MMGM- Space adventure!

It's Marvelous Middle Grade Monday at Ramblings of a Wannabe Scribe and What Are You Reading? day at Teach Mentor Texts and Unleashing Readers. It's also Nonfiction Monday.


I think that 2015 will go down in the annals of middle grade literature as The Year Authors Tried to Depress the Living Hell Out of Everyone. Don't know why. Spent a quality weekend getting caught up on reading, but it was JUST. SO. SAD. I ended up on Sunday evening watching YouTube videos of 1980s BBC comedies because I couldn't even face picking up the last Zombie Chasers book, lest the main characters find out their grandparents have Alzheimers, their parents are clinically depressed alcoholics who are starting to abuse them, and the dog has leukemia WHILE fighting the zombies. 

Seriously. I had my fears. Not that Kloepfer would ever do that to me. 

So it's nice to read a book where they at least fight against the alien invasion with bravery and resolution, and the fact that all of their parents were brutally killed in the initial attack is dealt with fairly well. But see? Even our action/adventure books are sad!



Sylvester, Kevin. Minrs
September 22nd 2015 by Margaret K. McElderry Books

Christopher and his best friend Elena live on Perses, a planetoid that an Earth company, Melming Mining, has colonized. Things are going pretty well, but there will soon be a communications blackout between Perses and the Earth, and some of the other children are worried. Christopher plans a blackout party, but during the celebration, the settlement is attacked. The children are sent down to the mines, and Christopher's father gives him some clues to find an emergency beacon that has been hidden. The children all band together to find food and work out a survival plan, but it is difficult to get everyone to work together, especially since many of the children are traumatized by having lost their parents in the raid. Christopher, with the help of Elena, rallies the troops as best he can, and even tries to train them to raid the food supplies of the attackers, or "Landers" as they are called. Some of the plans work, others go awry. When they find four children in a locked room, they discover than Melming was using children to get some of the resources out of the mine. When the Landers discover the children, things get even more intense. Loyalties are tested, secrets are found, and Christopher and Elena have to figure out the best way to get the most of the children to survive. 

Strengths: This one reminded me of Mars Evacuees, and I wanted to know more about the colony before the attack, but only because the premise was so intriguing. Lots of action and adventure, some good leadership skills displayed by Christopher, some good twists and turns to the plot. Interesting use of Oliver Twist, as well. 

Weaknesses: I wish we had found out something about the Landers, especially since there is a sequel in the offing. Also, the parents could have been kidnapped instead of killed. Same effect, but not so distressing. 

What I really think: Definitely buying a copy, and need to label all of the good new sci fi books in my catalog system. 

Minna's Patchwork Coat

Mills, Lauren A. Minna's Patchwork Coat
November 3rd 2015 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers 
ARC from Kidlitcon

Minna's family is struggling to make ends meet in early 1900s Appalachia. Her father is suffering from black lung disease, so her mother sells patchwork quilts to keep the family fed. Minna is not able to go to school because she lacks proper clothing, although her mother has taught her to read. She watches her younger brother and is learning about herbal treatments from the local wise woman, Aunt Nora, who is part Cherokee. Aunt Nora's grandson, Lester, is not allowed to go to the school, so Minna teaches him what she knows. When Minna's father dies, things get even worse, but the community rallies around and the group of quilters makes a coat for Minna to wear to school. The mean girls make fun of her, but she knows the love that went into the coat and wears it proudly. 

Strengths: This had a very Little House on the Prarie fell to it-- triumphing against adversity, doing what must be done, etc. Good descriptions of daily life in Appalachia, with an emphasis on racial tolerance.

Weaknesses: This was rather didactic and slow moving, since this is an elaboration of a picture book. There are a few mentions of Cherokee culture, and I don't know enough to know whether or not they are accurate.

What I really think: When I was a child, I would have adored this book on so many levels. I loved history, I loved sewing, and the moral tales of L.M.Montgomery and Alcott were some of my favorites. That said, my students today don't like ANY of those things, so it would make no sense for me to buy it. Elementary students might like this gentle tale more than middle school students would. 

Saturday Morning Cartoons--Dogs and Cats

Schade, Susan and Buller, Jon. Scarlett: Star on the Run
November 3rd 2015 by Papercutz
Copy provided by the publisher

In this intriguing mix of graphic and regular novel, we follow the story of Scarlett, who escapes from Pafco Studios, where she is a film star, but terribly mistreated by the owner. When a window is left open, she escapes and manages to find a cabin in the woods. It is inhabited by the elderly and ailing Frank, who is not overly surprised that Scarlett can talk. Scarlett, and later her friend Trotter, take over running the house and taking care of Frank until he ends up having to go to the hospital. The dog and cat alert the neighbors and get Frank the help he needs, and then they refurbish his house. The daughter of the neighbors, Enid, notices that odd things are going on in the house, and meets the two, and helps them discover some truths about themselves. 
Strengths: The graphic panels sneakily get readers invested in Scarlett's story, and then there are chapters that are mostly text. Brilliant! Goofy enough to appeal to middle school students, this one was fun for me to read as well, with the somewhat instructive subtext of "help people in need".
Weaknesses: The font in the text portion is very small, and not a typical typeface. For picky readers, text size can be crucial.
What I really think: I wish that there were more books that lured students in with graphic portions and then gave them something more to read. I remember these authors from Mike and the Magic Cookies when my girls were small! The Mad Magazine quality to the illustrations translates well to a middle school audience. Sadly, only available in paperback.



McDonnell,  Patrick.  The Mutts Winter Diaries 
October 13th 2015 by Andrews McMeel Publishing
Copy Provided by the Publisher

Earl and Mooch are simple souls, delighting in hot cocoa, lolling in bed, and finding identical snowflakes. They are not overly fond of winter's cold, but find solace in each other's company and seeking warmth and comfort whenever possible. The simple line drawings are very sweet, and the humor is gentle. I'd say that these are more amusing than Red and Rover, kinder than Garfield, less complex than Peanuts, and probably cuter than any comic strips currently being published. 

Sylvie wants to know why there aren't any mugs with pictures on them. Or doggie t shirts. I was slightly confused by Mooch's speech impediment; sometimes it is just snow, and sometimes it's "shnow".

Kanata, Konami. Chi's Sweet Home #8
February 28th 2012 by Vertical (first published January 1st 2011)
Series recommended by Jean Little Library

This paperbound translation of a Japanese original has very little text. It's cute, and follows the adventures of a small house cat. Maybe I missed a lot in the first seven books, but there wasn't a whole lot going on other than Chi hanging out with another cat who said "Suspicious!" a lot. I was a little weirded out by the fact that this is clearly set in Japan, yet the family looks very Anglo-Germanic. I guess this is the situation with anime programs as well. 




Pastis, Stephan. Sanitized for Your Protection (Timmy Failure #4)
October 6th 2015 by Candlewick Press
Copy from Baker and Taylor

Timmy's school is trying to raise money to provide books to a boy with a vaguely Russian name, but the money is stolen. Timmy, of course, suspects Mollie Moskins, who smells like tangerines. When Mollie's family and Timmy, his mother, and his mother's boyfriend Doorman Dave all go on vacation together, he tries to prove that she did it with the help of his imaginary polar bear. Highjinks ensue.

Strengths: Notebook novels in general are popular, and this one is no exception. This series is constantly checked out. Vaguely clever, with decent pictures, the books are nicer and kinder than The Dork Diaries but about on par with Wimpy Kid as far as character development goes. 

Weaknesses: This just about exceeds the level of goofiness I can stand with the names and Timmy's polar bear. 

Verdict: I will grudgingly buy this one; Baker and Taylor has it for $11.09. It will get my money's worth out of use. It would be one thing if children read these OCCASIONALLY and read some other things in between, but most of the core readers for this flat out refuse to read anything else, and it does drive me a bit batty. I am holding on to the ARC and tempting one such reader with it until he finishes his Accelerated Reader goal, because I am that mean. 

Guy Friday- Boys and their grandmothers

Sayre, Justin. Husky.
September 22nd 2015 by Grosset & Dunlap
Copy received from the publisher

Davis has just finished 8th grade, and is preparing to start high school. He lives with his grandmother and his mother, who owns a bakery. He's concerned that everyone gets ONE adjective in high school, and his is "husky". He's not obese, just a bit heavy. His friend Ellen is "mean", and his best friend, Sophie, has turned pretty and is into all sorts of girly things, like having a makeover for her birthday party. Davis, who feels awkward no matter what he is doing, longs for a makeover as well, given that he has to wear shirts his grandmother picks out that say "cool dude". He does love opera, which makes him a bit different as well, but seems to get along with other kids better than he thinks he does. His mother starts dating a coworker, he has to deal with the lingering memories of his grandfather, Jock, and the beginnings of the realization that he may be gay.
Strengths: This is a middle grade appropriate book about a boy who is gay, and there aren't too many of those. Supportive family and community, true to life struggles with friends, unique character with his own interests.
Weaknesses: This starts out with a painful scene of Davis and his grandmother shopping for clothes, and doesn't get any more exciting. Read very much like a 1970s "social issue" book.
What I really think: This reminded me of the vintage book below in that it moved very slowly and involved intergenerational squabbles. I can't see something so slow moving getting checked out much, especially since Davis loves opera. Must be a New York thing, like the obsession with plays. Not really a thing in Ohio.

Also, One Man Guy, Gracefully Grayson, this-- is there something about yellow and gray that speaks of sexual identity diversity? Or is it just on trend? I'm thinking of painting my kitchen cabinets light gray and the walls yellow, so I should at least be aware if I'm sending unintentional messages.

Greene, Constance. The Unmaking of Rabbit
October 16th 1972 by Viking Children's Books

From the author of A Girl Called Al, which I have always loved.

 Paul lives with his grandmother because his mother is too irresponsible to look after him. Gran herself is no prize-- she smokes cigarettes with a long holder and likes her gin before bed. Paul is socially awkward and stutters, but has a little more of a support network with his teacher, Miss Olah, as well as the nice couple that run the local store. Definitely feels dated.

I only read a copy because it showed up in a box of donations, and I did love this author's Al series. Interestingly enough, in some ways this felt very current because of Paul's family situation.

Finding Fortune

Ray, Delia. Finding Fortune
November 10th 2015 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)

E ARC from Edelweiss Above the Treeline

Ren is struggling with the fact that her father is serving in Afghanistan after having moved out of the family home. Her mother seems to be dating a neighbor, Rick, but says they are just friends. Ren deals with her stress by biking over to the nearby town of Fortune, which is now inhabited by fewer than two dozen people. At one point, Fortune was a bustling place with several shell button factories, but after the river ran out of shells, business (as well as the community) dried up. When Ren gets angry at her mother, she runs away to the school there, which is being run as a boarding house by Hildy, the 1950 button queen. There is an odd group of characters living in the building, including Hugh and his mother, Mine, the mayor of the town, and a man building a labyrinth out of shells. Hildy is trying to organize her treasures into a button museum in the gymnasium. Ren's mother isn't happy when she retrieves her from the school, and enrolls her in a boring summer program. As a service project for this program, though, Ren volunteers to help with the button museum. Along with Hildy's grandson, Tucker, who is staying for the summer, Ren and Hugh try to find the treasure that Hildy's brother, Tom, left in the school before he went off to fight in Korea, never to return to Fortune. Can they find the treasure so that Hildy has the means to get the button museum open?
Strengths: This would have been a favorite of mine in middle school. Living in a school building? Awesome. Solving a mystery? Of course. The town of Fortune is very well portrayed, and the historical information put together by Ms. Ray based on several small towns makes this an interesting and very real story. Having visited Iowa this summer and seen several of these small towns, it all rings very true!
Weaknesses: I could have done without so many quirky characters and with more descriptions of the school and town, but that's just me.
What I really think: This will be a good book for readers of Beil's Red Blazer Girls and other quiet mysteries.

Storyboard That Lesson

Been having a little too much fun with this. Thought the students might need some direction on a holiday or family story that they could use for an assignment. 

This started out being about my Uncle Chuck's insistence that apple pie was better, while I championed cherry. Or vice versa; I no longer remember! Of course, that didn't have enough conflict, so this is only the story I WISH had happened at my house. 

And yes, my grandmother looked very much like that! And there were several creepy deer heads on the walls at my Uncle Chuck's!

The Book Itch: Freedom, Truth, and Harlem's Greatest Bookstore

The Book Itch: Freedom, Truth, and Harlem's Greatest Bookstore 
Nelson,Vaunda Micheaux and Christie,  R. Gregory (Illustrator)
November 1st 2014 by Carolrhoda Books
E ARC by Netgalley.com

This nonfiction picture book discusses the National Memorial African Bookstore in Harlem during its heyday in the 1950s and 60s from the perspective of the proprietor's son. Founded by Louis Michaux, probably in the 1930s, the bookstore grew to be a center of education for the African American population, and a gathering place for notables. Also covered are some of the problems of the Civil Rights movement, as they affected the bookstore, especially the assassination of Malcolm X, who was a friend of Michaux's. Notes at the back give more details about the store, which closed in the 1970s. Michaux was the great-uncle of the author.
Strengths: There are a lot of picture books that aren't really meant for younger children, and this strikes me as one. The reading level as well as the content is more suited for middle grade readers, and the pictures make them think that the book will be easy. I've been getting more nonfiction picture books because students will pick them up readily and learn about bits of history or general knowledge.
Weaknesses: While I could appreciate that the pictures had sort of a 1960s Jack Ezra Keats quality to them, they were sort of smudgy and unfocused. Don't know how students will feel about them.
What I really think: This is much more accessible for my students than the other version of this story by this author, No Crystal Stair.

The Girl Who Could Not Dream

Durst, Sarah Beth. The Girl Who Could Not Dream
November 3rd 2015 by Clarion Books
E ARC from Netgalley.com

Sophie's parents run the Dreamcatcher Bookstore, the only book store in their small town, and have a secret shop in the basement where they sell dreams. Sophie doesn't dream, and when she drank a dream, was able to bring one of the characters from the dream into our world. She loves Monster, who is her constant companion, but finds it hard to get along with her classmates. She delivers dream catchers to Madison and Lucy because they suffer from nightmares. It's not an altruistic act-- she takes their old dream catachers, and her parents distill their dreams from them to sell. Sophie offers a dream catcher to new classmate Ethan, who seems to be suffering from lack of sleep, and he surprises her by wanting to sit with her at lunch and talk to her. When Ethan is attacked by a nightmare animal and sees Monster, Sophie has some explaining to do. She doesn't know the whole story, but suspects a customer of her parents', Mr. Nightmare. When the book store is trashed and her parents disappear, Sophie needs Ethan's help as well as that of Monster and a surly unicorn named Glitterhoof  to find out what is going on. The group uncovers a sinister plot to breed nightmarish monsters and knows that Mr. Nightmare must be taken down.
Strengths: I like Durst's writing, and this was a fresh approach to fantasy. The details of collecting, distilling and selling dreams were new, and both of Sophie's parents are alive! The villain isn't completely evil at first, which is nice, and Glitterhoof is delightfully snarky. A good addition to a magical realism collection.
Weaknesses: A little heavy on Sophie's social awkwardness.
What I really think: Like the story, but might have trouble getting middle school students to check it out with this cover. Yes, that's how Monster is described, but seeing a picture of him just makes him look ridiculous.

Woolston, Blythe. MARTians.
October 13th 2015 by Candlewick Press

When Zoe's school is closed by the governor as a cost saving measure (why tax people and use their money for things they don't want?), she finds herself graduated and in line for a job at ALLMart. Her mother, knowing that the house is foreclosed and it's a matter of time before she has nowhere to live, abandons Zoe and moves to the city. This is not unusual in the dystopian landscape that Zoe inhabits; money is tight, consuming merchandise is the driving factor in the economy, and whole neighborhoods are abandoned when people can't meet their mortgages. After she gets a job at ALLMart, Zoe realizes there is no bus from her house, and Timmer, a fellow employee, comes to her rescue. He is living in an abandoned strip mall with a little boy who won't speak after being abandoned by his family, and invites her to stay with him. She does, all the while hoping that her mother will call. Things go from bad to worse when she realizes her paycheck goes mostly back to ALLMart to pay for her uniform, and a friend of Timmer's brings a baby home from the care center at ALLMart, and the group has to find a way to turn it over to the authorities without being caught. Zoe tries to retrieve her mother's belongings from storage when the contents are about to be auctioned, but that's the bright spot-- things don't get any better in this realistically dystopian book.
Strengths: This was a compelling read for me, and quite the social commentary. Well-written, smart, and darkly funny. 
Weaknesses: This doesn't end in any satisfying kind of way, and I would have liked more information on how the society got to the point described. 
What I really think: This is adult science fiction. It's an odd trim size, has a nondescript cover, tiny print, and is oddly philosophical. This might go over well in high school, but I don't see middle school students understanding it. 

Why I didn't go to AASL

First, I always DO my duty, so I hate being told "It's your duty to..."

http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2015/11/09/its-your-duty-to-keep-up-with-technology-librarians-told.html

I guess I spend too much time with hormonally-ridden teenagers. Whenever someone tells me I HAVE to do something, even if it's something I already DO, I want to tell them to kiss my magical unicorn butt  please leave me alone.

Secondly, even though the value of having librarians in schools is directly tied to BOOKS and GETTING THE RIGHT BOOKS TO THE READERS, that isn't really mentioned in the article, and I imagine wasn't mentioned much at the conference. Rarely is.

That's what I do. Get books to kids. Paper books, no less. I think it is very, very valuable. It takes a lot of work, the way I do it.

Now, I am up-to-date on my technology as much as I can be. Just this morning, I finished up a Google Slides presentation on how to add the Storyboard That extension to Chrome and use it to produce a storyboard on the plot elements. I added the presentation to Schoology so that the students in the classes could access it, and also added the assignment sheet with the rubric I created on Quick Rubric, as well as the template for the project. This is the lesson I will be using for my state evaluation on the 19th.

This took me about 12 hours to do. This is because I am a digital immigrant, so every step of the process was about as arduous as if I were trying to create all of the materials in Aramaic.

What I am working on now is my attitude. I need to go to AASL, ALA, and all of those other conferences and not come away feeling that I am not doing my job.

Because if I'm not doing my job, I'm sure spending a lot of time not doing it!

And look! I even posted my presentation to Slide Share so that I could share it on my blog!

MMGM- Hitler's Last Days

O'Reilly, Bill. Hitler's Last Days
June 9th 2015 by Henry Holt and Co.

Middle grade readers are still fascinated by World War II, and the Nazis hold their interest especially because it is hard for us today to fathom the depth of his evil. His influence is still so great that no one wears his trademark toothbrush mustache. As with any person from history, Hitler, although the embodiment of evil, was a person. This book deftly weaves in anecdotes about the last half a year of Hitler's life with detailed examination of the fighting that led to the end of the war. 

O'Reilly (whom I didn't realize was a television personality; that's how much television is watched in my house!) seems to have done due diligence in researching his topic; in addition to a bibliography of books and videos, there is a nice timeline and a few appendices explaining key topics and events of WWII. The lack of chapter notes gives this a less reliable feel, even though the maps seem correct (recently read a book where the map labeled as Europe in the 1940s was actually of the political boundaries today). The photographs are particularly striking; there are several of Hitler with his dog, with a Christmas tree, at a birthday party as well as Hitler overlooking ruined buildings and in his bunker. I was a bit disappointed to find that these come mostly from the Mary Evans Picture Library, which is a site where one can purchase pictures for news stories and the like; as I read the book, it seemed  like it would be some fantastic, hidden collection of private photos taken during this time period. 

There were many facets of Hitler's private life that were brought up; his diet, his illnesses, his use of cocaine and methamphetamine,why he may have worn his mustache the way he did, and these were balanced nicely with the descriptions of how the war was proceeding, and how the various military commanders were planning on forwarding the advances against the Germans. There wasn't too much about why or how Hitler was able to manipulate the German people into creating, staffing, and running the concentration camps, but that was not really the focus of the book. 

I was a bit surprised that this was not nominated for the Cybils' Young Adult Nonfiction award, but in our society, anything to do with Hitler is generally avoided. While I don't think should be celebrated in any way, I think it's important to examine him and his motives so that no one ever again is able to have public support for this level of personal evil. 

MMGM- Max and Norse Mythology

It's Marvelous Middle Grade Monday at Ramblings of a Wannabe Scribe and What Are You Reading? day at Teach Mentor Texts and Unleashing Readers. It's also Nonfiction Monday.

The Winner of the Voyagers Gift Pack is Jaina ofRead Till Dawn! You'll be getting an e mail from the publicist with all the details!



Boaz Yakin, Sheldon, Lettich. Max: Best Friend, Hero, Marine
June 9th 2015 by HarperCollins
Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central

Justin is a bit of a slacker and also very angry at his older brother, Kyle, for going off to fight in Afghanistan. When Kyle is killed, the entire family is inconsolable. Kyle's military dog, Max, is brought to the funeral and seems to understand that his handler is gone, and the family is moved enough to take Max in, even though he has seemed rather wild in some settings. Justin is annoyed at first, mainly because Justin is annoyed at everything, but grows attached to Max. When Tyler, a friend of his brother and a soldier who has come home injured, gets a job with Justin's father, he indicates that Max might have been the cause of Kyle's death. There's more to it than that, though: Tyler isn't completely truthful about anything having to do with his military time, and is up to no good. Justin might have been selling bootleg copies of video games, but Tyler is involved in dangerous and illegal activities.

This had a lot to recommend it to reluctant readers who are interested in the military. There are enough details about Kyle and Tyler's experiences, as well as the father's, to keep those readers interested, but there is also a lot about the military dogs. Justin isn't the most likable character at first, mainly because he is so angry at so many people, but this, too, will speak to some readers. The ending, with its action and adventure, keeps this from getting bogged down in sentimentality.

A good companion to C. Alex London's Dog Tags series, this is a good fiction book to combine with informational texts about service dogs, such as Dorothy Hinshaw Patent's Dogs on Duty: Soldier's Best Friends on the Battle and Beyond.

That said, this was overly melodramatic, and very clearly a novelization of a somewhat cheesy movie. The depiction of parental grief-- sigh. Kyle was in the military. They shouldn't have been so surprised. I think most depictions of grief in literature are inaccurate and very overblown.

Napoli, Donna Jo. Treasury of Norse Mythology
Balit, Christina, illustrator
September 22nd 2015 by National Geographic Children's Books
Copy provided by Media Masters Publicity

This large format, well-illustrated collection of Norse myths covers 18 major tales, and has brief description of the major characters as well. There is a helpful map, timeline, and bibliography as well. There are sidebars with most of the stories that include pictures of artifacts or nature, and discuss topics, such as transport or Norse diet, that readers might not understand from just the narrative. The pages are nicely formatted, with enough white space to appeal even to picky middle grade readers. The illustrations are colorful, and the two page spreads at the beginnings of chapters are explained by notes on the following age. 

I don't know enough about Norse iconography to be able to judge if the illustrations pay tribute to it; there are some page decorations that echo some of the decorative scrollwork of extant jewelry, but it would have been nice to feel that the faces and backgrounds were inspired by art original to the time of the myths. The tone is also odd at some points, which surprised me. Napoli has retold a number of folk tales from various cultures in eloquent, intriguing and riveting ways, but there were times when I felt the tone in these retellings was too flippant. Perhaps I am too used to the reverential tone of Edith Hamilton and the D'Aulaires, and this lighter approach is meant to appeal to today's young readers. 

With the recent publication of Riordan's The Sword of Summer, all thing Norse will be in high demand, so this is definitely a book to think about purchasing, since most libraries will need more than one book about Norse Myths. Napoli cites Kevin Crossley-Holland's 1980 The Norse Myths as a particularly good source, and I'm investigating buying that as well. D'Aulaire's Book of Norse Myths (1967) is a must have.

Red Girl, Blue Boy

Baratz-Logstead, Lauren. Red Girl, Blue Boy. (If Only #5)
October 20th 2015 by Bloomsbury USA Childrens
E ARC from Netgalley.com

Katie's father is the Republican candidate for president, and Katie loves politics. She watched the numbers, knows all the tricks of the trade, and is not happy that she's been forced into a "normal" life not giving interviews, but she does enjoy having Kent, her bodyguard, accompany her to her private school. She usually wears little pink suits, with her hair in a bun. Drew's mother is the Democratic candidate for president, and he is NOT pleased. His family started out poor, but his father invented a computer thing, and now they live in a huge house. His best friend Sandy still hangs out with him, and Drew still rides the bus to the public school. When Katie appears on a morning talk show that Drew has declined to be on, she makes a comment that he is a "wimp", and the battle begins. He goes on a show with her but tries to get home on his own and is mobbed by girls. Katie pulls him into her limo, and a romance begins. Drew introduces Katie to walks on the beach, she introduces him to cronuts. She even buys a pair of jeans when Drew wonders why she doesn't have any "normal" clothes. Things are going fairly well (with the help of Kent) until two scandals break: Drew's father is accused of having an affair, and a photographer gets a shot of Drew and Katie kissing, and it's all over the tabloids. Each blames the other, but their respective press agents want them to continue to be seen together, which is akward all around. Will the two ever be able to reconcile, no matter what the results of the election will be?
Strengths: I really liked the politics in this one-- at one point, it is mentioned how both candidates are moderate for their parties, so very similar in their outlooks. Of course, the politics are just a setting for the romance, which is cute and sweet and completely age appropriate for middle school on up. The main characters grow a lot, and even the supporting characters are fun.
Weaknesses: Red jeans on the cover? Nowhere in the book. Should be a suit, with her hair in a bun.
What I really think: These are so popular with my readers who like romance books that I will certainly investigate all the books that are published in this series!

Gessner, Marina. The Distance from Me to You
October 20th 2015 by G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
E ARC from Edelweiss Above the Treeline

McKenna and her best friend Courtney have elaborate plans to hike the Appalachian Trail from end to end; they have even saved up their money to buy equipment and taken a year off after high school. A very short time before the trip, Courtney backs out because she doesn't want to leave her boyfriend. McKenna feels prepared enough to go on her own, so lies to her parents and takes off. The first few days are humbling; she can't make it up one route, and her phone breaks. She eventually gets the hang of it, and although the trip is brutal, she makes good progress. She also meets Sam, a boy who is walking the trail because he doesn't have anywhere else to go. He has left his abusive father right before graduation, and his older brother is not any better, so he has no home. He hikes with his meager supplies and takes days off from the trail to work and earn money to go on. He and McKenna meet up several times and have a friendly relationship, but eventually decide they want something more and walk the trail together. After an ill-conceived side trip, they become lost and injured, and have to manage to get help in order to survive.
Strengths: This had excellent details of what is involved in the hike, and McKenna is shown as having unlimited resources for hotels, food, etc. The drawbacks of the trail are clearly described, but McKenna manages to overcome most of them. The romance is good as well.
Weaknesses: Too much sex for middle school. Drat. And about halfway through, too. Sigh.
What I really think: I would have ADORED this as a high school student. Sam was cute, a basically good person, and in need of help. McKenna manages to help him without sacrificing her goals. This was sort of like Before Sunrise, set on the Appalachian Trail which, by the way, I used to want to hike until I read Bryson's A Walk in the Woods.

I may buy this one for my older daughter as a Christmas present. I think she'll like it, too.

Happy Birthday, Mr. Collard!

Collard III. Sneed B  Snakes, Alligators, and Broken Hearts: Journeys of a Biologist's Son 
November 1st 2015 by Bucking Horse Books
Copy provided by publisher

When it comes to biographies and memoirs, I always err on the side of people whose careers (or lives) are pretty much completed, since otherwise the books tend to become dated quickly (1986 biography of Michael Jackson, anyone?). However, since this is a memoir only of Mr. Collard's childhood, which occurred, as did my own, back in a distant time when children were allowed to roam free in half finished suburban neighborhoods without sunscreen, cell phones, or water bottles, I found myself enjoying it tremendously. To the average 12-year-old, his experiences will seem almost as impossible and remote as Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House books.

But any memoir, without a clear focus, is less intriguing. Mr. Collard, a notable author of children's science books as well as several novels which clearly took inspiration from his own life, manages this brilliantly by framing his own biography within the context of his father's experiences as a marine biologist and less than optimal parent. This is summed up in the subtitle: Journey of a Biologist's Son.

Admittedly, I was intrigued by the similarities in our upbringing (Graduate housing, check. Bonanza lunchboxes with bologna that could made into worms, check. Cross country car trips, check!), but also by the dissimilarities. My parents were in elementary education, not college, so the descriptions of the summers at outdoor biology labs was fascinating. Also alien to my experience was the difficulty of being from a family where divorce and remarriage occurred, and where a parent had problems with alcohol. These issues are addressed in a way that will help students who may have similar experiences.

I've been reading a fair amount of memoirs recently for the Cybils' Young Adult Nonfiction category, and I have found that there are many of them that I don't like. They are either too didactic, too boring, or don't teach me anything. This was a nice combination of scientific information, historical context, dealing with life issues, and amusing anecdotes.

Just for you, Mr. Collard. Maple sugar frogs and turtles. Happy birthday!

http://dev.piecesofvermont.com/pure-maple-candy.html

I'm an Alien and I Want to Go Home!

Franklin, Jo. I'm an Alien and I Want to Go Home! 
November 10th 2015 by Clarion Books
E ARC from Edelweiss Above the Treeline

Daniel Kendal is sure that he can't possibly be related to his family-- they all have blue eyes and are short, and there are no pictures of him as a baby. Not only that, but there is an article in his mother's album about a meteor crash around the time that he was born. He must be an alien. With the help of his friends, Eddie (who likes to eat a lot) and Gordon (who carries his laptop around his neck), he tries to figure out how to get back home to Kepler 22b. The trio has a number of goofy adventures, like trying to cryogenically freeze Daniel, raise money to fly him to Russia, and save his parents from people who think that aliens will come for them.
Strengths: There is a developmental stage where children think they can't possibly be part of their families, but I think it occurs a bit sooner than middle school. This had mildly amusing situations, and might be just the ticket for elementary school.
Weaknesses: Eddie and George were a bit too stereotypical for my taste, and Daniel didn't have much in the way of a personality at all.
What I really think: Mackel's Can of Worms addresses the issue of a child who thinks he doesn't belong on Earth in a more amusing fashion. This was fine, but just a bit weak. Perhaps it's just too young for my demographic, so didn't quite click with me.

Giving Up the Ghost

Sinykin, Sheri. Giving Up the Ghost
October 1st 2007 by Peachtree Publishers
Paperback from Young Adult Books Central.

Davia is afraid of everything, mainly because her mother was very sick with cancer, and Davia was afraid that she would lose her. When her family goes from Wisconsin to the South to stay with great aunt Mari, she and her mother stay with the aunt, who is dying of cancer, and the father goes to help with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Davia is too afraid to leave her mother. Aunt Mari is quite the character, and lets Davia in on a family secret-- there is a ghost that must be taken care of in the "big house", and it's best if that's done before Mari passes away. Even though she is frightened, Davia explores her family history and gets to know the ghost so that she can send her on her way.

This creepy, atmospheric book has great descriptions of a derelict Southern mansion. The humidity is palpable, and the desperation of the ghost is mirrored in Davia's fears for her mother. Mari's realistic approach to her condition is refreshing, even if Davia and her mother are not as open minded about this approaching death. There are also many details about Mari's frailty, and her approach to the end of her life.

The back story of the ghost, Emilie, is rather grim when it is finally revealed, and younger elementary readers might be upset by it, but middle school students will find it to be very interesting. Davia's encounters with the ghost are dangerous and pulse pounding-- something middle grade readers love!

With a creepy cover, reader friendly format (Peach Tree does a particularly good job at using comfortable text sizes and white spaces!), and a Hurrican Katrina tie-in, Giving Up the Ghost is an intriguing novel of tying up both real life and supernatural loose ends.

I don't know that I will buy this one-- it's not really as much about ghosts as it is about Aunt Mari dying. The way that Emilie died is also rather disturbing to adult sensibilities, and was a bit too much for me.

Monster: A Graphic Novel

Monster: A Graphic Novel by Walter Dean Myers, Guy A. Sims, Dawud Anyabwile (Illustrator)
October 20th 2015 by Amistad
ARC from Young Adult Books Central and reviewed there

Myer's 1999 novel is a favorite class discussion novel for our 8th grade, so it was interesting to see it adapted into a graphic novel.

Steve Harmon is an African American teenager who is very interested in film, and the book is presented as if it is the screenplay for a movie Harmon is making for class. Steve is on trial because he is accused of being the lookout for a robbery that ended in a drugstore owner being shot. Steve protrays his neighborhood, the people he knows, and his perception of the events. The lawyers at the trial bring up doubt concerning many of the events, and Steve, while he knows he is not guilty, begins to doubt the actions that caused him to be in this situation.

This is a timely book, given the current events in the news this summer. The graphic novel makes the characters seem very immediate and real, whether it is the arrogant swagger of Bobo, or the grief and disbelief of Steve's father.

The difficulties that Steve faces in his neighborhood are not glossed over, and there are elements in the novel and in this graphic version that make this more suitable for young adult readers. It is a good book for springboard discussions about how innocent people can be accused of crimes when they are in the wrong place at the wrong time.

This version stays true to the novel, although the beginning lacks some of the background information that helps readers to understand the situation in the novel. The pictures capture the gritty, inner city feeling of the setting, and will make this story more accessible to readers who find pictures easier to process than paragraphs of description. Monster: A Graphic Novel is a must have for readers who are being introduced to this story for the first time, or who have read the novel and want to see the story told in a different way. Teachers will find that using these books for a compare/contrast exercise could be very interesting.

I, sadly, am not one who likes pictures, and since this book (given the original screenplay format) has always been confusing for me, I didn't much care for it personally. Will have to buy a copy, though!

The Afterlife Academy

Cole, Frank L. The Afterlife Academy
September 8th 2015 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Copy provided by the publisher

Walter and Charlie would never have been friends, but when Walter is killed by lightning, he ends up getting a perfect score on his test for the Categorizer, Alton, and is sent directly out on a mission-- to protect Charlie. Charlie is very interested in paranormal phenomena, and has uncovered The Summoners Handbook, which makes him an immediate target of demons. It is Walter's job to keep him safe from them, even though he hasn't received any training at the Afterlife Academy and bungles his way through many things, unlike the triplet Guardian Agents he has met. Things seem amiss, and it's likely that there is corruption at the Academy. Dealing with that is hard enough, but Charlie (who has been inhabited by Walter's spirit) also has to contend with school bullies, a cute girl who might share his interests in the paranormal and his parents on top of banshees, wraiths, and shades.
Strengths: This was a decent adventure book with a nice twist, sort of like Heck: Where the Bad Kids Go. Walter and Charlie both have their moments, the issue of corruption was interesting, and the demons were amusing in a The Screwtape Letters type way. It was well plotted and flowed nicely. Even though middle school issues, like fitting in and being interested in girls, are covered, this would be a good book for higher level elementary readers who want stories with demons but don't want them to be too scary.
Weaknesses: The bullying is never my favorite thing in a middle grade book, and it definitely was superfluous in this story. This would have been better if all of the bullying incidents had been replaced with information on how to fight demons.
What I really think: My readers want really nasty demons, if they want books on demons, and while books about magical schools do well, this book isn't really set at The Afterlife Academy. I wish that Walter would have been going to school while being assigned to help Charlie; it would be easier to find readers for this.

Waiver Day

Don't go spoiling the presentation by looking through the whole thing by yourself and then sleeping in!

 See everyone who registered for 100 Great New Books tomorrow!

Fall 2015 Final from Karen Yingling

MMGM- Been There, Done That

It's Marvelous Middle Grade Monday at Ramblings of a Wannabe Scribe and What Are You Reading? day at Teach Mentor Texts and Unleashing Readers. It's also Nonfiction Monday.



Winchell, Mike., ed., Been There, Done That: Writing Stories from Real Life
November 3rd 2015 by Grosset & Dunlap
ARC from publisher

When Mr. Winchell first approached me about a book he was considering, he mentioned that it would align well with Common Core standards, since there is a push toward nonfiction. This collection is a nice mix; as the title says, a variety of middle grade authors give an account of a real life experience they had, and then write a short story that has its genesis in their own life. Most of these are realistic fiction; Claire LeGrand's leap into a fantasy world was an interesting insight into how the mind of a fantasy writer works. The roster is impressive and includes many of my students' favorites: Chris Rylander, Kare Messner, Dee Garretson and more. I will definitely be mentioning this book to the language arts teachers in my school, and it is a great starting point for many assignments.

Also, since the Guys Read series has been popular in my library, I can see students who like short stories finding this to be very interesting. I always find it difficult to review collections of short stories; should I review every story or just a few? And is that fair to the ones I don't review? Suffice it to say that this is a volume well worth picking up and sharing with middle grade readers in a variety of circumstances.

MMGM- Game of Flames GIVEAWAY

VOYAGERS SERIES

Book 1: PROJECT ALPHA by DJ MacHale, in stores now

Book 2: GAME OF FLAMES by Robin Wasserman, releases November 3

THE VOYAGERS EXPERIENCE prize pack

Get the full Voyagers experience! One (1) winner receives:

·         The first two books in the series;

·         Branded iPhone6 case and home GadgetGrip button to deck out your device while experiencing the Voyagers app.

Samples and prizing are provided by Random House Children’s Books.

To enter to win: 

Make sure I have a way to let you know if you've won (e mail, Twitter handle, etc.) and answer this question in a comment by 11/6: What special skills would you bring to a Voyagers mission?

Wasserman, Robin. Game of Flames (Voyagers #2)

November 3rd 2015 by Random House Books for Young Readers

Copy provided by publisher

Dash and his crew are back after Project Alpha. They are headed to Magnus 7 to obtain the second element needed to provide power to Earth, but run into Anna and her team who are in a ship that seems eerily similar to the Cloud Leopard. Dash thinks that the two groups could work together and have a better chance of, you know, SAVING HUMANITY, but Anna's team is more concerned with winning. Undaunted, the Cloud Leopard takes off. When they arrive at the planet, they need to figure out how to get the lava on board their ship, but are soon embroiled in a battle between two rulers on the planet, and their skills at dodging obstacles come in handy. Soon, however, they find that there is more going on. Can they deal with the interpersonal relationships while making sure they don't get stranded far out in space? More importantly, can they find the next element and save the planet? We'll know more when Omega Rising comes out in January. 

Strengths: We do find out who is behind Anna's ship, and there is a nice twist with an evil character brought to the plate. Also a nice twist with the creator of Magnus 7, and lots and lots of action. Piper gets some excellent moments in her hover chair, and Carly has some understandable reluctance to travel to the surface of the planet. There is an online presence for the books as well, https://www.voyagershq.com/bookseries.html, but I haven't investigated it fully. 
Weaknesses: This does a little better job at going beyond the standard science fiction tropes, although we do finally get an Alien Among Us. No Russians, though!

What I really think: These stories are good enough that they shouldn't be produced in such crappy bindings. I know, I know: publishers exist to make money, but it makes no sense to gather such great authors, get a decent series put together, and then have them available in a binding so bad that the first book will be in tatters before the last book is published ten months later. Grr. That's my pet peeve growling!

COLLECT THE WHOLE SERIES

BOOK 1: PROJECT ALPHA BY D.J. MacHale [out now]

BOOK 2: GAME OF FLAMES BY Robin Wasserman [11/03/15]

BOOK 3: OMEGA RISING BY Patrick Carmen [01/05/16]

BOOK 4: INFINITY RIDERS BY Kekla Magoon [03/01/16]

BOOK 5: ESCAPE THE VORTEX BY Jeanne DuPrau [03/01/16]

BOOK 6: THE SEVENTH ELEMENT BY Wendy Mass [05/03/16]

LEARN MORE

Learn more at Voyagers HQ

Follow the authors on Twitter:

@PatrickCarman | @DJMacHale | @RobinWasserman

#VoyagersHQ

Simon Ellis, Spelling Bee Champ

Mills, Claudia. Simon Ellis, Spelling Bee Champ
October 27th 2015 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
ARC from Edelweiss Above the Treeline

Simon loves playing video games with his friend Jackson, but he's also pretty good at school. When Ms. Molina's class is putting together teams for the school spelling bee (which is being pushed very hard by fun and energetic principal Mr. Boone), Simon wants to do well for his team and win the pie buffet, but when Jackson is bothered by Simon being better than him in most things, Simon has to decide what is most important. The class really gets into the preparations for the bee, with rival classrooms spying on each other's spelling walls, and Simon begins to realize that best friends don't have to necessarily share each others' interests all the time.
Strengths: I love that academics are paramount at Franklin School, and that the children are portrayed as being unashamedly fond of different aspects of school. Mr. Boone is the best fictional elementary principal ever.
Weaknesses: I'm torn-- I get tired of Kelsey only being interested in reading and Izzy only in running, and yet I didn't feel that Simon was invested enough in the spelling!
What I really think: I really enjoyed the other three Franklin School Friends  (Annika Rizz and Kelsey Green, Izzy Barr)books and bought them last year when I had many struggling readers. I wasn't as sold on this one, so am debating purchase.