Conspiracy Theories: A Compendium of History’s Greatest Mysteries and More Recent Cover-ups by Jamie King

Ever wondered about the intrigue behind conspiracy theories but lacked the time to go down the rabbit holes? Conspiracy Theories offers a concise exploration of both renown and lesser-known conspiracies. Each theory is summarized in four pages or less, providing essential details for understanding the core concepts. 

While the book's brevity is a strength, it also limits its ability to debunk the theories, leaving readers to evaluate their credibility themselves.  Those seeking a quick introduction to conspiracy theories will find this book valuable, but it's important for the readers to remember that all the theories presented are speculative.--Claudio Leon

King, Jamie. Conspiracy Theories: A Compendium of History’s Greatest Mysteries and More Recent Cover-ups. London: Summersdale Publishers, 2020. Print

Halloween Papertoy Monsters Tradition Continues

photo credit: Jessica Fenster-Sparber

On Halloween we were happy to continue the tradition of offering a Papertoy Monster program inside of our school library at Belmont.  Students expressed their delight with this hands on activity and their enthusiasm to continue to craft the little creatures back at the house over the long weekend was infectious.  We are grateful to Literacy for Incarcerated Teens (LIT) for continuing to sustain this tradition with the book from Brian Castleforte.--Jessica Fenster-Sparber

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba by Koyoharu Gotouge

Tanjiro returns home too late to protect his mother and siblings from the night-hunting demons, only to discover that his sister has miraculously survived the attack. However, she is no longer the sister he once knew. 

Then Tanjiro sets out on a dangerous journey to cure his sister from the demon she’s become. His path is fraught with danger, as demons seek to kill him, and demon slayers aim to eliminate his sister. Can Tanjiro find a cure before they are hunted down? Is there even a cure to be found? With action-packed sequences reminiscent of Dragon Ball Z and character development and intertwining storylines similar to Naruto, there is something to appeal to everyone.--Claudio Leon

Gotouge, Koyoharu. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba. San Francisco: VIZ Media, 2016. Print.

Things We Couldn’t Say by Jay Coles

Gio is 17 and living with his preacher father and loving stepmother when his birth mother - who deserted the family eight years ago  - arrives back in  town and wants to see him and his younger brother Theo who suffers with PTSD.  

Gio is  getting through school and playing on the  basketball team, supported by his friends Olly and Ayesha, when his mother arrives on the scene.   And complicating  matters is a new student at Gio’s school who just arrived from Kansas,  is a painter,  also on the basketball team,  and also bi,  and who now may be Gio’s new crush.  

Brimming with emotional intelligence, author Coles invites the reader to empathize with Gio’s storm of difficult feelings as his birth mother makes a bid for his attention while romance with his new friend is in the air.  

Confident teen readers looking for realistic fiction and a little romance may enjoy this title from the author of Tyler Johnson Was Here.--Jessica Fenster-Sparber

Welcome Back!

 Welcome back everyone! School is back in session and so is our blog. Keep checking back as we’re excited for a whole new year of trips, special guests, activities and book reviews. We hope everyone had a restful summer and look forward to a fantastic new school year. --Claudio Leon

Be Back Soon!

 Thank you for visiting us!  We're taking a break and we'll be back in September with more book reviews and more of our regularly scheduled programming.

Batman: City Of Bane by Tom King, Tony S. Daniel, and Janin King

The Cape Crusader is missing and Gotham is being ruled by one of its worst enemies… Bane. With Batman gone the city has descended into chaos under the greatly feared Bane.  But all is not lost, Batman’s sidekicks are still around biding their time and waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. Will they come to Gotham’s rescue? Who will lead them against Bane’s army of supervillains? Batman and DC fans will enjoy reading this one. --Claudio Leon

Programming Spotlight: Dance Africa 2024

image from BAM's website

We were thrilled to have recently hosted the returning teaching artist Jayson P. Smith  from Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM). Jayson conducted a pre-theater dance workshop with an exceptionally engaged group of students who spent a special hour in the library as it was filled with the joy of movement and dance.  The students were preparing for a trip the following week to BAM’s annual Dance Africa performance.  You can read a bit about the tradition here.--Jessica Fenster-Sparber

The Crime Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained By DK

Would  you like to know about some of the biggest crimes ever committed? What about the most heinous? The most outlandish?

 If your answer is yes, then The Crime Book is for you! From bandits to political assassinations, The Crime Book covers all the who, what, when, where, how and why. 

Bite size information is given to the reader along with pictures, diagrams and other  graphics to help understand the crime and its impact on the world. Written at a middle school level, the book is accessible and interesting to all. Anyone with interests in history and crime should pick up The Crime Book! --Claudio Leon

DK. Crime Book. New York: DK PUBLISHING, 2021. Print

Hoop Kings 2: New Royalty by Charles R. Smith Jr.

When a new student recently told me  I should ”get a poetry book about LeBron James” I knew I’d found the perfect reader for Charles R. Smith Jr.’s Hoop Kings. All the copies of Hoop Kings copies were checked out from my site’s library but  I was happy to discover  that author Smith had published a sequel back in 2021 in the midst of the pandemic.

 Hoop Kings 2: New Royalty  is an appealingly  slim volume that includes  a poem entitled “Royalty” about none other than LeBron James.

Similar in style to the first  Hoop Kings, the bold graphic design of this sequel, the large size of the font, and the brevity,  specificity,  and rhythms of the ten or so poems are made entirely accessible to developing readers. 

The  backmatter includes poem notes and short paragraphs by the poet fleshing out a bit of his poetic process, thoughts, struggles and goals for each poem, a perfect snippet to help new, young poets think about their art.  Highly recommended for older emerging and developing readers who love basketball.  --Jessica Fenster-Sparber

Smith J., Charles R.  Hoop Kings 2: New Royalty.  Somerville: Candlewick Press, 2021.

Click here for a teaching guide from the publisher.  Contains a few ideas for content area applications in Social Studies, Math, and Art in addition to ELA/Writing.

Who Was the Greatest? Muhammad Ali by Gabe Soria, illustrated by Chris Brunner with colors by Rico Renzi

For comics fans who can’t get enough of Muhammad Ali, I highly recommend this short, punchy biography.  It’s a mix of comics narrated by Ali’s friend,  photographer, and biographer Howard Bingham.  Pages alternate between gorgeously coloured panels and non-fiction paragraphs about Joe Frazier, the Philipines, and professional boxing.  The actual fight is nearly wordless and thus perfect for discussions of sequences, storytelling, layout and perspective.  This book will be of interest to students of all ages and accessible to our younger readers, as well as a good fit for older ones looking for a short read.--Jessica Fenster-Sparber

Dragon Ball by Akira Toriyama

 

Before the sequel Dragon Ball Z  was Dragon Ball where  we follow the adventures of Goku, a boy with a taill, who loves to do nothing but eat and hunt.  That is until he meets Bulma who is seeking the Dragon Balls. 

Together the pair go in search of the magical spheres that can summon a great magical dragon who can grant a single wish. Goku and Bulma’s adventure leads them through some dangerous and at times comical situations when  every Dragon Ball they gather reveals a bit more of Goku’s true identity and power. --Claudio Leon

Toriyama, Akira. Dragon Ball. San Francisco: VIZ Media, 2003. Print.

Dragon Ball Z by Akira Toriyama

It’s been a long time coming but  Akira Toryama has brought manga and anime into the world spotlight! In Dragon Ball Z  Goku has settled down on planet Earth and started a family,  although never in his wildest dreams would the Saiyan warrior have thought this would be his life!   But it all comes crashing down as his elder brother Raditz arrives on Earth  ready to conquer it. 

This is only the tip of the iceberg as we learn that more Saiyan warriors,  led by an evil emperor,  are on their way to Earth.  Now Goku must gather up the strongest warriors to defend his new home and family. 

Anyone who is already a manga fan,  or anyone wanting to know where to start should pick up and read Dragon Ball Z! --Claudio Leon

Toriyama, Akira. Dragon Ball Z. San Francisco: VIZ Media, 2011. Print.

Safe Passage by G. Neri and David Brame

G. Neri, the acclaimed author of the graphic novel Yummy has crafted another unputdown-able graphic novel in black and white.   Set in  Chicago,  Safe Passage tells the story of 15 year-old Darius who recently lost his mother to gun violence.

Darius and his younger half-sister Cissy are being raised by Darius’ step- father who is struggling with unemployment and the threat of eviction after the loss of his wife.  Their stepfather is determined to keep his kids on a “safe path” through school, despite the ever-present threat of gang violence in the neighborhood.

At school Darius just wants to get through the day, but his friend Booger has flashy dreams about grabbing the chance to make a cool half-million.   Cissy however is not going to let Darius out of her sight.  And so the adventure begins.

Readers who have asked for another one just like Yummy will find that Safe Passage is at least twice as long,   but readers  who hunger for more and have the stamina to read 200 pages will not be disappointed.  In keeping things realer than real, and in bringing the hard truths of Chicago gangland to the page, Neri’s storytelling skills are on display. Highly recommended for all readers craving realistic, urban  stories.--Jessica Fenster-Sparber

Neri, G. and David Brame.  Safe Passage.  New York: Lee and Low, 2024.  Print.

Programming Spotlight: Playwriting with the New Victory Theater

 

The talented and charismatic Marisol Rosa-Shapiro and Hassiem Muhammad recently returned to Passages Academy’s Belmont site to reprise their mini-residency centered on playwriting and Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun in collaboration with Mrs. Ernyey, Belmont’s English Language Arts teacher.  The  artists taught students from Abbott and St. John’s groups about the elements of playwriting and engaged students in creative writing activities that culminated in student-written dialogues performed in our school library today.  Students worked earnestly and had so much fun when it came time to perform!--Jessica Fenster-Sparber

America Redux: Visual Stories from Our Dynamic History by Ariel Aberg-Riger

Visual stories?  Yes, please!  However this book starts with a written four page preface and an opening chapter on the history of the United Daughters of the Confederacy,  and thus is unlikely to draw in the average Passages student reader.   But that’s a shame because some will want to get to Aberg-Riger’s last chapter, “We The People” which begins with a quote from June Jordan, devotes four pages to the Young Lords, and then makes connections to other marginalized groups who came together to speak up for their needs in the face of discrimination, and ends with a quote from Iris Morales.  

Educators and confident readers may wish to dip into America Redux’s jumble of 21 chapters to whet students’ curiosity on the history of colt guns and their rise to prominence in the US, the AIDS crisis, and America’s involvement with eugenics and forced sterilization.  

Full color collage and a handwritten style font will appeal to some visual learners who find a way in,  although that style may be a barrier for some readers with dyslexia.

Educators and book group facilitators can download a publisher-supplied educator's guide by shea wesley martin here.  --Jessica Fenster-Sparber

All You Need Is Kill by Ryosuke Takeuchi

It’s all hands on deck when an alien civilization invades Earth. But with little training new recruits are like lambs to the slaughter. That is until Keiji dies and finds himself being reborn on the eve before his first battle. As Keiji tries to end the war he realizes there may be others like him. Will ending the war end the cycle? Are others in the loop Keiji’s  allies or his enemies?  Manga fans are sure to enjoy this action packed single volume read.--Claudio Leon

Takeuchi, Ryoske. All You Need Is Kill. San Francisco: VIZ Media, 2014. Print

Everyday Gratitude: Inspiration for Living Life as a Gift edited by Saoirse McClory, Kristi Nelson, and Margaret Wakeley

Often library patrons ask for a book of “inspiration” or “positivity” or “philosophy ” or “life.”   For them Everyday Gratitude may be the perfect choice.    Appealingly small and colorful, each page contains a short quote intended to inspire gratitude and attributed to its source.  Sources range from contemporary figures like the Dalai Lama, Angela Davis, and Julia Alvarez, to older sages like Zora Neale Hurston, Khalil Gibran, and ancients like Confucius and Lao Tzu.  

In addition to each quote the reader will find a question or two offering more reflection for readers to ponder. 

Unfortunately the irregularity of size and shape of the lettering for the quotes may be a hindrance to some students with reading challenges.  Nevertheless the small size and brevity of the text on each page makes it worthwhile for inclusion in collections,  and note the sewn-in ribbon book mark.  Backmatter includes acknowledgements and source credits.  

This slim volume may offer classes and bookclubs much material for rich discussion and debate around these seemingly simple, profound quotes. --Jessica Fenster-Sparber

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

As her final high school project Pippa Fits decides to solve the cold case of Andie Bell’s murder.  But unknowingly Pippa embarks on a trail of secrets that reveal not just the identity of Andie's killer,  but the person who Andie really was. With all the twists and turns of a good who-done-it,  A Good Girl's Guide to Murder keeps its readers guessing who the killer is as it reveals Andie’s double life. Those who read When or One of Us is Lying should feel right at home here. --Claudio Leon

Click here to see a trailer for the book along with some discussion questions designed for book clubs at Underlined.

Jackson, Holly. A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder. New York: Random House, 2019. Print.

Strange Fruit Volume II: More Uncelebrated Narratives from Black History by Joel Christian Gill

This beautiful sequel to Strange Fruit Volume I will be welcomed by readers eager to glimpse more historical heroes presented in author Joel Christian Gill’s wonderful graphic style.  Using a palette of rich earth tones, Gill introduces the reader to African Americans born in the 19th century,  both familiar and unknown.  Each comic feels complete but also whets our appetite for further learning.  We can only hope Gil gives us Volume  III.

Librarians may wish to use any of the eight chapters as a jumping off point for inquiry.  Social studies teachers may wish to use some  chapters to supplement instructional texts.  

ELA teachers may engage students in the study of expository narrative structures in graphic shorts,   or examine the epistle that provides the text for the opening chapter.  This particular use of a primary source for content would make for a perfect introduction or companion to a rich conversation about reparations to African Americans specifically, and to the idea of  reparations in general.  Art teachers may wish to utilize Strange Fruit in collaboration to examine sequential art and its power to bring biography and history to life.  

Highly recommended.  Educators will want to pay attention to the visual symbolism Gil employs to represent hateful speech.   Back matter includes extra kernels of knowledge for each biography, a bibliography, an author-illustrator bio, and brief acknowledgements.--Jessica Fenster-Sparber

Gill, Joel Christian.  Strange Fruit Volume II: More Uncelebrated Narratives from Black History.  Golden: Fulcrum Publishing, 2018.  Print.

Samurai Rising: The Epic Life Story of Minamoto Yoshitsune By Pamela S. Turner

This story of the life of Minamoto Yoshitsune is one many fiction writers might aspire to create. At a young age Yoshitsune witnessed the murder of his father and brothers, survived exile, and rose to become one of the most powerful Japanese military strategists. 

Later he was betrayed by his own family, bringing an end to his meteoric rise and his life. Although a biography,  the book reads like an action novel following Yoshitsune through his life and the many battles he fought.   And throughout the book readers will also find tips on strategic thinking that can be applied not only on the battlefield but in everyday life. 

Students who like The Art of War and action books are never disappointed by this action- packed biography!--Claudio Leon

Turner, Pamela. Samurai Rising. Watertown: Charlesbridge, 2016. Print