# data[].attributes.headline
The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise

# data[].attributes.subject
The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise

# data[].attributes.body
First book that made me cry is so long.  Wasn't expecting to love it so much because of the strange set up.  But it worked.  I loved Coyote and the bus-on-the-road life.  5th graders will love this.

# data[].attributes.headline
Between the Lines: How Ernie Barnes went from the Football Field to the Art Gallery by Sandra Neil Wallace

# data[].attributes.subject
Between the Lines: How Ernie Barnes went from the Football Field to the Art Gallery by Sandra Neil Wallace

# data[].attributes.body
Another award winning beautifully illustrated biography with a wonderful life message!

# data[].attributes.headline
A Boy Named Beckoning: The True Story of Dr. Carlos Montezuma, Native American Hero

# data[].attributes.subject
A Boy Named Beckoning: The True Story of Dr. Carlos Montezuma, Native American Hero

# data[].attributes.body
A well-written, well- researched picture book biography. I am constantly amazed at how much I learn from the biographies written for children. Carlos Montezuma was a Native American activist. This story might be a good read aloud for the third grade curriculum.

# data[].attributes.headline
Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut by Derrick Barnes

# data[].attributes.subject
Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut by Derrick Barnes

# data[].attributes.body
I bought this book at the beginning of school - LAST year, and it's taken me an entire year to take the time to read it. SAD!! I absolutely loved this award winning (Newbery, Caldecott, Coretta Scott King) picture-poem book! I will definitely share it with my students!!

# data[].attributes.headline
Jabber-Walking by Juan Felipe Herrera (US Poet Laureate 2015-17) 

# data[].attributes.subject
Jabber-Walking by Juan Felipe Herrera (US Poet Laureate 2015-17) 

# data[].attributes.body
Must be read aloud! Unconventional! Playful! For a middle school and older audience. It's not an easy text to describe in words. Some students will get it, and others will say this book is "weird." Horn Book said the messiness of the text, “send[s] the message of encouraging young writers to let their words flow unstopped by convention or constraint, and to allow themselves to jump around and go on tangents and not worry about it."  I'm thinking that I might introduce students to the idea of "Jabber-Walking; Jabber-Writing" with the Quick Write Notebooks!

# data[].attributes.body
Excellent YA novel

# data[].attributes.headline
Voices in the Air: Poems for Listeners by Naomi Shihab Nye

# data[].attributes.subject
Voices in the Air: Poems for Listeners by Naomi Shihab Nye

# data[].attributes.headline
Thirty Minutes Over Oregon: a Japanese Pilot's World War II Story by  Marc Tyler Nobleman

# data[].attributes.subject
Thirty Minutes Over Oregon: a Japanese Pilot's World War II Story by  Marc Tyler Nobleman

# data[].attributes.body
An Orbis Pictus Honor book for Outstanding Nonfiction - In this important and moving true story of reconciliation after war, beautifully illustrated in watercolor, a Japanese pilot bombs the continental U.S. during WWII—the only enemy ever to do so—and comes back 20 years later to apologize.

# data[].attributes.body
The Secret Garden

# data[].attributes.headline
Joan Proctor, Dragon Doctor by Patricia Valdez

# data[].attributes.subject
Joan Proctor, Dragon Doctor by Patricia Valdez

# data[].attributes.body
I knew nothing about Joan Proctor, before reading this informative picture book biography. She was a notable zoologist who became internationally recognized as a leading herpetologist in the early 1900s! A trailblazing woman of science! If you visit the London Zoo, look for a statue of her outside the Reptile House. This book will be added to the biography section of my classroom library.

# data[].attributes.headline
Pay Attention, Carter Jones by Gary D Schmidt

# data[].attributes.subject
Pay Attention, Carter Jones by Gary D Schmidt

# data[].attributes.headline
Black Potatoes: The Story of the Great Irish Famine by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

# data[].attributes.subject
Black Potatoes: The Story of the Great Irish Famine by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

# data[].attributes.body
As I was setting up my classroom, I came upon this nonfiction text and decided to read it. Having recently visited Ireland, the book piqued my interest. I enjoyed the information largely because I could picture the places, and I had greater background knowledge due to my recent trip. This personal connection to the text has caused me to reflect on ways to help students choose nonfiction books in my classroom.

# data[].attributes.body
This seemed like a really promising read - a book about a girl with selective mutism that is steadily getting worse, but I wouldn't go out of my way to recommend this one to kids. At the outset, it becomes immediately clear that Elise and her mother have a difficult relationship, and her mother's behavior comes across as almost emotionally abusive/neglectful. By the end of the book, Elise has discovered that deep trauma is actually the cause of her mother's behavior. But that's not all - there are two scary bullying scenes in this book (one crosses the line into physical harm, the other comes very close), Elise appears to be having hallucinations, and some interpersonal drama with her former best friend and her mean girl friends. The storyline around Elise's anxiety and how it fuels her mutism was a great plot line, but it felt like there was too much other stuff thrown in and it didn't all gel together, making for a disappointing read.

# data[].attributes.body
I've read dozens of her other works, and having been more immersed in reading younger, more diverse voices and stories in the Regency romance genre, this was downright terrible. I don't think I'll be reading anything from this author again.

# data[].attributes.body
I am guilty of "book talking" more fiction novels than nonfiction texts. A personal goal this year is to advertise more nonfiction books. This book is one I feel comfortable advertising. I learned a lot! The various chapters include information on rodents, history of rats, diseases, scientific research, folklore, rats as a food delicacy, etc! Did you know that rats can birth up to 381 pups a year? Most rats die by the age of 15 months! People who are born in the Year of the Rat (1960, '72; '84; '96; '08; 2020) are usually successful.

# data[].attributes.headline
Child Soldier: When Boys and Girls are Used in War by Jessica Dee Humphreys & Michel Chikwanine

# data[].attributes.subject
Child Soldier: When Boys and Girls are Used in War by Jessica Dee Humphreys & Michel Chikwanine

# data[].attributes.body
Based on the author's experience, this graphic picture book shares the details of Michel's account in 1993 in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Insightful and heart wrenching!

# data[].attributes.body
Thank you, Heather, for the recommendation posted in this Padlet! I loved the story and read it in one sitting (on the plane).

# data[].attributes.body
Loved this middle grade told in verse! Another Newbery contender - hopefully!!
Book Blurb from Harper Collins:
Jude never thought she’d be leaving her beloved older brother and father behind, all the way across the ocean in Syria. But when things in her hometown start becoming volatile, Jude and her mother are sent to live in Cincinnati with relatives.

At first, everything in America seems too fast and too loud. The American movies that Jude has always loved haven’t quite prepared her for starting school in the US—and her new label of “Middle Eastern,” an identity she’s never known before.

But this life also brings unexpected surprises—there are new friends, a whole new family, and a school musical that Jude might just try out for. Maybe America, too, is a place where Jude can be seen as she really is.

This lyrical, life-affirming story is about losing and finding home and, most importantly, finding yourself.

# data[].attributes.body
Slow start for me, but I ended up loving it!

# data[].attributes.headline
Bunny's Book Club Goes to School by Annie Silvestro

# data[].attributes.subject
Bunny's Book Club Goes to School by Annie Silvestro

# data[].attributes.headline
Warning Do Not Open This Book by Adam Lehrhaupt

# data[].attributes.subject
Warning Do Not Open This Book by Adam Lehrhaupt

# data[].attributes.headline
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling

# data[].attributes.subject
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling

# data[].attributes.headline
Madame Martine Breaks the Rules by Sarah S. Brannen

# data[].attributes.subject
Madame Martine Breaks the Rules by Sarah S. Brannen

# data[].attributes.headline
Bedtime for Little Bulldozer by Elise Broach

# data[].attributes.subject
Bedtime for Little Bulldozer by Elise Broach

# data[].attributes.headline
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

# data[].attributes.subject
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

# data[].attributes.headline
My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother by Patricia Polacco

# data[].attributes.subject
My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother by Patricia Polacco

# data[].attributes.headline
There's A Dinosaur on the 13th Floor by Wade Bradford

# data[].attributes.subject
There's A Dinosaur on the 13th Floor by Wade Bradford

# data[].attributes.body
“The Rest of the Story” by @sdessen was a great way to finish off my #30booksummer goal. This was a really good story that explores issues of class and place alongside parental addiction without ever seeming preachy. The characters are all relatable, and the hints of romance make it a great pick for an upper MS collection (though be warned, there is a fair amount of underage drinking portrayed). I am an especially big fan of books with a male romantic lead who is a positive portrayal of teenage masculinity, which Roo (how I love his character!) definitely is. I will be buying this to beef up my YA offerings for sure.

# data[].attributes.headline
The Parker Inheritance                     by Varian Johnson

# data[].attributes.subject
The Parker Inheritance                     by Varian Johnson

# data[].attributes.body
Picture book.  The story of a boy who loves to collect words.  He gathers words he hears, sees, and reads.  Fantastic vocabulary (ex. effervescent), charming illustrations, and a sweet message.  This is truly a book that’s best read aloud!  Although a picture book, it could serve as inspiration for students third grade and up.  This author wrote and illustrated two of my other favorites: The Dot, and Ish.

# data[].attributes.body
Picture book.  A narrator tries to tell a story but the panda, who is the main character, refuses to cooperate.  “What problem?”  Includes basic story element vocabulary (characters, setting).  I liked the beginning, but when the panda takes over it almost becomes too silly, and the storytelling message gets a bit lost.  A fun book for a read-aloud at second grade level.

# data[].attributes.body
Picture book.  Henrietta the chicken enjoys reading books so much, she decides to write her own story.  She gets a book out of the library that gives her rules for writing (such as use “all five senses”), which she attempts to follow.  Her fellow chickens comment on her writing process. There is so much to notice in this book: misspellings related to chickens (“eggshilarating”), misunderstandings due to multiple meaning words (“A plot of land?”), and humor hidden in the illustrations (the typewriter is made by Hunt & Peck).  A great read-aloud for third grade and up.

# data[].attributes.headline
The Bridge Home                             by Padma Venkatraman

# data[].attributes.subject
The Bridge Home                             by Padma Venkatraman

# data[].attributes.headline
The Perfect Score                       by Rob Buyea

# data[].attributes.subject
The Perfect Score                       by Rob Buyea

# data[].attributes.headline
Commonwealth                                 by Ann Patchett

# data[].attributes.subject
Commonwealth                                 by Ann Patchett

# data[].attributes.body
This was a very quick graphic novel introduction to the Syrian Civil War and gives a good insight into the ways Syrians have fled the conflict and the dangers they faced. If it weren’t for a few scenes with blood and obviously dead bodies, I would put this in my general graphic novel section, but the scenes themselves are not explicit or gory. I do wish there was a little bit more attention given to how the war evolved from a political protest to a civil war to an international conflict (Russia’s involvement, for instance, is captured in one panel). Still, this is a great, accessible way to introduce the conflict to students and to foster empathy for the plight of refugees.

# data[].attributes.body
This was such gorgeous writing. The story was a bit slow at first, but before I knew it, I was pulled in to this magical world. It's rare to read a book where you feel like every word and phrase has been carefully chosen with great intent, but I came away feeling that way about Circe. I can see why it has such rave reviews.

# data[].attributes.body
This memoir was intense.  The author grew up in a survivalist family in Idaho.  She was taught to fear doctors and hospitals, public schools, and the government.  One of the main sources of family income came from scrapping metal, an extremely dangerous job.  Family members were violent and unpredictable.  When she does finally leave the family, Tara struggles with her lack of knowledge about the world, and whether to go against her family’s and her own long-held beliefs.  Highly recommend.

# data[].attributes.body
An uninvited guest at a christening party starts the story in motion, and events lead to the end of two marriages.  The six children impacted spend time together in the summer, and connections are formed and broken.  We learn about the lives of the parents and children over the span of 50 years.  Some memorable scenes set in everyday life.

# data[].attributes.body
To Night Owl From Dogfish

# data[].attributes.body
I enjoyed this story and know that some middle schoolers will identify with Isabella's internal struggles. Some of the plot seems a bit forced, so I would not rate it as highly as other Sharon Draper novels (i.e. Out of My Mind).
Book Blurb from Simon & Schuster:
Eleven-year-old Isabella’s parents are divorced, so she has to switch lives every week: One week she’s Isabella with her dad, his girlfriend Anastasia, and her son Darren living in a fancy house where they are one of the only black families in the neighborhood. The next week she’s Izzy with her mom and her boyfriend John-Mark in a small, not-so-fancy house that she loves.

Because of this, Isabella has always felt pulled between two worlds. And now that her parents are divorced, it seems their fights are even worse, and they’re always about HER. Isabella feels even more stuck in the middle, split and divided between them than ever. And she’s is beginning to realize that being split between Mom and Dad is more than switching houses, switching nicknames, switching backpacks: it’s also about switching identities. Her dad is black, her mom is white, and strangers are always commenting: “You’re so exotic!” “You look so unusual.” “But what are you really?” She knows what they’re really saying: “You don’t look like your parents.” “You’re different.” “What race are you really?” And when her parents, who both get engaged at the same time, get in their biggest fight ever, Isabella doesn’t just feel divided, she feels ripped in two. What does it mean to be half white or half black? To belong to half mom and half dad? And if you’re only seen as half of this and half of that, how can you ever feel whole?

It seems like nothing can bring Isabella’s family together again—until the worst happens. Isabella and Darren are stopped by the police. A cell phone is mistaken for a gun. And shots are fired.

# data[].attributes.body
The premise of the book is engaging – a young slave boy living in Kansas in 1856 is taken by the abolitionist John Brown, and ends up disguising himself as a girl to survive.  It is described as a “tragically funny satire.” National Book Award Winner in 2013.  I liked James McBride’s Song Yet Sung better.

# data[].attributes.body
Another suggestion from my mother-in-law.  Crime fiction by Robert Galbraith, aka J.K. Rowling.  I enjoyed it much more than The Casual Vacancy.

# data[].attributes.body
I've had this book in my classroom for a couple of years, and every student who has read it has loved the story. It is a perfect mystery and adventure story for 5th-7th graders, especially reluctant readers. The plot is fast paced and the chapters are short! I enjoyed it too!
Penguin Random House's book blurb:
"Fifth grader Tamaya Dhilwaddi and seventh grader Marshall Walsh have been walking to and from Woodridge Academy together since elementary school. But their routine is disrupted when bully Chad Hilligas challenges Marshall to a fight.

To avoid the conflict, Marshall takes a shortcut home through the off-limits woods. Tamaya, unaware of the reason for the detour, reluctantly follows. They soon get lost. And then they find trouble. Bigger trouble than anyone could ever have imagined. What they uncover might affect the future of the world.

FUZZY MUD is an imaginative and suspenseful story of the great lengths we’ll go to for friendship and family, the mishaps and breakthroughs that are made in the name of science, and the wonders of mud . . . fuzzy mud."

# data[].attributes.body
is a memoir about the difficulty of upward mobility for poor white Appalachian families. I was interested in reading this book to better understand the perspective of white Americans who might have felt drawn to voting for our current president and why working class whites might feel disenfranchised  in our country. I had mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, his family story was fascinating, and I was drawn into the layers of disfunction in his family. From a psychological perspective, I was really hooked. On the other hand, I felt like the memoir seemed to confirm and magnify stereotypes, which seemed to me to run counter to the book's mission.

# data[].attributes.body
Powerful- I had many misconceptions before reading this book and I feel much more informed (especially when teaching this part of history to students!)

# data[].attributes.headline
Greystone Secrets #1: The Strangers by Margaret Peterson Haddix

# data[].attributes.subject
Greystone Secrets #1: The Strangers by Margaret Peterson Haddix

# data[].attributes.body
A bit drawn out, but another great story for students who enjoy reading mystery and fantasy/sci-fi. The story is narrated from alternating points of view. Aside from the loss of their father and subsequent move, things were fairly normal for Chess, Emma, and Finn Greystone. Then they learn of the kidnapping of three children in Arizona...all with the same first and middle names, birthdays, and ages. It's startling. When their mom suddenly leaves and has them stay with a neighbor, it gets downright crazy. What ensues next is a journey into a parallel universe to find their mom and save the other kidnapped children. Secret tunnels, vacant houses, alternative worlds, complex codes, and strangers dressed in orange & blue add to the suspense of the plot. The story ends on a cliff-hanger. Parts of the plot may be too scary for some middle grade students.

# data[].attributes.headline
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (Young Readers Edition)

# data[].attributes.subject
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (Young Readers Edition)

# data[].attributes.body
I recently watched the movie with the same title - which I highly recommend!  William Kamkwamba (b. 1987) is an incredible man who grew up in Malawi.  Despite extremely limited schooling, he gathers parts from junkyards to build a fully functioning windmill to provide electricity and irrigation for his family and town.  (He does this while surviving a famine, no less.)  Chiwetel Ejiofor directed the movie, and he even learned the Chichewa language so that he could act in it (the movie is in both Chichewa and English).

As for the book: without realizing it, I had checked out the Young Readers Edition, so now I am curious to read the original version.  It is an autobiography by Kamkwamba, written with the help of Bryan Mealer.  It definitely targets young American readers with details of how William's childhood was so different than the typical American experience, for instance, roasted grasshoppers are a delicacy.  The writing is informative and interesting, though not especially beautiful.  It was on a 9th grade summer list for Lowell Tech HS, yet would certainly appeal to younger readers.  Inspiring story!!

# data[].attributes.headline
Book 17 - Stone River Crossing by Tim Tingle

# data[].attributes.subject
Book 17 - Stone River Crossing by Tim Tingle

# data[].attributes.body
I HATED this book. (Note:  rant ahead!) That said, the first part of the story was wonderful!  In it, a Choctaw community harbors a family of African-American slaves. The second part of the book attempts to incorporate Choctaw mythology/spirituality but ends up being a series of unbelievable magical stories that do nothing to move the story forward or help the reader learn about Choctaw beliefs. Apparently the author won tons of awards for a picture book about the same topic, and he decided to expand the story to a novel -- all the power to him. What busts my buttons is the fact that this book is getting such acclaim (Kirkus starred review, for example). Just because a book is about people from different races, cultures, places, experiences, etc. does not mean it is great! Ugh! I'd venture a guess that the picture book was amazing. This just wasn't, at least not for me -- and I don't think it'll resonate with my students, either.

# data[].attributes.body
Transcription tells the story of Juliet Armstrong, who is recruited to be a spy in Britain during World War II.  Much of her job involves listening to recorded conversations and transcribing them.  The time frame in the book alternates between 1940 and Juliet’s life ten years later, when she becomes a radio producer at the BBC.  To me, Juliet seemed too passive, and reading the transcriptions of recorded conversations was tedious.  There were some exciting moments when she was undercover, but not enough.  Liz Hamlet got me hooked on this author’s detective novels starting with Case Histories.  I’d recommend those instead.

# data[].attributes.headline
Book 16 - Can I Touch Your Hair? Poems of Race, Mistakes, and Friendship by Irene Latham and Charles Waters

# data[].attributes.subject
Book 16 - Can I Touch Your Hair? Poems of Race, Mistakes, and Friendship by Irene Latham and Charles Waters

# data[].attributes.body
This is a beautifully illustrated book of poems depicting the burgeoning friendship between a white girl and a black boy. Along the way, the friends challenge assumptions about race and learn from one another. I liked this collection. Many students will likely read it quickly, but hopefully they'll pause, think, and learn along the way -- just as I did!

# data[].attributes.headline
Book One Endling: The Last by Katherine Applegate. 

# data[].attributes.subject
Book One Endling: The Last by Katherine Applegate. 

# data[].attributes.body
I bought this book last year because of the numerous starred reviews, but no one borrowed it from the classroom. Although I love Applegate's The One and Only Ivan and Wishtree, this fantasy story, set in a made-up world, was okay. This is a story of a young dairne (a dog-like anthropomorphic character) named Byx, who is thrust into an unplanned journey and a fight for survival. Along the way, she finds herself in the company of some unlikely creatures - a wobbyk, a felivet, and a young human - who join her in her quest to find others like her and to escape the evil plans of those who seek to harm and exploit her. I will suggest this story to readers who like Brandon Mull, Lloyd Alexander, Erin Hunter - animal fantasy; heroic quests; graphic battles; etc. This story was the first book of Applegate's trilogy.

# data[].attributes.body
This book has left me feeling unsettled, and not in a good way, which is a shame, because some of the writing is really beautiful. I read it because I'm trying to read more of my beginner chapter books, and this seemed like it belonged in that section based on the cover art and relative size. Wrong. It's 248 pages, and the plot is all over the place. Hannah is a fifth grader who loves big words and is a champion speller, but as the book opens, she gets a nasty note in class that says "nobody likes Hannah." This sets off a whole main plot of Hannah being bullied and a quest to find the perpetrator, including a meeting with parents and a police officer, but to no avail. There are two likely suspects: her frenemy Courtney, and Kimmy, a girl who lost her mother the previous year and is Hannah's top competition for being the top speller. We then start to find out that Hannah's home life is rough - her parents keep yelling at each other, her mother talks about walking on eggshells, and there's a flashback scene where Hannah sees her dad raise his hand but doesn't actually hit her mother but he asks her to never talk to anyone about it again after she winds up in the guidance counselor's office in 3rd grade. Other plot points include her 8th grade buddy sneaking out of their field trip to smoke and offering her one (uh WHAT?) and a scene where Hannah is possibly witnessing a sexual assault in the bowling alley, but we never find out what happens (she sees a boy kissing a girl on the cheek, she is pressed up against the wall and saying no, stop, someone is here - the boy doesn't stop, Hannah watches for the girl for the rest of the night and never sees her emerge...). Oh, and there's more. The narrator changes often, including snippets from Hannah's guidance counselor AND ALSO INANIMATE OBJECTS THAT HANNAH TALKS TO. None of this was handled well - I kept wondering if Hannah was having a trauma-induced breakdown, talking out loud to stop signs and mugs and her teddy bear, Ambrose. And then the ultimate plot twist - Hannah has been writing the notes to herself as  form of attention seeking to get her parents to stop fighting, and when they find out what she's doing, they resolve to do better and she goes home feeling happy and secure that all their problems are fixed. I cannot in good conscience recommend this to kids, and part of me wants to weed it because it was just so weird.  I will definitely be moving it out of my beginner chapter books, though.

# data[].attributes.body
I purchased this book because it's a realistic fiction novel with graphic novel mixed in; I thought it'd stretch some kids who are hooked on graphic novels only. I ended up liking this one. It's young - the protagonist, Jingwen, is 11 years old, and his younger brother is 9, and there's talk of boogers/that type of humor.  It's about a family who leaves their (unspecified) Asian country to move to Australia. A lot of what Jingwen goes through feels authentic:  the sadness and guilt at the loss of his father,  the stupidity at his lack of English, anger at his mother for moving him to "Mars."  I think a lot of kids will like this one for its humor especially.

# data[].attributes.headline
The Mighty Heart of Sunny St. James by Ashley Herring Blake

# data[].attributes.subject
The Mighty Heart of Sunny St. James by Ashley Herring Blake

# data[].attributes.body
Book 19 for my #30booksummer  is the lovely, touching, makes-me-feel-all-the-things “The Mighty Heart or Sunny St. James” by @ashleyhblake which gets ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ from me. Just like Ivy did last year, Sunny has a permanent place in my heart. Sunny is undergoing a heart transplant in the opening chapter of the book, and the tensions between her and her legal guardian, Kate, around her health are a dominant theme throughout the book, but I love that we never once doubt Kate’s love and concern for Sunny. Kate has raised Sunny since she was four when her mother, Lena, gave her up due to struggles with alcohol. Now that Sunny is on the road to physically healing, she must also try to figure out how and if to let her mother back into her life. She’s also determined to be kissed by a boy by the time the summer is out, aided by Quinn, her new BFF. However, as Sunny and Quinn undertake this quest, Sunny begins to realize that maybe the part of her that used to wonder about kissing boys AND girls didn’t really disappear with her new heart. But will she be brave enough to be honest about how she feels? She’s a character with a lot of heart and personality, and she’s easy to love. A wonderful story that touches on lots of different topics and successfully integrates them all into one satisfying book. Highly recommend.

# data[].attributes.headline
Book 14 - A Story about Caner (with a happy ending) by India DesJardins

# data[].attributes.subject
Book 14 - A Story about Caner (with a happy ending) by India DesJardins

# data[].attributes.body
I didn't love it, but I liked it. This is a fictional account of a 15-year-old girl finding out her prognosis after 5 years of treatment for leukemia. It's a very short graphic novel but still manages to capture the protagonists feelings, especially about how others react to her. Quick read, and as intended by the author to "write a story about cancer with a happy ending." Many 7th graders will choose this either because it's short or because it's a graphic novel; nonetheless, it'll make them think!

# data[].attributes.body
Loved this second-in-the-series book! Even more action-packed than Warcross (is that even possible?) but also more focused on the moral choice surrounding advances in technology. The focus on the love story between Emika and Hideo makes me think this book might lose male/gain female readers. This is definitely a YA, not middle grades book due to the one (not graphical, but it's there) sex scene.

# data[].attributes.headline
Book 9-12 - Sullivan's Crossing Series by Robyn Carr

# data[].attributes.subject
Book 9-12 - Sullivan's Crossing Series by Robyn Carr

# data[].attributes.body
I extended my break from middle grades/YA literature to read a romance series. Everyone lived happily ever after, which made me very happy. :)

# data[].attributes.body
Oh, my heart. I am in tears after reading this poignant, lovely book about Jude, a Syrian refugee, as she adjusts to life in America with her mother. I love the straightforward verse, the depictions of Syria pre-war, Jude’s spirit, and an ache at realizing how much has changed since the Syrian civil war began (Jude and her mother enter America on visas, preceding the refugee wave). I also loved the hints about Jude’s half-white cousin, Sarah grappling with her own newfound sense of identity, and the way her friend Layla expresses the struggle of first-generation Americans (hi!) about never feeling like you truly belong in either place. A beautiful book that I can’t wait to share with kids.