I think what I like best about sock puppets is that there is no end of ways that you can personalize them. With this duo I decided to go pretty basic. They are just people, though I did give the guy a bow tie and goatee and the lady a necklace and earrings.
Author: Katrina Moore
Genre: realistic fiction
Similar books: Jo Jo Makoons series by Dawn Quigley
Cookie Chronicles series by Matthew Swanson
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Summary (provided by publisher): Bessie Lee might be the teeniest in her first-grade class, but with the tap-tap-tap of her wand, some glitter, and a little magic . . . she’s going to dazzle the crowds to win the school talent show.
But when a trick goes disastrously wrong, Rufus, the class hamster, disappears!
Can Bessie find a way to bring him back in time? Or is Rufus truly gone forever?
Teeny Houdini, also known as Bessie Lee, is an overly excited, mischievous first grader who bounces off the walls—and off the page—with her volume, enthusiasm, and grand ideas, which are just too big for her tiny frame. Bessie’s multigenerational Chinese American family is the warm center of the stories, from exasperated but loving big sister Bailey to the always encouraging and understanding Gramma.
My opinion: Teeny Houdini follows in the tradition of Junie B Jones and Ramona: a quirky, well meaning kid who doesn't always think things through, often misunderstood by family and peers. Her tendency to act on instinct often gets her in trouble but her good heart means things always work out in the end. The story is clear and easy to follow and the characters are pleasant and believable.
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One of the best things about fiction is the way that it opens up your world to perspectives you wouldn't otherwise understand. It's even better when a single book gives you multiple perspectives at once. Here are six book published in the past six months that are presented from more than one perspective.
6 new multiple perspective narratives
Personally, I've always had problems visualizing scale. Telling me that an animal weighs up to a ton means very little. I do much better with comparative size and I know that is true of small children as well. It's much easier to imagine the size of an animal when we can see the size of it's paw print compared to a human hand. Pair that comparison with a paragraph of basic information on the animal and you have a solid book for young readers.
Author: Gary Paulsen
Genre: historical fiction
Similar books: The Wolf's Boy by Susan Williams Beckhorn
Where the World Ends by Geraldine McCaughrean
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Summary (provided by publisher): This stunning novel from the survival story master, set along a rugged coastline centuries ago, does for the ocean what Hatchet does for the woods, as it relates the story of a young person’s battle to stay alive against the odds, where the high seas meet a coastal wilderness.
When a deadly plague reaches the small fish camp where he lives, an orphan named Leif is forced to take to the water in a cedar canoe. He flees northward, following a wild, fjord-riven shore, navigating from one danger to the next, unsure of his destination. Yet the deeper into his journey he paddles, the closer he comes to his truest self as he connects to “the heartbeat of the ocean . . . the pulse of the sea.” With hints of Nordic mythology and an irresistible narrative pull, Northwind is Gary Paulsen at his captivating, adventuresome best.
My opinion: Knowing that this is one of Paulsen's final books puts extra pressure on this narrative. We want it to be perfect. Of course it isn't but it is a solid read. While the heavily historic setting makes it a harder sell for some middle grade readers, it is very atmospheric. And it's about more than just the drive for survival. Leif spends much of his journey reflecting on his place in the world and what it means to truly live. For a kid into survival stories, this is worth a read. And for the adult who grew up on Hatchet, this book is a nicely contemplative bookend to Paulsen's career.
I spotted this image on Pinterest recently and it inspired me to try a painting of my own, especially since Calcifer was my favorite part of "Howl's Moving Castle".
I painted the background first, swirling together red and yellow until it had a sort of fiery vibe. Once the back was dry I added Calcifer with black. Then I outlined him and added the quote with gold paint marker. The subtlety of the marker means the gold is only visible when the light is right, a feature I find I rather enjoy.
Author: Sheena Kamal
Genre: realistic fiction
Similar books: Bruised by Tanya Boteju
Home Home by Lisa Allen-Agostini
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Summary (provided by publisher): Love and violence. In some families they're bound up together, dysfunctional and poisonous, passed from generation to generation like eye color or a quirk of smile. Trisha's trying to break the chain, channeling her violent impulses into Muay Thai kickboxing, an unlikely sport for a slightly built girl of Trinidadian descent. Her father comes and goes as he pleases, his presence adding a layer of tension to the Toronto east-end townhouse that Trisha and her mom call home, every punch he lands on her mother carving itself indelibly into Trisha's mind. Until the night he wanders out drunk in front of the car Trisha is driving, practicing on her learner's permit, her mother in the passenger seat. Her father is killed, and her mother seems strangely at peace. Lighter, somehow. Trisha doesn't know exactly what happened that night, but she's afraid it's going to happen again. Her mom has a new man in her life and the patterns, they are repeating.
My opinion: I certainly can approve of what Kamal is examining here. Trisha has a complex relationship with violence. She's grown up with random violence with a the random appearance of her father in her life, abusing her mother. There's also the use of mild violence in her culture, slaps and smacks that are considered affection as much as they are correction. And then there's her practice of Muay Thai, finding her fulfillment in intentional violence. This occupies the bulk of the bulk of the book and most of our attention. Its those remaining sections that give me pause. Because outside of violence we get hints of something supernatural going on. The final reveals and ultimate resolution are chaotic at best and were somewhat difficult to parse out.
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If you're a fan of quirky cartoons then this is a series for you. A trio of friends go on a madcap adventure to make the world's best ice cream sundae, encountering a variety of challenges and odd creatures along the way. If the reader can accept that this world follows it's own rules than it follows it's own internal logic. Visually, it's quite dynamic. There is a lot of variety in the panels. The main characters themselves are different enough to create enough interest on the page. While this book is part of a series, the characters and plot are simple enough to follow without any introductory information. And it's not just silliness. There is some simple messaging about being a good friend and the places where we find fulfillment.
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While the narrative of this book is fairly simple, the events being linear and easy to follow. What makes it complicated is the historical, political, and sociological context. Trying to explain motivations makes the book fairly text dense. This is an important and entirely overlooked point in the Civil War that set the tone for the country and it's treatment of formerly enslaved people going forward. It's an excellent way to discuss the Civil War in more depth with upper elementary aged kids.
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Author: John David Anderson
Genre: horror
Similar books: What Lives in the Woods by Lindsay Currie
Anya's Ghost by Vera Brosgol
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Summary (provided by publisher): Riley Flynn is alone.
It feels like she’s been on her own since sixth grade, when her best friend, Emily, ditched her for the cool girls. Girls who don’t like Riley. Girls who decide one day to lock Riley in the science closet after hours, after everyone else has gone home.
When she is finally able to escape, however, she finds that her horror story is only just beginning. All the school doors are locked, the windows won’t budge, the phones are dead, and the lights aren't working. Through halls lit only by the narrow beam of her flashlight, Riley roams the building, seeking a way out, an answer, an explanation. And as she does, she starts to suspect she isn’t alone after all.
While she’s always liked a good scary story, Riley knows there is no such thing as ghosts. But what else could explain the things happening in the school, the haunting force that seems to lurk in every shadow, around every corner? As she tries to find answers, she starts reliving moments that brought her to this night. Moments from her own life...and a life that is not her own.
My opinion: The set up here is a solid one. The haunting of the school is clearly intended as a parallel for Riley's own sense of isolation. The thing is, it doesn't really feel very scary. Riley never feels properly threatened. She's not really at risk or targeted. She's just trapped. The atmosphere is more strange than frightening. It has more of a literal nightmare vibe than an actual scary story. While the whole scenario is fully explained, the ghost's motivation in picking Riley doesn't feel like enough. And since Riley is the only character with any depth, there isn't a lot of drive or motivation here. If you're looking for a scare or a psychological exploration you're probably better off looking elsewhere.
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I decided this winter that I wanted to learn how to spin my own yarn. Since I'm just learning and may not stick with it, I didn't want to spend a lot of money on tools. I made my own drop spindle out of an orphaned knitting needle and some cardboard. I bent the tip of the needle with some pliers. It formed a decent hook shape but left the needle surface kind of rough so I wrapped it in thread and coated it with hot glue. My spindle needed a little more weight so I also added lines of glue around the cardboard as well.
Author: Megan Shepherd
Genre: historical fiction
Similar books: Red Menace by Lois Ruby
Laika by Nick Abadzis
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Summary (provided by publisher): Laika is a Cold Dog, a stray pup fighting for her life on the streets of Moscow. Then, one winter night, she is plucked from her alley to become a starflyer, a dog trained to travel into space. Distrustful of people, Laika tries to do everything she can to escape. That is, until she meets Nina.
Nina is a Cold Girl, lonely and full of questions. Her best friend has moved to America in a rush, leaving Nina to face the school bullies all by herself. Plus, her father’s work as a scientist in the Soviet Space Program grows more secretive by the day.
When the two meet in her father’s laboratory, their growing bond slowly warms the chill that has settled in each other’s hearts. As the Space Race between the United States and the Soviet Union grows fierce, Laika and Nina uncover shocking secrets and hard truths that will test their friendship. How will they find the courage to chase their dreams all the way to the stars?
My opinion: Personally, I was already fairly familiar with the story of Laika from Nick Abadzis's graphic novel. That book was almost exclusively the story of the dog, giving us primarily her perspective with some context from the human realm. Shepherd's story is far more human. Laika's chapters provide a simplified version of Nina's emotional conflict making the ideas easier for a young reader to grasp. But this book is Nina's story, using her age and the natural inclination to question the world and authority, to encourage the reader to consider political machinations and propaganda and the harm they cause to citizens. Some of the later scenes go too far and stretch our suspension of disbelief, but its a fairly solid and compelling read.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley
We see, sometimes, books about the unhoused. Mostly these books show us how such people are "just like us". We see people down on their luck, for whom this is a temporary situation. What Christopher has done here is presented us with a more stereotypical homeless person, someone who seems to struggle with some mental health issues and who doesn't fit into a "normal" lifestyle. Seeing the "queen" through the narrator's eyes we see a person worthy of dignity and respect as well as empathy. We are encouraged simply to see and care about people rather than making value judgement. While this messaging may not land with very young kids, it is an important one to share with older kids.
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Incubators by Paige V. Polinsky
There are things that we never put a lot of thought into their development and I would certainly put incubators in that class. I imagine most of us don't think about them at all unless we know a child who is born premature. A graphic novel is a great way to share the history of an invention's development. We can visual each step along the way. While this particular book is perhaps overly narrated, the illustrations support the text well.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.
Author: Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich
Genre: realistic fiction
Similar books: The Swag is in the Socks by Kelly J Baptiste
Take Back the Block by Chrystal D Giles
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Summary (provided by publisher): Bo and her mom always had their own rhythm. But ever since they moved to Harlem, Bo’s world has fallen out of sync. She and Mum are now living with Mum’s boyfriend Bill, his daughter Sunday, the twins, Lili and Lee, the twins' parents…along with a dog, two cats, a bearded dragon, a turtle, and chickens. All in one brownstone! With so many people squished together, Bo isn’t so sure there is room for her.
My opinion: We don't get a lot of non-traditional families in books. And I don't mean simple blended families. We get those all the time. We're talking about multiple parents living in a house together and sharing responsibilities. They all take care of the kids, take turns cooking, pay the bills, all that adult stuff. So not only do we have Bo trying to figure out being a part of a larger family, we have the whole family working at being a part of the community. All of these characters are trying to find the balance between staying true to themselves yet accepted by the people around them. The conflicts are believable and the characters complex. Well worth the time.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley
I've had these pants for a couple of years now.
They're quirky and comfortable. And too big. I used to be able to roll and tuck the waistband and sort of keep them up but then the elastic wore out. I could have turned them to rags but I feel like they've got another year in them yet. Since they're much too big, they're perfect for an upgrade.
First, I cut off the elastic. It was a pretty wide band but there was enough left along the top to stitch an new, straight waistband and still be modest. I played with a lot of ideas for a new closure method and decided on a tie. I made a little loop beside each back pocket and added ties along the front. The tie feeds through the loops and then ties at the front.
Author: Jason Jeynolds
Genre: realistic fiction
Similar books: Pugnapped! by Marty Kelley
Superhero Harry by Rachel Ruiz
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Summary (provided by publisher): Portico Reeves’s superpower is making sure all the other superheroes—like his parents and two best friends—stay super. And safe. Super safe. And he does this all in secret. No one in his civilian life knows he’s actually…Stuntboy!
But his regular Portico identity is pretty cool, too. He lives in the biggest house on the block, maybe in the whole city, which basically makes it a castle. His mom calls where they live an apartment building. But a building with fifty doors just in the hallways is definitely a castle. And behind those fifty doors live a bunch of different people who Stuntboy saves all the time. In fact, he’s the only reason the cat, New Name Every Day, has nine lives.
All this is swell except for Portico’s other secret, his not-so-super secret. His parents are fighting all the time. They’re trying to hide it by repeatedly telling Portico to go check on a neighbor “in the meantime.” But Portico knows “meantime” means his parents are heading into the Mean Time which means they’re about to get into it, and well, Portico’s superhero responsibility is to save them, too—as soon as he figures out how.
Only, all these secrets give Portico the worry wiggles, the frets, which his mom calls anxiety. Plus, like all superheroes, Portico has an arch-nemesis who is determined to prove that there is nothing super about Portico at all.
My opinion: When well done, a combination of the imagined superhero and real life makes for a a solid read. And Jason Reynolds produces consistently solid writing. Portico is a convincing character, coping with anxiety, bullying, and his parents' fighting without an excessive degree of self-reflection. This makes it meaningful but still accessible for a young audience. The child characters are reasonably complex while the adult characters are kept minimal, since it is not their story.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley
There's a lot going on in this book, with four major characters, but it never becomes overwhelming. It helps that the individual sections are not overly complex or carrying a strong narrative. Each chapter is really more of a vignette or snapshot of life than a scene in an ongoing story. Add in secondary and tertiary characters with charm and individuality and we have a realistic story that can almost be described as gentle, even as it talks about war, death, and destruction. It is a story of characters rather than events.
Saints are a subject I know very little about, so I can't speak to the factual accuracy of these profiles. I can tell you that each story is short and easy to understand, just a couple of paragraphs that teach the reader a moral and religious message. This book would make a nice gift for a middle grader or could work well as a part of a religious home-school curriculum.
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Author: Kathryn Barker
Genre: sci-fi
Similar books: Mirror X by Karri Thompson
After Eden by Helen Douglas
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Summary (provided by publisher): Year: 2083. Location: London. Mission: Wake Romeo.
It’s the end of the world. Literally. Time travel is possible, but only forward. And only a handful of families choose to remain in the “now,” living off of the scraps left behind.
Among them are eighteen-year-old Juliet and the love of her life, Romeo. But things are far from rosy for Jules. Romeo lies in a coma and Jules is estranged from her friends and family, dealing with the very real fallout of their wild romance.
Then a mysterious time traveler, Ellis, impossibly arrives from the future with a mission that makes Juliet question everything she knows about life and love.
Can Jules wake Romeo—and rewrite her future?
My opinion: Barker has included some interesting elements here. The Romeo and Juliet framework turned out to be a bit of an unnecessary diversion, a complication that took up unnecessary space. More interesting is the approach to time travel. We see the destructive power of time travel. That can only be interesting for so long, though. The excessive complications of time travel and chaos in the world with constant nods to Shakespeare were a bit tiresome after a while. It's a book I'd recommend only to serious sci-fi fans.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley
