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Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga (2019)

1/27/2020

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Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga
By Super Kitty

Hoping,
I’m starting to think,
might be the bravest thing a person can do. 

                                  - Excerpt from Other Words for Home


Before the protests began, Jude lived with her family in Syria. She watched old American movies with her  best friend and walked on the beach with her older brother. She dreamed of being an actress like the ones in her favorite movies. That was before.

As tensions rise in Jude’s home city, she and her mother fly to America, where they move in with her aunt and uncle in Cincinnati. As Jude struggles to adjust to a new culture, language, school—a new life—she learns that America is different than it seems in the movies. Everything is big and loud and shiny, clamoring for attention. She learns that some people expect her to be a certain way before they even meet her, or seem to treat her differently when she starts wearing a headscarf. But in America she also finds friends, allies, hope for her family in Syria and a connection with those in America. She finds a place which, slowly but surely, begins to feel like home.

Every now and then I’ll randomly stumble across a book, decide to give it a try, and end up completely adoring it. Other Words for Home is definitely one of those. A combination of gorgeous free verse, multilayered plot, and a protagonist who I completely loved creates a poignant, inspiring story about finding a new home and growing up. The story never gets violent or dark, but still honestly faces the realities of being a young Middle Eastern refugee. I’ve connected with countless book characters in different ways over the years, but Jude touched me more deeply than any have in a long time. Her fears for her family and the future make her immensely relatable, but it’s her courage, dreams, and unquenchable spark which truly make her shine.

Although it’s a middle grade book, Other Words for Home can easily be enjoyed by readers of all ages—it’s also great for discussions or book groups. I would highly recommend it to readers ages 10+ looking for a story brimming with strength, courage, and hope for a better future. 

Note: Check out our interview with Jasmine Warga, author of Other Words for Home! And Other Words for Home was one of our favorites from 2020! 

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RapunzelReads 2019 Books of the Year

1/20/2020

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By Piranha T. and Super Kitty

As we begin the new year, we always enjoy looking back at our favorite books picks from the last year. There were lots of great stories in a variety of genres, but a few books stood out in particular--we're excited to announce that starting this year, we'll be honoring our very favorites reads from the past year as RapunzelReads Books of the Year!

​It was hard to decide, but here are our 2019 winners: 



Fantasy/Sci-Fi: City of Islands by Kali Wallace

What it's about: Mara lives in the City of Islands, a cluster of rocky isles raised from the sea long ago by the songs of the founders. She has always dreamed of mastering spell-songs and becoming a mage, but her circumstances prohibit that; she is an orphan without a home who struggles to keep herself alive. But when she discovers a cache of ancient bones on the ocean floor, Mara realizes they lead to a mystery even larger than she imagined--a mystery someone very powerful would do anything to keep hidden before the time is right. To read our full review, click here! 

Why we chose it: City of Islands is a well-written, excellently plotted, with one of the most unique and interesting worlds of any book we reviewed last year. Mara is a strong main character who was realistic and flawed without becoming annoying, and the supporting cast was diverse and interesting. The plot continually surprised me, in a way few books do, but even more did I notice the worldbuilding. Few books have


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Breakout by Kate Messner (2018)

1/14/2020

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By Piranha T.

When seventh grader Nora Tucker’s school announces this year’s summer homework—a contribution to a town-wide time capsule—she doubts anything worth writing about will happen. Wolf Creek may be home to a secure correctional facility, but the most interesting things which happen are cookouts and carnivals.

But when two prisoners break out of the Wolf Creek Correctional Facility, Nora’s life becomes much more tense. Suddenly, her mom doesn’t let her go outside, police are pouring into town, and her little brother has her check for inmates under his bed.

She also meets Elidee Jones, an African American girl from New York City whose brother is in the prison. And as the search continues and tension runs higher, Nora begins to realize that no matter how welcoming Wolf Creek believes itself to be, it’s still prejudiced—both inside the correctional facility and out.

Breakout was an unusual book which confronted issues of criminal justice and racial prejudice in a way which felt completely natural and was very well done. Kate Messner narrated it in a series of documents submitted by Nora to the time capsule project, mainly by Nora, her best friend Lizzie, and Elidee. This gave the book an unusual feel and depth, and uniqueness, too—there are few books effectively told completely in documents! But instead of becoming dry, it was a really engaging format.

​This book was recommended to me, and if it hadn’t been, I don’t know if I would have read it; however, I’m glad it was. Breakout was an interesting book which covered a lot of issues which I don’t often see in middle-grade books. For anyone who remotely likes realistic fiction, this is a book which is good to read. I would highly recommend Breakout to readers ages ten and up.

Note: Check out our interview with Breakout's author, Kate Messner! 

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Author Interview: Jennifer Richard Jacobson

1/6/2020

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Interview by Piranha T. and Super Kitty

Jennifer Richard Jacobson is the author of numerous books, including the novel Paper Things, a book about a homeless brother and sister living in Portland, Maine, which has received acclaim in the forms of starred reviews and awards. We found this book to be a realistic and thought-provoking read. We were thrilled to interview Jennifer Richard Jacobson for this month’s feature!
 

RapunzelReads: Paper Things has a premise that’s not common in Middle Grade books—what inspired you to write a story for kids about homelessness?

Jennifer Richard Jacobson: The idea for Paper Things came from my own childhood. I spent hours cutting out people and objects from catalogs. I created large families who lived in wonderful homes. Then I would give my “characters” problems! (In fact, I think it was this game that gave me lots of practice in creating stories.) 

I wanted to write about a girl like me. I wondered though, what girl in modern times would still play this game? After all, kids can play similar games on computers. Ah, I


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    Book Reviews By & For Kids

    Everyone knows that Rapunzel spent her early years locked up in a tower. We’d like to think she read plenty of books to while away the time, and that she’d appreciate our own favorites.

    Founded in 2014, our reviews focus on great books for middle grade (MG) readers. Beginning in 2018, we began adding selected Young Adult (YA) books as well, but only if we really love them and think Rapunzel Reads followers will too. Favorite picture books have their own page.


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    Check out our favorite books of 2022! 

    Read all about the 10 best books we read in 2022!

    Click here to read what we loved most about our top books. 

    Young Adult Reviews! 

    We're now featuring reviews for YA (ages 12+) books alongside our middle-grade reviews on our main page! (If you're not sure if a book is young adult, check the age range--if it's 12, 13, or 14+, it's YA.)

    ​Looking for more YA recommendations? Until 2022, we had a separate For Older Readers page, where we highlighted over two dozen awesome YA books. Check it out here! 


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