Unleashing Readers

Top Ten Tuesday: Fellow Book Nerd Characters We Love

July 28, 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: Fellow Book Nerd Characters We Love

Because they remind us of our book-obsessed selves, of course!

Ricki

1. Liesel Merminger from The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

She is so young, but yet, she steals books. She can’t resist them! I love this girl.

2. Scout Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Scout says, “Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing.”

3. A. J. Fikry from The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

This grumpy man stole my heart.

4. Hermione Granger from Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling

I am not a huge Harry Potter fan, but I am a huge Hermione fan. She reminds me of me!

5. Francie Nolan from A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

Francie said that “the world was hers for the reading.” I will never forget the scene where she reads in the fire escape.

Kellee

1. Matilda from Matilda by Roald Dahl

Matilda was the first book nerd I ever encountered in a book, and I loved her! I wanted to be as smart as her, and I wanted to hang out with her.

2. Josie from Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys

Josie lives and works in a bookstore and dreams of a college education. She is a book nerd in a place where they aren’t appreciated, and I adored her for that.

3. Cath from Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Cath is a fangirl (hence the name of the book). She loves Simon Snow, a character in a book series, and spends most of her time writing fanfiction about Simon and visiting Simon Snow forums. She may even be more of a book nerd than I am.

4. The Gorilla from Look! by Jeff Mack

This poor gorilla just wants to read a book. Hopefully the boy will appease him!

5. Miss Brooks from Miss Brooks Loves Books! (And I Don’t) by Barbara Bottner

I want to teach with Miss Brooks! This book celebrates librarians and books and shows the impact of a book loving librarian on students.

Who are your favorite book nerds?

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 7/27/15

July 27, 2015July 27, 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 hosted by Sheila at Book Journeys. 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!

Jen Vincent, of Teach Mentor Texts, and Kellee 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.

Last Week’s Posts

Tuesday: Ten (+ Two) Books That Celebrate LGBTQ Characters

Tuesday: Special Announcement! 2015 Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award Finalists

Thursday: Civil Rights Text Set/Reading Ladder

Friday: Kellee’s Recently Read Picture Books: Penguin Young Reader Group

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

Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: I was reminded of something this week: when I am reading to learn, I read much slower than for pleasure (I’m feeling for you Ricki!) even though I love it just as much. I read Dr. Frank Serafini’s newest book Reading Workshop 2.0 which is about adding digital tools to the reading workshop. I enjoyed, devoured, and tried to suck in every word. I will be reviewing it on Friday. I read the book in preparation for the August Twitter #rwworkshop chat which will feature Dr. Serafini–I am so excited! We would love if you read the book and joined us (or even join us if you haven’t read the book!).

I read two really great, but different, graphic novels. First, Sunny Side Up by Jenni and Matthew Holm. I read it for myself, but also in prep for one of my NCTE presentations. I plan on doing a post on all of my books for that presentation in November, so I look forward to sharing it with you; however, I will say it is a must read. I also read Teen Boat! The Race for Boatlantis by Dave Roman. It is the second book in the Teen Boat series. My students, and I, loved the first book, and this one is just as good as the first! I loved the new adventures of TB! (Thank you NetGalley!)

With Trent, I read four board books this week: The Pigeon Loves Things That Go! by Mo Willems, Where is Elmo’s Blanket? by Nancy Stevenson, Baby Animals: In the Wild by Kingfisher, and Skinnyjon Jones: Up and Down by Judy Schachner. Trent is really loving anything about trains/cars/trucks, animals, or Elmo, so these books were right up his alley!

Ricki: My dissertation proposal is due at the end of August, so I’ve been reading a lot of theory. I just finished Ideas by Edmund Husserl and Phenomenological Research Methods by Clark Moustakas. So that took a good chunk of my week. Henry and I read Your Alien by Tammi Sauer. It is a cute picture book about a boy who discovers an alien. After a few days together, the alien gets a bit homesick. I promise I am going to get more interesting soon.

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: I, like Ricki, plan on reading Cold War on Maplewood Street by Gayle Rosengren in preps for our book birthday post! I do have some more graphic novels from Netgalley to read as well as Baba Yaga’s Assistant by Marika McCoola and Fun Home by Alison Bechdel. I think after Cold War it is going to be a graphic novel week!

Ricki: I fell behind on my plans. I do plan to finish Cold War on Maplewood Street by Gayle Rosengren this week. I’m sorry I am being a boring blogger. I promise I will become more exciting once this dissertation stuff gets a bit lighter. 🙁

Upcoming Week’s Posts

top ten tuesday

Tuesday: Ten Characters Who Are Fellow Book Nerds

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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Kellee’s Recently Loved Picture Books from Penguin Young Readers Group: My Cousin Mom by Zachariah O’Hora; Bunny Roo, I Love You by Melissa Marr, Night Animals by Gianna Marino, & Sea Rex by Molly Idle

July 4, 2016July 24, 2015 by Kellee

Recently, I have read four amazing picture books from Penguin, so I wanted to share them with you all:

My Cousin Momo
Author and Illustrator: Zachariah O’Hora
Published June 2nd, 2015 by Dial Books

Goodreads Summary: Zachariah OHora’s distinctive retro art and kid-friendly humor take the stage in this story about accepting and celebrating differences.

Momo is coming to visit, and his cousins are SO excited! But even though Momo is a flying squirrel, he won’t fly for his cousin’s friends. Plus, his games are weird. He can’t even play hide and seek right! But when Momo’s cousins give his strange ways a chance, they realize that doing things differently can be fun…almost as much fun as making a new friend.

Fans of Peter Brown and Bob Shea will fall in love with Zachariah O’Hora’s bold artwork and hilarious characters.

My Thoughts: Everyone was so excited to see Momo, but Momo doesn’t live up to their expectations. He is just a little bit different. In a world where different is not always acceptable, I love Momo. He shows his cousins that different can be fun. It also shows how to compromise and that you can learn from people who are different than you (and they from you). And then in the end, the people who are different may surprise you and be pretty awesome. BUT this book tells you all that in such a non-preachy way. It is entertaining and funny, and the artwork is just so eye-catching. I think this is a must read for everyone.

Bunny Roo, I Love You
Author: Melissa Marr
Illustrator: Teagan White
Published April 14th, 2015 by Nancy Paulsen Books

Goodreads Summary: A warm and tender welcome to the world!

In a gorgeous picture book that’s playfully sweet and visually captivating, New York Times bestselling author Melissa Marr and talented new illustrator Teagan White celebrate the many ways parents make their new babies feel at home.

The world can seem like a big, bewildering place for new babies—fortunately, their mamas know just how to soothe and comfort them. Through enchanting scenes portraying all kinds of mama animals looking out for their little ones, the mother in this story reassures her baby, and young children everywhere, that their caretakers will always love them and keep them safe. This beautiful picture book has the feel of a classic and its heartwarming premise should make it a family favorite.

My Thoughts: Bunny Roo goes through different incidences of a baby’s behavior and compares it to an animal that acts similar. The theme is clearly: all babies act a little nuts, but you are my baby who I love so much. On Twitter, Marr shared, “Each of those animals represented a stage of his [her adopted infant son who was suffering form withdrawal symptoms after being born to an addict] withdrawal. It was how I explained things & told him he’d be ok.” This information moves this book to an even deeper emotional level for me. To watch your baby suffer must have been one of the hardest thing Marr had ever encountered. Although the book is based on this specific experience, any mother will connect with Bunny Mom and her baby, and any reader will feel the love radiating from the pages.

Night Animals
Author and Illustrator: Gianna Marino
Published July 14th, 2015 by Viking Books for Young Readers

Goodreads Summary: Something’s out there in the dark!

First Possum hears it. Then Skunk. Then Wolf comes running.“What could it possibly be?” asks Bat.
“Night Animals!” the animals declare.
“But you are night animals,” Bat informs this not-so-smart crew.

Children will love the oh-so-funny animals in this twist on a cozy bedtime book.

My Thoughts: This is such a silly book! Each night animal is so frightened! And they are frightened of…. night animals! As each night animal is introduced, it gets sillier as every bump scares them and possum keeps playing dead. But if all the night animals are together and scared still–what is still out there to be afraid of?!?! I did really like how Marino included “stats” for each of the animals (possum, skunk, wolf, bear, fruit bat, great horned owl) on the opposite side of the book jacket. What a great way to teach students about these animals. What really stands out about this book, though, is the illustrations. The black background with the gray/silver/white/peach illustrations just pop.

Sea Rex
Author and Illustrator: Molly Idle
Published May 26th, 2015 by Viking Books for Young Readers

Goodreads Summary: What could that be down in the sea? Is it a fish? A snail? A mermaid’s tail? No, it’s bigger than that… a LOT bigger…

it’s Sea Rex!

Join Cordelia and her crestacious companions as they spend a memorable day at the beach, as only dinosaurs can do!

My Thoughts: Molly Idle is becoming one of my favorite illustrators. Her characters are so expressive, and her illustrations are so soft yet colorful. But what really pushes her book to extraordinary are the whimsy within her text. Sea Rex follows the antics of Cordelia, her brother, and their prehistoric friends at the beach. Filled with fun times like sunbathing, swimming, castle building, and picnicing, this book is full of fun times with some silly friends.

**Thank you to Rachel at Penguin for providing copies for review!**

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?

Henry’s Freedom Box by Ellen Levine

July 22, 2015 by Ricki

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday is hosted by Kid Lit Frenzy and was started to help promote the reading of nonfiction texts. Most Wednesdays, we will be participating and will review a nonfiction text (though it may not always be a picture book).
Be sure to visit Kid Lit Frenzy and see what other nonfiction books are shared this week!

Henry’s Freedom Box
Author: Ellen Levine; Illustrator: Kadir Nelson
Published: January 1, 2007 by Scholastic

GoodReads Summary: A stirring, dramatic story of a slave who mails himself to freedom by a Jane Addams Peace Award-winning author and a Coretta Scott King Award-winning artist.

Henry Brown doesn’t know how old he is. Nobody keeps records of slaves’ birthdays. All the time he dreams about freedom, but that dream seems farther away than ever when he is torn from his family and put to work in a warehouse. Henry grows up and marries, but he is again devastated when his family is sold at the slave market. Then one day, as he lifts a crate at the warehouse, he knows exactly what he must do: He will mail himself to the North. After an arduous journey in the crate, Henry finally has a birthday—his first day of freedom.

Review: The story of Harriet Tubman is perhaps the most commonly taught story about the Underground Railroad. Henry “Box” Brown’s story is quite different, and I learned a lot by reading this book. I think it would be an excellent text to teach in the classroom. This book made me very emotional, and I am still thinking about it, weeks after I finished it. The illustrations are gorgeous, and the story is inspirational. The author’s note at the end of the text provide more factual information that will send students scouring for more information about the time period.

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: Most obviously, this would be an excellent text for a unit about slavery or the Civil Rights Movement. I am a big proponent of using texts outside of traditional units (or Black History Month) because these texts are valuable beyond the time period they represent. I would love to do a unit on Endurance or Bravery or Freedom. I would find and group similar texts that promote discussion and inquiry about the theme and ask students and essential questions like, What does it mean to be brave?

Discussion Questions: How does Henry endure many challenges in life? In what ways is he brave?; What does Henry teach us about life?; Describe another famous person in history or modern times who reminds you of Henry.

One of the Many, Beautiful Illustrations:

Read This If You Loved: Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave by Laban Carrick Hill; The Listeners by Gloria Whelan; Freedom Summer by Deborah Wiles; The Other Side by Jacqueline Woodson; The Diary of Anne Frank by Anne Frank

Recommended For:

Special Announcement: 2015 Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award Finalists

August 4, 2016July 21, 2015 by Kellee

I [Kellee], along with the rest of the Walden Committee, am so happy to announce the finalists for the 2015 Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award! This is my final year on the committee, so this is a bittersweet day for me. Being part of this award which truly looks for books that are written for a widespread audience with a positive approach to life has been so rewarding. This is the award you should choose books from—they are all phenomenal.

2015 Amelia Elizabeth Walden Book Award Finalists Announced

The Assembly on Literature for Adolescents (ALAN) of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) is pleased and proud to announce the finalists for the 2015 Amelia Elizabeth Walden Book Award for Young Adult Fiction. Established in 2008 to honor the wishes of young adult author Amelia Elizabeth Walden, the award allows for the sum of $5,000 to be presented annually to the author of a young adult title selected by the ALAN Amelia Elizabeth Walden Book Award Committee as demonstrating a positive approach to life, widespread teen appeal, and literary merit.

The 2015 Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award finalists are:

Diamond Boy by Michael Williams

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Gabi, A Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero

Cinco Puntos Press

Glory O’Brien’s History of the Future by A.S. King

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson

Penguin Young Readers Group

Revolution (The Sixties Trilogy) by Deborah Wiles

Scholastic Press

All Walden Award titles will be identified by an award sticker—gold for the winner and silver for the four finalists. The winner will be announced on Thursday, July 30^th. The winning title and finalists will be honored on at the 2015 ALAN Workshop on Monday, November 23^rd at 4:25pm in Minneapolis, MN, and authors will be invited to participate in a panel discussion.

The 2015 Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award Committee would like to thank: the Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award Foundation, the ALAN Executive Council, the ALAN Board of Directors, NCTE, and the thirty-six publishers who submitted titles for consideration.

The 2015 Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award Committee considered nearly 300 young adult titles throughout the process. The committee was comprised of eleven members representing the university, K-12 school, and library communities. They are:

2015 Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award Committee

Lois Stover, Committee Chair
Dean – School of Education and Human Services
Marymount University, Arlington, VA

Kellee Moye, Past Committee Chair
Teacher/Reading Coach
Hunter’s Creek Middle School, Orlando, FL

Cathy Blackler
English/Journalism Teacher
Santana Alternative High School, La Puente, CA

Nancy J. Johnson
Professor, Children’s/YA Literature and English/Language Arts Education
Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA

Sara Kajder
Assistant Professor English Education
University of Georgia, Athens, GA

Mark Letcher
Assistant Professor English Education
Lewis University, Romeoville, IL

Joellen Maples
Associate Professor, Graduate Literacy Program
St. John Fisher College, Rochester, NY

Suzanne Metcalfe
Librarian
Dimond High School, Anchorage, Alaska

Beth Scanlon
Teacher
Cypress Creek High School, Orlando, FL

Lisa Scherff
English Teacher
Cypress Lake High School, Fort Myers, FL

Jessica Lorentz Smith
Librarian
Bend Senior High School, Bend, OR

For more information on the award, please visit ALAN Online: The Official Site of the Assembly on Literature for Adolescents http://www.alan-ya.org/

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Kellee’s review of Gabi, A Girl in Pieces
Ricki’s review of The Impossible Knife of Memory
Kellee’s review of Revolution
Information about the Walden Award and committee: My [Kellee’s] Time on the Walden Committee

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?

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