sorghum business. When Big Red is damaged in an accident, Alisetta, lacking
funds for repairs, donates it to a man who
refurbishes it as an ambulance. Rendered
in a muted palette, Shin’s rough-textured
illustrations capture the joy in the faces of
each new caretaker of Big Red. Endnotes
provide information about the story’s
West African setting and explain how
readers can get involved in bicycle-dona-tion efforts. A vibrant introduction to the
ripple effects that repurposing tools and
objects can have, particularly for readers
growing up in a society prone to disposability. Ages 8–12. Illustrator’s agent: Kelly
Sonnack, Andrea Brown Literary Agency.
(Mar.)
Rad American Women A–Z:
Rebels, Trailblazers, and
Visionaries who Shaped Our
History... and Our Future!
Kate Schatz, illus. by Miriam Klein Stahl. City
Lights/Sister Spit (Consortium, dist.), $14.95
(64p) ISBN 978-0-87286-683-6
This lively abecedary introduces 25
inspiring women and their accomplishments, from environmentalist Rachel
Carson (“R is for Rachel”) and rocker
Patti Smith to lesser-known history-makers like Wilma Mankiller, who
became the first female Chief of the
Cherokee Nation, and transgender
author/artist Kate Bornstein. Schatz
opens with a discussion of different
meanings of rad/radical (“A radical can be
a person who wants to make big changes
in society”), and the snappy mini-biogra-phies that follow hit the highlights of the
women’s lives and legacies in an accessible, conversational tone. Bright hues
provide backdrops for Stahl’s angular cut-paper portraits, which emphasize the
subjects’ power, humor, and strength.
The letter X “is for the women whose
names we don’t know.... For the women
who aren’t in the history books, or the
Halls of Fame.… The women who made
huge changes and the women who made
dinner.” This inspiring and diverse
tribute to artists, journalists, sports phe-noms, judges, and more culminates with
an energizing A–Z list of “ 26 Things
That You Can Do to Be Rad!” and a
reading list to encourage further exploration. Ages 8–up. (Mar.)
Comics
★ The Lunch Witch
Deb Lucke. Papercutz (Macmillan, dist.),
$14.99 trade paper (180p) ISBN 978-1-62991-
162-5
Grunhilda the witch is out of work, but
after hitting the classified ads, she secures a
new gig in a school cafeteria. “Another day,
another thousand cartons of curdled milk
to hand out,” says Grunhilda, grinning. “ I
love this job.” Yes, Lucke’s (Sneezenesia) take
on the adventures of a cafeteria employee is
basically the polar opposite of Jarrett J.
Krosoczka’s Lunch Lady books. From the
olive, stain-splattered backgrounds to
Lucke’s scraggly-sketchy renderings and
semi-grisly plot twists, this one’s for kids
who like their comedy (and their magic)
dark. Worried that she’s about to be
revealed as a witch, Grunhilda, who’s cut
from the same cloth as Matilda’s Miss
Trunchbull, reluctantly agrees to create an
intelligence potion for struggling student
Madison. Thanks to interference from
Grunhilda’s undead witch
ancestors, the potion turns
Madison into a toad, and
Grunhilda tries to set
things right. “Was this
Mexican yam dug in the
dark?” she asks a grocer
while gathering ingredients for an antidote. “It’s
certified fair trade, but I
can’t commit to dug in the
dark,” he replies. A wickedly funny start to
this series. Ages 7–10. (Mar.)
★ Roller Girl
Victoria Jamieson. Dial, $12.99 trade paper
(240p) ISBN 978-0-8037-4016-7
When Astrid’s mother takes her and
her best friend Nicole to a roller derby
event, Astrid is intrigued, but Nicole is
left cold. The rift between them grows as
Astrid signs up for derby camp, while
Nicole opts for ballet. Astrid works her
tail off, makes friends, finds a mentor in a
star skater named Rainbow Bite, and, at
last, appears in her first bout. She also
undergoes some uncomfortable preadoles-
cent ordeals before reconciling with
Nicole, in scenes that Jamieson (Pest in
Show), in her first graphic novel, keeps
blessedly free of smarminess. Jamieson’s
full-color cartooning has a Sunday comics
vibe, and her pacing is faultless. Astrid
struggles to do right as she tries to under-
stand her soured friendship with Nicole,
and she narrates her own failures with
heartwarming candor (“ I don’t know why
I did it. I didn’t mean to hit them”).
When she comes up with an elaborate
scheme to bolster a teammate’s failing
confidence and carries it off despite the
pressure of their upcoming bout, readers
will want to stand up and cheer. Ages
9–12. Agent: Paul Rodeen, Rodeen Literary
Management. (Mar.)
Religion/Spirituality
What If I’m an Atheist?
A Teen’s Guide to Exploring
a Life Without Religion
David Seidman. Simon Pulse/Beyond Words,
$19.99 (256p) ISBN 978-1-58270-407-4
Teenagers have enough trouble navi-
gating questions about their identity. So
where should they turn when they stop
believing in religion? Journalist
Seidman offers a guide for teens
struggling with unbelief, partic-
ularly those who are likely to
experience hostility or ambiva-
lence about their change in con-
victions. He begins by painting a
multifaceted portrait of what
unbelief looks like, going beyond
the currently popular, and vocal,
New Atheism. He discusses life
as an unbeliever in a possibly negative
environment, giving point-by-point
analyses of common debates between theists and atheists, and projects possible
arguments. Covering a large amount of
ground, Seidman synthesizes thoughts,
questions, and data from an impressive
number of sources to help teens forge a
new path with confidence and knowledge. Unfortunately, this comes at the
expense of a deeper analysis of religions
and their practices. Overall, however,
Seidman is respectful, and he urges his
audience toward considerate open-mindedness, making this an excellent primer
for teens needing guidance in navigating
the culturally contentious and personally
troublesome waters of religion. Ages 12–
up. (Mar.) ■
