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No excuses! These are just the books that I read in 2016 that I thought knocked it out of the park. These aren’t the “best of the year”. These are just the books that were particularly good and that somehow crossed my radar. I read a lot more than what you’ll see here, but I loved these the best. For your consideration:
Cloud and Wallfish by Anne Nesbet
My dark horse Newbery front runner. I found it because Roger Sutton mentioned it off-handedly on his podcast, but it was Monica Edinger’s Horn Book review that got the most attention from the folks at Heavy Medal. It’s just the most delightful little Cold War, East Germany, book you could name. I’m gaga over it. If your kids read it, they will be too.
Five Children on the Western Front by Kate Saunders
Again with the book recommendations from Monica! This time a couple years ago, when she found the English edition of this book. It came out this year with surprisingly little fanfare, but I just adored it. The question is whether or not kids unfamiliar with the works of E. Nesbit will get anything out of it. The eternal optimist, I vote yes! I mean, it’s about a tyrant finding its (his) soul. There’s something to that.
Full of Beans by Jennifer L. Holm
Funny that I never reviewed this one, but with Jenni Holm you sort of don’t have to. The woman’s masterful. To read her book is to marvel at how seemingly effortlessly she pulls various elements together. I will say that though this book is a prequel, you will not need to have read its predecessor to get anything out of it. It is, in a nutshell, sort of perfect.
Furthermore by Tahereh Mafi
To ask anyone to craft a wholly original fantasy novel for kids is just setting that person up for a fall. If Mafi succeeds in any way here it is in her writing rather than her ideas. Not that her ideas aren’t interesting. They are, but it’s the characters, their interactions, and their personalities that sold it for me. It is infinitely readable and a lot of fun to boot. I like fun. I liked this book. I don’t hold it against it that it’s a New York Times bestseller either.
Ghost by Jason Reynolds
Years ago (three?) I said this Jason Reynolds guy was gonna be a star. I had a chance to hear him speak for the NYPL librarians after the publication of his first solo YA novel. In 2016 he started publishing middle grade in earnest and if he doesn’t win any major awards this year it’s simply a matter of time before he does in the future. I don’t know if Ghost is gonna take home a Newbery in any way, shape, or form. I just know that it was incredibly fun to read. One of my favorites of the year.
The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill
It’s anyone’s guess as to why it took me 8 months or so to finally pick this book up. When I saw Kelly speak at BookExpo here in Chicago this year I knew she was on to something. But to be perfectly frank, I’ve loved her work since she wrote The Mostly True Story of Jack (a book that I would contend still doesn’t get the attention and respect it deserves). I liked this one a lot. It’s a thick one, no question, but it also compelled me skip ahead a little just so that I could make sure that the villain wouldn’t win. There’s only one other book on this list this year that made me do that. I’ll let you guess what it was.
The Inn Between by Marina Cohen
I include this book not because it’s some deep, insightful, heavily meaningful book fraught with consequence and award-worthy pain. No, this is just the kind of book I would have LOVED as a kid. I was the one who checked out all the Apple paperbacks that involved ghosts from my Scholastic Book Fair orders. So, naturally, this would have appealed. I mean, the back flap copy calls it “The Shining meets Hotel California” and that ain’t wrong. You’d never know it from the cutesy cover, though, would you? Someone needs a cover do-over.
The Inquisitor’s Tale by Adam Gidwitz
It doesn’t need my help. It never needed my help. But it’s wonderful and winning. Smarter than almost every other book on here by half. Gutsy. Challenging. And I can’t wait for the movie. I call dibs on Tom Hiddleston to play the King of France.
The Magic Mirror: Concerning a Lonely Princess, a Foundling Girl, a Scheming King and a Pickpocket Squirrel by Susan Hill Long
Poor little book. You were the first novel I read in 2016 and I came dangerously close to forgetting you here today. I liked this one very much, going so far as to say in my review that it was similar in tone to The Princess Bride. It actually makes a rather good pairing with THE GIRL WHO DRANK THE MOON, come to think of it. If you’ve a kid looking for light, frothy fantasy, this is the one to pick up.
Makoons by Louise Erdrich
Does anyone ever point out how funny these books are? Yes, we all know Louise Erdrich to be a master writer, but she’s also incredibly hilarious when she wants to be. The latest book in the Birchbark House series did not disappoint and even gave us a few new characters. My favorite is the character done in by vanity, brought low, and ultimately redeemed. I’m a sucker for that kind of tale.
The Mighty Odds by Amy Ignatow
If you could have any superpower, would you choose the normal one or the weird one? If you chose the weird one then this book is for you. I think we’ve seen the outcasts-with-superpowers motif a lot (Spiderman, arguably, was one of the first) but I like Ignatow’s style so much that this is one of my current favs. How much do I love it? I actually bought a copy for my niece and I almost never ever buy books. What can I say? It was just that good.
Ms. Bixby’s Last Day by John David Anderson
Not usually my kind of book but I liked Anderson’s Sidekicked years ago and figured that in spite of the description it might work for me. And it did! Granted, there’s more than a touch of Dead Poet’s Society to it, but all I cared was that it had an honest ending. An honest earned ending. This title doesn’t pander and I appreciate that. Worth discovering.
Pax by Sara Pennypacker
Can you believe this book came out in 2016? I feel as if we’ve been talking about it for two years. It’s still one of the strongest of the year, no matter what anybody says. When I was a child, I had a thing for foxes. Clearly I missed my era. If you’ve somehow managed to avoid reading this title, you have time to get your hands on it before award season. Do that thing.
Raymie Nightingale by Kate DiCamillo
While I would repeat that this book would be Because of Winn-Dixie if you dipped that book in a vat of sadness, that doesn’t mean it isn’t remarkable. I found it breathtakingly sad, but also smart. I didn’t care two bits for the main character (she’s remarkably forgettable) but the other characters just popped off the page. Quite a book.
Rebel Genius by Michael Dante DiMartino
Poor action/adventure fans. What do I even have for you here today? Well, I have a fantasy novel coming from one of the co-creators of the Avatar: The Last Airbender television series, and that ain’t peanuts. Though it does come across as a slightly less scholarly His Dark Materials, I enjoyed the premise of Rebel Genius (a great title, if ever there was one). The big bad villain never makes an appearance but plenty of other baddies do. It’s compelling to its core.
When the Sea Turned to Silver by Grace Lin
I just finished reading my daughter Where the Mountain Meets the Moon and wanted to just skip directly to this one, but Starry River of the Sky is next on our list and we shall not go out of order. Of the three books in the series, this is by far my favorite, and you certainly don’t have to have read the other books to enjoy it. Lin gets better and better with every book she writes. Annoying for her fellow authors, I’m sure, but great for the rest of us!
The Wild Robot by Peter Brown
This marked Peter Brown’s debut as a novelist. Doesn’t seem quite fair that he should be able to write AND draw. Leave a little talent for the rest of us, won’t you, Peter? In any case, I’m all about the strong female heroines. So often in robot books the de facto pronoun is “he”. Brown made it “she” and it works for her. Better still, it works for us.
Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk
Remember earlier when I mentioned that there was one other book on this list that made me so tense I had to skip to the back to know precisely who would live, who would die, and what would become of the villain? Because the villain in this book does meet a terrible fate, but even so remains a cussed little wretch to the end. She is, without a doubt, the best villain I’ve encountered in a children’s book in years. A true blue psychopath. Best you know now.
Interested in the other lists of the month? Here’s the schedule so that you can keep checking back:
December 1 – Board Books
December 2 – Board Book Adaptations
December 3 – Nursery Rhymes
December 4 – Picture Book Readalouds
December 5 – Rhyming Picture Books
December 6 – Alphabet Books
December 7 – Funny Picture Books
December 8 – Calde-Nots
December 9 – Picture Book Reprints
December 10 – Math Picture Books
December 11 – Bilingual Books
December 12 – International Imports
December 13 – Books with a Message
December 14 – Fabulous Photography
December 15 – Fairy Tales / Folktales
December 16 – Oddest Books of the Year
December 17 – Older Picture Books
December 18 – Easy Books
December 19 – Early Chapter Books
December 20 – Graphic Novels
December 21 – Poetry
December 22 – Fictionalized Nonfiction
December 23 – American History
December 24 – Science & Nature Books
December 25 – Transcendent Holiday Titles
December 26 – Unique Biographies
December 27 – Nonfiction Picture Books
December 28 – Nonfiction Chapter Books
December 29 – Novel Reprints
December 30 – Novels
December 31 – Picture Books
Koko's Kitten. Francine Patterson. Photographs by Ronald H. Cohn. 1985. 32 pages. [Source: Library]
Make sure you're telling your story in the correct order.
http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/there-are-no-rules/cause-effect-telling-story-right-order
Borden Murders. Sarah Miller. 2016. 304 pages. [Source: Library]
In November, First Book and its partners the American Federation of Teachers and the Albert Shanker Institute presented the Citizen Power Project; a challenge to educators nationwide to identify, plan, and implement a civic engagement project important to their students, school or community.
Fifteen projects received grants to help turn big plans into big impact.
The projects represent a wide range of civic engagement – from teaching empathy and healthy habits to supporting student voices and helping the environment.
So far, the civic impact of these projects has been phenomenal.
In Framingham, Massachusetts, middle school English teacher Lori DiGisi knows her students don’t always feel empowered. “They feel like the adults rule everything and that they don’t really have choices,” she explains. “The issue I’m trying to solve is for a diverse group of students to believe that they can make a difference in their community.”
Using the First Book Marketplace, Lori and her class chose to read books about young people who did something to change the world — books with diverse characters that each student could identify with. Through stories, Lori’s students have begun to understand that they too can make a difference.
From here, Lori plans to narrow the focus onto the issue of improving working conditions. Students will interview custodians, secretaries, and cafeteria workers in their school to understand what their working conditions are like and ask the all-important question: what can we, as middle schoolers, do to make your working conditions better?
Meanwhile in Malvern, Arkansas, middle school English teacher Claudine James has used the Citizen Power Project to improve upon an already successful program. In 2011, Claudine visited the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC and wanted to bring that experience back to her students.
That year her class studied the Holocaust and put together their own Holocaust Museum in their school and opened it to the public.
The reaction to the museum was something Claudine never expected.
“It was very well received by the community and in fact, we had an opening day reception on a Sunday afternoon and there was no room to even stand.”
Claudine has organized project-based learning initiatives like this every year since. The Malvern community has embraced them, and even come to expect them.
This year, powered by the Citizen Power Project, Claudine and her class are planning an exhibit called, ‘Writers from Around the World’. They are reading books by authors from all over the globe. Her goal is to promote tolerance and understanding among her students and for them to promote those ideas to the community.
“When my students are presented with problems that other people from other cultures have to overcome, they see the world in a new light,” explains Claudine, “then they go home and spread the word.”
In Newark, New Jersey, kindergarten teacher Racheal Safier has her young students thinking globally. “We wanted to figure out what climate change is,” she explains, “they took a really big interest in how global warming affects animals.”
Racheal has been amazed by her student’s enthusiasm for this topic and the project, but she knows where it comes from. “Books have been the launching point for so many of the ideas generated in my classroom.”
Now that ideas are being launched, Racheal wants to show her class the next step: what actions do we take?
And they have many planned. There will be brochures distributed to parents, a table at the school’s social justice fair, maybe a video, and even letters to the President.
“I want it to be their project — and some of the things they come up with, I am really blown away.”
These three projects are just a snapshot of all the important work educators are doing around the country for the Citizen Power Project. Lori, Claudine, and Racheal are shining examples of the impact that educators can have on their students and their communities.
For educators to create change though students they need access to educational resources. First Book is proud to help provide that access for the Citizen Power Project.
When these 15 projects are completed in early 2017 be sure to check the First Book blog to see videos and pictures, and read more impact stories of impact from across the United States.
If you’re an educator serving kids in need, please visit the First Book Marketplace to register and browse our collection of educational resources. Click here to learn more about the Citizen Power Project.
The post Changing Communities with Books: The Citizen Power Project appeared first on First Book Blog.
Add a CommentThis is My Dollhouse. Giselle Potter. 2016. 40 pages. [Source: Library]
So how was your Christmas? Ours was quieter than last yearbut very enjoyable. We spent Christmas day with our two grandsons and Terry’s parents. We laughed a lot, played games, ate too much and had a great time
Question: Do I leave my family names out knowing they hate me. afraid they will try to sue. plus who can be a ghost writer? Answer: Writing a book about
Add a CommentI shall get to the end of this story momentarily, but I will begin with this: The other day, while running on one of those machines at the gym, I was accompanied by a young friend with whom I most often disagree. We sit on opposite sides of the political spectrum. Her tendency is to yell (she'd be the first to admit this; she's adorable when she admits this), while my tendency is to ask questions and listen. She is smart, fierce, interesting, and I don't mind. In her advocacy for the positions that will soon represent the U.S., I listen for facts I might not have otherwise encountered.
A few months before, she was beautiful—you could still see it in flashes. Her hair was thick and blondish, and her body was round in some places and slender in others. Her hands, always cold, held pens and typed and cooked scrambled eggs. Her eyes were blue and her heels were narrow. She looked a lot like me.The Art of Perspective, Christopher Castellani (Graywolf Press Series)—a refreshingly smart examination of narrative strategy and literary point of view. This may be a craft book, but there is, within the pages, a kind of suspense as the author presents his own quandaries about a story he might write. I could quote this entire book. But this should give you a taste for Castellani's smarts:
Why bother to write if you don't have a view worthy of sharing? I think we judge the literary merit of a text not merely by how closely we relate to the characters' experiences—that's the relatively easy part of the author's job—but by how strongly the author's ultimate vision compels us, provokes us, challenges us, or makes new the everyday.The Gutsy Girl: Escapades for Your Life of Epic Adventure, Caroline Paul illustrated by Wendy MacNaughton. I'll be honest. I did not know about this NYT bestseller until I read about it in Brain Pickings. I bought it for my niece (to be perfectly honest), and I was just planning to scan enough of it so that we might speak of it later. Well. Hold the scissors. I could not stop. This is a memoir/history/how-to/diary journal with pictures, all in one. But it's not just the cleverness of the design that strikes me hard. It's the cleverness of the prose. Paul begins with a story from her youth, when she set out to build a boat out of milk cartons:
I envisioned a three-masted vessel, with a plank off to one side (of course) and a huge curved prow that ended in an eagle head. So I set about collecting milk cartons. I collected from my school cafeteria. I collected from my friends. I collected from my family. I soon became familiar with the look on their faces when I explained I was building a milk carton pirate ship. It was actually a combination of looks, all rolled into one. Hahaha, what a crazy idea, the expression said. And Good luck, kid, but I don't think it's going to happen. And, Well, at least I'm getting ride of my milk cartons. Then at the very end of this facial conga-dance, I always caught something else. Actually, that sounds like FUN. I wish I could do that, the final look exclaimed.
What a life is ours! Doesn't
anybody in the world anymore want to get up in the
middle of the night and
sing?
I adored THE ARABIAN NIGHTS as a kid, so I was thrilled when Nat Geo Children's Books asked if I'd like to see their recent incarnation, Tales from the Arabian Nights: Stories of Adventure, Magic, Love and Betrayal, written by Donna Jo Napoli and illustrated by Christina Balit. Christina stopped by to tell us a bit about how she works.
Back on December 9th I wrote a piece on those reprinted picture books I was happiest to encounter in 2016. Now I’ll say a word or two about the reprinted novels of this year. Naturally, if you look at the output from the publisher New York Review Books you’ll find a lovely array of titles. For more than are listed here, that’s for sure and for certain. The books I’m including today are ones I’ve read, so it’s fairly short. Still, don’t miss the books listed here today. The book market is not kind to reprints that could be called “forgotten”.
The Borrowers Collection by Mary Norton
My knowledge of previous collections of all the Borrowers stories is not good enough to determine whether or not any previous versions also included the short story “Poor Stainless” or not. Whatever the case, this new bound volume of full stories is delightful. Chock full of illustrations, it’s the ultimate Borrowers collection.
The Golden Key by George MacDonald, ill. Ruth Sanderson
The title probably hasn’t been out-of-print before, but I do know that back in the day it was Maurice Sendak who illustrated it. Sanderson’s a different take than Sendak, that’s for sure, but it’s a lovely new edition.
The Rescuers by Margery Sharp, ill. Garth Williams
If Disney had any sense in its monolithic head it would have years ago grabbed the literary rights to every publication ever brought to the silver screen. Imagine, if you will, a children’s book collection that consists of books that are better known now for their Disney adaptations. 101 Dalmations by Dodie Smith, Old Yeller by Fred Gipson, Swiss Family Robinson by Johann Wyss, and, naturally, The Rescuers. As with most Disneyfied products, when I read this book as a kid I was struck both by how sharp the writing was (not cutesy in the least) and also by how good illustrator Garth Williams was at making horrific looking humans. Turns out the master of whimsy had a penchant for the grotesque as well.
Never knew he had it in him.
For other celebrations of reprinted books, please check out the ShelfTalker piece Hello, Old Friends. I wish I’d seen the Lobel book mentioned there. Ah well. Can’t get them all.
Interested in the other lists of the month? Here’s the schedule so that you can keep checking back:
December 1 – Board Books
December 2 – Board Book Adaptations
December 3 – Nursery Rhymes
December 4 – Picture Book Readalouds
December 5 – Rhyming Picture Books
December 6 – Alphabet Books
December 7 – Funny Picture Books
December 8 – Calde-Nots
December 9 – Picture Book Reprints
December 10 – Math Picture Books
December 11 – Bilingual Books
December 12 – International Imports
December 13 – Books with a Message
December 14 – Fabulous Photography
December 15 – Fairy Tales / Folktales
December 16 – Oddest Books of the Year
December 17 – Older Picture Books
December 18 – Easy Books
December 19 – Early Chapter Books
December 20 – Graphic Novels
December 21 – Poetry
December 22 – Fictionalized Nonfiction
December 23 – American History
December 24 – Science & Nature Books
December 25 – Transcendent Holiday Titles
December 26 – Unique Biographies
December 27 – Nonfiction Picture Books
December 28 – Nonfiction Chapter Books
December 29 – Novel Reprints
December 30 – Novels
December 31 – Picture Books
खान पान की बदलती तस्वीर – 2015 -16 का नेशनल हैल्थ फैमली सर्वे – पैदल कम चलना , शारीरिक मेहनत कम करना और संतुलित खाना न लेना हमारा लाईफ स्टाईल बनता जा रहा है…तो क्या ये सही है… ?? खान पान की बदलती तस्वीर – 2015 -16 का नेशनल हैल्थ फैमली सर्वे khan paan ki badalti […]
The post खान पान की बदलती तस्वीर – 2015 -16 का नेशनल हैल्थ फैमली सर्वे appeared first on Monica Gupta.
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I want to send the arc of Audacity Jones Steals the Show to the first commenter on my previous post - Danielle H - but I have no way to contact.
Will you email me thru my website?
The vfx behind that zero-g swimming pool scene.
The post How They Pulled Off That Insane Swimming Pool Scene in ‘Passengers’ appeared first on Cartoon Brew.
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Discover the art of Kevin Phung, Cartoon Brew's Artist of the Day!
The post Artist of the Day: Kevin Phung appeared first on Cartoon Brew.
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Audacity Jones Steals the Show by Kirby Larson |
Thirty questions to think about before you tackle your next revision.
http://www.adventuresinyapublishing.com/2016/11/revision-checklist-30-questions-to-ask.html#.WFWXQfkrJlY
Thanks for the mentions!
I read aloud FIVE CHILDREN ON THE WESTERN FRONT to my 4th grade class last year and they loved it. None had read FIVE CHILDREN AND IT. I also gave it to a kid this year who reads literary sorts of things.
My Horn Book review of CLOUD AND WALLFISH is here: http://www.hbook.com/2016/11/choosing-books/review-of-the-week/review-of-cloud-and-wallfish/
Oh yeah! I had gotten out of reading middle school fiction because life intervened. Looks like a few here that will entice me to return. Thanks for the list.