What's New?

"Stacking the Shelves" is was a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews. It seems the blog is gone though, for the link no longer takes you to it. So, I will just continue to post a "What's New? post whenever I receive new books. 

For Review: I had the opportunity to choose from new publisher, Red Comet's debut list recently. The books came in a lovely package:

I can't wait. 

Image: Red Comet Press

Cat & Dog: a Tale of Opposites by Tullio Corda. Translated by Taylor Barrett Gaines. 36 p. Red Comet Press, September 7, 2021. 9781636550022.

Publisher synopsis: Cat and Dog are not the same, in fact they are very different and the perfect subjects for a tale of opposites.

From the start of their day to the inevitable tussle, for these two best friends, everything is opposite. Enjoy their adventures as they fight and play, chase and hide, in an escapade that includes some special storytelling in the illustrations of this deceptively simple book. Tullio Corda depicts a relationship that is familiar to us all and provides a clever surprise ending.

Image: Red Comet Press

Before We Sleep by Giorgio Volpe & Paolo Proietti. Translated by Angus Yuen-Killick. 26 p. Red Comet Press, September 7, 2021. 9781636550046.

Publisher synopsis: Soon, the dormouse must hibernate, and the friends will part. As the time for sleep nears, the fox tries to keep the dormouse awake. Sleep indeed must come, but not before the two friends have shared one last story, knowing they will be together again in the spring.

This gentle friendship story is the perfect allegory for the bedtime ritual. And the reassuring message is clear: “I will be there for you when you wake.”

Each book has a link to activity pages on their web page.

Purchased: Nothing!

What was in your mailbox this week?

#tbt: Once by Morris Gleitzman

Image: Macmillan Publishers

Once by Morris Gleitzman. 192 p. Square Fish/ Macmillan, 2005. (Own)

#tbt features Once by Morris Gleitzman. This is the first book of the Felix and Zelda series and was published in 2005. Yesterday, in "Waiting on Wednesday," I featured Always, which will be the final book in the seven-book series. What makes Once special is the voice. Felix is a naive narrator, which makes his story all the more heartbreaking. Also, each chapter begins with the word, "Once." 

Felix believes he is staying with nuns in a convent high up in the mountains because his book store-owning parents are away at a convention, though he has been there for over three years. He decides to go and look for them and leaves the convent just as the Nazis are raiding it, for the nuns have been hiding Jewish children. Soon after, he finds an unconscious young girl named Zelda in a burning building and rescues her. The two become friends and traveling companions. 

The story is a work of fiction loosely based on the story of Janusz Korczak. You can read more about Mr. Gleitzman's inspiration on his website. The publication of Then followed in 2009, followed by Now in 2010. Now takes place in contemporary Australia and is about Felix and his granddaughter. After, Soon and Maybe were published in 2012, 2015, and 2017. I had to order the last three books and most likely, After, directly from an independent bookstore in Australia. 

I have had great success book talking this title. Most students give it a try and return asking for the next book. I've had quite a few students read the entire series. 

Waiting on Wednesday: Always by Morris Gleitzman

 

Image: Penguin Random House Canada

Always by Morris Gleitzman. 240 p. Puffin/ Penguin Books, October 26, 2021. 9780241380482.

Waiting on Wednesday features Always by Morris Gleitzman. For the last fifteen years, one of my go-to novels about the Holocaust has been Once. Invariably, students devoured it and asked for more and luckily, there were five more books to offer. On October 26, fans will get to read the final chapter of Felix's long life. Here's the publisher synopsis: 

It's 15 years since readers were first introduced to Felix in Once and, across six celebrated books, our brave young hero has survived many unforgettable and emotional journeys. 2021 sees the publication of the seventh and final part of Felix's story, bringing to a powerful climax a series that countless young readers around the world will remember - Always.

Late in life, Felix finds himself back where he started, living in an aged-care home that reminds him of his childhood orphanage. He's not happy. His body might be old, but his spirit is still youthful. When he learns that a young child friend is in terrible danger, Felix doesn't hesitate. He makes his second orphanage escape, goes back to Eastern Europe and throws himself into a daring and dangerous journey with a new young friend. Felix knows it might be the end of him, but he hopes it will allow him to do something first. Make a gift to the children of the world that will help them always.

Teen Tuesday and Audiobook Review: Home is Not a Country by Safia Elhillo

Image: Penguin Random House

 Home is Not a Country by Safia Elhillo. Unabridged audiobook, ~191 minutes. Read by the author. Listening Library/ Make Me a World/ Random House Children's Books, March, 2021. 9780593343708. (Review of e-audio borrowed from public library.)

Teen Tuesday features another verse novel about the Muslim immigrant experience. In Home is Not a Country by Safia Elhillo, fourteen-year-old Nima despairs of ever fitting in and grieves for a father she never knew. Her father died in a car accident back in Sudan (presumably, it is never named) before she was born. Her mother and her best friend, both pregnant, immigrated to the U.S., where Nima and Haitham were born. They live in the same apartment building and Haitham is like a brother to Nima. He does his best to protect her from bullies, but she's constantly picked on for her religion, her skin color, and her poverty. Nima wishes her mother had stayed in Sudan and named her Yasmeen. She's convinced her life would've been different.

In fact, she believes that she glimpses Yasmeen from time to time and this is where the novel veers into magical realism. After a series of crises, Nima gets to travel the road not taken.

This was an immersive read. I'm glad I read with my ears. First, I adore listening poets read their own work. Secondly, as mentioned in Monday's post, I love hearing the foreign language words and names pronounced correctly. 

Home is Not a Country should appeal to teens who enjoy verse novels, stories of the immigrant experience and stories about finding one's place/ belonging. 

Middle Grade Monday and Audiobook Review: Unsettled by Reem Faruqi

Image: HarperCollins Publishers

Unsettled by Reem Faruqi. Unabridged e-Audiobook, ~2.5 hours. HarperAudio/ HarperCollins Publishers, May, 2021. 9780063044739. (Review of e-audiobook borrowed from public library.)

Happy Monday! I am roughly halfway through summer break and it seems to be a good time to stop and reflect. Am I having fun? Am I getting exercise? Am I getting outdoors in between all the rain we've been having? Am I reading? This has been an eventful summer for me filled with a fair amount of stress, but I am trying to get some exercise and get out of doors each day. I've been averaging seven miles a day of walking and I walk briskly enough to get my heart rate up. 

The stress has definitely impacted my reading. I'm finding it difficult to maintain concentration and even though I've read roughly a book a day this summer, I went into the break 28 books behind my GR goal and was hoping to catch up. That won't happen and that is okay.

Middle Grade Monday features Unsettled by Reem Faruqi. This blank verse novel is loosely based on the author's childhood. Nurah has a perfect life in Karachi, Pakistan. She has a best friend, lives with her beloved grandmother and gets to swim in the ocean with her brother often. One perfect day at the beach turns into Nurah's worst day when her father announced plans to move to Peachtree City, Georgia for a new job. Suddenly, Nurah's life is unsettled as she realizes that everything about her from her accented English through her clothing and brown skin makes her stick out when all she wants to do is blend in. Joining the swim team helps, but she becomes jealous of her brother's ability and seeming ease at fitting in.

This moving novel is told in verse in nine sections. Issues of racism, Islamophobia, racial profiling and friendship are explored. Back matter includes a glossary of Arabic and Urdu terms that are woven into the text, an author's note and a recipe.

The audio was well-paced. The narrator's voice sounded youthful and I appreciated her fluency with Arabic. When I read foreign language words with my eyes, I tend to butcher the pronunciation or skim right by. I know I should stop and look the words up, but I often sacrifice that in favor of staying in the flow of the book. 

Unsettled should appeal to a wide range of middle grade readers. 

Picture Book Review: Chicken Little and the Big Bad Wolf by Sam Wedelich

Image: Scholastic Inc.

Chicken Little and the Big Bad Wolf by Sam Wedelich. unpaged. Scholastic Press/ Scholastic Inc., March, 2021. 9781338359008. (Review of finished copy courtesy of publisher.)

Chicken Little is back and she is absolutely not afraid of any big bad wolf. Sporting her signature red specs and red cowboy boots, this little gem of a story begins on the title page with Chicken Little stating, "I am so NOT scared of any wolf!"

On the next spread, she reiterates that she is not afraid. Then, wham! She collides with none other than the Big Bad Wolf, who wants to know if she's okay. She's not and runs away in a panic, then tells another chicken that she thinks she just saw the Big Bad Wolf. That chicken runs to tell the rest of the flock, who break into factions - Team Flight and Team Fight. Meanwhile, Chicken Little is second-guessing her reaction.

This is a read aloud that begs you to get your ham out. It's told mostly in dialogue and it's very punny, making it a great book to adapt into a Reader's Theater. Line drawings convey emotion, energy and lots of sight gags. The lesson is delivered effectively with lots of fun. 

I often tell my students not to skip the title page and end pages and this is a good example why not. The story starts on the title page and ends on the copyright/ publisher info page. The end pages are simply adorable. 

Welcome back Chicken Little! Hope to see you again soon!

What's New?

"Stacking the Shelves" is was a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews. It seems the blog is gone though, for the link no longer takes you to it. So, I will just continue to post a "What's New? post whenever I receive new books. 

For Review: I went into school the other day to drop off a box of books I'm donating to the collection and found two packages in my work mailbox!

Image: HarperCollins Publishers

Marshmallow Pie the Cat Superstar by Clara Vulliamy. Marshmallow Pie the Cat Superstar, Book 1. 128 p. HarperCollins Children's Books, May, 2021. 9780008355852.

Publisher synopsis: A hilarious new series from Clara Vulliamy, the author-illustrator of Dotty Detective, about grumpy cat Marshmallow Pie and his reluctant pursuit of stardom. Perfect for fans of Toto the Ninja Cat or The Secret Life of Pets.

Marshmallow Marmaduke Vanilla-Bean Sugar-Pie Fluffington-Fitz-Noodle is a big, fluffy (and grumpy) cat. He LOVES the easy life: lazing in the sunshine, eating Shrimp Crunchies and annoying Buster, the dog downstairs.

His new owner, Amelia Lime, has grand plans to turn Pie into a STAR… But Pie thinks he’s a star already, to be honest!

Told in the hilarious voice of Marshmallow Pie himself, his mischievous antics are illustrated throughout in black and white.

Image: HarperCollins Publishers

River Stories by Timothy Knapman. unpaged. Egmont/ Farshore/ HarperCollins Publishers, June, 2021. 9781405292542.

Publisher synopsis: Sail along five mighty rivers around the world and open up the giant fold-out pages to reveal incredible stories from history, mythology and modern times.

This gorgeous gift book will take you on a world adventure via the world's greatest rivers. The Yangtze tells of dragons and dolphins, while the Rhine whispers about castles and Frankenstein. Explore pyramids, tombs and temples by the Nile, and search for lost cities and gold alongside the Amazon. And follow the Mississippi to hear of historic battles and dinosaurs.

Gorgeously illustrated pages fold out to reveal the full length of each river. Make an epic journey from source to sea and soak up the rivers' amazing stories.

Purchased: Nothing!

What was in your mailbox this week?