Ricki – Page 79 – Unleashing Readers

Top Ten Tuesday: YA Text Recommendations for Bestselling Adult Texts

August 4, 2016September 29, 2015 by Ricki

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. The feature was created because The Broke and Bookish are particularly fond of lists (as are we!). Each week a new Top Ten list topic is given and bloggers can participate.

Today’s Topic: YA Text Recommendations for Bestselling Adult Texts

I love YAL. I’ll read the adult texts that everyone raves about, but often, I find YAL to be more compelling. If you like the bestselling adult novels below, I recommend specific YA texts (or middle grade text) that you might also enjoy.

1. Adult Text: Room by Emma Donaghue

YA Text: Stolen: A Letter to My Captor by Lucy Christopher

Both texts are about girls who are taken captive. Stolen leaves readers with much to think about.

2. Adult Text: Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

YA Text: Circus Mirandus by Cassie Beasley

Both texts bring readers into a magical setting. Circus Mirandus pulled at my heartstrings.

3. Adult Text: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

YA Text: Fatal Fever: Tracking Down Typhoid Mary by Gail Jarrow

Both texts combine medicine, science, and a notable woman in history (for different reasons).

4. Adult Text: Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay

YA Text: Hidden Like Anne Frank: 14 True Stories of Survival by Marcel Prins and Peter Henk Steenhuis

Sarah’s Key is beautiful prose. Hidden Like Anne Frank offers much knowledge about those who were hidden during the Holocaust. I learned many of my assumptions were inaccurate.

5. Adult Text: The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien

YA Text: Death Coming Up the Hill by Chris Crowe

The Things They Carried is well-loved (and quite deserving of its praise). Death Coming Up the Hill is also set during the Vietnam War. The text is entirely written in Haiku format, and the syllable count of the entire text is the same as the number of soldiers who died in 1968 Vietnam. Chris Crowe is brilliant.

6. Adult Text: The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Malcolm X

YA Text: X by Ilyasah Shabazz and Kekla Magoon

X may not be autobiographical, but it is written by Malcolm X’s daughter and a fantastic YA author, Kekla Magoon. It offers a perspective of Malcolm Little’s teenage years that is quite compelling.

7. Adult Text: Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

YA Text: Just One Day by Gayle Forman

Gayle Forman’s Just One Day captured my heart and reminded me of the things I liked best of Eat, Pray, Love.

8. Adult Text: The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson

YA Text: I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson

Art weaves through the narratives of these texts. Both have incredible depth and will make readers think.

9. Adult Text: Maus by Art Speigelman

YA Text: Hidden: A Child’s Story of the Holocaust by Loïc Dauvillier

Both graphic novels feature a survivor’s story, told a generation (or in the case of the second book, generations) later.

10. Adult Text: The Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger

YA Text: The Living by Matt de la Peña

Both texts feature stormy settings on boats. While this is one of the few similarities between these well-written works, both are wonderful and worthy of high praise.

Which adult books have you enjoyed? Would you recommend (or would you like a recommendation for) a YA text?

Author Guest Post: “Teaching Kids Empathy through Story” by Natasha Sinel, Author of The Fix

September 27, 2015 by Ricki

“Teaching Kids Empathy through Story”

“I do not ask the wounded person how he feels, I myself become the wounded person.”

― Walt Whitman, Song of Myself

Recently NPR’s All Things Considered aired a piece about a research study suggesting that school kids who read and identify with Harry Potter display more positive attitudes toward people from disadvantaged groups. The reporter said, “So it turns out Harry Potter may be an effective tool against prejudice…When stories allow us to empathize with people who lead very different lives or come from very different backgrounds, it allows us to get into their shoes in a way that no amount of preaching can accomplish.”

While this doesn’t surprise me, I find it extremely interesting and validating.

I consider myself empathetic to an extreme. To be a writer of fiction, I believe that’s a requirement—we have to get inside our characters’ heads to see who they are, how they live, how they think. If I didn’t have empathy, then all of my characters would be privileged white women in their forties. But that’s not who I write. I write about teenagers—female, male, white, non-white, gay, immigrant, autistic, mentally ill.

In The Fix, some of Macy’s actions could be judged—she’s not particularly nice to her mother, she has a history of sleeping around—but as you get to know her, you learn that there’s a reason for her behaviors that even she doesn’t quite understand, even when the reader already does. Same goes for Sebastian. He’s an addict, he suffers from depression, and he spends several weeks at a psychiatric institute.

For readers who have experienced any of these hardships—depression, addiction, sexual abuse—I hope they’ll see that they’re not alone. I hope a reader who has been abused will see that telling someone can help. But I also hope that readers who haven’t dealt with any of these things will take away an understanding of the difficulties a friend may be going through, and will see how important it is not to trivialize or overlook pain that may be underneath the surface.

This quote I found really struck me, and I think of it now whenever I write: “We could be standing next to someone who is completely broken and we wouldn’t even know it.”

Part of empathy is realizing that people wear cloaks to make the pain and scars inside easier to hide. When we read, we see beneath the cloaks. Maybe that can help us look at our friends, our classmates in a new light. Maybe we can question actions first instead of judging. Maybe we can begin to understand what it feels like to be a survivor of abuse, an addict struggling every day to stay clean, an immigrant who fears deportation, an intersex girl learning about her complex body, a boy with Aspergers who wants close friends but doesn’t always understand the nuances of social interactions, an impoverished girl who doesn’t know where her next meal is coming from.

If the studies are true, and kids can become more empathetic by reading diverse narratives, then we need to keep giving them the stories. I promise to keep writing them, and I hope you’ll keep teaching them.

About the Book:

“Sinel bravely addresses tough topics, demonstrating that the weight of secrets can pull us under––and their release can save us from drowning.” —Holly Schindler, critically acclaimed author of A Blue So Dark and Feral

“Bewitching, beautiful, and brave . . . readers will marvel at Macy’s resilience. Sinel’s writing devastates and uplifts, by turns.” —Carrie Mesrobian, award-winning author of Sex & Violence and Perfectly Good White Boy

“A riveting picture of a teenager haunted by her past and struggling with her present . . . richly drawn, heartbreakingly real, and difficult to put down. The Fix shines.” —I. W. Gregorio, author of None of the Above

“A vivid storyteller, Sinel tackles an emotional topic, portraying the pain and repercussions of Macy’s experience with an honest sensitivity. I was hooked from the opening pages.” —Yvonne Ventresca, award-winning author of Pandemic

“Unflinchingly honest writing.” —Marie Jaskula, author of The Lost Marble Notebook of Forgotten Girl & Random Boy

Perfect for fans of Laura Weiss’s award-winning Such a Pretty Girl and Leftovers, as well as Sarah Dessen’s Dreamland, THE FIX (Sky Pony Press; September 1, 2015; ISBN: 978-1-63450-167-5; $16.99; ages 12 & up), by debut author Natasha Sinel, addresses real-life issues of drug addiction and sexual abuse.

While there are many YA novels that focus on sexual abuse, very few explore the complex effects of sibling sexual abuse, which is extremely prevalent (five times the rate of parent-child sexual abuse) and underreported. The Fix, a contemporary story featuring two teenagers from opposite sides of the track, fills a void in young adult fiction.

Meet seventeen-year-old Macy. Rich, popular, and dating the cute boy next door, Macy’s life should be perfect. But she harbors a secret that could ruin her seemingly flawless family. A late night conversation with loner and recovering addict Sebastian at her friend Rebecca’s party throws Macy’s life off balance. The following morning Sebastian doesn’t show up at school, and rumors fly that he’s been hospitalized after attempting suicide. Though their conversation was brief, Macy feels connected to Sebastian and begins to visit him in the hospital. Their blossoming friendship eventually shakes Macy out of her carefully maintained complacency as she realizes that keeping her secret could destroy her.

The Fix not only tells the story of two good-hearted teenagers coming to terms with the cards they were dealt but is also about the fixes we rely on to cope with our most shameful secrets, and the hope and fear that comes with meeting someone who challenges us to come clean. Written with honesty and sensitivity, Sinel’s heartfelt and courageous debut will inspire readers.

About the Author:

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Natasha Sinel is a writer of young adult fiction. She graduated from Yale University with a BA in English and from the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business with an MBA. Before beginning her career as an author, she was director of business development at Showtime Networks. Born and raised in Washington, DC, she now lives in northern Westchester, New York, with her husband and three sons.

You can visit her website at natashasinel.com.

Thank you to Sara at Sky Pony Press for sharing this great book with us, and thank you, Natasha, for your beautiful words.

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Review and Giveaway!: Sloth Slept On by Frann Preston-Gannon

September 24, 2015 by Ricki

Sloth Slept On
Author: Frann Preston-Gannon
Published: September 1, 2015 by Sterling

Goodreads Summary: Who’s that sleeping in our tree? When a group of kids finds an animal happily napping in their backyard, they set out to discover what it is and where it belongs. As they search and search—never noticing all the posters and news articles about a sloth that’s broken out of the zoo—they finally discover the identity of the snoozing creature. And when sloth wakes up, it’s in for a BIG surprise! Frann Preston-Gannon has created an endearing, adorable, and huggable title character; a group of intrepid children; and a wildly humorous situation that will appeal to young readers.

Ricki’s Review: The characterization of this text is simply marvelous. I smiled through my entire reading of the book! The sloth’s facial expressions and all of the advertisements that the students miss will make them giggle. This humorous story would be a fantastic read-aloud for classrooms. It provides a good balance between nonfiction and fiction because readers learn about sloths while following an engaging story. I suspect that the sloth will become the favorite animal of many students after they read this book. Reading this book made me want to meet the author/illustrator, Frann Preston-Gannon, because I suspect she is a very entertaining woman!

Kellee’s Review: I really love books that combine fiction and nonfiction because it truly makes reading fun and interesting. This book does a great job of throwing in the factual information within a humorous story. I think it would be so much fun to read this book with students/kids because it would be so easy to make it interactive. I also really loved the illustrations. They are so full of clues and facial expressions and humor and colors. Really made the book even better.

I will say that I do I feel really bad for the sloth though! (You’ll have to read to see why!)

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: The obvious navigational tool would be to ask students to research about sloths to learn more about the animal and the ways this information connects with the text. Teachers might ask students to research other animals and create similar stories to share. Another idea would be to ask readers why the children in this book miss all of the signs that the sloth is missing, and zookeepers are searching for them. Teachers might ask students to consider the ways they might miss blatant signs around them.

Discussion Questions: How does the author infuse information about sloths within the fictional story line? What did you learn from the story?; Why do the children miss information about the sloth? How might the story be different if they saw the signs?; How does the story end? Can you think of alternate endings?

We Flagged:

Read This If You Loved: Sparky by Jenny Offill, “Slowly, Slowly, Slowly” Said the Sloth by Eric Carle, Dinosaur Farm by Frann Preston Gannon

Giveaway!:

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Recommended For:

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**Thank you to Lauren at Sterling for providing copies for review and giveaway!**

Top Ten Tuesday: Books on Our Fall TBR Lists

August 4, 2016September 22, 2015 by Ricki

Today’s Topic: Books on Our Fall TBR Lists

We really want to get to these books.

Ricki

I am determined to get back to my #mustreadin2015 list!

1. Like Water on Stone by Dana Walrath

This has been on too many of my must-read lists. I’ve heard it is incredible!

2. Knockout Games by G. Neri

I just learned what this book is about, and now I really want to read it. I had no idea what “the knockout game” was until recently. I am horrified, and I feel compelled to learn more about this awful phenomenon.

3. See You At Harry’s by Jo Knowles

Everyone raves about this one. I love Jo Knowles, so count me in!

4. When I Was the Greatest by Jason Reynolds

I am embarrassed to say I have not read anything by Jason Reynolds yet. I follow him on Facebook and the web like crazy. I’ll be reading (at least!) one of his books before the ALAN Workshop.

5. Out of my Mind by Sharon Draper

Has this book reached “classic” status yet? I better read it very soon because everyone says it is incredible!

Kellee

I hope that I get to my #mustreadin2015 list; however, my fall is going to be filled with preparing for NCTE and ALAN.

1. Hook’s Revenge by Heidi Schulz

I cannot wait to present about humor with Heidi and some other wonderful ladies at NCTE.

2. – 5.

The Edge by Roland Smith

Hellraisers by Alexander Gordon Smith

Undertow by Michael Buckley

The Lost Tribes by C. Taylor-Butler

I am the moderator of the “Keeping ‘Em on the Edge of Their Seats” panel at ALAN with these great authors.

What books are on your Fall Must-Read List?

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Author Guest Post: “An Element of Fun: A Teacher’s Reflection” by Melissa Polyakov, Author of Mr. Fact and Miss Opinion

April 22, 2023September 20, 2015 by Ricki

“An Element of Fun”

In every job that must be done there is an element of fun. – Mary Poppins

I believe that my experience as a teacher is very much like the students’ experiences. The school year starts with excitement, anticipating what’s new. The work isn’t too much of a bother because we’re fresh and there just seems to be a feeling of, “Well, that’s what we’re back to school to do!” Two months later…

Teacher thoughts: How long is this grading going to take? I’ve only graded 10 papers? It feels like 20! When will the work end? I just want to sip some coffee and read a good book.

Student thoughts: How much more homework are we going to have? Seriously? I just want to go outside.

The school year officially begins and the days start to feel longer. If the routine stays the same, everyone will be worn out by December. After teaching my first year and experiencing the need for change in my daily routine, I learned something very important about myself, and I believe about students as well. Sometimes, you just have to have fun and make work feel like play in order to stay motivated.

In my training for becoming a teacher, one of the main pieces of information we were given about students was that they need to stay motivated. If they are going to keep learning and stay engaged, they need to stay interested in the topic. I know this to be true about myself. I noticed in the slow months of teaching, I had to do things to keep my job fun so that I would stay motivated to continue working hard and being the best teacher I could be. Around Thanksgiving I would buy new pumpkin and fall scents to put in my wax burner. As the room would fill with the smell of a nice, warm, baked pumpkin pie, all of our faces would smile, our shoulders would relax, and questions would arise from around the room saying, “Mmmmm!! What’s that smell?!” Immediately, the feeling of the classroom went from “reading my 2 chapters” to reading a book in a cozy home. The smell would motivate the students to work because the environment had changed to something different. A good different.

At the end of teaching a unit, I could always tell the students seemed to be trudging along, needing a boost in their step. I would also need a little boost in my step after all the work put together to organize and teach the unit. All of us needed some kind of break, while still having class and continuing to learn. This was when I would put the books and pencils away and play Jeopardy. The students loved playing Jeopardy and it was a way for them to review all the information they had been learning over the last month or two. After playing Jeopardy over a couple days, the students were re-motivated and re-energized to learn and continue working hard. I believe this is because we all are motivated by something we enjoy. For students, playing is something they enjoy. When learning and working feels like play and there is an element of fun, the energy goes up and everyone is motivated to continue working.

This brings me back to the original quote from Mary Poppins which says, “In every job that must be done there is an element of fun.” When we work, we must find the fun. We must find ways to make it engaging and motivating. This was my goal when writing my recent book Mr. Fact and Miss Opinion. I wanted to give parents and teachers the opportunity to teach about fact and opinion through a story and not through a workbook. I wanted to add a fun, playful element to a not-so-interesting topic. Not only does the story teach the difference between fact and opinion in a silly and entertaining way, it also shows how two completely different characters can become the best of friends. It can act as a teaching guide for both parents and teachers while also being a cute, beautifully illustrated story about a goat and a pig who develop a friendship and learn about each other. When a story such as this is used to teach a lesson, students remember it because it was wrapped up in a fun, playful package. Children’s literature plays a vital role in the education of children, and I believe that it can and should be used to educate children on a multiplicity of subjects. That is my goal as an author and teacher. I would love to see more books that teach about specific concepts within a story that is fun and entertaining. If you have a favorite children’s book that taught you or your children or your grandchildren something important, please share it so we can benefit from each other’s wealth of knowledge.

Mr. Fact and Miss Opinion Summary:

This book is a lively and lyrical story about unlikely neighbors, a goat named Mr. Fact and a pig named Miss Opinion.

Miss Opinion shares a flavorful meal with Mr. Fact, attempting to show him that opinions can add spice to his life. This educational children’s book uses endearing characters to introduce terms such as objective and subjective by personifying fact and opinion.

About the Author: Melissa has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Elementary Education from Multnomah University in Portland, OR, and is a member of SCBWI. An educator since 2012, she has taught multiple ages and subjects. However, it was working as the school librarian where her love for children’s literature grew. During her free time, Melissa and her husband enjoy playing volleyball and spending time outdoors with their beloved Goldendoodle.

Thank you so much to Melissa for her reflections about finding the fun in teaching!

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The Perfect Percival Priggs by Julie-Anne Graham

September 17, 2015 by Ricki

The Perfect Percival Priggs
Author: Julie-Anne Graham
Published: May 26, 2015 by Running Press

Goodreads Summary: Percival Priggs seems to be the perfect child. His parents are perfect, his grandparents are perfect, and even his pets are perfect. Percy’s shelf is packed with gleaming trophies. But with all the practice and preparation needed for his competitions, Percy never has a free moment.

Percy worries that his parents will not love him if he does not smile his prize-winning smile and perform perfectly in every competition. But after his rocket experiment turns into an imperfect mess, Mr. and Mrs. Priggs reveal their own funny imperfections and show Percy they are proud of him exactly as he is.

The message of reassurance and acceptance in The Perfect Percival Priggs is timely in our age of helicopter parenting, overscheduling, and increased testing standards for young children. But it is debut author Julie-Anne Graham’s fresh art style that truly sets the book apart. A former fashion designer with a love of textiles, Graham has built on each page a collage of textured patterns and drawn characters, adding humor and a world of detail to the Priggs’ home and story.

Ricki’s Review: I loved the layered textures of this book. The wide-eyed illustrations will draw readers in and allow them to pay close attention to the important lessons of this story. Many kids battle with inner desires for perfection, and Percival Priggs is no exception. He struggles to be just as perfect as his perfect family, and it weighs on him. He comes to learn that perhaps perfection isn’t all that important.

Kellee’s Review: I loved the unique illustrations of this one. They are eye-catching and are just quirky enough. I also think this is a perfect read aloud for all levels because of its theme. It is definitely going in my read aloud pile for home and school. It has a fun story, but has a much deeper message. I think so many of us face the pressure of being perfect and having a discussion with kids about this pressure and the unrealistic aspect of it would really help with anxiety they may be feeling. I also love the message of family.

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: This text would offer meaningful classroom discussions about the fallacies of perfection. Students might share times they made mistakes, and this would allow them to understand that we are all human. They might analyze perfection as it is portrayed in society and the media. Additionally, teachers might use this book as a mentor text to teach alliteration in writing.

Discussion Questions: How does Percival’s family react to his worries about perfection?; Can a person be truly perfect?; Why do people have the desire to be perfect?; Share with a partner some of the ways you are an imperfect person and why this might just be okay.

We Flagged:

Read This If You Loved: The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires; You Are (Not) Small by Anna Kang; Unicorn Thinks He’s Pretty Great by Bob Shea; Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae; The Invisible Boy by Tracy Ludwig; The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds

Recommended For:

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**Thank you to Running Press for providing copies for review!**

Top Ten Tuesday: Villains

September 15, 2015 by Ricki

Today’s Topic: Villains

Halloween came early.

Ricki

1. Satan in Paradise Lost by John Milton

Satan seems to star in a lot of novels, but he really shines in this one. 😉

2. Grendel’s Mother in Beowulf by Unknown

If anyone harmed my son, I’d turn into Grendel’s mother.

3. Anna from Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

She gives me the shivers!

4. O’Brien from 1984 by George Orwell

He is so methodical. You can’t help but respect that.

5. Abigail Williams from The Crucible by Arthur Miller

She is one of the ultimate villains in history and literature.

Kellee

There are so many great villains in YAL, but I tried to narrow it down to the most infamous! If you want to know who I would have included in a longer list, I’d be happy to share.

1. Voldemort (and Umbridge and Beatrix Lestrange) from the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

How can I not include them? Harry’s epic 7 book battle with Voldemort and his legions is the best hero vs. villain story ever.

2. The villain from The Skinjacker Series by Neil Shusterman

I cannot tell you who it is, but s/he is one of those villains that really believes they are doing what is best where actually they are twisted and evil.

3. Aaron and Mayor/President Prentiss from the Chaos Walking series by Patrick Ness

A sociopath in power is just the scariest thing in the world.

4. The government in the Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld

I know this isn’t exactly following the theme, but I think the government that Westerfeld built in the Uglies series is the most dystopic and evil, so I had to include them.

5. Leck from the Graceling Realm series by Kristin Cashore

The way that Cashore builds Leck’s character throughout all of the books is brilliant.

Who are your favorite villains?

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