Ashes to Asheville

Sarah Dooley

Set at a time before legalized same-sex marriage, Dooley’s second novel has 12-year-old “Fella” mourning her mother’s death and the disintegration of the only family she has known: Two moms and sister Zany. After “Mama Lacy” dies of cancer, a judge orders Fella to live with her nearest blood relation, a grandmother she hardly knows. One night Zany arrives with a plan to fulfill Mama Lacy’s dying request to spread her ashes in Asheville. A wild road trip ensues, and the girls encounter danger and mishaps. The story emphasizes prejudice and unfriendly laws, but it speaks louder of brokenness and confusion. (Ages 14 and up)

The Best Man

Richard Peck

Growing up, Archer Magill had three role models: his dad, Uncle Paul, and Grandpa. Then his fifth-grade student teacher, Mr. McLeod, makes the list. Archer is slow to realize his teacher is gay and dating Archer’s uncle. Archer and those around him naïvely accept the relationship, which culminates in a wedding. The prolific and award-winning Peck writes with a lighthearted tone, presuming his readers will absorb same-sex relationships and marriage just as the characters do. Peck’s reputation, along with the book’s title and jacket, may mislead parents and kids about the nature of the story. (Ages 12 and up)

In Our Mothers’ House

Patricia Polacco

Told from a child’s perspective, two mothers—Marmee and Meema—appear fully able to offer their three adopted children a loving home. Marmee plans block parties and prefers everything tidy. Pediatrician Meema keeps the children healthy and cooks Italian food. One neighbor snubs them and keeps her kids away, fuming, “I don’t appreciate what you two are!” This picture book veers from Polacco’s repertoire of warm family tales and delivers instead an inadequate picture of a family “living by its own rules.” A hateful neighbor, not the absence of a father, hurts them. (Ages 8 and up)

Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard: The Hammer of Thor

Rick Riordan

Magnus Chase must retrieve the god Thor’s elusive hammer before giants wreak havoc on Midgard (earth). With sword fighting and fast-paced adventure, Magnus and his friends seek to thwart their enemies, including the menacing god of mischief, Loki. But parents and fans of Riordan’s wildly popular books should know that this second installment in his Nordic-themed fantasy series introduces a transgender, “gender-fluid” character, Alex Fierro. A son of Loki with a tumultuous past, “she” spontaneously changes gender and pronouns on any given day. Riordan’s characters blithely comply, ignoring Alex’s brokenness, and Riordan expects readers to do the same. (Ages 10-13)

Afterword

Many parents want their children to empathize with today’s refugee crisis, and these recent titles may help:

Mary Beth Leatherdale’s Stormy Seas: Stories of Young Boat Refugees (Annick Press, 2017) presents a historical overview of people groups that have fled their homes and sought asylum overseas. Leatherdale highlights five individuals from different countries who fled war as children and survived.

The Journey by Francesca Sanna (Flying Eye Books, 2016) appeals to younger children: a brave mother leading her children on a “great adventure” across borders where they will find safety.

Another story, Lost and Found Cat by Doug Kuntz and Amy Shrodes (Crown Books for Young Readers, 2017), follows a widow and her five children fleeing Mosul, Iraq. One child smuggles a cat, Kunkush, with her across mountains and sea. It disappears in Greece. Kuntz and Shrodes write themselves into this true story as they help reunite the cat with its family. —M.J.