Charles Darwin’s belief that worms were amazing contributors to the natural world was not shared by the public, who considered them nothing more than garden pests. Determined to prove his opinion scientifically, Darwin tested worms’ vision, learning they didn’t have eyes but used sensors in their skin to detect light.
Starred Review of the Week
An Impossible Thing to Say
Iranian American Omid lives with his family in Tucson, Arizona, in 2001. At the private high school he attends, Omid is shy and lacks confidence. But he hits it off with new student Emily (white) and the two convince each other to try out for the school play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
A Pocketful of Stars
Safiya, 13, thinks her mom doesn’t understand her; she certainly doesn’t understand Safiya’s passion for gaming. Safiya (multiracial) suspects that the tension between them wasn’t helped when she chose to live with her dad (white) after her parents’ divorce.
All the Faces of Me
A young girl fascinated by her Nana’s set of traditional nesting dolls notes that they all have identical smiles. Deciding the dolls shouldn’t be stuck with the same smiles, the girl “fixes” them, adding a range of expressions to their faces.
More Than a Dream: The Radical March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom
This fresh, insightful account of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom documents the event from initial idea through behind-the-scenes planning to the tensions and triumphs of the day.
Everyone Wants to Know
Honor Lo, 15 (Chinese American/white) grew up in the spotlight thanks to a reality TV show about her family. Although the show ended a few years ago, her parents and two older sisters continue to seek the spotlight and monetize their fame.
The Dubious Pranks of Shaindy Goodman
Admired for being smart and “nice,” the girls in Shaindy Goodman’s sixth grade class at Bais Yaakov Orthodox Jewish day school don’t bully Shaindy outright, but neither do they befriend or include her.
What If I’m Not a Cat?
A farmer’s goodnight to the many cats in her barn has led to some confusion on the part of the donkey who also lives there. Donkey “knew he was a cat because Farmer had said so.”
Red & Green
This tall, narrow book features a bisected green tree studded with boldly colored “ornaments” on its red cover. Inside, a rhyming text riffs off Clement Moore’s poem ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas (“It was a cold, wintry night, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring … except a small mouse!”) …
Rez Ball
Tre Brun is entering his sophomore year of high school on the Red Lake Ojibwe reservation in Minnesota.