Karen English

It’s the summer of 1965 in suburban Los Angeles. Sophie and her family, including older sister Lily, have recently moved into a new neighborhood as the only black family. She befriends Jennifer, who initially becomes her champion as the area children show their racism - “You know we don’t allow colored people in our pool - or in our house”. Mrs. Baylor, the housekeeper doesn’t much like her. Sophie’s older sister Lily is preparing to go to college and has developed a crush on the show more housekeeper’s son Nathan, despite her parents objections that he is the wrong type for her to be associating with (he is darker skinned black). Lily encourages Sophie to branch out, especially as when Jennifer will be away for weeks at summer camp, and the school year is starting soon. Jennifer befriends another girl at camp, and now she seems lost to Sophie. All in all, not an a-typical summer for the mid-1960s.

And then, it happened. A minor traffic incident in the Watts neighborhood of LA escalates into the Watts Riots. Lily is panicked when Nathan can’t be reached and tries to find him. And Sophie and Lily understand more about what it means to be black in Los Angeles, in the United States.

This book is subtle, almost sneaky in how the plot builds and explodes. As someone who lived during the 1960s, I remember what it was like - endless summer days trying to find someone to play with, heat, limited TV programming, wandering the neighborhood and community to occupy the time. Karen English cleverly depicts this time period, and what it meant to be black, both privileged and not. Lily works in a shop where the people think she’s Jewish as she’s light skinned enough to get away with it. The family has enough means to live in this nicer neighborhood and have a housekeeper, but still can’t fit in. Telling the story from Sophie’s perspective allows the reader to go from innocence to knowing/seeing. The relationships in the story, between Sophie and Jennifer, Lily and Nathan, the parents, the girls and their parents seem very natural. I highly recommend this novel, to middle school and up, and its appeal is not limited to its use as a multicultural story. show less

These characters were so realistic they annoyed the heck out of me. Which, I suppose, is the hallmark of a good writer. Bossy Deja and her best friend Nikki are dealing with normal, everyday problems – Nikki thinks her parents might be getting a divorce, Deja is mad that her aunt won’t let her eat candy…then their teacher announces that the elementary school is going to have a student president. Deja is absolutely sure she is going to win and goes into action right away, appointing show more Nikki her campaign manager and bossing people right left and center. She thinks her only serious competition is perfect Antonia, but Deja is in for a big surprise.

Unfortunately, Deja never really learns anything from this encounter. She ignores Nikki’s concerns about her parents, makes everyone else on her “team” do extra things for her, and dismisses Yolanda because she’s fat and unpopular. Readers will be relieved when Deja gets a small measure of comeuppance and is disappointed in her bid for even more control, but all Deja takes away from the experience is the belief that she didn’t win because she is only a third grader – next year, when she’s a fourth grader, she’s sure she’ll make it.

Nikki and Deja’s friendship was what bothered me most. Younger kids often do have friendships with less give and take than adults. The more aggressive and confident ones will take charge and the others will be content to follow. But that doesn’t mean it’s a good model. Nikki stands up to Deja a few times, but as soon as Deja needs her back to bolster her ego, she falls in line.

Like I said, these characters are so realistic they’re annoying. Deja is the type of little girl who usually has books written about her, making her look cute and funny. Maybe it wasn’t the author’s intent, but Karen English seems to have shown her in a more balanced light, showing how she hurts other people’s feelings and isn’t a very good friend because she is so focused on being in charge and her own ideas and wants.

Verdict: This is a very realistic story of girls’ friendships in school – read and discuss with your own young girls or it would make a great choice for a book club, talking about healthy friendships and how to deal with bossy and controlling friends.

ISBN: 9780547435589; Published July 2011; ARC received from publisher at ALA show less

Ages 7-10.

Carver Elementary school students Nikki and Deja are inseparable friends. As they sit on the porch before homework time, they realize that their street is full of intriguing goings-on and stories. The friends decide to write a neighborhood newsletter with only the interesting, “newsy” news that catches readers’ attention. When a slow news week tempts Nikki and Deja to be creative with their story details, they find themselves in deep trouble.

As the third book in the Nikki and show more Deja series, Newsy News requires no background knowledge of the friends’ previous stories from readers. The effective transitional chapter book format helps will emergent readers to feel successful. Each chapter begins with a descriptive title and a small illustration to provide story clues. Most chapters include a full page and quarter page illustration of the girls’ activities.

While the girls learn an important lesson about ethical journalism, the moral of the story is not overbearing, and Nikki and Deja do not transform into impossibly perfect children. They remain appealing and relatable characters who have fun and learn together, but occasionally have trouble sharing and listening to each other.

Readers will want to make friends with this enterprising and creative duo of pals. Recommended. show less

I think that this book is representing two different topics important to children - diversity, and issues connected to it, and selflessness. Marisol, a young bi-lingual girl, hurries back home to see if the cat Luisa has had her kittens yet, but is stopped at every step of the way and asked for help by neighbors and relatives who do not speak English. Marisol shows a great example of a kind-spirited and generous child; she does not complain or refuse. I liked the fact that the author points show more out in a repetitive manner that Marisol gets rewarded in one way or another for the help she gives. This book might serve as a model of behavior for those children whose parents are not as proficient in English, and who sometimes need patience and help from their bilingual children. show less