MMGM- Driven, Series Books

Make sure you check out What Are You Reading Monday at Teach Mentor Texts and  as well at Unleashing Readers. It's  Marvelous Middle Grade Monday, and Nonfiction Monday (hosted this week at Perogies and Gyoza.

Mitchell, Don. Driven: A Photobiography of Henry Ford

11 May 2010, National Geographic Children's Books

Confession: I love biographies, but, like my students, I have found even some of the 100 page biographies a bit lengthy recently. I was so impressed with Driven that I am going to try to get as many of the books in this series as I can afford. The reason? There's just enough information to make me feel like I have a good understanding of the person and his contributions to society without cluttering up the book with extraneous information. The pictures help me connect with the person and the time, and the coverage of Ford's successes and personal foibles is well balanced. I have tried for years to get students to pick up biographies for fun, and not had much success. With this book, the print is nice and large, pictures are well spread out, and the narrative style is very breezy fun. I want the Albert Einstein, Dian Fossey, Nellie Bly and John Glenn ones right now! I think that these will be easy to get into the hands of students.

Peirce, Lincoln. Big Nate Flips Out. 
5 February 2013, HarperCollins

By book #5 in a series, it's really hard for me to give a full review. In short, Nate has a fight with his friend Francis, mainly because Nate is so messy that the school camera, checked out by Francis but in Nate's possession, goes missing. Nate gets hypnotized into being neat, which is good in some respects but just not Nate. While I had trouble believing the drama surrounding the school yearbook (our middle school doesn't even have students work on ours), I always love to see what Nate is up to, and these go down smoothly. This will be very popular, and wear out unfortunately quickly.


Russell, Rachel Renee. Tales from a Not-So-Happy Heartbreaker
4 June 2013, Simon and Schuster

This is book #6 in the series. There was an interesting interview with the author on NPR, which can be read here.

I ordered two copies of this book, have all manner of copies of the others in the series, and occasionally hand them to students. I'm not a literature snob. I'm all for children reading what they like. But this latest book had disturbing overtones of desperate females in midcentury teen lit, and rather bothered me. Nikki's entire self worth seems to be tied up in whether or not Brandon will call her, and she strikes me as almost as mean as her nemesis, Mackenzie. Reading the interview with Ms. Russell, I wanted to like this book more than I did, but it didn't seem to reflect what she set out to write, so I was just confused. The beginning scenes, with Nikki waiting for Brandon to phone or text, had shades of Dorothy Parker's A Telephone Call . That short story was published in 1930. Surely, girls and women have evolved since then, right?

Maybe I just got this one on a bad day.

This is What Happy Looks Like

Smith, Jennifer E. This is What Happy Looks Like
2 April 2013, Poppy

Ellie answers a mistaken e mail that a boy sends her about walking his pet pig, and the two connect, telling each other about their likes and dislikes, pasts, etc., even though they don't know each other's names. It turns out that the boy is Graham Larkin, a film star, and he arranges for his next movie to be filmed in Ellie's town of Henley, Maine. Ellie can't believe that Graham is the boy from the emails, and admits that had she known he was a celebrity, she would have been too freaked out to divulge so much of her personal details. The two get along in person, too, but are thwarted by Ellie's mother's and Graham's agent's disapproval as well as by the paparazzi, who are determined to get pictures of the two together. This is a problem, since Ellie's father is a well-known senator who wants to run for president, and if Ellie's picture gets out there, it might cause problems for everyone. There are other problems as well-- Ellie wants to go to a poetry camp at Harvard but lacks the funds, and Graham feels abandoned by his parents, who are homebodies and not used to the way he lives.
Strengths: This was a nice romantic book about two teens who see past a lot of each others' veneers and like each other for the person inside. The angst level is moderate, but not enough to detract from the romance. Very fun, and even better than this author's The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight.
Weaknesses: I found that I didn't really care about Ellie's father very much, but she definitely did. I would have been okay with more romance and less parental involvement.

Taylor, Chloe. On Pins and Needles (Sew Zoey #2)
4 June 2013, Simon Spotlight.

After meeting designer Cecily Chen at the fabric store, Zoey enters a sewing contest. She has to do the design in just a few days, and she has other issues with which she has to deal. Her friend Kate is still shy and doesn't care about what she wears, but after getting her braces off, she is attracting a lot of the boys' attention. Libby offers to model for the contest, but is concerned since her aunt is one of the judges-- is Zoey interested in her, or in her aunt? The characters from the first book, like Zoey's supportive aunt, her friend Priti, the clerk from the fabric store, and the fashion forward principal  all appear.
Strengths: Fun and fluffy, nice characters, substory of dealings with mother's death.
Weaknesses: I still find it hard to believe that Zoey has so many followers on her blog or that she is allowed to buy silk to work on, but it's a fun idea.

Books for Older Readers

Steinmiller, Teddy. Trash Can Days
20 August 2013, Disney-Hyperion
E ARC from Netgalley.com

Jake has a very convenient best friend-- Danny. Danny's parents both work for Jake's, and the two get along well together. As they start junior high, however, they start to have separate interests. Danny has gotten much taller, and is more interested in hanging out with his cousins, some of whom have some connection to Hispanic gangs. Danny also takes a romantic interest in Jake's sister, Hannah, but the two keep their relationship secret. Chapters alternate between the point of views of those three as well as Dorothy Wu, a Manga obsessed girl who becomes Jake's girlfriend. All four try to navigate life at San Paulo Junior High.
Strengths: This is fairly funny and not a bad representation of what life is like... in high school. Either that, or students in California are WAY more mature than they are in Ohio.
Weaknesses: I was hoping that this would be a funny book for boys, but since there are chapters from Dorothy and Hannah's point of view, this might be a bit of a stretch, especially since Hannah is really interested in all of the gossip. I kept thinking that something inappropriate would come up, and for a long time it didn't. Then, there was the Health Class Question Wall, and that was all I needed. I'm not handing a student a book with stupid penis references.

That was my objection-- the more mature material. Pink Me has more to say about why she didn't like the book, so I feel a little more justified in not finishing it. Books on Bellevue, however, think that "This book would be an asset on every middle school library shelf."

Crane, Caprice. Confessions of a Hater.
27 August 2013, Feiwel and Friends. 
E ARC from Netgalley.com

I admit to thinking the cover of this was great, and a lot of girls do want books about high school. This, however, had too many mature situations, and just made me uncomfortable. Anya is a social outcast because she got pregnant and gave a child up for adoption, and there was a lot of mean girl stuff going on. Still, for high school, this is an intriguing look at how group dynamics work!

From Goodreads.com: "Hailey Harper has always felt invisible. Now her dad has a new job and the family is moving to Hollywood. Just what Hailey needs: starting a new high school.

As she's packing, Hailey finds a journal that belonged to her older sister, Noel, who is away at college. Called "How to Be a Hater," it's full of info Hailey can really use. Has Hailey found the Bible of Coolness? Will it help her reinvent herself at her new school? Will her crush notice her? Will she and the other Invisibles dethrone the popular mean girls? After all, they deserve it. Don't they?"

Guy Friday-- Football and Concussions

 Weyn, Suzanne. Full Impact.
1 May 2013, Lerner

Norval is on a high school football team where many of the players' only chance to go to college is to get a football scholarship. Scouts come to many of the games, and Norval and his friend Aidan hope to impress them. When Aidan starts to act hostile and unfocused on and off the field, the coach asks Norval and another player to watch Aidan and report anything "off" that they see about his behavior. When Aidan suffers several more falls, his behavior becomes more alarming. Norval thinks he is being disloyal by telling the coach, but when Aidan's health is clearly imperiled, he reluctantly speaks up. When Aidan is hospitalized and requires months of recuperation, Norval tries to keep up his visiting his friend, even when Aidan doesn't want him to.
Strengths: I like this hi/lo series for it's interesting problems and quick pace. This is a good book for any of my football obsessed boys to read. It gives good information about signs of a concussion.
Weaknesses: I wish there had been more resources at the end of this about dealing with concussions, even though a lot is covered in the story. 

Klass, David and Klass, Perri. Second Impact
6 August 2013, Farrar Strauss and Giroux.
E-ARC from Netgalley.com

Jerry is a football player who has made some bad decisions. Carla is a soccer player who has messed up her ACL and needs surgery. The two alternate blog posts for the newspaper and cover a variety of sports-related topics.  Jerry also sustains serious head injuries several times, and becomes a bit concerned about his future when Carla starts researching head injuries. Carla and Jerry become closer, take a stab at being investigative reporters, improve their writing and consider where their various activities will take them for college.
Strengths: This had more information about sports injuries than anything I have ever read. There was enough football to make this interesting to die-hard sports fan, and the inclusion of Carla will make this one that girls may pick up, too. Klass has a good (and long!) background of writing sports books (Danger Zone (1998) and Wrestling with Honor (1989) are still popular in my library) so it's good to see another book from him.
Weaknesses: The format of blog posts really got in the way of the story for me. For one thing, the posts were WAY too long to be successful for actual blog posts, and the included "comments" seemed contrived. That's my perspective as a blogger; I think my students would just be confused, since they don't read blogs at all. Makes me wonder when the Klasses started writing this book. If it were up-to-the-minute, it would be a novel in Instagram. Still, will probably buy this, since football books are so hard to find. This has a great cover.

McClafferty, Carla Killough. Fourth Down and Inches:Concussions and Football's Make-Or-Break Moment
1 September 2013

E ARC from Netgalley.com

There has been a lot of discussion in the news about the effects of football related concussions on the brain, especially regarding younger children playing the sport, and this was an excellent treatment of the history of injuries in the sport, with an emphasis on head injuries. Covering deaths and injuries starting in 1905, when 29 young men died playing the sport, it discusses the changes that were made by coaches, and even Theodore Roosevelt, to make the sport safer. It then proceeds to cover a variety of young men who were injured, and examines the different types of injuries and ailments that lead to mental problems and even death among athletes who suffer them. Vintage photos add a lot to an engrossing story that is a great accompaniment to Klass’ Second Impact or Gordon Korman’s Pop.

Strengths: The author does a very good job at putting faces to these injuries in a way that will make football players think about how much damage they might be doing to themselves. I thought that the studies that were done with special helmets that measured the number of impacts players’ brains received during a season was interesting. Definitely will purchase this.
Weaknesses: A chapter on preventing injuries might be helpful, but otherwise, this is a very complete book.

 

Accepting Applications for Cybils Judges

Head over to Cybils.com!

If you have an active blog that deals predominately with books for school age children, you can apply to be a judge in either the first  or second round of the Cybils.

More information on what is required is listed here.

Running

Cotler, Steve. Cheesie Mack is Running Like Crazy!
25 June 2013, Random House Books For Young Readers

As Cheesie enter Robert Louis Stevenson Middle School, he fears he will linger in the shadow of his older sister, 8th grade vice president Goon (or June). After accompanying Eddie to the office for a classroom transgression, he decides to run for 6th grade president, as does Eddie. To complicate matters, his friend Lana Shen wants to run as well, and they fear they will split the Rocky Neck Elementary vote. Instead, they have Georgie run in their place and start campaigning for him.  Aided by a new girl from Iceland, Oddny Thorsdottir, the group works out the best campaign possible. Eddie and Cheesie are also approached to run on the 6th grade cross country team, and do so with some success.
Strengths: This third book in the Cheesie Mack series has the same likeable, mischevious characters, the same quirky situations, and enough illustrations to appeal to notebook novel lovers. I can see these being even more popular in elementary schools, where students like to read about older characters, but it will do okay in middle school.  The information about Iceland is correct.
Weaknesses: I'm disappointed only because I wanted this to include a lot more about running cross countyr! Election books leave me cold. There are so many, and they all seem unrealistic to me.

Maybe I'm just in a crabby mood, but the constant reference to the web site got on my nerves. Or, I'm just really disappointed that this wasn't more about cross country.

Maddox, Jake. Running Scared.
Really written by Emma Carlson Berne
1 January 2013, Stone Arch Books

Olivia loves to run, especially with her friend Jessica. When she tries out for the track team, however, she starts to worry that she won't do well. When she runs her first race, she freaks herself out so much that she drops out of the race with an "injury". When this happens a second time, her Aunt Naomi steps in. The two run together at the track, time the distance that the race would be, and compare Olivia's times to the winners. After she sees that her time would have been a good one and she would NOT have finished last, Olivia is able to run a race with more confidence.
Strengths: This had very good descriptions of running, what it feels like to love to run, and what it feels like to be scared during a race. There are even good tips for training at the back of the book. Either Ms. Berne runs, or she has done her research.
Weaknesses: This is a very short, hi-lo book, so there will be students who won't read it because of that, even though it's a great story. Ms. Berne, feel free to write something akin to Van Draanen's The Running Dream. That would be awesome!


Some personality leakage here. The image is from an interview with fashion historian Jayne Shrimpton, at http://blog.findmypast.co.uk/2011/05/family-photos-what-are-they-wearing/ , who mentions that in the 1920s, older women frequently retained the dark, floor-length clothing of the Victorian Era.

I have become the woman on the left.

Most of the teachers wore sundresses with asymmetrical hems and shunken sweaters with flip flops for the first day of school. I had on a pleated skirt, blouse and plaid jacket with penny loafers. Looked like I was overdressed for a barbecue on the beach.

Checked out 300 books, though. I'm useful, not decorative.

*Sigh*

Fig.14 Four generations photograph c.1925 - click to enlarge. By the early 1920s young and middle-aged women’s dresses were rather shapeless and made to mid-calf length, the scooped neckline typically strung with beads. Elderly ladies often retained the dark, floor-length clothes of the Victorian era. - See more at: http://blog.findmypast.co.uk/2011/05/family-photos-what-are-they-wearing/#sthash.k0GrQKuT.dpuf

Fig.14 Four generations photograph c.1925 - click to enlarge. By the early 1920s young and middle-aged women’s dresses were rather shapeless and made to mid-calf length, the scooped neckline typically strung with beads. Elderly ladies often retained the dark, floor-length clothes of the Victorian era. - See more at: http://blog.findmypast.co.uk/2011/05/family-photos-what-are-they-wearing/#sthash.k0GrQKuT.dpuf

World Wednesday-- Chinese Americans

 It's the first day with students! I have ten classes scheduled in the library, and will try to get as many books checked out to students as I can. Don't think we'll hit our record of 400 books in one day, but I don't know that I want to. It's always hectic, but always fun!


Cheng, Andrea. The Year of the Book
May 22nd 2012, HMH Books for Young Readers

Anna is experiencing a very common occurrence for fourth grade-- her best friend Laura isn't hanging out with her as much but IS hanging out with Allison and Lucy.  Anna loves her family, but feels a little embarassed that they aren't like Allison and Lucy's families-- her mother, who was born in China, is just learning to drive and cleans apartments to earn money. When Laura's father becomes abusive, however, she takes comfort in staying with Anna's family for a while, and the girls reconcile a bit. Anna love to read and is very smart, so books that she enjoys are often mentioned.
Strengths: Nice, realistic book highlighting a variety of difficulties that young girls face-- nothing horrible, but some serious things. Told in a comforting way, with supportive adult characters, so that readers don't have to feel that Anna is alone. I would definitely recommend this series for elementary schools. 
Weaknesses: Many of the details make this seem too young for middle school, as do the illustrations and the small size of the books.

Cheng, Andrea. The Year of the Baby
May 28th 2013 by HMH Books for Young Readers

Anna's parents decide to adopt a baby girl from China, and Anna enjoys Kaylee fairly well, and she is certainly worried when Kaylee doesn't want to eat and isn't gaining weight as expected. When she and Laura fail to find another topic for their science project, they decide to see if singing to Kaylee while she is eating distracts her enough that she eats more, and therefore gains weight. Camille, from Anna's Chinese school, also gets in on the project, and Anna tries to learn some Chinese.
Strengths: There have been a couple of excellent books about older children being adopted from China, although summer has leached all pertinent information from my brain. I can't think of another one from a child's perspective about a baby being adopted. I thought that the way Anna was concerned and helped out in a productive way was very nice.
Weaknesses: Again, too young for my purposes, but since this one was set in 5th grade, perhaps I can reexamine the books as she gets older.