Best Reads of the First Half of Summer

It is summer, which means I order dozens of books to prep for Mock Caldecott, Mock Newbery, and Mock Sibert! These were my favorites from the past five weeks. Plus a bunch of grownup entertainment. All images and summaries from Goodreads.

Picture Books

Ploof by Ben Clanton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

SUPER adorable, but I'm not sure if I will use as a readaloud because of all the blowing ... students are so germy. I suppose I could paperclip those pages and skip them ...

 

Bubbles by Ben Clanton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sweet. Are board books appropriate for school libraries? May go ahead and add.

 

Spider in the Well by Jess Hannigan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Cuckoo bananas. Echoes of Klassen's of "I haven’t seen any rabbits anywhere. I would not eat a rabbit. Don’t ask me any more questions." I'm sad Hannigan lives in Ontario, because that means I can't use this for Mock Caldecott.

 

Go and Get with Rex by David LaRochelle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Not sure playing Go and Get would work with a class of 20 kindergarteners, but I think reading this book will!

 

Jump for Joy by Karen Gray Ruelle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sweet. And I really liked the way the text was mirrored between Joy and Jump. But I can't help but wonder ... where does Jump live, and who is feeding him?

 

Built to Last by Minh Lê
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Aw, it's a metaphor! Will my students understand? Not sure if I completely understood all of their creations and how they fell apart, honestly, but the illustrations are A plus.

Early Readers

Orris and Timble: The Beginning by Kate DiCamillo
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the Kate DiCamillo I know. Sweetly serious and made me smile.

 

 

Chapter Books

The First State of Being by Erin Entrada Kelly
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

So good. The story just flowed, even if the time travel mechanics didn't QUITE make sense. But will they ever? I did appreciate that they did extensive research in the future on locations, to make sure nobody apparated inside a tree or under water. And Ridge's studied "slang" was hilarious. There was a good balance of adventure and FEEL-ings.

Most of all, I LOVED THE UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE, my alma mater, and the mention of the Christiana Mall ... I literally JUST took a photo of it from the highway a couple of weeks ago to send to my family as R. and I drove home to RI from DC.



And Then, Boom! by Lisa Fipps
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Fipps describes Joe's hunger and fear effectively ... reading this book was was very stressful! And underscores why I don't think teachers should have their kids do stuff for Mother's Day and Father's Day. Because some parents SUCK. But this book doesn't.

p. 11: The longer I wait for her, / the more nervous I get / that she won't ever return, / and yet / the more I fear her coming home.

p. 24: Nobody even looked at us. / We were invisible. / People didn't want to see us, / because if they did, / they'd get scared that one day / they could be us.

p. 142: For some reason the game Rock, Paper, Scissors / pops into my head. / Hakeem's strong / like a rock. / I'm a lightweight / like paper. / Paper beats rock. / But Hakeem's words cut like scissors. / 'Cause they're true.

Quibble: Would 6th graders really be sitting crisscross applesauce on carpet squares for a readaloud?

Nonfiction

The Wonderful Wisdom of Ants by Philip Bunting
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is so adorable. Too bad Bunting is Australian, so I can't use it for Mock Sibert. But I'm adding it to my wishlist for the general collection. And maybe I will read it to K during our nonfiction unit.

 

Determined Dreamer: The Story of Marie Curie by Deborah Hopkinson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Concise, accessible account of Curie's life (although maybe a bit too long to read to my restless students as a Mock Sibert). The fact that will stick with me is that she boiled down literally tons of ore dust over the course of four years to isolate a whopping Cheerio-weight of radium. And the information about her helping to bring X rays to the WWI battlefields was new to me.

For Grownups

Let Me Lie by Clare Mackintosh
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Oooh, I should have seen the big twist coming, but Clare was too clever for me! Great read, and I want Murray to be my neighbor.

 

First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Hoo wee! What a read! So well paced. Recommended for summer entertainment - at the beach or on the futon.

RICBA Nominees 2025

These are my opinions; it will be interesting to see what the students think.

How Not to Get Eaten: More than 75 Incredible Animal Defenses by D.K. Publishing
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

If I typed out every cool fact I learned, I would have dozens of bullet points ... my students are going to love this. Stunning photography, concise descriptions, tons of "wow!" moments.



Champion Chompers, Super Stinkers and Other Poems by Extraordinary Animals by Linda Ashman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I liked this one a lot. The meter scans, guessing is fun, and kids love animal facts. If I'm feeling ambitious next year, I might have the students do some research and then write their own mask poems on the topic they looked up.

 

The Last Plastic Straw: A Plastic Problem and Finding Ways to Fix It by Dee Romito
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I never stopped and thought about why we call straws "straws." Lots of good historical information, presented simply, which other books in the same vein lack. Will use for Mock Sibert with the problem/solution graphic organizer ... solving the first problems led to an unforeseen one! Interesting!


Shermy and Shake, the Not-So-Nice Neighbor by Kirby Larson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Really liked the "classic" feeling of this ... not a ton happens, but you get to know the characters, and they experience realistic situations.

However, the blurb for Book 2 says they are entering second grade. They read older than that in this book, especially since they are allowed to wander the neighborhood, so hopefully my upper elementary students will read it for RICBA since age is never mentioned. And be inspired to wander around their own neighborhoods instead of sitting inside.

 

Something Like Home by Andrea Beatriz Arango
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Not sure if I would have blurbed it if I were Barbara O'Connor, because it is SO VERY close to her "Wish," but it's solid. And several of my kids are in Laura's situation - in "foster" care with a relative because their parents can't have them right now.

p. 169: "How can I trust myself / to ever make another decision, / what am I gonna do when I get older / and I'm on my own, / when the first big decision I ever made, / the whole calling 911 thing, / has turned out so horribly horribly wrong?

 

Ellen Takes Flight: The Life of Astronaut Ellen Ochoa by Doreen Rappaport
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Solid biography with relevant quotes from Ochoa sprinkled in. Two issues:

1. I didn't understand the "two more years and she could apply" comment ... what was she lacking?

2. Besides the cover, the illustrations made her mouth look crazy. I almost took away a star for this, but Rappaport's text is very good.


Art Club by Rashad Doucet
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A bit didactic, but wow will my kids love this. The vice principal is a butt. Also, since when does admin teach classes? Anyways, love the kids advocating for themselves, building support, and making money doing what they love.

 

Meesh the Bad Demon by Michelle Lam
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The good: I could actually read the text.

The bad: The plot was paced a bit herky-jerky. And I was confused by Nouna saying everything on TV was an act until later, when I realized I was supposed to have realized that her wing was broken. And the cure for the bad lava seemed random and too easy.

Overall, though, great choice for elementary with a cliffhanger to get them to clamor for the next one.

 

The Boy Who Tried to Shrink His Name by Sandhya Parappukkaran
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

We are going to have four MLL classes next year, and some students may appreciate this. Could also pair it with "Thunder Boy Jr." and talk about name meanings?

 

Lolo's Sari-sari Store by Sophia N. Lee
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Nice, but could have used a glossary. I wish I had students from the Philipines to share this with ... I need something similar from Cambodia and the DR.

 

Sejal Sinha Battles Superstorms by Maya Prasad
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Magic cardboard box instead of a school bus. I liked all the facts about hurricanes being woven in, but I could not suspend my disbelief when they were flying around with the Hunters. Or when a scientist cheetah put a harness on an iceberg. And I was hoping Ross Herman was a real person. Extra star because we need more illustrated 100-page chapter books.

 

My Powerful Hair by Carole Lindstrom
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I thought "Nokomis" was the name of the tribe when I first read it, v. the grandmother. But that spread comes after the mention of the mom's hair. I was confused. So mom's is just deemed too wild to be long? Even though the rest of the book talks about how important hair is to their traditions? Rude.

Oh, wait, the author's note says that it was her grandmother's influence on her mom that kept her hair short. Because of the boarding schools. Which I think really needed a couple of pages of explanation.

 

Home Away From Home by Cynthia Lord
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This was fine, but I skimmed the second half. I don't know that my students care about birds, and my other Cynthia Lord books don't circulate. But I liked that it showed how social media can go viral and cause issues.

 

Jovita Wore Pants by Aida Salazar
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

A little too violent for me to read to my students, and I want to stay far away from discussing a war involving religion.

 

These Olive Trees by Aya Ghanameh
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This is the second picture book I've read this week where the jacket copy gave information that wasn't in the text. In this case, the year the story was taking place.

This book is ok, but it has problems and will not appeal to my upper elementary students. The RICBA committee seems to have chosen it because of the current issues in Gaza; I don't want to have to explain decades of conflict to my kids.

Some things that bothered me:

• "Or maybe, Oraib ponders, they were pleasantly surprised by its acidity." What a strange sentence in a book for kids.
  
  
• "A makeshift canvas house" ... isn't that just a tent? I looked up Balata, and now it is packed with buildings and tens of thousands of residents.
  
  
• "The war has come to our doorstep again" ... What war? Why is it being fought? There is no information offered in the text. The author's note mentions "the occupying state," but that's about it.
  
  
• Oraib planting a seed at the camp. Why doesn't she bring it with her to plant a tree at their next location? What on earth does she mean that she is BORROWING an olive? She is used to stomping on them. Why ask to borrow the rain? That is weird. And did she ever go back?

I did look up Nablus and found out that it is famous for its olive oil soap. So I learned something. And might order some.


Grimwood by Nadia Shireen
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I just didn't enjoy it. Except for when a character asked Princess Buttons what the magic word is, and she responded "OR ELSE I WILL KILL YOU."

DNF 

• Finch House - Made it through half, and then it was due with holds. I may go back and finish, but I got through enough that I think kids will like it.
  
  
• Legends of Lotus Island: The Guardian Test - I can't think of any student to hand this to
  
  
• Mabuhay! - I couldn't read the tiny print even with my reading glasses
  
  
• Sam Makes a Splash - I didn't really care about any of the characters

Best Reads of T3 2023-2024

From all of my reading during third trimester, these are the books I liked the best. All images and summaries from Goodreads.

Early Readers

Fox Has a Problem by Corey R. Tabor
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Tabor does it again! Easily decodable plot and text patterns shot through with silliness.

Chapter Books

Shermy and Shake, the Not-So-Nice Neighbor by Kirby Larson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Really liked the "classic" feeling of this ... not a ton happens, but you get to know the characters, and they experience realistic situations.

However, the blurb for Book 2 says they are entering second grade. They read older than that in this book, especially since they are allowed to wander the neighborhood, so hopefully my upper elementary students will read it for RICBA since age is never mentioned. And be inspired to wander around their own neighborhoods instead of sitting inside. (RICBA 2025 Nominee)

Something Like Home by Andrea Beatriz Arango
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Not sure if I would have blurbed it if I were Barbara O'Connor, because it is SO VERY close to her "Wish," but it's solid. And several of my kids are in Laura's situation - in "foster" care with a relative because their parents can't have them right now.

p. 169: "How can I trust myself / to ever make another decision, / what am I gonna do when I get older / and I'm on my own, / when the first big decision I ever made, / the whole calling 911 thing, / has turned out so horribly horribly wrong? (RICBA 2025 Nominee)

Graphic Novels

Art Club by Rashad Doucet 

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A bit didactic, but wow will my kids love this. The vice principal is a butt. Also, since when does admin teach classes? Anyways, love the kids advocating for themselves, building support, and making money doing what they love. (RICBA 2025 Nominee)

Nonfiction

Wild Places: The Life of Naturalist David Attenborough by Hayley Rocco
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wonderful picture book biography with an ecology message! The illustration of him with the sloth ... I just showed that video to my kindergartners! I love David Attenborough and I love this book. (Will be on my Mock Sibert 2025 list)

How Not to Get Eaten: More than 75 Incredible Animal Defenses by D.K. Publishing
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

If I typed out every cool fact I learned, I would have dozens of bullet points ... my students are going to love this. Stunning photography, concise descriptions, tons of "wow!" moments. (RICBA 2025 Nominee)



Champion Chompers, Super Stinkers and Other Poems by Extraordinary Animals by Linda Ashman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I liked this one a lot. The meter scans, guessing is fun, and kids love animal facts. If I'm feeling ambitious next year, I might have the students do some research and then write their own mask poems on the topic they looked up. (RICBA 2025 Nominee)

 

Ellen Takes Flight: The Life of Astronaut Ellen Ochoa by Doreen Rappaport
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Solid biography with relevant quotes from Ochoa sprinkled in. Two issues:

1. I didn't understand the "two more years and she could apply" comment ... what was she lacking?

2. Besides the cover, the illustrations made her mouth look crazy. I almost took away a star for this, but Rappaport's text is very good. (RICBA 2025 Nominee)

For Grownups

Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Lots of meta and fourth-wall fun. And commas DO matter.

 

What Lies in the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

WOAH. So many red herrings. Such a shocking reveal that I didn't see coming. Even though I wasn't a fan of most of the characters, great story. Definitely going to read more of Marshall's work.

 

Cassandra in Reverse by Holly Smale
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this. We are totally in Cassandra's head for all of her choices. See highlighted quotes for lines that made me laugh and/or say "yup" to myself.

 

Troubled Blood by Robert Galbraith
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I kind of zoned out on the zodiac stuff, but this was a solid mystery with a great narrator, and I really enjoy this series even when it gets repetitive or overwrought. I don't think I've ever guessed whodunit, but at the end, the clues always add up, even if you missed them. Meticulously plotted.

None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Actually bought the audiobook, as I was gearing up for a long road trip and the public library copy was an even longer wait. Totally worth the money. And since the plot is based on a podcast, having it read out loud was perfect. There was some nebulousness about what WAS true at the end, which I don't deal well with as a very concrete reader, but still extremely entertaining and recommended.

 

The Ink Black Heart by Robert Galbraith
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another fine installment, even with the requisite repetition, overwroughtness, and unbelievable actions of some characters (I did not buy the explanation of the mystery caller). Now I only have one more for Philip Glenister to read to me!

Best Reads of T2 2023-2024

I tend to not read as many children's book during T2, since Mock Newbery and Mock Caldecott are over. I did, however, still need to choose books for Mock Sibert, and then I mainlined mysteries and thrillers during February vacation. All images and summaries from Goodreads.

Picture Books

Time to Make Art by Jeff Mack
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved this! Can't wait to share with the art teacher. Tons of information in the back about all of the artists portrayed in the illustrations ... I'm thinking we could do some kind of project together.

 

Just One Flake by Travis Jonker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Cute. My MLL Ks laughed out loud at the illustrations, which bodes well for its Mock Caldecott standings. (NOTE: It made it to the finals, but One Hundred Dragons, All Named Broccoli won.)

    

There’s No Such Thing as Vegetables by Kyle Lukoff
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was doing fact vs. opinion with my first graders, and for extra credit on a quiz, they could share a fact. Several told me that tomatoes were fruit, no vegetables. I think I need this book in our collection. And there is even a sneaky lesson about social constructs.

Nonfiction

Hidden Hope: How a Toy and a Hero Saved Lives During the Holocaust by Elisa Boxer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Really good, but I don't want to be the one to explain Nazis to second grade, so I'm not going to use for Mock Sibert.

The artist's note gave me chills: "[Judith tried] to make rations for one person stretch for her whole family. She kept her parents hidden for four years and delivered food to her brother and he friend Alfred who were both in Nazi camps on the outskirts of Paris." All this while holding a job in a factory and cycling up to 43 miles a day to deliver papers. Wow.

 

Stinkbird Has a Superpower by Jill Esbaum
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Just realized it's not too late to add a book to my Mock Sibert unit!

 

The Last Plastic Straw: A Plastic Problem and Finding Ways to Fix It by Dee Romito
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I never stopped and thought about why we call straws "straws." Lots of good historical information, presented simply, which other books in the same vein lack. Will use for Mock Sibert with the problem/solution graphic organizer ... solving the first problems led to an unforeseen one! Interesting!

 

Good Books for Bad Children: The Genius of Ursula Nordstrom by Beth Kephart
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Lovely, but since I've weeded most of the books mentioned from my collection, not sure that any of my students would be that interested. I like to think that I am following in Ursula's footsteps by adding such titles as "Who Wet My Pants?" and "Butt or Face?" to the shelves.


Jerry Changed the Game!: How Engineer Jerry Lawson Revolutionized Video Games Forever by Don Tate
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Well written - I liked the repetition of "Game Over?" May be a little long for Mock Sibert, but it involves video games and perseverance, so hopefully the kids' interest will be sustained.

 

Young Adult

The Song of Us by Kate Fussner
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Other "novels in verse," take note. This is legit poetry. So many good lines. So many different formats. And a poetry club to boot. With authentic tween voices. Eden's dad is the suck.

 

14 Ways to Die by Vincent Ralph
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Quite dramatic, but my middle schoolers who read mysteries will love it. Super fast-paced.

For Grownups

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I resisted this one for a while. Like, for years. Even though several friends recommended it. Finally yet one more told me I should read it, so I gave in. Liked it ok as I started. Then it popped up on Netflix or something and my SO figured he'd put it on since his sister and friend had been hyping it a few days previous. OMG. I was a wreck. A WRECK. Sobbing and wailing. And then angry at the movie for playing with my emotions in this way. And then went back to the book. Which I ended up loving.

 

The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A Christmas present to myself. I love these books.

 

Things in Jars by Jess Kidd
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What a treat to read, although I like my plots wrapped up more neatly and all mysteries explained. Glorious depictions of the nastiness of Dickensian London.

 

The Maid by Nita Prose
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I put #2 on hold before I even finished. Fantastic voice.

 

Lethal White by Robert Galbraith
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It was a relief to have a non-disgusting crime this time around. And to be given more clues/exposition as to whodunit before the last page. I had been a bit exasperated by how long the previous books were, and this was even longer, but I decided to just accept that it would last a few more car rides. (The next one is TEN hours longer than this!)

Also, I adore Robert Glenister's narration.

 

Murder Your Employer: The McMasters Guide to Homicide by Rupert Holmes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It's not really a mystery, since we are leading up to the murder, but there are definitely some cards held back. Fun read.