Waiting on Wednesday: Matylda Bright and Tender by Hollie M. McGhee

WoW is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine in which we share the titles we can't wait to release.

I learned about this from the author's FB page last week. Is this cover not the most striking thing you have seen? 

Matylda Bright & Tender by Hollie M. McGhee. 244 p. Candlewick Press, March 14, 2017. 97807636889513.

Publisher synopsis: In a courageous debut novel, Holly M. McGhee explores the loss that shakes one girl’s world — and the unexpected consequences of the things we do for love.

Sussy and Guy are best friends, fourth-graders who share their silliest thoughts and deepest hopes. One afternoon, the two of them decide they must have something of their very own to love. After a trip to the pet store, they bring home a spotted lizard, the one with the ancient face and starfish toes, and they name her Matylda (with a y so it’s all her own). With Guy leading the way, they feed her and give her an origin story fit for a warrior lizard. A few weeks later, on a simple bike ride, there is a terrible accident. As hard as it is, Sussy is sure she can hold on to Guy if she can find a way to love Matylda enough. But in a startling turn of events, Sussy reconsiders what it means to grieve and heal and hope and go on, for her own sake and Matylda’s. By turns both devastating and buoyant, this story is a brave one, showing how far we can justify going for a real and true friend.

What's New? Stacking the Shelves

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

For review:

Kid Artists. Stories by David Stable. Illustrated by Doogie Horner. 196 p. Quirk Productions, August 9, 2016. 9781594748998.

Publisher synopsis: Hilarious childhood biographies and full-color illustrations reveal how Leonardo da Vinci, Beatrix Potter, Keith Haring, and other great artists in history coped with regular kid problems.
 
Every great artist started out as a kid. Forget the awards, the sold-out museum exhibitions, and the timeless masterpieces. When the world’s most celebrated artists were growing up, they had regular-kid problems just like you. Jackson Pollock’s family moved constantly—he lived in eight different cities before he was sixteen years old. Georgia O’Keeffe lived in the shadow of her “perfect” older brother Francis. And Jean-Michel Basquiat triumphed over poverty to become one of the world’s most influential artists. Kid Artists tells their stories and more with full-color cartoon illustrations on nearly every page. Other subjects include Claude Monet, Jacob Lawrence, Leonardo da Vinci, Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Frida Kahlo, Beatrix Potter, Yoko Ono, Dr. Seuss, Emily Carr, Keith Haring, Charles Schulz, and Louise Nevelson.

Time for Kids Almanac 2017. 288 p. Liberty Street, May, 2016. 9781618934154.  

Publisher synopsis: The TIME For Kids Almanac 2017 presents current news, notable events and fascinating facts curated from TIME For Kids popular magazine in a fun, interactive and relevant way for today's savvy kids. Organized thematically, the TIME For Kids Almanac 2017 covers the following subjects: Animals and the Environment, Arts and Entertainment, History, Sports, Health and Body, and Science and Technology. This must-have resource for everything kids want to know is packed with over 600 photos, maps, and timelines that will keep readers engaged and learning for hours at a time.

My students just love almanacs.

That's what's new with me. What's new with you?

Friday Memes: Truth or Dare by Barbara Dee

Book Beginnings is hosted by Rose City Reader and Friday 56 is hosted by Freda's Voice.

Truth or Dare: five girls, one summer, many secrets by Barbara Dee. 244 p. Aladdin/ Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, September 20, 2016. 9781481475631.

Publisher synopsis: A few white lies during a simple game of truth or dare spin out of control and make life very complicated for Lia in this brand-new novel from Barbara Dee.

When Lia returns after a summer with her eccentric aunt, it feels like everything has changed within her group of five friends. Everyone just seems more…dramatic. And after playing a game of Truth or Dare, Lia discovers how those divides are growing wider, and tells a few white lies about what really happened over the summer in order to “keep up.” But is “keeping up” with her BFFs really worth it?

First line: I ripped open the box, and there I was.

Page 56: Also, some of these padded bras had underwire. Like to push your boobs upward. Correction: to push the padding upward, toward your chin.
     Mom never would have bought me bras with chin cushions. She was all into sports bras for jogging. She cared about health and fitness, not about fake upward-pointing boobs and rhinestones. And if she were here with me right now, helping me find a bra that made any sense-

This seems like a great book for my fifth and sixth graders.

Taking Stock - July - 2016

Total posts this month: 25
Total books read this month: 45
Total books read this year: 234

Challenges:
Audio: 16/60
Debut: 2/10

The Good: 45 books! 

The Bad: Still not reviewing everything I'd like.

The Books: * = favorite
190. (9) The Name of the Blade by Zoe Marriott (7/2)
191. (10) Lily and Dunkin by Donna Gephart (7/2)
192. (11) Tombquest Book 3: The Valley of the Kings by Michael Northrop (7/3)
193. (12) Counting Thyme by Melanie Conklin (7/3)*
194. (13) Red: the true story of Red Riding Hood by Liesl Shurtliff (7/5)*
195. (14) You Can Fly by Carole Boston Weatherford (7/6)
196. (15) Ostrich Boys by Keith Gray (7/6)
197. (16) On Bird Hill by Jane Yolen (7/6)
198. (17) Cleopatra in Space: the thief and the sword by Mike Maihack (7/7)
199. (18) When We Was Fierce by e.E. Charlton-Trujillo (7/8)*
200. (19) Frederick's Journey: the life of Frederick Douglass by Doreen Rappaport (7/9)
201. (20) Jazz Day: the making of a famous photograph by Roxanne Orgill (7/9)
202. (21) Poems in the Attic by Nikki Grimes (7/9)
203. (22) I was Here by Gayle Forman (7/10)
204. (23) Will Sparrow's Road by Karen Cushman (7/11)
205. (24) Arcady's Goal by Eugene Yelchin (7/11)
206. (25) Ghosts by Reina Telgemeier (7/12)*
207. (26) Bone Gap by Laura Ruby (7/15)
208. (27) Hotel Bruce by Ryan T. Higgins (7/15)*
209. (28) No Fair! No Fair! by Calvin Trillin (7/15)
210. (29) Spot, the Cat by Henry Cole (7/15)
211. (30) Duck on a Tractor by David Shannon (7/15)
212. (31) Queen Dog by Bridget Heos (7/15)
213. (32) Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith (7/16)
214. (33) The Curse of the Were-Hyena by Bruce Hale (7/17)
215. (34) We Will Not be Silent by Russell Freedman (7/18)*
216. (35) Little Penguins by Cynthia Rylant (7/18)*
217. (36)The Uncorker of Ocean Bottles by Michelle Cuevas (7/18)
218. (37) Lift Your Light a Little Higher: the story of Stephen Bishop: slave explorer by Heather Henson (7/19)*
219. (38) When Andy Met Sandy by Tomie dePaola (7/19)
220. (39) I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsberg Makes Her Mark by Debbie Levy (7/19)*
221. (40) Words in the Dust by Trent Reedy (7/20)
222. (41) The Curse of the Boggin by D.J. MacHale (7/21)* (SLJ review)
223. (42) Be Light Like a Bird by Monika Schröder (7/22)*
224. (43) Listen to Our World by Bill Martin Jr. & Michael Sampson (7/22)
225. (44) Rain Fish by Lois Ehlert (7/22)
226. (45) The Night Gardner by the Fan Brothers (7/22)
227. (46) It Came in the Mail by Ben Clanton (7/22)
228. (47) Nine, Ten: a September 11 Story by Nora Raleigh Baskin (7/25)
229. (48) Standoff by Andrew Smith (7/26)*
230. (49) The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater (7/27)
231. (50) Being Jazz: my life as a transgender teen by Jazz Jennings (7/28)
232. (51) Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk (7/31)*

233. (52) Juba! A novel by Walter Dean Myers (7/31)
234. (53) Ugly by Robert Hoge (7/31)

What's New? Stacking the Shelves

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

I found a package from Candlewick in my school mailbox this week that looks promising:

The Catalyst by Helena Coggan. 426 p. Candlewick Press, October 11, 2016. 9780763689728.

Publisher synopsis: Eighteen years ago, a dimensional break ripped open the sky, drawing humans into an ancient conflict. Otherworldly souls rained down and fused with those of people, dividing the population into the green-eyed, magical Gifted and the dark-eyed, nonmagical Ashkind. A devastating war followed, and the Gifted have managed a fragile peace ever since, largely through a brutal law enforcement organization known as the Department. Fifteen-year-old Rose’s father, David, has a leading role in the Department. Rose and David are Gifted, but they are also something else — something terrible. Their lives depend on keeping it secret. But when a mysterious murder threatens to tear Rose’s world apart, forcing long-buried secrets into the open, her loyalties are put to the test. How much does Rose really know about her father’s past? How far is the Department willing to go to maintain order? And, when the time comes, who will Rose choose to protect?

This is a debut by a sixteen-year-old author!

Revenge of the Evil Librarian by Michelle Knudsen. 277 p. Candlewick Press, February 14, 2017. 9780763688288.

Back jacket: Last fall, Cynthia Rothschild saved her best friend (as well as the entire student body) from demon librarian Mr. Gabriel, all wile executing the most awesome set design for the school production of Sweeney Todd. But now all that demon stuff is behind her, and Cyn is going to have the best summer ever at theater camp with her former-crush-now-boyfriend Ryan Halsey. Once she gets to camp, though, Cyn realizes that this summer might not be all she's been hoping for. First, Ryan's best camp friend is a girl (which Ryan never mentioned before), and she just happens to be ridiculously pretty. Plus, it appears the demon stuff is not entirely over as Cyn had hoped. At least any new demons that show up to ruin her summer can't possible be as evil as Mr. Gabriel. It's not like he could somehow come back to life to seek his terrible revenge or something. 

Evil Librarian is buried somewhere on TOM, my tbr pile. Better dig it out!

MWD: Hell is coming home by Brian David Johnson and Jan Egleson. Illustrated by Laila Milevski and Karl Stevens. Candlewick Press, February 14, 2017. 9780763657062.

From the jacket: Liz served in Iraq with her trusty military working dog, Ender, by ther side. But now that her tour is over, she has to readjust to life in her small New Hampshire town. Despite being surrounded by people she's known her whole life, Liz feels entirely alone and soon gets trapped in a downward spiral of flashbacks and blackout drinking. Things seem destined for a bad end, but when her on-again, off-again boyfriend Ben, almost hits a stray dog while Liz is in the car, things start to change. Brutus, as Liz names him might just be the only thing that can bring her back from the brink. 

That's what's new with me. What's new with you?

Friday Memes: Ugly by Robert Hoge

Book Beginnings is hosted by Rose City Reader and Friday 56 is hosted by Freda's Voice.

Ugly by Robert Hoge. 200 p. Viking/ Penguin Young Readers Group, September 6, 2016. 9780425287750. 

Publisher synopsis: “We all have scars only we can own.”

 
When Robert Hoge was born, he had a tumor the size of a tennis ball in the middle of his face and short, twisted legs. Surgeons removed the tumor and made him a new nose from one of his toes.  Amazingly, he survived—with a face that would never be the same.  
 
Strangers stared at him. Kids called him names, and adults could be cruel, too. Everybody seemed to agree that he was “ugly.” But Robert refused to let his face define him. He played pranks, got into trouble, had adventures with his big family, and finally found a sport that was perfect for him to play. 
 
Then Robert came face to face with the biggest decision of his life.
 
This life, this funny, moving, and true story of an ordinary boy with an extraordinary face is perfect for fans of Wonder and shows how what makes us “ugly” also makes us who we are.

First Line(s): Chapter 1, entitled, "The Art of Being Ugly."
Imagine you're in art class. The teacher drops a lump of wet, sticky clay on the bench in front of you.

Page 56: Chapter 8, entitled, "It's All Downhill from Here."
I wanted to ride a bike so much, I thought I'd burst into flames if I didn't.
     One day Catherine, Paula and Gary were playing outside. I asked Gary if i could try riding his bike.
     "Sure," he said. "But you'll need your legs on."
     When I was wearing my artificial legs they helped me interact better with the big, wide world. I was taller when I had them on, and could walk around like other kids. But that didn't come without a cost. My prosthetics were cumbersome and heavy, and wearing them often made my real legs hot and sore. Imagine wearing a big boot that goes all the way up to your knee, and you'll get a sense of what it's like.

Waiting on Wednesday: Some Writer! The Story of E.B. White by Melissa Sweet

WoW is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine in which we share the titles we can't wait to release.

Some Writer! The Story of E.B. White by Melissa Sweet. 176 p. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, October 4, 2016. 9780544319592.

Publisher synopsis: “SOME PIG,” Charlotte the spider’s praise for Wilbur, is just one fondly remembered snippet from E. B. White’s Charlotte’s Web. In Some Writer!, the two-time Caldecott Honor winner Melissa Sweet mixes White’s personal letters, photos, and family ephemera with her own exquisite artwork to tell his story, from his birth in 1899 to his death in 1985. Budding young writers will be fascinated and inspired by the journalist, New Yorker contributor, and children’s book author who loved words his whole life. This authorized tribute is the first fully illustrated biography of E. B. White and includes an afterword by Martha White, E. B. White's granddaughter. 

Oh! How I loved Charlotte's Web and The Trumpet of the Swan. I liked Stuart Little, though not near as much as the other two. I also adore Melissa Sweet's art and am really looking forward to reading this!