Weekly Reads: Fish in a Tree

Fish in a Tree is a book that I added to my list after I heard some Newbery buzz surrounding it. As a daughter of a special education teacher, I know how important an amazing teacher can be to a student, but to see the story told from the child's perspective had me cry tears of happiness. This is a must read for kids who feel different, those who need helping understanding peers that are different, and all teachers who need a reminder of how important their jobs are to the children who's lives they change.

I also dearly hope this gets a Newbery nod.

My rating: 5 stars

Summary from goodreads:

The author of the beloved One for the Murphys gives readers an emotionally-charged, uplifting novel that will speak to anyone who’s ever thought there was something wrong with them because they didn’t fit in.
 
“Everybody is smart in different ways. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its life believing it is stupid.”
 
Ally has been smart enough to fool a lot of smart people. Every time she lands in a new school, she is able to hide her inability to read by creating clever yet disruptive distractions.  She is afraid to ask for help; after all, how can you cure dumb? However, her newest teacher Mr. Daniels sees the bright, creative kid underneath the trouble maker. With his help, Ally learns not to be so hard on herself and that dyslexia is nothing to be ashamed of. As her confidence grows, Ally feels free to be herself and the world starts opening up with possibilities. She discovers that there’s a lot more to her—and to everyone—than a label, and that great minds don’t always think alike.

Weekly Reads: Absolutely Almost

I received an e-ARC of Absolutely Almost in exchange for an honest review of the book. I had previously read A Tangle of Knots by Graff and wasn't as blown away as I expected to be (it does have one of my favorite covers of 2013 though! I'm always sold with a hot air balloon!). I absolutely (<--see what I did there) adored this one though. The story is about Albie. Albie's abilities in school are below average, but his heart and spirit more than make up for it. He befriends the one girl in his new school that no one is nice to, Betsy, who has a terrible stutter. His nanny, Calista, is able to help him see that he does have gifts and talents. It was truly an enjoyably read.

However, I was a little.... weirded out?.... by the book's cover.

Anyone? Bueller?










My rating: 4 stars

Summary from goodreads: 

Albie has never been the smartest kid in his class. He has never been the tallest. Or the best at gym. Or the greatest artist. Or the most musical. In fact, Albie has a long list of the things he's not very good at. But then Albie gets a new babysitter, Calista, who helps him figure out all of the things he is good at and how he can take pride in himself.

A perfect companion to Lisa Graff's National Book Award-nominated A Tangle of Knots, this novel explores a similar theme in a realistic contemporary world where kids will easily be able to relate their own struggles to Albie's. Great for fans of Rebecca Stead's Liar and Spy, RJ Palacio's Wonder and Cynthia Lord's Rules.

Weekly Reads: Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library

Mix together one part Willy Wonka and one part library book nerdery and another part awesome trivia and gaming and you'll have Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library. I picked up this book because there was some buzz about it being a candidate for the Newbery award. I absolutely LOVED it. I flew through the book (I think I finished it in one sitting, two at the very most) and wanted to dive in to the book to participate instead of reading. While I don't think this will win the Newbery, I think kids will devour it! I know that 8-10 year old Jerbear would've absolutely loved it. What's even cooler is that the author Chris Grabenstein has created a game based on the game played out in the book for schools and libraries to utilize, so I'll be planning a tween program based on it. I also showed the book trailer to my kids last week and they thought it looked awesome.

My rating: 5 stars.

Summary from goodreads:

Kyle Keeley is the class clown, popular with most kids, (if not the teachers), and an ardent fan of all games: board games, word games, and particularly video games. His hero, Luigi Lemoncello, the most notorious and creative gamemaker in the world, just so happens to be the genius behind the building of the new town library.

Lucky Kyle wins a coveted spot to be one of the first 12 kids in the library for an overnight of fun, food, and lots and lots of games. But when morning comes, the doors remain locked. Kyle and the other winners must solve every clue and every secret puzzle to find the hidden escape route. And the stakes are very high.

In this cross between Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and A Night in the Museum, Agatha Award winner Chris Grabenstein uses rib-tickling humor to create the perfect tale for his quirky characters. Old fans and new readers will become enthralled with the crafty twists and turns of this ultimate library experience.

Mock Newbery Discussion

For the past five months I've been reading any children's chapter book published in 2013 that has any hint of winning the Newbery Award. I marked my winner months ago, but just recently read a book that is challenging my thinking.

Any book published in 2013, aimed at children from birth to 14 is eligible for the Newbery provided the author resides in the United States. The following are the books my co-workers and I read that had Newbery potential. I've bolded the selections that I've read:

• Counting by 7s
• Lincoln's Grave Robbers
• Paperboy
• Navigating Early
• Every Day After
• Hokey Pokey
• A Tangle of Knots
• Beholding Bee
• Zebra Forest
• Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library
• Flora and Ulysses
• The Center of Everything
• The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp
• Doll Bones
• Far Far Away
• One Came Home
• The Real Boy
• Hold Fast
• Rump

My original pick for the Newbery award was Counting by 7s. I adore that book. After reading Navigating Early, I have changed my vote. Clearly Counting by 7s should get an honor award, as should Paperboy, Zebra Forest, and Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library, although it's more likely that True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp will get the honor nod.

A few co-workers and I have been reading and discussing some of these titles for the past few months, and decided to meet up for dinner and host our own Mock Newbery discussion. The results of our voting are:

Personal Picks
Emily picked Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library
Alesha picked Counting by 7s
and I picked Navigating Early

Then we chose who we think the Newbery committee will select and we had a three way tie:
True Blue Scouts
Navigating Early
Counting by 7s

By this point, the margaritas were kicking in, so we didn't have any further debate to try to sway the other "voters" to side with us, but we all agreed that all three of these books will likely get an award or the top honor.

Additionally, Alesha thought Beholding Bee would get an honor, Emily thought Lemoncello should get an honor, and I had a tie between Paperboy and Zebra Forest.

The actual awards are January 27th at 8am EST and I'll be up early to watch them live! Children's librarian nerdery FTW!

Weekly Reads: Breadcrumbs

 I listened to Breadcrumbs on my trip to M adison WI and back. To be honest, I didn't really get in to it at the beginning. I listened to a disc and then didn't listen to any more until the drive home. On the drive home I finished three discs in a row before I needed to take a break to do some Glee singing to keep myself alert and awake.

The book was just ok, in my opinion. It's fairy tale inspired, which I love, but I just didn't get truly wrapped up in the book. It's a good fantasy read for children, but left some to be desired as an adult reader.

My rating: 3 stars

Summary from goodreads:

Once upon a time, Hazel and Jack were best friends. They had been best friends since they were six, spending hot Minneapolis summers and cold Minneapolis winters together, dreaming of Hogwarts and Oz, superheroes and baseball. Now that they were eleven, it was weird for a boy and a girl to be best friends. But they couldn't help it - Hazel and Jack fit, in that way you only read about in books. And they didn't fit anywhere else. 

And then, one day, it was over. Jack just stopped talking to Hazel. And while her mom tried to tell her that this sometimes happens to boys and girls at this age, Hazel had read enough stories to know that it's never that simple. And it turns out, she was right. Jack's heart had been frozen, and he was taken into the woods by a woman dressed in white to live in a palace made of ice. Now, it's up to Hazel to venture into the woods after him. Hazel finds, however, that these woods are nothing like what she's read about, and the Jack that Hazel went in to save isn't the same Jack that will emerge. Or even the same Hazel.

Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's "The Snow Queen," Breadcrumbsis a story of the struggle to hold on, and the things we leave behind.