I must really like Rajani LaRocca if my first post in a long time is dedicated to her.
Rajani gets a star for being one of the happiest authors we've had on Author Fan Face-off. She was smiling and giggling all the way through. But don't be fooled. Her giddiness did not distract her from nearly beating Astrid, her very deserving challenger for Midsummer's Mayhem.
A Midsummer's Night Dream is my favorite Shakespeare play. I had myself convinced that Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson (maybe?) were in the film I loved but after some searching I believe the movie I'm actually remembering is a 1993 version of Much Ado about Nothing.
Which appropriately leads me to Rajani's latest book that comes out next week, Much Ado about Baseball. Who can blame Rajani for her permagrin during AFF when her book was just featured on The Today Show. Make sure you click on the link to hear how Brad Thor gushes over her book. 👇
— 📚🧁🔅 Rajani LaRocca 💗⚾️🧬 (@rajanilarocca) June 4, 2021
I have reserved the book on Edelweiss and pre-ordered from Rajani's bookstore so one way or the other I will be reading it THIS MONTH.
And speaking of Shakespeare and the Globe, check out this recent article from yesterday's New York Times about a socially distant Midsummer's Night Dream.
Yeah, so if you haven't guessed by now, I just want to be Rajani's friend and meet her for coffee. She's happy, funny and smart (yes, her day job is a doctor!). We are about the same age; both coming of age in the 1980s. You too? Be sure and read her beautiful novel in verse, Red, White and Whole which takes place during that time and brought back so many memories of middle school. The Spotify playlist is in my running rotation. I knew Rajani really didn't want to hear me say that her book is on my Newbery 22 list so bit my tongue as long as I could during our AFF filming. But, if you are one of our regular viewers, you will know that I'm pretty good at predicting winners (just ask Kelly Barnhill). In any event, add that book (and all her others) to your TBR if you haven't already. Then plug in your airpods and take a walk down memory lane. Oh and for Red, White and Whole--keep the Kleenex close. Don't say I didn't warn you.
I have been binge watching Ali Stroker on YouTube all week. Hold on. Ali Stroker is not a name in your cannon? Inconceivable! In 2019 she won the Tony Award for best actress in a musical. Talk about defying gravity! She's in a wheelchair and incredible! TBH, I didn't know who she was either until her amazing performance with her Oklahoma cast at the Tony's that year. But now she is "part of my world." Next month her debut middle grade novel written with Stacy Davidowitz, perfect for young theatre fans, will hit the shelves.
Theatre loving 13 year old Nat just moved from California to New Jersey leaving life with her BFF, Chloe, and her wheelchair racing world behind. When Dad drops her off for practice with a new racing team, she eyes a flyer announcing auditions for Wicked, her second favorite show only after Hamilton, at the JCC across the street. The next day she skips practice, heads over to the Center and ultimately lands a role; her first ever! Instant friendships, a crush, drama with Savannah, the lead, misunderstandings with Chloe, an adorable dog aptly named, Warbucks, an unexpected fire, karaoke, Pinterest cupcakes, an overabundance of Broadway references (especially Hamilton with a special shout out to my personal number from the play, "Dear Theodosia") that only the serious theatre lover will appreciate...I wasn't surprised when I smiled often and got "Defying Gravity" stuck in my head, but that moment that I shed a tear kind of threw me.
Group chats between the Broadway Bounders theatre kids is a big part of the book. I absolutely LOVE all their names, each referencing a show or song. Nat's is "NatThrowinAwayMyShot." How can you not love that? Do the promotional items for the book include a t-shirt or a sticker for my computer with the chat names? Speaking of swag, I wonder about a playlist. I thought about it too late into the book but started making my own "Chance to Fly" on Spotify. Please don't judge me. I tried to pick songs I could remember from the book and also just my favorites. What would Nat's playlist look like? And while you are cueing up songs, make sure the Wicked soundtrack is ready, especially for the end. My chills were literally multiplying during that part.
"'I don't want to be the next anyone...I want people to want to be the next me.'" Nat tells her dad. I couldn't help thinking was that 13 year old Ali speaking? What aspiring actress wouldn't want to be her now?
Dear theatre gods can you please let Ali and Stacy know that I have an Annie story to tell, too, and would love to hang out and be their friend (I'll let it go that Stacy doesn't spell her name correctly). When I was in 4th grade, I was Miss Hannigan. I know! Kind of unbelievable considering the source lol. It was the only lead in a play I ever got. I wasn't in it 17 times, but we can still be friends, right? PLUS--Ali and I share a birthday! So one a birthday and one a name. The three of us were meant to be!
Check out this video with Ali and Stacy. It's 30 minutes long but worth it!
PS: This was one of those "G-d-I-Hope-I-Get-It" moments and I did! I'm the "Chief Bibliophile" for Camp Broadway's Rialto Readers book club! Although we are still in our infant stage, it's going to be big! Readers can sign up here. I'll be curating lists filled with books like Chance to Fly and so many others that kids like Nat and her Broadway Bounders friends will love. (PPS: Ali is a Camp Broadway alum--It was all meant to be!)
Author Lisa Fipps posted on Twitter the other day a picture of a jar with slips of paper in it. "Every time someone says something good about STARFISH, I print it off and place it in the jar," she tweeted. Perhaps this blog post will warrant a print out?
There are so many things I love about this book in spite of the fact that I had a really hard time reading the bits about Ellie's brother and her mom. But that's what makes the book good, right? When I fall hard (or don't fall, in this case) for my characters I love it. So many strong feelings one way or the other. Just ask my friend, Alicia. Ellie's mom does everything to get her to lose weight from posting things on the fridge to wanting her, at 12, to get bariatric surgery. And her brother is one of her worst bullies. It's not that they were unbelievable, just hard for my heart to believe, you know? But, enough about them--Who do I love? Ellie, of course. Her dad. Ahhh...Her old BFF and her new BFF. Yes, the old adage, "make new friends but keep the old" totally fit here, drama free and it worked. Her Doc got a big heart in my notes. I even like her sister, who is trying.
Speaking of hearts, I💜 Julie Murphy and KA Holt and I feel like if you "shipped" (do they still use that term these days?) those two together, you would get Lisa Fipps. Her verse is so en pointe, like Holt's. And she's got all the fabulous feels of all the Murphy novels I love. Plus all three write in Texas. Period. End of sentence.
Back to mom...there are good mom memories. "I guess I cling to those moments/like a drowning girl to a life preserver/whenever Mom's words/gut me like a fish." Wow. I just wish Ellie didn't have to endure it for so long. Eventually, with the help of Doc she stands up for herself beginning with tossing the family scale. "Untrue, negative thought:/The higher my weight,/the lower my value./True, positive thought:/A scale does not/determine my worth." All I wanted to do was yell, "You got this, Ellie!"
I highlighted a lot more quotes from the book. Trust me they are good. Take the time you would have read them here to preorder STARFISH now. I say it's a strong Newbery 2022 contender. Now, the big question: Will my words leap into your jar, Lisa? 😉 🤞
Hello January! Hello 2021! I welcome you into my life with arms so open that it hurts.
Flashback to ALA 2018. I was waiting in line to grab coffee, a muffin, some hard unripe melon for a seat for the Geisel/Sibert/Batchelder award ceremony when I met Jacquelyn from Alabama. We chatted a bit, sat together, exchanged cards and that was it. I had no idea that we would keep in touch as strongly as we have and that she would be one of a few colleagues to get me through the past spring and beyond. The random personal connections gained from attending in person national conferences are so powerful and long lasting. Will we be able to meet again IRL in 2021?
Flashback even farther to ALA 2015. Carole, from LA, had an empty seat at her table during a reception for Ashley Bryan. I sat down and the rest is really history. It was lovely to wish her a happy new year last night (and I won't complain that I got to admire a cloudless, blue sky behind her when we FaceTimed). It's Carole's Sabrina who will be competing against Trenton Lee Stewart on Monday in our Face-Off.
Today: Jacquelyn was wondering about our New Year's food traditions. Uhhh, ice cream? She eats black eyed peas for good luck, collards for money and cornbread for gold. Since I can't resist luck, money and gold, I stopped at Hannaford on our way home from getting our annual sweet cream treat and I made the soup and corn muffins. Because of our exchange today, my phone actually thought I was having dinner with Jacquelyn. It was sort of right?
I chose The Lion of Mars as my first book of 2021. Perfect. Chocolate cake. Carrot cake. Ping Pong. Friendship. Family. First love. Grief. Toilet paper. A virus. Scrambled eggs. Mascara. Board games. Ahhh...Jenni Holm has yet to disappoint me.* Happy almost book birthday!
Took my first leap of the year at Schodack Island State Park on the banks of our beloved Hudson River. The sky doesn't look like Carole's did last night and the sun really wasn't shining, but that didn't stop us (and a whole lot of other people) from getting outside and taking our #ForestFriday #FirstDayHikes #AdventureNY of the year. So with fresh air in my lungs and good luck in my belly, I'm ready for ya, 2021. Bring. it. on!
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!
Today is a premium book birthday day! AND my first day back in the building! May I request chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting with a side of a whole bunch of candles?
Here's what I've been waiting to celebrate today. Some I've read. Some I haven't. All are worth adding to your TBR list and your next book order.
Before the EverAfter by Jacqueline Woodson
I read this back in June and I am still thinking about it and not just because I listen to football podcasts with my son. In my mind, Jacqueline Woodson's verse can do no wrong and this book is no exception. It's 1999-2000 and ZJs dad, a tight end for an unnamed football team (I think the Giants) is not his hero but his "every single thing."When his dad's head is just "not right anymore" ZJ's world as he knows it comes to an end. I really haven't read a book like this before. The topic is unique and so important. It's easily accessible and will spark many conversations among the young and not so young. My husband always says that football will not look the same in our 14 year old Giants fan lifetime. This book will get us all talking while Earth, Wind and Fire's "September" plays in the background and Sugar Hill Gang is queued up next.
I am Every Good Thing by Derrick Barnes and Gordon C. James
I have been waiting for this book for months! I would check back on Netgalley and Edelweiss impatiently refreshing hoping the arc would be loaded up in the time I hit the curved arrow but alas it never happened. Today is my day! I look forward to cozying up and escaping into this graphic young adult novel memoir asap.
Millionaires for a Month by Stacy McAnulty
Even though Stacy lives in North Carolina now, I still consider her a local girl having grown up in a zip code only a few miles from Castleton. She likes her numbers and writing about math. I'm excited for this one and to attend this crowdcast event this evening. Stacy has already agreed to be a part of our #AuthorFanFaceOff on her book, The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl. Yay!
Punching the Air by Ibi Zboi and Yusef Salaam
This book almost makes me want to teach high school. The discussions we could have. The documentaries we could watch. The poems we could write. The artwork and artists we could analyze. The difference we could make. Read. Share. Talk. Check out Salaam's website. Ken Burns's documentary. Ava Duvernay's miniseries. (Check out my friend Alicia's blog post about the book here.) As an aside, it was definitely cool to read about Picasso's Guernica after just seeing it in person while I was in Madrid.
Plus a new one by David Wiesner (Robobaby) and one I'm excited to share with my music teacher, Wild Symphony by Dan Brown.
So, yeah, worth getting the candles out for sure. I'll be having my cake (and cake and cake) and eating (and eating and eating) it, too. It's a book birthday bonanza! 🎂
A few weeks ago one of my favorite nonfiction writers and friend, Steve Sheinkin, reached out to me about a new video series idea he had. I was intrigued...An author and a young fan battle it out on questions about a favorite book written by said author. A leap worthy concept and am thrilled to be part of the team!
Check out our pilot featuring fifth grader, Ace and author, Chris Grabenstein, as they go head to head answering questions about Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library. Go. Pause game. Play along. End game. How well will you do?
We have many more episodes in the works. Stay tuned! And please, if you've got a pair to share, we're open to all suggestions!
Happiest of book birthdays today to Ruth Behar's Letters from Cuba.
My Fountains of Silence trip to Madrid was still on the forefront of my mind when I read this book back in early, pre-Covid March. I was all set to plan my next international trip. Little did I know how much the world would change in a matter of days.
And here we are 5 1/2 months later celebrating the book birthday of the story of Esther, a Polish immigrant in Cuba. It's 1938 and Esther joins her Papa in Cuba, leaving behind her sister, Malka, three brothers, her mother and Bubbe. Together Esther and Papa work hard to save money to bring them all to Cuba. This is their story as Esther's letters to Malka.
I loved this book. Thought it was even better than Ruth's Pura Belpre winner Lucky Broken Girl, which says a ton coming from another Briarwood PS 117 girl. It teachers us so much about hope, perseverance, acceptance, diversity, coping with prejudice. Read it with Emma Otheguy and Beatriz Vidal's Marti's Song for Freedom, Margarita Engle and Mike Curato's All the Way to Havana and another new middle grade novel about immigrants and food, A Place at the Table by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan. Yes, I love when food shows up prominently in my books and this one is no exception. To begin with you will be yearning for challah, sour cherry tea, latkes and bananas.
Need to take a trip without getting on a plane or even in a car? This book is perfect then. Find Letters from Cuba today, cozy up in your favorite reading spot and bon voyage.
The official "Teacher Appreciation Week" has come and gone. But isn't it kind of like Mother's and Father's Day--where we could be celebrating teachers every day?
Coincidentally, the last two books I finished had teachers I aspire to be like: summer school teacher, Ms. J (BenBee and the Teacher Griefer by KA Holt) and 7th grade science teacher, Ms. Salonga (We Dream of Space by Erin Entrada Kelly). Can I just say--My Newbery 2021 list is quite long and it is only mid-May. Both of these books and many of the ones I have already read are at the tippy top.
Since I wrote about Teacher Grieferyesterday, I must give equal time to Space. Seriously, this is why I could never be on an ALA committee. I'd be rallying for multiple gold medals right about this time of year.
Twins Bird and Fitch and Cash are all 7th graders in Park, Delaware. Their parents are always arguing and they never eat dinner together, a small detail that is a big deal. The kids are navigating life pretty much on their own. It's January 1986 and there is big lead up to the launch of the Space Shuttle Challenger in Ms. Salonga's class and for Bird, an aspiring space explorer.
I was a senior in HS and, because of regents, was home from school that dreaded da. I know the end of that story but Bird, who dreams of space, does not. The anticipation of the actual day for me, the adult reader, was tough. How was Bird going to handle it? Ms. Salonga?
These kids. I loved them so much. Fitch trying to manage his anger and his attempt to make good with Amanda. Bird accepting being "not pretty" and deeply wondering what it would be like to have a family like Dani's, who do eat together and listen. And Cash running away to something. I love how they navigate the relationship with themselves, leaving the parents out.
Finally, it was wonderful to take a walk down the memory lane of phone books, pinball, VCRs, soap operas and Tab. And even though I wasn't in 7th grade in 1986, 1982 was close enough. I am surprised I'm admitting all this. Well, I am looking forward to my Area 51 socially distant birthday party next month.
Want more? Found on the Harper Collins Erin Entrada Kelly Educator guide, here are some extension activities for We Dream of Space:
A couple of weeks ago we had a book birthday for this book. Only three kids showed up. Book unread, I bought them each a copy. I spun the wheel and got the win. Ace showed me his copy today. I can't wait till he finishes so we can talk ALL about it.
Get reading, Ace (and Kyle and Khloe)! And anyone else who wants to talk. Pajama Mama?
Please, PLEASE, PLZ, move the pub release date of BenBee and Teacher Griefer up to July or August. EVERY teacher, librarian, administrator, social worker, school psychologist, parent, and middle grade learner needs this book and it would be so great for them to read before the new school year begins.
Sigh. It is so good. I rarely walk away from reading the last line of a book to immediately opening up my computer to reflect. And to be completely honest, on my way, I stopped at the trash can, tossed in my used tissues, grabbed another one and then opened up the computer.
Four divergent kids.
One divergent summer school teacher "She teaches differently/She like, listens to us."
Trying to get them to pass the FART (Florida Rigorous Academic Assessment Test)
Mixed up in the Sandbox in this fantastic
Divergent GENRE of
Verse, prose, graphic novel, video game chats of the "Divergent Dingleberries"
Sprinkled with some references that maybe only adults will get (Ms. J's first avatar will have you singing a popular song from the 80s. And author, "Tennessee Williamson").
Ms. J picks up that Ben B would excel if he was able to type:
"A 504, huh?/Typing every day?/It does sound like jeans/it sounds like a comfortable fit/sized perfectly just for me."
But his dad disagrees and does not like labeling his son "special" with accommodations:
"Am I not special?/Is special bad?/Do I not want to be/special then./I don't understand."
I told you--this book is for EVERYONE!
Ben Y stays after with Ms. J. It's been a year since she lost her brother:
"Pain/Sadness/It drips out of me/impossible to contain,/like trying to put a raw egg/back in its shell,/a shattered mess,/impossibly crushed,/broken."
I have been a fan of KA Holt since Rhyme Schemer. She just gets better and better. Put this book on your Fall purchase order, unless dear, Chronicle, moves up the pub date 😉.
Everyone's friend, Jordan J (no relation) who I was most curious about because at the #middlegrademagic2020 event last month when Holt wondered, "What is Jordan doing during quarantine?" Now I'm curious. Is he playing a lot of Sandbox? How are they all doing? Talking on the phone? Staying away from chat infractions?
Javier moved from out of state and will not read aloud. "...im never gonna read out loud zero percent chance of that" With a ring of fire, that just might change...
And probably one of the best lines in the book:
I know I have jumped around a lot, but this book is important for ALL. I cannot wait to read it with my students and get it in the hands of so many adults.
Please, plz, PLEASE Chronicle, if you can, the sooner we can get this out, the better.
THANK YOU!
Sincerely,
A troublemaking librarian 😈
My kids were up late baking oatmeal cream sandwiches, you know, like the Little Debbie kind. Omg. They came out so good! There better still be some left by 1:15 today! I know it's not chocolate cake or Tillamook Marionberry Pie ice cream (Yes, this Yankee had to look it up! And what do you know? I can find pints locally!), like 4th grader Ryan Hart would probably prefer, but it will have to do. If Ryan were here, I'd give her one. I can't imagine anyone not liking it.
Oh, Ryan Hart. I love her so much and I know you all will, too! She's being described as a modern Ramona. I can see that. But she is unique in her own way and so real.
Ryan, her older brother, Ray and her parents move into a new (old) house. It's taken some time getting used to but after the house is filled with family and friends on Easter, Ryan realizes that "...it's the people that make a place a home. Without love, all you have is a house." This rings so true today. We need to fill our homes with love, inside and out. Physically and virtually to help us get through. Love always wins.
Talent show.
Sleepover.
Hair love.
Mysterious hairpins.
Sunshine imagination parade.
And a surprise at the end that will surely lead to some exciting material for future books...
Not to downplay Ramona at all. She's great and I can totally see Ramona and Ryan being friends! I'm just excited to introduce a new crop of students to Ryan starting TODAY. Her voice is so authentic and fresh. I know they will love her as much as I do! And Book #2? I hope I don't have to wait too long. I start stocking up on the Tillamooks tomorrow.
I love road trips. Period. There is nothing better than packing up your car, pulling out of the driveway and heading to a destination multiple states and hundreds of miles away from your zipcode. For years, I would drive my kids from upstate New York to North Carolina for some cousin time. We termed it "Road Camp." The first year we read about this place called Wright's Dairy-Rite off of Exit 222 on I81 in Virginia in "Diners Drive-Ins and Dives." We had to stop. Moving forward, we couldn't drive south without pulling up and ordering lunch in Staunton, VA.
Ahhh...I am so looking forward to more long car rides in the future. Until then, I will have to be happy with reading about them.
The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise
Dan Gemeinhart's adventure of 12 year old Coyote, her dad, Rodeo, on the ultimate road trip from Florida to Boise in their bus, Yager, was a favorite of so many of us last year. Since we've been quarantined, Dan started sharing Coyote's story aloud. Here is chapter 1 but you can find more chapters as part of Dan's Coyote Sunrise Book Club on YouTube.
Thanks to Henry Holt for posting this guide on how to make a memory box/treasure chest. Not only does it pair well with Coyote Sunrise and is perfect for today's world, it is also is a great segue into the next road trip book I am loving right now.
Clean Getaway
I listened to the audio of Nic Stone's book this week and loved it. It made me want to grab my 95 year old Super Bubby in New Jersey and drive. Somewhere. She always talks about living in Missouri before my grandfather went oversees. That's where she learned to drive. Or we could stay close take a short drive to the Jersey shore. And then make a treasure chest. And drink hot chocolate.
Scoob and his G'ma are on the ultimate road trip through the south trying to retrace her steps with his grandfather back in the 60s when it wasn't even legal for the two of them to be together. Even now dark skinned Scoob with his white grandmother get some looks. This book will inspire you to do some research when you are finished-Medgar Evans, Loving vs. Virginia, Emmett Till, the Green Book--are just a few. Here's a full discussion guide. And finally, you may even want to watch the 2018 movie (PG-13) "Green Book."
PS-Dion Graham has many accolades for his audio books. This one is going to get him another one.
Sign Off
Seriously, you will never be able to look at a road sign the same way after reading this book. It is so good with a great surprising ending and I promise I would say all these wonderful things about this book even if Steve and I weren't friends. Today, as we are quarantined to walks around our own neighborhoods, go on a hunt and check out the signs. What do you notice? What stories can you make up about the figures on the signs? Is there something about a sign that you never saw before? I'll be completely honest, there is a sign I passed all the time that I never knew was there until I saw it in Sign Off. And the school sign?! We can discuss that for hours. Well, hours is what we have now so go check it out and let me know your thoughts!
Until then, I will continue to be positive and dream of my next road trip. We're not putting many miles on our vehicles these days so an extra 1500+ this summer or fall won't hurt. xo
An adult with no kids, she had never read Kate DiCamillo. Then she picked up The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane and "it changed [her] life." After that, she read all of them. "It was incredibly calming," she writes which is why she recommends reading them now. "...read these books together as a family...Don't miss out."
Kate is an incredible storyteller. I wish I had a fraction of her creativity. She can make you laugh and cry and crave to do whatever-the-opposite-of-social-distancing-is with her characters.
I'm going to mention a few of my favorites but there are so many. So...don't stall. Be like Ann. Open up your Sora or Libby app, go to your favorite Indie bookstore and starting requesting.
Bink and Gollie meet Mercy Watson
Oh do I love Bink and Gollie by Kate, Allison McGhee and illustrated by Tony Fucile . The banter back and forth between these two and the little adventures they have together make for books you will want to read (or watch) over and over again. Read them with a side of pancakes and some funky socks on your feet. This is the book trailer with Kate and Alison as the voices. One is a Geisel winner but they all deserve a place on your emerging reader's shelf.
Mercy Watson is another fun early chapter book series by Kate and illustrated by Chris Van Dusen. The pig also has her own website. Here's an excerpt from the audiobook:
YOU are in luck! Every Bink and Gollie and I believe every Mercy Watson story is on Tumblebooks! We have a CES subscription and so does the public library. It's easiest to just go here to login: TUMBLEBOOKS If that link doesn't work, please email me. These characters should provide you with hours of meaningful entertainment on this truly stay-inside-day. 🌧
Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures
I identify each Maple Hill High School graduating class by the Newbery winner the year they were in fifth grade. The class of 2021 is Flora and Ulysses. "Did you read the one about the squirrel?" my mom texted me the night it won. "Yes. Yes, we did." We had a book group and even Skyped with the illustrator, K.G. Campbell. No, I didn't attempt Kate. We liked Keith! Someone asked him what he would do if he won the Newbery and I still remember him chuckling and saying, "Well, Kate would get the award but it would be pretty cool." I also remember him telling us (and this was WAY before I ever watched Modern Family) that he modeled Flora after Alex Dunphy (Ariel Winter). You can definitely see the resemblance!
So this is random--(Mrs. Warland, a reliable reader of this blog, says sometimes I go on tangents. Warning, this is one of them.)--A 5 minute video on the whole 2014 Newbery project with my then fifth graders; now MHHS juniors. Can you spy the Floras? The Skype picture of KG "Keith" Campbell? The cheers for Flora? Wow. For anyone who knows these kids, a stroll down memory lane for sure. Watching it makes me miss those kids and my own students so much.
The Three Rancheros
I can't write about Kate without mentioning Raymie, Louisiana and Beverly. I love this trilogy and I thought it just kept getting better with each book. Read them all and let me know what you think. I know Mrs. Dingman liked Lousiana better than Beverly. Personally, I liked Beverly better but they are all so good.
What I'm reading constantly carries over into my life. I had a dentist appointment shortly after I read Raymie and was able to convince my dental hygienist to take a photo with me. She didn't know what was going on but I appreciated it and you will, too, when you read the book.
Check out my resource page for way more activities to pair with Raymie. Here's a fun crossword to whet your appetite. Thanks to Candlewick, there's a lot more where that came from.
Hollywood
Don't forget that Kate wrote Because of Winn Dixie and The Tale of Desperaux, Newbery honor and medal winning books that were made into movies. Read the book. Pop the popcorn. Watch the movie. Compare. Repeat.
One last thing...
This fall, Kate was in Saratoga, just after Beverly was released. A bunch of us went, thanks to Northshire Bookstore. Not only did we get a still picture BUT a leaping one! It wasn't my first time leaping with Kate and I hope it isn't my last...Until then, I wish you the best staying inside as you tackle Kate DiCamillo's canyon. xo
I'm excited to share that 2020 is the year of another Rebecca Stead book. THAT is a reason to celebrate.
And tomorrow is her book birthday. Late last night, last minute me decided to throw a virtual party Tuesday afternoon. Sour gummy bears, 7Up cake and ice cream sandwiches will be served.
Fingers crossed at least one person shows up. Otherwise, the free book giveaway will be mine and I'd prefer to share the book love. No, I don't have a copy of the book. Yes, I read it via NetGalley (a belated thank you, NetGalley) and yes, my new plan is that I will use my gas, entertainment, coffee (fill in the blank incidentals money I am not spending) to start giving away books at my parties.
This book I finished on a plane (seems so long ago) TO Spain (was that really just February break?). Not the first time I cried on a plane and I hope it won't be the last.
Regular readers of my blog will know that I love New York and Stead's books are always love letters to my native city. We need that more than ever right now.
This is the story of Bea, her divorced parents, her Dad's new relationship and upcoming wedding to Jesse, Jesse's daughter in California, Sonia, and Bea's therapist, Miriam all wrapped up beautifully in only the way Rebecca Stead can put a bow on it.
Today, many of us are anxious. In normal circumstances, do we all give ourselves permission to worry? Not always. In the chapter, "Drop Everything and Worry" Miriam teaches Bea how to worry. A lesson many of us could use.
"Life is like a trip. A very long one. And what matters most is the people you travel with...With the right people, you carry your boat and it doesn't feel that heavy."
Stead has such a way with words. She is a Newbery winner after all. But these words. Right now. The journey we are taking, inside with our loved ones and Zooming, FaceTiming, Skyping, etc with the ones outside, my hope is that it's keeping your boat just little lighter.
"...Some songs were slow and some were fast, and every time one ended I closed my eyes and thought, one more. Please one more."
Me. Every time I read a new Rebecca Stead book. So for the sake of all of us, another one comes out in the world tomorrow. Happy Book Birthday, The List of the Things that Will Not Change.
Oh, and if you can find a box of ice cream sandwiches in the store, grab them, put them in the freezer and take them out at the end (with your box of Kleenex only arms distance away). You'll be glad you heeded my advice. The only thing you'll be sorry about is that the book is over.
In unison now, "Please one more."
Audio Sample
Here is a sample of the audio to whet your appetite:
And, just in case you are new to Rebecca Stead...
Newbery winning book, When You Reach Me. This was my daughter's favorite book for a very long time. Here is an audio excerpt:
The book I have two personal signed copies of, Liar and Spy. Not sure why this book resonates with me so much but it does. I have multiple library copies so it is my go-to book group book for grades 4-6. Here's a reader's theatre script to play around with at home.
(Princeton Book Festival, September 2016)
For older middle grade the thought provoking, Goodbye Stranger. Here's an audio excerpt:
And the co-written book with the amazing, Wendy Mass, Bob.
Princeton Book Festival, September 2018
One last time: Happy Book Birthday to The List of Things that Will Not Change. One thing that will never change with me? My love for Rebecca Stead's writing. Ahhhhh....xo💗
While dozens of librarians are coming to final decisions this weekend, I am holding my breath that the books my students have read, critiqued, passionately debated and genuinely loved are the same books as those of the committees. Considering the spinning going through my brain right now, I may not be as well rested tomorrow morning.
When I first started my months-long award predicting projects many years ago, I would be disappointed when our favorites would not align with those of the committees. How could they not make the same decisions for Newbery as my fifth graders? After my students booed one year because the winner was not at the top of any of their lists, we had to have a full on lesson on sportsmanship. These days, I remind myself and my students that each committee is made up of a set number of librarians and those gold and silver decisions are based solely on who is "in the room where it happens." Were different people in the room, the outcome could be entirely different. Some years we may agree wholeheartedly and unanimously (ie 2015 for Newbery, 2018 for Caldecott); some years not so much. As I write this, I wonder what kind of year 2020 will be.
But does it really matter if we agree? For months my students have fallen in love with reading "Newbery books" after checking in and out what I deem to be distinguished literature. They have boisterously entered the library searching for yet another "Newbery" book, perhaps the winner or perhaps not. They have kindly argued on behalf of their book deserving a gold medal in the classroom, the hallway, and at home. My fourth grade nonfiction fans have hugged their books and designed t-shirts with the hopes that on Monday they will be wearing a winner. First graders and their teachers have consistently given 4-5 stars to the beautiful Caldecott contenders we have read aloud this month of "Caldec-ary." If we were committee members, we might have to award ten or more honors across the board.
If you, like me, may not be able to sleep tonight, and you don't want to start another episode of ____ on Neflix, you can scroll down for some Sibert contender recommendations and 2019 middle grade/Newbery contender book trailers. Maybe, just maybe, there's a winner or two or three in there.
SIBERT SMACKDOWN
Sibert Smackdown Day 1: November 4, 2020
We read and read, determined our favorites, recorded our persuasive paragraphs via Flipgrid and finally designed t-shirts to wear to the Youth Media Awards. Flipgrid videos that made me ooze with pride are here 👇
Newbery
Need more distractions? Check out some of these awesome book trailers: The Year We Fell from Space by Amy Sarig King
Ruby in the Sky by Jeanne Zulick Ferruolo
Born to Fly by Steve Sheinkin (We love this for Newbery and Sibert)
The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman (This book won our Consensus Club.)
My Jasper June by Laurel Snyder
Beverly Right Here by Kate DiCamillo (So awesome that Jess got to meet Kate this fall!)
A Time Traveler's Theory of Relativity by Nicole Valentine
Just a few other books we had lots of love for this season:
Here's the link for the awards: http://ala.unikron.com/ As I hit "publish" there are 11 hours to go. See you on the upside!
