Middle Grade Monday: Shark Teeth by Sherri Winston

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Shark Teeth by Sherri Winston. 304 p. Bloomsbury, January 16, 2024. Review of finished purchased copy.

Middle Grade Monday features Shark Teeth by Sherri Winston. Seventh-grader Sharkita, "Kita" Lloyd is reliable, dependable and devoted to her two younger siblings. Her eight-year-old brother, Lamar has special needs due to having fetal alcohol syndrome and her five-year-old sister, Lilli is spirited and curious. Even though her mother seems to be doing fine, it is Kita who gets her siblings ready for school, who makes sure there's food in the house and that the bills are paid on time. Kita never wants to be separated by the foster care system from her brother and sister again. Kita's mom even gives her permission to join the twirl team and Kita begins to feel like a normal seventh grader. But then, her mom begins to party again.

This emotionally intense, character-driven novel authentically depicts the experience of a child who assumes the role of parent and can't or won't reach out. It received many starred reviews, was named a Kirkus Prize Finalist and a Schneider Family Book Honor for Middle Grade Fiction. 

#tbt: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's/ Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

Image: Bloomsbury

Image: Scholastic Inc. 

Happy Thursday! It was twenty-five years ago this month when a debut novel featuring the boy who lived was published in England. It was called Harry Potter and the Philospher's Stone. Shortly after its UK debut, Scholastic renamed the book Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and readers in the US fell in love with Harry, Hogwarts and the wizarding world. Six books followed yearly with increasing enthusiasm. Book stores opened at midnight and hosted parties. Fans eagerly lined up and waited. Publishers finally became convinced that children could and would read long books. Movie adaptations soon followed. Theme parks were developed, and J.K. Rowling became the richest woman in England.

I own the UK edition of the first three books because they were released in the UK before the US, but by book four, they were published simultaneously on both sides of the pond. Book three, HP and the Prisoner of Azkaban is probably my favorite. I will admit to becoming "Pottered out" when book four arrived. It took me a year to finally pick it up.

All three of my boys were fans. There was a hierarchy of reading and strict rules about spoilers in my house. The oldest was the fastest reader, so he got them first and finished even the longest ones in five or six hours. Then the next eldest got his chance, followed by the youngest.

What are your favorite Harry Potter books? Who's your favorite character? I've linked both the UK & US covers. Happy reading!

Fact Friday: What Breathes Through Its Butt? Mind-Blowing Science Questions Answered by Emily Grossman

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What Breathes Through Its Butt? Mind-Blowing Science Questions Answered by Emily Grossman. Illustrated by Alice Bowsher. 224 p. Bloomsbury, November, 2020. 9781547604524. (Review of finished copy borrowed from public library.)

Happy Friday! We made it through another week. It felt like a long one to me, especially when I thought yesterday was Friday. I hope everyone has wonderful plans for the weekend. I hope to plug in an audiobook and get in the garden!

Before I introduce the Fact Friday feature, I'd like to just say the science is amazing! There's just so much to read and learn in the sciences. There's really something for everyone from nature and animals to technology and invention. Still not sold that science is cool? Read on. 

Fact Friday features What Breathes Through Its Butt? Mind Blowing Science Questions Answered by Emily Grossman and illustrated by Alice Bowsher. Don't know the answer to that one? Check out this energetically informative scientific stream of consciousness. Each question comes with multiple choice answers and rather hilarious, rambling answers accompanied by bold black and white illustrations. The questions about poop and farts are the bait. Who can resist? But then, there are questions and answers to other questions you didn't know you wanted to know about. How many bones are in a giraffe's neck? How much does the Internet weigh? What animal has the strongest bite?

This book is for science geeks and science skeptics alike. I'm so looking forward to adding this to my library's collection. One question that wasn't answered in this book was one my youngest son asked when he was in fourth grade twenty years ago: How many dimensions does a sunbeam have? His science teacher at the time couldn't answer it. 

Fact Friday: Legacy: Women Poets of the Harlem Renaissance by Nikki Grimes

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Legacy: Women Poets of the Harlem Renaissance by Nikki Grimes. Illustrated by many. Bloomsbury Children's Books, January, 2021. 9781681199443. (Review of finished copy borrowed from public library.)

Happy Friday! We made it! Spring break is upon us! I am so ready for this break. I have no plans except to read, work in my garden and be active every day.

Fact Friday features Legacy: Women Poets of the Harlem Renaissance by Nikki Grimes. Ms. Grimes pays homage to the under-appreciated female poets of the Harlem Renaissance through the"Golden Shovel" poetic method. This means she took a line or two from original poems by groundbreaking Black women, largely ignored, to create her own poems. Each spread features the original poem with the line(s) chosen bolded, followed by Ms. Grimes' new poem along with a brilliant illustration created by a Black female artist.

Ms. Grimes teaches readers a bit about the Harlem Renaissance and the "Golden Shovel" method as a preface to her collection. Back matter consists of poet biographies as well as artist biographies, sources, permissions and an index making this a terrific resource for aspiring poets and students of cultural history.

This is first-purchase! No poetry collection would be complete without this book. I plan on purchasing it for my own library as well as my school's. It's a book I know I will revisit often. 

Fact Friday: One Person, No Vote: how not all voters are treated equally by Carol Anderson with Tonya Bolden

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One Person, No Vote: how not all voters are treated equally by Carol Anderson with Tonya Bolden. 276 p. September, 2019. 9781547601078. (Review of arc courtesy of publisher.)

Fact Friday features One Person, No Vote: how not all voters are treated equally by Carol Anderson and Tonya Bolden. The one hundredth anniversary of the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment was August 18. The Nineteenth Amendment gave women in the U.S. the right to vote in 1920. Fifty years earlier, Black men were given the right to vote with the Fifteenth Amendment. However, Black men were systematically disenfranchised, meaning denied the right to vote, by illegal poll tests, poll taxes and the threat of violence. You might think that is a thing of the past, but in the 2016 election, millions of mostly Black Americans were purged from the voter rolls according to this eye-opening book that was written originally for an adult audience and adapted for teens by Tonya Bolden. 

I work in a middle school. Why should seventh and eighth graders care about voting? In a scant five or six years they will be eligible to vote and should exercise their right by becoming an informed electorate. This includes understanding history and why this nationwide reversal of voting rights protections is deeply disturbing. 

In a conversational tone and accessible language, the authors walk the reader through history to the present day efforts to disenfranchise voters. Prepare to be upset through much of this. Then prepare to advocate. This book belongs in every library and social studies classroom.

Fact Friday and E-Arc Review: The Cat I Never Named: a true story of love, war and survival by Amra Sabic-El-Rayess.

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The Cat I Never Named: a true story of love, war and survival by Amra Sabic-El-Rayess. 352 p. BloomsburyYA/ Bloomsbury, September 8, 2020. 9781547604555. (Review of e-arc courtesy of publisher.)

Fact Friday features an astounding memoir, The Cat I Never Named: a true story of love, war and survival by Amra Sabic-El-Rayess. The author was sixteen-years-old when war broke out in Bosnia in 1992. She lived in the multicultural city of Bihac but tension between the various ethnic groups was always high. She and her family were non-practicing Muslims and faced racial abuse every day. One night, all the Serbs in the city left and the Muslims that remained learned the city was surrounded by the Serbian Army. The author was a top student at a math and science high school with dreams of attending university. Her education was derailed and survival became her goal. 

The immediacy of Dr. Sabic-El-Rayess' writing make this memoir a gripping read. I read this arc electronically (something I detest doing.) and could not tear my eyes away. I needed to read through tears more than once and often needed to remind myself to breathe. Even though this war occurred nearly thirty years ago, the root cause - ethnic hatred - is still the cause of unrest and conflict globally. The vivid descriptions of war, the constant threat of rape and abduction and the struggle for survival make this title more suitable to a YA audience. 

The Cat I Never Named will publish on September 8 and is not to be missed.

#tbt: The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z by Kate Messner

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The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z by Kate Messner. 224 p. Bloomsbury USA, September, 2009. 9780802721730. (Own.)

#tbt features The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z by Kate Messner. Gianna Zales is an excellent cross country runner. She lives for it. Unfortunately, she's also an excellent procrastinator. She has to collect twenty different leaves for a science project in less than two weeks or she's off the team. Of course, her best friend, Zig, did his early and has been gently reminding Gee. to start her project. Gee. has other worries too. Her beloved grandmother is becoming more and more forgetful, sometimes dangerously so. And, what could be worse that your dad driving you to school in his hearse?

The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z was Ms. Messner's debut novel. It won the 2010 E.B. White Read Aloud Award for older readers; was a Bank Street Best Book for 2009 and was named to quite a few State Award Lists. She was a seventh grade language arts teacher at the time. I reviewed it on my less-than-a-year-old blog, here. Her second book, Sugar and Ice was released a year later and that book was my first review assignment for School Library Journal!

Ms. Messner has written over 50 books since 2009 - from picture books to novels to works of nonfiction. You might recall a Fact Friday post for a book called Tracking Pythons. That was a fascinating informational book written by her.
Since then, Ms. Messner has written fifty books from picture books to easy readers to early chapter books to nonfiction to professional titles. You can follow her on Twitter, @KateMessner, and check out her website, where she also blogs regularly.

Middle Grade Monday: Chirp by Kate Messner

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Chirp by Kate Messner. 232 p. Bloomsbury, February, 2020. 9781547602810. (Review of arc courtesy of publisher.)

Middle Grade Monday features Chirp by Kate Messner. Most children might experience anxiety or even anger at moving house, especially during the summer between seventh and eighth grades. Mia doesn't mind moving from Boston to Vermont. She'll be able to see her grandmother whenever she wants now and she's ready for a fresh start. She packed a big secret along with her gymnastics uniforms and trophies into the moving boxes. She's eager to learn all about her grandmother's cricket farm, especially when she learns that someone has been sabotaging the business. A mystery to solve is just the ticket to keep her mind from going where she doesn't want it to go. But keeping her secret affects Mia in big and small ways. As she recovers from an injury that allowed her to quit gymnastics without needing to explain why, Mia tries new activities, meets new friends and eventually finds her voice. 

This middle grade novel helps tweens understand consent in an age-appropriate way. Chirp joins a growing list of excellent mg fiction dealing with child sexual assault. This topic should not be relegated to the YA shelves because sexual assault, grooming and abuse occurs to children at any age and those victims need to know that they will be believed and that they are not alone. 

Ms. Messner excels at creating vivid communities peopled with interesting characters and supportive adults. She spins a good mystery too! And, I might be convinced to try eating crickets. Chirp belongs in all school, classroom and public libraries. 

Fact Friday: This Promise of Change: one girl's story in the fight for school equality by Jo Ann Allen Boyce and Debbie Levy

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This Promise of Change: One Girl's Story in the Fight for School Equality by Jo Ann Allen Boyce and Debbie Levy. 320 p. Bloomsbury Children's Books, January, 2019.  9781681198521. (Review of finished purchased copy.)

Fact Friday features This Promise of Change: One Girl's Story in the Fight for School Equality by Jo Ann Allen Boyce and Debbie Levy. After the Brown v. Board of Education decision made school segregation illegal in 1956, schools and communities did not just welcome Black students with open arms. TMS readers, many of you are probably aware of the Little Rock Nine, but do you also know about the Clinton Twelve? This Promise of Change is the verse biography/ memoir of Jo Ann Allen, one of those twelve students who integrated their local high school in Clinton, Tennessee in 1956. The reader learns historical context - the reality of school segregation in the Jim Crow south. The free and formal verse poems are augmented with bits of newspaper headlines and excerpts of legislation. Readers will be stunned by the vile hatred spewed by the crowds of whites determined to prevent desegregation. The courage and composure with which these twelve students comported themselves is admirable. Back matter includes authors' notes, an epilogue, photographs, a timeline, suggestions for further reading and source notes. 

This Promise of Change won the Boston Globe/ Horn Book Award last May. It was named a Kirkus Best Book and won an Sibert Honor in January. It belongs in every collection and truly is a must-read. 

Fact Friday: 1919: the year that changed America by Marin W. Sandler

Image: Bloomsbury

1919: the year that changed America by Marin W. Sandler. 192 p. Bloomsbury Children's Books, January, 2019. 9781681198019.

Fact Friday features 1919: the year that changed America by Martin W. Sandler. I think it somehow fitting that the last Fact Friday of 1919, of the decade feature a book about the momentous year that preceded the Roaring 20s one hundred years ago. Soldiers returned from WWI after making the world "safe for democracy," but Black soldiers returned to increasing racism. Prohibition was looming. A terrible flu epidemic continued to ravage the world. Fear of communism simmered and became known as the Red Scare. Workers began unionizing. Women finally won the right to vote. And, Boston experienced a massive molasses flood. These are just some of the events described. It's slightly oversized, allowing for plenty of white space. The text is helped along with many photos, timelines and text boxes. The volume closes with suggestions for further reading, source notes and an index. Your history buffs will just love this. 

Teen Tuesday: Hold Me Like a Breath by Tiffany Schmidt

Hold Me Like a Breath by Tiffany Schmidt. Once Upon a Crime Family series #1. Bloomsbury, May, 2016. 9781619638709.

Teen Tuesday features Hold Me Like a Breath by. This book is recommended by sixth grader, Emily! She asked if students are allowed to recommend books on the daily broadcast and I was thrilled to say yes!

She writes: It is terrifying, scary, and a great cliff-hanger. The book is about a girl named Penelope and she has a disease called Idiopathic thrombocytopenia which is a disease that causes easy bruising. A slight touch can cause severe bleeding and badly bruising. Penelope is part of a great crime industry. The people in the industry try to save people by transplanting organs. ILLEGALLY. Then, distaster sets in. This book will take you on a scary adventure with Penelope Landlow.

#tbt: The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale. 400 p. Books of Bayern series #1. Bloomsbury USA, August, 2003. 9781582348438. (own)

Happy Thursday TMS Readers! #tbt features a favorite of mine. Shannon Hale's debut, The Goose Girl was published in 2003. It is a retelling of a fairy tale of the same name that was collected by the Brothers Grimm in the 1800s. Hale remained quite faithful to the Grimm version but also created a world and secondary characters all her own. It is the story of Princess Ani who is supposed to travel to another kingdom to meet her betrothed but she is betrayed by her maid. Her maid convinces some of the guards to kill the loyal guards and the princess, but Ani flees into the forest. The maid continues to the palace posing as Princess Ani. The story is complicated but moves quickly thanks to interesting characters and a fascinating fantasy world. Hale went on to write several companion novels to The Goose Girl and set her Princess Academy series in a nearby kingdom. She collaborated with her husband on two graphic novels based on Rapunzel. These were illustrated by Nathan Hale (no relation). Most recently, Hale wrote a graphic novel memoir called Real Friends, which is a TMS favorite.