Tag: Boston

Posted in Fiction, Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction, Teen, Tween Reads

Essential Middle Grade/Middle School: Trowbridge Road

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Trowbridge Road, by Marcella Pixley, (Oct. 2020, Candlewick Press), $17.99, ISBN: 9781536207507

Ages 10-14

Set in the summer of 1983 in the suburbs of Boston, Trowbridge Road is a heartaching look at dysfunctional families. June Bug is a girl who’s just lost her father to AIDS, and her mother is terrified of the germs that are just waiting to infect them. June Bug escapes her home every day and sits in the tree outside Nana Jean’s house to watch Nana and Ziggy, a boy about her age, left by his mother as she works out her own troubles. June Bug imagines life with Nana Jean’s love and comfort, and heads home every day to be subjected to her mother’s dangerous germ phobia. Ziggy discovers June Bug in the tree, and the two become friends, imagining themselves imbued with magic. The two bond and escape reality together every day, and eventually, Nana Jean cares for June Bug like she’s one of her own. Families deal with secrets, pain, and loss in this gorgeously written book, which brilliantly and frankly shines a light on trauma, mental illness, and AIDS: particularly the misinformation about the disease in its earliest days. The characters have incredible depth and pathos, and themes of family, addiction, sickness, and bullying are all deeply explored. Magical storytelling and characters you want to see be happy make this essential reading. Back matter includes an author’s note about AIDS and HIV and mental health. Publisher Candlewick has a discussion guide, note from the author, and a sample chapter available for download.

Trowbridge Road is on the longlist for the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature. It has a starred review from Kirkus.

Posted in Fiction, Historical Fiction, History, Middle Grade, Tween Reads

Read some US History in verse with Siege

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Siege: How General Washington Kicked the British Out of Boston and Launched a Revolution, by Roxanne Orgill, (March 2018, Candlewick Press), $17.99, ISBN: 9780763688516

Recommended for readers 10-13

The summer of 1775 was rough. The British occupied Boston, and kept a stranglehold on the city, cutting the residents off from food and medical supplies, which really didn’t help the smallpox situation, either. George Washington was chosen to lead the American armed forces, and expected to work miracles with almost no money and troops with no training. Author Roxanne Orgill uses verse to tell the story of how General George Washington turned the tables on the British. Beginning in the Summer of 1775 and going through to Spring 1776, she gives voice not only to Washington, but his generals, soldiers, and aides; his servant-slave, William Lee; and his wife, Martha. We also get to read The News from Boston, newspaper-like reports on the state of the city; and Orders, daily instructions from Washington to his officers. Source notes, a glossary, and a bibliography complete the book.

If you’ve got Hamilton fans in your readership, this is an easy booktalk. The fast-paced verse moves the book along and takes readers into the minds of historic figures that we don’t normally hear much from. Siege is a good additional read for tweens interested in US history, especially those kids interested in the American Revolution.

Posted in Historical Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Teen, Young Adult/New Adult

Play Ball! Welcome to the Show takes us to Boston!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

welcome to the showWelcome to the Show (A Mickey Tussler novel, book 3), by Frank Nappi (Apr. 2016, Sky Pony Press), $9.99, ISBN: 9781634508292

Recommended for ages 13+

In the third book of Frank Nappi’s baseball series, it’s 1950 and Mickey Tussler, a pitching wunderkind with autism, Lester, his friend and fellow ballplayer, up from the Negro Leagues, and coach (and stepdad) Murph are playing for the big leagues now. They’re in Boston, playing for the Boston Braves, and Murph is managing the team, who’s not thrilled with the new leadership or their two newest players. At home, things are rough, too: Molly, Mickey’s mom, is not settling into life in Boston and feels increasingly isolated. She wants to go back to Milwaukee, but Murph, terrified that he’s about to lose everything he’s worked so hard for, begs her to give Boston a chance.

Mickey’s finding himself the darling of the crowds as they see what he can do, but the press is quick to pry and capitalize on his challenges, whether it be pushing too deeply into his personal life or misinterpreting his words. Mickey’s struggling with his memories and forming new relationships, with the game – and his newfound celebrity – presenting new challenges. It’s a game of balance, as Mickey, Murph, and Molly all have to figure out where they stand with regard to one another, the game, and everyone around them.

This is my first Mickey Tussler book, but I found myself able to quickly get myself up to speed, thanks to Frank Nappi’s excellent exposition; he lays out past events clearly enough that you have enough of an idea of what’s going on to dive right in. I’m normally not a sports fiction reader, but Nappi’s descriptions of the games, layered with inner monologue and wordless interplay between players on the field, kept me interested and wanting to see more. I’ve heard stories of pitchers and batters getting into it with one another on the field, with pitches buzzing ears (or more), and there’s plenty of that here. ‘Lots of axes to grind between teams makes for some good baseball, and we even get a bench-clearing brawl at one point. Beyond the baseball, we have a deep story about a family meeting challenges. All of the characters in Welcome to the Show are remarkably fleshed out: Mickey, Lester, Molly, and Murph have had two other novels to develop, but the supporting characters: Jolene and her brother, Mickey’s teammate, Ozmore, for instance, have interesting individual stories that make me want to know more. Mickey’s frustration and confusion radiates from the page, and does Murph’s feelings of frustration and helplessness give him greater depth.

I’d suggest this as more of a new adult book than a young teen book for some language and overall story; while Mickey is 17 in the first book of the series, by now, he’s a young man in his early 20s. Add this to collections where sports fiction is popular, and booktalk it to teens who loved Mike Lupica’s middle grade books and are ready to move up.

The first book in the series, A Mile in His Shoes, was made into a TV movie, starring Dean Cain, in 2011.   You can read an excerpt from Welcome to the Show here and watch the book trailer below: