Book Chat

I've resolved to reading a book a week. Sounds easy, but as a new-ish dad that teaches and trains for marathons it is a real chore. In fact, I'm not sure when I last finished a book.

Book 1 of 2013 was In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson. It is the story of an immigrant trying to survive while not losing her family's culture and heritage. Little Shirley Temple Wong is an enjoyable character to follow. Her struggle as a newcomer is an engaging read. The mesh with popular culture- America in the 40s- is a bonus.

I'm using it as a book club book this round. I'm excited about having kids explore perspective, and the treatment of those who are different from the norm.

The Apothecary by Maile Meloy

The Apothecary by Maile Meloy has been on my bookshelf for quite some time. Meloy is married to Colin Meloy who wrote Wildwood as well as the Decemberists. It looked interesting in an old world-follow a character-get into a storyline type of way. The book sat because a newborn happened, and there really isn't as much time as there used to be!

The story revolves around Janie, an American who has parents that may or may not believe in Communism during the building of the first nuclear weapons. This forces them to leave LA for London, living in a small flat. Upon arrival they see the apothecary, and the intrigue starts to build. The apothecary is a cross between a pharmacist and a magician, making the unbelievable possible.

As the story unfolds Janie becomes enamored with the apothecary's son Benjamin. Together they start spying on people in the park, and are pulled into a world of espionage and counterterroism. As the apothecary vanishes Janie and Benjamin go in search of him, a journey that involves changing shape (think aviary!), befriending a jailed pickpocket, escaping detectives from Scotland Yard, and stowing away on a ship.

I really enjoyed the story. I found the story to be believable, and not to bog down in minor plot lines. Meloy kept the main thing the main thing- the apothecary, what he was doing, and finding him. The other story lines all fit neatly within the main plot and are not overly distracting. I'm excited to push some of my more advanced readers into this over the course of the next school year.

Rating: 4 out of 5- really good, and I don't typically like historical-esque fiction. 

2011-12 End of Year Redux (Part 1)

At the end of each school year I gather some information from kids. I want to know the following...
--How many books did you read?
--What are two things you liked from Social Studies/Literacy this year?
--What is one thing you would change in Social Studies/Literacy in the future?
--What were your top 3 books?

I've sat on the surveys for about a week, giving myself this first week away from school and kids. Since I was getting an oil change this morning I figured I should compile their information. Below is some of that data, and some quick thoughts. I'll have more in depth reflection later. This looks at information from my three groups, or "rotations." In particular we will focus on books today...

Books, Books, Books!
First rotation total books read, and average: 794 books, 36/student
Second rotation total books read, and average: 372 books, 23/student
Third rotation total books read, and average: 1408* books, 50*/student
Total books read, and average: 2,574 books, 39/student
*One student is a voracious reader, and read 300 books... total does not include his 300.

Quick thought 1: My second group has students that are pulled. If those students are excluded, the rotation average is close to 30 and is in line with the other groups. The first and third groups have a few students that are voracious readers (80+ books). If you were to find the median it would be close to 25 in each of the first 2 groups, and 35 in the last group.

Quick thought 2: The 20 Book Challenge worked well in motivating kids to read, and read a lot. Reluctant readers were over 20 (by and large), and those who loved to read were pushing themselves to read more and with variety.

Top 15 Books
1. Hunger Games
2. The Lightning Thief
3. Swindle
4. Harry Potter (a few appeared, I lumped them together)
5. The Last Apprentice
6. Mockingjay
7. The Lemonade War
8. Catching Fire
9. The Name of This Book is Secret
10. Rules
11. Maximum Ride
12. Gregor the Overlander
13. 39 Clues
14. The Last Olympian
15. Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat

Honorable Mention:
-A Mango Shaped Space
-Popularity Papers #1
-Al Capone Does My Shirts
-Strange Case of Origami Yoda
-How to Steal a Dog
-Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

Quick thought 1: The Hunger Games as a whole were a big hit, which is a huge testament to older siblings reading the books as well as the release of the movie. I did very little pushing of the series because of the complex nature of the books. Most get them on some level, some get them on a more complex level (dystopia, control of the state, etc).

Quick thought 2: Kids love reading books in a series, or by the same author. Books by Gordon Korman were all over the feedback, and they were always popular in the classroom. Rick Riordan, Christopher Paolini, and Suzanne Collins were also popular authors.

Quick thought 3: Kids want to read more complex books. If someone suggests books they will read them. Book talks, book clubs, and book reviews all contributed to kids finding a variety of books. It also helps to suggest a wide range of books in the 20 Book Challenge, as well as purchasing a good range of books for your classroom. Over 90% of the money I spend goes to my library. Well worth the expense.

Down the Mysterly River by Bill Willingham

Recently I was browsing through the bookstore looking for something new. Faced out on one of the shelves was the book pictured to the left: Down the Mysterly River. The cover looked interesting, particularly as my kids love to read anthropomorphic stories like the Warriors, Seekers, or Wildwood. Something about animals that can talk generates a fair amount of interest.

It took me about 3 weeks to get through this story. I didn't necessarily become disinterested with the book as much as I was doing other things- reading blog posts, blogging using the mobile app, twittering... etc. During this break I finally finished the story in 2 short sittings, and am pleased to report that it was worth the time I spent working through it.

This has the characteristics of many fables, fitting with Willingham's previous work (writes the comic Fables). Max the Wolf (a boy scout) appears in a land far away from his boy scout troop. There he runs into a talking badger named Banderbrock. Together they go on the run from an odd group of people who are seemingly out to get them (the "Blue Cutters"). While on the run they pick up a bear named Walden, and a yellow tomcat named McTavish. No one knows where they are, or why they are there. But together they start to make their way through an odd land full of talking animals, yet teeming with danger. Their journey takes them to, and down, the large river in the middle of Heroes Wood called the Mysterly River. The journey involves great peril as they seek out answers to their many questions at the Wizard Swift's castle. Only time will tell if they'll make it.

Knowing that the author previously wrote fables provides some significant background knowledge. You recognize that the stories of the animals and Max have fable-like characteristics. They are approachable, and seem to speak towards the ideas of being kind, loyal, and truthful. The characters were also largely true to their animalistic nature. McTavish is a bit of a monster, as you'd expect a tomcat to be. He bickers with Banderbrock the badger, but also has the fighting spirit of badgers (not that I've ever encountered one). While it definitely gets a little heady, readers will like how the "mysterly" has resolution in the end.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars. Takes a while to really settle in, but enough action to capture the minds of a variety of readers.

Selling Books

One of the things we've been working on are book reviews. Your typical book review for intermediate kids is somewhere between a summary and a piece of garbage. A piece of garbage you say? Yep. They really don't sell the story to kids, and kids aren't really excited about writing them. Beyond that the book review just becomes an exercise in jumping through hoops for the teacher. Call me crazy but I'm not so excited about that.

Instead we have been working on spicing up the book review. We've been working on book reviews like bloggers would write. An example is here. Kids were a bit reluctant to roll into it. They often go back to the standard retelling. Instead I have been prodding them into jumping right into the story... show, don't tell. They go through main parts of the story leaving out the finish. Afterwards they conclude with a paragraph about their expert opinion- why they liked it, and what the author did well (made characters believable, great description, etc... with examples!).

This has been a process. I can't say it has gone well throughout. It is easier to go to the old reliable than to try something new. That being said, they have really been coming along. The quality is improving as kids begin to build suspense into their writing, allowing the reader to feel the same suspense (or action) that is a part of the story. The best part has been seeing kids read them on the back wall where our book reviews are posted. Kids are looking for those books, and they almost never stay on the shelves... no surprise.

Dying to Meet You by Kate Klise

One of the books that has gotten some tread in my classroom is Dying to Meet You by Kate Klise. I picked it up over the summer because it was a 2012 Sasquatch Awards nominee. It is a bit different than you're typical children's book in that it is written in the form of letters between the various characters as they talk about events that happen. It also has some illustrations that fit well with the story and the writing.

The setup is as follows: Ignatius Grumply is a children's author with writer's block. He needs a summer home to set up shop and get his writing done. Enter Anita Sale (yes, "aNEEDa Sale"!). She tries to dissuade him from 43 Old Cemetery Rd, but to no avail. Once there he finds a boy, his cat, and a ghost. He doesn't know about the ghost Olivia C Spence, but eventually comes to gather that she lives... what follows is a fast read that works for good and struggling readers alike. The nuance in the names and actions will get laughs out of the more experienced readers. But it reads easy enough for those who won't necessarily get the nuance.

Rating: 3 out of 5. Good read, not great. Has its place in the intermediate classroom library.

Dead End in Norvelt

Ever have a book recommended to you but you couldn't quite finish it? Have you found yourself reading a book that you feel like you should like because of the author, but just couldn't get into? How about a book that you didn't really have no affinity for, but no real reason to put it down? That sums up Dead End in Norvelt to me.

I enjoyed the previous works of Jack Gantos. Joey Pigza was an interesting character lacking the typical qualities of a hero/protagonist. You could fall in love with his faults, and see things from a different perspective. When Dead End... came out, I was hoping for a similar story. Instead it was closer to Gary Schmidt's The Wednesday Wars, only that it lacked the storyline for 3/4 of the book.

Jack lives in Norvelt. It is a town built by Eleanor Roosevelt, and was built to help people be self-sufficient (small houses, plots of land to farm, etc). The only problem is that the old way died, giving way to industrialization and modernization. One woman is charged with chronically how the original Norvelters live and die: Miss Volker. After getting grounded, Jack is enlisted to help Miss Volker write obituaries for the original Norvelters. Along the way you see Jack grow up, and you learn lessons from the old. But the story doesn't really pick up until halfway, or two-thirds the way through when a Hells Angel dies and people begin to wonder why these original Norvelters are dying.

This wasn't my favorite Gantos book. I felt like the story lacked a real clear plot. It was a biography of sorts, which is not really my genre. I like the payoff that comes through seeing a protagonist struggle and attempt to solve a problem. I also wonder whether a majority of my kids will enjoy it, feeling similar to me in wanting a payoff in the end.

Rating: 3 out of 5. The ending helps make the story, but it seems to take forever to get there.

Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key

Jack Gantos recently released Dead End in Norvelt. I've had a few of his books in my classroom, but really hadn't been interested in digging into them. A few weeks back I opted to give Joey Pigza a whirl, wanting to check in on Gantos before reading his more recent work.

The story is about a boy named Joey Pigza who is different than his peers. More specifically, Joey Pigza has ADHD (or ADD, can't remember which) and finds himself getting into trouble. He struggles to control his impulses including swallowing the key to his house (part of a trick he was performing for his classmates). Joey hasn't had the easiest of lives either. His mom and dad left him with his grandma when he was young, with mom returning when he is now in 4th grade. As the story unfolds you watch the struggles of a family trying to keep it together and cope in the midst of difficulties.

There are many layers to this story. The most obvious teaching point is how students who are not "normal" are perceived, and how they perceive themselves. Seeing the world through different shoes could be really impactful with kids. Another layer is how people cope with difficulty. Joey's mom opts to have Joey mix her a drink, as well as giving in to Joey "needing" some candy. Natural questions are: Why does Joey's mom decide to give in to Joey asking for candy? Is that a good thing? What is that doing for Joey in the short-term/long-term? You are left with the feeling that those who struggle are in a lose-lose situation that is difficult to overcome. If nothing else, it provides kids a perspective that they may not have themselves... particularly if they are of a status where struggle is not common.

Rating: 3 out of 5. Better than average and worth reading. Not necessarily a must read, but definitely useful in the classroom.

Wildwood by Colin Meloy

My school just had a book fair hosted by the University Bookstore. It was well done, and had many quality books. One of the books I picked up was Wildwood by Colin Meloy. Yep, it is the same Colin Meloy who is the lead singer for the Decemberists. Let me tell you this: it is 500+ pages of wonderful.

The story is about Prue McKeel and her journey to find her brother. You see, her brother Mac was swooped up by crows and taken to a wooden area called the Impassable Wilderness. Those familiar with Portland OR (where the book is set) will recognize this as much like Forest Park. Along the way she runs into a boy in her class named Curtis who follows her into the wilderness, thus beginning a long and weird sequence of events.
In the wilderness they meet a band of talking coyote soldiers, a postman delivering mail to different parts of the "wood" and other assorted talking animals. What Prue doesn't realize is that 1) she is special and connected to the wilderness somehow, and 2) she needs to save her brother before the former ruler of the Wood, the Dowager Governess, feeds Mac to the ivy (yep, I said it was weird!).

While a relatively large book, I think kids will identify with the characters. They will enjoy Prue and her quirkiness, as well as her determination to find her brother. They'll also like how Meloy weaves the animals in the story. The animals bring a different dimension, embodying many of the traits of humans while as maintaining their animal qualities. I'm excited for my kids to read it.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5. Long but well written with threads that ensure the story moves along.  

Darth Paper Strikes Back

I made my rounds of local bookstores on Friday. I typically like to have a good feel for books that are out and available, which means visiting every few weeks. When I visited the UBookstore by the University of Washington, I came across the sequel to The Strange Case of Origami Yoda. I loved Origami Yoda, but wasn't all that crazy about Angleberger's second book Horton Halfpott.

The back story is as follows... a geeky 6th grader named Dwight has made an Origami Yoda that he puts on his finger. He offered advice to kids who thought he was crazy, but often followed the advice (sort of like "I'm not really sure what to do, so I might as well follow yoda"). Yoda often turned them in the right direction... or was it Dwight?

The entire first story is mini-stories, vignettes, from kids that used origami yoda successfully. Along the way, a kid named Harvey is the villain to Dwight's hero. He cast the shadow of doubt about yoda being true, instead offering up the suggestions that Dwight is just talking crazy, or that the advice is ambiguous (for Star Wars fans, isn't Yoda always ambiguous!?!). In the end we don't find out whether Dwight is yoda or not, leading us into Darth Paper Strikes Back.

Harvey loves Star Wars too, making his own origami... Darth Paper. In the first story everything goes right... in this one, without the guidance of origami yoda (since he might to be kicked out of school for details I won't reveal), Darth Paper brings about the ways of the dark side. What can go wrong does go wrong. The story is about trying to make sure Dwight doesn't get kicked out of school. It is well done, just as the first one was, and a tremendously fast read. Well done.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5. Only gripe is that it is dangerously close to the first story, following the same story pattern. I'd like to see a bit more variation, but still really enjoyed it.

The Curse of the Bane

It has been a few weeks since I have put up a book review. That is largely because I've lacked some of the desire to push through books. Whether it is the sun, the Internet, or something else, I've dwadled through this last book.

I really enjoyed the first book in the Last Apprentice series. I likened the book to the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, but more realistic and with a mixture of old world witchcraft lore. The second book, the Curse of the Bane, started very slowly. We are reintroduced to the Spook and his 13 year old apprentice Tom Ward. Tom is the 7th son of a 7th son, which makes him special in old world lore.

The crux of this story surrounds the Bane. It is an old creature that used to wreck havoc on the countryside, but was bound to the catacombs under the city of Priestown. Now the Spook is going back to try and finish off the Bane once and for all. Along the way there are a myriad of complications, the biggest being the Quisitor. Why is he the biggest obstacle? He is judge, jury and executioner for witches or those that deal with the dark. Unlike the Spook, he has little or no idea of how to identify those aforementioned people, essentially making him a thief and crooked government official. The story makes me want to read the third in the series (it has at least 8 books), but I've got a few others to read first.

Rating: 3 of 5. Was better than average (I don't want to give a score of 2.5, that is like being noncommital) but not great. Next up is either Darth Paper Strikes Back or NERDS.

Bird in a Box

Bird in a Box was another of the books I'd purchased for my Mock Newbery Project. The story was one that I ended up enjoying, but that took me some time to fall into. It is three separate but connected stories. Set in the 1930's, these three African American kids have seen more than most kids should have seen. Their stories are set against the backdrop of the famous boxer Joe Louis having his fights broadcast to radios across the country.

The three stories are engaging in their own right. Each chapter is a point in time, with a section for each child. Where I caught myself looking back into the book was in differentiating Willie from Otis. One has fled his abusive father, while the other had his parents pass away in a car accident. They become tied together through the orphanage they are living in. Following me? I know a few of my kids will be lost in the stories of each kid, later getting confused as they try to connect events to each character.

Overall I really enjoyed the story. You could feel the pain of each character, but also the hope that they held close to their hearts. I wonder if the story would have felt more cohesive if it expanded more on one character rather than having all three. All three were well done, but they seemed like vignettes at times. I certainly see this as a Newbery contender. One of my favorites of the summer.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Lack of Top Scores

As I've been perusing sites for Mock Newbery possibilities one thing has become apparent: people don't like giving out top ratings. No matter if the top end is 4 or 5, you seldom see it. Now it isn't to say that I am dishing out top scores left and right, but I couldn't help feeling a little angry. "Angry?," you say. Yep, angry. Why is that?

In the day and age of everyone getting stars and ribbons, I'm here to tell you the top score should be given out cautiously. Let's be frank: some books are better than others. This is obviously subjective, but I think we can agree that not all books are "great". Some books are ok for one reason or another- plot, storyline, character, author's voice, etc. Additionally, some books just aren't very good because of a similar set of characters as those that are ok but usually with more deficiencies. You can add onto that other issues like font and styling which are the publisher's work, not the author's, and play a big role in a book's perception. Would you bring every book into your classroom? I doubt it.

Now that we've established that there is a gradiant, my question is why do we see so few top end scores in reviews? Is it because there just aren't great books out there? To me both arguments fail to hold water. Great literature does come out every year (umm, the Newbery Award? various local awards like Sasquatch and Young Readers Choice?). The awards aren't foolproof, but they do often have a stringent criteria and aren't to be taken lightly.

Is it because we are comparing books to childhood favorites? I'm not comparing Okay For Now to Where the Red Fern Grows to see if I feel the same. Instead I need to assess the book based on some sort of written or unwritten criteria, and decide if it is great or worthy of that top end score. I use Okay For Now because it I felt like it was great. For a book set in the 1960s-70s to make someone not having lived through that era to make someone enter that world is incredible. The depth of character was fantastic, and the storyline kept you wanting to read on in a non-action story. I don't expect everyone to have the same feeling, but I can't help wondering why it is 4 out of 5 out 4.5 out of 5. That is the equivalent of saying it gets an 80% or 90%. Really? Not in that top percentile?

I don't expect every book to receive a top rating. But as I scroll through reviews I can't help but feel like people are holding unattainable standards. When you see 30+ books and they have 1 (or 2) that is top end, you start to question those doing the rating. The same can be said if all reach 5 stars- it just isn't likely!

The Trouble With May Amelia

Have you ever been reading a book that you were told was really good, but you were only passively interested in? That about sums up my experience with The Trouble With May Amelia by Jennifer Holm. The story is a sequel to Our Only May Amelia which was a Newbery Honor Award recipient in 2000. I found my experience with this story to be similar to my experience with The Penderwicks. I'll digress to that in a second.

The Trouble With May Amelia is one of the Mock Newbery recommended books for 2012. From those that I have seen on goodreads, and via various library blogs, this was to be a fantastic book. The storyline surrounds a girl named May Amelia Jackson who is growing up in Washington state at the turn of the 20th century. Her family is Finnish, and have settled in an unincorporated area on the Nasel River. This area is accessible only by boat, and the living is tough.

May Amelia's family struggles to get by with the work on the farm, and with many children (all 7 are boys except for May!). May Amelia fights for her place in her family, particularly as her father has proclaimed girls to be useless. The real trouble begins when a man comes to town looking for stakeholders in a company that plans to incorporate a town in this otherwise inaccessible area. The plans are to make this the Seattle to the south. It is then that the story really picks up, and you watch the growth of May Amelia and her family.

What I discovered through reading this story is rather simple: I struggle identifying with protagonists that are female. This was the same experience I had with the Penderwicks. I found myself wanting the main characters to stop needing to prove themselves as able or ready. The Penderwick girls were confident, but the story didn't give them enough assertiveness. I wanted them to act a bit more, which perhaps is another similarity in the stories (and might be another issue I have these types of stories). May Amelia proved herself to be more than able, but I wanted her to be more assertive. I stuck with it to see what would happen to May Amelia, and to see if she'd change.

Rating: 3 out of 5. Well written, aside from lack of quotation marks (my kiddos may be annoyed by this). Storyline was good but dragged. Last 60+ pages (last third) were well done.

Theodore Boone... Grisham's Foray Into KidLit

I was never much of a John Grisham fan. In fact, I'm not a huge law person. I like laws, and the order that they can create, but I'm not overwhelmed by their intricacies. It should come as no surprise that I wasn't jumping at the first chance to purchase Theodore Boone, Kid Lawyer when it first came out a year or so ago. Seeing it in paperback made for a far more appealing and cost effective purchase.

To be brief: Theodore Boone is the only son of two lawyers, living in a mid-sized city (I think it said 75k people or so- more on that later). He loves the law and wants to be a lawyer. Kids in town ask him for help, and he happens to know about all of those associated with the law in his town. When the first murder in 50+ years happens, everyone is fascinated by the case, Theo included.

The story takes a variety of twists and turns, and doesn't necessarily finish up in the end. Of course it is left open for a second story, which you get the first 3 pages of at the end (Theodore Boone, the Abduction). This first story felt more like an introduction than a full blown story. You learn about Theo, his family, the major case, and the big players in the legal field in town. But you really aren't brought from beginning to end like many stories.

I have 2 other issues with the story: the first is Theo as a character, and the second is the setting. Obviously those are two major issues! Theo is only in middle school (or junior high), yet his legal prowess seems very advanced. I think many of my students would question the plausibility of this fella! His access to legal areas, and his overall knowledge of the legal field were far and away beyond any typical kid. It isn't that all kids need to be normal or average, but you do need to be able to identify with them... he seemed a tad more adult than most. The setting is a gripe for me, but perhaps not for my kiddos. In size, it is like many of the towns/cities surrounding Seattle... except larger (by about 25k). The old time feel of the town simply doesn't jive. To me that is more an issue with getting your facts straight. But... you need to be able to believe the author to believe the story as it progresses, which is why it is an issue.

Rating: 2 of 5. Not a bad first go at children's books for Grisham, but left quite a bit to be desired from the prolific adult writing.

Inside Out and Back Again

I'm slowly working my way through the books on the Mock Newbery 2012 list. Is there an official list? No. But there are different sites, libraries and librarians, that are starting to compile a list of possible contenders. Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai is on that list. If I were to use one word to describe it, it would be: moving.

This wasn't entirely what I'd expected. I had briefly read a few reviews, and saw it on multiple lists, so purchased it feeling it would likely pan out as a good investment. What I didn't know until it arrived was that it was a story written as poetry. Poetry. Hmm. I'm not a real big poet, feeling like a fish out of water or a bull in a chinashop. I fear what I perceive to be the flow and rhythm. I fear not understanding the message the author is implying.

I dove into this head first, at least after the first few pages where I waded in cautiously. In conquering the above fears I found the story moving and powerful. It is the story of a girl living it Vietnam in a time of internal strife. Her father is gone missing, part of the war effort. Her family, struggling to survive, eventually leaves on a boat to Guam. From there they leave as refugees to the United States, Alabama to be exact. It is at that point that I truly felt Ha's (the girl) struggle. She is smart, kind, and strong, but mocked as a stranger in a new place. The struggle to fit in pulls at the heartstrings, and her interactions in the school brought me to my own classroom. I wondered about the ELL students in my classroom, and the struggles that they must experience (even on a much different level). The story made me wonder about my own practice and how I can develop into a champion for my ELL students.

Rating: 4.5 of 5. I struggled with it in the beginning but the middle to end were magnificent. Certainly a contender for the Newbery Award in 2012.

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

Sometimes you've got to read the books that you've got. When I started two, almost three, years ago I inherited a decent sized classroom library. One problem with that: they were relatively dated. By dated I mean 10+ years from publication date in most cases, and that is being generous. Therein is the challenge for the teacher. How do you make sure that you have new books that kids see in bookstores like Barnes and Noble (believe it or not they still actually go there, I've seen them!) as well as old books?

Part of that challenge is alleviated by publishers sprucing up books with new covers. New covers make timeless books look relevant to kids today. Out with the smaller, thicker, tiny font books (mass market books as they are called by booksellers). In with the slightly larger, more space between lines/font, and shiny cover. That is what led me to Hatchet.

I have about 10 copies of Hatchet at school. I opted not to use it for novel study/literature circle because of the size of the book, and the size of the print. It had also been some time since I'd read it myself (although I am not 100% sure I read it as I am confusing it with Call of the Wild). After reading it, I think I'll use it. The story of Brian surviving in wilderness for almost 2 months is moving. I think kids will see the story of growth, and conquering fear in an empowering manner. How can I do that? or I can be just like Brian, taking control of my anger. Perhaps it is far-fetched, but I do see where kids will at the very least be able to identify with the themes in the story. Now I pick up a few more with the fancy cover... hmmm.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5. I prefer books with more dialogue but the story was very good, and you wanted to know what would come of Brian as he struggled to survive in the wilderness.

Small Persons With Wings

Summer book reviews continue! Fancy that. Small Persons With Wings (by Ellen Booraem) is another potential Newbery Award book this year, at least if you follow some of those trying to predict the winner. Do I agree? Not so much.

Small Persons With Wings is a story of growing up and make believe. Mellie has grown up with a "small person with wings," a fairy by any other description (but they don't like to be called that). She has enjoyed having Fidius around so much that she told all of her classmates about him. When she tried to bring him in for show and tell he left, leaving her with nothing to show (and resulting in being made fun of by her peers). Worse is that she seemingly hijacked a birthday party of one of the cool kids, leaving her to feel that girls wrath throughout her childhood.

Mellie is referred to counselling because of this make believe issue. When her parents come in for an intervention, they confess that fairies don't exist. The result is Mellie stifling her beliefs, and pouring herself into art and science books to keep out the make believe thoughts. The family eventually needs to move to Boston because they've been told that Mellie's grandfather has passed away. Upon arrival they meet a horde of fairies, the Parvi Pennati, which prompts her parents to admit that they are aware of the existence of these small fairies... er, small persons with wings. The rest of the story takes the reader on a journey learning about the Parvi, why they are there, and a plan to help the Parvi return what they've lost over the years.

Does this book have a home in my classroom? Absolutely. I enjoyed it, particularly because of the lessons about bullying and self image embedded in the storyline. I think it has a niche with those students that like a little twist on reality, added fantasy to your typical storyline without too much of a departure. Where it falls short of some other books is that the story seemed to drag too much in the middle. The beginning pushed you along and you felt for Mellie. Once you arrived in the middle too much time was spent on the Parvi, magic, and the people next door. It had enough twists to keep you interested, but not enough meat in the story to really make you want to finish (*I used to be a big closer of books that I lost interest in, but have since opted to try and finish most of my summer reading in order to be fluent in kid lit.) I don't see the Newbery in its future, but we'll see.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Okay For Now by Gary Schmidt

Okay for Now... one word: fabulous! While it is at the upper end of reading for kiddos in my grade level, it is a great addition to my library. Why is that? The story was incredibly realistic. As a reader, you could empathize with the struggles of the main character (Doug Swieteck). The problems were incredibly realistic, yet the storyline was not nearly as predictable as others I've read.

The long and short of it: Doug is a character first seen on the fringes of the story The Wednesday Wars. His father has lost his job so the family is moving out of Long Island (NY) to a mill town further north. There are a myriad of issues for Doug to overcome. His father is negative, almost to the point of being abusive (certainly a bully). His older brother of two years is a bully who runs with a bad crowd. His oldest brother is in Vietnam and set to come home soon, but not the same. All of this is added onto the fact that Doug can't read yet is heading into 8th grade.

This story shows many things. You see the growth of characters. You see characters change (for the better). You also watch the goings-on in a small town where everyone knows everyone, and your reputation precedes you. Best book of the summer by far.

Rating: 5 out of 5... definitely on the short list of the Newbery Award in 2012.

Juniper Berry by Kozlowksy

Recently I ordered a handful of books that bloggers have noted as possible Newbery candidates for 2012. Typically I don't order hardcover books. I find the price to be a bit much, and the size/heft of paperback books to be preferable. But since many of the Newbery books are new releases I found myself in the position of *needing* to order them in hardcover. Alas I digress (as an aside, my goodreads list is here).

That brings me to Juniper Berry by M.P. Kozlowsky. I'd seen it prior to doing my Mock Newbery research, faced out in a Barnes and Noble and later in Third Place Books. The basic premise is that sometimes wishing for things can lead us down a path to being someone we don't want to be- whether consciously or not. It is a classic tale of temptation and using will willpower to avoid "darkness."

Juniper Berry's family should be a fairy tale. Her parents are movie stars. She lives in a large house with seemingly endless methods of amusing herself. But something is awry. Juniper's parents grow increasingly dark and angry. Her fairy tale is disintegrating. One day, in the rain (oh the symbolism!), she meets a boy named Giles. His life has a familiar ring to Juniper's, and they find that their parents are connected by this twisted old tree in the woods. What follows is Juniper and Giles trying to resist the temptation of having the dreams made a reality. They'll also try to reclaim the life that they had once before. I enjoyed it... it wasn't my favorite. Juniper lacks depth as a character, and the storyline is familiar. But it was well written, and there are enough twists in the story to keep you reading.

Rating: 3 out of 5.