Eve L. EwingRessenyes

Gr 3–7—Science-loving Maya is facing challenges at school: Her best friends aren't in her class, and she has the
strictest teacher in the fifth grade. Maya soon encounters Ralph, a half-finished robot in her corner store's back
room, which she builds into a friend. Ralph makes life easier—until sabotage throws a wrench into things, literally
and figuratively. Ewing's heartwarming novel blends STEM, social-emotional learning, and the importance of
community.

Representation: Black and Asian characters
Trigger warnings: Racism, including the n-word slur
Score: Six points out of ten.
This review can also be found on The StoryGraph.

I wanted to read this for a while after seeing the library I got this from get it a few days ago so I finally picked it up and read it. When I finished it, the only thought I had inside my head was that I felt this book was underwhelming. It could've been so much better than it is now but the numerous flaws forced me to lower the book's rating to three stars. It starts with the main character Colin Kaepernick or Colin for short as I'll call him from now on living with his adoptive (white) parents sometime in the early 2000s or something along those lines. The main point of this novel is that Colin wants to do football but has few opportunities to do so since all I could see was Colin trying to play baseball even though that isn't what he wants to do as a sport. Here's where the flaws surface, I couldn't relate to any of the characters including Colin and the rest of them whose names I forgot and I felt that the book couldn't pick a concept to focus on since it kept switching between sport and race, and let me tell you there is a lot of talk about race and the racism is everywhere. One time there was even a slur which I didn't like which slightly ruined my enjoyment of the narrative. I also wished it could've been longer, and not to mention this is similar to The Tryout by Christina Soontornvat and this story could've rivalled that if it were longer. But alas, I don't have any reason to recommend this book to anyone except people who haven't heard of Colin. The last few pages weren't necessary as it felt like a promotion for Colin's activism thing. Also why did it only say it helps Black and Brown people and not Asian, Latino/a, neurodivergent people or those who have disabilities or different body types or religions?

A necessary read. Important poems do not happen in a vacuum and while these poems have the Red Summer of Chicago 1919 as the emotional, intellectual and spiritual center, these poems echo so loudly in a present when politicians create codes to minimize the pain of protesters, or create outrage over having to confront a nation's pain and especially the pain of those terrorized by racism and its offspring of violence. These are voices that could have been heard as loudly today or at any time in between.

The calm of the penultimate poem "I saw Emmett Till this week at the grocery store" has a way of amplifying the pain in a way that takes a true craftsperson.

'I knew him from his hat, one of those
fine porkpie numbers they used to sell
on Roosevelt Road. it had lost its feather but
he had carefully folded a dollar bill
and slid it between the ribbon and the felt
and it stood at attention. he wore his money.
upright and strong, he was already to the checkout
by the time I caught up with him. I called out his name'

Eve Ewing from 'I saw Emmett Till this week at the grocery store.'

A collection worth reading many times over.

Independent reading level: 3rd-7th grade

I admire Colin Kaepernick's activism, but this story about his senior year of high school was too slim a piece of his life to satisfy my curiosity about the man behind the icon. Indeed, I found it frustrating as it raised issues it didn't fully address and alluded to a bigger picture that's left unpainted. This whole book would have worked better as a chapter in a longer memoir.

I think part of the problem is that the book assumes some knowledge about Kaepernick, which I pretty much lack. For instance, I had no idea he was a multiracial person who was adopted by a white family, and it took a while for the story to make that clear. Establishing some facts upfront would have helped the rest of the story flow better and make more sense, but we're just dumped into his senior year with no preparation.

The adoptive parents are presented as racist and controlling, leaving me to wonder what Kaepernick's relationship with them is like currently, especially in light of recent news articles about Michael Oher and the Tuohy family. Unfortunately, the story doesn't address anything after Kaepernick chooses his college.

And his college choice is supposed to be the big dramatic climax of the book, but even my ignorant butt knew he played football, so there was no tension or surprise there at all.

In the end matter, the six pages of photographs and quotes from people who attended a conference Kaepernick hosted seemed a bit random and tangential, aiming for inspirational but coming off more like a brochure.

Disappointing.

Recommended Ages: Gr. 3-6

Plot Summary: Maya is shocked to learn that her two absolute besties are not in the same 5th grade class as her after all. And they have the teacher who loves science and Maya has the teacher who is very strict, which is very ironic since Maya is a devoted scientist who uses books and the Museum of Science and Industry to learn. On the first day, Maya shrinks in response to the strictness. Maya can't even tell Ms. Rodriguez that she goes by her middle name, not her first name. Maya is lonely as her friends, when they do get time together, start talking about what happens in their classroom. When Mr. Mac asks Maya to help in his store, Maya is thrilled. She's even more thrilled when she finds a robot in the closet that she's cleaning out for him. Out of anyone, she is the one who could actually get the robot to work. How will this robot cause chaos and disaster at the science fair, explained in the first chapter?

Setting: Chicago though not explicitly explained as such, but mention of Sears Tower and Museum of Science and Industry

Characters:
Maya - AKA Patricia Maye Robinson, 5th grader
MJ - Maya's best friend
Jada - Maya's best friend
Ralph - Christopher's robot, found in closet at Mr. Mac's store
Christopher - Mr. Mac's son, could be lonely sometimes, absolutely loved science and robots
Mr. Mac - owned a store
Dr. Yazzie - professor at Stanford University who was working with Christopher
Terrance - was friends with Christopher
Daddy - picks up Maya once a week for Pancake Dinner
Mom - very supportive of Maya
Amir - Maya's baby brother, toddler who doesn't speak much, uses diapers, and stays in a stroller often
Ms. Rodriguez - Maya's teacher
Ms. Montgomery - MJ and Jada's teacher

Recurring Themes: science, robots, friendship, race relations, Black Lives Matter, chores, family, shy, confidence, loneliness, flashback

Controversial Issues:
The volunteer at the museum is they/them.

Personal Thoughts: Although I thought the writing seemed ever so slightly telling instead of showing, I still found myself getting emotional at the end. For a book for this age group, there are a lot of themes that are all age appropriate. Because Maya did burst into tears a few times, it showed she was human and a 5th grader, otherwise she seemed beyond her years in her maturity as she handled loneliness.

Genre: realistic fiction

Pacing: medium
Characters: not too many and somewhat developed
Frame:
Storyline:

Activity:½

Maya is a new fifth grader who is nervous because her friends will not be in her class this year. She discovers a robot that, with her help, comes to life. The robot starts to cause trouble for Maya through realistic fiction elements but with a sci-fi twist.

This was cute. Is Ms Marvel just like a female Mr Fantastic? What's her deal? I need to read her origin story to understand the giant hands.

Maya is going into 5th grade -- only to discover that her best friends aren't in any of her classes. She quickly starts to feel isolated and unsure of herself, though she tries to let her love of science carry her through. She meets a new friend, Ralph the robot, in the closet at Mr. Mac's store and uncovers another story while restoring Ralph and learning about his maker. A sweet and sensitive look at grief, friendships, and learning to believe in yourself. The illustrations are really awesome and add a lot of interest to the book.

I listened to the author read her poems and for a while the words made me see familiar things, sometimes they made me step back and recognize I was allowed to listen in. I was on her bike and on the bus, but I was not her. I'll listen again some nights. I could sketch half a dozen scenes and feelings from one listen, two days later.

Fun book, fun characters, but why the hell does this constitute a THIRD Volume 1? The storylines flow relatively cleanly from one creative team to the next, so Marvel either is purposefully obfuscating things or they think lower volume #s sell better.

All I know is that there shouldn't be three different #1s when Champions only began in 2016. Honestly, this should be Volume 8 of ongoing Champions, not the third Volume 1 (or sixth #1 by issues and collections).

Really good sociological examination of the Chicago Public School system and the historical factors that lead to the specific circumstances of schools that were slated to be closed in 2013. Ewing wanted to look into the phenomenon she saw where schools were determined to be "failing" and yet the families who used those schools would fight against those closures. As I said, I had read what is basically chapter two for a sociology class but everything else was new to me. I am a sociology major and I'm very interested in educational sociology so this book was right up my alley. If you're at all invested in the current state of public schools, I would recommend this book.

Absolutely stunning, emotionally devastating collection of poetry that also functions as a history lesson and a warning that we as a society have not gotten better since 1919 in terms of the systemic abuse and violence against Black people in the United States. I hope people also read Ewing's GHOSTS IN THE SCHOOLYARD which is a non-fiction book about the way the Chicago public school system has failed Black youth.

Spider-man and Ms. Marvel - 4 stars
Captain Marvel and Ms. Marvel - 2.5 stars½

Powerful. I read this the context of having heard her speak, and also reading her nonfiction and comics around the same time. Taken together, its' an amazing range. These are meant to be read aloud.

Beautiful compilation of verse and art of personal experience, but translatable into universal understanding, empathy, compassion. In her introduction, Ewing says "This book is about my life and maybe also your life." and the foreword in the book notes "Poets fill in the spaces other types of storytelling can't always reach." That's the connection this book fosters. Ewing is an important voice in Chicago -- focusing on sociology in education at U of C and equity in CPS. "Ignore Eve Ewing at your own intellectual, political, and cultural peril." says Chicago magazine. Read this and you won't want to.

Fantastical and feminine and painful and beautiful--those are the words that came to my mind when I was reading this book. I couldn't relate to most of the poems, but I could feel them. I thought it was interesting how Ewing combined the poetry, art, and narrative prose, and overall I think it worked well. I appreciated the allusion to The Iliad in "Requiem for Fifth Period and the Things That Went on in Them." Full review to follow.

I was bored as the book seemed to be mostly housekeeping as it tried to bring resolution to some of Riri Williams' past trauma while setting up a new status quo and arch enemy, neither of which was very intriguing. Her personality just sort of dissolved into a series of reactions amidst all the grief, inventing, and obligatory fight scenes.

I might try the next book in the series, but I hear the series has already been canceled with #12 and Vol. 2 only collects through #11. Oops.

Side note: I used to walk by the Kennedy School of Government all the time, but I haven't seen it in decades, so it was a nostalgic kick to have it pop up as the site of a hostage situation.

I loved this. I absolutely loved this. The mix of photos, excerpts from historical documents, and poetry was so incredibly powerful and beautiful and heartbreaking. I learned so much about events I'd never known existed from this collection. One of my new favorites for sure. Ewing did a phenomenal job. Everyone should read this.
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**This is an amazing book to look into for those looking to diversify their reading list**

"I know I can't tell the difference between a good and a bad poem"

I enjoyed this. Just don't ask me to tell you why.

There's a tryptic of poems (the first time, four boys on ellis & another time.) interspersed through the book, which I assumed on the title would be poems about sex. Then, it being 2018, I felt the needle — I hope it's consensual. They weren't. It was racism

Collection of poetry & photos honoring the 1919 Chicago 'Red Summer' race riots. This slim volume is well-worth the time to amplify these events, telling the larger overall story through a street-level view of riots and violence.

Just incredible. The pairing of each poem with the epigraphs is just incredible, and each poem is like a snippet of being in the past. "Jump/Rope" is just incredible, probably my "favorite" poem of the collection--it's cutting, like a punch in the chest repeatedly, but also tender. Each poem is really like that though, drawing together this vivid picture of Chicago and Black Chicago in particular before, during, and after the race riots. Strongly recommend, and honestly definitely usable to teach students more about the riots.

a very astute analysis of the Red Summer in verse. Well done.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa i feel so bad abt this rating :(

i love eve ewing, but i still cant get w the genre of superhero comics :/

the bit of character-building we get is great, and so far i like riri more than almost all the other marvel/dc superheros ive encountered, but so much abt this genre/format is awkward, stilted, rushed, cramped

im glad that eve ewing is writing for such a big publisher, that her writing is getting out there, and that readers of marvel will see better heroes as a results. but god i just DO NOT like superhero comics :/

Delightful poems from a Chicago artist who is also a great twitter follow. The form and feel vary throughout, I liked this very much.