Book Review: 'Spare Parts' by Joshua Davis

✰✰✰✰½ Four teenagers, who live with the constant threat of deportation, two dedicated teachers, and one simple, underwater robot come together in this inspiring story of street smarts, ingenuity, courage, teamwork, and unlikely friendship. These kids didn’t have a choice in coming to America; their parents brought them in the hopes of living a better life. As they grew up, these kids identify as American and remember very little about their lives in Mexico, and yet America isn’t eager to claim them.

Faced with stereotypes and misperceptions about immigrants, these four teens beat the odds and outperformed some of the most privileged students in the country to win a prestigious robotics competition. More importantly, these teens garnered respect from their peers and brought national attention to the plight of many children who were brought to this country illegally by their parents. This is their story, one of hope and struggle.

The Bottom Line: This inspiring tale makes discussing tough topics like immigration approachable. Written in short chapters, this is a quick read. The author makes the topics of technology and robotics easily understandable. Highly recommended reading for students in and teachers of high school and college. Also of interest to those in politics, science, and technology.

Book Club Notes: This book turned out to be a surprise hit with our group. It was written in approachable language, and chapters were small. The book created an open dialogue for a respectful discussion about some hot topics like immigration. We noted that there are many layers to the immigration dilemma. For example, should children who are brought to the U.S. illegally be treated the same as the adults who made the decision for them? Although we did not have any solutions to current immigration issues, we are more aware of the situation and able to converse about it. Although this book was published ten years ago, it remains current today.

Many in our group were naturally drawn to the story of Oscar Vazquez. Thank you, Oscar, for your service to America.

The movie was enjoyable for entertainment purposes. While the movie did a good job of maintaining the themes of the book, it did take certain creative liberties. We discussed the differences in the movie ending versus the book. Overall, on a scale of 1 - 5, with 5 being the highest, the book rated 4.6 and the movie 4.5! Highly recommended for everyone.

Discussion questions are readily available online at Reading Group Guides, Teach with Movies, and the Kansas State University faculty guide. 

Details: Spare Parts: Four Undocumented Teenagers, One Ugly Robot, and the Battle for the American Dream by Joshua Davis. Paperback published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux in 2014. 224 p. ISBN: 978-0-374-53498-1 

Book Review: 'Balloons Over Broadway' by Melissa Sweet

✰✰✰✰½ Have you ever wondered how the gigantic balloons in the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade came to be? They are the highlight of the parade for many, but most of us have no idea how it all started. Over a hundred years ago, a talented immigrant named Anthony "Tony" Frederick Sarg came to America. He specialized in making marionette's with lifelike movements. After coming to New York City, Macy's department store asked Tony to design a "puppet parade" for the store's "Wondertown" windows. The display was so popular, Macy's tasked Tony with creating a holiday parade for all the immigrants employed by Macy's. 

The first Thanksgiving Day parade in 1924 was a huge hit and included live zoo animals. Over the years the parade grew, but some of the children were afraid of the animals. Tony hoped to replace the lions and tigers with puppets, but how? And how did the puppets turn into the iconic, gigantic balloons? Check out this book for an informative, but entertaining read about Tony Sarg, the puppeteer who transformed the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade into the event we look forward to each year.

The Bottom Line: Written and illustrated by Caldecott Honor Winner, Melissa Sweet, this biography of Tony Sarg is filled with fascinating, colorful illustrations in gouache, collage, and mixed media. The book includes an Author's Note with some interesting tidbits about Tony and his life's work, information about the art in the book, a bibliography, and sources for quotes. Both Sarg's story and the author remind us "...that "play" may be the most important element in making art!" Highly recommended for kids ages 7 - 10 or anyone who is interested in art and American History.

Details: Balloons Over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy's Parade written & illustrated by Melissa Sweet. Picture book published by Houghton Mifflin Books for Children in 2011.  40 p. ISBN: 9780-547-19945-0 

Book Review: 'Aggie Morton: Mystery Queen: The Body Under the Piano' by Marthe Jocelyn

✰✰✰½ When well-to-do, but shy, Aggie Morton discovers a body, the young girl quickly learns to accept getting out of her comfort zone. With the help of a young boy from Belgium, the new friends begin to uncover the clues to solving the crime. Unfortunately, the police seem to be following the clues down a different path. With time running out, the timid young girl and her foreign friend must sort everything out before danger befalls them as well. Pick up this mystery set in the seaside town of Torquay, England in 1902 for a tale of adventure and mischief.

The Bottom Line: This middle grade novel is a sweet nod to the real Queen of Mystery (Agatha Christie) and one of her leading characters (Hercule Poirot). While the beginning was a bit slow, the story picked up the pace in the middle and end for a surprising ending. Young fans of mystery and historical fiction will enjoy these characters in this new mystery series.

Details: Aggie Morton: Mystery Queen: The Body Under the Piano by Marthe Jocelyn. Hardcover published by Tundra in 2020. 336 p. ISBN: 978-0-7352-6546-2 NOTE: I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This was made possible via the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program.