THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2021 • THE BULLETIN GO! MAGAZINE • PAGE 7 LOCAL LITERARY HIGHLIGHTS bendbulletin.com/goread RECOMMENDED READING FROM DESCHUTES PUBLIC LIBRARY CHILDREN’S BOOKS “My Day with Gong Gong,” by Sennah Yee, illustrated by Elaine Chen Yee expertly captures the trepidation many children experience when think- ing about spending an entire day with their grandpar- ents. May and Gong Gong don’t speak the same lan- guage, which is something many children will relate to, as adult speech can feel foreign to a child. While May is nervous, what ensues is a beau- tiful day spent lean- ing about each other, in spite of the language divide and mishaps. Chen beautifully illustrates May’s emo- tions, allowing the reader to perfectly understand what she experiences, as she builds a relationship with her grandfather that transcends language and age. Includes a glossary of trans- lated terms. Ages 4-7. “Three Keys,” by Kelly Yang In this sequel to “Front Desk,” we catch up with Mia and her friends, Lupe and Jason, at the beginning of the following school year. A new ar- ray of challenges await: Mia is getting poor writing grades after working so hard to improve, Lupe’s mom returns to Mexico for her grandmother’s fu- neral, Jason’s dad is having financial troubles and Proposition 187 is threat- ening the opportunity for many un- documented immigrant students to attend public school. Mia’s huge heart and eye for opportunity mean adver- sity is met with growth mindset, posi- tivity and optimism at every turn. This novel encourages readers to dream and act, even when it seems all hope is lost. “Front D Desk” is De- schutes s Public Library’s L 2021 Youth Y Novel I Idea selection. A Ages 8-12. —Sami Kerzel, community librarian c TEEN BOOKS TE “Miss Meteor,” “M by Tehlor Kay Mejia and Anna-Marie A McLemore M The adage “we Th are all a made of stardust” stard takes on a new and heart- warming warm twist in Tehlor Kay Mejia and Anne-Marie McLemore’s “Miss Meteor.” In this Latinx-led coming of age story, Lita Perez, a girl made of lit- eral stardust, enlists the help of her estranged best friend, Chicky Quint- anilla, to help her pull off the biggest upset in the history of the annual Me- teor Regional Pageant and Talent Com- petition Showcase by being the first non-thin, non-blond, non-white girl to win the coveted title of “Miss Meteor.” Packed with all the drama and fun of the genre, and a dash of magic, this heartfelt story about the need one has to be witnessed and embraced wholly for who one is makes this the perfect read for all the outsiders learning to let their light shine. “Miss Meteor” is currently avail- able at Deschutes Public Library as an e-book or e-audiobook on Libby. “Beyond the Gender Binary,” by Alok Vaid-Menon Pocket Change Collective promises a series of “small books filled with big ideas” from today’s leading activists, and none of these books deliver that level of clarity and innovation better than that of writer and performance artist Alok Vaid-Menon. In “Beyond the Gender Binary,” Vaid-Menon weaves anec- dotes about their own life with a suc- cinct analysis of the colo- nial origins of the gender binary and the contradictions between how gender non- Continued on next page