The Story of My Life: An Afghan Girl on the Other Side of the Sky by Farah Ahmedi My rating: 4 of 5 stars For middle and high school readers. A memoir of one girl’s story from Kabul to Wheaton with the help of World …
Review: Wolf Hollow
Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk My rating: 4 of 5 stars A familiar read. I felt like I was hearing a hint of Scout’s voice in the narration and that Toby, a WWI vet, was a cross between Boo Radley and Tom. Annabelle ‘ s …
Review: The Wild Robot
The Wild Robot by Peter Brown My rating: 3 of 5 stars The audience for this book is upper elementary, but I can see middle schoolers enjoying this book. It is very much a storytelling experience; the narrator speaks directly to the reader, asking patience …
Review: Unidentified Suburban Object
Unidentified Suburban Object by Mike Jung My rating: 3 of 5 stars So this one is mostly a realistic ya novel of a girl trying to connect with her Korean heritage while her parents resist saying it’s “too hard” or “too painful” to think about …
War Fiction: Writing the stories that haven’t been told
Because most of my 20 published books show war or genocide through the eyes of a young person, some of my author colleagues affectionately call me the Genocide Queen. I didn’t consciously choose to write about genocide, but I have a compulsion to give a voice to people whose stories are not told.
Summer Book Club 2016: Let’s discover books together for the first time
I’ve read over one hundred books in search of that just-right book for each student, but I just cannot keep up with all the recommendations I’ve been getting from We Need Diverse Books, Nerdy Book Club, Goodreads, and Facebook friends. So this summer’s reading list is 25 books that I have NOT read but have been recommended, and I am inviting my junior high readers to vet these books with me.
Review: Apple and Rain
Apple and Rain by Sarah Crossan My rating: 4 of 5 stars For middle and upper middle school students without hesitation. This is a story about family, parenting, sisters, friendship, loyalty, and crushes, but it is really a story about understanding the complexities of family. Apple’s …
Review: Rage
Rage by Jackie Morse Kessler My rating: 2 of 5 stars I applaud the author in taking on cutting and representing the compulsion in such detail. I think some parts may be triggers for readers, so read with caution. I struggled with the apocalypse horsemen …
Review: One-Handed Catch
One-Handed Catch by M.J. Auch My rating: 4 of 5 stars Loved Norm and feel blessed to know so many students who have Norm’s compassion for himself and for others. It is beautiful to read about a family communicating, noticing each other’s struggles and triumphs …
Book Response: No More “Us” and “Them” by Lesley Roessing
On Fridays, I write a blog post for my seventh grade students and their families about what we were trying to do that week in class. On the first Friday of the school year, I asked students to reply to the post with a comment …