When I Was the Greatest by Jason Reynolds
My rating: ★★★★★
The voice of Ali as narrator in this book was powerful, and I think it was what made the story so wonderful. It’s written in a dialect of AAVE, in a very personal tone, as though Ali is just speaking to you sitting on the stoop outside his brownstone. But Ali and his story wouldn't be so compelling without the other characters, in particular his little sister. Ali's neighbors, siblings nicknamed Needles and Noodles, are the main subject of the story, and their complex relationship as Ali perceives it is so heartbreaking. Jason Reynolds tackles urban decay, gentrification, the stigma against mental illness, and the stereotypes surrounding black fatherhood within this novel, along with so many other issues. I read this at the library in one sitting, and I'm so glad that they have it in circulation.
The Doll People by Ann M Martin and Laura Godwin
My rating: ★★★★★
I've had this book since I was a child, I think the first time I read it was when I was about 8 years old. I remember reading it at my Grandma Cat's cabin late at night when I couldn't sleep. I was really obsessed with the idea of my toys secretly being alive, which is the entire premise of this book, so naturally I fell in love with it and read it about a hundred times. This is the first time I've reread it since I was in middle school, I think, and it's still just as magical as when I was little. The Auntie doll, who insisted on breaking the doll code of conduct (act inanimate except for a few hours after midnight and never leave the dollhouse), always reminded me of my great aunt Karen and my great aunt Zoe. Auntie doll is like a mix of the two of them, traveling the 'world' and making up songs and keeping a zoological journal of all of the types of arachnids she sees and breaking all of the rules.
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