A New Year's Like No Other

 

Every NYE we hop on the Mass Pike and head east to my cousins' annual party. We are merry and happy as we catch up with the Watertown crowd. 

I always try and convince my husband to leave work early so my cousin and I can hop over to Zia's. There I will find super cool things like my favorite sweatshirt cape I love to leap in or that funky scarf I will still wear to dress things up a bit.

So what's happening this year? Instead of Zia's, I handed off Newbery 2021 contending books to some fifth and sixth graders who just couldn't wait till Monday to start reading.  I don't blame them. Who can refuse a guaranteed good read this NYE weekend? 

I'm finishing up Monday's "Author Fan Face-Off" challenge book, The Mysterious Benedict Society. Back when we first started our show, I reached out to my friend, Carole, in LA to see if she had any star students who would be up for the challenge.  Months later, we get to meet Sabrina "in person"! It will be then that I will thank her for giving me the opportunity to revisit the world of Reynie, Kate, Sticky and Constance.  Having not read the book in over 10 years, every detail except for maybe that the kids are gifted (and that is easily found on the back of the book), was completely erased from my memory. I'll be curious what Trenton Lee Stewart remembers. Stay tuned...

Back in the spring my friend, Dawn and I, walked 25-30 or more miles a week.  Every week.  We are still walking but since I'm closing my move and exercise ring with my .5 mile walk to and from school and pushing my library on wheels up and down the hallways, our walks are much shorter. But today we closed the ring and then some with a 6.5 mile walk reminiscent of March (and April and May and...)

And I'll probably eat some cheese, a few cookies, watch the ball drop and welcome the new year with open arms. Fantastic to meet you, 2021. We've all been waiting for this day for a long time!

My friend Alicia always posts about her last and first book of the year.  Mine? The last one could very well be Benedict Society, unless you count an essay, poem or conversation from Alone Together: Love, Grief, and Comfort in the Time of Covid-19 Edited by Jennifer Haupt. My first of 2021? It's a toss up--I could be catching up on my 2021 Newbery contenders (currently my students and I are intrigued by the Adrianna Cuevas's debut, The Total Eclipse of Nestor Lopez), looking ahead to 2022 (Jenni Holm has a new book coming out Tuesday!) or prepping for future Face-Offs.  Whatever it is, I will try not to be too sad to miss our annual New Year's Day send off back west of ice cream from Rancatores or JP Licks. I will swap ice cream for a soothing cup of tea (yes, you read that right, Alicia!) and escape to another world via the written word.  Happy New Year and HELLO 2021!

For the WIN

I slept better last night but today my heart is racing. Is it because the reopening plans are due Friday and local ones are already going public? Is it the fact that every day in July is a day closer to August? It's time to remind myself of a couple of wins I had recently. These are what keep me going...

WIN 1

Late last week a former student emailed me. This rising freshman was going on vacation and wanted some book recommendations and thought I would be the perfect person to ask. I was honored and flattered.  She just finished Pride and Prejudice and The Great Gatsby ("classics of course so I had to read them"). It shouldn't surprise anyone that Darcy was one of my first crushes. Oh, and Ponyboy. And (I hate to admit this), Holden. And from there the list goes on and on and on...But I digress.

She could "literally read any genre."  I don't read that much YA, but quickly scoured a few of my recent book journals (you know I am not a Goodreads gal) and came up with this list. Please don't judge my continuous use of the word "good" and simplified five word reviews.  I was 14 again in this email and back to my Darcy loving days.

The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Septys (Historical fiction that takes place in Madrid. So good!)

The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas (Have you read this one yet?  If not, it's very relevant and then you can watch the movie)

The Voting Booth by Brandy Colbert (Takes place on Election Day--a little romance)

Dry by Neal Schusterman (fantasy/science fiction that feels very much like realistic fiction.)

Anything by Julie Murphy= fun!

Hot Dog Girl by Jennifer Dugan (fun! realistic fiction)

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi (I have not read this one but anyone who does loves it so much.  Fantasy.)

The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee (historical fiction.  Haven't read it but it got great reviews and my friends all loved it)

Stamped by Jason Reynolds (History of racism in our country. So good and so important.  Nonfiction) Actually, anything by Jason Reynolds is so great.

Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo (so good! It's verse from two points of view of two girls whose father was in an airplane crash) She has also written The Poet X which is really good.

If you like thrillers, I love Allegedly by Tiffany D Jackson (If you do read this you must talk to me afterward)

Another great thriller is Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen McManus (I think this is a series)

I wanted to make this list all on my own lol (i.e. no help from my HS library/Youth Services friends) to see if I could do it. I probably missed many but, as you already can guess, it ended up being a win after all. 

"I went through and looked up all the books and reviewed them all," she wrote.  

She chose these three to start:

"The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas - It seems very informational and reviews said it was very good.

Hot Dog Girl - I like the teen romance in it and reviews said it was very fresh and funny. Seems like a good read.

Allegedly by Tiffany Jackson - Looks very fun and mysterious. I love the crime solving aspect. I’ll definitely get back to you on this one when I finish reading!"

Kudos to her! I feel like she picked a well rounded trifecta! And I didn't even tell her that I'm convinced that the setting of Hot Dog Girl is an old, local amusement park here (Hoffman's Playland). Plus, I can't wait for her to get back to me about Allegedly. If you already read it, you know what I mean!

WIN 2

The summer school teacher emailed me for recommendations for a read aloud. Our special ed teacher recommended she reach out to me and see if I had any Newbery 2021 books that would give the rising fifth graders a leg up.  The first line of my email was: 

We Dream of Space by Erin Entrada Kelly. So, so good! It takes place in January 1986.  Three siblings in 7th grade and dysfunctional parents.  The Challenger is about to be launched. Just so good.

And that's the one she chose. Solid choice.

Tuesday, her TA, one of our 4th grade teachers, sent me this text:

The next thing he typed, "I’m going to “assign” it to all 4th grade parents this year to read before Thanksgiving." He likes it that much, huh?  I patted myself on the back.  Another win.

And the OT: WIN 3

Finally, earlier today a friend and colleague and I were out walking.  We passed a large front yard with the house set pretty far from the road.  On the porch, exponentially socially distant away, was a rising 6th grader who shouted our names with her arm waving through the wind. She got our attention for sure and we smiled. We agreed that she is a great kid and both had a little boost in our steps as we continued the miles. She made us so happy.

What wins have you had recently?  Jot them down. Commit them to memory. They could come in handy later this year...When you're feeling down or defeated, check back into your WIN folder for a little pick me up (with maybe a side of ice cream--something I could use right about now...)