Best Reads T3 2020-2021

As the year wound down, here's what I read and recommend. 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 Book

Milo Imagines the World by Matt de la Pena
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Oh my god. The tears snuck up on me. Not sure what the kids will think, but I'm adding it to my Caldecott list. I want them to hear the message and see the illustrations.

Middle Grade Fiction

Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Good stuff. Harry Potter fans will gobble it up. The world-building is pretty even, and there are some SHOCKING twists. Will order for next year.

 

Midnight at the Barclay Hotel by Fleur T. Bradley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Excellent introduction to the genre for middle grades. I saw some things coming, but there were a few twists that surprised me. Hoping that kids will ask for more books like this.




The Lonely Heart of Maybelle Lane by Kate O'Shaughnessy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Oh my goodness I ended up loving this one. The initial premise was a bit off-putting to me, but I kept going because I try to read all the RICBA books every year. And I'm so glad I kept with it. Loved the Three Musketeers learning to love and respect each other. Loved the sharing of secrets. Loved the character development.

 

Alone by Megan E. Freeman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Read this in one sitting, which is rare for me. Super fast-paced, and Freeman actually used poetic language v. just sticking returns in the middle of sentences. The barrels ringing was a gut punch. Loved that the library helped her so much. Became truly anxious over the lack of running water. And sad over the lack of produce. I don't think I would have survived. Docked one star for the unsatisfactory explanation of what really happened.

p. 82 - "Even if I liked it / my parents would murder me / if I started drinking alcohol / the minute I was left alone."

p. 107 - "Paradox. maybe God / sends us nightmares / so our living reality / doesn't seem so bad / when we wake up. // until we wake up / and remember / we are living in a nightmare / we can't escape / except by going / to sleep."

p. 206 - "Stick figures brandishing / totems of ecstatic idiocy ... Where is the sticker stepkid / with her sticker suitcase?"

p. 286 - "Can one lone girl be a civilization / all by herself?"

p. 319 - "I am the most ancient teenager / on the planet."


My Life as a Potato by Arianne Costner
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

So refreshing to read a book where the most stressful central problem is having to hide your short stint as a mascot in the weeks leading up to a school dance. Nobody was dead or dying, there were no horrible family secrets coming to light. Extra star for being something my kids would actually read.

 

The Lion of Mars by Jennifer L. Holm
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Interesting, pretty fast-paced, and most of the questions I had were answered as the book went on. I would like to smack Sai, though. Moral of the story: Don't jump to conclusions.

p. 28 - "Just because everyone says something doesn't mean it's true."

 

On These Magic Shores by Yamile Saied Méndez
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Some flaws - I question the fairies and the hospital's lack of ID-ing the mom and contacting the kids - but another title I didn't think I would like and then finished in two sittings, interrupted only by sleep.




Anti/Hero by Kate Karyus Quinn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A little confusing sometimes to tell who was who, but overall interesting and a solid foundation for a new series. Looking forward to hearing the backstory of The Bear and his daughter.

Nonfiction  

Fauja Singh Keeps Going: The True Story of the Oldest Person to Ever Run a Marathon by Simrat Jeet Singh
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Well written, interesting, and inspiring text with a repeating motif: "But Fauja did not listen and Fauja did not stop." I love that when I had the kids write down the main idea as an assignment, half of them talked about the more philosophical aspects of the story. I hope he is still alive when I read it to the third grades his fall.

For Grownups

Sellevision by Augusten Burroughs
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ridiculous fun. Highly recommended as a beach read, although it worked for bedtime during April vacation too.

 

 

The Smell of Other People's Houses by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I love when stories intertwine. The different narrators had distinguished enough voices. And the ending made me cry.

RICBA Nominees 2022

I already finished all 20! It helped that I had already read 6 before the list was announced. Here's what I thought of them ... favorites at the top.

I Am Every Good Thing by Derrick Barnes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

"I am a lightning round of questions, and
a star-filled sky of solutions."

Loved this.
Simple.
Powerful.
Joyous.
Proud.
Reflective.
So good.

 

The Lonely Heart of Maybelle Lane by Kate O'Shaughnessy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Oh my goodness I ended up loving this one. The initial premise was a bit off-putting to me, but I kept going because I try to read all the RICBA books every year. And I'm so glad I kept with it. Loved the Three Musketeers learning to love and respect each other. Loved the sharing of secrets. Loved the character development.

 

Midnight at the Barclay Hotel by Fleur T. Bradley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Excellent introduction to the genre for middle grades. I saw some things coming, but there were a few twists that surprised me. Hoping that kids will ask for more books like this.




Fauja Singh Keeps Going: The True Story of the Oldest Person to Ever Run a Marathon by Simrat Jeet Singh
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Well written, interesting, and inspiring text with a repeating motif: "But Fauja did not listen and Fauja did not stop." I love that when I had the kids write down the main idea as an assignment, half of them talked about the more philosophical aspects of the story. I hope he is still alive when I read it to the third grades his fall.

 

The Oldest Student: How Mary Walker Learned to Read by Rita Lorraine Hubbard
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I may need to add this into my K or 1 curriculum to try and get kids to understand that being able to read is a privilege. Gorgeous illustrations from Oge Mora as usual.

 

Stand Up, Yumi Chung! by Jessica Kim
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Definitely would recommend for RI Children's Book Award. Although could 3rd graders handle the reference to the maxipad on p. 25? Hmm. Eh, bodies are bodies.

Yumi tries to pull off a crazy plan, and there is a calamitous climax, but all's well that ends well. I didn't find her stand-up hilarious, but Kim's overall writing is amusing. Yumi's path to figuring out how to stand up for herself is appealing if a little wackadoo, and I think some of my students will relate to her experience as a child of immigrants.

p. 108: "Dad's full of interesting ideas. Like the time he tried to solve our backyard rodent problem by hanging giant mobiles shaped like predatory birds he made out of Styrofoam. Only for them to be eaten by rats."

On These Magic Shores by Yamile Saied Méndez
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Some flaws - I question the fairies and the hospital's lack of ID-ing the mom and contacting the kids - but another title I didn't think I would like and then finished in two sittings, interrupted only by sleep.

 

Shirley and Jamila Save Their Summer by Gillian Goerz
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Were they REALLY expected to stay within the confines of the basketball court ALL DAY EVERY DAY? That was the one that bothered me. Otherwise, a nice spin on the "should I be their friend?" trope. And I liked that the mystery wasn't super easy to solve.

 

From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Lots going on here - best-friend trouble, cupcake planning, trying to prove the innocence of one's imprisoned birth father ... Good for those who like happy endings (spoiler alert!). Under 300 pages, so maybe my students would read it? Also I grew up in Melrose, which is next to Medford, so that was kind of cool.

NOTE: Second book I've read this month that mentions "Ghost" by Jason Reynolds. The other was "Dress Coded."

 

Anti/Hero by Kate Karyus Quinn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A little confusing sometimes to tell who was who, but overall interesting and a solid foundation for a new series. Looking forward to hearing the backstory of The Bear and his daughter.

 

Some Places More Than Others by Renée Watson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A bit heavy-handed, but I can recommend to students.

 

Measuring Up by Lily LaMotte
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Cute.

 

Packs: Strength in Numbers by Hannah Salyer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Suggested to one of my principals as a possible school-wide-meeting read because of the message of working together to achieve a goal.



The List of Things That Will Not Change by Rebecca Stead
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I liked that Bea went to a therapist and had eczema - things I can relate to! "What does a feeling feel like?" But overall, just an ok book. And I don't think the corn bookends worked.

 

Clean Getaway by Nic Stone
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Good information on racism in the past and present, and Stone has some good lines (see below), but plot-wise ... yikes. G'ma is out of control. And the ending ... did not like.

p. 26: "Scoob would never admit it to anyone, but there are books he's never finished because he liked imagining all the things that COULD happen. Knowing what DOES happen would take the fun out of it."

p. 40: "G'ma said they can't see [the stars] from Atlanta because there's too much LIGHT POLLUTION. Tonight, he learned more then he realized there was to know about a guy he'd always been told didn't matter. What else could Scoob not know about in the sky of his existence? Is there such a thing as LIFE pollution?"

p. 106: "Scoob feels like cracks are forming all over him and he's gonna break into a jillion and one pieces like a smashed Lego tower."



Feed Your Mind: A Story of August Wilson by Jen Bryant
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Ooh, that Morton Salt incident made me so mad!
And the Napoleon paper.

But why mention Romare Bearden and not have actual works of his as part of the illustrations?
And why use the N word several times but not give the full title of Ma Rainey?

I'm not sure that any of my kids are going to be that into this book. Although I do like the message of how Wilson educated himself at the library. Ties into a discussion we had in second grade about Frederick Douglass. But this is not a second-grade book.

 

Saucy by Cynthia Kadohata
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

So many exclamation points! I think it worked to put us in Becca's head! But she had lots of bad ideas! And I couldn't believe how destructive the pig was! And I was kind of shocked that after p. 53 said that they didn't have that much money, the parents forked over 3K to the sanctuary! Who knows how much they had to cough up at the end! I hope they never give Becca any allowance for the rest of her life!

 

A Place Inside of Me: A Poem to Heal the Heart by Zetta Elliott
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I know it won the Caldecott, but I forgot to really look at the illustrations my first time through and was like, "ok, that's nice." Then I realized it followed a timeline.

 

Willa and the Whale by Chad Morris
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

So is Meg REALLY talking? Is she just a coping mechanism? I mean, she is kind of a dork, so maybe she is just an extension of Willa. And she repeated a line from the mom's journal, so ...

As far as the writing, my students may find all of the marine life facts interesting, but I found them annoying.

Other reviewers have compared this to "The Line Tender," and I agree that that book is far superior.

Still, this was the one the most kids were excited about reading when I showed them the RICBA trailers in June, so I guess I'll be trying to get my hands on extra copies.

 

Were I Not a Girl: The Inspiring and True Story of Dr. James Barry by Lisa Robinson
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I wanted way more information on the breakthroughs Barry made in the medical field. It was mentioned in one sentence among a bunch of other things. The sentence about his love of fashion had more detail! Wikipedia says this, which is MUCH MORE SIGNIFICANT than just "delivered babies": "Barry also performed one of the first known successful Caesarean sections in which both mother and child survived; the child was christened James Barry Munnik in Barry's honour, and the name was passed down through the family, leading to Barry's name being borne by a later Prime Minister of South Africa, J. B. M. Hertzog."

And did we really need to know that he fought a duel, especially when the endnotes say it was over his falling in love with a married man? I read a bunch of articles and would much rather have his grumpiness and yelling at people all the time included. He had a fight with Florence Nightingale! He got shit done! He wanted soldiers to have libraries!