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Latasha and the Kidd on Keys. by Michael Scotto. March 19, 2013. Midlandia Press. 254 pages. ISBN: 9780983724391

Latasha Gandy is a happy and optimistic fourth grader. She loves her Momma, and her best friend Ricky, and even her neighbor, Mrs. Okocho. She has a great dog named Ella Fitzgerald Gandy, who can be wild, but is also full of love. Though her mom works odd hours and they don't have much money, they still get along pretty well, and Latasha wants for almost nothing. The only thing she doesn't have is a dad. After she attends Ricky's birthday party and sees him interacting with his dad, she becomes a little bit sad, not to mention curious, about the father she has never known. When Momma agrees to get in touch with him, Latasha is excited. Her dad, Patrick (aka "The Kidd") turns out to be a musician with a charming personality and a great sense of humor. Trouble starts, though, when Latasha begins to count on Patrick, and he doesn't live up to his promises.

Like the first book about Latasha, Latasha and the Little Red Tornado, this book starts off slow, but once it picks up, it's hard to put it down. Many kids come from families where one parent is absent, and this book does a nice job of portraying a realistic version of that scenario. What impresses me the most is how the author manages to tell a story about a very difficult relationship without either vilifying Latasha's dad or turning Latasha herself into a victim. Even at her saddest moments in this story, Latasha doesn't blame herself for the way her dad behaves. She is angry, but also resilient, and she learns to express her anger in a healthy and constructive way and directs it at her father instead of internalizing it. It's refreshing to read a story about family problems where the characters are more than just a bunch of dysfunctional stereotypes. I especially appreciate the way Scotto fleshes out the personalities of both of Latasha's parents and even delves into the story of how they met and fell in love. This helps readers understand Patrick's good qualities and also builds up the overall world of the story.

Michael Scotto's writing has a real sincerity. His characters are authentic people who make good role models, and his stories are hopeful, but realistic. Latasha and the Kidd on Keys celebrates the strength and love of families, and gives kids a positive way to deal with sometimes tricky family dynamics. I think this sequel is even better than the first book, and I hope this won't be the last we see of Latasha!

I received a digital ARC of Latasha and the Kidd on Keys from Midlandia Press via NetGalley.

For more about this book, visit Goodreads and Worldcat.

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Postcards from Pismo. by Michael Scotto. May 15, 2012. Midlandia Press. 180 pages. ISBN: 9780983724360

Like its inspiration, Beverly Cleary's Dear Mr. Henshaw, Postcards from Pismo is a series of letters from a young boy to an adult he admires. The boy’s name is Felix Maldonado, and his hero is Marcus Greene, an Army lieutenant serving in Afghanistan. The two first become pen pals through a class project, but their correspondence extends far beyond the original assignment and a warm friendship forms between them. This friendship becomes especially valuable to Felix when his older brother, Quin, enlists in the military himself.

This timely book explores a lot of the important questions kids have about the military and going to war within very safe and comfortable boundaries. Felix is inquisitive and thoughtful, and his sincere worries, fears, and misconceptions are endearing. His straightforward tone and unapologetic curiosity sometimes come across as too bold or blunt, but I think it’s a style kids relate to and appreciate. Felix has the same ideas and thoughts as I’m sure many ten-year-old boys have, and his genuine interest in finding answers to his questions makes it easy to forgive his occasional overstepping of boundaries.

Readers who enjoyed Michael Scotto's first novel, Latasha and the Little Red Tornado, will find a similar reading experience in Postcards from Pismo. Though the subject matter is different, and the narrators are of different genders, there is a wholesome, upbeat quality to both books that suggests a strong moral compass and a focus on the positive. Kids interested in activism will especially like Felix, who is always thinking of ways to give back to the soldiers who protect his country.

When I was a kid, I read The War Began at Supper: Letters to Miss Loria by Patricia Reilly Giff, wherein students exchanged letters with their former student teacher discussing all their fears about the first Gulf War. I remember being very curious, and this book gave me a way to explore the issues that confused or intrigued me in an honest and safe way. Postcards from Pismo does the same thing for kids who are trying to understand our current global situation, and will undoubtedly appeal to military families and non-military families alike.

Watch the author’s official trailer of Postcards from Pismo below, and visit him online at michaelascotto.com.



For more recommended epistolary novels, click here.