I Just Read That ...: May 2022

Here are my favorite books that I read during the second trimester (true confession: with Mock Caldecott and Mock Newbery over, I watched a lot of TV). 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

Who Done It? by Olivier Tallec
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

May skip the love and pee pages for PreK.

Who What Where? by Olivier Tallec
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"Who Done It?" is too easy for K, and "Who Was That?" is too hard, but this one is JUST RIGHT for me to use in a lesson about illustrations.

Early Reader

The Secret Time Machine and the Gherkin Switcheroo by Simone Lia
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I love these characters. They are so dramatic and ridiculous.

Middle Grade Novel

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.

Nonfiction

Bartali's Bicycle: The True Story of Gino Bartali, Italy's Secret Hero by Megan Hoyt
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

WOW. Amazing. And to think Bartali never told anyone about what he did. True bravery.

I don't think my 2nd graders would have enough background knowledge for this book to resonate with them, but this would make an excellent readaloud in higher grades to highlight a heretofore unknown resistance fighter. (NOTE: This was announced as a RICBA 2023 nominee, so now I HAVE to read it to grades 3-5!)

The Genius Under the Table: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain by Eugene Yelchin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Talk about sense of place. Yikes. I'm always stunned by how powerful dictators can bend the will of millions.

Code Breaker, Spy Hunter: How Elizebeth Friedman Changed the Course of Two World Wars by Laurie Wallmark
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Supergenius!

Now I am having ideas for a coding unit next year ...

The Leaf Detective: How Margaret Lowman Uncovered Secrets in the Rainforest by Heather Lang
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

For reals? Nobody had the idea until 1979 to look at the top of the rainforest? Lively, interesting text with tons of extra facts unobtrusively written on leaves in the illustrations. They're not necessary for understanding the book but are a great bonus.

Fatty Legs: A True Story by Christy Jordan-Fenton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Whoa. Pure horror. And then her sisters still wanted to go!!!

Why didn't the Swan do more to save the students from the wrath of the Raven? That bothered me. A lot.

Odd Bods: The World's Unusual Animals by Julie Murphy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Simple and fun. My 1st graders loved the red-lipped batfish. I want to know more about sea slugs. So pretty.

A True Wonder: The Comic Book Hero Who Changed Everything by Kirsten W. Larson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I had no idea Wonder Woman was on the first Ms. magazine cover! Or that after WWII the new editors tried to make her Suzy Homemaker. The format makes it kind of difficult to do as a Sibert readaloud, but I will put it on my wish list.

Make Meatballs Sing: The Life and Art of Sister Corita Kent by Matthew Burgess
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Liked it a lot better on second read. The overall message of "find your own way" and "it doesn't have to be like this" was gotten across effectively with fabulous artwork. However, I feel like anyone who didn't grow up Catholic will have questions like: 1. why did she choose to be a nun? 2. what did they mean by "reforms" and 3. how had her art "crossed the line"?