Christie Matheson

What’s a typical day like for a child who lives in a homeless shelter in San Francisco?

Maya, 10, walks readers through hers. Mama has a job interview, so Maya rides the bus to school alone, leaving her breakfast—a banana—for her 2-year-old sister, Gabby, whom Mama, if hired, must bring to work. Maya knows Gabby, with severe food allergies, fusses when hungry. Ever since a distracted driver plowed into their dad’s bicycle, he’s been hospitalized, sedated, with a traumatic brain show more injury; he’ll undergo surgery today. Maya attends a private school (tuition-free—Mama used to teach there, before the accident changed everything) in the affluent neighborhood where her family once lived. Students volunteer at a food pantry; now Maya’s family depends on one. She’s hidden her situation from classmates, even friends, dreading its discovery by a bullying mean girl. Yet Maya knows her White family is lucky: They have their own room at the shelter; Mama’s employable; Dad, a freelance writer doing well before the accident, may do so again. But Matheson makes it clear that there are no guarantees. The home they rented was sold; skyrocketing rents put most housing beyond their means, as medical insurance premiums consumed their resources. Bright, self-conscious, and affectionate, Maya’s a credible and appealing tour guide to living on the edge in an American city with vast income inequality and a fragile, fraying social safety net.

Brings a pressing national crisis into clear focus for young readers; highly recommended. (preface, author's note) (Fiction. 8-12)

-Kirkus Review show less

Full disclosure, I am not a big soccer fan. It's exciting, but not something I watch or regularly attend. This middle grade book about soccer has me rethinking everything. It is so good! Alex lives and breathes soccer. She and her younger sister, go to the rec as an escape and for Alex soccer is her lifeline. It helps that she is really, really good at it. After playing an amazing year she is recruited to join a traveling league, her gut tells her no because she loves her coach and her show more teammates, but she is getting it all paid for and this team has a chance to go to Nationals which will help her secure college scholarships later in life. She joins the team and is immediately disgusted by her coach. He is rude and sexist and not nice to any of the girls. But they are a good team and keep advancing. But is it worth it? What will happen when she starts to dread going to practice. An excellent book about sticking up for yourself and the difference between positive and negative coaching. show less

Fantastic both as instruction and entertainment. Chang (with help from Matheson) does a wonderful job explaining the whys and wherefores of the Flour recipes, and provides tips that are easily grasped and remembered by novice bakers. My one caveat is that I probably won't end up actually making some of the recipes, because of the amount of sugar, heavy cream, butter, etc. (I'm looking forward to Chang's forthcoming low-sugar cookbook.) Her personality and humor also shine through with show more numerous stories about her pastry career and her upbringing, and I finished the book feeling like I would love to sit down with Chang (at one of her bakeries, naturally) and chat over some coffee and pain au chocolat. show less

Rhymes are used to tell the story of a tiny seed going through the process of being planted and growing. This is for very young kids, but the book is really cute. The rhyming and rhythmic flow of the book are done really well; they do not compromise the story to make it rhyme, like we discussed in the class meeting about novice rhyming in children’s books. The illustrations are simple with a white background but with the plants and different creatures in brighter colors. It’s a simple show more story but well suited for younger kids and those that appreciate melodic word choices in children’s books. show less