Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam

 

Amal is a poet and an artist, but at his artsy New York City school he is sometimes seen as angry and disruptive. When he is unjustly accused of beating up a white teenager, the system labels him as a criminal and strips him of his humanity as well as his dreams of college. His heartbreaking story is beautifully told in verse and the details of his life and his part in the incident unfold slowly. Life in the juvenile detention center is brutal at times and the reader wants to scream with the injustice of it all. The authors perfectly capture how the justice system assumes that boys of color or older, more violent, and somehow hardened criminals for exhibiting what would be considered normal behavior by white boys. We see Amal's humanity in his grieving family, his poems, and the art he creates. We also see the system stacked against him in the racist tattoo of a prison guard. This book will find many readers among upper middle school and high school students and I was happy to hear that paperback copies are being made so it can be distributed in juvenile detention centers and prisons. The best books give voice to the voiceless, and that is what this book does. Side note: co-author Yusef Salaam is one of the "Exonerated Five" and while this is not autobiographical, he has lived much of this story. 

Miles Morales: Spider-Man by Jason Reynolds

 

This Spider-Man story takes place at a Brooklyn high school where 16-year-old Miles is struggling to deal with Mr. Chamberlain, an oppressive teacher pushing Miles to react to his racist rhetoric. I am a fan of Jason Reynolds, but not of Spider-Man lore and I didn't know what to expect from this story. What I found were characters who seem like real teenagers, combined with serious issues of race and how students of color are treated in schools across America, and also good, fun super hero action. Miles is a believable yet unlikely hero, and his parents and their back-stories add depth to the story and make his spider powers make sense. Reynolds masterfully works in the treatment of Black students at the hands of teachers like Chamberlain (literally all named Chamberlain). Once again, Jason Reynolds has proven that he can do no wrong. Recommended for all middle school and high school collections. 

King and the Dragonflies by Kacen Callender

 

This book won the National Book Award for 2020, and with good reason. It's a lovely story, full of surprises, featuring middle schools boys from Louisiana. Kingston (known as King) thinks he sees his recently deceased brother in the dragonflies in the nearby bayous of his small town. Before his death, his brother had warned King not to associate with a boy named Sandy because Sandy is gay. King never felt right about abandoning his best friend over the issue, and when Sandy goes missing, King becomes involved in hiding him and protecting him. King is Black and Sandy is white, and that causes division in their southern town. But Sandy being gay results in similar discrimination. This book is a rare find--it's a genuinely lovely, surprising book, that also happens to feature Black and LGBTQ characters. Not only is it much needed, it's an excellent book in its own right. 

The One and Only Bob by Katherine Applegate

 

This follow-up to The One and Only Ivan is about Ivan's scrappy canine friend, Bob. In the recent film, Bob is voiced by Danny DeVito, and it is also his voice on the audiobook that I listened to. Bob is sarcastic, jaded, and kind of soft-hearted at the same time. This story takes place in a short period of time after a hurricane hits the wildlife center where Ivan and Ruby (the young elephant) are living. The One and Only Ivan had bigger themes of animal rights, taking initiative, and the purpose of art. This story can be taken more at face value--a scrappy dog tries to save himself and his friends and learns some family secrets in the process. Bob's voice is fantastic--Applegate knows how to "show not tell" and we see the world through Bob's humorous viewpoint. Recommended for young readers, but I think this is less likely to be popular with middle school readers than the first book in the series. 

The Canyon's Edge by Dusti Bowling

 

In this survival story, a girl and her father go hiking in a slot canyon. It is the anniversary of the death of Nora's mother, and she and her father have both dealt with it in unhealthy ways. When a flash flood overtakes them, Nora loses her father along with all of their supplies. She must survive the real dangers of the desert canyon along with the fears in her head, namely the Beast that haunts her nightmares. This is largely a novel in verse, and a quick read. I think students will like the action and be rooting for Nora to survive. I found it to be predictable and a bit formulaic--it was wrapped up too neatly with no big surprises.  

You Should See Me in a Crown by Leigh Johnson

 

You Should See Me in a Crown is a sweet romance that is entirely appropriate for middle school students. Liz Lighty, an awkward band girl in need of college funding, is running for prom queen (for the scholarship money) in an Indiana town that won't allow same-sex couples to attend prom. She is also one of few Black girls at her school and often feels stifled by her small-town high school. Liz is out to her friends, but has never had a girlfriend, so it doesn't seem like a big deal until she meets Amanda. The two girls have a strong connection, which is almost spoiled by Liz's hesitance to go public with her feelings. It is rare to find feel-good romances featuring non-white and non-straight characters. If this were a story about white, heterosexual kids it would be in some ways unremarkable--a good, solid romance story--but the addition of diversity on several levels makes it especially valuable for library collections. And what an awesome cover!