Color Me In by Natasha Diaz

COLOR ME IN by Natasha Diaz is a new young adult novel and I am honestly having trouble deciding if I would recommend it or not. Some positives are the ideas that the main character, a high school sophomore named Nevaeh, is bi-racial and has a mixed religious heritage (Christianity and Judaism); plus, her main friend, Stevie, is very interested in the fine arts and is competing for a dance scholarship. These are the types of characters not often featured in realistic fiction for middle or high school students and we need to see more of them.  The biggest negative however, is that Nevaeh is not at all like-able.  As Stevie says to her, “It’s always about what you need and you want…. I had one shot to get into that program and you couldn’t even support me. I needed you, and you’re so full of yourself you couldn’t see it.” In addition, her parents are in the midst of divorcing and her Mom is almost totally checked out and depressed. Her Dad has suddenly (and manipulatively) decided that Nevaeh should be studying for a bat mitzvah even though she is much older than the traditional age. That provides a reason for her to develop a relationship with a young female rabbi (another positive aspect) who, however, also berates Nevaeh for her attitudes and actions: “I think you spend a lot of time complaining about what’s out of your control instead of considering and appreciating what you’ve got.”  School Library Journal suggests this debut book for grades 8 and up and I think that it would probably have more appeal for students in late middle school and very early high school although there is some casual alcohol and substance abuse.

More YA debut fiction ...

OUT OF THE BLUE by Sophie Cameron is an emotional coming of age story.  The main character in this debut novel is 16 year-old Jaya. She recently lost her Mom in a freak accident, feels abandoned by her first girlfriend, and is angry with her father. He has quit his job and temporarily uprooted the family including her younger sister in order to pursue a quest to find a Being. Yes, Beings (or angels) have been falling from the sky and no one knows why. 

Sounds strange, right? But I really liked OUT OF THE BLUE much more than I thought I would.  Jaya is an appealing character and her adventures in Edinburgh somehow felt plausible despite the idea that she is the one to find a Being who is the first to miraculously survive the fall to Earth. Jaya enlists new activist friends Allie and Calum to protect and hide the Being from fanatic cults and exploitation. Cameron provides a very read-able (790 lexile) exploration of mortality and grief, while also probing the consequences of good intentions and their impact on both friends and family relationships. OUT OF THE BLUE credibly reflects a diverse society (including biracial, lesbian and disabled characters) and received starred reviews from Kirkus and School Library Journal (grades 9 and up).  Look for it on our shelves.

THEY COME IN ALL COLORS by Malcolm Hansen is another debut novel that features a biracial character, Huey Fairchild.  The story begins in early 1960s rural Georgia when Huey is a child and the local pool is closed rather than being opened to Black swimmers. He and his Mom move to New York where he is given a scholarship to a private school; the only other person of color there is the janitor. I was intrigued by the time period and premise; plus, Malcolm Hansen has some first-hand experience on which to draw since he, too, is biracial and moved quite a bit as a child. Hansen is a talented writer; for example, he memorably describes how young Huey met his Mom at a diner and “jumped into a booth beside her and squeezed her like she was the very last of the toothpaste.” However, THEY COME IN ALL COLORS seemed very disjointed with the story moving back and forth between Huey (age 8) in Georgia and New York (as a teenager). Like many young people, Huey is uncomfortable with being different, but he is very naïve about it, too, and that stretches believability. I found it difficult to develop empathy for Huey and this feeling was reinforced as he frequently acts out and invites trouble for himself and his Mom.

Hansen does prompt readers to think about important points like the assumptions we make.  Here, Huey describes a baseball error where one outfielder was not able to avoid another: “[I] explained to Suzie that Chacon was from Puerto Rico, which is why he wasn’t able to call off Thomas in English.  She asked if that was where my family was from. I’m from Georgia, I answered. I couldn’t believe what came out her mouth next. Oh. So-you’re American?”

Sadly, THEY COME IN ALL COLORS, like in the above passage, was made much more difficult to follow because of the absence of any quotation marks and overall I would have preferred a more linear, traditional telling. 

In the Midst of Winter by Allende and Dangerous Crossing by Rhys

Events in Isabel Allende’s latest novel, IN THE MIDST OF WINTER, span more than sixty years and two continents. The story begins with a massive snowstorm in Brooklyn in 2016, with Lucia Maraz, an academic from Chile, trying to stay warm in the apartment she rents in the brownstone belonging to Richard Bowmaster, an NYU professor in his 60’s. Due to an emergency, he has been out driving and skidded into the car of Evelyn Ortega, a young, undocumented immigrant for Guatemala. Having taken the car without permission, she is petrified of her violent boss and turns to Lucia and Richard for help. As there adventures continue, these three learn to build trust and share the stories of their lives, including the losses of family members due to military takeovers in Chile, drug and alcohol abuse in Brazil, and gang activity in Central America. Throughout, Allende evokes empathy for the plight of immigrants and refugees, from Richard’s father who fled the Nazis to those who (roughly a decade ago) protected Evelyn on her own journey North. At times, the stories were violent, heartbreaking, and difficult to read, but seemed especially poignant given recent debates about DACA and news of the sanctuary offered by more churches opening their doors to undocumented immigrants facing deportation. Allende is an award winning author who is not afraid to write of political injustice and masterfully incorporates historical events into this moving (and yet sometimes humorous) novel. IN THE MIDST OF WINTER received starred reviews from Booklist and Publishers Weekly.

DANGEROUS CROSSING by Rachel Rhys is not the “cozy, closed door” mystery novel that I had been anticipating.  It is certainly suspenseful, though, and offers an opportunity to discuss assumptions and prejudices about class, religion and gender. Told over several weeks in 1939, this historical fiction describes the ocean voyage of Lily Shepherd, a young girl traveling to Australia on an assisted passage program in order to take up a domestic service position. Onboard she meets Maria, a Jewish refugee, Edward, recovering from tuberculosis and his sister, Helena, as well as George, a bigoted fascist, and Eliza and Max, wealthy socialites. I had difficulty feeling much affection for any of the characters, but Lily has numerous adventures, even sees the pyramids, and experiences dramatic revelations. By the time the journey ends, two people are dead and the reader learns the surprising identity of the suspect police detained in the prologue.