Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

Lazlo Strange, an orphaned child raised in an abbey by monks, is a dreamer.  Even at a young age, he often misses prayer time to simply play.  He dreams of magic, fairy tales, and a lost city whose name is only known as Weep.  One day, he is sent on a journey to deliver some manuscripts to The Great Library of Zosma, and never returns to the abbey.

Lazlo works as a librarian, collecting stories, and recording his findings in books he makes on his own with leftover scraps of paper.  In his books is everything he has collected about the lost city.  He is obsessed with knowing all he can, and even though librarians tend to record the adventures of others, he yearns to seek, find, and explore Weep. Uncertain if the city is still even in existence, one day he actually gets the opportunity to go and help with a problem. 

When Lazlo arrives in the city, he is overcome with emotion when he realizes that the situation is dire.  He finds that the city has a history of slavery and cruelty that he cannot fathom.  He eventually meets Sarai, a godspawn left behind, hiding from the humans that would kill her if they discovered her.  Lazlo and Sarai develop an intimate relationship, and the focus of the book seems to shift, distracting the reader from the initial intrigue of learning about the city of Weep.

Taylor's writing is so detailed that I became bored at times and found myself skimming in some places.  There were lots of twists that helped it pick back up during the "down" times, and I was enthralled when Lazlo begins to find out about his own past.  The ending left me hanging, of which I'm not usually a fan. There is a second book, Muse of Nightmares, that I intend to read in search of closure.

This book could be used to discuss relationships and slavery, and the consequences of oppression.  It has some content that is inappropriate, and in my opinion, unnecessary and irrelevant to the story  Overall, I enjoyed the dynamics of the characters and the plot enough to finish it and look forward to reading the second book.

Wolf in the Snow by Matthew Cordell

This book will give you warm, snuggly feelings.  A sweet story of kindness and trust,  Wolf in the Snow follows a little girl's walk home from school.  As the snow begins to fall, first gently, and then heavily, the girl loses her way.  Nearby, a pack of wolves with a cub gets separated from the cub.  The girl and the cub meet in the snow, learn to trust each other and help each other.

Wolf in the Snow earned the well-deserved Caldecott Medal for 2018.  The illustrations are stunning as wordless picture books must have impeccable illustrations to tell the story the author intended.  The pictures provide clear details of the story, but still leave some room for imagination.  An obvious, possible activity would be to have students write their own text for the book, giving them the opportunity to use their imaginations and ask/answer questions that the lack of text answers.  Why are the only words in the book the sounds of a dog barking?  How did the girl get lost?  Where did she get lost?  Why did her parents send her to school to walk home in a winter storm?  Students will enjoy that all of their answers to any questions will be correct as they author their own version of the story.

The lack of actual text in the story does not distract from the incredible story that unfolds page after page.  The illustrations depict the heart of a lost, but determined little girl, how she saves a wolf cub, and how the wolf cub, in turn, saves her.  The story is a true representation of why we should choose kindness, because kindness is always right.

This is a Taco! by Andrew Cangelose

A squirrel who loves tacos?  Well, why not?  This book is silly and I cannot wait to assign it to my students on EPIC!, which is an online reading program that our school uses.  The hard copy version can also be attained through Amazon and other bookstores, but I was thrilled to see that it had been added to the EPIC! digital library.

This squirrel is cute and witty.  The story will make readers laugh a lot as the squirrel realizes that what is written in the text is what happens in the illustrations.  Not only are the illustrations beautiful, but the squirrel's reactions are hilariously depicted even as he tries to change what happens in the story.  Throughout the book, the text gives a bit of general information about squirrels and the little squirrel offers more personal information (via thought bubbles) that students will find entertaining.  Expect tons of giggles!

A fun activity for students would be to have students change the story the way they would like and make their own book or share it (and illustrate it) in their journals. The book is also a fun springboard to kick off a research project about squirrels.  The combined factual and fictional information in the text makes great discussion points about the difference in fiction and non-fiction text.

This is an awesome book from a new author that I expect to hear from often in the future. Look for his new book "This is a Whoopsie!" that is due out in October, 2018.  I plan to buy the hard copy versions of each title for my stacks.

Leave Me Alone! by Vera Brosgol

This book makes me laugh!  Anyone who has children, or teaches children knows that it is often difficult to find time to complete necessary tasks. Sometimes, we just need a moment of quiet to concentrate and work, even though we eventually want to be right back in the chaos from which we retreated.   As a child, I was always entertained and puzzled by the nursery rhyme "There Was an Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe".  Living in a shoe with so many children seemed so ridiculous, but I loved that story.  This story reminds me of that little rhyme and I will admit, makes me feel a little nostalgic.

In Leave Me Alone, a little old woman lives in a little house with a very large family.  When she prepares to do her important knitting, she finds that there are too many children and too many distractions to get started.  The old woman leaves the house alone yelling "LEAVE ME ALONE!" as she exits, to try to find a quiet place to knit.  The story follows the spunky old woman to several funny and unlikely places until she finds a place to complete her projects. The ending is simple and heartwarming, and the reader gets to see the results of the old woman's hard work.

This story has some interesting vocabulary words such as "wormhole" and "samovar" about which students will be intrigued to discover the meanings.  The illustrations are hilarious and effectively depict the text on each page.  This story would be perfect to discuss story structure, story elements, and sequence.  I cannot wait to share this story with my students!

The Inquisitor's Tale: Or, the Three Magical Children and Their Holy Dog, by Adam Gidwitz

This fantasy book is a great pick as a Newberry Honor.  It is the tale of three children who each has a special gift and a revered hero ghost dog.  They are on the run individually but eventually come together for the purpose to thwart the queen's attempt to burn all books that teach anything but Christianity. 

Along the way, the children use their gifts to protect themselves, and in some cases, the very people that are trying to capture them. There are many short stories embedded in this one epic tale.  Stories of killer farting dragons, overzealous monks, a child with brute strength, horseless knights and visions of the future, to name a few, fill this book with humor and imagination.

While this is a chapter book, which normally would not include illustrations, this book does include "illuminations" in the style of an authentic medieval text.  The pictures that fill the borders of some of the pages exactly depict what the author is communicating through text, but, faithful to authentic illuminations, include pictures that question or contradict the text as well. 

Students will love the engaging stories and the humor.  I mean, do you know a kid that is NOT going to laugh uncontrollably at a story about a dragon that farts deadly gas?  One disappointment is that it does use the word "ass" several times to describe a donkey.  While it is used to directly talk about the donkey, the context it is used makes the other characters laugh and you will likely have students "tattle" on the author for putting that word in there.  For that reason, I would definitely classify this book in my YA collection that requires parental permission to check out.  The stories are great, but I want the parents of my students to be able to make an informed decision when helping their children choose books. 

The Truth About Dolphins by Maxwell Eaton III

Boy, will your students ever love this book!  This informational book is written in the format similar to a graphic novel than traditional informational text.  There is no table of contents, no index or glossary and there are no real photographs, but it is completely full of interesting facts about dolphins and is delivered in such an entertaining medium.  The book has several puns and lots of witty humor coupled with interesting facts that keep the reader engaged until the end.  The end of the book contains a file that is written in the same format as the rest of the book that shows even more amazing facts about dolphins.

Some key topics that are discussed are dolphin birth, echolocation, dolphin behavior, preservation and types of dolphins.  The birth discussion is thorough but very appropriate for young readers. Echolocation is explained in a factual and humorous way.  The book shows the reader how dolphins enjoy play just as children do.  It also explains threats to dolphins such as pollution and boating traffic.  Plus, a variety of dolphin species is presented.

This book is another great read to explore for an IRA (Interactive Read Aloud).  The only thing I think the book could possibly be missing is maybe an index of real photographs of some different dolphin species.  However, the graphic novel format appeals to readers and the illustrations effectively tell the detailed story in pictures of what the text tells us with words.   This book will be added to my "Best of the Best" list to share with my teachers.  Seriously great read!

It Should Have Been You by Lynn Slaughter

Clara Seibert still lives in her twin sister, Moura's, shadow, even though Moura was murdered five months ago.  Clara carries on day by day as the ghostwriter of an advice column for her high school newspaper, knowing that her sister's killer is still at large. Writing helps her forget the horror of the pictures that will forever be in her mind from the night she found her sister murdered.  The column is her safe place.

When Clara receives threatening emails from the anonymous account, she begins to relive the nightmare all over again. Not only do the emails imply that Clara will be next to die, they clearly state that she is the one that should have died instead of Moura.  "It should have been you...but soon."

The investigator in charge of her sister's case still thinks that Clara killed Moura out of jealousy over Moura's success as a brilliant pianist.  Her father is terrified and her mother is simply absent in grief over Moura's death.  Feeling certain that she cannot trust anyone to help her, she is determined to find her sister's killer on her own to put a stop to the threats and never-ending fear.

This story is well-written and engages the reader from the beginning.  The angle continually changes while Clara questions several people of interest, so the story never gets boring. When the story seems all wrapped up in a neat bow, the author throws in an unexpected twist that grips the reader until the end.

The one disappointment for me was the lack of closure of an important relationship in the story.  I would recommend this book solely for entertainment.  I was happy to finally read a new YA book that was more entertaining than politically charged.  Fun mystery/thriller!

The Brilliant Deep: Rebuilding the World's Coral Reefs by Kate Messner

What an incredible book!  The story, the illustrations, and the information about coral reefs and re-building are so engaging.  As soon as I began reading, I determined that this book is perfect for an IRA (Interactive Read Aloud).  The description of the coral spawning tiny corals "until the water swirls like a snow globe" is enthralling, painting a familiar picture for the reader.  For students who are unfamiliar with a snow globe, of course, the teacher could bring a snow globe to class to illustrate what that particular description means.

This interesting story is based on the true story of Ken Nedimyer's lifelong love for, conservation, and restoration of coral reefs. As a child living in Florida, Ken's favorite place to be is diving in a coral reef. When he notices that the sea urchins are dying and the reef is dying, he develops a way to help generate re-growth of the reef.

The rich vocabulary and vibrant illustrations fuse to create a captivating and persuasive informational text.  This story could be a catapult for a unit on coral reefs.  It imparts just enough facts about reefs to peak student interest and to provide a springboard for further research.  The text treats the corals/reefs as characters in the story and allows the reader to connect and actually feel sympathetic towards them, which is a brilliant strategy to cultivate text-to-self connections. Another approach might be to use this book to launch a unit on environmental conservation in which students would research conservation topics and the people who pioneered the work.

It starts with one.  One tiny coral.  One person.

Turtles All the Way Down by John Green

Aza Holmes is a 16-year-old girl with crippling anxiety, particularly of the germs present in her own body and those introduced to her body by outside factors. Aza and her mom struggle financially so she and her care-free best friend, Daisy, decide to try to solve the mystery of a local missing man to collect the reward money. The missing man happens to be the rich father of a friend, Davis, that Aza met at a grief camp, mourning the loss of Aza's father and Davis' mother.

 Aza is in constant turmoil, even though she is in therapy for her crippling OCD.  Her fear of germs incites such anxiety that, although futile, she occasionally drinks hand sanitizer to combat the bacteria. Despite her recurring spiral into full-blown panic attacks, Aza and Davis begin to develop a close relationship that Davis pursues with zeal. Aza also desires the connection, but knows can never happen.  Aza is certain that she will never overcome her anxiety and is hopeless in ever leading a normal life. 

This is the first book I have read by John Green.  I have heard so much hype over his books for several years but was never interested in his topics of choice.  While the story was well-written, and the characters were well-developed, there was no real resolution in the end. The reader is hopeful that Aza might find some distraction in the pursuit to find Davis' missing father and find a way to cope with her illness. I understand that mental illness is an important subject to discuss and Green's writing might help others feel supported and not alone.  I am just not sure it provides any hope for those who experiencing their own spirals.  Overall, this book was probably my least favorite summer read. 

The Serpent King by Jeff Zetner

Dillard Early, Jr. wishes he didn't share the name with his father, a former "signs of the faith" Pentecostal pastor who imprisoned for possession of child pornography.  He feels shamed by the name as the people in town whisper about him and some downright fear him because of what his father did, but he struggles to break free from what he was taught that handling poisonous snakes and drinking poison without the ultimate consequence (death) showed pure faith in Christ.  He sees no way out of the small town of Forrestville, Tennessee, where he lives with his disillusioned mother who works two low-wage jobs to survive and try to pay off the massive debt left behind by his father.  Dill has been raised to believe that the debt is his burden and that his future is limited paying off the debt and continuing his father’s “ministry”, even though he knows there should be more to his life.

Dill's only hope?  His friends Travis, who escapes the wrath of his alcoholic father through a series of fantasy books, and Lydia, an intellectual, ambitious fashion blogger and the daughter of a dentist who has no idea what it is like living the way Dill and Travis have to live. In an unexpected event of tragic loss, and the inevitable loss he has dreaded for years, can Dill escape his family legacy of losing oneself to darkness in the grief of the mourning process? 

The author's use of analogy and directness induces compassion for Dill, hope for Travis, frustration for Lydia, and sorrow for all of them. This book tells a poignant story of growing up, change, grief and a little glimmer of hope that can overcome despair.  

Life On Mars by Jon Agee

When a young boy astronaut lands his rocket ship on Mars, he sets off on a quiet adventure to search for life.  From the beginning, the reader sees that the boy is carrying a gift, making the reader curious as to what is in the box.  As the boy walks and searches, the story unfolds from the boy's point-of-view.   Will he find life on Mars?  While the illustrations complement the text, they also tell a separate part of the story (from the watchful eyes of the elusive alien)  to which the boy is oblivious.  Is it possible that life is hiding in plain sight? 

The text is simple with a few possibly unfamiliar vocabulary words such as "disaster" and "gloomy".  Having students write about these words in their vocabulary journals and acting out the new words are possible activities to consider.  Students love making guesses about what is in the box from the beginning. When the author finally reveals what is in the box (chocolate cupcakes), the question, "Why did he bring that?" arises. Students may write about why they think the boy brings chocolate cupcakes.  Another possible activity with this book is to have students write a spin-off story from the alien's point of view an illustrate it.

This book was one of my students' new favorites this year. They love the surprise at the end and they love to talk about what might happen next if the story continued.  I will also share this book, and it's potential as an IRA (Interactive Read Aloud) with my teachers. 

The Hugely-Wugely Spider by Ethan T. Berlin

A fun spin on a classic children's song, this book is entertaining for all ages.  Hugely-Wugely spider watches the itsy-bitsy spiders climb up the water spout day after day to a spider wonderland with plenty of bugs, comfortable webs, and snuggly leg warmers to keep all eight legs cozy.  The other spiders have suggested that Hugely-Wugely might be too large to climb the spout.  After an unsuccessful attempt that required the help of the other spiders, Hugely Wugely gets the opportunity to return that kindness. 

Told from the Hugely-Wugely spider's point-of-view, this funny story will have your students rolling with laughter.  Readers will be amused by this silly story that blends the "Itsy-bitsy Spider" with funny shenanigans that give the song a fresh backstory.  The end of the book reveals an unexpected act of kindness that the reader finds sweet and entertaining.

The text is easy to follow and includes vocabulary words such as "implied", "accessories", "adorable", and "retaining".  The illustrations masterfully depict the story with hilarious facial expressions that help the reader understand the personality of the characters.
The possibilities for instruction are endless with this book. Rich vocabulary, problem-solving, kindness, interesting illustrations, and witty humor...this book has so many ingredients for an engaging class read aloud.

A Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds

The rules: No crying.  No snitching.  Get revenge. Will is compelled to follow the rules passed down through generations of men in his family and friends when his older brother, Shawn is shot and killed.  This story follows Will's journey down seven floors in an elevator, his brother's gun in his waistband, as he contemplates fulfilling the legacy he has been taught. He knows who killed his brother.  It has to be him.  Has to be.  At least he thinks it is.  Isn't it him? What begins as a solo ride from floor 7 to floor L, continues as Will is joined by familiar faces offering wisdom for Will to consider.

Long Way Down paints a picture for the reader of the struggle to do what is right and good or to continue a toxic cycle and honor the rules that have been carried out by previous generations. With help from his elevator companions, Will walks through what it will be like to carry out what he thinks is his destiny.  How will it feel to take someone's life?  Is he ready?  Can he do it?  In the end, what will he choose to do?

This book is so moving and so easy to read.  The format of the text is brilliant, and for readers who are easily distracted, it fully engages the reader, avoiding boredom by providing quick-read pages. Each page is written in gripping, poetic chunks that ultimately compile an epic story of loss and grief.  While there is some language that I would consider inappropriate for younger readers, the author uses it, not to shock or offend the reader, but for authenticity.

This book is appropriate for older readers to explore social injustice, culture comparison, and group discussion.  The ending will certainly generate meaningful discussions, asking questions such as What do you think about the ending?  What do you think the final words mean? What do you think Will chose to do? What do you think Will SHOULD do?  Great read, great story, great discussion points. Period.

I Want to Be in a Scary Story by Sean Taylor

Little Monster says he wants to be in a scary story even though the narrator tries to encourage him into a funny story instead.  When the narrator begins to tell the story, Little Monster realizes that he is really frightened.  Rather than Little Monster being scared by various characters in the story, Little Monster wants to be the one that is doing the scaring.  Then again, maybe Little Monster wants to be in a funny story after all.  "I Want to Be in a Scary Story" is full of little surprises along the way.

This story made me laugh aloud and will surely bring giggles to a class of elementary students.  The text is quite simple, and the two different colors of print distinguish between Little Monster's voice and the narrator's voice.  The thought bubbles provide fun, rhyming phrases that readers might recall stating if they happen to find themselves in a silly, scary situation.  The illustrator impeccably communicates Little Monster's emotions with subtle changes in facial expressions.  As the setting changes, the images interact with the text to keep the reader engaged.  The images are intricately detailed, even providing spooky, although silly, images such as a hand holding a light sconce on the wall, eyes that stare at all of the activity going on, and eyes without a face peeking from holes in the walls.

Readers will fall in love with Little Monster's fun personality and snaggle-toothed mouth.  What a neat, versatile story to use to teach point of view, rhyming words, story structure, story elements, sequencing, and so much more!

The Nantucket Sea Monster: A Fake News Story by Darcy Patterson

What a fun book to teach students about finding credible sources! In our culture of social media and information sources so widely available, it is often difficult to deduce which ones are credible. This story is the perfect book for young readers to practice how to determine whether or not a source can be trusted.  Some aspects of the story might offer clues that might have helped the Nantucket locals debunk this story before the actual reveal.

This book tells the story of a publicity stunt executed in 1937 to create interest in the R.H. Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.  The writer details the events of a tale in a timeline format that engages the reader from the beginning with the illustrations contributing to the interest of the plot.   The illustrator uses thought bubbles to showcase the back story of what the Nantucket locals thought about the idea of a sea monster in their area.  Embedded in the illustrations, the reader also sees bits of newspaper print to connect the theme of newspaper print. Cross-curricular connections include all subjects.  Students can draw out the actual measurements of the footprints provided in the story, research things that are close to the measurements, find Nantucket on a map and research how the island has changed from 1937 until now, and write/illustrate their own fake news stories.  This story is also vocabulary-rich, including words like "slander" and "hoax", and mentioning "telegraph" as the form of communicating with news sources across the country.

The vocabulary and cross-curricular connections make this book a prime candidate for an IRA (Interactive Read Aloud).  The text, text features, and illustrations provide extra information that gives the reader just enough information to persuade him/her to further research this true story of a fake story.

Girl in Pieces by Kathleen Glasgow

Charlotte (Charlie) Davis, a seventeen-year-old child who has experienced abundant suffering finally feels safe.  She wants to stay forever.  After years of abuse, homelessness, hopelessness, the loss of her best friend, and self-harm to deal with the pain of it all, she is in a facility with a bed and food as opposed to living on the streets of Minnesota.  She feels safe knowing "he" cannot hurt her and grateful to be inside. 

When she is, in fact, forced to leave, a new journey begins that is both awful and hopeful for her.  Settled in a new city far away from "him", Charlie finds a job as the dishwasher at a local restaurant and bar. She begins to find her voice and develops relationships with her co-workers. Will this job be her saving grace or her fall from it?  Maybe both?

This books initially leads the reader to believe that the book will follow Charlie's journey to stay safe from "him".  As the story continues, however, the reader realizes that Charlie's true adversary is herself.  She thinks of herself as broken and unmendable.  The story evokes anger, empathy, pity, and exuberance, engaging the reader along a journey that no one, especially a child, should have to endure.  The onset of emotions is inevitable while reading a story that is so raw.  The authenticity of the writing stems from the author’s point-of-view as Glasgow has experienced similar tribulation as Charlie.  It is both a disturbing and hopeful tale, addressing the horrifying epidemic of self-harm.

The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon

New York City is a big place.  People cross paths with those whom they will never know every second of every day.  What could really happen in one day?

Fate. Destiny.  Natasha does not believe in such nonsense. She believes that ceasing her family's deportation back to Jamaica is up to her. Daniel does believe in destiny and hopes that belief will steer him in a direction far away from what his parents want for him.

Natasha has lived in America since she was 8 years old.  Now, 17, as her family prepares to leave America later in the evening, she is still in denial, seeking help to buy her family some time.  Natasha's mother insists that it is too late, and that Natasha should just accept it.

Daniel, a American citizen, born to Korean immigrants, is stalling a meeting that could seal his fate as something he does not want to be.  His parents decided his life-course to become a doctor long ago and own a small business to ensure their boys have what they need to be successful.

As Natasha and Daniel become closer their relationship begins to soften her hardened heart while Natasha's no-nonsense attitude begins to empower Daniel to embrace and pursue his love of writing poetry. As the events unfold, the reader begins to see the fascinating details of how fate and destiny brought Natasha and Daniel together in unwanted circumstances.  The ending spins the reader an unexpected surprise and continued wonder.

While teen readers will certainly be engaged by the web of events and the romanticized relationship that develops in an undesirable situation, this book could also be used to discuss social issues such race relations and immigration.

They All Saw a Cat by Brendan Wenzel

Cats are easily identifiable for anyone who has ever seen one and been told that it is a cat, right?  After all, it has a long tail, paws, whiskers, and ears like all cats do.  In this 2017 Caldecott Honor book, a cat "walked through the world with its whiskers, ears, and paws".  Each time the reader sees this phrase, the characters encounter the same cat on the following pages. The illustrations, however, depict the cat in a different way based on the perspective of the character on the page.  For instance, the mouse sees the cat as a scary monster with sharp teeth and claws, while the flea sees the cat as a free ride.  The child sees the cat as a friend and the dog sees his sneaky nemesis.  Just when the reader thinks the book is over, there is a surprise, leaving the reader to use his/her imagination to answer a question.  

Students could complete a writing activity to answer the question.  As a text-to-self activity, the teacher could give the students a mirror to look at themselves, and write about what they see, then draw a picture of themselves the way they see themselves.  The writing activity possibilities are endless. Also, what a great book for teaching point of view and sequencing!  For younger readers, it is also great for teaching spatial concepts such as the fox is behind the cat, the bird is above the cat, and the child is beside the cat, etc.  This book could also be seen as a book to teach about getting to know a person for more than how you initially see them before deciding whether or not they "like" the other person.

This book makes the reader consider his/her own, and others' perspectives of a familiar animal.  The illustrations will keep the reader engaged, following the emotions in the facial expressions of all the characters and the silly depictions of the cat.  Your students will oooohhhh, aaaaahhhhh, and laugh aloud at the illustrations in this fun book!