Top Ten Tuesdays - Friendships

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by Broke and Bookish. This week's TTT theme is friendship. I chose 5 YA and 5 MG novels and later noted that almost all of them deal with male friendships. 4 are boy/ girl friendships.

YA: 

We Were Here by Matt de la Peña. Random House Children's  Books, October, 2009.

I have written about this on TTT often. It is one of my favorite books. I recently reread this one with my ears and I still cried. de la Peña beautifully depicts male friendship and their attempts to connect emotionally.

If I Ever Get Out of Here by Eric Gansworth. Scholastic Inc., July, 2013.

Loved this one in every way but especially the friendship between Lewis and George.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, February, 2012.

This beautiful story of two loners who make tentative steps towards friendship and self-discovery won multiple awards. It is also a great audiobook.

 

The Vietnam Quartet by Chris Lynch. Scholastic Inc. Various release dates.

This series is great for middle grade boys looking for war books. They are gritty but pretty clean. I'm glad I had the opportunity to look these up because I learned that there will be a book 5! (Guess what my Waiting on Wednesday post will be tomorrow?)

Maggot Moon by Sally Gardner. Candlewick Press, February, 2013.

This was one of the first books I read in 2013 and it is unforgettable. I was so thrilled that it won a Printz Honor. I recently learned that an audiobook is available and plan on rereading it with my ears.

Middle Grade:

Chicken Boy by Frances O'Roark Dowell. Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2007.

I recently reread this favorite with my ears. The narrator was spectacular! He really brought the book to life, especially the unique friendship between Tobin and Henry. Often laugh out loud funny but eyes will fill as well.

A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd. Scholastic Inc., February, 2014.

This remarkable debut features a lovely friendship between a girl and a boy who happens to need a wheelchair.

Better Nate Than Ever by Tim Federle. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, February, 2013. Also, Five, Six, Seven, Nate, January, 2014.

Federle's adorable and funny debut won a Stonewall Honor and his narration of the audiobook won an Odyssey Honor. Nate and Lizzie are the best kind of best friends.

Odd Duck by Cecil Castellucci. First Second, May, 2013.

Two quirky folks find friendship in this sweet story of accepting differences.

Doll Bones by Holly Black. Margaret K. McElderry Books, May, 2013.

I did not love this Newbery Honor the way that many did but I did love the depiction of changing friendship.

Non-Fiction Monday: The Girl from the Tar Paper School: Barbara Rose Johns and the advent of the Civil Rights Movement

The Girl from the Tar Paper School: Barbara Rose Johns and the advent of the Civil Rights Movement by Teri Kanefield. 56 p. Abrams/ Harry N., Inc., January, 2014. 9781419707964. (Purchased.)

In 1953, Barbara Rose Johns, a quiet, studious junior at got fed up over the conditions of her high school. The walls were covered with tar paper and the roofs leaked so badly that students sat under umbrellas when it rained. Attention to the substandard conditions was brought to local board of education along with the observation that the area schools were separate but not equal. The board's promises to look into the matter dragged on and on. Ms. Johns understood that nothing would happen so she organized a student strike and sought help from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). 

This moving and suspenseful story is told exceptionally well - clearly and simply, yet not overly simplified. Historical context is supplied and plenty of black and white archival photographs enhance the telling. Occasional text boxes provide additional information. A timeline concludes the volume, followed by endnotes, and sources, which include Ms. Johns' handwritten memoir. The Girl from the Tar Paper School is a must-purchase addition to the Civil Rights collection.

What's New? Stacking the Shelves

StS is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews. Hop on over there to ogle what other blogger's got.

For review:

The Qwikpick Papers: Poop Fountain by Tom Angleberger. 134p. Amulet Books, May 20, 2014. 9781419704253. 

Publisher synopsis: This hilarious, highly original series, which so astutely captures the odd preoccupations of middle schoolers, will appeal to the many fans of the Origami Yoda series and such gross-out classics as How to Eat Fried Worms andFreckle Juice.

Lyle Hertzog and his friends Marilla and Dave expect to spend another dull holiday passing time at the local Qwikpick convenience store. Then an article in their hometown paper catches their eye—the sludge fountain at the nearby sewage plant is being retired. With this news, the three friends decide they’re not just normal kids who don’t have Christmas plans: they’re the Qwikpick Adventure Society. Their first mission: to see the “poop fountain” before it fades from glory.
Told with the mix of journal entries, doodles, and handwritten notes that has made the Origami Yoda books so appealing, this is another great series from a master chronicler of middle school.

Purchased:

The Pigeon Needs a Bath by Mo Willems. unpgd. Disney/ Hyperion, April, 2014. 9781423190875.

Publisher synopsis: The Pigeon really needs a bath! Except, the Pigeon's not so sure about that. Besides, he took a bath last month! Maybe. It's going to take some serious convincing to try and get the Pigeon to take the plunge.

One is never too old for picture books and I will never tire of the Pigeon books.

My Life as a Joke by Janet Tashjian. Pictures by Jake Tashjian. 252 p. Christy Ottaviano Books/ Henry Holt and Company (BYR), April, 2014. 9780805098501.

Publisher synopsis: Derek Fallon discovers all the angst that comes with being twelve—he just wants to feel grown up, but life gets in the way with a series of mishaps that make him look like a baby. He passes out during a worm dissection in science class, falls flat on his face in gym class and gets a fat lip that causes him to lisp all day, and his plans for a monster-truck party turn into a bouncy house disaster. Why isn’t being in middle school as great as Derek imagined? Thankfully, with a little help from his friends—and, ironically, a Toys for Tots fundraiser—things seem like they could start shaping up at last.

I picked this one up to add to my school's collection before the end of the year. I'm out of money but a student really loves these. 

Charlie Joe Jackson's Guide to (Not) Reading by Tommy Greenwald. Illustrated by J.P. Coovert. 220 p. Square Fish/ Roaring Brook Press, May, 2012. 9781250003379.

Publisher synopsis: Charlie Joe Jackson may be the most reluctant reader ever born. And so far, he's managed to get through life without ever reading an entire book from cover to cover. But now that he's in middle school, avoiding reading isn't as easy as it used to be. And when his friend Timmy McGibney decides that he's tired of covering for him, Charlie Joe finds himself resorting to desperate measures to keep his perfect record intact.

Charlie Joe Jackson's Guide to Not Reading by Tommy Greenwald is the hilarious story of an avid non-reader and the extreme lengths to which he'll go to get out of reading a book.

I've read this one with my eyes and ears. I have multiple copies in my library that get stolen regularly. I had to run out to buy a ppb today because I had a bright idea while writing a paper for a grad class today and the library was closed. 

Big Fat Disaster by Beth Fehlbaum. 286 p. Merit Press/ F+W Media Inc., April, 2014. 9781449579483. 

Publisher synopsis: Insecure, shy, and way overweight, Colby hates the limelight as much as her pageant-pretty mom and sisters love it. It's her life: Dad's a superstar, running for office on a family values platform. Then suddenly, he ditches his marriage for a younger woman and gets caught stealing money from the campaign. Everyone hates Colby for finding out and blowing the whistle on him. From a mansion, they end up in a poor relative's trailer, where her mom's contempt swells right along with Colby's supersized jeans. Then, a cruel video of Colby half-dressed, made by her cousin Ryan, finds its way onto the internet. Colby plans her own death. A tragic family accident intervenes, and Colby's role in it seems to paint her as a hero, but she's only a fraud. Finally, threatened with exposure, Colby must face facts about her selfish mother and her own shame. Harrowing and hopeful, proof that the truth that saves us can come with a fierce and terrible price, Big Fat Disaster is that rare thing, a story that is authentically new.

I also picked up two yoga books for me and two dog training books for #2 son, who is finishing his third year of medical school and decided now is the time to get a dog. Sigh. 

What's new with you?

What's New? Stacking the Shelves

StS is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews. Hop on over there to ogle what other bloggers got this week.

Quiet week, thank goodness, because I'm swimming in books and also have a paper to write for a grad class! Add all the end-of-the-year madness at school and the realization that I had a tick attached to my back for two days and you have one school librarian needing to breathe.

For review:

First Team by Tim Green. 327 p. Harper/ HarperCollins Publishers, September 30, 2014, 9780062208750.

From the cover: Brock is on the run again in NYT bestselling author Tim Green's companion book to New Kid.

Well, thank goodness. I reviewed New Kid for SLJ and felt that there were enough questions left unanswered that I wondered there would be another book.

What's new with you?

Waiting on Wednesday - Blue Lily, Lily Blue

WoW is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine in which we share the titles whose release we are eagerly anticipating. 

Found out about this through Maggie Steifvater's blog a couple of weeks ago but haven't found anything else about it in online bookstores.

Blue Lily, Lily Blue (Book 3 of the Raven Cycle) due out October 28, 2014. Woot! Isn't that cover gorgeous?

What are you waiting on?

Top Ten Tuesday - Covers

TTT is a weekly meme over at Broke and Bookish. This week's theme is covers I'd hang as art. Nice.

Starting with a couple of picture books. The first was one of my favorite picture books of 2013. In fact, I would hang most of the paintings in the book as art.

Paul Meets Bernadette by Rosy Lamb. Candlewick Press, December, 2013. 9780763661304.


I would hang just about any cover by Kadir Nelson on my walls. Scratch that. Make that any painting, sketch or doodle by this incredibly talented artist. Knock, knock, oh Caldecott committee? Will you stop giving him honors please? One of my favorites of his is Henry's Freedom Box.

Henry's Freedom Box: a true story from the Underground Railroad by Ellen Levine. Illustrated by Kadir Nelson. Scholastic/ 2007. 9780439777339.

A couple of middle grade novels that released this year, which also happen to be distinguished debuts.

Hope is a Ferris Wheel by Robin Herrera. Amulet Books, March, 2014. 9781419710391. I just realized that I never reviewed this one. 

The Secret Hum of a Daisy by Tracy Holczer. Penguin Young Readers Group, May 1, 2014. 9780399163937. I'm just past the middle of this one and am loving it so much that I slowed my reading down to savor every last word and character. I really hope the Newbery Committee has this one on its radar.

And one of my favorite middle grade novels of 2014 also happens to have a cover that I'd hang on my walls.

Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan. Penguin Group, August, 2013. 9780803738553.

And now for some YA covers:

The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson. Viking, January, 2014. 9780670012091. I think I'm in a minority for not loving this book. I generally love everything this fearless author has written and I loved it in the beginning, but not as much by the end. The cover is stunning and the book is well worth the read.

172 Hours on the Moon by Johann Harstad. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, April, 2012. 9780316182881.

I had trouble choosing which covers from Matt de la Peña were my favorites. Here are my top two, Mexican Whiteboy and We Were Here (which I recently reread with my ears):

 

The last two are not even published yet. I adore these authors and try to read everything they write. I recently heard about these and featured one last week and am featuring one tomorrow in a Waiting on Wednesday post.

Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld. Simon Pulse, September, 2014. 9781481422345.

Blue Lily, Lily Blue (Raven Boys #3) by Maggie Stiefvater. Scholastic, October, 2014. 9780545424967.

What's new? Stacking the Shelves

StS is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews. Hop on over there to ogle what other bloggers got this week.

For review:

High & Dry by Sarah Skilton. 258 p. Amulet Books/ Abrams, April, 2014. 9781419709296.

Publisher synopsis: Framed for a stranger’s near-fatal overdose at a party, blackmailed into finding a mysterious flash drive everyone in school seems anxious to suppress, and pressured by his shady best friend to throw an upcoming match, high school soccer player Charlie Dixon is juggling more than his share of drama. Add in a broken heart and the drinking he’s been doing to soothe it, and he’s near the breaking point. In this fast-paced, layered mystery, Charlie spends a frantic week trying to clear his name, win back the girl of his dreams, and escape a past friendship that may be responsible for all his current problems. This book captures the tone and style of the best crime fiction while also telling a high-stakes story of peer pressure gone tragically awry.

Purchased:

Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige. Unabridged audio book on 11 compact discs, 14.5 hours. Narrated by Devon Sorvari. Blackstone Audio, April, 2014. 9781483003061.

Publisher synopsis: I didn't ask for any of this. I didn't ask to be some kind of hero.

But when your whole life gets swept up by a tornado—taking you with it—you have no choice but to go along, you know?
Sure, I've read the books. I've seen the movies. I know the song about the rainbow and the happy little blue birds. But I never expected Oz to look like this. To be a place where Good Witches can't be trusted, Wicked Witches may just be the good guys, and winged monkeys can be executed for acts of rebellion. There's still the yellow brick road, though—but even that's crumbling.
What happened?
Dorothy. They say she found a way to come back to Oz. They say she seized power and the power went to her head. And now no one is safe.
My name is Amy Gumm—and I'm the other girl from Kansas.
I've been recruited by the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked.
I've been trained to fight.
And I have a mission:
Remove the Tin Woodman's heart.
Steal the Scarecrow's brain.
Take the Lion's courage.
Then and only then—Dorothy must die!


Also purchased: On Friday, I attended Judy Freeman's Winners! Workshop. It's one of my favorite professional development days and even though I've been in a fifth through eighth grade middle school for six years and the books are for K - 6, there's always a take-away. And besides, you all know one of my mottos is "never too old for picture books."

I already had much, but there were a few I didn't have and the vendor supplying the books, the amazing Books, Bytes and Beyond, added some of their own.

Odd Duck by Cecil Castellucci & Sara Varon. 96 p. First Second Books, May, 2013. 9781596435575.

Stardines Swim High Across the Sky and other poems by Jack Prelutsky. Illustrated by Carin Berger. unpgd. Greenwillow Books/ HarperCollins Publishers, Feb., 2013. 9780062014641.

Handbook for Dragon Slayers by Merrie Haskell. 324 p. Harper/ HarperCollins Publishers, May, 2013. 9780062008169.

Jasper John Dooley Left Behind by Caroline Adderson. Illustrated by Ben Clanton. 130 p. Kids Can Press, March, 2013. 9781554535798. 

I bought this because one of my students just tore through the first three in the series and I want him to have #4 asap.

From Texas with Love by Dan Gutman. The Genius Files #4. Harper/ HarperCollins Publishers, January, 2014. 9780061827730.

I bought this because it's getting Newbery buzz and was recommended by Mary Brown.

Nightingale's Nest by Nikki Loftin. 240 p. Razorbill/ Penguin, February, 2014. 9781595145468.

I bought these as a gift for #2 son's girlfriend, who is a teacher.

The Boy Who Loved Math: the improbable life of Paul Erdos by Deborah Heiligman. Illustrated by LeUyen Pham. unpgd. Roaring Brook Press, June, 2013. 9781596433076.

Bully by Laura Vaccaro Seeger. unpgd. Neal Porter/ Roaring Brook Press, July, 2013.  9781596436305.

Gone Fishing: a novel in verse by Tamera Will Wissinger. Illustrated by Matthew Cordell. 120 p. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 

Paul Meets Bernadette by Rosy Lamb. unpgd. Candlewick Press, December, 2013.  9780763661304.

What's new with you?