The Boy Who Knew Everything by Victoria Forester

When I read a really engaging book, and I find out it has a sequel, I usually try to read it. Do you? As a reader, I am curious about how the story will continue, and what new adventures await our main character.

This summer I read The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forester (Feiwel & Friends, 2008), a middle grade novel about a very interesting character with a very special gift. Piper McCloud can fly, and this doesn't sit well with her parents, traditional farmers living a very traditional life. When she is sent to a boarding school to help her deal with the challenges brought about by her gift, she meets another interesting character -- a boy genius named Conrad. (He has his own interesting past.) As students at the school, they are surrounded by others with their own special gifts, and everything seems perfect --  until they start to see that it's all wrong!


This one was a page-turner -- filled with plot twists and exciting events -- a book that will hook anyone who loves a lot of science with their adventure. 

I finished the book, feeling like I had really been entertained with a smart story. 

Then recently, book 2 was published:

The Boy Who Knew Everything (that boy is Conrad) takes the story much further (it is longer and more complex), and readers get answers to some of the questions from Book 1. We see Piper's friends and Conrad work together as a team, and each plot twist leads to another storyline. Although the story is exciting and filled with scary moments, I also found some parts of it strangely comforting -- the way the characters help each other and find acceptance within the group. Betty and Joe McCloud  (Piper's parents) were also fascinating to me. They both become surrogate parents to Conrad and Piper's other friends, and supportive in all they endeavor to do -- even if it means major disruption to their lives.

Overall, the book is very smartly written, and will appeal to readers who love science fiction (middle school and older). It reminded me a bit of Patrick Carman's Atherton series with a futuristic feel -- yet also brought to mind Kelly Barnhill's The Witch's Boy. It has intrigue, detailed descriptions, and events you don't see coming.  Readers will come to see Conrad in a new light, and his character was the most thought-provoking for me. He yearns for acceptance and faces his own challenges -- and readers will devour the book to see how he handles them. 

This sequel goes farther and introduces characters we never could have imagined. We meet Conrad's grandmother, and a new character named Max. (I won't tell you if he's an enemy or a friend!)

To read more about the books click here. 

I will continue to read sequels! And wait expectantly for them! 

Sophie's Squash by Pat Zietlow Miller

Miller, Pat Zietlow. Sophie's Squash. Illus. by Anne Wilsdorf. New York: Schwartz & Wade, 2013. Print.

In October, I display all of the pumpkin, apple, and fall books we have in our library. (I am grateful to have a wonderful volunteer who helps me do that!) The colors have a way of bringing in new life and a sense of expectancy. We know that change is in the air, and that there may be some turkey and pumpkin pie in our future!

But one book I kept and pulled aside for storytime was Sophie's Squash (Schwartz & Wade, 2013).

When I decided to read it this year, I knew a prop would be necessary. In the story, a young girl named Sophie buys a squash on a trip to the farmers' market with her parents. When she brings it home, she paints a face on it and wraps it in a blanket, becoming very attached to it and even naming it Bernice. She takes it to story time, plays with it in the garden, and rocks it to sleep. (Her parents' reactions to this in the story are lovely!)

But as time passes, Bernice eventually begins to rot and wear, and despite her dad's attempts to divert her attentions to a toy or a pet fish, Sophie is loyal to her squash! When she asks a farmer for advice on keeping Bernice in good shape, she follows it! The story has a pleasant end, and no matter how many times I read it, I still enjoyed it!

As I read the story, I emphasized words like "supper" or any other repetitive phrases. I had Bernice sitting right by me, and I even bounced her on my knee like Sophie did.

In the story, Bernice did a few somersaults in the garden. And while I read the story, our own Bernice did a couple of tumbles, too! Albeit unplanned! But perfectly timed!

When I finished the story in one class, I was surprised to see students spontaneously line up to rock Bernice and hug it. I had not given them any directions to do so! They responded to the story in such a heartfelt way!

The book and Bernice 

Although I had planned to eventually cook the spaghetti squash for dinner, I quickly realized I couldn't go through with that. (I ended up buying another spaghetti squash!)

Once Bernice is ready, I will take her out to our own school gardens! 

Sophie's Squash is a delightful story of friendship, and a must-have for a library's fall seasonal collection. 

The Bear Ate Your Sandwich by Julia Sarcone-Roach

I recently purchased a copy of The Bear Ate Your Sandwich (Knopf, 2015). I first read this book in July, and though it left a positive impression, I put it on my "to-buy" list and the didn't think about it again (I am constantly buying books.)

But a fellow librarian mentioned it in conversation, and there it was again--- on my mind!

So I ordered my copy and decided to read it and share it with our second graders. I was anxious to see their reactions. 

Before I read the story to the first class, I mentioned that I hadn't read the book to anyone yet, and that I wanted to see what thought about it. They loved that. Then I gave them this "fill-in-the-blank" to answer out loud:

"Bears love to ____." 

Nearly everyone said "eat". And then I knew they were ready. 

I started out by showing the endpapers at the front of the book. The first images the reader sees are panels of delicious and well-built sandwiches of various types, evoking hunger in anyone who stares at them. 

The the title page reveals the Bear taking a nap, and the story plays on. Someone ate your sandwich, and the narrator saw it all. The narrator the tells the story, with detail and description. This Bear came from a long way, and found your sandwich. Bear went into the city, lured by berry smells on a pickup truck, and when he came across the sandwich in the park, he ate it. It all makes sense! 

But then there is a surprise on the last page, and readers see the narrator. Suddenly there are questions! 

Throughout the story, my readers were taking it all in, enjoying the plot turns, noticing details, but for the most part, silently absorbing it. And when we came to the end, I knew the book had achieved a glorious effect (I could tell by the looks on their faces): it made them question, reconsider, and process a different idea. And then the smiles came, and I knew this read-aloud had been successful. 

I didn't need to do anything else with the the book but share it. Simple enjoyment! 

Now it's time for me to do some more thinking about this book.  

Note: The endpapers at the back of the book answer those at the beginning. You must get a copy to see how!  

Book Fair Memories

Earlier in the week, our Scholastic Book Fair boxes were picked up by a very kind and friendly driver. As I led him out the doors with each load (he didn't need my help, but it was the least I could do), I was impressed with  how calm he was, even with the big task ahead of him. I thanked him for his hard work, and he even asked about our fair. I told him it was wonderful. And it was.

I created this Animoto to celebrate the highlights.  It will serve as a great memory for me sometime in the future. -- a reminder of all our wonderful community accomplished together.

Most of my standout books of the fair are pictured here. (Read them all!) Some are recent releases, some have been around awhile. Each played a role in our week.

One of the best parts of the fair for me was this: as I walked around the fair and looked at the books on set-up day, I remembered when I read the book, or received my first copy of it, or heard the author speak. I had good stories to go with the books. In a way, each book had its own life! 

Reflecting now, post Book Fair, I once again reaffirm how my reading of the books prior to the fair helped immensely. (Prep work for a book fair comes months before the boxes are delivered.)  Also, I cannot ever underestimate the benefit of having read a wide variety of books -- especially when asked to recommend titles. What is also beneficial is knowing readers -- which is necessary (of course) when putting these books in their hands. (Sidenote: it is AWESOME to see a student smile as they see a cover they recognize or take a hold of a future favorite book for the first time.) 

If you are hosting a book fair, I wish you success! And I wish you wonderful memories as well! 

Fable Comics Blog Tour: The Dolphins, The Whales, and The Sprat

This weekend, I am participating in the blog tour for Fable Comics (First Second, 2015).  In this collection (cover pictured below), Aesop's famous fables are retold in graphic novel format, each done by different illustrators. Included in the collection are "The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse" (illustrated by Tom Gauld), "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" (illustrated by Jaime Hernandez), and the "Lion + Mouse" (illustrated by R. Sikoryak, among others. 

For this tour, I took a look at (and read!) "The Dolphins, The Whales, and The Sprat", as illustrated by Maris Wicks.

If you've read this fable, you know it is particularly brief! I read it long, long ago and had forgotten it. In the Fable Comics collection, Wicks adds some whale facts, explaining what a caudal fin is, along with providing readers with information about baleen whales. This content is smoothly woven within the story, told by the sprat (a very small fish) who is, of course, inserting himself in the action. 

The fable features an ongoing war between the whales and the dolphins -- indeed, nothing will stop them. But when the small sprat speaks up, and offers to be a mediator, his offer is rejected by both parties, and sadly, the war goes on. 

So many topics to discuss here:  

Why were the dolphins and whales fighting? 

What should sprat do next?

Why do the whales and dolphins reject sprat's offer to help?

If the sprat had been another type of fish, would the story have a different ending? 

How does a graphic novel format change the effect of the story if it all? 

If you'd like to check out the rest of the fables featured, make sure to take the blog tour! The stops are posted here: 

SLJ Good Comics for Kids features Fable Comics editor Chris Duffy, 9/21 http://blogs.slj.com/goodcomicsforkids/

Charlotte’s Library features James Kochalka and ‘The Fox and the Grapes,’ 9/22 http://charlotteslibrary.blogspot.com/

Musings of a Librarian features Tom Gauld and ‘The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse,’ 9/23 http://musingsoflibrarian.blogspot.com/

Sharp Reads features George O’Connor and the ‘Hermes’ fables, 9/24 https://sharpread.wordpress.com/

Fly to Fiction features Sophie Goldstein an ‘Leopard Drums Up Dinner,’ 9/25 http://flytofiction.blogspot.com/

Supernatural Snark features Charise Harper and ‘The Belly and the Body Members,’ 9/26 http://supernaturalsnark.blogspot.com/

It’s All Comic to Me features R. Sikoryak and ‘Lion + Mouse,’ 9/27 http://itsallcomictome.blogspot.com/

Ex Libris Kate features Jennifer L. Meyer and ‘Fox and Crow,’ 9/28 http://exlibriskate.com/

The Roarbots features Eleanor Davis and ‘The Old Man and Death,’ 9/29 http://theroarbots.com/

Fleen features Jaime Hernandez and ‘The Boy Who Cried Wolf,’ 9/30 http://fleen.com/

The Book Monsters features Simone Lia and ‘The Crow and the Pitcher,’ 10/1 http://thebookmonsters.com/

The Brain Lair features Graham Chaffee and ‘The Dog and His Reflection,’ 10/2 http://www.thebrainlair.com/

Librarian in Cute Shoes features Maris Wicks and ‘The Dolphins, The Whales, and The Sprat,’ 10/3 http://librarianincuteshoes.blogspot.com/

Women Write About Comics features Vera Brosgol and ‘The Hare and the Pig,’ 10/4 http://womenwriteaboutcomics.com/

The Busy Librarian features Kenny Widjaja and ‘The Demon, The Thief, and the Hermit,’ 10/5 http://www.busylibrarian.com/

The Book Rat features Corinne Mucha and ‘The Elephant in Favor,’ 10/6 http://www.thebookrat.com/

Read. Watch. Connect features Liniers and ‘The Mouse Council,’ 10/7 http://mrschureads.blogspot.com/

Cherry Blossoms and Maple Syrup features Mark Newgarten and ‘Man and Wart,’ 10/8 https://innocencewalker.wordpress.com/

Jenuine Cupcakes features Israel Sanchez and ‘The Milkmaid and Her Pail,’ 10/9 http://jenuinecupcakes.blogspot.com/

Bumbles & Fairy Tales features Ulises Farinas and ‘The Great Weasel War,’ 10/10 http://bumblesandfairytales.blogspot.com/

Graphic Policy features R.O. Blechman and ‘The Sun and the Wind,’ 10/11 http://graphicpolicy.com/

The Book Wars features Graham Annable and ‘The Hare and the Tortoise,’ 10/12 https://thebookwars.wordpress.com/

Sturdy for Common Things features John Kerschbaum and ‘The Grasshopper and the Ants,’ 10/13 http://www.sturdyforcommonthings.com/

Kid Lit Frenzy features Braden Lamb and Shelli Paroline and ‘The Thief and the Watchdog,’ 10/14 http://www.kidlitfrenzy.com/

Maria’s Melange features Gregory Benton and ‘The Hen and the Mountain Turtle,’ 10/15 http://www.mariaselke.com/

Read Write Reflect features Roger Langridge and ‘Demades and His Fable,’ 10/16 http://readwriteandreflect.blogspot.com/

Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate

A few things about Katherine Applegate:

She was my first author Skype.

She was the first author I ever waited in line for, brought my book up to, and met.

Background:

I'd read THE ONE AND ONLY IVAN to my 4th grade class in 2012 the year the book was published. I read THE ONE AND ONLY IVAN to my next 4th grade class as well. I bought a stuffed Ivan (really a Webkins) for my classroom and my students would make paper outfits for it! I still have this in my library. It sits in the FIC APP section. ;-)

And when I attended the Youth Media Awards in Seattle at ALA MidWinter, and The One and Only Ivan won the Newbery Medal for 2013, a very permanent and priceless memory was etched forever in my reader's/librarian heart.  I remember who was sitting next to me, I remember what I was wearing, and I remember thinking how fortunate I felt to be there.

More:

I attended the Newbery Banquet in Chicago where Katherine accepted her Newbery Medal.

I've recommended IVAN countless times to countless readers -- young and old.

I have referred to it so many times in discussion about reading, and books. It is one of my benchmark books representing a place on my life's timeline -- both as a reader and an educator.

So:

When I learned that Katherine Applegate had another middle grade fiction about to be released, I was very eager to read it.

And that book --Crenshaw -- celebrates its book birthday today!

I am happy to celebrate it here on my blog.

In writing this post, I did not want to give you a recap of the book. Here's why: Part of what made this book so interesting for me was that each page-turn unwrapped a layer of the book, and the more layers I unwrapped, the more I realized what Katherine Applegate had done with this work. Through a very honest and real main character (and an imaginary one as well) Applegate gives the story of a family in crisis -- experiencing hunger, unemployment, homelessness, and uncertainty. And by describing Jackson's family and their story, I began to think that for many, this isn't fiction -- only a harsh, true reality.

Jackson - older brother to sister Robin -- knows more than his parents realize. "I guess becoming homeless doesn't happen all at once," he says on p. 89. Jackson copes with the help of an imaginary friend named Crenshaw, a rather large cat whom he starts to see at various crucial moments.  He is there when Jackson least expects it, at moments that are hard to believe, and at times when a conversation with a friend makes all the difference.

This book is magical and strong, and shows readers the power of a friendship - both the imaginary and the real kind (see character Marisol). Reading it will make educators think of all of the Jacksons in their lives who endure the same hardships each day - -and while in their charge, need the security and care that they can give them.

I also noted that Jackson loved being at his public library during this hard times. On p. 107, Jackson tells that the children's librarian gives him and his sister her sandwich and Ritz crackers --

And from that moment on, Robin decides to be a librarian. (I've bookmarked that page.)

I'm still thinking about and rereading this book. And with more readings, I know I will collect Crenshaw memories -- just as I collected memories from Ivan.

Watch the trailer of Crenshaw here:

Waiting for Books

I have many books to read! As it should be!

So, I never run out of reading material. Ever. That's all in the plan. 

So with all of the books I have to read, why am I always WAITING for a book? 

Here's what I am talking about: 

At the Texas Library Association conference last April, I first saw the latest Kevin Henkes book (which just happened to be called WAITING):

The F&G at the HarperCollins booth at TLA 2015

What a treat it was to be able to leaf through the loose pages! I tried my best to remember every word, but I couldn't. I DID remember that the colors were stunningly soft and the characters were adorable, and well, I just remembered that it was a must-have book.

So I wrote the expected publication date in my calendar and waited patiently. Then I saw it again at ALA Annual in San Francisco this past June. And I wanted the book even more. 

Fast forward to September 1st, when I finally had my own copy of this book! Imagine my joy! 

This is my final copy. And I can look at it whenever I like!

Waiting. By Kevin Henkes. HarperCollins, 2015. 32 pages. $17.99.

Now, this is not the ONLY book I have been "waiting" for lately!

I don't remember where EXACTLY I first heard of this next book, but I knew immediately I wanted to read it. At ALA 2015, I saw the author of the book, Mac Barnett, at the Newbery Caldecott Banquet, and over at ILA 2015, I met the illustrator of the book, Christian Robinson. (I also heard Christian Robinson's beautiful acceptance speech at the Coretta Scott King Awards and saw him dance with author Patricia Hruby Powell. Robinson won a CSK Illustrator Honor Award for JOSEPHINE, the book he is signing below.) 

Christian Robinson signing my copy of his CSK Award winning book JOSEPHINE:
THE DAZZLING  LIFE OF JOSEPHINE BAKER (Chronicle, 2015).  

 When I called my bookstore on release day for this book, I found out they didn't have any copies!

I ordered my copy and waited. In between, I saw postings of this book and every time I did, it made me dream of my own copy even more! And my librarian heart hurt a little bit each time! 

Finally, nearly two weeks after its release, it arrived: 

Leo: A Ghost Story. By Mac Barnett. Illus. by Christian Robinson. Chronicle, 2015. 52 pages. $16.99. 

I have turned the pages over and over, reading for pictures, then the words, and thinking about this book and what its creators have accomplished.

My copies of Waiting and Leo: A Ghost Story are always by my side. 

I have connections to both of these books. Already, I have a history with them. Though they have not been in my possession long, they are already treasures --  as are each of the picture books in my personal collection. 

And it all began with the waiting!

(By the way, I am currently waiting for The Whisper (HMH Books, 2015) by Pamela Zagarenski.)