Ritualo's Reviews

Bibliography:  Marks, J. (2020b). From the Desk of Zoe Washington . Katherine Tegen Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN: 978-1-713-76817-3 Plot Summary:  12 year old Zoe dreams of becoming a professional baker. She receives a letter from her father, who's in prison for a crime she believes he didn't commit. Against her mother's wishes, Zoe secretly starts communicating with him. Along the way, Zoe discovers her passion for music and starts an internship at a bakery. As she learns more about her father's case, Zoe uncovers new evidence that could prove his innocence. In the end, Zoe decides to fight for justice and make her voice heard, even when it's difficult. Critical Analysis: Marks  effectively uses language to convey the emotions and experiences of its characters, particularly Zoe. The author employs vivid descriptions and dialogue that feel authentic to a young girl's perspective, making the story relatable. Literary tools such as foreshado...

Bibliography:  Watson, R. (2018). Piecing Me Together . Bloomsbury. ISBN: 978-1-68119-105-8 Plot  Plot Summary:  J ade is smart and creative. She lives in a poor part of town but goes to a private school on a scholarship. Jade feels like she doesn't fit in anywhere because of the neighborhood she lives in and the color of her skin. She joins a mento program called Woman to Woman, where she meets Maxine. Through art and friendships, Jade starts to understand more about place in the world. She learns to stand up for herself and fight against people judging her based on her background.                   Critical Analysis: Watson uses simple but compelling language to talk about important themes such as race and finding one's identity. Through Jade, one can see how racial discrimination can make someone feel lost and alone. Watson shows the reader that these are issues that need to be addressed. She also reinforcess the need t...

Bibliography:  Park, L. S. (2019a). Nya’s Long Walk: A Step at a Time . Ill. by Brian Pinckney. Clarion Books, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers. ISBN: 978-1-32878-133-8 Plot Summary: In South Sudan, Nya takes her little sister, Akeer to fill the water jug at the watering hole. As they get ready to head home, Akeer falls ill. Nya is forced to carry her sister and the water jug on the long walk home. At first, it seems impossible, but Nya pushes forward though she is tired and her sister and water jug are heavy.  Once she arrives, she must continue by helping her mother and sister to the clinic, another long walk. They find Akeer had a waterborne illness, common in their area as clean water is hard to find. Once Akeer is better, they return home to find a clean water well has been created. As they no longer have to travel for water, the girls can now go to school. Critical Analysis: The story depicts a problem common in areas like the Sudan.  In many third world countr...

Bibliography:  Harrison, V. (2023). Big . Little, Brown and company. ISBN: 978-0316-35322-9 Plot Summary: She was a little girl in ballet class and everything was great, until she started growing bigger. And everyone kept pointing that out, usually not so nicely.  Being told she was big made her feel small, until she starts "collecting" their words and showing them that they are hurtful, and she begins to love herself for who she is.  And that makes everything good aagain.  Critical Analysis: The book doesn't focus on the fact that the little girl getting bigger is black, but on the idea that she's getting bigger, which is something all small children can relate to, regardless of race.  The little girl is depicted as a typical little girl with no offensive stereotyping. The message is clear, that words are hurtful, but all they are is words.  You should love yourself for who you are.  The language is simple enough for a young reader to follow.  Th...

Bibliography:  Cao, W. (2022). Trans. by Helen Wang.  Dragonfly Eyes . Candlewick Press. ISBN: 978-1-5362-0018-8 Plot Summary: The story follows the family through several decades. Oceane, a French woman, and Du Meixi met in Marseilles between the two world wars, and quickly fell in love.  Business soon moves them to Shanghai, where they raise their children and grandchildren.  Oceane (Nainai) and her granddaughter have an especially close relationship. The family is physically torn apart during the Cultural Revolution. Oceane's French ancestry is evident in both her children and grandchildren and face persecution as the West is hated and feared.  Through trial and tribulation, though, the family ties remain strong.  Critical Analysis: The title refers to specific beads that Du Meixi used to make Oceane a wedding necklace, and they remain important throughout the story as they become a fairly heirloom.  Helen Wang does a fantastic job of translating We...

Bibliography:  Miyazaki, H. (2022). Trans. by Alex Dudok De Wit.  Shuna’s Journey . First Second.       ISBN: 978-1-250-84652-5 Plot Summary: The prince and future king meets a dying wanderer who offers him a way to save his suffering land, but it involves a long and arduous journey.  To get to the golden seeds that will feed his people he must go through ghouls and slave traders to get to the land of the god-folk.  Along the way he rescues two slave sisters, who later will save him.  Though he makes it to the land of the god-folk and steals the golden seed, he loses himself along the way.  It is only through the love of the two sisters that he finds himself and begins his journey home.  Critical Analysis: Based on a Tibetan folktale, this graphic novel was written by one of the founders of Studio Ghibli, an animation company out of Japan.  This is evident in the illustration style throughout the text. The illustrations are col...

  Bibliography:  Oziewicz, T., & Zając, A. (2022). Trans. by Jennifer Croft.  What Feelings do When No One’s Looking . Elsewhere Editions. ISBN:  978-1-953-86128-3 Plot Summary: Some of the more complicated emotions, such as compassion and delight, are personified as fuzzy creatures in order to show children what they might be feeling in less complicated language. Critical Analysis: The repetitive pattern of sentence structure is helpful for young readers. Every emotion or feeling begins "[Emotion] does [an action].  Though some of the language might be difficult for a young reader on their own, reading with a parent would be best so the topic could also be discussed. For the most part, the illustrations are shades of black, white and gray with muted shades of blue or red thrown in occassionally. As a reader, the color scheme brought a sense of serenity, even with emotions that may have a negative connotation.  The characters used for each emotion, tho...

  Bibliography:  Fox, M. (1993). Ill. by Patricia Mullins. Hattie and the Fox . Macmillan/McGraw-Hill School Pub. Co.   ISBN 978-0-689-71611-9 Plot Summary: Chicken sees something suspicious in the bushes, eyes, , but the other animals ignore her don't really believe her.  Then she sees ears, and a mouth.  Still they don't believe her.  Eventually she sees the whole animal, a threat to the farm, and they still don't believe her, until it is almost too late.  Critical Analysis: The book is a great book for beginning readers because of the use of repetitive words and phrases.  Most of the language is fairly simple and easy to read. The slow reveal of the suspicious character also helps to build suspense that would excite and intrigue a young reader, without being too scary.  Mullins creates beautiful, realistic illustrations that are not too cartoony. The lack of concern by the other animals clearly shows on their faces. Though the color s...