January 2015

SECONDARY

Angel Island: Gateway to Gold Mountain

Author: Russell Freedman

Harper Collins, 2014

ISBN: 9780547903781

Grjades 6 - 12: By raise of hand: Where is Angel Island and for what is it known? I did not know either. It was the site of the San Francisco Bay immigration station for most Asian immigrants who were detained, interrogated and scrutinized for extremely lengthy periods of time. In 1970 the buildings of the station were slated for demolition, but the new park ranger, Alexander Weiss, noticed engravings over the interiors of the barracks that were dismissed as graffiti. They were reflections and poems written by the detainees! He told a former professor about them, and suddenly activists in the Asian American community visited, touched and successfully campaigned to save the structures. The former professor was George Araki. His mother had come through the island herself as a Japanese immigrant. I have always admired Freedman’s exposure of history that needs to be known, and this is another welcomed addition to his arsenal of shared knowledge. The usual scholarly materials of primary sources, chapter notes, bibliography, index and photograph credits are appreciated.

Reviewer: Joan Enders, former Librarian, Robert A. Long High School http://bookbevy.wordpress.com

Premeditated

Author: Josin L. McQuein

Delacorte Press, 2013

ISBN: 9780385743297

Grades 9 - 12: Revenge is a dish that is best not served at all, as Dinah soon discovers. Dinah is a junior bent on the destruction of Brooks, the guy who drove her cousin Claire to a suicide attempt. With a single-minded purpose, Dinah plots exactly how she—with the help of her minions—will destroy the boy who made Claire’s life not worth living. Unfortunately, Dinah’s determination causes her to overlook some signs that all may not be as it seems. Premeditated is a complete departure from Arclight(McQuein’s first of a series of dystopican novels with a rather unique premise). This is a story that my ReAL Teens Read students have Loved with a capital L. The characters are strong and engaging, the plot moves quickly, and McQuein ratchets up the ante with every turn of the page. The dénouement is as satisfying as the story itself.

REVIEWER: Jodi Kruse, R. A. Long High School Librarian

A Mad, Wicked Folly

Author: Sharon Biggs Waller

Viking, 2014

ISBN: 9780307931818

Grades 9 - 12+: As students are warming to historical fiction, A Mad, Wicked Folly is one book that is worth promoting. It starts with Victoria Darling’s decision to pose nude for the students in her art class. Thoughot scandalous in our century, Vicky lives in the early 1900s and the explanation that it is standard protocol for the males in the class to shed their attire when models skip out is not enough to keep her from being expelled from her prestigious boarding school. She returns home in disgrace, and now must face the option of getting married or going to live in the country with her dowager aunt. Neither option is appealing, so she attempts to earn a scholarship at the Royal College of Art. In an effort to rebuild her portfolio, Vicky becomes reluctantly caught up in the Suffragette movement in England. Her engagement to a wealthy young second son seems to be the key to her guaranteed entry into the Royal College of Art but places her growing attraction to PC Fletcher, a penniless constable, wars with her passion for art. I have seen few books that have addressed women’s suffrage in either the United States or England, so this is a refreshing—if startling—exposure to a little-known topic. Waller also does an excellent job of helping readers understand the context of Victoria’s struggle, so readers who might not understand the enormity of the cost of fighting for suffrage are better able to relate to the enormity of Vicky’s loss if her efforts failed. The author includes a bibliography so readers can explore the subject further.

Reviewer: Jodi Kruse, R. A. Long High School Librarian

The Shadow Hero

Author: Gene Luen Yang

First Second, 2014

ISBN: 9781596436978

Grades 6 - 12: This is “vintage” Yang; a little bit history, a little bit magic and a lot Chinese tradition. The Shadow hero is the story of how a disembodied spirit from the collapse of imperial rule in China needs a “host” and becomes the shadow of a drunk. This man is escaping his past by travelling to America in 1911. The man reforms, marries and has a child who aspires to run a grocery store like his father. But the mother is dissatisfied with their life in Chinatown after she is saved by a true super hero. She tries to have her son “train” to be a hero, with mixed results. But when his father is gunned down by the Chinese mob for not paying their “tax” the spirit moves to his shadow and he becomes bullet proof and his career as a Chinese superhero is truly launched. This is an insight into being an immigrant and stereotypes associated with the Chinese. The interesting part for me was the “post script” in which Yang explains how a real comic book artist was denied the chance to portray a hero as Chinese. The American comic book industry in the 1940’s was “a crazy time.” With an excerpt from Hing’s original comic, Burma Boy and his clever answer to this type of censorship, Yang explains how an artist overcame the obstacles that were conspiring to keep his race down, but was also responsible for perpetuating stereotypes himself. Not just another graphic comic, this features real issues and primary sources in the original drawings from Blazing Comics. This was my favorite Yang so far.

Reviewer: Lisa Sudar, Mark Morris High School