Tougas, Shelley. Laura Ingalls Is Ruining My Life.

Tougas, Shelley. Laura Ingalls Is Ruining My Life.  Macmillan/Roaring Brook Press  2018  296p     $16.99  ISBN 978-1-62672-418-1  elem/ms     Realistic Fiction  VG-BN     

Samantha has moved about six times in five years. When things get tough, her mother moves the family, looking for positive vibes. This time they end up in Walnut Grove, where her mother hopes to use the vibes from Laura Ingalls to help her write a best-selling book. On top of all the usual problems associated with a new town and school, Samantha has lost the twin connection with her brother. In an attempt to avoid the cafeteria, Samantha cheats on a reading test so she can stay in at lunchtime for extra help. Her astute teacher discovers this and begins to challenge Samantha. Her punishment for cheating is to work at the museum cataloguing artifacts. Samantha begins to enjoy the school, the town, the museum, and Laura Ingalls. But it all falls apart when Samantha misinterprets a conversation she overhears.
 

The novel features good descriptions of the challenges of entering a new school and trying to navigate the cliques and groups. There will be some catch for Laura Ingalls Wilder fans, but the real story is Samantha’s creative way of handling being the new kid. She learns much about herself during the six months the story covers. The novel is a very good choice for elementary and middle-school libraries. The story reads well even for those unfamiliar with Laura Ingalls Wilder's books. 

Summary: Samantha’s mother moves the family, again, this time to Walnut Grove, to channel the spirit of Laura Ingalls as she writes a book. Everything is new for Samantha -- new school, new friends, and new rules.  Grade 4-8 Grade 4-8   

Moving-Fiction                                           --Joan Theal

Tougas, Shelley. Little Rock Girl, 1957.

Tougas, Shelley.  Little Rock Girl, 1957.  Compass Point Books/Capstone, 2012.  64p.      $33.99  ISBN 978-0-7565-4440-9      ms/jr VG-BNS           
     The premise of this book, and, indeed, the entire series, is "Can a photo change the world?"  By taking one of the 100 most important photos of the 20th century, and telling the story behind it, Tougas has given us a compelling and enlightening look at the Civil Rights Movement and the struggle for integration.  The photos, by Will Counts and others, portray vividly the conflict at Little Rock High School, and the Civil Rights Movement as a whole.  Historical background, well-placed first-person narratives, important quotations, brief biographies of key players, as well as stunning photos, make this a book that readers will remember. 
     A timeline, glossary, extensive chapter notes, and a useful bibliography complete the volume.  The format is large, perfect for the discussion of important photos, and the cover is stunning.  Other books in the series, Captured History, include Birmingham 1963, Man on the Moon, and Migrant Mother.  Each takes a pivotal photo as a focal point and brings the story home for middle-school readers. There are six books in the series at this time.  If all are as good as this volume, all should be included in middle-school collections.  It is an outstanding book!   

Subjects: 1. Integration, 2. Little Rock Nine, 3. Civil Rights Movement

Pat Naismith