The Sunday Salon - Are You My Newbery 2012 - What the Students Think

We had our final meeting! And the Mock Newbery winners are:



Winner: Divergent by Veronica Roth

Honors: The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
             Okay for Now by Gary Schmidt

 The titles we read were:

1. City of Orphans by Avi
2. Sidekicks by Jack Ferraiolo
3. Trouble with May Amelia by Jennifer Holm
4. Icefall by Matthew J Kirby
5. Inside Out and Back Again by Thannha Lai
6. Apothecary by Maile Meloy
7. The Adventures of Sir Gawain The True by Gerald Morris
8. Divergent by Veronica Roth
9. Okay for Now by Gary Schmidt
10. Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick
11. Bigger Than a Breadbox by Laurel Snyder
12. Emerald Atlas by John Stephens
13. Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
14. Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu
15. Fingertips of Duncan Dorfman by M Wolizter

Somehow, I'd forgotten some of us met over summer! I forgot to include True...Sort of and Between Shades of Gray on the published reading list!

This year's club was fundamentally different than last year's.  We didn't have any sixth graders and ended up with half as many students.  You can tell that most were older by the titles that won!

Also, due to budget constraints, we didn't get the books until late and didn't have many copies of each. Since many students use the school library as the place they receive books - some dropped out because they couldn't get the books in time.

One thing that was the same; it was requested that we do a "popular" book club.  I think I will move my focus next year.  Maybe read books that are/were on the Battle of the Kid's Books.  As of next month, I'll be moving to a lunch time read for each grade.  3 book clubs per month!! For sixth grade, I'll continue using the above list. For 7th graders - which has one boy - I'm going to use fantasy and for 8th - a mix of contemporary romance, fantasy, and mystery.


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The Adventures of Sir Gawain the True by Gerald Morris

Morris, Gerald. The Adventures of Sir Gawain The True. Houghton Mifflin. 2011. 14.99. 9780547418551.

Oh, Gerald Morris. You had me at "You don't think that just because you saved my life we're, you know, in love or something, do you?"

Sir Gawain the Undefeated was just that and while he didn't lack courage, King Arthur also wanted his knights to learn how to be kind and courteous.  Shortly after Gawain's less than stellar encounter with a lady and a dragon, (but no tattoo) King Arthur reminds his nephew, and the other knights, that chivalry is NOT dead! Sir Gawain is having none of it, I mean, he doesn't want to be called Sir Gawain the Love Doctor now does he? But, alas, we follow Sir Gawain and watch as he moves from a steadfast belief that "might makes right" to thinking carefully not only about situations but about the people involved in them. If you don't know anything about King Arthur, no worries, Morris takes the legend and brings it to an understandable and easy-to-grasp level.  This would be perfect in a classroom.  It's only 118 pgs and includes adventure, friendship, battles, and trickery all covered in a healthy dose of humor.  I can see it as a read aloud.  I'll be picking up the other two books in the The Knights Tales and you should too!

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The Sunday Salon -Hound Dog True by Linda Urban

Hound Dog True. Urban, Linda. Harcourt Children's Books. 149p. 15.99. 9780547558691.

This is the story of Mattie Breen.  A shy, ten-year-old girl who's always moving and just wants to be a "custodial apprentice". Hound dog true.  Mattie figures if she works with her uncle, Potluck, during recess adn other school-related free time, she can avoid the debilitating effects of being new and friendless and having no one to sit next to or chat with. Then Mattie meets Quincy. Quincy has this unaffected way of talking, like everything and everyone is boring.  You know the tone. It's how the word "whatever" became so ubiquitous.  Anyways (ha!), to Mattie, Quincy is like this sophisticated teen and she's afraid that she'll be rejected by her so she's determined to avoid her and spare herself the heartache.  Unfortunately, her mother has other ideas.  So Mattie decides she can be cool and unconcerned. But you can only pretend for so long.

I was a Mattie.  Still am.  I prefer books to people because I always feel out of my league. Like, why are these sophisticated people talking to me. Or, more often than not, why aren't these sophisticated people talking to me! How can I be more like them?  How did they become so awesome? Is there some secret school these people went to that I need to know about? Luckily, since I read a lot, I know all about characters and I routinely try different ones on hoping no one notices and they accept this new "me".  It leaves me on edge, always second guessing myself, checking my words before spitting them out.  It's why I love texting and twitter.  I can be anybody! Hound dog true.

But, enough about me, please! Linda Urban has a passion for what she calls "quiet books", as evidenced by both Hound Dog True and A Crooked Kind of Perfect.  This is one of those quiet books that, on the surface, seems like not much is happening, but underneath, you can see the changes in Mattie, the struggles she's facing and attempting to overcome, and you root for her and you pray and you hope and you keep reading because if Mattie can do it, so can you.

For you writers out there, check out Urban's earlier attempts at Hound Dog True. It gives you hope.  Don't give up because you didn't wake up with a vision and the story pretty much writes itself.  Sometimes the good stuff takes patience and perseverance. Poor Moe.

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The Flint Heart by Katherine Paterson - Eligible?

The Flint Heart. Paterson, Katherine and John.  Candlewick Press, 2011. 19.99. 9780763647124.

This "freely abridged" version of Eden Phillpott's The Flint Heart written in 1910. It says abridged - Phillpott's story was 334 pg and Paterson's is 288, but it appears to be the same story. I wonder if it's eligible for the Newbery?

According to the Expanded Rules of the Newbery Manual, a book should be an original work. Something New.  It can have parts pubbed before.  But, each committee has to determine what that means to them.  I think this one is NOT eligible but would love to hear your thoughts.

I did find something in the comments on The Heavy Medal blog when they discussed The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship Of Her Own Making.  But, as mentioned, rules depend on committee. If you were on the committee, what would you say?

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The Sunday Salon - Reading Plans

I don't know why I post reading plans, they always make me fee boxed in.  But, they also help me to see what's on my plate.  I've been trying to combine reading from the various groups I'm in:

The SJCPL Mock Newbery clubs - one for kids and the one for adults
The DMS Mock Newbery club - for kids at my school - private
The Goodreads Mock Printz online club - for anyone
The Goodreads Mock Newbery online club -for anyone

Here are some I still need to read, in no particular order:

• Blink and Caution
• Amelia Lost
• Bird in a Box
• Paper Covers Rock
• Dead End in Norvelt
• Trouble With May Amelia
• Freedom Stone
• Flint Heart
• Hound Dog True
• Wildwood
• The Mostly True Story of Jack
• Everybody Sees The Ants
• The Scorpio Races
• Jefferson's Sons
• Adventures of Sir Gawain The True
• Bigger Than A Breadbox
• City of Orphans
• Icefall
• Dark of the Moon
• The Summer Before Boys
• Small Persons with Wings
• Dragon Castle
• Flyaway
• The Queen of Water
• Planet Middle School
• Eight Keys
• Ten Rules for Living with My Sister
• The Inquisitor's Apprentice
• Ghetto Cowboy
• Akata Witch
• Liesl & Po
• Desert Angel
• Jane Austen: A Life Revealed
• Imaginary Girls
• Eddie's War
• Bluefish
• The Silver Bowl
• Water Balloon
• Blizzard of Glass
• Charles Dickens and the Street Children of London
• A Month of Sundays
• The Luck of the Buttons
• Heart and Soul
• I Broke My Trunk
• Money We'll Save
• Never Forgotten
• I am J
• Life Exploded
• Berlin Boxing Club

This doesn't include adult books, under the radar books, holiday books, or books I just want to read!  Hopefully, I can still fit them all in! Being a school librarian helps in that I will have two days off for Thanksgiving and two weeks off for Winter Vacation.

What's on your reading list?  Are there any titles I need to add?

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October ReadAThon - Update #3 - The Apothecary

Shop Indie BookstoresThe Apothecary by Maile Meloy. GP Putnam and Sons. 16.99. 9780399256271.

With a mix of realistic fiction and fantasy, known as magical realism, we are drawn into Janie Scott's memories as she looks back almost 60 years ago when, at the age of 14, she had the best year of her life.  She lived in London with her parents but that wasn't the great part as it was 1952 and London still hadn't put itself back together after World War II.  The great part was meeting Benjamin and his father, the apothecary.  Benjamin and Janie were caught up in the apothecary's plan to save humanity by isolating, and hopefully reversing, the atomic bomb.

I was sucked into the story from the "note to the reader" all the way to the end.  Even though the story was told from Janie's memories, it felt more immediate.  Though, I admit, it was little jarring to go from being 7 on one page to 14 on the other.  Other than that, I found The Apothecary fascinating. I will need to go back and read it again to see if stands up to Newbery scrutiny, but even if it doesn't, I can't wait to see what the students think of this one!

Update:

Title of book(s) read since last update:

The Apothecary by Maile Meloy

Number of books read since you started:

2
Pages read since last update:
353p.

Running total of pages read since you started:

715p. plus 30 min audio

Amount of time spent reading since last update:

3h 50 min
Running total of time spent reading since you started:
8 hours



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October Readathon - Update #2 - The Fingertips of Duncan Dorfman

The Fingertips of Duncan DorfmanThe Fingertips of Duncan Dorfman by Meg Wolitzer. Dutton. 16.99. 9780525423041

Duncan Dorfman just discovered the coolest thing about himself.  But he promised his mom he wouldn't tell anyone. But, circumstances have forced his hand. His fingertips, I mean. Of his left hand, precisely.  You see, Duncan can read with his fingers.  I mean, really, even with his eyes closed.  And it could be his way out of obscurity.  So he agrees to cheat at the annual Youth Scrabble Tournament in Yakamee, Florida. 

And that is just the beginning of Duncan's slippery slope down into the bowels of evil. Or at least into more and more lies.

Meg Wolitzer's writing is solid and keeps you reading about Duncan and the other scrabble geeks in the book.Wolitzer wends a LOT of Scrabble rules into the story but using all caps gives you a chance to skip it if necessary.  Some of the information is fascinating and I found myself wanting to start a Scrabble club at school.  But, in the end, the story proves to be predictable and almost everything wraps up neat and sweet.  The only loose end is why Duncan has this talent or where he got it from. Maybe there are plans for a second book.

While I enjoyed The Fingertips of Duncan Dorfman, I didn't find it nearly as compelling as The Cardturner by Louis Sachar.  The Cardturner is about another unlikely subject, bridge, but Sachar's writing elevates the story and makes you care about the characters while Wolitzer's are bare and unknown.

Update:

Title of book(s) read since last update:

The Fingertips of Duncan Dorfman by Meg Wolitzer

Number of books read since you started:

1
Pages read since last update:
158 plus 30 min of audio

Running total of pages read since you started:

362p plus 30 min audio

Amount of time spent reading since last update:

2hr 10m
Running total of time spent reading since you started:
 4hr 10 min

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A Dog's Way Home by Bobbie Pyron - Guest Post

 

 A Dog's Way Home by Bobbie Pyron

This is one of those tales where even though you think you know the end, the story is compelling enough to keep you moving quickly through the book. You must know what happened.  Pyron doesn't spare us one bit as we follow Tam through the wilderness, hunting and barely surviving. She portrays Tam's thoughts with realism and compassion.  I had to know what inspired her to write this story.  Take a few minutes to read:

Four-Footed Muses

Ted

One of the questions I invariably get asked when I visit schools to talk about my latest book, A Dog’s Way Home, is what inspired me to write the book.  Unlike the answer to the inspiration for my first book, The Ring, this answer is easy: the two great passions in my life—dogs and books.

Several summers ago, I’d finished writing The Ring. I’d tucked it away in a drawer to “marinate” for a month or so before I started revising it. I was up in the mountains hiking with my two dogs, Teddy and Boo.  Teddy is a Shetland Sheepdog like Tam in A Dog’s Way Home. Boo is a coyote mix of some sort-perhaps mixed with Border Collie and Australian Shepherd. Teddy, like any good Sheltie, trotted along beside me, never straying far from my side. Quite honestly, Teddy would be happiest if he were surgically implanted in my side. Boo, on the other hand, was off hunting. She always knows where I am even if I can’t see her. From time to time Teddy briefly joined Boo in a chase of some sort, but he always came racing back to my side, licking my fingertips in apology.  Watching the two of them interact so differently with me and the wilderness, I asked myself that most important questions all writes ask: “What if?”  What if Teddy and I were somehow separated and he had to survive in the wilderness all on his own? Could he? And what about Boo? I was pretty sure with her excellent hunting skills she could survive in the wilderness on her own, but what would she feel emotionally? I was pretty darned sure she’d be lonely for me and Teddy. As we sat beside a fast-flowing stream and ate our lunch, I heard a young girl’s voice telling me about losing her beloved Sheltie in a car accident and how no one believed he would come back to her, but she believed. 

Thus, Abby’s voice was born.

I’m also a passionate reader and have been ever since I can remember. I can no more imagine my life without books than I can imagine my life without dogs. When I was a kid, I read every great dog adventure book out there: The Incredible Journey, Irish Red, Lad, and of course my all-time favorite, Lassie Come-Home. When I first started writing A Dog’s Way Home, I knew I wanted to pay homage to those classic dog books.  I read and re-read them as I worked on my own book, using them as my role models for how to best portray the deep emotions of a dog without having the dog actually speak.  I am always so honored (and humbled) now when reviewers and fans of my book compare it to those great classics.

I like to tell people, A Dog’s Way Home is my personal love letter to the two life-sustaining passions in my life: dogs and books.  

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Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick - Bookaday #12

Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick
Scholastic Press
2011 (ARC)

Wonderstruck. That's exactly how I felt after reading this book! I was sad when Brian Selznick stopped illustrating the covers for Andrew Clements; I loved his work.  Then he came out with The Invention of Hugo Cabret and I got it.  It took a lot of work to write a story where the pictures are so integral if you miss one, you might as well give up! That book won the Caldecott.  Now, 4 years later, he's done it again.  Though, I think we might have a Newbery contender on our hands.  Wonderstruck is, at least, two stories in one.  Ben's is the story we start out reading while Rose's story is told in the pictures.  We alternate between the two but at the same time, they seem entwined.  Ben just lost his mother and is at his old house when he is struck by lightning.  This leads him on a journey to find his father.  Rose is obsessed with an actress she desperately wants to see but she is being locked inside the house.  This leads her to run away.  I can't tell you much more because it would give things away.  This is a MUST read. Really, beg, borrow, or steal, err, I mean pre-order it now!
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A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness - Bookaday #1

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
Walker Books, UK
9/2011

"What you think is not important. It is only important what you do."

I couldn't wait till September to get this book in the US so I bought it from Book Depository.  It was worth it.  I can't tell you much about the book because it would spoil it. The monster comes to tell Conor three stories.  "You're going to tell me stories?" ..."How is that a nightmare?"  But the stories are not what they appear and Conor's understanding of them has some surprising results.  "And suddenly they were back in Conor's grandma's sitting room. Conor saw that he had destroyed almost every inch of it."  This will definitely be on our Mock Newbery list at school.  Don't miss this one.


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Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai - Review

Inside Out and Back Again
Thanhha Lai
HarperCollins Children's
2/2011

Ha and her family are forced to move from Saigon to Alabama.  They not only leave behind their life experiences and their belongings but also Ha's father who was captured by the military.  They haven't seen nor heard from him in years and are afraid that, if he is alive, he will never be able to find them in America.

In Saigon the family is mostly happy but very poor.

Yam and manioc
taste lovely
blended with rice,
she says, and smiles,
as if I don't know
how the poor 
fill their children's bellies.

And the high cost of everything without any additional money coming in combined with the encroaching war is what convinces the mom that leaving is their best bet.  Their father's military connections land them a coveted spot on a naval ship. All is not well in America.  The family is ostracized and Ha is bullied at school.

Things will get better,
just you wait.


I don't believe her
but it feels good
that someone knows.

The brothers and the mom look for work and try to support themselves, not wanting to depend on the American who "sponsored" them, especially since he didn't really want a family.  Throughout the parts in Alabama, we also listen in as Ha learns English with all of it's confusing rules.  This helps to lighten the story somewhat.

Historical fiction works well as a verse novel.  The spareness of the prose makes the images seem more stark and heartfelt. The story takes place over one year, opening and closing with Tet, the lunar new year.  Ha's wishes on both these days help to solidify the changes we see happening to her over the course of the novel.

Possible Pairs
All The Broken Pieces by Ann E. Burg
Tropical Secrets: Holocaust Refugees in Cuba by Margarita Engle
The Red Umbrella by Christina Gonzalez

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