FOOTER DAVIS PROBABLY IS CRAZY (A 2015 CYBILS Finalist)

Posted on February 17, 2016 by Greg Pattridge

cybilsbooks

Four female – one male protagonist. The settings: London, San Francisco, Vietnam, Mississippi, and Louisiana. Together they make up the five finalists for this year’s Middle Grade Fiction Cybils Awards. Each day this week I’ll have a review of each title:

  • Monday: THE BLACKTHORN KEY
  • Tuesday: BOOK SCAVENGER
  • Wednesday: FOOTER DAVIS PROBABLY IS CRAZY (Today’s featured Finalist)
  • Thursday: BLACKBIRD FLY
  • Friday: LISTEN, SLOWLY

The best news is you can win a giveaway of all five hardback books by making a comment on any or all of those days (up to five entries). I’ll draw the name this Sunday (Feb. 21) at 6 pm EST. Good luck!

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I expected a whimsical adventure with quite a few laughs along the way. I mean, look at the cover. This was going to be one fun ride…

Whoops, not so fast… Footer Davis is the young female narrator of the story set in modern day 51DgV1VzFJL._SX329_BO1,204,203,200_Mississippi. She begins the tale nine days after a terrible tragedy at a neighboring farm. Mr. Abrams was shot dead and his two grandchildren are missing, presumed dead in a fire that leveled the place.

There’s a wide range of troubled characters who are possible suspects. From Footer’s mom who is bi-polar and in and out of hospitals, to Captain Armstrong, another neighbor who carries around symptoms of PTSD from his days in the army. Footer has a best friend, Peavine, who has cerebral palsy, but never lets it get the best of him. Together they begin interviewing suspects and hope to find answers since the police so far haven’t found anything.

Footer’s dad is sort of there for her, but with work and a wife recovering, Footer is left trying to internalize her own thoughts. The worst is that she thinks she has a brain tumor and is possibly falling into the same mental illness as her mother. Although there is a lot going on here, the main story of solving the murder carries the story. I had the twist toward the end figured out thanks to the clues dropped along the way, but it was a nice conclusion to an often difficult story to read.

PUBLICATION DATE: 2015   WORD COUNT: 46,527   READING LEVEL: 4.9

FULL PLOT (From AMAZON) Footer Davis is on the case when two kids go missing after a fire in this humorously honest novel that is full of Southern style.

“Bless your heart” is a saying in the South that sounds nice but really isn’t. It means, “You’re beyond help.” That’s what folks say about fifth grader Footer Davis’s mom, who “ain’t right” because of her bipolar disorder. She just shot a snake in Footer’s yard with an elephant gun, and now she’s been shipped off to a mental hospital, and Footer is missing her fiercely yet again.

“Bless their hearts” is also what folks say about Cissy and Doc Abrams, two kids who went missing after a house fire. Footer wants to be a journalist and her friend Peavine wants to be a detective, so the two decide to help with the mystery of the missing kids. But when visiting the crime scene makes Footer begin to have “episodes” of her own, she wonders if maybe she’s getting sick like her mom, and that’s a mystery that she’s not at all sure she wants to solve.

FIVE THINGS TO LIKE ABOUT: FOOTER DAVIS… by Susan Vaught

  1. The chapters often end with either a question and answer session with one of the suspects, which is just about anyone Footer and Peavine know, or one of Footer’s graded homework assignments. Insightful and humorous as they each reveal much of the plot.
  2. Footer has a troublesome life full of questions beyond what most kids will ever face. A crumbling relationship with her father, a detached mother, and a sense that she is also going crazy. You’ll hope and maybe pray for a better outlook on life from young Footer. Great writing from author Susan Vaught to make a fictional character make you feel this way.
  3. With Footer’s  mom locked away in a mental ward and a dad who doesn’t believer her theories, Footer gets help from a social worker. The dialog they have is rich with sarcasm and honesty. It’s great to see the change each makes in the process.
  4. The interview in the back of the book is with Susan and her editor. Very enlightening as are the resources on mental illness she adds to the final few pages.
  5. Footer is a realistic sounding 11-year-old. She questions everything and makes  an endearing narrator. It was also nice to have, Peavine, along for the ride. A rare character in MG with cerebral palsy.

FAVORITE LINES: The day my mother exploded a copperhead snake with an elephant gun, I decided I was genetically destined to become a felon or a big game hunter.

AUTHOR QUOTE: I’ve been a published author for over a decade now, and I’m still a psychologist, too. I actually specialize in neuropsychology, and I work as Director of Psychology in a majestic state psychiatric facility in Kentucky. When I blog about my workplace–especially to post the much-requested spooky pictures I sometimes find–I refer to it as the Old Asylum.

Read more at  Susan Vaught’s author website.

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Make a comment if you have time as you could win all five Cybils Middle Grade Fiction Finalists.  You’ll find the comment link below.

 

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BOOK SCAVENGER (A 2015 Cybils Finalist)

Posted on February 16, 2016 by Greg Pattridge

cybilsbooks

Four female – one male protagonist. The settings: London, San Francisco, Vietnam, Mississippi, and Louisiana. Together they make up the five finalists for this year’s Middle Grade Fiction Cybils Awards. Each day this week I have a review of each title:

  • Monday: THE BLACKTHORN KEY
  • Tuesday: BOOK SCAVENGER (Today’s featured Finalist)
  • Wednesday: FOOTER DAVIS PROBABLY IS CRAZY
  • Thursday: BLACKBIRD FLY
  • Friday: LISTEN, SLOWLY

The best news is you can win a giveaway of all five hardback books by making a comment on any or all of those days (up to five entries). I’ll draw the name this Sunday (Feb. 21) at 6 pm EST. Good luck!

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A mystery, several endearing children, and a San Francisco setting make this a fun, fast paced read. Sometimes thrilling, sometimes thought provoking, Book Scavenger tugs at everything we love about books.51sLY1x-XyL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_

At the center is Emily and her family who are doing a Fifty Homes in Fifty States publishing journey. Sounds like a great idea for a book but the effects of moving so much and never having a forever friend is weighing heavily on Emily. Nothing ever lasts in Emily’s world. It’s especially challenging arriving in San Francisco, the home of renowned literary genius, Garrison Griswold, and playing his book scavenger game she adores. Emily gets help from her temporary new friend, James. He’s a spunky middle school age boy who names his cowlick, Steve (Yes, you can see it on the cover).

We also get an older brother, Matthew. He doesn’t have much time for Emily anymore with his punk rock band obsession. Many will see similarities when two siblings, once best of friends, begin to drift apart.

Use this as a read-aloud or just disappear under the covers and enjoy this fun adventure.

PUBLICATION DATE: 2015   WORD COUNT: 68,016   LEVEL: 5.5

FULL PLOT  (from AMAZON): For twelve-year-old Emily, the best thing about moving to San Francisco is that it’s the home city of her literary idol: Garrison Griswold, book publisher and creator of the online sensation Book Scavenger (a game where books are hidden in cities all over the country and clues to find them are revealed through puzzles). Upon her arrival, however, Emily learns that Griswold has been attacked and is now in a coma, and no one knows anything about the epic new game he had been poised to launch. Then Emily and her new friend James discover an odd book, which they come to believe is from Griswold himself, and might contain the only copy of his mysterious new game.

Racing against time, Emily and James rush from clue to clue, desperate to figure out the secret at the heart of Griswold’s new game―before those who attacked Griswold come after them too.

FIVE THINGS TO LIKE ABOUT: BOOK SCAVENGER by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman

  1. The city of San Francisco comes to life and serves as the perfect setting for this adventurous ride. If you have ever visited, many of the iconic sites serve as perfect backdrops for the action. My favorite: The kids being chased down Lombard Street, one of the crookedest streets in America.
  2. The relationship between Emily and James is so middle grade typical. The two become friends over a similar liking to puzzles and ciphers. It’s when their friendship is challenged by different choices, that we see what makes a long lasting friend.
  3. You learn about ciphers (messages written in secret code), literary history, and many famous authors. Not boring one bit when presented in the scavenger game format.
  4. This book allows for a real life book scavenger game. Visit this web site to see if a book is hidden in your state.
  5. I finally have a book that kids carry around, devouring the next chapter whenever a few minutes allow.

FAVORITE LINES:

“Are you hypnotized by my hair?” James asked.

Emily felt her face heat up, but James waved her off.

“It’s cool, he likes the attention.”

“He?”

“His name is Steve.”

“Your cowlick is names Steve?”

“I was going to name him Geronimo, but that seemed ridiculous.”

AUTHOR QUOTE: I grew up in a family of readers. Newspapers, magazines, and books–there was a high probability of spotting someone reading at any given point. My mom and I made regular trips to the public library, and she let me wander the children’s area and pick out whatever I wanted. We’d cross paths while browsing and she’d share a book she found that she thought I’d like. It was a wonderful way to feel both independent and like I was forming my own reading taste, but also like I was sharing a reading hobby with my mom. We continue to share reading recommendations with each other to this day.

For more see Jennifer’s author web site.

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Make a comment if you have time as you could win all five Cybils Middle Grade Fiction Finalists.  You’ll find the comment link below.

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THE BLACKTHORN KEY (The 2015 Cybils Winner)

Posted on February 15, 2016 by Greg Pattridge

cybilswinner

Four female – one male protagonist. The settings: London, San Francisco, Vietnam, Mississippi, and Louisiana. Together they make up the five finalists for this year’s Middle Grade Fiction Cybils Awards. This week I have a review of each title:

  • TODAY: THE BLACKTHORN KEY (The Cybils Middle Grade Fiction Winner)

  • Tuesday: THE BOOK SCAVENGER
  • Wednesday: FOOTER DAVIS PROBABLY IS CRAZY
  • Thursday: BLACKBIRD FLY
  • Friday: LISTEN, SLOWLY

The best news is you can win a giveaway of all five hardback finalists by making a comment on any or all of those days (up to five entries). I’ll draw the name this Sunday (Feb. 21) at 6 pm EST. Good luck and now on to this year’s Cybils Middle Grade Fiction Winner… THE BLACKTHORN KEY

This exciting tale of codes, puzzles and a mysterious cult is set in 1600’s London. The story is a page-turnerthe-blackthorn-key-9781481446518_hr told through the eyes of 14-year-old apothecary’s apprentice, Christopher Rowe. He’s happy in his role learning how to make powerful medicines, potions, and weapons from Master Benedict Blackthorn. At the same time, he’s a kid horsing around with his buddy, the baker’s son. But when a string of shocking murders to other apothecaries gets closer and closer to the Blackthorn shop, Christopher must take action. His master knows of a secret that could destroy the world and trusts Christopher with coded messages that will also help him gain that knowledge.

The author, Kevin Sands, really gets the idea of leave them wanting more at the end of each chapter. There are twists and surprises along with some gruesome violence and fights, so reserve this for older MG readers. The BLACKTHORN KEY is a true gift from a great storyteller.

PUBLICATION DATE: 2015   WORD COUNT: 65,451  LEVEL: 4.6

FULL PLOT (From Amazon): Following a series of murders, an apothecary’s apprentice must solve puzzles and decipher codes in pursuit of a secret that could destroy the world in this suspenseful debut novel.

“Tell no one what I’ve given you.”

Until he got that cryptic warning, Christopher Rowe was happy, learning how to solve complex codes and puzzles and creating powerful medicines, potions, and weapons as an apprentice to Master Benedict Blackthorn—with maybe an explosion or two along the way.

But when a mysterious cult begins to prey on London’s apothecaries, the trail of murders grows closer and closer to Blackthorn’s shop. With time running out, Christopher must use every skill he’s learned to discover the key to a terrible secret with the power to tear the world apart.

FIVE THINGS TO LIKE ABOUT:  THE BLACKTHORN KEY by Kevin Sands

  1. Tom is the trustful friend Christopher confides his secrets to and is not unlike the friendship two boys in today’s world might have – helping each other with decisions and keeping the other out of harm’s way. Their interactions brought me to a smile many times.
  2. The inclusion of botany, astronomy, and chemistry make a great hook for science loving kids. It might also recruit others who have never had an interest in this area.
  3. Christopher’s voice is modern and funny though not at the expense of historical accuracy.
  4. The pacing is superb and the puzzles are fun to follow along as to their true meaning. After reading the 371 pages,  I’d learned so much about this time period in an enticing and exciting way.
  5. We have the hint of a sequel at the end, and I’m glad to report there is one in the works.

FAVORITE LINES: Tom clasped his hands together and mumbled a prayer. “Jesus, in Your mercy, please protect fools like us. Amen.”

WHO is KEVIN SANDS? Since escaping from university with a pair of degrees in theoretical physics, Kevin Sands has worked as a researcher, business consultant, a teacher, and a professional poker player. He lives in Toronto, Canada. The Blackthorn Key is his debut novel. (Kevin’s Web Site)

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Make a comment if you have time and this week you could win all five Cybils Middle Grade Fiction finalists.  You’ll find the comment link below.

Check the links to other Middle Grade novels over at Shannon Messenger’s Marvelous Middle Grade Monday post.

MMGM2

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An Upcoming Cybils Celebration Giveaway

Posted on February 11, 2016 by Greg Pattridge

Cybils-Logo-2015-Web-SmNext week the winners in each category of this year’s Cybil Awards will be revealed. I am most excited for the category I worked on: Middle Grade Fiction. Myself and four other dedicated judges read each of the titles. We then battled it out in a winner takes all online discussion.  I had two favorites on the list and hoped not too much blood, sweat, or tears would be shed to convince the others. Happily we agreed on our top choice. Here again here are the five finalists:

cybilsbooks

Four female – one male protagonist. The settings: London, San Francisco, Vietnam, Mississippi, and Louisiana. Each day next week I’ll have a review of each title starting with the winner on Monday.

The best news is you can win a giveaway of all five hardback books by making a comment on any or all of those days (up to five entries). I’ll draw the name on Sunday (Feb. 21) at 6 pm EST. Good luck!

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SOAR for Marvelous Middle Grade Monday

Posted on February 8, 2016 by Greg Pattridge

Many parts of this new story will likely make you soar with the touching narration by Jeremiah, a SOAR12-year-old baseball fanatic and heart transplant survivor. He is funny, perceptive, and sees the world in ways others only understand after he explains. He speaks like an old soul, using the courage from his operation to guide his thoughts. His love of baseball and how it is played leads to many comparisons to everyday life.

Along for the ride is Walt, his adopted dad, who discovered baby Jeremiah  at his workplace one morning. The mother had purposely left Jeremiah there hoping someone like Walt would care for him. Sounds rather unlikely but it happens. A baby was left at a school I taught at a few years ago.

When Walt takes a job in a different town,  there are new friends both young and old, and a new doctor for Jeremiah. They each are eventually touched by the wisdom of this new boy in town.

With 43 short manageable chapters, this would make a great read-aloud. There’s one sub-plot I wish had more closure, but I know the world is not perfect.

PUBLICATION DATE: 2016   PAGE COUNT: 297

FULL PLOT (From AMAZON) Jeremiah is the world’s biggest baseball fan. He really loves baseball and he knows just about everything there is to know about his favorite sport. So when he’s told he can’t play baseball following an operation on his heart, Jeremiah decides he’ll do the next best thing and become a coach.

Hillcrest, where Jeremiah and his father Walt have just moved, is a town known for its championship baseball team. But Jeremiah finds the town caught up in a scandal and about ready to give up on baseball. It’s up to Jeremiah and his can-do spirit to get the town – and the team – back in the game.

FIVE THINGS TO LIKE ABOUT: SOAR by Joan Bauer

  1. No bullying. Jeremiah is accepted and kids are respectful toward one another. It does happen in real life if you look for it.
  2. Whether you love or despise the sport of baseball, themes of understanding, goal setting, and persistence will ring true for any reader. Soar is more a book about life.
  3. Kids who love robotics will enjoy the subplot here. Dad Walt programs robots for his job and Jeremiah often speaks to the robots as if they are human.
  4. Jeremiah must deal with leaving the one friend who understood him in his old town and trying to get that same connection with Franny, the girl who lives nearby in his new town. Thoughtfully brought to the pages with empathy and meaning.
  5. The insights into what a heart transplant patient must go through after the operation are revealing and handled in a way that should give hope to anyone facing an uphill battle. This due in a large part to how Jeremiah handles each step.

FAVORITE LINE:  I’d just say to every kid who doesn’t want to go to school, if you’d been sick for a few years and couldn’t go much, like me, you might think about the whole experience differently.

AUTHOR QUOTE:  I was born at eleven A.M., a most reasonable time, my mother often said, and when the nurse put me in my mother’s arms for the first time I had both a nasty case of the hiccups and no discernible forehead (it’s since grown in).  I’ve always believed in comic entrances. (Read more at Joan Bauer’s Author Web Site)

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Make a comment if you have time. I enjoy reading all of them. Click on the comments link below.

Check the links to other Middle Grade novels over at Shannon Messenger’s Marvelous Middle Grade Monday post.

MMGM2

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RUBY LEE & ME for Marvelous Middle Grade Monday

Posted on February 1, 2016 by Greg Pattridge

I won an ARC of this book last year courtesy of THE WRITE STUFF. Rosi Hollinbeck is the creator of that blog and shares many of the reviews she does for the San Francisco and Sacramento Book Reviews. Go check out her site as she has frequent giveaways of the books she loves to share.51-ulS7x7fL._SX331_BO1,204,203,200_

RUBY LEE & ME is set in 1969 North Carolina during the time of school segregation. Young Sarah is worried, but this confusing, grown-up topic is overshadowed when little sister, Robin, is run over by a car while in her care.

Sarah’s spot on narration brings us into that confusing time, though not real deep. It’s more about the shame she feels for letting her sister down and the crumbling relationship with Ruby Lee, a black girl who she had shared a friendship. With seventh grade approaching, her sister in a body cast, and a confusing future ahead, Sarah must make tough choices to make the future feel right.

PUBLICATION DATE: 2016   PAGE COUNT: 224

FULL PLOT (From AMAZON) Everything’s changing for Sarah Beth Willis. After Robin’s tragic accident, everyone seems different somehow. Days on the farm aren’t the same, and the simple fun of riding a bike or playing outside can be scary. And there’s talk in town about the new sixth-grade teacher at Shady Creek. Word is spreading quickly–Mrs. Smyre is like no other teacher anyone has ever seen around these parts. She’s the first African American teacher. It’s 1969, and while black folks and white folks are cordial, having a black teacher at an all-white school is a strange new happening. For Sarah Beth, there are so many unanswered questions. What is all this talk about Freedom Riders and school integration? Why can’t she and Ruby become best friends? And who says school isn’t for anybody who wants to learn–or teach? In a world filled with uncertainty, one very special teacher shows her young students and the adults in their lives that change invites unexpected possibilities.

FIVE THINGS TO LIKE ABOUT: RUBY LEE & ME by Shannon Hitchcock

  1. Twelve year old Sarah often drives her grandparent’s truck while visiting or staying at their farm. She’s quite the good driver, even when the car behind her has flashing red lights!
  2. The uneasiness of this time period will be a real eye opener for readers. In many respects you can compare it with what is still going on in many of our cities with shootings and racial divide.
  3. A three generation supportive family is a welcome aside to the story. In recent MG offerings you rarely get the feeling of family as a loving group of people spanning the generations.
  4. You can’t help but get hungry or thirsty reading this tale. There’s cooking and food throughout that sent me right to the kitchen.
  5. Sarah goes to her town’s librarian for answers to many of her tough questions her parents can’t seem to answer. This special person helps Sarah understand. A secondary character with a true purpose.

FAVORITE LINES: Instead of easing up on the steering wheel, I clenched my jaw too. I felt guilty that Ruby couldn’t swim in the town pool or have a hamburger at Bubba’s Grill. Sometimes grown-ups made stupid rules and were slow to change them, especially in Shady Creek.

AUTHOR QUOTE: Though I loved stories, I had trouble learning to read.  Our first grade teacher divided the class into three reading circles.  The Blue Birds were the best readers; the Red Birds were the second best readers, and the Yellow Birds were last.  I was a Yellow Bird and ashamed of myself.

But that changed with the help of two wonderful teachers. Mrs. Pauline Porter patiently taught me to read. With her help, I moved from a Yellow Bird, to a Red Bird, and finally to the coveted Blue Bird reading circle.

For more interesting and fun insights visit Shannon’s author website.

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Make a comment if you have time. I enjoy reading all of them. Just click on the Comments word below.

Check the links to other Middle Grade novels over at Shannon Messenger’s Marvelous Middle Grade Monday post.

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FIVE FOR THE FUTURE

Posted on January 28, 2016 by Greg Pattridge

I raced through the five Cybils finalists earlier this month giving me an opportunity to tackle the healthy stack of books in my TBR (to be read) pile. I also have an eye on the future and books yet to be released. I call it my NYP (Not Yet Published) list. I have several sources to gather titles for my 2016 reading.

Publishers Weekly

Goodreads list of middle grade books scheduled for release in 2016 (393 total books last time I looked!)

Amazon’s Upcoming Hot New Releases.

Here are the five I’m awaiting with excited anticipation:

THE LAST BOY AT ST. EDITH’S by Lee Gjertsen Malone (February 23, 2016) edithsSeventh grader Jeremy Miner has a girl problem. Or, more accurately, a girls problem. Four hundred and seventy-five of them. That’s how many girls attend his school, St. Edith’s Academy.

Jeremy is the only boy left after the school’s brief experiment in coeducation. And he needs to get out. His mom won’t let him transfer, so Jeremy takes matters into his own hands: He’s going to get expelled.

Together with his best friend, Claudia, Jeremy unleashes a series of hilarious pranks in hopes that he’ll get kicked out with minimum damage to his permanent record. But when his stunts start to backfire, Jeremy has to decide whom he’s willing to knock down on his way out the door.

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priceTHE REMARKABLE JOURNEY OF CHARLIE PRICE by Jennifer Maschari (February 23, 2016) Ever since twelve-year-old Charlie Price’s mom died, he feels like his world has been split into two parts. Before included stargazing and Mathletes and Saturday scavenger hunts with his family. After means a dad who’s completely checked out, comically bad dinners, and grief group that’s anything but helpful. It seems like losing Mom meant losing everything else he loved, too.

Just when Charlie thinks things can’t get any worse, his sister, Imogen, starts acting erratically—missing school and making up lies about their mother. But everything changes when one day he follows her down a secret passageway in the middle of her bedroom and sees for himself.

Imogen has found a parallel world where Mom is alive!

There’s hot cocoa and Scrabble and scavenger hunts again and everything is perfect . . . at first. But something doesn’t feel right. Whenever Charlie returns to the real world, things are different, and not in a good way. And Imogen wants to spend more and more time on the other side. It’s almost as if she wants to leave the real world for good. If Charlie doesn’t uncover the truth, he could lose himself, the true memory of their mother, and Imogen . . . forever.

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COUNTING THYME by Melanie Conklin (April 12, 2016) thymeWhen eleven-year-old Thyme Owens’ little brother, Val, is accepted into a new cancer drug trial, it’s just the second chance that he needs. But it also means the Owens family has to move to New York, thousands of miles away from Thyme’s best friend and everything she knows and loves. The island of Manhattan doesn’t exactly inspire new beginnings, but Thyme tries to embrace the change for what it is: temporary.

After Val’s treatment shows real promise and Mr. Owens accepts a full-time position in the city, Thyme has to face the frightening possibility that the move to New York is permanent. Thyme loves her brother, and knows the trial could save his life—she’d give anything for him to be well—but she still wants to go home, although the guilt of not wanting to stay is agonizing. She finds herself even more mixed up when her heart feels the tug of new friends, a first crush, and even a crotchety neighbor and his sweet whistling bird. All Thyme can do is count the minutes, the hours, and days, and hope time can bring both a miracle for Val and a way back home.

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maydayMAYDAY by Karen Harrington (May 24, 2016) Wayne Kovok lives in a world of After. After his uncle in the army was killed overseas. After Wayne and his mother survived a plane crash while coming back from the funeral. After he lost his voice.

Wayne has always used his love of facts to communicate (“Did you know more people die each year from shaking a vending machine than from shark attacks?”). Without his voice, how will he wow the prettiest girl in school? How will he stand up to his drill-sergeant grandfather? And how will he share his hopes with his deadbeat dad? It’s not until Wayne loses his voice completely that he realizes how much he doesn’t say.

Filled with Karen Harrington’s signature heart and humor, Mayday tackles an unforgettable journey of family and friendship.

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MS BIXBY’S LAST DAY by John David Anderson (June 21, 2016) bixbysEveryone knows there are different kinds of teachers. The boring ones, the mean ones, the ones who try too hard, the ones who stopped trying long ago. The ones you’ll never remember, and the ones you want to forget. Ms. Bixby is none of these. She’s the sort of teacher who makes you feel like school is somehow worthwhile. Who recognizes something in you that sometimes you don’t even see in yourself. Who you never want to disappoint. What Ms. Bixby is, is one of a kind.

Topher, Brand, and Steve know this better than anyone. And so when Ms. Bixby unexpectedly announces that she won’t be able to finish the school year, they come up with a risky plan—more of a quest, really—to give Ms. Bixby the last day she deserves. Through the three very different stories they tell, we begin to understand what Ms. Bixby means to each of them—and what the three of them mean to each other.

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CRENSHAW for Marvelous Middle Grade Monday

Posted on January 25, 2016 by Greg Pattridge

This book has been on my TBR pile for several months, added there after reading reviews by two other MMGM bloggers (Ms. Yingling Reads and Andrea Mack). Removing this book not only lowered my future read count but also helped me with another problem.

When avid readers are moving from chapter books to MG, the jump can be brutal if they choose the wrong one. I’ve read many MG books this past year in the 60,000 plus word range with reading levels approaching sixth grade. It’s like going from an easy water slide to the steep monsters at the water park. Many turn around before making it to the top.

CRENSHAW helps to bridge the journey. Short chapters, a lower reading level, and an invisible 51ffwVD0FeL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_cat will win over many of those 3rd graders making the leap. Older kids (6th grade and up) maybe not. This story about a family teetering on homelessness is one that will touch your heart and give you understanding to those standing on the side of the road with a cardboard sign saying, “Help.”

At its core CRENSHAW is a story about the struggle this family has gone through and efforts by the parents to keep as much of the reasons away from their oldest, Jackson. He narrates the tale and although it is also about his former invisible friend, a large cat named Crenshaw, I appreciated the family story better. The cat is a great hook though for young readers.

PUBLICATION DATE: 2015   WORD COUNT: 25,361   READING LEVEL: 3.8

FULL PLOT (From AMAZON) In her first novel since The One and Only Ivan, winner of the Newbery Medal, Katherine Applegate delivers an unforgettable and magical story about family, friendship, and resilience.

Jackson and his family have fallen on hard times. There’s no more money for rent. And not much for food, either. His parents, his little sister, and their dog may have to live in their minivan. Again.

Crenshaw is a cat. He’s large, he’s outspoken, and he’s imaginary. He has come back into Jackson’s life to help him. But is an imaginary friend enough to save this family from losing everything?

FIVE THINGS TO LIKE ABOUT: CRENSHAW by Katherine Applegate

  1. The honest heart wrenching narration by Jackson. His thoughts bring meaning to the plight of a family in need.
  2. Although this is a tough subject to address in the right way for young readers, the author does a great job of keeping a balance. Eight year old’s would be concerned but not traumatized by the events in this family’s story.
  3. Despite the troubles this family has endured, it was nice to see them care so much about each other. That’s what a loving family is all about.
  4. With its short chapters we have a great read-aloud book and one that could be a springboard for a discussion about homelessness.
  5. The cover! The purple color is a part of the story and the image just screams to be picked up and explored.

FAVORITE LINES: Here’s the thing: I am not an imaginary friend kind of guy. Seriously. This fall I go into fifth grade. At my age, it’s not good to have a reputation for being crazy.

FROM THE AUTHOR: 

Did you know…

  • Nearly one in five kids in America lives in a household that struggles to put food on the table.
  • Three out of five K–8 public school teachers say they regularly see students come to school hungry.
  • Teachers of hungry kids spend, on average, about $37 of their own money each month to buy food for students.

See how you can help at  Katherine’s author website.

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Make a comment if you have time. I enjoy reading all of them. Just click on the Comments word below.

Check the links to other Middle Grade novels over at Shannon Messenger’s Marvelous Middle Grade Monday post.

MMGM2

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I DON’T KNOW HOW THE STORY ENDS for Marvelous Middle Grade Monday

Posted on January 18, 2016 by Greg Pattridge

Adults will likely swoon over this story while most kids will just shrug, never giving the51dGg8Hnj6L._SX338_BO1,204,203,200_ book a chance. It’s a period piece set in early Hollywood during the time of World War I. An undergraduate elective class I took many years ago helped me gain a connection to the story. I had five credits that could be outside my major and I chose a Film Studies class.

I learned about the greats like D.W. Griffith, Mary Pickford, Charlie Chaplin, and how those first Hollywood films were made. Each of their stories are quite amazing and their lives intertwine with that of the narrator of this new story, 12-year-old, Isobel.

Her doctor father volunteered to go off to war and care for injured soldiers. While he is away, Isobel’s mother takes her and a little sister to Hollywood to visit their aunt who lives in the middle of this make believe world of movies. It’s at this point they become the movie thanks to, Ranger, a 13-year-old wanna-be director.

Accurate all the way down to the long lost words used in dialog (...my mind was rather quandarified), this tale of movie making and so much more would have been the perfect companion for that film class. I’m giving this one to my mom to read.

PUBLICATION DATE: 2015   PAGE COUNT: 277

FULL PLOT (From AMAZON) Isobel Ransom is anxious. Her father is away treating wounded soldiers in France, leaving Izzy to be the responsible one at home. But it’s hard to be responsible when your little sister is chasing a fasttalking, movie-obsessed boy all over Hollywood! Ranger is directing his very own moving picture… and wants Izzy and Sylvie to be his stars.

Izzy is sure Mother wouldn’t approve, but scouting locations, scrounging film, and “borrowing” a camera turn out to be the perfect distractions from Izzy’s worries. There’s just one problem: their movie has no ending. And it has to be perfect – the kind of ending where the hero saves the day and returns home to his family. Safe and sound.

It just has to.

FIVE THINGS TO LIKE ABOUT: I DON’T KNOW HOW THE STORY ENDS by J.B. Cheaney

  1. Worrying about the future and trying to fit in are issues that many of today’s middle grade kids share with Isobel. A connection that may convince them to read her story.
  2. Having a parent overseas is also a reality for many young people. They’ll be able to see that their concerns are no different than it was for kids 100 years ago.
  3. A great supporting cast of children, all with unique personalities. Ranger, Camera-boy Sam, and overly active little sister Sylvie provide a special bond to Isobel.
  4. Hollywood comes to life not only with how difficult it was to make movies but also in the fun cameos made by the stars of that time.
  5. The story telling is superb and a somewhat tearful climax brings every plot point to a believable conclusion. Another book to study how a story is written in definitive parts.

FAVORITE LINES:  I used to know what to think about most things, but that was before we were uprooted and set down in a strange land of relentless sun and make-believe. Now my thoughts lay in pieces like a pile of random film cuts.

AUTHOR QUOTE (From J.B. Cheaney’s Website):  A writer creates pictures just as a painter or a photographer does. Only, instead of a brush or a shutter, he uses details to help the reader “see.”

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Make a comment if you have time. I enjoy reading all of them. Click on the comments link below.

Check the links to other Middle Grade novels over at Shannon Messenger’s Marvelous Middle Grade Monday post.

MMGM2

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AND THE WINNER IS…

Posted on January 14, 2016 by Greg Pattridge

Well… I don’t know yet. After reading all five Cybils Middle Grade Fiction finalists I will soon  conference with the other judges to share thoughts and come to a group decision.9i4zRLj4T

I do know awards are subjective no matter if you’re talking about books or movies. You need to connect and have a memorable experience, but that is often not the same from one person to the next.

Besides this blog and the many others I frequent,  book awards are a great source for recommendations of children’s books to parents and their target audience – the kids.

What follows is a list my favorites along with recent results. They each have their own unique nomination process which explains the variety of titles. Books are linked to Amazon and the award title is linked to their website:

CHILDREN”S CHOICE BOOK AWARDS from the Children’s Book Council (Since 2008)

The only national book awards program where winners are selected by kids and teens of all ages. Categories are grades K-2, 3-4, 5-6 and teen. Announced in May of each year

The Grade 5-6 winner in 2015:

2015 Runner’s up:

Colorado Children Book Awards (Since 1975)

Books for children take time to get a lot buzz going. It’s often long after the adults read them that they reach a child’s library. That’s why with CCBA you see quite a few older titles. Nominated books can be from the past five years. Books previously nominated are not eligible, nor are Caldecott or Newbery books. Voting is done by children through libraries. Winners are announced in April of each year

2016 Nominees- Junior Category

The Coretta Scott King Book Award (Since 1970)

Given annually to outstanding African American authors and illustrators of books for children and young adults that demonstrate an appreciation of African American culture and universal human values.  The award commemorates the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and honors his wife, Mrs. Coretta Scott King, for her courage and determination to continue the work for peace and world brotherhood.

Cybils (Since 2006)

Anyone can nominate books published between Oct. 16 and Oct. 15 of the following year. You can register your selection each year from October 1-15. A panel of judges narrows the titles down to the winning entry announced on February 14. This year’s finalists in the Middle Grade Fiction Category:

Newbery Medal (Since 1922)

Given by the Association for Library Service to Children (a division of the American Library Association). The entire book must be submitted by Dec. 31st in each nominating year. Winners are announced in January.

Winners the past five years:

Pura Belpré Award (Since 1996)

The award is named after Pura Belpré, the first Latina librarian at the New York Public Library. The Pura Belpré Award is presented annually to a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth. Recent winners:

SCOTT ODELL AWARD FOR HISTORICAL FICTION (Since 1982)

In 1982, Scott O’Dell established The Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction. The annual award of $5,000 goes to an author for a meritorious book published in the previous year for children or young adults.  Scott O’Dell established this award to encourage other writers–particularly new authors–to focus on historical fiction. He hoped in this way to increase the interest of young readers in the historical background that has helped to shape their country and their world.

Winners the past five years:

 

 

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