King and the Dragonflies by Kacen Callender

From Goodreads, 

"Twelve-year-old Kingston James is sure his brother Khalid has turned into a dragonfly. When Khalid unexpectedly passed away, he shed what was his first skin for another to live down by the bayou in their small Louisiana town. Khalid still visits in dreams, and King must keep these secrets to himself as he watches grief transform his family.

It would be easier if King could talk with his best friend, Sandy Sanders. But just days before he died, Khalid told King to end their friendship, after overhearing a secret about Sandy—that he thinks he might be gay. "You don't want anyone to think you're gay too, do you?"

But when Sandy goes missing, sparking a town-wide search, and King finds his former best friend hiding in a tent in his backyard, he agrees to help Sandy escape from his abusive father, and the two begin an adventure as they build their own private paradise down by the bayou and among the dragonflies. As King's friendship with Sandy is reignited, he's forced to confront questions about himself and the reality of his brother's death."

Goodreads - King and the Dragonflies 

Awards and Nominations: 

• National Book Award for Young People's Literature (2020)
• Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Middle Grade & Children's (2020)
• Lambda Literary Award for LGBTQ Children's/Middle Grade (2021)
• Coretta Scott King Award Nominee for Author (2021)
• Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award Nominee (2022)

This is another book I received as being a part of the Scholastic Insider program.  I glanced through the chapter books I had remaining to read.  After reading the inside flap I was quickly drawn to this book.  I'm from a small town where no one questions law enforcement and I've heard many people talk down on people who are "different" aka gay.  I devoured this book at an alarming rate.

King is going through a lot.  King's brother passed away unexpectedly and King is trying to process and cope with it.  He honestly believes that his brother is a dragonfly.  He keeps this to himself, along with other things, as his parents try to move through their own grief.  Before Khalid died he had a conversation with King about staying away from a boy named Sandy because Sandy was gay.  Now that Khalid is gone King feels like he should follow the advice of his brother.  But King must sort through his own feelings when Sandy goes missing, only for King to find him in a tent in his backyard.  Sandy confides in King and asks for his help.  Now King must really make a decision to follow the advice of his brother or follow his heart. 

This book.  Guys.  I have no words.  I love, love, LOVE the way that this book handled sexuality and King questioning his.  I want to state that I'm not gay, so I cannot speak for the experience of those who are gay living or having grown up in small towns.  But I know that small towns, especially those in the South, are EXTREMELY judgey.  I live in the bible belt and for the most part it is definitely not accepted to be anything but on the straight and narrow.  I think this book definitely captured that small town vibe and the astigmatism that is around being gay in a small town.  King is told not to be around Sandy because Sandy is gay, but not openly.  King goes through the motions of feeling different, but feeling like he is expected to date girls.  He tries to date Jasmine, but finds he doesn't have the same connection with her that he has when he is with Sandy.  King eventually realizes that he is gay, and he works on coming out to his parents and his friends.  King's entire process of finding himself was so beautifully written.  And with all the confusing feelings he was also grieving the death of his brother.  Callender did a wonderful job at writing King's character and pacing the grieving and the questioning sexuality and the healing.  King had a wonderful character development over the course of this book, and honestly, I would love to read a follow up novel of King and Sandy later in life.  Maybe college? 

My heart absolutely broke for Sandy in this book.  Because his father was sheriff in town and from a family in town that was part of the KKK, Sandy didn't feel he could just go to anyone.  Sandy knew that his family had power and that no one would believe that his father was abusing him.  I felt terrible for this fictional character because he was being abused and he was gay.  He had no safe place.  And honestly, if King hadn't intervened there's a solid chance that Sandy would have ended up killing himself because there wasn't a way out.  I would really like to read a story from Sandy's perspective.  Maybe allow him to be a little older in life and let there be flashbacks that give us a real glimpse into his life being part of a prominent white family in the South.

I absolutely loved this book.  A lot of books nowadays force themes into the story so that the book will fit under multiple categories.  One of the biggest forced themes I read is LGBTQ+ characters.  I feel like so many authors shove a character into the story just so they can label their book as being pro LGBTQ+.  This book didn't do that, but the LGBTQ+ characters were beautifully written and the story centered around them.  It has been a LONG time since I've read a book that felt natural including LGBTQ+ characters.  I really hope that some of my students read this book this upcoming school year, and hopefully if they need help or guidance they will feel safe talking to me.  I give this 5 big and bold stars!

Radio Fifth Grade by Gordon Korman

From Goodreads, 

"Mayhem breaks out in the fifth grade when the Venice Menace bullies his classmates into letting him become a regular guest on Kidsview, the school's radio program!"

Goodreads - Radio Fifth Grade 

Awards and Nominations: 

• Manitoba Young Readers' Choice Award Nominee (1992)

I teach 5th grade and I'm always keeping an eye out for books where the main characters are in 5th grade.  These students can easily relate to these characters because they are the same age and most of the time they are experiencing middle school for the first time.  So when I saw this book on Scholastic I knew I had to order it in hopes that I could use it as a read-aloud in class.  

Radio Fifth Grade is the story of a group of students who are in charge of running the school's radio program on Saturdays.  Every week the radio show has a mascot of the week.  The local pet store sponsors the show and has them try to "sell" the pet on the radio by talking it up and sharing special things about the pet.  One Saturday they get a parrot that is supposed to talk, but no one can get him to speak.  Things fly out of control and the bird doesn't get purchased by anyone the following week.  Plus, the class gets a new teacher who is determined to give the students an abundance of homework for them to do over the weekend.  The homework interferes with the radio show, but things escalate even further when the school bully decides he is going to be a regular on the show reading a poorly written story.  

This book had so much going on in it.  The chaoticness of this book really stressed me out, but honestly, I think kids would enjoy the random things that happen.  I loved Venice Menace in the book.  He was the bully that insisted on being a regular on the show to read his poorly written story.  He was encouraged by a teacher to read the story.  He read it on the air, everyone realized it absolutely stunk, but they didn't tell him.  They were all so scared of him that they told him it was fantastic.  So he decided to play his own little prank by "forcing" everyone to go along with it and having them give reviews and fill out forms about the story.  In the end, we learn that he wanted someone to stand up to him and tell him that the story was bad and he needed to stop.  There are so many kids that will push things and push things and push things just because they want someone to set boundaries and rules and tell them no.  This was the same kind of situation.  I also loved all the ways the students tried to trick their teacher so that they didn't have to do the homework and so she wouldn't listen to the radio show.  

I felt like this story lacked a solid plot.  There was one there, but it was poorly written and buried under the jokes and hijinks.  I wasn't a fan of the pet store owner.  He came across as being really rude and mean, especially to Mark who seemed to always be messing things up.  I personally felt like the pet store owner was being a little over the top and extreme to a kid.  I also wasn't a fan of the radio sponsor.  He was always reading and NEVER helped the kids when something had hit the fan and they seriously needed help.  Even when they would ask for advice or what to do, he would shrug and basically be like figure it out.  I definitely got the vibe that he was just there for the extra stipend on his paycheck. 

This was a fun little book, but it's not like any of the other books I've read by Korman.  I think some of my students will enjoy this, but I don't think it packs enough punch for me to use it as a read-aloud in class.  I give this 2 stars.  It just didn't have the exciting razzle-dazzle that the summary led up to.  I also just want to talk real quick about the original teacher and how she won the lottery, quit her job, and moved to Hawaii.  Because girl, I feel that on a different level.  

Jay's Journal by Anonymous

From Goodreads, 

"Jay was a sweet, bright high school student who cared about his grades and his friends. He had ambitions. He was happy. And he thought he could handle anything.

He was wrong.

When Jay falls in with a crowd that's dabbling in drugs and the occult, he finds himself in over his head and doing things he never thought possible. Fascinated by the dark arts and in love with a dangerous girl, Jay falls deeper and deeper into a life he no longer recognizes...and sees no way out."

Goodreads - Jay's Journal 

A few years back I read through the Anonymous books that had been published at that time.  (Another has been released since then.)  But there was something about this book that I couldn't pick up and read at that time.  The book quickly got mixed in with the others and eventually got shuffled to the back of where I keep all of my books.  I moved a few months ago and this book ended up at the front of the shelf.  I decided it was time to finally conquer this book.  Conquer isn't a word I use lightly because it took everything in me to finish this book. 

Jay's Journal follows a young boy named Jay who has to keep a journal for his English class.  But Jay ends up falling in with a crowd who starts experimenting with drugs.  Once his parents find out they send him to a facility to get help, he is introduced to something even worse: an occult.  Jay quickly introduces his friends to the same occult material he has been exposed to.  But when Jay wants out he realizes he has no idea how to get out of the mess that he helped create.  

I struggled, and I mean STRUGGLED, to finish this book.  The first book I read that was the same format was Go Ask Alice.  This book is SO similar in writing style and language to Go Ask Alice.  Both books use a triple word format at times like "Dumb, dumb, dumb."  It was repetitive and I personally felt like there was no storyline to the book.  There's a note at the beginning and at the end of this book.  The beginning note talks about how Jay was a real person and this book is the journals he left behind.  The note at the end is from Jay's mother.  Halfway through the book, I started doing a little digging.  Jay is based on a real person named Alden.  And Alden did take his own life like in the book.  Alden also kept a journal like Jay did in the book.  But the reality is that only 21 of Alden's 212 entries were actually used for this book.  This means that the majority of this book was completely fabricated.  And because the author did this it raised all kinds of questions and problems for Alden's family and his town.  People begin to look into where occult activity had taken place and if there had been animal sacrifices like in the book.  Alden's brother even wrote a book about the truth of Alden and this book.  It's just irritating for an author to claim that this is based on a true story and a true person when in all reality the majority of the book was a complete lie.  

This book was a huge letdown and I considered not finishing it multiple times.  But I pushed through and finished it with frustration in my soul.  This was definitely my least favorite of all of the Anonymous books that I've read.  I think if you've read the others you *might* enjoy this, but it definitely did absolutely nothing for me.  I give this 1 star only because I don't believe in giving no stars.

My Weird School Graphic Novel: Mr.Corbett Is in Orbit! by Dan Gutman

From Goodreads, 

"Graphic novel fans, prepare for liftoff! New York Times bestselling author Dan Gutman and illustrator Jim Paillot have brought you an all-new series of My Weird School graphic novels!

In this first book, A.J. and his friends at Ella Mentry School are headed on a field trip to NASA headquarters. But their tour guide, Mr. Corbett, is a total space cadet! And what happens when A.J. accidentally launches the whole class into outer space?!  

Full of visual gags, space aliens, and hilarious full-color illustrations, this is the weirdest graphic novel in the history of the world!

With more than 27 million books sold, the My Weird School series really gets kids reading!"

Goodreads - Mr.Corbett Is in Orbit!

Scholastic Books sent me a box of books a while back to read and review.  I tore through the picture books quickly because, well, they are quick reads.  But I have been working my way through the chapter books.  I initially thought this book was a chapter book, but when I opened it I realized it was a graphic novel!  I have many of Dan Gutman's books in my library but have actually never read one of the "My Weird School" books.  

Mr. Corbett Is in Orbit! is the story of a class of students that visit NASA on a field trip.  But while they are touring NASA they are accidentally launched into space because someone pushed the launch button!  They are extremely worried they will never return until they receive help from an unlikely hero.  

As I mentioned earlier, I have never read any of the books in this series.  I was expecting them to be pretty silly just based on the cover.  But honestly, the book was downright hilarious.  I felt like this being a graphic novel really added to the story because the pictures were just as funny as the actual story.  The story and the antics in this book reminded me a lot of Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar.  I think this would be a great read for a lot of reluctant readers or readers who need the extra visual support while reading.  

The only downfall, which I have with many graphic novels, is the lack of actual reading.  I always feel like I am missing out on so much of the story when I read a graphic novel.  I feel like they condense the story down to the bare parts and the dialogue and leave out the details since it's a graphic novel that has pictures.  I think kids need to read graphic novels, but they also need to be able to read a chapter book that requires them to use the details and imagery in their book to create a picture in their mind. 

This was a funny book and I think some of my fifth graders will definitely enjoy this.  I give this 3 stars.  I felt like I missed out on part of the story since it was a graphic novel.  

See You On a Starry Night by Lisa Schroeder

From Goodreads, 

"Juliet has just moved to a beachside town with her newly separated mother and her moody older sister. When she meets their new neighbor, Emma, the girls form an instant bond. Emma's big family takes Juliet in, and the girls have fun together -- starting with the night they throw bottles with secret messages into the sea.

Then someone writes back to Juliet's message. An email arrives, inviting her to join the Starry Beach Club. All she has to do is make someone else's wish come true.

So Juliet and Emma set off to help as many other people as they can. It's fun! But as Juliet spends more and more time away from home, enjoying her new town and Emma's family more than her own mom and sister, she starts feeling lost. It's been easy to find others to help. But maybe her star would shine a little brighter if she brought it closer to home."

Goodreads - See You On a Starry Night

I've been on a bit of a break from reading.  A few months back I flipped life upside down and made some major changes.  This led to me moving to a new town and a lot of adjustments to the new normal.  But now that summer is here and in full swing I am trying to read as much as possible.  The chair on my front porch and I have become great friends over the past few weeks. 

This book follows a girl named Juliet who has had her life completely uprooted.  Her parents are now divorced and her mom decided that they all needed a fresh start in a new town.  Juliet misses her dad and her friends and the life she used to have.  On the first day in the new town, Juliet walks down to the beach.  What she doesn't expect is that she is going to run into a girl named Emma who is the same age as her.  Emma wants Juliet to write a letter, put it in a bottle, and throw it out to the ocean. The two soon become friends but become closer when Emma's bottle is found.  The person who found the bottle wants Juliet to become a member of the Starry Beach Club and make someone's wish come true.  Juliet and Emma soon set off on a quest to make a wish come true and find out who found the bottle. 

I love that this book addresses the feelings that a child experiences when their parents get a divorce and move to a new town.  Juliet is upset about her parents getting a divorce.  We see her have full-fledged meltdowns.  I think many kids who have been through or are going through the separation of parents can connect with Juliet.  I also like that in this book we see Juliet, her mom, and her sister move to a new town for a fresh start.  Juliet struggles with the new move.  She misses her dad and her friends from her old town.  She is having to start at a new school and will be going in with no friends.  She is clearly overwhelmed with all the changes.  Kids will absolutely relate to this if they have ever had to move to a new school and leave their old friends behind.  I also really liked that this book addresses the anger that is experienced during a big life transition like Juliet was going through.  Near the end of the book, we see everything kind of pile up inside Juliet until she explodes.  Luckily, her family and Emma are there to help her through the tough time and she learns how to better express herself and her anger.  I haven't read many books written for middle school kids that address divorce and moving to a new school like this book does.  

While this book addressed the divorce/moving situation tastefully, there were a couple BIG problems.  The biggest issue with this book was that Juliet was emailing someone who she did not know.  Every time she emailed the person or they emailed her, I was thinking that it could be a predator.  Juliet was just freely talking with someone who she didn't know.  I felt like there was a missed opportunity here.  Schroeder should have written it in for Juliet or Emma's parents to find out about this mystery person so they could have a conversation about being safe online.  And even worse is that Juliet and Emma set up a time to meet this mystery person!  Which luckily it ended up being a girl that was their age and went to school with them.  But still!  These two girls have obviously not been taught about being safe online and not meeting up with strangers.  Also, I didn't like that Juliet's mom just let Juliet go to the beach unsupervised.  It felt extremely irresponsible on the part of her mom, especially since they just moved to a new town.  I also didn't like that Juliet met Emma on the very first day in town.  I felt like Juliet needed to just kind of soak in the aloneness for a chapter or two before she met Emma.  I just didn't feel like it was realistic for Juliet to meet Emma the very first day during her very first walk on the beach.  

Overall, this book had great coverage of divorce and moving to a new town.  But I was so bothered by the fact that no one in this book had ever been taught about internet safety.  And the fact that it was never addressed honestly left me upset because this is such a huge thing with kids having access to ALL kinds of technology 24/7.  I give this 2 stars.  It will of course go into my classroom library, but it isn't high on my recommendation list.