The Button Girl: A Review and Autographed Giveaway, Part I

Today I'm bringing you another clean-read, young adult fantasy. The Button Girl, by Sally Apokedak is a well-plotted book with thorough world-building and memorable characters. Next week, Sally will answer questions I had about the book including how her Christian faith impacted the story and her publication journey.

Like Ships, Secrets, & Survivors, each chapter is prefaced with a short paragraph. In The Button Girl, quotes from fictional books and the protagonist's own poetry enhance the theme of each chapter. There are also quotes from the book of Providence which is the power controlling people's lives that is referenced throughout the book.  

REVIEW

What happens when you are raised for sixteen years knowing that the overlords will steal your first two sons and make them into slaves after you button (i.e., marry) your betrothed? 

If your name is Repentance Atwater, that is the dilemma you face as you mature into womanhood. It is the dilemma you answer with all of the integrity you can muster: you will risk the shame that will be brought on your family and your own severe punishment of banishment to the city of the overlords.  You will go against... Providence himself, call him a liar, and say that he has not provided as he ought. (p. 7) You will refuse to button. 

With that as the premise, the reader is quickly inside Repentance's point of view as she refuses the one young man who wants to button her and who she detests--Sober Marsh. 

Since they fail at buttoning, Sober and Repentance are taken as slaves to the overlord's city. When faced with the realization that leaving her home was a mistake, Repentance fills with so much regret that she saves the buttons from her blouse--the very buttons that were supposed to unite her to Sober.

At the slave market, the two are bought by different owners. As they separate Repentance looks at Sober: 

Sober lifted his head and Repentance flinched, expecting to see hatred in his eyes. Instead she was met with only sorrow. he held her gaze until she had to look away, as waves of shame and despair crashed over her. (p. 62)

Repentance is relieved to discover he doesn't hate her and perhaps even forgives her for losing their freedom. The book proceeds as she seeks to escape but is hounded by the knowledge that if she disobeys or is caught, her younger sister Comfort will also be enslaved. 

She resigns herself to being one of the prince's concubines, only to be "rescued" by his elderly uncle who wants her for himself. But, "by Providence" he never touches her. His only intent is to save her from his cruel nephew who is next in line to rule after the old man dies.

Repentance's safety is fleeting. The cruel nephew has his sights on the throne and on Repentance. Repentance must use her wits to try and keep herself and her family safe--everyone is in danger because of her own selfish decision not to button Sober. In the middle of it all, she thinks, If Providence wasn't  real, then she had no one to blame for her troubles, maybe. (p. 167)

As Providence would have it, Sober works for the farmer who delivers food to the palace where Repentance lives. Even as she rejoices in seeing him and realizes that he has forgiven her, there are many suspenseful obstacles that keep them apart. 

Along the way, Repentance gains much self-knowledge and Sober proves to be true and loyal--exactly what very young woman should desire in her betrothed. 

Repentance shivered. She had never been content. That was her problem. She's always railed against Providence and the unfair treatment he allowed. She hadn't run away form the village for such noble reasons. She wasn't so much loving her future babies as trying to protect her own heart and trying to strike back at the hated overlords... (p. 323).

Sally Apokedak has cleverly brought together romance, fantasy, plot twists, family secret reveals, and thought-provoking material on the nature of providence to keep young adults (and adults!) turning the pages. 

Next week Sally will give you an inside look into why she wrote this book and what she hopes it will accomplish.

GIVEAWAY

Leave a comment this week and I'll enter your name for the giveaway. Leave a comment next week and your name will be entered twice! A winner will be chosen on July 2. Continental U.S. addresses only. PLEASE leave me your email address if you are new to my blog.

                                                                    ********

Congratulations to Lisa Fowler who won Ships, Secrets, & Survivors from last week's blog.

Maiden of Iron: A Steampunk Fable--A Review and Giveaway

Last fall I purchased Edie Melson's book,  Maiden of Iron, at the Write2Ignite conference and I just got around to reading it. Who knew that such a fabulous story was quietly sitting on my shelf waiting for me to plunge into?

REVIEW

If you (or a middle grade or young adult reader you want to give this book to--after you read it) love books that include espionage, a threatened monarchy, dirigibles, dungeons, duals, germ warfare, childhood friends who can't seem to figure out that they love each other, Robin Hood and Maid Marion, revenge, dying children, a wedding that should never happen, and fantastic science-fiction-steampunk inventions--then, this is the book for both of you. 

Maiden of Iron has all of this--plus great writing, terrific pacing and tension, two points of view (AND an omniscient point of view-- trust me, it works!), two brave protagonists, and an antagonist that you want to detest! What more could a reader ask for?

I normally take my blog readers through the plot of a book, but I think the description above should whet your appetite.  But just so you can see what I mean, here are a few snippets. 

Lady Marion Ravenswood leaned back on her elbows and kicked at the tunnel grate. The long, black leather duster had been a good choice, protecting her trousers from the dirt and chill, but she should have thought to bring an oil can as well. The humidity in these steam tunnels played havoc with iron, and things were always rusting shut. 

"Come on girlie, put a little weight behind it." Gretta, also in men's attire, squatted in the tunnel behind Mairon, looking more at home in the breeches than any lady of quality ever should. "We need to get in place." 

Marion took a deep breath, made a conscious effort to ignore the stench, and kicked again, sending the metal grate tumbling to the floor." (p.1)

Are you intrigued? Here's more later in the chapter:

Even if he couldn't see what was happening, the noise around Robin proved the little minx was making good her threat to steal his gold. Bested in front of his men--by a girl no less. Well, no longer a girl. The glimpse he'd had was of a striking young woman. As he struggled with his bonds, they began to loosen. Beautiful or not, perhaps he'd turn the tables on her yet.

"You know we'll be long gone before you wiggle free." Marion's voice was low and close. (p.9)

And from the opening of Chapter 4 where the reader meets the antagonist:

Lord Stanton stepped away from the doorway to examine the stallion as the groom led him into the bright sun of the stone-cobbled yard. Edward's chest expanded as he gazed on his latest creation. Easily eighteen hands, but not just the size distinguished this equine. Man O' War was the perfect union between horse and machine. The technology he used integrated the latest steam devices grafted on and within a living, breathing animal. The massive hindquarters were a miracle of intricate cogs, pistons, and flesh. (p. 42)

GIVEAWAY

I am giving away my gently read autographed copy of this book. Leave me a comment with your email address by 6 PM on September 4. If you're reluctant to leave your email address just send me an email and I'll enter your name. 

American Road Trip: A YA Audio Book Review and Giveaway

Congratulations to Danielle Hammelef who won BREAD FOR WORDS from last week's blog. A word to all of those who also want to win books. Sometimes I run "specials." If you share my post on social media, you'll earn extra chances. That's why Danielle's library is growing. Look for these specials so yours can too!

*****

I'm trying to figure out a good lead-in sentence for American Road Trip by Patrick Flores-Scott. But all I can think to say is, "This is a very good book that young adults should read." Totally unoriginal and unimaginative, but there's my opinion in a nutshell. I listened to this audio book, courtesy of Recorded Books. The narrator, Luis Moreno, portrayed the character's voices authentically. Don't believe me? Listen to this audio clip. 

REVIEW

Teodora ("T") Avila's family is falling apart. Ever since his oldest brother, Manuel, left for the Iraq War, (with his father's blessing, but not his mother's) nothing has been right. His parents lose their jobs and only his mother finds another one. Teodora's older sister Xochitl (pronounced Soe-cheel and nicknamed Xoch) is a fantastic singer who wants to hold their family together. Each family member thinks that when Manny comes back, everything will be better.

But, Manny comes home and it is clear that his presence is not the family medicine everyone hoped for. In fact, he has PTSD, refuses treatment, and turns to drugs and alcohol. T's life is miserable and he's close to flunking out his junior year. When he sees an old friend, Wendy, at the University of Washington ("U-Dub"), he tries to impress her by saying he plans to attend there. 

Their budding romance (mostly through texts) inspires T to hit the books. He is accepted into the AVID program, and gets a job to pay for tutoring. But when Manny punches through a wall into T's bedroom, T escapes to his friend's house. "I'm done hoping for us, but not for me." 

Xoch comes up with a plan. Under the pretense of helping Manny reconnect to good memories, she drives her brothers to see their maternal grandmother. Except T doesn't realize this is the beginning of a long road trip. Manny has his ups and downs, Xoch's old car breaks down several time, and T is furious that his summer plans to prepare for his senior year are ruined. The theme of lying to protect oneself or to get help for someone you love permeates the book.

Along the way, T learns family history that sheds light on his parents, sees Wendy and sparks fly, goes to a funeral for a distant cousin, hears of Manny's suicide attempt, and realizes how messed-up his brother is--and how he truly needs to help him. 

Their road trip ends at Tio Ed's green chile farm in New Mexico. Tio Ed, a Vietnam veteran, understands what Manny is going through and gets him help from the VA and support from other local veterans. 

Wendy ends up at the farm as T's tutor. Although there is clear sexual attraction, they discuss the slippery slope of sex and agree to be intentional; T follows through on his promise to "be a gentleman." They burn off sexual tension building a chile stand together and T discovers a passion for architecture. 

Readers may object to T's occasional offensive language and the references to sex. I was impressed by their mutual decision to exercise restraint and wish other young adult books would follow this example.  

The whole time he and Wendy are together, T fights his fear of failing and showing his "stupid self" to Wendy. When she does find out he lied to her back at U-Dub, he has a price to pay. 

It turns out that everyone has a price to pay. Manny paid a enormous price in Iraq. Xoch decides to make a huge sacrifice for their family which inspires T to make a difficult decision. Although T’s transformation is most obvious, each member of the Avula family has a journey of their own. Who is the hero or heroine? Read the story and decide for yourself. 

Teachers: Click here for an educator's guide.

GIVEAWAY

Leave me a comment by February 8 if you're interested in entering this giveaway. Remember! Leave me your email address if you are new to my blog. 

One Week Of You: A Review and Giveaway

Last October I was privileged to host Lisa Williams Kline's cover reveal for her newest YA book, ONE WEEK OF YOU (Blue Crow Publishing, 2019).  At that time Lisa shared her path to publication and the book's backstory. Since then I've had the opportunity to read this well-written and engaging story (I didn't want it to end!) and am excited to share it with you.

REVIEW

For as long as she can remember, fifteen-year-old Lizzy has been a serious student who wants to be a doctor and isn't distracted by boys or any fun activities like cheerleading. But that was before Andy Masters--the newest and most popular guy who flirted with her; before she made the cheerleading team; and before she had to carry around a 5-pound bag of flour--her "flour baby"--as part of sex education in Health. 

From: http://www.themagrag.com/2012/02/flour-sack-babies.html

Despite Lizzy's old best friend's warnings that she is in danger of losing focus and her brother's concern over her constantly forgetting her flour baby, Lizzy can't stop from succumbing to what she describes as "AMSD: Andy Master Smiling Disease." The book is full of Lizzy's infatuation as well as her questions (Does he really like me?) which are so typical of young love. 

To increase the tension, the week of the flour baby is also April Fool's week, false fire alarm riddle the school, and Lizzy ends up in detention. She looks down at the other students in detention and gets angry with the teacher who accuses her of not being the sweet person she has portrayed to everyone in the school. In this mirror moment, Lizzy begins to see herself in a different way.

I know since I've had this crush on Andy I've morphed into this totally different person, and I've totally forgotten a lot of stuff and done handsprings on the soccer field during a school evacuation and gotten a few extra flour babies...Maybe it will kill my parents when they find out everything I've done this week.  

... I'm filled with fury, and then it turns into something else. I realize that up until this afternoon I've been judging everyone in this room. (p.80)

True to her investigative nature, Lizzy tries to figure out who is setting the fire alarms. She even wonders if Andy, as the high school reporter/broadcaster, initiated the fire drills to make a journalistic point. Is he a creep or a good guy? Her affection for him is tested on several occasions; she ends up feeling ashamed for lying to her parents and for her poor decisions during her first babysitting job.  

I'm always impressed when an author portrays and uses secondary characters well. After her downfall, Lizzy has a heart to heart talk with her parents. She confesses to feeling bad over how she treated a boy who irritated her. Her father's reply is a message teens need to hear:

Well, when I said to be nice to everyone, I guess I meant to be kind and cordial to everyone. That doesn't mean you have to be best friends with someone you don't want to be close to...You're allowed not to hang out with him. You're allowed to set boundaries. (p. 174)

Her mother chimes in with great advice that I hope girls (and women!) who read this book will take to heart:

"Someone who loves you will never ask you to compromise yourself." (p. 176)

Kudos to Lisa Kline for showing a teenage girl conflicted over her desires to want a boy to like her and concerns about giving up her self. This clean book for young adults realistically portrays sex education and is a welcome addition to the young adult genre that is heavily infused with poor parent-child relationships and characters experimenting with sex and drugs. 

And by the way--the ending is perfect!!

GIVEAWAY

I have a gently used paperback to give to one of you. If you share this post on social media or become a new follower of my blog, I'll add your name twice. Just let me know what you do in the comments and please leave your email address if you are new to my blog. A winner will be drawn on April 4. 

Cynthea Liu's "The Great Call of China": A Review and a Giveaway

I have a habit of buying books. I'm particularly prone to this "vice" when attending writers conferences. But fortunately for you, I like giving away the books after I've read them.

Culling through my shelves recently, I found Cynthea Liu's young adult book, The Great Call of China which I apparently bought at a SCBWI-Carolinas event in 2009. 

It's about time I read it!

This is the fourteenth in a fifteen book series published by Penguin from 2005-2010, S.A.S.S. (Students Across the Seven Seas). This  multi-author series features a student studying abroad in a different country.  

Liu's book stars Cece who travels to China to study her passion--anthropology. But the trip has special meaning for Cece. She wants to go to the Beijing orphanage where she spent her first two years. She hopes to find her biological parents--without her parents knowing about it.

Cecil's guilt and ambivalence of finding her biological parents is a theme throughout the book. Her search for her family is an interesting backdrop to her love for anthropology. Both involve her digging for the truth; and both present challenges and obstacles. 

In a moment of reflection in the middle of the book, Cece is visiting The Bell Tower in Xi'an where four major roads cross. (Note: this is a great example of using a setting to reflect a character's emotions. In this case, the crossroads show Cece's indecision. I just discovered this symbolism in One Stop for Writers!). She is thinking about Jess (her roommate) and Will (her crush who seems more interested in Jess than in her.)

Cece leaned against the balcony rail, studying them [elderly adults doing tai chi] a while longer. Then she looked past the square, at the citizens crowding the streets, the signs written in Chinese and the bikes, buses, and cars...It was all so different from everything she knew, and it made her wonder if China would ever feel like a place where she could belong. Like she could be a part of this country, too.

She listened to the bell ring over the city.  

Then she saw her purpose here with more clarity than ever before. Who cared what happened with Will and Jess? It was trivial compared to what she was about to embark upon in Beijing in a couple of weeks. She would be getting a chance to learn more about herself, and that was what she should be thinking about. (p.100) 

Jess's story is an interesting counter-balance to Cece's. A little on the wild side, Jess is only in the summer program to try and make her father happy. When her grades don't meet his expectations, she pulls out of the program with a decision to follow her dreams of attending design school. 

In a candid conversation before she leaves, Jess tells Cece: 

"You're so lucky, Cece. Your parents--they don't care about all that. They're just glad they have you, right? And they probably loved you unconditionally since they got you." (p.215)

Seeing herself through the Jess' eyes, Cece grows in self-awareness and realizes what she still needs to do.

The romance which eventually develops between Cece and Will is sweet, does not overpower the story, and is written without sexual overtones. Although the book is listed as young adult, I think girl readers in the upper range of middle school will enjoy it also. 

If you want to win my gently-read autographed copy of The Great Call of China for yourself or your favorite 7-9th grade female reader, leave me a comment by June 3. Please leave your email address if I don't have it. As usual, if you share this on social media or become a follower of my blog, let me know what you have done and I'll enter your name twice. 

The Secret Sky:A Novel of Forbidden Love in Afghanistan and A Giveaway

This new young adult novel by Atia Abawi, a foreign news correspondent stationed in Afghanistan during the war, has all the elements of Romeo and Juliet: young lovers from families of different social status and backgrounds, parents who disapprove of their relationship, a jealous cousin, deaths of innocent secondary characters, and a clandestine marriage performed by a sympathetic priest.  Except this story takes place in modern day Afghanistan and (spoiler alert!) it does have a happy ending.

Abawi lifts the veil into a society that will shock most Westerners. She portrays a modern world set in a remote Taliban-controlled village where not only are marriages arranged by parents, but teenage girls and boys can’t talk privately without being accused of sexual immorality and girls risk death by the hands of their fathers for meeting a boy alone. Add to this that girls don’t attend school and upper-class boys go to school to become Taliban soldiers—and you have the key world building components of The Secret Sky.

Into this world step childhood friends, Fatima, who is Hazara and Samiullah who is  Pashtun. Samiullah has just returned from the Taliban controlled school and Fatima doesn't know why. The two meet surreptitiously and confess their love for one another. Stakes are raised when Rashid, Samiullah’s jealous cousin, sees them and reports their meeting to the couples’ fathers.  Believing that the only way to save Fatima’s honor is by declaring his intention to marry her,  Samiullah actually digs a pit so deep that they must escape. 

Told from three points-of-view, each character’s journey is full

of external and internal conflicts. If Fatima leaves her deeply-loved family she will surely cause them shame. Samiullah constantly wrestles with his responsibility to Fatmia. Can he ask her to give up her family to go to Kabul where they know no one but could be together? Will Rasheed’s jealousy and own painful backstory fuel his loyalty to the Taliban and betrayal of his cousin  and Fatima? These questions propel the story forward. 

The secondary characters in The Secret Sky round out the story. Fatima's best friend's grandmother who is teaching the girls how to read, remembers a time when women were freer and bemoans the direction of her country. The Taliban soldiers, the main characters' family members, and the priest who marries them are portrayed with in-depth accuracy. 

As I listened to this audio CD I was reminded of The Good Braider, another contemporary book depicting another culture. I label both as contemporary historical fiction and recommend using them in middle and high school classrooms.  

Here is a short video clip in which Abawi gives an overview of the novel: 

I would like to pass along this audio CD courtesy of Recorded Books. Leave me a comment by 6 PM on January 15 and I'll enter your name. Become a new follower of this blog or share this on your social media of choice and let me know that you did, I'll put your name in the hat twice. 

PLEASE leave me your email address if I don't have it. If you don't, you will be disqualified.  U.S. postal addressed only.  

Turning On a Dime- A Review and a Giveaway!

Time travel. The Civil War. Multi-cultural. Horses. Romance. There aren't many books that fit such a wide variety of categories--but Turning on a Dime by Maggie Dana does just that.

Samantha DeVries' father is Lucas DeVries, a third-generation American of Dutch descent and master horseman; her mother, Gretchen, is an African American and a history buff who has traced her family's lineage back to 1875.

Caroline Chandler is the daughter of a plantation owner in Mississippi who prefers her brother’s riding breeches to petticoats and pantalettes. But in spite of her tomboyish interests, she has lived within the boundaries of privilege and mid-19^th century decorum. Soon after the story begins, Caroline is sent to a neighboring plantation for a dreaded social visit. While there, she learns that her family has fled their farm after Union soldiers commandeered it. 

Samantha (Sam) and Caroline’s worlds intersect when Sam visits her father’s friend’s antebellum home to look at horses. Sam picks up what appears to be a dime from her bedroom floor and falls asleep listening to Lady Gaga on her Iphone.  When she wakes up, Caroline is staring at her and wondering what a slave is doing sleeping in her bed.

Sam gradually convinces Caroline of who she is, although she admits that she doesn’t know how she got there. Caroline is barely prepared for her guest from the future: she has read about a man who travels to the future and sees horseless carriages and flying machines. But she is even less prepared to see a black girl who speaks, acts, and thinks as independently as Sam does. Fortunately, their mutual love for horses helps ease them over their initial discomforts. Or as Sam says, “No matter who you’re talking to, if they love horses you can get beyond whatever barriers you think are out there...” (p. 45)

Told from both girls’ points of view, the reader watches as Sam and Caroline experience slavery’s painful effects. I particularly enjoyed their “ah ha” moments.  When Sam first realizes she must act like a slave in order not to be detected she thinks,

“I am in a nineteenth-century horse barn facing a man with a whip—a mean looking thing with a knotted leather thong—and I can tell he’s dying to use it on me.
“Yes, mister,” I mumble.
He raises the whip. “Go.”
So I shuffle off trying to look as dejected as possible, but inside I am raging with fury. How did my people live like this? (p. 83)

Later, after Sam is mistaken for a runaway slave and is captured, Caroline thinks,

My fists curl into balls. Angry tears stream down my face. All I can think of is Sam huddled on the dirt floor of a slave cabin, being kicked and whipped. Without Papa to curtail him, Zeke Tuner will be brutal. He’ll unleash all his vicious fury on my dearest friend.
How did I not see this before?
Shame joins my angry tears. I’m angry with myself, and I’m ashamed of the world I’ve inhabited all my life without seeing it for what it really is.” (p. 137-8)

The author does a great job of showing the girls overcoming their initial distrust and forming their surprising friendship. In the process, each girl learns about the other girl's seemingly foreign world. Their wit and strengths are tested after Sam is captured; but working together they find a way of escape—and a way for both of them to return to their families. 

Maggie Dana’s love for all things equestrian is neatly woven into the narrative and the plot. Although separated by 150 years, from the moment that Sam asks Caroline,  “What is your horse’s name?”  they have a common bond. From the saddles, tack, to horse quirks and mannerisms, this novel is a great example of an author using what she knows to build a believable, fictional world.

I would recommend this book to girls from 6th-10th grade, as well as to adults who want to use their own life experiences as a springboard into fiction. And while you’re at it, it’s a terrific example of interlacing multiple genres into one novel. Read it. Enjoy it. Learn from it.

 ********

To enter the giveaway for an autographed copy of Turning on A Dime, please leave a comment by 8 AM Friday, August 15. If I don't have your email address, make sure you leave that too. If you post this on your social media of choice or become a new follower to my blog, I'll enter your name twice. Thanks! 

My review of this novel originally appeared on LitChat on August 7, 2014.

Character + Plot = Pinned

Congratulations to Jeannie Smith who won Deanna Klingel's book, "Cracks in the Ice."

Writers have ongoing debates as to which is better, a character-driven story or one that is plot-driven. Obviously, both well developed characters and engaging plots are vital for a successful novel. As Rebecca Petruck said in a recent post, "Character and plot are Siamese twins. We must have plot to navigate so that we can experience how it would feel, but we only care about plot in how it reveals a character’s experience and feelings (her reactions)." 

I've been working on my two protagonists' character arcs for Half- Truths, deepening my knowledge of who they are, and asking them each about what they want and why (yes, novelists do "talk" to their characters!).  In the process, I am discovering just how much character influences plot and visa versa.

So, when I read (or listen) to a book, I am trying to figure out how the author has brought her characters to life and what their journey--or character arcs--are. 

Enter the latest book I have listened to:  Pinned by Sharon Flake. I thought as an exercise for me and to give you a taste of this excellent young adult book, I'd give a brief description of the characters and their arcs. But don't worry, I'll try hard not to include any spoilers. 

Adonis Miller is a brilliant 9th-grader who manages the school's wrestling team, tutors fellow students, and volunteers at the library--all from his wheelchair. He values honesty, hard work, and has little patience for students who don't apply themselves in school. 

Autumn Knight is the only girl wrestler on the school team, reads below her grade level, hates math, dreams of opening a restaurant, and loves Adonis. She is attractive, friendly, and brutally honest. 

The book opens by showing each character's normal: Adonis is busy with school work and managing the wrestling team and is annoyed by Autumn who will not leave him alone. Although Adonis detests girls who aren't smart, Autumn plagues his dreams. Adonis wants to do well in high school so he will be admitted to an excellent college. 

Autumn lives to wrestle; she is good at it and knows it. She dismisses her academic struggles although in the background, her parents (who also have difficulty reading) are beginning to pressure her to bring up her grades. Autumn wants to excel at wrestling, get Adonis to like her, and wishes that her failing grades wouldn't matter. 

Told from alternating points-of-view, Flake shows how both Adonis and Autumn seek to obtain their goals and are frustrated either by themselves (Autumn's inability to focus on her work leads to poorer grades and removal from the wrestling  team) or by each other (Adonis wants not to like/be seen with a girl like Autumn but is drawn to her). 

Although Adonis feels as if he is perfectly adjusted to the fact that he was born without legs, memories of a time when he was totally helpless plague him. Autumn matter-of-factly accepts his disability and texts him,

"Disabled is me not being able to read. And you with out legs. So (u+me) = perfect. Right?"

Her honest observations about how they are both "stuck" in their predicaments helps Adonis get out of his friendless world. Flake avoids the simple solution of Adonis becoming Autumn's tutor, but allows Autumn to figure out how (and why) she will learn how to read.  

Read this book to enjoy a powerful novel with wonderful, authentic voices. And after you do, you'll understand the title of this blog.