#tbt a Day Late: Rain, Reign by Ann M. Martin

Image: Macmillan

Rain, Reign by Ann M. Martin. 240 p. Feiwel & Friends/ Macmillan, October, 2014. 9780312643003. Own.

Happy Thursday! Sorry for the late posting. It was a very busy day. I wrote this late on Thursday night and never pushed the button to post!

#tbt features Rain, Reign by Ann M. Martin. Rose Howard is a fifth grader who has a love for rules, order and homonyms and homophones. She doesn't always get social cues and her rather clueless, single father really doesn't get her, nor does he have too much patience. Luckily, Rose has Uncle Weldon, who lives nearby and gives Rose the support she needs. When Rose's father brings home a stray dog, Rose names her Rain because she was found in the rain and reign is a homophone for reign. She adores Rain, but when she gets loose during a storm, her uncle and she set out to find her lost dog.

This character-driven, first-person narrative is emotionally intense. Readers will root for Rose as she navigates a sea of uncertainty.

Ann M. Martin is the author of the beloved Babysitters Club series, as well as A Dog's Life: The Autobiography of a Stray and its companion, Everything for a Dog. She won an Newbery Honor for A Corner of the Universe in 2003. Rain, Reign won a Schneider Family Book Award and was named to several "Best Books of the Year" lists. Happy Reading!

Waiting on Wednesday: Faker by Gordon Korman

Image: Scholastic

Faker by Gordon Korman. 224 p. Scholastic Press, July 2, 2024. 9781338826753.

Happy Wednesday! Waiting on Wednesday features a book that you can buy or borrow next week! TMS fave author, Gordon Korman's newest book, Faker publishes next Tuesday, July 2! 

Here's the publisher synopsis:
Trey knows the drill: His dad gets him into a school full of kids with rich parents. Trey makes friends, and his dad makes connections. Soon, there's the con, where Trey's dad suckers the other parents into investing in one of his schemes. Once the money's in the bank, Trey, his sister, and their dad are on the run... until they set up somewhere else and start again.

Trey believes his father when he says no one's getting hurt. After all, these parents have money to spare.

But Trey's starting to get tired of running... and lying... and never having a friend for longer than a few months. But how do you get your family to stop lying when your lives depend on it?

Teen Tuesday and Audiobook Review: Her Radiant Curse by Elizabeth Lim

Image: Penguin Random House

Her Radiant Curse by Elizabeth Lim. Unabridged e-audiobook, ~ 13 hours. Narrated by Mirai. Books on Tape/ Listening Library, August, 2023. Review of e-audiobook borrowed from public library.

Happy Tuesday! It looks like it'll be another beautiful day here in northern NJ. It'll be slightly hotter and not as breezy, but I hope you enjoy the day and get outdoors in nature today. Teen Tuesday features Her Radiant Curse by Elizabeth Lim. Two sisters, Channi and Vanna, are devoted to one another, but in their village, Vanna is adored and Channi is reviled. 

When Vanna was born and their mother lay dying, their father took Channi to the Demon Witch as a sacrifice. The king of the serpents saved Channi's life, but the Demon Witch cursed her with a snake face. The only way to break the curse is for Channi to bring Vanna to the Demon Witch before her seventeenth birthday, which Channi will not do. As Vanna's birthday approaches, their father, intent on enriching himself, has a contest for possible suitors to win her hand. When the cruelest, most vile suitor wins, Channi intervenes, challenges the man's champion, and when she beats him, she finds the man's attention is now drawn to her.

This layered and rich epic fantasy unfolds slowly. The world-building is vivid and based on Chinese folklore. Her Radiant Curse is a prequel to the Legends of Lor'yan duology, and, while it does stand alone, knowledge of the duology does enhance enjoyment of the prequel.

New-to-me narrator, Mirai has a wide range of convincing voices for the many characters and her performance was utterly engaging. 

Middle Grade Monday and Audiobook Review: The Lost Year by Katherine Marsh.

Image: Macmillan

The Lost Year by Katherine Marsh. Unabridged e-audiobook, ~9 hours. Narrated by Anna Fikhman, Christopher Gebauer, Jesse Vilinsky and Katherine Marsh. Macmillan Audio/ Macmillan, January, 2023. Review of e-audiobook borrowed from public library. 

Happy Monday! I hope you are enjoying this beautiful Monday! The heat wave broke here in NJ. It is dry, slightly breezy and just delightful. Middle Grade Monday features The Lost Year by Katherine Marsh. It's the early days of the Covid pandemic and eighth grader Matthew isn't happy about the lockdown. His journalist father is stuck in France as a result of travel restrictions. He doesn't exactly love doing schoolwork through Zoom, and his mom is all over his case about it. His feelings of loneliness and isolation are made worse by the fact that he can't hang out with friends, even outside and socially distanced, because his 100-year-old great-grandmother has moved in and catching Covid would be fatal for her.

Matthew is given the task of helping GG sort through her boxes of belongings and when he comes across a photograph of GG as a young girl in the 1930s, she becomes visibly upset and tells Matthew to leave. He's intrigued by both the photo and his great-grandmother's strong reaction and begins researching what went on in Ukraine during the 1930s after the country was annexed by the USSR.

This intense story about the Holodomor, the Soviet government-induced famine, shifts back and forth in time, from multiple points of view and unfolds masterfully. I had the honor of reviewing Ms. Marsh's 2018 book, Nowhere Boy for SLJ. Ms. Marsh connects current events with historical events seamlessly, trusting young readers to draw their own conclusions. 

The Lost Year was a National Book Award Finalist and was named an SLJ as well as Kirkus Best Book of the Year. It also won a Golden Kite Award. Readers who love historical fiction, especially about little known events in history, will love The Lost Year.

#tbt: The Honest Truth by Dan Gemeinhart

Image: Scholastic Inc.

The Honest Truth by Dan Gemeinhart. 240 p. Scholastic Press/ Scholastic Inc., January, 2015. (Own)

#tbt features The Honest Truth by Dan Gemeinhart. Twelve-year old Mark had plans to climb Mount Rainer with his grandpa. When his grandpa died and Mark learned that the cancer he has been battling since kindergarten has returned, he decides to make that trip with his dog, Beau. He packs some cash, a camera and a notebook and sets out on the 200+ miles to the mountain. The only person who knows about Mark's plans is his best friend, Jessie, whom he has sworn to secrecy.

This first-person narration alternates with half-chapters from Jessie's POV as she struggles to keep Mark's secret. Suspense is high as Mark's quest is not "after-school special," but filled with danger from both humans and the elements. Suspension of belief is required, though middle school readers won't notice. Students who love adventure as well as students who love dog stories will be riveted. 

The Honest Truth was Mr. Gemeinhart's debut novel. At that time, he was still working as a school librarian. He has published six additional novels and has a forthcoming picture book.

Waiting on Wednesday: Read at Your Own Risk by Remy Lai

Image: Macmillan

Read at Your Own Risk by Remy Lai. 160 p. Henry Holt and Co (BYR)/ Macmillan, August 13, 2024. 9781250323354.

Happy Wednesday! And happy first day of break to our school community! Whether you're headed to camp, a family trip, or just chilling at home, be sure to make a stack of books for summer reading!

Waiting on Wednesday features Read at Your Own Risk by Remy Lai. Ms Lai's illustrated novels, Pie in the Sky and Fly on the Wall, along with her graphic novel, Pawcasso, are very popular with my students. Mark your calendars for August 13, when her latest illustrated notebook with be published.

Here's the publisher synopsis: Read at Your Own Risk is the spine-chilling illustrated sketch diary of a kid who is being haunted after a game goes terribly wrong and an evil spirit starts conversing with her on the page.

"The journal format of The Diary of a Wimpy Kid meets the thrills and chills of R.L. Stine in this middle-grade horror." —The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Hannah and her friends were just having a bit of fun when they decided to play a game to communicate with spirits of the dead. Little did they know something would answer their call and crawl its way into the pages of Hannah’s journal. What started out as a game has turned into something much more evil. With dire, horrifying consequences.

Is there any way to escape the curse?

Read at Your Own Risk sounds deliciously creepy! I've ordered a copy for our library collection because I always have fifth and sixth graders asking for horror. What books are you looking forward to being published? 

Teen Tuesday: Louder Than Hunger by John Schu

Image: Candlewick Press

Louder Than Hunger by John Schu. 528 p. Candlewick Press, March, 2024. 9781536234206. (Review of arc courtesy of publisher.)

Happy Tuesday! Today is the final day of the school year and the heat wave is settling in. Best bet is to stay inside and read! Teen Tuesday features Louder Than Hunger by John Schu.

Jake is a lonely, miserable eighth grader. He has been relentlessly bullied by his peers for years and his only friend is his beloved grandmother and an angel he sometimes talks to. Jake's tormentors are not just classmates though. He has a voice inside his head that tells him he's not good enough, and it's getting loud and scary. He finds comfort in volunteering at a nursing home and it is one of his favorite patients who notices Jake's weight loss. She alerts Jakes parents and he is admitted to a residential treatment facility. He definitely does not want to be there following a schedule, getting weighed daily and, ugh, eating. He is resistant to treatment, but makes some friends. 

This verse novel is Jake's journal. It's a compelling, heartbreaking, yet hopeful read. The book is based on the author's own struggles with being bullied, and suffering from OCD and disordered eating. Back matter contains an author's note with organizations that can help. I started out reading Jake's story with my ears and the performance was fine, but I realized that there was much I was missing (line breaks, angry scribbles and such) by not reading it with my eyes, so I switched. This book helped me get out of my reading slump. Highly recommended.