Three More by Michael Gordon

 

Genre:  Children's Picture Books

Source:  I purchased them

Why Bully Me

Monkey makes fun of elephant and giraffe making them feel sad. Elephant and monkey become friends. Elephant stands up for his friend and monkey leaves them alone. He tells monkey they should celebrate their differences.

 

I Love My Grandma

Adam and Alice visit their grandma separately. She tailors her play activities to what she knows each grandchild would like. This brought back fond memories of spending the night with my own grandma and made me think about how I play with my own grandchildren.

 

The Choices I Make

Josh gets angry with his sister Emily when he comes home from school and finds her playing with his favorite toy. He gets angry and screams at her. His father explains why it is wrong and how it makes him feel. The book shows common situations that make kids angry. Then it shows the better choice to make.

4 Books about emotions By Michael Gordon

 Genre: Children's Picture Books

Source: I purchased all of them

When I Feel Like Giving Up

Deano the dinosaur has trouble handling frustration when things do not go his way. His parents give him some things he can do to calm down. They also remind him of all the wonderful things he can do. This is one of many books in this series for young children about emotions.

 

When I Lose My Cool

The author has done an excellent job of describing how a child might feel when they get angry. Deano shares these techniques with his friends and the reader.

When I Feel Anxious

In this story Deano is worried about a lot of things. His mom explains it is normal as long as he doesn’t let worry get the best of him. Once again she gives him some tips for getting rid of worry.

 

When I Feel Left Out

Feeling left out is one of the most common things kids feel. In this book Deano talks about many ways he is left out. These are all things. Kids can identify with Deano also has some handy tips for fixing the problem.  I highly recommend any and all of Michael Gordon's books

Ground Zero by Alan Gratz

 

Genre: Historical Fiction, Middle Grade, Young Adult, 9/11

Source: I purchased a copy

I loved this book. It was raw and emotional. Brandon finds himself going to work with his dad in the Twin Towers because he has been suspended from school. Trying to fix the damage done due to standing up to a bully, Brandon sneaks away from his father, who is a chef at Windows on the World. It is during this time the first plane is flown into the twin towers. Reading the raw account of events from that day brought back so many memories and emotions. The story is told in alternation chapters. The other person in this story is Reshmina, a young Afghan girl whose family is caught between the fighting between the Americans and Afghan soldiers and the Taliban. Reshmina saves the life of an American Soldier and puts her whole village in danger.  The only issue I had with this book was the set up. I didn't learn until the book was almost finished what the connection was between the two main characters. It went beyond 9/11. For this book alone I did something I've never done before. I used small sticky notes to separate the two stories. I read all of Brandon's story, then went back and read all of Reshmina's story. That was how I learned that Brandon's story takes place the year 9/11 happened and Reshmina's story takes place on 9/11 only 20 years later.

I loved the message in this story about bullies. It gave me a lot to think about and hopefully the students who read this story from my bookshelves will understand the underlying message as well.  I have read several of this author's books and loved each and every one. It is hard to read them when in school as I choose to let my students read them first.  This is a must read especially as we approach the 20th anniversary of 9/11.

The True Story of Hansel and Gretel by Louise Murphy

Genre:  Historical Fiction, Fairy Tale, Young Adult

Source: I purchased a copy

 

I absolutely loved this book. This is a retelling of the fairy tale Hansel and Gretel with a Holocaust twist. A Jewish family fleeing the Nazis must make a real-life decision. They stop and drop their children off near a forest and tell them to run into the forest and hide. They are then to make their way through the forest, find a kind farmer who will take them in until they can be reunited again. From the very beginning you get the feeling that the step-mother doesn't like them. However, this book is darker than the original fairy-tale because of it's connection to the Holocaust. The children stumble upon a woman the village accuses of being a witch. The love she has for the children is obvious. There were surprises around each corner as you read. Full of tension this book takes the reader on a rollercoaster ride. Will the young active boy give them all away?  Will the young girl be able to control him?  Even that had a dark and unexpected twist to it. I found myself irritated everytime I was interrupted because I needed to find out how this would turn out.  Most of Grimm's Fairy tales didn't have a Disney type happy ending. That is probably why I enjoyed them so much. This author had all the darkness you would expect when reading a story involving the Holocaust yet was just as much about hope.  I highly recommend this book. Great for the older teens to adults due to very mature scenes.

Tea for Dragons by Kandi J. Wyatt

Kandi Wyatt has done it again. Another book about dragons. The difference is that this book is a picture book. After all there are a lot of dragon loving children out there. You might want to pick up this book and read it to your little one and ask them, "What would you serve a dragon if he came for tea?" In this cute book not only are the pictures charming, but Kandi's play on and with words is delightful. It made me sit and wonder what I would serve a dragon if he came to tea. I agree with Kandi, anything it wants. If you have a young one interested in dragons, or you want to get them interested in dragons that are not scary then check out this book.  You can find it on Amazon.

 

Hear The Wolves by Victoria Scott

Genre: Middle Grade, Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Adventure
Source: I purchased a copy. The opinions expressed here are my own.

I buy books for my students. However, unless they ask for a specific title I choose them based on whether I want to read it. Unfortunately, this addiction has built up my TBR (to be read) pile faster than I can read them. I don't want to hold them back from my students. When they bring the card up to check them out I tell them to let me know their thoughts because I haven't read it yet the results vary. With this book, one of my "I'm not going to read unless you make me" students checked out the book because she liked the cover. She had to read because I gave them the entire period to do nothing but read. She returned the book the next day saying I had to read it. She had read it from cover to cover in one day. I took it home and did the same. This book kept me on the edge of my seat. I kept wondering what I would do if I was in the main character's shoes.  Sloan is left behind while her sister and father go on a trip. This is the first time she has been without one of them beside her in a long time. This is their way of helping her. She sets off to get more fuel to keep her house warm. She meets her teacher at the church and they both check the cellar for the extra supply of fuel only to find it empty. In stumbles Ethan and Mrs. Wade. She has been injured and needs medical help. Sloan goes to the village store to get supplies when Pilot, the store owner's son walks in. Together they will try to get Mrs. Wade to the river to get her to medical help. Along the way they pick up Pilot's abusive father Nash. They are sure they can get Mrs. Wade help until the wolves start stalking them.  

I understood why this student couldn't put this book down. Between the tension amongst the group and the fear of the wolves you had to keep reading to see if they would survive and how. This was a rollercoaster of a ride. I have recommended it to all of my students as one of the best reads of this year.

Home is Not a Country by Safia Elhillo

Genre: Young Adult, Poetry

Source: I received a copy from Netgalley. The opinions expressed here are my own.

 

            This was a new author for me, and I’m glad that I found her. I read this book from cover to cover in a little under two hours. This is the story of a young girl named Nima who is trying to find her place, and who she is.  Because she is of Arab decent, she is often bullied. She doesn’t feel like she fits in with her mother and the country she came from. She doesn’t feel like she fits in to her new country. She can deal with all of this as long as she has her best friend Haitham. But words have power and cost her the best friend she has.

            This is a wonderful book. It shows the depth of pain not only the main character goes through, but the pain of her mother and friends. When you don’t fit into your parent’s culture and you don’t fit into the culture of your own country things can be rough. The author didn’t sugar coat this subject. It is a raw and honest look of what people of Arab decent went through right after 9/11. The prejudice, hate and how when it comes down to bullying adults will often be just as bad.  I loved watching how she struggled to find her identity only to realize deep down she already knew who she was. This book comes out in March but it is one I will recommend to teachers and students alike.

Whirligig by Paul Fleischman

Genre:  Young Adult, Realistic Fiction

Source: I purchased a copy

This is one of those books that is good on so many different levels. Another teacher recommended the book to me. The gist of the story is this Brent Bishop is in trouble. He caused the loss of another person’s life. He feels he deserves more punishment than he is given. The judge gives the victim’s parents the right to seek restitution. The victim’s mother meets with them and has an unusual request for restitution. Brent is to create four whirligigs and place them in four different states. She has even bought a bus ticket  for him. Against his parent’s wishes he accepts.  This is a journey that touches many different people and may actually bring about healing.  I got to the end of this book and cried. It is that touching. The main character is so well developed that you feel his pain as you read his story. The settings are so well depicted you feel like you are right there with Brent. You feel his pain and want healing to happen for him.  I could not wait to put this on my school shelves and recommend it.

New Book - Seventy Times Seven

 

I want to introduce you to my new book. It came out right before Christmas. Unfortunately, as happy as I was, I was in the middle of preparing things for a wedding. My Step-daughter, fiance, and her daughter came down for a December 29th wedding.  I put off promoting my book until today. What better day to introduce a new book?

Here is the synopsis:

Frankie's school year is going downhill. His math teacher hates him, he keeps getting suspended. The new preacher keeps telling his dad how to handle his "problem" son. When the preacher's son is left with them for a few weeks, Frankie sees this as a relief until they are involved in a hit-and-run accident. All these conflicting emotions and secrets bring Frankie to a breaking point. Just when he decides what he must do to make things right, his sister and best friend go missing. Frankie is tormented by nightmares where he hears his sister calling for help while being chased by something dark and unseen. Everyone has abandoned him, including God. What will it take to set everything right again?

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Ghost Hunter's Daughter by Dan Poblocki

Genre: Middle Grade, Mystery, Horror

Source:  I purchased a copy

I loved this book. I am hoping my students will as well. I have this author's Shadow House Series on my shelves so this is a great addition.  Claire lives with her aunt because her mother is dead. She is popular at school because her dad is a well known ghost hunter with his own popular show. Lucas lives with his grandmother because his parents are off working on the east coast after it was destroyed by Tsunamis.  Claire's father goes missing while on an investigation. Claire learns this from the weird kid Lucas. Everyone knows his grandmother can speak to the dead and now, so can Lucas. Lucas gives Claire a message from her dead mother about her father. The two set out to rescue him.  But there is a lot at stake here.  The story is based on one town's resident ghost.  The kids act just the way you would expect them to.  They leap into a situation before they look. It is possible that they and everyone they involve in this hunt for her father will fall victim to the ghost of this town.  I didn't see the ending coming.   This will keep you on the edge of your seat like it did me. I could not put the book down. I read it in one sitting from cover to cover.  Highly recommended.