This is a gorgeous book that is on the NH Great Stone Face list for 2024-25. It centers around Maudie, a young girl on the autism spectrum. For most of the year, she lives with her mom and her new stepdad. In the summer, she lives with her dad. It is now summer and Maudie is thrilled to go and spend her time with her dad. However, they are forced out of his mountain home in a wildfire and have to relocate to his old hometown on the beach. Maudie thrives here. Her father understands her and she loves surfing. But Maudie is hiding some secrets that threaten to ruin her life. Can she find her voice and learn to love herself for who she is and not what others think she should be? This is a bit heavy in its content, however, I think for mature 4th and 5th graders, it is so worth the read. (FIC PLA)
Tuesday, June 11, 2024
Coyote Lost and Found
The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise ranks as one of my all-time favorite young adult books. Dan Gemeinhart is a brilliant wordsmith and author. I read the book aloud to my fifth graders because they HAVE to hear her story. When he came out with a sequel to continue the story, I could not wait. It did not disappoint. In Lost and Found, Coyote discovers her dad had been hiding her mom's ashes for 6 years. When he tells her that her mom had written down where she would like her ashes scattered, Coyote is compelled to fulfill her mother's wishes. Unfortunately, the book in which she had written her request was left at a book swap store. So the gang gets back on the bus for another trip to find the book so she can finally say goodbye to her mom. This installment had a few more borderline-swear words than I would have liked for this grade level: freaking, sucks, damn, etc. It also spoke of tweens dating and kissing. However, I feel compelled to carry it for the more mature readers in my libraries. (FIC GEM)