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The Bully Book
Funny how themes often pop up and carry through multiple books. This is (obviously) another book about bullying, with a vastly different take from yesterday’s post of The Second Life of Abigail Walker. The Bully Book written by Eric Kahn Gale is about a young boy, Eric, who enters the…
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The Second Life of Abigail Walker
Bullying has become a huge issues in schools across America and it has clearly bled into children’s literature as well. The Second Life of Abigail Walker by Frances O’Roark Dowell is a book about rising above the bullies and believing in yourself, even when you’re not quite sure what that means. …
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Navigating Early
Clare Vanderpool has an amazing quotation on the header of her website from Madeleine L’Engle, “You have to write the book that wants to be written. And if the book will be too difficult for grown-ups, then you write it for children.” I think this is just what Vanderpool did in…
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Hokey Pokey
All I can say is, wow. I finished Hokey Pokey in about 24 hours because it was absolutely amazing! Jerry Spinelli has out done himself again and I loved this book. Spinelli uses metaphors, allegory, and beautiful language to create the world of Hokey Pokey where children rule and the…
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Tracing Stars
Tracing Stars is a coming of age story for a young girl in a small coastal town where being different makes you stand out. Indie Lee Chickory is a fish freak – she’s knows everything there is to know about the fish that can be found in the ocean that borders town. She…
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The Encyclopedia of Me
The Encyclopedia of Me written by Karen Rivers was an interesting take on the middle school drama that all girls go through. Rather than a novel, The Encyclopedia of Me is actually written as an encyclopedia with entries for each letter that actually works really well as a story too!…
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The Whole Story of a Half Girl
The Whole Story of a Half Girl written by Veera Hiranandani grabbed my attention, again due to the cover. It was definitely something I wanted to read and I’m so glad I did! Sonia Nadhamuni’s father loses his job and she is forced to go to public school for 6th grade. Never has her…
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The Boy On Cinnamon Street
I am in love with Phoebe Stone’s cover art for many of her books. I recently read The Romeo and Juliet Code and I just picked up The Boy on Cinnamon Street this weekend. Her cover art is always something that makes me want to pick up her books and…
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Prairie Evers
Prairie Evers is a ten-year old girl who has been homeschooled by her grandmother until the family moves to upstate New York and her parents decide it’s time she goes to public school to be around children her own age. Prairie is content to stay at home on the farm…
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The Unforgotten Coat
Frank Cottrell Boyce, author of Millions and Cosmic, has created a short novel called The Unforgotten Coat written about two Mongolian brothers who appear in Julie’s playground at school. Chingis, the older brother declares Julie their “Good Guide” a nomadic tradition of welcoming strangers, and Julie takes her job seriously teaching the…