When Elly Swartz was a guest on The Reader's Heart, we talked about the theme of forgiveness as being a common thread in all of her books. During our conversation, Elly described forgiveness as an important part of the healing process, because it allows us to reclaim some of our power. When you forgive someone, you're not forgetting that they hurt you. You're not excusing their behavior or absolving them of whatever consequences their actions warrant. Rather, you're letting go of the burden of that hurt; refusing to carry it around anymore; giving your attention, instead, to healthier, more joyful pursuits.
This conversation feels all the more prescient at a time when our politics and our media continue to divide us. As someone who has spent the last (roughly) 30 years working to connect kids with books, this division (and all the hurt that accompanies it) feels especially personal as it plays out in libraries across America. I'm not being hyperbolic when I say that it breaks my heart to see the way librarians and the communities they serve have been pitted against one another. The hurt wrought by efforts to make us view one another as an enemy is very real, and it makes me wonder how/if we'll ever forgive each other when we, eventually, emerge from this dark time.
In this context, Elly's latest book, Same Page, isn't just timely, it's essential. In it, sixth grader (and newly elected class president!) Bess Stein finds herself at the center of just such a community divide, when her efforts to install book vending machines throughout her school are thwarted by a parent who objects to some of the included titles. This conflict is made all the more personal for Bess, for several reasons:
Bess, who is Jewish, hopes to include books about the Holocaust among the vending machine selections. Working with her school librarian, Mr. Jasper, she picks out titles that her classmates will both enjoy and learn from. However, both Bess and Mr. Jasper are blindsided when these titles are among those objected to for being “divisive.”
Bess is devastated (and incensed!) when Mr. Jasper, is put on administrative leave for supporting her work to create inclusive collections for each school vending machine.
And... when the parent behind the book challenge turns out to be the mother of June Myer (Bess's friend AND class vice president), Bess struggles to understand why June finds it impossible to "take sides." As tensions grow, Bess can't figure out why everyone isn't on the same page.
As Bess works with her family, and a supportive group of librarians, (who call themselves the Book Warriors!), to ensure continued access to diverse stories, told from multiple perspectives, readers are challenged to consider how they might approach a similar situation. Unlike our media, which tends to paint everyone on "the other side" as a cartoon villain or caricature, Swartz deftly emphasizes the humanity of each character. While it's clear that Bess and her friends are working towards a noble goal, neither June nor her mom are portrayed as evil monsters bent on world destruction. Rather, each character is given all the messy and complicated layers that make us human.
It's true, Elly Swartz's Same Page is a story about book banning and the freedom to read. But it's also, and perhaps more importantly, a book about the power of forgiveness. As Bess and June (and their larger community) figure out how to forgive one another, readers are reminded that forgiveness isn't an act of compliance or rationalization. When we forgive one another, we're not forgetting or excusing past hurt. Rather, we're letting go of that hurt, and freeing up our hearts, so that we can move forward together.
And, frankly, if that isn't a lesson for the times we're living in, I don't know what is.
ISBN: 9780593705605
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Publication Date: January 14, 2025
Audience: Bess and her friends are in the 6th grade; I think this book is best for readers in grade 5 and up.
⭐️ BONUS CONTENT:
One of the things I love most about Same Page, (but that I didn't focus on in my review), is Elly's inclusion of mindfulness throughout the book. As you might imagine, Bess experiences some BIG feelings in Same Page. That said, with the help of her mom, (who is an equine therapist) Bess employs a variety of mindfulness techniques to help her navigate those emotions. I love the way Bess's example can be used to help young readers develop some strategies of their own for mitigating strong emotions when those feelings threaten to take over. With that in mind, I've focused my educator resources for this book on these concepts.
COLORING SHEET:
I've been reading a bit about the connection between mindfulness and coloring. Specifically, I'm interested in how coloring symmetrical and repeating patterns can help draw us into a state that is similar to meditation. With that in mind, I'm creating FREE monthly reading challenges/coloring sheets focusing on these types of patterns, which might be useful in the context of thinking about the use of mindfulness in Same Page.
However, I also created a coloring sheet specific to this book that features a book vending machine similar to the one that Bess (along with Mr. Jasper!) works to install at her school. I left the titles blank, so that kids could create their own dream collections for a book vending machine at their school. And, of course, I had to include Barnaby - just for fun! You can download this coloring sheet, along with others I've created for specific books, here.
CHATTERBOX:
I was recently reminded of the great reading identity related resources created by the National Library of New Zealand. One of their awesome creations is a chatter box game that gives kids the chance to talk about reading in authentic ways while playing a game. Now... when I was a kid, we called these magical little paper concoctions fortune tellers, but I think chatterbox is actually more appropriate for this purpose.
Inspired by their work, I created a chatterbox specific to Same Page as a tool for getting kids talking about this book and about strategies for dealing with BIG feelings.. You can download the Same Page chatterbox here.
