New Book Tuesday 4/26

I thought there wasn't going to be a post this week because I haven't ordered any books. What the what? Yeah, it's true. Not sure what happened there. No worries, I have books ordered for May 3. Anyway, it is book fair week at my two younger children's school so here is what I bought yesterday (sans the books they picked out):

I'm so excited that Jewel Parker Rhodes is coming to my daughter's middle school! 

It's Monday, What Are You Reading?

Sara:

Like any book nerd worth her salt, I not only buy books, I also check them out from the library. I started this one this week:

I starting Dr. Dolittle, and after I got to the part of the monkey Chee-chee dressed as a woman (to sneak on a boat), I knew I had read that book as a child! I'm enjoying it so much more than Story of Mankind.

Everyone is raving about this one, so I really hope to start this one:

Amy is reading:

April Giveaway

I made a padlet with the books on our giveaway.

Created with Padlet

You will win a copy of Josh Funk's Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast and any other book we have featured this month. You must enter by April 30. The winner will be announced on Monday May 2.

To enter, complete this Google Form.

YA Friday - X: a novel

X tells the story of Malcolm's childhood and adolescence, most of which has been previously unknown. We follow Malcolm on a journey, starting with when he is ripped away from his mother and moved into a white foster home. He eventually goes to Boston to live with his half sister Ella, trying to find out who he is among the excitement of jazz clubs, jobs, which Malcolm refers to as "slaves," and girls, both white and black. Eventually, Malcolm moves to Harlem, learning the ways of the hustle. While X is a work of fiction, the novel has a strong foundation in truth based on stories from family and friends. The author of the novel, Malcolm's daughter, Ilyasah Shabazz, provides a detailed account of how the book came together, along with a timeline, historical details about the time period of Malcolm's life and an extensive book list for future reading.

I have to admit my extreme ignorance here. While I was somewhat aware that racism existed above the Mason-Dixon line, I thought lynchings and people getting beat up for crossing the race line was something that only happened in the South. I was clueless that these things also happened where Malcolm X grew up in Lansing, Michigan or in Boston, Massachusetts. I also knew next to nothing about Malcolm X's life other than he was a Muslim and that his civil rights message was contrary to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's one of nonviolent protest.

Reading this book was a good reminder that racism isn't a regional problem, it is an American problem. People still don't understand hashtags like #blacklivesmatter and #weneeddiversebooks.  #blacklivesmatters doesn't mean that black lives are the only lives that matter or that people shouldn't have respect for police officers. It means that there is a problem with some police officers stereotyping and racial profiling young black males, which has led to innocent lives being lost.

As for #weneeddiversebooks, ALL students need to be able to see themselves in the books they are reading, as well as see others so they can develop the empathetic skills needed to grow up in a diverse world. Right now picture books are dominated by white male authors/illustrators, and middle grade/young adult novels are dominated by white female authors. Author Grace Lin refers to it as windows and mirrors in her excellent TED talk.




X: a novel is recommended for teenagers and adults. I plan to read The Autobiography of Malcolm X to learn more about this important civil rights leader.

#tbt The Penderwicks

I recently read again the first book in The Penderwicks series. I am such a fan of these books. I love the characters. There are four sisters: Rosalind, Skye, Jane and Batty. Their mother died shortly after Batty was born, so they are being raised by their father. They have a large, sweet, yet rowdy dog named Hound. In this first novel, they are spending their summer vacation in a rented cottage on Arundel estate. They become friends with the boy who lives on the estate, Jeffrey, and have many adventures, both fun and troublesome. There are three sequels, with a fifth and final one forthcoming.

Which Penderwick Sister Are You?

My result, which is not surprising because of my love of books, is Jane. However, I can see myself in some of the other sisters. I am the oldest child like Rosalind and I like math like Skye.

Two of my favorite review on Goodreads are from my nerdy guy friends:

"This is a very, very good novel. It's kind of like Little Women for modern readers. I love all of the sisters, but I think Skye was my favorite, Batty was close though towards the end." - Benji Martin, Elementary School Librarian in Montgomery Alabama

"This book almost made me wish I was a girl, almost. Okay, maybe not at all, but seeing the relationship between the four sisters was so cool." - Colby Sharp, 3rd grade teacher in Parma Michigan

I love their reviews and that they are from guys, because we really want kids not to limit their reading based on what they think is a "girl" book or a "boy" book. Yes, this book focuses on the relationship between the sisters, but there are some amazing male characters, and Jeffrey's story is the center of the plot.  

I am including Colby's video from when he was a 4th grade teacher because he speaks to this issue when he addresses Babymouse. I showed this video to my students and I had suddenly had boys checking out Babymouse all the time. #noreadingshame




How great it is to know people that share the love of reading and want kids to love it too!

Picture Book Wednesday: The Night Gardener

Sara's Review:

Each night, young William awakes to find a magical new tree sculpture on Grimloch Lane. He is mesmerized and his fascination is contagious; soon, the entire town shows up to gaze in wonder at these amazing creations of the night gardener. Eventually, William meets the night gardener who asks for his help. Finally, there is a passing of the torch - er, clippers - and William takes over. The illustrations are extremely well done. I love the way color is used to depict the mood and tone of the neighborhood. At the beginning of the story, the colors are extremely muted, except for the tree sculptures, but as the town transforms the colors become more vibrant with each page turn climaxing with the double spread of the neighborhood at dusk in vibrant colors, the complete opposite from where we began. My favorite page:

If you have a limited budget, The Night Gardener is worth your money. 5 stars! Do we ever give any of these Wednesday picture books less than five stars?

Amy's Review:

The Night Gardener is a beautiful book full of illustrations that make it unique. The illustrations were not my favorite part of the story. I loved that the night gardener had such a huge impact on a small town and the people who lived there. By sharing his artistic talent he provided something beautiful for the people of Grimloch Lane to remember. He also helps William to unlock his own artistic talents. I think we can all learn a lesson from the night gardener. We too can have a positive impact on the people we interact with everyday. How have you positively impacted someone today? I give The Night Gardener 5 out of 5 stars.  

New Book Tuesday 4/19

Only ordered two books this week:

I bought two others because nerdy friends were talking about them. I mentioned Maybe A Fox in yesterday's post. The other is:

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

I've done it again! I've started way too many books and I feel like weeks are going by and I'm not finishing anything. So I have to finish those, including:

As for Newbery Pie, I will finish up Island of the Blue Dolphins in the next few days and start on another one from the 1920s. I hope this one is better than The Story of Mankind.

Finally, in 2016 books, I plan to finally finish Hour of the Bees and then start on this book: 

Amy is reading:

Happy Reading!

Monthly #bookgiveaway

I just thought of this so it will not only be a surprise for all of you, it will be a surprise for Amy too. I was thinking that it had been quite awhile since my last Twitter book giveaway and I wanted to involve our blog. I was also pretty sure that the last book I gave away was our friend, author Josh Funk's debut picture book Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast. Josh has been promoting our blog on Twitter like it is his second job so this will be a special two book giveaway. You can get a copy of Josh's book and any other book we have featured from March 28-April 30. If you win and you already have Josh's book? Donate a copy to a school or classroom library. As much as I love those tweets and retweets when I give books away on Twitter, I was terrified I was going to miss someone last time so we're going with the Google Form option. If you decide, "oh I really want The Wild Robot," and you complete the form, and then we feature the awesome new Greg Pizzoli picture book (hint, hint), you can complete it again, no problem.

Young Adult Friday: Drowned City Hurricane Katrina & New Orleans

I was immediately drawn to Drowned City because of my love for history and graphic novels. This book, with the aid of illustrations, provides the reader with a timeline of the events and hardships surrounding Hurricane Katrina. Don Brown does an excellent job of explaining how Hurricane Katrina formed and the results of the hurricane's landfall in New Orleans. Some facts I learned from this book that I did not know:

1. The gap in the levees was so large that a 500 foot barge came through one and floated around New Orleans. 

2. Conditions were made worse by a smashed oil refiner tank that leaked oil into the city. 

3. Poisonous snakes were floating around in the water. 

4. The convention center had a large amount of people that suffered like the people in the Superdome. 

5. Many people had to wait for help under highway overpasses. 

6. People who tried to flee to the city of Gretna, LA were forced back by local police. 

7. Pets were intentionally abandoned by rescue workers. 

8. Workers had to clear thousands of dead bodies from the street. 

This book is excellent for YA libraries and classrooms. It can also be used by history teachers and science teachers to enhance their instruction. I recommend this book to anyone wanting to learn more about Hurricane Katrina. I give Drowned City 5 out of 5 stars.