Category: Tundra Telegram

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Tundra Telegram: Books That Wish They Could Be Part of Your World

Hello, and thanks for joining us at Tundra Telegram, the column where we plunge into the topics swimming through readers’ heads and recommend some books you could splash out on (if so inclined), just for the halibut.

Fans and the worldwide box office went wild this past weekend for the live-action version of Disney’s The Little Mermaid, directed by Rob Marshall (Chicago) and starring Halle Bailey as Ariel. The movie had a (sea) monster of an opening weekend, and has everyone humming “Under the Sea,” and hunting for a wacky seagull friend.

Since there seems to be a market for mermaid fare, we’re recommending mer-aculous books for all ages, from picture books to young adult. Dive in for some fin-tastic reads!

PICTURE BOOKS

Like Prince Eric and Ariel, but platonic, The Mermaid Moon by Briony May Smith celebrates a friendship between two best friends – one living on land, and the other on the water. Mermaid Merrin and human Molly are best friends with limited interaction until the Mermaid Moon Festival: the sole night of the year mermaids can leave the sea. (And you don’t even have to offer a sea-witch your voice!)

In things we already knew, Mermaids Are Real! says the title of a board book by Holly Hatam, who also brought us Unicorns Are Real! and Dragons Are Real! But not only does the book speak to mermaids’ veracity, it also notes they are vegetarian (which explains how Flounder and Sebastian got along with Ariel), along with many other mermaid fun facts.

Speaking of learning: schools aren’t just for fish; they’re also for mermaids, as seen in the picture book Mermaid School by Joanne Stewart Wetzel and Julianna Swaney. The book follows mermaid Molly’s first day at mermaid school, during which they count clamshells, recite the A B Seas, and even read outlandish stories about children who walk on land, in a fantastical underwater first day of school.

A celebration of every girl who dreamt of being a mermaid, Kate Pugsley’s Mermaid Dreams tells the story of Maya, a shy little girl who falls asleep on the beach and finds herself transported underwater, where she lives as a mermaid with her other mermaid and sea creature friends. Even better – her aquatic adventure inspires her to reach out friends on the beach when she awakens.

A little girl turns into a mermaid eco-hero in Mermaid Kenzie: Protector of the Deeps by Charlotte Watson Sherman and Geneva Bowers. When Kenzie slips on her mermaid tail, she imagines herself as Mermaid Kenzie, protector of the deeps. One day as Kenzie snorkels around a shipwreck, she discovers more plastic bags than fish. Grabbing her spear and mermaid net, she begins to clean up the water and the shore – inspiring other kids to keep the oceans clean.

And mermaids give a little of the old razzle-dazzle in Brigitte Barrager’s Harmony & Echo: The Mermaid Ballet. Super-chill mermaid Harmony is determined for her anxiety-plagued friend Echo to enjoy their debut performance in the big Mermaid Ballet. And the best way to overcome oceanic stage fright is coincidentally the same way to get to Carnegie Hall: practice!

You’ll have to wait until June 6, but landlocked mermaid lovers will be thrilled by Kallie George and Elly MacKay’s picture book, I Am a Meadow Mermaid. A farm girl on the prairies dreams of adventures in the ocean even though she is far from “under the sea.” It’s a picture book that celebrates imagination and recognizes you don’t have to live seaside to love the idea of mermaids.

Technically, Heba, the main character of A Mermaid Girl by Sana Rafi and Olivia Aserr, isn’t a mermaid. But she feels like one the first summer she gets a new, yellow burkini, and can enjoy the community pool with her friends for the first time. Heba is reminded of all the “mermaid girls” in her family, sparkling in their burkinis in a book that celebrates Muslim traditions and summertime swims.

Rounding out our picture books of mermaids that maybe aren’t mermaids in the breathe-underwater sense is classic picture book Julián Is a Mermaid by Jessica Love. A buoyant celebration of self-love and genderfluidity, the story follows young Julián after he notices three women dressed spectacularly on the subway, all on their way to the Coney Island Mermaid Parade. When Julián gets home, daydreaming of the magic he’s seen, all he can think about is dressing up just like the ladies in his own fabulous mermaid costume. Methinks Julián needs to meet up with Heba and the kid from I Am a Meadow Mermaid!

CHAPTER BOOKS & MIDDLE GRADE

A nonfiction survey at everything from the Hans Christian Andersen tale, the Disney animated feature, sirens, the mami wata of Africa and the ningyo of Japan, The Very Short, Entirely True History of Mermaids by Sarah Laskow and illustrated by Reimena Yee will answer all your boiling mermaid questions.

Mermaids meet surf culture in the tubular graphic novel Sea Sirens by Amy Chu and Janet K. Lee, as Trot, a spunky Vietnamese American surfer girl and her cantankerous talking cat, Cap’n Bill, wipe out and get sucked down into a magical underwater kingdom. Only one problem: a totally gnarly battle is being waged between the beautiful Sea Siren mermaids and the Serpent King (not this guy) and his slithery minions. I’m already stoked!

Like The Little Mermaid but with more palace politics, Once Upon a Tide: A Mermaid’s Tale by Stephanie Kate Strohm features aquatic diplomacy at its finest. The book features Princess Lana, the youngest ambassador for the underwater kingdom. She’s sent to the Royal Festival, trading her mermaid tail for a clumsy pair of legs―and having to spend a week with her mother, who chose life on land over the sea – where intrigue ensues.

In nine books, the Emily Windsnap series, written by Liz Kessler, feature the adventures of everyone’s favorite half-mermaid. (Does that mean she’s only a quarter-fish?) Twelve-year-old boat dweller Emily feels an uncanny connection to the sea. A connection that is explained once she takes swimming lessons and learns of her mermaid side. Soon, she’s making mermaid BFFs, battling sea monsters, and uncovering the many secrets of King Neptune.

For younger chapter book readers, there’s the Purrmaids series by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen and Vivien Wu. You wouldn’t think cats and fish would mix – cats generally hate water and like eating fish – but mermaid kittens Angel, Coral, and Shelly are best friends who don’t fit your preconceived notions of fish hybrids. They love swimming around their home of Kittentail Cove and getting creative at sea school, and there are 14 books in their adventures to read, chronicling everything from sleepovers to holiday fun at Fish-mas.

While there are whole series with mermaid content, there are also a few mermaid episodes in other popular series. For example, The Princess in Black and the Mermaid Princess by Shannon and Dean Hale, illustrated by LeUyen Pham, in which the Princess in Black and her friends are cruising in the royal boat when a real, live mermaid princess (Princess Posy) crashes the party. Princess Posy is seeking help protecting her sea goats from being eaten by a kraken, but the princesses aren’t great at fighting underwater, so it may be up to Princess Posy to save the day … and the goats.

The fourth book in Fairy Mom and Me: Fairy Mermaid Magic by Sophie Kinsella sees Ella, who has always dreamed of becoming a fairy like her mom someday, wish for a spell to turn into a mermaid, too! Mom and daughter swim with the mermaids soon enough in this light adventure.

The mermaids in Pacey Packer, Unicorn Tracker: Mermaids vs Unicorns by J. C. Phillipps are not so magical. In fact, they’re kind of mean! But unfortunately Pacey and her grumpy unicorn pal Slasher will have to enter the underwater world of the malicious mermaids in this graphic novel to retrieve a lost Alpha Unicorn horn and try their best not to get into any scrapes!

And in the third installment of Natasha Deen and Lissy Marlin’s Spooky Sleuths: Don’t Go Near the Water, Asim and Rokshar go on a nautical field trip to the Salish Sea. There they discover the fairmaids, mermaids from Guyanese folklore, may be alive and well under the water.

YOUNG ADULT

We just recommended Natasha Bowen’s Skin of the Sea in an earlier Tundra Telegram, but if you’re talking about mermaids, you can’t ignore this incredible YA adventure featuring Simi, a Mami Wata who collects the souls of those who die at sea and blesses their journeys back home. When Simi defies her calling and saves a human boy thrown overboard, things get hairy. (If there’s one thing I’ve learned about mermaids from books and movies, it’s that they don’t like being told what to do.) And in the sequel Soul of the Deep, Simi realizes the true cost of her actions, as demons begin to reappear in the water and threaten the world’s end.

Not to be confused with the Briony May Smith picture book, the YA novel Mermaid Moon by Susann Cokal follows Sanna, a half-mermaid who leaves the sea in search of her surface-breathing mother who has been cursed to forget all about her.

And Maggie Tokuda-Hall, who has been fighting book bans across North America of late, wrote a rollicking YA adventure entitled The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea full of pirates, colonialism, and – yes – those mythical mermaids … or at least their blood. (It’s a long story.) This fall, look for the follow-up, The Siren, the Song, and the Spy, in which the Pirate Supreme and their resistance fighters continue their battle against the empire – an empire that expands through profits made from the hunting of mermaids for their blood. (Well, maybe it wasn’t that long a story.)

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Tundra Telegram: Books That Live Their Lives a Quarter-Mile at a Time

Hello, and thanks for joining us at Tundra Telegram, the column where we take subjects racing through readers’ minds and fueling the social conversation and peddle a few associated books to kick your reading into high gear.

This Friday, the summer movie blockbuster season begins with the latest installment in America’s greatest crime/action soap opera in recent history: the Fast & Furious saga. Fast X will be in theatres everywhere this Friday, May 19, with newcomers like Jason Momoa, Brie Larson, and Rita Moreno (!) jumping into the series. The film serves as the tenth film in the high-octane series, and first part in a three-part finale. In it, Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) must protect his crew and family from Dante Reyes (Momoa), the son of drug lord Hernan Reyes, who is seeking revenge for the loss of his family’s fortune from the heist in Rio de Janeiro (way back in Fast Five!).

So, Fast X your seatbelts: here are the books for young readers we’d recommend for every member of the ride-or-die Fast family. We know they live their lives a quarter-mile at a time, but that doesn’t mean they’re necessarily speed-readers!

PICTURE BOOKS

Dominic Toretto: We all know there’s nothing more important to Dom (Vin Diesel) than family. Even if that family happens to be mostly unrelated drag racers and thieves. For atypical families, there’s no better book than Sean Dixon and Lily Snowden-Fine’s The Family Tree, in which a school family tree assignment stymies young Ada, as she’s adopted, and she has a biological sister, but her sister has different adoptive parents — so where do they go on the tree? An ode to found and different families, The Family Tree has a lot in common with the Fast & Furious films.

Mia Toretto: As Dom’s sister and Brian O’Conner’s wife, Mia (Jordana Brewster) is often torn between the illegal activities of her brother’s crew and taking care of her growing family and kids. Wheels, No Wheels by Shannon McNeill accurately depicts both that dichotomy, and the need for speed Mia often shows, as adorable barnyard animals – on the hunt for some wheels – go for a joyride, causing havoc in their wake. Essentially, it’s The Fast and the Furious, as written by Old McDonald.

Brian O’Conner: Though Brian (portrayed by the late Paul Walker) has retired from the life, he has always been – at heart – a thrill-seeker, dedicated to taking risks and putting himself in danger, whether that’s in a street race or jumping out of a plane. That’s why we think he’d relate to the protagonist of Madame Saqui: Revolutionary Rope Dancer by Lisa Robinson and Rebecca Green. A picture book biography about the acrobatic tightrope walker who dazzled Paris during both the French Revolution and Napoleonic rule, it features Marguerite Lalanne (stage name: Madame Saqui), who took incredible risks, but due to her unparalleled skill, she never fell. Brian would look at the daredevil who kept her balance even in times of chaos and see a kindred spirit.

Luke Hobbs: Equally a decorated Diplomatic Security Service agent and a dedicated father, Hobbs (Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, who apparently makes a brief appearance in Fast X) would love When Your Daddy’s a Soldier by Gretchen Brandenburg McLellan and EG Keller. This is a moving story that captures the essence of the daily heartache, fear, joy, and uncertainty that a child experiences when their father serves in the military. And even though Hobbs’ adventures may involve rigging a series of trucks to helicopters with his Samoan brothers, he remains a daddy who is a soldier.

Abuela Toretto: Broadway legend Rita Moreno will enter the Fast family with Fast X as Abuela Toretto, Dom’s grandma and the matriarch of the Toretto group. Knowing very little about her character, we can safely recommend The Care and Keeping of Grandmas by Jennifer Mook-Sang and Yong Ling Kang. We’re not sure if Abuela Toretto moves in with the crew, but if she does, this book – which recognizes how discombobulating for all involved it can be when grandma moves in permanently – will be a gently humorous and helpful guide. (And who doesn’t want to take care of Rita Moreno!)

Tess: Brie Larson also joins the family in Fast X, as Tess, the daughter of Mr. Nobody (Kurt Russell), leader of a secret government agency called, well, The Agency. Again, we haven’t seen the movie, but we have seen Tess do some sick motorcycle tricks in the trailer (like this one), so we’ll recommend her Isabel Quintero and Zeke Peña’s My Papi Has a Motorcycle. Tess will surely see parallels in Daisy Ramona, a girl who loves riding with her taciturn dad on his motorcycle (even if the stuff about a changing immigrant neighborhood doesn’t hit home in the same fashion).

CHAPTER BOOKS & MIDDLE GRADE

Jakob Toretto: Dom and Mia’s forgotten brother was exiled from his family for allegedly causing the crash that killed their father, but comes back as a thorn in the Fast family’s side in Fast 9. It might seem obvious to suggest Elbow Grease to Jakob, as he’s portrayed by former WWE superstar and author of that very picture book, John Cena. But instead, we’re going to recommend David Levithan’s middle-grade novel The Mysterious Disappearance of Aidan S. (as told to his brother), as it also features a brother who disappears, then reappears, and has a story that’s impossible to believe. But Lucas (the Dom in his scenario) learns that sometimes family is about believing the impossible.

Ramsey: The computer hacker who created panopticon-like device God’s Eye and later joins the family, Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel) would enjoy reading Maya and the Robot by Eve L. Ewing and Christine Almeda. Maya is a fifth-grader who uses her science knack to kickstart a robot to life – a robot who quickly becomes a family member and her key to winning the science fair. Ramsey might relate to a fellow Black girl with a love for STEM, especially since God’s Eye falls back into the possession of the Fast family and helps them out on at least one occasion.

Tej Parker: Expert engineer and mechanic Tej Parker (Chris ‘Ludacris’ Bridges) is the definition of where brainy meets the street. And that describes Javari to a ‘T’ in Holler of the Fireflies by David Barclay Moore. Javari is a boy from the hood in Brooklyn who travels to a STEM camp in an Appalachian holler for one epic, life-changing summer. We can’t say if Tej has ever been to a holler, but he’s found himself in Antarctica, which is even more of a fish out of water story.

Roman Pearce: The handsome and self-assured Roman Pearce (played by former model and R&B singer Tyrese Gibson) is all about confidence, even if it’s unearned. That’s why he should read Kelly J. Baptist’s The Swag Is in the Socks, about an introverted twelve-year-old who is challenged by his great-uncle to become more suave and confident. The Swag Is in the Socks is all about finding the strength to be who you fully are – and you just know a man who wears collared muscle shirts has found that.

Han Lue: The character of Han (Sung Kang) has been on a wild journey, first appearing in a non-Fast and Furious movie, Better Luck Tomorrow, then starring in Tokyo Drift, joining the family, dying, then coming back to life. But no matter what Han is up you, you can be sure he’ll be snacking. That’s why we’re recommending the graphic novel Tasty: A History of Yummy Experiments by Victoria Grace Elliott. A nonfiction comic about how things like cheese, pickles, pizza, and soda were all invented, it’s perfect reading for when Han is noshing.

YOUNG ADULT

Letty Ortiz: Tough-as-nails street racer Leticia ‘Letty’ Ortiz (Michelle Rodriguez) has at times been on both sides of the law and even worked (during a period when she had amnesia) against Toretto’s crew. (And now they’re married – go figure.) Letty might see a little of herself in Julia in the novel I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sánchez. Like Julia, Letty grew up in a Mexican American home and her life has been defined by car accidents. And while we don’t know what Letty’s parents had in mind for her life, it’s probably safe to assume it wasn’t becoming a drag-racing, heist-pulling, international super spy.

Cipher: Speaking of heists, ruthless cyber-terrorist Cipher (Charlize Theron) appears to be back in Fast X, and there’s nothing the manipulative criminal likes more than a heist that employs her computer genius. So, we’d recommend Cipher read Immoral Code by Lillian Clark. A fast-paced crime novel about five teens determined to hack into one billionaire absentee father’s company to steal tuition money so a friend can go to MIT, it sounds like the sort of caper teen Cipher would have concocted.

Deckard Shaw: Former British military officer turned mercenary, Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham) is the eldest son of a crime family who has butted heads with Dominic Toretto before becoming a loyal member of the crew. Murder and scandal in England make us think of Aimée Carter’s Royal Blood. And while the Shaws are far from royalty, they are a British family of influence with more than a little blood on their hands. (No matter how many infants Deckard saves.)

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Tundra Telegram: Books To Scope Out

Hello, and thanks for joining us at Tundra Telegram, the column where we sense topics ascending in popularity and exalt a constellation of star titles that are definitely worth a read.

One of the biggest films opening in theatres this weekend is Knights of the Zodiac, a live-action epic based on a popular anime that stars Famke Janssen, Sean Bean, and many others. When a goddess of war reincarnates into the body of a young girl, a street orphan named Seiya discovers that he is destined to protect her and – naturally – save the world. But he can only do that if he can face down his past demons and become a Knight … of the Zodiac.

We’ll be honest, we don’t know that much about Knights of the Zodiac (though we wish it only the best), but it seemed like as good an opportunity as any to recommend some books for young readers – one for each sign of the traditional western horoscope. This way, your reading nights (and days) can be filled with the zodiac.

PICTURE BOOKS

Before recommending books for the various astrological signs, we want to note there’s no better time to read about astrology than immediately after birth. That’s why the Baby Astrology series by Roxy Marj is so perfect. No matter whether you were born March 21 to April 19, or October 23 to November 21, there is a board book that shares gentle thoughts about the characteristics of a child born under each star sign.

Capricorn: For this sign, we have to recommend the G.O.A.T. of goat books: Sergeant Billy: The True Story of the Goat Who Went to War by Mireille Messier and Kass Reich. This is the true story of a goat adopted from the prairies by a World War I platoon – a goat who persevered, Capricorn-style, to become a bonafide war hero.

Aries: Speaking of hoofed mammals, Not All Sheep Are Boring by Bobby Moynihan and Julie Rowan-Zoch is a great pairing for Aries, the ram. A comedic book that fights back against the idea sheep will put you to sleep, it showcases a zany cast of the weirdest sheep you’ll ever see, riding jetpacks and prancing on the moon. (Since Aries are competitive, you know they want to stand out from the crowd!) This rollicking read is the antithesis of a bedtime book.

Taurus: As you might imagine from the title, Petal the Angry Cow by Maureen Evans and Olga Demidova features a cow (not a bull), but we’re no chauvinists here at Tundra Books. And while Taurus is often associated with calm and serenity, this bovine has a short temper, blowing up at the other barnyard animals for the slightest provocations. She has to learn a few unusual lessons from a swan (who sadly has no associated zodiac sign) to manage her rage.

Cancer: Crustaceans can rejoice at this interactive picture book intro to the hard-shelled arthropods, This Is Crab by Harriet Evans and Jacqui Lee. Like many Cancers, Crab is a shy creature, but with a little encouragement he takes readers on a journey through his underwater home, complete with flaps to lift and pieces to move.

CHAPTER BOOKS & MIDDLE GRADE

Gemini: Jose Pimienta’s Twin Cities, about twins growing up on the Mexico-U.S. border, is a wonderful pick for Gemini readers. Luis Fernando and twin sister Luisa Teresa have been close their entire lives, but when Luis goes to middle school in Mexico andLuisa crosses the border every day so she can go to a private school in California, their relationship gets messy (just like Geminis, am I right?).

Scorpio: The quantity of actual scorpions in Scorpion Mountain, the fifth book in the fantasy adventures The Brotherband Chronicles by John Flanagan, is minimal, but the image of the scorpion looms large. Ranger Gillan is given a mission: protect the princess Cassandra, prone to assassination attempts, since a deadly sect known as the Scorpion Cult (see?) wants her dead. Luckily, the Brotherband crew has his back – which is more than we can say for most Scorpios.

Leo: There are a lot of books for young readers about lions, but we’re going to do the unexpected and recommend The Lion of Mars by Jennifer L. Holm. A slice-of-life science fiction story, it follows Bell, a curious, cat-loving eleven-year-old who just happens to live in the Martian settlements when a strange virus breaks out. (Bell’s favorite animals are lions because the settlers’ small township reminds him of a lion’s pride – classic overly dramatic Leo in action.)

Libra: Likewise, there are a bunch of middle-grade novels about choosing that show the balance Libra represents, but we’re picking Flipping Forward Twisting Backward by Alma Fullerton. Not only must Claire find equilibrium between the demands of gymnastics, family life, and her difficulties at school with a new dyslexia diagnosis, she must also find literal equilibrium on balance beams and stuff like that.

YOUNG ADULT

Aquarius: Not only does Natasha Bowen’s Skin of the Sea feature an aquatic setting and mermaid (or, more accurately, Mami Wata) heroine, that heroine – Simi – demonstrates the most admirable humanitarian qualities of Aquarius, saving the life of a boy thrown overboard, and going against the laws of her people for the greater good. (And yes, we know Aquarius is an “air sign,” but it has “aqua” in its name!)

Sagittarius: You can probably think of a blockbuster YA series that would be a good fit with the archer sign, but we don’t publish those books. So instead, we recommend No Good Deed by Kara Connolly, a modern reimagining of the Robin Hood legend. Ellie Hudson is an Olympic archer hopeful who takes a wrong turn in the caverns under Nottingham Castle and ends up – in true adventurous Sagittarian fashion – in Medieval England.

Pisces: Intuitive and sensitive describes Tiến in graphic novel The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen to a “T.” Typical of a Pisces, he keeps a secret from his immigrant Vietnamese family to protect them: he’s gay. And though he’s unable to find the words to speak to his parents, he navigates his troubles through the fairytales, largely fish-based ones, that his mother tells him.

Virgo: We recommend The Best Laid Plans by Cameron Lund as a Virgo pick, because (a) it’s a sex-positive story about a high school virgin determined to lose that virginity, and (b) like any good Virgo, main character Keeley Collins takes on the task practically and systematically.

Happy reading, friends!

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Tundra Telegram: Books For That Time of the Month

Hello, and thanks for joining us at Tundra Telegram, the column where we sense the subjects flowing through readers’ minds and bleeding into the wider news cycle and suggest some books that won’t leave readers cursing. Just great books: period.

This weekend, the movie that so many readers have been waiting for since 1970 hits theaters across North America. Judy Blume’s classic coming-of-age novel, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, has been adapted into a film by Kelly Fremon Craig (The Edge of Seventeen), and starring Rachel McAdams, Kathy Bates, and even one of the Safdie Brothers (?). The book has long been beloved (and just as often banned or challenged in schools and libraries) for its frank talk about menstruation and other hallmarks of female puberty.

To celebrate the film adaptation, we wanted to recommend more books that focus on the physical and hormonal changes young people experience in early adolescence. Many of these books highlight girl’s experiences, but we’ve included a few books about puberty for boys – and for nonbinary kids – as well. (Please note: the following book descriptions talk frankly about sex and body parts, so if that’s not your cup of tea, venture no further!)

PICTURE BOOKS

We’ll admit; it’s not the easiest thing to find picture books about puberty, but we’ve found a couple that fit the bill. The first of these is Bodies Are Cool by Tyler Feder. While not explicitly about puberty, the book is more a joyous celebration of all the different human bodies that exist in the world. The book highlights the many skin tones, body shapes, hair types, and more in a cheerful love-your-body picture book for preschoolers. While it may not be about puberty, it certainly celebrates the results of puberty!

Though it may now be a little dated (and not as inclusive as it should be), the 2011 picture book Who Has What?: All About Girls’ Bodies and Boys’ Bodies by Robie H. Harris and Nadine B. Westcott nonetheless talks about all the things boys and girls might find on their bodies. Structured through a story about two siblings – Nellie and Gus – on a family beach vacation, the book answers questions young kids may have about their bodies in a positive, reassuring way.

CHAPTER BOOKS & MIDDLE GRADE

There are many of middle-grade books that look deeply into puberty, given that its readers are often going through that change (or just about to) – and some of those books are nonfiction! Exhibit A: Puberty Is Gross but also Really Awesome by Gina Loveless and Lauri Johnston. This a puberty guide that doesn’t shy away from the smelly, hairy, sticky, and confusing parts of puberty – but also celebrates the many good things of adolescence, as well.

The Canadian duo of Cory Silverberg and Fiona Smyth are the go-to team for modern kids’ books about sexuality, and their new book You Know, Sex is no exception. In bright comic book colors, the book sets the world of sex education in social justice, covering not only the big changes of puberty —hormones, reproduction, and development — but also things like power dynamics, pleasure, and how to be a decent human being. Told through the story of four different middle-schoolers, there are chapters on body autonomy, disclosure, stigma, harassment, pornography, trauma, masturbation, consent, boundaries and safety, all of which makes space for trans, nonbinary, and intersex bodies.

And Growing Up Powerful, a Rebel Girls guide by Nona Willis Aronowitz and illustrated by Caribay Marquina, isn’t in stores just yet – it publishes on May 9, 2023 – but it helps guide girls through the many changes of puberty: from physical body changes to things like social anxiety and school-related stress. The book is chock-full of helpful advice, Q&As with experts and regular girls around the world, as well as fun quizzes hoping to give tween girls the reference they need to navigate this tricky time. Subjects ranging from breasts, hair growth, the changes in genitals, menstruation, and more – and the book is inclusive of genderfluid and transgender youngsters.

Though it’s an older book, The Downside of Being Up, sprung from the mind of Alan Lawrence Sitomer, remains one of the few middle-grade novels to look at the adolescent issue of inappropriately timed erections (if you couldn’t guess from the title). While it’s a mostly lighthearted and funny read about a topic rarely covered in literature, it nevertheless depicts how cruel kids can be during adolescence and vividly depicts the unceasing awkwardness of puberty.

Speaking of inappropriately timed erections, Susin Nielsen’s Tremendous Things has fewer than Sitomer’s novel (and we’re pretty sure the title doesn’t reference them), but nevertheless, the novel follows awkward ninth-grader Wilbur as he tries to escape a humiliating incident in middle school, when his time-capsule letter (which talk a lot about a body part he calls “Jeremiah”) is shared with the entire school. Tremendous Things covers that part of adolescence of moving through humiliation while staying true to yourself – in this case, during a band trip to Paris, France.

Instead of one story about getting your period, how about sixteen? Calling the Moon: 16 Period Stories from BIPOC Authors is an anthology edited by Aida Salazar and Yamile Saied Mendez that collects short fiction and poems around the topic of menstruation, exclusively from authors who are Black, Indigenous, and/or people of color. With stories from superstars like Ibi Zoboi, Erin Entrada Kelly, and Christina Soontornvat, the first times can come on the basketball court, during a lakeside field trip, or even at the start of one’s first fasting Ramadan.

An eighth grader starts a podcast to protest the unfair dress code at her middle school in Carrie Firestone‘s feminist revolution Dress Coded. You don’t need us to tell you school dress codes often originate in adult male discomfort with the body changes that puberty brings. And when Molly, Olivia, Liz, and friends realize this, they take to the (digital) airwaves to rebel. In fact, one of the catalysts for their rebellion is when one girl is reprimanded for showing off her shoulders after she uses her sweater to hide a period stain on her jeans!

Finally, 14 Hollow Road by Jenn Bishop mixes the changing friends, changing bodies, and changing emotions of those puberty years with an actual natural disaster: a tornado! Maddie’s world is already falling apart the evening of the sixth-grade dance when her crush Avery starts to slow-dance with someone else, and then the tornado strikes and destroys both her and Avery’s homes. This leaves the two now co-habiting in the same house of some kind neighbors, and Maddie must deal with the sticky whirlwind of puberty with her crush in the next bedroom over! Talk about awkward!

YOUNG ADULT

Puberty and the changes associated with it can be uncomfortable to discuss, but not with Mayim Bialik, star of Blossom, The Big Bang Theory, and Jeopardy! With Girling Up: How to Be Strong, Smart and Spectacular, Bialik uses her PhD in neuroscience to demonstrate to young readers how they grow from a girl to a woman biologically, psychologically, and sociologically – covering periods, sexuality, stress, hormones, and much more. And the follow-up, Boying Up: How To Be Brave, Bold, and Brilliant covers vocal changes, body hair, toxic masculinity. In our opinionation, these books are great basic guides to puberty.

In the same nonfiction handbook vein, but in comic book form is Let’s Talk About It: The Teen’s Guide to Sex, Relationships, and Being a Human by Erika Moen and Matthew Nolan. Covering everything from relationships and friendships to gender, sexuality, anatomy, body image, safe sex, sexting, jealousy, and rejection, Let’s Talk About It looks at all the changes young people undergo in adolescence to reassure readers when they feel their emotions and bodies are beginning to feel not normal – as a comic book!

Most readers know The Girls I’ve Been by Tess Sharpe as a twisty thriller featuring the daughter of a con woman who targets criminal men (and soon to be a film starring Millie Bobby Brown). When Nora is taking hostage during a bank robbery (alongside her ex-boyfriend and current girlfriend), she must use all her street smarts to survive. What gets covered less often is the fact that Iris (Nora’s girlfriend) has endometriosis, and is experiencing her (painful) period during the hostage crisis. Hot take: more bank heist stories should feature menstrual cups in the plot.

Though Jandy Nelson’s I’ll Give You the Sun is a coming-of-age story about Jude and her twin brother Noah – how close they are at 13 and how distant at 16 – the novel indicates how the hormonal and emotional changes of puberty propels that separation. (This is especially true as they start to develop crushes on the same boys!) It’s also one of the few books on our list that features the changes of puberty through the eyes of a queer character.

Menstruation is one of the most common natural occurrences a body can have, but is still stigmatized, which is where the provocative Blood Moon by Lucy Cuthew comes in. Frankie, a lover of physics and astronomy, gets her period during her first sexual experience with a quiet heartthrob. But when the incident becomes a gruesome online meme, Frankie has to fight to reclaim her reputation from the online shame and stand up against a culture that says periods are dirty.

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Tundra Telegram: Books For Readers Across the Spectrum

Hello, and thanks for joining us at Tundra Telegram, the column where we sense the subjects overtaking readers’ attention and suggest some stimulating books that fit the script.

April is World Autism Month, which presents an annual opportunity to talk about autism spectrum disorder – including in the world of books. Over 70 million people worldwide are on the spectrum, but the number of books that feature autistic characters and published by autistic authors is (glaringly) much smaller.

However, things are changing for the better and young readers of all ages can find many good books that talk about autism spectrum disorder or feature autistic main characters – often written by autistic authors themselves or parents of autistic kids. Please read on to learn about some of our favorites.

PICTURE BOOKS

Author Brad Meltzer and illustrator Chris Eliopoulos have a series of picture book biographies called Ordinary People Change the World, and their book I Am Temple Grandin is a perfect example of how that is very true in terms of autism rights and neurodiversity. Grandin is an American scientist and animal behaviorist who also helped break down years of stigma around autism because she was one of the first adults to publicly disclose that she was autistic, and has since become an internationally known proponent of neurodiversity.

Changes in routine can be hard for any kid, but especially for kids on the autism spectrum when it comes to social situations. This forms the basis of Samantha Cotterill’s book It Was Supposed to Be Sunny, in which a perfectly planned birthday party goes awry. The book was specifically written for kids on the autism spectrum and has been called “brilliant” and “engaging” by autism specialist Tony Attwood.

Though although not directly about autism or sensory processing difficulties, Don’t Hug Doug (He Doesn’t Like It) by Carrie Finison and Daniel Wiseman, it highlights the importance of consent and different comfort levels in social interaction. Finison has been explicit in her choice not to label or diagnose Doug, but many neurodiverse readers (and family members) have found the book a helpful one.

Another book that similarly refuses to label its main character is Midnight and Moon by Kelly Cooper and Daniel Miyares. Many readers feel the main character, a girl named Clara who has trouble fitting in with her peers, may be on the autism spectrum.  Clara befriends a blind horse, Moon, who also struggles to find his place among the horses. The foal and girl both have special qualities that are recognized by friends who are open to seeing them: a boy named Jack and a horse named Midnight, But their specialness is recognized by nearly everyone when Clara and Moon demonstrate some real bravery in the midst of a powerful snowstorm.

While it’s not revealed outright just why the titular bouncing boy sees things differently in Trampoline Boy by Nan Forler and Marion Arbona, there’s a gentle suggestion that he is autistic. But the main message of the book – demonstrated by a girl named Peaches who jumps on a trampoline with the boy and spends time with him – is how important and valuable different perspectives are, when you’re willing to interact with people the way they’d like to interact.

CHAPTER BOOKS & MIDDLE GRADE

With an author who has ASD, Rogue by Lyn Miller-Lachmann, features an autistic girl, Kiara, who tries very hard to make friends. She identifies with the X-Men character Rogue, who hurts everyone she touches. (Now I’m invested.) When she makes friends with a new kid, Chad, she tries hard to make it work. But keeping his secret makes her question what little she understands about friendship.

Instead of a superhero, a neurodivergent girl finds a kindred spirit in victims of witch trials in A Kind of Spark by Elle McNichol. Addie, who, like McNichol, is autistic, discovers that her small Scottish town used to burn witches simply because they were different. Since Addie can sometimes see things that others do not, hear sounds that they can ignore, and occasionally feel things all at once, she feels a connection with the witches and campaigns to establish a local memorial.

Nova, the protagonist of Planet Earth Is Blue by Nicole Panteleakos, is a nonverbal autistic foster kid who loves space and is extremely excited about the looming Challenger launch. (That’s going to be a problem.) Nova is dismissed by many at first – except for her foster sister Bridget, but they are now separated, in different foster homes. The author has ASD herself and the book makes it clear how much has changed regarding neurotypical people’s understanding of autism since 1986.

If you’re a little disappointed Victorian literature doesn’t feature more autistic characters, then Susan Adrian’s Forever Neverland is for you! A contemporary follow-up to J. M Barrie’s Peter Pan, the book features Clover and Fergus, the great-great-grandkids of Wendy Darling, taken to Neverland by that forever young boy. Fergus happens to be autistic, and while his sister Clover worries about him, he feels that Neverland is a dream come true.

An eleven-year-old autistic athlete doesn’t let anything stop her from playing baseball in Sarah Kapit’s Get a Grip, Vivy Cohen!, even if she would be the only girl on her team. Part of her determination comes from (fictional) Major League pitcher VJ Capello, who kindly responds to her letters.

Autistic author Sarah Kapit also has a rollicking tween detective story, The Many Mysteries of the Finkel Family, in which two autistic sisters – one verbal, one nonverbal who uses a tablet to communicate – Lara and Caroline reluctantly team up to form FIASCCO (Finkel Investigation Agency Solving Consequential Crimes Only). Things goes awry when Lara starts snooping on Caroline, putting their detective agency in serious jeopardy!

A bird-loving autistic boy, Axel, is the star of A Bird Will Soar by Alison Green Myers. When a tornado damages Axel’s home and – maybe worse – the eagle’s nest in the wood near his house – things get overwhelming. Suddenly his absent dad returns home to repair the damage, and Axel has to manage his dad’s presence and his favorite eagles’ disappearance.

Speaking of tornadoes: Tornado Brain by Cat Patrick is a coming-of-age story about a neurodivergent seventh grader inspired by her own kid. Frankie can’t stand to be touched, is bothered by loud noises, and hates changes in her routine. She has a friend, Colette, but that friendship is complicated. When Colette disappears, Frankie is convinced she’s left clues behind that only she can decipher.

And Counting by 7s by Holly Sloan Goldberg features Willow Chance, a girl possibly somewhere on the autism spectrum (although that is never explicitly said). Willow is obsessed with nature and diagnosing medical conditions, and finds it comforting to count by 7s. She’s never really connected with anyone aside from her adoptive parents, until (spoilers!) they both die in a car crash, leaving her alone. But Willow manages to find a fascinatingly diverse surrogate family and hope for an amazing future.

YOUNG ADULT

Naoki Higashida was only a middle-schooler when he began to write his memoir The Reason I Jump. Autistic and with very low verbal fluency, Naoki used an alphabet grid to spell out his answers to the questions he imagines others most often wonder about him and being autistic. The result, translated to English by KA Yoshida, and with an introduction by David Mitchell (Cloud Atlas) is an attitude-transforming book that investigates everything from self-harm, perceptions of time and beauty, and the challenges of communication.

For something similar told in a very different manner, A Different Kind of Normal by Abigail Balfe is an illustrated memoir that’s hard to define. Balfe, a queer creative producer, stand-up comic, and part of the team behind the amazing animated series Big Mouth, has created a mind-blowing memoir about learning she was autistic later in life. Highly illustrated by Balfe herself, the book also includes a wealth of resources about neurodiversity and is perfect for demystifying autism for curious young readers.

For a little re-mystifying … or just mystery, check out The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester by Maya McGregor, a queer contemporary mystery, featuring a nonbinary autistic teen (Sam, ’natch) who tries to solve a 30-year-old mystery about a teenager’s death in their new Oregonian town, digging up old skeletons as they do (but not literally). McGregor, like Sam, is nonbinary and is autistic.

Two high school juniors make an unexpected connection in Julie Buxbaum’s YA romance What To Say Next. David is autistic and socially isolated, but the relatively popular Kit appreciates his sincerity, especially after she loses her father in a car accident. Their relationship grows as Kit deals with the accident’s aftermath in this unexpectedly funny dual-perspective narrative.

Palestinian Canadian Jackie Khalilieh was diagnosed as autistic as an adult, which – among other things – led her to look back at episodes in her teen years with a new perspective. One result of this is her YA debut novel, Something More, a fun contemporary romance with a protagonist – Jessie – who is obsessed with the nineties and learns she’s autistic. We’re excited for readers to follow Jessie’s journey after her new diagnosis, as she wonders who to trust with her news, and creates a list of goals that range from acquiring two distinct eyebrows to getting a magical first kiss and landing a spot in the school play. Look for it in stores everywhere in June 2023!