Not Your Average Librarians Book Blog - Jessica Martinez

Book 4: Golden Girl by Reem Faruqi 1.BIBLIOGRAPHY Faruqi, R. (2022). Golden Girl. HarperCollins. (ISBN: 978-0063044760) 2. PLOT SUMMARY Golden Girl begins with a seventh grade student named Aafiyah who loves playing tennis, reading Weird but True facts, and hanging out with her best friend, Zaina. However, Aafiyah has a bad habit of having “sticky fingers” and is drawn to pretty things and can’t help but occasionally “borrow” them. But when her father is falsely accused of a crime he hasn’t committed and gets taken in by authorities, Aafiyah knows she needs to do something to help. When she brainstorms a way to bring her father back, she turns to her Weird but True facts and devises the perfect plan, or so she thinks is a perfect plan.  3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS This novel in verse has all the ingredients of an unforgettable book. Golden Girl is a wonderful written novel for students preteen aged and higher. This novel relays a story that sends an important message that people who make ...

Book 3: Under The Mesquite Tree by Guadalupe Garcia McCall 1.BIBLIOGRAPHY McCall, G. Guadalupe. Under the Mesquite Tree. Lee and Low Books Inc. New York, New York. 2011. (ISBN 978-1-60060-429-4) 2. PLOT SUMMARY Under The Mesquite Tree tells a story of a young Mexican-American girl named Lupita who battles challenges throughout her teenage years all while her mother is in a battle with cancer. The story shares Lupita’s journey of taking on the responsibilities of helping raise her siblings and managing household duties. Throughout the story Lupita is fighting her fears of losing her mother to her illness and is feeling unsure of what the future will hold for her. Although Lupita is battling challenging times she finds peace and comfort by writing poetry under the Mesquite tree. 3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS Under The Mesquite Tree is a wonderfully written story highlighting real life struggles that many people unfortunately experience. I feel the author paints a picture of the hardships Lupita i...

Book 2: Poems in the Attic by Nikki Grimes 1.BIBLIOGRAPHY Grimes, N. (2015). Poems in the Attic  (E. ZUNON, Illus.). Lee & Low Books Inc. (ISBN 978-1620140277) 2. PLOT SUMMARY Poems in the Attic begins with a young girl who discovers her mom’s poems in her Grandma’s attic. The poems written by her mother give an insight of what it was like for her to travel around the United States while her father was in the Air Force. Her mother writes about her experiences and all of the places she and her family traveled to. Throughout the story the poems bounce from the daughter's experiences to the mothers poems and the young girl adds commentary of what she is reading from her mothers writing. The story ends with the girl joining her mother’s poems with her own that she has written while at Grandma’s house. 3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS The illustrations by Elizabeth Zunon do an incredible job of aiding in the understanding of what the setting looked like in each of her mothers poems, using color...

Book 1: The Llama Who Had No Pajama by Mary Ann Hoberman 1.BIBLIOGRAPHY Hoberman, M. A. (2006). The Llama Who Had No Pajama. Harcourt Paperbacks. (ISBN: 978-0152055714) 2. PLOT SUMMARY The story of The Llama Who Had No Pajama begins with a Llama who is missing his pajamas at a sleepover due to outgrowing them. He expresses to his mama that he is sad during his search for pajamas. His mama then tries to solve Llama’s problem by creating him a new pair of pajamas, but her attempt was unsuccessful, resulting in Llama ultimately falling asleep without his pajamas, but to the Llama’s surprise he sleeps wonderfully with any pajamas at all. 3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS The Llama Who Had No Pajama allows readers to dive into a youthful journey of a Llama who is in search of his pajamas. Poet Mary Ann Hoberman does a wonderful job on guiding the reader through the poem without confusion. The poem allows readers to create their own message of what the Llama feels when he realizes he does not necessarily...