Book List – Page 22 – Unleashing Readers

Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Fairy Tale Retellings

August 4, 2016August 11, 2015 by Kellee

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.

I went a little rogue on the topic. We missed the fairy tale retellings last week because we were celebrating a book birthday, and I really wanted to feature it. So, when we saw that this week’s topic (Authors We’ve Read The Most From) was very close to a past TTT (All-time Favorite Authors), I decided to visit last week’s topic instead. Enjoy!

Today’s Topic: Ten Favorite Fairy Tale Retellings

I love reading books that fracture, twist, and retell fairy tales. These are my favorites (in no particular order)!

Kellee

1. The Cat, the Dog, Little Red, the Exploding Eggs, the Wolf, and Grandma by Diane Fox

Such a hilarious picture book! Cat is reading “Little Red Riding Hood” to her friend, Dog, but he keeps interrupting asking questions that Cat is not prepared, or doesn’t want, to answer. Dog is so funny, and Cat’s reactions really make the book.

2. Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin by Shurtliff, Liesl

This retelling of Rumpelstiltskin jumped immediately to the top of my favorite retellings list because I felt that she has made a wonderful, fantastical world and was able to see Rumpelstiltskin as more than just an antagonist. I also felt that the book did have a moral, as all fairy tales should, but it is one that creeps up on you at the end and is such a great discussion starter.

3. The League of Princes Series by Christopher Healy

Christopher Healy’s series is just plain HILARIOUS and well done! It reminds me a bit of Shrek except I liked the humor in The League better because I feel it is a very smart funny. Just the concept is funny and smart- the four Princes Charming from the “Snow White,” “Cinderella,” “Rapunzel,” and “Sleeping Beauty” stories star in this book (unlike the original stories where they don’t even get credit with their real name!) and the Princes each have such a fun, unique personality.

4. A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz

In this combination of versions of Grimm fairy tales, Adam Gidwitz takes you through Hansel and Gretel’s full adventure. In this bloody and gruesome tale, they face the devil, a dragon, a warlock, a witch, death, and many other adventures.

Gidwitz has other companion books in the series, but I have not read them yet; however, I am sure they are as well done as this one.

5. Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George

Princess of the Midnight Ball retells the Grimm tale of The Twelve Dancing Princesses and is quite the adventure filled with fantasy and romance.

6. Ice by Sarah Beth Durst and Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow by Jessica Day George

These two books are retellings of the same Norwegian fairy tale (that is a bit like Beauty and the Beast); however, they are very much separate and independent novels even if there is a little bit of overlap. Ice deals more with the romance and love of the fairy tale while Sun and Moon… deals with loyalty and trust.

7. Into the Wild by Sarah Beth Durst

Into the Wild starts out of the wild. All of the fairy tale characters can finally live normal lives and not have to rely on their story to tell them what to do, but only as long as the wild is contained. When it is unleashed, it is up to Rapunzel’s daughter Julie to save her family and friends from being caught in their story.

8. Fables series by Bill Willingham

In Willingham’s series, fairy tale and fable characters have been exiled and have to disguise themselves as normal citizens in New York; however, they are anything but normal.

9. Rapunzel’s Revenge by Shannon Hale

Rapunzel kicks some major butt in this one. Rapunzel’s story takes place in the Wild West in Hale’s retelling of the classic. After Rapunzel escapes her “mother’s” imprisonment, revenge is on her mind.

10. Briar Rose by Jane Yolen

A mix of historical fiction and a fairy tale retelling. Becca is a journalist and when her grandmother, Gemma, dies, she promises her that the will find out the truth behind her grandmother’s constant retelling of “Sleeping Beauty” as her life story. All Becca has is the story that Gemma told, a box of photos and documents, and the promise. With this, Gemma begins to learn more and more about her mysterious grandmother.

Which fairy tale retellings have you enjoyed the most?

In the World of Books: 25 Girls Who Stand Out For Kellee

August 13, 2015August 7, 2015 by Kellee

When Carrie Gelson shared her post about the 25 girls and 25 boys who stood out to her in young adult and middle grade literature and asked us to join in by writing our own, Ricki and I knew we had to. We read hundreds of books each year, but there are certain characters that stay in your heart year after year. Below are the 25 girls who remained with me. Originally, I had 71 girls on the list, so narrowing it down to 25 was so difficult; however, I am very proud of the 25 young women who I did choose. They are a special bunch who I hope have affected you as much as they’ve affected me, or you feel inclined to read their book because of this list.

**Click on any book title below to see my review or the Goodreads summary of the book**

Kate de Vries from Airborn (Series: Matt Cruse) by Kenneth Oppel
Lina from Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
Willow Chance from Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan
Sophie Biyoya-Ciardulli from Endangered by Eliot Schrefer
Hazel Grace Lancaster from The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Ally from Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
Claudette from Giants Beware! (Series: Chronicles of Claudette) by Jorge Aguirre
Katsa from Graceling by Kristen Cashore
Hermoine from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Series: Harry Potter) by J.K. Rowling
Joey Willis from Hurt Go Happy by Ginny Rorby
Kristy Thomas, Mary Anne Spier, Claudia Kishi, and Stacy McGill from Kristy’s Great Idea (Series: The Baby-Sitters Club) by Ann M. Martin
Camila from Life in Outer Space by Melissa Keil
Annabeth from The Lightning Thief (Series: Percy Jackson and the Olympians) by Rick Riordan
Marlee and Liz from The Lions of Little Rock by Kristin Levine
Matilda from Matilda by Roald Dahl
Melody from Out of my Mind by Sharon Draper
Phoebe from Phoebe and Her Unicorn (Series: Heavenly Nostrils) by Dana Simpson
Sunny from Revolution (Series: The Sixties Trilogy) by Deborah Wiles
Astrid from Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson
Lakshmi from Sold by Patricia McCormick
Stargirl from Stargirl (Series: Stargirl) by Jerry Spinelli
Tally Lo from Uglies (Series: Uglies) by Scott Westerfeld
Lupita from Under the Mesquite by Guadalupe Garcia McCall
Sal and Phoebe from Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
Summer from Wonder (Series: Wonder) by R.J. Palacio

Who makes it on your list?

Come back next Friday to see my list of 25 boys who stand out.

Check out Ricki’s list of 25 girls that stand out for her.

Check out Ricki’s list of 25 boys that stand out for her.

In the World of Books: 25 Girls Who Stand Out For Ricki

August 13, 2015August 6, 2015 by Ricki

When Carrie Gelson asked Kellee and I to join her post about 25 girls who stand out in middle grade and young adult literature, we jumped at the opportunity. Kellee and I devour hundreds of books each year, yet we find that there are characters who stick with us through the years. It was difficult for me to limit my list to just 25 girls, but I am very proud of this group of young women. They don’t always make the right choices, but they really stand out for me. I hope you find (or have found) these girls to be just as as special as I have. Next Thursday, I will share the boys!

Violet Markey from All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven
Astrid Jones from Ask the Passengers by A.S. King
Lina from Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
Jackie Woodson from brown girl dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
Willow Chance from Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan
Anne Frank from The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
Sophie Biyoya-Ciardulli from Endangered by Eliot Schrefer
Esperanza from Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan
Calpurnia Tate from The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly
Hazel Grace Lancaster from The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Katsa from Graceling by Kristen Cashore
Esperanza Cordero from The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
Ellie from Jumping off Swings by Jo Knowles
Alaska Young from Looking for Alaska by John Green
Mattie Gokey from A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly
Maria Virginia Farinango from The Queen of Water by Laura Resau
Rose Justice from Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein
Cat from Shine by Lauren Myracle
Lakshmi from Sold by Patricia McCormick
Felicity Pickle from A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd
Amber Appleton from Sorta Like a Rockstar by Matthew Quick
Melinda Sordino from Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
Gabriella from Tree Girl by Ben Mikaelsen
Lupita from Under the Mesquite by Guadalupe Garcia McCall
Lia from Wintergirls by Laure Halse Anderson

Who makes it to your list?

Check out Kellee’s list of 25 girls that stand out for her.

Check out Kellee’s list of 25 boys that stand out for her.

Civil Rights Text Set/Reading Ladder

November 15, 2015July 23, 2015 by Kellee

Over the last few months, I have found myself reading some phenomenal texts concerning the Civil Rights movement. I began thinking about how beneficial these texts would be in a classroom setting to help students develop a deeper understanding of the time. The Civil Rights Movement is not just a part of history, it is relevant to current events and pertinent to our students’ lives. Today, I wanted to share with you these connections I’ve made, and I hope that together, we can foster conversations about this important time period.

I picture these texts being used in a couple of different ways.

They can be used for a text set for a Civil Rights unit in a social studies or English language arts classroom. This is more of an informal route.
They could be used as literature circle texts or in a jig saw (see Ricki’s post on engaging discussions last week for more info on jig saw). Each group might have a different text to read, discuss, and analyze. This would make for a great sharing environment.
Teachers might intentionally introduce the texts by the age level they are marketed toward. Read-alouds would provide opportunities for rich discussions about the ways that audience plays a role in complex themes and background knowledge of these texts.

I have organized this list kind of as a reading ladder. (If you don’t know what a reading ladder is, I recommend that you start by reading this book by Teri Lesesne and then visit her collaborative resource database to join in the love of ladders. She also shares slides about reading ladders here). Reading ladders are fantastic because they respond to student reading level needs. As they challenge themselves with increasingly complex texts, they remain on a ladder that uses a common theme, format, or genre to connect the books. This idea is much more complex and is detailed in her book. The ladder I’m sharing is connected with the Civil Rights theme, and based on my evaluation of the texts, I tried to generate a ladder for teachers to use. The ultimate goal of reading ladders is to help students move up texts independently and based on their interests, so some of my whole-classroom ideas above do not fit the goal of ladders.

Picture Books (for grades 3-12)

Middle Grade

Young Adult

Click on the book title of any book to view one of our reviews or the Goodreads summary.

You can’t go wrong with these incredible texts, and I recommend all of them for both you and your students!

I know there are many other great books about this topic that I haven’t read. What other titles would you include in a Civil Rights Text Set/Reading Ladder?

Top Ten Tuesday: Books that Feature LGBTQ Characters or Issues

August 4, 2016July 21, 2015 by Ricki

Today’s Topic: Books that Feature LGBTQ Characters or Issues

When this week’s topic popped up about celebrating diversity, we knew that we wanted to celebrate books with LGBTQ characters or issues (particularly in light of the SCOTUS same-sex marriage ruling). Below are 10 books we’ve read that we feel are wonderful representations of middle grade and young adult literature that include LGBTQ characters or issues. They are listed in no particular order, and to be honest, we had a hard time narrowing the list to ten!

Ricki and Kellee

1. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

A beautiful, quiet book that is very literary, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe follows Aristotle, a boy who doesn’t have friends until he meets Dante. Through Dante, he learns about friendship, life, and loyalty.

2. Ask the Passengers by A.S. King

Astrid is very cerebral–she can get lost in philosophical theories and questions about the world. Her favorite pastime is laying on the bench in her backyard so she can send her love to the passengers on the airplanes that fly overhead. At her catering job, Astrid meets Dee, and she falls in love. She isn’t sure if this makes her a lesbian, as she has never loved another girl, and society wants to fit her in a box that she isn’t quite sure describes her.

3. Drama by Raina Telgemeier

Drama takes place during a middle school theater production and deals with dating and friendships of the theater kids. This book needed to be included on our list for the way that homosexuality is dealt with as a non-issue in the book. It is just straight forward and matter of fact–just part of life.

4. Shine by Lauren Myracle

Cat is best friends with Patrick, and they are inseparable. After some troubling incidents, she decides to stray from Patrick and their group of friends and becomes a loner. The book starts off with Patrick, beaten until he is unconscious, slumped in front of a gas station with a gas nozzle hanging from his mouth and a sign that reads “Suck this, faggot.” With every page, readers become more and more hooked to the mystery that unfolds. This is a book that teaches readers to look internally at the judgments they make of others. Most importantly, this is a book that teaches us to SHINE.

5. October Mourning by Lesléa Newman

This is an incredibly important publication–both for those who know and remember his story, and for those who were too young to have lived through the horror of it all. Matthew Shepard, a 21-year-old, openly gay college student encountered two other college students in a bar on fateful night on October 6th, 1998. Pretending to be gay, the two men lured Matthew into their truck, drove to a deserted area, tied him to a fence, and beat him with a pistol as he begged for his life. Eighteen hours later, a biker saw Matthew and rode for help. Sadly, Matthew died in a hospital five days later with his family by his side. Leslea Newman, the author, was scheduled as the keynote speaker at Matthew’s school for Gay Awareness week the following Sunday. Using resources and documents, she constructs a beautiful, unforgettable book in verse that truly captures the horrifying events of this tragedy.

6. Luna by Julie Anne Peters

Regan is the only person who knows that her brother, Liam, secretly feels he is a female. As Liam transgenders into Luna, the reader is able to feel the multitude of emotions that both Regan and Luna feel throughout the process. This book is worthy of the awards it has received.

7. So Hard to Say by Alex Sanchez

Very few books deal with questioning sexuality in middle school, but Alex Sanchez does just that in So Hard to Say.

8. Boy Meets Boy by David Leviathan

This was the first David Leviathan book that I ever read, and I was truly enthralled with the world that he crafted. In Boy Meets Boy, different is normal and prejudice doesn’t exist, so it is a romantic comedy which just happens to be between a boy and a boy.

Note: Two Boys Kissing also deserves to be honored in this list. It weaves together stories of four gay teens as they face the challenges of being young and gay as they navigate the world.

9. Openly Straight by Bill Konigsberg

Rafe just wants to be a regular teen. Not the GAY teen who does this and that. Just a teen. So, for his senior year, he transfers to a boarding school and keeps his sexuality a secret; however, hiding who you are is harder than Rafe ever thought it’d be.

10. I Am J by Cris Beam

J is a boy but was mistakenly born as a girl. I am J is his story of working through the depression associated with having a body that was “assigned” to him. This is a truly inspiring, heartfelt, and change-making novel.

Honorary

Gracefully Grayson and George are both about transgendered youth, and their search for acceptance. Neither of us have read these books, but we are so excited that such important LBGT books are being published in the MG/YA world! We cannot wait to read these.

For more LBGT titles, check out the Stonewall Book Award which is a set of three literary awards that annually recognize “exceptional merit relating to the gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender experience” in English-language books published in the U.S.

There are so many great books about LGBTQ issues, and as we stated above, we had a hard time narrowing down our list to just ten books. Which would you add?

and

Top Ten Tuesday: Last Ten Books We Bought for Our Boys

August 4, 2016July 14, 2015 by Ricki

Today’s Topic: Last Ten Books We Bought for Our Boys

We read a lot of picture books, and in order to keep up with diapers, we can only buy the books that are truly special. Here are the last ten that we bought. For those of you who are new to the blog, Ricki’s son is 19 months old, and Kellee’s son is 16 months old.

Ricki

1. Freedom Summer by Deborah Wiles

Readers of this blog know that I am head over heels for this book. I am going to read it to him very often when he is older.

2. Henry’s Freedom Box by Ellen Levine

I purchased this book because I saw many positive reviews. It is based on a true story. I read it to Henry, and he enjoyed listening, but I may wait a bit longer until he is at an appropriate age that I can begin to discuss the serious matters of the book. I look forward to reading it to him often.

3. Playtown: Airport by Roger Priddy

Playtown Airport

My son is madly in love with the Playtown series. He owns the first book of the series and a few more installments are coming out within the next year or two. There is a chance we have to take a six-hour plane ride next month, so I bought this and hid it. I can’t WAIT to show it to him. He is going to be so excited.

4. What Do You Do with an Idea? by Kobi Yamada

I read this book in the bookstore and was blown away. I immediately bought a copy for Henry and a copy for my sister (who is a dreamer and constantly thinking of inventions). It is a beautiful book.

5. That’s Not My Train by Fiona Watt

That's Not My Train

This book is quite short and nothing too exciting, but my son loves it. I wouldn’t call it literary, but he always asks me to read it at night.

Kellee

I actually was quite lucky to have worked the Scholastic Warehouse Sale not that long ago, and when you work the sale, you get paid in books! This is perfect timing to get picture books for Trent, and these 5 books are the ones I am most excited about reading with Trent (I haven’t debuted them with Trent yet; we are still reading primarily board books). One of the reasons I’m highlighting these particular books that I got (out of 19) is because of the illustrators. Young, Brown, Santat, and Reynolds are by far on my favorites list of illustrators.

1. Nighttime Ninja by Barbara DaCost, Illustrated by Ed Young

I read this book when it first came out, and I knew that I would need to get it to read it to my son. It is so funny!

2. Creepy Carrots by Aaron Reynolds, Illustrated by Peter Brown

I have wanted to read this book since it came out and even more once it received a Caldecott Honor. So excited to get my hands on it!

3. The Three Ninja Pigs by Corey Rosen Schwartz, Illustrated by Dan Santat

This was one of the books that Scholastic put on the posters all around the sale, and it cracked me up every time I walked by. I knew I had to have it.

4. Going Places by Peter and Paul Reynolds

This is one of those books that promotes friendship, imagination, and creativity. I cannot wait to read it to Trent.

5. Sesame Street Bus

This is the only one not purchased at Scholastic, but it is the most recent book we bought. Trent is in love with Elmo right now. I am not sure how he learned who Elmo is, but now everything is about Elmo. He saw this book in Target when we were shopping for a birthday present, and I had to get it for him. He loves pressing the Elmo button.

Which books do you recommend for our toddlers?

and

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Dystopian Books We’ve Ever Read

August 4, 2016July 7, 2015 by Kellee

Today’s Topic: Top Ten Dystopian Books We’ve Ever Read

So many dystopian books have come out over the last few years, but these are our favorites.

Ricki

Kellee listed The Hunger Games and Divergent series, and I am relieved. There were too many books on my list, and I couldn’t narrow them down! Please know that those two series are obvious favorites for me, but here are five others I loved just as much.

1. 1984 by George Orwell

I loved teaching this book. My students always fell in love with it. It takes a bit of time to get into it, but it is so foundational as a dystopian text. Every time I read it, I remember all of the reasons I love it.

2. The Legend series by Marie Lu

I found this series to be more engaging than most of the other dystopian series. There is an excellent balance of plot and characterization.

3. The Maze Runner series by James Dashner

This series creates readers. Because of these books, my most reluctant readers fell in love with reading.

4. Unwind series by Neal Shusterman

Admittedly, I haven’t read the third (or fourth) book in this series, but I enjoyed it very much. I need to get my hands on a copy of them!

5. The 5th Wave series by Rick Yancey

Oh, Rick Yancey, you are such a wonderful writer. I have only read the first book in this series so far, but it was fantastic. (As you can tell, I don’t like to read entire series!)

Kellee

I am going to put these in order of when I read the first of the series. Although some of these may be a big cliche, these are some of the best dystopian books (series) out there.

1. The Giver series by Lois Lowry

If you follow the blog, you know that The Giver is my favorite book of all time, so it is no surprise that it would end up on this list. I feel like The Giver is so powerful without being over the top. It truly makes you think and see your world differently.

2. Among the Hidden series by Margaret Peterson Haddix

I read the Shadow Children series with my brother because he read the first one and insisted I read it too (he is a third child, so I am sure it affected him in an intense way). Unlike The Giver, Among the Hidden is so suspenseful and lays a foundation for an action-packed series.

3. The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins

I read The Hunger Games right when it came out, and I was blown away by the basis of the plot and the strong characters. I couldn’t put it down and waited impatiently for each of the books in the trilogy. Although it has become uber popular, I think it is deserving of all of the hype.

4. The Chaos Walking series by Patrick Ness

Chaos Walking is a perfect title for this series because so much craziness happens in these three books! When I read The Knife of Never Letting Go, I was blown away by Ness’s craft. It is such a unique series, unlike any other book I’ve read, and probably one of the best books/series I’ve ever read.

5. Divergent series by Veronica Roth

I love this series. I don’t know why it just grabbed me, but it did. Maybe it is that it takes place in Chicago. Maybe it seems realistic to me with unintentional segregation that still exists today. Maybe it is because it reminded me of The Giver and Hunger Games mixed together. Maybe it is because Tris and Four are just such complex and kick butt characters. Whatever the reason is, I devoured these books and was so impressed which all three of them.

Which dystopian titles are your favorite?

and