Illegal by Bettina Restrepo YP FIC RESTREPO

She was promised they would be together for her quinceañera, but her father stopped sending letters and money months ago.  Nora sets out with her mother to find him by taking a dangerous trek across the border and trying to live on the streets of Houston. Nora struggles to get by and not get caught while trying to make a new life.

This is a incredibly well written book on most every front.  The story is told from Nora’s viewpoint and I immediately believed her as a real person and was invested in her journey.  This can put a face for readers that only read about the debate over immigration without knowing anyone involved.  The chapters are short and seem to be stripped entirely of excess, so that only the most affecting moments are conveyed. I loved how accurate the setting of Houston’s immigrant community was.  The only complaint I have is that Restrepo makes Nora’s journey sort of sanitized.  In crafting a tale that younger teens could enjoy it seems like she may have self censored.  Nora has a great deal of hardship yes, but the book avoids showing many of the worst horrors that often face women crossing into America illegally.  It does allude to them, but by not tackling those head one it almost felt as if Restrepo sugarcoats the reality to reach a larger audience.  However, for what it is and does try to achieve it is very successful.  Anyone that enjoys realistic fiction should give Illegal a chance.

Riot by Walter Dean Myers

Riot is a historical fiction novel by Walter Dean Myers, who is a prolific young adult writer. Historical fiction are stories set during real life past events, but the characters have been made up my the author. In this case, Myers' story takes place in New York City in July 1863. The Civil War still wages on and the Battle of Gettysburg has recently taken place. The real life event Myers focuses on is a riot that took place in New York City on July 11, 1863. This event would later be known at the New York City Draft Riots of 1863.

During the war there was an escalation of tension, especially after a draft was federally instituted. All male citizens between ages 20-35, as well as unmarried men ages 35-45 could be enlisted into the army by way of a lottery draw. Men who could afford to pay $300 could buy there way out of the draft, which alienated lower class immigrants, including the Irish. Black men were also not required to serve in the military because they did not have citizen status. Riots broke out in New York City after the July lottery. Frustrated by their forced participation in the Civil War, many of the rioters were Irish Americans. Stores and buildings were looted and set afire. Many black Americans, whom the Irish blamed, were attacked and in some cases murdered.

Myers' story focused on Clair, a 15-yr-old daughter of an Irish mother and black father. Claire is torn between the conflict because of her mix background and is forced to address race issues and her own identity.

Riot addresses race, bigotry, and social class. Myers delivers this story as a screenplay, as he did with Monster, which may appear and read oddly to the traditional book reader. However, this style does move the story along quickly and gives the reader an idea of just how tense people were due to their frustration, exhaustion, and emotional turmoil evoked during the Civil War. Myers allows young adults to better understand the reasons that brought on the riots through his unique way of storytelling.

The Young Adult collection at Moore Memorial Public Library contains several books written by Walter Dean Myers, including Sunrise over Fallujah, Monster, and Street Love.

Down Garrapata Road by Anne Estevis

A first effort by a Texas teacher, this collection of stories about 4 different families tells about Mexican-American families living in South Texas in the 1940’s and 1950’s. The stories are told from the child’s point of view, when they are leaving childhood and becoming teenagers. The first family’s stories are all told by one daughter, and those stories are the best, especially about the relations between her mother and father – how the mother obeys the father, but makes her feelings felt in spite of his opposition. These young people had a simpler and harder existence then teenagers today, but teens can still relate to their problems of wanting to dress a certain way, and to have freedom in their social life. It’s also a good book for recording a cultural history that otherwise might not be remembered.

Girl Overboard

Girl Overboard

by Justina Chen Headley

YP FIC HEADLEY

Daughter of a famous and rich business guru, Syrah has a lot to live up to and as much to live down. A fall down the wrong side of a mountain may have ended her chances of becoming a professional snowboarder, and now the press thinks she is a reckless and spoiled rich girl. Her adult half-siblings, old as in the same age as her mom, couldn’t agree more. Her perfect mother thinks she is too fat, and Syrah isn’t so sure that she is wrong. And just when she most needs someone to talk to, her best friend, Age, gets back together with his hyper jealous ex-girlfriend. Syrah must meet her parents’ demands and still be true to herself while trying to recover both physically and emotionally from her fall. Uncovering a family secret may provide her with the strength and understanding that she needs to cope with the challenges she faces.

In her second novel for teens, Headley has written a multi-layered story about wealth and families set within the Asian American Culture. While Syrah’s life is going forward, the story of her snowboarding accident slowly reveals itself like the layers of an onion coming off one by one. It is as though, at first she can’t even think about what happened. Then slowly, first with a passing word or two, then scene by scene the full story comes to light. Headley handles the family histories in much the same way. Headley describes Syrah’s manga journal vividly, but it would have been fun to see some actual artwork, especially as Syrah’s progression as a character is reflected in her artwork. Also, a short author’s note about the Chinese Cultural Revolution would have been interesting after seeing through the story how this historical tragedy could continue to adversely affect families even generations after it took place. These were small complaints though. Syrah’s lively character and the family dynamics set amidst current social trends and historic tragedy combined to make this an excellent book.

A book without words...

The Arrival / Shaun Tan

Let me start by saying that this book is really amazing. Shaun Tan takes a familiar story, that of an immigrant leaving all he knows to enter a strange land, and makes it so fresh and immediate that you'll feel like you've experienced it personally. And he does this without writing one single word.

Tan's book is composed entirely of pencil drawings that resemble old-fashioned sepia-tinted photographs. His drawings take us through the main character's poignant separation from his family when he leaves his home country to his arrival in a strange, new land. There he must decode an unknown language, customs, and new technologies. Tan manages the pacing of his story through the size and number of his drawings -- small drawings organized in a grid advance the plotline, while lush, double-page drawings give the reader a moment to absorb hundreds of details about the fantastical land that Tan has imagined. Subtle color changes indicate shifts in time as characters relate their backstories.

It took the author over four years to complete all the drawings for this book. He has an interesting website where you can view more of his beautiful, slightly off-kilter art at www.shauntan.net.