BOOK GROUP NEWSLETTER
JULY 2021
When I was just a lad, I lived in a house with a magical dining room cupboard. That cupboard was filled with things like boxes of old photos, scrapbooks, bowls that wouldn't fit into the breakfront and, best of all, my magical assortment of favorite books. My collection included The Shirley Temple Treasury: Stories from Movies that Made Her Famous, The Shirley Temple Storybook (loved that Shirley), a great collection of Golden Books (including Animal Friends that I decided needed a little more crayon work from Kenny F.) and my favorite of all...Cowboy Andy by Edna Walker Chandler. It was the story of a boy who wanted to be a cowboy.  I don't remember ever wanting to be a cowboy, but, oh, I loved that book.  

We all have memories of books we loved when we were children.  Black Beauty by Anna Sewell, Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren, Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell, Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink. And maybe we still have our copies somewhere in a box in the attic. I'm sorry I didn't keep Cowboy Andy. Even though I still don't want to be a cowboy.

Middle reader and teen books have certainly changed over the years. Mysteries, romances, fantasies, historical fiction and thrillers include multicultural, gay and trans characters and explore themes that we see in everyday headlines. These books are not just for young folks anymore. Here at the bookstore we have the adult PRADAS book group that reads a teen novel each month. Led by bookseller Chloe, it meets on Zoom the third Wednesday at 6:30. Check out our website for more information.

I've picked four middle reader/teen books for this newsletter. They deal with topics like deportation, the Japanese internment camps, loss of innocence in WWII and depression in young people. All have great merit and will give you a unique focus for your reading group discussions. 


Have a great July and Happy Reading!

Ken
kenbksco@gmail.com
by John Boyne

I've been a fan of John Boyne's ever since I read The Boy in Striped Pajamas. He's an Irish author who writes both kids and adult books.  The Boy At The Top of The Mountain was originally released in 2015. When Pierrot becomes an orphan, he must leave his home in Paris for a new life with his Aunt Beatrix, a servant in a wealthy household at the top of the German mountains. But this is no ordinary time for it is 1935 and the Second World War is fast approaching; and this is no ordinary house for this is Berghof, the home of Adolph Hitler. Pierrot is taken under Hitler's wing, and is thrown into an increasingly dangerous new world: a world of terror, secrets and betrayal, from which he may never be able to escape. Booklist says that "Boyne's story is a powerful one with an often visceral impact." The Guardian calls the book "a compelling account of the attractions of power, the malleability of youth and the terrible pain of a life filled with regret."  School Library Connection says, "John Boyne delivers a poignant tale of innocence ruined by Nazism. This is a story full of suspense and heartbreak that will leave readers wanting more." Believe me...it's a story that you won't forget.  
by Nicole Melleby

How could you not become attached to 12-year-old Pluto Jean Timoney in Nicole Melleby's latest middle reader novel. Pluto lives with her mom on the Jersey Shore. The best time of year is summer when she can hang out on the boardwalk with her friends, visit the planetarium (she loves astronomy) and help out at her mother's pizzeria. But as the book opens she's just been diagnosed with depression and she feels like a black hole is sitting on her chest. She's missed over 30 days of school and would rather stay in her room huddled under the covers instead of getting out and doing what kids usually do. Although Pluto desperately wants the old Pluto back, her attempts at being "normal" are often derailed by her illness. In a starred review Publisher's Weekly says, "Sprinkled with astronomy-related metaphors related to a planet's properties, this acutely observed, authentically told tale by Melleby thoughtfully portrays Pluto's relationship with her worried single mother, the girl's urgent desire to 'be fixed', and her intense- and at times overpowering- depressive episodes. Compassionate secondary characters and a strong sense of place further buoy the narrative." Author Ashley Herring Blake calls the book, "both empowering and comforting. How to Become a Planet will break your heart and infuse it with hope all at once. A beautiful, essential read."
by Traci Chee

The incarceration of Japanese American citizens during WWII was a difficult time for everyone. Traci Chee looks at 14 teens who ended up in the Topaz City internment camp in Utah in this powerful historical fiction novel. I've read other novels about the Japanese internment camps but never from the view of teens. That's what makes this book so fascinating. Along with the text Chee has included graphics that add to the immediacy of the novel. In her Author's Note Chee states, "We Are Not Free may be a work of historical fiction, but to me it is more than either history or fiction. In 1942, following the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the subsequent spike of anti-Japanese sentiment in the United States, my grandparents and families were uprooted from their homes and forced into incarceration camps with more than one hundred thousand other people of Japanese descent. From the beginning, telling this story has always been personal to me, because this history is my history. This community is my community. It happened; it happened to my family; and it has impacted so much about who we are and how we exist in this country." Alice Cary in BookPage says, "Though her book is packed with historical detail, her characters and their interactions sparkle with energy, even as their experiences remain all-too-timely. One character warns, 'It’ll happen again, if we’re not careful.' We Are Not Free is a superb addition to the works of literature that chronicle this shameful chapter of American history."
by Daniel Aleman

Daniel Aleman's debut novel will put you in the shoes of a teen boy who has to deal with his parents' deportation to Mexico.  Matteo Garcia has always dreamed of going to college and becoming an actor. He works in his family's bodega and watches out for his younger sister Sophie. His friends Kimmie and Adam have always been there for him. But his world falls apart when he comes home one day and finds out that both of his undocumented parents have been arrested by ICE. This has been the greatest fear of the family. With his Ma and Pa locked away Matt realizes that the life he knew will never be the same. And when they're both deported to Mexico, he has to make some big decisions. In an interview with NBC News Daniel Aleman said this about immigration, "Something I keep thinking about is the way in which immigration has become such a heartless topic. So many people are used to thinking about this from a purely legal or political standpoint. But at the end of the day, we're all human, and when we accept things like family separation, and kids in cages and cruel immigration policy as facts of life, we unconsciously strip immigrant people of their humanity." Author Jodi Picoult calls Indivisible, " A deeply moving tribute to those caught between two worlds in the immigration crisis in America---a potent reminder that no human being is illegal, and that hundreds of thousands of children in this situation are forced to grow up too quickly. Although this is fiction, it's far too real."  
BOOKS & COMPANY BOOK GROUPS
Open to the Public

BOOK GROUPS ARE ALL SCHEDULED
AS VIRTUAL MEETINGS VIA ZOOM

Check WWW.BOOKSCO.COM for updates and registration links!
Wednesday, July 28th
1:00 p.m.
by Maggie O'Farrell
ZOOM Meeting


Wednesday, August 25
1:00 p.m.
by Robert D. Harris
ZOOM Meeting
Sunday, July 25th
3:00 p.m.
by Casey Cep
ZOOM MEETING

Sunday, September 26th
3:00 p.m.
by Tom O'Neill
ZOOM MEETING
registration coming soon
Wednesday, July 21st
6:30 p.m.
by Roshani Chokshi
Zoom Meeting


Wednesday, August 18
6:30 p.m.
by Samira Ahmed
Zoom Meeting
Tuesday, July 27th
6:00 p.m.
by Camilla Lackberg
ZOOM Meeting

Tuesday, August 24
6:00 p.m.
TBD
ZOOM Meeting
UPCOMING VIRTUAL EVENTS!
MIKE GAYLE
in Conversation with
Daniel Goldin
 & Lisa Baudoin
Thursday, July 22nd
2:00 p.m.
Via ZOOM
Please join us for our July Readings From Oconomowaukee event, featuring author Mike Gayle in conversation with Boswell Book Store's Daniel Goldin and Books & Company's Lisa Baudoin for Gayle's new novel All The Lonely People, a warm and funny novel about a widower in Australia who makes it seem as though his retirement is the time of his life, but in reality it is far from it. When his daughter makes plans to come to visit, he has to make his real life resemble his fake life before the truth comes out. 

MARY ANN NOE
in Conversation with
Lisa Baudoin
Thursday, July 22nd
7:00 p.m.
Via Zoom 
Join us for a lovely conversation between local author Mary Ann Noe and Books & Company owner Lisa Baudoin, for Noe's new teen novel, To Know Her. Who is Juliana... truly? While their teenage daughter, Juliana, lies in a coma because of a car accident, Will and Susan Talbot are given her belongings. From that, they discover a daughter different from the one they thought they knew.

JENNIFER CHIAVERINI
in Conversation with
Daniel Goldin
 & Lisa Baudoin
Thursday, August 5th
2:00 p.m.
Via Zoom 
We are excited for our August Readings from Oconomowaukee bringing Jennifer Chiaverini back to the area (virtually) to talk with Boswell Book Company's Daniel Goldin and Books & Company's Lisa Baudoin about Chiaverini's new novel, The Woman's March: A Novel of the 1913 Woman Suffrage Procession!