Floats Like a Butterfly

Bed-stuy Setting of When I was the Greatest

When I Was the Greatest by Jason Reynolds
New York : Atheneum Books for Young Readers, [2014]
231 p. ; 22 cm.  

This is one of those books that really exceeds expectations!  I read it because I saw that it had won the John Steptoe - New Talent / Coretta Scott King Award for 2015 and had received numerous positive reviews (e.g. Publishers Weekly and Kirkus), and I wanted to see for myself if it was a book I could recommend.  Also, I'm always on the lookout for diverse authors - our school is a very diverse school - and Jason Reynolds, a young African-American writer living in Brooklyn, interested me.

Would I recommend this book?  The answer is a definite Yes!  I loved this book.  One of the reviewers on Goodreads writes, "Jason Reynolds just slays the voice in this book.  Slays it," and I have to agree.  His voice reminded me a lot of Christopher Paul Curtis, the wonderful author of Bud not Buddy. But, where Bud not Buddy is aimed at middle school readers, Reynolds book hits right at the high school age reader.

What I loved about Reynolds book is that it deals with the rough life of the urban working poor and unemployed - and does so with humor, a light touch and a lot of heart.  There is action in this book, a bit of sex (or almost sex), physical violence, lawbreaking, and cussing, but the heart of the book is about loyalty, friendship, acceptance, and - dare one say it? - love.

It's funny to me that the cover, seen here,

was actually controversial!  I was disappointed with the cover, but not for it being too provocative.  On the contrary, I think it's a weak cover that doesn't grab the attention of a high school reader.  A stunning portrait of a kid in a fight, or shadows on a Brooklyn street, or hustlers on a street corner would have been far more compelling.  Honestly, when I first saw the book, I thought "Oh, cool it's a new LGBT book!" For the record, it's not.

Cover aside, I will definitely recommend this book to any student looking for an all-around good read or a fresh take on urban life, drama, and growing up.

Four Teens and a Funeral

Tangled by Carolyn Mackler
New York : HarperTeen, 2011, c2010.
308 p. ; 21 cm. 

Mackler is the author of the ever popular and frequently challenged book, The Earth, My Butt and Other Big Round Things - and that is probably the book by her I would have read if a student had not recently turned in Tangled and said, "Mr. Murrey, this was great.  You have to read it!"

I read it and enjoyed it quite a lot.  It's the story of four teens and the unlikely ways in which their lives come together and in which each of them grows and matures. The springing off event of the novel is a short week trip to a Caribbean island resort where the four of them end up briefly interacting. The rest of the novel takes place in New York state and  New York City (and so the picture above of the Sheep Meadow in Central Park).

I'd say the thing that pleased me the most about the book was that I didn't really care for it at first, beginning as it does from the point of view of Jena.  She is one of those "teen" characters who is feels just a little too smart, cute (but doesn't think she's cute), and self-aware. But oddly she grows on you and the other characters round out the novel really well - defying the surface stereotypes they seem, and revealing full, evolving human characters in the process.  There are some nice plot turns throughout and lots of low key humor.  Finally, there is a really tender romance in the book, and who can turn that down?

I'd definitely recommend this book for any readers interested in relationship fiction.