Published: 2018. Author: Bonnie Bader (with excerpts from Connie Porter's Addy stories). Illustrator: Kelley McMorris
Summary
Addy's perspective is told through excerpts from Meet Addy, starting with her overhearing her parents plan how to escape to the North. They'll need to make it to a safe house owned by a Miss Caroline, a white woman who can get them to the next stop on the Underground Railroad. Her father and brother are sold before they can act on their plans, forcing Addy and her mother to leave her baby sister behind with older slaves. Under cover of darkness, they bravely make their way through a raging river, a group of Confederate soldiers, and other dangers before finally reaching Miss Caroline's. There's one last excerpt from Happy Birthday Addy! about the Civil War ending, and Addy's family (her father has joined them) determined to reunite fully.
Misc
Dedicated to "David, my history buff." The book also includes Connie Porter's dedication from her Addy books: "For Rachel Dunn, my mother's great-grandmother, born into slavery in 1807, and her daughter, Hannah, my mother's grandmother, my "Addy," born into slavery in 1850. She died free. Your strength inspires me today."
The book includes several anecdotes about real people who traveled and "worked" on the Underground Railroad, like Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth, and Harriet Tubman. It also goes in to the history of slavery in the US starting before it was even country, the Abolitionist Movement, the Fugitive Slave Act, the Emancipation Proclamation, and the end of the Civil War.
The excerpts are edited slightly to help them fit the flow of the historical narrative better.
It makes sense, but it didn't occur to me that some slaves in more southern locales escaped to Florida (then under Spanish rule) or Mexico. Those in Florida often lived with Seminole tribes.
The book includes a note about Addy's dialect, explaining that since it was illegal to teach slaves to read or write or give them any education, they often had poor grammar. Portraying Addy speaking "improperly" isn't meant to denigrate her intelligence but to be historically accurate.
12/1/20
The Baby-sitters Club Netflix Series: Kristy's Great Idea
Netflix has a new original series: The Baby-sitters Club! The first season covers the first eight books plus a sort of adaptation of of the second super special, Baby-sitters Summer Vacation. AND...it's set in the present day (2020s).
Naturally, a lot is updated, like Kristy's mom joining an expy of care.com to look for a sitter for David Michael. Claudia's working on a sculpture about menstruation and takes a life drawing class. The girls have cell phones and email, and use social media. The calendar is kept on a laptop. And the girls reference current pop culture AND look like seventh-graders.
There's a big effort for inclusion, too. A lot of background characters aren't white, and same goes for more of the main and supporting cast than in the books. Mary Anne is biracial: her mother was black and her father is white, which is a clever way of explaining her perpetual braids, as it's the only hairstyle her dad knows how to do with her more textured hair (he doesn't require braids unlike the books, but Mary Anne assumed she was only allowed braids because it's how he did her hair when she was young). Dawn is Hispanic. Charlotte Johanssen's parents are both women. One of the kids the club sits for (Bailey Delvecchio) is transgender. Ethnic and sexual orientation diversity are far more common here than in the books, which makes sense--when the first books came out, it was unusual to even have divorced parents in children's and young adult books, but society marches on! Overall, I think it's a fun update, but the original holds a special place for me because of the nostalgia. I'm also not the target audience. I'm glad I watched it, and I'm happy it's been renewed for a second season.
The plots are largely the same as the original books, so I won't rehash that except for the episodes that veer way off. But here are some things I noticed:
What stood out as surprisingly (not necessarily good or bad) different to me:
Mr. Redmont is a misogynistic jerk in this version. Kristy doesn't get in trouble for jumping out of her seat at the end of class, but for yelling out why Thomas Jefferson didn't say all people are created equal instead of all men.
Watson isn't heavyset or balding. He also helps the club get a lot of clients by word of mouth.
Kristy sees Stacey in Stoneybrook when she's supposed to be in New York City, but doesn't tell Claudia or Mary Anne. Stacey knows Kristy saw her and is grateful to Kristy for keeping her secret. Stacey doesn't mention her diabetes yet.
What I was happy stayed the same:
Claudia still has a landline.
Louie is still a rough collie.
The girls' friendship is great.
PSA Time: Don't give the Heimlich maneuver when someone's coughing!
Other interesting touches:
Mary Anne uses a backpack that she pulls behind her rather than the typical kind, perhaps a nod to her over-protective father.
Season 1 Cast
Kristy Thomas: Sophie Grace
Claudia Kishi: Momona Tamada
Stacey McGill: Shay Rudolph
Mary Anne Spier: Malia Baker
Dawn Schafer: Xochitl Gomez
Mallory Pike: Vivian Watson
Jessi Ramsey: Anais Lee
Logan Bruno: Rian McCririck
Elizabeth Thomas-Brewer: Alicia Silverstone
Charlie Thomas: Ethan Farrell
Sam Thomas: Dylan Kingwell
David Michael Thomas: Benjamin Goas
Watson Brewer: Mark Feuerstein
Andrew Brewer: Sebastian Billingsley-Rodriguz
Karen Brewer: Sophia Reid-Gantzert
Mimi Yamamoto: Takayo Fischer
Kimiko Kishi: Diana Bang
John Kishi: Kevan Ohtshi
Janine Kishi: Aya Furukawa
Maureen McGill: Shauna Johanssen
Richard Spier: Marc Evan Jackson
Marc Schafer: Andy Canete
Sharon Porter: Jessica Elaina Eason
Esme Porter/Morbidda Destiny: Karin Konoval
Deidre Pike: Caitlin Howard
Forrest Pike: Stephen Weigand
Jordan Pike: Remi-Gael Panon
Adam Pike: Valen Peyton
Byron Pike: Brock Brown
Vanessa Pike: Daphne Hoskins
Nicky Pike: Connor O'Mahoney
Margo Pike: Evelyn Burke
Claire Pike: Sara Halliburton
Dr. Johanssen: Kalyn Miles
Mrs. Johanssen: Luvia Petersen
Charlotte Johanssen: Naomi Tan
Kim Newton: Christina Sicoli
Jamie Newton: Sawyer Frasier
Baby Lucy: Stella and Sophia Rahou
Natalie Barrett: Rebekka Johnson
Hamilton Barrett: Matt Hamilton (funny coincidence)
Buddy Barrett: Benjamin Jacobson
Suzi Barrett: Nadia Batista
Marnie Barrett: Julianna and Emilia Lucente
Todd Delvecchio: Todd Matthews
Francine Delvecchio: Julie Lynn Mortensen
Bailey Delvecchio: Kai Shappley
Nate Marshall: Seth Ranaweera
Mrs. Papadakis: Malaika Jackson
Mrs. Rodowsky: Krista Magnusson
Other Parent #1: Kareem Malcolm
Mr. Redmont: Milo Shandel
Mr. Thompson: Faustino Di BaudaClaudia's teacher: Jasmine Lukuku
Trevor Sandbourne: Bodhi Sabongui
Shillaber Twin #1: Angelina Belsey
Shillaber Twin #2: Kiara Belsey
Lacy Lewis: Madison Guppy
Michelle Patterson: Kenya Jordan
Janet Gates: Katarina Mueller
Luke Howard: Connor Wong
Caleb: Ben Cockell
Trevor Sandbourne: Bodhi Sabongui
Shillaber Twin #1: Angelina Belsey
Shillaber Twin #2: Kiara Belsey
Lacy Lewis: Madison Guppy
Michelle Patterson: Kenya Jordan
Janet Gates: Katarina Mueller
Luke Howard: Connor Wong
Caleb: Ben Cockell
Laine Cummings: Beatrice Kitsos
Scott: Kyle ClarkAlex: David Raynolds
Toby: Mason McKenzie
Toby: Mason McKenzie
Philomena Means: Tami Sagher
Barb: Heather Feeney
Nurse: Helenna Santos
Doctor: Eric Ruggieri
Sarah: Jacqueline Breakwell
Nurse Diane: Kendra Westwood
Cop #1: Celia Aloma
NYC Camper: Alozie LaRose
Camper #1: Emily Delhunty
Camper #2: Romy Sanchez
Paola: Valeria McNicol
Mean Girl: Zoriah Wong
Saleswoman: Angela Galanopoulos
Nora: Mila Morgan
Doctor: Donna Soares
Teenage Counselor #1: Kenneth Tynan
Glam Squad Member: Garth Hodgson
Old Man Carl: Alex Kliner
Gus: James Reed
Nurse: Charles Singh
Bruce: Cedric Ducharme
Teen Girl: Asia Lizardo
Teen Heckler in Car: Lyric Kennedy
Saluting Camper: Amelie Timer
11/15/20
Real Stories from My Time: Boston Tea Party
Published 2018. Author: Rebecca Paley (with excerpts from Valerie Tripp's Felicity stories). Illustrator: Kelley McMorris
Summary
It's autumn in 1773. Felicity and her father have traveled to Boston, where her father's brother and his family live. Like Felicity's family will be later in her books, the Boston Merrimans are Patriots, drinking "tea" made from herbs grown in their garden rather than proper tea from England--they feel the high tax levied on it by the king of England is unfair. The Crown's view is that the colonists needed English soldiers during the French and Indian War, which only ended a decade ago, so the colonists should pay higher taxes to ease England's war debt. The Patriots among the colonists figure that since they did far more than England, they can do without its rule. Felicity knows her grandfather would consider talk of leaving British rule treason, but her cousin makes some compelling points about colonial freedom. As her sixteen-year-old cousin Charles tells her about the Boston Massacre, the Stamp Act and its repeal, the idea of taxation without representation, and other things imposed on the colonies, Felicity finds herself agreeing with him more and more.
In fact, she agrees so much with Charles that she joins him in sneaking out into the night of December 16 (there were several teenagers in the real group, and the vast majority of the Tea Party protesters were under 40, but there are no records of eight-year-old girls). The protesters work quickly and quietly, dumping the tea overboard into Boston Harbor. They've tried to get to the governor to send the tea back, but to no avail, and the tax is due tomorrow. They're having none of it: the tea has to go.
Just two days later, Felicity and her father are heading home. Felicity is concerned for the safety of her family in Boston. Boston was indeed soon forced to quarter British soldiers, and it wasn't long before the American Revolution was in full force. Felicity's last entry is dated July 28, 1776, and talks about the results of trade being cut off--and hearing the Declaration of Independence being read aloud.
Misc
There is no dedication.
These five books have short chapters, starting with the historical facts then having the perspective of the American Girl from the same setting, set up as a journal or excerpts from one of her books.
The pages written from Felicity's point of view are styled to look like diary or journal entries, but aren't handwritten, just in a non-professional typeface. She mentions being on a boat, the Dove, and italicizes it in her "journal." But whatever font this is is already slanted so it's hard to tell. When handwriting, a person should underline boat titles (and book titles, movie titles, et. al.) and that definitely would have worked better for this font.
To put the Boston Tea Party in its proper historical context, the book gives a lot of background information starting with European settlers arriving in the New World in the 1500s. Despite the couple centuries of history, it's accessible to the intended demographic (source: my elementary-school-aged kids read it, too).
Felicity's cousin Charles has a horse named Mercury.
Felicity's aunt Charlotte spun yarn with the Daughters of Liberty, a group that organized "spinning bees" to help with fabric shortages brought on protests over taxes.
Like the main Felicity books do with the friendship between Patriot Felicity and Loyalist Elizabeth, this book seeks to make the point that people can be different sides of very important issues and still find common ground and ways to get along with each other.
Summary
It's autumn in 1773. Felicity and her father have traveled to Boston, where her father's brother and his family live. Like Felicity's family will be later in her books, the Boston Merrimans are Patriots, drinking "tea" made from herbs grown in their garden rather than proper tea from England--they feel the high tax levied on it by the king of England is unfair. The Crown's view is that the colonists needed English soldiers during the French and Indian War, which only ended a decade ago, so the colonists should pay higher taxes to ease England's war debt. The Patriots among the colonists figure that since they did far more than England, they can do without its rule. Felicity knows her grandfather would consider talk of leaving British rule treason, but her cousin makes some compelling points about colonial freedom. As her sixteen-year-old cousin Charles tells her about the Boston Massacre, the Stamp Act and its repeal, the idea of taxation without representation, and other things imposed on the colonies, Felicity finds herself agreeing with him more and more.
In fact, she agrees so much with Charles that she joins him in sneaking out into the night of December 16 (there were several teenagers in the real group, and the vast majority of the Tea Party protesters were under 40, but there are no records of eight-year-old girls). The protesters work quickly and quietly, dumping the tea overboard into Boston Harbor. They've tried to get to the governor to send the tea back, but to no avail, and the tax is due tomorrow. They're having none of it: the tea has to go.
Just two days later, Felicity and her father are heading home. Felicity is concerned for the safety of her family in Boston. Boston was indeed soon forced to quarter British soldiers, and it wasn't long before the American Revolution was in full force. Felicity's last entry is dated July 28, 1776, and talks about the results of trade being cut off--and hearing the Declaration of Independence being read aloud.
Misc
There is no dedication.
These five books have short chapters, starting with the historical facts then having the perspective of the American Girl from the same setting, set up as a journal or excerpts from one of her books.
The pages written from Felicity's point of view are styled to look like diary or journal entries, but aren't handwritten, just in a non-professional typeface. She mentions being on a boat, the Dove, and italicizes it in her "journal." But whatever font this is is already slanted so it's hard to tell. When handwriting, a person should underline boat titles (and book titles, movie titles, et. al.) and that definitely would have worked better for this font.
To put the Boston Tea Party in its proper historical context, the book gives a lot of background information starting with European settlers arriving in the New World in the 1500s. Despite the couple centuries of history, it's accessible to the intended demographic (source: my elementary-school-aged kids read it, too).
Felicity's cousin Charles has a horse named Mercury.
Felicity's aunt Charlotte spun yarn with the Daughters of Liberty, a group that organized "spinning bees" to help with fabric shortages brought on protests over taxes.
Like the main Felicity books do with the friendship between Patriot Felicity and Loyalist Elizabeth, this book seeks to make the point that people can be different sides of very important issues and still find common ground and ways to get along with each other.
10/15/20
Logan Likes Mary Anne! (GN#8)
Original Publication Date: 2019
Ghostwriter? No, the text copyright is for Ann M. Martin.
Illustrator: Gale Galligan
Synopsis:
One major difference between this and the original version: Jessi joins the club here! There's also more diversity in the graphic novel, notably Logan (and Cam Geary) isn't white. It also stood out to me that Mary Anne's dad didn't specify she could only get a rescue cat (although she still does), and that Mary Anne used magnets to put up the picture of Cam Geary on her locker, rather than chewing gum...not sure why that scene was so etched in my memory.
Established or continued in this book:
The Girls (and Logan):
 |
| The Goobers were opened, hence Mallory's expression |
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| Jessi's and Logan's first BSC meeting |
Their Families:
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| My dad is also a lawyer. Replace the coat rack and plant with more family pictures (we have a bigger family), the baseball with a football, and shave the beard, and this is him at his office. |
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| Jessi and Mallory hanging out with Becca and Squirt |
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| Tigger, shortly before Mary Anne adopts him |
The Club (and clients):
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| Myriah and Gabby Perkins |
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| Jackie Rodowsky and his mom |
SMS:
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| SMS hallway |
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| Celebrity sighting in the lunchroom? |
 |
| It's official! Jessi is the new junior member, and Logan is the new alternate member. |
 |
| That's Mr. Redmont, who gave Kristy the essay on decorum after she was a little too eager to leave class in Kristy's Great Idea. |
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| With Mallory joining earlier in the graphic novels, we need a quick explanation of her being at the emergency club meeting during eighth grade lunch. |
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| Mary Anne's shoe hitting the vice principal |
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| Too much for Mary Anne |
 |
| There we go |
Misc:
Martin dedicates this book to "my old baby-sitters, Maura and Peggy."
Galligan dedicates it to "Patrick, and the full minute we spent laughing at the weird face Dipper made. And for you! I'm so glad we got to spend this time together."
 |
| The cities skirt! |
9/15/20
Karen's Roller Skates (LSGN #2)
Publication date: 2020
Ghostwriter? No, the text copyright is for Ann M. Martin
Illustrators: Katy Farina, with color by Braden Lamb
Synposis:
Karen is roller skating and jumps over two coffee cans to impress Andrew, but falls after sticking the trick, breaking her wrist. She has to be in a cast for eight weeks! She's embarrassed that she just fell in a somewhat clumsy fashion, and soon starts spinning a tale about jumping over twenty cans while twirling and taking a dive to miss a caterpillar and her three babies and there being a police response and--
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| LIES! |
Andrew's finally had enough of her tall tales, and tells what really happened. And no one makes fun of Karen for "just" falling. She is still concerned that classmate Ricky, who broke his ankle the day before she broke her wrist, will upstage Karen at school, so she's been collecting signatures--Ricky's going to have his cast signed by a famous baseball player. Karen works up the nerve to get Mrs. Porter's autograph, but she's not sure a witch is as good as a celebrity. She's relieved when her mom reveals she knows a movie star who's in town, so Karen can get her autograph. And when she and Ricky get to school, they're able to share the spotlight just fine.
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| Karen's class |
Continuity related to the BSC books:
Shannon Kilbourne makes an appearance.
 |
| Associate sitters represent! |
Misc:
Ann M. Martin dedicates in memory of her grandmother Adele Read Martin (August 2, 1894-April 18-1988); Katy Farina to "my parents, who were always there to make scrapes, sickness, and broken bones feel better."
I assume Dawn Read Schafer's middle name is an homage to Martin's grandmother.
I asked my youngest, who's Andrew's age, if caterpillars have babies. She said no, they are babies. This was one of the few I read as a kid, I remember this bugging (pun intended) me when I read this as a kid--Karen is supposed to be smart enough to skip a grade, but she doesn't realize that butterfly babies are caterpillars.
Watson plays with his smart phone while waiting for Karen's check up with the doctor.
 |
| Baby-sitters Little Sister in the 21st century |
8/15/20
Karen's Witch (LSGN #1)
Publication date: 2020
In the graphic novel version of Kristy's Big Day, Watson's parents are said to be very religious, as part of the reasoning why Watson and Elizabeth want to marry before living in the same house. The grandmother at the garden club is Karen's maternal grandmother, which is too bad because it would have be hilarious to see the reaction if she were the ultra-religious (and presumably anti-witchcraft) grandmother.
Ghostwriter? No, the text copyright is for Ann M. Martin
Illustrators: Katy Farina, with color by Braden Lamb
Synoposis:
Kristy's younger sister, Karen Brewer, is getting ready for a weekend at her father's house with her younger brother, Andrew. They usually live with their mother and step-father, but every other weekend they live with their dad, step-mother, three step-brothers, and step-sister. And when she's at her dad's, her next-door neighbor is a witch.
 |
| Karen and Andrew getting ready to go to their dad's |
 |
| The titular "witch" |
No one believes this but Karen, her (dad's house) best friend Hannie, Andrew, and her step-brother David Michael, but Karen is sure of it. So sure that when she and Hannie are spying (against the rules at her dad's house) on the neighbor (Mrs. Porter, supposedly AKA Morbidda Destiny) and hear her talking to her cat about some upcoming plans, Karen just knows there's a witch meeting in the near future. When Karen sees several people coming to the neighbor's house, she runs to get Hannie: they have to stop the witch meeting! The two six-year-olds knock on the door, ask to come in, and proceed to berate the group of mostly older adults about whatever witch plans they have for the neighborhood--until Karen's grandmother interrupts to ask what they think they're doing interrupting a meeting of the Stoneybrook Garden Club.
She makes Karen and Hannie apologize, and sends Hannie home. She takes Karen back, and tells her dad and step-mom what happened. Watson and Elizabeth are, of course, appalled. They concede that Karen thought she was protecting the neighborhood, and punish her only for spying. Even in the midst of that, Karen lies when she promises to not spy again--she'll still spy if she feels she really needs to.
Continuity related to the BSC books:
Elizabeth and Karen seem to have a really good relationship, with Elizabeth giving Karen a good morning kiss. The rest of the Brewers also treat Karen and Andrew like one of their own.
 |
| Karen's families |
Kristy is shown to enjoy baby-sitting, and Mary Anne makes a brief appearance when she and her dad pick Kristy up.
 |
| Oh right, the BSC exists |
In the graphic novel version of Kristy's Big Day, Watson's parents are said to be very religious, as part of the reasoning why Watson and Elizabeth want to marry before living in the same house. The grandmother at the garden club is Karen's maternal grandmother, which is too bad because it would have be hilarious to see the reaction if she were the ultra-religious (and presumably anti-witchcraft) grandmother.
Misc:
Ann M. Martin dedicates this to Laura Elizabeth, the newest Perkins; Katy Farina to Maddie, her little sister.
So, yes: I'm reviewing the Baby-sitters Little Sister graphic novels (Karen's Roller Skates will be up next month). However, I'm not committing to reviewing the entire chapter book series. There are 128 books, and I have all but... 128 of them. I read a few as a kid and never really liked them as much, so there's no nostalgia for me.
Like the other graphic novels, there are some changes and updates. The most obvious is that Hannie Papadakis and her family are mixed-race: Hannie's dad is Greek and her mom is black.
My middle kid read this too (she's read all the graphic novels and is working her way through the BSC chapter books; my oldest is reading the American Girl novels). She's a few months older than Karen is depicted in the book, and reassured me that she'll never go to our next-door neighbor's house (also an older widow) to accuse her of witchcraft.
This illustration of a waxing crescent moon indicates it's setting just before dawn. A waxing crescent sets before midnight--a full moon would set before dawn.
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| At least there are no stars in the part of the moon that's in shadow. |
I've never dealt with divorce first-hand, though my mom and some cousins and friends have. One thing I wonder about: with shared custody, do kids ever really feel like their "at home"? I really hope that more kids feel like Karen ("I have two homes!") than not. It must be hard going back and forth, but it would also be hard to not see one of your parents. If any of you have experience with divorce, I hope it ends/ended up overall a good one.
So... Karen. I don't like "Karen" as an insult, just as I don't like any name as an insult, or purposely mispronouncing names as insults. People can't help what they're named, and their names don't have a real impact on their personalities. I also think weaponizing names is a lazy way to insult people. That said, it's still kinda funny that of all the names that could be stereotyped as someone who butts in and causes problems by overreacting, it just had to be Karen. (But the three Karens I know in real life are exceptionally nice people, and would never do anything like that.)
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| How Karen thinks unveiling the witch meeting will go |
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| What actually happens |
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| The problem with Karen, in a nutshell |
7/15/20
Girl of the Year 2020: Joss: Touch the Sky
Published: 2020. Author: Erin Falligant. Illustrator: Maike Plenske.
Summary
Joss and her friends Brooklyn and Sofia are preparing for the school talent show. Joss's brothers both made it to the Wall of Fame during their tenure at the elementary school, and this is her last chance to join them. She's got to come up with a great act!
And also learn to be a flyer on her cheer team after another girl sprains her ankle. Joss is excited for the opportunity, but also nervous. The big competition is less than a month away.
Time is growing short all around. Soon, it's only five days to the talent show. Sofia's painted a skateboard ramp with waves to resemble an ocean, and Joss and Brooklyn are going to pretend to surf while they skateboard--with Murph the bulldog! Frustratingly, Murph is less than cooperative. And word's gotten out about her, so Joss is feeling extra pressure for her dog to wow everyone, now that the school is anticipating it. While Joss is able to finally be successful doing an elevator as a flyer, she can't seem to talk Murph into performing. It takes a team effort from her, Brooklyn, Sofia, and a bag of dog treats to even make slight progress. Joss hopes it will be enough.
The day of the talent show, things start out okay. Bribed by the promise of treats, Murphy skates up and down the ramp after Sofia graces the stage. But before Joss can take a turn, the crowd noise spooks Murph, and the dog bolts. Joss runs after Murphy and catches her, but knowing her hopes of living up to her brothers' legacy are dashed, she can't bear to return to the talent show and face the jeers of the audience. But to her utter shock, Joss and her friends win the talent show...as a comedy act. Joss is conflicted; she worked so hard practicing and never got to show off her moves, she's still embarrassed by how Murphy ran off...but she won...but not the way she wanted to. She doesn't really feel like she's earned the prize.
After a spat with Brooklyn (who thinks it was all funny, not embarrassing) maybe a day surfing with Sophia will clear Joss's head. But no--she tries to surf a wave that's too big for her skill level, and gets knocked underwater long enough to scare her. She ends up not badly injured, but embarrassed and shaken again. When the next cheer practice rolls around, Joss is determined to put it all behind her and focus on doing things well. But she just can't do it; she's letting her team down. Joss's confidence is gone.
On the way home from practice, a lightning storm pops up. Liam calls Joss's mom with the news that the storm scared Murph, who's run away. The family starts searching in the driving rain. It's Joss who finds her, cowering under a boat rack. While Joss waits for her family to meet up there, she pours her heart out to her dog. She feels like no one even wants her on the team anymore, and that she can't trust them or herself.
And that's just it. She doesn't trust herself. Joss has heart-to-hearts with Sofia and Brooklyn. She also talks to Reina, who convinces the cheer coach to let the team have a sleepover before the big competition. All the girls bond as they talk about their worries and play games. They come together as a team, better than they have before.
When the big day arrives, the team is confident enough to do the trickier stunt they'd hoped to do. They pull it off, but their rival comes out next with a tougher routine. Then halfway through, their music cuts out. Joss, now understanding that her talent show win feels tainted and unfair because she wasn't able to do her best, starts clapping a beat. Soon, the whole audience joins, keeping the rival team on track. When the results are in, Joss's team comes in second and the rival team is first. But Joss feels on top of the world. Her team didn't win due to a technical problem with the music, and they worked together and competed better than they had before. That's something to be proud of.
Misc
Dedicated to "my cheer team, Elizabeth, Jennifer, Darcie, and Katie, with gratitude." Special thanks is also given to the various experts who gave advice for accuracy: Crystal de Silva, winner of several shortboard titles including the 2009 and 2013 World Deaf Championships; Dr. Sharon Pajka, English professor at Gallaudet University; Julie Peterson and Sara Jo Moen, owners of Fury Athletics in Madison, WI, and coaches of award-winning competitive cheer teams; Jennifer Richardson, AuD, educational audiologist and founder of Hearing Milestones; and Bianca Valenti, professional big wave surfer and co-founder of the Committee for Equity in Women's Surfing.
Joss describes Liam as her oldest brother rather than older, meaning she should have at least three brothers. But she only has one other brother, Dylan--so Liam is her older brother.
Joss's cheer coach has a special microphone that connects directly to Joss's hearing aid, and also uses hand signals. It's unclear whether they're cheer-specific, ASL, or a mix of both. For example, at one point the coach counts out "Five, six, seven, eight" and the narration says she holds up her fingers. That could mean she's signing the numbers, holding up the same number of fingers as the number she's saying, or that she's uses some sort team signal.
I wonder why Joss's mom finger-spelled hawk, rather than signing it. Maybe for emphasis? To be sure it wasn't misunderstood as the sign for eagle?
Summary
Joss and her friends Brooklyn and Sofia are preparing for the school talent show. Joss's brothers both made it to the Wall of Fame during their tenure at the elementary school, and this is her last chance to join them. She's got to come up with a great act!
And also learn to be a flyer on her cheer team after another girl sprains her ankle. Joss is excited for the opportunity, but also nervous. The big competition is less than a month away.
Time is growing short all around. Soon, it's only five days to the talent show. Sofia's painted a skateboard ramp with waves to resemble an ocean, and Joss and Brooklyn are going to pretend to surf while they skateboard--with Murph the bulldog! Frustratingly, Murph is less than cooperative. And word's gotten out about her, so Joss is feeling extra pressure for her dog to wow everyone, now that the school is anticipating it. While Joss is able to finally be successful doing an elevator as a flyer, she can't seem to talk Murph into performing. It takes a team effort from her, Brooklyn, Sofia, and a bag of dog treats to even make slight progress. Joss hopes it will be enough.
The day of the talent show, things start out okay. Bribed by the promise of treats, Murphy skates up and down the ramp after Sofia graces the stage. But before Joss can take a turn, the crowd noise spooks Murph, and the dog bolts. Joss runs after Murphy and catches her, but knowing her hopes of living up to her brothers' legacy are dashed, she can't bear to return to the talent show and face the jeers of the audience. But to her utter shock, Joss and her friends win the talent show...as a comedy act. Joss is conflicted; she worked so hard practicing and never got to show off her moves, she's still embarrassed by how Murphy ran off...but she won...but not the way she wanted to. She doesn't really feel like she's earned the prize.
After a spat with Brooklyn (who thinks it was all funny, not embarrassing) maybe a day surfing with Sophia will clear Joss's head. But no--she tries to surf a wave that's too big for her skill level, and gets knocked underwater long enough to scare her. She ends up not badly injured, but embarrassed and shaken again. When the next cheer practice rolls around, Joss is determined to put it all behind her and focus on doing things well. But she just can't do it; she's letting her team down. Joss's confidence is gone.
On the way home from practice, a lightning storm pops up. Liam calls Joss's mom with the news that the storm scared Murph, who's run away. The family starts searching in the driving rain. It's Joss who finds her, cowering under a boat rack. While Joss waits for her family to meet up there, she pours her heart out to her dog. She feels like no one even wants her on the team anymore, and that she can't trust them or herself.
And that's just it. She doesn't trust herself. Joss has heart-to-hearts with Sofia and Brooklyn. She also talks to Reina, who convinces the cheer coach to let the team have a sleepover before the big competition. All the girls bond as they talk about their worries and play games. They come together as a team, better than they have before.
When the big day arrives, the team is confident enough to do the trickier stunt they'd hoped to do. They pull it off, but their rival comes out next with a tougher routine. Then halfway through, their music cuts out. Joss, now understanding that her talent show win feels tainted and unfair because she wasn't able to do her best, starts clapping a beat. Soon, the whole audience joins, keeping the rival team on track. When the results are in, Joss's team comes in second and the rival team is first. But Joss feels on top of the world. Her team didn't win due to a technical problem with the music, and they worked together and competed better than they had before. That's something to be proud of.
Misc
Dedicated to "my cheer team, Elizabeth, Jennifer, Darcie, and Katie, with gratitude." Special thanks is also given to the various experts who gave advice for accuracy: Crystal de Silva, winner of several shortboard titles including the 2009 and 2013 World Deaf Championships; Dr. Sharon Pajka, English professor at Gallaudet University; Julie Peterson and Sara Jo Moen, owners of Fury Athletics in Madison, WI, and coaches of award-winning competitive cheer teams; Jennifer Richardson, AuD, educational audiologist and founder of Hearing Milestones; and Bianca Valenti, professional big wave surfer and co-founder of the Committee for Equity in Women's Surfing.
Joss describes Liam as her oldest brother rather than older, meaning she should have at least three brothers. But she only has one other brother, Dylan--so Liam is her older brother.
Joss's cheer coach has a special microphone that connects directly to Joss's hearing aid, and also uses hand signals. It's unclear whether they're cheer-specific, ASL, or a mix of both. For example, at one point the coach counts out "Five, six, seven, eight" and the narration says she holds up her fingers. That could mean she's signing the numbers, holding up the same number of fingers as the number she's saying, or that she's uses some sort team signal.
I wonder why Joss's mom finger-spelled hawk, rather than signing it. Maybe for emphasis? To be sure it wasn't misunderstood as the sign for eagle?
6/15/20
Girl of the Year 2020: Joss
Published: 2020. Author: Erin Falligant. Illustrator: Maike Plenske.
Summary
Jocelyn "Joss" Elizabeth Kendrick is an active fourth grader, zooming from skate boarding to surfing, never letting the fact that she's hard-of-hearing get in the way. After all, as the saying goes, Deaf people can do anything hearing people can--except hear. Joss was born deaf in her left ear and with partial hearing in her right, amplified by a hearing aid. Hasn't stopped her in the least, though; Joss has been surfing at Huntington Beach since she was six, with her two older brothers, impulsive Dylan (now 14) and aspiring pro-surfer Liam (18).
When Joss's best friend Sofia shows her an advertisement for a surfing video competition featuring Joss's surfing hero, Tina Heart, the two "Surf Sisters" start planning their entry right away. They need to showcase what they love about their favorite surf spot, with an eye on conservationism. Maybe Joss can learn do to a frontside air for the video--Tina Heart first did it when she was ten, so why shouldn't Joss be able to? Liam thinks she just might be able to learn it in time! But Sofia's phone's camera isn't up to the task of filming from a distance. Joss needs to ask Dylan...who will definitely want something in return. Joss happens upon just the bribe: she'll try out for the cheerleading team captained by Dylan's best friend's older sister Reina (Joss thinks of cheer as fine for some people but not her thing--she's a "real athlete") if Dylan films her and Sofia's video. He agrees.
Even though she doesn't plan to stick with the team in the off chance she makes it through tryouts, Joss is nervous. The gym where tryouts are held is an acoustic nightmare for someone who's hard-of-hearing, and the cheerleaders are practicing stunts that Joss has no idea how to do. Reina helps Joss find the coach so Joss can give her a special microphone that connects directly to Joss's hearing aid. being able to hear Coach Kara and recognizing a friendly girl from school, Brooklyn, helps Joss relax a little. She ends up on the spot when the other girls (no boys are trying out or on the team) get curious about the microphone, hearing aid, Joss's hearing loss, and how to communicate with her. Joss has fielded questions like this her whole life, so while she might not love answering them, she knows how to. One girl, Mila, seems annoyed by Joss being there, especially when Joss says she's just there to get a favor from Dylan. Even with the microphone, it's hard for Joss to follow the instructions and the beat of the music--between that and Mila's attitude, Joss definitely doesn't want to stay in cheer if she makes the team. She's a surfer, not a cheerleader.
But after a couple days of tryouts, she does make the team. And she feels stronger and more flexible--she almost lands a frontside air! Cheer is making her stronger, and between Brooklyn's friendliness and Mila's snobbishness, Joss wants to do better in it. That means three days a week away from making the video, which is due soon. Sofia is frustrated about that. Joss talks with her, setting firm guidelines and a schedule for filming the video. Sofia figures that Joss can quit cheer once the video's done (and Dylan can no longer hold it over her head), but Joss isn't so sure. Even after briefly losing her hearing aid during a practice, she wants to improve. She's made a commitment, and she wants to see it through.
But cheer is taking up more of Joss's time. It comes to the point that one Saturday when Dylan's filming Joss trying to land a frontside air, Joss doesn't pay attention and accidentally steals a wave Dylan's best friend Nico is on, crashing into him and cutting his ankle. Dylan is furious with Joss and refuses to film the video. Sofia is mad too, accusing Joss of prioritizing her one trick over Sofia's contribution (the video idea was to have Sofia make art pieces with shells and other items from the beach, then Joss to demonstrate what the art represents through surfing).
It takes a heart-to-heart with Liam to help Joss sort things out. He remind Joss that he's undeniably a surfer--but he plays volleyball, too. People can be multi-faceted. Joss can be a surfer girl, a cheerleader, and a good friend and sister. Joss and Sofia patch things up, and then agree to be a team with Dylan and Nico. Together, the four have filmed enough artwork and surf tricks to make a really good video. One more thing would make it perfect: a frontside air. Joss tries once more before they run out of time before the video deadline...and doesn't do it. She does end up combining surf tricks with cheer tricks into a pretty nice move, though, which the new team of four add to finish the video.
International Surfing Day arrives, when Tina Heart will announce the video winners. The day starts with a beach cleanup, then some surfing--Joss lands a frontside air! And then finale: Joss, Sofia, Dylan, and Nico win! Tina Heart signs their surfboards, they each win a new one, she asks Sofia if she can use some of her art to promote her environmental message, and she asks Joss to teach her the surf/cheer trick that was featured in the video. Joss is part surfer, part skateboarder, part cheerleader, part friend, part sister, part daughter--and 100% Joss.
Misc
Dedicated to "my mother, who taught me to be true to myself--one hundred percent." The author also thanks Crystal da Silva, who holds shortboard titles in Pro-Am and World Deaf championships; Dr. Sharon Pajka, English professor at Gallaudet University (which primarily serves Deaf students); Julie Peterson and Sara jo Moen, owners of Fury Athletics and coaches of highly successful competitive cheer teams; Jennifer Richardson, AuD, an educational audiologist who founded Hearing Milestones; and Bianca Valenti, profession surfer and cofounder of the Committee for Equity in Women's Surfing.
I was second in line on the hold list at the library to get this book. I wasn't able to until now because the libraries all closed for three months due to COVID19. All of Joss's competitions and activities would have been cancelled for the same reason, and communication would have been significantly harder for her: masks get in the way of lip-reading.
There are illustrations throughout the book! According to Neth at American Girl Outsider, there was a lot of disappointment about the historical character books losing their illustrations during the BeForever line, so the books have been re-issued with illustrations...but also abridged versions of the text. I guess the Powers That Be decided Girl of the Year book should have pictures, too.
International Surfing Day is indeed June 20.
Sofia is very artistic. Her surfing tends to be more graceful than aggressive, and she's forever looking for shells and rocks on the beach to make art.
Murph, the Kendrick's bulldog, is "goofy-footed, like [Joss], which means [they] push with their left feet." I know next-to-nothing about skate-boarding, but I know soccer, high jump, long jump, triple jump, hurdles, and pole vault. I'm "goofy-footed" in those, in that I use the opposite feet for kicking or jumping from most people. But I jump off my right foot...would I skate-board by pushing with my left? I can't figure out which would feel more natural.
Joss's mom grew up surfing, but her dad has never gotten the hang of it. He likes to do wood-working in his spare time.
Joss will sometimes take out her hearing aid and tune out the remaining muffled sounds for "QT" (quiet time). She finds she can focus better on visualizations and planning that way; it's a nice break.
Joss has various adaptions for her hearing loss that Deaf people I've known in real life use, too; like vibrating alarms clocks. Joss uses her cell phone, but there are alarm clocks with attachments that light up or vibrate--one of my ASL teachers had one.
There's a cool idiom sign for "wow." Hold one hand on either side of your head in the W shape (how most people indicate 3, which is actually 6 in ASL) and open your mouth in an O shape like you're amazed. Together, your hands and mouth spell W-O-W.
Here in Washington, high school cheerleading is classified as an "activity" rather than a "sport." It's certainly more athletic than golf, which is under the sport heading. I considered trying out for it in high school to gain upper body strength for pole vault, but ended up doing gymnastics instead--I got along better with the gymnastics team than the cheer team. Would I want my kids to do cheer? I would be actually be pretty reticent. Because it's an "activity" there are fewer safety regulations. If that were fixed, then I wouldn't have a problem with it.
Joss's revelation about which foot she should lead with for cheer tricks is similar to when I started high jump. I was just awful the first day of it, until my coach noticed I was jumping from my right foot instead of my left. He had me approach the bar from the opposite side, and suddenly it was much easier. When I was older and coaching jumps myself, the first thing I did with new jumpers was figure out which foot they naturally jumped from.
Summary
Jocelyn "Joss" Elizabeth Kendrick is an active fourth grader, zooming from skate boarding to surfing, never letting the fact that she's hard-of-hearing get in the way. After all, as the saying goes, Deaf people can do anything hearing people can--except hear. Joss was born deaf in her left ear and with partial hearing in her right, amplified by a hearing aid. Hasn't stopped her in the least, though; Joss has been surfing at Huntington Beach since she was six, with her two older brothers, impulsive Dylan (now 14) and aspiring pro-surfer Liam (18).
When Joss's best friend Sofia shows her an advertisement for a surfing video competition featuring Joss's surfing hero, Tina Heart, the two "Surf Sisters" start planning their entry right away. They need to showcase what they love about their favorite surf spot, with an eye on conservationism. Maybe Joss can learn do to a frontside air for the video--Tina Heart first did it when she was ten, so why shouldn't Joss be able to? Liam thinks she just might be able to learn it in time! But Sofia's phone's camera isn't up to the task of filming from a distance. Joss needs to ask Dylan...who will definitely want something in return. Joss happens upon just the bribe: she'll try out for the cheerleading team captained by Dylan's best friend's older sister Reina (Joss thinks of cheer as fine for some people but not her thing--she's a "real athlete") if Dylan films her and Sofia's video. He agrees.
Even though she doesn't plan to stick with the team in the off chance she makes it through tryouts, Joss is nervous. The gym where tryouts are held is an acoustic nightmare for someone who's hard-of-hearing, and the cheerleaders are practicing stunts that Joss has no idea how to do. Reina helps Joss find the coach so Joss can give her a special microphone that connects directly to Joss's hearing aid. being able to hear Coach Kara and recognizing a friendly girl from school, Brooklyn, helps Joss relax a little. She ends up on the spot when the other girls (no boys are trying out or on the team) get curious about the microphone, hearing aid, Joss's hearing loss, and how to communicate with her. Joss has fielded questions like this her whole life, so while she might not love answering them, she knows how to. One girl, Mila, seems annoyed by Joss being there, especially when Joss says she's just there to get a favor from Dylan. Even with the microphone, it's hard for Joss to follow the instructions and the beat of the music--between that and Mila's attitude, Joss definitely doesn't want to stay in cheer if she makes the team. She's a surfer, not a cheerleader.
But after a couple days of tryouts, she does make the team. And she feels stronger and more flexible--she almost lands a frontside air! Cheer is making her stronger, and between Brooklyn's friendliness and Mila's snobbishness, Joss wants to do better in it. That means three days a week away from making the video, which is due soon. Sofia is frustrated about that. Joss talks with her, setting firm guidelines and a schedule for filming the video. Sofia figures that Joss can quit cheer once the video's done (and Dylan can no longer hold it over her head), but Joss isn't so sure. Even after briefly losing her hearing aid during a practice, she wants to improve. She's made a commitment, and she wants to see it through.
But cheer is taking up more of Joss's time. It comes to the point that one Saturday when Dylan's filming Joss trying to land a frontside air, Joss doesn't pay attention and accidentally steals a wave Dylan's best friend Nico is on, crashing into him and cutting his ankle. Dylan is furious with Joss and refuses to film the video. Sofia is mad too, accusing Joss of prioritizing her one trick over Sofia's contribution (the video idea was to have Sofia make art pieces with shells and other items from the beach, then Joss to demonstrate what the art represents through surfing).
It takes a heart-to-heart with Liam to help Joss sort things out. He remind Joss that he's undeniably a surfer--but he plays volleyball, too. People can be multi-faceted. Joss can be a surfer girl, a cheerleader, and a good friend and sister. Joss and Sofia patch things up, and then agree to be a team with Dylan and Nico. Together, the four have filmed enough artwork and surf tricks to make a really good video. One more thing would make it perfect: a frontside air. Joss tries once more before they run out of time before the video deadline...and doesn't do it. She does end up combining surf tricks with cheer tricks into a pretty nice move, though, which the new team of four add to finish the video.
International Surfing Day arrives, when Tina Heart will announce the video winners. The day starts with a beach cleanup, then some surfing--Joss lands a frontside air! And then finale: Joss, Sofia, Dylan, and Nico win! Tina Heart signs their surfboards, they each win a new one, she asks Sofia if she can use some of her art to promote her environmental message, and she asks Joss to teach her the surf/cheer trick that was featured in the video. Joss is part surfer, part skateboarder, part cheerleader, part friend, part sister, part daughter--and 100% Joss.
Misc
Dedicated to "my mother, who taught me to be true to myself--one hundred percent." The author also thanks Crystal da Silva, who holds shortboard titles in Pro-Am and World Deaf championships; Dr. Sharon Pajka, English professor at Gallaudet University (which primarily serves Deaf students); Julie Peterson and Sara jo Moen, owners of Fury Athletics and coaches of highly successful competitive cheer teams; Jennifer Richardson, AuD, an educational audiologist who founded Hearing Milestones; and Bianca Valenti, profession surfer and cofounder of the Committee for Equity in Women's Surfing.
I was second in line on the hold list at the library to get this book. I wasn't able to until now because the libraries all closed for three months due to COVID19. All of Joss's competitions and activities would have been cancelled for the same reason, and communication would have been significantly harder for her: masks get in the way of lip-reading.
There are illustrations throughout the book! According to Neth at American Girl Outsider, there was a lot of disappointment about the historical character books losing their illustrations during the BeForever line, so the books have been re-issued with illustrations...but also abridged versions of the text. I guess the Powers That Be decided Girl of the Year book should have pictures, too.
International Surfing Day is indeed June 20.
Sofia is very artistic. Her surfing tends to be more graceful than aggressive, and she's forever looking for shells and rocks on the beach to make art.
Murph, the Kendrick's bulldog, is "goofy-footed, like [Joss], which means [they] push with their left feet." I know next-to-nothing about skate-boarding, but I know soccer, high jump, long jump, triple jump, hurdles, and pole vault. I'm "goofy-footed" in those, in that I use the opposite feet for kicking or jumping from most people. But I jump off my right foot...would I skate-board by pushing with my left? I can't figure out which would feel more natural.
Joss's mom grew up surfing, but her dad has never gotten the hang of it. He likes to do wood-working in his spare time.
Joss will sometimes take out her hearing aid and tune out the remaining muffled sounds for "QT" (quiet time). She finds she can focus better on visualizations and planning that way; it's a nice break.
Joss has various adaptions for her hearing loss that Deaf people I've known in real life use, too; like vibrating alarms clocks. Joss uses her cell phone, but there are alarm clocks with attachments that light up or vibrate--one of my ASL teachers had one.
There's a cool idiom sign for "wow." Hold one hand on either side of your head in the W shape (how most people indicate 3, which is actually 6 in ASL) and open your mouth in an O shape like you're amazed. Together, your hands and mouth spell W-O-W.
Here in Washington, high school cheerleading is classified as an "activity" rather than a "sport." It's certainly more athletic than golf, which is under the sport heading. I considered trying out for it in high school to gain upper body strength for pole vault, but ended up doing gymnastics instead--I got along better with the gymnastics team than the cheer team. Would I want my kids to do cheer? I would be actually be pretty reticent. Because it's an "activity" there are fewer safety regulations. If that were fixed, then I wouldn't have a problem with it.
Joss's revelation about which foot she should lead with for cheer tricks is similar to when I started high jump. I was just awful the first day of it, until my coach noticed I was jumping from my right foot instead of my left. He had me approach the bar from the opposite side, and suddenly it was much easier. When I was older and coaching jumps myself, the first thing I did with new jumpers was figure out which foot they naturally jumped from.
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