I've read 78 books total during the past three months, but only liked 27 enough to 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 Books
The Museum of Everything by Lynne Rae Perkins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I adore the concept and the tiny museum artworks. But I don't love the interstitial watercolors. One star docked for them. Will see what my students have to say when we discuss the illustrations for Mock Caldecott.
Tomatoes for Neela by Padma Lakshmi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Would make a wonderful gift for someone who loves to cook with family members. I wish more people would slow down and make stuff from scratch. NO CAMPBELLS CREAM-OFs!
Off-Limits by Helen YoonMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Who doesn't love office supplies? Nice twist ending. Looking forward to reading it for Mock Caldecott.
Not Yeti by Kelly DiPucchio
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
It took another reviewer for me to realize that Betty was there the whole time! That brought the book's message to another level for me. I've got a lot of Grimaces and Lloyds in my first grade classes this year. They could stand to hear this story and discuss it.
The Worm Family Has Its Picture Taken by Jennifer Frank
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Non-cheesy riff on the "be happy with who you are" theme. The pictures of the worms with their teeth and wigs made me laugh.
I Is for Immigrants by Selina Alko
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Not sure this will work as a Mock Caldecott readaloud, being an alphabet book, but it could make a nice addition to the 4th grade immigration unit ... kids could choose an unknown word (roti, marimba, geneaology) and present it to their class after doing a little research.
The Little Library by Margaret McNamara
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
As a school librarian who loves finding the right reader for a book, and the right book for a reader, of course I liked this one. But nobody calls me Librarian Meredith. They do, however, call me Marshmallow.
Survivor Tree by Marcie Colleen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I liked this SO much better than "This Very Tree." Lyrical and inspiring.
A House by Kevin Henkes My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Love a book that asks questions about stuff on the page. Will definitely be using for preschool.
Middle Grade Novels
Maybe Maybe Marisol Rainey by Erin Entrada KellyMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
I LOVED THIS. So whimsical yet with the real-world issue of anxiety written in a realistic way.
Things I especially loved and/or could related to:
Jada yelling her ideas like Socrates: "Ice cream for breakfast!"
Marisol worrying about where in the world to go: "She imagines Paris, but all she knows about Paris is the Eiffel Tower, which is very tall. Much taller than Peppina. What if she fell off the top of the Eiffel Tower?"
NOTE: I had a panic attack on the Scott Monument in Edinburgh because I thought I was going to slide through the wrought iron.
Marisol worrying about waiting in the car: "What if her mom takes too long and the car door won't open and Marisol is trapped inside? What if a maniac steals the car with Marisol in the backseat? What if the brakes malfunction and Charlie rolls into traffic?"
NOTE: I had these thoughts as a child. And nightmares about them happening.
Marisol being a "grumpy grandpa."
NOTE: When I was 15, my 5-year-old brother kicked me out his play he was putting on in the basement because I was "being too grumpy."
Marisol having a pity party.
NOTE: Obviously.
Almost There and Almost Not by Linda Urban
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Read this in one sitting while home sick. Loved it. We are totally in Callie's head, and I loved her. She reminded me of my nephew, although he has been in the loop on his parents' issues for years, and he's not even 11 yet. The ghosts were an interesting twist, and I cried at the end.
Issues: WTF with the cleaning service folding clothes in drawers and MAILING LETTERS THEY FOUND IN A BOX UNDER A BED???????? Callie needs to write them a bad review. Or at least a letter. And Isabelle was just the worst. I mean, yes, people suck, but WOW she was the WORST.
View all my reviews
The Beatryce Prophecy by Kate DiCamillo
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I'm sorry, but that was a pretty nebulous prophecy. That said, a lovely old-fashioned tale. Although I'd like to know more about how the loser king got placed on the throne. I'm thinking the counselor encouraged some murder? Hmm ... there were actually a few murders. But it was still lovely. Lessons on character and friendship.
Flight of the Puffin by Ann BradenMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I am a sucker for intertwined stories and for suckly relatives secretly not being so suckly after all. Although several still were. Some reviewers have complained about the coincidences, but I found them believable. And I cried through the last couple of chapters in spite of myself. Addresses many issues in a sensitive way. Good stuff.
p. 41: "I can be my own sunrise."
Graphic Novels
They Didn't Teach THIS in Worm School! by Simone Lia
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I LOVED THIS BOOK. I laughed out loud at the ridiculousness and would 100% recommend it as a readaloud with your kids. Marcus and Lawrence's astonishment at their would-be latent abilities; doing the dance with twig hats to get Gwenda back; the Robert the Bruce references ... delightful. I wish I could read it again for the first time.
Early Readers
Harry Versus the First 100 Days of School by Emily Jenkins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Super cute with 100 short vignettes following Harry's time in first grade. I feel like his voice rings pretty true. Lots of boogers, puking, poems, and Fluff Monsters in the classroom. But also feelings and working through friendship situations. And Jenkins includes a list of all the books different teachers read to the class.
p. 38: "Harry's job is Calendar. That means that today he writes the number twelve in the correct square in the blank calendar on the wall. Calendar is a terrible job. It's just writing in a square. A baby could write in a square. Okay, a baby could not write in a square. But Harry wants to be Line Leader."
Nonfiction
Nina: A Story of Nina Simone by Traci N. ToddMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
THAT is how to do a picture book biography! So much information presented cleanly yet passionately. Would make a fantastic introduction to a civil rights unit. And now I think I will go listen to Nina Simone on Spotify.
I Am the Shark by Joan HolubMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
My students love sharks, and they will love this book. So much info packed into bright, but not overwhelming, spreads. Fantastic overview of different species and what they are the "most" of.
The Last Straw: Kids vs. Plastics by Susan HoodMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
The format would make a difficult readaloud, but the information is interesting, important, and easily understood. The second grade at one of my schools is doing a project about being environmental stewards, and this perfectly aligns with that topic.
Boardwalk Babies by Marissa MossMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
It took FORTY YEARS for the medical establishment to accept incubators????
The Water Lady: How Darlene Arviso Helps a Thirsty Navajo Nation by Alice B. McGintyMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Can we please talk about the fact that rez life involves having no electricity or running water for so many people? And stop having 5th graders research Native dwellings from 200 years ago?
"While almost every other American will use around a hundred gallons of water today, many on the Navajo reservation will use only seven."
WOW. Could be a fantastic PBL jumpoff.
The Great Stink: How Joseph Bazalgette Solved London's Poop Pollution Problem by Colleen PaeffMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
As someone who read the novel "The Great Stink" by Clare Clark, I wholeheartedly endorse this picture-book version of the historical drama. Tons of good info delivered in an engaging manner. Will definitely use in my inaugural Mock Sibert this year. Need to find a 2nd-grade-level article to go with it about the lack of sanitation in so many places NOW.
If the World Were 100 People: A Visual Guide to Our Global Village by Jackie McCannMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
We'll see how this goes as a readaloud, but I do so want my students to have exposure to realities that aren't middle-class New England. And it ties into my horror that 29% of humans do not have access to clean water.
W Is For Webster: Noah Webster and his American Dictionary by Tracey E. FernMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Loved the tone, but wish some of the "American" words had been included. Why keep talking about them and then not tell us a few?
I See Sea Food: Sea Creatures That Look Like Food by Jenna GrodzickiMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Very cool theme for an animal book. The information included was interesting and used a fairly clean format. And now I know about sea apples. They breathe through their butts.
The Boy Whose Head Was Filled With Stars: A Story About Edwin Hubble by Isabelle Marinov
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
LOVED the star spreads and the stamped silver foil for Edwin's three enduring questions. But ... expanding universes make my head hurt, and if my students were to ask me to explain anything besides how a telescope works, I would be at a loss. I suppose that shouldn't prevent me from reading it for Mock Sibert. But seriously, astronomy gives me anxiety.
For Grownups
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard OsmanMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Can a book covering multiple murders be described as a "romp"? Great characters and not a lot of loose ends ... although I do question why Elizabeth, who was so determined to make one character pay for their crime, seems to have let another one slip through the cracks.
- I volunteer because it makes me look helpful, and it gives me first dibs on the refreshments.
- Joyce has never been inside a police station before, though has watched every ITV documentary going, and she is disappointed that no one is being wrestled to the ground and dragged to a cell, their obscenities thrillingly bleeped out.
- If you don’t cry sometimes, you’ll end up crying all the time.
- It’s great to be the fastest runner, but not when you’re running in the wrong direction.
- “Would you like the detailed answer, or the simple answer?” asks Ibrahim. “The simple answer, please, Ibrahim,” says Elizabeth, without hesitation. Ibrahim pauses. Perhaps he had phrased his question poorly? “But I have prepared a detailed answer, Elizabeth.”
- Though not a quick exodus, because you know that getting out of a garden chair at our age is a military operation. Once you are in one, you can be in it for the day.
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