ALAN Picks: Celebrate Black History With Books That Explore Dreaming, Independence and Resistance (February 2025)

ALAN Picks: Celebrate Black History With Books That Explore Dreaming, Independence and Resistance

In this month’s ALAN Picks we feature books by Black authors as well as a newly released book about teenage resistance. For Every One by Jason Reynolds is a letter to dreamers imploring them to take a chance and not give up. We Deserve Monuments By Jas Hammonds is about self-discovery, family history and small town challenges. Salt the Water by Candice Iloh is a novel-in-verse that addresses personal freedom and coming of age. Newly released Under the Same Stars by Libba Bray alternates between 1940s Germany, 1980 West Berlin, and 2020 Brooklyn as it tells a tale of injustice, history and tee resistance. 

Looking For Teen Reviewers: If you know students who are interested in writing book reviews of recently published young adult and middle grade books, let them know they can write for ALAN Picks too! 

ALAN Picks Book Selections: ALAN Picks accepts reviews of books published from spring 2020 to present-day, including soon-to-be-released books. This gives ALAN members who are interested in reviewing books more great titles to choose from, as well as accommodate some great books released during the beginning of the pandemic that still deserve highlighting. If you have some books in mind that you would like to review, please reach out to me!

Let Us Know How You Use ALAN Picks! If you read an ALAN Picks review and end up using the book with your students, let us know! We want to hear all of your great stories and engaging ways you are using young adult and middle grades literature in your classrooms. Remember, ALAN Picks are book reviews by educators for educators! Click on the archives to see previous editions. 

Submit a Review: Would you like to submit a review? Check out ALAN Picks for submission guidelines and email ALAN Picks Editor, Richetta Tooley at richetta.tooley@gmail.com with the book title you are interested in reviewing. Rolling deadline.

–  Richetta Tooley, ALAN Picks Editor

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Synopsis: Written in prose and as a letter to dreamers, the book For Every One by Jason Reynolds offers readers insights on dreaming, taking chances, and never giving up. The words on each page are intertwined with images. For Every One is available in book form and can also be found, written and performed by Reynolds, here. 

Review:

For Every One is an elegantly written book written in prose with beautiful images accompanying each passage. For Every One would be an excellent addition to a poetry unit or paired with a longer young adult book with similar themes. It would also be a great introduction text at the beginning of a school year or semester. 

Suggestions for Curriculum & Classroom Use

Thematic Connections

• Dreams 
• Dreaming
• Self Exploration
• Connections to Self

Teaching Strategies and Activities 

Before Reading: 

Reflective Prompts

Prior to reading For Every One, invite students to consider the following prompts. These prompts will allow students to begin thinking about the themes of For Every One while making connections to themselves. These questions may be posed as independent quickwrites followed by small group and whole group discussion. Alternatively, these could be posted on chart paper around the room and students could rotate to each chart paper to record their answer and read the answers of others. These questions could also serve as Essential Questions to anchor a unit of study. 

• What dreams or goals do you have for yourself? Why do you have those dreams or goals for yourself? 
• When you think about the dreams or goals you have for yourself, how do you feel? Why do you feel that way? 
• What do you think it will take to achieve the dreams or goals you have for yourself? 
• Do you think everyone has dreams or goals? Do you think everyone’s goals and dreams are the same? Why or why not? 

During Reading:

Identifying Theme For Every One is broken into four chapters. Pause after reading each chapter to discuss the messages and themes conveyed in the chapter. Students can record themes and connections they are making to the themes on a chart, such as the one below.

	Themes	Connection to Self
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4

Close Reading 

Invite students to select one passage from the book that especially resonated with them and have them return to and closely read this section. To guide their close reading of the section, have students consider what the text says, what this means, and why it matters. Students can record their ideas on a chart, such as the one below. 

What does the text SAY?	What does this MEAN?	Why does this MATTER to me?

After Reading: 

• Book Cover Analysis and Creation: After reading, invite students to look closely at the cover of the book and consider how the book’s themes are reflected in the cover. Have students share their ideas with the class. Following, drawing on the book’s themes, invite students to create and design their own original cover for the book that connects the book’s themes to their own goals and dreams. After creating their original cover, have students write a paragraph that describes how the themes in For Every One are represented in the original cover they created and how their dreams and goals are reflected in the cover they created. 
• Poem Writing: For Every One is written as a letter from the author, Jason Reynolds, to the readers and begins with the words “Dear Dreamer” (p. 4). Invite students to write a poem in the form of a letter that begins with the line, “Dear _______” and replaces “dreamer” with another word. For instance, students could begin their poem with ‘Dear Adventurer’, ‘Dear Traveler’, ‘Dear Lover’, or ‘Dear Friend.’ Encourage students to select a word that connects to their own dreams, goals, and passions. 

Formative/Summative Assessments

Summative Assessment 

One Page Visual 

Invite students to create a one page visual that represents their reading of the book and makes connections to themselves. Ask students to include the following on their one page visual: one word that summarizes the book, a statement describing the book’s message, a statement of how they relate to the book, two quotes from the book, a visual image that connects the book to themselves. Students can create their one page visual using colored pencils, crayons, and markers, or they can create their one page visual digitally using Google Slides or Canva. 

Review by: Andrea LeMahieu Glaws is an Assistant Professor in the School of Education at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, CO. 

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Synopsis: The novel follows Avery all the way to Georgia as she learns to love her grandma, discover herself, and deal with conflicting feelings both inside her family and out. Coming from DC to live in a small southern town is not easy for a young girl who is both black and queer. But that small town in Georgia proved to be a better home for her as she made real friends and learned the family history her mother never told her. Jas Hammonds represents what it’s like to be suppressed in a small town and how it feels to be caught in the middle of the generational trauma being strung along by her Mama Letty and mother. 

Review

This novel proved to be just as beautiful as the cover. It’s a book that pulls you in with the vibrant colors on the front and has you yearning to learn more as you read it. It gives you a character that is relatable no matter your race or gender identity and a story that helps you embrace yourself. We Deserve Monuments is a good read for anyone that has ever felt lost in their life or was ever left wondering who they were. This book finds magic in the mundane and will leave you wanting more of Jas Hammonds’ writing.

Suggestions for Curriculum & Classroom Use

Thematic connections: 

The themes of this book can be relatable to everyone, but especially those dealing with repression, grief, and self-alignment. 

• Race 
• Sexual identity 
• Growth 
• Generational trauma 
• Relationships 
• First love 
• Secrets 

Essential questions: 

• How do each of the characters display growth throughout the novel? 
• What role does generational trauma play in this book? 
• How does this text relate to both the past and the present of racial and sexual discrimination? 
• How does the main character view themselves? How do others view them? 
• What message is the author trying to convey? 

Teaching strategies and activities: 

• Have each student list what they think the themes are and give their own explanations 
• Identify the flat and round characters of the book 
• Make a character map and choose one of them to analyze 

Assessment Possibilities: 

Formative Assessment: 

• At the end of each class, post a quizlet to monitor student understanding of what they are taking away from this piece. 

Summative Assessment:

• Choose two characters from the book and explore/analyze how generational trauma affected their lives and their relationships. Give specific examples.

Review by: Lillian Glover, student, Fort Collins, Colorado 

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Synopsis: Salt the Water is a novel in verse, detailing the discord between Cerulean Gene’s beliefs about what their life could and should be, and the reality of a world that is sometimes unjust. Cerulean, their girlfriend Zaria, and their two friends, Irv and Jai, are working various jobs and side gigs to scrape together enough money to live off grid after they graduate high school. With six months left in high school, Cerulean is suspended after conflict with their antagonist, Mr. Schlauss, who represents all that Cerulean sees as wrong with their world—standardized testing, abuse of power, patriarchy, and antiquated traditions. As Cerulean’s family experiences a tragedy, we begin to wonder if there is a way for Cerulean to find the world for which they are longing.

Review

Salt the Water opens in a powerful way, depicting Cerulean’s frustrations with a bitter teacher. Cerulean challenges the status quo throughout the book, questioning a teacher that is supposed to grow students’ knowledge but instead closes off any critical thinking or discussion. But Iloh’s novel doesn’t stop with a frustrating teacher; it dives into the larger issues school systems are facing, such as outdated and irrelevant required reading, high stakes testing, and teacher shortages. 

Cerulean and their friends are gender queer individuals of color that think about and discuss the world in a nuanced way, offering multiple perspectives on the challenges that students today are facing. Cerulean’s family also depicts the challenges the Gene family faces as immigrants. Their Baba is a chef who has worked his way up to owning his own restaurant, their mama teaches swim lessons at the community recreation center. Their journey has allowed them to send their second child to a private Montessori school, but an accident in Baba’s kitchen brings the mounting pressure of medical bills and dwindles the family’s income down to one. The Gene family demonstrates grace and love as they navigate the precarity of their situation. While Cerulean’s words paint every family member with such detail and personality, we relearn what teenage angst feels like in the 2020s. 

Suggestions for Curriculum & Classroom Use

Themes:

• Family
• Coming of age
• Freedom
• LGBTQ+
• Society

Essential Questions:

• How does a novel in verse introduce new ways for an author to explore their character’s emotions in new ways?
• How does society respond to people who challenge the norm? How does society respond to challenges from individuals in marginalized groups (LGBTQ+, people of color, unhoused, immigrants)?
• Why does Cerulean feel the need to “salt the water”? How does this impact them?

Culturally responsive and sustaining teaching strategies and activities 

• Close reading of the text to determine how formatting expresses the internal experience of Cerulean
  • What emotions cause Cerulean to use less spacing?
  • How does the author use enjambment and visual poetry to express ideas and emotions?
  • Why does Iloh include multi-genre elements in including the original letter sent by the school regarding Cerulean’s absences?
• Gathering evidence and generating claims about the use of the motif of salting the water
  • Where does this idea first occur, and what does it mean to Cerulean?
  • When does Cerulean have to “salt the water”? What happens before and after? Do you notice patterns?
    • Have students complete a chart that provides evidence of Cerulean’s thoughts and emotions before and after each occurrence, then come up with an overarching claim about what causes this
• Have students write one final poem that expresses Cerulean’s emotional state after they disappear.
  • Where is Cerulean? What are they doing and with whom?
  • Does this new reality offer the freedom Cerulean was seeking?
  • How does Cerulean feel about leaving their family?

Assessment Possibilities: 

Formative 

1. Have students map out characters and their interactions with Cerulean along a certain dimension (e.g. freedom to constraint, change to tradition). Have students describe how the various character’s impact Cerulean’s expression of self.
2. Have students find a poem with unique formatting (spacing, capitalization, italics) and analyze how this poem contributes to a theme of the novel.
3. Cerulean finds Baba’s cooking to be therapeutic. Have students write a “recipe” for one of the characters in the book.
4. Have students compare Mr. Shlauss to Chanel, then depict key differences on a one-pager using words and symbols.
   1. How are these teachers characterized differently (speech, actions, looks, interactions)? 
   2. What are the differing beliefs and attitudes that these teachers hold?

Summative

• Argumentative essay prompt: Why does the novel end from Airyn’s perspective? Defend a claim about why Iloh chose not to include Cerulean’s perspective after they left their family.
• Literary analysis essay: Explore how Iloh’s use of formatting and use of colloquial diction support the development of Cerulean’s perspective. How does this impact the reader’s experience and develop a theme?

Optional Components:

• Multiple books: Have students read Salt the Water and Long Way Down. These two novels in verse explore teenagers coming of age and being at odds with the values their society holds. While Cerulean comes from a home that is described as “free spirited” and feels resentment over attending public school while their brother attends a private school, their conflict drives them to want to run away and live off grid. Will, on the other hand, lives with his mother, who is in shambles after Will’s brother is killed, and Will comes from a society that offers no escape, rather rules to survive that are passed down from brothers, uncles, and cousins. Students will work to compare the differing themes of these novels, exploring how the families and larger society around each of the protagonists impact their beliefs and actions. Students can analyze perspective and find examples of how the authors’ use of formatting and style express a similar emotional experience under differing circumstances. 

Reviewed by: Heather Gray, Teacher at Columbia Public Schools, Columbia, MO.

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Synopsis: Under the Same Stars alternates between 1940s Germany, 1980 West Berlin, and 2020 Brooklyn. Interspersed is “The Tale of the Hare and the Deer,” an allegorical fairy tale. Best friends Sophie and Hanna cannot ignore the realities World War II has brought to their small town, and they are pushed to decide between action and complicity. Brought to West Berlin by her controlling parents, Jenny discovers its punk scene and with it an understanding of her identity. In the early days of the lockdown, Miles and Chloe submerge themselves in an unsolved mystery from 1940s Germany while also witnessing injustice in their own city and country. Slowly, readers unravel the threads that connect the storylines and the historical events that marked the time periods. At the heart of the novel is the resistance of teens when faced with injustice. 

Review

Under the Same Stars is not only engrossing but also brimming with information. Libba Bray packs the pages full of story and knowledge. From romance to history to activism to music, there is something for everyone. Readers are sure to learn about a new person, event, or part of history they were unaware of before beginning the novel. The effortless prose goes down smoothly despite the weighty topics. Through vibrant and captivating characters, Bray brings history to life by providing windows and mirrors. While the novel offers teens a mirror that reflects their experiences during lockdown, it also offers them a window into decades they may have only heard about.

Bray’s language celebrates the power of words and the beauty of stories, both exhibited in the storylines and elegant words on the page. Lovers of language will be compelled to note lines that call to them.

Suggestions for Curriculum & Classroom Use

Preliminary Activity:

1. Read Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop’s essay “Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors” and discuss the necessity for books in which readers see themselves and others.

Thematic Topics:

• Resistance
• Oppression
• Injustice: racism, antisemitism, homophobia
• Identity: race, religion, sexual orientation

Topics for Further Exploration:

• Los Desaparecidos – Argentina
• Argentina’s Dirty War
• Book Burning and Book Banning
• Hans and Sophie Scholl (White Rose)
• Freddie and Truus Oversteegen
• Bund Deutscher Mädel
• The Berlin Wall
• Rise of the Punk Scene in East Germany
• George Floyd
• Breonna Taylor
• Edelweiss Pirates

Discussion Questions: 

1. In an email correspondence from Ms. Diaz to Miles, she quotes her friend: “‘The truth will set you free. But first it hurts’” (347). Discuss this idea and provide examples to support its validity.
2. Sophie argues that stories are love letters “‘[s]ent from the present or the past to the future,’” when arguing against Hanna’s belief that stories are “‘pretty lies’” (233). With whom do you agree, Sophie or Hanna? Explain and provide examples as support.
3. In one installment of “The Tale of the Hare and the Deer,” Bray personifies books and states that while the books burned the ideas did not (227-8). Book burning and book banning are part of our past and present. What drives people to destroy or ban books? Do you believe that while books may burn, the ideas do not? Explain.
4. Sophie loves fairy tales and is fascinated by words. Provide at least one example of the power of words from each of the storylines in the novel.
5. “‘When you read about the lives of others, you form a kinship. You learn to see the world not just through your own eyes. […] It exercises the mind—but also, the heart’” (94). Provide at least three examples from the novel where you see the world through a character’s eyes. Did you experience empathy or anger or something in between? Did you learn something new about yourself or about the world? Discuss your feelings and reactions to these moments.

Empowerment Activities:

1. Frau Hermann explains why she believes adults share fairy tales with children. “‘We tell them to give children the code for survival. Fairy tales tell us how to see the monsters. How to defeat them. How to carry on despite grief and loss and injustice. They teach us how to make meaning from chaos. How to forgive’” (146). 

• Task students with creating a fairy tale that begins with “Once upon a time” and which makes meaning from chaos, teaches the reader how to carry on or how to forgive. Students should include literary devices, such as metaphor, symbolism, or personification, as Bray does, to create evocative stories.

2. Students will choose a cause for which they feel passionate and educate themselves on its origins and major talking points. Instructors may choose to include a mini lesson on research at this point. Students will then create a pamphlet, zine, or poster to educate others about the issue which will be shared via a gallery walk.

3. During a class on interview etiquette, students will brainstorm tips for conducting a fruitful interview, from first contact with the interviewee to following up after the interview. Students will contact someone who was alive in the 1940s and/or the 1980s and ask them for an interview. As a class, draft questions that focus on what the person remembers most about that time period, both personally and historically; their feelings about that time period now; and advice they would give today’s teens. The final project will take the form of an oral presentation and/or a profile essay.

Reviewed by: Stephanie Terrill, visiting assistant professor, Massachusetts.