In Hoops: Elle of the Ball, Elle is the type of girl who would prefer basketball over dancing. Especially since she’s six feet tall at age twelve. And, for the past few months, this has worked out fine for her. But, when the new school year comes, and her new coach sees her height, she has high hopes for Elle to be a great player in a new position. Unfortunately, Elle isn’t used to being so tall! She keeps on tripping over her feet and stumbling. Not only does she have to amp up her basketball practice, but when the school announces their annual mandatory cotillion, Elle is in for a hard time. Wait, what? She is going to be dancing for a grade with a boy much shorter than her, and she’ll be performing in front of the whole school? Elle must find a way to keep up her passion for basketball and learn to please others as well. I think the author of this book, Elena Delle Donne, WNBA MVP and Olympic Gold Medalist, wrote Hoops: Elle of the Ball because Delle Donne used to be just like Elle and wanted to express how she felt and show how hard she worked to be a professional basketball player. Being a WNBA MVP and Olympic gold medalist, she was predictably very into basketball at Elle’s age. She might have been six feet tall at Elle’s age, and because of this, she could have been upset by people expecting her to rule the court. I wonder if it is a coincidence that Elle’s name is kind of a combination of the author’s name, Elena and Delle? This book gave me insight into different kinds of girls, how the pull of relationships and school struggles affect for girls of all ages and how everyone experiences bullying. I also learned a little about basketball. Delle Donne does her best to bring out the characters and use dialogue to make the book more interesting. However, if you appreciate more in-depth and thought provoking books, this book is most likely not for you because Elle of the Ball did not necessarily have a plot that made you care about the characters, a pronounced climax, and it did not suck me into Elle’s life. Unfortunately, I think Delle Donne’s incredible skill and talent on the basketball court did not translate well to the pages of her book. But, if you really like basketball or are looking for a fun quick-read, perhaps you can give it a shot. However, Elle of the Ball is a fun and entertaining quick read for basketball lovers everywhere, and Elle’s basketball adventures will hopefully continue on in the Hoops series for everyone who wants more books about girls and basketball, which we don’t often see nowadays. Hoops: Elle of the Ball by Elena Della Donne. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2018. 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!
review
Welcome to Nowhere, Reviewed by Nandini Sai Krishnan, age 13
Imagine having to leave the place you grew up, the only place you’ve known and only finding out a day before? That’s what happens to twelve year old Omar, in Elizabeth Laird’s Welcome to Nowhere, which sheds light on the ongoing civil war in Syria. The story starts in the beautiful city of Bosra in Syria, where Omar lives with his mom, dad, older sister Eman, older brother Musa (who has cerebral palsy), younger brother Fuad and baby sister Nadia. He works at work tourist shop for Rasoul, who he dreams of becoming like when he grows up. But his life is turned upside down when he finds out that he is moving to Daraa in three weeks, the place where all his troubles begin… His family moves into his grandmother’s house. At school, Musa befriends a group of popular kids who conspire against the government. Soon there are demonstrations against the government on the street and open firing. Things escalate quickly, unleashing a full scale civil war; Bombings and shootings become common and electricity is cut, leaving Omar in the darkness, without lights and with no contact to the outside world. Things continue like this and one day, as city faces terrible shell attacks, Omar is shot on the streets, but those are the least of his concerns when a shell lands on his house. Luckily, his family escapes unscathed, but in an instant, his home and everything he owns has been destroyed, and once again, his family is displaced and move to the countryside. Omar’s family moves in with his mom’s sister and his whole family is forced to live in a tiny storeroom. Everything is calm and placid, but mundane as Omar begins to work in the farm. The dark shadow of the war slowly grows larger and soon it extends into every inch of Syria leaving Omar with nowhere to go. His family is forced to leave on a dangerous journey to a foreign land. The travails of the journey and what lies ahead for Omar’s future form the rest of the story. Even though I am almost the same age as Omar and can barely imagine all the things he has to go through and all the difficult decisions he is forced to make, and what makes it even worse is that this is happening in Syria right now. This book makes a very complicated issue, easy to understand for readers. With the word refugee constantly popping up in the news, it’s hard to unwrap all the complication that come with it, but this book changed my understanding and ignited a passion in me to create change. If you are looking for a book to broaden your thinking or understand the political situation in Syria then this is a must read. In fact, I think any middle schooler should read this book, just to understand what is happening in the world currently or to learn more about refugees. My favourite part of the book was when Eman stands up for herself and fights for her rights despite living in a largely patriarchal society. As I read the book, I found myself chuckling at Musa’s quick wits, smiling at Omar’s optimism, but mostly lamenting reading about all the terrible things that were happening in Syria right now. Overall, this book is about a serious issue, but communicates its message to younger readers very effectively and transports readers into a different, but very real world. Welcome to Nowhere by Elizabeth Laird. Macmillan Children’s Books, 2017. 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!
Fahrenheit 451 and the Impact of Electronic Devices
The first time I read Fahrenheit 451, I was struck by Ray Bradbury’s remarkable writing. The second time, the breathtaking plot. The third time, the horrific, but modern ideas. I just finished my third time reading Fahrenheit 451, and the full force of the significant meaning hit me. There are so many big ideas in Fahrenheit 451 about children, love, books, and technology. The screen issue popped out to me as soon as I read the book as a real issue that we are still dealing with today. Even though this book was published in 1951, a time when the main electronics were televisions, rotary phones, film projectors, and radios, the idea that electronic devices have a great impact on our lives is still very present, way more present even than it was in the 1950s. Everyday, when I walk into school, each and every child has her nose buried in an iPhone or computer. If I take a step outside, almost everyone is either talking on the phone, texting, or has their phone tight in their hand. Today, look outside. How many people do you see with an electronic device? What are they doing with it? Is it getting in the way of socializing with someone nearby? What else could they be doing? In Fahrenheit 451, the community’s electronic obsession goes so far as to take over their normal lives, leading them to ban books. There are “firemen” who– instead of putting out fires– burn books, and the houses that house them. Unlike other dystopian novels, where the government imposed an oppressive rule, in Fahrenheit 451, the public came to believe that books were junk. “‘Remember, the firemen are rarely necessary. The public itself stopped reading of its own accord,’ said Faber, a rebel who has been sneaking books and reading them, ‘Can you dance faster the White Clown, shout louder than ‘Mr. Gimmick’ and the parlor ‘families’? If you can, you’ll win your way, Montag. In any event you are a fool. People are having fun.’” Guy Montag, the main character, starts out the book as a fireman himself, burning books day and night. He fools himself into believing he is happy, with his wife, who loves her parlor ‘family’– a room where all of the walls are covered with TVs, and the characters talk directly to her– more than him, his job, and his life. Then, he meets Clarisse. She sits at home and talks to her real family instead of participating in the violence that other kids create.. She thinks about things and observes the world instead of watching TV. She is a voice of reason for Montag, and within a couple weeks of knowing him she changes his thoughts forever. I am not one to say that electronic devices do not have their advantages. I am working on a google doc right now, with spell check, saving, and deleting. Stone Soup just switched to an online website, probably because it is cheaper, faster, and flexible. In many ways, electronics save lives, open up opportunities, and make things more efficient. There are many times when electronics are used well. There is a difference between writing on a google doc or reading on the Stone Soup website, and, let’s say, playing a video game or looking up random pictures. The question is, should we let electronic devices replace things we love? Should we let electronic devices replace books? Imagine that you are a scale, you have a device in one hand, and a book in the other. Which one do you choose? Which one weighs more in your life?
