tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78311416112390127022024-03-05T09:46:07.321-07:00Read Me, MaybeBook reviews as a guide for parentsMrs. Dukehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16801824739160579671noreply@blogger.comBlogger275125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7831141611239012702.post-13511047989596665042021-12-15T14:07:00.000-07:002021-12-15T14:07:01.467-07:0023 Minutes<p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg9YF8FhZd8OFNG8WlarUS7Zib4Axf9p4ufCw3MvvUJGly55KgcagjKuluWhSiOuoHPLUq5oDGcppjpcuI3lRBOo4cBLq4kmwfPr4dKgur056Xh7B1x5u_BmSQ_AjY1eitwvHG3G5TxM1h1jAp8hPZOw7HpRL1xCZdFO8IvpThcDR0YCNXUmDcgSXiX=s648" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="648" data-original-width="422" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg9YF8FhZd8OFNG8WlarUS7Zib4Axf9p4ufCw3MvvUJGly55KgcagjKuluWhSiOuoHPLUq5oDGcppjpcuI3lRBOo4cBLq4kmwfPr4dKgur056Xh7B1x5u_BmSQ_AjY1eitwvHG3G5TxM1h1jAp8hPZOw7HpRL1xCZdFO8IvpThcDR0YCNXUmDcgSXiX=w130-h200" width="130" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">23 Minutes</i><br />by Vivian Vande Velde</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="background-color: #cccccc;"> From the publisher:<br />"<span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">Fifteen-year-old Zoe has a secret ability: she can travel back in time twenty-three minutes to relive events she wants to change. But Zoe has learned from experience that this is more </span><i style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">curse</i><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;"> than </span><i style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">gift</i><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">. Things almost never end well and people just tend to think she’s crazy.</span></span></p><span style="background-color: #cccccc;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px;" /><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">But when she steps into a bank to get out of the rain and finds herself in the middle of a robbery gone horrifyingly wrong, Zoe knows she’s the only one who can help. The problem is, she has only a limited number of tries to make things right. Plus, a single mistake could get her killed—and not even time travel could bring her back from that.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px;" /><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">Zoe has always considered herself a loser, about as far from a heroine as a girl can get. Now she has to dig deep to find a strength she never thought she possessed."</span></span><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">Wow, what a ride! I had a great time reading this book. It had an amazing concept, it was full of excitement and tension, and you couldn't help liking the 2 main characters. It reminded me a little of the movie 50 First Dates because of how Zoe would have to explain everything to Daniel every time she went back because she is the only one who remembers anything during her playbacks. Does that sound confusing? It really isn't when Ms. Vande Velde explains it. I will definitely be talking this one up to my students.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px;" /><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">Areas of concern:</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px;" /><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">*Many people get killed in different ways, but those deaths get undone in the "playbacks".</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px;" /><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">*Under 10 uses of the "d" and "s" words.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px;" /><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">*The main character comes from a very dysfunctional family and lives in a group home.</span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">Suggested Ages:</span></div><div><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">Kirkus Reviews - Ages 12-17</span></div><div><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">Booklist - Grades 7-10</span></div>Mrs. Dukehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16801824739160579671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7831141611239012702.post-30775676368157072742021-12-09T11:22:00.000-07:002021-12-09T11:23:04.759-07:00The Deepest Breath<p><span style="background-color: #cccccc;"> From the publisher:<br /></span></p><span style="background-color: #cccccc;">"<span id="freeText9383378143109573352" style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhV6x0fZFQWwZNKemi3eIsDuaryHNRIux6TXYlhx99D1QCsCeFiAIxnIiZoPZqOSd8WJfGSZhhsQydSV0nifsPLlt2knoFfwDqVYQ-2N-n_YNZHeANXy4YJZ0-n__otqdtxlx3ouMt-wAxDsGTPtG2HIK2JomaqwjlGJd8xyylecNJmGxeiXMxOdWt_=s346" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="230" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhV6x0fZFQWwZNKemi3eIsDuaryHNRIux6TXYlhx99D1QCsCeFiAIxnIiZoPZqOSd8WJfGSZhhsQydSV0nifsPLlt2knoFfwDqVYQ-2N-n_YNZHeANXy4YJZ0-n__otqdtxlx3ouMt-wAxDsGTPtG2HIK2JomaqwjlGJd8xyylecNJmGxeiXMxOdWt_=w133-h200" width="133" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">The Deepest Breath</i><br />by Meg Grehan<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table>Stevie is eleven and loves reading and sea-creatures. She lives with her mum, and she's been best friends with Andrew since forever. Stevie's mum teases her that someday they'll get married, but Stevie knows that won't ever happen. There's a girl at school that she likes more. A lot more. Actually, she's a bit confused about how much she likes her. It's nothing like the way she likes Andrew. It makes her fizz inside. That's a new feeling, one she doesn't understand. Stevie needs to find out if girls can like girls - love them, even - but it's hard to get any information, and she's too shy to ask out loud about it. But maybe she can find an answer in a book. With the help of a librarian, Stevie finds stories of girls loving girls, and builds up her courage to share the truth with her mum. Written in accessible verse `chapters' and in a warm and reassuring style, The Deepest Breath will be of special relevance to young girls who are starting to realise that they are attracted to other girls, but it is also a story for any young reader with an open mind who wants to understand how people's emotions affect their lives.</span><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"> "</span></span><p><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">I have had students asking for LGBTQ+ books this year so I have been trying to get some that are age appropriate for middle school. This one is a sweet, tender look at an 11 year old girl who is recognizing feelings within herself that she doesn't understand. I thought the subject matter was dealt with in a very age-appropriate way. I don't like novels in verse, but my students do. I really liked how the author dealt with Stevie's anxieties as well. So many of our middle schoolers are dealing with high anxiety and I think they will relate to Stevie, who feels like she is underwater a lot of the time and is scared and anxious about many things. I loved the relationship between Stevie and her mum. I think my students who have been asking for LGBTQ+ books will connect with this particular book. </span></p><p><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Suggested Ages:<br />Booklist - Grades 4-7<br />Publisher's Weekly - Ages 8-12</span></p>Mrs. Dukehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16801824739160579671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7831141611239012702.post-24771829291903292262021-12-08T08:50:00.002-07:002021-12-08T08:50:54.650-07:00Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow<p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgE7bejpLfCaI4Z3_XwtZHXbCGvJMSzNg9Rfn0yRJhkl1T4fLaQyfjyA-slRMVWaFZXju6auyBQ16BnZon64SGlAAr0wDnOZneWlcFvQJ0_cv1m6EvCdvKf0cI4uTVEtreBk0aBqd0uITtv0YURFy0-eEpd6Qfjh7r2CztHYuQvTHZ6mPs8luhi8Uw0=s400" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="274" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgE7bejpLfCaI4Z3_XwtZHXbCGvJMSzNg9Rfn0yRJhkl1T4fLaQyfjyA-slRMVWaFZXju6auyBQ16BnZon64SGlAAr0wDnOZneWlcFvQJ0_cv1m6EvCdvKf0cI4uTVEtreBk0aBqd0uITtv0YURFy0-eEpd6Qfjh7r2CztHYuQvTHZ6mPs8luhi8Uw0=w137-h200" width="137" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Nevermoor: </i><i style="font-weight: bold;">The Trials <br />of </i><i style="font-weight: bold;">Morrigan Crow</i><br />by Jessica Townsend</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="background-color: #cccccc;"> From the publisher:<br />"<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">A breathtaking, enchanting new series by debut author Jessica Townsend, about a cursed girl who escapes death and finds herself in a magical world--but is then tested beyond her wildest imagination.</span></span></p><span style="background-color: #cccccc;"><span id="freeText5616506809035934619" style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><br />Morrigan Crow is cursed. Having been born on Eventide, the unluckiest day for any child to be born, she's blamed for all local misfortunes, from hailstorms to heart attacks--and, worst of all, the curse means that Morrigan is doomed to die at midnight on her eleventh birthday.<br /><br />But as Morrigan awaits her fate, a strange and remarkable man named Jupiter North appears. Chased by black-smoke hounds and shadowy hunters on horseback, he whisks her away into the safety of a secret, magical city called Nevermoor.<br /><br />It's then that Morrigan discovers Jupiter has chosen her to contend for a place in the city's most prestigious organization: the Wundrous Society. In order to join, she must compete in four difficult and dangerous trials against hundreds of other children, each boasting an extraordinary talent that sets them apart--an extraordinary talent that Morrigan insists she does not have. To stay in the safety of Nevermoor for good, Morrigan will need to find a way to pass the tests--or she'll have to leave the city to confront her deadly fate.<br /><br />Perfect for fans of the Harry Potter series and Neil Gaiman, this fast-paced plot and imaginative world has a fresh new take on magic that will appeal to a new generation of readers.</span><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"> "</span></span><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">I really enjoyed this beginning to a new series. The story of a cursed child gripped me from the start. Her life was so sad and grim. The transition from that dark, gray world to the colorful Nevermoor was really fun. If I were a movie director, I would film the first part in black and white and then change to color when she gets to Nevermoor - like The Wizard of Oz movie. And I also pictured our heroine, Morrigan, as Wednesday Adams - which added to the black and white image in my head. She is described as very pale with dark black hair, so of course Wednesday popped into my head.</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Besides the awesome world building, I also enjoyed the plot. I found it well-paced and interesting with times of humor and times of intensity. I only wish the whole series was complete so my students didn't have to wait a year for however many more books will be in the series (there are 3 out so far). I will talk this series up to my kids who loved Keeper of the Lost Cities and are tired of waiting for the next one in that series. I think they will really like it.</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Areas of concern:</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">*The heroine is in danger a few times.</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">*The villain has murdered a lot of people.</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">*I think I only saw one instance of using a bad word.</span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Suggested Ages:</span></div><div><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Publisher's Weekly - Ages 8-12 (This seems quite young to me - I would say more 10+)</span></div><div><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;">School Library Journal - Grades 5+</span><br /></span></div>Mrs. Dukehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16801824739160579671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7831141611239012702.post-50066674428445685922021-12-03T14:46:00.002-07:002021-12-03T14:46:38.359-07:00The Fourteenth Goldfish<p><span style="background-color: #cccccc; font-family: inherit;"> From the publisher:</span></p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd9loNGUUbEYNm0v5DEhR9UQ6PMSkkzn6FHOapOtFUu_gz_ZPhLDKPM7I7iMPGYCQ2wqf9PvBhQep79KvIVHMBF9PiABS88ne_kDDR2UXw2clLOMZ9tD_2g36FyOOle669EwT_y4DfKE4/s475/Fourteenth+Goldfish%252C+The.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd9loNGUUbEYNm0v5DEhR9UQ6PMSkkzn6FHOapOtFUu_gz_ZPhLDKPM7I7iMPGYCQ2wqf9PvBhQep79KvIVHMBF9PiABS88ne_kDDR2UXw2clLOMZ9tD_2g36FyOOle669EwT_y4DfKE4/w133-h200/Fourteenth+Goldfish%252C+The.jpg" width="133" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">The Fourteenth </i><br /><i style="font-weight: bold;">Goldfish</i><br />by Jennifer L. Holm</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="background-color: #cccccc; font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #1e1915;">Galileo. Newton. Salk. Oppenheimer.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; margin: 0px;" /><span style="color: #1e1915;">Science can change the world . . . but can it go too far?</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; margin: 0px;" /><span style="color: #1e1915;">Eleven-year-old Ellie has never liked change. She misses fifth grade. She misses her old best friend. She even misses her dearly departed goldfish. Then one day a strange boy shows up. He’s bossy. He’s cranky. And weirdly enough . . . he looks a lot like Ellie’s grandfather, a scientist who’s always been slightly obsessed with immortality. Could this pimply boy really be Grandpa Melvin? Has he finally found the secret to eternal youth?</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #1e1915;"><br />I enjoyed this book and read it quickly in one sitting. I appreciated the family dynamics - a loving mother and father, although amicably divorced - and a grandfather living in the body of a 13 year old boy and still trying to tell his daughter what to do. It was all quite delightful. Working in a middle school, I know that girl drama at that age is REAL. I liked how the author dealt with that, and the growth that Ellie made through it all. I love all the science references and hope that students who read this will want to do more research because of it, and think of things like consequences. I will definitely recommend this to certain students.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; margin: 0px;" /><span style="color: #1e1915;">No real areas of concern.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;">Suggested Ages: <br />School Library Journal - Grades 5-7</span></p>Mrs. Dukehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16801824739160579671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7831141611239012702.post-59962724433257621602021-11-02T13:43:00.000-06:002021-11-02T13:43:10.497-06:00Front Desk<span style="background-color: #cccccc;">From the publisher:</span> <div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMssccjvEt51XPi4NxWRjQEZ9rqNXVenCMyEbRtI0oPuf2MRS-OpMhZKK_MJZUxTkSV10udirk0CyAUSUEmZalOwN1SzirRPCoXuyNJW6yr2N3EwbqhhRh5-5gk8AxE7wjdIRX6rUYhA8/s475/Front+Desk.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMssccjvEt51XPi4NxWRjQEZ9rqNXVenCMyEbRtI0oPuf2MRS-OpMhZKK_MJZUxTkSV10udirk0CyAUSUEmZalOwN1SzirRPCoXuyNJW6yr2N3EwbqhhRh5-5gk8AxE7wjdIRX6rUYhA8/s200/Front+Desk.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Front Desk</i><br />by Kelly Yang</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="background-color: #cccccc;">"<span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">Mia Tang has a lot of secrets.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px;" /><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">Number 1: She lives in a motel, not a big house. Every day, while her immigrant parents clean the rooms, ten-year-old Mia manages the front desk of the Calivista Motel and tends to its guests.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px;" /><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">Number 2: Her parents hide immigrants. And if the mean motel owner, Mr. Yao, finds out they've been letting them stay in the empty rooms for free, the Tangs will be doomed.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px;" /><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">Number 3: She wants to be a writer. But how can she when her mom thinks she should stick to math because English is not her first language?</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px;" /><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">It will take all of Mia's courage, kindness, and hard work to get through this year. Will she be able to hold on to her job, help the immigrants and guests, escape Mr. Yao, and go for her dreams?"</span></span></div><div><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: Proxima Nova, Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">For having such a cute-sy cover, this book is definitely NOT a fluff read. It deals with a lot of heart-wrenching issues and actually made me feel quite depressed. I hate the thought that these kind of things actually happened to people, and probably still do. What is wrong with humankind?! Why can't we treat each other with respect, civility and kindness? I would be tempted to think that some of these stories were blown out of proportion if not for the author's note at the end saying most of the stories came from her real life. I think it is good for middle schoolers (and everyone) to read these kind of books to open our eyes to the plight of those around us. I'm glad we have this in our library and I just wish the cover didn't look quite so juvenile so that it would checked out more.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px;" /><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">I will add the caveat that I thought the ending was a little too unbelievable and unrealistic, but middle schoolers will love the happy ending.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px;" /><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">Areas of concern:</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px;" /><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">*Bullying</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px;" /><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">*Racism</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px;" /><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">*An important character getting assaulted</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px;" /><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">*Extreme poverty</span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">Suggested Ages:</span></div><div><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">Booklist - Grades 5-7</span></div><div><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">Publisher's Weekly - Ages 8-12</span></div>Mrs. Dukehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16801824739160579671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7831141611239012702.post-13361511219095843572021-10-12T14:51:00.001-06:002021-10-12T14:51:25.796-06:00The Bridge Home<p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2GEwVxO8lMOFb4qFnTEFIM2x4gPxWMsYm1Vd8s4ie4GNcyu8YnA9j_KUQnJkXh6javNhNv8JleI4DJi2oy9FzxjcClUT0594_M4l-IWRKzX1ORaAXAdefgbiij-MgMqIoqtURNCaQXCU/s400/Bridge+Home%252C+The.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="265" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2GEwVxO8lMOFb4qFnTEFIM2x4gPxWMsYm1Vd8s4ie4GNcyu8YnA9j_KUQnJkXh6javNhNv8JleI4DJi2oy9FzxjcClUT0594_M4l-IWRKzX1ORaAXAdefgbiij-MgMqIoqtURNCaQXCU/w133-h200/Bridge+Home%252C+The.jpg" width="133" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">The Bridge Home</i><br />by<br />Padma Venkatraman</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="background-color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> From the publisher:<br /></span><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: inherit;">When Viji and her sister, Rukku, whose developmental disability makes her overly trusting and vulnerable to the perils of the world, run away to live on their own, the situation could not be more grim. Life on the streets of the teeming city of Chennai is harsh for girls considered outcasts, but the sisters manage to find shelter on an abandoned bridge. There they befriend Muthi and Arul, two boys in a similar predicament, and the four children bond together and form a family of sorts. Viji starts working with the boys scavenging in trash heaps while Rukku makes bead necklaces, and they buy food with what little money they earn. They are often hungry and scared but they have each other--and Kutti, the best dog ever. When the kids are forced from their safe haven on the bridge, they take shelter in a graveyard. But it is now the rainy season and they are plagued by mosquitos, and Rukku and Muthu fall ill. As their symptoms worsen, Viji and Arul must decide whether to risk going for help--when most adults in their lives have proven themselves untrustworthy--or to continue holding on to their fragile, hard-fought freedom.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #181818;">This was a hard one to put down and a very quick read. It was somehow both painful and uplifting. What these children go through is horrible, yet they persevere and stay true to each other. I love stories about families-by-choice. I think this book will open the eyes of some of our middle school students to what happens out in the world. Maybe it will make them a little more grateful for everything they have in their lives. I loved the main characters and found the story gripping. One of the parts I really appreciated was when Viji realized that even though she hated it when others didn't think Rukku could do things, she was also not helping her to live up to her potential. I loved the way the sisters took care of each other. And I loved Arul's faith in the midst of homelessness, extreme poverty, and horrible working conditions. I'm so glad the 4 found each other! They each had abilities that helped in their little family. I was very happy to find an adult in the book that was good and trustworthy, but sad there was only one. I really enjoyed reading it and I'm going to imagine that Viji not only becomes a teacher when she grows up, but a special needs teacher.</span><br style="color: #181818;" /><br style="color: #181818;" /><span style="color: #181818;">Areas of concern:</span><br style="color: #181818;" /><span style="color: #181818;">*An abusive father</span><br style="color: #181818;" /><span style="color: #181818;">*Running away from home</span><br style="color: #181818;" /><span style="color: #181818;">*Extreme poverty and hardship</span><br style="color: #181818;" /><span style="color: #181818;">*Several bad adults who were trying to take advantage of the children</span><br style="color: #181818;" /><span style="color: #181818;">*The death of a beloved character</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #181818;">Suggested Ages:<br />Booklist - Grades 5-7<br />Kirkus Reviews - Ages 10-14</span></span></p><p><br /></p><br /><p><br /></p>Mrs. Dukehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16801824739160579671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7831141611239012702.post-35268020019559102662021-10-07T14:27:00.000-06:002021-10-07T14:27:01.121-06:00<p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM-GlzVN4kwZG3u6yO47P_TwIFgSh5YwgC1gU5HTCYzCHczSfPrYfiF5cUCyzD7aAtd4J78btQxdG_2ryRvAxtRs3620acWfFuUIQRrsb5Yub87ZttRzxT0EwoLJzCyT1Ow7nxPNRCDXs/s400/Out+of+My+Mind.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: #d9d2e9; clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="280" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM-GlzVN4kwZG3u6yO47P_TwIFgSh5YwgC1gU5HTCYzCHczSfPrYfiF5cUCyzD7aAtd4J78btQxdG_2ryRvAxtRs3620acWfFuUIQRrsb5Yub87ZttRzxT0EwoLJzCyT1Ow7nxPNRCDXs/w140-h200/Out+of+My+Mind.jpg" width="140" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Out of My Mind</i><br />by Sharon M. Draper</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: #cccccc;"> From the publisher:<br /></span><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="background-color: #cccccc;">Melody is not like most people. She cannot walk or talk, but she has a photographic memory; she can remember every detail of everything she has ever experienced. She is smarter than most of the adults who try to diagnose her and smarter than her classmates in her integrated classroom - the very same classmates who dismiss her as mentally challenged because she cannot tell them otherwise. But Melody refuses to be defined by cerebral palsy. And she's determined to let everyone know it - somehow.</span><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #1e1915;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I really liked this book and it gave me all the feels, however there were some things that really bothered me. I didn't appreciate the portrayal of most of the teachers. Maybe it is just that our school is special and inclusive, but we love our special needs kids here - staff and students, alike. I have an elementary age special needs granddaughter in another city who has had amazing SpEd teachers and GenEd teachers who have loved her and taught her. So I really hated that even the "nice" teachers were a little clueless. I also didn't like the ending and thought it was unnecessary. I would rather have had the kids at school be more accepting and gone on with that storyline. That being said, I really did like the book and loved Melody. I can't imagine what it would be like to have so much intelligence and be trapped in a body you can't control. And our middle school students LOVE this book and they won't notice the things that bothered me. I think they will probably just learn from it and expand their minds on how people with disabilities should be loved, respected, and treated with kindness. I will highly recommend this to my students, as they have recommended it to me.</span></span></p><p>Suggested Ages: <br />Booklist - Grades 5-8<br />Publisher's Weekly - Ages 10+</p>Mrs. Dukehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16801824739160579671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7831141611239012702.post-31547314471217173732021-09-27T14:36:00.002-06:002021-09-27T14:36:37.925-06:00Turtle Boy<p><span style="font-family: arial;"> <span style="background-color: #cccccc;">From the publisher:</span></span></p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNooklpMHFTHeTJV9R31V7PwX52POA0j4IbWFK2ruuP3wJ4lnPfLGLY04pQptI9Bosk7HKt2hQt2psMw7VHeZRTsuqiMRPsAVvlgOl7zYhmUUWI5O_YIUI_Pb7FvKGaoEOUUGg6Or3hcA/s400/Turtle+Boy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="265" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNooklpMHFTHeTJV9R31V7PwX52POA0j4IbWFK2ruuP3wJ4lnPfLGLY04pQptI9Bosk7HKt2hQt2psMw7VHeZRTsuqiMRPsAVvlgOl7zYhmUUWI5O_YIUI_Pb7FvKGaoEOUUGg6Or3hcA/w133-h200/Turtle+Boy.jpg" width="133" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Turtle Boy</i><br />by M. Evan <br />Wolkenstein</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="background-color: #cccccc; font-family: arial;">"<span style="color: #1e1915;">Seventh grade is not going well for Will Levine. Kids at school bully him because of his funny-looking chin. His science teacher finds out about the turtles he spent his summer collecting from the marsh behind school and orders him to release them back into the wild. And for his bar mitzvah community service project, he has to go to the hospital to visit RJ, an older boy struggling with an incurable disease. Unfortunately, Will hates hospitals.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: #cccccc;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; margin: 0px;" /></span><span style="color: #1e1915;"><span style="background-color: #cccccc;">At first, the boys don't get along, but then RJ shares his bucket list with Will. Among the things he wants to do: ride a roller coaster, go to a concert and a school dance, and swim in the ocean. To Will, happiness is hanging out in his room, alone, preferably with his turtles. But as RJ's disease worsens, Will realizes he needs to tackle the bucket list on his new friend's behalf before it's too late. It seems like an impossible mission, way outside Will's comfort zone. But as he completes each task with RJ's guidance, Will learns that life is too short to live in a shell."</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></span></span><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #1e1915;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; font-family: arial;"><br />I am a sucker for books that are billed as "If you liked Wonder, you will like this". And yet, they never live up to the billing. I had a really hard time with this book and had to force myself to finish it. I will say that I am very glad I did finish it, but, boy, that first 2/3rds was rough going. It is hard for me to like a book when I don't like the main character, and Will is not very likeable through a lot of the book. RJ, on the other hand, is a wonderful, loveable character. I probably would have quit reading if it wasn't for RJ. The last 1/3rd of of the book was very good and I even teared up at parts. I ended up liking the book, but I feel like it will be a hard sell for my middle schoolers. I hope I'm wrong and that they keep reading until the end like I did because it has a lot going for it and teaches some beautiful lessons. I loved the supportive adults in Will's life, and the friends who mostly stuck with him even when he wasn't being a good friend himself. I loved the immense progress Will made. So yes, read this book and stick it out because it will be worth it.</span><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #1e1915;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #1e1915;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; font-family: arial;">Areas of concern:</span></span></div><div><span style="color: #1e1915;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; font-family: arial;">*Triggers could include a dead father and a dying friend.</span></span></div><div><span style="color: #1e1915;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;">Suggested Ages:</span></span></div><div><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;">Publisher's Weekly - Ages 10+</span></span></div><div><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;">School Library Journal - Grades 5+</span></span></div>Mrs. Dukehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16801824739160579671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7831141611239012702.post-4912709954425218332021-09-08T13:53:00.000-06:002021-09-08T13:53:12.397-06:00Find Layla<p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ4S5A1ieukBbhgeJTEZ6q_-IcEfV4ykTqwnP_bgjvB3B2lGY_fQP8OaDicwGUqioI5oSR6jKfBeiBW8fuWFLhVr33OXrjB8dbuet0S7ty6G1TV7KAD-wKDOAnog_c2Il43C3BK9d0LK8/s475/find+layla.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="316" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ4S5A1ieukBbhgeJTEZ6q_-IcEfV4ykTqwnP_bgjvB3B2lGY_fQP8OaDicwGUqioI5oSR6jKfBeiBW8fuWFLhVr33OXrjB8dbuet0S7ty6G1TV7KAD-wKDOAnog_c2Il43C3BK9d0LK8/w133-h200/find+layla.jpg" width="133" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Find Layla</i><br />by Meg Elison</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="background-color: #cccccc; font-family: georgia;">From the publisher:<br />"<b style="color: #181818;">A neglected girl’s chaotic coming-of-age becomes a trending new hashtag in a novel about growing up and getting away by an award-winning author.</b></span></p><p style="color: #181818; line-height: 21px; margin: 18px 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="background-color: #cccccc; font-family: georgia;">Underprivileged and keenly self-aware, SoCal fourteen-year-old Layla Bailey isn’t used to being noticed. Except by mean girls who tweet about her ragged appearance. All she wants to do is indulge in her love of science, protect her vulnerable younger brother, and steer clear of her unstable mother.</span></p><p style="color: #181818; line-height: 21px; margin: 18px 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="background-color: #cccccc; font-family: georgia;">Then a school competition calls for a biome. Layla chooses her own home, a hostile ecosystem of indoor fungi and secret shame. With a borrowed video camera, she captures it all. The mushrooms growing in her brother’s dresser. The black mold blooming up the apartment walls. The unmentionable things living in the dead fridge. All the inevitable exotic toxins that are Layla’s life. Then the video goes viral.</span></p><p style="color: #181818; line-height: 21px; margin: 18px 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="background-color: #cccccc; font-family: georgia;">When Child Protective Services comes to call, Layla loses her family and her home. Defiant, she must face her bullies and friends alike, on her own. Unafraid at last of being seen, Layla accepts the mortifying reality of visibility. Now she has to figure out how to stay whole and stand behind the truth she has shown the world."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> In the musical Wicked, when Elphaba and her sister get to Shiz University, the headmistress comes out personally to greet them because they are daughters of the governor. When she sees Nessarose, who is in a wheelchair, she says, "What a tragically beautiful face!" and then Elphaba introduces herself by saying, "I'm the other daughter, Elphaba. I'm beautifully tragic.". This book reminds me of Elphaba, it is beautifully tragic. It is also vulgarly tragic and appallingly tragic. There are children in our country, and many more than we care to recognize, that are in Layla's situation. Living in horrible conditions, being brutally bullied on a daily basis, lacking adequate nourishment, shelter and security. It is tragic. I wish I had answers and ideas to overcome this tragedy but I do not. Hopefully, reading books like this will help us recognize and get help for children in Layla and Andy's situation. Do I recommend this book to all middle schoolers? Let me just say that I wouldn't have let my daughters read it at a very young age because it is so disturbing and has so much bad language in it. However, the bad language wasn't gratuitous in any way - as Layla would say, "That's life". Fortunately that isn't MY life, but it IS her life so that is the kind of language she hears and uses. I would recommend it to 8th grade and up as long as they are prepared for the content. It is heartbreaking and sad, but you will want so badly for Layla to find safety and happiness. It is gripping and you won't want to put it down. That being said, I didn't love the ending, because while some things seemed rushed, other questions remained unanswered. A big shout-out to caring, compassionate social workers who are overworked and underpaid.... pretty much like teachers. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Areas of concern:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">*A lot of bad language, including the *f* word over 15 times.<br /></span><span style="font-family: georgia;">*Intense bullying with very few consequences.<br /></span><span style="font-family: georgia;">*A hideously bad mother who takes neglect to an extreme.<br /></span><span style="font-family: georgia;">*Middle school kids being very vulgar.<br /></span><span style="font-family: georgia;">*Horrible living conditions for 2 children.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Suggested ages:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Kirkus Reviews - Ages 14-18<br /></span><span style="font-family: georgia;">School Library Journal - Grades 7-10 </span></p>Mrs. Dukehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16801824739160579671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7831141611239012702.post-1371023299029627142021-09-07T10:31:00.000-06:002021-09-07T10:31:08.953-06:00From the Desk of Zoe Washington<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgovyDdKYpvqOU9CsGcHtpMvVDjz243dhimEtwrNB6LV8OUbcipRqlr_zTuuiiRtOVyA_oFaB7KVIcZtkGIu1OyahUk4naLKVW9Cn8LdJH2QMY4rJ5eQcESO5v6I2Du-Zb0SXWhWQFQL5w/s475/From+the+Desk+of+Zoe+Washington.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgovyDdKYpvqOU9CsGcHtpMvVDjz243dhimEtwrNB6LV8OUbcipRqlr_zTuuiiRtOVyA_oFaB7KVIcZtkGIu1OyahUk4naLKVW9Cn8LdJH2QMY4rJ5eQcESO5v6I2Du-Zb0SXWhWQFQL5w/s200/From+the+Desk+of+Zoe+Washington.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">From the Desk of</i><br /><i style="font-weight: bold;">Zoe Washington</i><br />by Janae Marks</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="background-color: #cccccc;">From the publisher:<br /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">"Zoe Washington isn’t sure what to write. What does a girl say to the father she’s never met, hadn’t heard from until his letter arrived on her twelfth birthday, and who’s been in prison for a terrible crime?</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">A crime he says he never committed.</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Could Marcus really be innocent? Zoe is determined to uncover the truth. Even if it means hiding his letters and her investigation from the rest of her family. Everyone else thinks Zoe’s worrying about doing a good job at her bakery internship and proving to her parents that she’s worthy of auditioning for Food Network’s </span><em style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Kids Bake Challenge</em><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">.</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">But with bakery confections on one part of her mind, and Marcus’s conviction weighing heavily on the other, this is one recipe Zoe doesn’t know how to balance. The only thing she knows to be true: Everyone lies."</span></span><div><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
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<div>I really enjoyed this book because it was sweet and very readable, but also because it made me think and research. I love it when books do that! To me, this book is first and foremost a story of forgiveness. Zoe is very mad at her next-door neighbor/best friend Trevor. For quite some time in the book, we have no idea why she is mad at him. Even her parents and grandma don't know and wonder what happened. All they know is how upset and sad she is about it. Trevor, himself, has no idea what he has done and tries to still be friends with her but Zoe won't have anything to do with him. At one point her mother tells her,</div></div><div><i><br />"You're the one holding all this pain inside of you, which hurts you more than it hurts Trevor. If you can forgive him, it might help you let go of the pain. And you'll get your friend back. It's a win-win." </i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>When Zoe finally tells Trevor why she is so mad and he apologizes, she has this insight:</div><div><br /></div><div><i>"But it was like when you drew something in pencil and then tried to erase it - the pencil lines would mostly go away, but sometimes the indent would still be there, so you could sort of see what had been erased. That's how Trevor's apology felt - like he was trying to erase my pain by saying he was sorry, but he couldn't make it all disappear."</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>Then later she has this insight:</div><div><br /></div><div><i>"Maybe the pencil marks couldn't be erased, but at some point you could decide to turn to a new page."</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>I love that! And what makes it even more interesting is that juxtaposed on Zoe and Trevor's story is the story of how Zoe's mom can't forgive Zoe's biological father. He is in prison for murder, but continues to declare his innocence. I love the things this book teaches about forgiveness! I appreciated the supportive family that didn't always agree but always loved (although I had grave misgivings about a grandma going behind a mother's back, even though it was done in love). </div><div><br /></div><div>I also love how timely this book is and welcomed learning more about how POC (and particularly MEN of color) are wrongly imprisoned far more often than white men. I had heard about The Innocence Project, but enjoyed learning more and studying more after I finished reading. </div><div><br /></div><div>I think this is a wonderful middle grade novel that was both entertaining and educational. </div><div><br /></div><div>Suggested Ages:</div><div>Publisher's Weekly - Ages 8-12</div><div>School Library Journal - Grades 4+<br /><br /></div>Mrs. Dukehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16801824739160579671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7831141611239012702.post-25139432130831873552021-05-06T10:12:00.001-06:002021-05-06T10:12:13.636-06:00The Clockwork Scarab<span style="background-color: #cccccc;">From the publisher:
"Evaline Stoker and Mina Holmes never meant to get into the family business. But when you’re the sister of Bram and the niece of Sherlock, vampire hunting and mystery solving are in your blood. And when two society girls go missing, there’s no one more qualified to investigate.
Now fierce Evaline and logical Mina must resolve their rivalry, navigate the advances of not just one but three mysterious gentlemen, and solve murder with only one clue: a strange Egyptian scarab. The stakes are high. If Stoker and Holmes don’t unravel why the belles of London society are in such danger, they’ll become the next victims."</span><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp_QO8Ksl49MhEMli5JsW71EK-kVe4-41PD9Oi9VCLAox2ZEoaBz-HdKmtiAgcNiFAMNTdsion7Feli0YoDmRLhFOtzw3SXkhNU7z4yGrJ_7oi_Lv9p3_fQ0detOUm68QTRw4GvOk3A-w/s459/Clockwork+Scarab.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="The Clockwork Scarab" border="0" data-original-height="459" data-original-width="318" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp_QO8Ksl49MhEMli5JsW71EK-kVe4-41PD9Oi9VCLAox2ZEoaBz-HdKmtiAgcNiFAMNTdsion7Feli0YoDmRLhFOtzw3SXkhNU7z4yGrJ_7oi_Lv9p3_fQ0detOUm68QTRw4GvOk3A-w/w139-h200/Clockwork+Scarab.jpg" title="The Clockwork Scarab" width="139" /></a></div>Wow, Blogger has really changed their formatting and I don't like it! I couldn't get the picture in the correct spot or add a caption to it. But here is the review:
<br />The premise for this series is really fun and the ending was incredibly exciting, but the rest kind of dragged. I hope it was just because it had a lot of set-up and world building to do. Maybe the rest of the series won't begin so slowly. I do not like Steampunk and I was quite confused by the world-building and had trouble picturing this weird London in my head. I did like the characters and thought they were very well done and look forward to seeing them develop through the series. I think this series would be good for older or more mature middle schoolers just because of the world building and Victorian language. </div><div><br /></div><div> Areas of concern: </div><div>*A young woman is murdered by electrocution in front of our 2 main characters. </div><div>*The 2 main characters face some very intense situations including one being kidnapped </div><div><br /></div><div> Suggested Ages: </div><div>Publisher's Weekly - Ages 12+ </div><div>School Library Journal - Grades 8+</div>Mrs. Dukehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16801824739160579671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7831141611239012702.post-20065568293110605012021-04-28T10:03:00.002-06:002021-04-28T10:03:47.426-06:00Black Brother, Black Brother<p><span style="background-color: #cccccc;"> From the publisher:</span></p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH1Hiyh6FB3figCGe86OuQpFzZRUHTGcjB08imJZ7OCJ7XzYBFTf25srxFKQqAt0f6QLc3LLzFT4JTPa2oeXOlSPYGoE92ecEf1GmpYxdDzbOH623zS_Oab3wTdJEXJJc9HpLJH1QcM4w/s400/Black+Brother%252C+Black+Brother.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: #cccccc; clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="275" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH1Hiyh6FB3figCGe86OuQpFzZRUHTGcjB08imJZ7OCJ7XzYBFTf25srxFKQqAt0f6QLc3LLzFT4JTPa2oeXOlSPYGoE92ecEf1GmpYxdDzbOH623zS_Oab3wTdJEXJJc9HpLJH1QcM4w/w138-h200/Black+Brother%252C+Black+Brother.jpg" width="138" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #cccccc;"><b style="font-style: italic;">Black Brother, </b><br /><b style="font-style: italic;">Black Brother</b><br />by Jewell Parker <br />Rhodes</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="background-color: #cccccc;">"<b style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">From award-winning and bestselling author, Jewell Parker Rhodes comes a powerful coming-of-age story about two brothers, one who presents as white, the other as black, and the complex ways in which they are forced to navigate the world, all while training for a fencing competition.</b></span></p><span style="background-color: #cccccc;"><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">Donte wishes he were invisible. As one of the few black boys at Middlefield Prep, he feels as if he is constantly swimming in whiteness. Most of the students don't look like him. They don't like him either. Dubbed the "Black Brother," Donte's teachers and classmates make it clear they wish he were more like his lighter skinned brother, Trey. Quiet, obedient.</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">When an incident with "King" Alan leads to Donte's arrest and suspension, he knows the only way to get even is to beat the king of the school at his own game: fencing. With the help of a former Olympic fencer, Donte embarks on a journey to carve out a spot on Middlefield Prep's fencing team and maybe learn something about himself along the way." </span></span><div></div><div><span style="background-color: #cccccc;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #d9d2e9; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">I liked this
book well enough to read it in one sitting, but it was very formulaic and I was
seeing scenes from <i>The Karate Kid </i>in my head the whole time I
was reading it. However, I think it is perfect for its middle school audience.
I loved the main character and his entire family and was sickened by the racism
and colorism he experienced at his private school. This book is perfect for our
time and I will gladly recommend it to one and all.</span></div><div><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #d9d2e9; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #d9d2e9; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Areas of Concern:</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">*Severe bullying that gets ignored by teachers
and administrators</span><br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">*Racism and colorism</span></span></span></div><div><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #d9d2e9; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #d9d2e9; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Suggested Ages:</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Publisher's Weekly - Ages 8-12</span><br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">School Library Journal - Grades 4-6</span></span></span></span></span></div>Mrs. Dukehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16801824739160579671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7831141611239012702.post-35323726661183445222020-11-19T11:56:00.002-07:002021-08-24T08:15:35.154-06:00As Old As Time<p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhok40vIAe74blAfbVP8gJrHul4C5qfAtxFVmWzduT2MrA7sG-FlNUkefvh4upy9hAcbrIuoEa4JQ9Uvkyx3rq7kPcZQgrXhchFP5iQ4Xm_vyNE8KPerBC3NZBZevcLSRWu6a6ekw4t0kM/s475/As+Old+As+Time.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhok40vIAe74blAfbVP8gJrHul4C5qfAtxFVmWzduT2MrA7sG-FlNUkefvh4upy9hAcbrIuoEa4JQ9Uvkyx3rq7kPcZQgrXhchFP5iQ4Xm_vyNE8KPerBC3NZBZevcLSRWu6a6ekw4t0kM/w133-h200/As+Old+As+Time.jpg" width="133" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>As Old As Time<br /></i></b>by Liz Braswell<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="background-color: #cccccc;"> From the publisher:</span></p><p><span style="background-color: #cccccc;">"<b style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">What if Belle's mother cursed the Beast?</b></span></p><span style="background-color: #cccccc;"><span id="freeText7533705073063123305" style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><br />Belle is a lot of things: smart, resourceful, restless. She longs to escape her poor provincial town for good. She wants to explore the world, despite her father's reluctance to leave their little cottage in case Belle's mother returns--a mother she barely remembers. Belle also happens to be the captive of a terrifying, angry beast. And that is her primary concern.<br /><br />But Belle touches the Beast's enchanted rose, intriguing images flood her mind--images of the mother she believed she would never see again. Stranger still, she sees that her mother is none other than the beautiful Enchantress who cursed the Beast, his castle, and all its inhabitants. Shocked and confused, Belle and the Beast must work together to unravel a dark mystery about their families that is twenty-one years in the making.</span><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"> "</span></span><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book, but maybe I shouldn't have been surprised because Belle is definitely my favorite of all the Disney Princesses. This story added to and twisted the events we know so well. I loved that it also became the story of Belle's mother and father and a whole new plotline that wove seamlessly into the story, yet there were moments that came straight from the movie that I could quote while reading. It was like an old friend with many new, fascinating characteristics. Is it a classic that I'm going to read over and over again, or even think about all that often? Nope, but it was fun while it lasted.</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">Areas of concern:</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">*I was surprised by a handful of the *d* word and one use of *piss*.</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">*A couple of main characters, along with many other unknown characters are kidnapped and tortured to try to "take the magic out of them" - not graphic, but intense.</span></span></div>Mrs. Dukehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16801824739160579671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7831141611239012702.post-3233020246920727192020-10-28T13:15:00.000-06:002020-10-28T13:15:13.277-06:00Stepsister<p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmG289_k20OHAu7hJ1wiRqG2FkTpCmf3XUV_B5dKH1_485hl53V4lxGz8H5Klo2DkjHuHWf2xQzt8KdT8O_7OeYqdafXnzGtY6TrELmKsaAM8UNLLOTvjCuKUgljNPVUeqG7MXUKOkC2k/s475/Stepsister.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmG289_k20OHAu7hJ1wiRqG2FkTpCmf3XUV_B5dKH1_485hl53V4lxGz8H5Klo2DkjHuHWf2xQzt8KdT8O_7OeYqdafXnzGtY6TrELmKsaAM8UNLLOTvjCuKUgljNPVUeqG7MXUKOkC2k/w134-h200/Stepsister.jpg" width="134" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Stepsister<br /></i></b>by Jennifer Donnelly</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="background-color: #cccccc;"> From the publisher:</span></p><p><span style="background-color: #cccccc;">"<b style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">Don't just fracture the fairy tale. Shatter it.</b></span></p><span style="background-color: #cccccc;"><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">Isabelle should be blissfully happy-she's about to win the handsome prince. Except Isabelle isn't the beautiful girl who lost the glass slipper and captured the prince's heart. She's the ugly stepsister who cut off her toes to fit into Cinderella's shoe...which is now filling with blood.</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">Isabelle tried to fit in. She cut away pieces of herself in order to become pretty. Sweet. More like Cinderella. But that only made her mean, jealous, and hollow. Now she has a chance to alter her destiny and prove what ugly stepsisters have always known: it takes more than heartache to break a girl.</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">Evoking the darker, original version of the Cinderella story, </span><i style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">Stepsister</i><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"> shows us that ugly is in the eye of the beholder, and uses Jennifer Donnelly's trademark wit and wisdom to send an overlooked character on a journey toward empowerment, redemption...and a new definition of beauty."</span></span><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">This book was brilliantly conceived and beautifully written. It was eerie, dark, and deliciously twisted. As a general rule I don't like dark and twisty books, but this one was so incredibly well done that I couldn't help being fascinated by it. It begins with some pretty gruesome scenes of the stepsisters cutting off parts of their feet to try to get the glass slipper to fit - I hate gruesome, but it was so engrossing that I couldn't/didn't want to stop reading. Our poor heroine is fighting against some pretty big odds, but she never gives up and I loved..... I was going to say her redemption, but I think reclamation might be a better word. She found herself again. She became the person she was always meant to be, even though she lost her way for a long time.</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><i style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">“They cut away pieces of me," she whispered in the darkness. "But I handed them the knife.”</i><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">There was a lot of girl power in the book - in an amazingly great way. Repression turned into freedom and the chance to be who you wanted.</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><i style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">“This world, the people in it- my mother, Tantine- they sort us. Put us in crates. You are an egg. You are a potato. You are a cabbage. They tell us who we are. What we will do. What we will be."<br />"Because they're afraid. Afraid of what we could be." Tavi said.<br />"But we let them do it!" Hugo said angrily. "Why?"<br />"Tavi gave him a rueful smile. "Because we're afraid of what we could be, too.”</i><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"></span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">There is magic in this book, but it isn't a feel-good magic. This is not your Disney Cinderella story, it is based on the Brothers Grimm version, which is way darker. And I love the point that the author makes, which is that the magic lives in each of us.</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><i style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">“There is magic in this sad, hard world. A magic stronger than fate, stronger than chance. And it is seen in the unlikeliest of places....(spoilers I took out)....It lives inside every human being ready to redeem us. To transform us. To save us. If we can only find the courage to listen to it.<br />It is the magic of the human heart.”</i><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"></span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">It wasn't all dark, there were quite amusing parts as well as exciting and poignant parts. There are so many amazing quotes I could have used, but I'll finish this off with something the author had in the acknowledgements section at the end of the book:</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><i style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">“Fairy tales give it to us straight. They tell us something profound and essential - that the woods are real, and dark, and full of wolves. That we will, at times, find ourselves hopelessly lost in them. But these tales also tell us that we are all that we need, that we have all we need - guts, smarts, and maybe a pocketful of breadcrumbs - to find our way home.”</i><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">So, do I recommend this book? I hope I haven't talked anyone out of it with all of the talk of darkness because I would say I highly recommend it for 8th grade and up, but I am leery of having my younger students read it.</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">Areas of concern:</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">*The *b* word was used several times. I would say there were probably more than 10 but less than 20 cuss words in the whole book - no *f* word.</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">*The aforementioned self-inflicted maiming of two characters (which I didn't realize was in the Grimm's version).</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">*War violence which gets a little graphic in a couple of places.</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">*Sexual situations were rare - one story of a man putting his hand up a girl's skirt when they were seated at dinner.</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">*Extreme bullying of the main character.</span></span><br /></div><div><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">Suggested Ages:</span></div><div><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">Publisher's Weekly - Ages 12+</span></div><div><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">School Library Journal - Grades 9+</span></div>Mrs. Dukehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16801824739160579671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7831141611239012702.post-39788555770926335312020-10-20T15:29:00.002-06:002020-10-20T15:29:28.167-06:00Magyk<p><span style="background-color: #cccccc;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSMclcGhu1iihXNK_R0fgKHajIoI26i1PFs2n4KIRQBILfpJ1XnITnjiI6nKqc3JmQBGxEGcRNw11g-HTbKncScLAu_AL0wpbm0NeCurTvSvVGw-cOzAkqF2OkossDdNSvaclsPw0-fJM/s411/Magyk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="411" data-original-width="318" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSMclcGhu1iihXNK_R0fgKHajIoI26i1PFs2n4KIRQBILfpJ1XnITnjiI6nKqc3JmQBGxEGcRNw11g-HTbKncScLAu_AL0wpbm0NeCurTvSvVGw-cOzAkqF2OkossDdNSvaclsPw0-fJM/w155-h200/Magyk.jpg" width="155" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-style: italic;">Magyk</b><br />by Angie Sage<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> From the publisher:</span></p><p><span style="background-color: #cccccc;">"<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">The first part of an enthralling new series leads readers on a fantastic journey filled with quirky characters, clever charms, potions and spells. Ages 9+.</span></span></p><span style="background-color: #cccccc;"><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">The 7th son of the 7th son, aptly named Septimus Heap, is stolen the night he is born by a midwife who pronounces him dead. That same night, the baby's father, Silas Heap, comes across a bundle in the snow containing a newborn girl with violet eyes. The Heaps take this helpless newborn into their home, name her Jenna, and raise her as their own. But who is this mysterious baby girl, and what really happened to their beloved son, Septimus?</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">The first part of this enthralling new series leads readers on a fantastic journey filled with quirky characters, clever charms, potions and spells, and a yearning to uncover the mystery at the heart of this story...who is Septimus Heap?</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">Angie Sage writes in the tradition of great British storytellers. Her inventive fantasy is filled with humor and heart: Magyk will have readers laughing and begging for more."</span></span><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">I have had these books in my library since they came out and several students have mentioned really liking them, so I thought it was time to read the first one. I'm very glad I did - it was really entertaining and gripping! I liked the plot, the characters, and the world building. It's not hard to guess the big secret, but it is fun to see how it comes about. I think this is a great start to a series for middle grade students. The one drawback is that the books are very fat, and sometimes that is off-putting for middle schoolers. It read quickly, though, with plenty of action and excitement.</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">Areas of concern (and I'm reaching for these):</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">*An evil bad guy. On a scale of 1 to Voldemort, I would put him on par with Count Olaf. There was a lot of humor involved in his evil-ness.</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">*Disgusting fantasy creatures that love to attack and kill humans.</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">*The Young Army that trains small boys to become killers and trackers.<br /><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">Suggested Ages:</span></div><div><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">Publisher's Weekly - Ages 9+</span></div><div><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">School Library Journal - Grades 4-8</span></div>Mrs. Dukehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16801824739160579671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7831141611239012702.post-23315188470756918602020-10-02T14:29:00.005-06:002020-10-02T14:29:58.852-06:00Con Academy<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaiWpDFQM3QSG4tY-C_t1CH98d_ux6YC9-qfaWliVGTohGyMAYQc6fFfWgYdbvsL3WQjpLJWE2t5lLsZVLLd5ACzp7lLpLgmzapxH5FvzbojlVRxtWI4LuhbvngntizVCrcO9YXWoEKMk/s475/Con+Academy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaiWpDFQM3QSG4tY-C_t1CH98d_ux6YC9-qfaWliVGTohGyMAYQc6fFfWgYdbvsL3WQjpLJWE2t5lLsZVLLd5ACzp7lLpLgmzapxH5FvzbojlVRxtWI4LuhbvngntizVCrcO9YXWoEKMk/w134-h200/Con+Academy.jpg" width="134" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Con Academy<br /></b></i><b><i>by Joe Schreiber</i></b></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="background-color: #cccccc;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">From
the publisher:</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="background-color: #cccccc;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">"</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Meet Will Shea, a con artist who has bluffed his way into
one of the nation’s most exclusive private schools. But Will isn’t the only
scammer at Connaughton Academy—Andrea Dufresne is there too, and the
ivy-covered campus isn’t big enough for the both of them.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #cccccc; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">So they make a bet—and the winner gets more than just a
high school diploma. In this twisty tale of secrets, lies, and deception—it’s
hard to figure out who’s double-crossing who. May the best con win!"</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background: #D9D2E9; color: #181818; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This was a fun, quick read. It was a kind of Gallagher
Girls (except the main character is a boy) meets The Sting. What's not to like
about that? Boarding school books are always fun, and getting even with
spoiled, rich kids is even better. I think student's will really like this for
the quick, easy style, the action, and the fun characters. It wasn't the best
book I've ever read, but it was entertaining. I've had it in the library for
quite some time, but it rarely gets checked out - even when on prominent
display. That is usually a cover problem, so I wish the cover reached out and
grabbed you more. It is based in a high school, but is also appropriate for
middle school readers.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background: #D9D2E9; color: #181818; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
Areas of concern:<br />
*Lying, swindling, cheating.... things you would expect in a book about cons.<br />
*One tense action scene that could be a little scary.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background: rgb(217, 210, 233); font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;">Suggested Ages:</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Booklist - Grades 8-11<br /></span><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">School Library Journal - Grades 6-10</span></p><p><br /></p>CMrs. Dukehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16801824739160579671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7831141611239012702.post-8261512145234461332020-05-13T11:41:00.000-06:002020-05-13T11:41:47.195-06:00Everything, Everything<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijsTVBM1DKW4zZvPbUDEVnMnV8aeqnZ9Bs1VFvDrWJv5ynXjUcLfI51pi7s2HRhkbHXLVJ4TSVx0ZGrozE-vmTMQbzUmaGT8yO84inqodA8Wpbj5Ivfoiuc5d9CL0xzE12kGWy9Ce3Gfk/s1600/Everything+Everything.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijsTVBM1DKW4zZvPbUDEVnMnV8aeqnZ9Bs1VFvDrWJv5ynXjUcLfI51pi7s2HRhkbHXLVJ4TSVx0ZGrozE-vmTMQbzUmaGT8yO84inqodA8Wpbj5Ivfoiuc5d9CL0xzE12kGWy9Ce3Gfk/s200/Everything+Everything.jpg" width="131" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Everything, Everything</i><br />by Nicola Yoon</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="background-color: #cccccc;">From the publisher:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #cccccc;">"<b style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">Risk everything . . . for love.</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #cccccc;"><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">What if you couldn’t touch anything in the outside world? Never breathe in the fresh air, feel the sun warm your face . . . or kiss the boy next door? In </span><i style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">Everything, Everything</i><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">, Maddy is a girl who’s literally allergic to the outside world, and Olly is the boy who moves in next door . . . and becomes the greatest risk she’s ever taken.</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">My disease is as rare as it is famous. Basically, I’m allergic to the world. I don’t leave my house, have not left my house in seventeen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla.</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">But then one day, a moving truck arrives next door. I look out my window, and I see him. He's tall, lean and wearing all black—black T-shirt, black jeans, black sneakers, and a black knit cap that covers his hair completely. He catches me looking and stares at me. I stare right back. His name is Olly.</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">Maybe we can’t predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It’s almost certainly going to be a disaster.</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><b style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><i>Everything, Everything</i> </b><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">will make you laugh, cry, and feel everything in between. It's an innovative, inspiring, and heartbreakingly romantic debut novel that unfolds via vignettes, diary entries, illustrations, and more."</span></span><div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;"><span id="freeTextreview3308095389" style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">Parents, listen up! I am so torn on this book because I loved the story so much and for 99% of it, it is perfectly appropriate for middle schoolers. Alas, in my opinion, that 1% makes it inappropriate. I put off getting this one for several years, but after seeing that 7 of the middle schools in our district had it and after book talking it with an 8th grader who told me that there wasn't anything in it to cause concern, I purchased it. Now I can't decide whether to send it on to a high school, or just put a "Content Warning" label on it. The story is so good! Who wouldn't love Maddy and Olly? I so wanted them to have a happy ending, but had no idea how that could happen. The twist at the end wasn't a surprise to me after book talking with my 8th grader, but I could see it being a big shock to most readers. I did feel disappointed in the ending - it was just suddenly over. However, I loved it, with the caveat that it isn't appropriate for younger readers.<br /><br />Areas of concern:<br />* I counted 12 instances of profanity and swearing.<br />* Abusive parent<br />* Mental illness<br />* About 4 pages of pretty descriptive nudity and foreplay with fade-to-black intercourse between 18 year-olds.</span><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"> </span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">Suggested Ages:</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">Booklist - Grades 8-11</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">Publisher's Weekly - Ages 12+<br />*** Mrs. Duke disagrees! If it were my child, I would say 16+.***</span></div>
Mrs. Dukehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16801824739160579671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7831141611239012702.post-26043166580209274352020-05-13T11:17:00.000-06:002020-05-13T11:17:36.001-06:00Prisoner of Ice and Snow<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0pqwJPYIyPdSmzhRoWgKuHjXsaztBZFjpcB3DPK2UCj073FiTeH05mHq165SNUDy7YYv0PIDnveUNnY3ieWz59zTwoYp4a_fDAPHRqtpb1IWK0H9NFR4NFihln5iugOhq4jEbSu1tFxM/s1600/Prisoner+of+Ice+and+Snow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0pqwJPYIyPdSmzhRoWgKuHjXsaztBZFjpcB3DPK2UCj073FiTeH05mHq165SNUDy7YYv0PIDnveUNnY3ieWz59zTwoYp4a_fDAPHRqtpb1IWK0H9NFR4NFihln5iugOhq4jEbSu1tFxM/s200/Prisoner+of+Ice+and+Snow.jpg" width="131" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Prisoner of Ice and Snow</i><br />by Ruth Lauren</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="background-color: #cccccc;">From the publisher:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #cccccc;">"<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">When Valor is arrested, she couldn’t be happier. Demidova’s prison for criminal children is exactly where she wants to be. Valor’s sister Sasha is already serving a life sentence for stealing from the royal family and Valor is going to help her escape . . . from the inside.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #cccccc;"><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">Never mind that no one has escaped in three hundred years. Valor has a plan and resources most could only dream about. But she didn't count on having to outsmart both the guards and her fellow prisoners. If Valor’s plan is to succeed, she’ll need to make unlikely allies. And if the plan fails, she and Sasha could end up with fates worse than prison."</span></span><div>
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<div>
<span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">I really enjoyed this book, but had some concerns. The story is gripping from the first page. The main character, although somewhat likable, seems to make one stupid decision after another and drags people down with her when she fails. But the action is intense, the story interesting, and there was good world building. Everything moves along very quickly. I liked that it had closure with the possibility of more - kind of like Harry Potter in that way. I think middle school students will really like this first book in a new fantasy series, and that is who the book is written for.</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">Areas of concern:</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">* A lot of violence and abuse towards children in a prison. I found parts quite disturbing.</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">* A lack of good adults.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">Suggested Ages:</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">Kirkus Reviews - Ages 8+</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">School Library Journal - Grades 4-7</span></div>
Mrs. Dukehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16801824739160579671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7831141611239012702.post-48290566031776318972020-04-13T12:37:00.000-06:002020-04-13T12:37:19.612-06:00Dear Sweet Pea<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3O8VQ98-hTZgyXNp0HbXOymzeM1NamSVkIWSQHILhkXLNvddJSK1M07YWSi46vNtTnJWqWBXfK1Hlt0_h8Zroh5Tyxeh0-qSuF9YqDg-z5TZHR8U78VzqPKhd4MHbMeaKJ93sI0hPsZs/s1600/Dear+Sweet+Pea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3O8VQ98-hTZgyXNp0HbXOymzeM1NamSVkIWSQHILhkXLNvddJSK1M07YWSi46vNtTnJWqWBXfK1Hlt0_h8Zroh5Tyxeh0-qSuF9YqDg-z5TZHR8U78VzqPKhd4MHbMeaKJ93sI0hPsZs/s200/Dear+Sweet+Pea.jpg" width="132" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Dear Sweet Pea</i><br />by Julie Murphy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="background-color: #cccccc;">From the publisher:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #cccccc;">"<strong style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">The first middle grade novel from Julie Murphy, #1 <em>New York Times</em> bestselling author of <em>Dumplin’ </em>(now a popular Netflix film), is a funny, heartwarming story perfect for fans of Rebecca Stead, Ali Benjamin, and Holly Goldberg Sloan.</strong></span><br />
<div style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: #cccccc;">Patricia “Sweet Pea” DiMarco wasn’t sure what to expect when her parents announced they were getting a divorce. She never could have imagined that they would have the “brilliant” idea of living in nearly identical houses on the same street. In the one house between them lives their eccentric neighbor Miss Flora Mae, the famed local advice columnist behind “Miss Flora Mae I?”</span></div>
<div style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: #cccccc;">Dividing her time between two homes is not easy. And it doesn’t help that at school, Sweet Pea is now sitting right next to her ex–best friend, Kiera, a daily reminder of the friendship that once was. Things might be unbearable if Sweet Pea didn’t have Oscar—her new best friend—and her fifteen-pound cat, Cheese.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #cccccc;">Then one day Flora leaves for a trip and asks Sweet Pea to forward her the letters for the column. And Sweet Pea happens to recognize the handwriting on one of the envelopes.</span></div>
<div style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: #cccccc;">What she decides to do with that letter sets off a chain of events that will forever change the lives of Sweet Pea DiMarco, her family, and many of the readers of “Miss Flora Mae I?”</span></div>
<div style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;">This is a very sweet and heart-warming book and I enjoyed it. The characters are so well drawn and vary from eclectic to mainstream and from popular to bullied, but are always relatable. I loved the voice of Sweet Pea, who had some really big things to deal with and sometimes made stupid decisions, but who had many nuggets of wisdom to share with the reader.<br /><br />"My mom always says that sometimes the best thing you can do to show a bully that they're in the wrong is to live your very best life."<br /><br />"Sometimes it's easy to forget that quiet moments mean just as much as the loud ones, because it's not always about moving. Sometimes it's about sitting perfectly and quietly still."<br /><br />I really appreciated the fact that although Sweet Pea's parents got divorced, they tried very hard to do what they thought was right for Sweet Pea. Not everything they did turned out right, but they worked hard and amicably to make the change as easy as possible for their daughter.<br /><br />I also appreciated matter-of-fact way the author dealt with several issues. Sweet Pea's weight, her father being gay, the diversity of the characters... those things were just a part of the whole story and not the main focus or thrown in your face as politically correct.<br /><br />Oh, the friend drama of middle school! There are many of my students who will relate to this story and who might actually learn something from it.<br /><br />Areas of concern:<br />*Bullying (for a variety of reasons)<br />*Divorce<br />*Dishonesty with friends<br />*A couple of minor swear words</span></div>
<div style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;">Suggested Ages:<br />Booklist - Grades 4-8<br />Publisher's Weekly - Ages 8-12</span></div>
Mrs. Dukehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16801824739160579671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7831141611239012702.post-1062812470240210542020-04-06T12:08:00.000-06:002020-04-06T12:08:50.396-06:00The Usual Suspects<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbC-t_MzxHF0p_sP5o4OY2tSV9ZpUg0d0G7iWAycYPBodhBlIbXuAX9JBoI9qB9vXR9bl7rjMT4TbBG8ONXoAjdSAKwBcFXStRsJ0YjQy44HRy4zmwi9_n5ueDQK-qaDV7Bnh7NXZTtFc/s1600/Usual+Suspects%252C+The.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbC-t_MzxHF0p_sP5o4OY2tSV9ZpUg0d0G7iWAycYPBodhBlIbXuAX9JBoI9qB9vXR9bl7rjMT4TbBG8ONXoAjdSAKwBcFXStRsJ0YjQy44HRy4zmwi9_n5ueDQK-qaDV7Bnh7NXZTtFc/s200/Usual+Suspects%252C+The.jpg" width="131" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">The Usual Suspects</i><br />by Maurice Broaddus</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: #cccccc;">From the publisher:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #cccccc;">"<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">Thelonius Mitchell is tired of being labeled. He’s in special ed, separated from the “normal” kids at school who don’t have any “issues.” That’s enough to make all the teachers and students look at him and his friends with a constant side-eye. (Although his disruptive antics and pranks have given him a rep too.)</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #cccccc;"><span id="freeText17591106677703529763" style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><br />When a gun is found at a neighborhood hangout, Thelonius and his pals become instant suspects. Thelonius may be guilty of pulling crazy stunts at school, but a criminal? T isn’t about to let that label stick.</span><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"> "</span></span><div>
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<span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">I didn't enjoy this book and had to force myself to finish it, even though the writing is fantastic. But this book wasn't written for me, and it deals with issues I have never had to deal with or experience. The middle schoolers this book was written for will feel very differently than I did because they are dealing with these issues every day of their young lives. It is not for every middle schooler, but the ones who come from poverty or difficult homes and who struggle with behavioral problems or bullying will definitely bond with the characters in this book. One of the main issues I had with the book is that so many problems went unresolved and I'm not really sure what message kids will take from that. I don't want to give away any spoilers so I can't really explain, but several things bothered me. I did appreciate a handful of caring and hard-working adults who were trying to help the main characters, they counteracted the handful of other pretty horrible adults. While I don't recommend this book to everyone, there is a population who can really benefit from it.</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">Areas of concern:</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">* I only remember one cuss word (*b*word), but there could have been a couple more mild cuss words.</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">* Bullying, bullying, bullying. Some pretty heavy stuff that mostly goes unpunished.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">Suggested Ages:</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">Publisher's Weekly - Ages 8-12</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">School Library Journal - Grades 6-8</span></div>
Mrs. Dukehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16801824739160579671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7831141611239012702.post-5076288576757618922020-02-06T11:44:00.000-07:002020-02-06T11:44:34.389-07:00New Kid<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifK-r2XnoDCcwiYES_SRGMIFge_e7b4MOxJG_kAMGxIYIForHE3WFTurjh60dZ7pMIvbf3Kc_PthzzD9Whofc9SgCoIoXO-gXzTQvZJpA0qFqbvK3L5SX6MRhfi4v2eTLWjNkXHklqrMI/s1600/New+Kid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="267" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifK-r2XnoDCcwiYES_SRGMIFge_e7b4MOxJG_kAMGxIYIForHE3WFTurjh60dZ7pMIvbf3Kc_PthzzD9Whofc9SgCoIoXO-gXzTQvZJpA0qFqbvK3L5SX6MRhfi4v2eTLWjNkXHklqrMI/s200/New+Kid.jpg" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">New Kid</i><br />by Jerry Craft</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: #cccccc;">From the publisher:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #cccccc;">"<strong style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">A graphic novel about starting over at a new school where diversity is low and the struggle to fit in is real.</strong></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #cccccc;"><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">Seventh grader Jordan Banks loves nothing more than drawing cartoons about his life. But instead of sending him to the art school of his dreams, his parents enroll him in a prestigious private school known for its academics, where Jordan is one of the few kids of color in his entire grade.</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">As he makes the daily trip from his Washington Heights apartment to the upscale Riverdale Academy Day School, Jordan soon finds himself torn between two worlds—and not really fitting into either one. Can Jordan learn to navigate his new school culture while keeping his neighborhood friends and staying true to himself?"</span></span><div>
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<span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">Let me just preface this by saying how much I dislike graphic novels. I think it has to do with some sort of sensory overload or something, but I really don't like them! However, my students LOVE them and can't get enough of them. I received this one recently and knew that it had received the Newbery Medal, so I glanced through it. Then I read the first chapter. Then I read the entire book. And I really loved it! I loved the main character, his parents and grandfather. The setting of a wealthy private school and the financial aid kids was new to me (except for my vast knowledge of Gilmore Girls). Jordan's thoughts through his drawings were insightful and eye opening. This graphic novel has a lot of depth and I appreciated the lessons it taught. I hope I am a better person because of it. Thank you, Jerry Craft, for writing and illustrating such an amazing book.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">Suggested Ages:</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">Publisher's Weekly - Ages 8-12</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">School Library Journal - Grades 4-7<br />(Mrs. Duke thinks it is an important book for everyone to read.)</span></div>
Mrs. Dukehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16801824739160579671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7831141611239012702.post-31512063996498134922020-02-03T14:04:00.000-07:002020-02-03T14:04:07.296-07:00The Ice Garden<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPKHYyID1a_BuHWK0QexwrjNXgwOVxhinoOx2U4uCeZJRyspVVnE6K9CGA5nC1_clrOMkNMVGOe7rUjDJIGe-eOFj-HD_F1QjQDDIiMuT7ptkwNKEW2s_7FR2jHFjv1zzCsqEVeNNtDTI/s1600/Ice+Garden%252C+The.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPKHYyID1a_BuHWK0QexwrjNXgwOVxhinoOx2U4uCeZJRyspVVnE6K9CGA5nC1_clrOMkNMVGOe7rUjDJIGe-eOFj-HD_F1QjQDDIiMuT7ptkwNKEW2s_7FR2jHFjv1zzCsqEVeNNtDTI/s200/Ice+Garden%252C+The.jpg" width="132" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">The Ice Garden</i><br />by Guy Jones</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: #cccccc;">From the publisher:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #cccccc;">"<span id="freeText13315597183525158477" style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">Jess is allergic to the sun. She lives in a world of shadows and hospitals, peeking at the other children in the playground from behind curtains. Her only friend is a boy in a coma, to whom she tells stories. One night she sneaks out to explore the empty playground she's longed to visit, where she discovers a beautiful impossibility: a magical garden wrought of ice. But Jess isn't alone in this fragile, in-between place...</span><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"> "</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;"><span id="freeTextreview3174340695" style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">I mildly enjoyed this book - enough to read it all in one sitting. It was a little odd, but it was interesting to read about a girl who is allergic to the sun. I wish it all would have been about Jess and her challenges. It kind of lost me when the whole Ice Garden part started. Was it dream-like, was it mystical? I couldn't really tell and it was just all very peculiar. Not to mention the danger of having a 12 year old girl sneak out of her house every night. I really felt for her poor mother. I'm wondering how to sell this one to my students. That is why I wish it had just stayed realistic fiction about a girl with a challenge. Those always fly off the shelves!</span><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">Suggested Ages:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">Kirkus Reviews - Ages 8-12</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">School Library Journal - Grades 3-6</span>Mrs. Dukehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16801824739160579671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7831141611239012702.post-41184423914014248802020-02-03T13:59:00.000-07:002020-02-21T11:36:37.030-07:00Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAQCzQ21yAaYcAiH04K42prR3VCtJDlawprjw23XQy3EhjpjyzxXv4QorcxtpkH5ogaAFnALpt_QiOK22LLPdHDSwUsFI8WbM9Fsoxp_HLGLhbt_V9U_j5sE8VqmiJL2mZva9MMy02Qyk/s1600/Insignificant+Events+in+the+Life+of+a+Cactus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="470" data-original-width="318" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAQCzQ21yAaYcAiH04K42prR3VCtJDlawprjw23XQy3EhjpjyzxXv4QorcxtpkH5ogaAFnALpt_QiOK22LLPdHDSwUsFI8WbM9Fsoxp_HLGLhbt_V9U_j5sE8VqmiJL2mZva9MMy02Qyk/s200/Insignificant+Events+in+the+Life+of+a+Cactus.jpg" width="135" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Insignificant Events in </i><br />
<i style="font-weight: bold;">the Life of a Cactus</i><br />
by Dusti Bowling</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: #cccccc;">From the publisher:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #cccccc;">"<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif;">Aven Green loves to tell people that she lost her arms in an alligator wrestling match, or a wildfire in Tanzania, but the truth is she was born without them. And when her parents take a job running Stagecoach Pass, a rundown western theme park in Arizona, Aven moves with them across the country knowing that she’ll have to answer the question over and over again.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #cccccc;"><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif;">Her new life takes an unexpected turn when she bonds with Connor, a classmate who also feels isolated because of his own disability, and they discover a room at Stagecoach Pass that holds bigger secrets than Aven ever could have imagined. It’s hard to solve a mystery, help a friend, and face your worst fears. But Aven’s about to discover she can do it all . . . even without arms."</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;"><span id="freeTextreview3169275564" style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif;">While doing a realistic fiction book talk with 6th graders, one of them recommended this book to me. I'm so glad she did because I really enjoyed it. What an amazing main character, who makes up for her lack of arms with her determination, grit, humor and compassion. Aven's parents raised her to do things on her own and she never made excuses - just carried on. I can't imagine how difficult it would be to have to start a new school (in middle school) with a challenge such as hers. One example I found particularly touching was her hesitancy in eating in front of her new peers, so she would try to find different places to eat lunch where no one could see her eating with her feet. And yet she manages to find friends and change lives. The title seemed strange to me until I read about the big, 200 year old cactus that Aven loves to sit next to and where she realizes that her problems and issues are a very insignificant event to that ancient saguaro, who has seen many things in it's lifetime. I loved that profound thought and hope students understand it and internalize it. There is a sequel to this, however we definitely get a very good ending with plenty of closure.<br />This would make a great read-aloud, class read, family read, or for students (and adults) who love <i>Wonder </i>or <i>Out of My Mind </i>. Not only does it deal with Aven's challenge of no arms, but it also portrays a middle school student with Tourette Syndrome, a very overweight middle school student and issues surrounding adoption. I definitely recommend it to one and all.</span><span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif;">Suggested Ages:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif;">Publisher's Weekly - Ages 8-12</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif;">School Library Journal - Grades 5-8</span></div>
Mrs. Dukehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16801824739160579671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7831141611239012702.post-76137362545265242812020-01-27T13:49:00.000-07:002020-01-27T13:49:13.488-07:00The Similars<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-LTyhV4PGzB1zGJniBvqRG_Y020QLFmtH8pfe23N9D6I8FXHpzHqxre3SfgNaFSlLYI46MLy3vgXFJHtod3VS-7jDtBBma5A1hHzgConBwLRC71N_29-yyDzX1OH-pwmZGYHgW6JGQ5A/s1600/Similars%252C+The.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="267" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-LTyhV4PGzB1zGJniBvqRG_Y020QLFmtH8pfe23N9D6I8FXHpzHqxre3SfgNaFSlLYI46MLy3vgXFJHtod3VS-7jDtBBma5A1hHzgConBwLRC71N_29-yyDzX1OH-pwmZGYHgW6JGQ5A/s200/Similars%252C+The.jpg" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">The Similars</i><br />by Rebecca Hanover</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: #cccccc;">From the publisher:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #cccccc;">"<strong style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">A <em>New York Times</em> Bestseller!</strong></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #cccccc;"><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">Don't miss the series debut that readers are calling </span><em style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">Gossip Girl</em><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"> meets </span><em style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">The Umbrella Academy</em><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">, set in an elite boarding school, where secret societies rule, nothing is as it seems, and the genetic copies of attending students have just joined the Junior class...</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">This fall, six new students are joining the junior class at the elite Darkwood Academy. But they aren't your regular over-achieving teens. They're DNA duplicates, and these "similars" are joining the class alongside their originals.</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">The Similars are all anyone can talk about. Who are they? What are the odds that all of them would be Darkwood students? And who is the madman who broke the law to create them? Emmaline Chance could care less. Her best friend, Oliver, died over the summer and it's all she can do to get through each day without him. Then she comes face-to-heartbreaking-face with Levi, Oliver's exact DNA copy and one of the Similars.</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">Emma wants nothing to do with the Similars, but she keeps getting pulled deeper into their world. She can't escape the dark truths about them or her prestigious school. No one can be trusted, not even the boy she is falling for with Oliver's face.</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">This exhilarating and riveting debut by Rebecca Hanover is the next obsession for readers who devoured </span><em style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">Two Can Keep a Secret</em><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">, </span><em style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">One of Us Is Lying</em><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">, </span><em style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">Scythe</em><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">, and </span><em style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">Stronger, Faster, and More Beautiful</em><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">."</span></span><div>
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<span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">The plot of this book was pretty fascinating and the characters were likable, but there was something about the writing that was off putting for me. And there is a pretty obvious political statement going on throughout the book which, for some reason, always irritates me in a young adult novel. However, I don't think middle schoolers will mind or even notice. All they will care about is the exciting story, the boarding school setting (my students LOVE boarding school settings!), and the romance. There are several twists that will keep them reading and the end will have them yelling for more! Luckily the second book has now come out so they won't have to wait. Is it the best book I have ever read? Nope. But I will be recommending it to certain students that I'm sure will love it.</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">Areas of concern:</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">*A small handful of cuss words.</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">* A few kisses and talk of wanting to spend the night but deciding it wasn't the time.</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">* Possibly just the idea of cloning.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">Suggested Ages:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">Publisher's Weekly - Ages 14+</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">School Library Journal - Grades 8+</span></div>
Mrs. Dukehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16801824739160579671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7831141611239012702.post-19757447015498669392019-12-18T10:33:00.000-07:002019-12-18T10:33:54.831-07:00The Traitor's Game<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW939RpwkTBp0-_zCjri3QrJ9cAW0-A1Mn9BSa_9E3KZxprJKOx3l3qhQeQwYwgirTKpkaIypJenN1AMMrdjA-w6eVu9_wOgwGmCVOmX2SmR-31MEOGtfyonbtEXGQzNris12y_86udM4/s1600/Traitor%2527s+Game%252C+The.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW939RpwkTBp0-_zCjri3QrJ9cAW0-A1Mn9BSa_9E3KZxprJKOx3l3qhQeQwYwgirTKpkaIypJenN1AMMrdjA-w6eVu9_wOgwGmCVOmX2SmR-31MEOGtfyonbtEXGQzNris12y_86udM4/s200/Traitor%2527s+Game%252C+The.jpg" width="132" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">The Traitor's Game</i><br />by Jennifer A. Nielsen</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: #cccccc;">From the publisher:</span><div>
<span style="background-color: #cccccc;">"<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">Nothing is as it seems in the kingdom of Antora. Kestra Dallisor has spent three years in exile in the Lava Fields, but that won't stop her from being drawn back into her father's palace politics. He's the right hand man of the cruel king, Lord Endrick, which makes Kestra a valuable bargaining chip. A group of rebels knows this all too well - and they snatch Kestra from her carriage as she reluctantly travels home.The kidnappers want her to retrieve the lost Olden Blade, the only object that can destroy the immortal king, but Kestra is not the obedient captive they expected. Simon, one of her kidnappers, will have his hands full as Kestra tries to foil their plot, by force, cunning, or any means necessary. As motives shift and secrets emerge, both will have to decide what - and who - it is they're fighting for."</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">It took me a while to get into this book because I didn't really like the main characters very much for a while. I did learn to like them, and the plot was exciting (if predictable) and the world building was cool. I liked that the 2 main characters knew each other as children, but why Simon would ever even think of liking her again is hard to believe. The antagonist in this story is incredibly evil in a Voldemort-y sort of way, but even Voldemort was scared of Dumbledore, and Lord Endrick seems pretty much indestructible and horrible. Quite frankly, I'm not sure how that will pan out in the 2nd and 3rd books. I did like some of the twists at the end and felt very satisfied with the overall experience when I finished. I think middle schoolers will love it.</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">Areas of concern:</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">*Very evil person who enjoys inflicting pain, torture and death on anyone and has killed countless people.</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">*A very dysfunctional family dynamic.</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">*Many tense moments with death imminent.</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">*Mild romance.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">Suggested Ages:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">Publisher's Weekly - Ages 12+</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">School Library Journal - Grades 6-8</span></div>
Mrs. Dukehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16801824739160579671noreply@blogger.com0