Wow this is something!! Jarrett Krosoczka has created a graphic memoir of his life growing up. Jarrett's mom was a heroin addict who battled the addiction and was in and out of jail and rehab for years. Jarrett was raised by his grandparents in a household filled with smoking, drinking, fighting. But underneath it all there was love which Jarrett comes to terms with.
This is powerful and something that many students will relate to. There is language in the text and it is a bot harsh at times but I am more inclined to give it a pass because of its honesty. So well done.
Ellie's mom left when she was a baby - she has never met her, never heard from her, and her dad refuses to talk about her. Then her dad does tell something - her mom is dead. Ellie is so angry and confused - now she will never have the chance to get to know her. What makes it worse is the discovery of a box of items that her mother supposedly sent - old 80s cassettes and items. With the help of her friends Ellie sets out to find out more about the mother she never knew.
This wasn't bad but it just didn't seem developed enough. There were some cute moments and it could lead to some interesting discussions. I can see this as a possibility for a middle grade student who isn't a great reader but wants a bit of drama.
Zoey thought life was going to be much better now that they are in a more stable environment - her mom is living with her boyfriend in a trailer, her mom has a steady job, and Zoey is able to watch the kids in the afternoon. But... the boyfriend isn't actually that great and blames her mother for everything. Zoey is struggling at school too - how does she fit in or should she just camouflage herself like an octopus? Then there are issues with her friend Fuchsia as well - maybe all the drama is just a cry for help?
This is a look at poverty, at life on the edge of survival, of making assumptions about people, about confidence, and about learning to take control. I thought it was very well done.
It's 1863 and Magdalys lives in an orphanage for children of color. But there is a group of people kidnapping any people of color and sending them south as slaves. This committee will stop at nothing - fire, riots, even killing those who stand in their way. Can Magdalys and her friends find out who is involved and stop them - with their dinosaurs? Yeah - that's right we have dinosaurs that the children ride.
At first I thought the idea was clever and fun but as I kept going through the book the mash up didn't work for me. To be fair, fantasy is usually not my favorite but I do like a good historical fiction. Maybe I would have liked the book better without the dinosaurs - but they were needed to move the plot along with the flying and spying. Not my favorite but I have a feeling some students will like it.
This was a really well done biography of Maria Merian by Joyce Sidman. Maria was way ahead of her time - not only as a woman "scientist" but also with her observations and artwork. Each chapter was short and followed her personal and "professional" life. There was also good side bar information about the times she lived in and the places she traveled to. I thought this was great!
Life for Bryan is difficult. His mom has a good job and wants him to be successful, make the right friends, do well in school. But navigating the neighborhood is tough. He doesn't want people to think he is soft but he is also worried about getting angry like his dad does. His dad who has been to jail.
Bryan's mom and dad both think Mike is a good friend for him. And he is at first. But then Mike shows jealousy and begins pressuring Bryan to skip school, skip paying for the subway, and even subway surfing. What should Bryan do?
I liked this book a lot. It really shows Bryan's struggles which can mirror a lot of students in junior high. Maybe they aren't in a neighborhood in New York City with the same racial aspects but many of the struggles are similar. I felt the book ended without a solid resolution but that could lead to some good discussion.
Good informational text about the physical aspect of itching - the why and also some of the biggest culprits like lice, mosquitoes, certain plants, etc. For younger students this will be an interesting read.
My strategy for the Maine Student Book Award is to try and read books that no one else has found, no one else has read. Do you know how many middle grade books are published in a year? 100s, 1000s? I request (hoard) books from NetGalley and Edelweiss, read books the publishers send (BIG thanks) and read SLJ to find great reviews. So many books still on my lists. If I have requested it on NetGalley or Edelweiss I do read it even if someone else has - gotta keep my ratings up but other than that I usually organize books that others have read by rating and wait to see if they make the short list.
Not so with this one. I believe 4 or 5 people on the committee have already read and reviewed this but I decided to as well. Why? Mainly to get it into my library. Dan Gemeinhart is visiting my school at the end of September and I want my students to have an opportunity to read this.
Brodie is dead. He has a few memories - his boy, a monster, fear, and death. He must get back to his boy and fix things, help him, save him. But going back is risky - there are those who have returned who have lost their souls and a new return with soul lights is ripe for the picking. But Brodie is a good dog and he must get back. So he does. Tuck, another dog, goes with him and they meet a cat, Patsy early on who "helps" them. But as a ghost what can Brodie actually do? Can he help Aiden, his boy?
This was fabulous. Lots of heart and action. I was worried about how it might play out but never fear. I mean the dog is already dead right? Can't wait for students to read this.
This was a clever collective biography of some famous siblings. Each section was relatively short and was followed by some cartoon sections which added either more information about the siblings or general information. There are a few minor quibbles that I have. One is that most of these really weren't "frenemies" - for the most part the siblings in these selections got along very well. Then there is the issue that when you talk about anyone who is still living the biography can quickly become outdated as is the case with Prince Harry and unfortunately Demi Lovato. All in all a good collection.
Dusti Bowling does it again. I loved Insignificant Events (which is on this year's MSBA list) and I love this one as well.
Nothing happens in Nowhere. Poverty, heat, and really no hope. Gus hopes to get out by acing the SAT, Rossi hopes to get out by riding her dirtbike. But when Bo, the bully, manages to get Rossi's bike the only solution is to get him gold from the abandoned mine. The mine that has been the site of a murder, numerous collapses, and disappearance. Gus goes with one of Bo's minion but is then joined by Rossi and Jessie (an old friend of his). When the mine collapses they must work together to find a way out. If they find gold too that would be great.
Good friendships, good action, and a bit of a mystery. I thoroughly enjoyed this.
Nate cannot understand his dad's deep hatred of music. Other churches, besides his dad's tent church, use music. There is music on the radio that draws Nate in. In this Depression era story Nate finds himself conflicted between his father's beliefs and the things he loves. Eventually this leads him to run away and ride the rails. Can Nate figure out where his dad's hatred of music comes from and maybe bring healing?
I did enjoy the story - the mix of fact and fiction, Nate's finding of himself through music, and the healing process. I am conflicted by the dad. I understand the use of him as a fringe preacher, driven by grief to radical beliefs but fear the caricature portrayal will cause some to believe that his beliefs are typical. On the other hand some will complain that there is too much "religion" in the book. I think discerning readers will appreciate the book for what it is - as I did.
First...I did not know there was a previous story about Max and his dad on weekends. You don't need to have read this story to appreciate this one.
Max is navigating the separation of his parents so when his mom ask if they can go on a road trip to celebrate the 100th birthday of a relative Max is hesitant. What about his weekends with dad? Bolstered by his recent love of biographies, particularly Shackleton, Max embarks on the expedition.
This was a cute book and I think it will appeal to 2nd and 3rd graders ready for short chapter books. Gentle but a good story.
Sophia has Memories. These are not normal memories but instead are memories of this she has done with her mother. But they are impossible because her mother has been dead for years. After being put in a group to study the upcoming solar eclipses Sophia finds out that not only was D.J born on the same day she was during a partial solar eclipse but that he also has Memories of a step father he doesn't have. The 2 are determined to figure out why the memories occur and if they can somehow find their way to a possible parallel universe where these memories are reality.
There were aspects of the book I liked but it didn't seem to go quite far enough for me. For example, I would have loved more information about what happened to D.J and Luke during the eclipse.
In the last two days I have received many books to review for MSBA. In the boxes were several short nonfiction titles so I am doing a bulk read and review...
Sacrilege I know but I am not a big fan of Lewis Carroll. This book was interesting - especially the use of his made up words in the book and then defined and indexed to show which of his books the word came from.
Nice introduction to the Children's March - gorgeous illustrations.
Another Titanic book. Good for collections with younger students but nothing new here.
My students love haunted and scary stories. This one disappointed me though. The narrative seemed disjointed and there just wasn't enough detail to make it frightening.
Who knew? Interesting information and accessible text.
This book was all about the efforts to reintroduce pandas into the wild. Gorgeous photographs - and who doesn't want to see humans dressed as pandas hanging out with baby pandas.
25 women are highlighted in this book. It is very similar to other books - many published in 2016. There is a one page blurb about the life, a quote, a q&a with what she might do in a certain situation. I did like the q&a which was different but it needs to be remembered that the women were not actually asked (most being dead - sorry) so it is conjecture what they would do in certain situations. I did like the inclusion of a variety of women.
A favorite book of mine is Mila 18 by Leon Uris which tells of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising. Because of that book I knew this book would intrigue me and it did.
Chaya has become a courier for the resistance. Her younger sister was taken, her brother has disappeared, and her parents have given up but she refuses to give in. Instead she smuggles weapons and food into the ghetto and tries to get people out or at least warn them about what is happening.
After her resistance cell is discovered Chaya meets up with another member who also escaped, Elizabeth, and together they make their way to Warsaw to make their final stand.
This was very good. There was a good friendship that developed between Chaya and Elizabeth. There were some surprises and lots of action plus a good deal of history.
Fovea's parent are scientists - specifically the work with cadavers. As a result her classmates, including her former best friend, call her Igor. Now, to make matters worse her parent's secretary has left unexpectedly and she needs to fill in during the summer. But it all gets really crazy when she finds three talking heads (literally) and finds out that there is another one that is missing.
I am really not the audience for this - I found it more bizarre than funny. I will be curious how my students react.
I was born during the Vietnam War. My father and father in law were both exempted for physical reasons or I might not even be here, my husband might not be here. I have vague recollections of news but not much else. We did not talk about or study Vietnam in school. It was too recent, too raw.
I appreciated this book. The honesty, the variety of viewpoints, the background, and the healing. We still have a long way to go - especially with how our veterans are taken care of but this was a worthy text.
Based on the author's real experiences this book tells of an immigrant family's struggle to get off the roller coaster. They manage a hotel but are taken advantage of by the owner. Through it all though Mia refuses to give up. Through persistence, letter writing, and friendship she overcomes many hurdles including eventually helping her parents buy the motel.
This was the quickest I have read a book in awhile (okay I read Strongheart very quickly too). It was very good and will open up an avenue for many conversations.
Every town has them - the 3 shades Death, Memory, and Passion and a Summoner who balances them out. But in the town where Felix, Lee, and Gretchen live things have gone terribly wrong. There has been a mysterious death of the apprentice to Passion, there has been meddling by Passion that resulted in an unfair agreement between the apprentices of Death and Memory forcing the married apprentices to never see each other and also keep them from seeing one of their children.
But, Felix, Lee, and Gretchen want to "rite" the wrongs. Deliciously creepy and creative and also touching on cause and effect - I really enjoyed it. Of course I personally appreciated where Gretchen was worried about her spleen exploding - I feel your pain girl.
Fleming and Rohmann together create magic. This is a fictionalized account of Strongheart - a silent movie star dog from the 1920s. Fleming's text and Rohman's illustrations combine to create a touching story that readers - dog lovers or not will enjoy.
Wily Snare has always lived underground. He is a trapsmith - he designs traps to protect his "father's" (more like master's) hoard of treasure. One day a band of thieves (an elf, a warrior with a magic arm, and a golem made of moss) arrive and manage to get through Wily's traps and decide that they want Wily to join them and help them defeat other traps in search of even more treasure.
But when Wily gets above he finds that not only has he been lied to his whole life but that a great adventure awaits.
I really enjoyed the set up of the book and when Wily first came above. I can appreciate the quest and I did like the way the book ended. Because I am not overly fond of fantasy I felt it dragged a bit but I think those who really enjoy fantasy will like it.
Rosa and her mother are librarians who are tasked with ghost appeasement and the town of Ingot has a lot of ghosts. Ever since the wall, that had stood for over 100 years to keep the ghosts out, was destroyed the ghosts have come back with a vengeance. There are ghosts everywhere. Rose is working on the ghosts at school that are stealing voices and causing mayhem. Jasper, Rose's best friend, is trying to fix the situation with the ghosts at the Renaissance Festival and ghosts from the mining days. And, to top it all off some residents are trying to rebuild the barrier and Rosa keeps thinking she sees her dead father.
As I got into the book I started realizing that the premise seemed familiar and then it dawned on me that it could actually be a sequel. Indeed it is - A Properly Unhaunted Place was the first book and I read it last October. Funny - my biggest complaint about that one was the ending. This one was much better and the 2 together work very well.
Donut's mother died when she was born and her father has just died. Now her two aunts want her to move away from the only life she has ever known - her best friend Tiny, her godfather Sam, her school, her home - and move to Boston with them. Donut decides to run away but a fire helps her finally realize where she belongs.
This is getting good reviews and love on Goodreads but I found it boring.
I am bumming... truly bumming. I have read other books by Kadohata that I really enjoyed so I had high expectations and this just fell flat for me.
Conor and his dad live hockey. His dad briefly played in the NHL and is now a police officer. Conor is working his way up the ranks. But hockey is expensive especially when Conor's dog has expensive chemotherapy.
And that's it... 404 pages of hockey, dog, money angst. There is a brief time when it looks like something might be wrong with his dad but... nope. To me the book just didn't go anywhere. If I had students do a plot diagram and try to find the climax I am not sure what it would be exactly. For students who love hockey... maybe.
This is another book about the Apollo missions. Instead of focusing on just Apollo 8 it covered the missions up to 11. It is also done in poetic narrative. So... not my favorite of the ones I have read. The poetry drew me in a first but it was more of sparse text than poetic. I also was not really a fan of the mix between photographs and illustrations.
I love reading books about little known events. For one thing it can shine a light on the forgotten victims and survivors if nothing else.
This book tells of a disaster that seems unbelievable - a 3 hour tour if you will that went very wrong. The S.S Eastland was carrying 2,500 passengers to a picnic on the shores of Lake Michigan and it didn't even make it out of port before it tipped over. 844 people died - crushed from falling furniture, etc, trapped and drowned. This book focuses on several of the passengers - some who survived and some who did not.
My biggest issue with the book is that since it is not well known and not well documented there isn't a whole lot to tell. There is a good bit leading up - why they were going, background on ship, some of the people and their background but it loses some punch when you don't get to know the people well. Maybe a fictionalized account would have been better?? Not sure...
It's all because her grandfather died on the top of the hill. That's why she went up there. That's how she found the bones.
Esme's home life is a bit odd. Her father, Harlan, disappears for a long time. Her mother, June Rain, withdraws into herself and rarely talks. She has a brother, Bo, and a grandmother, Bee who is good at finding things. In addition there are many other characters from the Texas town she lives in with quirky personalities.
The story really centers on Esme - finding her own purpose, finding the bones, finding her place in the family and coming to terms with it, and finding the dinosaur bones.
It was an okay book but I was left wanting more...
