April 2022 - Page 6 of 14 - Anastasia Suen

The Way I Say It
by Nancy Tandon (Author)
@ Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound

Booktalk: Sixth-grader Rory still can’t say his r’s, but that’s just the beginning of his troubles. First Rory’s ex-best-friend Brent started hanging out with the mean lacrosse kids. But then, a terrible accident takes Brent out of school, and Rory struggles with how to feel.

Rory and his new speech teacher put their heads together on Rory’s r’s (as well as a serious love of hard rock and boxing legend Muhammad Ali), but nobody seems to be able to solve the problem of Rory’s complicated feelings about Brent. Brent’s accident left him with a brain injury and he’s struggling. Should Rory stand up for his old friend at school–even after Brent failed to do the same for him?

Snippet: “Brent, your friends are here,” Mrs. Millikin announces.

Like last time, I almost don’t recognize him. He has a soft helmet over buzz-cut hair. His eyes are open oddly-wide. Spit is collected at the corners of his mouth. He stares at us and squints like he’s trying to focus. He stands up.

“I don’t want to be here!” he says.

He comes charging at me. Teresa stands up and grabs his arm before he can knock me over.

“Brent,” she says, her voice firm and calm. “Your friends came to visit you. We’re going to say hi and talk for a while. “Sit down.”

I Hate Borsch!
by Yevgenia Nayberg (Author / Illustrator)
@ Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound

Booktalk: All Ukrainians are supposed to love borsch–but what if you hate the red stuff? A young girl despises Eastern Europe’s most beloved soup, and not even the grandmothers of Kiev can persuade her to change her mind. But when she immigrates to the United States, American food leaves her feeling empty. One day she discovers borsch recipes in an old suitcase. Maybe that disgusting beet soup deserves another chance…

A recipe and author’s note provide further ways to interact with the story.

Snippet:
And suddenly, I am transported back home.
I am sailing a borsch river on a carrot boat.
The sun is setting like a large beet.
Dill is blooming everywhere.