Just found this hidden gem on my shelves - never been checked out. I will solve that! This is a fabulous book about standing up to bullies and how it only takes one person to make a change. A great companion to the Texas Bluebonnet book "The Day the Crayons Quit" too. I will be sharing this one with kids and teachers.
This cover and title immediately caught my attention. How is this for a first line? This is a magical story about the power of Readers, reminding me of the story Inkheart. I love the fantastical creatures, with a unique view on fairies and dragons, plus some characters you would never dream of! This book definitely leads into a sequel, as you finish the book still wondering who are the good guys and who are the villains. A well-told tale So many new books it's hard to know where to begin. There is a great variety of picture books, graphic novels, chapter books and nonfiction to appeal to a variety of readers. I'll just include a few highlights here:
The Fourteenth Goldfish has been talked about all over the internet and to be honest, from the cover, I really didn't know what to expect. What I discovered was a touching story of growing up and finding out who you are and where you belong. This is a story of family, the good and the bad. This is a story of friendship in the most unexpected places. And this book celebrates learning - especially the sciences! Near & dear to my heart! I wish I had multiple copies of this book to hand to so many readers that need to hear it's message! Emily's Blue Period is amazing! A simple picture book that deals with some very deep issues in a very sensitive way. Emily loves art and her class is studying PIcasso. As she learns about the artist and his blue period, she echoes this in her own art and life as she deals with the separation of her parents. What is done so well is how she begins to heal and her journey through art reflects this! Powerful little book! Superworm will be a quick favorite! I grabbed it the other day when there were a bunch of squirmy and loud first graders in the library. The lively chant and bright pictures quickly caught their interest, soon they were enthralled in the story and chanting along. What a fun book! Finally, the last one for today, brown girl dreaming has also been talked about all over the internet. It is sure to win many awards. I love this book initially because I adore verse novels. I was hesitant because I don't read too many biographies. But this book doesn't read like the biographies I remember growing up - this reads like a novel. Soon I was drawn into Jacqueline's life and struggles and triumphs. I loved seeing her gift for poetry and writing begin to bloom through all of the difficulty learning to read. I too fell in love with her family, especially Gunnar (the grandfather she loves as a daddy) and her forever friend Maria. This will be a challenging read for many elementary students, but the ones who conquer it will be glad they did! Great collection of some favorite graphic artists. What fun to have something new with Babymouse, Betty from the Lunch Lady series, and more! Loved the cupcake best of all. This one is already flying off the shelves. Kids just can't get enough from Raina Telgemeier. Every student who reads her books comes back begging for more books by her. I hope she has a long and fruitful career! This one is actually on my To Read table for tonite. Looks good! I don't usually buy specifically for boys or girls, but I do find that this newest shipment of graphic novels has some that will appeal specifically to girl readers. First of all, I have added several new Chi's Sweet Home series. I've also completed the Zita the Spacegirl series, which appeals to all readers. Finally, I will be curious to see who the new Mr. Pants It's Go Time will appeal to. I have been reading - many books in fact, I just haven't been blogging. The beginning of school was a whirlwind and I'm just now catching my breath and catching up a little on the blog. I won't be able to include all the books I've been reading, but I'll try a few of my favorites. Tonite is graphic novel time. A new box of graphing novels arrived today, on the tails of our author visit by graphic novelist Nathan Hale. It's fitting that my first book should be a nonfiction graphic novel, The Great American dust Bowl by Don Brown This novel is jam packed with factual information about the Dust bowl. What makes it unique is the amount of time it spends building up the background and caused. For such a short book, it covers the event quite thoroughly. This is a great introduction to this time period. This is one of those perfect picture books for the first week of school. It was available from our district's Overdrive ebook collection. In this gentle story Brian feels invisible in his classroom because no one notices him. He's not loud. He's not whiny. He just fades into the background, both literally and figuratively. When Justin the new boy arrives, Brian reaches out to make him feel better and discovers that a new friend makes him visible too. Everyone needs a friend to reach out. The illustrations complement the story beautifully, as Brian comes into full color as he feels less invisible. Rump is a delightful and creative tale about the power of magic and will. I think of this story like enjoying a giant jawbreaker, it takes patience and time to reach the end, but each layer is colorful and sweet as you meet new characters and the story takes twists and turns. What I enjoyed most were the little glimpses into the 'true' identities of a variety of magical creatures. This is an enjoyable read for all of our Texas Bluebonnet readers! This novel for young adults would be an interesting partner for The Fault in Out Stars. The premise of young love affected by the horrors of cancer is the same, but from there it changes. Alice is now in remission and everything she thought she was prepared for is now changed. This story is told through flashbacks between the past and present, alternating between short chapters written from her point of view and her best friend/?boyfriend Harvey. Although these shifts in point of view can be confusing at times, it also makes you want to keep reading as the story begins to come into focus. This fun book is part of the Battle of the Books next year. It's a quick read, with humor and adventure reminiscent of Hank the Cowdog. I think my favorite part is the personalities of the different chicks. |