Me (Moth)

 

My Thoughts:

This is my book no. 100 this year, 2021 DC (during Covid). I purposely chose this to be my last book of the year because of several things:

• I am intrigued by the cover: dreads, half skin colored, half sculpture face with a crack running from the moth bottom to the edge of her nose
• The end of a "big year" which for me is a 100-book year should end with poetry in the form of a novel in verse
• End with an award book which usually guarantees a great read. This one is a finalist for the 2020 Young Peopleʻs Literature award
• If this is not a trusted author, choose a debut author. Often times, their first book is most close to their heart and in a big year, I want heart and craft and an authorʻs gift.

In short, this book OMG!! So deserving for whatever it gets, and it needs to get awarded and read and savored. The surprise at the end will hurt your heart, but once you know it, you donʻt need to read it again. HOWEVER, the poetry is fire. This can be read in upper middle or high school. Use it as a mentor text, use it as a way to get students writing, add it to the name poem collection, read it out loud every day. Just read it. 

From the Publishers:

FINALIST FOR THE 2021 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FOR YOUNG PEOPLE'S LITERATURE

A debut YA novel-in-verse by Amber McBride, Me (Moth) is about a teen girl who is grieving the deaths of her family, and a teen boy who crosses her path.

Moth has lost her family in an accident. Though she lives with her aunt, she feels alone and uprooted.

Until she meets Sani, a boy who is also searching for his roots. If he knows more about where he comes from, maybe he’ll be able to understand his ongoing depression. And if Moth can help him feel grounded, then perhaps she too will discover the history she carries in her bones.

Moth and Sani take a road trip that has them chasing ghosts and searching for ancestors. The way each moves forward is surprising, powerful, and unforgettable.

Here is an exquisite and uplifting novel about identity, first love, and the ways that our memories and our roots steer us through the universe.