Habibi by Naomi Shihab Nye

Habibi by Naomi Shihab Nye ☆☆

This book was disappointing. The description on the back tells you of an American girl that moves to the Middle East where her dad is originally from so that he can live closer to his family and join the two cultures. The description also alludes to a Romeo/Juliet type of romance that brews between the protagonist and a Jewish boy that she meets. The disappointment develops in that there is no romance in the book at all. Sure, they weren't supposed to be friends and fought to keep their friendship, but that's about as far as it went before the book ended.

Besides all that, the story just wasn't all there. As much as an upsetting change as it would be expected to be for a teenage girl to be uprooted to a new country after her first kiss, she just goes with it. She doesn't show much anger at all, if any. There isn't really any drama that takes place with her directly.

The drama that does take place in this story involves the country itself and the problems that the people in the Middle East are facing at the time of this story. In that aspect, it is an interesting look at a culture we very rarely see in anything but a negative light. This was the last assignment for my Children's Literature class and we came to a conclusion that the only reason that this book was chosen for young students to read is because it is one of the only books about the Middle Eastern culture, rather than for any great story-telling merit.

The Tequila Worm by Viola Canales

The Tequila Worm by Viola Canales ☆☆☆

Surprisingly good book. However, by the mid-range star count you can tell I wasn't immediately impressed.

This was another class assignment as we were covering cultural studies through literature. This book delves into the Hispanic culture and how it shapes this girl's life and influences the choices she makes into her future.

My main problem with this book was continuity. At the beginning of the book you learn she is eight years old, but after a few chapters, suddenly her much younger brother is eight. There was never any indication to me or my class that years were passing rather than months. And the book kept hopping like that. By the time she's a teenager, the story slows as it progresses through adulthood and starts to make more sense.

The book is exceptional in tying everything together. Little traditions mentioned through her childhood, quips, family nitpicks, everything comes back throughout the story and nothing is wasted. Even the tequila worm itself makes it's way from the first chapter through the last. Canales also showed a nice perspective of a Hispanic girl that is smart enough to make it into a well-off private school and how she has to learn to be around rich white kids who made it there through money more than brains, all when she is so vastly different. The downside to this perspective though is you start to realize that the story is most likely more creative non-fiction than fiction after reading her bio in the back of the book.

All in all it's worth a read for multicultural studies and does show something new and different.
But if you get confused easily while reading then it may not be the best when it comes to following along in the story when the time periods change without mention.

The Watsons Go To Birmingham--1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis

The Watsons Go To Birmingham--1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis ☆☆☆☆

Yet another book read as a class assignment. However, this was also a recommendation in the youth section of my local public library. And I can see why.

It follows the story of a young boy and his voice is ever present. He jumps from topic to topic as any kid voicing his direct train of thought would. You end up learning more about his family and the things going on in his life than you would think were necessary.

At first glance, with 1963 and an African-American family you're expecting a wide variety of racial disputes. However, the disputes found in the beginning follow a class and economic status dispute more. He makes friends with two extremely poor boys that my teacher and most of my class believed were white. I assumed otherwise, but there is no real answer to the question.

The racial disputes and real drama aren't until the end of the story. And I just have to say I was in tears. Sure I cry reading quite a few books, but never like this. I was crying so hard I had to put the book down and walk away until I calmed down. And that took a while. This book moved me in ways I hadn't expected it to. It became more than just a class assignment to me and it is a worthy read for anyone even slightly interested in this time period, or in the strong voice of a young 10-year old boy and how his life and mental state warp and change.