Rutabaga's Reads 2021: Part 8

The newest historical character from American Girl is Courtney Moore. She’s an 80s child; her stories take place in 1986. Although American Girl is currently owned by Mattel, I remember when it was under its original owner, the Pleasant Company. And considering that the American Girl brand came into existence by featuring historical character dolls, all of the historical characters hold a special place in my heart. I continue to maintain that these stories can be marketed as chapter books or lower middle-grade novels.

Courtney Changes the Game (Oct. 1, 2020) by Kellen Hertz.

When it comes to the arcade, Courtney Moore is an ace gamer, but it isn’t always so easy to reach the next level in real life. Nine-year-old Courtney lives with her mom (Maureen), stepdad (Mike D’Amico), stepsister (Tina) and half-brother (Rafi). She normally visits her dad (Bruce) on the weekends, but every weekend will turn to one weekend a month. Since her dad’s promotion, he’s moving to a city further away. This creates friction with Tina, whom she already shares a room with, who balks at having to share her room with Courtney most weekends. And the fact that Courtney’s guinea pig, Parsley, is also moving into their room? The worst. Add in that Courtney’s mom is running for mayor (if elected, she’d be the first female mayor of Orange Valley, California), and their blended family has even more to work around. In school, Courtney and her classmates are readying to watch the Challenger launch. It inspires her to invent her own female superhero video game featuring Crystal Starshooter. Now, Courtney wishes she could be as brave and confident as her imaginary superhero.

            Ah, the 80s. Leg warmers. Side ponytails. Caboodles. Scrunchies. Give me all the scrunchies. While people now may question the fashion of that decade – or show renewed enthusiasm for it – it was more than the clothes they’re known for. The 80s introduced a new president in Ronald Reagan and the early 80s found many Americans struggling financially. Family life was different. Like with Courtney’s family, more families were blended or single-parent families. Many of those two-parent families found that they needed two incomes to keep up with the bills. There was the Challenger disaster. But there were also rad things like Cabbage Patch dolls and the launch of MTV. As a youth in a blended family, Courtney works to figure out her own family-school-life balance. Life isn’t usually easy for adults, and it isn’t always easy for kids, either, as Hertz’s story shows. The first book in Courtney’s duology is adorable and also tubular, but it’s not without turbulence.

Courtney – Friendship Superhero (Feb. 16, 2021) by Kellen Hertz.

Fourth grade is a step up, because now Courtney and her best friend, Sarah Barrett, can perform in show choir together. Courtney is continuing her adventures with her made-up superhero Crystal Starshooter, and she has the full support of Sarah and their other good friend Kip Tomatsu (who’s also into gaming like Courtney). New to the arcade is Isaac Wells, as he recently moved to California from Ohio. He’s an epic gamer, and they form an epic friendship. She includes him in Crystal Starshooter’s game world, as it seems only natural, and he gets along great with Sarah and Kip. Crystal and Isaac end up with the same fourth grade teacher, Ms. Markarian, and she’s so happy to have one friend in the same classroom. When Courtney learns that Isaac is fighting HIV, Courtney is quick to support him, even when the people around them say mean things because of their lack of knowledge on the subject. Those people are afraid and lashing out. But Sarah is one of those who’s very afraid and believes the rumors, and it affects their friendship. Courtney wants to be bold and brave like Crystal, but that is scary and complicated to Courtney. How can she reassure Sarah that they are still best friends, and she doesn’t like one friend more than the other, it’s just that Isaac needs her more right now? How can she help educate the uninformed?

            Without a doubt, this story felt more weighted than the first. For those unaware, HIV was first reported in 1981, though it didn’t yet have a name, nor did researchers yet know that HIV was the virus that caused AIDS. Ryan White was 13 years old in 1984 when he was diagnosed with AIDS after receiving a contaminated clotting agent to help manage his hemophilia. He was told he’d live for six months, but lived for six years, passing away in April 1990. Like with the storyline created for Isaac, Ryan and his family were treated so horribly that they moved away.

            I am fortunate to have grown up in a household where my parents expected my brothers and me to treat others well, no matter what. I would’ve been like Courtney, befriending Isaac and supporting him. Reading the story of Isaac’s maltreatment – and even Courtney’s – is heartbreaking and maddening, but it makes the story all the more powerful. Being bold and brave like Courtney doesn’t mean never having vulnerable moments. It’s just part of being human, and that’s an okay thing. Like, totally.