#AmReading

The Girls of Firefly Cabin 
Cynthia Ellingsen
Age/Genre: Middle Grades, Contemporary
Publisher: Albert Whitman & Co
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

Lauren, Isla, Jade, and Archer meet the first day of summer camp, and friendship magic is made in Firefly Cabin. If only they could immortalize their summer memories by winning the contest to be the face of the camp’s website. But it won’t be easy; not with rival cabins, distracting crushes, and of course, the girl’s own secrets getting in the way. Can friendship—and the Fireflies—triumph over all?

Summer camp! A magical place, where one can frolic and enjoy nature, while sipping bug juice and applying ample amounts of sunscreen and insect repellant. It is also a place, where fast, and sometimes, lasting friendships form. Such was the case for Archer, Isla, Jade, and Lauren.

The main reason I wanted to read this book was because of strong female friendship, and indeed, I definitely got that. However, I wasn't so sure these four were going to gel, because they came from such different backgrounds, and each was also grappling with some sort of emotional baggage. But, as each young woman began to reveal more of herself, and place more trust in the others, their friendship grew and flourished.

I liked the diversity in the issues that each girl was facing. Lauren was the scholarship girl, and also an orphan living in a group home. Isla was a wealthy Manhattanite, who felt inferior in her family of overachievers and also struggled with her overprotective parents' rules. Archer came across as angry at the world with her rebellious hair and clothing, but suffered from isolation from her peers, as well as her mean-girl sister. Jade was weighed down by guilt and grief after suffering a great loss, and was reluctant to allow any happiness into her life.

Yes, the author touched upon many issues, but I never felt overwhelmed by them because they were spread out over four different people, and they were interspersed with so much fun and joy. It was quite satisfying to see each young woman work through her issues, and it warmed my heart the way they supported each other as they figured things out.

Jade's storyline made me cry - every time, but it was Lauren, who touched me the most. She sort of had the least out of all the girls, but she was super optimistic, and found so much delight in all the little things that we often take for granted. I wanted this to be the best summer of her life, and I had NO problem, whatsoever, with the ending Ellingsen gave her. It was sweet and precious, just like Lauren, and it was ok that it wasn't super realistic, because it warmed my heart and brought some serious happy tears to my eyes. As far as Archer was concerned, I wasn't a super fan of her storyline, though I was very, very pleased with the resolution.

I would say, I liked all four Fireflies, and I wanted them to find their way, make good choices, and have an incredible summer. And, it seemed like these four were really making the most of their time at camp, though, I felt they read a little older than 11-years old at times. Maybe it's me, since I haven't been 11 in quite some time, and my daughter is now 24, but they seemed upper middle school to me.

Overall: This was a lovely tale of friendship in a fantastic camp setting, which only added to the warmth and fun of this story.

The Sound of Silence: Growing Up Hearing with Deaf Parents
Myron Uhlberg
Age/Genre: Middle Grades, Memoire
Publisher: Albert Whitman & Co
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

Myron Uhlberg was born the hearing son of deaf parents at a time when American Sign Language was not well established and deaf people were often dismissed as being unintelligent. In this young reader adaptation of his acclaimed memoir, Hands of My Father, Uhlberg recalls the daily difficulties and hidden joys of growing up as the intermediary between his parents’ silent world and the world of the hearing.

In this adaptation of his adult memoire, I learned about Uhlberg's experience being the hearing son of deaf parents from his birth until he went to college. There were fun times and bad times, happy times and sad times, but what was never lacking was love.

This book hit me hard in the feels right out of the gate, and it's a great testament to how well Uhlberg conveyed his emotions to me. I felt his frustration, rage, shame, worry, confusion, pride, and joy. Many times, he had conflicting emotions, which was understandable, because of his situation, and he did an incredible job helping me feel the full weight of his struggle with his negative emotions.

One thing that stood out, was the amount of responsibility young Myron had to take on. At an early age, he served as his father's ears and voice in the hearing world. He often had to translate for his father, and felt stuck somewhere between being a kid and being an adult. It wasn't just his parents he cared for either. His younger brother suffered from epilepsy, and Myron was tasked with caring for him as well. He never let this responsibility snowball into resentment though, because his love for his brother was so fierce. It took him a little longer to fully embrace his role in his father's life, but he made peace with that as well.

I really loved all these snapshots of Myron's life, which not only allowed me to witness his family's dynamic, but also gave me a window into Deaf culture during the depression era. The prejudice the deaf faced was terrible, but Myron's father didn't let it keep him from succeeding in his endeavors.

This book was written with that warm and lovely nostalgic tone that I adore. That coupled with the fact, that Myron grew up close to my old Brooklyn neighborhood, made this a fun walk down memory lane. I had so such a great time touring Brooklyn, and I really appreciated the historical bits he chose to weave into this story.

Overall, this was a beautiful and touching story of the complicated, but loving, relationship between a father and son, which warmed my heart and filled me with joy.

**ARCs received in exchange for honest reviews.

Have you ever been to summer camp?

Let us know in the comments!