Camel Rider- Prue Mason

Interesting. A book called Camel Rider that isn't about riding camels. There are a few scenes that involve camels. There is a young camel rider in the book, though he doesn't drive the narration as much as his co-protagonist. So, why did Prue Mason title her book thusly, and why did the publisher put a camel on the cover? Let me guess-- to sell a book about the Middle East. Wouldn't be the first time.

So what is it really about? It's mostly a long chase scene set in a fictional country, presumably based on one of the Emirates. There's a fictional war, too. Bratty expat kid Adam is home alone when his neighborhood evacuates. He decides to go back for his dog because, well, I guess he's young and impulsive and it seems like something a brat would do. Meanwhile, Walid is a camel jockey from Bangladesh who rebelled against his employers and is running away. Their paths cross, and they must rely on each other to escape/ get home safely. They don't speak a common language and they come from different backgrounds, so this is where we get the HEY EVERYBODY THIS IS A CROSSCULTURAL NOVEL.

The plot is pretty thin and the characters on the pithy side, but Mason has done something interesting in talking about these disparate communities living in the UAE. The dialogue involving Walid's cruel masters has a surprising ring of authenticity-- I say surprising, because the book hits that mark better than it does Walid's characterization.

I didn't know what to do with this book. Perhaps it would be interesting to kids who like action-based plot, but it seems like it's all about the "small world" themeology (hey, you have a pet? I have a pet! you like chocolate? I like chocolate!) above anything else. Certainly well-intentioned, but this isn't a book I'd recommend. And to say it's about camels totally misses the point.

A Mango-Shaped Space- Wendy Mass

This is a book about synesthesia.

Wonder where the plot might come from? Yeah, I did too. But this is one of those great books that is not all about explaining a condition. This is really a book about the relatable Mia, who is going through a process of learning about herself.

For Mia, letters, numbers, and words have colors and textures in addition to sounds, values, and meanings. Sounds and energy also have hues and physical shapes. Unfortunately, this makes a loud cafeteria a chaotic explosion of visual "noise." In Spanish class, it gives the word amigo totally different properties from the word friend. And it makes doing math problems impossible, where the sum does not reflect the qualities of individual numbers. Mia has kept her condition a secret, but when she does badly enough in school, she and her parents finally learn there is a name for this-- synesthesia-- and that Mia is one of many.

Through the internet, Mia starts to learn all about a community that she had no idea she was part of. This is where things get interesting. She becomes absorbed in the exploration of her condition, blocking out her family, classmates, teachers, and even her best friend. Mia also has a wheezing kitten she loves very much, and when the little cat goes missing, you know it's going to be bad news but also the impetus for revelation.

I think it's worth noting that really successful young adult books teach readers something about themselves as well as about the world. Mia is not alone in her obsession with self-discovery and her resulting self-isolation. Wendy Mass effectively captures that train of thought that takes Mia so far away from everyone else, and I think that's what makes the story so effective. Many YA novels incorporate pithier plotlines that have us screaming "Why are you treating your best friend like that? Why are you ignoring your parents?" and already we know that there is going to be a little "I told you that was not cool" at the end. Here, Mia gets to a place of mutual empathy and understanding with the people who care about her, and it feels genuine.