Rez Dogs by Joseph Bruchac

 

Genre: Middle Grade, Novel-in-Verse

Source: I own a copy

Rez Dogs is one of those books that seem like a quick read for a lazy day, and it is. However, this book is so much more. We meet a young girl named Malian who is visiting her Penacook grandparents on the reservation when all travel is shut down due to Covid-19. Her parents are in Boston.  She continues her school lessons online, helps her grandparents use video chat all while learning more about her own heritage. She wakes one morning to find a dog sitting in the driveway, as if guarding her and her grandparents. She names him Malsum. 

Through the stories her grandparents tell her, she learns about her Native American heritage as well as life lessons. She learns of the atrocities from the past as well as the good that has come out of them. This is a simple, quick read, so full of simple, and in my opinion, great life lessons all children and adults should hear.  This is just another great book by an author I really admire.

The Tale of the Young Witch By Author Joseph Minart

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Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Source: I own a copy

 

I used to say that I didn’t read a lot of fantasy books. When  I got ready to pack up my classroom I realized that most of the books I had read and purchased for my classroom were actually fantasy books.

The author has created a very unique world. In this world magic has been stopped to protect the world by the Jewel of Celestria. But, it seems that the Jewel hasn’t stopped it all. Amelia Twigg discovers one day that she has some magic ability. She doesn’t understand why or how. Her mother walked out on her and her father when she was a young child. Her father, a blacksmith, has raised her.

One day Amelia and her best friend Jack find themselves watching their village under attack. Amelia finds her father dead. She grabs the sword he had made her and prepares to leave. Suddenly she finds things being destroyed by a man who can throw magical fire from his very hands. He has come for Amelia.  Jack and Amelia are rescued by another man who has the ability to freeze the first wizard in place. This gives them enough time to escape.  The man who rescues her explains that she is a witch and there are other powerful witches looking for her. They believe she is the key to finding the Jewel of Celestria. He explains that the jewel keeps all magic a bay.  There was a time when everyone could use magic and it had horrible consequences. Three powerful witches create a jewel to solve this problem. Amelia and Jack find themselves on the run. Amelia has been told she must learn to use her magic if she is to survive and avoid those who would do her harm. 

The world building mixes steampunk and magic in a very unique way. We have people who live in the most primitive way contrasted with those who live in a city that is the most modern of all.  The book is full of twists and turns. I found that even the most evil were not prepared for what they learned. Betrayal lurks around every corner.  The book ends in a satisfying manner and yet it is set up that I believe a sequel could happen. 

The author has created an index to help the reader with unfamiliar words, and the world that he created.  I can’t wait to recommend this to my students. It is a very long book, but it well worth the time to read it. I look forward to reading more by this
author in the future.

Daily Guided Gratitude Journal with Creative Prompts by MamTalk

 

Genre: Children's Journal

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

A wonderful book for children ages Kindergarten to fourth grade.  If you want you child to write more then start with this book. This is a beginner journal. Parents can sit with their young child and read it to them and then have them draw pictures or tell the parent what to write. The older child can write and color. What a great way to get children interested in writing and help create a life-long love of writing. I love books by MamTalk.

This book is full of cute pictures.  Each page starts with an example, a place to write the date, then a page for students to fill in with their own personal information. This is a wonderful way to show kids that they can write every day about things that are important to them.There are pictures to color which makes this a fun activity. I only wish that more parents would spend time daily with their children teaching them to journal like this, showing them that writing can be fun. It is a great way to teach children the importance of gratitude