La Belle Sauvage by Philip Pullman. The Book of Dust Volume One. Unabridged recording on 11 compact discs. 13 hours, 8 minutes. Read by Michael Sheen. Random House/ Listening Library, October, 2017. 9780525522997. (Recording borrowed from public library, hard cover purchased.)
Teen Tuesday features La Belle Sauvage by Philip Pullman. This is book one in a series called, The Book of Dust and it is a prequel to Pullman's earlier trilogy, His Dark Materials. While it is not necessary to read the earlier trilogy to enjoy this prequel, Ms. Kahn recommends that you do. The worldbuilding in this alternate universe is vivid and spectacular. The story hits the ground running and the tension and suspense ratchets up and stays up leaving the reader breathless. La Belle Sauvage also features one of the most frightening villains in YA literature. While His Dark Materials can be read by most students at TMS, La Belle Sauvage is better for students in grades 7 & 8.
This is the story of Lyra Belacqua's early childhood; but the hero of the story is eleven-year-old Malcolm Polstead. He is the bright, observant and personable son of innkeepers. Though he goes to school and enjoys it, he sees an end to his education soon to most likely work with his parents at the inn, The Trout. He enjoys visiting the sisters who run the nearby priory and his curiosity is piqued by the newest resident, the infant, Lyra. He is totally enchanted by her bright-eyed cheerful manner and her daemon, Pantalaimon.
Malcolm is also intrigued by an artifact left behind by a patron, who later is found dead. He investigates and stumbles upon a spy network where he becomes an informant. The danger and suspense ratchet up pretty quickly. George Bonneville, one of the most terrifying villains I have come across in children's literature, abuses his hyena daemon. The idea of abusing one's own daemon is as shocking as it is painful. There is quite a bit of violence as well as a rape in this story, making it more suitable to a teen audience.
While I believe the book can be enjoyed by readers who haven't read His Dark Materials, I think the enjoyment of the prequel is heightened with knowing what its to come. To me, it's like watching the Star Wars episodes in a row starting at episode one. Fine, but not as originally written. But then, I still order my Chronicles of Narnia by the date written. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is always book one to me.
ETA: Oops! I just reread my "audiobook review" and realized that I didn't mention the performance at all. Michael Sheen turned in a phenomenal performance. I was so absorbed that I had to remind myself to breathe often. Somehow, he managed to be coherent and understandable even when the characters were incoherent with fear. Outstanding, not to be missed.
Can I Touch Your Hair? Poems of Race, Mistakes, and Friendship by Irene Latham & Charles Waters. 40 p. Carolrhoda Books/ Lerner Publishing Group, January 1, 2018. 9781512400425. (Review from finished copy won at AASL, courtesy of publisher)
Charles and Irene are classmates in Mrs. Vandenberg's classroom. They don't particularly like each other. Charles is chatty and fidgets. Irene is quiet. They find themselves stuck with each other as partners in a poetry project. Charles is actually looking forward to working on this project because, "Words fly off my pen
onto the paper, like writing is my superpower."
Charles suggests topics like shoes, hair and church. Irene writes about how she wished for an afro when she was younger; but her perm was a disaster. Charles writes about how he feels when kids try to touch his hair. They get to know each other through their shared poems but not without some mis-steps. Irene wishes that she would be invited to join a game of freeze tag the black girls are playing. Shonda confronts her with, "You've got the whole rest of the playground... Can't we at least have this corner?"
When Charles is rebuffed on the playground, he invites Irene to work on their project. Charles clearly has more to deal with than Irene, but they both take tentative steps towards friendship.
The poems are paired on each page - one by Charles and one by Irene. They read smoothly, are accessible and a good choice to share with children to start a conversation about race - a conversation that many adults feel uncomfortable having. Pair a reading of this with Julius Lester's Let's Talk about Race, and you have two texts to help guide discussion with almost any age group, including young adults. The mixed media illustrations enhance the text. Observant readers may pay close attention to the newsprint used in the collage work.
At AASL2017 in November, I attended a panel discussion entitled, Mirror, Mirror, Reaching All Readers, moderated by Carole Boston Weatherford. The panelists included Bill Konigsberg, Ellen Oh, Icy Smith and the two poets of this title. The authors read from their most recent work and went on to answer a series of fascinating questions posed by the moderator. I was so impressed by the discussion of Can I Touch Your Hair?, I made a note to myself to order it. Near the end of session, Waters announced that Lerner had provided several copies of Can I Touch Your Hair? to the attendees who could answer some poetry trivia questions. I was able to answer, "Who is the Children's Poet Laureate of the United States?" I won for knowing it is Margarita Engle! I beelined to the front of the room at the end to get the book autographed. I can't wait to share this with my colleagues and students.
Dress Codes for Small Towns by Courtney Stevens. 340 p. HarperTeen/ HarperCollins Publishers, August, 2017. 9780062398512. (Review from finished copy courtesy of publisher (AASL17).
Our Teen Tuesday book is Dress Codes for Small Towns by Courtney Stevens and features a winning narrator with a circle of friends she calls the hexagon. Elizabeth McCaffrey prefers to be called Billie. She's a creative, free spirit who definitely does not fit the preacher kid mode in her small Kentucky town. Still, she loves her small town and her religion and, unlike her best friend, Janie Lee, who is counting the days until she can legally flee, Billie wants to stay. But she wants to be her true self and wishes her father and the townsfolk would understand and accept her. At turns hilarious and poignant, Dress Codes for Small Towns is an engaging story of identity.
January (48)
1. Making Friends with Billy Wong by Augusta Scattergood (1/1)
2. Esquivel! Space-Age Sound Artist by Susan Wood. (1/1)
3. Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot vs. the Unpleasant Penguins from Pluto by Dav Pilkey (1/2)
4. Lucky Broken Girl by Ruth Behar (1/2)
5. I'll Wait Mr. Panda by Steve Antony (1/2)
6. Fly Guy Presents: Snakes by Tedd Arnold (1/3)
7. Bad Kitty Does Not Like Snow by Nick Bruel (1/4)
8. Octopus Escapes Again! by Laurie Ellen Angus (1/4)
9. Best Frints in the Whole Universe by Antoinette Portis (1/5)
10. Warren the 13th and the All-seeing Eye by Tania del Rio (1/5)
11. The Science Fair is Freaky by Jack Chabert (1/7)
12. Three Pennies by Melanie Crowder (1/8) (SLJ review)
13. The Midnight Star by Marie Lu (1/8)
14. Dog Man by Dav Pilkey (1/8)
15. Fannie Never Flinched by Mary Cronk Farrell (1/8)*
16. Wolf in the Snow by Matt Cordell (1/9)*
17. Seven and a half tons of steel by Janet Nolan (1/10)*
18. Safe in a Storm by Steven R. Swinburne (1/11)
19. Where did all the Dinos Go? by Jim Benton (1/11)
20. Super Rawr! by Todd H. Doodler (1/11)
21. Gary's Garden by Gary Northfield (1/11)
22. When It Snows by Richard Collingridge (1/11)
23. Under Earth, Under Water (1/13)
24. A Tragic Kind of Wonderful by Eric Lindstrom (1/14)
25. Will's Words by Jane Sutcliffe (1/15)
26. Now You See Them, Now You Don't by David L. Harrison (1/15)
27. Penguins Love Color by Sarah Aspinall (1/15)
28. Hungry Bird by Jeremy Tankard (1/15)
29. Doing Her Bit: a story about the Woman's Land Army of America by Erin Hagar (1/15)
30. Kai to the Rescue! by Audrey Penn (1/15)
31. Groovy Joe: Ice Cream and Dinosaurs by Eric Litwin (1/15)
32. Rise of the Wolf by Jennifer A. Nielsen (1/16)
33. Are Pirates Polite by Corinne Demas & Artemis Roehrig (1/16)
34. Pirasaurs by Josh Funk (1/ 16)
35. Little Dee and the Penguins (1/17)
36. King Baby by Kate Beaton (1/19)
37. The Wizard's Dog by Eric Kahn Gale (1/21)
38. Mother Bruce by Ryan T. Higgins (1/24)
39. Hotel Bruce by Ryan T. Higgins (1/24) (reread)
40. Be Quiet! by Ryan T. Higgins (1/24)
41. 7 Ate 9: the untold story by Tara Lazar (1/25)
42. Heart to Heart by Lois Ehlert (1/25)
43. The Possible by Tara Altebrando (1/28)
44. Sea Otter Heroes by Patricia Newman (1/29)
45. The King of Kazoo by Norm Feuti (1/29)
46. Claymates by Dev Petty (1/30)
47. When the Sea Turned to Silver by Grace Lin (1/30)*
48. A Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires (1/31)
February (35)
49. Ghost by Jason Reynolds (2/2)
50. Leave Me Alone! by Vera Brosgol (2/2)
51. Happy Dreamer by Peter H. Reynolds (2/3)
52. Duck, Duck, Porcupine! by Salina Yoon (2/3)*
53. XO, OX: a love story by Adam Rex (2/3)
54. As Brave as You by Jason Reynolds (2/5)*
55. 14 Cows for America by Carmen Agra Deedy (2/6)*
56. Chengdu Can Do by Barry Saltzburg (2/6)
57. Chengdu Could Not Would Not Fall Asleep by Barry Saltzburg (2/7)
58. BunnyBear by Andrea J. Loney (2/7)
59. Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo (2/7)*
60. Dream by Matthew Cordell (2/10)
61. Spunky Little Monkey by Bill Martin Jr. and Michael Sampson (2/10)
62. Mighty Moby by Barbara Dacosta (2/11)
63. Henry and the Chalk Dragon by Jennifer Trafton (2/12)
64. Rivers of Sunlight: how the sun moves water around the Earth by Molly Bang & Penny Chisholm (2/12)*
65. Rudas: Niño's Horrendous Hermanitas by Yuyi Morales (2/14)
66. What's the Scoop on Animal Poop? by Dawn Cusick (2/14)
67. Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems (2/15)
68. Knuffle Bunny Too by Mo Willems (2/15)
69. Knuffle Bunny Free by Mo Willems (2/15)
70. Be the Change: a Grandfather Gandhi story by Arun Gandhi and Bethany Hegedus (2/16)*
71. Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard (2/18)
72. P.S. I Like You by Kasie West (2/19)
73. When Friendship Followed Me Home by Paul Griffin (2/19)
74. Clayton Byrd Goes Underground by Rita Williams-Garcia (2/21)(SLJ review)
75. How to Avoid Extinction by Paul Acampora (2/22)
76. The Secrets to Ruling the School: Class Election by Neil Swaab (2/23)
77. The Boy in the Black Suit by Jason Reynolds (2/24)
78. The Poet's Dog by Patricia McLachlan (2/25)
79. The Rooster Who Would Not Be Quiet! by Carmen Agra Deedy (2/26)*
80. Grandfather Gandhi by Arun Gandhi and Bethany Hegedus (2/26)
81. The Someday Birds by Sally J. Pla (2/27)*
82. Dolphin Rescue by Catherine Nichols (2/27)
83. Rolling Thunder by Kate Messner (2/28)
March (37)
84. The Lorax by Dr. Seuss (3/1)
85. Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories by Dr. Seuss (3/1)
86. Penguin Day: a family story by Nic Bishop (3/1)*
87. Du Iz Tak? by Carson Ellis (3/1)
88. Life on Mars by Jon Agee (3/1)
89. The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill (3/1)*
90. Wacky Wednesday by Dr. Seuss (3/2)
91. Hello, Mr. Dodo by Nicholas John Frith (3/3)
92. Short by Holly Goldberg Sloan (3/4)
93. Dog Man Unleashed by Dav Pilkey (3/5)
94. I am (Not) Scared by Anna Kang (3/6)
95. The Passion of Dolssa by Julie Berry (3/6)*
96. You are (Not) Small by Anna Kang (3/7)
97. That's (Not) Mine by Anna Kang (3/7)
98. This & That by Mem Fox (3/8)
99. Are We Still Friends by Ruth Horowitz (3/8)
100. How do Dinosaurs Choose Their Pets? by Jane Yolen (3/9)
101. Clifford's Good Deeds by Norman Bridwell (3/10)
102. Farm Friends Escape! by Gail Herman (3/10)
103. The Bad Guys by Aaron Blabey (3/13)*
104. Press Start! #1: Game Over, Super Rabbit Boy! by Thomas Flintham (3/13)
105. The Haters by Jesse Andrews (3/14)
106. The Great American Whatever by Tim Federle (3/14)*
107. The Warden's Daughter by Jerry Spinelli (3/15)
108. Bunny vs. Monkey Book Two by Jamie Smart (3/16)
109. Rain by Sam Usher (3/17)
110. A Greyhound, A Ground Hog by Emily Jenkins (3/18)
111. Triangle by Mac Barnett (3/18)
112. Fish Girl by David Wiesner and Donna Jo Napoli (3/19)*
113. The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge (3/21)*
114. The Hidden Life of a Toad by Doug Wechsler (3/22)
115. The Bad Guys in Mission Unpluckable by Aaron Blabey (3/22)
116. I will Love You by Alyssa Satin Capucilli (3/24)
117. Old Turtle Questions of the Heart by Douglas Wood (3/24)
118. Bunny vs. Monkey #2 by Jamie Smart (3/25)
119. How Rude! 10 real bugs who won't mind their manners by Heather L. Montgomery (3/27)
120. Far, Far Away by Tom McNeal (3/30)*
April (25)
121. The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf (4/5)*
122. Felix Yz by Lisa Bunker (4/7)
123. The Land of Stories: the enchantress returns by Chris Colfer (4/8)
124. My First Book of Soccer by SI Kids (4/9)
125. This is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith (4/10)
126. Maybe a Fox by Kathi Appelt and Alison McGhee (4/10)* (audio reread)
127. Brave by Stacey McAnulty (4/11)
128. Yvain: the knight of the lion by M.T. Anderson (4/14)*
129. Pig and Goose and the First Day of Spring by Rebecca Bond (4/14)
130. The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora by Pablo Cartaya (4/16)
131. I am Not a Number by Jenny Kay Dupuis and Kathy Kacer (4/18)
132. Wires and Nerves by Marissa Meyer (4/18)
133. Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor (4/18)**
134. Pig the Pug by Aaron Blabey (4/19)
135. Yellow by Megan Jacobson (4/20)*
136. Josh Baxter Levels Up by Gavin Brown (4/21)
137. Princess Cora and the Crocodile by Laura Amy Schlitz (4/23)*
138. Big Book of Animals: A Lego Adventure in the Real World (4/24)
139. More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera (4/24)
140. Ollie's Odyssey by William Joyce (4/26)
141. And the Dish Ran Away with the Spoon by Janet Stevens (4/28)*
142. Six Dots: a story of young Louis Braille by Jen Bryant (4/28)
143. The Night She Disappeared by April Henry (4/28)
144. Into the Grey by Celine Kiernan (4/29)*
145. The Ultimate Guide to Gardening by Lisa Amstutz (4/30)
May (26)
146. Malala: activist for girls' education by Raphaële Frier (5/1)*
147. The Search for Olinguito: discovering a new species by Sandra Markle (5/2)*
148. Pirate's Perfect Pet by Beth Ferry (5/3)*
149. The Great Fuzz Frenzy by Jane Stevens and Susan Stevens Crummel (5/3)*
150. Hey, Boy by Benjamin Strouse (5/4)
151. Blip by Barnaby Richards (5/4)
152. Goldfish Ghost by Lemony Snicket (5/4)
153. The Bear Who Wasn't There by LeUyen Pham (5/4)*
154. We're All Wonders by R. J. Palacio (5/5)
155. The Polar Bear by Jenni Desmond (5/5)
156. Shine by Patrick McDonnell (5/5)
157. How to Build a Museum by Tonya Bolden (5/5)*
158. Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth (5/6)
159. Pride: celebrating diversity and community by Robin Stevenson (5/9)
160. The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman (5/9)
161. The Watch That Ends the Night by Allan Wolf (5/14)
162. Lost in the Sun by Lisa Graff (5/16)
163. Moto and Me: my year as a wildcat's foster mom by Suzi Eszterhas (5/17)*
164. The Hawk of the Castle: a story of Medieval falconry by Danna Smith (5/17)*
165. Like a Bird: the art of the American slave song by Cynthia Grady (5/18)
166. Five, Six, Seven, Nate! by Tim Federle (5/21)*
167. How Lunchbox Jones Saved Me from Robots, Traitors and Missy the Cruel by Jennifer Brown (5/26)*
168. Where You'll Find Me by Natasha Friend (5/27)
169. The Inquisitor's Tale by Adam Gidwitz (5/28)
170. A Different Pond by Bao Phi (5/29)
171. Wrath of the Storm by Jennifer A. Nielsen (5/29)
June (24)
172. Snappsy the Alligator and his Best Friend Forever by Julie Falatko (6/2)
173. Before She was Harriet by Lesa Cline-Ransome (6/2)
174. The Nutcracker in Harlem by T.E. McMorrow (6/2)
175. Sea Otter Rescue by Suzi Eszterhas (6/2)
176. Welcome: a Mo Willems Guide for New Arrivals (6/2)
177. The Impossible Fortress by Jason Rekulak (6/3)
178. Their Great Gift by John Coy (6/5)
179. The Tragic Tale of the Great Auk by Jan Thornhill (6/5)*
180. Pink is for Blobfish by Jess Keating (6/5)
181. Hopping Ahead of Climate Change: snowshoe hares, science and survival by Sneed Collard (6/6)
182. Stepping Stones: a refugee family's story by Margriet Ruurs (6/7)*
183. King of the Bench: Control Freak by Steve Moore (6/8)
184. Captain Underpants and the Sensational Saga of Sir Stinks-a-Lot by Dav Pilkey (6/9)*
185. The Playbook: 52 rules to aim, shoot, and score in this game called life by Kwame Alexander (6/10)
186. Serafina and the Twisted Staff by Robert Beatty (6/10)
187. When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandyha Menon (6/10)
188. In the Shadow of Liberty: the hidden history of slavery, four presidents and five black lives by Kenneth C. Davis (6/11)
189. Be the One by Byron Pitts (6/12)
190. Dog Man Unleashed by Dav Pilkey (6/14)* (reread aloud with students)
191. Demon Dentist by David Walliams (6/15)
192. Pathfinder by Angie Sage (6/19)*
193. Super Diaper Baby Two: the invasion of the potty snatchers by Dav Pilkey (6/21)
Summer Reading
194. The War I Finally Won by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley (6/26) (SLJ review)(1)
195. The Gathering (Shadow House #1) by Dan Poblocki (6/28)(2)
196. Orangutan Orphanage by Suzi Eszterhaus (6/29)(3)
July (43)
197. Welcome to Camp Woggle (Oodlethunks #3) by Adele Griffin (7/1)(4)
198. You Don't Have to Say You Love Me by Sherman Alexie (7/1)(5)
199. Babymouse: Tales from the Locker: Lights, Camera, Middle School! by Jennifer L. Holm and Matt Holm (7/2)(6)
200. All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook by Leslie Connor (7/3)(7)
201. The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner (7/4)*(8)
202. Swing It, Sunny by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm (7/5)(9)
203. Melvin the Mouth: Young Mel Blanc...before he was the Man of 1000 Voices by Katherine Blanc (7/6) (SLJ review)(10)
204. See You in the Cosmos by Jack Cheng (7/7)(11)
205. All's Faire in Middle School by Victoria Jamieson (7/8)*(12)
206. Voyager's Greatest Hits: the epic trek to interstellar space by Alexandra Siy (7/9)*(13)
207. Strong as Sandow: how Eugen Sandow became the Strongest Man on Earth by Don Tate (7/10)(14)
208. Matylda Bright and Tender by Holly McGhee (7/10)*(15)
209. The Wild Robot Escapes by Peter Brown (7/11)*(16)
210. The Secret Project by Jonah Winter and Jeanette Winter (7/11)(17)
211. Not Quite Narwal by Jessie Sima (7/11)(18)
212. Life by Cynthia Rylant (7/11)(19)
213. Pocket Full of Colors: the magical world of Mary Blair, Disney artist extraordinaire by Amy Guglielmo and Jacqueline Tourville (7/11)(20)
214. The World is Not a Rectangle: a portrait of architect Zaha Hadid (7/11)(21)
215. Creepy Pair of Underwear! by Aaron Reynolds (7/11)(22)
216. Cleopatra in Space #3: Secret of the Time Tablets by Mike Maihack (7/12)(23)
217. Ball Don't Lie by Matt de la Peña (7/12)(24)
218. Why am I Me? by Paige Britt (7/14)*(25)
219. Olivia the Spy by Ian Falconer (7/14)(26)
220. Bizzy Mizz Lizzie by David Shannon (7/14)(27)
221. The World is not a Rectangle: a portrait of architect Zaha Hadid by Jeanette Winter (7/14)(28)
222. The Incredible Magic of Being by Kathryn Erskine (7/15)(29)
223. The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas (7/16)*(30)
224. Beyond the Bright Sea by Lauren Wolk (7/16)*(31)
225. ¡Olinguito, de la A a la Z! Olinguito, from A to Z! Unveiling the Cloud Forest by Lulu Deacre (7/18) (32)
226. Lemons by Melissa Savage (7/19)(33)
227. Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli (7/20)*(34)
228. The Secret Sheriff of Sixth Grade by Jordan Sonnenblick (7/21)*(35)
229. The Call by Paedar O'Guillin (7/23)(36)
230. Hockey Then to Wow! by SI Kids (7/23)(37)
231. Side Tracked by Diana Harmon Asher (7/24)*(38)
232. Dream On, Amber by Emma Shevah (7/25)*(39)
233. Landscape with Invisible Hand by M.T. Anderson (7/26)*(40)
234. Koala Hospital by Suzi Eszterhas (7/27)(41)
235. The Names Project by Larry Dane Brimner (7/27)(42)
236. Awkward by Svetlana Chmakova (7/28)(43)
237. Dreidels on the Brain by Joel Ben Izzy (7/29)*(44)
238. Bugs by Animal Planet (7/30)(45)
239. Things That Surprise You by Jennifer Maschari (7/31)(46)
August (45)
240. Shadow Scale by Rachel Hartman (8/1)(47)
241. Ashes to Asheville by Sarah Dooley (8/1)(48)
242. Dara Palmer's Major Drama by Emma Shevah (8/2)(49)
243. Time for Kids Presidents of the United States (8/3)(50)
244. Animal Planet: Strange, Unusual, Gross & Cool Animals (8/3)(51)
245. The Big Dark by Rodman Philbrick (8/4)(52)
246. Greenglass House by Kate Milford (8/5)(53)
247. Maya Lin: Artist-Architect of Light and Lines by Jeanne Walker Harvey (8/6)(54)
248. Shark Lady: the true story of how Eugenie Clark became the ocean's most fearless scientist by Jess Keating (8/6)*(55)
249. Abraham by Frank Keating (8/6)(56)
250. Brave by Svetlana Chmakova (8/7)*(57)
251. The Adventures of Henry Whiskers by Gigi Priebe (8/7)(58)
252. Hey Black Child by Useni Eugene Perkins (8/8)*(59)
253. The Long Way Home by Gigi Priebe (8/8)(60)
254. Sting: a Loot Novel by Jude Watson (8/8)(61)
255. Beastly Bones (Jakaby #2) by William Ritter (8/10)*(62)
256. National Geographic Kids National Parks Guide (8/11)(63)
257. Garbage Night by Jen Lee (8/11)(64)
258. The Red Bandanna by Tom Rinaldi (8/12)(65)
259. Ghostly Echoes (Jakaby #3) by William Ritter (8/13)(66)
260. Honestly Ben by Bill Konigsberg (8/14)(67)
261. Beauty and the Beak: how science, technology, and a 3D-printed beak rescued a Bald Eagle by Deborah Lee Rose and Jane Veltkamp (8/16)*(68)
262. P.S., I Still Love You by Jenny Han (8/16)(69)
263. How Could We Harness a Hurricane by Vicki Cobb (8/18)(70)
264. Bull by David Elliott (8/19)(71)
265. The Dog Ray by Linda Coggin (8/19)(72)
266. Billy Bloo is Stuck in Goo by Jennifer Hamburg (8/19)(73)
267. Invisible Emmie by Terri Libenson (8/20)(74)
268. Grand Canyon by Jason Chin (8/20)*(75)
269. The Beatles: All Our Yesterdays by Jason Quinn (8/21)(76)
270. Martin Rising: requiem for a King by Andrea Davis Pinkney & Brian Pinkney (8/22)*(77)
271. Birds vs. Blades? Offshore wind power and the race to protect seabirds by Rebecca E. Hirsch (8/22)*(78)
272. Tumble and Blue by Cassie Beasley (8/22)*(79)
273. This is Really Happening by Erin Chack (8/23)(80)
274. Between Two Skies by Joanne O'Sullivan (8/24)*(81)
275. Chasing Secrets by Gennifer Choldenko (audio reread)(8/24)*(82)
276. Animal Planet: Animal Bites: Baby Animals (8/25)(83)
277. Animal Planet: Animal Bites: Animals on the Move (8/25)(84)
278. Tank Man: how a photograph defined China's protest movement by Michael Burgan (7/26)(85)
279. The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett by Chelsea Sedoti (8/26)(86)
280. Gone by Michael Grant (8/30)*(87)
281. Karl, Get Out of the Garden: Carolus Linnaeus and the naming of everything by Anita Sanchez (8/31)*(88)
282. The Sound of Silence by Katrina Goldsaito (8/31)*(89)
283. Pug & Pig Trick-or-Treat by Sue Lowell Gallion (8/31)(90)*
284. Zoo Scientists to the Rescue by Patricia Newman (8/31)(91)*
September (30)
285. Frederick Douglass: the lion who wrote history by Walter Dean Myers (9/1)(92)*
286. Strange Fruit: Billie Holiday and the power of a protest song by Gary Golio (9/1)(93)*
287. Trudy's Big Swim: how Gerturde Ederle swam the English Channel and took the world by storm by Sue Macy (9/1)(94)*
288. Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han (9/2)(95)
289. Streetcar to Justice: how Elizabeth Jennings won the right to ride in New York by Amy Hill Hearth (9/3)(96)
290. Thornhill by Pam Smy (9/3)(97)
291. Once We Were Sisters by Sheila Kohler (9/4)(98)
292. The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora by Pablo Cartaya (9/4)(99)(Audio reread)*
293. Swear to Howdy by Wendelin Van Draanan (9/4)(100)
294. Fire Birds: valuing natural wildfires and burned forests by Sneed B. Collard III (9/6)*
295. Snakes! by James Buckley, Jr. (9/7)
296. Good Dog! by Nicola Jane Swinney (9/8)
297. All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely (9/9)*
298. Jumping the Scratch by Sarah Weeks (9/10)
299. The Adventurers Guild by Zack Loren Clark and Nick Eliopulos (9/11)*
300. Angus and Sadie by Cynthia Voigt (9/12)
301. A Time to Act: John F. Kennedy's Big speech by Shana Corey (9/13)
302. A Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds (9/13)*
303. The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors by Adam Rex (9/14)
304. Our Food by Grace Lin and Ranida T. McKneally (9/14)
305. The Many Worlds of Albie Bright by Christopher Edge (9/16)
306. Restart by Gordon Korman (9/17)
307. Ban This Book by Alan Gratz (9/18)
308. Balderdash! John Newbery and the boisterous birth of children's books by Michelle Markel (9/18)
309. Motor Girls: how women took the wheel and drove boldly into the twentieth century by Sue Macy (9/19)
310. Bear and Chicken by Jannie Ho (9/20)
311. Hook's Tale: being the account of an unjustly villainized pirate written by himself (9/20)*
312. Listen: how Pete Seeger got America singing by Leda Schubert (9/24)
313. The Reader by Traci Chee (9/24)
314. The One Memory of Flora Banks by Emily Carr (9/30)
October (18)
315. This is a Good Story by Adam Lehrhaupt (10/1)
316. Mighty Jack and the Goblin King by Ben Hatke (10/3)*
317. We Now Return to Regular Life by Martin Wilson (10/5)
318. Life on Surtsey by Loree Griffin Burns (10/6)*(SLJ)
319. Hidden Human Computers: the black women of NASA by Sue Bradford Edwards and Duchess Harris (10/10)
320. i hate everyone but you by Gaby Dunn & Allison Raskin (10/15)
321. Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick (10/15)
322. Wonderstruck the Movie by Brian Selznick (10/17)
323. Refugee by Alan Gratz (10/17)*
324. Orphan Island by Laurel Snyder (10/21)
325. Tash Hearts Tolstoy by Kathryn Ormsbee (10/22)*
326. Life is Like a Musical by Tim Federle (10/22)*
327. Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes (10/25)*
328. Polly and Her Duck Costume: the true story of a little blind rescue goat by Leanne Lauricella (10/27)
329. I am Peace by Susan Verde (10/27)*
330. What Happened by Hillary Rodham Clinton (10/28)
331. The Three Billy Goats Gruff by Jerry Pinkney (10/28)*
332. Night of Cake and Puppets by Laini Taylor (10/29)
November
333. After the Fall: how Humpty Dumpty got back up again by Dan Santat (11/1)*
334. Pig the Winner by Aaron Blabey (11/2)
335. Red & Lulu by Matt Tavares (11/3)*
336. Girl Running: Bobbi Gibb and the Boston Marathon by Annette Bay Pimentel (11/3)
337. Love by Matt de la Peña (11/3)
338. Turtles All the Way Down by John Green (11/4)
339. Projekt 1065 by Alan Gratz (11/4)
340. Plankton is Pushy by Jonathan Fenske (11/6)*
341. Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman (11/6)*
342. The One Day House by Julia Durango (11/7)
343. Jack B. Ninja by Tim McCanna (11/8)
344. Thelma the Unicorn by Aaron Blabey (11/8)*
345. Every Shiny Thing by Cordelia Jensen and Laurie Morrison (11/12)(SLJ)
346. The Goldfish Boy by Lisa Thompson (11/12)*
347. Traveling the Blue Road: poems of the sea edited by Lee Bennett Hopkins (11/16)*
348. Once and for All by Sarah Dessen (11/18)
349. Wishtree by Katherine Applegate (11/19)
350. The Silver Mask by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare (11/20)
351. Graceful by Wendy Mass (11/20)
352. Step Right Up: How Doc and Jim Key taught the world about kindness by Donna Janell Bowman (11/21)*
353. The Little Red Cat Who Ran Away and Learned His Lesson the Hard Way by Patrick McDonnell (11/22)*
354. Writing Radar by Jack Gantos (11/23)
355. Slider by Pete Hautman (11/25)
356. Pick a Pine Tree by Patricia Toht (11/27)
357. The Getaway (Diary of a Wimpy Kid #12) by Jeff Kinney (11/27)
358. The Quilts of Gee's Bend by Susan Goldman Rubin (11/28)*
359. Baby Monkey, Private Eye by Brian Selznick and David Serlin(11/29)
360. Nina: Jazz Legend and Civil-Rights Activist Nina Simone by Alice Briere-Haquet (11/30)
361. Around the World in a Bathtub by Wade Bradford (11/30)
December
362. Can I Touch Your Hair? Poems of Race, Mistakes and Friendship by Irene Latham and Charles Waters (12/1)*
363. Between the Lines by Nikki Grimes (12/2)
364. Beach Party Surf Monkey by Chris Grabenstein (12/2)
365. The Empty Grave by Jonathan Stroud (12/2)*
366. The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzie Lee (12/3)*
367. Crown: ode to a fresh cut by Derrick Barnes (12/5)*
368. The Serpent's Secret by Sayantani DasGupta (12/7)*
369. Snow by Sam Usher (12/8)
370. Promise Me, Dad by Joe Biden (12/10)
371. The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl by Stacy McAnulty (12/11)(SLJ review)*
372. Real Friends by Shannon Hale (12/14)*
373. Poop Detectives by Ginger Wadsworth (12/15)*
374. Her Right Foot by Dave Eggers (12/15)*
375. Uncommon Type: some stories by Tom Hanks (12/16)
376. King's Cage by Victoria Aveyard (12/17)
377. Big Machines: the story of Virginia Lee Burton by Sherri Duskey Rinker (12/27)*
378. How to Say I Love You in Five Languages by Kenard Pak
379. The Girl Who Ran: Bobbi Gibb, the first woman to run the Boston Marathon by Frances Polietti & Kristina Yee (12/27)
380. Ruth Bader Ginsburg: the case of R.B.G vs. inequality by Jonah Winter (12/27)
381. Dangerous Jane by Suzanne Slade (12/27)
382. The Book of Dust: Vol. 1: La Belle Sauvage by Philip Pullman (12/28)*
383. Serafina and the Splintered Heart by Robert Beatty (12/29)
384. Dress Codes for Small Towns by Courtney Stevens (12/30)
385. The Good for Nothing Button! by Cherise Mericle Harper (12/31)
386. Silent Days, Silent Dreams by Allen Say (12/31)*
387. Mama Lion Wins the Race by Jon J. Muth (12/31)
388. Robinson by Peter Sís (12/31)*
389. Martina & Chrissie by Phil Bildner (12/31)
390. Blue Sky White Stars by Savinder Naberhaus (12/31)*
Her Right Foot by Dave Eggers. Illustrated by Shawn Harris. 104 p. Chronicle Books, LLC, September, 2017. 9781452162812. (Review from purchased copy.)
This went on the morning announcements: Our Fact Friday feature is a great example of why one is never too old for picture books. In Her Right Foot, author Dave Eggers breaks the fourth wall to address the reader. He relates plenty of fascinating facts from its conception to its building, unbuilding and rebuilding. He also challenges the reader to contemplate the relevance of her symbolism in these contentious times. You think you know all there is to know about the Statue of Liberty. Read this book to find out.
Review: The very best teachers are great storytellers. This is especially true for social studies teachers. Dave Eggers would be a great social studies teacher because he tells a terrific story - factual, fascinating and fun. I hate to admit this, but my knowledge of the Statue of Liberty is cursory at best. I accompanied the eighth grade on two trips to visit the statue. One trip, the day was blustery and rainy so we basically got off the ferry and walked to the plaza to view the statue before catching the next ferry out. The next time, the weather was gorgeous and we walked the circumference of the island to view the statue from all angles. That was a few years ago. I can't say that I noticed her right foot.
The social studies teacher takes his students to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty as part of his immigration unit. I'm sure he does a great job of prepping the kids. The LA teachers even get involved by reading Hope and Tears: Ellis Island voices by Gwenyth Swain. Her Right Foot would be a perfect addition to both classes.
As I mentioned in the morning announcement, Eggers breaks the fourth wall to address the reader. Some find this meta-fiction annoying. If used sparingly, I don't. I find it effective and engaging. The use of white space is interesting too, as it focuses the reader whatever the age. Shawn Harris must have been a very busy man as there are tons of illustrations here. The energetic and pleasing cut-paper and ink illustrations feature a variety of perspectives and a diverse cast of characters.
Backmatter includes photographs, of the statue and her right foot as well as the plaque that contains Emma Lazarus' poem, The New Colossus. There's a long list of suggestions for further reading and six sources.
Her Right Foot belongs in every school and public library collection.
