The Running Dream

Jessica, a track star who's identity is completely associated with running, loses a leg in a horrible bus accident, which claims the life of a teammate. She has a long road to recovery, but is expected to walk again with the use of a prosthetic leg.

While dealing with this personal battle, and conquering the "simplicities" of life, like showering, Jessica misses a lot of school. She is assigned to student math tutor Rosa, who she previously ignored in school and who happens to have cerebral palsy. With Rosa as an inspiration, Jessica sets new goals for herself that go beyond walking.

Okay for Now

I admit I fear books that are going to make me uncomfortable or sad. Okay put me right on the heels of both feels, but the character of Doug allowed me to push through. It is historical fiction set in the 1968-1970 range as Doug is in middle school.

Moving to upstate New York, Doug and his broken family are following a job opportunity for his abusive father. Although the father's violent actions are never specifically played out, you know he is quick to through a punch when his very short fuse is lit. The mom obviously lives for her kids and puts up with the marriage for them. The youngest of three boys, Doug has a middle brother that is constantly in trouble with the law and an older one who returns home from the Vietnam War.

Doug flounders in who he is. He has little self esteem and is belittled by every adult in his life except mom. He lands a job for the local deli as a grocery delivery boy on Saturdays and gets to meet many of the town's residents in his route who support him, turn on him, and he regains their trust. His shady dad does so many underhanded things that could break him (and probably did break the older boys) but this move is filled with role models for him coming of age that leave a greater mark on his life.

* This is a great story for character changes. Doug could be bitter and resentful, but he finds places and people that keep him encouraged that he does not have to become a victim of his circumstances. This is what hooked me the most. You could compare it to how new girl India Opal meets the locals in Because of Winn Dixie.
* Though we don't know a lot about the prior setting, discussion on how Doug's new town and it's importance to the story could be a good discussion.

It's been a long time since I've had this much to say about a book. Especially one I was hesitant to read!

Aliens on Vacation

Scrub is spending his summer on the other side of the country helping his grandma at her Intergalactic Bed & Breakfast. Thinking it is a themed hotel for the sci fi fan, he learns it is actually the resort location for aliens across the galaxies.

Scrub tends to the aliens and their needs, all while hiding the truth from his friend Amy, her dad the suspicious sheriff, and the rest of the town. There are times it is extremely difficult, especially when the guests' unique behaviors and actions keep raising red flags.

Darth Paper Strikes Back

Love this book you will. 2012 Bluebonnet Award winner Tom Angleberger does not disappoint with Darth Paper Strikes Back. All the characters are back, only Harvey has decided to challenge Origami Yoda's powers with his creation, Darth Paper.

This sets off a chain of events with Dwight on the verge of a school transfer to a campus for kids with discipline issues. The kids (well, most of them) prepare a case file to present to the School Board in the hope of getting them to reconsider. In the end, we see why O.Y. gets the props that he does.

This book has the same balance of storytelling, humorous tone, sarcasm, and middle-school reality that I loved in Origami Yoda. If you have every read SOS Files, the case files work along those lines as stand alone essays so this could be a good launching point for writing from personal experience.

Balloons Over Broadway

Have you ever read a book and you can't wait to share it with others? Well this is one of those books! My brain started cranking out a dozen places to use this book as curriculum support.  What a wonderful biography of someone not famous by name, but by the contribution they made to a wonderful American tradition.

Tony Sarg is the creator of the concept of the beautiful balloon seen in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Taking his love for how things work and move, he applied it to a request by Macy's to sponsor a parade for the many immigrants who worked there.

Here are some subtle content integrations:
Simple machines that lead into compound and Rube Goldberg concepts
Biographical sketch
Communities post immigration
Thanksgiving tradition
Problem-Solution (live animals in the parade scared children so...)
Sequencing (he tried rubber puppets on wooden sticks, but even that had limitations so next he tried...)

11 Experiments That Failed

I really enjoyed this book. It uses the scientific method to test out some funny scenarios.  Each of the eleven experiences is structured with a question, hypothesis, and materials needed.  The instructions have an illustration (lots of mixed media) and are sequenced as a child would write them. The results (What Happened) are always a hilarious disaster. Rather than just read the results, I would have the students make predictions.

A great BOY/prior to first experiment literature integration book.

Bumble-Ardy

Bumble-Ardy is about to turn nine and he has never had a birthday party. Sendak tells a rhyming tale (heavy on the -ine family) of how the pig decides to throw his own masquerade party at 9:10 exactly.  With his aunt at work, things get out of hand as dozens of crazy pigs enjoy their brine.

Interesting note on the author. This is Sendak's first book in thirty years! Published in 2011, he had been involved in set design for operas and ballets since his groundbreaking picture books in the 70s and 80s. I assumed this was an oldie but goodie, but it turns out it's new!

Reading Rumble 12-13

Homer the Library Cat

Homer likes his quiet life with his quiet owner. One day while she is gone from home, Homer hears a startling noise and leaps out the window! He travels randomly throughout their town where he comes across every noise there is!

Ultimately he discovers where the owner is and finds himself a home away from home that is simply perfect.

I like to do compare and contrast activities between simple picture books. I don't think kids can be "too young" for this and they always seem to amaze me with their thoughts. I would pair this story with Dewey: There's a Cat in the Library. For a glimpse of the Dewey book, type Dewey in the blog search box.

Bailey

Join Bailey as he gets ready and heads to school! Bailey has many of the same experiences people do (deciding on wardrobe and reading) but has some doggie-only issues as well. Like eating his own homework.

A cute blend of reality and fantasy for younger readers. A great choice for a beginning of year read aloud.

Reading Rumble Choice for 12-13.

Blue Chicken

Told from the illustrator's perspective, a farm scene is being worked on and the barn is about to be painted. If you start focusing on the illustrations in the pages preceding the story you will notice that painting is coming to life.

Chicken wants to help and gets itself into the blue paint. It topples over and blue goes everywhere - herself, the ground, flowers and ducks. It gets out of control and the farm animals are about to enclose on her when she knocks over the paint remover and everything goes back to normal. Except for the blue sky.

When the book ends you see the illustrator painting her real barn on a blue sky day through the window above her desk. I had to turn back to the beginning (again) and saw the view from the window and saw it was raining earlier. I like books that make the reader double check for details - even us big people.

This could be used in art class when discussing mistakes when painting or in Kinder when discussing colors.

Reading Rumble 12-13

Misty Gordon and the Mystery of the Ghost Pirates

This book was not what I expected. For some reason I thought I wasn't going to like it. I held off reading it, kept it on my nightstand for a month or so, then finally caved. I really enjoyed it.

Misty's dad owns a business where he purchases the leftover belongings from people who have recently died. Sometimes he will give items (like a phone) to his kids, then the rest he sells in his store.  Misty's newest items seem to be enchanted and it leads her on a trail to solve a rhyme that's wrapped up with the town's history and it's kookiest citizens.

If you liked Gregor and how the poem pieces together the story, then you should enjoy Misty Gordon. If you like mysteries and ghosts, this would be a good choice too.

Fish is Fish

A tadpole and fish are friends in the pond. As tadpole begins to change into a frog, the two argue over how it is true and frog states "Frogs are frogs. Fish is fish."

Frog leaves the pond but returns to describe the amazing things he has seen on land. Fish wants to see whether the grass is truly greener, but realizes life on land is a bad idea. Frog rescues him and fish realizes the pond is the most beautiful of worlds.

A good example of a fable, literary science connection for life cycles of frogs, lesson on habitats/adaptations of amphibians and fish. I also like the visualization or art lesson in here. As Frog describes creatures to Fish, Fish builds a picture in his mind. Having students sketch what they are seeing in the minds is always a fun activity with highly description text.

Magyk

Septimus Heap was born the seventh son of the seventh son, only to be immediately kidnapped and presumed dead by his parents. The same day, Silas Heap discovers a baby in the woods and, together with his wife, decide to raise the baby as their own.  Years pass and identities are discovered - and the chase is on between the killers of the queen and the family who raised her daughter.

Any kid who enjoys medieval or magical literature (Ranger's Apprentice, Harry Potter) will enjoy this series.