A Drop of Hope by Keith Calabrese

Genre: Middle Grade,  Fantasy

Source: I Received an ARC from the author to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Whenever I approach a new book to review for middle grade students and my shelves at school I look at it through two different lenses. The first is that of a middle school teacher. Is this something that I would recommend to my fellow teachers? Is it a book I would recommend to my students and put on my shelves? Most importantly, is this a book that I can talk about with students because the message within is important?  The second lens I look through is that of a grandparent. Is this a book that my grandchildren will enjoy and thus pass on to their teachers, and class-mates.  This book goes above and beyond what I would normally recommend.

I have often spoke of the school I teach in. We are an IB school. We have several “Learner Profiles” that are a major part of our teachings.  One of them is being “caring”.  We require our students to complete community service in every grade.  So, the idea that you have a group of students who set about to change the lives of people in their town made this a worth-while book.  The book takes place in a small town named Cliffs Donnelly. Many of the major businesses in the town are closing. Two boys out exploring a tunnel realize, by accident, they have walked underneath the city’s wishing well. When they hear a class-mates wish a decision is made to help make it come true. 

I loved that this book is told from multiple perspectives.  I know that this will drive many people nuts. This has been their number one complaint of my own book. There are many more like me who love the different perspectives. I felt in this case it made the issues and secrets in the story, that are discovered within the town, more well-rounded.  We learn that we can’t always judge a book, or bully by its cover. Things aren’t always what they seem. We also learn what one act of kindness can do and how it can be carried forward.  These are lessons that we as teachers, parents, and grandparents want our kids to learn. There is no better way to learn this than through a book.  I believe that many students will be able to relate to this book in a variety ways.  I place this up there with one of the best books I’ve read so far this year. I really can’t wait to see what this author writes next.

This book comes out February 26^, just two days away. This is a must read book so get ready to get your copy.

About the Author from Scholastic website

Keith Calabrese is an author and screenwriter who holds a degree in creative writing from Northwestern University. A former script reader, he lives in Los Angeles with his wife, kids, and a dog who thinks he's a mountain goat.

Death March Escape: The Remarkable Story of a Man Who Twice Escaped the Nazi Holocaust by Jack J. Hersch

Genre: Nonfiction, Biography, Memoir
Source: I received an advanced copy from Netgalley. The opinions expressed here are my own.


I have never been able to read a book about Holocaust survivors without getting emotional. As an eighth grade English teacher we have a unit that touches on the Holocaust. When I taught ninth grade English we read Night and other stories about the Holocaust. I have over the years met only one survivor. The only part of her story that stuck with me was the death march she was taken on. To me this is more terrifying than the camps. You may wonder why. In this case the author’s father had the realization that they would soon be freed by the allies. How many of them lost all hope when they were removed from the camp and taken on these long death marches?

The author’s father was like many survivors who talked about their imprisonment, treatment and survival while leaving out so much. I have always wondered why they did this. Were they trying to spare their family the pain that they still felt?

After learning from a relative that a picture of his father at a  death camp was up on a website, Jack sets off on a journey to fill in the blanks of his father’s life.  He eventually walked the same path his father took. He wanted to understand his father’s experiences. It is my opinion that you can walk the path your parent’s took and learn so much more than you  originally knew. I also believe that unless you were actually there that there is no way you can completely understand the horrors.  This is a non-fiction story that I highly recommend. We need more voices to tell these stories as the survivors are all beginning to die off. Who will be left to speak for all those who lost their lives during these horrible year?

Watch Hollow by Gregory Funaro

Genre: Middle Grades, Fantasy, Adventure

Source: I received an advance reader copy to facilitate my review. The opinion expressed here are my own.

I love reading middle grade books because I teach middle grade students. This is one that will be on my shelves the day it comes out.  Who wouldn’t love a story that had middle school age kids with all of their issues, monsters, a spooky house with talking animals?  On top of that there is a monster in the woods called the Garr.

The book opens with Lucy Tinker sitting in the display window of her dad’s clock repair shop. She is sitting there because she is in trouble. Her brother is trying to help her father. As they begin to close up a gentleman enters and makes a proposal that seems too good to be true. Mr. Quigley wants Mr. Tinker to repair a cuckoo clock in an old house he has recently acquired. He throws down a large amount of gold as an advance.  Up to this point the family has had it financially tough. It doesn’t help that their mother had died from cancer two year before. Lucy seems to be the one who is often impulsive yet seems to be the glue holding them all together. 

Mr. Tinker agrees to move to the house and fix the clock. It seems that Mr. Quigley didn’t tell them everything they should have known. The house is very peculiar. There are talking animals. The woods seem to be alive with something evil within.  Lucy can tell that something is not right. There father is thinking about how far the money would go.  Trouble is not that far away. This book definitely takes you on a journey. The characters are very well done. My students could easily identify with them.   Some of the problems they face are the same problems my own students face each day.  This has easily become one of my favorites of this year.  The adventure, magic, overall story will draw you in and hold you there for some time.  I highly recommend this book.