This is the first time in a quite a few years that I've neither hosted a Mock Newbery at school nor helped out with one at the public library.
I've been consumed by my committee reading, and not in a bad way.
Just in a way that I've invested in a lot of adult audio books.
So, I feel weird moving into what would be the month of power reading before our first official voting round. Here we would pick our top books and then release the list, assign students to champion some books, and make sure we've read all the books put forth so that we can discuss and discuss in January. SIGH!
Bright side: Beyond my second round CYBILS duties, I don't have any official committee work next year! This may mean a return to NerdPrintz, Batty About Books, the Mock Printz Goodreads Group, and other bookish things! HOORAY!
Kathy: As soon as I heard about this book, I wanted to read it! Schmidt’s Okay for Now was one of one my favorite books last year. The students voted it as an honor book for our Mock Newbery, it was fiercely debated on The Heavy Medal blog and was also THE winner of SLJ’s Battle of the Kid’s Books! Expectations are HIGH!
Part 1 - pgs 1 - 142 (My comments are in BLUE and Maria's responses are in PURPLE)
Kathy: The Valorim, O’Mondim, and the Ethelim - Schmidt jumps right into the fantasy world. And with a battle no less. Some of the words were a little confusing but the plot itself was easy to follow. Loved the last stand and how the ART was preserved because it meant life itself. Yes! I mention this focus on the Art as well. I love this. The beauty we create is a huge piece of what makes humanity, and I love that it is vital to the honorable Valorim as well.
Kathy: The Peppers (only 3 instead of 5) - Tommy Peppers (I love how we mostly say his full name) what a character. Schmidt’s description were such that I could picture not only Tommy, but his buddies too. I like Tommy’s sense of humor and his compassion. He seems to know what’s really happening in the world, but not let it hold him back too much. I love his relationship with his sister. I love how he creates the Art and doesn’t really seem surprised by it. I agree that the descriptive language in this book is amazing. Tommy seems like a real kid, even with the crazy chain.
Though the threat of being ousted from their house by Mrs. Lumpkin (ha!) hangs over the Peppers, they get up to greet the dawn with cocoa and tea and love. What a great ritual. This is one of the ways that the family reminds me of the Murrys. Don’t you think?
Kathy: The Imagery - the landscape is vividly portrayed, at least in Plymouth. Schmidt’s descriptions of Tommy’s drawings - “he drew in the sound of the stones being pulled back and forth and the tolling of the buoys.” makes me imagine being there. I loved how he described the road to the Pepper’s lonely, dilapidated house - “...the road sort of coughed, stuttered, and then died into a gravel path...to the house that had once been white, but the paint had blown away long ago. Yes! I kept going back and rereading the description. Honestly, I usually skim description (is that a terrible confession?). I loved the descriptions of the Pepper’s house. I can picture it, with the windows that look out over the sea..
I had a harder time pulling myself into Ethelim. I loved the rhythm and the speech patterns of the inhabitants, but I don’t know what it *looks* like. I think I struggled with the language, trying to make it fit into patterns of English that I’m familiar with, and it held me back from full immersion. I wished the glossary was in the front, I think that makes it easier to access, though students of fantasy will probably just as soon look in the back. They are not lazy like me! :) Ummm.... yeah... I’m an idiot. I’m going to go with the fact that I used the dust jacket to mark the halfway point as my excuse for not going to the glossary earlier. (I mention my problem with the language too). I agree, it took me almost to the halfway point before I really felt comfortable in this world. I thought the “high fantasy” writing style fit this world well, but I think maybe he tossed in TOO many new words all at once. The same words appear in Tommy’s section, but aren’t as jarring. They flow better, probably because the density of the new words isn’t as high in Tommy’s section.
Kathy: The Story - first, it reminds me of Dragon Castle. Not sure why. Maybe the tone of the piece? Second, I liked the alternating real time voices. It wasn’t like somehting happened a long time ago and the necklace brought it’s effects to Earth, instead we are seeing two sides of the coin, each chapter flipping us to the other side. Somehow it’s making the story seem more realistic than fantastical. The idea of the necklace embodying the ART of the Valorim, and affecting Tommy Peppers, reminds me of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows when they wore the horcrux. Only, this time it’s for good. How it makes Tommy long for things he never really had but also brings him closer to his mother? Genius. I love how the language of the Valorim slips into Tommy’s speech. I also like how both viewpoints are current, it’s not a peek into the past. I have a hard time classifying this one. The other world being another planet makes it seem a little bit science fiction (and that’s what Amazon has it classified as), but I think it’s more fantasy with the chain being a magical relic.
So far - What Came From the Stars has great potential. I want Schmidt to continue fleshing out the characters, especially dad and Mrs. Lumpkin. I want to know if she and Cheryl Lynn Lumpkin back off or continue being bullies. Is there a Mr. Lumpkin? Will dad continue painting? I didn’t even mention the other characters. I really want more of them as well. Mrs. Lumpkin is almost farcical, but I like the humor that her character brings into the story (even though she’s clearly causing problems). One of my favorite parts is on page 117 where there isn’t dialogue written out, but you can figure out what Tommy’s father is saying, sort of... “Mrs. Lumpkin said that her only purpose had been to come - in good faith - to lend a helping hand. Mrs. Lumpkin said that no one had ever used such words in her presence before...”
That section could have been overdone, but it was so well written and funny.
Head on over to Maria's Melange to read her comments on What Came From The Stars!
See you next Saturday with the last half of the book!
This is it! The Newbery award winner and honor books will be officially announced tomorrow, January 18. The winner has already been chosen by the committee because they have to give it to the press to be ready for the early webcast.
The committee members had to read hundreds and hundreds of books chosen because they were published for children, ages birth - fourteen, in 2009. The books had to be written by an American resident or citizen and couldn't have been published anywhere else first.
Books I Read I mostly read books that had received a starred review from one of the major review organizations. Since I'm not on the many publishing lists I didn't receive boxes and boxes of books to read. So, I found most of my books at the local library. If they didn't have them, I pretty much could not read them. So, here's my full list of books I read to try and find the Newbery.
Reality Check by Peter Abrahams
Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
Anything But Typical by Nora Raleigh Baskin
The Red Blazer Girls by Michael Beil
Diego: Bigger Than Life by Carmen T Bernier-Grand
All the Broken Pieces by Ann E Burg
Wild Things by Clay Carmichael
Fire by Kristin Cashore
Happenstance Found by PW Catanese
Al Capone Shines My Shoes by Gennifer Choldenko
Extra Credit by Andrew Clements
The Girl Who Threw Butterflies by Mick Cochrane
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
The Unfinished Angel by Sharon Creech
Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo
Tropical Secrets by Margarita Engle
Born to Fly by Michael Ferrari
The Dream Stealer by Sid Fleischman
The Year the Swallows Came Early by Kathryn Fitzmaurice
If I Stay by Gayle Forman
Operation Redwood by S. Terrell French
Crossing Stones by Helen Frost
Jumped by Rita Williams Garcia
Umbrella Summer by Lisa Graff
Forest Born by Shannon Hale
Emmaline and the Bunny by Katherine Hannigan
Scat by Carl Hiaasen
Claudette Colvin by Philip Hoose
Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly
Pop by Gordon Korman
Love, Aubrey by Suzanne LaFleur
Also Known as Harper by Ann Haywood Leal
Wings by Jason Lethcoe
Where The Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin
Crow Call by Lois Lowry
The Rock and The River by Kekla Magoon
Neil Armstrong is My Uncle by Nan Marino
Eleven Birthdays by Wendy Mass
The Small Adventures of Popeye and Elvis by Barbara O'Connor
Heart of a Shepherd by Rosanne Parry
Day of the Pelican by Katherine Paterson
Notes From The Dog by Gary Paulsen
Season of Gifts by Richard Peck
Mostly True Adventures of Homer P Figg by Rodman Philbrick
SLOB by Ellen Potter
The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan
When The Whistle Blows by Fran Cannon Slayton
Mother Poems by Hope Anita Smith
When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
Almost Astronauts by Tonya Lee Stone
Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X Stork
Heroes of the Valley by Jonathan Stroud
Perpetual Check by Richard Wallace
Peace, Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson
Escape Under the Forever Sky by Eve Yohalem
I must say even if I haven't read the award winner, I've read quite a few marvelous books! Any one of these books would make a valuable addition to any school library! The list includes a variety of genres, picture books, MG books, and YA books. Something for everyone!
My Top Picks I loved many of these books so choosing my top ten was very difficult. I tried to stick to the Newbery criteria of distinguished writing and quality presentation to children. So, in alphabetical order, these are my top 5 in terms of Newbery-ness:
Claudette Colvin by Philip Hoose
Love, Aubrey by Suzanne LeFleur
The Rock and The River by Kekla Magoon
When The Whistle Blows by Fran Cannon Slayton
When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
The books I marked in bold are ones I think more suited for the Printz award. My top picks for the Printz, in order of love, are:
Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
Fire by Kristin Cashore
Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X Stork
Reality Check by Peter Abrahams
So, there you have it. I'll come back after the announcements to update this post with the actual winners.
Update: Newbery Award Winner - When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead Honors - Claudette Colvin, Where The Mountain Meets The Moon, The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P Figg, Evolution of Calpurnia Tate
Printz Award Winner - Going Bovine by Libba Bray Honors - Charles and Emma, Monstrumologist, Punkzilla, Tales of the Madmen Underground
My search is almost over. On Monday, January 18, 2010 at 7:45am the ALA will announce the Newbery Award winner, along with other Youth Media awards. Tune in to the live ALA Webcast to follow along.
I was involved in a few organization's Mock Newbery clubs and I want to share their results with you.
Allen County Public Library - ACPL Mock Newbery The ACPL Mock Newbery held it's final discussions and votes on January 9. Kris, from St. Joseph County Public Library, and I traveled for two hours to get there. Each participant was allowed to pick one book to champion and two back-up books. Throughout the year, Mary Voors had posted summaries of books she thought would be eligible for the Newbery. You then commented on the post. She posted a total of 4 short lists with the final list containing 45 books. I read 32 of those books in time for the discussion.
ACPL Mock Newbery winner - When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead Honors - Peace, Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson Crossing Stones by Helen Frost
Discovery Middle School Teacher Mock Newbery A handful of the coolest middle school teachers around read from a list of 19 books that I chose. Our club's focus included finding books that may be added to a classroom library as well as books that would compliment the curriculum. Two of the books were the latest books by Katherine Paterson and Gary Paulsen, whose books are read by many of the 6th grade students. Our vote was extremely close and unfortunately, due to lack of time, we were not able to cast new ballots to get a clear winner.
DMS Mock Newbery top books in alphabetical order:
All The Broken Pieces by Ann Burg
Girl Who Threw Butterflies by Mick Cochrane
When the Whistle Blows by Fran Cannon Slayton
St. Joseph County Public Library - SJCPL Mock Newbery This was the only club I participated in that included students. I assisted Kris Springer, the Children's Department manager for all SJCPL branches. Kris has been doing this for a few years but this was my first time participating. There were around 25 students from ages 9 - 14 (oldest you can be to participate). The students included a mix of boys/girls and private/home/public school members. It was quite the lively crowd. Any librarian would kill for a group like this! These students had a list of 18 core books plus extra books for a total of 95 (or so) books. Kris ran the club very similar to the real Newbery committee and the students met over two days to finalize their votes from a list of 20 nominated books.
SJCPL Mock Newbery winner - The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan Honor books - Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma by Trenton Stewart When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
In the meantime, I've pretty much wrapped up my reading and moved on to other books until I pick up the search for next year's book sometime in late Feb/early Mar. I'll post my predictions during Sunday Salon.
Whew! I've been doing a lot of reading but not a lot of blogging, I know. We have a two week break coming up and I promise to blog more often then. I know many people are taking a break from blogging at this time so this is a good time for me to step up!!
Since my last Are You My Newbery post, I've read: Crossing Stones by Helen Frost Heroes of the Valley by Jonathan Stroud Forest Born by Shannon Hale Unfinished Angel by Sharon Creech Extra Credit by Andrew Clements Wild Things by Clay Carmichael Love, Aubrey by Suzanne LeFleur Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin Umbrella Summer by Lisa Graff Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly Also Known As Harper by Ann Haywood Leal The Small Adventures of Popeye and Elvis by Barbara O'Connor
Skype Interviews Fran Cannon Slayton of When The Whistle Blows - very informative. I have some audio that I'm trying to include but will just post the interview if people are interested. This was with the teachers in my Mock Newbery club at the middle school.
Jacqueline Kelly of Evolution of Calpurnia Tate - intriguing. This was with the St. Joseph Public Library Mock Newbery club which has about 30 students from a variety of schools.
My Mock Newbery 2010 guesses When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead When The Whistle Blows by Fran Cannon Slayton The Rock and the River by Kekla Magoon SLOB by Ellen Potter Neil Armstrong is My Uncle by Nan Marino Al Capone Shines My Shoes by Gennifer Choldenko The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo Crossing Stones by Helen Frost Wild Things by Clay Carmichael Small Adventures of Popeye and Elvis by Barbara O'Connor
If you want to see reviews of any of these, please leave me a comment! I will get it up as soon as possible!
Summary Muriel, Ollie and Emma relay the events leading up to WWI when two of their number decide to join the army. We also get a glimpse into the women's civil rights movement as it relates to Muriel's family.
Format This verse novel alternates between the voices of Muriel, whose words are shaped like a river, and Emma/Ollie, whose words are shaped like crossing stones. The "stones" also have a special rhyme scheme that the author explains in her notes. Each chapter is made up of several poems and covers a month from April 1917 to January 1918.
My Thoughts My first thoughts on picking up this book were "not another war novel". This year's Newbery hopefuls are replete with them. Helen Frost writes about WWI but I've read about WWII, 9/11, and the War in Kosovo.
Crossing Stones alternates voices but in a way that's not disruptive to the book's overall tone. I found myself understanding both Muriel and Ollie's viewpoint because their characters are well drawn. You understand why they make the choices they do. Muriel is "plucky" but not overbearing and she's also thoughtful.
Mother: I have no intention of becoming the Mrs. Norman of your imaginary future. Who I am remains to be seen - and I alone intend to see it. (p. 15)
Ollie's young but tenderhearted.
To tell the truth, I don't care as much about their lofty goals as I do about seeing my family again- there's a man on a bike, pedaling into the morning, bringing bread home to his family, I bet. (p. 60)
Through their eyes we also get a sense of the other characters.
The plot had just enough history to make it interesting but not boring. Each poem was like it's own little story within a story. The writing was so vivid and the story moved quickly. Frost didn't just focus on the homefront, what happened to the people left behind, but also gave us a little taste of the warfront as well as the suffragist's movement.
I really enjoyed Crossing Stones and can't wait to find Diamond Willow. I give it 4 copies. Bonus: Helen Frost lives in Fort Wayne, IN! Maybe we can do an author visit - if only I could find a curriculum use for this one...
Some of you know that I've been working with two book clubs as we try to determine what the ALA committee will pick as the January 2010 Newbery Award winner. Last year I not only hadn't read The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, I hadn't heard of it! This year, I'm determined not to have that happen. So we've scoured review lists looking for books that have received starred reviews or have received a lot of buzz. They can also be books that were put out by established authors. We ahave to be sure the author meets the ALA residency requirements and the books haven't been published somewhere before. The books also have to be published in 2009.
This experience has exposed me to a lot of good reads that I may have missed and I'm on the hunt until The Newbery's are announced on January 18, 2010. That's only 47 days! I've read 32 books so far and have about 60 more I want to read.
So, for the next 47 days I will be hijacking The Brain Lair. I'll make frequent but short posts to keep you updated on how my search is going.
Here's the list as it stands today - KBNewlist - if you think there are titles I'm missing let me know. If you want to find your own Newbery let me know and I'll link to your post.
My Mock Newbery 2010 Guesses When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead When The Whistle Blows by Fran Cannon Slayton The Rock and the River by Kekla Magoon SLOB by Ellen Potter Neil Armstrong is My Uncle by Nan Marino Al Capone Shines My Shoes by Gennifer Choldenko The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo
I finished J. Kaye's Support Your Library challenge. I didn't do all the reviews but I have read over 50 library books so far. You'd think it would be easy, me being a librarian and all. Nope.
I have one month left to read but I also have my Mock Newbery books to read so my plan is to finish the DystopYA challenge and the 50 Books challenge since each of them only require me to read one book. I will rejoin the Diversity Challenge in 2010 and that's it. I plan on doing some sort of Mock Printz 2011 club so I'm thinking of focusing on that beginning in February and possibly doing some Steampunk... and of course I will try to review more in 2010.
TBR Recently, over at twitter, I asked What's the best book you've read so far this year? I'm looking for awe and beauty and joy and sorrow and thought-provokingness. Here are the answers - I'll be adding the ones I haven't read to my Christmas break reading list!
stephxsu @thebrainlair Wow, tough question. One of my favorites was ASH by Malinda Lo. Also loved FIRE by Kristin Cashore.
Miss_Tammy @thebrainlair I adored LIPS TOUCH THREE TIMES by Laini Taylor. As soon as I was done I wanted to start over again.
thebookcellarx @thebrainlair Definitely Going Too Far by Jennifer Echols
cindypon @thebrainlair i loved eyes like stars by @lisamantchev flash burnout by @lkmadigan king of attolia by megan whalen turner
vasilly @thebrainlair August: Osage County by Tracy Letts. It's like reading a soap opera but way better. RascofromRIF @thebrainlair Best book of the year for me: A tie between The Book Thief, Someone Knows my Name, Chains!
MaryAnnScheuer @thebrainlair have you tried Lips Touch by Laini Taylor? I am so gripped (with wonderment and fascination) by the stories. stormfilled @thebrainlair Best book so far this year - Paper Towns by John Green. Loved it. Now making students read it and they're loving it too. ReadingRants @thebrainlair How to Say Goodbye in Robot is one of my favs of the year. susan259 @thebrainlair Couple more The Hate List/Brown, Ash/Lo, Twenty Boy Summer/Ockler, Beautiful Place to Die/Nunn
Have you read any of these? Do you have any other suggestions? I've read the ones in bold so you see I have some reading to do and I cannot wait. Makes me look forward to the holidays even more!
Newbery Update (as of 11/22/09) We are counting down the days until the Newbery award is announced in January. I'm hoping they tweet the announcements again this year.
Dream Stealer by Sid Fleischman Born to Fly by Michael Ferrari Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly The Rock and The River by Kekla Magoon Mother Poems by Hope Anita Smith Heart of A Shepherd by Rosanne Parry Tropical Secrets by Margarita Engle
I'm going to be reading like crazy for the next two months. Luckily, I have some time over the holidays. :)
Summary 13 year-old Sam is caught between his father, a nonviolent Martin Luther King, Jr. supporter and his brother Stick, and 18 year-old member of the Black Panthers.
Sam relays events that lead up to and follow the death of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the beating of Stick's friend, Bucky. He tells how these events affected someone who was connected to diametric factions that ultimately really wanted the same things.
My Thoughts In the beginning, I had a little trouble getting into The Rock and The River. The voice was uneven, wavering between an adolescent and an adult sound. But as I continued reading, I realized that a 13 year-old IS wavering between those worlds. Just like Sam. As Sam learns more about the Civil Rights Movement, the voice starts settling and I "hear" more of him. The pace of the story moves quickly. We are instantly into the action and then pulled back and then back into the action. Sam wants a girlfriend and he wants his dad and his brother to stop fighting. He wants to stop having to choose between them.
Sam's brother Stick's voice was harder to get into. Of course, we only know of him through Sam. We know what Sam knows about Stick. And that's the part of Stick's life that affects him. Stick wants change, he wants his dad to take him seriously, he wants to make his own choices.
"It's the rock and the river, you know? They serve each other, but they're not the same thing." (233)
The Rock and The River was all about choices: how they affect everything - whether you choose to do something or do nothing. Choose to demonstrate, ride the bus, drink from that fountain, go down that particular street, sit at that store's counter, say yes sir or yes ma'am, answer to girl or boy - no matter your age, fight, resist, sing, cry...these are just a few of the choices that had to be made. Some are still being made.
The Rock and The River will grab you. I liked how Magoon showed the nonviolent movement as well as the Black Panther movement without too much romanticizing of either. I thought the emotions were true and the characters, especially Sam, believable. I look forward to sharing this one. 4 copies.
Born To Fly Michael Ferrari Delacorte Press 224 p. (lib)
Summary All of her life, Bird has wanted to fly. Her dad has been very encouraging and teaches her quite a lot about flying. He gets called as a fighter pilot during the war (WWII) and Bird is left to try and fit in with the other town children, who all think she is weird.
My Thoughts Although Born to Fly is a WWII novel it focuses on another aspect of the war. Shortly after Pearl Harbor, Kenji, a displaced Japanese American, joins Bird's school where he is immediately the outcast. The two loners don't get along until they are forced to evade the town bully. They hang out and discover that evil forces are at work in the town. Kenji and his uncle are put on trial and only Bird can save him. But if she saves Kenji she puts her family in danger. What choice does she have?
Michael Ferrari captures the voice of a young girl and makes her sound believable. I thought the story moved quickly and the ending wrapped things up nicely but it wasn't too overdone. 4 copies.
Summary Susana is having a great dream about her best friend who's moved away when the dream suddenly disappears and she wakes up. She finds out about the dream stealer and she's determined to track him down and get her dream back.
My Thoughts The Dream Stealer has one of the most un-appealing covers I've seen in a while. I was determined not to judge a book by it's cover and decidedly opened the book. Unfortunately, the cover reflected the story for me, appealing.
The story centers around Susana who, after losing her dream, finds out through family members that someone takes children's nightmares. But she wasn't having a nightmare and she wants her dream back - it's the closest she's been to her friend in weeks. She tricks the dream stealer into revealing himself and taking her back to his castle where she has to fight off giants and turn lightning bugs back into dreams.
Fleischman "tells" the reader this story as if he's sitting across from us. This supposedly pulls us into the story and keeps us waiting to see what will happen to Susana. I was not intrigued but it might be a good one to read aloud.
Summary Daniel's parents get enough money together to send him to America to escape the Holocaust. His ship gets turned away from New York and he ends up in Cuba. In Cuba, he meets Paloma and David, two people who help him keep hope alive that one day he will be re-united with his parents.
My Thoughts Tropical Secrets is a verse novel told in alternating voices. We hear from Daniel, the main character, David, an older refugee, Paloma, a Cuban who tries to help the refugees, and El Gordo, Paloma's father.
Tropical Secrets is historical fiction that takes place over almost three years. We arrive in Cuba with Daniel in June of 1939. He slowly learns to fit in: accepting clothing and food from David and Paloma. David has been in Cuba a long time and sells ice cream while Paloma's father is a crooked official who takes money to let the ships land in Cuba.
The alternating voices were jarring to me. I felt that once I was "into" a character and hearing their voice, the story shifted to someone else and I would have to work my way back into that voice. It was helpful that the speaker's names were listed when they spoke but it was also intrusive because even if the next page was the same speaker, the name was listed again.
The story itself was fascinating. I hadn't realized how many people were turned away from the USA and Canada during the war. Can you imagine if your boat was sent back? Margarita Engle was able to extract some beauty from this tragedy. Here are some lines that resonated with me:
"...there are always the drums of passing footsteps..."
"Joy and truth both have a way of peeking through any dark curtain."
"...the boy lost somewhere between the torment of memory and a few fragile shards of hope."
Overall I found this short tale engaging. It offers another view of the Holocaust which I believe students will want to read. Eighth graders will read Night by Elie Wiesel and The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. I'll offer this one through book talks. I give it four copies.
Here's a list of books that I've read so far for two Newbery Clubs. The ones in bold are ones I think have a shot at the Newbery not necessarily ones I like. I'm also adding links to Newbery sites I follow.
Newbery Reads (as of 10/30/09) Reality Check by Peter Abrahams The Red Blazer Girls by Michael Biel Diego Bigger Than Life by Carmen T. Bernier Grand All The Broken Pieces by Ann E. Burg Fire by Kristin Cashore Al Capone Shines My Shoes by Gennifer Choldenko The Girl Who Threw Butterflies by Mick Cochrane Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo Operation Redwood by S. Terrell French Emmaline and The Bunny by Katherine Hannigan Scat by Carl Hiaasen Pop by Gordon Korman Crow Call by Lois Lowry Neil Armstrong Is My Uncle and Other Lies by Muscle Man McGinty Told Me by Nan Marino Notes from the Dog by Gary Paulsen The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg by W. Rodman Philbrick SLOB by Ellen Potter The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan When The Whistle Blows by Fran Cannon Slayton When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead Almost Astronauts by Tanya Lee Stone Perpetual Check by Rich Wallace Peace, Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson
I have many more books to read before announcements in January! Here's a good list of books that have received starred reviews but keep in mind that books must also meet other Newbery criteria and some of the books on the list might not be eligible for the award. New books are also still being released!
Wow! Hard to believe it's October already. It's been busy at school/work. Lots of booktalks and conferences and planning sessions. I've been so busy doing talks about books that I haven't had much time to read any books!
Read The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg by Rodman Philbrick (Mock Newbery club)- glad I stuck with this one. As the story progressed I found myself invested in Homer and what was going to happen to him. I don't think it was distinguished enough for Newbery even though I enjoyed it.
Crow Call by Lois Lowry (Mock Newbery club) - good, especially since it's based on Lowry's life, but again, not distinguished enough for a Newbery.
The Last Dickens by Matthew Pearl (TLC blog tour) - good but not great. Review on October 6th.
Reading Scat by Carl Hiaasen (Mock Newbery club) - I'm listening to this one. It's read by Ed Asner. I like it but reminds me of Hoot. The same kind of environmental premise. I'm not sure what I think of the side story of the student's dad being hurt in Iraq. We'll see how it pans out.
Breaking the Bank by Yona McDonough (blog tour) - interesting premise but easy to put down. Review October 5th.
Mrs O: The Face of Fashion by Mary Tomer (rvw) - I requested this one and think it is a great coffee table book. Look for more later in the month.
Al Capone Shines My Shoes by Gennifer Choldenko (Teacher Mock Newbery) - will put this aside since our meeting date has been changed.
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee - was supposed to finish this yesterday and give away but I'm having a hard time with it. I'm distressed by the excessive use of the word "ni*****". I was put off by the phrase "the warm bittersweet smell of clean Negro..." I'm only 1/2 finished so I'm hoping for redemption. Will giveaway when done.
All The Broken Pieces by Ann Burg (Mock Newbery Club) - verse novel. I'm really impressed by this one so far.
Mock Newbery Club I'm learning about one of the many ways to run a Mock Newbery club by assisting the Children's Librarian at St. Joseph County Public Library, main branch. We've had an initial meeting where Kris explained how the club would work and patrons picked their first reads. We have our first book discussion meeting on Thursday, October 8. I can't wait!
Book Fair We're running a book fair until October 15th. I'm using Lowry's Books and More to supply the books. They are an independent bookstore in Three Rivers, MI, about 1 hour north of here. They send a great variety of books at all price points. I'll be hosting a Scholastic Book Fair at the beginning of December as a comparison. Book fairs allow me to raise money for book marks, book club purchases, giveaways, posters, and small decor updates. The money stretches my budget and it's not as restricted as money from the corporation. This year we were able to buy some "trees" and a wireless scanner. It will make inventory so much easier! Do you host book fairs? How has your experience been? What company do you use?
Dewey's Read-a-thon It's almost here! I'll start at 8am on October 24th. Not sure what I plan on reading yet. I have a fair number of books on my piles that I want to tackle and challenges I want to finish. I do plan on reading more these next few months and spending less time online, this could be my kick-off!
Winners 1. Ghostgirl 1 and 2 - This week I sent out Ghostgirl 1 and 2 by Tonya Hurley to those July 10 winners! Over 2 months late! I sent them first class so they should have them now!
2. Bram Hambric - I picked the winner for my ARC of Bran Hambric: The Farfield Curse by Kaleb Nation that comes complete with interview questions. The winner is
Read The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo (Teacher Mock Newbery) - good but wonder what audience DiCamillo had in mind. I think it will be great as a readaloud. I want to "attend" the webcast on October 25 and get into her though process.
Notes From the Dog by Gary Paulsen (Teacher Mock Newbery) - liked this better than Hatchet. Simple but entertaining.
Almost Astronauts by Tanya Stone (Teacher Mock Newbery) - loved the formatting in this book but it was very wordy. Learned much about these women who couldn't become astronauts. Sad to remember it wasn't that long ago.
B is for Bufflehead by Steve Hutchcraft (NetGalley) - this was an interesting ABC book. The pictures were incredible and the variety of birds, mixing common with the not-so common, kept me reading. The formatting was a little bit of a challenge since it didn't stay the same. Also, this is definitely one that would have to be read to someone. After going through each bird Hutchcraft gives a miniquiz on each bird - picture and a question with four birds per page. After the miniquiz, Hutchcraft gave more information on each bird which also included four birds per page. The additional facts looked crowded on the page so I pretty much skimmed for the birds I was intrigued by and wanted more info on. The pages included the birds': range, habitat, photo information, food, and "fun feathered facts". Good addition to a school library.
Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause (book talk) - better than I expected. I've been wary of everything vampire, werewolf, etc because I have some students who won't pick up a book without those characters. I enjoyed this. The level of sensuality makes it upper YA.
Invisible by Pete Hautman (book talk) - another request. This was good. The Hautman books I've read are all slightly outside the mainstream. This one fooled me and I didn't get it until it revealed its secret. I then had to go back and certain things clicked. I enjoyed this one! It took me until the 3rd book talk class before I had an epiphany on the title. My mind was stuck on a certain idea until I was acting out the main character to the class...
Dreaming Anastasia by Joy Preble (blog tour) - finished this one. Got me thinking about Russian history. Loved the way Preble weaved the story of Baba Yaga throughout and mixed in her own thoughts.
The Magicians by Lev Grossman - started out strong but then sort of fizzled for me. I liked it well enough but thought the ending was just blah after so much promise. Good enough to pass on to other adult fantasy readers though.
Reading Betsy in Spite of Herself (6) by Maud Lovelace (blog tour) - would be done but I accidently left it at school Friday! I'm liking it because Betsy thinks she needs to be someone "more". So many students (and grown-ups) go through that stage. I Like how Lovelace intersperses history throughout her story. So far, Heaven to Betsy (5) is my favorite!
The Last Dickens by Matthew Pearl (blog tour) - good but not great. It's entertaining but it covers similar ground to Drood by Dan Simmons which I've yet to finish but will before the new year!
The Postmistress by Sarah Blake (BN First Look) - just started. Blake will be on BN.com starting October 12. Waiting for the reading schedule before posting.
The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg by Rodman Philbrick (St. Joe Mock Newbery) - this is my second time trying to read this book. The first time I couldn't get past the cover. This time I've made to page 40. I'm hoping to be at least 1/2 done by the 10/8 meeting! Good thing I'm not in charge! There's just something about it that I'm resisting...
Book Buying Ban This week I received three books that I requested to review so I gave away three books then I went a little crazy and donated 2 bags of books to our school library! Why haven't I thought of that before??? I mean I've given books to our school before but never officially - like this. It was awesome. Except now I must catalog them all :(. I have one more bag to bring in. I did not buy one book this week. It was hard. So, I made a trip to the library and brought home a few reads I hope to get to in October.
The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown - read and liked the Da Vinci Code. The Soloist by Steve Lopez - loved the movie and want to know more about the journalist, Lopez, as well as the prodigy, Nathaniel Ayers. Very intriguing. Stitches by David Small - graphic novel memoir that I've heard good things about. Sent by Margaret Peterson Haddix - loved Found and want to see where she goes with this story. The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly - will return unread and just wait until one of the Newbery clubs I'm in reads it in November.
To celebrate my Freedom to Read I'm going to read and post about To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee this week and then give it away on the 3rd!
The Banned Book Week image is used by Creative Commons license courtesy of newprotest.org.
Long-winded! No more waiting two weeks! I will be mailing out new winners by media mail this week and Vanishing Sculptor to an old (not age!) winner by first class. Have a great week everyone!
Blogging It's September! I'm going to try and blog everyday this month. I'm not very good at scheduling posts in advance and really have a hard time with memes. I'll work both those things out as this month continues. I have several blog tours coming up and books that I've requested that from publishers plus some reviews from past months. I should be able to do this. I've not felt up to blogging these past two months and I'm having a hard time getting back into the swing of things. We shall see!
Living Your Five Kay Cassidy, and her author pals have come up with Living Your Five. "Living Your Five is all about knowing what matters most to you and making a difference in your world in ways large and small." The authors ask that you examine what's important to you and come up with five ways to live those important values everyday. They are going to transparently "live" their five through the group blog with posts every other day.
I've read all the Fives put out by these ladies as I've reflected on my Five. I still haven't put mine into words yet but I know they will have something to do with intentional living, decreased consumption, teaching or mentoring others, and positive communication. I will post them as soon as they are finalized.
Mock Newbery I'm going to be doing this with a few teachers from my school. I've read more books off the St. Joseph Public Library's Mock Newbery list and am starting to get into this. It will be fun debating the merits of books with the teachers. My monthly list will be slightly different than St. Joe's because our focus will be more geared towards our jobs. I'll be posting our first reading list soon.
Format This biography of Diego Rivera is written as a series of poems with 14 full-sized illustrations interspersed. 3 of the illustrations are actually reproductions of Diego's work. Almost every poem includes a small illustration that acts as a summary. The penultimate poem, Still Lifes, features Deigo's ode to Frida Kahlo, titled The Watermelons. The poems are short and appear as visual poetry not so much the language or rhythm from the words. Immediately following the poetry is The True Life of Diego Rivera and it's written in expository text. The book also includes a glossary, a chronology and notes.
Summary We meet Diego at the age of 1 1/2 when a tragedy forces his parents to send him away. He returns home at 4 and draws on everything. He enters an artist's school and wins a scholarship to travel to Spain. At 19 Diego enters a self-induced battle over whether to pursue art paid for by patrons or paint what his heart desired. We follow Diego through many loves and losses including his relationship with the esteemed Frida Kahlo.
Thoughts "He told me to be whatever I want to be." (13) The first person narration pulls you into the story while Diaz's illustrations keep you there. Bernier-Grand's poems give you succinct slices into Diego's life and what influenced his art. Although she only touches briefly on Diego's love life, it might be enough to move this book towards the mature 7th or 8th grader. The expository text coupled with the chronology provide a clearer, more complete picture of Diego Rivera but I think an additional biography would be needed for students who want to focus on this artist for a report. Carmen T. Bernier-Grand website has some teacher activities for her books including Diego: Bigger Than Life.
Readin' When You Reach Me Rebecca Stead Wendy Lamb Books 197 pgs.
2.5 hrs.
Writin'
We meet Miranda who is trying to figure things out: what's going on between her and Sal? What's going on between Richard and Mom? Does she need to get new friends? Where did this note come from and how did they know? That's the main thing Miranda wants to unravel - who sent the note and how did they know these things would happen? She doesn't want to think about the implications though and, of course, the more you don't want to think about something, the more you do!
'Rithmetic
Miranda is trying to help her mom get on The $20,000 Pyramid game show. Her mom is a para-legal for a small office and she dreams of being a lawyer. She holds monthly tenant meeting and writes letters to the proper people about all the problems "But nothing ever changes." (13)
She pushes away her veil when she's trying to focus and "can see the world as it really is, just for those few seconds before it settles down again...see all the beauty, and cruelty and sadness, and love." (71)
Sal and Miranda are best friends, until one day they aren't. And Miranda thinks she knows why but she doesn't understand it.
"Do you even want to be friends at all?...he glared at his feet and said no..." (33)
Marcus is an enigma. Is he smarter than "genius kids like Jay Stringer..." (48) or is he a bully? Can he be both? Why does he notice Miranda sometimes but act like he doesn't at other times? Common sense says stay away from him but Marcus quotes "common sense is just habit of thought. It's how we're used to thinking about things..." (51)
When Sal left Miranda, she found Annemarie, who was left by Julia. Miranda likes hanging with Annemarie but Miranda might like someone who might like Annemarie and that makes Miranda a little mad. "...sitting...in that puddle of meanness....Maybe I couldn't stand for her to have so many people, and to be able to draw and to cut bread on top of that." (112)
And through all this meeting and breaking apart the notes keep coming. Little tiny bits of paper. Little tiny writing. How did they know? How could they know? And how did it all fit together?
The writing in this book was quietly beautiful. Little things that made me pause and think.
"...it's simple to love someone...it's hard to know when you need to say it out loud." (149)
I have so many pages turned down. So many sentences surrounded by little dots (that's how I mark quotes).
The ending comes at just the right moment. Not too slow with you thinking it should already be over...not too fast and you wondering what you missed. I especially loved the last chapter: Parting Gifts. It makes you go back and look and speculate and wonder and go hmm.
I enjoyed this book. It was awesome. It's a realistic sci-fi type book. Stead (pronounced like dead, fed) wove elements from A Wrinkle in Time into the book so while you are reading and thinking about Miranda, other parts of your brain are trying to tie the pieces of that book into this book. Course, her sentences don't run-on like mine! I enjoyed getting to know the characters and understanding why they acted the way they did - except for Louisa, Sal's mom, still don't know her. But all in all, this is definitely 4 copies good. Book club good even. It's a must read. And read again!
Four mysterious letters change Miranda’s world forever.
By sixth grade, Miranda and her best friend, Sal, know how to navigate their New York City neighborhood. They know where it’s safe to go, like the local grocery store, and they know whom to avoid, like the crazy guy on the corner.
But things start to unravel. Sal gets punched by a new kid for what seems like no reason, and he shuts Miranda out of his life. The apartment key that Miranda’s mom keeps hidden for emergencies is stolen. And then Miranda finds a mysterious note scrawled on a tiny slip of paper:
I am coming to save your friend’s life, and my own. I must ask two favors. First, you must write me a letter.
The notes keep coming, and Miranda slowly realizes that whoever is leaving them knows all about her, including things that have not even happened yet. Each message brings her closer to believing that only she can prevent a tragic death. Until the final note makes her think she’s too late.
Readin' Reality Check Peter Abrahams Harper Teen 330 pgs. 5 hrs.
Writin' Cody and Clea are opposites. She's smart and rich. He isn't. He decides that he is holding her back from everything she could be, so he breaks it off with her. But he still loves her. Clea's dad never liked Cody and has decided to send her away to boarding school to finish her high school education. Clea moves across the country to Vermont to attend Dover. Then she disappears. It's in all the papers. And Cody knows that something must be going on so he packs up and heads to Vermont. Hoping that he's not too late.
'Rithmetic May I just say I loved this book. I fell in love with Cody myself. His self-deprecating manner, his determination and persistence. It was hard to tell who was on his side and who was against him.
"It's hard to know who to trust sometimes." (91)
This theme runs throughout the book and just when you think you've figured out the good guys, Abrahams gives you a little more rope. I thought the story moved quickly and kept me involved and guessing.
"Meaning, you think whoever we're looking for is close by?" (242)
Abrahams did a great job of giving Cody a voice. I knew what he sounded like and his going to Vermont made sensee with the way the story had been setup.
Great mystery! I give it 4 copies and will be recommending it for the 7th grade mystery series!
