El Deafo by Cece Bell

From Goodreads,

"Going to school and making new friends can be tough. But going to school and making new friends while wearing a bulky hearing aid strapped to your chest? That requires superpowers! In this funny, poignant graphic novel memoir, author/illustrator Cece Bell chronicles her hearing loss at a young age and her subsequent experiences with the Phonic Ear, a very powerful--and very awkward--hearing aid.

The Phonic Ear gives Cece the ability to hear--sometimes things she shouldn't--but also isolates her from her classmates. She really just wants to fit in and find a true friend, someone who appreciates her as she is. After some trouble, she is finally able to harness the power of the Phonic Ear and become "El Deafo, Listener for All." And more importantly, declare a place for herself in the world and find the friend she's longed for."

Goodreads - El Deafo

Awards:

• Newberry Honor (2015)
• Charlotte Huck Honor Book (2015)
• Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards for Best Publication for Kids (ages 8-12) (2015)
• Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award (2016)
• Pennsylvania Young Readers' Choice Award for Grades 3-6 (2016)

This book is a graphic novel that tells the childhood tell of Cece Bell.  This memoir is about how she felt different because she couldn't hear.  The reader quickly learns what happened to Cece for her to lose her hearing, and how she managed to handle being deaf.  Throughout the book Cece also struggles to make and keep friends.  This is a profoundly moving book.

A student recommended this book to me, so I took the time and money and ordered the book.  I finally sat down one weekend to read it.  Needless to say, I read this book in about 2-3 hours.  This book is written in a graphic novel format, which makes it a fairly quick read.  I loved how honest and pure this book was about life without hearing.  The book mentions that many people talk slow or talk extremely loud because they think it will help the hearing impaired person understand better, when in all reality, it is easier if you just talk normally.  This book had lots of interesting tidbits about the hearing impaired that I wasn't aware of.  But most importantly, this book painted a vivid picture of what life is like when you are hearing impaired.  Cece struggled to make and keep friends because she was hearing impaired.  I think that many kids, even those who aren't hearing impaired, can relate to this because they have been in a similar situation before.  I just felt like this book was very raw and relatable.  I expect that students will truly enjoy this book.

The only bad thing I have to say about this book is that it said the word "he**" and it mentioned teachers making questionable choices such as smoking in the teacher's lounge and leaving children unattended.  It also mentioned hearing the teacher's going to the bathroom.  I may find it inappropriate, but most students would find it comical to know what the teacher is doing at all times when they aren't in the classroom.

I give this book 5 stars.  I hope that some of my other students will pick up this book and give it a chance, especially since it is a graphic novel, and students consider graphic novels "quick reads".  

The Girl in the Well is Me by Karen Rivers

From Goodreads,

"Longing to be one of the popular girls in her new town, Kammie Summers has fallen into a well during a (fake) initiation into their club. Now Kammie’s trapped in the dark, counting the hours, waiting to be rescued. (The Girls have gone for help, haven’t they?)

As hours pass, Kammie’s real-life predicament mixes with memories of the best and worst moments of her life so far, including the awful reasons her family moved to this new town in the first place. And as she begins to feel hungry and thirsty and light-headed, Kammie starts to imagine she has company, including a French-speaking coyote and goats that just might be zombies.

Karen Rivers has created a unique narrator with an authentic, sympathetic, sharp, funny voice who will have readers laughing and crying and laugh-crying over the course of physically and emotionally suspenseful, utterly believable events."

Goodreads - The Girl in the Well is Me

This book is about a girl that is trying to fit in after her dad disrupts life for the family.  Kammie wants to fit in with "The Girls" at her new school, but they tell her she must go through initiation first.  She proceeds to try to fit in with these girls, and does everything they say, until she falls into a well.  They quickly abandon her and she has to hope and pray that someone will rescue her.

The idea of someone being stuck in a well made me think of the baby Jessica ordeal that happened back in the 80s.  It is a very unique setting for a book to take place.  However, there wasn't a whole lot that I really enjoyed about this book.  I did come across a quote that I really liked.  It says, "He says that it doesn't matter what you listen to, as long as it moves you inside, that it's not about being cool or doing what everyone else is doing, it's about what makes you feel.  He says that music is poetry that has a tune that you hear with your soul."  I love music and can name a wide variety of songs that hold some sort of significance in my life.  So many people just listen to music to be listening, when really there is a message in most songs.  This quote was probably the most exciting thing in the entire book.  I connected with it on a personal level because of my love for music.

This book has ridiculously long chapters.  They just kept going and going.  And Kammie just kept rambling and rambling in these chapters.  I understand that this was done so that we understood that time seemed to stretch on and on, and that she was lonely and was thinking of anything and everything she could think of.  I dislike long chapters because they don't hold my attention and they seem to stretch on for a lifetime.  This book put me to sleep because of the dragging on and rambling.  I'm afraid that my 4th graders will find this book dull and exhausting, much like I did.

This book just wasn't interesting enough for me, and it seemed to drag on.  I give this book 2 stars.  I wasn't a fan of the imaginary creatures and the ongoing dull thoughts that were going through Kammie's head.  I expect my students to say the same thing about it just going on and on.  I don't think they will find it very intriguing and interesting once they get into the book.  I will try to update once I get a review from a student.

Towers Falling by Jewell Parker Rhodes

From Goodreads,

"From award-winning author Jewell Parker Rhodes, a powerful novel set fifteen years after the 9/11 attacks.

When her fifth-grade teacher hints that a series of lessons about home and community will culminate with one big answer about two tall towers once visible outside their classroom window, Deja can't help but feel confused. She sets off on a journey of discovery, with new friends Ben and Sabeen by her side. But just as she gets closer to answering big questions about who she is, what America means, and how communities can grow (and heal), she uncovers new questions, too. Like, why does Pop get so angry when she brings up anything about the towers?

Award-winning author Jewell Parker Rhodes tells a powerful story about young people who weren't alive to witness this defining moment in history, but begin to realize how much it colors their every day."

Goodreads - Towers Falling

This book follows 5th grade student, Deja, who is trying to fit in at a new school, while trying to hide her home life.  Her father is always coughing and upset about something, and deep down it bothers Deja how her life is.  At school she makes two new friends, Ben and Sabeen, who along with the rest of the class, go on a journey to learn about the Twin Towers and what happened on 9/11.

This book would be a wonderful piece to use while teaching and discussing the Twin Towers.  The students today weren't even born when 9/11 happened, and they honestly believe that it has had no impact on their lives.  I like how this book addressed how students today feel that 9/11 doesn't affect them.  The truth is that all of us have some sort of connection back to 9/11.  For example, my connection is that the events eventually led to the deployment of soldiers, which in turn impacted my life when my Dad and brother were deployed.  I think it is important for students to learn about 9/11 and what happened.  I also liked how this book addressed the racism that now takes place because of 9/11.  I think it is important for everyone to know that first off racism is not okay, and second blanket racism is not okay.  Blaming all whites or blacks or muslims or whoever because of the actions of a few is ridiculous and not okay.  This generation has the power to turn things around and learn to love each other for who they are and not for their religion or the color of their skin or anything else.

This book had many excellent teaching points, but it was unfortunately slow.  The book seemed to carry on and the ending became more and more clear.  I felt like the ending was supposed to be an unexpected ending, but it was very much obvious from the wheezing, coughing, and PTSD that her father was experiencing.

This book has a lot of teachable material and would be excellent to use in a middle school classroom.  I give this book 3 stars.  I will update this review as soon as I get some feedback from one of my students.

Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan

From Goodreads,

"In the tradition of Out of My Mind, Wonder, and Mockingbird, this is an intensely moving middle grade novel about being an outsider, coping with loss, and discovering the true meaning of family. 

Willow Chance is a twelve-year-old genius, obsessed with nature and diagnosing medical conditions, who finds it comforting to count by 7s. It has never been easy for her to connect with anyone other than her adoptive parents, but that hasn’t kept her from leading a quietly happy life... until now.

Suddenly Willow’s world is tragically changed when her parents both die in a car crash, leaving her alone in a baffling world. The triumph of this book is that it is not a tragedy. This extraordinarily odd, but extraordinarily endearing, girl manages to push through her grief. Her journey to find a fascinatingly diverse and fully believable surrogate family is a joy and a revelation to read."

Goodreads - Counting by 7s

Awards:

• BEA Buzz Book for Middle Grade (2013)
• An E.B. White Read Aloud Honor Book (2014)
• Children's Literature Council Excellence in Middle Grade Fiction (2014)

A co-worker of mine read this book last year and she told me I had to read it.  She bragged and bragged about this book.  She told me she would let me borrow the book as soon as one of her students returned it.  Needless to say, I don't think they ever returned the book.  I got tired of waiting and just ordered the book myself.  I finally got around to reading it a few months after it arrived in my Scholastic book box.  I'm glad I read it, and I'm hoping that one of my students enjoys it as much as I did. 

This book starts out with a tragic accident where Willow's parents are both killed in a car accident.  The book then jumps back and gives us more backstory to what happened and what led everyone to the position they were in on the evening of the accident.  Willow is quickly shuffled to a new home, a new life, and a new family.  Throughout the book we observe Willow going through the motions and through small bits of depression.   Everyone in this book made changes and everyone had to adjust to a new family, new friends, a new home, and a new way of life.

There was a quote  that really stayed with me, even after I had finished the book.  It was, "All reality is a blender where hopes and dreams are mixed with fear and despair.  Only in cartoons and fairy tales and greeting cards do endings have glitter."  I love this quote because it is such a great analogy for life.  Life is full of emotions and they are always all mixed together.  Things also don't turn out like you had planned.  I myself always want things to be glittery and perfect in the end, but that isn't always possible.  I really think that Willow was trying to get across the fact that she doesn't feel just sad that she lost her parents, but she has multiple feelings from what has happened.  I think I took this quote personally because I like for everything to be in its own little tidy box.  My happiness in one box, sadness in another, and so on and so on.  This isn't reality, much like things can't always end with glitter.

I also like how there was a strong message that you can't dwell on what has happened, but instead you have to live life.  Willow could have mourned and mourned, but she didn't.  She collected herself and started a healing process to move on from what had happened.  I believe that Willow's love for plants was a metaphor in the book.  While her parents were alive she was thriving, healthy, and happy, just like her plants were.  After the accident Willow had to learn how to move on and start living life.  She wasn't able to start doing this until she planted new plants and started growing as a person.  The plant was symbolic of her growing up and moving on.  I really feel like this message ties back in with the quote I mentioned above.  Willow knew that reality was all her feelings mixed together, much like the different plant varieties she invested in.

I also enjoyed the ripple effect in this book.  One event happened that changed the course of lives for several people.  This would be a wonderful teaching point.  One person's action can impact the lives of many.  Students don't realize how their actions affect other people, and I think this would be the perfect example to look at how many different lives were changed based on one person's actions.  Along with this ripple effect, I enjoyed seeing Willow impact and help shape the people around her, like Dell or Quang-ha.  I love books that have multiple messages in them, and this was definitely one of them.

Something I wasn't a fan of in this book was the change of narrators in the middle of a chapter.  I often couldn't tell who was talking and it got confusing at times.  I think that students would have a hard time keeping up with who was talking in each section of the chapter.  It would have been better to have short choppy chapters that had one solid narrator throughout it, than to change narrators in the middle of the chapter.  I have a few students who are looking forward to reading this book, and I'm hoping they will be able to keep the chapters and narrators straight.

I enjoyed this book and I'm hoping a few of my 4th graders will enjoy it too.  I give this book 4.5 out of 5 stars.  I would have given it 5 stars, but the narrator situation bumped it down a half a star.  This would be a good read for educators and older students.  I'm not sure how much my 4th graders will enjoy it, but I'm looking forward to the discussions that can take place. 

The Flip Side by Shawn Johnson

From Goodreads,

"Charlie Ryland has a secret.

She may seem like your average high school sophomore—but she’s just really good at pretending.

Because outside of school Charlie spends all her waking hours training to become one of the best gymnasts in the world. And it’s not easy flying under the radar when you’re aiming for Olympic gold…especially when an irresistible guy comes along and threatens to throw your whole world off balance."


Goodreads - The Flip Side

I've always wanted to be able to fly and glide through the air with no hesitations or fears.  I never took gymnastics, although I wish I had learned how to at least do a cartwheel.  I remember following Shawn Johnson during her time at the summer Olympics in 2008.  When she published her first book, Winning Balance: What I've Learned So Far about Love, Faith, and Living Your Dreams I was beyond excited to get my hands on it and read about this Olympian.  I enjoyed the book, and when I heard she had published a fiction book about gymnastics I was even more excited than when her first book was published.

This book follows Charlie and her dreams of becoming an Olympic gymnast.  Charlie made the decision to live a normal life that was completely separate from her gymnastics life.  She had different circles of friends, kept her schedules separate, and even went by two different names.  The book was based on the premise of Charlie trying to juggle her hectic normal life and her prestigious gymnastics life.

It took a lot for me to really get into this book.  I found it hard to fall in love with Charlie/Charlotte.  I had nothing in common with the main character, and I think that was part of my disconnection with Charlie.  I did like that Charlie/Charlotte was willing to do whatever it took to make both of her lives work.  She juggled boys and her classwork and she juggled her elite training schedule.  I think that she really showed determination and the desire to reach her goals.  I think a lot of girls, especially gymnasts, would look up to Charlie because she tries to balance both aspects of her life to stay as normal as possible and to still reach her Olympic goals.  Her hectic schedule also allowed us to see what kind of time and dedication is put into being an Olympic gymnast.  Charlie gave us a really good look into what gymnastics is like.

I didn't like how the book ended with the epilogue.  I wanted (and still want) there to be a second book that continues Charlie's journey and how she managed to continue juggling with everything on her plate.  I just felt that Shawn Johnson left room for a second book to be written if she truly desired...which I would love.

The book wasn't as good as her first book, but it was still good.  This book didn't grab my attention and hold me which makes me give it 3.5 out of 5 stars.  It would have earned 4 stars if I wouldn't have had to force myself to sit down and finish it.

Hound Dog True by Linda Urban

From Goodreads,

"A story about small acts of courage from the author of A Crooked Kind of Perfect.

Do not let a mop sit overnight in water. Fix things before they get too big for fixing. Custodial wisdom: Mattie Breen writes it all down. She has just one week to convince Uncle Potluck to take her on as his custodial apprentice at Mitchell P. Anderson Elementary School. One week until school starts and she has to be the new girl again. But if she can be Uncle Potluck’s apprentice, she’ll have important work to do during lunch and recess. Work that will keep her safely away from the other fifth graders. But when her custodial wisdom goes all wrong, Mattie’s plan comes crashing down. And only then does she begin to see how one small, brave act can lead to a friend who is hound dog true."

Goodreads - Hound Dog True

I try to read a good amount of books that might interest my fourth graders.  I want to be able to tell them a good book if they come asking for a mystery or one that will make them laugh.  I saw this book on Scholastic, but didn't want to spend the money on the book.  Instead I was able to purchase this book at a thrift store for a couple of dollars.  I finished reading this book while I was at school working at our after school program.  My kids that were in the room at that time were inquiring about what the book was about and if they would like it.  What started as a simple conversation ended up with me trying to get each of my students set up with a book that I thought would interest them.

This book is about Mattie Breen who has moved from place to place thanks to her mother and her saying, "When the going gets tough, the tough get going."  She finally finds herself living in her mother's childhood home alongside her Uncle Potluck and a neighbor.  She tries to learn how to manage a new school, new friends, a new home, and all the other challenges that come with being in the fifth grade.

I didn't really enjoy this book, but it did have an important message of the value of friendship and trust.  Mattie always seemed to lack friends due to their constant moving around.  I think it was very important for Mattie to find a friend that she could laugh and have fun with.  In the story Mattie didn't want to be friends with Quincy Sweet because she thought she lacked important friend qualities.  Throughout the book Mattie learns to trust Quincy.  It is important for students to understand that there are lots of people around them who are friendship material and that they can trust these people.

Other than the friendship and trust quality, this book was very bland to me.  There wasn't a lot going on in the book and the book itself lacked excitement and depth.  I enjoy dimensional books that keep me engaged and turning the pages.  I understand that it may have lacked depth because it is geared toward younger students.  Students might not be able to understand a book with such depth, but they also may not enjoy a book that lacks excitement.

I recommended this book to one of my students.  She was excited to read it, which means that my enjoyment of books is being passed on to my students.  She did ask what I thought of the book, to which I told her that I didn't really like it all that much, but I wanted her to read it so we could discuss it.  I give this book 2 out of 5 stars.  This book was boring and I felt like the chapters kept dragging on and on.  Hopefully my student will enjoy this book and will give it a fair review.

Save Me A Seat by Sarah Weeks and Gita Varadarajan

From Goodreads,

"Joe and Ravi might be from very different places, but they're both stuck in the same place: SCHOOL.

Joe's lived in the same town all his life, and was doing just fine until his best friends moved away and left him on his own.

Ravi's family just moved to America from India, and he's finding it pretty hard to figure out where he fits in.

Joe and Ravi don't think they have anything in common -- but soon enough they have a common enemy (the biggest bully in their class) and a common mission: to take control of their lives over the course of a single crazy week."

Goodreads - Save Me A Seat

I will plead guilty and state that I absolutely judge books by their covers.  I mean, the cover has at least something to do with the story itself, so why not go ahead and judge it just a little.  I thought this book would be about two boys who become friends due to sitting at lunch together and they eventually start using the phrase, "Save me a seat."  This was not the case.  This book is about two boys, Joe and Ravi, who are stuck in predicaments during the first week of school.  Their lives are totally different from one another, but they have a common denominator in their life: Dillon the bully.  Both boys are dealing with the bully who is tormenting their lives.  As the book progresses we see how their lives are starting to intertwine with each other and how they will eventually work together to outwit Dillon.

I really enjoyed the way this book was written.  The authors each took a character in the book and they took turns writing back and forth.  This gave each character his own unique voice in the story.  I loved how this book was set up with the day progressions marked by what was on the lunch menu for the day.  It really showed how this took place in a weeks span and not over the course of a month.  I also loved how both students came to find themselves throughout the book and that they were able to showcase this at school through an assignment.  The class was supposed to bring an item that represented them and they were supposed to write a sentence on a notecard that went along with their item.  I think this is a brilliant way to get to know your students and get to know what is important or valuable to them.  By the end of the book both students had found out who they were, what they stood for, and what kind of friend they wanted to be.

While this book was amazing, it did have the downfall of the teacher.  I'm a teacher myself and I judged the teacher in this book hardcore.  She mispronounced Ravi's name at the beginning and brushed it off like it was no big deal.  I would be furious if someone mispronounced my name and didn't take the time to try to make an effort to pronounce it correctly.  She could have shown a little more try in that situation.  Also, she couldn't understand Ravi so she just sent him to resource.  I felt like she didn't want to deal with it so she just said he had problems understanding and speaking so he could go to resource.  When I get a new student I want them to be in my room for a solid week or two so that I can get to know them and how they function in my class.  That is crucial time for me to see what they are capable of doing and if they are going to need additional help such as resource or if they are beyond capable and need to be in an enriched learning program.  That teacher also didn't handle the bullying situation as she should have.  The trend of teachers not handling bullying has been something I've seen in a LOT of books over the past few months and it is very unsettling.  Authors make it seem that teachers NEVER do anything about bullying, and that isn't the case.  Teachers work hard to make sure each child is safe, secure, and happy.

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.  I thought the book was very good and interesting.  It had just enough chapters that weren't too short or too long.  I think middle school students would really enjoy this book.