Brainstorm 300: Mid-Autumn Festival Reads

Today/this weekend is Mid-autumn festival/Moon festival/Mooncake festival/Harvest festival/Chuseok (it has a lot of names in different areas) so I thought I would share some books that feature mid-autumn festival celebrations.

 

A Big Mooncake for Little Star by Grace Lin

Little Star and her mother make a great, big mooncake. Mother says to let it cool. And Little Star does for a while. But can Little Star resist some midnight snacking?

A picture book that creates a myth for why the moon changes shape and incorporates elemets of the Harvest Festival celebration. There’s a recipe for mooncakes in the back of the book, which are a traditional treat in many areas for this festival.

Target Readers:

Mooncake Fans, Stages of the Moon Myth Fans, Humorous Fiction Fans, Mother/Daughter Story Fans, Asian Lit Fans, Picture Book Readers

The Dreamweavers by G.Z. Schmidt

When the emperor's son arrives to sample Grandfather's legendary mooncakes at the village's Autumn Moon Festival, Mei and Yun find themselves in the middle of a disaster. Grandfather's mooncakes taste awful and he is carted off to the Imperial City to be tried for attempted poisoning. Mei and Yun know something is in the air, literally. They can see the multi-colored clouds that are dreams of people. And the ones hovering over their city now are nightmares and are making everyone grumpy and mean. They must set off on a quest to free their Grandfather, because he has no one else. With the help of a friendly rabbit, the twins find themselves trying to break a curse with roots decades in the past.

Target Readers:

Fantasy Fans, Quest Adventure Fans, Mythology Fans, Mythical Historical China Setting Fans, Brother/Sister Story Fans, Grandfather/Grandchildren Story Fans, Jade Rabbit Story Fans, Imaginative Readers, Upper Middle Grade Readers 

Thanking the Moon: Celebrating the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival by Grace Lin

Watch a modern Chinese family celebrate the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival. The back of the book explains the traditions and symbolism of the food. 

If you have questions about the abundance of mooncakes at this time of year, this book answers that question and more!

Target Readers:

Cultural Festival Story Fans, Curious Readers, Chinese Story Fans, Foodies, Picture Book Readers

This Was Our Pact by Ryan Andrews

Every year at the Autumn Equinox the town releases lanterns into the river. This year, some boys from the town have made a pact to follow the lanterns and see where they go even if it means going past the point their parents have told them is their exploration barrier. Ben is very committed to the pact, but not many of his friends are. Only Nathaniel, a boy Ben’s friends ostracize, is willing to go past the bridge barrier with him. The two boys’ fathers work together in the observatory but Ben has tried to keep his distance from Nathaniel since the others don’t think he is cool. Their adventure together to follow the lanterns proves much harder than they thought. Is it even possible? It will take them to unexpected places, teach them things about themselves, friendship, astronomy, and stretch their strength and imaginations.

This is a fantasy autumnal festival and incorporates things from a variety of cultures and also makes up its own things. 

Target Readers:

Graphic Novel Fans, Fantasy Fans, Adventure Fans, Art Lovers, Middle Grade Readers

Brainstorm 299: Best Nonfiction Reads of the Summer

Weclome back to the Brainstorm! Now that we’re back in the swing of the school year it is time to dive back into weekly book recommendations. This week I have some of my favorite nonfiction reads since the Brainstorm went on hiatus for the summer. They cover a broad range of topics and target audiences, but all are excellent reads. Click on the title to see my full review of each book including any content notes/trigger warnings. 

At Home in Exile by Russel Jeung, foreward by Gene Luen Yang

Russell Jeung shares things he's learned about the Christian walk from his Hakka and immigrant ancestors, from living among Cambodian refugees and undocumented workers in the poorest area of Oakland, from marrying his wife Joan Kim, from being a parent (both biologically and a foster parent), and living in community with others who also want to impact their community for Christ.

Jeung’s memoir was often jaw-dropping in what he’s experienced, but also encouraging, thought-provoking, and inspiring.

Target Readers:

Memoir Fans, Christian Nonfiction Fans, Asian American Writings Fans, Those Interested in Social Justice Issues, Adult Readers (though approachable for YA)

 

Blue: a History of the Color as Deep as the Sea and as Wide as the Sky by Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond, ill. by Daniel Minter

A history of the color blue and what humans used to recreate the color in paints and fabric dyes through time.

An excellently done microhistory for kids! The author explains the quest for blue, the complexities of the history, and how all of that is reflected in common sayings and traditions today.

Target Readers:

Random Fact Collectors, History Fans, Art Lovers, Nonfiction Fans, Lower Grade Readers (though interesting enough for older readers too)

 

The Genius under the Table: Growing up Behind the Iron Curtain by Eugene Yelchin

Eugene Yelchin shares about growing up in the USSR and how, in a land where only exceptional talent got you a private apartment, his parents were always on the search for something that would make him stand out...in a good way. Their Jewish heritage most certainly didn't count, and neither did the holes in the photos where his mother's father used to be. His father fawns over Eugene's older brother who is an amazing figure skater, good enough he gets to travel internationally to represent their glorious country. He wishes Yevgeny (a more Russian spelling of Eugene's name) could be good at some sport, any sport. His mother weeps over the ballet dancer Baryshnikov and wishes Yevgeny could dance as beautifully as dear Mishka. Meanwhile, Yevgeny is recording the antics of their daily life in his own unique art style on the underside of the table where he sleeps every night.

Yelchin’s memoir is written with a wry humor, seeing the hilarity in everyday situations with the help of hindsight, and the book is peppered throughout with recreations of the illustrations he did on the underside of the table long ago. This is the kind of memoir that will convince staunch anti-nonfiction readers that maybe nonfiction isn't so bad after all.

Target Readers:

Memoir Fans, USSR Setting Fans, Humor Fans, Art Lovers, Family Story Fans, Nonfiction Fans, Middle Grade Readers

 

The Lights and Types of Ships at Night by Dave Eggers, ill. by Annie Dills

Which is the most beautiful thing, a schooner or galleon or Chinese junk all lit up at night? Or is it one of the many other types of ships that Eggers introduces readers to through this clever night-time premise?

An absolutely stunningly illustrated survey of all kinds of water-going vessels.

Target Readers:

Boat Enthusiasts, Art Lovers, Nonfiction Fans, Picture Book Readers

 

Seen and Unseen: What Dorothea Lange, Toyo Miyatake, and Ansel Adam’s Photographs Reveal about the Japanese American Incarceration by Elizabeth Partridge, ill. by Lauren Tamaki

Elizabeth Partridge takes readers into the incarceration camps the US placed those of Japanese heritage in during WWII and looks at it through the lens of 3 photographers who documented life in the camps: Dorothea Lange, Toyo Miyatake, and Ansel Adams.

A fascinating and thought-provoking read that both analyzes how the photographer influences what we see of a place and also gets you thinking about a photographer’s responsibility to the photographed and the viewers.

Target Readers:

Those Interested In/Those Studying the Japanese American Incarceration, History Fans, Photography Fans, Arts & Ethics Contemplators, Art Lovers, Quick Read Fans, Middle Grade Readers 

 

The Watchmaker’s Daughter: the True Story of World War II Heroine Corrie ten Boom by Larry Loftis

A biography of Corrie ten Boom and her family who helped shelter young men avoiding being deported to Nazi factories or conscripted into the army as well as Jews during WWII in Holland.

When I first heard about this book I wondered how it would compare with Corrie's autobiography, The Hiding Place. Loftis remained very true to the tone and message of Corrie's own writings, but the scope of this book is much broader. It includes information about the broader events in Europe, the Netherlands, and their city during the time period as well as relating who was in and out of the Beje, providing times and dates for events, and quotes from others in the family and their contacts. It also covered Corrie's life after the war through to her death, which obviously, The Hiding Place and even her other books don't fully do. It is abundantly clear Loftis did his research, including bits from not only Corrie's writings but her brother's, sister's, nephew's, and more. It is an incredibly moving and inspiring biography about how God used the ten Booms to save others, to be blessings to others both in Holland and in Nazi prisons and camps, and the grace God gave them to forgive and help restore and reconcile others after the war. It's a powerful, powerful story of what God can do with people fully surrendered to Him. 

Target Readers:

Biography Fans, Christian Nonfiction Fans, Inspirational Story Fans, WWII History Fans, Adult Readers (though totally approachable to YA readers)