I think this book does an excellent job of bringing to life the Donner Party experience (which I always want to call the "Donner Dinner Party", thanks Nathan Hale). This probably went into the most detail about starvation and cannibalism that I have read for Donner party books (maybe why I mostly stick to middle grade). I think teens would be riveted by it.

This is definitely not a book that makes me feel like being a man is a great thing. In fact, it sort of made me wonder how cis-men get in any relationship ever. Masculinity is weird.

David is skinny and bullied, a lot (and never seems to really stand up for himself. I have never been bullied in that manner--is that typical?). When a video goes viral of him being slapped and falling down, he decides to go to the gym to bulk up. The local gym is cheap but also has a lot of bodybuilders. Sure enough, it's a place where you can get steroids, and soon enough, David is hooked. This hits similar beats to other titles I've read about drug use in teens: "I won't get that bad, I'll know when to stop," the moment when they realize they've turned into that, and then the attempts to repair relationships. However, I think this one really shows how horrible toxic masculinity is. I wish there were a bit more punishment for the bullies, but isn't that real life too?

This book was published in the 1990s, so it feels a little weird to read now. I wonder if a teacher would still hand back a form and say "uh you can't have two moms." The reaction from the other kids--that I believe would still happen.

This was on the We Are Kid Lit 2019 Summer Reading List.

Kyle's world is upended when his father tells him that his mother is having an affair and they don't know what to do about it. He withdraws from everything except his cousin Emily. Can he find himself again after everything falls apart?

I jokingly call this the "cousin love" book. As someone who grew up with a lot of cousins, I do have relationships still with many of them. They never hit the intensity of this relationship though, which at the least is kind of obsessive and at worst borders on romantic. I'm not sure this is what Zarr meant, but the writing about Kyle's relationship with Emily doesn't differ that much from the writing about his relationship with Nadia, which makes it hard to differentiate between the two (unless the point is that Kyle is that obsessive about everyone?) If the protagonist was a woman, would it be different? I also had a bit of a hard time with Jacob, like of course Jacob was the kid.

One thing I do think this book covers very well is the process to accepting that your family is flawed and eventually you need to accept that. Not everyone needs to accept it in that dramatic a fashion (and quite frankly, I feel Kyle's parents deserve Patty Chase Awards for Bad Parenting, to use Forever Young Adult terminology.) I also think everyone in this family needs a lot of therapy. I too lost a place I spent much of my childhood, and I kind of wish I had a last farm week experience with it. So those parts really resonated with me.

Well, now I'm hungry for both British food and Cuban food, and how am I going to find either in Maine? (Well, let's be honest: the British pub is going to be easier.)

Lila has hit the trifecta of loss, and her parents have sent her to England to recuperate. At first she can't bear to have left her beloved Miami West-Dade neighborhood, but slowly Winchester England becomes a little bit easier to live in. Can she love both?

Slow-burn romance, delicious descriptions of food--what more do you need?

I'm trying to put my finger on why exactly I don't rank this one higher. I'm wondering if I didn't put away my 21st century self enough (really, you're going to send your Black child to rural Alabama in the 1950s and think everything will be fine? And not check with the mother first?) That's me the adult talking though, not the child who probably didn't know all these things. I like the way McQueen writes Ethan, he is a relatable character. I appreciated that Juniper recognized those things about him, even if the rest of the town didn't. I also thought that the aunt and uncle were pretty realistic too. I don't know. I can't seem to put my finger on it right now. It was good, but it didn't soar for me.

I did enjoy this one, about sisters with a neglectful, emotionally abusive father. The oldest daughter, Ana, died about a year ago, and the family is barely holding it together. This story is told in different perspectives: from the boys who hang out across the street (using a "we" voice) and then 3rd person from each of the remaining sisters. The oldest one is trying to become her older sister, the middle is retreating inward, and the youngest is trying to communicate with animals and asking philosophical questions of priests. Dread slowly builds as it becomes clear that their house is haunted. If you like magical realism and tough stories with heart, this will be for you.

This was riveting. Both of the stories highlighted really brought me into the characters. They each have horrible, horrible experiences. The stories are harrowing. I don't know how you could read this story and not feel sympathy for the horrible situations these children are facing. CHILDREN. And then we traumatize them again when they get here.

Just as good as the print version.

This is a mystery with a bit of fantasy to it. Cat goes back to her father's hometown for the summer after an incident at school which is making things hard for her. When she gets there, she discovers that her former friend, Riley, has disappeared. Cat decides to join Riley's brother, Noah, in looking for him while also making friends with other kids living in the area. I found this one slow to start, and then picked up at the end. Definitely saw the bad guy coming.