More middle grade fiction for after the storm
I'm so lucky to get to read all these new books! My fourth and fifth grade book clubs decided that they also want to read the latest and greatest, in hopes of discovering the next Newbery award winner. It's so much fun talking books with them! Here are a few that are coming out in the next couple of weeks.
The first one is called "Click'd" by Tamara Ireland Stone. It's was released on September 5, 2017. It's about a girl named Allie Navarro who has just spent an amazing summer at a coding camp making friends with other girls who love coding just as much as she does. When she gets back to school, she's feeling a little left out because her friends spent their summer together at home. She is very excited about the game she created at camp and is hoping that she will be able to win the local coding competition. Her game is called "Click'd" and it lets helps you find friends among the database of people who play the game and rank their compatibility so you know how good of friends you'll actually be. She decides to release the game to gather data for completion but things get a bit out of hand when the kids at her school embrace the game enthusiastically. In fact, she uncovers a bit of a glitch in the code and has to decide if she should stop the game (and maybe lose the competition) or keep going, at the risk of embarrassing one of her best friends. This is a really awesome story with lots of social issues that are very current. I think the kids will easily be able to identify with Allie and her friends. The decisions Allie makes are going to be a great source of conversation for lot of people! This would be a great one to connect with "Goodbye Stranger" by Rebecca Stead because of the threads of friendship and online behavior.
The first one is called "Click'd" by Tamara Ireland Stone. It's was released on September 5, 2017. It's about a girl named Allie Navarro who has just spent an amazing summer at a coding camp making friends with other girls who love coding just as much as she does. When she gets back to school, she's feeling a little left out because her friends spent their summer together at home. She is very excited about the game she created at camp and is hoping that she will be able to win the local coding competition. Her game is called "Click'd" and it lets helps you find friends among the database of people who play the game and rank their compatibility so you know how good of friends you'll actually be. She decides to release the game to gather data for completion but things get a bit out of hand when the kids at her school embrace the game enthusiastically. In fact, she uncovers a bit of a glitch in the code and has to decide if she should stop the game (and maybe lose the competition) or keep going, at the risk of embarrassing one of her best friends. This is a really awesome story with lots of social issues that are very current. I think the kids will easily be able to identify with Allie and her friends. The decisions Allie makes are going to be a great source of conversation for lot of people! This would be a great one to connect with "Goodbye Stranger" by Rebecca Stead because of the threads of friendship and online behavior.
This second one was also terrific! It's scheduled to be released on October 3 and it's called "Greetings from Witness Protection!" by Jake Burt. This is his first book and I'm sure it's not going to be the last! It's about a girl named Nicki who is a ward of the state. She's been in several different foster homes since her Grammy died. Last she heard her father was in prison, so she writes to him there. It also turns out that Grammy was an accomplished pickpocket and taught Nicki a lot about thievery. Nicki tries to do the right thing, but it's not always easy. She's just back from yet another foster family when two federal agents show up. They want her to join the witness protection program-not because she's a witness in need of protection, but because she looks a lot like a woman who is a witness and Nicki's presence will help to disguise the family. Parts of this are hilarious, parts are intriguing and parts are flat out scary. One of the things I liked the best was that they relocated these New Yorkers to Durham, NC, which I have a little experience with, having grown up about 15 miles east of Durham AND my brother lives there now! Let me tell you, Burt's NC experiences are SPOT ON. This is an awesome book and I can't wait to see the next installment (please, please, please, let there be a next installment!).
The last one came out at the end of August. It's called "Tumble and Blue" by Cassie Beasley. You might have heard of Cassie before, she blew onto the writing scene in 2015 with her amazing book "Circus Mirandus". If you were worried that Cassie might be a one hit wonder, worry no more. Tumble and Blue is just as good as Circus Mirandus. Tumble and Blue are two kids who are brought to a VERY small town near the Okefenokee Swamp. Blue is dropped off there by his dad, a sometimes race car driver, to stay with his grandmother for the summer. Tumble is a wannabe hero who's parents are coming back home. But it turns out there is a bit of mystery afoot-Blue's great grandmother, Ma Myrtle, has announced that she's going to die and every one of their family members is trying to get Ma Myrtle's blessing to help with a family curse or blessing. It's a complicated, magical story with awesome themes of family, good fortune, friendship, and making your own luck. The story is fun and funny and fast paced. I think the kids are going to love this one. I know I did.
Comments
Post a Comment