Danilo Was Here by Tamika Burgess (HarperCollins, 304 pages, grades 5-8). Danilo’s family has gone through tough times since his beloved Papá left for the United States to try to find work, shortly before the U.S. bombed his Panamanian neighborhood in December, 1989. Papá has stopped writing and sending money, and Danilo is determined to find out what’s happened to him. When he gets recruited for a California baseball clinic shortly after his family has been forced to move into a refugee camp, he decides to go and try to find his father. Danilo inherited his baseball talent from Papá, and when he discovers his dad lives less than an hour away, he writes a letter inviting him to come watch the team play. But things don’t go as planned, and Danilo finds himself in the unfamiliar position of being the worst player on the team, with PTSD and worries about his mother and sister distracting him from the game. When he finally does connect with Papá, he learns that his dad has moved on, and Danilo and his family can’t count on him for support. Fortunately, Danilo finds caring friends and adults in the U.S., and with their help he’s able to figure out what his dreams are and how best to support his family when he returns to Panamá.
In her second middle-grade novel, Tamika Burgess takes a look at the recent history of Panamá, and the effects the U.S. involvement there had on ordinary Panamanians. Readers will relate to Danilo and his struggles with family, friends, and uncertainty about what he wants to do with his life, even though his experiences are likely to be very different from theirs. I hope this will be considered for a Belpré Award.
Kickturn by Brie Spangler (Knopf Books for Young Readers, 192 pages, grades 3-6). Ten-year-old Lindy is worn out and jaded after spending two years on a converted school bus, posing for photo shoots for her wellness influencer mom and watching her dad grow increasingly frustrated with the issues of the rundown bus that he quit his tech job for. When the bus completely gives out in San Jose, Lindy is excited to have a place to stay for a while and thrilled to meet some other kids who share her passion for skateboarding. Her hopes for putting down roots are dashed when the local garage is able to miraculously patch the bus together. When her parents start making plans for going back on the road, ignoring their daughter’s pleas, Lindy decides the only way to get their attention is to sabotage the bus. Although they’re furious with her, Lindy’s parents eventually calm down long enough to listen to her concerns (which include failing her fifth-grade homeschool curriculum) and to make a plan that allows them to settle down long enough to make a new plan. Includes sketches and Instagram usernames of real-life kids who love skateboarding.
With its appealing journal format that includes lined pages and lots of sketches and doodles, Lindy provides a behind-the-scenes look at what it’s really like to embrace van life and influencer culture. Although she occasionally sounds a little jaded and world-weary for a fifth grader, her voice is genuine and funny. Even kids who have lived in the same place all their lives will relate to her desires to fit in with friends as well as her struggles to get her parents to listen to what she needs.