Judith Vigna

A young girl is having trouble enjoying Christmas. She's excited about the sled her dad got her, but he won't open her card or go sledding like promised. Instead, he just gets drunk and angry before fighting with our protaganists mother. The mother and daughter go visit Ms. Fields, a recovering alcoholic they had met through a support group. They all share Christmas dinner together and our main character felt safe at Ms. Fields.
What I could appreciate about this book was the bluntness of it. show more Children of addicts/ alcoholics know words such as "beer", "drunk", and "bar" at inappropriately young ages. So while some may find the vocabulary too adult or jarring, it actually makes sense in the book. I also appreciated Ms. Fields, because she was prove that a parent can recover from addiction. This is an incredibly sad and heavy book, but a necessary one. show less

My Two Uncles is the story of a little girl who learns why her Grandfather doesn't invite her Uncle's 'roommate' to family events and how her Grandfather slowly begins to inch closer to accepting the relationship in the end. I feel this book handled the very real scenario of homophobia among family members very well. I particularly liked how the author left the story open ended, with just a glimmer of hope for the Uncle and Grandpa's relationship. As someone who was neither accepted nor show more kicked out of the house for being gay, I find it refreshing to see a flawed gay child/unaccepting parent relationship that still manages to try. Yes, the two didn't completely reconcile in the book, but it was still evident that they cared for each other. I'm not saying it is okay to treat a child poorly and deny their identity- no matter how old the 'child' may be. I just hate seeing only two polar extremes represented when people are so much more complex than that. show less

This book is form 1992 and has historically been banned. It’s about a little girl named Christy, and her friend Kira. Kira lives in a bad neighborhood and her parents want to move. Christy suggests the house next door, and it happens. But neighbors are not happy with Kira’s family moving into their neighborhood, as Kira and her family are Black. They are mistreated and even have their property harmed, plus other neighbors move out. Unfortunately, things like this did and do still happen. show more “Not in my backyard” as the saying goes. There is no reason for this book to be banned. I could see a “problematic” label, as Chrissy and her family act as “white saviors” for the new family in the neighborhood. However, why hide reality from kids. Let them see it in books so they learn and grow, and we can avoid these situations in the real world. show less

My Two Uncles is a story told by the narrator we know as Elly. Elly is excited to share her love for her two favorite uncles – Uncle Ned and Uncle Phil. Unfortunately, Elly’s Grandfather is not so excited about his son Ned’s significant other Phil, and he makes it clear that he doesn’t want Ned to bring Phil to his fiftieth wedding anniversary party. Elly doesn’t understand why her grandfather doesn’t want uncle Phil at the party, and Elly’s father explains to Elly that because show more Uncle Ned is gay it’s hard for her grandfather to accept that. I thought it was beautiful that Elly being a young child couldn’t see what the big deal about her two uncles being together was, she was just glad they were happy together and wanted them both there. Towards the ending of the story, we see a possible change in Elly’s grandfather’s attitude. After Elly's grandfather and his wife opened up their special gift from his son Ned, it seems as his thoughts began to change. While doing a toast, Elly’s grandfather says – “And to Ned, who chose not to be here today because of a stubborn old man, but who is loved by us all”. At this moment, it seems that Grandfather is making light of the situation calling himself stubborn. At the end of the book, when Elly’s Grandmother stops by Uncle Ned’s house to thank him, Uncle Ned and Uncle Phil look out the window and Grandfather looking up smiling and waving, which signifies a possible new beginning for the family and a change in Grandfather. I enjoyed this story, and I feel as if it’s an important issue that shouldn’t be an issue. Although everyone’s belief system is different, this book shows that love is love no matter what, and even children are able to see that. show less