Realism: Contemporary and Historical Fiction

 The Journey of Little Charlie - Christopher Curtis



Curtis, Christopher Paul. Journey of Little Charlie. Scholastic Press, 2018.

    This was a heart-crushing story. It's about a boy named Charlie Bobo who is forced to go on a journey to Detroit and Canada to capture a family of escaped slaves. This book is more suited for older children. The depictions of human torture and especially the death of the father are pretty gruesome and younger children may find it very upsetting. There are a couple comedic moments that help lighten the mood. Those moments primarily have to deal with how nasty and unhygienic Captain Buck is. Those moments feel long but it's hard to not giggle at them. Another aspect that makes this book difficult to read is that the text is written in an older southern dialect. I listened to this book as an audiobook which made it easy to understand for myself but I could see my younger self getting frustrated if I was handed this. Lastly, the pacing of the plot works for the time. Getting to Detroit from South Carolina would take a few days on horseback. 

Merci Suarez Changes Gears - Meg Medina



Medina, Meg. Merci Suárez Changes Gears. Somerville, MA, Candlewick Press, 2018.

    This is a coming-of-age story that deals with the themes of economic class, family, and honesty. The book is very busy as it's filled with a lot of plot points, but some important ones include Merci's grandpa Lolo suffering from Alzheimer's disease and her family hiding it from her, her friend, Edna, being jealous of her proximity with the new boy and her getting bullied for it, and having to volunteer with the Sunshine Buddies program for her scholarship. The story has a lot to say about gender. Merci was often at odds with the boys in her class by them playing pranks on her or stealing her food. Merci at times is also criticized by her friends since she doesn't hold back in gym class or care about presenting feminine. Merci is assigned to help a boy named Michael for her Sunshine Buddies program, leading to Edna being jealous because she likes him. Then because Edna is popular, all of Merci's other friends stop talking to her as well. It shows that as children grow up, especially when they reach middle school, they start fitting into gender roles.

Comments

  1. Jen CJune 23, 2024 at 10:47 AM

    Part of readers advisory (and librarianship in general) is helping children find the right book for them. Some will be more than able to understand TJOLC (the text and emotions), while some won't. It is meant for 10-12 year olds (the older end of our range). You would just have to talk with the child and parent to know if it's right for them.

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