New speculative fiction for middle graders!
I often worry that kids aren't reading. I know at my school, their teachers are pushed to teach reading using passages and answering questions so that they'll be ready to take our state mandated test. I know that I've been reading to them and that they seem to like the stories that I choose. I'm always relieved when I find a new book that I think "Oh, I know EXACTLY who's going to love this one". I read two like that this week. The first one is called The House That Wasn't There by Elana Arnold. You might remember Elana Arnold wrote a series of books about a boy called Bat about a wonderful character who was on the autism spectrum and his kind supportive family who foster a baby skunk. It's a terrific story and her new one is just as good, maybe even better. This one is about Alder, who lives with his mom in Los Angeles. They live in a small comfortable house, where they've lived for Alder's whole life. There is a beautiful wa...