The story of Juneteenth and how it changed the lives of black slaves forever.

A wonderfully honest graphic novel about the challenges of moving to a new country. Also a great lesson how we can be better at welcoming others to our country, city, school.

I am continually so impressed with Alan Gratz's storytelling abilities. His book Refugee still tops of my list of all time favourite books. This book is also amazing- intriguing, full of suspense, thrilling and a total nail-biter. The story of Cameron and Darius Smith is captivating and impossible to put down from the first page. What continues to impress me with Gratz's ability to intertwine characters and intricate details into such spellbinding stories.

I have had this on my shelf for quite a while and I’m so glad I have finally read it. There is so much to unpack in this story and I could see this creating a lot of discussion in a classroom. Set during WWll, this novel-in-verse is about a family who has to deal with an “unteachable” child. When Henry is 4 he gets a terrible ear infection and loses his hearing. His family work hard to help him, and try to find a school that will be able to teach him. They are told that having such a child at home would be too much for them. His parents would like him to go to the school the deaf but after a misguided test by an intolerant adult, Henry is deemed “feebleminded” and his parents are coerced to send him to the state school. Reluctantly they take him there. At this “school” Henry is abused and is is not cared for well. There is no attempt to try to teach him to communicate. A few years into his stay a new staff member arrives because many of the previous ones have enlisted in the war. This young man is a conscious objector to the war and this is his duty in lieu of him refusing to enlist. He is a kind and gentle man who sees the true potential in Henry and works to change Henry’s future, because he is in no way “feebleminded”. This is such a powerful story about kindness and a interesting lesson in history.

This is the copy I got when I was probably 10yrs old and it was one of my most favourite books as a kid. Loved Anne Shirley and the whole series that followed.

Angie Thomas does it again! In Concrete Rose we learn the story of Starr’s (The Hate You Give) parents. Maverick is 17 yrs old and has just discovered he’s a father. Not only that, he is left to car for his son, Seven, full-time. Maverick lives in Garden Heights, is part of a gang, and is doing his best to support his baby. With his relationship with his love Lisa on the outs and the horrible murder of someone close to him, Mav struggles with how to be the best dad to his son, and be the best person for all those who depend on him. Will Maverick be able to be what everyone around him needs him to be?

Alan Gratz is an incredible storyteller and once again takes the reader on a journey through history. His earlier novel Refugee still tops my list of best books I have ever read. This one doesn't disappoint either as he takes the reader to D-Day and we learn the stories of that day through the perspectives of multiple different characters. I certainly learned a ton about D-Day that I didn't know and I know others will too

Just finished this beautiful novel tonight. What a beauty this book is! Set in the months post-9/11 middle-grade student Shirli is set to star in her school's musical, Fidler on the Roof. She remembers that her Zayde might have some set pieces for the play and in her search of this attic discovers an old violin. Shirli's learning and becoming her character in the musical is seamlessly interweaved with her discoveries of the story of her grand-father's past.

Junie dreads taking the bus to school because her bully is on the bus too and he says racial slurs to her everyday because she is Korean. The bullying and a dispute with friends takes its toll on her causing her to wonder if it would be easier to not be here. Thankfully she gets the help she needs and as a result of her parents not wanting to leave her alone she starts to spend time with her Grampa. Together they share their stories and Grampa shares stories about his life during the Korean War. Hearing his stories I realised I know very little about this war so his stories were fascinating to me. Through her time with her grandparents Junie discovers things about herself and how to deal with her problems. I couldn’t put this book down- Junie is an incredibly engaging character and this story is rich with history and the love of family.