Sensible information well organized and presented.
For middle graders through high school students needing help with organization, this second edition of Where’s My Stuff? (originally published in 2010) is a user-friendly resource to get them started.
The guide begins by offering the reasons why kids should get organized: extra free time, minimize costly damage, less stress, more independence. The first step instructs students to assess their “stuff,” including books, homework, and handouts, to create a School Organizing System. After establishing the SOS, the book next demonstrates how students can efficiently schedule time and activities, starting with a Brain Dump of tasks to be done: It’s a “proven method for turning the muffled static in your head into clear-signal action,” say the authors. The most relevant advice to kids and teens who are constantly engaged with social media are found in snippets called “Your Digital Life,” in which the authors give advice about how best to minimize social media time in order to complete work. Free online resources are listed for file storage as well as tips for how best to use digital planners and calendars. Though much of this organizational self-help information for students is readily accessible online, this book is a breeze to reference, with helpful illustrations to boot. Cheery diagrams of well-organized lockers and study areas give kids concrete models to work from, although such privileges as sequesterable space are assumed.
Sensible information well organized and presented. (Nonfiction. 11-18)Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5415-7895-1
Page Count: 120
Publisher: Zest Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 8, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2019
Small but mighty necessary reading.
A miniature manifesto for radical queer acceptance that weaves together the personal and political.
Eli, a cis gay white Jewish man, uses his own identities and experiences to frame and acknowledge his perspective. In the prologue, Eli compares the global Jewish community to the global queer community, noting, “We don’t always get it right, but the importance of showing up for other Jews has been carved into the DNA of what it means to be Jewish. It is my dream that queer people develop the same ideology—what I like to call a Global Queer Conscience.” He details his own isolating experiences as a queer adolescent in an Orthodox Jewish community and reflects on how he and so many others would have benefitted from a robust and supportive queer community. The rest of the book outlines 10 principles based on the belief that an expectation of mutual care and concern across various other dimensions of identity can be integrated into queer community values. Eli’s prose is clear, straightforward, and powerful. While he makes some choices that may be divisive—for example, using the initialism LGBTQIAA+ which includes “ally”—he always makes clear those are his personal choices and that the language is ever evolving.
Small but mighty necessary reading. (resources) (Nonfiction. 14-18)Pub Date: June 2, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-09368-9
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2020
Brief yet inspirational, this story will galvanize youth to use their voices for change.
Testa’s connection to and respect for nature compelled her to begin championing animal causes at the age of 10, and this desire to have an impact later propelled her to dedicate her life to fighting plastic pollution. Starting with the history of plastic and how it’s produced, Testa acknowledges the benefits of plastics for humanity but also the many ways it harms our planet. Instead of relying on recycling—which is both insufficient and ineffective—she urges readers to follow two additional R’s: “refuse” and “raise awareness.” Readers are encouraged to do their part, starting with small things like refusing to use plastic straws and water bottles and eventually working up to using their voices to influence business and policy change. In the process, she highlights other youth advocates working toward the same cause. Short chapters include personal examples, such as observations of plastic pollution in Mauritius, her maternal grandparents’ birthplace. Testa makes her case not only against plastic pollution, but also for the work she’s done, resulting in something of a college-admissions–essay tone. Nevertheless, the first-person accounts paired with science will have an impact on readers. Unfortunately, no sources are cited and the lack of backmatter is a missed opportunity.
Brief yet inspirational, this story will galvanize youth to use their voices for change. (Nonfiction. 12-18)Pub Date: Oct. 13, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-22333-8
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2020
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