What's on your Summer 2B Read shelf?
ISBN: 9781338648263
Publisher's Synopsis:
From the PW Flying Starts creative force, Gracey Zhang, comes a touching and beautiful story about community, finding your own voice, doing what you love the most, and expressing your passion with FORTE! Rubin loves the beautiful sounds that are played by the orchestra. He wants to learn to play the violin and make his own music. But when Rubin plays, it doesn't sound like he imagines it should. Rubin goes into the forest to practice alone and despite only getting the violin to screech, he finds an unlikely audience that loves his unique style. In another inspiring and lyrical picture book that deftly dives into the psyche and heart of a child's viewpoint and experience, the creator of Lala's Words, Gracey Zhang, offers confidence to everyone who longs to master something that can be difficult and shows that there is only one way to do something that is to do it your own special way."Rubin loved the sounds...
They drifted around him and lifted him up..."
MrsK's Review: Storytime Read Aloud
Within a small town, Rubin enjoys listening to the Maestro's orchestra. When the Maestro places a violin in his hand... Rubin learns that his music is in need of some finer-tuned practice. So Rubin heads to the forest to practice the sounds he's been hearing.
With his first sounds, the forest creatures gather and join in with the sounds of his violin. Every evening Rubin would be in the forest clearing and every evening his audience joined in with their own unique voices.
With an ending concert, Rubin discovers that as his heart soared... so to did his unique violin voice.
Beautifully crafted, joyously performed,
MrsK
Meet the Author:
ISBN: 9781338805819
Publisher's Synopsis:
Grab your compass and join the Adventure Friends -- Miguel and Clarke -- in this full-color early reader series! Pick a book. Grow a Reader! This series is part of Scholastic's early reader line, Acorn, aimed at children who are learning to read. With easy-to-read text, a short-story format, plenty of humor, and full-color artwork on every page, these books will boost reading confidence and fluency. Acorn books plant a love of reading and help readers grow! Clarke is new to town and ready to explore. Miguel loves meeting new people and going on adventures. With their walkie-talkies and compass in hand, these new friends map out their neighborhood and search for hidden treasure! With easy-to-read text and full-color artwork throughout, this adventure-filled early reader series is sure to be a hit with beginning readers! And after seeing Miguel and Clarke use their super-cool mapping skills across four short stories, readers may even be inspired to make their own neighborhood maps!MrsK's Review: Read Aloud - 2nd Grade:
Such a perfect summer reading book. Is there any better time to explore the area around your home than on those lazy summer days? What about those long...evenings in which you have nothing to do? Why not begin a treasure-hunting group of friends and go exploring... even if it's only your backyard!
That's exactly what Clarke and Miguel decide they will do, especially since Clarke is new to the neighborhood. Explorations with a friend is absolutely the best summer-time memory.
While you enjoy these great adventures with C&M, you learn what exploration tools you would pack for your summer adventures. As you explore, you can create your own area map... everything you need to know is in this book!
Be a summer explorer...stay safe...make good memories,
Mrs.K
Meet the Author:
A pinch of humor, A dash of sweetness, and served with a side of curiosity. Picture books can shape our views of the world. I’m humbled to be a small part of that.
ISBN: 9781338799613
Publisher's Synopsis:
In this full-color early chapter book series, Priya starts a party-planning business to help save the planet -- one party at a time! Pick a book. Grow a Reader! This series is part of Scholastic's early chapter book line, Branches, aimed at newly independent readers. With easy-to-read text, high-interest content, fast-paced plots, and illustrations on every page, these books will boost reading confidence and stamina. Branches books help readers grow! Priya is excited to plan her aunty’s birthday party. She will donate the money she makes to help the cutest endangered animal on the planet, the quokka! But the party is this Saturday! With so many items on her to-do list, can she get it all done in time? Priya sends out handmade invitations, makes DIY decorations, and sets an orange-only snacks menu -- including pumpkin samosas! Will Priya’s very first party be a success? With speech bubbles, easy-to-read text, and vibrant artwork on every page, this series is perfect for newly independent readers!MrsK's Review: Gr.1-2 Reality Fiction
Have you ever enjoyed planning a party? Do you enjoy celebrating with family or friends? Do you have the "gift" for knowing exactly what someone's celebration should look like? If so, then this is a book full of party-planning ideas.
Priya has started a party-planning business that raises money for animals in trouble. Awesome... right?
Do you know what a Quokka is? Don't worry, you will by the time you've read this book. These animals are adorable! As Priya plans her Aunty's birthday party, you are given insights about what a party planner does. There are so many ideas... read with a party-planning journal... you just might start your own party-planning business. Start with creating your own paper-chain curtain... on a summer day... open your window and watch as a summer breeze whispers through your curtain!
What summer parties could you plan?
MrsK
Meet the Author:
Mitali Banerjee Ruths grew up in Houston, Texas, and dreamed of becoming an astronaut someday. She has worked as a babysitter, an ice cream seller, and a medical doctor. She now works as a creative director at a software company. She writes early in the morning on paper and types late at night on her computer. She loves telling stories, eating cookies, knitting sweaters, and going for walks in beautiful landscapes. She now lives in Canada with her husband, three kids, and their dog Tux. One day, she would like to orbit the earth and knit in zero gravity with floating yarn while watching a sunrise every 90 minutes.
ISBN: 9781338766738
Publisher's Synopsis:
When 10-year-old Kinjal hears a strange noise in the middle of the night, he grabs his twin sister, Kiya, and the two go searching in the forest at the edge of their new house. There, they find Snowy and Midnight, two winged pakkhiraj horses from the Kingdom Beyond Seven Oceans and Thirteen Rivers who have come to this dimension to seek help -- bees are disappearing, along with the nectar the pakkhiraj horses need to survive.Whisked away to a magical realm, the twins must use Kiya’s scientific skills and Kinjal’s love of books and language. But then they discover that the disappearance of the bees is more nefarious than they thought, and the plot goes all the way to the top.
MrsK's Review: GR 3-4 Fantasy
How would you stop a Chaos monster from destroying the Solar System? What becomes an unknown quest for Kinjal and Kiya swiftly becomes a hidden secret about their dog Thumbs-Up, as well as their parents.
What happens next "had no explanation..." What the twins experience on a stormy night will break the laws of "space, time, and every scientific experiment." Thumbs-up rushes outside... begins whining and yipping... and then... what Kiya hears becomes the "beginning" of the rest of their saga.
Many of us have longed to see winged horses, yet on a stormy night, it would not be the traditional "beautiful experience. Especially when the only way to save your pet is to get on the backs of these powerful creatures and fly away from their home, their community... their universe.
So many questions... where is this Sky Kingdom? What is the Great Blah? Even though the Sky Kingdom is beautiful and overflowing with lush areas, there are sections that are dying. What is killing off the source of the creatures' "honey" food source? Could the twins really be the ones that could bring an end to the poisonous destruction?
A novel that will take you "out of this universe..."
MrsK
Meet the Author:
I spend my life at the intersection of the stethoscope and the pen. But besides all this, what I also do is teach my students to listen by writing stories. I have them do listener response – writing in reaction to a poem or story we read in class. I have them write to a prompt – ‘when was the last time you witnessed suffering?’ I have them write ongoing personal illness narratives – weekly narratives in which I ask them to tell of the same experience but from a different point of view or genre or form to help unpack not only their own personal stories (stories which inform how they, in turn, will listen to the stories of others), but discover how stories work – in regard to plot, form, function, and voice.
ISBN: 9781338726381
Publisher's Synopsis:
Jeff Smith's bestselling, award-winning BONE saga returns with this hilarious sequel to Tall Tales! Smiley Bone, Fone Bone, and their Rat Creature pal, Bartleby, take a group of young scouts to a legendary landmark that the Bone cousins found when they were kids. They share stories around a campfire, spinning tales of trips to the moon, the delights of quiche, an imagined monster come to life, and an encounter with the two stupid Rat Creatures gone hilariously wrong! This volume includes stories written by Jeff Smith and Tom Sniegoski and illustrated by Jeff Smith, Stan Sakai, Katie Cook, Matt Smith, and Scott Brown.MrsK's Review: GN Fun for all ages
There is something wonderful about reading a comic book, especially on a summer morning. If you haven't met Bone or it's been a while since you've read a Bone comic... this is definitely one to check out.
When a young group of scouts campout in a legendary landmark, Smiley Bone, Fone Bone, and Rat Creature are sure to spin a few campfire stories...
Excellent summertime read... and then retell... around the campfire,
MrsK
Meet the Author:
Born and raised in the American mid-west, Jeff Smith learned about cartooning from comic strips, comic books, and watching animation on TV. In 1991, he launched a company called Cartoon Books to publish his comic book BONE, a comedy/adventure about three lost cousins from Boneville. Against all odds, the small company flourished, building a reputation for quality stories and artwork. Word of mouth, critical acclaim, and a string of major awards helped propel Cartoon Books and BONE to the forefront of the comic book industry. 
ISBN: 9780545803502
Publisher's Synopsis:
What happens when the power goes out? And doesn't come back for days... weeks... even longer? Master of middle-grade suspense Roland Smith explores the possibilities in this action-packed novel!Henry lives with his parents and extended family on a 40-acre property they all call the Aunt Farm. Even with dozens of aunts, uncles, cousins, and animals running around, life on the farm has always been comfortable and routine. But that all changes the day a passenger jet drops out of the sky and onto their land. And then all the phones go dead... And the cars won't start... Having spent a lifetime relying on the comfort and convenience of electricity and technology, now Henry and his family have only one hope for survival: each other.
"Hunger makes a thief of any man."
Pearl S Buck
MrsK's Review: Middle School Survival
What would you do if you were out on your farmland on a cold-crisp morning... where just being alone at the creek meant it was a good start to your day... and then a bright flash lit up the sky? Would you feel a sense of dread? For Henry, that's exactly how his entire life changed. Oh and just to let you know... that passenger jet that just fell out of the sky isn't a typical daily experience!
Henry lives on his family's forty-acre farm, a farm that has been in his family for seventy-two years. His father is the Portland Zoo director and his mom left her CEO position when he was born. Tech was a guarded tool on the farm, in spite of the fact that they had their own wind turbine. Most of his aunts and uncles lived around him and life consisted of daily chores, schooling, and family everywhere.
So, on the morning that the jet fell from the sky, Henry's farm life would become one of survival. What will happen when the food supply gets low? How old must you be to go into the city during an EMP outage? Think about it... cars are stranded... looting has created a danger zone... even if you had an older vehicle that wasn't out of commission, you had to have security... as in armed and ready to do whatever it would take to keep from being ambushed.
Caroline is Henry's neighbor. Not only have they grown up together. Turning thirteen hasn't been the easiest time of their friendship... and yet, Henry was not expecting to see Caroline sitting between her mom and dad at the crash sight. Now, she is "talking" to him. It's not like she's a ghost, it's just that she carries on a conversation that has quite the attitude.
The Wonderland Compound has become the envy of all who live around Portland, Oregon. The WC has electricity, food, their own bartering coins, items to trade for, and of course a secured "dead car" border. The challenge is that there are some who have decided to take over the compound. Will Henry survive a mishap trip into the Portland Zoo?
Roland Smith has an amazing "home-run" hit with this stand-alone novel. If you've read his survival series: Thunder Cave, IQ, and Storm Runners... you must get this novel! If you have not read any of this author's books... I can tell you, as an educator, every year his novels have been an "enthusiastic" hit with our learners. His mastery of "page-turning" hooks is beyond comparison. His narratives are so well crafted that these characters never leave you... you always want another book to be written.
Get ready for a night into morning read,
MrsK
Meet the Author:
Roland Smith is an American author of young adult fiction as well as nonfiction books for children. Smith was born in Portland, Oregon, and graduated from Portland State University and, following a part-time job at the Oregon Zoo in Portland, began a 20-year career as a zookeeper, both at the Oregon Zoo and the Point Defiance Zoo in Tacoma, Washington. After working to save wildlife following the Exxon Valdez oil spill, in 1990, he published his first book, Sea Otter Rescue, a non-fiction account of the process of animal rescue. Smith continued to draw upon his zoo experiences for other non-fiction titles, including Journey of the Red Wolf, which won an Oregon Book Award in 1996.In 1997, Smith published his first novel, Thundercave. The book continues Smith's theme, as teenage protagonist Jacob Lansa follows his biologist father to Africa where the father is researching elephants. The Lansa character also appears in 1999
s Jaguar and 2001's The Last Lobo. Other novels by Smith include The Captain's Dog: My Journey with the Lewis and Clark Tribe, Zach's Lie, Jack's Run, Cryptid Hunters, and Sasquatch (novel), about a boy who searches for Bigfoot. Peak is the story of a teenage boy obsessed with climbing mountains, Elephant Run, and Tentacles(novel). In 2008, Smith published the first book in the series I, Q, titled Independence Hall. Smith's books have won "Book of the Year" awards in Colorado, Nevada, South Carolina, and Florida, as well as in his native Oregon. Smith lives in Tualatin, Oregon with his wife and stepchildren.
