This gently told tale of Parker will hit home for all children. The reader, or the listener, will recognize themself as the one who isn’t welcome or perhaps as the one not offering friendship. Parker uses his unique strengths and his kind heart to change the other penguins’ opinion of him.

Have you ever felt lonely and not welcome, not understood? Have you ever been judged by your appearance?

Parents, grandparents and teachers can use this book as an opportunity to discuss the challenges of being different.

“Parker the Purple Penguin explores themes that are relevant to all children - and even adults - accepting each other’s differences, empathy and bravery.”

June 03, 2021

Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Boy by Emmanuel Acho

June 03, 2021/ Eileen Sanchez

Adapted from Emmanuel Acho's New York Times bestseller Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man, comes an essential young readers edition aimed at opening a dialogue about systemic racism with our youngest generation.

Young people have the power to affect sweeping change, and the key to mending the racial divide in America lies in giving them the tools to ask honest questions and take in the difficult answers.

Approaching every awkward, taboo, and uncomfortable question with openness and patience, Emmanuel Acho connects his own experience with race and racism—from attending majority-white prep schools to his time in the NFL playing on majority-black football teams—to insightful lessons in black history and black culture.
Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Boy is just one way young readers can begin to short circuit racism within their own lives and communities.

My grandsons ages 11 and 13 need role models like Emmanuel Acho. I was interested in reading this book after seeing his interviews. He has a strong persona. The message is good and conversational but it felt one sided and I don't believe it would hold their interest.

June 03, 2021

Tia Lugo Speaks No Evil by Danette Vigilante

June 03, 2021/ Eileen Sanchez

Tia Lugo Speaks No Evil by Danette Vigilante

Jolly Fish Press Horror/Middle Grade/Multicultural Interest

Pub Date Aug 17, 2021

#TiaLugoSpeaksNoEvil #NetGalley

Tia Lugo has a deadly secret.

Tia Lugo considers herself an ordinary thirteen-year-old girl. She just wants to enjoy the end of summer, which means hanging out with her best friend and neighbor, Julius, and ignoring her Puerto Rican grandmother’s embarrassing reliance on creepy candles, weird-smelling herb bundles, and eerie statues—all available for sale at the nearby botánica. But when Tia witnesses a murder late one night from her bedroom window, everything changes in an instant.

Now, Tia is terrified to tell anyone what she’s seen. What if the killer comes after her too? He knows where she lives. Even worse, Tia believes he’s sending her secret messages, reminding her to stay quiet. Desperate to keep herself and her family safe, Tia turns to the last place she ever thought she’d go: her grandmother's favorite shopping spot, the botánica.

As a reviewer for Gram’s Book Club, I look for books to recommend to my grandchildren and yours. I enjoyed meeting Tia, a feisty girl who lives in the city and witnesses a tragic event from her window. The author created a believable family, and I loved the doting grandmother who is a bit eccentric. This story provides a cast of characters that provide positive role models with strong family values. Tia’s best friend is Julius, with a loyal friendship with sweet romantic tension. Tia makes some decision’s early on in the story that give us a sense of her budding independence and maturity that in real life should be shared with a trusted adult. Yet her decision to not share what she has seen takes the reader on an adventure with drama, tension and a thriller ending. Recommended for middle grade readers with a parent/grandparent conversation afterwards of Tia’s reluctance to tell anyone of her fears, even her best friend Julius.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher Jolly Fish Press for giving me an digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

July 29, 2020

A Mighty Girl

July 29, 2020/ Eileen Sanchez

In celebration of next month's 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, the Constitutional amendment which guaranteed American women the right to vote, we're showcasing our favorite books on the U.S. Women's Suffrage Movement. These titles, for both kids and adults, are perfect for celebrating this momentous occasion and learning more about the fierce 72-year long fight by generations of women that it took to achieve it.

https://lists.amightygirl.com/l/gsKq12Mfdf3FZIJJCO1cOA/APTO2j763Kq763a7eUATOiTViw/VZUfGIpq1Dqb5YjqbiEuaA

May 05, 2020

An Inspirational & Cautionary Tale about the 1918 Pandemic

May 05, 2020/ Eileen Sanchez

PHARMACY GIRL Review by Eileen Harrison Sanchez

Historical fiction can create empathy and understanding of the challenges of the times through fictionalized characters. The characters in PHARMACY GIRL leap out to caution us to follow the guidelines from over 100 years ago. “Wash your hands” and “keep your distance from others” are familiar to all of us today. Follow the characters as some heed the advice, others ignore it and some who are caregivers do the best they can under the circumstances. Although the author wrote this as a middle grade novel it is informative for more mature readers to guide and caution young readers and to be reminded of forgotten lessons. PHARMACY GIRL is based on research and most interestingly on Kate Szegda’s own family’s experiences during the 1918 pandemic. Written and published before the 2020 pandemic we are managing today, it presents the heartache of loss, the heroism of many and finally, life that returns to normal.

About Kate Szegda : A Jersey girl by birth, Kate Szegda grew up in the small, New Jersey towns of Highland Park and Point Pleasant Beach. As a kid, she played the trumpet and loved riding bikes, ice skating, and reading Nancy Drew mysteries. Kate taught middle school language arts and loved reading books with her students. Two favorites were Johnny Tremaine and Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. Writing Pharmacy Girl has been the best experience yet. Historical research — especially about your own family — is a lot like being a detective, and that, she says, is fun. Kate@Kateszegda.com

For classroom or library visits, contact: Kate@Kateszegda.com

Available on Amazon and Bookshop.org

Jersey Girl is an Affiliate of Bookshop.org “Disclosure: I am an affiliate of Bookshop.org and I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.” https://bookshop.org/a/4800/9781791660574

October 13, 2019

NEA Rebrands Read Across America!! Celebrate a Nation of Diverse Readers

October 13, 2019/ Eileen Sanchez

A New Logo and a New Website

There’s no way that Gram’s Book Club could do this better so II’m sharing through my blog and on Facebook. NEA is featuring an interactive resource calendar which you can find here https://www.readacrossamerica.org with suggestions for different age groups and lesson ideas from the books. The August 2019 book was All Are Welcome Here by Alexandra Penfold. The June 2020 choice is Lubna and Pebble by Wendy Meddour. A middle grade choice is The Hero Next Door by Olugbemisole Rhuday-Perkovich. It’s a collection of middle grade short stories from some of the best known diverse book authors.

Cliff Fukuda, Read Across America Advisory Committee member and a history teacher at Aiea High School in Aiea, Hawaii explains that “The books featured in the calendar are only the tip of the iceberg of diverse literature and diverse authors.”

source: neaToday for NEA-Retired Members, October 2019

March 19, 2019

Gram’s Book Club Pick #4 The Girl with the Magical Curls by Evita Giron

March 19, 2019/ Eileen Sanchez

Celebrate our differences and our similarities. My mission for Gram’s Book Club is to have children learn about other cultures and not judge others by our appearance. The child reading the book didn’t notice that the girl with the magical curls was different - she connected with what was the same. She did learn that Tatiana covered her curls at night with a silk cap and wondered about that. Evita Giron wrote a charming book to celebrate her daughter’s curly hair and taught my granddaughter about an African American girl’s hair. I’m a new fan. Find her at evita@curlyvita.com and check out the illustrator Rayah James artist@vcarist.com

February 18, 2019

Gram’s Book Club Pick #3 Turning 15 On the Road to Freedom by Lynda Blackmon Lowery

February 18, 2019/ Eileen Sanchez

The author was 13 the first time she heard Martin Luther King speak. Her grandmother took her to the church he was speaking at. He inspired Lynda to march for the right to vote. Think about that. In 1963 some states prevented African Americans from exercising their right to vote in local and national elections. She was the youngest marcher and went to jail nine times before she was 15. Read her story and learn the history of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Be inspired at her bravery and fortitude as she persuaded people with “steady, loving confrontation”.

February 07, 2019

I Will Always Write Back

February 07, 2019/ Eileen Sanchez

Gram says: It started with a teacher setting up an assignment to chose a pen pal from the list of countries on the blackboard. Caitlyn chose Zimbabwe because she wanted to learn about other countries. Her letters changed Martin’s life.

Mia (my granddaughter) says: it was an inspiring book that made me want to make a change in the world. I really connected with the characters as they grew as people throughout the book.

Laura ( her mom) says: A well written and engaging book. This is the type of book that helps you to remember how lucky you are and that small changes can make a huge impact.

January 09, 2019

Loving v Virginia by Patricia Hruby Powell

January 09, 2019/ Eileen Sanchez

Here’s my first choice for Gram’s Book Club, the true story of the fight to make interracial marriage legal in 1967. More selections will be posted here soon. Compelling and heartrending, this true story personalizes the civil rights movement in a way that will make readers who know little about that era eager to learn more. Imagine, only 50 years ago someone could be arrested for marrying another of a different race. (from commonsense media.com)