Barbara Jordan: politician and Civil Rights leader by Duchess Harris, JD, PHD. Freedom's Promise series. 48 p. Abdo Publishing, December, 2018. 9781532117664. (Review of finished copy courtesy of publisher.)
Fact Friday features Barbara Jordan: politician and Civil Rights leader by Duchess Harris, JD, PHD. Barbara Jordan grew up poor in Houston during the Jim Crow era. Her parents valued education and Jordan was bright and excelled in school. She discovered debate in college and her team tied with Harvard in a competition. This inspired her to attend Boston University Law school. She was one of two black women in her class in 1959. Barbara Jordan's work ethic and her intellect earned her respect as a lawyer and she eventually moved into politics, where she was a pivotal figure in Richard Nixon's impeachment.
This short, succinct biography of Barbara Jordan packs a punch. It is filled with photos and text boxes that provide context and extra information. Harris also challenges the reader to think critically and practice paraphrasing. On page 15, Harris quotes from Jordan's speech to the 1976 Democratic National Convention, then invites readers to adapt the passage. Helpful backmatter contains more facts about Barbara Jordan, a glossary and links to online resources. Page 44 contains ideas for extension activities that challenge critical thinking and encourage writing.
Last fall, I reviewed the picture book, What do you do with a voice like that? The story of the extraordinary congresswoman Barbara Jordan by Chris Barton. I was excited to add it to my 'Picture Book Biography Unit' for my sixth graders and went in search of a longer biography to add to my collection. Around the same time, I attended SLJ's Leadership Conference and learned that a brand new biography would be published by Abdo in the spring. Serendipity! Picture book biographies give students a taste for the subject and motivation to learn more. Harris' thoughtful rendering of the larger-than-life Jordan helps young researcher understand the complexities of the woman and the times. A solid purchase for any library.
Book Beginnings is hosted by Rose City Reader and Friday 56 is hosted by Freda's Voice.
Fat Angie: Rebel Girl Revolution by e. E. Charlton-Trujillo. 344 p. Candlewick Press, March 3, 2019. 9780763693459.
Publisher synopsis: More trouble at school and at home — and the discovery of a missive from her late soldier sister — send Angie and a long-ago friend on an RV road trip across Ohio.
Sophomore year has just begun, and Angie is miserable. Her girlfriend, KC, has moved away; her good friend, Jake, is keeping his distance; and the resident bully has ramped up an increasingly vicious and targeted campaign to humiliate her. An over-the-top statue dedication planned for her sister, who died in Iraq, is almost too much to bear, and it doesn't help that her mother has placed a symbolic empty urn on their mantel. At the ceremony, a soldier hands Angie a final letter from her sister, including a list of places she wanted the two of them to visit when she got home from the war. With her mother threatening to send Angie to a “treatment center” and the situation at school becoming violent, Angie enlists the help of her estranged childhood friend, Jamboree. Along with a few other outsiders, they pack into an RV and head across the state on the road trip Angie's sister did not live to take. It might be just what Angie needs to find a way to let her sister go, and find herself in the process.
First Line: Okay, this is a tough one because there are two pages containing a line or two of text before the first chapter which is entitled, "Cruel Summer."
i. There was a girl. Her name was Angie. She had fallen out of love...
ii. Well, not exactly.
1. This was the beginning, again.
Page 56:
Angie grinned. Her favorite part of any "family meal' was watching Wang duel with John/Rick.
"You shouldn't eat that much wasabi," John/Rick advised. "It will make you sick."
Wang picked up his sushi roll with the giant portion of wasabi and launched it into his mouth. Within seconds, tears screamed down his cheeks as he grin-chewed and swallowed.
"Wang," said their mother.
"What?" he said. "Now you're gonna tell me how to eat? Whatever.
"Don't disrespect your mother, Wang." John/ Rick said.
Angie paused, chopsticks hovering over a Philadelphia roll.
"You're not my dad, John/Rick," Wang said. "You have no authority in this house."
Angie earned a permanent place in my heart in Fat Angie. I am so thrilled that she's back even though she's in a terrible place. She's grieving the only individual in her life who loved her unconditionally and facing nearly constant bullying and put-downs at school as well as home. But she's whip-smart and very, very funny. I just adore her internal dialogue. Here's a sample from page 57:
...He would burn his esophagus out to spite John/ Rick-have fiery poop blaze out of his butt for an hour if necessary. Wang was fearless and, of course, not forward-thinking in his rebellion. Fiery poop was, well, fiery. Still, Angie wished she had a fraction of Wang's pushback...
Total Posts: 27
Total Reviews: 19
Challenges:
Debut: 0
Audio: 7
Picture Books: 7
The Good: Posted a lot and reviewed a fair amount.
The Bad: Already behind in my GR goal of 365 books.
The List:
1. Swing by Kwame Alexander and Mary Hess (1/1)
2. We are Grateful by Traci Sorell (1/1)
3. The Orca Scientists by Kim Perez Valice (1/6)
4. New Kid by Jerry Craft (1/6)*
5. Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor (1/6)
6. The Sun is Kind of a Big Deal by Nick Seluk (1/7)
7. My First Mandarin Words with Gordon & Li Li by Michele Wong McSween (1/8)
8. The Eleventh Trade by Alyssa Hollingsworth (1/13)
9. Endling: the last by Katherine Applegate (1/13)*
10. Death Eaters: meet nature's scavengers by Kelly Milner Halls (1/16)
11. Weird Animals by Mary Kay Carson (1/19)
12. Peace and Me by Ali Winter (1/20)*
13. The Great Rhino Rescue: Saving the Southern White Rhinos by Sandra Markle (1/20)*
14. The Raven's Tale by Cat Winters (1/20)*
15. Ph(r)ases of the Moon: lunar poems by J. Patrick Lewis (1/21)
16. A Place to Start a Family: poems about creatures that build by David L. Harrison (1/21)
17. Tempests and Slaughter by Tamora Pierce (1/22)
18. The Never-ending Story by Michael Ende (1/23)
19. light filters in: poems by Caroline Kaufman @poetic poison (1/23)
20. The Golden Tower by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare (1/26)
21. Miles Morales by Jason Reynolds (1/30)
22. Picturing America: Thomas Cole and the birth of American art by Hudson Talbott (1/31)
23. Counting on Katherine: how Katherine Johnson saved Apollo 13 by Helaine Becker (1/31)
24. Through the Window: views of Marc Chagall's life and art by Barb Rosenstock (1/31)
The Alchemyst by Michael Scott. The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel Book #1. 400 p. Delacorte Press/ Random House Children's Books, May, 2007. 9780385733571.
#tbt features The Alchemyst by Michael Scott. The Alchemyst is book one of The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series. This sweeping six-book saga features many figures from various world mythologies as well as prominent historical figures, such as Flamel, who have chosen to become immortal. There is a prophecy about a twin brother and sister in a book called The Codex. Flamel believes twins, Sophie and Josh Newman may be those twins and he hopes to awaken their latent magic and recapture The Codex, which was stolen from him. The fast-paced globe-trotting will keep readers engaged and guessing.
Fast Break by Derek Jeter. Derek Jeter's Contract series #6. 176 p. Paula Wiseman Books/ Simon & Schuster, April 16, 2019. 9781534436275.
Publisher synopsis: In the sixth book in the New York Times bestselling middle grade series inspired by the life of iconic New York Yankee Derek Jeter, young Derek bites off more than he can chew when he decides to enter the school talent shaw and try out for the basketball team.
I read the first book or two in the series and found them pleasant yet predictable. Nice lessons about sportsmanship, commitment and time management. My students enjoy them and sell the books to each other. In fact, it was a student who finished book 5 who asked for the next installment that alerted me . Thanks Joe!
Tempests and Slaughter by Tamora Pierce. Chronicles of Numair #1. Unabridged audiobook on 13 compact discs. ~15 hours. Read by Ari Meyers. Listening Library, February, 2018. 9780553552379. (Review of finished audiobook borrowed from the public library.)
Teen Tuesday features Tempests and Slaughter by Tamora Pierce. Faithful TMS Readers may recall that I featured a Pierce novel on #tbt two weeks ago. Pierce returns to the world she built there with a prequel in Tempests and Slaughter, which begins a new series called The Numair Chronicles.
Arram Draper is the youngest student at Carthak's Imperial University. In him lies the potential to become the most powerful mage of all time. He has a knack for attracting trouble as well as the attention of the gods. The book clocks in at 480 pages and the audio spans 15 hours. It may seem daunting, but Arram's personality and adventures will enthrall readers. Pages or hours will fly.
I must admit that I wasn't a huge fan of the narrator. Nor of Arram's continued self-doubt and and self-deprecation. It felt a bit twee and was reinforced by the narration. The story grew on me and I am eager for the next installment, which I will most likely read with my eyes.
Middle Grade Monday departs from its usual highlighting of wonderful middle grade books to report that later on this morning (8 PST/ 11 EST), the Youth Media Awards will be announced at the American Library Association Midwinter Conference in Seattle. Some eighteen awards will be announced across the various age groups culminating in the announcements of the winners of the Caldecott and Newbery Awards. If you are lucky enough to be in the room during the announcements, you can't help but feel the excitement and join in the applause for each winner, even if your personal favorites don't win. I always have a list of favorites I hope will win, but have never made a prediction post. I favorited eighty-eight books in 2018 across the age groups fiction and non-fiction. Here are five books I'd love to see a sticker on:
Sweep: the story of a girl and her monster by Jonathan Auxier.
The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson.
The Journey of Little Charlie by Christopher Paul Curtis.
Just Like Jackie by Lindsay Stoddard. I didn't get to review this beautiful debut. The writing is lovely and the characters are unforgettable.
The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle by Leslie Conor.
ETA: As I was reviewing this post, it occurred to me that No Fixed Address is ineligible for Newbery as the author is Canadian. Leaving it here at the bottom though, because it is a favorite and shouldn't be missed.
No Fixed Address by Susin Nielsen.
Picking those five meant I left off quite a few others that I would be thrilled to win. That's the tough part. You read a lot of books and make your lists of favorites but if you're on a committee, your fellow committee members also make their own lists.
I admit that the anticipation is hard to resist. I also admit to feeling a bit ambivalent about the awards, especially the Newbery and Caldecott. How can one choose a single book that is distinguished above all others? How many of my students come in clamoring for a book with the Newbery medal on it? The only one I can remember demand for was Holes. A few years ago, a sixth grade LA teacher did a book bingo that included a Newbery winner square and Newbery Honor square, so that it was a bit unavoidable and I had students trudging in to fulfill that requirement.
Personally, I anticipate the Notables list that release a day or two post YMA announcements. But even they are missing some wonderful titles due to the fact that it is limited to sixty books and must include the YMA winners.
One book has received a ton of buzz this year that I really don't get. It's a fine story. It's an important one. I liked it; but I don't see how it is distinguished. Sometimes buzz does not equal and Newbery. The committee does what it does, supposedly independent of the buzz. Sometimes I love the winner and can't get a single kid to read it. Occasionally, I can't get through the winner and it becomes a rare dnf.
Sadly, I skipped Midwinter this year but I will tune in to the livestream at 11AM and celebrate whatever the outcome. Then, I will go back to my job of finding the right book at the right time for the right reader. Each of those books are winners regardless of whether there's a sticker on it.
