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Mr. Terupt Falls Again
A powerful story of how a teacher and his students can affect each other over the course of a school year. Mr. Terupt Falls Again written by Rob Buyea is the companion novel to Because of Mr. Terupt told in the point-of-view of seven students in his classroom in both…
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Wacky Wednesday Book Discussion (3rd & 4th graders)
We hosted our first 3rd and 4th grade book discussion this afternoon and it went very well! We read Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Stuart Little by Peggy Gifford and I was surprised when all 17 kids had read the book! They were also excited to discuss the book and I…
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Ask the Passengers
Ask the Passengers by A.S. King is a great young adult novel focusing on the ideas of not fitting in, bullying, small-town life, and figuring out who you are. I grew up in a small town and could easily relate to the main character, Astrid Jones. Small town life can be…
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Curveball: The Year I Lost My Grip
Curveball: The Year I Lost My Grip by Jordan Sonnenblick is a quick read about a All-Star pitcher, Peter going into high school. He’s pretty sure life will be a breeze when he joins the high school baseball team with his best friend, AJ until a pitching accident over the summer ruins…
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The Center of Everything
The Center of Everything by Linda Urban is a coming-of-age story for a young girl whose grandmother has recently passed away. Ruby Pepperdine lives in Bunning New Hampshire where it is said the inventor of the donut settled after spending years on the ocean in his sailing ship. Ruby’s grandmother…
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Summer Book Discussion Group for Middle School Students (Grades 5-8)
The job of a children’s librarian is never done. Just as I’ve finally caught my breath with a number of programs and projects, the summer planning is looming ahead of me. Each year we offer our rising 5th – 8th graders two different book discussion opportunities. The first is called…
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33 Minutes
A lot can happen in 33 minutes… just ask Sam Lewis, who is going to get his butt kicked in 33 minutes by his former best friend, Morgan Sturtz. Written in a span of time that takes only 33 minutes, Todd Hasak-Lowy creates a typical middle school environment where anything can happen. …
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The Second Life of Abigail Walker
Bullying has become a huge issues in schools across America and it has clearly bled into children’s literature as well. The Second Life of Abigail Walker by Frances O’Roark Dowell is a book about rising above the bullies and believing in yourself, even when you’re not quite sure what that means. …
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Navigating Early
Clare Vanderpool has an amazing quotation on the header of her website from Madeleine L’Engle, “You have to write the book that wants to be written. And if the book will be too difficult for grown-ups, then you write it for children.” I think this is just what Vanderpool did in…
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Tracing Stars
Tracing Stars is a coming of age story for a young girl in a small coastal town where being different makes you stand out. Indie Lee Chickory is a fish freak – she’s knows everything there is to know about the fish that can be found in the ocean that borders town. She…