Student Saturday: Shell Shocked by Kathleen Welton

 

Genre: Middle Grade, Mystery

Student Reviewer: Rylee P.

"Shell shocked is a book about an underwater problem,  an ocean mystery. The main character, Alex, and her friend Avery found a turtle with scars on its back on the celebration of Alexs job and her birthday. They found clues linking her family to the hurting and killing of these turtles, so she confronts them but nothing comes out from her parents. A few weeks later, her and Avery find cracked and broken hatchling eggs in the sand, now this was a problem. But, how were they going to solve it? What will happen to the turtles from now on? What are the people of the island going to think? Will they help save the turtles and their hatchlings?" If I were to give this book to an audience it would most likely be a crowd of 5-7th graders. due to its Mysterious theme, I think it would be of great help to people of that range who are looking to find more themes to read or a guide line to writing a story on a mystery. My opinion on this book is... it was a great book but I personally am not great with cliff-hangers in books and that's what had me on the edge of my seat with this book.

Hidden by Olivia Gold

 

Genre: Middle Grade, Mystery
Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review

This is a great middle grade book.

Xander is not happy to begin seventh grade with a flip phone. His parents don’t want him to have anything that might put him in danger. Both of his parents have government jobs that could attract the attention of unsavory people. Xander doesn’t really have any fear of this happening. His life changed in the blink of an eye.  Xander overhears  two men who were posing as dog groomers in his parents office across from his bedroom.  They are obviously looking for something. Xander’s mom ushers the two men out of her house as she and Xander try to clean up the mess they left. When Xander tells his mom what the men were doing and the next thing he knows they are in the witness protection program. Now he has to start school in a new state and try to fit in. This is not something Xander is real good at.  To make matters worse he is enrolled in the “Soda Club”. The members are trying to create a new soda flavor for a competition.

This was a fun book to read. Maybe it is because I teach middle school and see some of their antics each day. The story rang true in so many ways.  If you want to read something that is a fun book with an element of mystery then this is the book for you. Step into the story with Xander where it seems the disasters just keep coming his way.

From Turmoil to Peace by Delia Hayward

 

Genre: Adult, Christian, Memoir

Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

What an awesome, God-inspired memoir. The author takes us through her life and its hardships and shows us what it is like to walk with, and rely on God.  From the time she was a young child she faced hardships. She grew up thinking that no one truly loved her. She, like so many people tried to find that love in different places. She married and had three boys. However, her marriage was in just as much turmoil. She not only learned to love and follow God in her daily walk; she learned that God will often tell us what we need before we know we need it.

There were so many things I could relate to in her story. I went the route of a single parent after my divorce. I had no intentions of ever marrying again. Then one night my daughter asked me if I would pray with her for a new daddy.  Boy did God ever answer that prayer. This June will be thirty-two years.  I understood how hard it was to forgive her husband for what he put her and the children through. 

This story makes your heart ache yet lifts you and lets you see the possibilities with God in control of your life. I was raised in a strong Christian home. Sometimes, God wants us to be reminded that he is in control of things if we just take our hands off the wheel and let him handle it. This book came at a time when I must have needed that reminder. A time when I needed to pray for the one I see as causing some turmoil in my life. My mother used to tell me you can't be angry with someone if you are praying for them. This book reminded me of that.  I want to share this book with everyone I know. Its message is one for all people to hear.

Drawing Freedom by Felicia Ketcheson

 

Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian

Source:  I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

This is the second book in this excellent series. Reading it reminded me of "The Hunger Games", and "The Giver" all rolled into one. Breel is a young girl  who managed to fight back against the President and his rules. The only thing she wanted to do was be free to draw. Unfortunately, anything you can think of that you do for fun would be a crime in her world. This second book gives us more background into the early years of President Tatum's rise from poverty to President of Lexum. We get to see how wicked and corrupt he has always been. 

This group of rebels have gone all out in their mission to take down the President. They have a new ally willing to help them. Clonis is President Tatum's only surviving brother. It is obvious he believes his brother needs to be taken out. Why?  Well you will need to read the book to find out why. Breel gets to use her drawing abilities to try   to persuade others to join their cause.  This is one of those books that will stick with you long after you have finished it. The tension in it is high to keep you reading. The only thing that makes me sad is that I will now have to wait for the next book to come out.  If you like dystopian books then you are going to love this one.

Cover Reveal: Appointed by Kandi J. Wyatt - Coming February 11th

 

 

Genre:  Young Adult, Fantasy

 Blurb:

Seventeen-year-old Shawnahur longs to be more—to do more—than just herd wooly ducks. If that means he can make his brothers proud of him, all the better. He doesn’t think much of it when he helps a wounded dragon, but suddenly, he’s gaining attention. First the chief’s mage shows up declaring Shawnahur dragon king of a nonexistent kingdom. Then he receives a summons from the chief’s household to be the chief’s personal musician, which shows him a side of the warrior he’d never expected. With the clans united against a common enemy, Shawnahur’s brothers march to war. When Shawn takes supplies to his brothers, he unwittingly walks onto a battlefield, and with his dragon’s help, defeats the champion. As Shawnahur’s successes mount, the chief’s approval turns to jealousy. Shawn soon finds himself on the wrong end of a glaive more times than he can count. Now he only longs to stay alive; pleasing his brothers and herding would be a life of ease. If you like action, a hint of romance, and dragons, you’ll love Kandi J Wyatt’s epic fantasy. Buy Appointed to enter a world of dragons and heroes today!

Pre-order Appointed direct from the author - https://payhip.com/b/VMUzR

Appointed retailers pre-order link - https://books2read.com/sovereigns7

Read the first Chapter on Kandi’s website here:

https://kandijwyatt.com/appointed-chapter-1/

 

 

 

Stranded by Nikki Shannon Smith

Genre: Middle Grade, Young Adult, Realistic Fiction

Source: Purchased

Ava loves the outdoors. With only two days of school left she is thrilled when their class takes a trip to Central Park. Her friends on the other hand don’t care for it too much. They are into sports, reading and posting online or playing video games.  Ava knows she will be stuck at home with her family unless she can convince them to let her go to her Aunt Ravens cabin in the Adirondack Mountains.. Ava knows it will be an uphill battle convincing her mother to let her go. Her mother doesn’t agree with her twin’s decision to live in the middle of no where. Her brother calls her crazy because “black folks don’t do nature.” What she assumes will be an impossible task, turns into the possible. She never expected her dad to side with her. Just like that they are making plans for her to spend her summer with her aunt.

Ava and her Aunt get along great. She knows a lot about being outdoors, but her aunt has so much more she can teach her. When her aunt is called away and she is left alone, life becomes very real.  I loved this book. I loved how passionate Ava was about being outdoors. I loved that she didn’t try to conform to her family’s ideas of what you should be passionate about. I loved the realistic relationship throughout the story. This is a book I want my students to read. I highly recommend it.

The Little Book of Quotes by Women edited by Kathleen Welton

 

Genre: Nonfiction

Source: I won a copy from LibraryThing. The opinions expressed here are my own.

 The author has filled this book with quotes from women who were on postage stamps.  According to the introduction she has included 365 quotes from women who have made a difference in some way. She has also broken them categories.  What you will find in this review is at least one quote that spoke to me from each category she has created. This book is going on my shelves at school as a reference for my students to use. Here are the quotes I have chosen, and in some cases my thoughts about them. I highly recommend you read this book. She has several quote books out and I will be reading them all.

Beauty:“At some point in life the world’s beauty becomes enough you don’t need to photograph, paint, or even remember it. It is enough.” ~ Toni Morrison
For me  being out in nature is more beautiful than any picture or painting.

Courage: “You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face… You must do the thing you think you cannot do. ~ Eleanor Roosevelt
This one was very important to me. I was always the shy one in the family. I have always moved ahead because others believed I could step out. They had courage for me when I didn’t yet have it for myself.

Freedom:“Some old-fashioned things like fresh air and sunshine are hard to beat.” ~Laura Ingalls Wilder
I believe we all have our own idea of what freedom is. If fresh air and sunshine were taken away from me I would feel like I had lost my freedom.

Friendship: “Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart. ~ Eleanor Roosevelt
I like to think of those who walk in and out of my life as acquaintances. Eleanor Roosevelt was correct about true friends and they are few in our lives.

Happiness:“Happiness is not a goal…it’s a by-product of a life well lived. ~ Eleanor Roosevelt
One of my favorite quotes. I believe we make our own happiness out of whatever life has given us. It is a choice.

Lessons: “Think as little as possible about yourself. Think as much as possible about other people. ~ Eleanor Roosevelt
I have tried to live my life this way. I hope that in the end God will tell me well done.

Life: “Life’s under no obligation to give us what we expect. ~Margaret Mitchell
This is so true. We have to go after what we want. It isn’t just given to us.

Love: If you judge people, you have no time to love them.” ~ Mother Teresa
This goes right along the Biblical line of “Judge not lest ye be judged.”

Possibility: “No pessimist ever discovered the secret of the stars or sailed to an uncharted land.” ~ Helen Keller
When I read this I immediately thought back to the story of a young boy place in a room full of horse manure. He was flinging it everywhere because he was sure with this much manure there had to be a horse in there somewhere. That is the power of positive thinking.

Service: “That’s what we’re here on this Earth For, to help others.” ~Betty Ford

Not serving or helping others makes us a very selfish person in my opinion.

Strength: “I believe in prayer. It’s the best way we have to draw strength from heaven. ~ Josephine Baker

This sums up my life in this one quote.

Work: “Work, I know that someday I will die, but I will never retire.” ~ Margaret Mead

I read this and knew I had to choose this one. My students used to ask if I was ever going to retire and I would tell them no. They would walk in one day and find me dead at my desk with a pen in my hand. I have put off retiring because I love teaching. However, when I retire from teaching in a couple of years it will be to move on with the next part of my life. I will never retire from life.  

Behind all these wonderful quotes is a section for you to write down your favorite quotes, make a gratitude checklist and an area for journaling. All of this is followed by an area that gives you the biographical information about the women whose faces adorned stamps.

I loved this and can’t wait to read the other five quote books she has written.

The Bully Mission: Solving Damian Dermite by Christopher Francis

 

Genre: Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction

Source:  Purchased

 

I have read all of this author's books.  While cleaning up files, I realized that I had never written a review of this one. So I reread it. Like all of his books, Christopher Francis takes a prominent issue and creates a story that not only shines a light on that issue but helps the reader see a way through it.  Alex's best friend has moved away. Now, he has to face his first year of middle school alone. In his first-period class, he sees the biggest kid he's ever seen. Henry is large with red hair.  He is also new to the school. He was constantly picked on at his previous school because of his size. Over the summer, his dad remarried, and that is why he had to change schools. Alex is having a very rough first day after hitting Henry in the back of the head with a slice of pizza and getting sent to the principal's office. It was at the end of the first day that Henry and Alex had their first run-in with the school bully, Damian Dermite. As Alex is leaving, he sees Henry on the ground, and Damian is trying to force him to eat a worm.  Alex steps in.  This time, he gets suspended and is on the bully's radar.

If he can figure out why Damian is a bully, maybe he can survive middle school.  A great book about bullying, finding friendship, and, most of all, surviving middle school.  Unfortunately, as a middle school teacher, I see things like this play out all the time. It is unfortunate. Maybe if more people were willing to step up we could diminish the bullying issue.

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

Genre: Adult, Young Adult, Historical Fiction
Source: Purchased

 I was first introduced to this book last year while teaching Pre-Ap English. There was an excerpt in it from three character’s perspective in our textbook.  Once of my students asked if I knew there was a movie about it. I did not because I prefer to read a book first.

 Marie is blind and her father works for a museum. When the Nazi’s invade her father takes her and they leave to live with her great-uncle.  The other character we meet is Werner. He is an orphan. He has a talent for fixing radios. Unfortunately he’s not supposed to be listening to the radio.  The Germans take him and he is forced to use his skills to try to locate whoever has been leaving messages to guide the resistance. This is where his path and Marie’s cross.

 There were a couple of things I really enjoyed about this book, besides the story itself.  The chapters are short. We get glimpses of each of the character’s story as well as what happened to them at the end of the story. I am one of those readers who will often read the ending to find out what happened and then go back to fill in all of the blanks. I didn’t have to do that with this book as the reader knows the outcome of some of the characters before the end of the book.  

By the way, the movie is just as awesome.

 

Saving Vegetable Seeds by GD Kashuba

Genre: Nonfiction, Informational

Source: My husband received a copy.

My husband received a copy in exchange for his review.  He kept reading parts to me and so I had to read it. My husband grows microgreens. We had a garden for a couple of years. My favorite thing from it was tomatoes. Unfortunately they seem to be the raccoon's favorite things as well. I woke up one morning to find they had taken a bite out of each and every one of them. He purchased two greenhouses and so began our journey. He is a beekeeper as well as growing microgreens. He has never been so happy as when he is doing one of those two things.  In the past he has purchased seeds and then for one reason or another they didn't get planted. When he finally got around to them years later they would not grow.  I never knew until reading this book that seeds can have a shelf life. 

The book teaches anyone how to take seeds from their own plants and dry them, save them and use them to grow your own plants.  Since he has started this process I get daily reports on how the plants are going. He purchased a program so he knows exactly when he needs to do what with his plants. He can keep detailed info like the book suggested on everything from when he should plant, when he planted, when he should and does harvest them. He can keep notes on processing the seeds. This book is full of information on different types of plants and their seeds and contains a section in the back with links to other resources you may want to check out. I no longer have to wonder why we don't ever use seeds from our cucumbers or tomatoes. Now we can.

This is an extremely useful book for anyone interested in growing their own food from their own seeds.