Unleashing Readers

Blog Tour, Review, Giveaway, and Author Guest Post!: The Top-Secret Diary of Cecile Valentine: Friendship Over by Julie Sternberg

April 28, 2016October 10, 2014 by Kellee

The Top-Secret Diary of Celie Valentine: Friendship Over
Author: Julie Sternberg
Illustrator: Johanna Wright
Published October 1st, 2014 by Boyds Mills Press

Goodreads Summary: Ten-year-old Celie has quite a few things on her mind — fights with her sister Jo, secrets at school, an increasingly forgetful grandmother, and worst of all, a best friend who won’t speak to her. How can a girl who hates change survive, when everything in her life is changing? By writing, of course! Celie’s often comical and always heartfelt diary entries include notes, e-mails, homework assignments, and pages from her top-secret spy notebook.

My Review: I am a very big fan of Julie Sternberg’s Eleanor books. What I enjoy the most about these books is that Julie Sternberg has a way to get into 10 year old’s heads and make her narrator’s voice sound so spot on. As someone who teaches middle school, I am always so impressed when a first person narrative sounds like the students I teach. When I found out that Julie Sternberg had a new series coming out and it would be a diary, I was super excited, and this book did not disappoint.

Celie fills her journal with her deepest thoughts, her art, and other items that help tell her story. Readers will connect with Celie while she deals with her grandmother’s declining health, her best friend’s sudden silence, and her older sister’s identity issues. Great discussions will start with questions such as “Have you and your best friend ever gotten into a fight?”

I asked Julie to share with us how she find her inner 10-year-old voice so effectively. Here is her answer:

I’m fixated on voice in writing. It’s problematic. I tend to spend weeks—sometimes months—on the first thirty or so pages of a novel, trying and trying to get the voice right. I cannot move forward until I believe I’ve succeeded.

I recognize that this is a silly way to write. I tell myself, Turn off your internal editor! Knock out a terrible first draft! Revising is so much easier than confronting a blank page. Just KEEP GOING!

But I never can. Because without the right voice, I don’t have a book.

When I think about voice, I think about not just who is telling the story, but also to whom. Audience makes a difference. A child, for example, will relate an anecdote differently to a teacher than to a best friend. So, for my first series, Like Pickle Juice on a Cookie and its sequels, I imagined the main character, Eleanor, telling stories to a friend her age. And, for my latest series, The Top-Secret Diary of Celie Valentine, I imagine Celie pouring her uncensored thoughts into a diary.

Voice is most shaped by the narrator’s personality and background. When I need a brilliant reminder of this, I re-read Voices in the Park, a picture book by Anthony Browne. In it, four separate narrators tell their version of the same story (one shared afternoon in the park). We get a staggeringly clear sense of each character just from the voice they use to relate that simple story.

When I’m trying to define a voice, I pay particular attention to the rhythm and structure of sentences. In The Top-Secret Diary of Celie Valentine, for example, feisty Celie uses simpler and more pointed sentences than her chattier and messier older sister, Jo. For instance, here’s the first sentence in a long note that Jo writes to Celie: “Mom says I’m not allowed to talk to you (I’m supposed to ‘give you your space’) until the end of your timeout, so I can’t just go in there and tell you this, which is what I really want to do.” Celie responds in three sentences, not one of which has more than four words.

A compelling voice can compensate for a host of sins. I learned this as a reader. Some of my favorite books could have better plots, for example. I don’t care. I love the voice in those books, and I want to spend my days with their narrators.

Of course I don’t write perfect books, either (though I want to). If readers nonetheless want to spend their days with Eleanor or Celie or my other narrators because of their voices, then I’m ecstatic.

Author: Julie Sternberg is the author of the best-selling Like Pickle Juice on a Cookie and its sequels, Like Bug Juice on a Burger and Like Carrot Juice on a Cupcake. Like Pickle Juice on a Cookie is a Gryphon Award winner and a Texas Bluebonnet Award finalist; Like Bug Juice on a Burger is a Gryphon Honor Book, a Pennsylvania Young Reader’s Choice Awards Nominee, and an Illinois Monarch Award Finalist. Formerly a public interest lawyer, Julie is a graduate of the New School’s MFA program in Creative Writing, with a concentration in writing for children. She lives with her family in Brooklyn, New York. For more information about her life and work and to download free activity materials based on her books, visit her website: juliesternberg.com.

We Flagged:

From Julie Sternberg’s web site

Read This If You Loved: Eleanor series by Julie Sternberg, Middle School is Worse than Meatloaf by Jennifer L. Holm, Where I Live by Eileen Spinelli, The Popularity Papers by Amy Ignatow, Mackenzie Blue by Tina Wells

Recommended For:

Also don’t forget to check out the other stops on Julie’s blog tour:

Mon, Sept 29	Mother Daughter Book Club	http://motherdaughterbookclub.com/
Tues, Sept 30	5 Minutes for Mom	http://www.5minutesformom.com/category/feature-columns/5-minutes-for-books/
Wed, Oct 1	Sharpread	http://mrcolbysharp.com/
Thurs, Oct 2	KidLit Frenzy	http://www.kidlitfrenzy.com/
Fri, Oct 3	The Hiding Spot	http://thehidingspot.blogspot.com
Sat, Oct 4	Booking Mama	http://www.bookingmama.net/
Mon, Oct 6	Ms. Yingling Reads	http://msyinglingreads.blogspot.com/
Tues, Oct 7	GreenBeanTeenQueen	http://www.greenbeanteenqueen.com/
Wed, Oct 8	Great Kid Books	http://greatkidbooks.blogspot.com/
Thurs, Oct 9	Teach Mentor Texts	http://www.teachmentortexts.com/#axzz3DP0vkvgi
Fri, Oct 10	Unleashing Readers	http://www.unleashingreaders.com/
Sat, Oct 11	Bermuda Onion	http://bermudaonion.net/

GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

**Thank you to Barbara at Blue Slip Media for providing a copy for review and having us be part of the blog tour!!**

On the Road to a Dissertation!

July 27, 2015October 9, 2014 by Ricki

This year, I am beginning my third semester as a doctoral student, and it is frightening! Last year, I dappled in scholarly journals and worked very hard, but reality hadn’t quite set in yet. This year, I enrolled in a dissertation proposal course which is phenomenal. The professor excellently scaffolds and organizes the proposal in manageable chunks—she warns us that we would be making difficult decisions, but this will push our limits. The organization of the class has been very helpful to me, but I realize I have an immense amount of work ahead of me this year. Fortunately, I have an incredibly supportive husband, family, best friend, blog partner, and most important—advisor. I discussed my concerns with each of them, and they all expressed their strong support and confidence in me. Their encouragement pushed me to realize I can do this.

This Sunday in particular, my husband took my (adorable, gleeful, accident-prone, and giggly) son to visit extended family, and I worked. I kept my caffeine and snacks at the ready, and I didn’t leave my chair for five hours (okay, I did take a few bathroom breaks). It was joyful to get straight, uninterrupted hours to study—my mother-in-law, mother, and aunt have been helping with this too. The problem with reviewing literature in a field? I found excellent articles about my topic, and then, as I read these intriguing articles, they cited other articles, so I found those. As I looked through those articles, I found more that were equally important. As my list of “Articles I Need” kept growing and growing, I became worried. I began to wonder if I would ever possible feel done reading all of the research in the field. My advisor assured me that reading every single article in a field (particularly with new journal issues being published each month) is impossible, but with my obsessive, Type-A personality, I want to read each and every article! I want to be sure I have read every possible study and article about the subject, but the problem is, there are branches upon branches of articles about other subjects that run parallel to my research. Each time I find a new, parallel subject, I think, “Oooooh! Neat!” and then I get lost searching for and reading articles about that subject matter that, while it aligns with my research, is not truly necessary. In research terms, they call this, “beyond the scope” of my research. Because I am very passionate about my topic, I can’t help but want to read it all.

I am grateful for all of the support from my family and friends for helping me find this very fascinating work. I have always loved to learn—and I used to bemoan the fact that I couldn’t be a lifelong student (and still pay the bills). I learned so much from my students when I was teaching, but it was different from taking classes and conducting research with fancy IRB approval. As I was reflecting this weekend, I realized that by doing research, I will be a lifelong student as I learn from the participants in my study, and while I regret that I can’t read every article that is “beyond the scope” of the research subject of my dissertation, I am not locked into this particular study forever. If I want, I can really go rogue and research something drastically different! The next study I design can be in that forbidden “beyond the scope” zone of what I am researching today. And these possibilities make me strangely giddy with excitement.

If you are a middle or high school English language arts teacher (or know any of these folks), I would truly appreciate your help distributing the message below for my dissertation study! Thank you!!!

I am seeking middle/high school English teachers for a brief research survey. For more information, click: https://uconn.co1.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_7U0gerNF8XslNpH. I would greatly appreciate it if you shared this post with other teachers!

Sam & Dave Dig a Hole by Mac Barnett

October 8, 2014 by Kellee

Sam & Dave Dig a Hole
Author: Mac Barnett
Illustrator: Jon Klassen
Published October 14th, 2014 by Candlewick Press

Publisher’s Summary: Sam and Dave are on a mission. A mission to find something spectacular. So they dig a hole. And they keep digging. And they find . . . nothing. Yet the day turns out to be pretty spectacular after all. Attentive readers will be rewarded with a rare treasure n this witty story of looking for the extraordinary — and finding it in a manner you’d never expect.

About the Creators: Mac Barnett is the author of several award-winning books for children, including President Taft Is Stuck in the Bath, illustrated by Chris Van Dusen, and Extra Yarn, illustrated by Jon Klassen, which won a Boston Globe–Horn Book Award and a Caldecott Honor. Mac Barnett lives in California.

Jon Klassen is the author-illustrator of I Want My Hat Back, a Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor book, and This Is Not My Hat, winner of the Caldecott Medal. He is also the illustrator of House Held Up by Trees, written by Ted Kooser, which was named a New York Times Book Review Best Illustrated Children’s Book, and Extra Yarn, written by Mac Barnett, which won a Caldecott Honor. Originally from Niagara Falls, Ontario, Jon Klassen now lives in Los Angeles.

My Review and Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: I just love the work that Mac and Jon do. I don’t think I have read any of their books that I haven’t enjoyed and haven’t found myself wanting to talk about. What I love most about their books is that they are unique and so, so, so smart. Their books are like no other, and this book is no different. It has nuances you have to carefully look for, it has an ending that you can debate about for a very long time, and overall is just so well done. I think this, along with the Hat books, may be the best open-ended picture books out there. Just like wordless books, open-ended books truly invokes conversing. When I finished, I immediately asked my husband to read it, so we could discuss the ending. Travis Jonker has a great post about the different theories about the ending, but I warn you: there are spoilers in the post! Think of all the great conversations or writing your students will have/do because of this thought-provoking picture book.

For some laughs, also check out Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen Make a Book: A Transcript.

Discussion Questions: What do you think happened at the end?; What do you notice about the dog as you are reading the book?; How is the ending different from the beginning?

Book Trailer:

Read This If You Loved: I Want My Hat Back and This Is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen, Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett

Recommended For:

**Thank you to Laura at Candlewick for providing a copy for review**

Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Books For Readers Who Like Character Driven Novels

October 7, 2014 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: Ten Books For Readers Who Like Character Driven Novels

If you prefer character drive novels, these books are for you!

Ricki

1. Fire by Kristin Cashore

Cashore’s first book, Graceling, is plot-driven (but also with good character development). Often, people find Fire to be much slower than Graceling, and I think this is because it is so beautifully constructed to reveal the inner depth of the characters.

2. If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Much of this book takes place in Mia’s head, but it captured my attention from the first page to the last. Forman’s writing is very lyrical.

3. brown girl dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

Woodson’s autobiographical brown girl dreaming is another phenomenal, character-driven text. You won’t be able to put it down. This book holds a special place in my heart.

4. The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly

Years after reading this book, I still feel like I am being embraced in a warm hug when I think about it. This historical fiction doesn’t have a lot of plot, but the character development will blow you away.

5. Dr. Bird’s Advice for Sad Poets by Evan Roskos

This book is very character-driven, but unlike the others I listed, it also has quite a bit of plot. That said, I felt I knew James Whitman like he was a brother/son after reading this book. It was one of my all-time favorites, and I am consistently recommending it to others.

Kellee

By definition, character driven novels are “stories where the emphasis is on characterization, inner conflict, and relationships,” so my choices are all books where the biggest changes and conflict can be found in the characters.

1. The Giver by Lois Lowry

Whenever my students begin reading The Giver in their language arts class, I always hear, “Miss, why is this book your favorite, it is so slow!” I then have to talk to them about how some books are character driven and not plot driven. We then start talking about Jonas and what is going on with him, and VOILA! they get into the book.

2-6. All of the 2014 AEWA Finalists and Winner

All of the books we honored this year are amazingly written character driven novels. Each is very unique but focuses on identity. (I know it is kind of a plug, but really almost all of the Walden books while I was on the committee are amazing novels that usually have a character-driven focus.)

Which books would you recommend?

and

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 10/6/14

July 27, 2015October 6, 2014 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.

Congratulations to MARY H. for winning a copy of Rory’s Promise!

Last Week’s Posts

Tuesday: Top Ten Books That Were Hard For Us To Read

Wednesday: Recent Nonfiction (Mostly) Picture Books Part Two: Biographies

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

Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: We had a rough week at the Moye house filled with illnesses (both Trent and I are still sick) and loss (we said good bye to our beautiful cat, Bella, on Friday) AND we also went away for the weekend to Disney so my husband, Jim, could run in the Tower of Terror 10 miler, so Trent’s reading really took a hit. Although we did reread a few favorites including The Going to Bed Book by Boynton, The Pigeon Has Feelings Too by Willems, and I Love You Through and Through by Rossetti-Shustak and we were able to read the super-cute You Are (Not) Small by Anna Kang today, we definitely didn’t hit our #bookaday quota this week. But sometimes life overrides reading…

I actually was able to read three books this week. First, I needed something light, so I read a collection of Big Nate comics called The Crowd Goes Wild!. I really like the Nate stories. I know that Wimpy Kid is the favorite, but Nate is just so much more likable! I then read a phenomenal book by Ann M. Martin, Rain Reign. Once I started reading this one, I couldn’t stop. I fell asleep with it and my glasses on on Saturday night and jumped right back into it on Sunday so I could finish it. I cannot wait to share it with you–I will review it soon. And this week I am so excited to share with you Sam & Dave Dig a Hole by Mac Barnett. You will all want to get this one.

Ricki: This week, I finished Shirley Brice Heath’s Ways with Words. This ethnographic book is a classic study about Heath’s research in two neighboring towns—both mill towns, but one predominantly White and one predominantly Black—next to Appalachia in the Piedmont Carolinas during the Civil Rights Era. She studied the ways the people (and primarily the children) use words and how that might impact the youngsters when they start schooling. I often see this study cited, so I was interested to read Heath’s work directly. Her methodology is admirable, and I think this is a very important study for every teacher to read, primarily elementary school teachers and English/language arts teachers.

Henry and I read some puppet books this week. H.A. Rey’s Curious George Pat-a-Cake is not the most unique book I’ve ever read, but the giant Curious George puppet that peeks through every page made him laugh hysterically all week. We read it about forty times. We also read a Mary had a Little Lamb puppet book, but I can’t remember the title. Neither of these books is one I would recommend to use in the classroom, but they are both great for parents. 🙂

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: I started reading The Mutts Diaries by Patrick McDonnell, so I will probably finish that. I have a HUGE pile of picture books from the library for me to read, so I will most likely sit down and read most of them this week because they are due soon. I also have Trevor Pryce’s An Army of Frogs and all of the Walden books to read in preparation for NCTE/ALAN, so I am going to read those soon. With Trent, we are going to continue rereading and working on finding favorites. We’ll see where the week takes us!

Ricki: This week, I think I will read Rosenblatt’s Literature for Exploration. Has anyone read it? I know it is cited everywhere. I am trying to read all of the books that are consistently cited in education. I also want to read Jessie Haas’s Bramble and Maggie series.

Upcoming Week’s Posts

top ten tuesday

Tuesday: Ten Books For Readers Who Like Character Driven Novels

Thursday: Ricki’s Road to a Dissertation

Friday: Author’s Guest Post and Giveaway of Julie Sternberg’s The Top-Secret Diary of Celie Valentine: Friendship Over

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!

and

The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires

October 3, 2014 by Kellee

The Most Magnificent Thing
Author: Ashley Spires
Published April 1, 2014 by Kids Can Press

Goodreads Summary: Award-winning author and illustrator Ashley Spires has created a charming picture book about an unnamed girl and her very best friend, who happens to be a dog. The girl has a wonderful idea. “She is going to make the most MAGNIFICENT thing! She knows just how it will look. She knows just how it will work. All she has to do is make it, and she makes things all the time. Easy-peasy!” But making her magnificent thing is anything but easy, and the girl tries and fails, repeatedly. Eventually, the girl gets really, really mad. She is so mad, in fact, that she quits. But after her dog convinces her to take a walk, she comes back to her project with renewed enthusiasm and manages to get it just right. For the early grades’ exploration of character education, this funny book offers a perfect example of the rewards of perseverance and creativity. The girl’s frustration and anger are vividly depicted in the detailed art, and the story offers good options for dealing honestly with these feelings, while at the same time reassuring children that it’s okay to make mistakes. The clever use of verbs in groups of threes is both fun and functional, offering opportunities for wonderful vocabulary enrichment. The girl doesn’t just “make” her magnificent thing — she “tinkers and hammers and measures,” she “smoothes and wrenches and fiddles,” she “twists and tweaks and fastens.” These precise action words are likely to fire up the imaginations of youngsters eager to create their own inventions and is a great tie-in to learning about Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.

My Review: Ashley Spires did an amazing job with this book. Her illustrations seem so simple, but really there is so much detail in each one. Amazing digital art. Also, Girl is a character after my own heart as a mom and a teacher. We need more kids like her. Kids who explore, invent, play outside, imagine, etc. I hope my son is like her.

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: The summary says a lot for me. This is a book that promotes innovation, imagination, perseverance, and experimenting. All things that are so important for kids to have and too often they are not nurtured. Innovation: Girl wants to make something new and magnificent. Imagination: Some of the odd items she makes actually do have a purpose, you just have to use your imagination. Perseverance: Girl almost gives up, but begins to realize that what she made may be exactly what she wanted to make in the first place. Experimenting: She tries to make so many different things for a variety of purposes. All of these themes could be discussed while reading the book with kids. The book also has amazing vocabulary, many of which are shared in the summary. A great way to discuss synonyms, descriptive language, and imagery.

Discussion Questions: Why did the girl never give up?; What are some of the words that the author uses to help you “see” and “hear” what the girl is doing?; Which of her inventions was your favorite? And what other ways could you use some of them?; Girl plans out her invention. What steps did she take to plan? What else could she have done?

We Flagged: “This is a regular girl and her best friend in the whole wide world. They do all kinds of things together. They race. They eat. They explore. They relax. She makes things. He unmakes things. One day, the girl has a wonderful idea. She is going to make the most MAGNIFICENT thing!” (p. 6-7)

Book Trailer:

Fun With The Author:

Read This If You Loved: The Invisible Boy by Tracy Ludwig, The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds, Noisy Paint Box by Barb Rosenstock, Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers, Matilda by Roald Dahl, Journey by Aaron Becker

Recommended For:

Signature

**Thank you to Kids Can Press and Netgalley for providing a copy for review**

On the Run: Fugitive Life in an American City by Alice Goffman

July 27, 2015October 2, 2014 by Ricki

On the Run: Fugitive Life in an American City
Author: Alice Goffman
Published: May 1, 2014 by University Of Chicago Press

Summary: Forty years in, the War on Drugs has done almost nothing to prevent drugs from being sold or used, but it has nonetheless created a little-known surveillance state in America’s most disadvantaged neighborhoods. Arrest quotas and high-tech surveillance techniques criminalize entire blocks, and transform the very associations that should stabilize young lives—family, relationships, jobs—into liabilities, as the police use such relationships to track down suspects, demand information, and threaten consequences.

Alice Goffman spent six years living in one such neighborhood in Philadelphia, and her close observations and often harrowing stories reveal the pernicious effects of this pervasive policing. Goffman introduces us to an unforgettable cast of young African American men who are caught up in this web of warrants and surveillance—some of them small-time drug dealers, others just ordinary guys dealing with limited choices. All find the web of presumed criminality, built as it is on the very associations and friendships that make up a life, nearly impossible to escape. We watch as the pleasures of summer-evening stoop-sitting are shattered by the arrival of a carful of cops looking to serve a warrant; we watch—and can’t help but be shocked—as teenagers teach their younger siblings and cousins how to run from the police (and, crucially, to keep away from friends and family so they can stay hidden); and we see, over and over, the relentless toll that the presumption of criminality takes on families—and futures.

While not denying the problems of the drug trade, and the violence that often accompanies it, through her gripping accounts of daily life in the forgotten neighborhoods of America’s cities, Goffman makes it impossible for us to ignore the very real human costs of our failed response—the blighting of entire neighborhoods, and the needless sacrifice of whole generations.

Review: Inspired by a college course in her sophomore year, Alice Goffman seeks an ethnographic experience in inner-city Philadelphia. She gets a part-time job tutoring an African American girl, Aisha, and soon befriends the boys of 6th Street (pseudonym). Mike adopts her as a younger sister, and she comes to live with these boys—studying their every move. This quality piece of ethnographic research is a page turner. While it reads a bit more like a book than a scholarly publication, readers can glean her methodological approach through the footnotes. Goffman’s mission is clear. She wants readers to understand the inequities these African American boys of 6th Street face, and she shows how the criminal justice system (both law enforcement and the justice/prison system) are not working. I was ashamed at the actions of the police, specifically, and think this is very educational to readers of all ages, particularly in the wake of the racially based crimes that we consistently see in the news.

Teacher’s Tools for Navigation: This book is written for adults, but I think it would be very educational for high school students. I would use excerpts of this text to show students the realities of life on 6th Street in Philadelphia. It could be used to better understand crimes in the news, to teach inequity, to examine class issues, to understand the drug trade, and to fight racism. It would be eye-opening for students. While teaching this, I would also consider pairing it with Malcolm Gladwell’s review.

Discussion Questions: What can we do to stop the injustice of the court system? How is it flawed?; What role does race play in this text?; Was Goffman too close to the subjects of her ethnography? Do you think this affected her portrayal of 6th Street? What are the positives and negatives of this approach of qualitative study?

We Flagged: “To be on the run is a strange phrase for legally compromised people, because to be on the run is also to be at a standstill.”

“Thus, the great paradox of a highly punitive approach to crime control is that it winds up criminalizing so much of daily life as to foster widespread illegality as people work to circumvent it. Intensive policing and the crime it intends to control become mutually reinforcing. The extent to which crime elicits harsh policing, or policing itself contributes to a climate of violence and illegality, becomes impossible to sort out.”

Read This If You Loved: Punished: Policing the Lives of Black and Latino Boys by Victor M. Rios; The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander

Recommended For: