Unleashing Readers

Student Voices: Four Books I Love That Made Me Cry by Samia R., 8th Grade

July 5, 2020 by Kellee

Four Books That I Loved That Made Me Cry by Samia R., 8th Grade

The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas

This book is AMAZING. Starr Carter is someone who lives 2 different lives. The first one is where she lives which is mostly black and people are not really rich. The other one is where she goes to school, the place is in the rich part and mostly consists of white people. These two worlds clash together when she sees her childhood best friend die by a police officer without even doing anything. The book follows Starr finding her voice and standing up from racism. This book made me cry because racism is something that a lot of people experience but you don’t hear a lot of these stories in the media. So hearing a story really opens your eyes.

5 Feet Apart by Rachael Lippincott with Mikki Daughtry and Tobias Iaconis

This book will have your eyes flowing with sadness. Stella Grant is someone who has Cystic Fibrosis (CF), which is a disease which causes her lungs to fill with fluid which then makes it difficult to breathe. She is currently doing her treatments at the hospital, which then she meets Will. Will like her has (CF) but he couldn’t care less about the treatments for him. People who have (CF) have to stay 6 feet apart at all times, but when these two meet, they are willing to break the rule to five feet. This story follows their treatment at the hospital, as they fall in love. This book made me so emotional because it made me realize that there are people who actually have this disease and actually have to stay far away from their loved ones. But also the book is good because of the amazing plot.

The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

This book by John Green is a masterpiece. Not only does it show the tragedy of losing a loved one, it also shows how hard love is sometimes. The Fault in Our Stars follows the life of a young 16 year old girl named Hazel who has been diagnosed with lung cancer. Because of this, her mom reckons her to go to a support group. Although Hazel was unenthusiastic about it, she still decides to go. Upon arriving, she is astounded by a boy named Augustus Waters. He was handsome, funny, and very kind, as well as a typical bad-boy. Hazel later finds out that Augustus was diagnosed with bone cancer. Bonding over their similarity, these two set forth on a journey that causes them joy, romance, and heart-break. Just thinking back to this book makes my eyes well up with tears. This book and 5 feet apart has really taken a toll on my emotional status. It did not make me depressed but rather, it opened my eyes how much hardship some people have to go through because of forbidden love. Get ready for a roller-coaster of emotions while reading.

Wonder by R.J. Palacios

This book was one of the first books that made me emotional. I read it as a fourth grader but it blew my mind. This book is from several points of views, which means you get a lot more insight of all the thoughts and ideas of all the people that’s included. Auggie Pullman, who is 10 years old, was born with a facial deformity. This caused him to not look like everyone. So for almost all of his life he hasn’t been to school because of the kids. So he mostly does home school. But when his parents finally decide that it’s time for him to go to real school. This book follows his experience as he does real school. As he deals with mean people but also kind people. This book made me cry because at such a young age, Auggie has gone through a lot of hardships. But he continued to conquer and was so strong. This book also has a really good theme.

Thank you, Samia!
The three I’ve read wrecked me, too! So good, but so sad!

Sofia’s Kids’ Corner: Smile by Raina Telgemeier

July 5, 2020July 4, 2020 by Ricki

We at Unleashing Readers would like to introduce you to Sofia, an 8-year-old brilliant reader who aspires to be a book reviewer. Sofia will be writing a new column called Sofia’s Kids’ Corner. On select Saturdays, Sofia will share her favorite books with kids! She is one of the most well-read elementary schoolers that we know, so she is highly qualified for this role!

Smile
Author: Raina Telgemeier
Published: February 1, 2010 by Scholastic/Graphix

Dear readers,

Hi, my name is Sofia Martinez. I am 8 years old and love to read. I would like to introduce you to some of my favorite books. Today I will start with one of my favorite graphic novels: Smile by Raina Telgemeier.

If you do not know what a graphic novel is, it is basically a comic but not just superhero stuff. Have a look at the picture down below, a page from Smile.

The story is about Raina dealing with dental drama and other problems like bullies, boys and family. The book starts with Raina falling and knocking out her two front teeth after a girl scout meeting when she was in sixth grade. The reader follows her story all the way up to high school. Before I read this book I did not know there were so many types of dentists: orthodontist, endodontist and periodontist.

Smile can make you laugh or cry. The reason I like this book is because it is the kind of book that you want to read again and again. I feel like I have read Smile a thousand times already. I also like that Raina makes her drawings look realistic. Smile has about 200 pages, but you can read it faster than most books because it is mostly filled with pictures. Don’t get me wrong, there are still a lot of words and action. The author, Raina Telgemeier, says Smile is a graphic memoir (memoir means it is a true story about the author’s life). This book is recommended for ages 8-12. I hope you have as much fun reading it as I did!

If you enjoy Smile you might want to check out the other graphic novels by Raina Telgemeier. For example, Guts, Sisters, Ghosts, and Drama.

**Thank you, Sofia, for your brilliance. You inspire us!**

Kat and Juju by Kataneh Vahdani

August 22, 2020July 2, 2020 by Kellee

Kat and Juju
Author: Kataneh Vahani
Published July 1st, 2020 by Two Lions

Summary: An unlikely duo star in a charming story about being different, finding courage, and the importance of friendship in the first book in a new series from an award-winning animation director.

Kat likes doing things her very own way, but sometimes she doubts herself. So when a bird named Juju arrives, Kat hopes he’ll be the best friend she’s always wanted. He’s outgoing and silly and doesn’t worry about what others think—the opposite of who she is. Bit by bit, with Juju’s help, Kat discovers her strength, and how to have a friend and be one—while still being true to herself.

Praise: “This debut gently encourages personal growth while reinforcing the value of being different.” —Kirkus Reviews

About the Author: Kataneh Vahdani is a children’s book author and illustrator. Kat and Juju is her first picture book series. She is currently directing her original feature animation movie. Kataneh has been a professor for over seventeen years and she also saves fallen baby birds and rescues them. Together with her students, they have raised over 13 fallen injured baby birds and set them free once they were ready to fly away. Sometimes in her classes, birds fly from the head of one student to the other.

Visit Kataneh on Instagram: @KatandJuju.

Kellee’s Review: Kat feels like she doesn’t fit in with her peers: she worries, follows the rules, and doesn’t know how to let go and have fun, so she hopes and hopes that her birthday animal best friend will finally give her someone to play with and feel included; however, the problem is Juju, her new animal friend, is nothing like her. But it is through their time together that Kat realizes that her and Juju can be friends even if different and Kat even finds it in herself to do her own happy dance!

I do hope that the message that comes across to readers is that everyone should be whomever they are and others will accept you. I could see some reading it as Kat needing Juju to change her to get others to like her, but I didn’t see it that way. I saw it as Juju just showing and helping Kat see what an amazing person she is.

One of my favorite things about this book is the illustrations–the way that color is used so intentionally and are just so fun!

Ricki’s Review: I think we all have this yearning to be more ____ or more ____. As an adult, I really identified with Kat. As I always work to improve myself, I try to be more like other people I admire. This made for a phenomenal conversation with my children. We talked about people who we admire and how we can take slivers of these people to be better versions of ourselves, but we don’t need to (and shouldn’t) be these people. We are individuals with our own strengths.

This book is beautifully written and it is clear to readers the care and precision the author took to characterize Kat and Juju. I felt like the author was deeply connected to and understanding of the emotions that kids face. The friendship between these two characters is quite magical. I am looking forward to and excited about reading other books by this author.

Please Note: Together, we did find one aspect of the text that we wanted to comment about. We were concerned with an image of the characters wearing sombreros and playing instruments traditionally attached to mariachi music. For us, this felt like cultural appropriation. We would encourage all authors to avoid images where characters dress up in costume like this (see, for instance, the Clifford the Big Red Dog Halloween book where Clifford dresses up like a Native American). We write this not as a critical attack of the book but instead, as a way that we think all of us (authors, illustrators, teachers, publishers, etc.) can work together to think carefully about the images we portray. This does not take away from our desire to read more adventures of Kat and Juju.

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: Along with a read aloud of this book, great discussions could happen focusing on self-esteem, worrying, and friendship. It could also offer opportunities for critical thinking about the concept of cultural appropriation.

Discussion Questions:

If you were going to have an animal best friend, what type of animal would you want? What would its personality be like?
Why was Kat so worried that others wouldn’t like her? Should anyone ever feel that way?
Were there times in the book that Kat’s peers could have been more interactive to make Kat feel more accepted?
Why is it important to have all sorts of different types of people in the world?
Is it okay to worry? If you are worrying too much, what should you do?
How are Kat and Juju like other two-character, opposite friends books like Elephant and Piggie or Frog and Toad?

Flagged Passages:

Read This If You Love: Ruby Finds a Worry by Tom Percival, I’m Bored series by Michael Ian Black, Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson, The Invisible Boy by Patrice Barton

Giveaway!:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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**Thank you to Blue Slip Media for providing copies for review and giveaway!**

Book Reader Animal Kingdom from Best Learning

April 22, 2023June 30, 2020 by Ricki

Book Reader Animal Kingdom is an interactive book reader for children to learn about 12 animals through 27 book pages about their appearance, behaviors, habitats and much more! Filled with playful melodies, friendly voices, and interesting sounds of animals and nature! Also comes with Quiz mode for those up for a challenge to keep them enthusiastic and learning at the same time!

Family Choice & Tillywig Parents’ Favorite Products Award Winner 2018! An interactive book reader for children to teach 12 animals about their appearance, behaviors, habitats and much more!
Simply press the paw down against the page as it reads aloud the contents.
Comes with a true and false quiz mode for those up for a challenge to keep them enthusiastic and learning at the same time.
Skills learned include animals, memory, dexterity, motor functions, concentration and problem solving.
Requires 3 AAA batteries (included); intended for preschoolers and early learners of ages 3 years and up.

Ricki’s Review: About twenty minutes after my 3-year-old started playing with this book, I messaged Kellee because I had to share about it. I wrote, “The Animal Kingdom book is SO COOL. He’s been playing with it for twenty minutes and hasn’t let his older brother have a turn. It would be so good for classrooms, too. It teaches reading comprehension really well!” Within about five minutes, Kellee had ordered one for her son, too. Although I was supposed to be reviewing this book alone, Kellee is joining me because she loved it just as much.

(This is how my 3yo started the book—he immediately placed it on the ground to start reading.)

This is a book (and product) worth sharing about. As you can see in the video above, the pages offer fascinating facts about animals, and the reader is clear and easy to understand. My kids listen intently to the reading, and they are always excited to take the true/false quiz to test their listening skills. Soon, my six-year-old will be able to easily follow along as she reads aloud. My three-year-old typically guesses the answers to the quiz (the concept of true/false is still a bit confusing for him), and my six-year-old is able to practice his listening and reading comprehension skills independently. The both love this product equally, despite their different reading abilities. Even my one-year-old gets a kick out of pushing down the reader to get her talking!

(20 minutes later…)

(I kid you not, 20 minutes after that…)

My three-year-old spent almost an hour with this book and even moved to a comfier spot. It is a favorite in our toy room (they consider it to be a toy!). We’ll be gifting this book to friends. (And I plan to write an email begging Best Learning to produce more of these books.)

Kellee’s Review: Like Ricki said, she shared with me how informative and engaging this book was, so I immediately jumped on and bought one for Trent. Trent adores animals but is more interested in watching documentaries and shows about them than reading about them (he is a fiction loving reader), but this book defies his normal interests, and he loves learning everything he can about each of the animals in the book. He’ll re-listen to pages, redo the quiz, and look back at the images over and over. This book is a hit in our household (it is in the living room because he keeps grabbing it to bring out here as a choice activity), and I, like Ricki, look forward to sharing as a gift and hoping for Best Learning to make more readers like this.

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: ELA teachers focus on reading, writing, speaking, and listening (among the obvious other things like thinking). This is a beautiful example of a book that teaches listening. It would be a great learning tool to place at an independent or group station for reading comprehension. Alternatively, it could also be used for fast finishers. Even adults will find joy in this book.

Additionally, it would be a great mentor text for early education animal research projects. Students can emulate the format of a spread about an aimal of their choice.

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**Thank you to Best Learning for providing a copy of Animal Kingdom for review!**

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 6/29/20

June 30, 2020June 29, 2020 by Kellee

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?
Sharing Picture Books, Early Readers, Middle Grade Books, and Young Adult Books for All Ages!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly blog hop co-hosted by Unleashing Readers and Teach Mentor Texts which focuses on sharing books marketed for children and young adults. It offers opportunities to share and recommend books with each other.

The original IMWAYR, with an adult literature focus, was started by Sheila at Book Journeys and is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.

We encourage you to write your own post sharing what you’re reading, link up below, leave a comment, and support other IMWAYR bloggers by visiting and commenting on at least three of the other linked blogs.

Happy reading!

Tuesday: Osmo’s Genius Start Kit: Math, Spelling, Problem Solving, Creativity, and More!

Thursday: This Is My America by Kim Johnson

Sunday: Student Voices: Teen Experienes During Quarantine by Monika A., 8th Grade

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

Kellee

I am Every Good Thing by Derrick Barnes, illustrated by Gordon C. James: This book is every good thing. Perfection! It is an ode to everything that young Black boys truly are. Everyone is going to want this for their classroom, for all levels!
Light It Up by Kekla Magoon: The companion to How It Went Down is just as intense and truth-telling as the first. Kekla Magoon is brilliant–highly recommended.

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

Ricki

I also read I Am Every Good Thing by Derrick Barnes. This is a must-have for classrooms and libraries. It is beautifully done.

Kat and Juju by Kataneh Vahdani is a charming book. I look forward to sharing more this Thursday.

We listened to Animal Kingdom by Best Learning. This is a really great reading comprehension tool that Kellee and I will share tomorrow!

And…I must admit that my kids and I read 28 Clifford the Big Read Dog books this week. I am not exaggerating. My three-year-old is absolutely obsessed with Clifford. We have gotten all of these books from the library’s curbside pickup, and we watched several of the books via YouTube read-alouds. His six-year-old brother paid $4 to get a copy of one of the Clifford books that wasn’t available at the library. These books provide my children extreme joy, but their mom (me) sometimes analyzes (and points out) gender roles, representation concerns, etc. and is admittedly a bit tired.

Kellee

Reading: It’s My Life by Stacie Ramey
Reading with Trent for one book club: The Magnificent Makers #1: How to Test a Friendship by Theanne Griffith, illustrated by Reggie Brown
Reading with Trent for another book club: Ada Twist and the Perilous Pants by Andrea Beaty, illustrated by Dave Roberts

Ricki

I am still reading The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander and How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X Kendi. I just found out my brother and future sister-in-law are reading them, too! I am glad to be book chatting with them. We are just about finished with The Magnificent Makers! YAY!

Tuesday: Book Reader Animal Kingdom from Best Learning

Thursday: Review and Giveaway!: Kat and Juju by Kataneh Vahdani

Saturday: Sofia’s Kids’ Corner: Smile by Raina Telgemeier

Sunday: Student Voices: Four Books I Love That Made Me Cry by Samia R., 8th Grade

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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Student Voices: A Teen’s Experience in Quarantine by Monika A., 8th Grade

June 28, 2020 by Kellee

A Teen’s Experience in Quarantine
by Monika A., 8th Grade

I am an 8th grader of the Class of 2020. I am a child who never knew her last day of middle school would be the day before spring break. I was the kid who was really excited for spring break and to just have time to spend with friends, but everything changed super quickly and it was overwhelming. I don’t speak for everyone, but I’m sure a bunch of kids just like me feel this way too. Not only are we missing a big part of our education, more importantly, we’re missing our social interactions. We need to be able to connect with people and ideas and cultures to learn and understand. We can’t really do that if we’re stuck at home watching Netflix.

I don’t know about you, but I’m EXTREMELY bored. My home schedule is different than most people my age. We all have different circumstances at home, but more importantly, we’re kids who have a phone next to them with Netflix just screaming “Watch me… Watch meeee!” Most of us have a very short attention span, and it doesn’t help when we’re put in our houses with the bed, couch, or the fridge 2 steps away.

And now that school was at home, we all needed to find a balance between school, home, and fun (or what we could do for fun). Tests were a big failure. I think it’s because we weren’t put in the spot to answer a certain question or explain an idea. Grades were either oddly low or way too high. Mrs. Moye shared with us that our brains were in crisis mode which I definitely felt.

As the weeks went by though, we all started to get the hang of it. We found ways to have fun and go outside, even if it was just a bike ride around the community.

This is a learning experience and what I have learned during this time is:

1. We need school. Like, really need it.

2. Balance is key to having fun and doing well in school.

3. Just because your family loves you, doesn’t mean they don’t annoy you the most.

4. You can’t learn everything on Netflix, You Tube, and TikTok.

5. The likes you get on TikTok won’t get you out of the math assignment.

This, I know: We can’t wait to get back to the real world! I know it can’t be just me, but boy, I’m tired of seeing the same 5 people everyday. Yes, I love my family, but yes, I am waiting to see my friends. But until then, we have to understand that this is the safest option for not only us, but everyone around us. Patience is key to this part of the journey.

Thank you, Monika, for sharing your reflection with so much truth in it!

This is My America by Kim Johnson

June 29, 2020June 25, 2020 by Ricki

This is My America
Author: Kim Johnson
Published: February 28, 2017 by Balzer + Bray

GoodReads Summary: Dear Martin meets Just Mercy in this unflinching yet uplifting YA novel that explores the racist injustices in the American justice system.

Every week, seventeen-year-old Tracy Beaumont writes letters to Innocence X, asking the organization to help her father, an innocent Black man on death row. After seven years, Tracy is running out of time—her dad has only 267 days left. Then the unthinkable happens. The police arrive in the night, and Tracy’s older brother, Jamal, goes from being a bright, promising track star to a “thug” on the run, accused of killing a white girl. Determined to save her brother, Tracy investigates what really happened between Jamal and Angela down at the Pike. But will Tracy and her family survive the uncovering of the skeletons of their Texas town’s racist history that still haunt the present?

Fans of Nic Stone and Jason Reynolds won’t want to miss this provocative and gripping debut.

Review: This is a book that will stick with me forever. The characters are powerfully written, and the plot unfolds itself beautifully. It tackles complex themes that offer excellent fodder for classroom discussion. Some of these include implicit and explicit racism, the ripple effects of White supremacy and racism, White privilege, and injustices in the judicial system. I could go on. This book is truly exceptional, and I envision it winning some big awards this year. There is so much to unpack and so much to admire in Johnson’s writing. It’s absolutely brilliant. If you buy no other book this summer, buy this one. It will make you think deeply about equity and justice.

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: I highlighted so many passages of this book while I was reading it. There are so many sections that would make phenomenal close readings in the classroom. I highly recommend pairing this text with portions or all of Michelle Alexander’s The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness.

Discussion Questions: What are some of the injustices in this text?; How can we, as a society, work to change these injustices?; How do the injustices have a ripple effect on other characters?; How does Johnson layer the plot to elevate the reading and message of the text?

Flagged Passage: “Corinne never held that memory [of Daddy getting arrested], but I know she feels it in everything we breathe. It’s in the polite nods across the street we have to make, the way our family turns down our music when there are others around. Say yes ma’am and no sir. Leave our jackets and backpacks in the car when we go shopping.

It’s in the way I carry myself that tells our story now. I can’t risk being accused of anything. Because if something goes wrong or missing, I know it’s in the back of someone’s mind that maybe I had something to do with it. And it’s in the way that the voice of the strongest woman I know stumbles when saying, ‘Hello, Officer’ as she walks through the visitation gates to see Daddy.”

Read This If You Loved: Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson; The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas; All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely; X by Ilyassah Shabazz and Kekla Magoon; The Rock and the River by Kekla Magoon; How it Went Down by Kekla Magoon; Freedom Summer by Deborah Wiles;

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