Best Reads - Summer Vacation

Here's what I read and loved this summer. Click on the titles to read plot summaries. If you'd like to see all of my books, you can follow me on Goodreads.

Picture Books

The Panda Problem by Deborah Underwood
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Between this and "What If?," I have a new lesson in plot structure!


I'm Bored by Michael Ian Black
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Fantastic, funny combination of words and pictures. Would recommend for any kids having a summer vacation slump.



I'm Sad by Michael Ian Black
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Will pair with "When Sadness is at Your Door."





Hello by Fiona Woodcock
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Adore the concept. Not a US illustrator, so can't use for Mock Caldecott, but I CAN use as a mentor text for the kids to create their own stories. May use in addition to or instead of my Oops Pounce Quick Run activity.


The Pigeon Has to Go to School by Mo Willems
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I hope not every other teacher at my schools is planning to read this! Because it's what I'm starting out K with!


The Dumb Bunnies by Sue Denim
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

OMG. If I buy this for my libraries, will I get in trouble because "dumb" means "stupid" and "stupid" is the "S word"? And because they flush someone down the toilet? I kind of love it. However, did Dav steal taking the bikes from the Sesame Street doodlebugs taking the family car to the zoo?


What If...? Then We...: Short, Very Short, Shorter-than-Ever Possibilities by Rebecca Kai Dotlich
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

So a couple of resolutions might make the anxious more anxious, but overall, I think this will be a great book to share and a good companion to "Fortunately."


Can Cat and Bird Be Friends? by Coll Muir
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Tempted to read to 4th and 5th grade and then partner them up and force them to find something in common. Also considering making my own award for my kids to vote for because Mock Caldecott is only for Americans, and this is British.


Gittel's Journey: An Ellis Island Story by Lesléa Newman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Bumping up to a 4 because although I've read dozens of versions of this story, my students have not. And given the immigration issues of today, they should.

Early Readers

A Short Tale About a Long Dog by Henry Winkler
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

PERFECT for my second graders.

Nonfiction

The Important Thing About Margaret Wise Brown by Mac Barnett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

WOW. I don't even really like Margaret Wise Brown's books, but I LOVED this book about her. And about some other things as well. Will probably use for Mock Sibert if I get my act together on that. Will definitely recommend to those teachers who do "The Important Book."



Guitar Genius: How Les Paul Engineered the Solid-Body Electric Guitar and Rocked the World by Kim Tomsic
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I want to do more with art and music in library.

Middle Grade Novels

Bernice Buttman, Model Citizen by Niki Lenz
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Oh, Bernice. What a great character. Loved this. Lots of funny lines, like "She had rays of sunbeams shining out her nostrils, I tell you want." I want to focus more on social emotional learning next year, and this fits that arena without being mushy, lame, or didactic. Hope Lenz is working on a second novel.



The True History of Lyndie B. Hawkins by Gail Shepherd
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I laughed. I cried.

Similar sentiment to Paulie Fink:

p. 91: "The whole point of learning about history, Mr. Handy told us in class, is you figure out that knowledge is changeable. New people come along and retell the story. Every year we are here on Earth, we make little nudges and revisions to what we think about where we came from and what we have done."

p. 124: Why have I never heard about soldiers cutting up shirts and petticoats to make the first stars and stripes?

p. 165: "I think what you are talking about is more the plot of you than the theme of you."

p. 269: "A young officer at the counter is doing something efficient with a stack of carbon copies."

And Dawn's categories!


One-Third Nerd by Gennifer Choldenko
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Super sweet, funny, and realistic. I liked that Izzy's Down Syndrome was made out to be a difference, but not a handicap.

p. 79: ... Mrs. Johnson tells Dakota, "We'll take questions later." Dakota's arm drops like a boulder. A second later it shoots up again. "Dakota," Mrs. Johnson sighs. "You didn't say how much later."

p. 95: That's the trouble with being a kid. Nobody ever tells you the right things to worry about.


Genesis Begins Again by Alicia D. Williams
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Gen broke my heart. The racism within her family and classmates - and within herself - was, quite frankly, shocking to me. The brown bag test and the bleach elicited out-loud reactions. Powerful stuff.




A Good Kind of Trouble by Lisa Moore Ramée
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ramee nicely balances the typical middle-school friendship drama with the bigger issue of the Black Lives Matter movement, all with a touch of humor. I liked it a lot.

p. 297: "And if you are never afraid, then how do you know when you're brave?"


Lety Out Loud by Angela Cervantes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This would make an excellent RI Children's Book Award nominee. And I loved when the book recommendations started getting added to the pet profiles!

Young Adult

This Promise of Change: One Girl’s Story in the Fight for School Equality by Jo Ann Allen Boyce
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Holy shit.

Some gut punches here.

Delivered in verse that is truly poetic.

Interspersed with media coverage from the time.

Damn.

p. 89: "All those cups of sugar. / All those cakes and pies / Mrs. Smith baked with those borrowed cups. / How did they bear to swallow them? / How do I bear / to swallow this?"

p. 124: "The news is something / that happens / to other people / in other places. / Until it happens to you."

p. 168: "It's the little things that help. ... It's the little things that hurt."

p. 192: "It's the big things that grow from the little things."


A Story About Cancer With a Happy Ending by India Desjardins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Love how the artwork colors reflect the mood of the text.

For Grownups

Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It went off the rails a bit about 2/3 of the way through, but still a great summer read/ride. Frances' observations and worries made me laugh out loud. I would love to have her back as a character.