What a Change

Last summer I flew to Zambia.  There were a couple of stops and it took a grand total of 22 hours and 30 minutes.  Yeah, it was a long flight. At least I thought it was, until I read Tim Grove's First Flight Around the World.   It took 4 planes, each with 1 pilot and 1 mechanic 363 hours and 7 minutes to fly around the world-and that's just air time.  Counting all the stops and receptions they had to attend along the way the entire trip took 150 days.

150 days!!??  To us, that's crazy talk.  But at the time it set records, these airmen were the first to circumnavigate the globe, the first to cross the Pacific Ocean and the first to cross the China Sea.  They did all of this in planes that had open cockpits.  That's unthinkable!

Regular readers will know non-fiction is not my preferred genre, but First Flight Around the World  is the best type of non-fiction.  It's a story that is fascinating on it's own masterfully supplemented with pictures and quotes from journals/newspapers/etc. from that time period.  I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.  It was the perfect mix of the technical, diplomatic, and personal aspects of the mission.  If you have any interest in aviation you should definitely read this book.

Winning...that's kids stuff.  

Boy and Dog

Regular readers of this blog, and anyone who has ever spent more than 5 minutes with me in real life, will know that I love dogs.  So when I saw one of the Reading Olympic's books had a dog on the cover, I knew I would probably like it.

Elvis and the Underdogs by Jenny Lee is a fun twist on the 'boy meets dog' story.  You see Benji isn't your normal boy.  He was born premature, is extremely accident prone, and he has a tendency to faint when under stress.  He misses a lot of school due to various illnesses so he tries to make himself scarce when he is at school. But more than that he is exceptionally smart and quick-witted (though half the time he doesn't realize he's being funny).  Just listen to how he describes the school bully Billy Thompson.

"Billy Thompson is my archnemesis.  The Lord Voldemort to my Harry Potter, the Tom to my Jerry, the Lex Luthor to my Superman, the Captain Hook to my Peter Pan, the walnuts to my brownies. (I'm allergic to all nuts, but walnuts especially, and seriously it makes no sense to add them to brownies anyway.  They're perfect just the way they are.)" 

One day Benji has an "episode" at school, which his doctors suspect was a mild seizure.  Until they can determine what's causing the seizures (and thus prevent another from happening) Benji has two options, wear a helmet or get a therapy dog.

Obviously therapy dog wins out and that's how Benji ends up with Elvis-a Newfoundland (aka a dog the size of a horse).  But Elvis' size is just the beginning.  He can talk!  Well, at least Benji can hear/understand him, everyone else...not so much.  When you bring an enormous talking dog to school it's kind hard to make yourself scarce.  That's when things really get interesting.

Finding a pack...that's kids stuff.  

Super....friend?

I think everyone has dreamed about having superpowers.  It just seems natural, once you see your first superhero movie or read your first fantasy you want to live that life-to be the hero.  But I don't think any of us ever dream about being the best friend of a superhero.  Sure, that would be kinda nice, you're in on the action, something amazing is happening in your life, but you're one step away...it's close enough to touch, but you can't hold it.  

Still... that's exactly what happens to Daniel in Matthew Cody's Powerless.  When his grandmother falls ill, Daniel and his family move to the town of Noble Green to help care for her.  Right away Daniel notices something suspicious about some of his new peers, but he can't place it.  Eric, Mollie, Rohan, they're all nice and welcoming to Daniel, but he feels like he's just missing something. 

When Daniel falls off a mountain only to be rescued by a flying Eric, he realizes he was missing something-these kids have powers.  Eric and Mollie can fly, Rohan has super senses, and they're not the only kids who have superpowers.  Daniel is thrilled to be in on the secret, but he can't help longing for powers himself. 

Here's the catch. Once the kids turn 13, they loose their powers.  Even worse-they have no memory of their powers.  It's like someone stole them.  

But does it have to stay that way?  What if Daniel can do more than stay on the sidelines?  Can someone powerless be a hero?  

Sleuthing...that's kids stuff.  

Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda

I don't believe it when people tell me they don't regret anything.  I think if we are honest with ourselves there is always something we wished we had done differently, or just as likely, something we didn't do that we wish we had.  Kimberly Brubaker Bradley's The War that Saved my Life shows what I think is one of the cruelest things imaginable, Ada's mother regrets having children.

She especially regrets having Ada since Ada has an ugly deformed foot.  Ada is forced to stay home, hidden away in one room.  At first it's ok because her little brother Jamie is there too, but when Jamie leaves to go to school Ada is left alone in her misery.  Until the day Jamie reports that all of the kids are going on the train out of the city because the war is coming.

Ada seizes her chance and that next day she and Jamie are on that train headed towards a new life.  They end up living with Susan Smith who never wanted kids and isn't particularly interested in caring for Ada and Jamie.  Is this any better than living with a mother who regrets them?  I mean it's called The War that Saved my Life so you can probably guess it's better...but the way it unfolds is just wonderfully told.

I loved reading this book.  The story was beautifully crafted and well told.  I especially liked this quote from Susan, " I don't know what to say...I don't want to tell you a lie, and I don't know the truth."  Such honesty is exactly what these kids needed.

Winning the war..that's kids stuff.  

Irony

So in case it's been awhile since you've been in a reading/english class, irony is when something happens (or is said) that is different from what you expected to happen.

Take Nikki Grimes Planet Middle School.  First, the title (I know, I know don't judge a book blah blah) it just seems like it's going to be silly and childish.  Second, it's poems...and we all know how I feel about poems.  Third the main character Joylin is a serious tomboy, she loves to play basketball-and she's good too.  That's all great but I'm pretty much the opposite of that so it could be hard to relate.

Irony! I loved it.   I mean I'm still not a huge fan of poems-I probably would have loved it more if it were prose but the story was great.  And though I'm the farthest thing from a tomboy, Joylin and I still have things in common.  Exhibit A: we hate math.

"End of the day, 

I lay my head

on my desk, 

faking the migraine

I'm certain

is on its way. 

Imaginary numbers? 

Come on!

Who dreams up this stuff? 

It's enough to make

anybody ill. 

I practically scream for joy

when the bell rings."

If I had to pick one good thing about poems it would be that you can read them quickly.  I was treated to a delightful story that could be finished in one sitting.  You know it's good because I could re-read it and pick up on new things.  It has depth. 

Finding your style...that's kids stuff.  

Besties

Debbie and Maureen were besties. Were being the operative word.  Somehow the girls have drifted apart.  Well, Gleena Flaiber may have helped with that.  Suddenly Gleena is always hanging out with Maureen and three people can't be besties-someone is always left out.

And that's how Debbie finds herself, All Alone in the Universe.  Lynne Rae Perkins effortlessly weaves the story of friendships fizzled then rekindled then fizzled again.  New friends are found in surprising-and not so surprising-places and Debbie grows up.

My favorite part is when Debbie describing songs in chorus class.  So here's a couple of quotes (bonus-I think these really capture Debbie's personality so this should help you decide if hers is a story you would want to read)

"My own voice is unexceptional but reliable, which is all anyone expects from an alto"

"After that we did 'Adoramus Te,' which makes everyone feel like a vocal champion because it's simple, and not too high, but sounds mysterious and holy and is in Latin." 

If you're not a music person you may not have enjoyed this quotes as much as I did.  But hopefully you liked Debbie. 

Finding your place in the universe...that's kids stuff.  

Wannabe

I love me a good dystopian young adult novel.  Hunger Games, Divergent, The Giver, Maze Runner, etc. etc. I like them all.  But the overwhelming popularity (and movie deals) of these books makes this genre ripe for imitators.  It's hard to feel original when so many books are focused on a society that looks perfect from the outside, but one young person sees it differently and it all starts falling apart.

Not that you can't, it just takes a little extra something to make your book stand out.  Unfortunately, David Stahler Jr's Truesight feels like an imitation.  When I was reading it my main thought was, "oh, so this is a wannabe Giver." The only difference is that in Jacob's colony (community) everyone is blind.

Jacob is nearing his 13th birthday and is going to get his specialization (ceremony of 12 anyone?) but he is nervous about it.  His parents, like Jonas' assure him that the council (elders) always does what's best for everyone.  But Jacob gets more and more apprehensive and what makes it worse is the realization that he is different from the rest of the community.  Even scarier-maybe he likes being different.

Though the overall plot felt referential, the special education teacher part of me did enjoy learning about all the accommodations this colony had in place to support their citizens.  Everyone is blind, but everyone wears a sounder tuned to a unique pitch that activates when you get close to another person.  School includes classes in mobility, and how to use a finder if you are lost. Sound becomes so much more important-which appealed to the musician part of me.

Truesight wasn't terrible, I just wanted it to be so much better.  This is the first part of a trilogy and I am a little curious as to how the story develops.  Maybe the next two installments are more unique.

Finding your sight...that's kids stuff.  

Happy New Year

I'm not really a resolutions kind of gal, but I do love the idea of fresh starts and new beginnings.

If you're looking for a way to up your reading just google 'Reading challenge."  You'll get tons of hits.  You can even refine your search to focus on one particular genre or author.  I'm a big fan of reading a variety.

Me, I'll be trying to finish the Reading Olympics booklist prior to the competition.  Maybe this year will be the year it actually happens...

Meeting a challenge...that's kids stuff.  

Perspective

In my lifetime I have lived through several wars, but my perspective is very different from that of my grandparents who lived through different wars.  I am accustomed to multiple points of view, there has always been dissent, it would be an anomaly for the country to be completed united in the war effort.  I have not had rations, or shortages, or victory gardens.

But Margaret, in Mary Downing Hahn's Stepping on the Cracks. has grown up with these things.  Her brother is off fighting the war and a blue star hangs in their window.  Margaret is cautious, careful, and shy.  Her best friend Elizabeth is exactly the opposite. Like Margaret, Elizabeth's brother is also fighting the war.  Both girls miss their brothers, but they are convinced that this war is necessary.  The Americans are the good guys and we had to fight the war to stop Hitler.  Everyone is happy to do their part, to give up new bikes at Christmas and to comply with rationing. Besides, at the end of the war both brothers will come back safe and sound.

But as time goes on, and as the girls interact more with Gordy (a boy in their class), they start to wonder if things are so simple.  In their neighborhood blue stars are changing to gold stars-some boys aren't coming home.  Yes, Hitler needs to be stopped, but is war really necessary?  Can any war be a good war?  Did all those boys really want to be soldiers?

I love that this book was able to transport me back to that 'simpler time' everyone always talks about, but it didn't just stay at simple.  Margaret and Elizabeth face hard issues.  Issues that we still face today when our country goes to war.  And it is a good reminder that the regular struggles of 6th grade still happen, even in wartime.

Serving on the homefront...that's kids stuff.  

Joy

Hope your holiday season is filled with joy and well stocked book shelves!

Exciting Opporunity

When I worked at summer camp my boss would often say, "I have an exciting opportunity for someone."  And we would all volunteer because exciting opportunity sounds like something...well, exciting.  Eventually we caught on that 'exciting opportunity' meant something like carting firewood from one end of the camp to the other or plunging a clogged toilet so we stopped volunteering.

But what if those 'exciting opportunities' had actually been exciting.   We probably would have kept volunteering, we may have even fought for those spots.  Well that's exactly what Reynie does when he sees an add in the paper, "are you a gifted child looking for special opportunities?"  After a series of bizarre tests, including an offer to cheat, a test where the answers are hidden in other questions, and a maze,  Reynie is selected to go see Mr. Benedict.

And thus begins the adventure in Trenton Lee Stewart's  The Mysterious Benedict Society.  Reynie is not the only gifted child to have passed the test.  He is joined by George aka Sticky, Katie, and Constance.  Together they must find out whats behind the great emergency and uncover the hidden secrets of The Institute.

I have been wanting to read this book for quite awhile now so I was glad to see it on this years Reading Olympics list.  It was definitely worth the wait.  Not to mention it was the perfect book for a rainy Saturday.  A nice thick tome with quirky characters, a beautifully developed storyline, and just a hint of intrigue.

Resisting...that's kids stuff.  

Identical

I have always been fascinated by twins.  I often tease my husband that he is a terrible twin (he has a twin sister).  They don't look particularly alike, they didn't wear a ton of matching outfits, and they never had a secret twin language.  I imagine that identical twins would have done all of those things.  Maybe that's what you get when you grow up watching Mary Kate and Ashley (and yes, I know they're not identical).

But Missy and Claire are identical.  They're cousins and their parents just say it's a strong family resemblance.  But Missy and Claire have sleepovers every weekend.  They text each other constantly, and it feels like they can read each other's minds and sense their emotions.  Like they have some connection much deeper than cousins.  So when Missy gets a school project about hoaxes she decides to pass Claire off as her long lost identical twin. 

It starts as a hoax, a way to earn points in Science class but when the video is posted on the internet nobody can deny that Missy and Claire are identical.  It goes way beyond a family resemblance.  But how can that be?  The girls are cousins not twins.  Their birthdays are 8 weeks apart.  You can't fake a birthday. 

Thanks to the internet, the video spreads like wildfire.  And then something unexpected happens.  And that something changes everything.  I would love to tell you what it was but...spoilers! Caroline B. Cooney's three black swans has completely earned the label of 'thriller.'   

Uncovering a hoax...that's kids stuff. 

PS black swans: events that are hugely important, rare, and unpredictable, and explicable only after the fact.  

Muli bwanji

William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer wrote a book called The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind.   I LOVED it.  I loved it so much I can't even think of something cute to say or a clever intro  I just want to rave about how much I LOVED this book.  SO much.  SO SO SOO much.  I really really really loved it.  And you should all read it. ASAP.

William grew up in a small village in Malawi. He and his friends love to build things.  William especially has a knack for taking things apart and seeing how they work.  He uses this knowledge to fix things.  Soon William and his friends are fixing radios for other villagers.  But then the famine comes.  Crops die and people are starving.  William's family no longer has the money to send him to school.

But William doesn't give up.  He reads all the science books he can from the local library.  And even though he's not in school anymore he doesn't give up on his dream of bringing electricity to his house.  Using mainly materials found in the junkyard, William is able to build a windmill.  That windmill brings power to his house.   And that's only the beginning.

This book is beautifully written, but it's made even better because this is a true story.  William actually did all of these things.  And I loved being transported back to Africa.  William's tribal language was very similar to what I was learning when in Africa.  Muli bwanji, nshima, the rhythm of the language, the quality of the interactions and the support of the tribe.  This book made me feel...I guess the closest word would be homesick.  I am thrilled that this is a Reading Olympic's book.  Everyone should read this book.

Powering your village...that's kids stuff. 

PS If you want to know more about William's achievements/see how you can help go to movingwindmills.org

Comme Ci, Comme Ca

I took four years of french.  Three years in high school and one in college.  Comme ci, comme ca (ok or so-so) is one of the few phrases that I remember.  To be fair, my teachers were excellent, I've just never been good with languages.

The fairies, excuse me, samll persons with wings in Ellen Booream's Small Persons With Wings speak multiple languages, French being one of them, so it seemed appropriate to dig up whatever remnants of my French knowledge were left floating around my brain.  And, I have to be honest, comme ci comme ca was the perfect expression to remember because, for me, this book was just so-so.

Mellie is 13 years old and has been teased at school ever since she told everyone that she had fairies living with her at home (which was true but who would actually believe that).  Add a little extra 'fluff' and you've got yourself the nickname Fairy Fat.  When her grandfather dies and her family moves to his inn it seems like the perfect opportunity to start over.

Until fairies take over the inn and Mellie finally learns why her family interacts with fairies when no one else does. It sounds exactly like the kind of book I would love.  But I didn't.  I actually found it quite hard to keep reading, I just never engaged with this book.  It didn't grab my attention and pull me into the story.  But it wasn't terrible...it was just...so-so.

Fairies...that's kids stuff.  

Helmet?

Growing up, my mom had one rule that was absolutely non-negotiable.  This rule applied not just to my brother and I but also to any neighborhood kid who came over.  The rule: You must always wear a helmet.  Doesn't matter if it's a skateboard, scooter, or bike; if you are riding something you will wear a helmet.  She would send my best friend back to her house to get a helmet if she came without one.

As a kid it was a little annoying, one more step between me and my bike; not to mention it was embarrassing when she sent my friends back home.  As a grown up (well more grown up than I was) I see the wisdom in her decision and I can recognize she made the right call. Barbara Park's Nick Harte Was Here only reinforces that.

You see Phoebe's brother, Mick Harte died because his bike skidded on a rock and he flew off hitting his head.  If he had been wearing a helmet, he would have lived.  This isn't a spoiler, you learn on page one that Mick has died.  As it says, "So this isn't the kind of book where you meet the main character and you get to like him real well and then he dies at the end."

This is a story of grief.  It's not an uplifting story or a fun read, but it's an important story.  The more I work middle schoolers the more I am convinced that they need a variety of rich texts and authentic stories to draw from.  No, it isn't a fun happy book.  But it's a good one.

Wearing your helmet...that's kids stuff.  

Teacher Swag

Confession time.  I actually hate most teacher books/teacher movies.  They gloss over all of the hard work and frustration and just present some shiny version of what school is like.  I especially hate the way they portray students.  As if students are these one dimensional beings who are terrors one day and then the magic teacher comes and now they're angels.  Real life is much more messy.

So I put off reading because of mr.terupt as I was afraid it would be another sappy teacher story.  I was pleased to find that this book is written from the students perspective-all of them.  It bounces from Jeffrey to Anna to Lexie and so many more.  But what really sold me on this book was the way Rob Buyea captured the students personalities.

For example, Peter says, "If the bathroom pass is free, all you have to do is take it and go.  This year, the bathrooms were right across the hall.  It's always been an easy way to get out of doing work.  I can be really sneaky like that.  I take the pass all the time and the teachers never notice.  And like I said, Mr. Terupt was a rookie, so I knew he wasn't going to catch me."

Later Peter sums up the main dilemma in my teaching career, "Peter, that's not funny,' Mr. T said to me.  'Someone could have  been injured.  You're lucky you didn't hit anyone in the eye.  Go sit down.'  I sat down.  It was no big deal. If you'd been there, you'd agree, it was superfunny."   I can't tell you how many times I needed to hold in my laughter because a student did something inappropriate that was indeed, superfunny.

In the end this is one teacher story I can wholeheartedly recommend.  I find myself forced to agree with the the review on the cover.  Because of Mr. Terupt really is "the masterful story of one teacher who changes everything."

Finishing 5th grade...that's kids stuff.  

What's Your Superpower?

As a former camp counselor and current teacher it's safe to say I have lead a fair amount of icebreakers.  If you are unfamiliar with the concept of an icebreaker it's basically a quick game or silly questions designed to make a group of people who haven't met before feel comfortable around each other.

One of the most common icebreaker questions is "If you could have any superpower, which one would you want?"  Flying is a popular answer, as is reading minds or super strength.  But I think the most popular answer, and the one I always went with, was the power to be invisible.

That's exactly what happens to 15-year old Bobby Phillips in Andrew Clements Things Not Seen.  One night, he goes to sleep-totally normal.  The next morning he wakes up invisible.  Now this sounds like a dream come true, and at first-it is.  Bobby does all the things I would want to do if I became invisible, listen in on conversations, scare your parents, etc.

But then it gets complicated.  See you can only miss so many days of schools and it's not like Bobby's mom can write a note saying "sorry Bobby wasn't at school today, he suddenly turned invisible."  And while being invisible sometimes feels powerful but it can also feel lonely and isolating.  There's also this small, slightly awkward, detail: Bobby is invisible, but things he touches stay visible.  So in order to stay invisible he has to be...naked.  His clothes will still show up.

Desperate to get out of the house Bobby bundles up, gloves, hat, scarf and sunglasses-so no invisibleness peeks through-and heads to the library.   There he has the (mis?) fortune to bump into Alicia, who doesn't notice he's invisible because she is blind.  Together can they solve the mystery of Bobby's invisibility?  Or will he be unseen forever?

I loved this book. I loved Bobby, I loved Alicia, I loved their parents.  This was a great one.

Giving back your superpower (or not)...that's kids stuff.  

What now?

When I was in middle school, historical fiction was my absolute most favorite genre.  Since then I have become more partial to fantasy, but I still have a fondness for historical fiction.  So I was excited to see Ann Rinaldi's Numbering All the Bones on this years Reading Olympic's list.

Eulinda is in a difficult spot, put more accurately her whole life has been a difficult spot.  See her mother is a slave but her father is the owner of the plantation.  Because of that she gets certain privileges, she has learned to read and write, she stays in the plantation house-not the slave quarters, but her master will not formally acknowledge that she is his daughter.  Without that she is still just a slave in the South.  But then the Civil War ends. 

From our vantage point it's easy to think the Civil War has ended, the Emancipation Proclamation has been signed, problem solved.  But the reality was far messier.  For all of its faults the plantation was Eulinda's home.  Her younger brother has been sold away and her older brother is gone, having left to fight for the North.  

Eulinda feels like she has limited options.  That is until Clara Barton arrives.  Numbering All the Bones was an exceptional work of historical fiction not only because Eulinda's story is captivating and captures the essence of struggles that actually happened, but also because it inspired me to learn more about actual historical figures- like Clara Barton.  

Creating a new life in a new world...that's kids stuff.  

What a Life

I enjoyed reading Gary Paulsen's books (Hatchet, The River, etc) when I was growing up, but they were never my favorites.  Many of my classmates (at that time) and students (today) LOVE these books and are desperate to get their hands on as many as possible.

But even these most dedicated fans don't know that the ideas for Hatchet and the rest of Paulsen's outdoor survival books came directly from Paulsen's own real-life experiences. Guts tells the true story of Paulsen's own life experiences.  He also includes how these experiences factored into writing the books.  So, for me, that made Guts fascinating on two levels, one his life is remarkable, and two, I got a sneak peak into how he crafts his stories.

Rather than try to summarize I would like to share two of my favorite quotes from the book.

"We  have grown away from knowledge, away from knowing what something is really like, toward knowing only what somebody else says it is like.  There seems to be a desire to ignore the truth in favor of drama."

[describing hunting using a bow and arrow] "There's a frustration index with arrows that you don't have with guns.  If a gun is aimed correctly and held steady and the trigger squeezed correctly, the bullet will almost always strike where it is pointed.  An arrow can be aimed correctly and held properly and released exactly right and still miss the target completely because of wind or a tiny branch sticking in the way or, apparently, just bad luck."

Real-life adventures...that's kids stuff 

Them

We all know about them.   You know, those people.  They wouldn't like it, they wouldn't wear it, they wouldn't do that.  I'd like to say that this group mentality and the need to fit into that group ends in middle school, but any adult readers of this blog know that that's not true. 

But every now and then you get someone who doesn't care about them.  Not just says they don't care, but actually honestly does not care about what 'they' think.  This is Stargirl in Jerry Spinelli's Stargirl.  When she transfers from homeschooling to the local high school she causes quite the stir.  

How do you even react to someone who is so other, who is so 'not them?'   The students at Mica High can't seem to figure it out.  First they are confused by her, then they love her, then they hate her, then they love her again.   Her ukulele and prairie skirts aren't even the strangest things about her.  She sings happy birthday to everyone, she sends anonymous cards, she genuinely does not notice what other people think of her.  

Stargirl does participate in a few 'normal' aspects of high school life (with her own spin on them of course). She's a cheerleader and she has a boyfriend -Leo.  Even though Stargirl is the title character the book is from Leo's perspective.  He's caught in the middle.  On the one hand, he's enamored by Stargirl, he sees all of the delightful things about her.  On the other hand, Leo cares about 'them,'  and he sees that 'they' do not always respond kindly to Stargirl-and, by extension, him. 

If I had to sum up this book in two words I would say, 'delightfully quirky.'

Being you...that's kids stuff.