Unleashing Readers

A Picture of Grace by Josh Armstrong

November 12, 2015November 12, 2015 by Ricki

A Picture of Grace
Author: Josh Armstrong; Illustrator: Taylor Bills
Published February 17, 2015 by Josh Armstrong

Goodreads Summary: Six-year-old Grace aspires to be an artist like her beloved grandfather Walt. Every week, she goes to his house and watches with great joy as he paints.

Of course, not everyone appreciates Grandpa Walt’s artwork. But as Walt tells Grace, “Some people appreciate the hard work while others just want the painting to be finished. But you can’t be distracted by either group.”

When tragedy strikes, Grace takes it upon herself to honor Grandpa Walt in a special way. Through her act of love and kindness, Grace’s family discovers an amazing secret about Walt’s final, unfinished masterpiece.

My Review: Grandpa Walt’s warmth emanated from the pages. Everyone should have a person like this in his or her life. His impact on Grace is evident both during his life and after his death in the ways she honors him. I loved the ways art connects both Grandpa Walt, Grace, and the others in this text. The book inspired me to want to seek art as an outlet, and I think it will inspire kids, as well.

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: This would be a great book to use to discuss our heroes and role models. Children might discuss the ways in which Grandpa Walt serves as a role model for Grace and how he impacts her life. Then, they could explore how these qualities exist in other people (both famous and not).

Discussion Questions: How do the author and illustrator show readers that Grandpa Walt has passed away? Why do you think they chose to do it this way?; How is art used to enhance the story? How might you consider it to be symbolic?

We Flagged: “When I grow up, I want to be just like you,” said Grace

“That’s very kind of you,” said Grandpa Walt, “but I can think of nothing better than you simply being yourself.”

Read This If You Loved: The Invisible String by Patrice Karst, Circus Mirandus by Cassie Beasley, Grandpa Loved by Josephine Nobisso, The Noisy Paint Box by Barb Rosenstock

Recommended For:

**Thank you to Josh Armstrong for providing a copy for review!**

Kellee’s NCTE Session: Humor and the Art of Engaging All Readers with Kim Baker, Caroline Carlson, Jennifer Holm, Kristen Kittscher, and Heidi Schulz

December 12, 2015November 11, 2015 by Kellee

In a few shorts weeks, I am going to have the pleasure of chairing a panel with five amazing authors about the importance and ability of humor within middle grade books. Within the session we’ll be touching on many aspects of humor including why the authors chose to write funny books, how humor can be used to help address tough topics, how humor is not just for boys!, different types of humor, and different ways humor can be intertwined in a novel. To see our PowerPoint and handout, check out my Slideshare at www.slideshare.net/kelleemoye.

I am looking forward to presenting with these wonderful ladies, and I wanted to take a day to share their wonderful (and funny!) books with you all.

Pickle: The (Formerly) Anonymous Prank Club of Fountain Point Middle School
Author: Kim Baker
Illustrator: Tim Probert
Published September 4th, 2012 by Roaring Brook Press

Goodreads Summary: This is the story of THE LEAGUE OF PICKLE MAKERS.

Ben: who began it all by sneaking in one night and filling homeroom with ball-pit balls.
Frank: who figured out that an official club, say a pickle making club, could receive funding from the PTA.
Oliver: who once convinced half of the class that his real parents had found him and he was going to live in a submarine.
Bean: who wasn’t exactly invited, but her parents own a costume shop, which comes in handy if you want to dress up like a giant squirrel and try to scare people at the zoo.

TOGETHER, they are an unstoppable prank-pulling force, and Fountain Point Middle School will never be the same.

My Review: Kim Baker has obviously spent some time with middle schoolers because her characters, dialogue, and story are spot on. Pickle is a hilarious, though sometimes serious, story about pranks and friendship and more pranks. What I love most about the book, though, is the characters. They are diverse, imperfect, and fully-developed–just like an actual middle schooler. Though some of the pranks and adults are over the top, the middle schoolers are reflections of what really kids are like.

The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates
Author: Caroline Carlson
Illustrator: Dave Phillips
Magic Marks the Spot Published September 10th, 2013 by HarperCollins
The Terror of the Southlands Published September 9th, 2014 by HarperCollins
The Buccaneers’ Code Published September 8th, 2015 by HarperCollins

Magic Marks the Spot Goodreads Summary: Pirates! Magic! Treasure! A gargoyle? Caroline Carlson’s hilarious tween novel The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates #1: Magic Marks the Spot is perfect for fans of Lemony Snicket’s Series of Unfortunate Events and Trenton Lee Stewart’s Mysterious Benedict Society.

Hilary Westfield has always dreamed of being a pirate. She can tread water for thirty-seven minutes. She can tie a knot faster than a fleet of sailors, and she already owns a rather pointy sword.

There’s only one problem: The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates refuses to let any girl join their ranks of scourges and scallywags.

But Hilary is not the kind of girl to take no for answer. To escape a life of petticoats and politeness at her stuffy finishing school, Hilary sets out in search of her own seaworthy adventure, where she gets swept up in a madcap quest involving a map without an X, a magical treasure that likely doesn’t exist, a talking gargoyle, a crew of misfit scallywags, and the most treacherous—and unexpected—villain on the High Seas.

Written with uproarious wit and an inviting storyteller tone, the first book in Caroline Carlson’s quirky seafaring series is a piratical tale like no other.

My Review: If you have been following the blog, you know that I thoroughly enjoyed these books. I listened to all of them, and the narrator, Katherine Kellgren, is brilliant. Her ability to do the different voices and accents is just superb! Now, it does make it even easier to love because the books are so well done and so much fun! Hilary Westfield has become one of my favorite strong female protagonists because she just does not care what anyone else thinks or expects of her, she is going to be a fearsome pirate no matter who steps in her way. Additionally, the gargoyle is one of my favorite sidekicks in any book.

Sunny Side Up
Author: Jennifer L. Holm
Illustrator: Matthew Holm
Published August 25th, 2015 by GRAPHIX

Goodreads Summary: Sunny Lewin has been packed off to Florida to live with her grandfather for the summer. At first she thought Florida might be fun — it is the home of Disney World, after all. But the place where Gramps lives is no amusement park. It’s full of . . . old people. Really old people.

Luckily, Sunny isn’t the only kid around. She meets Buzz, a boy who is completely obsessed with comic books, and soon they’re having adventures of their own: facing off against golfball-eating alligators, runaway cats, and mysteriously disappearing neighbors. But the question remains — why is Sunny down in Florida in the first place? The answer lies in a family secret that won’t be secret to Sunny much longer. . .

My Review: Jennifer L. Holm does such a wonderful job in Sunny Side Up mixing a really tough situation with a very humorous story. It is the perfect balance. It isn’t over the top, because that would demean the serious topic, but it isn’t too serious either. And you can tell this is a story from Jennifer’s heart because the story is crafted so thoughtful with well-timed humor and well-timed conflict.

Young and Yang
Author: Kristen Kittscher
Wig in the Window Published June 18th, 2013 by HarperCollins
The Tiara on the Terrace Expected Publication January 5th, 2016 by HarperCollins

Wig in the Window Goodreads Summary: Best friends and seventh graders Sophie Young and Grace Yang have made a game out of spying on their neighbors. On one of their midnight stakeouts, they witness a terrifying, bloody scene at the home of their bizarre middle-school counselor, Dr. Charlotte Agford (aka Dr. Awkward).

At least, they think they do. The truth is that Dr. Agford was only making her famous pickled beets! But when Dr. Agford begins acting even weirder than usual, Sophie and Grace become convinced that she’s hiding something—and they’re determined to find out what it is.

Soon the girls are breaking secret codes, being followed by a strange blue car, and tailing strangers with unibrows and Texas accents. But as their investigation heats up, Sophie and Grace start to crack under the pressure. They might solve their case, but will their friendship survive?

Perfect for fans of The Mysterious Benedict Society, The Wig in the Window is a smart, funny middle-grade mystery with a REAR WINDOW twist.

My Review: I am in awe of Kristen Kittscher’s ability to craft such a complicated mystery! There are so many twists and turns throughout that I am sure the plotting of the book was so intensive! I really appreciate Young & Yang mysteries for three reasons. First, Young & Yang (& Bottoms) themselves. They are such unique yet normal characters. Normal in that they seem like regular middle school girls, but unique in literature because they aren’t anything that is stereotypical. Second, I love that Wig in the Window and Tiara on the Terrace are both a little risque yet safe. Too often mystery books are too easy or boring OR they are so violent or sexual, and my middle schoolers just don’t gravitate towards them. Kittscher’s books are a perfect mix! Finally, as you can probably guess from the topic of the panel, they are quite funny! A mix of all kinds of humor, but throughout there are some ridiculous moments as well as some subtle puns.

Hook’s Revenge
Author: Heidi Schulz
Illustrator: John Hendrix
Hook’s Revenge Published September 16th, 2014 by Disney-Hyperion
The Pirate Code Published September 15th, 2015 by Disney-Hyperion

Hook’s Revenge Goodsreads Summary: Captain Hook’s feisty daughter hits the high seas to avenge her father’s death at the jaws of the Neverland crocodile in Heidi Schulz’s spirited middle-grade debut.

Twelve-year-old Jocelyn dreams of becoming every bit as daring as her infamous father, Captain James Hook. Her grandfather, on the other hand, intends to see her starched and pressed into a fine society lady. When she’s sent to Miss Eliza Crumb-Biddlecomb’s Finishing School for Young Ladies, Jocelyn’s hopes of following in her father’s fearsome footsteps are lost in a heap of dance lessons, white gloves, and way too much pink.

So when Jocelyn receives a letter from her father challenging her to avenge his untimely demise at the jaws of the Neverland crocodile, she doesn’t hesitate-here at last is the adventure she has been waiting for. But Jocelyn finds that being a pirate is a bit more difficult than she’d bargained for. As if attempting to defeat the Neverland’s most fearsome beast isn’t enough to deal with, she’s tasked with captaining a crew of woefully untrained pirates, outwitting cannibals wild for English cuisine, and rescuing her best friend from a certain pack of lost children, not to mention that pesky Peter Pan who keeps barging in uninvited.

The crocodile’s clock is always ticking in Heidi Schulz’s debut novel, a story told by an irascible narrator who is both dazzlingly witty and sharp as a sword. Will Jocelyn find the courage to beat the incessant monster before time runs out?

My Review: Heidi Schulz must have read my mind because I’ve always felt that Hook was the most interesting character in the Peter Pan stories (Peter himself is actually a bit obnoxious), and I wanted to know what ever happened to him. These books tell me not only that, but also the story of his feisty daughter. Jocelyn overcomes so much to finally become a pirate then, once in Neverland, she goes on quite an epic journey to avenge her father’s honor. Jocelyn is a spit fire and is ready to lead her crew on an adventure of her lifetime.

Recommended For:

Top Ten Tuesday: Book to Movie Adaptations We Are Looking Forward To

November 15, 2015November 10, 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: Book to Movie Adaptations We Are Looking Forward To

Last week, we discussed which movies we’d like to see adapted into books, but this week, we are keeping it traditional. We can’t wait to see these on the big screen (or more likely, at home with our toddlers)!

Ricki

If you stopped by last week, you learned I don’t like movies. But the few movies I do see are book adaptations. I am genuinely excited to see these movies.

1. The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

Oh, how I loved this book! I think it would translate well to film, too.

2. Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

Yes, yes, yes!!!

3. The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

This will either be really good or really awful. I am not sure how it will translate to film, but oh, how I love the book!

4. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

October 2016, baby! Bring it on!

5. I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson

The producers of If I Stay have optioned this film. Oh, please make it happen.

Kellee

1. The BFG by Roald Dahl

Steven Spielberg is bringing us The BFG in 2016! I am so excited! My favorite Roald Dahl book!

2. Chaos Walking series by Patrick Ness

I would be so fascinated to see how a director would take the NOISE and make it live.

3. Princess in Black series by Shannon Hale

As soon as I read this series, I pictured it as a cartoon series, but it’d make a great Disney film as well.

4. The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates series by Caroline Carlson

I love the humor, plot, and characterization of this series, and I think it would be a magical adaption.
(The other pirate book I read recently, Hook’s Revenge, would be fun also!)

5. The Living by Matt de la Pena

Turning The Living into a movie would be epic. I think it could be a major blockbuster: Castaway + Hunger Games + Titanic.

Which movies adaptations are you most looking forward to?

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 11/9/15

November 9, 2015 by Kellee

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? From Picture Books to YA!

It’s Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme started by Sheila at Book Journeys and now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. It is a great way to recap what you read and/or reviewed the previous week and to plan out your reading and reviews for the upcoming week. It’s also a great chance to see what others are reading right now…you just might discover the next “must-read” book!

Kellee and Jen, of Teach Mentor Texts, decided to give It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? a kidlit focus. If you read and review books in children’s literature – picture books, chapter books, middle grade novels, young adult novels, anything in the world of kidlit – join us! We love this meme and think you will, too.

We encourage everyone who participates to support the blogging community by visiting at least three of the other book bloggers that link up and leave comments for them.

CONGRATULATIONS

ERIC W.

for winning a prize package of MONSTER picture books from Sterling Kids!

Last Week’s Posts

Tuesday: Top Ten Movies We Would Like to See Adapted into Books

Wednesday: Women Who Broke the Rules by Kathleen Krull

Thursday: Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain by Zaretta Hammond

Friday: Elwood Bigfoot: Wanted: Birdie Friends! by Jill Esbaum

Sunday: Author Guest Post!: “Choosing Your Stepping Stones” by Margaret R. Chiavetta, Author of The Alchemist’s Theorem: Sir Duffy’s Promise

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

Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: This week, I read The Princess Games by Danai Kadzere which is a funny, fractured fairy tale mixed with Princess Academy. Trent and I also read a new board, A Carnival of Cats by Charles Ghigna, which Trent loves because he adores kitties. Other than that, because of a stomach virus and a Disney race on Saturday, not much reading was going on in the Moye household other than rereads of our favorite board books.

Ricki: I finished with Surviving Santiago by Lyn Miller-Lachmann (author of Gringolandia). I really enjoyed learning about the Chilean setting. Lately, I’ve gotten into international literature (but texts published outside of the United States and texts with settings outside of the United States). It offers me similar things that historical fiction offers. I learn about a new settting/time period and I enjoy learning about the different cultures.

I also finished Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates. This is a powerful book, and I am glad it is receiving so much praise.

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: I am currently rereading Eleanor and Park, and I’m finding the story as easy to read and the language as beautiful as the first time. I’m also listening to the third book in the Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates series. If you love audiobooks and humorous, fun middle grade books, you should definitely pick this series up.

Ricki: I am still listening to (and loving) Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan, and I am starting More Happy than Not by Adam Silvera.

Upcoming Week’s Posts

top ten tuesday

Tuesday: Top Ten Book To Movie Adaptations I’m Looking Forward To

Wednesday: Kellee’s NCTE Session: Humor and the Art of Engaging All Readers with Kim Baker, Caroline Carlson, Jennifer Holm, Kristen Kittscher, and Heidi Schulz

Thursday: A Picture of Grace by Josh Armstrong

Friday: Kellee’s ALAN Panel: Keeping ‘Em on the Edge of Their Seats with Michael Buckley, Roland Smith, and C. Taylor-Butler

Sunday: Author Guest Post! by Beth Vrabel, Author of A Blind Guide to Stinkville

So, what are you reading?

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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Author Guest Post!: “Choosing Your Stepping Stones” by Margaret R. Chiavetta, Author of The Alchemist’s Theorem: Sir Duffy’s Promise

November 8, 2015 by Kellee

“Choosing Your Stepping Stones”

Kids who are like me need the power of choice to help engage them in reading. Their choices are the stepping stones that lead to the path of engaged readers. They don’t just need a variety of stories to choose from; they also need the option to put a book down when it doesn’t interest them. Forcing myself to read something that doesn’t interest me is torture, but reading something that does interest me opens up my tastes, so that maybe one day a book I didn’t like before might actually be enjoyable later, when I am a slightly different person.

Reading has always been difficult for me. I don’t know why exactly. I know that my father has a difficult time reading, too. My mother and three sisters are “voracious” readers, and they are all well read. So I reckon there is something genetic involved.

As a child, I always wanted to read—I craved story just as much as any human being—but I couldn’t. I don’t mean that I couldn’t read (early testing deemed me an average, competent reader), I mean that I couldn’t stay engaged with the words on the page. I could look at illustrations and make up stories in my head, but I couldn’t bring myself to read the words.

I remember seeing books on our shelves that I wanted to read, like an herbal medicine guide, but no matter how many times I picked it up, I couldn’t engage with the words and retain the information. I grew up thinking I wasn’t very smart, and wishing I could read lots of books and become smarter.

I almost never finished the books assigned to me in school. I usually skimmed them, or asked friends before the test what I needed to know. Speaking out loud in front of people was a nightmare for me. Whenever a teacher asked me to read aloud in class my anxiety was so bad that I had no engagement with what I read whatsoever.

It wasn’t until fourth grade that I found my first stepping stone. We were assigned the book The Cay by Theodore Taylor. I loved the story. It was the first book I ever finished. Back then, I had no idea why the experience was different, but now as an adult I know exactly why. It’s an adventure story about survival. I love survival stories!

I still didn’t read assigned school books after that. However, I found my next stepping stone two summers later. I was home and extremely bored. There was a book that sat on the back of our toilet all of the time. I picked it up and read the whole thing cover to cover. It was a Calvin and Hobbes comic book. I fell in love with the series. I asked for more of the comics and got them for my birthday.

I still didn’t read the books assigned to me in school, and I rarely ever picked up books on my own. In high school, I remember reading The Amityville Horror and a romance novel, but that’s about it.

During college, a couple of important things happened. First, I started to suspect that I had the capacity to be smart in my own way. Second, my English 102 teacher assigned Octavia Butler’s book Dawn. It was my next stepping stone. I loved this book so much that I finished it and immediately went out and bought the second book of the series. Shortly after Butler’s books, I picked up Jean Auel’s Earth’s Children series. My tastes for fiction began forming a pattern.

My stepping stones turned into a walkable path when I moved to Puerto Rico after college to do field research. There wasn’t much to do after work. I could watch DVD’s but only at night because it was too hot to sit on the furniture during the day. All there was for me to do was read.

I read like a demon. My mother and sisters turned me on to Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series, which I ate right up. My tastes diversified the more I read. In school, I never read the Hemingway books assigned because they didn’t interest me at the time, but in Puerto Rico I loved reading A Moveable Feast and A Farewell to Arms. I also picked up nonfiction, like David Sedaris’ books, and various memoirs and biographies. After Puerto Rico, I didn’t read as much, but I still read a lot more than before I lived there.

To this day, reading is still difficult for me. I can blow through a book in a couple of days if the story grabs me, and grabs me fast. But there are countless books I have picked up and struggled through, eventually putting back down. I know that reading is much easier when I have a choice, and I don’t feel pressured to read the same way and the same amount as other people. When I do choose to read a good book that suits my current mood, I can’t put it down.

My novel, The Alchemist’s Theorem, is the book I wrote for my younger self. If I had come across this fantasy adventure full of weird creature companions as a kid, I would have gobbled it up. I hope that it will serve as a stepping stone for kids who are wired like me and need a good foothold as readers.

I think it’s important to give kids free-range when it comes to reading. How can an entire class like the same book and read it at the same pace? In that scenario, there are at least a couple of kids suffering through it. And even when you let them choose their own books, it’s probable that they won’t like the first one or two or three that they pick up. As a kid, I wish I received encouragement to keep trying. I should have kept picking up books and putting them down until one grabbed me. I think my stepping stones would have popped up sooner, getting me to my reading path quicker.

About the Author: Margaret graduated from the University at Buffalo in 2005 with her BA degree in anthropology. Afterward, she moved to Puerto Rico for a year where she spent the hot humid days following around free-range rhesus macaque monkeys. When the study finished, she went from one monkey job to the next, moving up and down the east coast for several years. Then she attempted a primatology graduate program in London, England, but developed an allergy to academia. Margaret dropped out and returned to the US and eventually went on to get her MFA in creative writing, graduating from the University of Washington Bothell in 2014. The Alchemist’s Theorem is her first novel. She lives in Seattle.

About The Alchemist’s Theorem: Sir Duffy’s Promise: An eccentric boy named Mendel and the alchemist Sir Duffy set out on a series of quests with their many weird and endearing creature companions–like Esther the snake-ish gusselsnuff and Gooder the big, lazy, carnivorous horse. These determined travelers must venture across the continent of Terra Copia, an exotic land where the species of flora and fauna in one forest are completely different from the next. It is up to them to safeguard secrets and dangerous artifacts from cagey enemies in order to prevent a terrifying curse from returning to their land.

The Alchemist’s Theorem published on November 6th and is now available.

Thank you to Margaret for this post!
We love the message that there is always hope when it comes to reading!

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Elwood Bigfoot: Wanted: Birdie Friends! by Jill Esbaum

November 6, 2015 by Kellee

Elwood Bigfoot: Wanted: Birdie Friends!
Author: Jill Esbaum
Illustrator: Nate Wragg
Published September 1st, 2015 by Sterling Children’s Books

Goodreads Summary: Elwood Bigfoot is big, clumsy, LOUD . . . and lonely. It’s hard for him to make friends—especially with the tiny, delicate birdies he loves so much. Each flash of their feathers, each chirp and cheerful song helps him feel less alone. But whenever a birdie swoops by, and Elwood hollers at it to STAY, the scared creature flies away. He tries everything: sitting on a branch, having a housewarming party, even building an amusement park with snacks and pools. But nothing helps—until Elwood finally learns how to make his bird dreams come true.

Kellee’s Review and Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: Elwood Bigfoot is such an sweet character. Throughout I just wanted to jump into the book and give him a hug. He doesn’t deserve to be alone, but he has to figure out how to make friends in the situation he is in. Elwood’s story would be a great way to introduce character traits as well as how a plot propelled a change in a character. Although Elwood does stay true to himself in the end, he does change throughout. Additionally, the book does have different birds throughout, and it would be fun to learn more about the different types.

Ricki’s Review and Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: When my son and I read this book, we were both smiling at the wonderful illustrations. I think every person can find a piece of themselves in this character. We all approach situations where we are nervous, lonely, or uncomfortable. This would be a great book to ask students to make personal connections to the story. Then, teachers could host discussions about empathy and use the text as a way to teach metaphor. Elwood Bigfoot is a charming character that will stick with me. I can see him being very popular in classrooms!

Discussion Questions: What character traits did Elwood have at the beginning of the book? What did he have to change to help him get birdie friends?; What clues did the birds give Elwood to show him what scared them about him?; What are the different birdies that you saw throughout the book?

We Flagged: “Elwood loved birdies. Each flash of feather, each chirp and cheerful song helped him feel less alone. Whenever a birdie swooped by, Elwood hollered, “COME BACK, BIRDIE! BE MY FRIEND!” But no birdie every came back.”

elwood bigfoot illustration — From http://www.jillesbaum.com/elwood.html

Read This If You Loved: You Will Be My Friend by Peter Brown, Look Up! by Annette LeBlanc Cate; Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae

Recommended For:

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**Thank you to Joshua at Sterling Children’s Books for providing copies for review!**

Culturally Responsive Teaching & the Brain by Zaretta Hammond

April 22, 2023November 5, 2015 by Ricki

Culturally Responsive Teaching & the Brain: Promoting Authentic Engagement and Rigor Among Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students
Author: Zaretta Hammond
Published: December 1, 2014 by Corwin

I’ve read about a dozen professional development texts about culturally responsive teaching because I am very committed to this pedagogical concept. I particularly liked this text because it offered a new angle. Zaretta Hammond weaves neuroscience with both traditional and contemporary ideas of culturally responsive teaching. She doesn’t just say how we can practice this pedagogy, but she tells what is happening in students’ brains when we do and do not use culturally responsive practices. Hammond provides an excellent layout for her ideas, and if anything, I would even love for some of the chapters and ideas to be expanded further. That said, her work connects well with other scholarship, so I would likely use this text in an education class and pair it with another more traditional text about the subject, such as Geneva Gay’s landmark Culturally Responsive Teaching: Theory, Research, and Practice.

I was fortunate enough to read this text with preservice teachers enrolled in a Multicultural Education class. While I have much experience with the ideas taught in this class, I am taking the course as a doctoral student with the intention of integrating the ideas into future courses I might teach. Therefore, from my discussions with peers, I have gotten an insider perspective of this text and how it might work in a classroom. They have enjoyed it very much. It is not a long text (falling just under 200 pages), but the ideas promote fantastic classroom discussions. Our discussion boards have been brimming with students’ thoughts, and there is no shortage of topics to discuss. I include a few topics I’ve discussed below.

As stated previously, Hammond discusses some of the main ideas featured in other culturally responsive texts. She argues that culturally responsive pedagogy is a mindset–not an easy list of tips or tools. However, she does provide many strategies, such as how to make our classrooms visually engaging and responsive to students. Instead of stock posters of MLK, Jr., she argues that teachers might include framed art from different cultures. I liked this idea a lot and agree that it is more culturally responsive. She also discusses the differences between cultures, such as oral versus written traditions and the role these play on student learning. She addresses myths, such as those about poverty and access and colorblindness.

A few chapters into the book, Hammond begins to introduce neuroscience and marries these concepts with culturally responsive practices. For instance, she describes the ways an individual’s brain reacts with the student feels fearful versus feeling accepted. This reminded me a bit of my 7th grade science class. I had a teacher who was quite cruel to me and very strict, overall. I don’t think I learned very much in that class because my brain felt a bit frozen. Then I think about all of the wonderful teachers I’ve had who were very open and accepting. I think I learned twice as much in these classrooms, and it shows the value of creating responsive rapport with students.

I could write pages upon pages about this book. It would be a disservice for me to summarize some of her sections, such as how the neurons in your brain fire, create new pathways, and connect to culture or the ways individualistic and collectivist positionings differ or how microaggressions impact students. So instead of summarizing and commenting on the whole book, I will recommend that you read it. It is excellent. The text offers ideas that are quite different from others I’ve seen about the topic. Hammond fills a gap in research that needed to be filled, and I look forward to reading other publications by her.

Which culturally responsive texts are your favorite?