The Book Search

 The publishers seem to be trying to play catch up after COVID.  There are SO MANY new books coming out, it can feel overwhelming to see my TBR pile.  Or maybe I'm just too greedy!  Anyway, here are some that are coming out soon. The first one is called When Giants Burn by Beth Vrabel.  Beth has a real gift for telling stories about interesting characters - two of my former favorites are Blind Guide to Stinkville and The Newspaper Club, if you missed them.  This new one is no exception.  It's told in two voices-Gerty and Hayes.  Both are being seen by the school counselor for interpersonal issues.  Gerty's family are survivalists and are doing their best to be independent from government influences.  Hayes lives with his grandmother, his younger brother and his mom, who has recently been released from jail. Neither of the kids feel like they have any friends and so find some connection to the other.  Gerty is trying to build an ultr...

 FINALLY finding my way back to doing some reading!  Here are two good new ones I found.   The first one is called The Book of the Stolen Dreams by David Farr.  It's about a brother and sister, Robert and Rachel, who have been tasked by their father to find a book of stolen dreams and use it to bring down an evil dictator, Charles Malstain.  The book, it turns out, holds the secret to the line between the living and the dead, allowing the person who controls the book to potentially, live forever.  There are a number of protections set up for the book (it's been around awhile and the family that helped create it knew the power that it had, as well as it's potential for abuse) so a really wonderful part of the book is watching Rachel and Robert try to figure out who they should trust.  This is a very exciting book with lots of plot twists.  The evil villain is wonderfully evil, in a way that some readers will draw parallels to things that are happen...

 I just finished two graphic novels you might want to be on the look out for.  My students really love graphic novels that are realistic fiction, like Smile and Drama by Reina Telegmeier or the Baby Sitter's Club, so these two new ones are right in that sweet spot. The first one is by one of my favorite authors, Wendy Mass.  Wendy has written some amazing middle grade fiction like 11 Birthdays and the Candymakers that are perennial hits in my elementary school library.  Her first foray into graphic novels is called Lo and Behold.  Like many of her books, the story is based around a middle schooler, Addie, who is going to spend the summer with her dad who is a futurist, which is a scientist who helps people plan for the future.  His current line of study is augmented reality and he's super into it.  Addie's mom is out of the picture-of course Wendy doesn't tell you the whole thing at the beginning, but it involves a bike accident and pain killers. ...

 Would you be surprised to hear that body images are something that kids think about?  The images kids see on social media (including TV and video games) shape the way they think about their own bodies and not always for the better.  Here are two books where the main characters are thinking about the way that they are perceived and how people perceive them in two really different ways.   The first one is called Time to Roll by Jamie Summer.  This is a sequel to her book Roll With It.  The main character, Ellie, wants to be a baker and finds happiness cooking and baking for her family.  She is also in a wheelchair most of the time, which she doesn't find as off putting as some other people do.  In Roll With It, Ellie and her mom move back to their hometown to help Ellie's grandmother because Ellie's grandfather is struggling with dementia.  In this second book, Ellie has happily settled into her new hometown, she has wonderful friends and her ...

 There are (at least) two amazing new books out for elementary students that revolve around African animals, come check them out! The first one is the third from Katherine Applegate about a group of animals that lived in a mall in Seattle, Washington.  The first one was the One and Only Ivan about a silverback gorilla, told from the gorilla's point of view.  The second was The One and Only Bob, about a stray dog that lived with the gorilla and told from the dog's point of view.  This one, The One and Only Ruby is told from a baby elephant's point of view.  Ruby and Ivan have been relocated to a zoo that has spaces that mimic their natural habitats.  Ivan lives in an enclosure with other gorillas and has a wonderful companion gorilla.  Ruby lives in an adjoining enclosure, with a herd of other female elephants.  Ruby is anxious about her coming of age ceremony-Tuskday, where the other elephants will celebrate her getting her tusks.  It turns o...

 We just finished our spring break and we had a great time!  One of the best things was having some time to catch up on some reading and wow, were there some great ones in my TBR pile!  Check these out! (no, really, go to the library and check them out!). The first one is by the amazing Angie Thomas.  You might remember a little book she wrote called The Hate U Give that a few people read (and then made a terrific movie about it).  I love the immediacy of her writing and her new one is no different.  It's so different!  It's called Nic Blake and the Remarkables.  It's speculative or fantasy fiction book about Nic Blake, who lives with her dad in Jackson, Mississippi.  Nic and her dad have moved around a lot and Nic really likes living in Jackson.  She finally has a best friend and that feels great.  She's super stoked because her favorite author is coming to town, he writes magical mystery adventures and she'll do anything to meet h...

 I feel like yesterday was Christmas and I blinked and here it is the middle of March.  I could explain that I've been busy (I'm pretty sure I have) but maybe I should just tell you about some of the amazing middle grade fiction I've been reading! The first one is called Izzy at the End of the World by K. A. Reynolds.  It's about Izzy who lives with her little sister and her grandparents.  Izzy is on the autism spectrum and she's learned some great coping strategies, including using her very good dog, Akka, to help.  Izzy is coping with grief from the loss of her mother as well as surviving middle school.  She's been having weird dreams, so when one day she sees some strange lights and the rest of humanity disappears, she is determined to get her family back.  She takes Akka and starts on a journey of self discovery and alien battling.  She meets Raven along the way, who seems to be the only other person alive and has understanding of some of Izzy...