Gone To The Woods

Gary Paulsen has written his memoirs at the age of eighty, and this is it.  The heart-wrenching story of his childhood, written as a novel.  He refers to himself as "the boy" throughout, choosing to tell it in third person.  If you have read Hatchet, or any of his other works, you understand that he has a love of the natural world.  In this, he explains what triggered that.  I wanted him to stay forever with his aunt and uncle, who were a refuge for him in his tumultuous early years.  He was taken from his neglectful mother and sent to a farm, where he was cared for and loved and safe.  However he did not stay there.  He traveled to the Philipines to find his soldier father and lived in Manila for some time, seeing things a young boy should never see.  His alcoholic parents brought him back to the US where they continued to neglect him and he lived on his own for the most part.  I love the role that the librarian played in his life, and I hope his aunt and uncle lived a long a beautiful life! I found several things in this story a bit too mature for a K-5 library, but this is a PERFECT fit for middle school.  (BIO PAU) 

Story Thieves

When Owen sees Bethany climb out of a book, he is at first afraid and bewildered.  But her power intrigues him and he is thrilled that the boring world they live in isn't all there is.  He wants to go in and meet his favorite characters, maybe change the endings of books and become famous!  Bethany has a different reason for going into the books that is less selfish than his.  She is half-fiction.  Her dad is from a story.  She wants to find him.  However, Owen's ego and ignorance cause a catastrophe when they release a wizard into the real world.  The wizard is furious that he is fictitious and wants Bethany to use her power to release ALL the fictional characters so they can truly live.  It is a story within a story... the two become intertwined.   I loved all the works of literature metioned throughout!  If you liked Sisters Grimm, Inkheart, or Land Of Stories, you will like this.  (FIC RIL)

Ground Zero

This latest of Alan Gratz's historical fiction was chilling.  The novel switches back and forth between the two main characters:  Brandon, a 9-yr-old in NYC on 9/11/01 and Rashmina, a young girl in Afghanistan 20 years later.  Brandon and his father are in the World Trade Center North Tower on the fateful morning. Brandon goes to a lower floor to buy something at the mall and so is not with his dad when the first plane hits the tower.  His struggle to survive and get to his dad is frighteningly real and quite graphic.  He witnesses the horror of it all.  Rashmina has lived with war her whole life - the Taliban killing its own people and America killing Afghanis while trying to kill the Taliban.  When she brings a wounded American soldier into her home, her twin brother vows to tell the Taliban and risks the lives of her whole family.  Both stories were gripping.  The lessons about wars you can't get out of, revenge, and collateral damage are important ones.  However, it may be a bit much for an elementary school audience.  It needs to be read.  The graphic imagery, however, would be more safely handled with a middle-school audience.  (FIC GRA)

Becoming Muhammad Ali

This was a lovely novel based on the early life on Cassius Clay, who would later take the name Muhammad Ali.  The story was told from two perspectives - Cassius himself - written in verse - and his best friend, Lucky - written in prose.  All of the famous boxer's bragadocia was there in verse, yet Lucky's story really showed a softer, humbler side to the fighter.  It was a beautiful window into the early life of the famous boxer and also into the difficult times in which he grew up. (FIC PAT)

Julian at The Wedding

This follow up to Julian is A Mermaid was a gorgeous celebration of love, friendship and acceptance.  Julian and his friend Marisol are in a wedding.  But when Marisol gets a bit dirty, Julian saves the day by sharing a shirt with her.  These characters are beautiful - inside and out.  Marisol's grandmother, like Julian's, is patient and loving, even though she was nervous she "ruined" her dress.  The illustrations are breathtaking.  It is important for readers to see all types of love, all colors of people, and all manners of identity. (PIC LOV)

See The Cat

 

This early reader won the Theodore Seuss Geisel Award this year.  I LOVED it.  It was so witty and funny.  The dog interacts with the author who is saying something the dog thinks is wrong.  Emerging readers will be successful with the simple text and will giggle with its witty dialogue.  (E LAR)

This Is Your Time

 

This is Ruby Bridges' autobiographical love letter to the children of today.  Published just recently, it compares the struggles she faced during desegregation in the 1960's to those still present today and calls on the children to lead the way out.  Each page has her letter on one side and photos on the other, documenting her words.  I actually got goosebumps reading her words and seeing the images of the world she lived in, and the images from the world still unchanged in many ways.  (BIO BRI)

Some Kind of Courage

I love Dan Gemeinhart.  Ever since his Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise, I have been gobbling up his other works:  The Honest Truth and Scar Island.  This realistic-fiction/adventure story is set in the late 1800's out west.  The main character tells his heartwrenching story of the loss of his family, and his need to get back the one part of his heart he has left - his horse Sarah, who has been sold without his permission.  I loved the language - the accent, the voice - that the author used to tell the tale from Joseph's perspeective.  It felt authentic and true.  Full of adventure and action, as well and heart, students will devour it.  (FIC GEM)

We Are Water Protectors

 

This gorgeous picture book won the Caldecott Medal this year.  Inspired by the Indigenous movements to halt oil pipelines on their lands, it is a story of a girl who stands up to the "Snake" who threatens their water and all of the creatures who depend on it.  (PIC LIN)

My Very Favorite Book In The Whole Wide World

Malcolm Mitchell is a professional football player.  He has recently become a crusader for literacy, writing children's books including The Magician's Hat.  This book highlights his struggles reading as a young child.  I loved the vibrant and happy illustrations.  Its message will resonate with many students.  (PIC MIT)

Let The Children March

This gorgeous and powerful picture book was written by Monica Clark-Robinson highlighting the Children's March in Birmingham, Alabama in 1963.  When a thousand children marched peacefully for a week to highlight racial injustice, inspired by Dr. King's words, many were jailed.  But the world saw it and change soon followed.  (PIC CLA)

Cat Kid Comic Club

Dav Pilkey, author of Dog Man, has launched this new series with Cat Kid, a character introduced in the Dog Man series.  Cat Kid (Li'l Petey) and his little worm friend, Molly, run a comic-writing class for all of Flippy's kid frogs.  The book contains wonderful messages of failure being o.k., persistence, and creativity.  The books that the kids produce become part of the story, in all of their various styles.  My students will devour these.  And hopefully, start writing some comics of their own!  (GN PIL)

Real Friends

Shannon Hale wrote the graphic novel as a memoir of her elementary years.  (I adored her Books of Bayern series, beginning with The Goose Girl.)  As a middle-school read, I think it would be perfect... reflecting on the sometimes tortuous world of friendships and fitting in.  But as an elementary student, I think it would be scary.  She portrays such meanness in both the group she calls friends but mostly her sister, who not only verbally abuses her, but physically as well.  I almost didn't finish the book, but I was curious to discover its message.  I was relieved to discover that Shannon stood up for herself and left the group, and in doing so, became confident, a better friend and subsequently more attractive to be around.  I did appreciate the page in which she kicked the boys' butts who forced themselves on her and her friend.  She shared a very important message about you being in charge of your body.  But again - I will hold off buying this for my elementary libraries.  (GN HAL)

The Kicks - Saving the Team

Alex Morgan, the famous soccer player, wrote this wonderful series of books.  The main character is Devon who has just moved from CT to CA.  She missed her best friend, but hopes she can find friends and settle into her new life.  A place on the soccer team allows her to do that.  But it is so different from her last team.  This team's coach doesn't seem to care about winning, and there is a mean girl who captains the team who is not a good leader.  Devon needs to stand up and be brave and do what is right.  I was nervous about this book, thinking it may be too mature for my K-5 audience.  I generally stay away from purchasing books that are set in middle school, because they tend to have a lot of boy-girl drama, and this had a bit of it.  However, that was outweighed by the overwhelming number of positive messages this books sends:  keeping a school-recreation balance, what true leadership is, what good coaching is, the importance of having fun in a sport, sportmanship, and teambuilding.  I also LOVED the spotlight on the inequity in boys' vs. girls' sports!  Alex Morgan has scored with this one. 😉

When you Trap a Tiger

I have not been a fan of recent years' winners  of the Newbery medal.  This year was the exception.  This was a beautiful, magical story about a Korean-American girl named Lily and her family, struggling with their grandmother's illness.  Lily loves listening to her Halmoni's Korean stories, especially the one about the tiger.  But when she sees a tiger that no one else sees, her halmoni tells her it has come back for something she stole.  Lily believes she can make a deal with the tiger - Lily will return what her grandmother stole and the tiger will heal her.  I loved so many things about this book particularly the power of stories, and the characters of the grandmother and her new friend Ricky - both unique characters who own their oddness.  (FIC KEL)

Baby-Sitters Little Sister - Karen's Roller Skates

This is the second in the graphic novel series based on Ann Martin's books.  I prefer this series over the original graphic novel series, as I believe these are a bit more geared toward a K-5 audience.  Karen loves roller skating.  But she falls and breaks her wrist.  Her story gets more amazing every time she tells it.  Her competitive streak also comes out when she finds that her classmate also has a cast.  She needs to get more autographs than him... and find someone famous.   I will happily put these on my shelves.  (GN MAR)

The Fabled Stables - Willa The Wisp

Jonathan Auxier is one of those authors who has my full attention.  Whatever he writes, I will read.   Sweep and Night Gardener got me hooked.  This series is for a younger set of readers, which makes me love him even more.  Auggie is a boy who lives on a tiny island.  He is in charge of a stable of magical creatures.  One night, a new stall in his stables magically appears and lures him into a place where a Wisp is being hunter.  He needs to save the Wisp and get her to her new home.  My students will eat these up.  (E AUX)

The Undefeated

 "A love letter... To black America" is how the author Kwame Alexander describes this moving and important book about the African-American experience.  Its illustrator, Kadir Nelson, won the Caldecott Medal for 2019.  It is a powerful, in-your-face book highlighting the struggles and perseverence of individual African-Americans and the race as a whole.  The verse is splashed with quotes from famous leaders, artists, authors and sports legends.  The images are absolutely beautiful and sometimes quite haunting.   (811 ALE)  

Outside In

 

Just what the world needs right now - a book to remind us to get outside and see the world that is waiting for us.  The watercolors were glorious in this picture book, and the words wrapped me up spoke to me, especially the Covid-house-bound me.  But even not under these extreme circumstances, it is a reminder to enjoy and celebrate the natural world around us.  (PIC UND)

The Magician's Hat

 

What a beautiful and inspiring book about the power of books!  When a magician performs at a local library family-fun day, his finale takes their breath away.  Each child pulls JUST the right book out of his hat - the book that speaks to their heart about their dreams!  (PIC MIT)

The Misadventures of Salem Hyde - Spelling Trouble

 

This was a sweet and funny graphic novel about a little witch named Salem.  In this first in the series, we meet her and her new animal companion, Whammy, who has been sent by her witch aunt to help her control her powers.  She is struggling with the spelling Bee at school, which she thinks could be better if it were a SPELLing (casting spells) bee.  The misspelled words cause some trouble, as you can imagine.  I loved all the homonyms that went awry.  It reminded me a bit of Ewe loves You.  These will be a hit with my students, starting in grade 2.  (GN CAM)

Swing It, Sunny

 

Jennifer and Matthew Holm, bestselling authors of Babymouse and Squish series of graphic novels have launched this series with Sunny.  She is a middle school girl who in this installment is struggling with the absence of her older brother.  He has been sent away to a boarding school.  His parents hope it will turn his behavior around.  (There is mention of drugs and other bad choices.) It is set in the 1970's which I adored because all of the references were from  my childhood!  However I am not sure that my students will relate to or understand them.  I will let a middle-school library shelve these.  I will be holding off on this series.  (GN HOL)

If You Love Dolphins, You Could Be...

 

I am always on the lookout for good nonfiction for young readers.  This series will be a huge hit with my students in grades 1-3 .  It starts with the title statement and then highlights a career in each chapter that would result from it.   (591.77 NAK)

Penny and Her Sled

 

Kevin Henkes does it again - this time in early reader format for emerging readers.  Penny is a mouse who is looking forward to snow and playing with her sled.  But is never snows.  So she used her imagination and comes up with different ways of playing with the sled.  When spring comes, her mom has planted some snowdrops that Penny now can look forward to.  These are perfect for students in grades 1 and 2 who love Henry and Mudge.  (E HEN)

The Adventures of Johnny Boo

Johnny Boo is a little ghost.  He and his friend Squiggle have a run in with an ice-cream monster, but realize monsters don't always have to be mean.  This story was told in a graphic novel format for early readers.  Students will love these fun stories.  (GN KOC)
 

The Adventures of Otto: See Pip Flap

 This was a one in a very-beginning-reader series featuring Otto the robot.  There are only two or three words on a page for young readers to sound out.  This story was about a little mouse who wanted to fly and his robot friend Otto who helps him.  I will add all of these to my collections.  The illustrations are terrific, fun and engaging.  (E MIL)

What About Worms!?

I am a fan of Ryan Higgins, an author an illustrator of picture books, including my favorite, Don't Eat our Classmates, and its sequel, We Will Rock Our Classmates.  He has now begun to venture into the world of early readers, and this one won the Theodore Geisel Award for young readers.  It is published in connection with the Mo Willem's Elephant and Piggie books, which are a HUGE hit with early readers.  It was so cute and funny.  A tiger turns away from several things because they may contain worms.  Then the worms turn away from several things because they are afraid of tigers.  I can't wait to get my hands on  more of these. My beginning readers students will LOVE them! (E HIG)

I Survived: The Nazi Invasion, 1944

These fiction novels fly off the shelves.  Students love the historical fiction, told in a first-person format from a fictional character who survives the real-life tragedy.  Lauren Tarshis has now started producing them with graphic illustrators in a graphic novel format.  Siblings Max and Zena have escaped from a ghetto and are hiding from the Nazis.  In their struggle, they will encounter kindness, horror and hope.  Warning - this one was a little more graphic in its violence than the others, given the content.  There was some blood and some gun violence.  (GN TAR)