Kidlit Karma Reviews: January 2018

At the end of 2017, I made a pledge. I challenged myself to review good books every month in 2018, particularly books that haven’t gotten as much love as I feel they deserve. I call it Kidlit Karma because I’m aiming to spread the love for books that I love.

Today, I’m proud to share my first batch of books. Yes, batch. While my stated goal is one book a month, I read and fall in love with many more books than that.

 

Picture book: MY BEAUTIFUL BIRDS by Suzanne Del Rizzo

Sami loves living in Syria with his family and his pet pigeons. But when the war forces his family to leave, he worries about his pigeons. He is now safe in a refugee camp, but he finds that the world still feels black. Until one day, three beautiful birds find him and he rediscovers a world of color.

This book brought tears to my eyes in a good way. This book deal with a heavy but important topic: the ongoing crisis in Syria. It does it in a way that doesn’t oversimplify a complex issue but is appropriate in tone and content for a young child. This book is great for showing how hope and beauty can be found in the hardest of situations. Also, the illustrations are simply GORGEOUS.

MY BEAUTIFUL BIRDS on Amazon

 

Middle Grade: THE EXACT LOCATION OF HOME by Kate Messner

Zig’s dad suddenly cancels his visit and his mom won’t tell him why but Zig has a plan. With a new-to-him GPS unit and his faithful friends, he’s going to track down Senior Searcher, the geocaching alias he’s sure is his dad.

This is another book that I think sheds light on an important social issue without sacrificing good storytelling or becoming didactic. Homelessness is common for children in the United States, but it’s rarely addressed in books. This book does a good job of showing the reality and difficulties that homelessness can create for kids and families, while also maintaining the character’s dignity.

THE EXACT LOCATION OF HOME on Amazon

 

Young Adult Nonfiction: RADIOACTIVE! HOW IRENE CURIE AND LISE MEITNER REVOLUTIONIZED SCIENCE AND CHANGED THE WORLD by Winifred Conkling

I love a good nonfiction book, particularly when true events are woven together to make a compelling story. And this book does exactly that.

This book is equal parts science and intrigue. You’ve probably not heard of these women (though Irene’s mother, Marie Curie, may ring a bell), but they each make enormous contributions to science and, in particular, the development of the atomic bomb. They did it all in the midst of two world wars that put them on battlefronts and made them part of elaborate conspiracies to flee Nazi’s.

If you like Steve Sheinkin’s BOMB, you will love this book that dives into the science and the women behind the race for the Atomic bomb.

RADIOACTIVE! on Amazon

 

What about you? What books have been bringing you joy this month?