Kellee – Page 207 – Unleashing Readers

Kellee and Ricki’s #mustreadin2016 Spring Update!

April 11, 2016April 8, 2016 by Kellee

#MustReadIn2016 is hosted by Carrie Gelson at There Is A Book For That:

“For anyone out there with a To Be Read list that seems like it will never end, this challenge is for you! This is all about making your own personal list of books (5? 10? 20? 30? more?) that you commit to reading in 2016. Books can be published in any year, be from any genre, and be from any category (adult, YA, MG, Graphics, NF, etc.). As your TBR list grows, you promise you will get to the books on this list.”

Kellee

My plan was to read 5 books between each update, and I am right on track!

Full Cicada Moon by Marilyn Hilton
Finished 1-12-15

Goodreads Summary: It’s 1969, and the Apollo 11 mission is getting ready to go to the moon. But for half-black, half-Japanese Mimi, moving to a predominantly white Vermont town is enough to make her feel alien. Suddenly, Mimi’s appearance is all anyone notices. She struggles to fit in with her classmates, even as she fights for her right to stand out by entering science competitions and joining Shop Class instead of Home Ec. And even though teachers and neighbors balk at her mixed-race family and her refusals to conform, Mimi’s dreams of becoming an astronaut never fade—no matter how many times she’s told no.

This historical middle-grade novel is told in poems from Mimi’s perspective over the course of one year in her new town, and shows readers that positive change can start with just one person speaking up.

My Thoughts: I am so glad Carrie told me to read this book! She is definitely learning the types of books I love! What makes Full Cicada Moon special is Mimi’s voice. Mimi is strong in the face of adversity and not willing to stand down vs. those who believe she should be less of what she is because she is different. She is who I want my students to read about because although the novel is historical, the themes within are not.

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
Finished 1-16-15

Goodreads Summary: Winter, 1945. Four teenagers. Four secrets.

Each one born of a different homeland; each one hunted, and haunted, by tragedy, lies…and war.

As thousands of desperate refugees flock to the coast in the midst of a Soviet advance, four paths converge, vying for passage aboard the Wilhelm Gustloff, a ship that promises safety and freedom.

Yet not all promises can be kept.

Inspired by the single greatest tragedy in maritime history, bestselling and award-winning author Ruta Sepetys (Between Shades of Gray) lifts the veil on a shockingly little-known casualty of World War II. An illuminating and life-affirming tale of heart and hope.

My Thoughts: Sepetys is a genius. She gives voices to those who had not had voices in historical fiction yet. Her ability to humanize those involved through fictional characters while staying true to the tremendous amount research she does just blows me away. I also was so excited to find out that Salt was a companion to Shades. Ricki did a wonderful job of reviewing Salt to the Sea.

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The Honest Truth by Dan Gemeinhart
Finished 3-9-16

Goodreads Summary: In all the ways that matter, Mark is a normal kid. He’s got a dog named Beau and a best friend, Jessie. He likes to take photos and write haiku poems in his notebook. He dreams of climbing a mountain one day.

But in one important way, Mark is not like other kids at all. Mark is sick. The kind of sick that means hospitals. And treatments. The kind of sick some people never get better from.

So Mark runs away. He leaves home with his camera, his notebook, his dog, and a plan to reach the top of Mount Rainier–even if it’s the last thing he ever does.

The Honest Truth is a rare and extraordinary novel about big questions, small moments, and the incredible journey of the human spirit.

My Thoughts: I’m so glad I chose this book as our first teacher book club choice. There are few reasons why I loved this book despite the depressing tone and topic: First, Mark’s haiku poems written throughout the book are beautiful and I loved reading them in order once the book was over. Second, I love the part the photography played in the story. It shows how powerful images are. Third, I loved the two points of view because, although I loved Mark’s voice, that allowed us to know the feelings at home. Fourth, I loved how Gemeinhart used personification to make the setting another character within the story. Finally, I was intrigued how he had Mark go through the grieving process for himself throughout the story. So well done.

George by Alex Gino
Finished 3-30-16

Goodreads Summary: When people look at George, they think they see a boy. But she knows she’s not a boy. She knows she’s a girl.

George thinks she’ll have to keep this a secret forever. Then her teacher announces that their class play is going to be Charlotte’s Web. George really, really, REALLY wants to play Charlotte. But the teacher says she can’t even try out for the part . . . because she’s a boy.

With the help of her best friend, Kelly, George comes up with a plan. Not just so she can be Charlotte — but so everyone can know who she is, once and for all.

My Thoughts: I was so proud to hear about this book being published! It is so important that the existence of transgender individuals becomes a reality to everyone, including children. I was wondering how it would be written to not be didactic or over a young child’s head, and I was so impressed. The story was done so gently and thoughtfully. Right away the pronoun she/her was used for George allowing the reader to know right away that George was female; she just needed to tell others. The way Alex Gino told the story will make it so every reader will understand George’s story. This is a book that is going to help with compassion and understanding within our LBGT community.

All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely
Finished 4-1-16

Goodreads Summary: Rashad is absent again today.

That’s the sidewalk graffiti that started it all…

Well, no, actually, a lady tripping over Rashad at the store, making him drop a bag of chips, was what started it all. Because it didn’t matter what Rashad said next—that it was an accident, that he wasn’t stealing—the cop just kept pounding him. Over and over, pummeling him into the pavement. So then Rashad, an ROTC kid with mad art skills, was absent again…and again…stuck in a hospital room. Why? Because it looked like he was stealing. And he was a black kid in baggy clothes. So he must have been stealing.

And that’s how it started.

And that’s what Quinn, a white kid, saw. He saw his best friend’s older brother beating the daylights out of a classmate. At first Quinn doesn’t tell a soul…He’s not even sure he understands it. And does it matter? The whole thing was caught on camera, anyway. But when the school—and nation—start to divide on what happens, blame spreads like wildfire fed by ugly words like “racism” and “police brutality.” Quinn realizes he’s got to understand it, because, bystander or not, he’s a part of history. He just has to figure out what side of history that will be.

Rashad and Quinn—one black, one white, both American—face the unspeakable truth that racism and prejudice didn’t die after the civil rights movement. There’s a future at stake, a future where no one else will have to be absent because of police brutality. They just have to risk everything to change the world.

Cuz that’s how it can end.

My Thoughts: This is a book everyone should read. I know you have probably read that about this book, but I am saying it again. Rashad’s story allows the reader to be part of an event like we see on the news and truly understand what is going on. It is insightful, thoughtful, sad, powerful, and important. I’m so excited to have this as my second teacher book club book; we meet this afternoon to chat about it!

Ricki

I read three books on my #mustreadin2016 list. I usually get many more books read during the summer, so I am excited for that to start!

Goodreads Summary: My disease is as rare as it is famous. Basically, I’m allergic to the world. I don’t leave my house, have not left my house in seventeen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla.

But then one day, a moving truck arrives next door. I look out my window, and I see him. He’s tall, lean and wearing all black—black T-shirt, black jeans, black sneakers, and a black knit cap that covers his hair completely. He catches me looking and stares at me. I stare right back. His name is Olly.

Maybe we can’t predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It’s almost certainly going to be a disaster.

My Thoughts: I read this book several months ago, and the story still remains at the forefront of my mind. I absolutely loved the character development within this book. The author is very talented, and I could not put the book down because I was so excited to learn what happened next. This book is different from many others, and it is a great go-to recommendation for teachers.

Goodreads Summary: Antony and Cleopatra. Helen of Troy and Paris. Romeo and Juliet. And now… Henry and Flora.

For centuries Love and Death have chosen their players. They have set the rules, rolled the dice, and kept close, ready to influence, angling for supremacy. And Death has always won. Always.

Could there ever be one time, one place, one pair whose love would truly tip the balance?

Meet Flora Saudade, an African-American girl who dreams of becoming the next Amelia Earhart by day and sings in the smoky jazz clubs of Seattle by night. Meet Henry Bishop, born a few blocks and a million worlds away, a white boy with his future assured—a wealthy adoptive family in the midst of the Great Depression, a college scholarship, and all the opportunities in the world seemingly available to him.

The players have been chosen. The dice have been rolled. But when human beings make moves of their own, what happens next is anyone’s guess.

Achingly romantic and brilliantly imagined, The Game of Love and Death is a love story you will never forget.

My Thoughts: This is such a smart, smart book. I absolutely loved how Martha Brockenbrough weaved mythology and history into the book. I selected this book for my book club, and everyone absolutely loved it. This is the first time this has happened, I think! There was so much to discuss, and we had fun analyzing the characters–their motivations and decisions. One of the women in my book club said, “I have never wanted to step into a story more often than this one. I really cared about the characters!”

Goodreads Summary: Sixteen-year-old Austin Szerba interweaves the story of his Polish legacy with the story of how he and his best friend , Robby, brought about the end of humanity and the rise of an army of unstoppable, six-foot tall praying mantises in small-town Iowa.

To make matters worse, Austin’s hormones are totally oblivious; they don’t care that the world is in utter chaos: Austin is in love with his girlfriend, Shann, but remains confused about his sexual orientation. He’s stewing in a self-professed constant state of maximum horniness, directed at both Robby and Shann. Ultimately, it’s up to Austin to save the world and propagate the species in this sci-fright journey of survival, sex, and the complex realities of the human condition.

My Thoughts: This book has been on my Must Read list for two years. I love Andrew Smith and appreciate everything he writes. I am a bit of a prude, so I should be honest that I felt a little uncomfortable in a few sections of this book. That all said, I know that teenagers, in general are not nearly as prudish as me. I’ve recommended this book to many teens, and I think it belongs in every classroom. It is very funny and quite clever. Is it a book that was written for me? No, but this doesn’t matter, does it? This is a quality book that will turn so many kids onto reading.

Stop by There Is A Book For That to see the updates of everyone’s #mustreadin2016 lists!

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The SLOWEST Book EVER by April Pulley Sayre

April 6, 2016 by Kellee

Nonfiction Wednesday

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday is hosted by Kid Lit Frenzy and was started to help promote the reading of nonfiction texts. Most Wednesdays, we will be participating and will review a nonfiction text (though it may not always be a picture book).
Be sure to visit Kid Lit Frenzy and see what other nonfiction books are shared this week!

The SLOWEST Book EVER
Author: April Pulley Sayre
Illustrator: Kelly Murphy
Published April 5th, 2016 by Boyds Miller Press

Goodreads Summary: April Pulley Sayre’s wry, quirky storytelling tone shines from the warning on the first page (“This is a S-L-O-W book. Do not read it while surfing, water skiing, or running to escape giant weasels.”) right through to the glossary at the end. In between, readers will explore an astounding variety of information about all things slow—in nature, geology, art, outer space, etc. Throughout, The SLOWEST Book EVER playfully encourages readers to slow down and savor everything. As Sayre shows: “If you think slowly enough, the entire world is amazing.” This innovative nonfiction work is a treasure trove of information that begs for multiple readings.

Kellee’s Review: Anyone who teaches knows that the most popular nonfiction books are the ones that have a ton of information in short segments with fun pictures. Well, Sayre’s The SLOWEST Book EVER is exactly that but even better than you are picturing. Sayre does such a great job of having a small amount of information that packs a very big punch. Although each fact is over only a 2-page spread, the information is thorough, interesting, and specific. I loved the wide range of topics that were all covered under the big idea of SLOW, and I think students will be fascinated with all of the information.

Ricki’s Review: I read a lot of books, and I don’t think I’ve read a book that is quite like this one! It is a compilation of fascinating information that will compel readers to want to learn more about their world. It is apparent that a lot of thought and care went into the crafting and production of this book. Each page is a bit different, so if a reader is uninterested in a topic, he or she can flip the page and find something else entirely different. This book would make a great gift because all children will find sections that intrigue them, regardless of their interests. I’d look forward to going to a class where a teacher used this book used as a read-aloud, reading a few sections each day. This book makes learning fun!

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: Since The SLOWEST Book EVER includes tidbits of information on many different topics, each spread could easily be used as a jumping off point for an inquiry project. Students browse through the book to determine which spread of information interests them the most then they do more research (using the back matter as a place to start) then share the extra information with their classmates.

The SLOWEST Book EVER also does an amazing thing by looking at all the different ways that SLOW can be defined. After finishing the book as a class, revisit all of the different ways slow was used then brainstorm different meanings of other subjective adjectives such as fast, large, and small. Then student, as a class, could write their own fact book using a different adjective but showing different meanings of that word.

Discussion Questions: Which fact surprised you the most?; The book doesn’t only focus on slow speeds–what ever definitions of slow did the author focus on?; What topics would you like to learn more about? Where could you go to get more information?

We Flagged: “Chewy Nature Thoughts
Read them. Think about them. S l o w l y.
Slow thoughts are often big thoughts. So don’t fret if it takes a while to understand them. Don’t worry if you need to read them twice. -Traveling in a circle is, after all, still traveling.” (p. 8-9)

“How long does a minute feel to a mayfly…?
It’s About Time

Does time fly for a fly? Biologists wonder about this. So you can, too! How long does a minute feel to a mayfly, which may live only one day? How long does a minute feel to a 70-year-old Galápagos Tortoise?” (p. 16-17)

Read This If You Loved: Nonfiction books such as Weird but True by National Geographic, Lifetime by Lola M. Schaefer, Extreme Oceans and Extreme Earth Records by Seymour Simon, Island by Jason Chin, The Guinness Book of World Records

Recommended For:

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 4/4/16

April 4, 2016 by Kellee

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? From Picture Books to YA!

It’s Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme started by Sheila at Book Journeys and now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. It is a great way to recap what you read and/or reviewed the previous week and to plan out your reading and reviews for the upcoming week. It’s also a great chance to see what others are reading right now…you just might discover the next “must-read” book!

Kellee and Jen, of Teach Mentor Texts, decided to give It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? a kidlit focus. If you read and review books in children’s literature – picture books, chapter books, middle grade novels, young adult novels, anything in the world of kidlit – join us! We love this meme and think you will, too.

We encourage everyone who participates to support the blogging community by visiting at least three of the other book bloggers that link up and leave comments for them.

CONGRATULATIONS
Patricia M.
FOR WINNING A COPY OF TWENTY YAWNS!

Last Week’s Posts

Tuesday: Recent 5-Star Reads

Wednesday: Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World’s Most Famous Bear by Lindsay Mattick

Thursday: Bartholomew Quill: A Crow’s Quest to Know Who’s Who by Thor Hanson

Friday: Blog Tour, Author Guest Post, and Review!: The Class Crooks Club by Alison Cherry

**Click on any picture/link to view the post**

Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: I have had such a crazy week!!! Let’s start with my reading update: I had a great reading week! Because of the Future Problem Solvers State Competition, I was at a hotel without Jim or Trent, so even though I missed them, I got SO MUCH reading done. First, I finished listening to George by Alex Gino which was one of the two must reads I read this week. I loved how gently but truthfully George’s story was shared. Next I read The Slowest Book Ever in one sitting because it was so interesting; we’ll share our thoughts on Wednesday. Then I read my other must read book: All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely. Everyone should read it! So powerful! Lastly, I read four nonfiction books: 31 Ways to Change the World from Candlewick Press, National Geographic Kids: National Parks Guide USA, Animal Planet Ocean Animals, and Animal Planet Polar Animals. I’ll review these later in the month.

Finally, I have some phenomenal news! At the Florida Future Problem Solving State Competition, my 9th grade team place FIRST in the middle division team Global Problem Solving booklets and one of my 11th graders placed third in the senior division individual Global Problem Solving booklets. The five of them qualified to go to the international competition! My other 9th grade team placed fourth only missing internationals by one place, but they’ve only been a team for two years, so that is so impressive. The first place middle team also scored second in the action plan skit. The only team that didn’t place was my 6th grade team; however, they have been a team for one year and made it to states. I am so proud of all of my students! I am so excited and proud!

Ricki: This week, I finished The Game of Love and Death by Martha Brockenborough. Martha is such a smart, thoughtful author, and I am pumped that she has made such a great beginning stamp in the field of YAL. I am so excited to read all of her work and know she will become a favorite author for me.

Henry and I visited four different libraries this week (and two last week). He loves playing at the library and being amongst the books.

We signed out seven of the Llama Llama books by Anna Dewdney (all of the llama books we could find at the local libraries). He has become obsessed with this series, and randomly comes up to me throughout the day and asks, “Yama yama book, mama?” He is learning a lot from the books. At the library, a boy wasn’t sharing, and Henry informed him that llama llama shares. (He doesn’t apply this sharing lesson to his own behavior, but he certainly uses it when it is in his best interest.)

We also read and enjoyed Mother Bruce by Ryan T. Higgins. This is a great, new picture book. I’ll be sharing a full review this Thursday!

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: My life is going to be a bit crazy for a while because we have to do all of our fundraising in the next month for FPS! But this week I plan on starting The Mechanical Mind of John Coggin by Elinor Teele, and I think that I am going to begin listening to The Terrible Two by Mac Barnett.

Ricki: While at the library, I read 3/4 of The Nest by Kenneth Oppel. I am hooked! If I didn’t have to do a bunch of work today, I would hole myself in my room and finish it! I’ll report more next week because I am sure I will be done with it!

Upcoming Week’s Posts

top ten tuesday

Tuesday: Ten Bookish People You Should Follow On Twitter/Facebook

Wednesday: Blog Tour and Review!: The Slowest Book Ever by April Pulley Sayre

Thursday: Mother Bruce by Ryan T. Higgins

Friday: #mustreadin2016 Spring Update

Sunday: Author Guest Post! by Andrea Young, Author of Finny and the Boy from Horse Mountain

So, what are you reading?

Link up below and go check out what everyone else is reading. Please support other bloggers by viewing and commenting on at least 3 other blogs. If you tweet about your Monday post, tag the tweet with #IMWAYR!

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Blog Tour, Author Guest Post, and Review!: The Classy Crooks Club by Alison Cherry

April 1, 2016 by Kellee

The Classy Crooks Club
Author: Alison Cherry
Published March 29th, 2016 by Aladdin

Goodreads Summary: Twelve-year-old AJ dreads spending an entire month living with her strict Grandma Jo. Not only does her grandmother dictate how she walks, what she eats, and which rooms she can enter, she fills all AJ’s free time with boring sewing lessons. Grandma Jo wants nothing more than to transform her adventurous, fun-loving granddaughter into a prim and proper lady.

But AJ’s dull summer takes a sharp turn when she discovers that her grandmother’s “bridge group” is actually a heist club. When Grandma Jo offers to let AJ learn lock-picking instead of embroidery in exchange for help with a few capers, AJ is happy to join her grandmother’s madcap band of thieves, who claim to steal only for ethical reasons. But even the most respectable ladies can hide truly surprising secrets, and AJ finds she must decide for herself what it means to be one of the good guys.

My Review: I love AJ. She is a perfect protagonist because she is just a real middle schooler. She is multi-faceted, funny, has quite a personality, has fears, makes mistakes, and is overall likeable. And she is not the only well-crafted character. Each of the characters, main, secondary, or supporting, are so fully developed that you feel like you know everyone in AJ’s life. I often am skeptical about first person POV because it is always tough to get a character/narrator’s voice perfect while also developing the characters, but Cherry does a great job of both. AJ is a normal middle school girl that is dealing with a quite terrible grandmother who happens to have an unexpected hobby.

Another thing that blew me away about this novel is that something happened that was completely unexpected! Usually when I am reading middle grade novels, I love them but am not often surprised because I can sense foreshadowing and predict; however, Cherry really caught me off guard in this one! You’ll have to let me know if you see it coming!

And finally, I loved the unique premise of the book! Who ever thought there’d be a book about a bunch of old ladies who “liberate” *cough* steal *cough* exotic birds and anything else that suits their fancy?!

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: Alison’s guest post, below, made me really think about how grandparents play the role in different books, so Classy Crooks Club and the books listed below could be part of a grandparent-focused lit circle. How do the grandparents in the book differ from the parents (if they are present)? How are the grandparents different than stereotypical grandparents? How do the grandparents influence the main character?

Discussion Questions: Did you predict the climax of the story?; Why do you think the author chose first person point of view?; Why do you think the author doesn’t share what us about Betty’s past?; How does AJ overcome her fear?; Which of the Classy Crooks Club ladies would you want to hang out with and why?; What does Brianna teach AJ about not judging a book by its cover?; Why do you think Brianna is so mean to Maddie?; Why does Maddie get so mad at AJ? Would you have reacted the same way?

We Flagged: “Every single piece of furniture in my grandmother’s house has a name with too many syllables.

At home we have chairs. We have a couch. We have tables. But right now my grandmother is pointing at this hulking wooden thing in the corner of one of her guest bedrooms — my bedroom, for the next month — and calling it a ‘mission chifforobe.’ It looks like what might happen if a dresser and a closet had a really ugly baby. ‘I trust you’ll be very careful with this chiffrobe while you’re here,’ Grandma Jo says, like it’s some fragile, spindly thing I could possibly break by accident. ‘It was once owned by Buckminster Fuller, as was that ottoman.'” (p. 1)

Read This If You Loved: Wig in the Window & Tiara on the Terrace by Kristen Kittscher, Heist Society by Ally Carter, Peter Nimble and his Fantastic Eyes by Jonathan Auxier

“Five Books I Loved That Featured Grandparents” by Alison Cherry:

The Witches, Roald Dahl:

This creepy novel from 1983 features a boy who is sent to live with his grandmother after the death of his parents. Grandmother is a retired witch-hunter, and she makes sure her grandson knows how to recognize witches by their unusual traits: bald heads that they cover with wigs, square feet with no toes, clawed hands, and blue spit. Unfortunately, this doesn’t prevent the boy from having a run-in with witches while on vacation, and they turn him into a mouse. Grandmother is presented as incredibly kind and accepting—she doesn’t love her grandson any less once he’s a mouse. She’s also very clever and helps devise a plan to get revenge on the witches. The scene that sticks with me most is one in which Grandmother tells the boy that being a mouse will significantly shorten his lifespan, and he says he doesn’t mind because he doesn’t want to outlive her. I read this book over and over as a child!

Tortilla Sun, Jennifer Cervantes:

When her mother gets a grant to study in Costa Rica for the summer, twelve-year-old Izzy is sent to live with her nana in her tiny, rural New Mexican village. Izzy knows nothing about her Latina heritage or her dead father, whom her mother has always refused to discuss, and her summer with Nana is her first opportunity to learn where she comes from and who she is. Izzy’s nana is patient, wise, warm, and loving, and she lets her granddaughter discover pieces of her past slowly, when she’s ready and able to handle them. Reading this book is a rich sensory experience; the descriptions of Nana’s colorful house, the food she teaches Izzy to cook, and the rest of the characters in the neighborhood are beautifully drawn. It made me want to hang out in the world of the story long after it was over.

You’re Invited, Jen Malone and Gail Nall

This novel from four points of view is about a group of girls who start a party-planning business in their small seaside town. While the book isn’t centered around a grandparent like the other four on this list, Lauren’s grandmother Bubby is my favorite part of the story. Bubby is loud, opinionated, bubbly, and a total flirt—she spends most of the book zooming around on her bright red scooter, Wanda, and trying to catch the eye of “hot” Mr. Vernon from her retirement community. Despite her advanced age, Bubby tries her best to act and speak like a teenager—she’s active on “the Tweeter” and constantly refers to things as “amazeballs” and “ubercute.” This horrifies Lauren, who is significantly more dignified, but it delights me to no end. I sincerely wish I had a grandmother like Bubby.

The Lightning Queen, Laura Resau:

This gorgeous novel is about Teo, an indigenous Mexican boy, and Esma, a Romani girl who comes through his village with her caravan each summer. Despite their differences, a fortune teller states that they are destined to be friends for life, however unlikely it may seem. Because the story is told primarily in flashbacks, the reader gets to meet Teo as both a child and as an elderly healer who has lost touch with his lifelong friend and needs his grandson’s help to find her again. Teo is a delight in both incarnations—he’s kind and gentle and incredibly smart, the only boy in his village who braves school and learns to read. Teo also has a soft spot for rescuing animals—as a child, his constant companions are a duck, a blind goat, and a three-legged skunk. Both the Mixteco and Romani communities are treated with great sensitivity, and the writing is captivating.

The Secret Hum of a Daisy, Tracy Holczer:

When her mother dies suddenly, Grace is forced to move in with her estranged grandmother, who sent Grace’s mother away when she got pregnant as a teenager. Grace automatically assumes her grandmother is a horrible person and sets out to be a complete brat, hoping she’ll be sent away. Grace’s grandmother isn’t warm, but she’s patient and steady and gives Grace the space she needs to work out her grief; she’s there every time Grace needs her, but she doesn’t try to force her into a relationship before she’s ready. Grace eventually begins to respect her grandmother’s honesty, forthrightness, and willingness to take responsibility for mistakes she made in the past, even when it makes her look bad. The writing in this book is beautiful, lyrical, and deeply felt—it feels as if Tracy Holczer dug this story up from deep in her soul and pasted it directly onto the page. It’s one of my favorite depictions of two people who have suffered deep losses taking a chance on loving each other, even though it’s hard and painful.

Recommended For:

Don’t miss out on the other blog tour stops!

March 28-29: Pop! Goes the Reader (http://www.popgoesthereader.com/)

March 30: The Hiding Spot (http://thehidingspot.blogspot.com/)

March 31: Mundie Kids (http://mundiekids.blogspot.com/)

April 1: Unleashing Readers

April 4: Kidsmomo (http://www.kidsmomo.com/)

April 5: KidLit Frenzy (http://www.kidlitfrenzy.com/)

April 6: Kidliterati (http://www.kidliterati.com/)

April 7: Hey Kid! (http://blog.heidischulzbooks.com/category/word/book-talk/hey-kid/)

**Thank you to Alison for providing a copy for review and the guest post!**

Bartholomew Quill: A Crow’s Quest to Know Who’s Who by Thor Hanson

March 31, 2016March 31, 2016 by Kellee

Bartholomew Quill: A Crow’s Quest to Know Who’s Who
Author: Thor Hanson
Illustrator: Dana Arnim
Expected publication April 5th, 2016 by Little Bigfoot

Goodreads Summary: Bartholomew Quill is clever and curious, but he doesn’t know who or what he is. He has feathers not fur, so he can’t be a moose; he is black like a puffin but his beak is the wrong color. This determined bird won’t stop asking questions until he discovers what the reader knows–Bartholomew Quill is a crow!

Acclaimed biologist Thor Hanson takes us on a journey through the animal kingdom, and Dana Arnim’s exuberant watercolor and ink illustrations add to the magic.

About the Author: Thor Hanson is a biologist and author renowned for his adult books about nature (The Impenetrable Forest, The Triumph of Seeds, and Feathers). He won a PNBA Award and The John Burroughs Medal for Feathers, which was also a finalist for the Washington State Book Award. Hanson is a Guggenheim Fellow, a Switzer Environmental Fellow, and sought-after public speaker.

About the Illustrator: Dana Arnim, a northwest native, earned her art degree from the University of Washington. She lives with her husband and family in Seattle and helps lead the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) Western Washington chapter.

Kellee’s Review: Bartholomew Quill’s journey is a bit different than other books because the reader already knows the answer to the question the protagonist seeks. I can see reading this with students and students shouting answers and information to Bartholomew as he goes about his journey. What I think is quite wonderful about this book is that although the book is anthropomorphic, the animal information is still factual since it was written by a biologist. Arnim did a beautiful job with the illustrations as well, bringing the animals to life.

Ricki’s Review: This book touched me in the way that it reminded me of the Native American creation myths my grandfather used to tell when I was a young child. He’d pull me onto his lap and tell me how the river became a river or why the wind whistles. I am sure that these myths made me the reader I am today. Bartholomew Quill is a beautiful story that will leave children to dream about other fictional connections with Mother Nature. It inspires me to get outside and look for animals like Bartholomew in order to learn their stories, too.

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: Throughout the book, Bartholomew compares and contrasts himself with other animals to help figure out what animal he is. This book would be a great introduction to compare and contrast using the conversations Bartholomew has as well as the illustrations of the different animals.

Students could also use this book as a jumping off point for an animal study of one of the animals within the book. Each animals is quickly discussed, so students could pick the animal that interests them and complete an inquiry project about the animal.

Discussion Questions: How does Bartholomew determine that he is a crow?; How is he different from ______?; How is he the same as ______?

We Flagged:

Read This If You Loved: Frozen Wild by Jim Arnosky, Winter Bees by Joyce Sidman, Feathers by Melissa Stewart

Recommended For:

and

**Thank you Nicole at Sasquatch Books for providing copies for review!**

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 3/28/16

March 28, 2016March 28, 2016 by Kellee

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? From Picture Books to YA!

We encourage everyone who participates to support the blogging community by visiting at least three of the other book bloggers that link up and leave comments for them.

CONGRATULATIONS
BETH P.
FOR WINNING A COPY OF MAYBE A FOX!

Last Week’s Posts

Tuesday: Books We Really Love But Don’t Talk About Enough

Wednesday: National Geographic Kids: Celebrate Easter by Deborah Heiligman

Thursday: Blog Tour, Review, and Giveaway!: Twenty Yawns by Jane Smiley

Giveaway open until Wednesday!

Friday: Lousiana State University’s Line 4 Line Program: A Barbershop Literacy Program in Baton Rouge

Sunday: Author Guest Post!: “The Star Wars Effect: Bringing Teens to Space” by Ava Jae, Author of Beyond the Red

**Click on any picture/link to view the post**

Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: Spring break did a wonderful thing for my reading! I was able to read 3 graphic novels, 3 picture books, and 3 novels this week!

The picture books I read were Steam Train, Dream Train (Sound Book) by Sherri Duskey Rinker, Bartholomew Quill by Thor Hanson, and This is Sadie by Sara O’Leary. I read Steam Train, Dream Train with Trent, and I can tell it is going to be another favorite book. He loves sound books and trains. We’ll be reviewing Bartholomew Quill this week. And I now completely understand why everyone raved about This is Sadie when it came out. It is another book that promotes reading and imagination, and it has beautiful illustrations.

Then I read Peter Nimble and his Fantastic Eyes and its companion Sophie Quire and the Last Storyguard by Jonathan Auxier. I do not know why I waited so long to read Peter Nimble, but I am so glad I finally did. Not only because it is beautiful and full of adventure but because it led me to read Sophie Quire which is going to end up being one of my favorite books of the year. The third novel I read was The Classy Crooks Club by Alison Cherry, and I cannot wait to share it with you on Friday!

Next I read my three graphic novels: Red’s Planet by Eddie Pittman, Hippopotamister by John Green, and Paths & Portals by Gene Luen Yang. All three are going to be hits. First, Red’s Planet is the first in a middle grade about a young girl who is abducted by aliens. It is funny and interesting–it is going to popular! Next, Hippopotamister teaches kids that experience leads to being able to succeed in live makes for a must get graphic novel for middle grade classrooms. And I love John Green’s illustrations! Everything is so detailed and crisp. Finally, Paths & Portals is the 2nd book in the Secret Coders series, and it was a great continuation of the series. There are many things I really like about this series: 1) It is smart; 2) It is written for kids who are coders or noncoders; 3) It is interactive; 4) The characters are diverse and relatable; 5) It has math in it but without making it too obvious. What I don’t like about this series: 1) THE CLIFFHANGERS!

Ricki: Please enjoy Kellee’s update above because mine isn’t very good! Henry and I enjoyed a lot of board books, but none were high-quality reads that I’d recommend. He received many new books from the Easter Bunny, so we will share those soon. He was highly impressed by Little Blue Truck’s Beep-Along Book by Alice Schertle. He loves to beep the stuffed animal as we read.

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: This week is my state competition for Future Problem Solvers, so I have some very long days ahead of me, so I am not sure what I am going to read. I am currently listening to George by Alex Gino, so I hope to finish that this week. Readingwise, coming up for me is The Slowest Book Ever by April Pulley Sayre (for review) and All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely (for my school book club).

Ricki: Similar to last week, I regret to say I’m having difficulty managing my work load for The ALAN Review, doc school, and mommyhood. Henry was sick this week, so my husband and I have been up with him throughout the nights. I am really loving Kristen-Paige Madonia’s Invisible Fault Lines (an ARC from S&S). It is my treat before bed each night after a long day of work! I promise to share more later, and I am sorry I am falling behind!

Upcoming Week’s Posts

top ten tuesday finding winnie

bartholomew quill

Tuesday: Recent 5-Star Reads

Wednesday: Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World’s Most Famous Bear by Lindsay Mattick

Thursday: Bartholomew Quill: A Crow’s Quest to Know Who’s Who by Thor Hanson

Friday: Blog Tour, Author Guest Post, and Review!: The Class Crooks Club by Alison Cherry

So, what are you reading?

and

Author Guest Post!: “The Star Wars Effect: Bringing Teens to Space” by Ava Jae, Author of Beyond the Red

March 27, 2016March 27, 2016 by Kellee

“The Star Wars Effect: Bringing Teens to Space”

When I wrote the first draft of Beyond the Red back in the summer of 2014, I didn’t dare to imagine that non-dystopian Sci-Fi would become a Big Thing in YA. I hoped, of course, alongside every other YA Sci-Fi writer, but the truth was it hadn’t happened, not really. And with Dystopian novels taking the spotlight front and center, many were already predicting a downturn in YA Sci-Fi once readers got tired of dystopic Sci-Fi worlds.

I knew all that, but I wrote Beyond the Red anyway. It was the book I wanted to read, but wasn’t already out there—it was aliens, and monarchies, and clashing cultures, and endless crimson sands in a faraway world outside our solar system, but within our universe. It was a place where Earth was a legend, even to the humans whose ancestors emigrated from there. It was, ultimately, the book I wanted for myself, so I ignored the trends altogether and when people whispered that YA Sci-Fi was a hard sell, I shrugged and kept writing.

Everything is a hard sell, I reasoned. I’m going to write this book for me.

So I did. And eventually I got an agent, and my agent said those words to me—YA Sci-Fi is a hard sell—but she also said, I love this book and I’m going to do my best.

We went on submission. Heard the book was “too Sci-Fi” in rejections. Kept submitting anyway. And celebrated when it sold.

Even months after it sold, my YA Sci-Fi writer friends told me their stories—how their books weren’t selling, how YA Sci-Fi was so hard to move. Of the new sale announcements, YA Sci-Fi were in the minority—a couple here, a handful there in a sea of incredible-sounding Fantasy stories. Pirates and time-travel were in. Sci-fi was…there. Floating. Barely.

And then Star Wars: The Force Awakens was announced. And then Divergent mega-author Veronica Roth announced her next book: a Star Wars-ish Sci-Fi YA due in 2017. And then super Sci-Fi-ish Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Asher became a big YA buzz book. And then Star Wars: The Force Awakened sold a bajillion tickets and basically blew everyone’s expectations out of the water.

YA Sci-Fi isn’t a Big Thing—not yet—but with the massive success of Star Wars, and a super huge author writing a Star Wars-like YA, it’s not hard to imagine that we’ll see more teens in space over the next couple years. Readers who watch Star Wars are walking away and craving that same kind of adventure in a book. They want aliens, and extrasolar planets, and advanced technology, and complicated, alien politics. They want characters who have grown up in a technological world far away from our own—they want space travel, and vivid settings that remind them of that movie theater experience.

YA Sci-Fi authors like myself, who never could have predicted the existence of another movie in a galaxy far, far away, had no idea that we were actually writing our spacey books at exactly the right time. We had no idea that teens in space would be exactly what readers would be looking for after getting their movie fix. But despite the uncertainty, the books we wrote for us—the books we were told would be too hard to sell—have now become exactly the stories that Star Wars-loving readers are asking for.

Sometimes when the book idea of your dreams comes knocking at what seems like the wrong time, the timing is more right than you ever could have known.

Beyond the Red
Author: Ava Jae
Published March 1st, 2016 by Sky Pony Press

Goodreads Summary: Alien queen Kora has a problem as vast as the endless crimson deserts. She’s the first female ruler of her territory in generations, but her people are rioting and call for her violent younger twin brother to take the throne. Despite assassination attempts, a mounting uprising of nomadic human rebels, and pressure to find a mate to help her rule, she’s determined to protect her people from her brother’s would-be tyrannical rule.

Eros is a rebel soldier hated by aliens and human alike for being a half-blood. Yet that doesn’t stop him from defending his people, at least until Kora’s soldiers raze his camp and take him captive. He’s given an ultimatum: be an enslaved bodyguard to Kora, or be executed for his true identity—a secret kept even from him.

When Kora and Eros are framed for the attempted assassination of her betrothed, they flee. Their only chance of survival is to turn themselves in to the high court, where revealing Eros’s secret could mean a swift public execution. But when they uncover a violent plot to end the human insurgency, they must find a way to work together to prevent genocide.

About the Author: Ava Jae is an author, blogger, YouTuber, college student, and assistant editor at Entangled Publishing. After graduating from the University of Michigan with a BA in English in April 2016, Ava will probably find a bookstore to live in, where she can write her next novel surrounded by the smell of new books and coffee. She can be found on Twitter at @Ava_Jae or at her website avajae.blogspot.com. She resides in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Thank you to Ava for her fun guest post!

and

**Thank you to Cheryl at Skyhorse Publishing for setting up this post!**