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.)

Mother’s Day 2023

Mother’s Day is right around the corner and what better way to celebrate the moms (and mom-like figures!) in your life than with a book?

Baby Squeaks
By Anne Hunter
40 Pages | Ages 3-7 | Hardcover
ISBN 9780735269095 | Tundra Books
Baby mouse has learned to squeak. And now it’s squeak, squeak, squeak all day long. Baby chats with new friends and old friends, big friends and little friends, and sometimes just chats with no one at all. Poor Mama needs a break . . . but when Baby wanders off, Mama knows what to do: follow the squeaks! Little readers will love this chatty baby mouse, and big readers will find Mama’s reactions very familiar . . . Anne Hunter’s delicate and lovely illustrations highlight the humor in this delightfully funny tale.

Bluey: Mum School
By Penguin Young Readers Licenses
32 Pages | Ages 3-5 | Paperback
ISBN 9780593658413 | Penguin Young Readers Licenses
Bluey wants to play Mum School instead of taking her bath. But when Bluey’s balloon kids go out of control, Bluey doesn’t know what to do! Will Bluey figure out what they need before bathtime?

Granny and Bean
By Karen Hesse
Illustrated by Charlotte Voake
32 Pages | Ages 4-8 | Hardcover
ISBN 9781536214048 | Candlewick
Their laughter rose; full of joy, it spilled
‘cross sand, through mist, as the curlews trilled. Gray skies, foamy waves, and brisk wind await Granny and Bean when they head out for their day by the sea. But they are full of only wonder and delight at all the shore has to offer. They listen for the shrieks of the seabirds as they discover treasures hidden in the sand, greet dogs as they pass, leap over logs, and settle out of the wind for a cozy treat before tramping homeward again. Rendered in simple, lilting text by Newbery Medalist Karen Hesse and expressive, windswept art from acclaimed illustrator Charlotte Voake, Granny and Bean have an adventure to cherish until their next magical day at the shore.

Great Job, Mom!
By Holman Wang
32 Pages | Ages 3-7 | Paperback
ISBN 9781774880364 | Tundra Books
Being a mom is eleven jobs in one! This unique picture book for very young readers celebrates the many jobs being a parent encompasses: A general who rallies the troops (or unruly kids), a curator of modern art (or finger paintings), an archeologist looking for buried treasures (or socks) . . . when Mom gets home from her day job as a carpenter, she never knows which job will be waiting for her, but she knows it’ll be fun! Each rhyming spread features intimate, familiar, comforting and humorous depictions of family life through a wholly original – and amazing! – needle-felted lens.

I Love Grandma with The Very Hungry Caterpillar
By Eric Carle
32 Pages | Ages 2-5 | Hardcover
ISBN 9780593523155 | World of Eric Carle
Join The Very Hungry Caterpillar as he honors grandmas everywhere! With cheerful illustrations and sweet sentiments, this heartfelt keepsake will show Grandma just how much you care.

I’ll Go and Come Back
By Rajani LaRocca
Illustrated by Sara Palacios
40 Pages | Ages 3-7 | Hardcover
ISBN 9781536207170 | Candlewick
When Jyoti visits her grandmother halfway around the world, she is overwhelmed by the differences between India and home. At first she feels lonely and out of place, but soon, despite a language barrier, she and Sita Pati are able to understand each other. They form a bond-looking at books together, making designs with colored sand, shopping at the market, playing games, eating chapatis, and sipping warm milk with saffron to bring sweet dreams. When it’s time to part, Jyoti doesn’t want to leave, but then she remembers that in Tamil, people don’t say goodbye, they say “I’ll go and come back.” Sure enough, the two reunite the next summer when Pati visits Jyoti in America, and it’s Jyoti’s turn to make her grandmother feel welcome. Can they create some special memories that will last until the next time they see each other?

Mama and Mommy and Me in the Middle
By Nina LaCour
Illustrated by Kaylani Juanita
32 Pages | Ages 3-7 | Hardcover
ISBN 9781536211511 | Candlewick
For one little girl, there’s no place she’d rather be than sitting between Mama and Mommy. So when Mommy goes away on a work trip, it’s tricky to find a good place at the table. As the days go by, Mama brings her to the library, they watch movies, and all of them talk on the phone, but she still misses Mommy as deep as the ocean and as high as an astronaut up in the stars. As they pass by a beautiful garden, the girl gets an idea . . . but when Mommy finally comes home, it takes a minute to shake off the empty feeling she felt all week before leaning in for a kiss. Michael L. Printz Award winner Nina LaCour thoughtfully renders a familiar, touching story of a child who misses a parent, illustrated by Kaylani Juanita, whose distinctive style brings charm and playfulness to this delightful family of three.

Maud and Grand-Maud
By Sara O’Leary
Illustrated by Kenard Pak
40 Pages | Ages 3-7 | Hardcover
ISBN 9781101918692 | Tundra Books
Maud loves the weekends that she stays over at her grandma’s house. There’s always breakfast-for-supper, matching nightgown, black-and-white movies and best of all — having someone to listen to her dreams for when she grows up. But what makes the visit extra-special is what Grand-Maud has hidden in an old chest under her bed. Sometimes there are paint sets, toys, homemade cookies, handknit mittens or sweaters. But Maud finds a wonderful surprise when she finds a belonging from Grand-Maud’s childhood. When she grows up, Maud wants to be just like Grand-Maud. Maud and Grand-Maud is a sweet celebration of the unique bond between grandparents and grandchildren.

Mommy’s Hometown
By Hope Lim
Illustrated by Jaime Kim
32 Pages | Ages 3-7 | Hardcover
ISBN 9781536213324 | Candlewick
This gentle, contemplative picture book about family origins invites us to ponder the meaning of home. A young boy loves listening to his mother describe the place where she grew up, a world of tall mountains and friends splashing together in the river. Mommy’s stories have let the boy visit her homeland in his thoughts and dreams, and now he’s old enough to travel with her to see it for himself. But when mother and son arrive, the town is not as he imagined. Skyscrapers block the mountains, and crowds hurry past. The boy feels like an outsider-until they visit the river where his mother used to play, and he sees that the spirit and happiness of those days remain. Sensitively pitched to a child’s-eye view, this vivid story honors the immigrant experience and the timeless bond between parent and child, past and present.

Mum, Me, and the Mulberry Tree
By Tanya Rosie
Illustrated by Chuck Groenink
32 Pages | Ages 3-7 | Hardcover
ISBN 9781536220353 | Candlewick
As the sun starts to rise, a young girl and her mother set out on the bus, riding knee to knee to visit their mulberry tree in the English countryside. With buckets and tubs in hand for collecting berries, the two spend a day picnicking, waiting out a summer shower under their tree, and climbing as high as they can to pick the best mulberries, the ones that are tucked away from the world. When the sun starts to set, they head home to bake a delicious pie, all the while knowing they’ll be back next year to do it all again. Author Tanya Rosie makes her picture book debut with a heartfelt story honoring family traditions and time spent together with someone you love.

My Baba’s Garden
By Jordan Scott
Illustrated by Sydney Smith
40 Pages | Ages 4-8 | Hardcover
ISBN 9780823450831 | Neal Porter Books
A young boy spends his mornings with his beloved Baba, his grandmother. She doesn’t speak much English, but they connect through gestures, gardening, eating, and walking to school together. Marked by memories of wartime scarcity, Baba cherishes food, and the boy learns to do the same. Eventually, Baba needs to move in with the boy and his parents, and he has the chance to care for her as she’s always cared for him. nspired by memories from poet Jordan Scott’s childhood, with beautiful, dreamlike illustrations by award-winning illustrator Sydney Smith, My Baba’s Garden is a deeply personal story that evokes universal emotions. Like Scott and Smith’s previous collaboration I Talk Like a River, winner of the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, My Baba’s Garden lends wistful appreciation to cherished time with family.

Nana, Nenek & Nina
By Liza Ferneyhough
32 Pages | Ages 4-8 | Hardcover
ISBN 9780593353943 | Dial Books
Nina lives in San Francisco with her parents, and she loves visiting her two grandmas across the world. Follow Nina as her two trips unfold side by side: Young readers will love poring over the details of what is the same and what is different at Nana’s home in England and at Nenek’s home in Malaysia. In each place, Nina wears different clothes, plays different games, and eats different food. But so much about visiting Nana and Nenek is the same, from warm hugs at the airport to beach days and bedtime snuggles. Nina is equally at home across the world in Malaysia or England, and both of her grandmas love her to California and back.

Something About Grandma
By Tania de Regil
40 Pages | Ages 4-8 | Hardcover
ISBN 9781536201949 | Candlewick
At Grandma’s house, where Julia is staying without her parents for the first time, the breeze is sweet like jasmine. Mornings begin with sugared bread, and the most magnificent hot chocolate cures all homesickness. There’s something about this place . . . and about Grandma. Like how she can tell when Julia has been quietly picking limes from the garden. Or that she can see the future – and knows when Julia is about to fall off her bike. Or how she can journey back in time through the stories she tells. In the room where Julia’s mother grew up, her grandmother holds her in a warm embrace – an embrace that Julia will pass on to her family when her parents arrive with her new baby brother. With Tania de Regil’s heartfelt illustrations, incorporating poems by her great-grandfather that were handwritten by her grandmother, Something About Grandma offers a tender and playful exploration of the magic of intergenerational love and wisdom.

The Blur
By Minh Lê
Illustrated by Dan Santat
40 Pages | Ages 3-7 | Hardcover
ISBN 9780593377468 | Knopf BFYR
From the very beginning, there was something different about this child… An ultrasonic voice. Fantastically elastic limbs. Super-magnetic powers. But it wasn’t until the child took her first steps that she became: THE BLUR! Nothing can stand in her way as she takes the world by storm: always on the move and darting into danger! All too soon, she is zipping through the days, and zooming over the years… Framed as an origin story, here is a fun superhero romp for kids, filled with bold and bright illustrations, that will pull at the heartstrings of every parent.

The Care and Keeping of Grandmas
By Jennifer Mook-Sang
Illustrated by Yong Ling Kang
32 Pages | Ages 3-7 | Hardcover
ISBN 9780735271340 | Tundra Books
It can be discombobulating for all involved when a grandma moves in permanently. Fortunately, our narrator has gone through it and has LOTS of tips on how to make your grandma feel at home. In a story filled with humor, confusion and moments of sweetness, Jennifer Mook-Sang introduces us to a delightful family dynamic and a grandma who doesn’t really need the help settling in but appreciates it anyway. As Grandma goes about her days, her well-meaning granddaughter sees her caring for her plants, and makes sure that Grandma is getting the proper care too.

Together With You
By Patricia Toht
Illustrated by Jarvis
32 Pages | Ages 3-7 | Hardcover
ISBN 9781536223514 | Candlewick
For one grandmother and grandchild, keeping dry in spring showers is easy when dashing through the drops side by side. In summer they stay cool with a squirt of the hose, then savor frozen treats in the shade. In autumn, snug in sweaters, they fly a kite while leaning into each other against the wind. And winter finds them nestling under blankets, sipping cocoa and watching the snow quietly fall. Narrated as a kind of love letter from a young child to a grandparent, this picture book pairs Patricia Toht’s safe, tender text with gentle art from Jarvis that meets it at every turn. An ideal gift from grandparent to grandchild (or the other way around), this charming story makes it clear that “no matter the weather, whatever we do, every day’s better together with you.”

Tough Like Mum
By Lana Button
Illustrated by Carmen Mok
32 Pages | Ages 3-7 | Hardcover
ISBN 9780735265981 | Tundra Books
Kim’s mum is tough. Everyone says so. She can deal with unruly customers at the Red Rooster with a snap of her fingers. Kim is tough, too. She doesn’t need to wear a hat to keep her ears warm. And she can make soup all by herself, even without the stove. Kim and her mum are tough. But Kim is learning that sometimes toughness doesn’t look like what you’d expect. In this tender exploration of a mother-daughter relationship, Kim and her mother learn that in order to support and truly take care of each other, they need to be tough — and that sometimes being tough means showing vulnerability and asking for help.

When I Talk to God, I Talk About You
By Chrissy Metz and Bradley Collins
Illustrated by Lisa Fields
32 Pages | Ages 3-7 | Hardcover
ISBN 9780593525241 | Flamingo Books
When I talk to God, guess what I do? It’s really quite simple: I talk about you. From bears and otters to rabbits and raccoons, these animals describe the many things they pray to God for as their little ones grow right before their eyes. With stunning illustrations from Lisa Fields, this is a touching ode to unconditional love and the perfect book to help introduce little ones to prayer.

You Are My Favorite Color
By Gillian Sze
Illustrated by Nina Mata
32 Pages | Ages 4-8 | Hardcover
ISBN 9780593203101 | Philomel Books
So begins a mother’s celebration of her children’s brown skin, told through warm and vivid poetry. With sweeping descriptions of what brown skin means-it is the brawny bear whose paws know the ground of its home, the sequoia tree that reaches up and touches the sun, the glossy shell of roasted chestnuts-this is a book that empowers as it embraces, and that reminds young readers that they have shades of color that only they can discover and express. With beautiful, lyrical text by powerhouse poet Gillian Sze and vibrant, engaging art by illustrator Nina Mata, the #1 New York Times bestselling illustrator of LeBron James’s I Promise, this is more than a story of love-it is a song that rings out for brown kids everywhere.

Preorder:

Mama’s Sleeping Scarf
By Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie writing as Nwa Grace-James
Illustrated by Joelle Avelino
32 Pages | Ages 3-7 | Hardcover
ISBN 9781774882696 | Puffin Canada
Chino loves the scarf that her mama ties around her hair at night. But when Mama leaves for the day, what happens to her scarf? Chino takes it on endless adventures! Peeking through the colorful haze of the silky scarf, Chino and her toy bunny can look at her whole family as they go through their routines. With stunning illustrations from Joelle Avelino, Mama’s Sleeping Scarf is a celebration of family, and a touching story about the everyday objects that remind us of the ones we love.

Tuesdays with Tundra

Tuesdays with Tundra is an ongoing series featuring our new releases. These titles are now available in stores and online!

Funeral Songs for Dying Girls
By Cherie Dimaline
280 Pages | Ages 14+ | Hardcover
ISBN 9780735265639 | Tundra Books
Winifred has lived in the apartment above the cemetery office with her father, who works in the crematorium all her life, close to her mother’s grave. With her sixteenth birthday only days away, Winifred has settled into a lazy summer schedule, lugging her obese Chihuahua around the grounds in a squeaky red wagon to visit the neglected gravesides and nursing a serious crush on her best friend, Jack. Her habit of wandering the graveyard at all hours has started a rumor that Winterson Cemetery might be haunted. It’s welcome news since the crematorium is on the verge of closure and her father’s job being outsourced. Now that the ghost tours have started, Winifred just might be able to save her father’s job and the only home she’s ever known, not to mention being able to stay close to where her mother is buried. All she has to do is get help from her con-artist cousin to keep up the rouse and somehow manage to stop her father from believing his wife has returned from the grave. But when Phil, an actual ghost of a teen girl who lived and died in the ravine next to the cemetery, starts showing up, Winifred begins to question everything she believes about life, love and death. Especially love.

The Care and Keeping of Grandmas
By Jennifer Mook-Sang
Illustrated by Yong Ling Kang
32 Pages | Ages 3-7 | Hardcover
ISBN 9780735271340 | Tundra Books
It can be discombobulating for all involved when a grandma moves in permanently. Fortunately, our narrator has gone through it and has LOTS of tips on how to make your grandma feel at home. In a story filled with humor, confusion and moments of sweetness, Jennifer Mook-Sang introduces us to a delightful family dynamic and a grandma who doesn’t really need the help settling in but appreciates it anyway. As Grandma goes about her days, her well-meaning granddaughter sees her caring for her plants, and makes sure that Grandma is getting the proper care too.

The Song That Called Them Home
By David A. Robertson
Illustrated by Maya McKibbin
52 Pages | Ages 4-8 | Hardcover
ISBN 9780735266704 | Tundra Books
One summer day, Lauren and her little brother, James, go on a trip to the land with their Moshom (grandfather). After they’ve arrived, the children decide to fish for dinner while Moshom naps. They are in their canoe in the middle of the lake when the water around them begins to swirl and crash. They are thrown overboard and when Lauren surfaces she sees her brother being pulled away by the Memekwesewak – creatures who live in and around water and like to interfere with humans. Lauren must follow the Memekwesewak through a portal and along a watery path to find and bring back James. But when she finally comes upon her brother, she too feels the lure of the Memekwesewak’s song. Something even stronger must pull them back home.  

New in Paperback:

Me Three
By Susan Juby
232 Pages | Ages 10+ | Paperback
ISBN 9780735268746 | Puffin Canada 
Eleven-year-old Rodney is starting sixth grade in a new school, in a new home in a new state. The new school is really old and smells like someone ate a couple of pounds of glue and then barfed it back up, and he’s in a class with a bunch of kids who seem to sort of hate him. Even his best friend won’t write him back. It’s strange, because just a couple of months ago, Rodney was one of the most popular guys in his fifth-grade class. He lived in Las Vegas, with his mom, older sister and his dad, who was a successful professional poker player. Now his old life is over – his mom even says they shouldn’t tell anyone their real last name. Because of something his dad did. Or something people said that he did. His dad says it’s all a big misunderstanding, but he’s now staying in a center “for people who are having problems, like being addicted to drugs or gambling, or because other people don’t understand that you are just funny and friendly and sometimes you give people hugs or put your arm around them and they accuse you of taking liberties and ruin everything.” Rodney is confident that it won’t be long until the misunderstanding is all cleared up and they can all go back to their old life. But he can only keep the truth at bay for so long . . . .

Mine for Keeps
By Jean Little
232 Pages | Ages 8-12 | Paperback
ISBN 9781774882948 | Puffin Canada 
Away at school, Sally Copeland has always dreamed of going home, but now that she’s there, she feels frightened and unsure of herself.Will her brother and sister accept her? Will she be able to do things for herself? And what will it be like to go to a regular school and be the only one with cerebral palsy?

We can’t wait to see you reading these title! If you share these books online, remember to use #ReadTundra in your hashtags so that we can re-post.

Tundra Telegram: Books That Are Everything

Hello, and thanks for joining us at Tundra Telegram, the column where we scan the topics shifting around in readers’ heads so we can feel what you feel and recommend some suitable reading.

The film everyone is talking about this week is the multiple-award winning indie hit, Everything Everywhere All At Once. The movie (EEAAO, to friends) has been crowned with awards for acting, directing, and editing from some of the most prestigious accolades the film industry has to offer.

We at Tundra already put together a reading list (back in April 2022!) connected to EEAO, but this week, we wanted to present a few books for young readers that speak to one particular theme in the movie: that of the second generation East Asian-American experience, and the conflict and hardships between that generation and their immigrant parents.

PICTURE BOOKS

The relationship between a girl and the grandmother in Jennifer Mook-Sang and Yong Ling Kang‘s The Care and Keeping of Grandmas is a lot less fraught (and way more playful) than that between Becky and Gong Gong, but the picture book looks at the sometimes disorienting process of a grandparent coming to live with the family. Luckily, our young narrator has a lot of handy tips for making sure Grandma gets proper care in her new home.

Famed and influential children’s illustrator Gyo Fujikawa was born in Berkeley, California to Japanese-born parents, and the picture book It Began with a Page by Kyo Maclear and Julie Morstad chronicles how she had to make her own opportunities in a country where there were few for Asian Americans. Gyo worked for Disney, but soon her whole family was imprisoned during World War II. Then she later became a noted artist for young people, pushing against the publishing industry to illustrate children’s books that featured children of different races interacting with each other.

A girl’s embarrassment with her Chinese-born parents kicks off the acclaimed Watercress by Andrea Wang and Jason Chin. Like EEAO, the book represents a reconciliation of different generations, as the American-born daughter – first mortified when her parents stop their car to gather some watercress they spot on the side of the highway – learns to appreciate the fresh food they forage and their memories in their old country that inspired them to continue the practice in their new one.

Aside from love in a laundromat, what could be more romantic than love in the library? The true story of the author’s grandparents inspired Love in the Library by Maggie Tokuda-Hall and Yas Imamura, about two Japanese Americans imprisoned in an internment camp during World War II who strike up a friendship that becomes something more in the camp’s small library.

CHAPTER BOOKS & MIDDLE GRADE

A fearful second grader is the star of the hilarious Alvin Ho books by Lenore Look and LeUyen Pham. Alvin Ho is afraid of nearly everything. And that fear connects with intergenerational tension when his GungGung’s best friend dies, and Alvin volunteers to join his grandfather at the funeral. Alvin Ho: Allergic to Dead Bodies, Funerals, and Other Fatal Circumstances sees Alvin face his fears to grow closer to his grandpa.

The past generation’s choices come to haunt the present in Tae Keller‘s Newbery winner When You Trap a Tiger. Lily and her family move in with her sick grandmother, but what they don’t know is grandma stole something from mythical, magical tigers in her youth. Now one of the tigers is back and offers Lily a trade for her grandmother’s health – but can you trust a magical tiger?

Speaking of sick grandmas, Peter Lee’s Hammy is quite ill in Angela Ahn‘s Peter Lee’s Notes from the Field, and the eleven-year-old finds himself conflicted about the silence in his family. But Peter, who has honed his observation and experimental skills in his efforts to become a paleontologist, tries to use his science skills to make a plan to help out Hammy.

Conflict over career choice underlies Stand Up, Yumi Chung! by Jessica Kim, as the titular Yumi Chung tries to convince her parents that she has a future career as a comedian. Her Korean parents want her to pass a scholarship exam so she can attend an exclusive private school. But when she stumbles into a comedy camp led by her idol Jasmine Jasper and is mistaken for another camper, her madcap double life begins!

Tiến, not unlike Becky in EEAO, is a second generation immigrant who struggles with how to tell his Vietnamese parents he is gay in the beautiful graphic novel The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen. But he loves his family and friends and wants to share his secret with them, so he uses his beloved fairy tales to navigate through the difficult conversations and choices in his life.

Sisters Stella and Luna (who are not bats) learn about their mama’s youth in the Philippines in Cookie Hiponia‘s We Belong, a novel in verse that combines the immigrant experience with Filipino myth and legend. The girls ask their mama about the Philippines, and she combines her childhood as a strong-willed middle child and immigrant with that of the story of Mayari, the mythical daughter of a god.

YOUNG ADULT

The feeling of not belonging shoots through both our movie and Imposter Syndrome and Other Confessions of Alejandra Kim by Patricia Park. Alejandra Kim, daughter of second-generation Korean Argentines, has trouble fitting in at her elite and progressive prep school where she’s surrounded by wealthy white classmates who don’t know she’s a scholarship student. Add to that, her father recently died, and Alejandra has a difficult relationship with her mother at best (if that sounds familiar at all).

Reconnecting with the roots of family she’s never known is central to Throwaway Daughter by Ting-Xing Ye (with William Bell). Grace Dong-mei Parker is a Canadian teenager who was adopted from China, who has little interest in her birth mother’s country until she witnesses news footage of the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre. Grace studies Chinese and travels back to China in search of her birth mother to uncover the story of what happened almost twenty years before.

Intergenerational differences – particularly attitudes around dating – are at play in Jennifer Yen‘s fun rom-com A Taste for Love. Liza Yang and her mother may not agree on dating, but they agree on a love of baking. So when Liza decides to help out at her mother’s bakery’s annual bake-off, she gets a shock when she discovers all of the baking contestants are young Asian American men her mother has handpicked for Liza to date (!).

Romance and mother-daughter relationships also form the heart of From Little Tokyo, with Love by Sarah Kuhn, a love story with a fairy tale twist. Orphan Rika lives with her bossy cousins and works in her aunts’ business in Los Angeles, but things change during the Nikkei Week Festival, when she begins to believe festival guest and rom-com sweetheart Grace Kimura may be her long-lost mother! Luckily, she also gets to work with cute actor Hank Chen, as she quests through Little Tokyo to discover the truth.

A Scatter of Light is Malinda Lo‘s follow-up to her acclaimed (and frequently banned) Last Night at the Telegraph Club, and one in a most contemporary setting: a queer coming-of-age story against the first major Supreme Court decisions to legalize gay marriage in the States. Aria Tang West is sent to spend summer with her artist grandmother after a graduation party mishap. And it’s there that she finds community – and perhaps even romance – with Steph Nichols, her grandmother’s intriguing gardener.

Frank Li, the protagonist of Frankly in Love by David Yoon, has a troubled relationship with his culture. Though he doesn’t speak Korean and has lived in Southern California his whole life, his parents still expect him to end up with a “nice Korean girl.” Accordingly, Frank keeps his relationship with the (white) girl of his dreams, Brit, a secret by fake-dating a family friend with similar parental problems: Joy Song. And you’ve read enough rom-coms to know what happens next. Can Frank maintain two relationships? Can he truly be everything, everywhere, all at once?

Tundra Book Group