Outstanding Books of the Month – January 2023
Each month we post an annotated bibliography of books that were rated ‘Outstanding’ at our previous meeting and nominated for our year-end Distinguished List. You can see full reviews of these books and many more in on our BayViews blog. Interested in becoming a member? Join, come to our monthly meetings, and hear about these Outstanding books “in person”!
Picture Books
Farmhouse, by Sophie Blackall, illustrated by Sophie Blackall, Little Brown, 2022.
A farmhouse in upstate New York, once home to a lively family with 12 children, falls into disrepair after the youngest child grows old and leaves. Filled with intriguing details, this beautifully constructed book will spark the imagination of readers both young and old. (Grades P-3)
Hot Dog, by Doug Salati, illustrated by Doug Salati, Knopf, 2022.
A small, red, short-legged dog is suffering in the city summer heat and compels the older white lady owner that they must go to the beach. The text is brief with many wordless pages. The artwork carries the story, using gouache and pencil set into framed pictures. (Grades P-3)
Everything in Its Place: A Story of Books and Belongings, by Pauline Sax-David, illustrated by Charnelle Pinkney Barlow, Doubleday, 2022.
This is the story of a shy girl who faces her social anxiety and goes outside the school library to risk finding friendship and share poetry on the playground. (Grades P-4)
Fiction
Black Bird, Blue Road by Sofiya Pasternack, HarperCollins, 2022.
Twelve-year-old Riva sets out on an epic journey with her twin brother who is dying of leprosy. Steeped in Jewish lore, this thought-provoking fantasy features unique characters, a fascinating historic setting, and a powerful message about love and loss. (Grades 5-8)
Learning to Fall, by Sally Engelfried, Little, Brown, 2022.
Twelve year old Daphne is sent to live with her dad in Oakland for the summer, where she learns about her dad and things about her past. (Grades 5-8)
A Scatter of Light, by Malina Lo, Dutton, 2022.
High-school graduate Aria Tang West is sent to stay with her grandmother in Marin as a punishment that turns into an opportunity to learn more about her family’s past and her own sexuality and identity. Great descriptions of the summer of 2013 when gay marriage was legalized in California. (Grades 9-12)
All My Rage, by Sabaa Tahir, Razorbill, 2022.
Set in a small desert town in California, All My Rage tells the stories of Salahudin and Noor, two seniors in high school whose lives continue to be interwoven despite a broken friendship. Voices of different characters show us how poverty, prejudice and fear can twist lives for generations. (Grades 9-12)
As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow, by Zoulfa Kahtouh, Little, Brown, 2022.
18-year-old Salama attempts to survive the endless bombing in her native city of Homs as the Syrian civil war claims her parents, brother and future. Living to save her pregnant sister-in-law and escape, she also helps her people by volunteering at a hospital and builds a fragile relationship. (Grades 9-12)
Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence, An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators’ Revolution, by R.K. Kuang, Harper Voyager, 2022.
Set in the 1830s, Babel is a magical, political examination of imperialism, labor movements, individual identity and institutional racism, a tour-de-force filled with evocative description and deeply interesting exploration of language and violence, individual responsibility and moral choice.(Grades 8-Adult)
The Lesbianana’s Guide to Catholic School, by Sonora Reyes, Balzer+Bray, 2022.
After she’s outed by her best friend and crush, Yamilet decides to follow her brother to Catholic school in a wealthier neighborhood. This powerful, funny coming-of-age/coming-out story is unique in how it addresses Yami’s struggle with a religion she was born into. (Grades 7-Adult).
Drawing Outside the Lines: A Julia Morgan Novel, by Susan J. Austin, SparkPress, 2022.
Imagining the life of ground-breaking architect Julia Morgan from her childhood in Oakland through her university years in Berkeley, author Susan Austin skillfully blends actual and inferred information in a youth-appropriate and fascinating biographical novel. (Grades 4-10)
The Summer of Bitter and Sweet, by Jenny Ferguson, Heartdrum, 2022.
18-year-old Lou’s summer is changed from idyllic to threatening as secrets from her family’s past threaten to destroy them. A powerful coming-of-age story about a First Nations heroine who fights against both personal and institutional racism. (Grades 9-12)
Graphic Novels
Swim Team: Small Waves, Big Changes, by Johnnie Christmas, illustrated by Johnnie Christmas, HarperCollins, 2022.
Middle schooler Bree works hard to overcome her fear of swimming and lead her team to the state championships in this heart-filled graphic novel for fans of Jerry Craft and Raina Telgemeier. (Grades 3-8)
Poetry
Inheritance: A Visual Poem, by Elizabeth Acevedo, illustrated by Andrea Pippins, Quill Tree, 2022.
Acevedo’s word magic and rhythm combined with Pippins’ saturated and dynamic artwork explore the complex theme of black hair and its cultural associations. “How do you fix this shipwrecked history of hair?”Acevedo asks, and answers with a powerful and loving celebration. (Grades 5-Adult)
Biography
Only the Best: The Exceptional Life and Fashion of Ann Lowe, by Kate Messner, illustrated by Erin Robinson, Chronicle, 2022.
With panache and style, Black fashion designer Ann Lowe overcame blatant discrimination and established herself as a leading American stylist. Messner collaborates with art historian Powell to capture Lowe’s life and designs in this masterful picture book biography. (Grades 2-5)
The Tower of Life: How Yaffa Eliach Rebuilt her Town in Stories and Photographs, by Chana Stiefel, illustrated by Susan Gal, Scholastic, 2022.
In this moving picture book biography, Yaffa Eliach fled her beloved home, surviving the atrocities of the Holocaust. Author Stiefel shines a light onto the lives of the people of Eishyshok, as she recounts Eliach’s soaring display, the “Tower of Faces” at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum. (Grades 2-5)
The Woman Who Split the Atom: Lise Meitner, by Marissa Moss, Abrams, 2022.
Moss crafts an engrossing biography of Lise Meitner (1878-1968), a Jewish Austrian nuclear physicist, exploring the significance of her research, demonstrating her passion and commitment, and investigating the impact that sexism, antisemitism and personal betrayal had on her work. (Grades 6-10)
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