Author Archives: Kim Matthews

About Kim Matthews

Teacher-librarian at Komachin Middle School in Lacey, WA

Viví en el cerro Mariposa (I Lived on Butterfly Hill) (Spanish Edition)

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by Marjorie Agosin

Celeste lives on Butterfly Hill in the Chilean city of Valparaiso. She loves her town and her family that live in this beautiful place – the only place she’s ever known. The government is in turmoil, the streets don’t feel safe, and her parents are unfortunately drawn in as they go to help people who need medical attention. Whether a reader knows anything about the history of Chili or not, the story of a young girl sent away from her home to find safety elsewhere will touch many readers. Celeste eventually finds herself sent to her aunt who lives in Massachusetts so she can be safe during the time of violence & changing regimes. She misses home and must learn to navigate in a new place and a new language. I loved the occasional soft illustrations that give the reader a glimpse into Celeste’s new life. I learned more than I ever had known before about Chile, its culture, and its history. This book won the Pura Belpre award & I feel it was much deserved. An immigrant story. A positive portrayal of a feisty Hispanic heroine. A gem of a book!

Note: I originally read this book in the English edition.

My Nest of Silence

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by Matt Faulkner

In this book, while living in Manzanar Relocation Center in California,  Mari makes a vow of silence not to talk until her brother Mak returns from the military during WWII. She intends to keep this promise by compensating with her facial expressions and her art.  This  internment camp story will be of interest to those who want to learn how others were treated and how they dealt with events of life in the 1940s. I like the graphic novel sections for the telling of Mak contrasting to the full text sections from Mari’s point of view.  It makes it very interesting and easier to see the difference between the 2 main characters and what life was like IN the camp and during the war. I didn’t dislike much about this book, actually. I just dislike how the Japanese-Americans were treated back then. It was so unfair. The book will be a great read for people who are interested in historic events to learn how people had to live back then.

Reviewed by 6th grader, Addison K.

Freaks

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by Brett Riley

This book is a great read for those who are in love with the supernatural. In this story, despite the bullying happening to them in high school, the four friends, the freaks, have to save their Arkansas town from a mysterious danger and bloodthirsty creatures. I like how the kids stick together throughout their hardships. I particularly love the character Christian’s personality. She doesn’t care about what other people think about her. She makes everything seem funny. There wasn’t much to dislike, but maybe there was not enough story on the monster’s side of things. There is some swearing in the book, so if a reader is offended by that, perhaps this wouldn’t be the book for them. Overall, I’d give this book a 5 out of 5 stars. I really liked it!

Reviewed by 6th grader, Addison K.

Note: Book cover recommends 14 years and up. This student reviewer is often the student to let me know if the content is too mature for 6th graders, however, other than the swearing, the rest of the content did not bother her.

A Seed in the Sun

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Aida Salazar

Cover art

This book is a great read for people who love learning about struggles and how they overcome it in history. Despite her father’s mood changes which mostly cause aggression and her mother’s sickness, Lula finds the strength in herself to find her voice to fight for her community’s rights. The story is an enthusiastic read for people to help them find the strength inside and their voices. I like the main character’s heroism, even though her father told her not to do certain things. Lula didn’t cowardly stay away. When her friend said,  “Let’s go; we are the people that this is affecting, too!” They went to the Labor Union Protest and met the Dolores Huerta, Larry Itliong, and other real labor rights activists in the 1960s. I disliked the verse novel format since this is the first verse novel that I’ve read. I prefer paragraphs. I found it could be a bit confusing to find where sentences and ideas start or continue. For readers who like verse novels, this probably wouldn’t be an issue. Overall, I’d give this book a 4 out 5 stars.

Reviewed by 6th grader, Addison K.

Operation Final Notice

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by Matthew Landis

This is a good book for people who play an instrument or have money problems, or perhaps people who have had to play in front of an audience. Characters Ronny and Jo both have problems. Ronny’s family has bills marked “Final Notice” that cannot be ignored and Jo has an audition coming up and is feeling unprepared. They only have until January to take care  of these things – only 4 weeks away. Can they do it? The countdown is ticking!  The main character Jo plays a cello. She had to play in front of everyone and that made her nervous.. I play the violin and I know what it feels like to play in front of everyone. I liked this book since I can relate. I also know some people who have money problems like the other character named Ronny. I really like the characteristics and personality of the characters that are throughout the story. The dialogue sounds believable. I feel like something the author did well in this were the conflicts that are very relatable. I related to Jo mostly. These conflicts made me wonder what would happen next. Also  you could tell how nervous and desperate they both were. I didn’t really like the way it was kinda fast, though other people might like that . Overall, I’d give this book a 4 out of 5 stars and would recommend it to friends. 

Review by 6th grader, Victoria L.

SmART: Use your eyes to boost your brain, by Amy E. Herman with Heather Maclean

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This non-fiction book is a guidebook of self-discovery and self-education to help the reader learn to stimulate their brain and get smarter. The strategy involves really learning to see the things around us, but particularly using famous works of art to learn to do this. The author does a nice job asking the reader to interact with each piece of art in the book, often multiple times, as the reader is encouraged to notice more and more interesting aspects of the art. By the end of the book, I found I was noticing more than I was at the beginning of the book. I also liked that by using these strategies, the reader might find these observational skills might help reduce stress since it refocuses the brain on something else, taking a break from whatever might be stressing them. The book is very interactive which I liked, but if a reader is more passive & chooses not to engage, they may not get as much out of the book. And that would be a shame. The message is powerful and the strategies work! This book should appeal to students who like art, but it can equally be enjoyed by someone who knows NOTHING about art.

Black Internet Effect, by Shavone Charles

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Black Internet Effect (Pocket Change Collective)

A tiny-in-size, mighty-in-voice book in the Pocket Change Collective, I enjoyed this quick modern biography about a young black woman’s journey into the technology industry. As a writing and communications major in college, she knew she wanted into the lucrative tech industry, knew there were jobs for more than engineers and coders, and knew there were not many in the big tech companies who looked like her. She had to create a new path for herself where few had gone before. She chronicles the many steps she took in finding a job that allowed her to be authentically herself as a Black woman in an industry that is not very racially diverse. The book is an inspirational guidebook for others trying to get ahead in places that may feel out of reach. She worked hard. She took every opportunity to learn and grow. It’a quick 62 page, 4 ½”x 6 ½” book. My only criticism with this and others in the Pocket Change Collective series (& I have a few)  is that because of their tiny size, they can get a bit lost on the shelf with other books. They are perfect for a reluctant reader who wants a quick read by an authentic author who will hopefully inspire them.

You’re invited to a Creepover: Truth or Dare, by P.J. Night

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Truth or Dare . . . The Graphic Novel (1) (You're Invited to a Creepover: The Graphic Novel)

This graphic novel is the story of a group of friends who are haunted by a girl who died the year before. At first it seems like it might just be a prank, but there are too many coincidences and the group begins to be truly frightened. The ghost seems to be upset that her crush is moving on to one of the new girls. This is the perfect book for Goosebumps fans or those that enjoy a pre-teen graphic novel with a bit of a creep factor. Slumber parties, text messages, and school crushes all play into the storyline. The friends are all diverse characters which I liked. I was a little confused by the visual similarities between the main character and the ghost. I was confused by that for a while in the story. Perfect for upper elementary students and 6th graders, this is a pretty “mild” scare of a book.

Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun, by Tọlá Okogwu

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Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun

This novel is a little bit Harry Potter magic, a little bit X-Men or Black Panther superheros,  a little bit Lightning Thief mythology & adventure. It’s rich with girl-power and learning to love oneself – flaws and all. Set initially in the States, the plot moves quickly to Nigeria and its magical school in the country’s capital city of Lagos.  This action-packed story hits all the marks for an amazing middle grades read. While some readers may be thrown by pronunciation of Nigerian names, some of which include potentially unfamiliar accent marks, if they just read on without  too much worry, it doesn’t really effect the story. I enjoyed the audio book because I got to hear the actual pronunciation of these names. The book does include a glossary of cultural terms the reader may need explained. I loved that Onyeka’s superpower is her hair which she hates at the beginning of the story because it is so different from her friends and is so unruly. She learns through the story to love it and the power it brings her. By the end, you realize this is definitely meant to be book 1 in a series. Future books to come. I think middle school readers will be anxious to read the next one! (Due out May, 2023) This is a nice addition to any fantasy collection, especially if you’re interested in having diverse authors who tell a rich tale. This fits the bill!

Once I Was You: Finding my Voice and Passing the Mic (adapted for Young Readers)

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by Maria Hinofosa

This book is a powerful story that discusses the challenges of an immigrant Latina woman in the United States. Maria Hinojosa tells her story about the challenges of being an immigrant to the United States, arriving in this country in 1962. This book not only tells the story of Hinojosa finding herself as a Latina woman but also tells the story of finding out who she is, as a person. The story of Hinojosa’s life is compelling and draws you back time after time. The story of her feelings pull at your own self conscience  and make you feel as if you know the author personally. It included photographs of the author at various young ages before she became well-known in her career in journalism. I enjoyed how the book connected with my own feelings even if our experiences were different. I did not like how there was some Spanish in the book without translation, but it was a very small amount and did not take away from the story. Overall, I would highly recommend this book and give it a 5 out of 5 stars. [This review written by a Komachin staff member , Erica C. ]

This book is also available in a Spanish edition. (ISBN: 1665920882)