FALL SPOTLIGHT: RENEÉ WATSON

Shawnte Sims

Fans of Renée Watson’s Ryan Hart series, centering on the life and times of a talented young baker from Portland, Oregon, are in for another treat. Picking up where Ways To Grow Love left off, Ways To Share Joy (Bloomsbury, Sept. 27) sees Ryan navigating new responsibilities, expanding her appreciation of what it means to be a sister and a friend, and baking the cake for an extra-special surprise party. Watson answered some questions over email.

Kirkus calls Ways To Share Joy “a tale of family and friendship that exudes pure joy.” What’s Ryan up to in the new book? Ryan is still cooking, baking, and pulling pranks on her brother. She is adjusting to being the middle child and takes pride in knowing what it is like to be both a big sister and a little sister. She is also navigating friendship and understanding that it’s more important to have a true friend than a best friend.

Among the lessons Ryan learns in Ways To Share Joy is that joy doesn’t necessarily equate to happiness. How does she come to understand the distinction between the two? The lesson about joy being something deeper than happiness comes from Ryan’s grandmother. She explains to Ryan that happiness is based on circumstances, but joy is connected to an inner peace, a lasting contentment. Ultimately, she is learning how even when things don’t go her way and when life gets tough, there is always something to be grateful for. Is writing a joyful practice for you? Absolutely. Joy is a pillar of my work, and I find a lot of purpose and pleasure in writing. There are times, of course, when the writing is slow or when the business side to publishing is discouraging, but even in those moments, my faith and resolve that this is what I am called to do keeps me grounded, keeps me going.

Were you a big reader as a kid? Were there any adults who influenced you as a reader or writer? I loved reading as a child, and I also loved writing. The more I read, the more I wanted to tell my own stories and be in conversation with the characters in the books I was reading.

Reading was normalized in my family. I would often see my mother reading her Bible before going to bed, and she didn’t just read it—she highlighted passages, read Scriptures out loud, memorized them. She was my first example of how to engage with a text, how to slow down when reading and ponder the meaning, how to hold words dear to your heart. If you open a book from my bookshelf, you’ll quickly be able to tell which ones I have read over and over again, which ones I love and meditate on—they are the books with notes scribbled in the margins, underlined paragraphs, and sticky notes poking out. I am always so tickled when a parent proudly holds up a book I just signed for their young reader, all pristine and in mint condition. I’m not even going to let them touch it, they tell me. And I get it, I appreciate the intent behind that. But while I believe the act of reading is revolutionary and sacred, the physical book is not. A worn book is often a well-read, loved book.

What fall release(s) are you most looking forward to reading? I’m really excited about On Her Wings by Jerdine Nolen, illustrated by James Ransome, and A Library by Nikki Giovanni, illustrated by Erin K. Robinson.

Interview by Megan Labrise

WE WERE THE FIRE Birmingham 1963

Moses, Shelia P. Nancy Paulsen Books (176 pp.) $17.99 | Sept. 6, 2022 978-0-593-40748-6

An African American tween finds a way to contribute to his community’s struggle for an end to segregation. Eleven-year-old Rufus Jackson Jones Jr. lives in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1963. Following the death of his father, his mother struggles to provide for their family. Life improves when his mother marries Paul Joe Peele. Daddy Paul, as Rufus and his sister call him, insists that they find a better home than their run-down house. So the family rents a home on the property of Miss Boone, the owner of the mill that employs most of the town—a move that angers some White people in the community, as the other families living on the property are mostly White. The civil rights movement is a major topic of conversation for young and old alike, and Rufus wants to learn all he can. Plans for a march involving Dr. Martin Luther King and the Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth are in the works, and for the first time, students will march. The first marches result in jail for many but continue to grow until the protestors face police dogs and fire hoses. Moses takes readers inside the movement that saw its youngest become effective challengers to the segregation status quo. Her narrative seamlessly weaves a personal family story with the larger one of the fight for change. Rufus is an engaging, thoughtful narrator whose voice and perspective ring true as he works to make a difference, even disobeying his mother, who is terrified about what might happen. The love and determination of his community are realistically and richly portrayed.

A stirring, cleareyed look at the young people who risked much for social change as they fought for their civil rights.

(author’s note) (Historical fiction. 912)

FRIZZY

Ortega, Claribel A. Illus. by Rose Bousamra First Second (224 pp.) $21.99 | $12.99 paper | Oct. 18, 2022 978-1-250-25962-2 978-1-250-25963-9 paper

Marlene, a young Dominican American girl, seeks to embrace her natural hair. Sundays are the worst—they’re the day each week when Marlene’s mom brings her to get her hair straightened at the salon. It’s a painful, arduous process, but Mami insists it’s the only way to look your best in front of others and be presentable at events like her cousin’s quinceañera. Marlene is constantly bombarded with ideas about “good hair” and critical comments about her looks. Thankfully, Tía Ruby, with her abundance of natural, bouncy curls, reassures Marlene that straightening her hair isn’t a requirement for looking beautiful, which sets a fire in Marlene’s heart. With the guidance and support of Tía Ruby and best friend Camilla, Marlene embarks on a natural hair journey with her head held high. Ortega masterfully navigates topics like antiBlackness and oppressive beauty standards passed down through generations. Bousamra’s eye-catching color scheme, dominated by soft shades of pink and blue, and expressive illustrations showing Marlene’s vibrant community are the perfect vessel for this story. An especially tender scene in which Marlene finally experiences a pain-free wash day speaks volumes about the healing themes present throughout this graphic novel. Marlene’s journey of personal growth will evoke catharsis and joy.

An exquisite excavation of hair politics, family dynamics,

and self-love. (Graphic fiction. 812)

SEEN AND UNSEEN What Dorothea Lange, Toyo Miyatake, and Ansel Adams’s Photographs Reveal About the Japanese American Incarceration

Partridge, Elizabeth Illus. by Lauren Tamaki Chronicle Books (132 pp.) $21.99 | Oct. 25, 2022 978-1-4521-6510-3

The incarceration of Japanese Americans through a different lens.

Partridge and Tamaki spotlight three photographers who documented the experiences of those of Japanese descent who were imprisoned at Manzanar, California, during World War II. Though Dorothea Lange was commissioned by the government to show that the imprisonment was humane, she was adamantly opposed to the incarceration and instead captured images that showed that “what the government was doing was unfair and undemocratic.” Many of her images were impounded only to be released years later. Toyo Miyatake, who was imprisoned with his family, took great personal risk to build his own camera and documented things Lange had been forbidden from photographing. He eventually became the official photographer and captured more intimate and celebratory events. Finally, Partridge and Tamaki examine Ansel Adams, who “had not been against the incarceration” and “wanted to photograph mostly loyal Nisei” (those of Japanese descent born in the United States). He largely took portraits and posed photos. Aside from the work of the photographers, the book also touches on the Manzanar Riot and the loyalty questionnaire. Powerful visuals blend photographs, reproduced primary source documents, and smudgy, paint-lined illustrations and make dynamic use of color. Accompanied by clear, straightforward text, this arresting work brings history to vivid life.

A bold combination of art, media, and records create a compelling read. (map, further information on the period and on civil liberties, biographies of the photographers, discussion

of the model minority myth) (Nonfiction. 912)

“Propulsive, wise, and heartbreaking.”

black bird, blue road

BLACK BIRD, BLUE ROAD

Pasternack, Sofiya Versify/HarperCollins (320 pp.) $16.99 | Sept. 20, 2022 978-0-358-57203-9

For years Ziva bat Leah’s quest to cure her twin brother Pesah’s leprosy has consumed their lives. When his health worsens, their parents arrange for him to be taken to a colony. But after Pesah has a celestial vision at their birthday party indicating that he will die on Rosh Hashanah, Ziva decides they must run away. Along with Almas, a sheydim, or demon, she rescues, they travel to the city of Luz, the only place the Angel of Death can’t go. Pasternack’s story is rich in the rhythms, values, and deep magic of Jewish culture and life in the Turkic Jewish empire of Khazaria. It revels in an often overlooked mythology, deploying exciting fantasy elements with ease. Ziva struggles with her fiery nature—stubbornness that is also an intense desire for justice. Her single-minded focus on saving Pesah blinkers her to the inevitability of death and the complexities of both their own fears and needs as she comes to understand them. Pesah is brilliant and gentle, kindhearted Almas faces prejudice for his demon nature, and the three form a charming traveling trio even amid fear and pain. More than simply an adventure, this is a story about grief and illness and arguing with the rules of the world, enduring and enjoying the living that happens between now and the end, threaded through with the profound, unshakeable love of two brave siblings.

Propulsive, wise, and heartbreaking. (afterword, glossary)

(Historical fantasy. 912)

WINDSWEPT

Preus, Margi Illus. by Armando Veve Amulet/Abrams (304 pp.) $17.99 | Sept. 13, 2022 978-1-4197-5824-9

An unlikely hero embarks on a quest to find her missing sisters. In Tagalong’s world, youngers under 15 are not allowed Outside their homes to avoid being swept away by snow squalls. The Powers-That-Be preserve the status quo while outlawing books and fairy tales as dangerous. Seven years ago, Tag’s three sisters—Lily, Rose, and Iris—vanished in a squall. Tag, now 13, has never been Outside until the day she receives an invitation to a meeting. Discovering a book of fairy tales hidden in an attic wardrobe, Tag takes it with her as she escapes Outside to meet Finn, the boy who invited her, and three younger boys. They’re poised to journey into the Unknown to find their windswept siblings. Not sure she really belongs with them, Tag nevertheless joins along and, after Finn vanishes, distracts and inspires them with remarkable stories from her book. Aided by three spellcasting sisters, various magical objects, and some trickery, Tag emerges as a determined and creative hero as she confronts treacherous danger alone in a dramatic climax. Inspired primarily by the Norwegian fairy tale “The Three Princesses in the Mountain Blue,” this edgy, somewhat dystopian tale set in a world where race holds no significance masterfully blends European fairy-tale motifs with timely warnings about human greed, waste, and destructiveness while extoling the power of storytelling. Richly descriptive prose and delicate, atmospheric black-and-white illustrations enhance the fairy-tale flavor.

An inventive, memorable must-read. (map, author’s note,

list of fairy tales, bibliography) (Fantasy. 1014)

A SEED IN THE SUN

Salazar, Aida Dial Books (272 pp.) $17.99 | Oct. 25, 2022 978-0-593-40660-1

Twelve-year-old Mexican American Lula longs to speak out and stand upagainst oppression in 1960s Delano, California. Lula lives with her migrant farmworker family in bedbug-infested barracks. Her older sister, Concha, loves school just like Lula does; big brother Rafa works the fields with Mamá and Papá while youngest siblings Gabi and Martín tag along. Papá drinks, has an unpredictable temper, and only shows love to the littlest ones. Lula dreams of being able to make Papá smile. When Mamá becomes gravely ill, she’s turned away from the emergency room due to lack of money. A local curandera thinks she’s been poisoned by pesticides used in the fields and treats her with herbs. At school, Lula befriends Leonor, a Filipina and Mexican American girl, and is inspired by her powerful voice and grit. Leonor’s family is involved with the Filipino strikers’ union, the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee. The AWOC are recruiting the Mexican National Farm Worker’s Association, led by Dolores Huerta and Cesar Chávez, to join them in striking for better wages and conditions. This introspective novel with a well-developed sense of place features free verse in varied layouts that maintain visual interest. The character development is strong; as Papá is influenced by Chávez, who speaks of nonviolence, his behaviors change. Lula shows tenacity as her seeds of potential are nourished.

Compelling and atmospheric. (author’s note, further read-

ing) (Verse historical fiction. 913)

LOLO’S LIGHT

Scanlon, Liz Garton Chronicle Books (232 pp.) $16.99 | Oct. 4, 2022 978-1-79721-294-4

Millie is a genuinely happy person; she’s a comedian who loves making other people laugh—until the day she cannot laugh anymore. Twelve-year-old Millie Donally feels so mature when their neighbors the Acostas ask her to watch their baby daughter, Lolo, when they go out to dinner. Millie’s older sister is their usual sitter, but she can’t make it. Everything goes well, and Millie goes home happy and proud of herself only to wake in the morning to find out that Lolo passed away during the night. Even though the sudden infant death syndrome is not her fault, Millie is transformed overnight from carefree to guilt-ridden and depressed. The only bright spot (figuratively and literally) is the warm yellow light shining from Lolo’s room. Millie swears she feels a warm electrical hum as well, although no one else seems to notice it. Millie attempts to move forward, but how do you go on after something like this? How can she be with her friends, who can’t truly understand what she’s feeling? Even the class project she had looked forward to, incubating chicken eggs, is now in Millie’s eyes rife with potential for disastrous failure. Millie’s slow process through grief and guilt—with help from a family therapist—is extraordinarily well written, taking readers on the heartbreaking, difficult, and necessary journey that follows unthinkable loss. Characters are minimally described and read White.

A poignant coming-of-age story that explores the ripple

effects of death, loss, and forgiveness. (Fiction. 1014) (This review is printed here for the first time.)

THE TRYOUT

Soontornvat, Christina Illus. by Joanna Cacao Colors by Amanda Lafrenais Graphix/Scholastic (272 pp.) $24.99 | $12.99 paper | Nov. 1, 2022 978-1-338-74130-8 978-1-338-74126-1 paper

Christina tries to become a cheerleader in hopes of being popular. Christina and her best friend, Megan, love the Lord of the Rings and playing pretend, but now that they’re starting middle school, there are more important things to worry about, like homework, sports, and popularity. Fitting in in their small Texas town isn’t easy, especially when Christina has a Thai dad and White American mom, and Megan is Iranian American; both girls experience constant racist comments. Admiring the confidence and popularity of the cheerleaders, they try out for the squad. The cheers, moves, stunts, and training are challenging, but Christina finds it all fun until the final tryout: This one will take place in front of the whole seventh grade, and their classmates’ votes will determine who makes the squad, a system designed to bring about humiliation and embarrassment. Determined Christina gives it everything she’s got, but Megan’s decision not to be her partner for tryouts causes a rift as they confront difficult truths about being outsiders. This superlative graphic memoir is a funny, relatable, and genuine story of friendship and belonging. Christina struggles with identity in many areas of her life, for example, can she be both Buddhist and Presbyterian? The jokes, daydreams, and quips are delightful without overshadowing or diminishing the impact of her experiences with racism and exclusion. The attractive, expressive illustrations feature clean lines and bright colors.

A funny, painfully honest look at a middle schooler find-

ing her way. (author’s note, photos) (Graphic memoir. 812) (This review is printed here for the first time.)

ALWAYS, CLEMENTINE

Sorosiak, Carlie Walker US/Candlewick (304 pp.) $24.99 | $12.99 paper | Nov. 1, 2022 978-1-338-74130-8 978-1-338-74126-1 paper

Letters from a super-intelligent mouse to the beloved chimpanzee she leaves behind when she escapes a research lab. Poignant, loving, and threaded through with the joy of discovery, the letters that Clementine mentally composes to her gentle simian friend tell a tale that takes suspenseful turns while affirming tolerance and self-expression. Thanks to tweaked DNA, she’s thinking about prime numbers the day she is born, helps other mice navigate mazes, and figures out how to escape her cage at night and sign with the lab’s sad, affectionate chimp, Rosie. When a guilt-ridden research assistant spirits her and another mouse subject out of the lab, leaving them in a nearby mailbox, she begins a series of reports to Rosie about the wonders of the outside world. Eleven-year-old Gus and his grandfather welcome the fugitives rather than turn them in for the large reward offered by the lab when the mousenapping is discovered. They create a storm of public protest against animal experimentation by televising a chess match in which Clementine beats five experienced human players simultaneously. Along with offering an optimistic, aspirational view of human nature as she winds the story to a joyous conclusion, Sorosiak tucks in a subplot around nonverbal Hamlet, the other mouse escapee, who constructs a model of Notre Dame out of wood chips, as food for further thought about different intelligences. The human cast seems to be mostly White.

Serious themes lightened by comedic touches; the strong

emotional attachments will linger with readers. (Fiction. 812)