In this wide-ranging, amusing, and informative investigation of the insect world, Maloney features the ways in which insects are remarkable unto themselves as well as in relation to humans and the environment.
In the Jewish empire of Khazaria, twelve-year-old Ziva is the only one willing to go near her twin brother, Pesah, who has leprosy (with symptoms described in vivid detail, as are the amputations Ziva performs). A vision Pesah shares with Ziva prompts her to take him on a quest to Byzantium to find a cure, or fight the Angel of Death, or both.
Six-year-old Lee and his big sister Zora, a.k.a. “the boss,” take an embroidery class at the library. (Lee isn’t really old enough, but Zora fibs to get him in.) Lee learns to thread a needle, jabs his finger, and laboriously creates…a mess. When they get home, Zora shows their parents the fine flower she embroidered; Lee says his project is a surprise, knowing he has more to do.
Numerous books have been written about the forced removal and imprisonment of Japanese Americans during WWII, but what sets this one apart is Partridge’s focus on how three different photographers visually documented their experiences in one camp: Manzanar.
This third, stand-alone installment of the Miller family saga (The Year of Billy Miller, rev. 9/13, and sequel) is told from four-year-old Sal’s point of view. It’s New Year’s Day, and there’s simply too much going on for Sal. She can’t find her favorite pair of underwear; visiting Uncle Jake calls her “Salamander,” a nickname she hates; and the new baby, a week after being born, is no longer exciting or even cute.