Today I get to share with you a new middle school fantasy novel. It is the first book in a series and is being released on May 3rd. Since the main characters are Korean it is also a perfect book to pick up for Asian Pacific Island American Heritage Month. The book is Lia Park and the Missing Jewel by Jenna Yoon. It is recommended for ages 8 to 11.
Today I get to share a new middle school novel with Native American characters--Ojibwe to be exact and written by someone of Ojibwe descent. It is about finding oneself after you have hit rock bottom. It is The Second Chance of Benjamin Waterfalls by James Bird. It is recommended for ages 10 to 14.
Do you have a reader who loves fantasy and science fiction? Today I get to share two new books with you that fall in these genres. One is a middle grades novel and the other is a young adult graphic novel. Both novels are multicultural with diverse characters. We will start with Area-51 Interns: Alien Summer by James S. Murray and Carsen Smith. It is recommended for ages 8 to 12.
As Hazel is in middle school now, I am finding the novels about middle school interesting. Middle school is such a hard time for most kids. It is a time when they are truly trying to find their place in the world. They struggle to be heard and to be seen as well as to not stick out. Today I am sharing a book about that struggle. It is Dear Student by Elly Swartz.
Have you heard of Shirley Chisholm? She was an amazing Black woman who fought for the people in politics. She even campaigned to be the Democrat candidate for President. After Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated she had a tradition of giving a speech on his birthday at a college or university. She also played a role in making his birthday a holiday. (Source) So it seems appropriate to share this new book about this amazing woman's life with you today. It is Speak Up, Speak Out! The Extraordinary Life of "Fighting Shirley Chisholm" by Tonya Bolden. It has a forward by Stacey Abrams. This book is from National Geographic Kids and is recommended for ages 10 to 14.
Today I get to share another book for Multicultural Children's Book Day. It is a middle grades novel that has a main character who is the child of an Indian-American father and Jewish mother. Then at the end of fifth grade is diagnosed with dyslexia. The book is Welcome Back, Maple Mehta-Cohen by Kate McGovern.
Disclosure: I am working with The Children's Book Review and Lori Adams for this review. I was sent a digital copy of the book and will receive a small stipend. All opinions are my own.
Have a middle grade reader ready to step into a fantasy and/or perhaps a pirate ship? Today's book is for you! It is the first book in a series for middle grades readers and it brings the reader into the secret world of pirates filled with magic and more! The book is Avalina Jones and the Eye of the Storm by Lori Adams.
Today we get to talk about one of my favorite subjects! MATH!! As a former high school math teacher, I always love talking math. My life has been a bit busier because I have been volunteering and subbing at the high school end of Hazel's school. My volunteer work is helping kids with their math and sometimes even being in the classroom as an extra adult to help. I love it! It feels good to be back in the classroom and especially without all the grading and politics! Today I am going to share four books that involve math, and they range for ages 7 through adult. We will start with the origami book. Origami is a fun activity to bring into the math classroom and there are so many math applications involved. The book There's Math in My Origami! 35 Fun Projects for Hands-On Math Learning by Fumiaki Shingu, shows how math can be taught in the origami projects. It is recommended for ages 7+.
Black Lives Matter are three words that seem to stir up a lot of emotions and controversy. After the murder of George Floyd, #blacklivesmatter went viral and so did the conspiracy theories. My conservative husband told me that I didn't know the truth behind Black Lives Matter and that the organization had some bad plans and people. Others responded with "blue (police) lives matter" or "all lives matter." A few weeks ago I shared the meme below on the Crafty Moms Share Facebook page. I was shocked when I got a comment from a white woman sharing a gif of black people saying "This is bullsh*t."
We are continuing our celebration of Native American Heritage Month with a middle grades novel today. This novel delves into Native American life but it also has important messages for everyone to learn. It is such an interesting story and has fascinating characters. The book is The Brave by James Bird.
Today I am sharing Barbara Dee's newest novel. Barbara's novel seem to always capture the emotions and actions of middle school students. This one is no different. It is Violets Are Blue. It is recommended for grades 4 to 8.
Hispanic Heritage Month started September 15th and ends on Friday. I have four Latinx books to share with you this week in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month. Each book has its own focus and don't necessarily relate to one another besides having Latinx main characters, so I am going to share two of them today and two later in the week. The two today focus a bit on immigration. One is a more modern picture book and the other is a middle grades novel about a middle schooler immigrating from Cuba in the 1960s. We will start with the picture book. It is I Wish You Knew by Jackie Azúa Kramer and illustrated by Magdalena Mora. It is recommended for ages 4 to 7.
Today I get to share a new middle grades that is perfectly eerie and haunted with a special All Souls Day celebration. It has a boy who witnesses his mother being abused by her boyfriend and he runs away to a graveyard. It is coming out today just in time for the spooky month of October! It is set in the United Kingdom. It is called The Hideaway by Pam Smy.
What do you believe about death? Is there an afterlife? Does death come to steal your soul? These questions are ones that may pop into your head as you read the book I'm sharing today. The book is a new fantasy novel recommended for ages 8 to 12. It is The Wolf's Curse by Jessica Vitalis.
Have you watched any of the cooking competitions? How about the ones with kids as contestants? Hazel and I love them. I am always amazed with how much these kids can do in the kitchen. They are better cooks and/or bakers than me. Today's book is about a boy who enters one such competition. It has twists and turns that involve family and more. It is The Last Super Chef by Chris Negron.
Do you have siblings? Where do you fall in the order? I am the youngest of three girls. I went through my elementary school being called my middle sister's name and then in middle school one of the art teachers kept calling out my oldest sister's name for an end of the quarter review and when he finally used our last name I realized he meant me. He had never taken the time to learn my first name and my oldest sister is truly an artist so he remembered her. (She earned a degree in art.) So I can completely relate to today's book. The book is Kyle's Little Sister by BonHyung Jeong. It is a graphic novel for middle school ages (age 8-12).
June is Pride Month! As a straight ally and a former GSA advisor, June always holds a special place in my heart. The gender and sexuality issues have morphed as we we gain more understanding but the issues still exist to get equal rights and fair and safe treatment for all. Today I am going to share three books--two picture books and one middle grade book that deals with different parts of our own uniqueness and identity. The first picture book is not particular to Pride Month but more about being different and finding acceptance. It is recommended for ages 2 to 5. It is Oddbird by Derek Desierto.
It is hard to believe the end of the school year is upon us. We have been lucky this year. Hazel's small private school has been open all year so she has been in person since the day after Labor Day. When I was a teacher this was the time of the year where we were trying to cram in what we had left to cover and then get the kids ready for finals. As a student I hated final exams. There was just so much to learn and remember for them. And if you struggled with some topic it was sure to show up on the final exam. Today I am going to share with you three books from a series of books that are perfect for helping kids in middle school and high school ace hard classes. I have already shared the geometry one with you (since you know I'm a sucker for math books). Then Hazel's fifth grade teacher shared that she was using some of the middle school books to prepare lessons for her on-line classes and she loves the books. (She left the school and is only teaching on-line now.) I decided to give the books another look. Today I am going to share the middle school book on computer science and the high school books on biology and chemistry. All three books are really well written and explain the topics in simple terms that kids will be able to understand. I'm really hoping they come out with a physics one so I can really learn physics after awful experiences with it in high school and college.
A few months ago I reviewed The Ambassador to Nowhere, Texas. I discovered it was a sequel to another book, When Zachary Beaver Came to Town, both by Kimberly Willis Holt. The Ambassador to Nowhere, Texas was set in the era of 9/11 and told the story of a middle school girl in Antler, Texas and how she and those around her dealt with all that was happening. During the book she and a friend begin to try to find out about Zachary Beaver because of a photograph of him and her father and his best friend from when they were about her age. Having not read the first book I was thrilled with the mystery, but it also left a yearning to read the first book, so today I am sharing with you the first book! It is set in 1971 with the Vietnam War going on. Seeing how I turned one in 1971 I was curious to read about this era.
The past year has been full of many things. There have been so many upsets in our society. We are living through a worldwide pandemic. We saw citizens attack the Capitol Building. And then there is George Floyd. The verdict is in and his killer has been found guilty. Now we await the sentencing. But his death caused a spark in our nation and probably the world to look at systemic racism. These are some of the thoughts I entered this book with and what an amazing book. The book is It Doesn't Take a Genius by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich. It is a new middle grade novel.
