Reviewed by Katie Green Imagine never communicating with the people around you. Imagine never being able to tell them you understand them. This is the frustratingly isolated world of eleven-year-old Melody. She is a genius with a photographic memory, but almost no one knows. Melody has cerebral palsy, so she is unable to talk or…
Reviewed by Racha Kassir The Turtle of Oman recounts how a third grader Omani boy named Aref refuses to move with his parents from Oman to the U.S. Ann Arbor, Michigan for three years while they obtain their doctorate degrees. Aref gives his mom a hard time while packing. No matter how large the suitcase,…
Reviewed by Jennifer Langreck No life is worth more or less than any other, right? Well, in The House of the Scorpion that becomes a more complex question. In this imagined future world, Mexico is now called Aztlán, and the border between Aztlán and the US has become its own country called Opium. Opium is…
Reviewed by Katie Green Do not read anything else about this book before you read it! More Happy Than Not was a completely delightful surprise that you do not want spoiled. This young adult novel addresses the heavy topics of suicide, teenage sexuality, and death. Aaron Soto is an irresistible protagonist: his voice keeps the…
Review by Camille Primoli Two authors, many sides, one truth. This novel gives life to a narrative that has become all too common in the news. Rashad Butler, a young black man, becomes the victim of police brutality. Quinn Collins, a young white man, witnesses it. The incident sparks a movement, but not before turning…
Children's Literature at UMN 