Hands: The ‘tender and funny’ debut memoir

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Reluctant readers will be pulled in by the energy, realistic emotions, and situations they might be struggling with themselves. Features: Into Deep Space, Radio telescopes penetrates the unseen violence of the cosmos: Black Holes, Quasars, Supernovas, Pulsars, and much more. This means that a handbook is used in almost every industry and field as a reference tool or guidebook. He's always looked up to his stepfather, especially the way he could hit, but when this ends up being problematic, Trev isn't quite sure how he feels about using his hands to fight. Join Poppy and her friends on an exciting day trip to the Zoo –they see monkeys, penguins, elephants, hippos and much more!

Join Poppy and her friends for her birthday – there are balloons, games, presents, dancing and birthday cake of course! His stepfather has just been sent to jail for hitting Trevor's mother, and this boy is struggling with promises: what he promised his stepfather (to take care of his sister and stepsister), what he's promising himself (to take care of his mother when his stepfather gets out of jail), and what a teacher describes to him at school as his "promise," something that doesn't feel that it matters all that much to him with everything else he's facing, though deep in his heart he knows it does. This is the story of a boy learning about the power of his hands to communicate – whether through his drawing or his fists – and figuring out how he wants to express what he has to say.

Hands asks us to consider the choices we make with our hands, when we think that there is only one best answer, and provides us with a beautifully nuanced portrayal of toxic masculinity, while also snatching the attention of kids from the very first page. Combine that size with content talking about contemporary Black boys living in the city in the modern day (VERY modern, since there’s a Black Adam reference to Dwayne Johnson in here, amazingly enough). Join Poppy and Zack on their fun day at the farm – follow the friends as they feed the animals and help the farmer. Strengths: Trev's neighborhood will be interesting to my suburban students who don't necessarily live in areas where they can walk to places like Uncle Frankie's garage or Uncle Larry's library or apartment. For kids raised on the notion that storytelling requires complete and utter closure, this may at first strike them as maddening.

Long answer: I want to cut directly to what makes me love this book so much: several adults in Trev's life, blood relation or not, make it clear to him that they are always there for him if he needs help. The characters feel relatable, and Trevor’s love for his community comes through clearly in the first-person narration.But everyone isn’t a fan of his plan, because Trev’s a talented artist, and his hands could actually help him build a better future.

I appreciated the artistry in details, the way in which the author could thread together aspects of pop culture and Black history seamlessly into the narrative. A prequel or a sequel could also be written given the cast of characters and complexity of the conflicts. An SOP or standard operating procedure is a process of routine actions and is also a set of guidelines that are expected to be made regardless of anything. Complex characters are nothing new for Maldonado, and readers will find themselves rooting for Trev and his chosen family as he navigates how to use his hands. Can we really argue that the work of a junior account manager in a City PR firm is more useful than a bus driver or an adult care worker?With most chapters being just two or three pages, it's very approachable and uses language that kids will understand. Raised in Brooklyn by one amazing mom, he now teaches there and puts more joy and compassion into this world that you'd think humanly possible.