Friday, December 25, 2020
Tuesday, November 3, 2020
Book Review - Class Act
📖Recommend for Grades 6 and up📖
by Jerry Craft
Drew is in the minority at his prestigious school, both racially and economically. It doesn't help his good friend Liam is one of those privileged kids and realizing it causes Drew to start to feel weird around him. The boy's mutual friend Jordan hopes to keep the friends together, but he just isn't sure how. Can Drew learn to accept his friends and himself?
If you loved New Kid, you need to read Class Act. If you haven't read New Kid, read that then Class Act. This book isn't a sequel per se. Still, it is a companion novel, and readers will better appreciate the story having read the first book. The story is superb, and the illustrations are beautiful. Readers are likely to either empathize or sympathize with Drew and his story. This book does tackle race and racial injustice but does so in a way suitable for the age group.
Tuesday, August 25, 2020
Book Review - Stand Up, Yumi Chung!
📖Recommend for Grades 6 and up📖
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.



