And now the fun starts...

Today was our students last day of school, YAY!!  So NOW we can start thinking about our summer reading challenge because I can't wait to have time to read more!
Here are some totally awesome book recommendations from Kate DiCamillo, in case you need some!
http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/on-parenting/summer-kid-book-suggestions-from-an-author-librarian-and-book-buyer/2015/06/02/18165d16-086f-11e5-9e39-0db921c47b93_story.html

Here's the first one I finished.  I hope you don't think it's cheating that I started it yesterday.  It's a pretty long one.  It's called "Mechanica" by Betsy Cornwell.  It's a Cinderella story, but the Cinderella in this one is a spunky girl named Nicolette.  Nicolette's mom died several years ago and her dad remarried a woman with two daughters (sound familiar?).  They are as mean to her as Cinderella's stepmom and stepsisters, but on Nicolette's 16th birthday, she finds her way into her mother's workroom.  Her mother had been an amazing engineer (their family lived off the things she made and Nicolette's dad sold them) and had left a number of journals and materials for Nicolette to find.  I really liked this one.  I liked how independent Nicolette is and how creative and hard working she is. I also liked how loyal she was to her friends.  It would be great paired up with any of the Cinderella books.  Here's a book trailer you can watch.

Another one that will be coming out in the fall is called "For the Right to Learn" by Rebecca Langston-George.  It's a picture book about a Pakistani girl named Malala Yousafazi who gained world wide attention because she spoke out for education against the Taliban.  Some members of the Taliban tried to kill her by ambushing her bus on the way to school and she was shot.  She was relocated to Great Britain where she recuperated and was given the Nobel Peace Prize.  

This is the cover of the book.  

Here is Malala's speech when she accepted the Nobel Peace Prize.

The last one I read is not a new book but it has just been re-published.  It's called "City of Light, City of Dark" by Avi and illustrated by Brian Floca.  Avi won the Newbery award for "Crispin: Hour of Lead" which is historical fiction about a boy trying to survive during the Middle Ages.  Brian Floca just won the Caldecott award last year for his amazing book "Locomotive".  Anyway, THIS one is a graphical novel that's set in NY city.  There is a group of people? or maybe beings called Kurbs that have all the power.  When people start to settle in NY, the Kurbs strike an agreement that they are allowed to stay there but that a tribute must be made each acknowledging that the Kurbs control the power or the Kurbs will take back the power.  There is a woman who is the keeper of the power and she in turn passes the power on to her daughter so that there is an unending supply of power to NY.  The pictures are sparse and loosely drawn.  They are in black and white which gives you a feeling of starkness.  The story is very fast paced and I think the kids will really like it.  I think it would pair with the Amulet series by Kazu Kibushi because that is also a graphical novel and there's a quest involved.