Day #1 of Working from Home Blather

My biggest concern is always working enough. I'm paid by the taxpayers, and some consider librarians a luxury. Our contract day is 7:30-3:10; 7 and 1/2 hours with 20 minutes for lunch. I normally work 5-7:30 a.m., because once students are in the building, my day is spent face-to-face with them, instructing and working one-on-one on a myriad of things. Lunch is an apple at my desk, and there's no planning period. After reading the paper at home, I read and review from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. I'm happiest when I put in a full work day on top of my work day. I love reading, so it doesn't feel like work.

Weekends are spent reading and reviewing, with some laundry, cooking and cleaning thrown in. When I review for Young Adults Books Central, I "earn" books for my library, and I get a fair amount of hard covers from publishers as well.

So being at home? Not good. The hours spent at school with the students and teachers feel like my break. They are the reason I read. There was a little freaking out yesterday morning. My work with students can't be done at home. I have no books to hand out. I am going to post on Instagram every hour of the school day, but that's reaching a small population.

We can only do what we can during this difficult time. I checked on neighbors via a Facebook group and texts. I only saw my house mate, who has volunteered to go to work so a temp can be supervised so is driving instead of taking the bus. I'll get groceries for us and for several elderly people. I am investigating to which group I should donate money to help those who are out of work.

And I'll read and review. But I do need breaks. For instance, I got up at 6 a.m. instead of 4 a.m.! Took a two mile walk, will put together the Instagram posts, read five books, cross post reviews on a variety of platforms. Boost books on Twitter. After that, I have to give myself permission to be done. Clean the house. Walk the dog without a book in my hand. Maybe sew a bit. Only READ social media twice a day.

Here's hoping that everyone is well and making good plans to deal with this unexpected occurrence.

MMGM- Prairie Lotus

It's

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday at 

Always in the Middle 

and #IMWAYR day 

at 

Teach Mentor Texts 

and 

Unleashing Readers.

Park, Linda Sue. Prairie Lotus
March 3rd 2020 by Clarion Books
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Hanna and her father leave Los Angeles after her mother is killed in racial incidents in 1880 and go to the Dakota territory to start over. Their plan is to open a dry goods store and, as Hanna hopes, a dress shop where she can work. A good friend of her father, Mr. Harris, is supportive, but Hanna is worried because her mother was half Chinese and half Korean (and raised by American missionaries), and there is no one who looks like her on the prairie. When she starts school, she keeps her sun bonnet on even though the teacher, Ms. Walters, has been welcoming. Eventually, the other students realize her ethnic background, and their parents pull them out of school. There is a meeting, but it is agreed that until they hear differently from higher ups, Hanna must be allowed to be educated. Bess Harris stays, but eventually the plan emerges to let Hanna and Bess take their final exams to graduate. That way, Hanna fulfills her promise to her mother to finish her education, and the other students can come back to school. After the shop is finished, Hanna and her father ask Bess to come and work for them as they prepare a dress to sell in the shop. Bess' mother isn't thrilled, but reluctantly visits and sees that the shop is clean and nice; she has heard that "Chinamen are dirty", but Hanna points out examples that they are not. There are some people in town who are nice, like Charlie, but when the town drunk attacks Hanna, it is HER reputation that is sullied until the women of the town are contacted, and they give their support. Hanna also meets a group of Sioux women and has a pleasant interaction with them, and she feels bad that the Native Americans are treated badly. When her father hears about her meeting, he tells her she must report the women as being away from their designated area without a pass, although Mr. Harris later says that that law is meant more for the men who might be a threat. The shop opens, and the townspeople reluctantly accept the Edmunds family and their business.
Strengths: This includes many of the details that made me love Laura Ingalls Wilder's books, and Park includes a great note that talks about her love of the books but her problems with their racist qualities. Hanna loves to sew and wants to be a dressmaker, bringing to mind Laura's job in Little Town on the Prairie (my favorite in the series). The town dynamics are realistic, and the various families have qualities that are a nod to Wilder's characters. The interactions with the Sioux (the term used at that time) women are sensitively done, keeping in mind both the feelings at the time and Hanna's knowledge that these are not right. Very well done.
Weaknesses: At one point, Hanna recalls conversations with her mother, who said she was also "half-half", and her language seemed stilted; if May had been adopted by American (sic) missionaries as a baby, her English would have been standard.
What I really think: Is Hanna's father modeled off Mr. Edwards? Because I can see him having traveled to the west coast and married a Chinese woman! Readers of Wilder's series will look for details like this, and new readers will be fascinated by the details of life on the prairie in the 1880s.

Blue Skies

Bustard, Anne. Blue Skies
March 1st 2020 by Simon & Schuster
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Glory Bea lives in a small town of Gladiola, Texas during WWII. Her father was declared Missing In Action on Omaha Beach, but Glory doesn't believe he is really dead. In fact, when she hears that the Merci Train is coming to her state with a thank you from the people of France, she is sure that her father will be on the train. The train is coming two days after Valentines' Day, which was her parents anniversary, and it's hard to wait that long. There are lots of other things going on in the meantime. Glory's best friend, Ruby Jane, has a crush on Glory's neighbor, Ben, and wants Glory to play matchmaker, just like her grandmother. Grams is the best matchmaker around, with lots of matches to her credit, but Glory just doesn't seem to be able to get Ben interested in her friend. She wishes that her mother were a whole lot less interested in Randall Horton, a man who was in the service with her father and has come to town. He's been paying too much attention to her mother, and even gets a job in town at the pharmacy. Since she is sure her father is coming back soon, Glory is sure that her mother should not be keeping company with the man. In addition to these major things, there are smaller things like the newspaper printing French phrases to prepare the citizens for the train, a permanent wave that goes awry, and great details about everyday life in the 1940s. When the Merci Train reaches Gladiola, will Glory's hopes and dreams come true?
Strengths: Like this author's Anywhere But Paradise, Blue Skies is an engaging historical novel that addresses modern middle grade concerns while giving us a detailed snapshot of a particular time period. Our seventh grade does a Decades Unit, and I'm always looking for historical fiction set between 1920-1980 that talks about post war film, foods, and things like the local newspaper writing about what the citizens of the town are doing. It's also nice to see the extended family and the town's goings on. The cover is gorgeous!
Weaknesses: It seemed like a more modern thought process to have Glory would think her father would come home. I asked my father, who is roughly the age Glory would be now, and while he didn't have friends whose fathers died in the war (he was from a farming community), nearly everyone he knew lost a brother, cousin, or uncle. It was wartime, and everyone knew that the likelihood of dying was significant. It certainly makes for a more compelling story, though.
What I really think: Definitely purchasing, and would love Bustard to do a novel set during the early days of the British Invasion or another time period before the 1970s.

Sutter, Marcus. Secret Mission: Guam (Soldier Dogs #3)
March 5th 2019 by HarperCollins
Public library copy

Stryker is a doberman trained to help the US army carry messages and supplies to soldiers, and also can track and return to base if necessary. Bo is Chamorro, one of the indigenous people of Guam. His sister, Carmen, is helping the US armed forces who are on the island, which is being attacked by the Japanese. Stryker gets separated from his troops, and Bo is also on his own, trying to survive in the forest. The two meet after Stryker is injured, and the two try to make their way to the US base to deliver a message. It is a dangerous thing to do, and the Japanese are very brutal, but Bo is concerned for his people and needs to make sure the US forces have information to help them.
Strengths: This had plenty of details about battle, and Stryker and Bo were both very brave when trying to deliver their message. There are excellent notes at the end about all manner of topics in the story, which was great. This series, including Air Raid Search and Rescue, circulates very well.
Weaknesses: There was a lot going on, and I'm not really very interested in WWII, despite the number of books I read about it. I skimmed this one because I was tired, not because it wasn't a great book!
What I really think: I will buy every one of these that comes out in a prebind, since WWII books and books about dogs are very popular in my library, and these see constant use. Book 5, The Battle of the Bulge is available from Follett in a prebind, but oddly book 4, Victory at Normandy, is not. Upcoming titles include Soldier Dogs #6 Heroes on the Home Front and Soldier Dogs #7 Shipwreck on the High Seas.

Saturday Morning Cartoons- Rory Branagan

Clover, Andrew and Lazar, Ralph (illus.) Rory Branagan: Detective
March 22nd 2018 by HarperCollinsChildren’sBooks
Copy provided by the publisher

Rory's father disappeared suddenly, with no explanation ever forthcoming from anyone in his family. He has a good friend, Corner Boy Gilligan, whose father breeds guinea pigs, and his older brother, while annoying, is helpful. There is also Auntie Jo, who is renting the family's attic and working at the Deadly Pirate restaurant and Wilkins Welkin, a neighbor's dachshund and Rory's best friend. When a new family moves in next door, Rory meets Cassidy, who is his age, very bold, and also very attractive. When he tells her about his father's disappearance, she encourages him to become a detective and investigate. Of course, she goes about this in a rather ill thought out way, going through the bedrooms of Rory's family and getting him in trouble. When Corner Boy's father is poisoned by take out from the Deadly Pirate, the two start to investigate in earnest and come up with some alarming and dangerous findings. Will the two be able to solve the mystery and yet stay safe? Perhaps we will find out in book two, The Dog Squad.
Strengths: This is a notebook novel that also has a mystery, sort of like The Platypus Police Squad. Rory has a lot of crazy ideas, but some of them are actually helpful. This was funny (despite the missing father), and had a lot of non sequiturs, like a tap dancing unicorn and a guinea pig Olympics. The text is large, the illustrations plentiful, and the story fast paced, and there is an ACTUAL PLOT. The evil villains actually are pretty evil, which gains this extra bonus points.
Weaknesses: Really? Elderly lady Mrs. Welkin is nice enough to loan Rory her dog, but she is drawn with chin whiskers? Just... unnecessary.
What I really think: Definitely purchasing to use as Wimpy Kid methadone, and just wish that all four books were available in the US.

Keep Calm and Read On

My school district will be closed 3/17 until 4/6.

This is NOT unprecedented. In the winter of 1978, we were in school nine days in the months of January and February.  At the time, everyone was in a panic, thinking that it was the End Times and we were heading into the next ice age! In the fall of 1980, our teachers went on strike for six weeks.

What I remember is feeling worried, but also being VERY bored. The days had no structure. I read a lot, especially the encyclopedia, and played a lot of solitaire. Some school lessons were broadcast on television!

The important thing for everyone to consider, after everyone is safe and healthy, is keeping to a routine. Sure, it might sound like a good idea to stay up until 2 a.m., sleep until noon, and play video games all day, but it doesn't feel very good after a while.

I like to work, so that's what I will continue to do. Many of my students are on Instagram, so during the normal school day times, I will try to post an activity every hour (see example below). This is an opportunity to learn about a lot of things, and read a lot of books.

Today, I am increasing check out limits to five books today, and rolling out the cart of summer giveaways.

Everything will be fine. The world didn't end in the winter of 1978, and it's not going to end now.

Village of Scoundrels

Preus, Margi. Village of Scoundrels
February 25th 2020 by Amulet Books
E ARC from Edelweiss Plus

I'm not doing this justice because I had a lot of trouble with the E ARC (there are some lovely chapter drawings similar to the cover), and going back to get the names of the characters proved to be difficult.

Life in a remote French village in 1942 is going on without too many problems from the Nazis. The local people are very invested in saving Jews, and there is even a school with a lot of children who have been smuggled out. Everyone is involved; the local minister, the teachers, and local farmers, who have more food than is available in other places. The Jewish population have assumed other identities, often complete with papers, and the Resistance movement is an open secret, with talented forgers working on documents and people traveling through the town on their way to Switzerland. When a new officer, Perdant, comes to town, he is determined to find out what is going on and "follow the laws". Since he is able to be outwitted even by ten year old boys, he doesn't get very far, but he does add a level of anxiety to the situation. Based on a true story, there are a variety of experiences portrayed, and the epilogue, which ties in the real people to the characters in the book, is complete with pictures.
Strengths: This was a slightly different take on France during the war, since the village was small and remote. Because the situation wasn't quite as dire with food and Nazis living in the are (think Don't Tell the Nazis), the characters are able to focus more on moving people out of the country. There are a wide variety of characters representing a lot of different roles, and their interactions are woven together well.
Weaknesses: It's helpful to have books that can be informative to both middle school and high school readers, but this was not an easy read for middle schoolers who struggle a bit. It's a bit longer, and there is a lot of information. I found it a bit hard to keep the characters straight.
What I really think: Definitely purchasing. I still need a lot of books about WWII, and the French Resistance is a favorite topic of mine, since it involves a lot of suspense even if there are not as many battles, which makes it a popular choice for a wider variety of my readers. And I did check out this author's Heart of a Samurai AND Shadow on the Mountain this week!

Last of the Name

Parry, Roseanne. Last of the Name
April 2nd 2019 by Carolrhoda Books
Public library copy

Danny and Kathleen O'Carolan leave a bad situation in Ireland in 1863. Their father has left home, and their mother has died after grieving the death of another daughter. They manage to scrape together passage to the US with their grandmother, but she dies on the ship. Landing in New York, they know to be wary, but also need to find jobs. Kathleen finds a place as a maid, but it requires Danny to dress as a girl, Mary, and work in the household as well. He is tempted by the recruiters who are trying to get young boys into drum corps to help with the fighting during the civil war, but Kathleen won't hear of it. The two get a little help from a nun at a nearby church, but she is German and they are Irish, and the Irish are the targets of lots of discrimination. Blessed with a beautiful voice, Danny occasionally busks when he is supposed to be running errands for the cook, and comes to the attention of a local variety show producer who wants Danny to perform at his family friendly theater. Trouble arises with their domestic situation, and there are dangerous riots heating up in the streets. Kathleen grudgingly agrees to see how life in the theater would be.
Strengths: This is a timely story about the treatment of a large group of immigrants who are mistreated by the mainstream culture. Most students today don't know that the Irish faced a lot of obstacles in coming to the US from a troubled country. This was also fun, with Danny being forced to look and act like a girl. Nice notes at the back. The theater connection reminded me a little of Tubb's Selling Hope, which has gone out 20 times in ten years, so I feel good about that purchase.
Weaknesses: Meandered a bit in the middle and could have been tightened up and a little shorter.
What I really think: I really want to buy this, but I'm not sure how many readers I would have for it. Will purchase if I have the money at the end of the year.

Tough Call and The Only Black Girls in Town

Blair, Kelsey. Tough Call
March 3rd 2020 by Lorimer Children & Teens
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Malia is in ninth grade and plays basketball. Her younger sister, Flo, is in seventh grade and also wants to play, but the fees for the two of them are really high. When Malia's coach tells them about an opportunity to make money working as referee, she spends many weeks getting trained, and then starts to work games. The problem? She occasionally has to ref for Flo's games. There is a bitter rivalry between the girls East Side school and the Boundary, and Malia is accused of helping her sister's team. She is approached by East Side kids, but always refuses to have the conversations, although a girl with whom she refs, Gloria, often tweaks tough calls to side with whomever she likes. Malia tries very hard to be fair with all of her calls, no matter what team they favor, and she even takes her reffing knowledge to better her team's defensive game. Malia has made friends with a boy who goes to Boundary, Carlos, and even brings him to a party to try to get her friends to see that Boundary kids are just as friendly as East Side ones. Flo gives Malia a hard time until she begins to understand why Malia has begun to referee, and she then appreciates her sister's hard work.
Strengths: This had so much good information about basketball and game strategy, and the referee training was fascinating. I loved that Malia took responsibility to earn money in order to play. It was realistic that because she couldn't drive, she was assigned games at her own school. It was interesting that she had never thought about WHY her school was rivals with Boundary, and after she makes friends with Carlos, she asks around, and comes to the conclusion that the kids there are just the same. There's just enough family and friend drama to move this along, and it's great the the characters are a little bit older. Lorimer does really awesome sports stories, and I love the cover. Check out the purple nail polish!
Weaknesses: Poor Priya, Malia's friend. She's trying to do soccer, cross country AND basketball? Are those all in the same season in Canada? That would never fly in my area-- it's almost impossible to do just cross country and soccer.
What I really think: Definitely purchasing this, and making sure this author's Pick and Roll gets checked out today.

Colbert, Brandy. The Only Black Girls in Town
March 10th 2020 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Alberta has always lived in Ewing Beach, California, a town that is almost all white, with her Dad and her other dad, Elliott. She's used to being the only black girl in her grade, so she's excited when new black neighbors move into the house that was Mrs. Harris' bed and breakfast. She imagines all of the different ways she can imagine the new girl, but Edie doesn't look like any of her ideas! Coming from Brooklyn, Edie dresses in a Goth fashion, complete with black lipstick, and doesn't even know how to swim, much less participate in Alberta's passion, surfing. Alberta and Edie get along fairly well, but Al is a little miffed when her best friend, Laramie, takes to Edie so quickly. Seventh grade is starting soon, and Alberta's problem with Laramie only grows when her friend starts hanging out with another neighbor, 8th grader Nicolette, who has always given Alberta a hard time and is very racist. There are a lot of things going on in Alberta's life, and soon she is dealing with the fact that her biological mother is going to live with her family for a while, since she is pregnant and her husband has to work away from home, and also with a pile of journals that she and Edie find in Mrs. Harris' attic. The journals are full of black history from 1955, and also an intriguing mystery. Alberta tries to navigate friend drama, problems with microagressions, personal identity issues AND the mystery of the woman named Constance who wrote the journals.
Strengths: My suburban students have asked for years for books with black characters who don't live in the inner city, and that's been an easier request to fill over the last several years. Alberta has a similar socioeconomic setting to Renee Watson's novels, although my students will be amazed that Alberta is the only black girl in her grade! (We are just shy of 25% African American students.) There are a lot of intriguing and well developed characters in the book, and I really appreciated the fact that Alberta and her dads were very serious vegetarians. Having Denise stay with the family gives Alberta a chance to connect with her. The mystery is surprisingly intricate, given everything else that is going on in the book, and the journal entries are just long enough to provided information without getting boring. I really enjoyed reading this one, and it's the sort of thing that I would have loved as a middle grade reader-- someone's ordinary life that is very different from mine. The surfing alone would have sold me!
Weaknesses: This would almost have been better as TWO books. Alberta's problems with friends, family, and her surfing would have made a perfectly captivating book all on their own, as would the mystery with the B& B. I enjoyed this so much that I would have been very happy to have two books.
What I really think: Definitely purchasing, and my students will be glad to have another great book with "drama" (a frequent request) that also includes some issues with race as well as black history.

At one point, a teacher asks if Edie is Alberta's cousin, and on the first day, another teacher calls Edie by Alberta's name. I know this is an issue also addressed in Craft's New Kid, and it's something I'm very conscious of. There are two black 8th grade girls in my building who are cousins, and I have such a hard time telling them apart. There are also some girls who wear hijabs with whose names I struggle. I was thinking about this, and the students I mistake for each other most often are actually 6th grade boys. There are a lot of white boys who are the same size and have similar blondish hair and wear the same type of clothes and are all named Liam and Noah! This is an important topic, though, and I'm glad that Ms. Colbert made me think about it. Now if I could just stop calling two brunette 8th grade girls (who are best friends and must borrow each other's clothes!) each other's names, I wouldn't owe them pencils every time I do.

Quest for the Nautilus (Young Captain Nemo #2)

Henderson, Jason. Quest for the Nautilus (Young Captain Nemo #2)
March 10th 2020 by Feiwel Friends
ARC graciously provided by the author

Gabriel and his friends Peter and Misty are attending the Nemo Institute, and during Dr. Nemo's marine biology class, a large vessel approaches the school and sends out an SOS. Of course, Gabriel and his friends take off in the Obscure to help, only to find it was a trick and that a double submarine is attacking the Institute! They return to find out that Gabriel's mother has been kidnapped, and his father's vessel had been attacked earlier. The organization responsible for the kidnapping is Maelstrom, which had been an adversary of the Nemo family historically, but even Gabriel's father had never had to deal with them. Maelstrom demands an old Nemo artifact, the Dakkar's Eye. This was apparently a source of endless power that Captain Nemo made and was going to donate to the people of Brazil, but the Nautilus was lost in 1910 and never delivered it. Gabriel's dad decides they can never find it in the four days allotted, and retreats to his lab to make a fake one, but Gabriel and his friends track down an obscure journal from the expedition to try to find the missing ship. Of course, once they manage to track down the journal and liberate it from Boutros' USS Alaska, they find out that it is entirely in code! Luckily, it is a Nemo code, and Peter is able to translate it. According to the account, the Dakkar's Eye is highly radioactive, and was on a ship last seen near Gilbert. But is it Gilbert Island, or the Gilbery Trench? Since the island is closer, in the Pacific, the group sets out, only to meet government forces who are also investigating what looks like the buried wreckage of a submarine. Unfortunately, this isn't the one they want, and Antarctica is too far of a journey. Luckily, Peter comes up with a way to allow them to travel much faster, and the group manages to find the Nautilus in an ice cave. Will Gabriel be able to retrieve the power source and get it to Maelstrom in time to save his mother?
Strengths: Henderson constructs the perfect middle grade novel. We head right into the action, with pauses for breath and description at good intervals. I love the fact that Gabriel and his crew, while they take off on insane dangerous missions, still ask for permission and do safety checks of their equipment! The details about submarines and underwater environs are fascinating, and working in the history of the Nemo family is a nice touch. I enjoyed this one a lot and can't wait for the next one!
Weaknesses: It is a little hard to believe that the entire Nemo clan couldn't solve the mistory of the wrecked Nautils, but Gabriel could. But then, tweens can save the entire world from evil forces of destruction more quickly than I can find my car keys, so there's that!
What I really think: I love this series. It's so full of detailed but fast paced adventure, and my students recommend this to their friends after reading it. I have about four students who want the ARC when we get back from winter break! I also adore Henderson's Alex Van Helsing series, which is similarly action packed. It's still available in hardcover from Follett's Titlewave!

Tymony, Cy. Sneaky Uses for Everyday Things, Revised Edition: Turn a penny into a radio, change milk into plastic, make a dozen STEM projects with everyday things, and other amazing feats 
March 3rd 2020 by Andrews McMeel Publishing
Copy provided by the publisher

When I was young, my idea of science was putting string and salt on an ice cube. I remember having a few books something like this, but my parents never seemed to have the patience to do the activities with me (even though they were educators), and I soon lost interest.

This was a very cool book, and were my children about 6-12, I would certainly have been glad of a copy, and would have worked through activities with them. There is some fairly heavy duty science in this, so I'm not sure how far we would havee gotten, but the directions are pretty complete.

From Goodread.com
Sneaky Uses for Everyday Things, Revised Edition is a valuable resource for transforming ordinary objects into the extraordinary. With over 90 solutions and bonus applications at your disposal, you will be ready for almost any situation. This revised edition includes 10 new timely projects focused on STEM and Maker initiatives.

Do you know how to make something that can tell whether the $20 bill in your wallet is a fake? Or how to generate battery power with simple household items? Or how to create your own home security system? Science-savvy author Cy Tymony does. And now you can learn how to create these things and more than 40 other handy gadgets and gizmos in Sneaky Uses for Everyday Things, Revised Edition. More than a simple do-it-yourself guide, this quirky collection is a valuable resource for transforming ordinary objects into the extraordinary. A new section focuses on STEM initiatives, along with survival, security, self-defense, and other silly applications that are just plain fun. You'll be seen as a superhero as you amaze your friends by:

Transforming a simple FM radio into a device that enables you to eavesdrop on tower-to-air conversations.
Making a compact fire extinguisher from items typically found in a kitchen pantry.
Thwarting intruders with a single rubber band.

By using run-of-the-mill household items and the easy-to-follow instructions and diagrams within, you'll be able to complete most projects in just a few minutes. Sneaky Uses for Everyday Things has been a favorite reference tool for 16 years, and this new revised edition is better equipped than ever as a practical tool to build useful devices, a trivia guide to impress friends and family, and a resource guide for the next generation of makers. 

MMGM- Worse Than Weird and Biographic: The Beatles

It's Marvelous Middle Grade Monday at Always in the Middle and #IMWAYR day at Teach Mentor Texts and Unleashing Readers. It's also Nonfiction Monday.

Coot, Viv. Biographic: The Beatles
March 1st 2020 by Ammonite Press
E ARC provided  by Edelweiss Plus

When John Lennon was killed in 1980, my friends had to explain to me who the Beatles were. I had heard their songs, sure, but the group broke up before I started kindergarten, and I had older parents who listened primarily to easy listening stations. In college, I had a good friend who was a huge Beatles fan, so I started listening to the music more and reading a lot of books about them. I've seen all the movies and several documentaries, and agree that the group is still being listened to by teens, which is no small feat.

This book was fantastic! It's a great linear history that covers all of the usual information, BUT IN INFOGRAPHICS. I love infographics. I especially love them when they do a good job of capturing the spirit of the times, as these do. In addition to the basic information (which young readers might not know), there are all sorts of interesting statistics, maps of the Beatles' childhood homes in Liverpool, timelines of various histories, including an overview of the 1960s, and so much more.

This is a must have for all middle and high school libraries, since it is a good introduction for students who come into the library wearing Abbey Road t shirts but not knowing anything about the album but also for students who can tell you their favorite Beatles song. (Mine is The Word, mainly for the groovy base. Rubber Soul is my favorite album.) This is the sort of book I want to buy an extra copy of so I can laminate the pages and make bulletin boards with them.

I'm definitely purchasing a copy for the library, but also for my daughter, who needs it on her coffee table, since her living room is decorated with Beatles pictures.

Little, Jody J. Worse Than Weird
March 10th 2020 by HarperCollins
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Mac lives with her parents, Hank and Coral, in a small house in Portland. Small, as in she sleeps in the living room with the occasional chicken and her dresses is a small basket. Her parents are Millenial hippies who host summer festivals, play bongos, are part of a naked bike riders group and bring in goats for goat yoga. This all exasperates Mac, who just wants to escape by going to a computer coding camp instead of having to hang out with her parents over the summer. The cost is $500, but she hopes to get her more main stream uncle, James, to plead her case. When James arrives, he has rebranded himself as Coho and has bought into the parents' alternative lifestyle ways. Needing another plan, Mac finds out about a local food truck competition-- collect ten clues from different trucks and win $2,000. She enlists her two best friends, but they are both busy. One is a competitive swimmer pushed by her parents into something she doesn't really want to do, and the other is having family problems she is not sharing with Mac. Once they are too busy, she finds an odd ally in Joey, a boy from her school who has initiated several good projects at school, but seems to turn up at the most serendipitous times. Also to his credit is that he doesn't seem to care about the fact that Mac's parents do goat yoga or ride bikes naked, because he has bigger parent problems of his own. Will the two manage to win the money and use it to help ameliorate the problems in their lives?
Strengths: The intergenerational squabbles are spot on for middle grade; no matter what your parents are like in middle school, they can be embarrassing, and Mac's parents have turned this into an art form. Since they are earthy/crunchy/granola, of course she is interested in technology and wants to code! The depiction of Portland is interesting, and the fact that Joey and Mac are able to wander around on their own will be intriguing to my students, who sometimes are not allowed to walk to the library in our very safe neighborhood! Joey's story (highlight for spoiler: his mother has mental health issues and is living on the streets, so he tries to locate her and make sure she has things she needs, since he can't do much else. He wants to use the money to get her into a treatment program.) adds a level of seriousness to Mac's rather lighthearted complaints. Definitely a book from which many readers could learn new things!
Weaknesses: I think younger readers would have benefited from more of a description/explanation of Mac's home, parents, and community, since they will be unfamiliar with many aspects of it. I liked that the story started out quickly, but never felt I could envision Mac's home very well. The same goes for the food truck contest-- Mac seemed to be spending a lot of money to buy food when she didn't really seem to know the rules of the contest well.
What I really think: I don't normally like quirky, but I do like books that show me how people go about their daily lives in an environment different from my own. This was a bit like Svetcov's recent Parked in that it gave good descriptions of a particular city. I will purchase this one.

The Blackbird Girls

Blankman, Anne. The Blackbird Girls
March 10th 2020 by Viking
ARC provided by Follett First Look

It's 1986 in Pripyat, Ukraine. Valentina lives with her mother and father, who works at the Chernobyl nuclear energy plant. The family is Jewish, and careful not to draw attention to themselves, as people are still very prejudiced against Jewish people. This includes Oksana, who lives in the same apartment building with her mother and father, who also works at the plant. One day, there is some pouring from the plant, and everything is very odd. No one knows what is going on, and the girls are not too worried even when their fathers are exposed to radiation, because the government has told them that the cure is simple-- drinking milk and eating cucumbers. Unfortunately, Oksana finds out that her father has been killed, and Valentina's father has to go to a hospital in Moscow. When the are is evacuated, the residents are tested for radiation, and Oksana's mother is sent away to a hospital. Valentina and her mother take the girl in despite her objections, and plan to get on a train to Leningrad. When only two tickets are available, the mother decides to send the girls. She gives them the name and address of a grandmother Valentina has never met. In flashbacks, we see Rifka/Rita's troubles during World War II, when she was sent away from her family in Kiev to hide from the Nazis, eventually being taken in by a family who became very dear to her. The grandmother takes the girls in, and Oksana is surprised that a Jewish woman lives such an impoverished life, because her father has told her that all Jews are greedy and wealthy. The room in the kommunalka is small, with a shared kitchen and bathroom, but the girls are able to go to school. Oksana does not have to put up with the physical abuse she suffered at the hands of her father. She and Valentina both want to be reunited with their mothers, and both take on odd jobs to try to earn money. When Oksana's mother is let out of the hospital, she is appalled that the girl has been living with a Jewish family, but the mother's new boyfriend is just as abusive as her father was. Eventually, Oksana gets in touch with Valentina and her grandmother, who draw on the grandmother's contacts to secure a safe place for Oksana to live.
Strengths: The details of daily life in Ukraine are fascinating, and apparently there is a Chernobyl  television program(?) around, so some of my students might be encouraged to read this. I liked how the grandmother's story during WWII was woven into this one; it gives a little perspective on how the war affected the country in the years after it. I definitely remember Chernobyl in the news, so it was interesting to get a more personal feel for what it was like to live through that, although the bulk of the book was about living under Soviet restrictions.
Weaknesses: Having Oksana be abused makes it possible to tie the grandmother's past into the story, but it also made the book even sadder. I grew up hearing that Soviets were evil and drunk, so maybe that's why the portrayal of the two abusive men made me wonder if all of the people were evil. Not sure that modern, young readers would make that leap, but I wanted to come away from the book with a more positive feeling about Ukranians, so wished the men had been nicer.
What I really think: Definitely purchasing. The only other book that I know of that is set in the USSR around this time is Standiford's The Boy on the Bridge. Are there some that I am missing? It's a fascinating time period during my own adult life about which I know very little!

Big Nate: Blow the Roof Off! and Willa and the Whale

Peirce, Lincoln. Big Nate: Blow the Roof Off!
March 3rd 2020 by Andrews McMeel Publishing
Copy provided by the publisher

Ah, Big Nate. I love you, I really do. The notebook novels are fantastic, and have a much greater sense of plot than Wimpy Kid books. The artwork is also superior, and Nate is so much nicer than Greg Heffley. I also really want kids to get a band together and call it Enslave the Mollusk.

It makes me sad, though, that my students will not pick up the newspaper, even to read the comics! The Columbus Dispatch was recently redesigned, and there is no Life and Arts (or Accent) section, and this makes me sad, too. Comics are at the end of the Metro section. Still, it feels like it is everyone's duty to read the newspaper daily. The comics are our treat for doing this, like dessert.

Well, at least my students love these collections of comic strips, which are even harder than short stories to review properly.

These strips are from September 14, 2015 to February 28, 2016.


Morris, Chad and Brown, Shelly. Willa and the WhaleMarch 3rd 2020 by Shadow Mountain

E ARC from Edelweiss Plus

Willa is still grieving the death of her mother, a marine biologist, so continues to watch the whales near her home. Eventually, she comes across one whale who talks to her. Willa isn't sure if the whale is speaking her language, or vice versa, but they understand each other. Willa calls the whale Meg, short for Megaptera Novaengliae, since she can't pronouce the whale's sounds. Willa keeps a journal, and includes lots of scientific facts about her observations, which helps her to deal with Masha, her step mother, and her step siblings. Living with a large family is quite different from being an only child with two parents, and it doesn't help that her former best friend Marc has changed since Willa has been living away with her mother. Talking to Meg helps, especially when school is stressful with projects, like a debate about children and screen time that Willa doesn't think goes well. After a blue whale beaches itself near her home and Willa is unable to save it, she at least wants to do more than let it rot on the beach, and goes to the city council to suggest how it might be able to be transferred to a research facility. When she finds out why Marc's family problems are affecting him so deeply, she realizes that her father's suggestion that she see a therapist has some merit.
Strengths: It's good to see information about marine biology, since an odd number of my students (in the middle of Ohio, remember) want to pursue this profession. Whales are certainly of interest to middle grade readers. I also like books that include blended families, since many of my students are in similar situations. Willa's passion for whales is admirable, and helps her work through her grief.
Weaknesses: This is very similar to The Line Tender (although that deals with sharks) that I thought I had already read the book.
What I really think: I love Morris and Brown's Squint, but I'm just not sure about this one. The talking whale makes this a fantasy book, and it would have been better without that. (Plus, I keep doubting myself-- was the whale REALLY talking to her?)

Hunger Winter

Currie, Rob. Hunger Winter
March 3rd 2020 by Tyndale House Publishers
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Dirk and his family live in Holland, but the war has been cruel. His mother has passed away, his father ( the leader of the Resistance) has been taken by the Nazis, and his older sister Els has just been captured as well. He is responsible for his younger sister, Anna, so when there is news that the Nazis are coming after the two of them as well, they take off to their aunt and uncle's house. Their aunt takes care of them the best she can, since food is almost nonexistent, but the children are soon picked up and taken to a work camp where conditions are very hard. An officer tells Dirk he has a friend who is willing to adopt Anna, so Dirk knows he must leave. He has an opportunity when the factory where they are working is bombed. The siblings seek safety at a farmhouse, and the older couple takes them in, but there is also a German officer, Fleischer, who claims to be on their side. When other Germans arrive in the area, he confines the children in the basement. Dirk realizes that Fleischer needs to escape too, and talks him into driving him and Anna to the Americans. Fleischer surrenders, and the US soldiers take the children to their grandparents. As the war winds down, will Dirk and Anna be able to find their father and sister?
Strengths: This had just about everything I want in a WWII novel. Just enough soldiers and fighting, details about civilian life, Nazis who aren't completely evil (I had a friend who fought in the Wehrmacht against his will. It was fight or die.), and lots of action and suspense. It was a fantastic length, and easy for my struggling readers to understand. The best part was that it started strong and never got boring. The cover is also very appealing, and I don't have a lot on the Dutch during the war. The notes at the end were very helpful as well.
Weaknesses: It seemed a little unrealistic that Dirk would be reunited with both his father and sister, but that also makes this a good choice to hand to overly sensitive souls who struggle with the Holocaust unit.
What I really think: I will definitely purchase a copy; two if some of my WWII books get lost!

Fly Back, Agnes

Atkinson, Elizabeth. Fly Back, Agnes.
March 3rd 2020 by Carolrhoda Books
Copy provided by the publisher

Agnes does not want to spend the summer in Kansas with her mother, her mother's artist boyfriend, and his annoying young son. She's still angry about her parents' divorce, and wants to spend more time with her father, who is working on his PhD in music and lives in a dormitory room at the college where he teaches. When Agnes finds out he is renting a house for the summer, she lies to her mother and says that her father really wants her to be with him, and she is concerned about his health. Distracted by the pressure of cleaning the house so the renters can move in, the mother agrees. Soon, Agnes is settling in, a bit miffed that her father intends to spend most of his time finishing his dissertation. She sets off to bike around the area, and comes across a small store. There, she introduces herself to a girl working at the counter as Chloe, and claims that her parents are very busy professionals, and she herself is an actress and model. She gets along well with Stella, as well as her grandmother, Birdie, and toddler Wyatt. Later, Agnes meets Fin and Harriet, who live nearby and run a raptor rehab center. As the summer continues, Agnes has to spend time with the daughter of one of her father's colleagues, Dot, who is quirky and not really someone with whom Agnes wants to spend time. Agnes continues to hang out with Stella and Fin, and finds out serious secrets about both of their lives. She continues her lies about her identity until a series of events brings them to light. Can Agnes make things right with her new friends as well as her mother and father?
Strengths: I think that everyone has entertained the idea of being someone else. Everyone has a name in their pocket for their secret identity, right? I love the idea that Agnes really thinks she can keep her lives separate, and she is actually successful at it for a long time. The secrets that Fin and Stella have are rather serious ones, but Agnes handles them with understanding and compassion. She is a little less generous with her parents' problems, but that is typical to this age. Balancing new step siblings and new partners for parents is something many young readers have to do. The raptor rehab center adds a nice layer to the story, and Dot serves as a moral compass for Agnes' lies. For those who are interested in stories that also include mentions of having a period for the first time, this is a concern for Agnes; her mother might not be living with her, but is still trying to prepare her.
Weaknesses: The fact that Stella is keeping from Agnes makes for a compelling story, but the age difference between the two made me wonder if they would be friends in real life.
What I really think: This is a solid choice for readers who like summer adventures in books like Stewart's The Summer of Bad Ideas, St. Antoine's Three Bird Summer, Greenwald's Welcome to Dog Beach, Hilmo's Skies Like These or Beil's Summer at Forsaken Lake.   

Black Brother, Black Brother and Show Me a Sign

Rhodes, Jewell Parker. Black Brother, Black Brother
March 3rd 2020 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Donte goes to the exclusive Middlefield Prep school because his parents want him to get a good education, but he has trouble fitting in to the school. The teachers and other students are prejudiced against him because of his dark skin, so he is always blamed for anything that happens. To make matters worse, his brother Trey looks white, and other students taunt him with the name "black brother", especially Alan, whose parents have given a lot of money to the school. When he is sent to the office for throwing a pencil he did not throw, he politely stands up to the principal, which ends up with him being escorted out of the school by the police with his hands bound and is suspended for a week. His father (who is white) and his mother (who is black)  believe him, and his lawyer mother plans a class action law suit against the school. During his suspension, Donte hunts down a former Olympic fencer  who works at a boys and girls club in the city to ask for lessons. He knows that Alan fences, and thinks that beating him at his own sport would be good revenge. Donte finds the man, and gets him to reluctantly agree to coach him. Trey also decides to pick up the sport, and the two get heavily involved with the competition. The club eventually faces off against Middlefield Prep, and Donte learns more about his coach.
Strengths: Mixing a sport in with any social issues topic makes it more appealing to middle grade readers, and Rhodes knows the formula for a good middle grade novel; sympathetic characters, short length, quickly moving plot with timely topics. I especially appreciated that the parents were involved and caring, and that the main character is biracial; this is such a large portion of the population at my school now.
Weaknesses: This doesn't make me have any kinder feelings for private schools. I taught in one, and while the school where I taught was definitely looking to enroll and keep minority students, there also wasn't a great system of checks and balances, so I could see a similar situation arising.
What I really think: I've always loved Sundee T. Frazier's The Other Half of My Heart (2010), and this addresses the issue of siblings who are treated differently because of how they look in a very current way. Will purchase, and will recommend the high school look into this for a couple of my readers who were always looking for more social justice and sports books.

LeZotte, Ann Clare. Show Me a Sign
March 3rd 2020 by Scholastic Press
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Mary Lambert lives on Martha's Vineyard in the community of Chilmark, where 1 in 25 of the population were deaf in the 1800s. Her father is deaf, but her mother and brother George are not. Since a sizable portion of the population is deaf, most of the community can use a local version of sign language and lip read, so Mary does not feel limited in her activities or her future. Her brother has recently been killed in a road accident, hit by a carriage driven by the uncle of her best friend, Nancy. The uncle goes to Boston, and the Lambert family tries to move on. The descendants of the English settlers are taking more and more land, to the anger of the local Wampanoag people, who feel that they are being taken advantage of. When a scientist comes to Chilmark to study the reasons why there are so many people affected by deafness, the local people think he is a bit strange, especially in how he views deaf citizens as less intelligent. Wanting to study a "live specimen", the scientist kidnaps Mary and takes her to Boston, where his co researcher at least concludes that Mary is remarkably smart despite her challenges. Luckily, a sailor is sent to try to find Mary and returns her to Chilmark.
Strengths: I always appreciate historical fiction that covers topics I have never heard about, and this has plenty of interesting details about everyday life, treatment of native populations, and varying views of the deaf community at this time. (The publisher information does not capitalize deaf in the description, so I am following that example.) I appreciated that LeZotte mentions a variety of sensitivity readers in her notes. The interactions of the community members and family, and Mary's friends, are all interesting.
Weaknesses: The cover is a bit dark and unappealing. It would have been nice to see an illustrated cover reminiscent of the primitive paintings of this time period.
What I really think: This was a great book, but I fear it might meet the same fate of other interesting historical fiction like Preuss' Heart of a Samurai. (No one ever checks it out. ) Debating purchase, although I do have this author's T4: A Novel in Verse (2008). That title is about the Holocaust, which is a period of history more frequently studied in my school.

Dragon Egg Princess, etc.

Has it been a long winter? I feel like it has. Fantasy books are a challenge for me anyway and lately... not processing. I'm still buying ones that my students crave, and The Dragon Egg Princess ARC has gotten a lot of good feedback!

Oh, Ellen. The Dragon Egg Princess
March 3rd 2020 by HarperCollins
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Change is coming to Kidahara, a magical forest in the Joson, a kingdom in a diverse realm where there is magic. The trees are going to be pulled down for train tracks and mining. Jiho, whose family have been rangers for generations, gets pulled in by an offer of well paying work, even though he wants nothing to do with the forest after his father, also a ranger, left when he was young. Not surprisingly, the project is a very dangerous one, since the Namushin (tree spirits) are not in favor of "progress", especially since the men of Orion (one of the five kingdoms in the realm, the others being Urcia, Cloverly, and  Bellprix) plan on industrializing the entire area. Jiho is an anomaly; he is not affected by magic, and in fact, causes magic to malfunction, which can be a problem when vehicles are run by magic. On the outskirts of Kidahara, there is a clan of witches and wizards called the Botan. Michah is the matriarchal leader, even though she is young, and she and her people are committed to keeping the forest safe and are fighting Prince Roku. They possess a moonstone, which has untold magical properties. When Jiho and his team come across the long lost princess Koko ("Holy octopus balls!", which would be my new go-to phrase if it weren't so inappropriate for a teacher!), Jiho realizes that there is more at stake than the well being of the forest. Micah knows where Koko's parents are imprisoned, and aided by a variety of creatures, Jiho must figure out how to keep Koko safe, rescue Koko's parents, and keep the realm safe from the evil Luzee, who plans on using Micah's moonstones and Jiho's ancestral staff to plan an evil takeover.
Strengths: This was an action-packed, well-plotted fantasy tale with a decent twist on the "evil is uprising and only tweens can save the day" formula. It has a medieval feel, but modern technology. The inclusion of Korean elements (in Joson) is a nice touch. Jiho is a well-meaning  character who is trying to do the right thing, even if isn't what he wants to do. The villains are nicely drawn, and this could stand on its own, although also could have a sequel.
Weaknesses: I was hoping there would be more dragons, and I could have used a little more backstory describing the kingdoms. Also, there are a LOT of characters and places, and I personally found this made it hard for me to follow the story. Remember, though, that I have frequent Fantasy Amnesia which makes this kind of story hard for me!
What I really think: Readers who are big fans of Tui Sutherland (and who can tell me what Harry Potter is wearing in the fifth chapter of the fourth book) will love all of the different characters and their various magical powers or implements, as well as all of the places that are visited. Definitely purchasing for all of my dragon fans!

DasGupta, Sayantani. The Chaos Curse (Kiranmala and the Kingdom Beyond #3) 
March 3rd 2020 by Scholastic Press 
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Wow! I can definitely see why my fantasy fans love this series. There is so much action, adventure and humor, and the pace never lets up. Rest assured, LOTS of things happened! While fantasy is a really hard sell in my library now (I am blaming the fact that students spend so much time on screens that they have not developed the imagination needed to enjoy fantasy!), fantasy with cultural connections (like the fantastic Rick Riordan Presents imprint) circulates REALLY well. I love the notes at the back that explain some of the stories represented in the book. That said, I read this New Year's Day and didn't take notes, so I will purchase a copy but rely on the Goodreads synopsis. I think this is the last book in the series, but I could be wrong! Can't get this soon enough for my readers!

"Creating order out of chaos has frightening consequences in this New York Times bestselling series!

Kiranmala must leave the Kingdom Beyond and travel to her hometown of Parsippany to save Prince Lal, who has been spirited to the unlikeliest of places -- a tree in the yard of her best-enemy-for-life. She also faces evil serpents (of course!), plus a frightening prophecy about her role in the coming conflict between good and evil. Most troubling of all, though, is the way reality all around her seems to waver and flicker at odd moments. Could it be that the Anti-Chaos Committee's efforts are causing a dangerous disruption in the multiverse?

Kiran must grapple with the increasingly tangled threads that threaten to ensnare her...and everyone in the world and the Kingdom Beyond. "

Flanagan, John. Return of the Temujai (Brotherband Chronicles #8)
October 1st 2019 by Philomel Books
Library copy

At least two of my students read this before I did, reserving copies from the public library! I waited until the library copy came in. Brotherband has never done quite as well as Rangers Apprentice, and I'm not sure why I still think of them as fantasy books. I still enjoy reading them, but they are becoming a bit samey. The Temujai are back, and didn't particularly interest me. The crew sails, run around and fight, and fight some more. I kept thinking that Hal and Lydia were from Rangers Apprentice. Have I mentioned I haven't been sleeping well? There was more coffee and good food than in most Brotherband books. How is it possible that Lost Stories came out almost ten years ago? I'd like to see Brotherband wrapped up, and would LOVE to see something new from Flanagan. Totally different world and characters. While my readers do persevere with both series, it is dragging on a bit.

MMGM- City Spies and More Than Marmalade

It's Marvelous Middle Grade Monday at Always in the Middle and #IMWAYR day at Teach Mentor Texts and Unleashing Readers. It's also Nonfiction Monday.

Ponti, James. City Spies
March 10th 2020 by Aladdin
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Sara is a hacker who managed to break into the foster care computer system to report her troublesome foster parents; of course, she is the one who got in trouble. When she is getting ready to appear in court, a dapper British man appears and says he is her new lawyer, and proceeds to get her cleared to go to a special school. She has her doubts about this man, but he has said to trust him, and once he helps her lock her foster parents out on the roof of their house looking for money so that she can retrieve her belongings from her room, she feels that he must have her best interests at heart. Soon, "Mother" (as he is known) is whisking her off to Scotland. There is a weather observation facility serving as a cover for a clandestine MI6 group of orphans from around the globe who all have special skills. Sara, who is now known as Brooklyn (since all of the children are known as the city from which they came), is replacing a girl who quit to help the local school group participate in a global environmental challenge. Brooklyn and the others (Paris, Sydney, Rio, and Kat(hmandu))are going to participate, but only so that they can make sure that the competition isn't attacked. There have been many instances of people being attacked by the Purple Thumb, and MI6 is employing every unit they can to solve the mystery before more agents die. First, of course, Brooklyn has to learn basic spy skills very quickly, and then has to prepare to enter the Stavros Challenge put forth by Stavros Sinclair and his company, Sinclair Scientifica and held during the Youth Summit for the Environment in Paris. One of Brooklyn's jobs is to learn to scale the outside of a building, get inside, and hack into the computer system. When the kids get to Paris and start their spy operation, however, they find that things are more complicated than they expected. They must rely on their skills, Paris' knowledge of the city, and the ever shifting stream of information in order to figure out and stop the forces of evil.
Strengths: Spy mysteries such as Horowitz's Alex Rider (2001), Benway's Also Known As (2013), Bradley's Double Vision (2012) Carter's Gallagher Girls (2005), Stuart Gibbs' various series, Monaghan's A Girl Named Digit (2012), and Muchamore's CHERUB are THE most popular type of book in my middle school library, hands down. Ponti's Framed series does well, but students are going to adore the action, adventure, traveling and environmental concerns of City Spies.
Weaknesses: I had the same objection to this as I had to Carter's upcoming The Winterborne Home for Vengeance and Valor: There seems to be a trend towards having characters who are orphaned, in foster care, and then approached by some sort of secret organization to work. I know that it helps to get parents out of the way so that middle grade characters can have adventures, but since I do have students who are in foster care, I wish that the portrayal of the system were more realistic.
What I really think: Probably have to purchase two copies of this, just to keep up with demand!

Tolin, Rosanne. More than Marmalade: Michael Bond and the Story of Paddington Bear
March 3rd 2020 by Chicago Review Press
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Born in 1926, Bond was two years older than Fred Rogers. Their biographies are a fascinating look at the lives of young men during the 20th century. Like Rogers, Bond had a supportive family, and one that encouraged him to read. He was unhappy in his secondary school, so left at the age of 14, and took a variety of jobs, including working for the BBC as an engineers assistant. During WWII, he survived a bombing in Reading, and treid to join the Royal Air Force, but airsickness forced him into the army instead. He did some writing while in the service, and continued when he returned to civilian life. He was keenly aware of the issues facing refugees and immigrants, and Paddington Bear is based on some of these memories. The first book did well, and he continued to write a huge number of books about the bear, as well as guinea pig Olga da Polga. He incessant work led to a divorce from his first wife, with whom he then shared custody of the stuffed Paddington bear, whom he had bought one Christmas at a department store. He was involved with some of the merchandising of the stuffed bears, and continued to work until his death in 2017.
Strengths: This was just fun to read, in the way that The Childhood of Famous Americans books were back in the day. This has the best description of how to play conkers I have seen, and the glimpses into every day life are fantastic.
Weaknesses: I'm not sure that any of my students are at all familiar with this series. I have a couple of books, but can't think that they are read at all.
What I really think: I will purchase this to use for the 7th grade decades project as a good depiction of life during the 20th century, as this is an interesting biography like Uhlberg's The Sounds of Silence.

The Queen Bee and Me

McDunn, Gillian. The Queen Bee and Me
March 3rd 2020 by Bloomsbury Children's Books
Copy provided by the publisher

Meg has been friends with Beatrix since they were young, but there have been times recently where their friendship has been strained. Beatrix has a going-getting real estate agent mother and a more luxurious life style, and she has recently taken to thinking that Meg is a bit babyish. It doesn't help when quirky new girl, Hazel, moves to town and is invited to Beatrix's family party, where she doesn't make a good impression. Meg likes Hazel but knows too well that Hazel's acne, over-the-top fashion sense, and hippy, chicken raising mother are not going to endear her to Beatrix. Meg tries to avoid Hazel, but gets assigned to work on a project with her in the science elective that Meg chose rather than the dance class Beatrix wanted her to take. Meg wants to choose a cute mammal to study, but Hazel tells the teacher they want to study bees. Meg has a lot of anxiety, and such a fear of bees that she will occasionally pass out when exposed to them. The two try to get along, and Meg tries to keep the peace with Beatrix. This becomes impossible when Beatrix's mother goes to the town council to get them to ban Hazel's bees, and Meg feels it is more important to fight for her new friend than to give in to the demands of her old one.
Strengths: Losing at least one friend. This is definitely what the middle school experience is like, and the tension between Meg and Beatrix is spot on. While we see moments where their original connection is on display, such as when they are walking dogs for neighbors, we also see a lot of times where Beatrix wants Meg to be somebody else. Hazel is that middle school student who feels it is more important to be herself than to blend in with the crowd, but Meg knows that blending in is a much more comfortable way to go. Beatrix is, of course, that person who sets the standards and MAKES everyone follow her. The inclusion of bees, as well as a light touch of dealing with anxiety, add a couple of more levels of interest to this solid middle grade novel.
Weaknesses: I know the trend is to encourage students to "be themselves", but really, that's about the worst advice anyone could have given ME when I was in middle school. Hazel is a bit over the top.
What I really think: Definitely purchasing, and I appreciated that it tackled serious middle school issues while still remaining a fairly happy and upbeat read. Add this to Honeybees and Frenemies as a book that addresses social AND environmental concerns.