Kellee – Page 98 – Unleashing Readers

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 3/23/20

March 23, 2020 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.

Monday (though updated daily!): Stuck Inside? Live Author Read-Alouds and Other Learning Options

Thursday: That’s A Job?: I Like Animals…What Jobs are There? by Steve Martin, Illustrated by Roberto Blefari

Sunday: Author Guest Post: “Learning STEM Through Stories” by S. Kitanovic, Author of Esie Explores Beneficial Bacteria

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

Kellee

I hope you all are doing well during this time of self quarantine. Sending warm well wishes, safety, health, and sanity to everyone! <3

Violent Ends is a collaborative book by 18 authors edited by Shaun David Hutchinson. I came across it because Neal Shusterman wrote one of the chapters in the book and he mentioned it at his school visit. The book is about a school shooting and each chapter is a different insight into the event. Wow–it is powerful, sad, scary……. wow.
Time Shifters by Chris Grine is a graphic novel that was recommended to me by my student mentee. It is a book he talks about often, and it is never available at the library. When I saw it at the end of the day before Spring Break, I grabbed it. It is a adventure including time travel, bug monsters, ghosts–just all sorts of oddness and fun!
Dragon Hoops by Gene Luen Yang was not what I was expecting, and it is hard to explain, but it is wonderful. It is an inside look at the creation of the book all in narrative form in the book. But trust me when I say to read it.
A Tale of Magic by Chris Colfer is a prequel to the Land of Stories series, and it was just as magical as the series. I look forward to book 2, and I just love listening to “Kurt” read the books to me.
With Trent
- A new Sandra Boynton! I love Sandra Boynton, and although this is a board book, we dove right in because we actually know the “Your Nose” song off of the Sandra Boynton music CD (Blue Moo) we have. If you don’t know these, they are great companions to many of Boynton’s books.
- Mac Barnett and Oliver Jeffers fill our recently read shelf because of their virtual book clubs. They have both been a PLEASURE to watch. They have all become instant favorites–it is something about the interaction of the book club and the personal feeling with the author reading to us that has just sucked Trent in! His favorites probably have been Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers and Chloe and the Lion by Mac Barnett, but it is truly hard to choose!
- We did watch 2 Shark Story Hours also: Hark a Shark and Manfish. It is nice to get the shark info and a great story!
- Trent and Henry are both in a book club reading Sideways Stories from Wayside School but we wanted to have them practice in a smaller setting, so they met up once this week to discuss half of Bad Guys: Episode One by Aaron Blabey, and it was one of the most amazing and cute things I’ve ever been witness to. They were so engaged! We finished book one and have a few chapters of book two to read for this week’s Trent and Henry meeting.
- Jon Klassen read I Want My Hat Back on one of Mac Barnett’s Mac Book Club Shows, so Trent wanted to read it again, and now we’re in another book club with one of my colleague’s friends to discuss the Klassen Hat Trilogy!

To learn more about any of these books, check out my 2020 Goodreads Challenge page or my read bookshelf on Goodreads.

Kellee

Reading: One of Us is Next by Karen McManus, HiLo: All the Pieces Fit by Judd Winick
Listening: Whatever After: Seeing Red by Sarah Mlynowski
Reading with Trent: Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar, The Bad Guys: Episode 2: Mission Unpluckable by Aaron Blabey

Tuesday: Review and Giveaway! Rosie: Stronger Than Steel by Lindsay Ward

Thursday: The Memory Box: A Book About Grief and The Memory Book: A Grief Journal for Children and Families by Joanna Rowland, Illustrated by Thea Baker

Sunday: Author Guest Post: “Discovering the World Through Literacy” by N.R. Bergeson, Author of The Magnificent Glass Globe series

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!

and

Author Guest Post: “Learning STEM Through Stories” by S. Kitanovic, Author of Esie Explores Beneficial Bacteria

March 22, 2020 by Kellee

“Learning STEM Through Stories”

Germs. Colds. The importance of hand washing. What better way to convey these concepts to kids than through picture books? After all, anything too small for our bare eyes seems unreal, especially to kids. Picture books that educate kids about germs, and how they can protect themselves from getting colds and other illnesses, are important. Kids rarely encounter information, though, about bacteria that benefit humans and other living beings.

The first time I heard about some unusual beneficial bacteria—such as those that make deserts more fertile—was while teaching biotech courses at a community college. I was then also bringing to life an idea from my own student days, when I relied on bacteria as a research tool in a molecular biology lab. With their interesting features, such as taking up other species’ DNA and producing foreign proteins, bacteria seemed the ideal subjects of jokes for science students and scientists. To make them cartoon-worthy, I also planned to give the aspiring bacteria much-needed words and goofy faces.

But after including a few cartoons in a short-lived biotech newsletter at the community college, I wanted to move beyond bacteria in-jokes. I couldn’t help thinking that kids, too, might love to read and learn about the diverse beneficial bacteria that do many amazing things, such as produce food, decrease pollution, and make snow.

Teaching Science with Picture Books

Teachers are nowadays finding little time to teach science in schools. Recent statistics aren’t encouraging— according to the Report of the 2018 National Survey of Science and Mathematics Education (NSME+), only 17% of K-3 grades receive science instruction on all or most days of the school year. In self-contained classrooms (where one teacher teaches reading, mathematics, science, and social sciences to one class of students), K-3 grades spend an average of 18 minutes per day on science. In a world where STEM permeates our lives more than ever, and promises many career options, such meager student involvement in sciences is concerning.

Time constraints greatly limit teachers’ approaches to science instruction. Engaging hands-on activities, such as experiments, require considerable time to prepare and perform. Yet even finding the time for hands-on activities may be insufficient for comprehensive science instruction. Some science topics are difficult, if not impossible, to teach through classroom experiments or demonstrations—including ecology—the study of plants and animals (and other organisms) in natural environments. Most beneficial bacteria are also unsuitable for hands-on study. Though some classrooms may have the resources to grow common (and harmless) microbes on a Petri dish, many beneficial bacteria require special growth conditions that scientist have yet to discover.

Despite the obstacles, some teachers are delivering complex science topics to kids. By introducing science-themed picture books to classrooms, and developing activities around picture book readings, teachers are simultaneously satisfying science and reading requirements for their K-3 grade students. Unsurprisingly, many of these picture books are nonfiction.

Yet fiction picture books with scientific themes are also finding their way into classrooms. Students have different learning styles and interests, and some prefer fiction. Taking this into consideration, educators Melissa Stewart and Nancy Chesley have identified fiction and nonfiction picture books with related themes. They’ve then designed engaging science lessons around selected fiction/nonfiction book pairs, as described in their “Perfect Pairs” books. Not only do their classroom-friendly lessons cover a wide range of scientific topics—they appeal to many students, as well.

Hybrid Picture Books: STEM Fiction

The line between fiction and nonfiction isn’t always solid, at least in children’s books. When nonfiction seeps into science-themed fiction books, such books may be described as “hybrids.”

In some hybrid books, anthropomorphized characters “explain themselves” through scientific facts. In “I, Fly: The Buzz About Flies and How Awesome They Are,” by Bridget Heos and Jennifer Plecas, the main character is a charismatic and undervalued fly. Page after page, the fly glorifies members of its species to a classroom of kids—who were preparing to study the more beautiful butterflies instead. Readers learn intriguing (and gross) facts about flies from the funny fly character, as it brushes the “lazy” butterflies aside.

Other hybrid books introduce scientific concepts through captivating stories, with few, if any, scientific facts quoted in the story itself. In “Scampers Thinks Like a Scientist,” by Mike Allegra and Elizabeth Zechel, the scientific method—a basic and rather dry concept—is explained through the creative problem-solving efforts of mouse Scampers. After a strange owl suddenly appears and deters Scampers and her fellow mice from feasting in their favorite garden, Scampers determines to find the (scientific) truth about the unwelcome, and possibly dangerous, newcomer.

While the value of using nonfiction picture books in science instruction is hardly questionable, scrutiny surrounds science-themed fiction and hybrid picture books. Can students truly learn from such books? How will they figure what’s fiction, and what’s not? And finally, how to label emerging science-themed hybrid books, which combine fiction with nonfiction? Categorizing these books and ensuring they’re easily found on library shelves is a challenge for librarians, too.

These questions were pondered last year in a lively Twitter discussion, when educator and writer Melissa Stewart suggested a name for science-themed hybrid literature: STEM fiction. As a trained scientist, I’ve also asked similar questions while writing my book, “Esie Explores Beneficial Bacteria.” Yet teachers who include fiction or hybrid books in science lessons believe in the benefits of this literature, providing that students also read nonfiction books, and participate in classroom discussions to distinguish fact from fiction. How can authors of STEM fiction books facilitate learning in classrooms, as they strive to create stories that both entertain and educate?

Emphasizing the Facts in STEM Fiction

The title of my STEM fiction picture book, Esie Explores Beneficial Bacteria, is clear about the book’s topic—beneficial bacteria—which exist all around us, and enable life on our planet. The story and illustrations, though, are fiction—exploress Esie is a bacterium. After suffering insults from frightened humans, she embarks on a journey to learn more about herself. Along the way, Esie meets chatty bacteria who help answer her key question—Is she a beneficial bacterium, or a dangerous germ?

To create an engaging story, I’ve taken major liberties in depicting beneficial bacteria. The anthropomorphized bacterial characters are exaggerated in size and life span. Yet there are some truths in my interpretation of bacteria. Bacteria do “talk” with each other, but use chemicals instead of words. Bacteria do “see” their surroundings, but rely on senses other than eyes.

STEM fiction authors, such as Heos and Allegra, often complement their stories with scientific facts and activities in the back matter of their books. Some authors also include facts on other book pages, though keeping the facts separate from the story, as in “A Germ’s Journey,” by Thom Rooke, MD, and Tony Trimmer. To distinguish fact from fiction, and provide educational value—without diminishing enjoyment of the story—I, too, have included several features in Esie Explores Beneficial Bacteria:

Front matter. Before immersing themselves in the story, readers can learn what’s fact, and what’s fiction. Addressed here are the most exaggerated elements of the story—bacterial communication, senses, size, and lifespan. Reading this section, though, is not required for comprehension of the story.
Back matter. In addition to a glossary of scientific terms and an activity page, my back matter contains a “Cast of Characters,” which relates fictional characters to real-life bacterial species.
One scientific fact per footer. The bottom portion of almost every page features a scientific fact, contained within a distinct purple band. Though each fact relates to bacterial characters shown on the same page, reading of facts is optional.
Moderate use of scientific terminology in the story. To avoid overwhelming kids with too many new words, I’ve balanced the use of some “big” words, such as “beneficial,” with omission of other scientific terms. For example, I opted for “dangerous” instead of “pathogenic,” when referring to bacteria that cause disease.
Clarification of scientific terminology in the story. Though defined in the glossary, some scientific terms are also explained in the story to avoid interruptions in reading.
Limits on anthropomorphization. Bacterial characters sport no clothes nor any other human artifacts. On the book cover, main character Esie uses a water droplet for magnification, instead of a miniature magnifying glass.
Simple artistic representation of the environment. Bacterial characters were deliberately over-sized with respect to their environment. This helps kids identify objects that bacteria encounter in nature, such as leaves, petals, and sand—as opposed to an unrecognizable microscopic view. Yet in an effort to limit size discrepancies, I kept the scenes simple—they contain few objects, and hardly any signs of human life.

By no means should STEM fiction books compete with nonfiction books in K-3 education. Like people, different books play different roles. With thoughtful design, though, STEM fiction books can do much more than merely entertain—they can draw in young readers to explore unfamiliar worlds, and serve as a valuable introduction to various scientific concepts and topics.

About the Book: Esie leaves her twin Es behind to explore a world teeming with beneficial bacteria. Could she be one of them? Or is Esie just a nasty germ, as some people say? On her rugged journey through air, water, and a cow’s guts, Esie meets new friends who help her find the answers she seeks.

“Kids that love science-themed books filled with fascinating facts will surely get a kick out of this one.” -The Children’s Book Review

About the Author: S. Kitanovic, PhD, became fascinated by microbes as a biology student, and later explored how bacteria “sniff out” their food in a lab at the University of Utah. She enjoys merging science, drawing, and storytelling in picture books to bring the fun of science to young audiences.

What do you think? Do you use or plan to use STEM fiction books to teach science?

That’s A Job?: I Like Animals…What Jobs Are There? by Steve Martin, Illustrated by Roberto Blefari

August 23, 2020March 19, 2020 by Kellee

I Like Animals…What Jobs Are There?
Author: Steve Martin
Illustrator: Roberto Blefari
Published March 1st, 2020 by Kane Miller Books

Summary: What do you want to do when you grow up? Children who love animals can find out all about potential future careers, from veterinarian to zookeeper to pet portrait artist, as they’re taken through a “day in the life” of 25 different animal workers.

Praise:

Review: This book was written for so many kids out there! If any of you are librarians or teachers, you know how popular nonfiction animal books are. There are so few kids out there that don’t love animals! My son is one of those kids that adores animals and already says that he wants to be a zoologist and work with turtles, so when I saw this book, I knew I had to get it for him. What I love about the book (and the series I hope it is!) is that it gives options that kids may not know they have. Trent’s first thought for working with animals is working at a zoo, but there is so much more than that which he can choose from.

Each job’s section is really well done! It is written in first person from the point of view of the professional and includes fun yet truthful information, including the best and worst parts. Then, in the back, there is a flow map that helps kids see which job might be their perfect match, and there’s even back matter with more jobs. What a way to open up a kid’s imagination for the future!

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: My first thought was that this book could be an awesome mentor text for creating a similar type pamphlet. Students could pick something like sports, technology, children, etc. and make a pamphlet about what jobs are out there. This would be a great research project.

Discussion Questions:

Before reading: What jobs do you know of that include working with animals?; After reading: Add to the list.
Which job do you think would work the best with your personality and work ethic?
Any jobs that you are interested in that weren’t in the book?
Why do you think the author chose to write each section in 1st person?
Why do you think the author wrote this book?
Compare/contrast two of the jobs in the book.

Flagged Passages:

Read This If You Love: Animals

Recommended For:

**Thank you to Lynn at Kane Miller for providing a copy for review!**

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 3/16/20

April 1, 2020March 16, 2020 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.

Tuesday: Eat the Cake by M.H. Clark, Illustrated by Jana Glatt

Sunday: Author Guest Post and Giveaway!: “Something Old, Something New: Five Classics Reimagined as Middle-Grade Books” by Erin Yun, Author of Pippa Park Raises Her Game

Published Late Sunday Night (Due to the Urgency of Educational Needs): Stuck Inside? Live Author Read-Alouds and Other Online Learning Options

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

Kellee

After meeting Cyndy Etler at ALAN this last year, I wanted to read everything she’d written, and this week I jumped in by reading The Dead Inside which was the first memoir she wrote. It looks at her abuse-filled childhood including her stay at Straight, Inc., a brainwashing, cult-like rehab for teens. This book brought about a spiral of internet reading for me as well, and WOW what a terrible thing that existed (and was supported) here in the U.S. I’m so glad that Cyndy made it through and is now working with teens the right way!
I also read I’m Not Dying With You Tonight which is another book I’d wanted to read since ALAN. I loved meeting Kimberly and Gilly, and I was intrigued by the story that they told. This book deserves all the fans that it has because I could not put it down! I loved all the no-holds-barred truth in it.
Just Like Mama by Alice Faye Duncan is a beautiful book and all elementary teachers and librarians need to have it in their collection because it shows a positive fostering relationship which is very rarely shown in picture books. And with Duncan’s lyrical writing and Charlene Pinkney Barlow’s beautiful artwork, this is not only a good but very much needed book. And I love the note at the end from the author: “As a schoolteacher working in an urban environment with all of its complications, I have witnessed great success stories, I know countless grandmothers, aunts, big sisters who did not retreat – who valiantly cared for children not their own…I wrote Just Like a Mama to celebrate fictive kin, adoptive parents and guardians who have chosen to love and care for a child when they have no obligation to do so.” Just a beautiful book all around.
With Trent:
- We are now on our last Princess in Black book after finishing #5 and #6 this week. I love the little lessons among the fun in each book.
- See Fred Run and Itchy Book were both read to me by Trent this week!
- The other books were all library picks by Trent!

To learn more about any of these books, check out my 2020 Goodreads Challenge page or my read bookshelf on Goodreads.

Ricki

I am devoting my energy to preparing a post for read-alouds for those of us stuck inside!

Kellee

Reading: Unbound by Neal Shusterman
Listening: A Tale of Magic by Chris Colfer
Reading with Trent: The Princess in Black and the Bathtime Battle by Shannon Hale and Dean Hale, Illustrated by LeUyen Pham

Monday 9am ET: Stuck Inside? Live Author Read-Alouds and Other Learning Options

Thursday: That’s A Job?: I Like Animals…What Jobs are There? by Steve Martin, Illustrated by Roberto Blefari

Sunday: Author Guest Post: “Learning STEM Through Stories” by S. Kitanovic, Author of Esie Explores Beneficial Bacteria

and

Author Guest Post and Giveaway!: “Something Old, Something New: Five Classics Reimagined as Middle-Grade Books” by Erin Yun, Author of Pippa Park Raises Her Game

March 15, 2020 by Kellee

“Something Old, Something New: Five Classics Reimagined as Middle-Grade Books”

There’s something utterly compelling about reimaginings. It’s like meeting up with an old friend many years down the road—the familiar elements of the original are comforting even as the fresh twists and changes bring delight. When I was a kid, I used to go through phases where I was obsessed with certain books for months at a time, so finding reimagined stories were a perfect way for me to explore a single novel with endless iterations. Plus, retellings help introduce young readers to books they’ll likely encounter in high school. So, whether you’re looking for a new way to relive a favorite novel, trying to spark a kid’s interest in a book for later down the road, or simply seeking an amazing story, look no further than these five reimagined middle-grade books based on classic literature.

Midsummer’s Mayhem by Rajani LaRocca

Mimi comes from a big Indian American family and is used to feeling overshadowed by her talented older siblings. So, when a newly opened bakery hosts a baking competition, Mimi enters, determined to prove herself. Soon, her dad is consuming everything in sight, boys are obsessing over her older sister, and wild boars are popping up in the forests of Massachusetts. Full of both literal and figurative charm, this retelling of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream is simply delicious . . . and had my mouth watering the entire time.

The Great Shelby Holmes by Elizabeth Eulberg

There is no shortage of Sherlock Holmes adaptions that exist—and for a good reason. There’s something so intriguing about the aloof detective with almost unbelievable powers of observation. In Eulberg’s take, Shelby Holmes might be able to solve any case in Harlem, but learning how to make a friend is one challenge that eludes the tiny sleuth. Told from the perspective of her new neighbor, John Watson, this book features a case of dognapping and is a cute, fun addition to the world of Sherlock Holmes-inspired works.

Grump by Liesl Shurtliff

Whether or not you’re a fan of Snow White, you’re bound to enjoy the story of Borlen, a grumpy dwarf who dreams of living above ground. Readers will find themselves sympathetic toward Borlen even when he makes mistakes—such as entangling himself with the deceptively sweet Queen Elfrieda Veronika Ingrid Lenore (if only Borlen had noticed the acronym . . .). Plus, those who aren’t Snow White’s biggest fans will be delighted to find this Snow White is full of personality—a little bit bratty, but plenty charming, with the ability to make even a nickname like “Grump” sound endearing.

More to the Story by Hena Khan

Seventh grader Jameela Mirza aspires to be an award-winning journalist, so when she’s made features editor of her school newspaper, she’s delighted—despite clashing with the editor-in-chief, who continually strikes down her ideas. Even as Jameela struggles to make an article her Baba will be proud of, she must deal with his absence overseas and with her younger sister’s sudden illness. Inspired by Little Women and featuring a Pakistani American Muslim family living in modern-day Georgia, this heartfelt book shines due to Jameela’s realistic relationships (whether they be with her friends or family).

The Inquisitor’s Tale by Adam Gidwitz

Drawing parallels to The Canterbury Tales, The Inquisitor’s Tale begins in the year 1242 in a packed French inn, where, with the help of various patrons, we hear the story of three miraculous children: Jeanne, a peasant who receives visions; William, a monk with unnatural strength; and Jacob, a Jewish boy with healing powers. Gidwitz’s writing is filled with flecks of humor, and readers will delight in zany adventures (like curing a farting dragon) even as more serious stakes keep them flipping pages. Plus, the aesthetic of the book is just as rewarding as the prose—with beautifully stylized chapter openers, unique border art, and black-and-white images scattered throughout.

Published February 4th, 2020 by Fabled Films Press

About the Book:Readers will cheer on Korean American Pippa Park in this compelling middle grade reimagining of Great Expectations. Navigating friendships and cyberbullying at a new school, Pippa reinvents herself and discovers who she really is.

Life is full of great expectations for Korean American Pippa Park. It seems like everyone, from her family to the other kids at school, has a plan for how her life should look. So when Pippa gets a mysterious basketball scholarship to Lakeview Private, she jumps at the chance to reinvent herself by following the “Rules of Cool.”

At Lakeview, Pippa juggles old and new friends, an unrequited crush, and the pressure to perform academically and athletically while keeping her past and her family’s laundromat a secret from her elite new classmates. But when Pippa begins to receive a string of hateful, anonymous messages via social media, her carefully built persona is threatened.

As things begin to spiral out of control, Pippa discovers the real reason she was admitted to Lakeview and wonders if she can keep her old and new lives separate, or if she should even try.

Bonus Content: Discussion Questions, Author Q&A, and Korean Language Glossary and Pronunciation Guide

“Pippa is a magnetic heroine, funny and good-hearted.”―Booklist

About the Author:Debut author Erin Yun grew up in Frisco, Texas. She received her BFA in English from New York University and served as president of its policy debate team. This experience came in handy for her job as the debate consultant for the Tony-nominated Best Play on Broadway—What the Constitution Means to Me. Erin is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and has written reviews and articles for BookBrowse. She currently lives in New York City, and yes—she used to play basketball as a middle grader!

Connect with Fabled Films Press and Pippa Park:

www.fabledfilms.com | www.pippapark.com

Twitter: @fabled_films | Author on Twitter: @ErinMYun

Facebook: @Fabled.Films.Press | Instagram: @fabled.films

Language Arts Educators Guide: https://pippapark.com/resources

Giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thank you, Erin, for sharing these fun retellings and introducing us to Pippa!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 3/9/20

March 15, 2020March 9, 2020 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.

Tuesday: Old Rock (is Not Boring) by Deb Pilutti

Thursday: Bob Ross: My First Book of Colors by Robb Pearlman, Illustrated by Bob Ross

Sunday: Authors Guest Post!: “Books That Build Empathy” by Debut MG and YA Authors of 2020

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

Kellee

NEAL SHUSTERMAN CAME TO MY SCHOOL THIS WEEK, and it was amazing! Check out my school’s FB post to see more pictures 🙂 (Also, he read from 2 upcoming books, and WOW! I cannot wait!)

I finished listening to A Match Made in Mehendi and I am in love with Simi’s story! Her friends and family are amazing! I highly recommend this well-crafted and well-written early YA romance!
I finally read Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell and Faith Erin Hicks, and YAY for Deja representing real girls! And Josiah is just exactly what I hope all men will realize is the best way to be!
I also read a Free Comic Book Day Owly & Friends comic for fun! I just needed some Owly in my life this week.
With Trent:
- More Fly Guy this week! He is now able to pretty much read any Fly Guy book himself, and I love to have him read to me!
- With Princess in Black, we’ve moved to the ones I haven’t read, so I love seeing her new adventures too!
- It was Read Across America week, and his teacher celebrated in the traditional way, and Trent says his favorite Dr. Seuss book was Horton Hears a Who, so he checked it out from his school library for us to read at home too.
- Trent receives Powell’s Boox (book box) monthly from his g’rents, and this month we received In a Jar by Deborah Marcero and Twig by Aura Parker. He liked both of them, but Twig has already been read multiple times and seems to be a new favorite.

To learn more about any of these books, check out my 2020 Goodreads Challenge page or my read bookshelf on Goodreads.

Ricki

I have spent approximately 100 hours arranging all of the pitches for the ALAN Workshop program. I am excited to say that I am ready to pitch back to the publishers (following NCTE session acceptances and following approval from the program consultants). This means I have not been reading as much…as in at all. It feels a bit ironic, no? But I DID read Eat the Cake, which is a very fun text (review to come tomorrow), and I DID read to my boys each night. We are almost finished with the first Harry Potter!

Kellee

Reading: I’m Not Dying with You Tonight by Kimberly Jones & Gilly Segal
Reading (a story here and there): Darkness Creeping: Twenty Twisted Tales by Neal Shusterman
Listening: A Tale of Magic by Chris Colfer
Reading with Trent (between other books): The Princess in Black and the Mysterious Playdate by Shannon Hale & Dean Hale, Illustrated by LeUyen Pham

Tuesday: Eat the Cake by M.H. Clark, Illustrated by Jana Glatt

Sunday: Author Guest Post and Giveaway!: “Something Old, Something New: Five Classics Reimagined as Middle-Grade Books” by Erin Yun, Author of Pippa Park Raises Her Game

and

Authors Guest Post!: “Books That Build Empathy” by Katherine Rothschild and a Variety of Debut MG and YA Authors of 2020

March 8, 2020 by Kellee

“Books that Build Empathy”

Books have the power to let us walk in someone else’s shoes—and to make us more empathetic to other people’s lived experiences in the world as we walk that path. Several authors whose books will be debuting in 2020 discussed the books that changed them, that made them cry, and that made them more empathetic to other people’s lives and struggles.

Where the Red Fern Grows

Against the backdrop of the Ozarks, ten-year old Billy raises two puppies into hunting dogs who grow to love and protect him at all costs. This classic read impacted several of the debut authors this year. Kit Rosewater, author of the forthcoming The Derby Daredevils, admits to secretly reading ahead when the book was assigned in school—and coming into class already an emotional wreck. “I was sobbing when we were still five pages out, to the point where the teacher sent me outside to catch my breath in the hall.” And Tanya Guerrero, author of How to Make Friends with the Sea, admits to “sobbing for an entire week” after reading this deeply moving tale. The book showed Guerrero “the power of great storytelling” and how close we can feel to the characters who come to life on the pages of a book.

About The Derby Daredevils: Kenzie Kickstarts a Team: Kenzie and Shelly have been best friends for as long as they can remember. They hang out at the park, practice their super-secret handshake, and (most important) count down the days to their roller derby debut. It looks like their dream is coming true when Austin’s city league announces a junior league. But there’s a catch. To try out together, the Dynamic Duo will have to form a team of five players… in just one week!

As they start convincing other girls that roller derby is the coolest thing on wheels, Kenzie has second thoughts. Why is Shelly acting like everyone’s best friend? Isn’t she supposed to be Kenzie’s best friend? And things get really awkward when Shelly recruits Kenzie’s neighbor (and secret crush!) for the team.

About Kit Rosewater: Kit Rosewater writes books for children. Before she was an author, Kit taught theatre to middle school students, which even a world-renowned cat herder once called “a lot of work.” Kit has a master’s degree in children’s literature. She lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico with her spouse and a border collie who takes up most of the bed.

About How to Make Friends with the Sea: Pablo is homesick.

He’s only twelve years old, but he’s lived in more countries than he can count. After his parents divorced, he and his mother have moved from place to place for years, never settling anywhere long enough to call it home. And along the way, Pablo has collected more and more fears: of dirt, of germs, and most of all, of the ocean.

Now they’re living in the Philippines, and his mother, a zoologist who works at a local wildlife refuge, is too busy saving animals to notice that Pablo might need saving, too. Then his mother takes in Chiqui, an orphaned girl with a cleft lip―and Pablo finds that through being strong for Chiqui, his own fears don’t seem so scary.

He might even find the courage to face his biggest fear of all…and learn how to make friends with the sea.

About Tanya Guerrero: Tanya Guerrero is Filipino and Spanish by birth, but spent her childhood living in three continents—Asia, Europe and North America. Upon graduating from high school, she attended Boston University, where she studied Screenwriting. Over the course of eleven years, she’s worked as a photo editor in children’s educational publishing, operated her own photo studio and freelanced as a writer.

Currently, she lives in a shipping container home in the suburbs of Manila with her husband, her daughter, Violet, and a menagerie of rescued cats and dogs. In her free time she grows her own food, bakes sourdough bread and reads lots of books.

Bridge to Terabithia

One of the most impactful books to the debut authors of 2020 was Bridge to Terabithia, the story of the friendship between neighbors Jesse and Leslie, and their escape into a magical forest realm where they are able to assert the independence and adventure but find emotional sanctuary. KayLynn Flanders, author of the forthcoming Shielded admits to this being one of the first books she ever truly sobbed after reading. And Tanya Guerrero admits to an equal amount of suffering and sadness upon reading. But although the book deals with intense grief and loss, the story and the fantastic realm of Terabithia offered much more. Flanders shares that “while [Terabithia] gutted me in fifth grade, my friends and I were inspired by it. Every recess, we’d cross part of the playground into our own Terabithia, with new adventures awaiting us every day.” The best books deal with the hardest things in life, but they also give us pathways to endure them.

About Shielded: For fans of Sorcery of Thorns and Furyborn comes a thrilling new fantasy about a kingdom ravaged by war, and the princess who might be the key to saving not only those closest to her, but the kingdom itself, if she reveals the very secret that could destroy her.

The kingdom of Hálendi is in trouble. It’s losing the war at its borders, and rumors of a new, deadlier threat on the horizon have surfaced. Princess Jennesara knows her skills on the battlefield would make her an asset and wants to help, but her father has other plans.

As the second-born heir to the throne, Jenna lacks the firstborn’s—her brother’s—magical abilities, so the king promises her hand in marriage to the prince of neighboring Turia in exchange for resources Hálendi needs. Jenna must leave behind everything she has ever known if she is to give her people a chance at peace.

Only, on the journey to reach her betrothed and new home, the royal caravan is ambushed, and Jenna realizes the rumors were wrong—the new threat is worse than anyone imagined. Now Jenna must decide if revealing a dangerous secret is worth the cost before it’s too late–for her and for her entire kingdom.

About Kaylynn Flanders: KayLynn Flanders is a graduate of Brigham Young University, with a degree in English Language and a minor in editing. When she’s not writing, she spends her time playing volleyball, reading, and traveling. She lives in Utah with her family, and thinks there’s nothing better than a spur-of-the-moment road trip. Her debut novel is Shielded.

Little Women

Many writers empathize with the character of Jo—and with her loss of her manuscript at the hands of her jealous and angry little sister, Amy. But we empathize with Jo for more than that moment of loss—Lorien Lawrence, author of the forthcoming The Stitchers, remembers empathizing with Jo because she felt “like I didn’t fit in…I remember crying my eyes out in that last scene with Laurie.” She identifies what makes this book so eternal, and what we all hope for when we write characters—that we make them emblematic of the way we struggle with society’s expectations, with what and who we love, and how to navigate those wild. waters. In my forthcoming book, Wider Than the Sky, I explore just this type of relationship—and ask how we can navigate complex feelings of love and disdain, of adoration and fear. Little Women will always be an example of how we learn to care for others, even from within the complexities of our desires.

About The Stichers: Instinctive Quinn Parker and scientific-minded Mike Warren are two thirteen-year old friends who uncover a centuries-old-mystery that threatens their whole town. After learning the awful truth about their neighbors, ‘The Oldies’, and the gruesome secret of how they stay young, Quinn and Mike face a race against time to expose their neighbors before they become the next victims.

About Lorien Lawrence: Lorien Lawrence graduated with creative writing degrees from Wheaton College and Bath Spa University. After college, she lived abroad in England for a few years, before returning stateside and becoming a middle school English teacher. On weekends you can often find her exploring New England haunts, getting more inspiration for her novels.

About Wider Than the Sky: Wider Than the Sky follows the dual stories of twin sisters coping with the aftermath of their father’s sudden death. When their mother moves them to a ramshackle mansion in California, the twins discover that both parents were hiding secrets about their sexual identities

About Katherine Rothschild: Katherine Rothschild, MFA, PhD, is an English professor at St. Mary’s College, a former dance instructor, and an obsessive food truck-follower. Her first-person essays have been published by KQED/NPR and The San Francisco Chronicle, and her academic work is published by Purdue University Press. She has received artist grants from Vermont Studio Center and Kindlings Words. When she isn’t studying writing or classroom social justice, she’s hanging out by the lake with her family. Wider Than the Sky from Soho Teen is her debut young adult novel.

What books moved you, readers? What books made you more empathetic, more caring, more sensitive to others? What books can teach empathy?

Thank you to all the authors for sharing their choices and their upcoming books! Visit https://classof2k20books.com/ to learn more about these and all class of 2k20 authors and their books!