MrsK's K-8 Books Worth Reading

my best-reads-for-k-8 shelf:
MrsK Books's book recommendations, liked quotes, book clubs, book trivia, book lists (best-reads-for-k-8 shelf)

Saturday, July 9, 2022

2022: New Year Young Reader's Reviews

 Starting the New Year with great adventures... exciting discoveries... and hours of enjoyment!

Everybody Read Aloud:
Miry Whitehill & Jennifer Jackson
Illustrator: Nomar Perez
ISBN: 9781728231839
Publisher's Synopsis:
When we see someone new in our neighborhood, 
how can we help them feel safe and loved and important?

How can we tell them, you're not alone? There are so many ways!

From the creators of Miry's List, the nonprofit that has helped thousands of refugees, Our World is a Family is an all-ages picture book exploring the complicated topic of human migration in a gentle, loving, and affirming way. It lightly touches on the reason people might leave their homes, like climate change or lack of safety, and inspires children to welcome their new neighbors into their communities with love.

MrsK's Review:
"When we see someone new..."

Our world, our planet... all "living and growing and making a home." This picture book is a perfect addition to every bookshelf... whether it is in a home library, a school library, a public library, and in every Little Free library. With the media portraying racial differences, it is wonderful to have a refreshing and endearing "world" voice to share with all littles. As an educator, there would be so many opportunities for discussions, individualized drafting opportunities (biographies), and world explorations.

United... we can make a difference... with our differences... please get this book shared with our littles!
MrsK

Meet the Authors:
 Miry Whitehill is founder and executive director of the award-winning nonprofit organization Miry's List, which supports families resettling in the United States as refugees, from countries including Syria and Afghanistan. She is mom to Reuben and Sabo, whose curiosity and unending questions led to the writing of this book. To learn more about the needs of new arrival families and how your family can help, visit miryslist.org.

  Jennifer Jackson has always been a storyteller. She began her career in live theater as a writer, director, and choreographer before transitioning to the page with her first picture book, The Punkydoos Take the Stage. Now, she is thrilled to be sharing Our World Is a Family, a story that’s so close to her heart. You can visit her at jenniferjacksonbooks.com.
   "COME AND EXPLORE WHERE ALL THINGS CREATIVE TAKE ALL KINDS OF SHAPES AND FORMS" 
My name is Nomar Perez. I was born on the beautiful island of Puerto Rico, in the city of Ponce, a unique city with new and old Spanish colonial architecture and an amazing array of colors, sounds, and flavors. I'm a kids designer, illustrator and author that loves to create and explore all things creative! My Puerto Rican culture has influenced me throughout my artistic life. I moved from my homeland to Ohio at the age of 10 with my parents and my 5 siblings. All types of media influence my work, most especially animation, puppetry, and computer art.

2nd Grade:
V.T. Bidania
ISBN: 9781515861317
Publisher's Synopsis:
Astrid is afraid of the dark and doesn't want to go on her family camping trip. But her twin brother, Apollo, is excited. When they encounter scary things such as crawly bugs and the creepy dark, Apollo helps his twin through them. And when they encounter the scariest thing of all, Astrid might just be the one to save the starry campout.

MrsK's Review:
Astrid's family is all set to go on their family campout. Astrid's one challenge... she is afraid of the dark. Since this is her first campout, what will she do if her special glow-in-the-dark wand doesn't have enough light for camping?

With the help of her twin brother, Apollo, Astrid will discover that camping out has many new adventures, sausages under the stars, and night-time "scratching" noises.

Step into reading stories can be the most delightful chapter books. Astrid and Apollo are characters that every young reader will relate with. Their sibling relationship emphasizes compassion, humor, support, and acceptance. This is a great series for second grade pass-arounds!
MrsK

Meet the Author:




V.T. Bidania was born in Laos and grew up in St. Paul, Minnesota. She has an MFA in creative writing from The New School and received a Mirrors & Windows Fellowship from the Loft Literary Center. In 2021, she won the McKnight Artist Fellowship for Writers. She is the author of ASTRID AND APOLLO, a chapter book series starring Hmong American twins Astrid and Apollo Lee (Capstone).

3-4 Grades
Ken Lamug
ISBN: 9780062970756
Publisher's Synopsis:
Mischief, and her side-cat, Mayhem, are your respectably heinous villains. They’ll spoil new movies, steal cake from parties they weren’t invited to, and hit the good citizens where it’ll dirty them most—their toilet paper. But before Mischief and Mayhem were ever supervillains, they were just Missy and Gizmo, fresh recruits at superhero camp.

Only, Missy lied on her hero application and has exactly zero superpowers, just her brainpower. Missy is humiliated when caught and kicked out, and only fellow camp recruit Melvira stands by her. Unbeknownst to others, Melvira has a villainous agenda, and it involves helping Missy cross the line into villainy as her new alter ego, Mischief. But something about Melvira doesn’t sit right with Missy, and soon she’ll be called upon to battle her former best friend.

MrsK's Review:
Feeling like you can do nothing right? Thinking that the one thing you enjoy doing... always turns out to be trouble? Wondering what strength you might have that would get noticed? So is Missy.

The people of Idleness do not like all the noise Missy creates. Which is exactly what Missy does well. Thinking that she would benefit from a Superhero camp, she discovers that even at that camp she doesn't fit in. What she misses is how meeting others can "play-out" in your future. Thinking that she has finally met a "good" friend, Missy begins to follow the lead of Melvira. Will Missy realize that sometimes going along with behaviors that are not kind isn't worth the price of a misleading friendship?

Crazy and zany graphics. Graphic novels are fun to read. Visual art blocks are inviting with skillful layouts (organization). Emotions and thoughts clearly define characters and their purpose in the storyline. Artistic word choice is emphasized with sounds in design. Is there anything more enjoyable for readers than engagement with a graphic novel (comic humanity)? Enjoy this mischievous super-hero who will need to decide if causing mayhem is better than doing what is right!
MrsK

Meet the Author:

Ken is an award-winning professional dabbler. He was born in the Philippines and moved to the US with his entire family during his teenage years. Currently, he enjoys his life as an author/illustrator of picture books and graphic novels for middle-graders to middle-agers.
In his past life he was a beekeeper, race car driver, filmmaker and chicken herder. He currently lives in Las Vegas (although he doesn’t gamble) where he spends time with his family and two dogs.
Ken was the former Illustrator Coordinator for Nevada Chapter of SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators). He also teaches graphic novels for Storyteller’s Academy.

Kelly Yang
ISBN:9781913311261 
Publisher's Synopsis:
After years of hard work, Mia Tang finally gets to go on vacation with her family -- to China! A total dream come true! Mia can't wait to see all her cousins and grandparents again, especially her cousin Shen. As she roams around Beijing, witnessing some of the big changes China's going through, Mia thinks about the changes in her own life, like . . .

1. Lupe's taking classes at the high school! And Mia's own plans to be a big writer are . . . stuck.
2. Something happened with Jason and Mia has no idea what to do about it.
3. New buildings are popping up all around the motel, and small businesses are disappearing.

Can the Calivista survive? Buckle up! Mia is more determined than ever to get through the turbulence, now that she finally has . . . room to dream!

MrsK's Review:
This is a true treasure. Mia is an amazing young blogger. Her ability to reach her audience is a blogger's dream come true. Yet, she will need to learn what should be written without causing pain to those who were not notified that she was sharing their story.

Then... when she returns from her family trip to China, Mia sees the changes around her family's motel. For Mia this will become an opportunity to find a way to save her family's motel, as well as neighboring small businesses. Or at least that is her hope!

This story is an excellent reality fiction story that should be shared by all Librarians, as well as classroom teachers (3rd-6th). Don't miss out on Mia.... 
MrsK
Meet the Author:

Kelly Yang is the New York Times bestselling, award-winning author of the FRONT DESK series, winner of the 2019 Asian Pacific American Award for Children's Literature. Her books include FRONT DESK, THREE KEYS, ROOM TO DREAM, PARACHUTES, NEW FROM HERE, and other middle grade and young adult novels. She was born in China and grew up in Los Angeles. She went to college at the age of 13 and graduated from UC Berkeley at the age of 17 and Harvard Law School at the age of 20. After law school, she founded The Kelly Yang Project, a writing and debating program for children in Asia. Prior to becoming a novelist, she wrote for many years for the South China Morning Post, The New York Times, Washington Post, and the Atlantic. She lives in Los Angeles.

Kathryn Lasky
ISBN: 9780063031012
Publisher's Synopsis:
Deep in the wilds of Scotland, land of ancient warrior kings and myths, there is a deep secret. The secret is a colony of beavers, a species that is craved for their fur pelts, but vilified for what humans consider to be the destruction of their land. No beaver has been spotted in Scotland or England for over five hundred years, until the young beaver, Dunwattle, is sighted!

Dunwattle's flight is driven by the presence of a ghostly figure, a figure of a mysterious young girl who is almost one thousand years old. And now Dunwattle is destined to be destroyed for revealing the hidden colony, but his best friend Locksley is determined to save him. Will their ancient beaver colony survive?

"Dunwattle's eyes flew open. This is not a dream."
MrsK's Review:
Dunwattle is a bit skittish when it comes to the unknown. By far, he is a quick learner, and very inquisitive. His motives are for the good of his colony, and his actions are still in need of training. In his training, he is learning more and more about the "two-legs," and with the help of the little two-legs he will gain an understanding about relationships with those who are not like you. Yet, it is a banning offense to be seen by a two-leg! Will Dunwattle be banned?

Locksley is determined to look after Dunwattle. As friends, they have played, learned, and worked at the assigned dams together.

Elsinore is the reporting swan for Glendunny. Many come to her for guidance, weather reports, and strangers. It is her daily job to fly over Glendunny and oversee the activity below. When she sees Dunwattle hastily swimming where he should not be heading, she alarmed. What could Dunwattle be up to?

Yrynn is a Canuck, beavers from Canada. She is one of the best beaver "guides" of the logs down river. Once upon a time, before the beavers were made into hats, coats, and perfumes, her ancestors enjoyed "wild rivers and enormous forests."

Lorna and Fergus are little "two-legs," their bones have been brought to the surface of Dunwattle's home. Before the massacre in 1296, her family lived in the local village of Scotland.

Grinfyll is the leader of a vicious Lynx gang. He has learned that Dunwattle was seen by a two-legs. This could be a profitable bit of information.

With the weaving of a master storyteller, Glendunny becomes a wonderous wilderness adventure. Characters are expertly crafted, the settings are vividly described, and as Lasky does best... the quest is mingled with page-turning conflicts.
MrsK

Meet the Author:

    

Kathryn Lasky is the American author of many critically acclaimed books, including several Dear America books, several Royal Diaries books, 1984 Newbery Honor winning Sugaring Time, The Night Journey, and the Guardians of Ga'Hoole series.

She was born June 24, 1944, and grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana, and is married to Christopher Knight, with whom she lives in Massachusetts.

No comments:

MrsK's Reading Bio

Reading is important! No questions asked, not even a blink of the eye from any student I grew up with. On the first day of the First grade, we were given our first books. Day two we all read aloud, round robin of course. Day three we were place in our first basal, now known as a lit circle group. Books were so important, publishers designed new curriculum so that every student was reading by the end of the first week. These early readers had images that looked like what we could see in the classroom, beyond the classroom, even on the big screen. Reading is important, throughout history every generation has believed that “Reading” opens up the world for endless possibilities.

I adore the 1950’s Dick and Jane books. Actually, most reading specialists and experienced (45+) educators believe that every student learned to read with Dick and Jane. Since these books are being re-issued, I have heard many parents, grandparents, and students claim that Dick and Jane stories of repetition does teach students to read.

Early influences from my mother influenced my desire to read. I would watch her read and we would go on “secret” excursions to the library. The library became my playground. I owned every book I could carry home, of course they needed to be taken back to their home after visiting with me for a week or two. My first book that I could pull off of the library shelf and read was, Father Bear Comes Home. I only saw my dad on Sundays for a few hours. I would pull this beginning reader off of the library shelf every week. Every week I would try to read the first chapter. Every week I got further in the story. My mom would let me check it out, only if I could read it myself (She didn’t like the illustrations therefore she didn’t want to take time to read it to me). One day, I pulled the book from the shelf and when mom came to get me from the children’s corner, I realized that I had read the whole story. I ran to the check out desk and the Librarian KERCHUNKED the checkout card. My mother, brother and neighbors read. My teachers read. We all read aloud all day long in school. The Priest read aloud every day at mass, even in Latin. Everybody in the Doctor’s office read. People on the bus read. Dad’s waiting in their cars as the Mom’s and children grocery shopped, read. In fact, once you could read and write, Sunset Magazine considered you a reader and sent you mail every day.

Reading is important; I’ve spent my life reading. I’ve traveled around the world and into space through books. My favorite genre is whichever book I have open at the time. Children’s Literature is my passion. Book clubbing is one of the best past times, especially if food is involved. In fact my friends of old are in a book club and we are about to embark on a beach trip to “read” and discuss our newest selection.

My “home-run” book story has helped every student find his or her own “home-run” reads. Every year, I have shared my, Father Bear Comes Home, and every year my students have brought in their “home-run” books. That’s the “diving board” into our Lit. Studies.

In “Growing Up Digital,” Tapscott’s insights into the new generations enthusiasm for the Net reminded me of my generation’s enthusiasm for reading, movies, TV, parties and our driving permits. The Net-Generation, as Tapscott describes, “are learning, playing, communicating, working, creating communities, and enforcing a social transformation.”
N-Geners are interactive “techies” who are always looking for a way to “work it” verses the TV Generation of “Baby Boomers” who started out looking for “how it works.” Reading development is tougher today, society moves too fast to invest their “non-working” free time into a book or even “home work.” Since I stepped into my own classroom, I have seen students being told to read, being forced to read, and threatened into reading. Homework is not any longer the vehicle for students to gain their future lifestyles or careers with. Yet, the Internet does create an enthusiasm for learning. Since I have been enrolled in these courses, I have used the computers in every subject. My students are using the newest technology in the classroom because I am giving them investigative sites to use as they learn from each other and books. I agree with Tapscott, in order to bridge the gap with this up and coming generation we must “live and learn with them.”


FTC Required Disclaimer: I receive these books from the publishers. I did not receive monetary compensation for these reviews. These reviews have been posted in compliance with the FTC requirements set forth in the Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (available at ftc.gov/os/2009/10/091005revisedendorsementguides.pdf)

2014

Traits of Writing: Inking Thoughts

Booked 4 Success: Inspired Learning