Books Between Podcast

Intro

Hi everyone and welcome to the Books Between Podcast! I believe in empowering children by helping them discover who they are as readers. My goal is to help you connect kids between 8-12 with fabulous reading experiences and share inspiring conversations with the authors and educators who make that magic happen.

I'm your host, Corrina Allen - a mom of two, a 5th grade teacher, and thinking about how much I LOVE our public libraries and how much they are needed. My daughters and I just launched our summer Library Crawl where we try to hit as many public libraries in the area as can and explore their unique services and collections and just get to know them. Libraries are the heart of our communities. Please support them.

This is Episode #55 and oday I want to chat with you about being a book witch, and then I'll share a conversation with Melissa Sarno, author of Just Under the Clouds!

I have three super quick announcements for you! First is a Middle Grade at Heart Book Club update. The August pick is Where the Watermelons Grow, the September pick is The House That Lou Built and in October we will be reading Three Rules of Everyday Magic. And all of those authors are scheduled to come on the show - so stay tuned for that!

And announcement #2 - don't forget that Monday nights are the #MGBookChat Twitter chats with upcoming topics like #ownvoices, the importance of refugee stories, and books that battle mental health stigmas. So set a reminder for Mondays at 9pm EST and check out #MGBookChat on Twitter for conversations and collaboration between educators, librarians, and authors.

And - finally, announcement #3. This is something that has been semi-secretly in the works for a few months now, but I am so happy to make it official. NerdCamp Central New York is ON for next summer - August 6, 2019! So - if you want to experience some of that NerdCamp magic and you're able to make it to Syracuse, NY - save the date! And you can follow @NerdCampCNY on Twitter for more updates.

Main Topic - Being a Book Witch

And you can go ahead and replace that W with a B if you'd like. So - I had a topic planned for today. I had an outline, things were coming together, and then I saw a post. And then some tweets. From several people, including Donalyn Miller, who were attending a recent Scholastic Reading Summit. It was it from a presentation by Annie Ward - or at least referencing her work From Striving to Thriving: How to Grow Capable, Confident Readers. And it was one slide showing ways that educators and parents can be what she called "Book Wardens". And well, it struck me so forcefully. And made me think of all those times as a teacher and as a parent, I have been that Book Witch. I am recovering - but yeah…. that was me.

So I scrapped my other topic and that's what I want to talk to you about today. First - ways we might not even realize that we're being book snobs and inadvertently turning kids off to reading - both from Annie's presentation and from my own mistakes. And then some thoughts on ways we can do better. Although to be up front with you - my understanding of this is evolving. Starting with the first bullet on that slide.

1. Confining kids to "just right" books - gulp. That is a phrase I have used ever since... I don't know when! A have a big lesson on choosing "just right" or "good fit" books complete with a whole array of shoes I bring in to demonstrate! But now I am wondering… who SETS the criteria for "right"? Is it.. Level? Genre? Format? Perceived complexity? Something I've started doing is turning these questions back on myself. Okay Corrina, what's a "just right" book for you? Well -it depends! What am I in the mood for? What do I want to learn? What are my friends all reading that looks amazing and I want IN on THAT conversation! When I think about it that way, it's not really about picking a book off the shelf and reading the first page and counting the errors on my fingers. Adults don't do that! And - we are definitely NOT picking from the bin labeled Level Z or only reading within our lexile level. So why are we asking kids to do that? What DO we do? We weigh all those factors, gather some options, and try them out. If it's too hard, well…. then…. I'm just going to put The Iliad off to the side for now. I think we need to trust kids more. And be more open about how you actually go about choosing books. And maybe I don't totally drop the phrase "just right" but shift it to be child-centered and NOT mean "just right" from MY point of view.

2. Express book snobbery. So, you might be a book snob, if you've said one these things (and I've said a few of them in the past…):

• "Graphic novels are not real reading."

• "Don't just listen to that audio book - make sure you are following along in your book."

• "I only really like literary books - you know award-winners."

• "Well, I've never heard of that book!"

• "NEVER watch the movie before reading the book!"

• "I get all my book recommendations from NPR."

• "They're reading THAT? I guess it's better than reading nothing!"

• "I don't watch TV. Never. I just read."

• "I only read books for adults." (Credit to Sarah Threlkeld for suggesting that one.)

• "Yeah, we're only reading CLASSICS in this class."

• "Romance novels are all the same." (And you can replace romance with mysteries, westerns, fantasy.)

• "Are you reading a picture book? Maybe you should choose something more your age."

• "You dog-ear your pages? You beast!"

• "Fan Fiction doesn't count toward your reading minutes."

So - that last one? About the fan fiction? Was me - a few years ago. But then, I discovered that Angie Thomas (you know - author of New York Times Bestselling, multiple award-winning The Hate U Give) got her start writing fanfiction for her favorite soap opera. And suddenly I thought, maybe I'm being kind of a witch about this. And then, I discovered Star Wars fan fiction and I was hooked. I think I spent about a week just immersed in alternative Star Wars universes. So go ahead - come at me about the fan fiction!

3. Look askance at funny, edgy, or "forbidden" topics. So, confession time. Way back when I was just getting starting as a teacher and starting to build my classroom library, I would ONLY purchase what I, the book witch, deemed as high quality literature. Captain Underpants? Comics? Joke books? Diary of a Wimpy Kid? Uh...no. And oh do I owe those kids an apology. I was flat out wrong. And clearly not remembering all the Garfield and Calvin & Hobbes books that I devoured as a young kid. I'm happy to say our class is filled with Dav Pilkey books and all kids of funny, light-hearted books. Because, wow - don't we need that now? And as far as edgy or "forbidden" topics - that has always rubbed me the wrong way. Edgy according to who? I've seen adults roll their eyes when a 10 year old picked a book about the WWE. I've seen adults try to ban books with characters who are dealing with substance abuse. And I've seen adults pluck books with gay characters out of their kids hands. Who are we to tell kids that their family, their life, their experiences are "too edgy" and not allowed.

4. Frowning upon rereading. Yup - this is another one I have done regularly. And I think it comes from a well-intentioned place. When you know how many amazing books are out there, you want kids to experience that. And I think for me, I have the bias that I am not typically a HUGE rereader. Aside from a few books that I might reread for school or book club (like Home of the Brave, or Wonder), I find it so hard to resist the siren call of my TBR pile. But last year, instead of giving side-eye to those kids rereading Dork Diaries or Smile for the 3rd or 4th (or 12th!) time - instead, I tried to act excited and say, "Wow - what do you love so much about that book? What are you noticing now that you never noticed the first time you read it?" And the reframing has helped me recognize more value in rereading. And those conversations help me understand my readers better and offer them similar titles they might enjoy to expand their reading palate.

5. Imposing Accountability Measures for Reading. I'll admit - I had to think about this one for a minute. But I think what this is getting at is when 'points programs" like AR (Accelerated Reader) are used to confine student reading in an attempt to make sure there is tangible proof of reading. Accountability measures might include parent sign-offs on a reading log or requiring a summary each night. That imposition on reading. Instead - the best "accountability" is a culture of reading where kids want to talk about what they are reading. And your tangible proof are conferences and conversations and observations.

6. Treating some books like "dessert". And only allowing kids to read them after they've read something more suitable. Usually when I see this - those "dessert" books are graphic novels, or Minecraft books. Now - there are times when I will say, "Let's take some some time to read our Book Club novels. And if you finish your section for the day, read whatever you want." But always treating SOME TYPES of books like just fluff - is being a book witch.

So those were the main points from Annie Ward. But I'll add one more.

7. Not letting kids take the books home. I used to treat MY books like they were GOLD. And I would let kids read them in class but then not let them out of my sight. I lost fewer books - but I also lost readers. Now - they go home with them. Usually they come back, but if not - I just hope that book meant so much to that child that they couldn't bare to part with it.

So, I am a recovering Book Witch! And I mentioned some things we can do instead, but to quickly sum up, here they are:

• Let kids take the lead in what "just right" reading means for them - including their mood and what they are interested in, the format, the social connections they want to form around that reading - and not just a level.
• Don't be a book snob! Openly embrace and book talk all genres and formats and expand your horizons.
• Watch your words and your body language to make sure you are not looking down on kids' reading choices or making them feel ashamed for reading a text some might consider "edgy."
• If a child is rereading a book - ask them about it! Or ask them to book talk it to the class!
• Instead of cumbersome attempts at reading accountability, instead - watch your kids, have conversations about the books, confer with them and have them read to you.
• Let kids take books home. And be gracious when they get lost or damaged.
• And finally - trust the kids and trust the books.

If you want to know more about Annie Ward's work with co-author Stephanie Harvey, I highly recommend you pick up a copy of From Striving to Thriving: How to Grow Capable, Confident Readers. And as always, we are learning together and helping each other out, so please share your thoughts about overcoming being a book witch. You can tag me on Twitter, Instagram, and now Facebook - our handle is @books_between or email me at [email protected] and I'd love to share your ideas.

Melissa Sarno - Interview Outline

Joining me this month for our Middle Grade at Heart interview with Melissa Sarno is author Julie Artz. We got a chance to sit down together last month to chat about Just Under the Clouds.

Take a listen…

Just Under the Clouds

CA: For our listeners who haven't yet read Just Under the Clouds what is this story about?

CA: One of my favorite parts of the book is when Cora goes to her remedial math class and her new teacher gives her some advice about solving algebra problems. She says: "I'll give you a hint. It's always easiest to start from the end. Start backward." I'm wondering - when if your own life have you found it easier to start at the end?

JA: I loved the friendship between Cora and Sabina. They both have experienced intense loneliness due to an unconventional lifestyle, but the moment when they commit to their friendship--even though they may end up apart--was really touching. How did you come up with the idea for this complex and lovely friendship?

JA: Adare is such a vivid character despite being mostly non-verbal. What research went into creating her character?

**BONUS SPOILER SECTION: Melissa and Julie and I discuss the ending of the novel, and if you'd like to hear that conversation, I moved that part of the recording to after the end credits of today's episode at the 37:50 mark.

Your Writing Life

JA: I loved the tree book and all that it represented for Cora. How much time did you spend researching trees for the story, or has that always been an interest of yours?

CA: What are you working on now?

Your Reading Life

CA: One of the goals of this podcast is to help educators and librarians inspire kids to read more and connect them with amazing books. Did you have a special teacher or librarian in your life who helped you grow into a reader?

JA: What types of books did you love when you were Cora's age?

CA: What are you reading now?

Links:

Melissa's website - https://www.melissasarno.com

Melissa on Twitter and Instagram

Julie's website - http://julieartz.com

Julie on Twitter

New York City Tree Census - https://www.nycgovparks.org/trees/treescount/about

Books & Authors We Chatted About:

Swiss Family Robinson (Johann D. Wyss)

The Tillerman Series (Cynthia Voight)

Lizard Music (Daniel Pinkwater)

Her Body and Other Parties (Carmen Maria Machado)

The Cardboard Kingdom (Chad Sell)

Bob (Wendy Mass & Rebecca Stead)

Hurricane Child (Kheryn Callender)

Closing

Alright, that wraps up our show this week!

If you have a question about how to connect kids between 8-12 to books they'll love or a suggestion about a topic we should cover, I would love to hear from you. You can email me at [email protected] or message me on Twitter/Instagram at the handle @Books_Between.

Books Between is a proud member of the Education Podcast Network. This network features podcasts for educators, created by educators. For more great content visit edupodcastnetwork.com

Thank you so much for joining me this week. You can get an outline of interviews and a full transcript of all the other parts of our show at MGBookVillage.org. And, if you are liking the show, please leave us some love on iTunes or Stitcher so others can discover us as well.

Thanks and see you soon! Bye!

Intro

Hi everyone and welcome to the Books Between Podcast! I believe in the power of books to help spark deep conversations and help us think through the big ideas in life. My goal is to help you connect kids between 8-12 with those amazing books and share inspiring conversations with the authors and educators who make that magic happen.

I'm your host, Corrina Allen - a mom of two, a 5th grade teacher, and still a bit tired from our trip to the beach yesterday!

This is Episode #54 and today I'm sharing a conversation with Jarred Amato - a high school English teacher and founder of the ProjectLIT Community.

Perhaps like you, I kept hearing about this thing called ProjectLIT and I kept bumping into conversations on Twitter about it. And I since I had questions and definitely wanted to know more - I figured you might as well. Some disclosure - after chatting with Jarred and after learning more from a wonderful session at NerdCamp last week ( a big thank you to Kimiko, Ashleigh, and Lindsey) , I have decided to start a ProjectLIT Book Club at my school this year for 4th and 5th graders. And promptly bought a shirt and a tank and cup and a hat… because, well - like I told Jarred - I have no chill!

Alright - take a listen!

Jarred Amato - Interview Outline

Welcome to the podcast!

Can you take a minute to introduce yourself to our listeners?

ProjectLIT

What is ProjectLIT and how did it get started?

What does a chapter do?

How are the books selected?

What are the books for the 2018-19 school year?

If someone wanted to start a ProjectLit Chapter in their own community, what would they need to know? And what would they need to do?

One of the things that makes ProjectLITstand out as more than just a book club, is the focus on service projects to increase book access in the school and community. What are some examples of projects that chapters have been doing?

Did I see you also have a Twitter Chat?

Tell me about the ProjectLIT Summit!

What are your plans for the future of ProjectLIT?

Your Reading Life

One of the goals of this podcast is to help educators and librarians and parents inspire kids to read more and connect them with amazing books. Did you have a special teacher or librarian who helped foster your reading life as a child?

What were some of your most influential reads growing up?

What have you been reading lately that you've liked?

Links:

Jarred's website -https://jarredamato.wordpress.com

Jarred on Twitter

ProjectLIT on Twitter

ProjectLIT Chapter Leader Application

#ProjectLITChat Twitter Chat

ProjectLIT swag: https://project-lit-community.myshopify.com

David's ending to Long Way Down

Dollar General Grant Programs

Donors Choose

Books & Authors We Chatted About:

Goosebumps Series

Matt Christopher books

The Color of Water (James McBride)

Darius the Great is Not Okay (Adib Khorram)

Hope Nation (Rose Brock)

2018-19 ProjectLIT Middle Grade Book Club Selections

Ghost Boys (Jewell Parker Rhodes)

Sunny (Jason Reynolds)

I am Alfonso Jones (Tony Medina)

Amal Unbound (Aisha Saeed)

Rebound (Kwame Alexander)

Like Vanessa (Tami Charles)

The Stars Beneath Our Feet (David Barclay Moore)

Time Bomb (Joelle Charbonneau)

Wishtree (Katherine Applegate)

Amina's Voice (Hena Khan)

The First Rule of Punk (Celia C. Perez)

The Parker Inheritance (Varian Johnson)

2018-19 ProjectLIT Young Adult Book Club Selections

The Poet X (Elizabeth Acevedo)

When I Was the Greatest (Jason Reynolds)

Born a Crime (Trevor Noah)

Speak (Laurie Halse Anderson)

Tradition (Brenden Kiely)

The 57 Bus (Dashka Slater)

Allegedly (Tiffany Jackson)

Odd One Out (Nic Stone)

Pride (Ibi Zoboi)

Children of Blood and Bone (Tomi Adeyemi)

I am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter (Erika L. Sanchez)

Dread Nation (Justina Ireland)

On the Come Up (Angie Thomas)

Closing

Alright, that wraps up our show this week!

If you have a question about how to connect kids between 8-12 to books they'll love or a suggestion about a topic we should cover, I would love to hear from you. You can email me at [email protected] or message me on Twitter/Instagram at the handle @Books_Between.

Books Between is a proud member of the Education Podcast Network. This network features podcasts for educators, created by educators. For more great content visit edupodcastnetwork.com

Thank you so much for joining me this week. You can get an outline of interviews and a full transcript of all the other parts of our show at MGBookVillage.org. And, if you are liking the show, please leave us some love on iTunes or Stitcher so others can discover us as well.

Thanks and see you soon! Bye!

Intro

Hi everyone and welcome to the Books Between Podcast! I believe in the power of books to help us see our world more clearly and to see each other more clearly. My goal is to help you connect kids between 8-12 with those amazing books and share inspiring conversations with the authors and educators who make that magic happen.

I'm your host, Corrina Allen - a mom of a 9 and 11 year old, a 5th grade teacher and currently in a battle with Japanese beetles! Argh! My hollyhock has finally bloomed after three years and those buggers and destroying it! A green thumb, I do not have.

This is Episode #53 and today I'm discussing more fabulous nonfiction and sharing a conversation with Diane Magras, author of The Mad Wolf's Daughter!

A couple quick announcements for you! The July Middle Grade at Heart Book Club pick is Just Under the Clouds . Where the Watermelons Grow is the read for August and the September pick is The House That Lou Built.

And don't forget that Monday nights are our #MGBookChat Twitter chats with upcoming topics like graphic novels, ending gendered labels of MG books, and the importance of refugee stories. So set a reminder for Mondays at 9pm EST and check out #MGBookChat for conversations and collaboration between educators, librarians, and authors. I'll warn you though - if you think your TBR stack is bad now… it only gets WORSE after one of those chats! (There are worse vices to have, right?)

Book Talk - More Fabulous Nonfiction

A couple weeks ago, on episode #51, I started a list of fantastic nonfiction reads with the promise that I would continue the list in the next episode. Well, the conversation with special guest Nikki Mancini was so good that I didn't want to cut any more and so I bumped this nonfiction book talk to today. So here are more fabulous nonfiction books that you and your middle grade students will love this year!

First up is a brand new book called Squidtoons: Exploring Ocean Science with Comics by Garfield Kwan and Dana Song. I love this book for its bright, bold comics that are easy to read and with just the right amount of humor to keep a smile on your face as you learn about cool creatures like the moon jelly, and the narwhal, and seadragons! It reminds me a lot of the Science Comics series (which I mentioned in that last episode) but this one is a tad easier to read with bigger font. So I think the readability on this one could hit a younger audience. I'm really excited to share this one with my class in the fall.

Another nonfiction book that bubbled up into my awareness late last school year is Discovering Black America: from the Age of Exploration to the Twenty-first Century by Linda Tarrant-Reid. This books offers 200+ pages of in-depth history from the black sailor who traveled with Columbus to the indentured servants of the colonial era and tragedies of enslaved Africans to the Harlem Renaissance and up to the presidency of Barack Obama. And those stories are set in a greater context of the entire history of the United States. This is a book that is great to read cover to cover but also a helpful resources to have on hand to offer a perspective about a historical topic that might not be covered completely in a traditional history text. For example, there is an entire section on black patriots who fought for independence and the black women in the Women's Army Corps in the 1940s. Definitely check this one out.

Another couple of books that were really popular with my 5th graders - and frankly, with me too, since they were my personal books that I brought in - were the Star Wars Visual Dictionaries. The two I have (so far) are the ones for The Last Jedi and The Force Awakens. These books are must-haves for any Star Wars fans because they let you see in detail all the little things go by so quickly in a movie. Like, everything that's in Rey's salvage kit. The names of the Resistance pilots and their backstory. And little surprises like Ben Solo's calligraphy set. Visual Dictionaries are really fun to explore and DK Publishers does a really incredible job with them. So have a few on hand that appeal to the interests of your kids.

Also - if you and your kids have not yet read any of Sarah Albee's nonfiction books - you all are in for a treat! My daughters and I just read Bugged: How Insects Changed History and were simultaneously enthralled and appalled! From the disturbing fact of where that brilliant red dye comes from to how bugs were a factor in the Louisiana Purchase. It's a COOL book and can either be read cover to cover or just read the textbox features. Sarah Albee is also the author of the incredible Why'd They Wear That - a gorgeous, glossy book all about fashion through the ages with an introduction by the amazing Tim Gunn. And How They Croaked (about the awful deaths of famous people) and How They Choked (all about the epic fails of the super famous). So if you have readers whose tastes tend a little more toward the dark - those two are great. Albee's latest book is called Dog Days of History: The Incredible Story of Our Best Friends - featuring, well - stories of dogs through history!

A really interesting book that blend forensics with history is Written in Bone: Buried Lives of Jamestown and Colonial Maryland. By Sally M. Walker. It's a gorgeous full color book showcasing new insights gained about this era based on information scientists have gathered by examined the newly excavated bones of Europeans and Africans from colonial sites in Virginia and Maryland. And again even if kids don't read this one cover to cover, I think reading and discussing a chapter would really help children understand how our knowledge of history changes over time as we make new discoveries and have better tools to analyze.

Another nonfiction book that I keep bumping into online - and was FINALLY able to get at my public library - is Two Truths and Lie by Ammi-Joan Paquette and Laurie Ann Thompson. It's a clever book that is just begging to be read with a friend - or out loud in the car! Essentially, each chapter is about a topic. Like, Chapter 1 is Crazy Plants and Chapter 6 is Large Animals. And within each chapter are three stories: A, B, and C. Each story is about 3-5 pages long with lots of bold colors and cool fonts and photos. And the reader has to decide which of those three stories is false. The answer key is in the back and it gives a paragraph or so of explanation. This book is called Two Truths and a Lie: It's Alive so I'm kind of hoping there are more in the series.

A book that has recently intrigued my daughters and me is called Survivors: Extraordinary Tales from the Wild and Beyond by David Long with illustrations by Kerry Hyndman. It is a collection of extreme survival stories from all over the world. Some you may have heard of - like Aron Ralston - the climber in Colorado who cut off his own arm to survive. It was made into the movie 127 Hours with James Franco. But others may be unfamiliar - like the story of Poon Lim - the sailor who survived a shipwreck by sucking the blood from a shark. This is definitely not a book for the faint of heart, but for those kids who like shocking stories of people overcoming the most dangerous situations this is the book for them!

Another beautiful new nonfiction book is Grand Canyon by Jason Chin. It's a large format book about the size of a picture book with such detailed and multi-layered artwork. It's written in a unique way. It's written in the 2nd person where the narrator takes you on a tour of the canyon as it gives you information. For example, here is a line: "After climbing out of the Inner Gorge, you'll find yourself on a broad, sun-baked slope." And as the narrator gives you information about the Grand Canyon, you see in a center spread, illustrations of a father and daughter exploring the canyon and doing what the narrator just said. And around the edges of the main illustration, kind of in a Jan Brett format, are small drawings of the animals and plants found in the canyon, or a cross section of the layers, sketches of the weathering process… it's really cool! And some of the pages have holes in them to show the fossils and when you turn the page - you just have to see it for yourself! This book is amazing!

Okay - I hope this has given you some ideas for new nonfiction books to freshen up your informational section of your library. And if you have a suggestion about a great nonfiction book we should all know about, email me at [email protected] or connect on Twitter at @Books_Between.

Diane Magras - Interview Outline

Joining me this month for our Middle Grade at Heart interview with Diane Magras is engineer by day and middle grade author by night, Karen Chow. We got an opportunity to sit down together last month to chat about The Mad Wolf's Daughter.

Take a listen…

The Mad Wolf's Daughter

CA: For our listeners who haven't yet read The Mad Wolf's Daughter, what is this story about?

CA: Love the mix of swashbuckling medieval adventure mixed with humor - at times it reminded me a bit of The Princess Bride. What were your inspirations?

CA: There seem like there might be elements of fantasy in this book.

What genre do you see this book falling in?

KC: Drest is very brave throughout the book. Did you take some of her bravery from a historical figure?

KC: Drest is mistaken for a boy several times. Is that because of the way she is dressed? Her short hair? Why did you decide to have Drest this way?

KC: Did real warriors have a code of ethics?

**BONUS SPOILER SECTION: Diane and Karen and I discuss the ending of the novel, and if you'd like to hear that conversation, I moved that part of the recording to after the end credits of today's episode at the 38:13 mark.

Your Writing Life

CA: What are you working on now? And will there be a sequel for Drest?

Your Reading Life

CA: One of the goals of this podcast is to help educators and librarians inspire kids to read more and connect them with amazing books. Did you have a special teacher or librarian in your life who helped you grow into a reader?

KC: Do you have book recommendations for people who liked your book?

CA: What are you reading now?

Links:

Diane's website - https://www.dianemagras.com

Diane on Twitter and Instagram

Karen's website - http://www.karenschow.com

Karen on Twitter

Books & Authors We Chatted About:

The Dark is Rising (Susan Cooper)

Here Lies Arthur (Philip Reeve)

The Hunt for the Mad Wolf's Daughter (Diane Magras)

The Shadow Hunt (Katherine Langrish)

The Serpent's Secret (Sayantani DasGupta)

The Jumbies (Tracey Baptiste)

Bounders Series (Monica Tesler)

The Parker Inheritance (Varian Johnson)

Where the World Ends (Geraldine McCaughrean)

I loved getting the chance to talk with Diane about her novel. If you are looking for more titles that are similar to The Mad Wolf's Daughter, she recommends checking out The Book of Boy or The Inquisitor's Tale.

Closing

Alright, that wraps up our show this week!

If you have a question about how to connect kids between 8-12 to books they'll love or a suggestion about a topic we should cover, I would love to hear from you. You can email me at [email protected] or message me on Twitter/Instagram at the handle @Books_Between.

Books Between is a proud member of the Education Podcast Network. This network features podcasts for educators, created by educators. For more great content visit edupodcastnetwork.com

Thank you so much for joining me this week. You can get an outline of interviews and a full transcript of all the other parts of our show at MGBookVillage.org. And, if you are liking the show, please leave us some love on iTunes or Stitcher so others can discover us as well.

Thanks and see you soon! Bye!

Intro

Hi everyone and welcome to Books Between - a podcast to help teachers, parents, and librarians connect kids between 8-12 to books they'll love. I'm your host, Corrina Allen - a teacher, a mom of two girls, and finally done with school and on to summer break! I said goodbye to my 22 fifth graders last Friday at their Moving Up Ceremony since they are off to the middle school! And I gave each one of them an end-of-the-year gift which includes a Krazy Straw and a pack of Kool-Aid that I attach to a book. And each of my students gets a different book - one that I have hand-picked for them based on everything I've learned from a year of getting to know them as readers and as people. Each June I spend about 2 hours browsing the Syracuse Scholastic Warehouse to select something I think each child would like.

This is Episode #52 and oday I'm sharing with you a conversation with 5th grader teacher Nikki Mancini. We chat about how to use Flipgrid to inspire readers, and of course, what middle grade books we've been reading lately.

Today's episode is sponsored by MoxieReader - a literacy app that's like a fitness tracker for your reading life. It gives educators insights into their students' reading lives, customized recommendations, and a way for kids to set and work toward their own reading goals in a way that is engaging and fun. If you are looking for a way to ditch those reading logs and instead have students track their reading in a more natural way, you will definitely want to check out MoxieReader. As you recharge and reassess your teaching methods this summer, it's the perfect time to explore a new tool. So head over to MoxieReader.com and the use the code welovereading and try it out!

A couple quick announcements for you! Our next episode features Diane Magras - author of the Middle Grade at Heart book club pick The Mad Wolf's Daughter. The July pick is Just Under the Clouds and I'll be chatting with author Melissa Sarno in a couple days so watch out for that episode. Where the Watermelons Grow is the August pick and for those of you that like plan out even further - we are reading The House That Lou Built for September. And… the Middle Grade at Heart Book Club now has a Flipgrid! I'll drop a link to that in the show notes - along with the password so you can join the conversation and hear directly from the authors.

MG@Heart Flipgrid: https://flipgrid.com/a8acb2

Password: mg@heart

Also, our Monday night #MGBookChat Twitter chats have been awesome! Some of our upcoming topics include graphic novels, building classroom libraries, and the importance of refugee stories. So set a reminder for Mondays at 9pm EST and check out #MGBookChat for great conversations between educators, librarians, and authors about how to get great books into the hands of middle grade readers!

For me, Twitter has been an incredible positive influence on my teaching life - connecting me with amazing and inspiring educators across the globe. And one of those educators is Nikki Mancini - who you may know as @missnikkiin5th. I kept seeing her talk about this thing called Flipgrid and finally I was like - you know what? I've got to invite her on the show. I knew that Flipgrid could be a powerful tool, but I had some questions and figured you all might find value in that conversation as well.

After we chatted, I decided to try it out this summer. Because, I had the opportunity this year to meet my incoming 5th graders! So, I could do what I've never done before - I opened up my classroom library and let them take home 2 or 3 (or more!) books to enjoy for the summer. And along with their books, I send them home with a sheet explaining how to access our Flipgrid and posted two topics - one to introduce ourselves and one to share our summer reading! Before the day was done I had two kids already submitting videos and whoa - I am just brimming with ideas about how to harness this for next year and expand it even further! And I hope this conversation leaves you excited as well. Plus - right after we recorded this conversation, Flipgrid announced that it is now FREE for educators! Oh yeah!

Alright - take a listen...

Nikki Mancini - Interview Outline

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

What is Flipgrid and how did you first find out about it?

Beyond the author element, what are some other projects or uses for Flipgrid that you have done with your students?

What would you suggest for some quick, easy ways to get started with Flipgrid?

Where would you suggest people go to get more information about Flipgrid?

What are some things you've been doing this year in your classroom that you've been excited about?

What are your plans for next year?

Links:

Nikki's website - https://missnikkiin5th.wordpress.com/

Nikki on Twitter

NerdCampNJ - http://nerdcampnj.weebly.com

Nikki's Author Connection Flipgrid: https://flipgrid.com/d935fd

Information about Flipgrid: https://info.flipgrid.com

Educator & Student Info about Flipgrid: https://resources.flipgrid.com

Flipgrid Inspiration: https://inspire.flipgrid.com

Flipgrid on Twitter and #FlipgridFever

Jewell Parker Rhode's conversation about Ghost Boys on The Children's Book Podcast

Books & Authors We Chatted About:

Smart Cookie and Finding Perfect (Elly Swartz)

Kat Green Comes Clean (Melissa Roske)

Babysitting Nightmares: The Shadow Hand (Kat Shepherd)

Amal Unbound (Aisha Saeed)

Daring Dreamers Club Series (Erin Soderberg)

The Peculiar Incident on Shady Street (Lindsay Currie)

Ghost Boys (Jewell Parker Rhodes)

Stanley Will Probably Be Fine (Sally J. Pla)

Someday Birds (Sally J. Pla)

Rules (Cynthia Lord)

Closing

Alright, that wraps up our show this week!

If you have a question about how to connect kids between 8-12 to books they'll love or a suggestion about a topic we should cover, I would love to hear from you. You can email me at [email protected] or message me on Twitter/Instagram at the handle @Books_Between.

Books Between is a proud member of the Education Podcast Network. This network features podcasts for educators, created by educators. For more great content visit edupodcastnetwork.com

Thank you so much for joining me this week. You can get an outline of interviews and a full transcript of all the other parts of our show at MGBookVillage.org. And, if you are liking the show, please leave us some love on iTunes or Stitcher so others can discover us as well.

Thanks and see you soon! Bye!

Intro

Hi everyone and welcome to Books Between - a podcast to help teachers, parents, and librarians connect kids between 8-12 to books they'll love. I'm your host, Corrina Allen - a teacher, a mom of a 9 and 11 year old, and struggling with some kind of rogue pollen in the air. So if I suddenly sound like the Albino from the Pit of Despair in The Princess Bride - that is why.

This is Episode #51 and today I'm discussing some exceptional nonfiction reads and sharing a conversation with Wendy MacKnight, author of The Frame-up!

But first I am excited to tell you that today's episode is sponsored by MoxieReader - a literacy app that's like a fitness tracker for your reading life. It gives educators insights into their students' reading lives, customized recommendations, and a way for kids to set and work toward their own reading goals in a way that is engaging and fun. My 5th graders and I have been trying it out over the past couple of weeks and they have been really been pumped up about hitting their own goals AND they've really liked sharing recommendations with each other.

I feel like the summer is, for me anyway, the perfect time to explore something new so head over to MoxieReader.com and the use the code welovereading and try it out!

A few announcements to pass along! This month's Middle Grade at Heart book club pick is The Mad Wolf's Daughter. We'll have author Diane Magras on the show soon so watch out for that! In July we are reading, Just Under the Clouds and Where the Watermelons Grow is the August pick.

In other news, we at MGBookVillage had SUCH as fabulous response to the #MGBookChat Twitter chats that we've decided to continue them!

So set a reminder for Mondays at 9pm EST and check out #MGBookChat on Twitter for great conversations between educators, librarians, and authors about how to get great books into the hands of middle grade readers! We have some great guest hosts lined up so far, but If you have an idea for a topic centered around supporting children's reading lives and celebrating MG books and would like to co-host an upcoming chat, please contact us. (I'll drop a link to more information and our upcoming schedule in the show notes.)

Book Talk - Exceptional Nonfiction Reads

This week's book talk is all about nonfiction!! And I will admit, I do tend to read and book talk more fiction than nonfiction. (And I have heard from some of you about that.) But, my students and I are just coming off of a great Unit of Study all about informational texts and I wanted to share with you some of the books that have really hooked us. And as I started this list, I soon realized it's too much for one episode. So consider this part one, and on the next show you'll get more great recommendations!

Let's get into it with the hot reads with my fifth graders this year. All of these books had long waiting lists and complicated exchange arrangements with my kids - if you work in a classroom or library, you know what I mean.

First up…

The Science Comics series!! Oh my word - have these books taken off in my class! They are graphic novel-style books that feature a character (like an animal) introducing you to their world and telling you everything you need to know about it. For example, a favorite one in our class is Science Comics Dogs: From Predator to Protector by Andy Hirsch and it starts with an introduction by two canine scientists and then we meet Rudy, who talks directly to the reader about things like domestication, Punnett Squares, and evolution, and breeds, and the meanings of various howls and wags. We have another one called Coral Reefs: Cities of the Oceans which is told by a little yellow fish and is all about coral formation and water runoff and the effects of climate change. I will say - they are complicated and do contain sophisticated vocabulary like alleles and numerical dating vs relative dating and, well - lots of other words I can't pronounce! But the support of the illustrations really helps, and I have found that readers will pick up what they can and skim the rest - and that's okay. They next time they come across the term allele, they'll be more likely to pick up that meaning. There are a TON more in the series, Bats, Plague, Flying Machines, Volcanoes, Robots & Drones with new titles coming like Polar Bears and Wild Weather!! I definitely need to get more of these next year - they are bright and colorful - and just COOL!

Another hot nonfiction read for us this year is Don't Read This Book Before Bed: Thrills, Chills, and Hauntingly True Stories by Anna Claybourne. This is a National Geographic Kids book published by Scholastic and how it's set up is each topic has a two page spread with a big title, an introduction and then 4 or 5 text features like a timeline or picture, or fact box. It really lends itself to bite-sized reading and with each flip of the page you get a new topic like "Island of the Dolls" or "Buried Alive" or "Eerie Everest". And there are six quizzes throughout the book like "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" or "Spot the Fake Photos!" so I liked that it also included some debunking and skepticism. This is book that some of your kids are going to look at and say, "No thank you!" but you know there are a lot you are going to go "Oh yeah! Let me at it!"

In a similar vein is a book called Beasties in My Backyard which also includes a two-page spread for common backyard (or household) bugs like centipedes and cicadas and cockroaches and lightning bugs! Each page has an intro and a HUGE super close-up photo (like see every hair on their legs photo) with the features labeled and explained. And then a fact file with its size and diet and location. And a few text features. Actually, even though the title is Beasties in my Backyard - our classroom has had its share of ants, and moths, and stink bugs, and centipedes recently. Just yesterday my teammate, Cindy, had to snag a spider out of my hair during lunch! A couple other nonfiction books that my biology-loving students are getting into are 101 Hidden Animals (all about creatures who camouflage), Life As We Know It (about everything from the beginnings of life on earth to species and ecosystems and survival) and Ocean Animals: Who's Who in the Deep Blue (another gorgeous National Geographic Kids book).

Another super popular book this year is one called... Drones. It's one of those short, wide books with 96 pages chock full of information. There's a four page intro and then each spread is about a different drone - military drones and then civilian drones. I liked that the pictures are large and the text is large and well spaced so it's really readable. Also - for each drone they include a "How Big Is It" box with the silhouette of that drone with either a person or a bus or something to help you picture it.

Two other books that have become very popular this year in the wake of student activist movements are Marching for Freedom by Elizabeth Partridge which tells the story of the Selma to Montgomery March in 1965 with a particular focus on the voices of the children who participated. Another book called Kids on Strike! tells the stories of children who organized in the early 1900s for better working conditions. Each chapter is about a different strike - from mill workers and coal miners and garment workers, It was a fascinating and timely read. I think it would be really interesting to have students compare a chapter from each these books to current news stories about student walkouts and the marches demanding gun control.

My students are also really loving those Scholastic "A True Book" series - especially the one called Cybercriminals which is all about hacking and identity theft - topics they hear about in the news and want to know more about. I really, really love this series and they have a plethora of titles that can connect to just about any content area so you can make your reading time also hit some science and social studies.

And - I probably don't need to tell you this, but any of the Almanac / World Record-type books are hugely popular with my kiddos. They were with me too when I was their age! But boy have they changed! My tattered copy of the 19somethingsomething Guinness Book of World Records is black and white, teensy-tiny print, and maybe a picture or two? These books are chock full of color and images with bold words and color coded sections. I don't get a new one EVERY year but honestly I probably should they are so popular. Guinness has a great one every year and so does Scholastic. And the National Geographic Kids Almanacs are also great. And there are also books like The Year in Sports and even ones specific to baseball or football.

And I'm starting to realize that this list is pretty heavily loaded with Scholastic titles. Honestly, it's because they are affordable and I can save up my points to get some of the more pricey ones. But I do realize that limits the selection, so next year I'm going to look for ways to fund some other titles, too.

Alright - I hope this has encouraged you to pick up some new nonfiction titles for your children and students. And if you have a suggestion about a great nonfiction book we should all know about, email me at [email protected] or connect on Twitter at @Books_Between.

Wendy MacKnight - Interview Outline

Our special guest this week is Wendy McLeod MacKnight. We chat about art, her biggest influences as a child, and her inspirations behind her newest middle grade novel, The Frame-Up.

Take a listen...

The Frame Up

Your newest novel is due to be released into the world on June 5th! What is Frame-up all about?

What kind of research did you do for this book and did you collaborate at all with the Beaverbrook Art Gallery?

What were some of the challenges you encountered when setting up the "rules" of the paintings?

If you could go visit any painting you wished, which one would you pick?

If you knew a painting could really come alive, would you want one painted of yourself?

**BONUS SPOILER SECTION: Wendy and I discuss the ending of the novel, and if you'd like to hear that conversation, I moved that part of the recording to after the end credits of today's episode at the 47:30 mark.

Your Writing Life

What are you working on next?

Your Reading Life

One of the goals of this podcast is to help educators and librarians inspire kids to read more and connect them with amazing books.

Did you have a teacher or librarian in your life who helped you

What are some books you've been reading lately?

Links:

Wendy's website - http://wendymcleodmacknight.com

Wendy on Twitter and Facebook

Books & Authors We Chatted About:

It's a Mystery Pigface (Wendy MacKnight)

A Wrinkle in Time (Madeleine L'Engle)

Penderwicks at Last (Jeanna Birdsall)

You Go First (Erin Entrada Kelly)

The Mad Wolf's Daughter (Diane Magras)

The Science of Unbreakable Things (Tae Keller)

The Not So Boring Letters of Private Nobody (Matthew Landis)

Closing

Alright, that wraps up our show this week!

If you have a question about how to connect kids between 8-12 to books they'll love or a suggestion about a topic we should cover, I would love to hear from you. You can email me at [email protected] or message me on Twitter/Instagram at the handle @Books_Between.

Books Between is a proud member of the Education Podcast Network. This network features podcasts for educators, created by educators. For more great content visit edupodcastnetwork.com

Thank you so much for joining me this week. You can get an outline of interviews and a full transcript of all the other parts of our show at MGBookVillage.org. And, if you are liking the show, please leave us some love on iTunes or Stitcher so others can discover us as well.

Thanks and see you soon! Bye!

Intro

Hi everyone and welcome to Books Between - a podcast to help teachers, parents, and librarians connect kids between 8-12 to books they'll love. I'm your host, Corrina Allen - a 5th grade teacher, a mom of two girls, and a new aunt!! A few weeks ago, my brother and his wife had a beautiful baby girl they named Nora and has been so wonderful to have a baby in the family again!

This is Episode #50 and today I am sharing with you a conversation with Laurie Morrison and Cordelia Jensen - authors of Every Shiny Thing

But first I am excited to tell you that today's episode is sponsored by MoxieReader - a literacy app that's like a fitness tracker for your reading life. It gives teachers insights into their students' reading, customized recommendations, and a way for kids to set and work toward their own reading goals in a way that is engaging and fun. My 5th graders and I have been trying it out over the past couple of weeks and they really, really loved it! They had armfuls of books they were excited to scan in and share with each other. I really feel like the end of the year is the perfect time to try something new that will energize your class and launch them into a summer full of reading. So head over to MoxieReader.com and try out their $7 for 3 months special by using the code welovereading!

A few announcements to pass along! The Twitter chat for Every Shiny Thing will be on Monday, June 5th at 8pm EST using #MGBookClub.

There is also a fantastic educator's guide available for the novel and a Flipgrid for the book where you can watch videos of Laurie and Cordelia and submit your own to ask questions about the book!

Our next Middle Grade at Heart book club picks are The Mad Wolf's Daughter in June, Just Under the Clouds in July, and Where the Watermelons Grow in August.

Also - Ann Braden and Jarrett Lerner have teamed up with some other educators to launch the #KidsNeedMentors project to connect authors with classrooms through book deliveries, postcard exchanges, Skype visits and lots more exciting things.

A quick reminder that the outline of today's interview and links to every book we chat about along with other awesome middle grade content can be found right at MGBookVillage.org.

Cordelia Jensen & Laurie Morrison - Interview Outline

Our special guests this week are Cordelia Jensen and Laurie Morrison - authors of the newly released middle grade novel Every Shiny Thing .

Take a listen...

Every Shiny Thing

Let's start with introductions -

Can you take a moment to tell us about yourself?

How did you two meet and decide to collaborate on this book?

Tell us about Every Shiny Thing!

Let's talk about Lauren first since we meet her character first - as she is thinking about saying goodbye to her brother Ryan as her family is leaving him off at a therapeutic school for kids with autism. And we learn right away how upset Lauren feels about this.

Laurie - can you talk a bit about any experiences you had or research you did to write your part of the novel?

One of the things that's been on my mind lately as a teacher and as someone who is always searching for books that are mirrors for children's own lives is the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences. And oh does Sierra have so many of those - her mother is an alcoholic, her father is in jail, and she is living with a foster family.

Cordelia - how did Sierra's character first come to you and how did you find that balance between her vulnerability and her resilience?

There are two images in Sierra's section of the novel that are so powerful to me - the kaleidoscope and the garden. That symbolism of Sierra's and Lauren's and all of our lives fragmenting and reflecting and then cycling back together….

Can you talk a bit about those parts of your novel and how you came to include them in Sierra's story?

One part of Every Shiny Thing that fascinated me was the Quaker school that the girls attend! And the Quaker values they study - can you talk a little but about that aspect of the book?

I really noticed how much of school life your novel got right.

Did that come from your own experiences as educators or did you do some research for that aspect of the book?

Let's talk about the ending!! (I'll cut this section of the interview and put it after the credits to avoid spoilers.)

Was the ending of the book different than how you first envisioned it?

Your Writing Life

What was your collaboration process like for writing Every Shiny Thing? Did you meet in person or do most of your work online?

What's next for each of you?

Your Reading Life

Was there an adult in your life who made you the reader you are today?

What have you been reading lately?

Thank You!

Links:

Cordelia Jensen's website - http://www.cordeliajensen.com Laurie Morrison's website - https://lauriemorrisonwrites.com

Cordelia on Twitter and Instagram

Laurie on Twitter and Instagram

Good Morning Sunshine Breakfast Cookies

Cranberry Orange Scones

Books & Authors We Chatted About:

NeuroTribes (Steve Silberman)

You Go First (Erin Entrada Kelly)

Star Crossed (Barbara Dee)

The Female Persuasion (Meg Wolitzer)

Well That Was Awkward (Rachel Vail)

The Science of Breakable Things (Tae Keller)

The Girl With Two Hearts

Dumplin (Julie Murphy)

One for the Murphys (Lynda Mullaly Hunt)

Forget Me Not (Ellie Terry)

Closing

Alright, that wraps up our show this week! And thanks again to MoxieReader for supporting the podcast this month - definitely check out their website for an engaging way for your students to build their reading resume.

If you have a question about how to connect kids between 8-12 to books they'll love or a suggestion about a topic we should cover, I would love to hear from you. You can email me at [email protected] or message me on Twitter/Instagram at the handle @Books_Between.

Books Between is a proud member of the Education Podcast Network. This network features podcasts for educators, created by educators. For more great content visit edupodcastnetwork.com

If you are liking the show, please leave us some love on iTunes or Stitcher so others can discover us as well.

Thanks and see you soon! Bye!

Intro

Hi everyone and welcome to Books Between - a podcast to help teachers, parents, and librarians connect kids between 8-12 to books they'll love. I'm your host, Corrina Allen - a 5th grade teacher, a mom of two girls who are 8 and 11, and feeling extraordinarily lucky on this Mother's Day to have my mom in my life. And having a mother who is and has always been such a staunch supporter of my reading life.

This is Episode #49 and Today I'm discussing three new middle grade releases, and then I'll share with you a conversation with authors Ann Braden and Saadia Faruqi from the Lifelines Podcast.

Alright - announcements! I hope you have been loving the May Middle Grade at Heart Book Club pick Every Shiny Thing as much as I have. Laurie Morrison and Cordelia Jensen will on the podcast soon so if you have a question you want me to ask them, please let me know! In June we'll be reading The Mad Wolf's Daughter by Diane Magras and July's pick is Just Under the Clouds by Melissa Sarno.

And - I hope you've been as inspired as I have by the Educator Spotlight interviews at the MGBookVillage site. We have lots more coming, so keep an eye out!

A quick reminder that the outline of today's interview and a full transcript of all the other parts of this show can be found at MGBookVillage.org - including links to every topic and book we mention. I know you are busy and I want to make it effortless for you to find things.

Book Talk - Three Fantastic Spring Releases

This week we are back to some book talks! And instead of having them fit a particular theme, I thought I'd simply share with you three really great recent releases from this past spring. They are Playing Atari with Saddam Hussein by Jennifer Roy & Ali Fadhil, Me, Frida and the Secret of the Peacock Ring by Angela Cervantes, and Rebound by Kwame Alexander.

Playing Atari with Saddam Hussein

Our first featured middle grade novel this week is Playing Atari with Saddam Hussein by Jennifer Roy with Ali Fadhil. This historical fiction novel is set in 1991 in Basra, Iraq - just as the United States is launching Operation Desert Storm. And it's based on the true story of Ali Fadhil's life as an ordinary 11 year old boy who loves playing video games and watching American TV like the The Muppet Show. But then, the bombings come and life for Fadhil and his family is becoming more and more bleak. Here are three things to know about Playing Atari with Saddam Hussein:

1. The main character does NOT actually play Atari with Saddam Hussein. Although as an adult, he does become a translator who ended up working at his trial. In the novel, one way that Ali copes is to imagine that he is playing Pitfall as he travels through his war-torn streets and also because some of the Americans dubbed it "the video game war" because the night-vision green streaks of bombs across the dark sky looked to them like a video game.
2. That this book gives a much-needed window into a time-period that is often overlooked in children's literature. We are now getting a lot of great books about 9/11 but the era of the Gulf War is still lacking. And many of my students' parents are veterans of those wars so knowing more about the perspectives of an Iraqi child going through those experiences is important. And humanizes a group of people that some wish to label as enemies.
3. How many similarities students will discover between themselves and Ali. Despite being set halfway around the world in a country the United States was at war with, Ali's family plays Monopoly while they hide out waiting for the bombs to pass. Ali plays soccer and video games and collects American Superman comics. His sister has a Barbie Dreamhouse! Probably the same one I did with the elevator you pulled up with a little string. And I think back to when I was a teenager watching this war live on CNN with Wolf Blitzer and Bernie Shaw and I never would have realized the kids on the other side of those bombs were so much like me.

Playing Atari with Saddam Hussein is a great book for 5th graders through middle schoolers who are interested in the real impacts of war, Iraqi history, or just want a good historical fiction book. And it would make a great complement to the many World War II novel studies out there to add a more modern perspective.

Me, Frida and the Secret of the Peacock Ring

A second great spring middle grade release is Me, Frida, and the Secret of the Peacock Ring by Angela Cervantes. You might know her work from her two earlier novels - Gaby, Lost and Found and Allie, First at Last. This novel is a mystery and centers around a missing ring belonging to the artist Frida Kahlo. The main character is 12 year old Paloma Marquez, who begrudgingly travels with her mom from their home in Kansas City to Mexico City for 4 weeks of the summer. (Her mom is a professor and has a fellowship there.) Although Paloma's father was Mexican, she doesn't speak Spanish, she worries about missing out on fun with her friends, and she just doesn't want to go. But…. on her first night in Mexico, she attends a reception at Frida Kahlo's home - Casa Azul - and receives the following note from a mysterious boy. Here are three things to love about Angela Cervantes' Me, Frida, and the Secret of the Peacock Ring:

1. I love how Paloma is inspired in this book by her favorite mysterious series starring Lulu Pennywhistle. And as she gets further and further into the thick of things with brother and sister Gael and Lizzie - midnight break-ins, and secret rooms, and strange fortune-tellers - Paloma is always referencing Lulu Pennywhistle to figure out how she should proceed.
2. All the Frida Kahlo!! When I found out this book had to do with my favorite artist - I knew I had to read it. And I was so happy to discover that this book does her such justice. Frida Kahlo's paintings illicit such a visceral reaction from students and once you tell them a little bit about her life - how she painted her pain and made it beautiful - they are enthralled by her. And yes, some notice the exaggerated eyebrows first and some find it funny. But I like how Paloma discussed that at on page 119.
3. How this book is really all about identity and belonging. Paloma's father was Mexican but died before she could have her own memories of him. And she feels as if she is searching for that connection while she is in Mexico City. And as Paloma learns more about Frida, she discovers how complex her life was - sometimes feeling torn between being an international artist and wanting the roots of her native Mexican heritage.

Me, Frida, and the Secret of the Peacock Ring is a great book for kids who love art or travel, for kids who are intrigued by Mexican culture and the Spanish language - and for anyone who loves a great mystery!

Rebound

Last up this week is Kwame Alexander's Rebound - the much-awaited prequel to the much-loved and much-awarded, novel-in-verse The Crossover. This book is all about Josh & Jordan's father - Chuck "Da Man" Bell. But - this is an origin story. So when we first meet him, he is just Charlie - an 80's kid reeling from a family tragedy and trying to find his way forward and trying to find his smile again. When home becomes tense, he is involuntarily shipped off to his grandparent's house for the summer where he starts to find that path forward. Let me read you the first page….

Here are three things I loved about Kwame Alexander's Rebound:

1. The illustrations by Dawud Anyabwile. While The Crossover had black-out poems throughout the book, Rebound includes these awesome two-page spreads of these mini graphic-novel type sketches of Charlie's basketball daydreams and wishes and memories. So so cool. And a great hook for kids who love the graphic novel format.
2. The 80s vibe of this book! Now, you all know I am sucker for 70s and 80s nostalgia! And this book took me back to skating parties and trying for that high score on the Pac Man machine at the rec center where ALL your friends gathered after school. But also - some things haven't changed - like Black Panther and the Fantastic Four, the importance the right brand of shoes (and not those knockoffs your mom gets you), Strawberry Pop-Tarts, and your folks not letting you watch THAT video on MTV.
3. Discovering all the little references and plot threads that will appear later in The Crossover. How Charlie becomes Chuck, the origins of his Basketball Rules, where his love of jazz came from - and boy it was NOT there at first! And… the little hidden surprises revealed toward the end about who some of the characters end up being in the later book. And I know there's a ton more that I haven't figured out yet - so for that reason alone, definitely a rich book to read with a friend or with a book club to mine and discuss all those little details.

Rebound is a must-get for your classroom or library. And fans of The Crossover are going to absolutely relish this prequel. It's a book you finish and want to immediately talk to your friends about. It's not necessary to have read The Crossover first, but I think it's a better and more enjoyable reading experience to read them in the order they were published. So The Crossover, the Rebound, and then go read Crossover again!

Ann Braden & Saadia Faruqi - Interview Outline

Our special guests this week are Ann Braden and Saadia Faruqi. Ann is the author of the upcoming middle grade novel The Benefits of Being an Octopus and founder of GunSenseVT. Saadia is an interfaith activist and author of a new early chapter book series called Meet Yasmin. Ann and Saadia recently teamed up to launch a podcast - Lifelines: Books That Bridge the Divide. I have been loving their show and am so happy to be bring you this conversation. We chat about why they started a new kidlit podcast, their novels, how they make time for reading with their kids, and some secrets for the perfect French Toast.

Take a listen..

Lifelines Podcast

Can you take a moment to tell us about yourself?

I was so excited to see your new podcast, Lifelines, pop up in my Twitter feed a few weeks ago! How did you two connect with each other and then how did the podcast start?

What is your collaboration process like to produce the show?

I know when I first started podcasting, it took a while to get into a groove… what mistakes have you made along the way?

And what are some plans you have for the future of the podcast?

So Ann - your pictures of your baby posed with the stuffed animals is adorable!

So Saadia, I started following you on Instagram and realized that you and I share a love of French Toast. What is your secret for the perfect French Toast?

Your Writing Life

You both have children's books coming out this year! Can you tell us about them and when they'll be available?

Your Reading Life

What were some of your favorite or most influential reads as a child?

I've realized that something we all have in common is that we have young children. I'm wondering - how do you foster that love of reading in your family? And how do you make reading a priority when family life can be so busy?

What have you read lately that you've loved?

Thank You!

Links:

Ann Braden's website - http://annbradenbooks.com

Saadia Faruqi's website - http://www.saadiafaruqi.com

Ann on Twitter and Facebook and Instagram

Saadia on Twitter and Facebook and Instagram

Books & Authors We Chatted About:

Witch of Blackbird Pond (Elizabeth George Speare)

Fifteen (Beverly Cleary)

Frog and Toad (Arnold Lobel)

The High King Series (Lloyd Alexander)

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)

Homecoming (Cynthia Voigt)

The Famous Five (Enid Blyton)

Nancy Drew (Carolyn Keene)

Hardy Boys (Franklin W. Dixon)

William Shakespeare

I Survived Series (Lauren Tarshis)

Crenshaw (Katherine Applegate)

Wishtree (Katherine Applegate)

Orbiting Jupiter (Gary D. Schmidt)

Okay For Now (Gary D. Schmidt)

Closing

Alright, that wraps up our show this week!

If you have a question about how to connect kids between 8-12 to books they'll love or a suggestion about a topic we should cover, I would love to hear from you. You can email me at [email protected] or message me on Twitter/Instagram at the handle @Books_Between.

Books Between is a proud member of the Education Podcast Network. This network features podcasts for educators, created by educators. For more great content visit edupodcastnetwork.com

Thank you so much for joining me this week. You can get an outline of interviews and a full transcript of all the other parts of our show at MGBookVillage.org. And, if you are liking the show, please leave us some love on iTunes or Stitcher so others can discover us as well.

Thanks and see you soon! Bye!

Intro

Hi and welcome to Books Between - a podcast for teachers, parents, librarians, and anyone who loves middle grade books. I'm your host, Corrina Allen - a mom of two girls and a 5th grade teacher in Central New York. I believe in the power of books to help us see each other more clearly. And my goal is to help you find fabulous books for the tweens in your life and help create a community where we all can support each other as we build those readers.

This is Episode #48 and today I'm discussing how to support readers with Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), and then I'll share with you a conversation with Varian Johnson - author of The Parker Inheritance.

A few quick announcements before we dive in today - the Middle Grade at Heart Book Club Twitter chat about The Parker Inheritance is Tuesday, May 1st (tomorrow!) at 5pm PT / 8PM ET. Just search for the hashtag #mgbookclub and jump into the conversation. Varian will be participating so if you have a question you want to ask him, here's your chance! Also, the May MG at Heart Book Club pick is Every Shiny Thing by Laurie Morrison and Cordelia Jensen and in June we'll be reading The Mad Wolf's Daughter by Diane Magras.

And - we at MGBookVillage have some exciting news to tell you! We will be spending the month of May honoring educators! Over the next few weeks we'll share posts and interviews with inspiring teachers, literacy specialists, principals, and all those who work to create passionate middle grade readers.

We're also excited to host four educator-focused Twitter chats every Monday evening this May at 9pm EST with topics like Fictional Teachers and Connecting with Authors - so head to MGBookVillage.org for all the details and to stay up-to-date on all things middle grade.

You can also find an outline of interviews and a full transcript of all the other parts of this show at MGBookVillage.org - including links to every topic and book we mention. So definitely check that out!

Main Topic - Supporting Students w/ Adverse Childhood Experiences

A couple months ago I had the opportunity at my school to attend a professional development session lead by my principal, Amy Horack, about ACEs - an acronym which I came to learn means "Adverse Childhood Experiences". And it really opened my eyes to seeing the struggles many of my students have had in a new light - a new frame that helped me make sense of some of their behaviours and look for ways to support them. So today I am going to share with you a bit of what I discovered that day (and since then) with the hope that you will be inspired to learn more so we can support those students. First, I'll share some definitions and discuss what Adverse Childhood Experiences are and how to calculate your own ACEs score. Then I'll chat a bit about what that means for children and what impact a high ACEs score has on their health and behaviors. And then I'll discuss some things we can do as educators and parents to be trauma-informed in our teaching and help support those kids as readers - and in all aspects of their life.

Definitions and Discussion

Let's start with a definition. Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are stressful or traumatic events that happen in childhood. These might include economic hardship, abuse, neglect, witnessing domestic violence or growing up with family members who struggle with mental illness or substance abuse. ACEs are highly correlated with a variety of health problems throughout a person's life and substance abuse as a teen and adult. And also impact their opportunities and ability to learn.

In my research, I found several different studies that used a variety of indicators to calculate a person's ACEs score. There isn't one set list, but typically there are about 10 questions with a higher score indicating more risk for negative health effects and other impacts that we can see in the children we work with - and the adults in their lives.

I am going to read off a list of situations, and I'd encourage you to first think about your own score. (Mine is three.) And think about the children you interact with. By the time they are an adult, about 67% of people will have a score of at least one. 22% will have two or more ACES, with almost 10% having scores of 3 or higher.

Adverse Childhood Experiences:

• Have you ever lived with a parent or guardian who got divorced or separated?
• Has a member of your household ever died?
• Have you or a member of your household dealt with a life-threatening health situation or chronic disease?
• Have you experienced a life-threatening accident or natural disaster?
• Has a member of your household ever served time in jail or prison?
• Have you ever lived with anyone who was mentally ill or suicidal, or severely depressed for more than a couple weeks?
• Have you ever lived with anyone who had a problem with alcohol or drugs?
• Have you ever been the victim of emotional neglect in your home? (For example, you often felt that no one in your family loved you or thought you were important, or supported each other.)
• Have you ever been the victim of physical neglect in your home? (For example, the adults in your household didn't provide clean clothes, meals, or take you a doctor or dentist?)
• Have you ever been the victim of physical abuse in your home? (For example, someone in your household who might hit, kick, bite, or throw things at you?)
• Have you ever been the victim of emotional abuse in your home? (For example, someone in your household who might swear at you, insult you, or humiliate you?)
• Have you ever been the victim of sexual abuse or unwanted touching?
• Have you ever witnessed physical, emotional, or sexual abuse in your home or neighborhood?
• Have you ever experienced extreme economic hardship where the family found it difficult to cover the costs of food and housing?
• Have you ever been treated or judged unfairly due to your race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or gender identity?

Impacts on Adults

So what does this mean? The first ACEs study conducted in 1998 and reinforced by dozens of studies afterward has found a strong link between childhood trauma and profound negative impacts on adult health like alcoholism, chronic depression, suicide attempts, trouble holding a job - and so, so much more. (I don't want to go too far down the road of adult impacts because I really do want to focus on children, but I encourage you to take a closer look at that research. I recommended ACESConnection.com and ACESTooHigh.com.)

Impacts on Children

Let's talk a bit about what the effects of ACEs looks like with kids and how to support them. As others have said, it's about a change in mindset from "What's wrong with this kid?" to "What happened to this kid?" As I read this list of some of the effects on children, think about how that impacts them as readers:

1. Antisocial behaviors and difficulty trusting others including both adults and peers (I think about how hard it can be for some readers to trust you and your recommendations, and to open up to you and the class about their thinking as they read. These are also the children I see struggling to participate well in in book clubs - who may resist sharing their feelings and being too vulnerable.)
2. Social isolation (What comes to mind for me are those quiet, fly under the radar, submissive kids - those who curl up with a book as an escape, but not necessarily interacting with anyone else. Or those students who will submit to reading whatever you recommend but who aren't making their own choices.)
3. Difficulty seeking help (I absolutely see that kids who are dealing with a lot outside of school, sometimes don't want to tell me they are having a hard time with a book. They'll just push through thinking it's going to make me happy. Or they just don't have the mental energy to explain what they are struggling with as a reader.)
4. Frequent absences, medical issues, or requests to go to the nurse / bathroom (Every one of those is just more time away from that immersive, productive reading. I'm also thinking that it's hard to keep continuity with a book when a child is distracted by a medical issue or missing a lot of class time. I'm thinking of all the conferring they miss, to missing big chucks of the class read aloud where you are modeling strategies. And when they get back and you attempt to catch them up, now they are missing something else… I STILL have nightmares about coming back to school after a long absence and not remembering my locker combination or my schedule - it's stressful!)
5. Difficulty with focus and transitions (Of course, a child who is distracted by home situations and dealing with chronic stress will have difficulty selected that good book and a quiet spot to read in the time frame you are hoping for.)
6. Trouble with organization (I've noticed that kids who travel back and forth between two or more households tend to lose things more often - including books. But I've also noticed that if a child fears consequences at home of a library fine or a note from me about a missing book, they may not want to even check out books or take them home.)
7. Anxiety (In thinking about students with Adverse Childhood Experiences and anxiety, I notice that some really shy away from books with heavier themes that might bring up difficult emotions. They're the kids who want the assurance that the dog on the cover is going to make it at the end. Or may feel reticent about reading a book that will hit too close home. One the one hand, I think it's really important to have books available where students can see that characters have dealt with similar issues to their own so they don't feel alone. And it's important for other students to read those books to develop some empathy and understanding. But - it's also okay if a child doesn't want to read something that might trigger them but instead looks to reading as an escape. So I'm thinking that having fun, light books than can provide that safe haven for students is also key and to honor those choices.)
8. Difficulty with academic achievement (Absolutely! And since becoming a strong and competent reader is the linchpin to gathering all other knowledge - it reinforces to me that importance of focusing on reading.)
9. Difficulty planning for the future (When a child can't rely on stability at home, it's no wonder that kids can't tell me what book they're going to read next or how they are going to schedule in their reading homework at night - sometimes they don't know what they are coming home to! Or - more likely - they know exactly what they are going home to and it's not a situation conducive to reading.)
10. Trouble regulating their emotions and their affect - facial expressions - either exaggerating them or having no affect (This brings to mind a former student who would seemingly overreact to their reading - bursting out in this wild laughter or tossing the book aside in anger. And at the time, I did think "What is the matter with this kid?" But now…I can only wonder - "What was really going on with that child?"

How to Support Students with ACEs

In thinking about how to support the children in our lives who have those ACEs, I think for me, starting with that mindset change was a key first step. I think it's natural to respond to some of those situations by wanting to get worked up yourself, but I'm trying to pause and realize that it's not personal. And find some better strategies. So, I do not, by any means, want to portray myself here as any kind of expert. And I encourage you to look at the research yourself and see what might work for you. But after doing some reading, here are some things I'm going to try:

First, I want to recognize and support the resilience they already have. When I think about what some of my students have been through, I am so proud of what they are accomplishing despite the stress they may be under. So, highlighting their strengths whenever possible and help them build themselves up is something I want to focus more on.

Second, since kids who have experienced trauma can often suffer from worry and have trouble regulating their emotions and actions, I want to make sure my classroom environment is as stable and calm as possible. So being more aware of my language and tone of voice and nonverbal cues - even when I'm frustrated is something I want to be more aware of. And providing a stable routine with more opportunities for movement and snack breaks. I'm really intrigued by some teachers who've set up what they call a Calming Station in their room with things like a comfortable chair, soft music, lavender scented play-doh, some gum, resources on meditation, and an opportunity to write about what they're feeling. So I think I'm going to start to get together a kit to keep in my classroom.

Also, learning more about the impacts of ACEs has reinforced even more, the importance of building relationships with my students. And having more casual one-on-one conversations where I'm not asking them to comply with a direction, but I'm just asking about their interests. Which has the double benefit of helping me know them better as readers and people. The more I think back, the more I am appalled at the advice I got as a young teacher to never smile before Christmas! Who wants to spend 8 hours a day with someone who never smiles? These kids - and all kids - need warm, nurturing, safe, and stable relationships. And a teacher who smiles and welcomes them by name every day. I used to give a general welcome as students arrived but this year, I made the decision to make sure I welcome every kid by name within the first ten minutes of them arriving at school. And it has made a difference. And try to ask them a little something (What did you of the ending of Amulet? How was your game last night?) or notice something (The unicorn on your shirt reminds me of this new series you might like - The Unicorn Rescue Society!)

And finally it reminds me to be more observant and not let things go. If something doesn't feel right in your interactions with a child, I don't want to let them fall through the cracks. If you notice something that warrants it, please call Child Protective Services. I'll drop a link to some indicators and a place you can go for more information. But, if you've ever had to call CPS, you know it is complicated. I'm reminded of The Last Jedi where Luke says to Rey, "This is not going to go the way you think." There is no quick rescue from those dark situations, but being a positive presence, helping all students develop resilience and coping strategies - or even just offering a few hours of escape - can do more than you realize.

And I've said that learning more about how Adverse Childhood Experiences opened my eyes - but it also opened my heart to be more loving not only toward my students but also toward my colleagues - and even toward myself a bit, too.

If you want to know more (and I hope you do!) - I've including links to several sites that will give more details and more strategies you can use to help the children (and adults!) in your life.

For more information about ACEs:

https://www.samhsa.gov/capt/practicing-effective-prevention/prevention-behavioral-health/adverse-childhood-experiences

https://vetoviolence.cdc.gov/apps/phl/resource_center_infographic.html

https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/acestudy/resources.html

https://www.childtrends.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Brief-adverse-childhood-experiences_FINAL.pdf

https://www.weareteachers.com/10-things-about-childhood-trauma-every-teacher-needs-to-know/

https://wmich.edu/sites/default/files/attachments/u57/2013/child-trauma-toolkit.pdf

https://www.thechaosandtheclutter.com/archives/create-your-own-anti-anxiety-kit-for-children

Varian Johnson - Interview Outline

Our special guest this week is Varian Johnson, author of The Parker Inheritance! We discuss his love of puzzles, his research process, favorite childhood books, and so much more! And joining me this month to chat with Varian Johnson is one of the founders of the MG at Heart Book Club, Julie Artz.

And I got so much great feedback from you all about the last episode's Bonus Spoiler Section at the very end of the show that we doing it again! So, if you want to hear Varian talk about the end of his novel, I put that part of our conversation after the credits so this part will be spoiler-free.

Take a listen...

The Parker Inheritance

CA: For our listeners who haven't yet read the novel, can you tell us a bit about The Parker Inheritance?

JA: One of the things I love about The Parker Inheritance is how vivid the historical storyline is and how well it's integrated into Candice & Brandon's present-day story. Can you tell us a little bit about the research that went into writing this story?

CA: Your novel had such depth and nuance and included these small but powerful scenes - like Brandon feeling uncomfortable checking out "girl books", and his older sister explaining why she slows down to avoid any chance of getting pulled over, the assistant principal discovering Brandon and Candice doing research and asking for their ID, and then...that scene between Siobhan and Chip and Reggie with the Coca Cola. I just loved how there were these small dips into complicated themes. I guess this isn't a question per se but more of a thank you for helping me see and think through some of those preconceptions and biases and for writing a novel that will also do that for my students….

JA: Who is your favorite character from The Parker Inheritance?

CA: One of the things I loved about Candice was her love of puzzles - and how she figured out Milo's schedule so that Brandon could avoid him! Are you into puzzles and codes like Candice?

**BONUS SPOILER SECTION found after the final credits

Your Writing Life

JA: The way you melded the two timelines really built a lot of page-turning tension into the story. How did you plan that out as you were writing?

CA: As a writer, what were your early inspirations and what do you think teachers and parents can do to get young people writing more and writing more confidently?

JA: What are you writing next?

Your Reading Life

CA: Did you have a teacher or librarian in your life who helped you grow into a reader?

JA: I loved all the hat-tips to treasured books like The Westing Game that were sprinkled all through The Parker Inheritance. Any other childhood favorites you still love today?

CA: What are some books that you've been reading lately?

Thank You!

Links:

Varian Johnson's website - http://varianjohnson.com

Varian on Twitter and Facebook

Althea Gibson

Mad Men

Christopher Nolan's Interstellar & Inception

Books & Authors We Chatted About:

The Westing Game (Ellen Raskin)

Holes (Louis Sachar)

Beverly Cleary

Peter & Fudge Books (Judy Blume)

Blubber (Judy Blume)

Are You There God? It's Me Margaret (Judy Blume)

Walter Dean Myers

Virginia Hamilton

Bridge to Terabithia (Katherine Paterson)

One Crazy Summer (Rita Williams Garcia)

Once You Reach Me (Rebecca Stead)

Goodbye Stranger (Rebecca Stead)

Shelby Holmes Series (Elizabeth Eulberg)

The Lonely Hearts Club (Elizabeth Eulberg)

The Mortification of Fovea Munson (Mary Winn Heider)

Closing

Alright, that wraps up our show this week!

If you have a question about how to connect kids between 8-12 to books they'll love or a suggestion about a topic we should cover, I would love to hear from you. You can email me at [email protected] or message me on Twitter/Instagram at the handle @Books_Between.

Books Between is a proud member of the Education Podcast Network. This network features podcasts for educators, created by educators. For more great content visit edupodcastnetwork.com

Thank you so much for joining me this week. You can get an outline of interviews and a full transcript of all the other parts of our show at MGBookVillage.org. And, if you are liking the show, please leave us some love on iTunes or Stitcher so others can discover us as well.

Thanks and see you soon! Bye!

Intro

Hi and welcome to Books Between - a podcast for teachers, parents, librarians, and anyone who loves middle grade books. I believe in the power of stories to help us realize that we are not alone in the world. And my goal is to help you connect kids with those incredible stories and share inspiring conversations with the authors and educators who make that magic happen.

I am Corrina Allen - a mom of two, a teacher of 22, and gearing up for my Spring Break next week!

This is Episode #47 and today I'm sharing three books about the challenges and realities of family life, and then I'll share with you a conversation with Jen Petro-Roy - author of P.S. I Miss You.

A few quick announcements before we get started - the April Middle Grade at Heart Book Club pick is The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson and the May pick is Every Shiny Thing by Laurie Morrison and Cordelia Jensen if you want to adjust those TBR piles so you can join us.

Also, if you are on Twitter, Matthew Winner and I will be guests on the upcoming #mglitchat Twitter Chat this Thursday, April 19th from 9-10pm. And we'll be chatting about podcasting and whatever else you want to chat about! So I hope you can join us live this Thursday or check out #mglitchat afterward to see the transcript.

Book Talk - Three Novels Featuring the Challenges and Realities of Family Life

This week I am kicking off the show with some book talks! And the theme this week is novels featuring the challenges and realities of family life.Our three featured books this episode are Kat Greene Comes Clean by Melissa Roske, The Thing About Leftovers by C.C. Payne, and One for the Murphys by Lynda Mullaly Hunt.

Kat Greene Comes Clean

Our first featured MG novel this week is Kat Greene Comes Clean by Melissa Roske. This is a book about a 5th grade girl, Kat, who lives in New York City with her cleaning-obsessed mother who is now a contestant on the TV game show Clean Sweep. But that's not the only stressor in her life right now. She is still dealing with the ramifications of her parent's divorce and her dad's new family. Her best friend, Halle, is less-than-supportive now that she's newly enamored with a particular boy at their school. And, Kat did not get one of the lead roles in her school's production of her favorite book - Harriet the Spy. She gets the blah role of the boy in the purple socks. Here are three things to love about Kat Greene Comes Clean:

1. The complicated crush situation in this book. I won't reveal the details because it's a bit of a spoiler, but Kat's best friend has an intense crush on this boy, Michael McGraw, and talks about every facet of his life constantly. And that situation takes an unexpected and awkward detour. Well, unexpected for Halle and Kat. As a teacher, I've seen this play out like this a bunch of times….. yikes!
2. How this book portrays what it's like dealing with a family member who has OCD. Kat's mom was laid off from her job at a magazine, went through a divorce, and her OCD has manifested itself more and more through her obsessive cleaning. I appreciated that this book acknowledged that these anxieties and disorders are often more than just one thing. And the multiple layers of impact on everyone around them. Kat's mom scrubs the floor with an electric toothbrush, so Kat has to constantly worry about her wrath if there are crumbs anywhere. Her mom washes her hands in a very precise way over and over again, so Kat has to wait while she finishes and her mom's attention is always diverted to the next thing she has that compulsion to clean. Even in public, her mother wipes down the cans at the grocery store before putting them in her cart, which embarasses Kat terribly! But then she starts throwing away Kat's things from her bedroom and the impact on Kat is beyond just that embarrassment. At one point later in the novel when things have come to a head, her mother says, "I felt out of control and incredibly anxious. So I shut down."
3. Kat's school psychologist - Olympia Rabinowitz. I just loved her gentle way of slowly helping Kat release herself that her mother had a problem. Early on, Olympia comes to her classroom for something like a sharing circle and later Kat writes her an email about her mom. And then deletes it. I thought that was such a truthful moment - because especially for children, sometimes even acknowledging a problem is overwhelming because the consequence of telling is often also bad. There's a real chance that Kat could have to leave her mom and go live with her dad and his new wife and son - which she does NOT want to do! And like a lot of kids, she has an aversion to airing her family's "dirty laundry." Plus - I loved Olympia because has jelly beans in her office and that's always a plus.

If you have a kid who likes Harriet the Spy or Kharma Khullar's Mustache or Finding Perfect, then Melissa Roske's Kat Green Comes Clean is a great book to introduce them to next.

The Thing About Leftovers

A book that I finally got a chance to read last week is The Thing About Leftovers by C.C. Payne. This novel is about 6th grader Elizabeth "Fizzy" Russo who is struggling to navigate changing family dynamics in the aftermath of her parents' divorce. And figuring out how to make friends at her swanky new school. The only two things that consistently provide stability and help her cope are cooking and her Aunt Liz, who helps Fizzy register for the prestigious Southern Living Cook-off and works with her to test out tons of recipes after school. I loved every bit of this book from the first to the very last page. But, just as a small sample, here are three things to love about C.C. Payne's The Thing About Leftovers:

1. Have I mentioned that I am a sucker for books featuring food? Oh my gosh - this book had me DROOLING over all the recipes that Fizzy tries out. Like lasagna and apple tart and this intriguing German dessert called Eis and Heiss (meaning ice and hot) which is a mix of cold ice cream and hot fruit sauce. And then later, when she finds out that her mom's boyfriend, Keene, likes her baking, she makes cake after cake - pineapple upside down and red velvet and this gorgeous purple cake with purple flowers all over it...ahhh. Oh - and this wonderful thing called Benedictine that Fizzy's Aunt Liz makes for her when she comes over. It's this wonderful-sounding cucumber and cream cheese spread. I NEED to try this!
2. All the analogies and descriptions related to food. As Jarrett Lerner mentioned on a recent episode, a fabulous analogy can make your writing just sparkle. And boy does Payne fill her writing with sparkling moments. Like, "In a voice so sugary I could practically feel a cavity coming on." or "And if Mom was starting fresh, then that made me a kind of leftover, didn't it?", "Here's the thing about leftovers: Nobody is ever excited about them; they're just something you have to deal with." and here's one of my favorites from page 190.
3. Her friendships with Zach and Miyoko. Zack is a boy who Fizzy's mom describes as "slick" but who you realize is coping with his own "stuff" by telling adults what they want to hear - and then doing what he wants to do. And then Miyoko - who does exactly what the perhaps over-protective adults in her life want her to - from getting straight A's to going to bed at 10 - even when she's having a sleepover! But who stands up for things when it really matters. I really enjoyed Fizzy and Miyoko and Zach's supportive friendship with each other.

C.C. Payne's The Things About Leftovers is so well-written - a bittersweet mix of heartbreaking and heartfelt and humourous, and with an ending that is both honest and hopeful. As a kid who went through some very similar family dynamics, I think this book is a must-have for your collection. And I'm really looking forward to seeing more from C.C. Payne!

One for the Murphys

Our third book featured this week is One for the Murphys by Lynda Mullaly Hunt. This is one of those books that got past me and when some friends found out I hadn't read it yet they basically staged an intervention and forced me to! And oh am I glad they did!! They were so right - this book is incredible! So for the few of you who haven't read it yet (it seems like I was the last one!), One for the Murphys is about 12 year-old Carley who grew up in Las Vegas with her fun-loving but neglectful mother. She's a tough kid. But when a violent incident with her step-father leads to Carley's placement in foster care with the Murphys, it gets harder for Carley to convince herself that she is not worthy of their love. Here are three things to love about One for the Murphys:

1. The slow, skillful reveal about Carley's previous life and what happened to land her in foster care. Hunt does not come right out and tell you, but drops a trail of memories. Like learning that Carley used to "go shopping" for her family by diving into Goodwill dumpsters while her mom played lookout. Or when she asks Mrs. Murphy if the lasagna she has planned for dinner is Stouffers or the store brand. Or when she's shocked that Mrs. Murphy can calm herself down, because her own mother could never do that. Or the times Carley reveals she had to sleep in the bathtub… It just reminds us that a lot of kids - the angry ones, the quiet ones - have those types of stories that if we knew them, would explain so much.
2. Mrs. Murphy! This woman, who has her own stories, is incredible at understanding Carley and being patient with her as the family adjusts. There's this powerful scene at a restaurant after Mrs. Murphy has just taken Carley clothes shopping and Carley, probably feeling overwhelmed, starts lashing out at the server, at the food, at her, at herself. Let me read you this one section from page 25.
3. All the little things. I can't pin it down to just one, but… the giraffe stuffed animal, and Tori's love of the musical Wicked, and her razzing Mr. Murphy about the Red Sox, and all the Murphy boys - Daniel, and Adam, and especially little Michael Eric. And the sign in Carley's bedroom… The last three chapters of this book - whoa. Prepare to finish this novel in a location where you can cry. And yes, it's a tear-jerker at the end, but the tears are about the hope as much as they are about the other things that happen. So please don't let the fact that you might cry dissuade you from reading this book! It's… earned them. I almost feel like, Carley (and the kids like Carley) deserved that emotion at the end.

One for the Murphys is for all the Carley's in the world, and for all the kids and adults who need a way to see past the hardened front of children like Carley.

If you want to instantly boost the quality of connections your kids can find in your classroom library or your collection, get these three books! They each offer much-needed perspectives for families experiencing divorce, mental illness, the foster care system, and a lot more and told with warmth and lightness and humor!

Jen Petro-Roy - Interview Outline

Our special guest this week is Jen Petro-Roy, author of P.S. I Miss You. We discuss the role of sensitivity readers, the challenges of writing a novel told all in letters, her favorite board game, and of course - her debut novel!

Take a listen...

P.S. I Miss You

For our listeners who haven't yet read P.S. I Miss You, what is this story about?

One of the things I really appreciated about this story was that it deals with issues that many, many kids are experiencing - like an older sibling's pregnancy, religious questioning, and Evie slowly starting to realize she may have romantic feelings for her friend, June. I love that kids have your age-appropriate story so they can either see themselves reflected in the characters (and feel like they are not alone) or start to develop some awareness of what their peers are going through.

What was your thought process like as you were including those elements of your story?

I saw you mention that you used a sensitivity reader. I am so curious about that process - can you tell us what that was like, how you connected with them, and how their advice may have enhanced your story?

On a personal note - I just want to thank you soo much for including a positive portrayal of an unapologetically atheist family. I was formerly very Catholic but we are now a non-religious family and it was so refreshing to FINALLY see a character like June who is happy, well-adjusted, and also non-religious. … So, thank you!!

Even though there are some weightier themes, your novel includes such laughter and light - and the references to Fish in a Tree, and Harry Potter, and Beauty & the Beast and the movie Grease…

How did you balance those aspects of Evie's life?

So…. I want to talk about the ending. But… I don't want to reveal the ending!

NOTE: Jen and I discussed the ending of the novel, and if you'd like to hear that conversation, I moved that part of the recording to after the end credits of today's episode at the 45:35 mark.

What's your favorite board game?

Your Writing Life

As a novel told all in letters - what kind of challenges did that format create for you?

What are you working on now?

Your Reading Life

One of the goals of this podcast is to help educators and librarians inspire kids to read more and connect them with amazing books.

Did you have a special teacher or librarian in your life who helped you grow into a reader?

You've said that reading The Babysitters Club as a child made you into the reader and writer you are today….

Are you more Kristy, MaryAnne, Claudia, or Stacey?

What are you reading now?

Thank You!

Links:

Jen Petro Roy's gorgeous website - https://www.jenpetroroy.com

Jen on Twitter and Instagram

Danika Corrall's website - https://www.danikacorrall.com/work

Photosynthesis Board Game

Books & Authors We Chatted About:

The Baby-Sitters Club (Ann M. Martin)

The Secret Sheriff of Sixth Grade (Jordan Sonnenblick)

Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie (Jordan Sonnenblick)

Not If I Save You First (Ally Carter)

Gallagher Girls (Ally Carter)

Closing

Alright, that wraps up our show this week!

If you have a question about how to connect kids between 8-12 to books they'll love or a suggestion about a topic we should cover, I would love to hear from you. You can email me at [email protected] or message me on Twitter/Instagram at the handle @Books_Between.

Books Between is a proud member of the Education Podcast Network. This network features podcasts for educators, created by educators. For more great content visit edupodcastnetwork.com

Thank you so much for joining me this week. You can get an outline of interviews and a full transcript of all the other parts of our show at MGBookVillage.org. And, if you are liking the show, please leave us some love on iTunes or Stitcher so others can discover us as well.

Thanks and see you soon! Bye!

Intro

Hi everyone and welcome to the Books Between Podcast! I believe in the power of stories to brighten our world and spark change within ourselves. My goal is to help you connect kids with those amazing stories and share inspiring conversations with the authors and educators who make that magic happen.

I am Corrina Allen - a mom of two tween girls, a 5th grade teacher, and surrounded by slime. Oh. My. God. There is no escaping this stuff - it's like a preteen version of The Blob with sparkles and glitter and sequins and now - foams beads!

This is Episode #46 and today I'm sharing three books featuring the magical power of dogs, and then I'll share with you a conversation with Karina Yan Glaser - author of The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street!

Two quick announcements before we get started - the MG at Heart Twitter chat about The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street is tomorrow night - Tuesday, April 3rd at 8pm EST using the hashtag #MGBookClub. And if you want to get ahead with your reading, the April Middle Grade at Heart Book Club pick is The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson and the May pick is Every Shiny Thing by Laurie Morrison and Cordelia Jensen. I was excited to have Laurie join me today to interview Karina and can't wait to have her back to discuss her own debut.

Book Talk - Three Novels Featuring the Special Magic of Dogs

In this section of the show, I share with you a few books centered around a theme and discuss three things to love about each book. This week I'll be talking about three awesome middle grade novels about separation, unlikely friendships, and the special magic of dogs. Now I will admit up front that am not a huge dog person. I mean - a well-trained dog is an amazing pet, and I love visiting with my friend's dogs but I am more than okay with not having one of my own. But these three books hit me hard - and if YOU love dogs, they will wend their way into your heart even more. The books this week are Good Dog by Dan Gemeinhart, Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly, and Granted by John David Anderson.

Good Dog

First up - Good Dog! Just….wow - Dan Gemeinhart hits another one out of the park! He is already a favorite author of so many of my students, and I'm glad to have another title to recommend after they have finished Scar Island or Some Kind of Courage or especially - The Honest Truth. This novel has a slightly different feel than his previous books. It is told from the point of view of Brodie - a dog who we meet just after he's entered the great beyond after his death. And as our Brodie figures out the rules of this new place, and makes some friends, he remembers more of his past life on Earth. And remembers the danger that his boy, Aidan, is still in. And Brodie has to decide whether to move on to that ultimate Forever or if saving his boy from that threat is worth the awful price he'll have to pay to even attempt helping him. Here are three things to love about Good Dog:

1. The afterlife concept in this book. So - I don't believe in life after death, but if it existed - I would hope it's like this one. Going to an in-between place, a passing-through place where peace will rise up to you through your remembering as the goodness in you shakes off the last bits of darkness and sadness until you can move on to that final Forever.
2. Tuck. I loved this dog - this sweet can't-stand-still, can't-be-quiet, always-running heart of gold black pit bull who was a good dog - even when it was hard. This dog who maybe - sort of - sold a bit of his soul for a French Fry. (Hey, I can relate!)
3. It's hard to explain how much I came to love this book without giving away a major spoiler. And I had prided myself on the fact that even though others had warned me to have tissues handy, I was fine... no tears, just FINE. Until page 285 when I learned that tiny but significant detail about the narrator that had me a sobbing wreck and needing to reread the entire thing!

Hello, Universe

The second book I want to tell you about this week is the 2018 Newbery Award winner - Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly. This one has a special place in my heart because it's a novel that my daughters and I experienced together. We listened to the audio book throughout December and January and grew so attached to - well, I was going to say, to all the characters in the book, but I'll say all but one. Hello, Universe is a quietly powerful story told from the point of view of four children. Virgil Salinas, a shy and quiet boy who longs to be recognized as more than just the "turtle" of his family. And who wants to be friends with Valencia - the girl in his special needs class at school. His close friend is Kaori Tanaka who has this physic business for kids and who places a lot of stock in signs and horoscopes and telling fortunes and the concept of Fate. And the final of the main trio is Valencia Somerset, who loves nature and adventure and who is also deaf. She and Virgil attend the same school but haven't really met. However, they've both met Chet Bullens - the school bully. The entire story takes place over the course of one day when at various times, all four children end up in the woods near their school. And one of them falls in an abandoned well.

Here are three things to love about Hello, Universe.

1. The blend of the mystical and the modern intertwined with Filipino folktales that really show the power of those stories across generations. And how those archetypes of heroes can inspire us to our bravery. Or as Virgil's grandmother says, to discovering your inner "bayani" - your inner "hero".
2. Valencia! She was my favorite character - wise and clever and stubborn - and so attuned to others' reactions to her deafness. Someone pointed out that hers is the only point of view told in the first person so maybe that's why I identified so much with her. It's a tiny moment but when she describes sneaking tupperware bowls of food into the woods to feed this poor stray dog, and how she never remembers to return them….. I felt like the author captured something so real there. I remember taking my mother's measuring cups and spoons out to play in the dirt until suddenly we had none left. And there was this one summer where I fed this stray cat in our neighborhood for weeks...one can of tuna fish every day. I felt like there was something very true to preteens about that mix of compassion and cluelessness.
3. The role of the dog in this book. Like I mentioned, Valencia has befriended this stray dog who lives in the woods. And he doesn't play a huge part in the story - at first - but his role is crucial in surprising ways later on. He didn't turn up when I thought he might. But I felt as though he could have known Brodie and Tuck from Good Dog.

If you have kids who are looking for a fast-paced, action-filled novel, Hello, Universe isn't that book. But it has wit and warmth and philosophical depth explored through really relatable and unique characters. I just loved it!

Granted

And the final book I want to talk about this week is Granted by John David Anderson. You probably know him from the incredible Ms. Bixby's Last Day and Posted. Both of those novels were realistic fiction, male protagonists, with stories centered around school. Granted is totally different - it's about a fairy named Ophelia Delphinium Fidgets. One of the dwindlingly few fairies in the Haven entrusted with the job of Granter - a fairy who ventures out of their safe community and into the dangerous human world to grant a wish. So - everyday, people wish on stars, or candles or wishbones - and each of those wishes (if they follow the rules) are entered into a lottery of sorts. But in the fairies' world - their magic has been decreasing and the number of wishes they can grant has plummeted to the point where on Ophelia's first day on the job only a handful are scheduled to be granted. So she has two problems on her mind - is the wish-granting system they've always followed breaking down and if so, what can they do to fix it? And… how to complete her mission to grant one lucky 13 year-old girl's wish for a purple bike. All Ophelia has to do is fly to Ohio and find the nickel the girl used for her wish. But what should be a routine mission turn into this epic quest that has Ophelia questioning so much of, well - what she took for granted. Here are three things to love about Granted:

1. The fairies' names! They receive their middle name first - which comes from the plant where they were born. (Like Rose or Oak or Daffodil). Their last name is given by their Founder - the fairy who discovers the newborn sprite and oversees their early care and adds a name that expresses something about their personality. (Like Fidgets or Crier). And their first name is completely random. So you get names like our protagonist Ophelia Delphinium Fidgets, her best friend Charlie Rhododendron Whistler, May Rose Crier, or...Gus Fothergilla Gaspasser!
2. Sam! The mangy, smelly golden-haired mutt who after first wanting to eat then chew then chase Ophelia, offers to help her track down the wish she must grant. And.. maybe get to eat some donuts along the way. Ophelia is definitely NOT into this arrangement. Their conversations are HILARIOUS!
3. Ophelia's song. So - every fairy has a magical song that they can sing for a particular effect- perhaps enchanting the listener or having a more negative effect. And while most fairies opt for a traditional tune like "Greensleeves" or "Rolling in the Dew" or maybe even a Sinatra song, Ophelia's song is…. oh I so want to tell you what it is! But you just have to read it! Let's just say, it's something more….modern!

Granted and Good Dog, and Hello, Universe are three books that will cast a magical spell on your heart.

Karina Yan Glaser - Interview Outline

Joining me this month for our Middle Grade at Heart interview with Karina Yan Glaser is author Laurie Morrison. We got an opportunity to sit down together last month to chat about brownstones, balancing your reading life, and of course - The Vanderbeekers!

Take a listen...

The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street

CA: Can you tell us what this story is about?

LM: I love that the book is so balanced between the Vanderbeekers and has five equally developed main characters. Was one of the kids especially challenging or especially fun for you to write? Do you have any advice for other writers who are working on stories with ensemble casts?

CA: One of the things that made me fall so hard for this book was that vibrant Harlem, New York setting with Castleman's Bakery and the brownstones and City College in the background… Was the Vanderbeeker's neighborhood modeled after your own?

LM: I've seen many readers comment that the book feels classic or timeless or old-fashioned. What do you think it is about the book that makes it feel classic to readers?

LM: I noticed that you created the wonderful illustrations inside the book. How did you decide to include those, and were they always a part of the manuscript?

CA: I noticed that you have an adorable bunny! Can she do tricks like Paganini?

Your Writing Life

LM: I'm so excited that there are two more Vanderbeekers stories on the way! Did you always know there would be more than one book, and what has it been like to write more Vanderbeeker adventures?

LM: I know you're a contributing editor at Book Riot and write a weekly newsletter. That must mean you do a lot of reading and a lot of writing outside of your fiction! How do you balance those different kinds of book-related work?

Your Reading Life

Sometimes it only takes that one adult in a kid's life to influence them as a reader - either in a positive way to spur them on and spark that passion in them, or sometimes to squelch it.

CA: Was there an adult in your life who impacted you as a reader?

LM: I think The Vanderebeekers of 141st Street would be a fabulous book to read aloud to kids. Do you have any favorite books to read aloud to your own kids or kids you've worked with in the past?

CA: What have you been reading lately that you've liked?

Links:

Karina's website - http://www.karinaglaser.com

Karina on Twitter and Instagram

BookRiot's Children's Section

Books & Authors We Chatted About:

Charles Darwin's Around the World Adventure (Jennifer Thermes)

Grandma Gatewood Hikes the Appalachian Trail (Jennifer Thermes)

The Penderwicks at Last (Jeanne Birdsall)

Tuck Everlasting (Natalie Babbitt)

See You in the Cosmos (Jack Cheng)

Ginger Pye (Eleanor Estes)

The Moffats (Eleanor Estes)

The Hundred Dresses (Eleanor Estes)

The Land (Mildred T. Taylor)

Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry (Mildred T. Taylor)

Every Shiny Thing (Laurie Morrison & Cordelia Jensen)

They Say Blue (Jillian Tamaki)

Front Desk (Kelly Yang)

The Right Hook of Devin Velma (Jake Burt)

Greetings From Witness Protection (Jake Burt)

Closing

Alright, that wraps up our show this week!

If you have a question about how to connect kids between 8-12 to books they'll love or a suggestion about a topic we should cover, I would love to hear from you. You can email me at [email protected] or message me on Twitter/Instagram at the handle @Books_Between.

And - if you are wanting more discussion focused on middle grade, check out the new podcast called Lifelines: Books That Bridge the Divide hosted by authors Ann Braden and Saadia Faruqi. I'll drop a link to their first two episodes in our show notes, and I am really excited to see more middle grade podcasts out there.

Books Between is a proud member of the Education Podcast Network. This network features podcasts for educators, created by educators. For more great content visit edupodcastnetwork.com

Thank you so much for joining me this week. You can get an outline of interviews and a full transcript of all the other parts of our show at MGBookVillage.org. And, if you are liking the show, please leave us some love on iTunes or Stitcher so others can discover us as well.

Thanks and see you soon! Bye!