MIDDLE GRADE FICTION : Some Places More Than Others by Renee Watson & Beverly, Right Here by Kate DiCamillo
ABOUT THE BOOK
All Amara wants is to visit her father's family in Harlem. Her wish comes true when her dad decides to bring her along on a business trip. She can't wait to finally meet her extended family and stay in the brownstone where her dad grew up. Plus, she wants to visit every landmark from the Apollo to Langston Hughes's home.
But her family, and even the city, is not quite what Amara thought. Her dad doesn’t speak to her grandpa, and the crowded streets can be suffocating as well as inspiring. But as she learns more and more about Harlem—and her father’s history—Amara realizes how, in some ways more than others, she can connect with this other home and family.
This is a powerful story about family, the places that make us who we are, and how we find ways to connect to our history across time and distance.
REVIEW
For her birthday, Amara wants to visit her father's family in Harlem, New York City. Her parents are rather resistant. When Amara discovers that her father hasn't spoken to his own father in twelve years, she's curious as to why. Eventually, her parents agree to let her accompany her father to New York on a business trip. With a family history school assignment in hand, and a promise to her mother to try to get her father and grandfather talking, Amara eagerly looks forward to exploring the city she has heard so much about. But things don't go exactly according to plan. The city is more overwhelming than she thought, her father doesn't seem to want to forgive her grandfather, and one of her cousins is downright hostile. I enjoyed reading this book Amara is a fun character, with her unique interests and determination. It was fun to travel to New York City with her and learn about aspects of the city I didn't know. The book is fairly short, making it a quick, easy read. The themes of family, forgiveness, and culture shine through beautifully.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Beverly put her foot down on the gas. They went faster still.
This was what Beverly wanted — what she always wanted. To get away. To get away as fast as she could. To stay away.
Beverly Tapinski has run away from home plenty of times, but that was when she was just a kid. By now, she figures, it’s not running away. It’s leaving. Determined to make it on her own, Beverly finds a job and a place to live and tries to forget about her dog, Buddy, now buried underneath the orange trees back home; her friend Raymie, whom she left without a word; and her mom, Rhonda, who has never cared about anyone but herself. Beverly doesn’t want to depend on anyone, and she definitely doesn’t want anyone to depend on her. But despite her best efforts, she can’t help forming connections with the people around her — and gradually, she learns to see herself through their eyes.
REVIEW
I'll admit, I'm not quite sure what to make of this book. While I love Kate DiCamillo's books usually, I think this is the one I've had the hardest time relating to. Maybe because Beverly, the main character, is so adrift and lost. She's run away from home and is temporarily staying with an older woman in a trailer while she works at a nearby fish restaurant. She doesn't really want to care about those she meets: her boss, her hostess, the cook & dishwasher at the restaurant, the boy who clerks at the nearby convenience store, but she can't help being interested in them and their lives. As she gets to know the rather unusual people around her, she can't help but start to realize that she doesn't really want to go through her life not caring about other people, like her mother does, even though caring can hurt, like when her dog, Buddy died. As with most of DiCamillo's works, the strength of this one is in the heart of the characters. As strange as they might be, you can't help but care about them, just as Beverly does.
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