Book Review - A Thousand Questions

  📖Recommend for Grades 6 and up📖

A Thousand Questions

by Saadia Faruqi

Mimi and her mother are spending the summer in Pakistan with the grandparents she has never met in person. She secretly hopes to find her estranged father and uses her journal to write him letters she will never send. Sakina is the daughter of Mimi’s grandparents’ cook, who longs to go to school, though her family can’t afford it. When the two girls meet, they discover they can help the other out, leading to an unlikely friendship.

An excellent and beautiful story about friendship, culture, and learning to judge others. The story alternates between Mimi and Sakina’s perspectives which gives a fun view into what they think about the other and what they are thinking. Classism plays an important role in this book, as does judging others with little to no knowledge. Readers will not be disappointed with Mimi, Sakina, or their story.

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Book Review - Stand Up, Yumi Chung!

 📖Recommend for Grades 6 and up📖

Stand Up, Yumi Chung!

by Jessica Kim

Yumi Chung is a shy eleven-year-old Korean-American who dreams of being a stand-up comic. Her parent's high expectations, though, don't include jokes. One day after a prep session for a private school scholarship exam, Yumi discovers there is a new comedy club in her neighborhood. Inside, Yumi discovers a kid's comedy camp, and she gets mistaken for missing camper Kay Nakamura. After a fantastic day of camp, Yumi finds herself living a double life. One as Yumi Chung and one where she is pretending to be Kay Nakamura.

This book is a delightful and entertaining story about struggling with what you want and what your parents expect of you. Readers may be able to relate to Yumi's struggle between balancing two cultures, which can be beneficial to their own growth. The cast of characters is diverse and amusing. There is also a lot to laugh about in this story. The humor is not just from the jokes and improv done by Yumi and the other campers.

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E-books - Tackling Racial Conflict

• Tyler Johnson Was Here by Jay Coles

• All American Boys by Jason Reynolds & Brendan Kiely

• Anger Is a Gift by Mark Oshiro

• Dear Martin by Nic Stone

• The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

• Stamped--Racism, Antiracism, and You: A Remix of the National Book Award-winning Stamped from the Beginning by Jason Reynolds & Ibram X. Kendi

Peer Book Review - So Done

📖Recommend for Grades 6 and up📖

So Done
by Paula Chase

Reviewed by THMS 8th Grader Briana M.

The book So Done is very interesting. It has two points of view from best friends. This book involves secrets, life in middle school, and dance auditions. These best friends were separated during the summer, which ruined their friendship. 

So Done is perfect for kids like me. The book has many relating events; in fact, I relate with this book. Needless to say, but I believe that Paula Chase is a very creative author, and with this book, she connects with the reader. 

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Book Review - When Dimple Met Rishi

📖Recommend for Grades 8 and up📖

When Dimple Met Rishi

by Sandhya Menon

            When Rishi introduces himself to Dimple by saying they are going to get married, the result is an iced coffee in his face. Now what Dimple thought was her Indian parents loosening up and allowing her to attend her dream summer program, was actually a plan for her to spend time with the boy they want her to marry. Rishi is good with the arrangement and plans to spend the summer wooing Dimple.

            This book is not a mushy romance but an awesome cultural romantic comedy. Readers will get both Dimple and Rishi’s side of the story and enjoy their different views on the situation they find themselves in.

Library Catalog - E-book - Downloadable Audio