The Book Search

 Now that I'm done with the CYBILS for the year, I can dig back into the realistic fiction pile.  Here are two of my latest favorites! Weirdly Walter by Julia Walton is a terrific new book.  It came out in October and I read it over the winter holidays and I wondered why it had taken so long (oh, yeah, I remember-I was reading for the CYBILS award-107 middle grade fantasy books, that's right).  Walter was such a charming and heartwarming read-I think you're going to love it.  Walter is a fifth grader who has always lived with his dad, a musician.  They've traveled around quite a bit and Walter is used to being the new kid at school.  But this is different.  His dad has left him for the first time, with Walter's grandfather, and there's no end in sight for when Walter will go back on the road with his dad.  Walter adores his dad and records some of his dad's wisdom in his journal.  But he's also kind of mad at his dad, that there was no c...

 Middle grade fiction is such a terrific place to find interesting characters and challenges.  These three brand new books have an amazing variety of those!   The first one is a graphic novel.  It's called Plain Jane and the Mermaid by Vera Brogsol.   Here's her website if you're interested.   She's written and illustrated a number of books, including one of my favorite picture books "Leave Me Alone", which I found hilarious.  This one is longer and more detailed and I thought it was just wonderful.  It's about Jane, who lives in a place that seems like fairy tale times, in a heavily paternalistic society.  Her parents don't think too much of her because she's not beautiful and when they die, she's forced out of her home by her horrible cousin.  In desperation,  she proposes to Peter, a handsome boy from the village.  Peter isn't exactly enthusiastic and as he's storming off, a mermaid appears and takes him under the sea. ...

 Need some great new middle grade books with relatable characters?  Wait till you hear about these! The first one is called Shark Teeth by Sherri Winston.  I've loved Sherri Winston's writing since I first discovered her when she wrote a column for the Sun Sentinel.  She has such a terrific voice in her writing and her latest story is no exception.  Shark Teeth is about a 12 year old named Sharkita.  She is the primary caregiver for her 5 year old sister, Lily and her 8 year old brother Lamar, who has fetal alcohol syndrome.  She's the primary caregiver because her mom is unreliable as a parent.  Kita loves Lily and Lamar and would do anything to protect them.  But awhile back, things were pretty terrible.  Their mom disappeared for 9 days and Lamar had a giant melt down and knocked Kita out.  Kita called 911 to get some help and all three kids ended up in different foster homes and their mom wound up in jail.  Kita is determin...

 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...

 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...

 I LOVE reading for the CYBILS award.  The list of books we read is virtually the entire catalog of everything that's been printed in the year of the award so I end up digging deep into one category of books, this year, it's middle grade fiction.  A lot of social issues appear in middle grade fiction-these are books written for kids in upper elementary and middle school and those kids are trying to figure out a lot.  Often times books like these end up offering pathways for kids they didn't even know they wanted.  So imagine my surprise today (literally, I read these two books today) that two of the books are centered around kids who want to see themselves or people like themselves in the Civil War.  Yep, the American Civil War, the one that was fought over states rights or slavery?  That ended in 1865?  That one.   I KNOW.  And they're BOTH terrific. The first one is called The Secret Battle of Evan Pao.  It's written by Wendy Wan-...

 I've been a librarian now for 12 years and I was a classroom teacher for 20 years before that.  As the librarian, I've made an effort to read the latest books.  I've also been lucky enough to have the opportunity to read for two different book awards (which pushes you to read all the latest books) and it's really interesting to see some of the gigantic changes in children's literature over the last few years, in response to cultural changes.  One of the changes is the conversation about social issues and middle grade fiction is brilliant at opening those conversations.  Here are two (not brand new, but pretty new) books that you might want to read. The first one is called Finding Junie Kim by Ellen Oh.  It's about Junie, a middle schooler, who is struggling with some big things.  The first is bullying.  The kids in her neighborhood and at her school bully her relentlessly.  They use Asian ethnic slurs and tropes to intimidate and anger her a...

 Ahhh, summer!  Time to take a break from the usual and try a few new things...  We've been traveling this year to someplace completely different-Alberta, Canada.  The weather was forecasting rain every single day for the entire two weeks we were here and today, they were really right.  It's 49 degrees and windy and raining so we're staying tucked in our hotel!  We've seen some beautiful places  like this- The Athabasca Glacier Me and my sweetie at Emerald Lake     At the Valley of the Five Lakes-all of them are beautiful! But it's good to think about reading...  I've read so many wonderful ones while we're on vacation!  Here are two of my new  favorites.    The first one is called "The Summer of June" by Jamie Sumner.  I heard her read some of her first book "Roll With it" in this YouTube video. And I love her voice SO MUCH.  I could really hear her reading her new one as well.  June is a girl who live...

 I LOVE the SSYRA (Sunshine State Young Reader Award) list.  In case you've never heard of it, librarians from across the state of Florida choose 15 books and kids from across the state read them and the kids get to vote on which one is best.  The books sometimes are ones that lots of people are talking about, and often are ones that haven't been on my radar, which makes it really fun.  They are always wonderful stories so it's a treat to get to read them!   I just finished "From the Desk of Zoe Washington" by Janae Marks.  It's about Zoe, who is an aspiring baker and almost middle school student.  One of her best friends has moved away, her other best friend is away for summer vacation and Zoe's really mad at her next-door neighbor best friend, because he didn't stand up for her when he was talking to some of his basketball buddies.  When Zoe comes home from her birthday party, there's a kind of surprise in the mail-a card from her dad, who is in...

 The publishers have been busy and suddenly there are a kajillion books laying in my inbox.  Happily, there was time to read this weekend, YAY!!!  Here are two great new ones. The first one is called Almost There and Almost Not by Linda Urban.  I love Linda Urban's work.  She wrote some of my favorites including Milo Speck, Accidental Agent and A Crooked Kind of Perfect.  She has such a great way with characters.  This one is no different-it's about Callie (her given name is California Poppy) and she has been struggling with behavior at school.  She finally had a teacher who understood her and gave her some great coping strategies, but when your mom dies in a car accident and your dad decides to drop you off at an aunt you never met and go to Alaska, things can get a little hinky.  Especially, when Callie starts to see ghosts.  She's not really sure at first that they are ghosts, but they're talking to her and no one else can see them, s...

 Do you think middle grade fiction can be escapist?  I'm starting to think that's what I find so appealing about middle grade fiction-going back to a time when the things that I worried about were my grades at school and who liked who.  But some of these middle grade books tackle big topics-domestic abuse, gender identity, and aging-and they still feel escapist to me.  Here are two you might like to escape into! The first one is called "These Unlucky Stars" by Gillian McDunn.  McDunn wrote a lovely book last year called Caterpillar Summer that was terrific and this new one is also great.  It's about Annie, who feels invisible to her dad and her brother Ray.  They live in a very small town near the mountains of NC that are beautifully described.  Annie believes that all the negative things that happen to her are due to bad luck, because her mom used to blame things on bad luck.  But her mom left the family five years earlier.  Her brother...

There are some amazing new books coming out in the next few weeks.  If you are looking for something awesome to read, these might be up your alley! The first one came out in October and it is called Of a Feather by Dayna Lorentz.  It's a story told in two voices-one is Rufus, a juvenile great horned owl, who is struggling with confidence.  His mother is encouraging him to hunt on his own, but Rufus is afraid.  His sister is mean to him, which doesn't help.  His mother is hit by a car one day and Rufus ends up in a trap meant for a different kind of bird, which brings us to Reenie, the second story teller.  Reenie has been removed from her grandmother's care (Grandma has an abusive boyfriend) and her mom is in a mental health facility so Reenie ends up with a great aunt that she's never met.  Beatrice is a master falconer and keeps a red tailed hawk, Red, that Reenie is finds entrancing.  Beatrice tells Reenie that she would like to trap and work w...

 Social issues and building empathy have been hot button topics in middle grade fiction. The current way of thinking about this is windows and mirrors.  Some books show us people who are like us and some show us people we never really thought about before.  Reading some of both kinds of books is important for kids, so I'm happy to share some new ones with you! The first one is called A Fish Out of Water by Joanne Levy.  It's about 12 year old Fishel who is living with his mom, his stepdad and his baby sister.  Fish is getting ready to celebrate is bar mitzvah and he needs to do a  kind of community service project.  His friends have ideas and would like Fish to do the project with them, but Fish really wants to think up his own project.  He gets a great idea from his grandmother.  He wants to knit socks and give them to people who need them.  His grandmother says that boys don't knit.  His stepdad agrees and encourages him to take w...

One of the great things about modern middle grade literature is its unflinching look at some of the social issues kids deal with on a daily basis.  As an adult, I often think I'd like to shield my students from some of the harsher realities, but what if this IS their reality?  What if they are waiting to tell someone a terrible secret?  Stories like these might make it easier for kids to talk about some of the things that they are going through. The first one is called "Fighting Words" by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley.  I'm a big fan of her writing.  I adored "The War that Saved My Life" and the sequel "The War I Finally Won".  Her latest book is just as good, maybe better.  "Fighting words" is about Della, who is 10 and has been living with her big sister, Suki, who has been taking care of her.  They have been living with Clifton, a truck driver, who was their mother's boyfriend, until their mother was arrested.  They've ended up in ...

These last few days have felt pretty realistic to me, so more realistic fiction may or may not have been what I was looking for.  Except that's what was in the TBR pile from Netgalley, so ok.  The good news is that they were really different from the kind of realism I've been living, so it was nice to get into someone else's head for change. The first one is called "The Brave" by James Bird.  The cover of the e-book I got had it spelled like this "Th3 Brav5", which should be an indicator that this character doesn't think like most people.  The main character is Collin, who has grown up with his dad.  He doesn't know his mother at all, expect that she's a Native American.  It says in the description of the book that Collin struggles with OCD.  His OCD manifests itself in counting, which doesn't seem that unusual to me.  Except that Collin counts letters.  He counts the letters as people speak to him and when he responds to them, the first ...

I'm always surprised when the SSYRA list comes out that there are so many great books that I missed reading this year!  People who know me always say I read a lot, but CLEARLY, I'm missing a big chunk of great stuff because there are always surprises on the list!  These two titles were terrific surprises. The first one is realistic fiction.  It's called Caterpillar Summer by Gillian McDunn.  It's about a girl named Cat who lives with her mom and her little brother.  Her dad died awhile back and her mom struggles to make a living as an author and illustrator.  They are planning to spend some time with some friends who have moved far away over the summer but their friends have an unexpected emergency and so Cat and her little brother end up at the their grandparents' house in NC.  Except that they've never actually met their grandparents because they had a falling out with Cat's mom before the kids were born.  To complicate matters further, Cat's...