My New Friend, "RICK" by Alex Gino

 

Me and my new friend, Rick by Alex Gino. A remarkable middle-grade novel in the same world as their outstanding book Melissa.

Hi. My name is Bobby Keniston, and my only friends are books. But with a friend like Rick, by Alex Gino, one can really learn that they belong to a whole community of friends. 

Rick is a middle-grade novel that follows a supporting character from Alex Gino's outstanding novel Melissa (yes, it was originally published as George, but Melissa is a much more appropriate title and I am glad they were able to change it). And like Melissa, I believe it is an important and necessary book, and continues to be more and more as each day passes. Let me introduce you...

HOW I MET MY NEW FRIEND

My friend Michelle is the youth librarian at my local library, and since I write plays for young people, I often ask her about good middle-grade and YA novels--- for one thing, I like to stay up-to-date on the market, but, even more honestly, I just really like reading middle-grade and YA fiction. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I am not a snob about books for young people. I like to read a wide, diverse collection of books. 

And frankly, some children's and teen literature is just as, if not more important than much of the mainstream stuff published for adults. 

But I digress. 

My friend Michelle recommended Melissa by Alex Gino to me last year, and I read it and loved it. I highly recommend it. So this pride month, I wanted to read Rick, and I am glad that I did. 

ABOUT MY NEW FRIEND

As with their excellent middle-grade novel Melissa, Alex Gino creates a relatable, important read with Rick. Rick, who was a minor character in "Melissa" has been best friends with the mean Jeff for a long time, and often stays quiet when Jeff is being unkind to others, because, as we all know, it can be so hard to speak up.

But Rick is going through some changes. With the start of middle school, and his big sister moving out to go to college, Rick begins to have feelings that he's not like other boys his age. Unlike Jeff, he doesn't find himself checking out the "hotties", and it increasingly bothers him when his Dad keeps bringing up how normal it will be for him to start noticing girls ("Or boys," his Mom adds). But Rick doesn't have those kinds of feelings for boys or girls. He decides to attend the Rainbow Spectrum Club at school, for the LGTQIAP+ community and anyone with questions--- a club for everyone. But he knows he must keep his membership a secret from Jeff.

Alex Gino's story will resonate with every middle grade kid. Their characters are fleshed out and interesting, and the relationships are wonderful--- I particularly love Rick's relationship with his Grandpa Ray. And it's great to see Melissa again, and know that she is being her best self.

THINGS I LOVE ABOUT MY NEW FRIEND

As mentioned above, I love the relationship between Rick and his Grandpa, as they bond over their favorite sci-fi show. It's a delight to see how they become so close to one another. 

Which is something I think Gino does really well. They always have a couple really cool and supportive adult characters that the young characters can talk to and confide in. It's nice to see that represented. 

Gino makes Rick's struggles to stand up to Jeff so real. And the community they have created with the Rainbow Spectrum club is a delight. 

And Gino provides an afterward about the evolving language of the LGBTQIAP+ community or the QUILTBAG+ , depending on which you prefer. I learned things from this book as well, particularly how the idea of being an "ally" shouldn't be a noun, but a verb, something that we do and not who we are. 

TAKEAWAYS

As I have said, this book is important. As more and more hateful bills targeted at LGBTQIAP+ children, and specifically transgender children, we need books like this. I am not exaggerating when I say that representation saves lives. 

Read this book with your kids. And if you know a kid who is struggling, give them these books. 

And if you are a young person under 25 who is confused, needs support, someone to talk to, consider the Trevor Project, and their TrevorLifeline, 866-488-7386, or TrevorChat at thetrevorproject.org

Happy Pride Month. Feel free to comment below. 

My New Friend, "LUCKY STRIKES" by Louis Bayard

 

Me and my new friend, Lucky Strikes by Louis Bayard

Hi. My name is Bobby Keniston, and my only friends are books. And sometimes, a friend can make you feel young at heart. 

Which brings me to today's new friend, Lucky Strikes by Louis Bayard. Louis Bayard is probably best known for his historical mysteries, including Mr. Timothy, a Victorian novel about a grown-up Tiny Tim. Lucky Strikes is also historical, taking place in the fictional Walnut Ridge, Virginia, during the Great Depression. But this novel is geared more toward late middle-grade readers (probably around 8th grade) and young adults, due to some of the themes and a bit of PG-13 language... well, more than a bit. 

I am no snob about children's, middle-grade, and YA literature. I enjoy reading it all. As a matter of fact, most of my income comes from the plays I have written for children, middle-grade and young adult audiences and performers. That's right. I'm a playwright. Have I not mentioned this? You can learn more about my work by CLICKING HERE. 

HOW I MET MY NEW FRIEND

In my hometown, there is a store called The Dollar Tree. Perhaps you have one in your town, too. I saw Lucky Strikes, liked the cover, thought the inside blurb sounded interesting, so I picked it up. 

Seriously book lovers: don't assume that The Dollar Tree just has garbage. Yeah, a lot of the books look pretty bad, but I have also found a number of mainstream literary novels in hardcover editions there, like Jonathan Safran Foer's Here I Am,  Jonathan Lethem's The Feral Detective, and most recently, Lawrence Ferlinghetti's Little Boy. And there are others. 

So don't just breeze by, assuming that there is nothing at your local Dollar Tree worth reading. You might be surprised. 

ABOUT MY NEW FRIEND

Lucky Strikes (also the name of a popular cigarette brand), is told by Amelia Hoyle, living in Walnut Ridge, VA, with her family. She tells us right in the first sentence that "Mama died hard, you should know that", but there is no time for much grieving. At only 14, Amelia has been taking care of everyone while her mother was ailing, keeping up the family gas station and convenience store, named Brenda's Oasis. After burying her mother with the help of her younger siblings, Janey and Earle, she gets to down to the business of keeping her family together. With the help of her mother's lawyer friend Chester, she goes through options, but has no real solid plan until one literally rolls off  of a coal truck and lands by her gas pumps. This is Hiram Watts, a vagabond, hobo, call him what you will. Amelia cleans him up, gets him off the sauce, and makes a deal with him:  she'll give him shelter and food in exchange for him pretending to be the father she's never known. 

Throughout the novel, we learn that Amelia is a gifted mechanic like her mother, and has earned the respect of a whole handful of truckers who only trust her to fix their trucks. And Hiram turns out to have quite a history himself, spinning yarns about being an actor, a ladies' hat salesman, and his travels to Hong Kong. They begin to form a strange, but unexpectedly warm family unit. 

If only the awful Harley Blevins, the local rich guy who owns a bunch of Standard Oil stations, wasn't intent on driving Brenda's Oasis out of business, using nefarious means he will never be punished for, since he has the local Sheriff and judges in his pocket. 

Watching Amelia make her way the best way she knows how is the real joy of this book. 

WHAT I LIKE BEST ABOUT MY NEW FRIEND

Amelia's voice is what really makes this book a fun, fast, terrific read. She is a smart, strong, resourceful, young woman who, despite the toughness projected, gives off a great deal of warmth and love. Bayard makes her a very believable protagonist and narrator, and, at the end, when we realize who she's telling the story to, it is a lovely little surprise. 

As Booklist said in its starred review, it is "A darn good yarn". 

BUT JUST ONE THING...

I understand that the entire cast being white is probably accurate for its time and place--- I get that. But I could have done without the mention of The War Between the States (a "South Will Rise Again" type name for the Civil War), though, again, it is what Amelia probably would have called it. And it seemed a bit unnecessary when Amelia, when going to discuss business with the nefarious Harley Blevins, was surprised he didn't have a "darkie" servant opening the door. It could have been worse, and again, it is probably a word that Amelia would have used, but it seemed like a simple enough sentence to excise without losing anything at all. 

FINAL TAKEAWAY

I am glad The Dollar Tree helped me find this book. I enjoyed the heck out of it, and introduced me to a new author. I am most curious to check out some of Mr. Bayard's historical mysteries. 

Let me know what you think in the comments below.