Book Reviews

A Picture of Perfection Oftentimes, while reaching for the future, we are held captive by the experiences and memories of our past. Though we attempt to move on, leaving behind whatever fortunes or ills may have befallen us, our histories remain with us, influencing our every thought and action – and, occasionally, threatening our hopes for a brighter future. In order to attain a new, better existence, we must learn to reconcile with our pasts and move on, as best we can. This is certainly true of the complex cast of characters explored and developed throughout Kelly Loy Gilbert’s newest gripping, tender, and thought-provoking novel. Picture Us in the Light ensnares the reader with its touching, powerful insights on the human condition, including the loss of a friend through suicide and the powerful impact the choices of parents can have on their children, finally releasing them to consider the world around them with new eyes. The focal narrative of Picture Us in the Light centers around Danny Cheng, an aspiring artist living a steady life with his Chinese immigrant parents in Cupertino, California, a small, predominantly Asian, high-pressure neighborhood. Danny, a high school senior, has recently been accepted into the Rhode Island School of Design, and – despite attempting to move on from the tragic death of one of his peers the previous year and striving to understand the true depth of his feelings for his best friend, Harry – his future appears bright. Upon the discovery of a box of files, containing extensive detail on a mysterious Silicon Valley businessman, hidden in his parents’ closet, however, Danny’s life takes a swift and sudden turn for the worse. Within a short time, as turmoil from within and without grips his family, Danny is forced to confront the fact that his parents – excellent secret-keepers, who have concealed everything from his father’s lost job to his deceased sister – have hidden from him something too large to keep buried forever. Picture Us in the Light engrosses the reader not only through its fascinating, suspenseful narrative, but by several perceptions into human behavior – such as the tragedy of a death by suicide, and the strange and startling impact such a loss creates within a close community. Danny, at the commencement of the novel, is still startled and haunted by the loss of Sandra Chang, a fellow student, to suicide the year before; his friend Regina, who had been Sandra’s best friend, struggles all the more. In the aftermath of Sandra’s death, Danny, and his community of classmates, all grapple with a multitude of the same emotions: “When someone at your school dies by suicide it consumes you… the places you once believed were safe… feel hostile and fragile and uncertain” (129). While the students in Sandra’s grade remain shocked, tremulous, and uncertain, however, throughout the school and the larger Cupertino community, the fact of a death by suicide is never discussed, for fear it will lead to a copycat effect out of grief: “You aren’t allowed to post pictures or notes… and the family’s funeral is private” (129). This delicate, often unhealthy, balance between yearning to remember and express grief, coupled with the desperate need for discretion and the hope to avoid further deaths, is discussed and represented throughout the novel, as Danny, Regina, and their classmates each struggle as the one-year anniversary of Sandra’s death approaches. When Regina (whose parents also made her discard every photograph she possessed of Sandra in the aftermath of the loss), suggests writing a tribute article on the front page of the school’s paper, results are mixed. Though students who did not know Sandra as well are greatly uneasy, aware of the fact that such an article would surely be banned if brought to light before its publication, Danny is much more supportive, even drawing a portrait to accompany his friend’s article. When the article is released, despite overwhelmingly positive responses from friends who want to see Sandra remembered, both Regina and Danny are escorted to the principal’s office, where they are forced to enter a discussion about how, when, and where to speak out about a loss by suicide. Though the principal declares their tribute to be inappropriate for a school setting, both students are adamant in their thoughts: “Someone you grew up with dies… and you’re supposed to do what, exactly – feel proud that you’ve gotten over something you should really never get over?” (254). The issue of how to respond to a death by suicide has long been a controversial topic, and the cycle of shock, grief, and – finally – the beginnings of acceptance are discussed masterfully throughout the novel, as well as the question of when, and how, it is appropriate to remember the loved ones you have lost. As Regina declares, “Talking about suicide isn’t the same thing as glorifying it” (254) – for, as Picture Us in the Lightdeclares in empathetic, elegant fashion, in order to reach a new level of acceptance in the face of tragedy, one must confront it first, and find a way to remember their loved ones, no matter how they may have passed away. In journeying further through the pages of Picture Us in the Light, the reader comes to be aware and startled not only by the profound effects of a loss by suicide, but by the clear impact the actions of parents, whether positive or negative, may have on their offspring for years to come. During Danny’s years of middle school, his father becomes severely depressed; Danny recounts that, “it was like all the color bled out… what was left was muted and dull… it’s a profoundly lonely feeling when someone who’s supposed to love you {can’t} be around you” (50). Within a short amount of time, Danny has begun to carry the weight of his troubled home life with him at all times: “I’d be sullen and quiet… at night lying awake I’d be guilt-stricken… it was draining”

Mimi Yoshiko Oliver is not your typical protagonist. She is a half-black, half-Japanese girl who is unusually independent. She is also a stereotype-buster. When she moves to Vermont in 1969 as a middle schooler, the snowy state has few to no black people or Japanese people—only white. Mimi’s parents are not surprised that the neighbors ignore them, but Mimi doesn’t understand. When Mimi starts school, no one understands or accepts her. It seems that every time Mimi does something, all the others seem to have a certain thought about it, and soon Mimi feels like an alien, just not fitting into this brand new town. Not only is Mimi not accepted because of her race, but also because of her interests. Mimi tells her teacher that she wants to be an astronaut. As soon as she says that, the whole class bursts out laughing thinking that she just told the funniest joke. This is the usual behavior when it was in the 1950s because at that time, women had to do housework, while the men earn money. The day drags along until she requests to take the Wood Shop, instead of boring, old, Home Ec, yet the teachers seems surprised that any girl would ever say that and refuses to let Mimi join the boys in Wood Shop. Months pass, until finally the Science Competition comes. When Mimi’s project is selected to go onto the next round of competition (Group A) and a classmate’s is put into the runner -up group, “Group B,” the classmate starts to bully her. When Mimi goes to the bathroom, that classmate steals one of the major components in her project, getting Mimi moved down to Group B, and the child is moved up. Mimi feels different, left out, day after day. Each day people stare at her and ignore her because of her skin, but her math teacher actually seems to understand her. Telling Mimi that she also dreamed of becoming an astronaut once but couldn’t. Finally, after being alone for several months, a girl named Stacy befriends Mimi. But as Stacy’s birthday party rolls around, Mimi isn’t invited. As it turns out, Stacy’s mother, didn’t want a “black girl” at the celebration. But in spite of all this, Mimi stays strong and refuses to back down, showing grit and determination. Mimi’s journey, in the two years is incredible. She learns how to be proud of herself and never lose her dreams. From some of the student’s comments about her color and even teachers, Mimi come around and accomplished one of her many goals. From being able to something else changes to, her classmates respect her and now doesn’t tease her. In these several years, Mimi changes from being that little girl in the corner to a outgoing teenager, with a lot of friends. The theme of this book is grit and determination because without these characteristics, Mimi would never had been able to reach her goals and accomplishments. An unusual aspect of this book is that it is all written in free verse.When reading this book, I noticed a important part of the story was following your dreams. This is because without Mimi’s strong desire to be an astronaut the story wouldn’t be as influential. She never let the critic’s voices get in her head, and kept on believing in her ideas even when no one else would even think of them. The fact that the author was able to show all these meanings and words through free verse is incredible. Full Cicada Moon is a story that will last you your entire life. It teaches you about the 20th century with stories of a young girl. You will want to fight for Mimi, and help change those cruel students. It is an amazing journey with Mimi, from the first year in Vermont to high school. So go to your local library and read Full Cicada Moon! Full Cicada Moon by Marilyn Hilton. Penguin Random House, 2015. Buy the book here and support Children’s Art Foundation-Stone Soup in the process! Have you read this book? Or do you plan on reading it? If so, comment below!

Kid Beowulf is an action-adventure graphic novel with lots of twists and turns. It has witty humor, and an artistic style that draws younger kids’ attention. It is bright, colorful, and more cartoony than realistic. It is less likely to appeal to teenagers though, because the simplistic comical expressions sometimes take away from the feeling of important scenes. The book is divided into three parts – described as the past, the present, and the future. Its setting is in the Dark Ages around 500 – 700 AD. There is a prologue which appears to present the actual Beowulf saga but which does not relate to anything in the story that follows. The author explains this by saying that men twist the tale to fit their means, so then tells his version of the tale. Two brothers, Beowulf and Grendel, are separated at birth because Grendel looks like a monster and Beowulf is taken away with his father. They are reunited with their unusual family: their mother Gertrude who is half-dragon half-human, their ghost father, their grandfather King Hrothgar, and their other grandfather, Odin the Dragon whose bloodline links them all to their ancient home, Daneland. The plot line is very complicated, and it is hard to keep track of all the sub plots. Similarly, the characters have unusual hard to remember names taken direct from the original Beowulf saga such as Hrothgar, Edgetho, and Dagref. The sub characters have very little character development. The book has an uncomfortably long introduction, and you don’t even get to meet Beowulf until 2/3 of the way into the story. That makes the title of the graphic novel misleading, because readers will expect a book about a heroic kid named Beowulf, but the first 130 pages are about drama before he was born. (Caution: Spoiler Alert!) The ending was inconsistent with the buildup; we learn that Beowulf is supposed to be the dragon Odin’s slayer, yet when they finally meet, no battle occurs. Instead, Odin the dragon takes Beowulf under his wing and begins explaining the history of the world to him. I would rate this book a 3/5. The time, effort, and research put into this graphic novel is impressive, yet the author overdid it a bit. Some of the characters were very dynamic, while others were just there. I would recommend this book to people age 9 and up. It is much too complicated for young kids, but it will definitely appeal to 9 – 12-year-old kids. Perhaps because the book is intended as the first in a series, it has too much introduction and setting the scene and also avoids any final resolution, leaving us hanging. If a second book is published, hopefully it will be much more fast paced and not as slow to get to the main plot. Kid Beowulf: The Blood-Bound Oath by Alexis E. Farjado. Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2016. Buy the book here and support Children’s Art Foundation-Stone Soup in the process! Have you read this book? Or do you plan on reading it? If so, comment below!