Adding a Tag to MARC Records

Ok, am I one of the only ones who actually enjoyed cataloging class? … I think so.

It’s the analytical side of me I guess. I do enjoy organization and logic, ADD aside. I just cannot keep my life organized for anything. But I digress.

On Twitter, there was recently a discussion about using the 650 tag. This has to be one of my favorite tags, and honestly one of the few I change in the MARC records. I do occasionally change some other things in the MARC records, like the title of the series or the volume number, but more often than not, it is the subject that I change.

In Follett Destiny there are two ways to do this. Both in my opinion are really easy – one is using their MARC Editor (you need to know/understand the different MARC numbers and letters for that) OR you can use their Easy Editor. Both work just as well, it really is just your preference. If I am changing the subject, I tend to use the MARC Editor. If I am changing anything else, I’ll use the Easy Editor. Then I don’t have to think about the specific number. I don’t like cataloging THAT much.

I have quick demo videos of how to use both to add a subject to a book.

This video shows using the MARC Editor:

And here’s the video using the Easy Editor:

So, as you can see, it’s not something that is toooo difficult to do. I use it a lot to add the LGBT subject in so students who are looking for books with characters who are LGBTQIA+ can find them easier. Not all books seem to have that identified for whatever reason, and my students have asked for this, and since they asked, I can definitely help.

These Deadly Games – ARC Book Review

I received this book as an Advanced Reader Copy via NetGalley.  These Deadly Games will be published on Feb. 1, 2022.

This is the type of book I have to put down and pick back up over and over throughout the book. And that’s not because it’s a bad book. It’s just the opposite. It’s a great book! I’m just one of those type of people that any time something makes me anxious I have to stop! lol.

This book is great because it really has a modern day feel to the kidnapping mystery. Gaming friends, on the hunt for the title and prize money, meet at Crystal’s house daily. But when Crystal’s little sister is kidnapped, she has to keep the secret and complete different tasks the kidnapper has set up or watch her sister die. However, some tasks seem have consequences – deadly consequences for her friends. Crystal is torn between the love for her sister and the trap that was set for her and her friends.

This is going to be a very popular book I think. It has all the right elements – suspense, thrill, misdirection, today’s technology, little bit of romance but not enough to make the book one of those blooks. 🙂 This book will definitely keep you guessing until the end… and even then will keep you on your toes. Great book, highly recommended.

3 of me – OR, how I don’t know how anyone runs a school library by themselves

I think there needs to be at least 3 of me for my library. One of me to take care of the basic library day-to-day including the ordering, processing, checkouts, etc, one of me to take care of social media, internet, apps, how-to videos, and the other “techie” stuff I want to do, and one of me to take care of the teacher collaboration piece for my school, to make sure my teachers are really getting the full benefit of a teacher-librarian.

I have a school of around 450 kids. MO DESE recommendation is such that:

1.0 full-time librarian assigned full time to a library in a school* with a student population of
1-750
1.5 full-time librarians assigned full time to a library in a school* with a student population of
751-1,500
2.0 full-time librarians assigned full time to a library in a school* with a student population
exceeding 1,500 (DESE 2019)

So, yeah. It’s gonna just be me for quite a while. I know 3 librarians is a total pipe dream anyhow. But, really, I think in this day and age, to do anything well these days, you need another person.

This is really true when I look at how much of my time is spent with Chromebooks. Now, to be fair, this year isn’t as bad as most, since I’m not doing dayloaners. But, if I counted dayloaners in this, I would say at least 30-50% of my day every day would be spent dealing with Chromebooks and Chromebook issues. Now it’s more like 10-15% most days, which isn’t nearly as bad, but still more than I like.

What is the rest of my time spent on then?

I tried to tally up my time once. Between time I was interrupted by teachers asking me questions or coming in to talk to me (some reasonable, some inane), students needing assistance (usually with the printer – I have it down to a science for the most part – tap card, hit print all, hit ok, hit log out), and misc emails, well, that takes up about 40-50% of my day. The other 45, 50, 55%+? That is when I try to get my work done. That is where I try to get the ordering, processing, checking in, collection development, weeding, emails to vendors (I don’t call people), cleaning, organizing, displays, social media, tech how to’s, collaboration discussions, etc. all in.

And when I get home? I sit and do more stuff. Currently I’m in between reading research on independent reading and looking at non-fiction collection organization (ditching or reorganizing Dewey.) Oh, and I also am the assistant Color Guard and WinterGuard instructor, I play oboe for the local community college concert band, I am the sponsor for the library club, I am stepping up to co-coach the scholar bowl team, I’m going to be the official timer for the track meets starting this spring, and I do have a family, where I take my kiddo to TaeKwonDo, and am involved with his BSA troop. Oh, and I might be starting my PhD program in the fall if I get into the program I applied for.

Needless to say, I don’t know how some of these super-librarians do it. I don’t know what sleep, what “other” things they sacrifice to be the amazing superstars they are. I want to be them, and I know someday I can and will. Until then, I’ll baby-step along, continue to do the best that I can for my school and my program, and know that I am continuing to build my dream program, piece by piece. “If you build it, they will come.” Right, Field of Dreams? That’s what that movie was all about… right?

Resources

DESE LIBRARY RECOGNITION SCORING GUIDE [PDF]. (2019). Jefferson City, MO: Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Cinderella is Dead – ARC Book Review

I received this book as an Advanced Reader Copy via NetGalley.  Cinderella Is Dead will be published on July 31, 2020.

I just want to say how much I loved and devoured this book.  I could NOT put it down!  This was one of my late night reads, finishing it in a day.

Sophia lives in Lille, 200 years since Cinderella found her Prince Charming.  Now, at the age of 16, every girl gets to meet her own “Prince Charming” at the annual ball… whether she wants to or not.

Under an authoritative rule by a demanding king, Sophia is living a life she does not want.  Women are no more than property of their fathers and husbands.  There are curfews, rules, and laws.  They have little rights.  They are required to attend a ball, look their best, and draw in the best suitor.  If they don’t, after a certain amount of times, or if their parents chose, their lives are forfeit – at the mercy of the king.  They don’t get to chose their suitor – they especially don’t get to chose a suitor of the same sex.

Sophia is not like the other girls.  Not only does she question the official Cinderella story, she would rather marry her childhood friend Erin, not some male suitor.  When the ball arrives, and drama ensues, Sophia runs, and finds herself in Cinderella’s mausoleum.  From there, the story of Cinderella and Prince Charming starts to unravel.  Did Cinderella really get her happily ever after, or is there more to the story than what the official story says?  Who is the real evil in the story?

I feel that this book needs a TW right away for spousal abuse.  It’s not much, but it’s there, and may affect some people.  That does NOT take away from the story, and it actually makes such a point for the story.

This is a love story, a fractured fairy tale, and an alternative perspective to what we think we know.  I absolutely loved this book.  Sophia was a believable protagonist, who didn’t want to hide who she was or conform to the expectations that were made for her.  She wants to live her life.  Erin is a believable friend, a character who denies who she is because of the expectations put upon her, and ignores what she wants because everyone tells her to.  I hurt for Erin, but at the same time, I shake my head for her.  There are a lot of twists and turns in this book, and a lot of things I didn’t expect, which I loved and kept me reading.  It is a great book, a great representation for the LGBTQIA+ population who have been forced over time to conform to societal views of heteronormative relationships and expectations.  I hope it gets the reception it deserves.

The Cousins – Book Review

I received this book as an Advanced Reader Copy via NetGalley.  The Cousins will be published on Dec. 1st, 2020.

I’m just going to say first off – another wild ride from Karen M. McManus.  She has become my go to for mystery thrillers without being scary/horror, which I just can’t do.

Three cousins, Milly, Audrey, and Jonah, have been sent letters by their grandmother, stating that she wants to meet them and have them work at her island resort for the summer.  Their parents were all disowned by their grandmother over 20 years ago, and the cousins barely know each other.  All accept the offer, as they really had little choice from their parents, and head to the island to work and meet their grandmother.  However, things aren’t really as they seem when they arrive.  Everyone on the island seems to be keeping secrets, including the cousins.  As they continue to live on the small island resort, the cousins learn how very mysterious their grandmother and family really are, and secrets start to come out into the open.

I enjoyed this book.  I have come to really appreciate Karen M. McManus’ style of writing that keeps me engaged and tangled in the web she weaves – I’m intrigued, I’m curious and want to read more, and in this book I was uneasy to the point where I had to put it down for two days to get over a particular part of the book.  (I don’t do well with cringe situations, especially in books… that’s just a me thing though.)

Overall, this is another winner.  You are kept guessing until the end, and once you get there you realize all the clues you missed throughout the book.  A solid read.

Dear Justyce – Book Review

I received this book as an Advanced Reader Copy via NetGalley – this review is also published on Goodreads.com. Dear Justyce will be available Sept. 29, 2020.

 

Wow. Just powerfully wow.

 

This book does not HAVE to be read in continuation to Dear Martin but it definitely helps to know the characters and what’s going on.

 

This book follows Quan, friend of protagonist Justyce from Dear Martin.

 

Quan isn’t as fortunate as Justyce. He doesn’t get to go to a fancy school or end up going to a prestigious university. Quan ends up in the cycle that many young black kids like himself end up – the roundabout cycle of jail. This time, though, Quan’s in big trouble. Writing to Justyce seems to be one of the best things for him, as we see throughout the book.

 

I want to write so much more about Quan but that would totally spoil the book.

 

I hurt for Quan. I hurt for the Quans of the world who feel that they have to do things in order to survive. This book is a book we need RIGHT NOW. (I write this as protests over ANOTHER Black man’s death by the hands of a cop continue throughout the US and world.) This book is a MUST READ for anyone who wants to understand how poverty, abuse, racism, and even schools contribute to why we have so many people of color in our jails.

 

We all have to do better.

 

The Great Gatsby – Graphic Novel Adaptation – Book Review

**NOTE – This is the first review that I have done that is not specifically for my students.  I was able to acquire several ARC ebooks through various publishers after participating in School Library Journal’s Day of Dialog.  I joined the site NetGalley and am trying my hand as a book reviewer.  Forgive me as I learn the ropes.**

The Great Gatsby: A Graphic Novel Adaption

This book is a graphic take on the classic Great Gatsby.  Set in the 1920’s, we follow the narrator, Nick, as he moves around in the circle of Jay Gatsby, a man of wealth and mystery, and the love of Jay’s life, the very married Daisy Buchanan.  Love, excess, lies, and even murder are all themes in this enduring novel.

First, the positives about the graphic novel version – the artwork.  Beautiful.  I really felt like I was in the 1920’s with this beautiful work.  The colors are lovely, and stylistically beautiful.  

The “negatives” – and I use that lightly.  I felt it was missing something.  There is always a gap that seems to occur when translating a classic text to a graphic novel.  I got the main parts of the story, but had I not known the story beforehand, I don’t know if I would have understood it all.  

Overall, it’s a quality graphic novel, and I will be putting it in my library.

I’m Not Dying with You Tonight – Book Review

**copied from my school blog: https://wchsllc.wixsite.com/home/book-reviews

I’m Not Dying with You Tonight

Authors: Kimberly Jones and Gilly Sega

I’m Not Dying with You Tonight is an intense book that takes you on a rollercoaster of emotions! The story is told from two points of view: Campbell, a senior who has just transferred due to her mom moving to a different country and is just trying to survive the year, and

Leah, a fashionista who is popular in school and a great boyfriend. These two are as different as can be, race aside (Campbell is white, Leah is black). But after shots are fired

when they are both at the Friday night football game, and police basically lock down the area, their lives are turned around. For better or worse, they have to get along and work together to survive the night.

This book is packed with emotion and conflict. The two characters are completely different, and I appreciate how the authors portrayed each. There is still so much racial tension in the US and world today that makes this book an important read. oh, and the intensity of the later half of the book will make you not want to put it down! An important read.

Someone I Used to Know – Book Review

**copied from my school blog: https://wchsllc.wixsite.com/home/book-reviews

Someone I Used to Know

By: Patty Blount

TW – afterwards of a sexual assault

The story flips perspectives between two teens – Ashley, a sexual assault survivor, and her brother, Derek.

Ashley was raped by a football player who was playing a scavenger hunt game played by most of the school football team. Derek was a part of that team, and also played the scavenger hunt game. Ashley deals with the aftermath of her assault, where she has become a pariah in her town, where the boy who raped her only got a two year sentence, and where her brother Derek can’t understand and cope with what happened to his sister.

This book is powerful. Truly. This book is timely to the current #metoo movement, survivor guilt and shame, family aftermath, and the difficulties of the court system, where the victim is forced to prove and relive their trauma over and over. The part I really thought was good was reading about the perspective of the brother, Derek. He played the game with most of the rest of the football team, he made choices that affected Ashley’s life, and he has to deal with those consequences.

This is a book that everyone should read. There is not a direct scene of rape, but there are allusions to it that may be difficult for those who have experienced trauma to read. I really believe more boys should read this, to truly understand a girl’s perspective on guys, dealing with aggression and toxic masculinity.