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A very powerful sword falls into the hands of the biggest bad guy around and a group of friends go to retrieve it before he can destroy their world. This is a Newbery award winner, but it would have helped to read the earlier book. Kind of like Lord of the Rings for teens without hobbits, faeries, and trolls, but there are some mythical creatures. (I still prefer hobbits) #NewberyChallenge

[youngreadershelf]

Sisters understands sibling relationship

Sisters By Raina Telgemeier This graphic novel tells the story of Raina becoming a big sister and the difficulties she has dealing with younger siblings. The focus is on a road trip they are taking with Mom, and there are flashbacks to the younger siblings births and incidents in their childhoods. Good for middle grade. Cute drawings and storyline shows great understanding of siblings.…

[youngreadershelf]

We Are the Ants good YA read

We Are the Ants By Shaun David Hutchinson Henry has been repeatedly abducted by aliens. This has gotten around his high school – thanks to his older brother Charlie. The sluggers (what Henry calls the aliens) give him a chance to save the world or not. He is leaning toward not because his boyfriend committed suicide less than a year ago; he is constantly bullied (“Space Boy”), and the worst…

[youngreadershelf]

The Truth Game good for teens

The Truth Game good for teens

  The Truth Game By Anna Staniszewski I read this with intention of putting it in my classroom with 4th thru 6th graders. I think fine for 6th, but not really for 4th. Rachel Lee wants to get on a cooking show, be in a cooking club, and have her dad come back to town. First she has to make it through those first few days of high school. While she is working, a coworker introduces her to a truth…

[youngreadershelf]

Ghosts great for Middle Grade

Ghosts great for Middle Grade

Ghosts by Raina Telgemeier , Braden Lamb Cat and her family have moved to Northern California to help her sister’s medical condition. Maya has cystic fibrosis, and the air and weather are supposed to be good for her. As the girls check out their new town, they find that the town really gets into celebrating Day of the Dead. Maya is enthusiastic about the celebration, but Catrina is not. This book…

[youngreadershelf]

Time off spent searching for new books

Time off spent searching for new books

  I spend a good portion of my time off reading books that I can use in my classroom during the year. Each year we devote half the year to a different continent so with a three-year cycle, we will hit them all (we do Australia and Antarctica in the same year) Recently I was reading middle-grade and YA books set in Africa. It was a tough search. I was looking for Read Aloud for the entire class,…

[youngreadershelf]

Children’s classics waste away

Children’s classics waste away

Open a recent children’s book or a middle-grade reader and you’ll find a book with shorter chapters, minimal description, and lots of action. Screens are transforming the way children look at entertainment. They want to constant action; small skirmishes until the final battle.  No longer do they want paragraphs and pages of description (Harry Potter is an anomaly) – give them the rush of…

[youngreadershelf]

Patterson's funny middle grade book

Patterson’s funny middle grade book

Middle School, The Worst Years of My Life BY James Patterson & Chris Tebbetts illustrated by Laura Park Rafe is ready for the worst year of school in his life He is in middle school, his mom’s boyfriend has taken up residence on the couch, his mom is working double shifts to afford boyfriend, the school bully has it out for him, and he can’t seem to do anything right. Then he and his best friend,…

[youngreadershelf]

Famous Fails shows kids it's OK to make mistakes

Famous Fails shows kids it’s OK to make mistakes

Famous Fails! By Crispin Boyer Kids (and so do most adults) think that someone has a good idea, and it just takes off. What most people don’t realize that there are many mess-ups along the way. Here is a book that shows kids that it’s okay to make mistakes and then to keep going. Some mistakes lead to new inventions, some were just outright failures, but the thing all of the inventors had in…

[youngreadershelf]

Charles Wallace and crew fight internal evil

Charles Wallace and crew fight internal evil

A Wind in the Door By Madeleine L’Engle When Meg gets home from school, her younger brother, Charles Wallace, informs her that he’s seen dragons in the garden. She goes to investigate with her friend, Calvin, only to discover that a teacher has been sent to help her, CW, Calvin, and the dragon, who is really a cherubim fight an evil that is trying to kill CW. In the last of the Time quartet, Meg,…

[youngreadershelf]

Touching Spirit Bear good but tough read

Touching Spirit Bear good but tough read

  Touching Spirit Bear By Ben Mikaelsen Cole has had anger issues for years, and they have gotten him in trouble, but he has always gotten out of it. When he beats a fellow student, Peter, senseless, and people have to pull him off Peter, he has gone too far. This time no one can save him and he will probably get jail time. Then a counselor, Garvey,  steps in and puts him in front of Circle…

[youngreadershelf]

Phoebe is on a roll

Phoebe is on a roll

Unicorn on a Roll By Dana Simpson It’s been one year since Phoebe became best friends with the unicorn, Marigold Heavenly Nostrils, and things are pretty much the same. She is still sparring with her school nemesis; she is still overly dramatic; and she is still fighting parental oppression. The only difference is now she has a best friend to share this with. This could be considered the…

[youngreadershelf]

Walter the Farting Dog fun read

Walter the Farting Dog fun read

Walter the Farting Dog by William Kotzwinkle Walter is great dog, except for one problem – flatulence.  He’s great with the kids. He’s fun to have around, but he farts all the time. The family tries everything. What to do about Walter? Fun book. Kids will be laughing along with this one. #encouragereading, #kidsread, #kidlit, #raisingreaders

[youngreadershelf]

For those Thirsty for a vampire story

For those Thirsty for a vampire story

Thirsty By M.T. Anderson (@_MTAnderson) Chris wants to hang with his friends and get up the courage to talk to Rachel, but the problem is he is turning into a vampire. He’s not sure how. He knows he wasn’t bitten. This is a society where vampires exist and are dealt with by arresting them and killing them. The problem is that the nuisance is getting worse for some reason. More and more have been…

[youngreadershelf]

The Cursed Child should have been book

The Cursed Child should have been book

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Parts One and Two) By J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany, and Jack Thorne It is 19 years later, and there has been no sign of Voldemort. We are back with Harry and family waiting for the Hogwarts Express to take Albus to his first year at Hogwarts. This was a good story. I do have to echo others and say that I wish it had been a book and not a play. That said, Rowling…

[youngreadershelf]

Butterfly Hill reminds us of old lessons

Butterfly Hill reminds us of old lessons

I Lived on Butterfly Hill By Marjorie Agosín Celeste Marconi loves her life on Butterfly Hill in Chile where she lives with her parents, grandmother, and nanny. She loves her school and her friends. Then the big ships begin to arrive in the harbor near her home. More and more show up everyday, and 11-year-old Celeste becomes fearful because these are not like the fishermen’s boats; these are…

[youngreadershelf]

Chasing Shadows will keep you reading

Chasing Shadows will keep you reading

Chasing Shadows by Swati Avasthi (@SwatiAvasthi) Holly, Corey, and Savitri are close. Holly and Corey are twins, and Savitri is Holly’s best friend and Corey’s girlfriend.  One night the twins are attacked leaving Corey dead, Holly in a coma, and Savitri as a witness. When Holly comes to, she is determined to catch the killer and save her twin from the Shadowlands, which is where she saw him…