Unleashing Readers – Page 2 – Helping Students Navigate the World of Books

Review and Educators’ Guide!: The Witch of Woodland by Laurel Snyder

May 21, 2023May 16, 2023 by Kellee

The Witch of Woodland
Author: Laurel Snyder
Published: May 16th, 2023 by Walden Pond Press

Summary: Laurel Snyder, author of Orphan Island, returns with a story of one girl’s quest to answer the seemingly unanswerable questions about what makes us who we are.

Hi, whoever is reading this. I’m Zipporah Chava McConnell, but everyone calls me Zippy.

Things used to be simple—until a few weeks ago. Now my best friend, Bea, is acting funny; everyone at school thinks I’m weird; and my mom is making me start preparing for my bat mitzvah, even though we barely ever go to synagogue. In fact, the only thing that still seems to make sense is magic.

See, the thing is, I’m a witch. I’ve been casting spells since I was little. And even if no one else wants to believe in magic anymore, it’s always made sense to me, always felt true. But I was still shocked the day I found a strange red book at the library and somehow…I conjured something. A girl, actually. A beautiful girl with no memory, and wings like an angel. You probably don’t believe me, but I swear it’s the truth.

Miriam is like no one else I’ve ever met. She’s proof that magic is real. And, it’s hard to explain this part, but I just know that we’re connected. That means it’s up to me to help Miriam figure out what she is and where she came from. If I can do that, maybe everything else in my life will start to make sense too.

Anyway, it’s worth a try.

About the Author: Laurel Snyder is the beloved author of many picture books and novels for children, including the National Book Award nominee Orphan Island and the Theodor Seuss Geisel Award winner Charlie & Mouse. A graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, she teaches in Hamline University’s MFA in writing for children and young adults program. Laurel lives in Atlanta with her family and can be found online at www.laurelsnyder.com.

Review: Zippy was so happy; her best friend Bea and her bonded over magic and everything has been Bea and Zippy since then and it has been wonderful. Then 7th grade begins and Bea is different and Zippy is not. This leads to Zippy feeling socially isolated and just so different than everyone else, a feeling that so many middle schoolers & those us of who went through middle school, will understand. This is the feeling that the book starts with–Zippy just wants someone who understands her again. This is the foundation for the rest of the book.

Laurel Snyder’s middle grade writing always enchants me, and Witch of Woodland is no different. Her characters in Witch are so easy to connect with (including her parents, who I love are included in such a realistic way), the magic she includes is captivating and unique, and her stories are unlike anyone else’s. What got me the most about this book, though, is Zippy. Zippy is special. She is a walking contradiction, just like many early teens are: she is strong and weak, confident and insecure, magical and human, quiet and loud, angry and optimistic… she is all of this and more, and none of that changes, though she evolves and grows in a way that she is just a better version of her same self. Zippy makes this book, everything else just supports her.

I want to note with this review that I am not Jewish, so I did not comment on the religious aspects of the book as I do not have the prior knowledge to do so. However, I did learn a lot about Jewish religion and faith through this book.

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation and Discussion Questions:

Please view and enjoy the publisher-shared Educators’ Guide :

Recommended For:

**Thank you to Walden Pond Press for providing a copy for review!**

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 5/15/23

May 21, 2023May 15, 2023 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: Blog Tour with Review & Educators’ Guide!: Greatest Kid In the World by John David Anderson

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

Kellee

I haven’t updated in a month, so I have some great books to share!
I do want to give a shout out to audiobooks because I am in a bit of a reading rut; without audiobooks, I would have only read 4 non-graphic novels over this last month, but with audiobooks, I read 11! So thankful for them!

Futureland: Battle for the Park by H.D. Hunter: This book needs more hype! It is such a fun sci-fi book that is about the problem of technology, including AI, in the wrong hands. It is gripping, important, and keeps you wanting to read!
Amari and the Great Game by B.B. Alston: A great sequel that continues the momentum of book one and doesn’t lose the magic!
Best Wishes: The Sister Switch by Sarah Mlynowski & Debbie Rigaud: I am just such a fan of Mlynowski’s stories, her standalone and her co-written ones, and this is no exception. I look forward to see what happens in the rest of this series as the magical bracelet gets passed to the next kid.
Maizy Chen’s Last Chance by Lisa Yee: No wonder this book won everything it did–it is well written, heart-warming, teaches history, has a great lesson, is important, and just an excellent read! Anyone who reads this is going to love Maizy and her group of family and friends.
A Rover’s Story by Jasmine Warga: This book received a lot of hype when it came out among my blog friends, and I can see why; I am so glad I finally read it! It is so funny with a lot of heart and a bit of adventure. I loved the two points of view to include insight into what is going on on Earth while we follow Rez’s adventures to Mars.

Dress Coded by Carrie Firestone

The First Rule of Climate Club by Carrie Firestone: What a great book about how kids can make a difference! I loved that the author included the main story about climate change as well as other side stories that add to the engagement of the story. As soon as I was done, I had to read its companion novel, Dress Coded by Carrie Firestone. I do wish I’d read Dress Coded first because it is spoiled a bit in First Rule of Climate Club, but it was still interesting to read how everything came to be. Just like Climate Club, there are additional side stories that are happening at the same time which adds to the book also!
Red, White, and Whole by Rajani LaRocca: What a beautifully written book! LaRocca’s verse is just superb. That combined with a character who you cannot help but love, equals a heart-wrenching but wonderful story.
One of us is Back by Karen McManus: The third in the series! I cannot tell you much about it because it has all of the characters in books 1 & 2 and starts off with something that will make fans of the first two books so mad, but they will also just love this book. Has the same vibe as the first two–a great read!

Hockey Girl Loves Drama Boy by Faith Erin Hicks: I don’t think I’ve missed a Faith Erin Hicks book yet, and I have enjoyed every single one of them. I love the characters in the books–they are all flawed and lovable, especially the main characters, Alix and Ezra. It also looks at the pressure of high school and being a star and being loved by all. It is multilayered book that is also just fun to read.
Picture Day by Sarah Sax: Fans of middle school realistic fiction graphic novels have another one that they need to add to their TBR. Picture Day is about Viv who is embracing who she is and wants to try to help everyone be ask happy as being herself makes her. But she doesn’t pay attention to those she is bulldozing on her way…

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

Ricki

I’ll see you next week for my update!

Kellee

Wrong Place Wrong Time Gamechanger Glitch

Reading: Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister
Listening: Game Changer by Neal Shusterman
Listening with Trent: Glitch by Laura Martin

Tuesday: Review and Educators’ Guide: The Witch of Woodland by Laurel Snyder

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

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Blog Tour with Review and Educators’ Guide: The Greatest Kid in the World by John David Anderson

May 28, 2023May 9, 2023 by Kellee

The Greatest Kid in the World
Author: John David Anderson
Published: May 9, 2023 by Walden Pond Press

Summary: From the beloved author of Posted comes the story of Zeke Stahls—a thoroughly average twelve-year-old who somehow finds himself in a competition to be named the World’s Greatest Kid.

Zeke Stahls is not the best kid in the world. Some days he struggles just to be good. He’d rather be pulling pranks than doing extra credit, and he’s too busy performing experiments on his little brother, Nate, or tormenting his older sister, Jackie, to volunteer for charity.

Which is why Zeke and his entire family are shocked when they receive word that he has been selected as a contestant in an online competition to find the World’s Greatest Kid.

Zeke has no idea how he was chosen for this, and he knows that measuring up to the other nominees–a saintly lineup of selfless, charming and talented do-gooders with photogenic smiles and hearts of gold–is hopeless. Still, with a $10,000 cash prize on the line, and Zeke’s mom struggling to hold the family together on her single-parent salary, he decides to give it his best shot.

As Zeke concocts various plots to show the world just how “great” he is, however, he finds himself wondering what that word even means, and who gets to decide. And what kind of kid he wants–and needs–to be.

About the Author: John David Anderson is the author of many highly acclaimed books for kids, including the New York Times Notable Book Ms. Bixby’s Last Day, Posted, Granted, One Last Shot, and Stowaway. A dedicated root beer connoisseur and chocolate fiend, he lives with his wonderful wife, two frawesome kids, and clumsy cat, Smudge, in Indianapolis, Indiana. You can visit him online at www.johndavidanderson.org.

Review: There is more than one way to be great. This is a concept that kids have a hard time seeing (and adults!). For example, the kid who gets the highest grades may be great, but a kid who watches his siblings and takes care of his house while his adult works is also great. But what makes THE greatest? That is the question within John David Anderson’s newest book. Zeke knows he is not the greatest, but maybe he doesn’t know him self too well since he is chosen to be a finalist in the World’s Greatest Kid competition. Can a kid who causes trouble, does pranks, gets sent to the principals office, and torments his oldest sister be a great kid?

Just like every other Anderson book I’ve ever read (which is most of his!), I found the story to be unique, well written, and engaging. He always surprises me because his books differ so tremendously from each other! This time, what made the story for me was the characters. Everyone had flaws but everyone was loveable: Zeke reminds me of so many kids I know and have taught–wonderful and exhausting; his sister, Jasmine, was dealing with her own transitions much like most teenagers; Logan, the cameraman, was the surprise favorite character (read & you’ll see why!); Nate, Zeke’s brother, is just a ball of joy; and Zeke’s mom is one that any adult with empathize with, and I want to give her a hug! The story itself is quiet, but these characters are loud and will fill your heart as you read.

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation and Discussion Questions:

Discussion questions and activities can be found in the publisher shared Educators’ Guide:

Recommended For:

Make sure to stop by the other blog tour stops!

May 9th Nerdy Book Club @nerdybookclub
May 9th Unleashing Readers @unleashreaders
May 10th Teachers Who Read @teachers_read
May 11th Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers @grgenius
May 13th Maria’s Melange @mariaselke
May 15th StoryMamas @storymamas
May 15th LitCoachLou @litcoachlou
May 16th A Library Mama @librarymama
May 30th A Foodie Bibliophile in Wanderlust @bethshaum

**Thank you to Walden Pond Press for providing a copy of the book for review!**

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 5/8/23

May 8, 2023 by Ricki

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

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.

Happy reading!

Tuesday: The Witness Trees by Ryan G. Van Cleave, Illustrated by Dðm Dðm

Sunday: “Small Things Lead to Social Emotional Learning” by Marsha Diane Arnold, Author of One Small Thing

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

Kellee

It’s my off week, so I’ll catch you next week!

To learn more about any books I’ve finished, check out my read bookshelf on Goodreads.

Ricki

Things got unimaginably hectic this week, work-wise. The last week of the semester has my head spinning! I read 90 pages of the book I’ve posted below, but I didn’t finish anything!

I’ve read Gabrielle Zevin’s YAL and adult novels, and this one, Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, is beautiful. I am only halfway through, but I am loving every page.

Tuesday: Greatest Kid In the World by John David Anderson

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Author Guest Post: “Small Things Lead to Social Emotional Learning” by Marsha Diane Arnold, Author of One Small Thing

May 7, 2023 by Kellee

“Small Things Lead to Social Emotional Learning”

In 2017, my husband and I survived Hurricane Irma in Lee County, Florida. 130 mph gusts right over our house! That same year, the Tubbs wildfire roared through Napa, Sonoma, and Lake County in California. My husband and I had moved from Sonoma county, where we’d lived 35 years, to Florida just a few years before. The fire destroyed the homes of a number of friends, including our goddaughter’s. Disasters seemed to surround us.

When Raccoon’s home is destroyed by lightning in One Small Thing, Mouse says, “It’s such a BIG catastrophe! And we’re so small.” Catastrophes can paralyze. Children can feel overwhelmed with concern and helplessness when they experience a natural disaster or when a calamity happens to someone in their community. One Small Thing offers examples of how each of us, child or adult, can use our energy and talent to spread kindness.

It’s especially important to spread kindness during difficult times, but it’s also important to spread kindness on a daily basis. Doing “one small thing” daily will help children understand their feelings, understand others’ feelings, and assist them in making empathetic decisions. Small actions daily will help them be ready to communicate and act when a “big catastrophe” happens.

After reading One Small Thing, you may wish to discuss a few of the questions found in the One Small Thing Activity Guide: https://marshadianearnold.com/activities-one-small-thing/.

*How did each animal feel when they learned about what happened to Raccoon
*Squirrel felt so sad, he couldn’t move. Do you ever feel there is too much to be fixed? Do you ever feel things are so hard or sad you may as well give up?
*Which animal felt they didn’t have anything to offer, that there was nothing they could do? (Mouse)
*How do you feel when something scary or bad happens?
*What makes you feel better when you are scared or sad?

After the discussion, have the children talk about “one small thing” they could do as a class.

Lead the children to try a couple of activities for others. Perhaps start with “one small thing” for animal friends.

My educator friend is planning to read One Small Thing to a class and then work with them to make Cookie Cutter Bird Feeders. There are several slightly different “recipes” online; she plans to try this one. She hasn’t tried this yet, but folks who have say this will make several cookie cutter bird feeders.

Materials Needed

2 cups small birdseed (Have extra in case you need to thicken the mixture more.)
2 packets unflavored gelatin (8 gram packets)
2/3 cup water
Spoon
Twine or Ribbon
(Plastic Straws, if using straws to poke the holes)
Cookie cutters – (Stars and acorns are fun.)
Baking sheets
Parchment paper

What to do

Place parchment paper on baking sheets.
Place cookie cutters on baking sheets. Set these to the side.
In a mixing bowl place 2/3 cup boiled water and 2 packet of gelatin. You can also do this on a stove in a pan.
Stir until the gelatin is dissolved, a minute or two.
Stir in 2 cups birdseed until most of the liquid is absorbed.
Tie a piece of twine or ribbon into a loop. (Some prefer to place a straw in the birdseed cookies to make a hole. After the cookies dry, the twine or ribbon can be pulled through and tied.)
Fill a cookie cutter halfway with birdseed, using a spoon. Press the birdseed down with the back of the spoon.
Push the tied part of string into the birdseed.
Fill the cookie cutter with the rest of the birdseed mixture.
Some place the cookie cutters in the refrigerator for a few hours to set. Others simply move on to drying.
Dry the birdseed cookies overnight.
Turn the birdseed cookies over and let the other side dry overnight.
Carefully push the bird seed feeder out of the cookie cutter.
Hang the birdseed cookies from tree branches or a bird feeding station.

Now you might have the children brainstorm “one small thing” they could do as a class for a person. Is there an Assisted Living Residence or Retirement Community nearby that would appreciate colorful cards? You might choose a holiday like May Day and have the children draw colorful flowers on folded paper with a brief message like “Happy May Day!” or “May Basket” and their name.

These two activities seem like small things to do…but that is the point. They are small, but lots of small things add up to something wonderful. May the gentle, cozy message of One Small Thing add to the social emotional learning canon and to kindness, all around.

Educators and parents can find more activities in the One Small Thing Activity Guide on my website, here: https://marshadianearnold.com/activities-one-small-thing/.

Published May 9th, 2023 by Beaming Books

About the Book: After Raccoon’s home burns down in a lightning storm, his friends don’t know what they can do to help. Squirrel, Beaver, Mouse, Badger, and Rabbit all go back to their own homes, trying to focus on something other than Raccoon’s tragedy. But each animal discovers one small thing they can do for Raccoon–and it turns out that each small act may not be so small after all.

One Small Thing is a gentle and powerful look at how small actions can make a big impact.

About the Author: Called a “born storyteller” by the media, Marsha Diane Arnold is a picture book author of 24 books, with over one million books sold. Her books have garnered honors like Best First Book by a New Author (Heart of a Tiger), Smithsonian Notable (The Pumpkin Runner), and Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library (Roar of a Snore). Her bilingual Galápagos Girl won the Green Prize for Sustainable Literature. Lights Out, about light pollution, has been praised by the Dark Sky community as well as the children’s lit community and was a finalist for the SCBWI Golden Kite Award for Picture Book Text.

Marsha enjoys sharing her love of story through school visits, manuscript consultations, her Writing Wonderful Character-Driven Picture Books e-course, and especially by reading to her four grandchildren.

Growing up on the Kansas prairies, Marsha lived in Northern California for most of her life. Now she lives with her husband in southwest Florida, near the Caloosahatchee River and her daughter’s family and only a short flight from her son’s family. Besides creating stories, her favorite activities are scuba diving and snorkeling, hiking, traveling, gardening, and climbing trees.

You may learn more about Marsha, her books, and her world, at www.marshadianearnold.com.

Thank you, Marsha, for these activities and the focus on kindness!

The Witness Trees: Historic Moments and the Trees Who Watched Them Happen by Ryan G. Van Cleave, Illustrated by Ððm Ððm

May 2, 2023 by Kellee

The Witness Trees: Historic Moments and the Trees Who Watch Them Happen
Author: Ryan G. Van Cleave
Illustrator: Ððm Ððm
Publishing May 9th, 2023 by Bushel & Peck Books

Summary: For generations, trees have silently witnessed history’s most pivotal moments. Here are their stories.

In the sweep of wind over grass,
near the pulse of rivers,
we stand,
monuments of bark
and age-curled green.

Above, an avalanche of stars.
Below, the ocean of earth.
Within, the uncounted lives
birthed, bloomed, and plucked
from the gardens we tend.

We survive.
We remember.
We witness.

In evocative verse and stunning artwork, Witness Trees is the story of the world’s most enduring witnesses: the trees. From the Flower of Kent apple tree still standing in Sir Isaac Newton’s yard, to the English oak given to Jesse Owens after facing down Hitler at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, to the California redwood saved from destruction by July Butterfly Hill, to the Callery pear tree still miraculously alive after the World Trade Towers fell, Witness Trees is a moving tribute to the world’s most famous trees, many of which still need humanity’s protection. Be moved, be inspired, be amazed by the quiet, reverberating voices of nature’s sentinels: the witness trees.

For each tree depicted, there is information about that tree and the events it witnessed. Among the trees lovingly discussed are 20 trees you can visit today.

About the Creators:

Ryan G. Van Cleave wrote his first poem at age five, and he’s been writing, reading, and loving poetry ever since. He earned a Ph.D. in American Literature with an emphasis in poetry and has taught at numerous colleges and universities. Currently, he runs the creative writing major at Ringling College of Art and Design. As The Picture Book Whisperer, he helps celebrities and high-profile clients write picture books and kidlit projects. Visit his blog at https://www.onlypicturebooks.com/.

Ððm Ððm is an illustrator who uses his art to sow seeds of joy. He has illustrated multiple books and lives in Vietnam.

Review: This book is intriguing and beautiful. First, the verse is very well written. It is lyrical and beautiful–it will lend its self so well to reading aloud. Second, the art is superb! It is realistic, colorful, eye catching, and breathtaking! Third, the idea of this book is just so fascinating. I, obviously, knew trees had been around much longer than most of us could imagine, but to see the timeline included in the book and all of the history included within just blew my mind.

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: It would be amazing to take each of the Witness Trees and let a group of students learn more about the historical event as well as the tree that witnessed it. Each group could then present to the class. (Please note that many of the events are tragic, so choose the events and students for each wisely.)

Also, at the beginning of the book, the author includes some trees that aren’t included in the book, so students could take each of these books and create their own spreads with a poem about the tree based in its history.

Discussion Questions:

How does the author’s choice of verse affect the tone of the book?
How did the illustrators structure of putting the tree on one side of a spread and an illustration related to the history on the other side add to the history shared?
What makes trees so amazing? What about these trees specifically?
What time in history do you wonder if there is a Witness Tree for it? (Extension: Have students research and see if there is one.)

Flagged Passages: