Books Between Podcast

Intro

Hi everyone and welcome to the Books Between Podcast! I believe in the power of stories to connect us to others in our world. My goal is to help you connect kids with incredible books and share inspiring conversations with the authors and educators who make that magic happen. Every other Monday, I bring you book talks, interviews, and ideas for getting great books into the hands of kids between 8-12.

I am Corrina Allen - a mom of an 8 and 10 year old, a 5th grade teacher, and now making multiple visits to the orthodontist for both of my daughters. Farewell popcorn and hello palate expanders!

This is Episode #45 and Today I'm discussing some ideas to make your read alouds even better and then sharing with you a conversation with educator Colby Sharp about The Creativity Project!

Two quick announcements. First, the March MG at Heart Book Club pick is The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street and the April book is The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson. So adjust your TBR pile if you want to join us for those conversations later this spring. And remember that #MGBookMarch is going strong this month, and I have been so inspired by all of your responses. If you haven't yet, I hope you'll jump into the conversation!

How to Rock Your Read Aloud

Last week, I had to be out of my classroom for three days for special ed meetings and various professional development training. And so I left some short picture books for the sub to read while I was away and the students foisted some of their favorites on them as well. And let me tell you - my students had OPINIONS about those experiences when I got back! And it got me thinking - it is SO hard to grab a book you've never read and be open and vulnerable enough in front of an audience to read it aloud well. It takes some bravery to take those chances to give yourself over to the book. In case you were wondering, it was The Book With No Pictures - the incredible book that "tricks" the reader into saying silly things.

So today I am going to share with you some ways that you can rock your read aloud with your students, your own kids, or any group of children. I'll chat about what to do before, during, and at the end of your read aloud. And I'll read aloud some non-spoilery samples from one of my all-time favorite books - and the one whose sequel is released tomorrow - The Wild Robot.

Before the read aloud.

There are some things you can do to prepare ahead of time to make that read aloud really come to life.

1. Pick the right book!

Some books just aren't that great to read aloud. My daughters asked me to read aloud El Deafo a few years ago and it worked...okay… since they could sit on either side of me and see the illustrations, but I think a whole class read aloud of a whole graphic novel would be tough. Books with short chapters are really great. Books that have tons of internal thinking or long sections of description can be tough though. Also, some of the classics have tricky sentence structure or difficult vocabulary. Or contain messages or stereotypes that we don't want to perpetuate anymore. So - look to resources and people you trust for some good recommendations.

1. Listen to great examples

If you want to improve, listen to other people read aloud to pick up their tricks. And listen to audio books. There are often samples you can listen to on Audible that will give you some ideas of voices to do. Or how to modulate your voice and tone and speed to match the story and the characters. We'll chat more about that in a bit, but I have learned SO much from Jim Dale's performance of Harry Potter. And Neil Gaiman's readings of his novels, or most recently, the masterful performance of The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Robin Miles. Listening to those examples, helped me realize that a good read aloud IS a performance.

1. Preview the book ahead of time.

It really helps if you've at least read the chapter before so you don't get lost in the sentences. And read it out loud - even if you're just mouthing it to yourself. Three things to pay attention to: new characters you'll have to voice, punctuation, and dialogue tags (the part of the sentence that says "she yelled", or "he said angrily"). I am reading The Wild Robot with my class right now. I've read it before so I thought I was all good, but I didn't skim Chapter 45 first so when we got reintroduced to the otters, I forgot that the first otter speaking was Shelly and so I read it in a low male voice - and so I backed up and reread it in a more female-coded voice. (I could have decided to just have our Shelly have a low voice - sometimes I think it's good to adjust expectations a bit. But, I'd recommend just being intentional about it.) Or sometimes the dialogue tag at the end will say, "he whispered." and oops! I didn't whisper that. Skimming the chapter ahead of time will help.

1. Review

When continuing a read aloud of a chapter book, I have found that it's helpful to do a quick recap of the last section. In my class, we call this "Previously in The Wild Robot" and I'll call on a few kids to refresh our memory of what happened and where we left off. And sometimes I'll even reread the last paragraph or two just to pick back up the threads of the story to get that momentum back. I notice that my Audible app does this automatically - when I stop the book and restart, it goes back about 15 seconds - which is so helpful.

During the read aloud

As you are performing the story, there are three elements that when they are working well, you will have a memorable and awesome read aloud! Those three elements are your voice, your body language, and your audience.

Let's talk about your voice first because there's a lot going on here. First of all, project your voice. And probably more than you think you have to. I don't know about your space, but I am battling a TON of white noise in my classroom - the heater is blowing, the projector is whirring, the class across the hall is making some noise. So you have to cut through all that and angle your mouth further up than maybe you naturally would.

When you are reading aloud a text, you want to try to find the music and rhythm in the language. It's about how the cadence and inflection of your voice matches the tone of the scene and how the characters are feeling. If it's something mysterious is happening, add that little question to your voice. If it's a sad moment, then you'll want to slow down and maybe read more carefully with that emotion coming through.

For example, on page 58 of The Wild Robot, there is the part where Roz falls down the cliff:

Expressing the right tone is about finding that rhythm, but it's also about volume. If a character yells - you yell. And whisper those poignant lines so your class leans in to hear them. Use the dramatic slow down. Speed up when there's energy or a chase or big climatic scene.

And repeat important parts - look up at the kids. Give them a moment to digest and think. Those lines in the book that give you a deep message, that foreshadow something later, that are the heart of the story - repeat them! And maybe emphasize a different word the second time.

Here's an example from Chapter 37 of The Wild Robot where we first meet a new character - Chitchat the squirrel.

SO in that section, based on the cues of the text - I made my voice bouncy when Chitchat bounces across the lawn and then fast and sort of nervous when she's talking.

Another hugely important aspect of using your voice to convey meaning is by what most kids call "doing the voices". That's often their biggest compliment to an adult who reads out loud to them - that they do the voices well. And it takes some practice and some planning to figure out how to perform and almost embody those various characters. Something that has really helped me is to think about what actor or actress might be cast in that role and then try to "do" their voice. In The Wild Robot, I modeled Roz on Alexa. The older goose, Loudwing, was Julia Sweeney for some reason. Here's an example from Chapter 44, The Runaway:

Now, YOU and the students might not hear those actors in my voice, but it helps me to keep the character's voice straight and consistent throughout the book. And it gives me ideas of different ways that I could do different voices.

Now let's talk about your body language! First of all, move around the room instead of just sitting in one spot. And try gesturing with the hand not holding the book. If a character is described as doing an action, like pointing, I'll point. If the author has the character cough or sneeze - do that! And let your facial expressions reflect the tone of the story and mood of the characters. If there's anxiousness in the description, furrow your brow and curl into yourself. If they are described as smiling, I'll smile as I say that part. And you can hear that smile in your voice. The children look for visual cues to understand the text so add a little performance to it.

A last way to really boost the engagement of your students or children during the read aloud is to get them involved in some way.

Shorter picture books are easier to do this with because they can often see the words to say them. My class loves reading the colored words in books like She Persisted or You Don't Want a Unicorn.

But it's a bit trickier when you are reading aloud a novel. But - there are some ways to do it. One idea is to include your audience in some kind of small action.

I remember when I was taking a graduate education class, my professor read us Seedfolks. And I vividly recall her gently placing imaginary seeds into the palms of each of our hands as she read. Just that small little thing brought us into the story, and I've never forgotten it. (It also goes to show that you are never too old to enjoy a read aloud! And that you can get cool ideas by listening to experienced people read out loud.)

In our class, one of the mentor texts we use a lot is Eleven by Sandra Cisneros. And there's this part where the teacher dumps this nasty old red cottage-cheese-smelling sweater on the desk of one of her students. So, of course when I read it aloud, I mimic dropping that sweater on a student's desk and then aim the teacher's dialogue at that kid.

Or one time I was reading a poem where one of the characters got their shoulder bumped by another person, so as I read that part and walked past a student I dipped down and (gently!) bumped their shoulder with mine. Now, you have to know your kids well enough to know who would respond well to that. Adding those little actions can really get the audience more invested and involved in the story.

At the end of the read aloud

At the end of the read aloud time, when you've got to stop. Always try to end on a cliffhanger - even if it's the middle of a chapter. A lot of authors are really skilled at those chapter endings but you want to leave them wanting more! Begging to read just one more chapter! And sometimes - indulge them!

Most importantly - enjoy yourself! If you are having fun reading the story and you are getting into it - your kids will love it, too.

There a hundred reasons why read alouds are so important. Of course it models fluency and introduces sophisticated vocabulary. I'll just end by mentioning that many accomplished readers talk so fondly about those early experiences being read to that sparked that passion for story in their lives. For me, that's my 4th grade teacher, Mrs. Simile, reading The Search for Delicious to us. I just fell head over heels for that story in a way that it became part of me. Read alouds create this shared experience that you and those children will have forever.

And now - I would love to hear from you! I am always looking for ways to improve my read alouds, and I'm sure our listeners would love more ideas as well. And I am sure you have some awesome suggestions! You can email me at [email protected] or connect with me on Twitter/Instagram at the handle @Books_Between.

Colby Sharp - Interview Outline

Our guest this week is Colby Sharp! He is a teacher, one of the founders of the Nerdy Book Club site, a co-host of The Yarn podcast, organizer of NerdCamp Michigan, and now…. author of The Creativity Project! A few weeks ago we sat down to chat about the book, what's been inspiring him in his classroom, books he's been reading, and so much more!

Take a listen...

The Creativity Project

The Creativity Project will finally make its way into the world this March. How did this project get started?

Logistically - how did the exchange of prompts work and how did you decide who received which prompt? Did you get to see them before they went out?

Are there some responses that are really memorable to you?

I love that The Creativity Project works not only as an anthology that you could just enjoy as a reader, but also as a spur to your own writing. It's going to be a great resource for teachers!

Have you used the prompts in your own classroom?

What writing projects are you working on now?

Your Teaching Life

You recently switched grade levels - going from teaching 3rd grade to 5th grade. How has that been going for you?

What have been some of your favorite, most memorable teaching moments with your students this year?

What does reading look like in your class?

Your Reading Life

Something that I think about a lot is how sometimes it only takes ONE person to really influence a child's reading life - either in a positive way or sometimes in a negative way.

Was there someone in your life who impacted you as a reader?

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

Links:

Colby's website - https://www.mrcolbysharp.com

Colby on Twitter and Instagram

Student Podcasts: Colby's Students & Corrina's Students

Books & Authors We Chatted About:

Hatchet (Gary Paulsen)

Holes (Louis Sachar)

Enticing Hard to Reach Writers (Ruth Ayres)

The Truth as Told By Mason Buttle (Leslie Connor)

Freak the Mighty (Rodman Philbrick)

See You in the Cosmos (Jack Cheng)

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 the Books Between Podcast! I believe in the power of stories to inspire us and to change our lives for the better. And I know that being a reader encourages us to be more empathetic and to be better citizens in our world. And I want to help you connect kids with those amazing, life-changing stories and bring you inspiring (and fun!) conversations with the authors and educators who make that magic happen. Every other Monday, I bring you book talks, interviews, and ideas for getting great books into the hands of kids between 8-12.

I am Corrina Allen - a mom of two tween girls, a teacher to 23 fifth graders, and I've been planning a baby shower this week! My brother (who is also a teacher) and his wife (who is a librarian) are expecting their first this April. So - of course, I had to throw them a picture book themed baby shower.

This is Episode #44 and today I'm sharing with you a conversation with author Jack Cheng about his debut middle grade novel (and the MG at Heart February Book Club pick) See You in the Cosmos! And then I'll end with a Q&A.

A few quick announcements. For those participating in the MG at Heart Books Club - the Twitter Chat to discuss See You in the Cosmos will be on Monday, March 6th at 8pm EST. Just follow the Hashtag #mgbookclub and I'll see you there! Also, the March book is The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Karina Yan Glaser. And the April book is The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson. If you want to know the rest of the schedule along with other great middle great content, please head over to MGBookVillage.org - we have a book-release calendar and a great blog. One of my favorites from this past week is the post from Sayantani Dasgupta (author of The Serpent's Secret) called "Nothing About Us Without Us: Writing #OwnVoices Fantasy in the Age of Black Panther" - if you haven't read it yet - it's great. (And go see Black Panther - it was phenomenal!!)

So - there's lots going on at MGBookVillage. It's where all the transcripts of this podcast can be found. And - Kathie and Jarrett and Annaliese and I have been cooking up something pretty awesome for March. So stayed tuned!

Jack Cheng - Interview Outline

Joining me this month to ask Jack Cheng questions is one of the founders of the MG at Heart Book Club - and an author herself , Cindy Baldwin. Her novel, Where the Watermelons Grow, is out this July. We got the chance to connect with Jack on Skype last week and here is our conversation...

See You in the Cosmos

CA: For our listeners who haven't yet read the novel, can you tell us a bit about Alex's journey in See You in the Cosmos?

CA: The premise of this book is that the entire thing is recorded on Alex's Golden iPod. What were some aspects of writing the novel that were challenging because of that decision?

CB: Did you ever consider writing it another way?

CB: Alex is such a pitch-perfect balance of being really naive but also really precocious and shouldering a lot of adult responsibility. How did you strike that sweet spot in his voice between a kid who's shouldering adult responsibilities but also being really clueless?

CB: How did you figure out how to assign time logs to the recorded entries? Did you read any of them aloud or was it all random guesswork?

CA: Where you a fan of Carl Sagan's Cosmos?

JL: Yours is the second recently released kidlit book I've read in the past few months that features the Voyager Golden Record and spacecraft centrally. (The Care and Feeding of a Pet Black Hole is the other one.) Carl Sagan said that "the launching of this 'bottle' into the cosmic 'ocean' said something very hopeful about life on this planet. I'd love to know what YOU think it is about the Golden Record project, and the launching of it out into space, that so captures and ignites the imagination, and why it might be a powerful thing for young people in particular to learn about.

CB: Have you ever built a rocket? And what kind of research did you do?

Your Writing Life / See You on the Bookshelf Podcast

CA: I just loved your podcast - See You on the Bookshelf - where you interview all the different people who helped make See You in the Cosmos as reality - from your agent and editor and copyeditor to the audio people. Why did you decide to create podcast to document the journey of your novel?

CA: Did I hear that See You in the Cosmos was originally written as an adult book? If so - what changes did you make to angle your writing more toward middle grade?

CB: You tackle some serious topics in this book. You touch on child neglect, mental illness, running away, infidelity… What made you decide to explore these issues in this book? Why do you think it's important to address difficult, mature topics like this in middle grade?

CB: Do you feel like you'll continue to experiment with unusual formats in your work in the future?

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

CB: What role did reading have on your decision to be a writer?

CA: What are you reading now?

Thank You!

Links:

Jack's website - https://jackcheng.com

Jack on Twitter and Instagram

Jack's See You on the BookShelf Podcast

Original Cosmos Series

Information about the Voyager Golden Record

Audio version of See You in the Cosmos

Books & Authors We Chatted About:

Pale Blue Dot (Carl Sagan)

The Care and Feeding of a Pet Black Hole (Michelle Cuevas)

The Kid Who Only Hit Homers (Matt Christopher)

Orphan Island (Laurel Snyder)

Origin of Species (Charles Darwin)

Q & A

This week I'm going to end by addressing some questions and comments that I have been getting a lot over the last two weeks. In the wake of the most recent school shooting, at the Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida on February 14th - many many people have emailed and messaged me to express their anguish and to simply ask, "How is everyone doing?" I know a lot you listening have been reaching out to me and to each other and hoping that maybe something's different this time.

Every time I record a show I start by saying that I am a mom and I am a teacher. And living in this society that glorifies gun violence and seems to tolerate it against its most vulnerable, I want to tell you what that means.

So as a mom, it means that my husband and I send our girls to school and we hope and feel lucky when they come home safely. As a mom, it means that your heart shreds a little more every time your child comes home and tells you where they hid during that day's drill. And as a mom, it means all too often I need to pull over to the side of the road on the way home from work to dry my tears at the latest news of yet another shooting of a child - in a school or in a neighborhood where all they've done wrong is wear a hooded sweatshirt. But as mom, you pull yourself together so you can listen to your children tell you about their day without dimming their smiles.

And I am also a teacher living in a culture where we and our students have become prey. And I want to tell you what that means.

It means that twice a year my students and I practice a lock down in case a shooter is in the school. They hide. Try to be quiet. And I shut the lights and hover near that locked door and plan how I might react if it wasn't a drill. How could I use my body to shield theirs. Is there something nearby I can grab and use as a weapon?

A stapler? Should I have grabbed that screwdriver out of the science kit?

And I know it would never stop them. But it might just slow them down, a little. So that some could escape and there might be one less family to suffer that unimaginable grief of losing a child.

But being that shield would mean that my own children would be left without a mother. And yet - all teachers I know do it willingly and gladly. Because we protect our kids - no matter what. That is the deal.

And I know my own teachers would have done the same. I know my daughters' teachers would do the same. They'd protect those lives with their own. But our society has broken that promise of protection.

And it is a heavy heavy burden placed on the shoulders of our children and our teachers. And it is too much. And I've even been asked - well, hey - what if you had a gun? Couldn't you save more kids? First of all, a handgun is no match for assault weapon. And even a highly trained professional only averages an 18-25% accuracy rate in that kind of situation. When I think of where those other bullets might go in a school? For that reason and for a thousand more - NO! If you want to arm us, arm us with more counselors who serve students and not just sit in meetings about testing!

It's already too much. But in return for that heavy burden on our children and their teachers - the drills, the anxiety that comes with every news story and every false alarm (and there are so many more of them than you know) - we expect action to end this brutal, soul-crushing gun violence. Action from our representatives, but also action from YOU. Please.

Because our government WILL act. Once we are LOUD enough. And make them feel uncomfortable enough. And it's really no surprise to me that the generation who grew up reading about Malala are at the forefront of this. They cut their teeth on the stories of brave young activists. They have finally gotten some momentum, so let's help them. I've called my representatives three times a week, and I'm going to the March for Our Lives on March 24th.

So I am begging you - please if you live in the US. - please help. Call the people who claim to represent you and I'll see you at the march.

Intro

Hi and welcome to the Books Between Podcast! I believe that books can change your life for the better. I know because books did that for me.

And I want to help you connect kids with those amazing, life-shaping books and bring you inspiring (and fun!) conversations with the authors and educators who make that magic happen. Every other Monday, I bring you book talks, interviews, and ideas for getting great books into the hands of kids between 8-12.

I am Corrina Allen - a mom of an eight and ten year old, a 5th grade teacher, and excited about two things this week! First, the Winter Olympics. And second - today's announcement of the American Library Association Youth Media Awards including the Caldecott, the Newbery, The Coretta Scott King, and lots more! I am so excited for those authors and illustrators who will be getting those early morning phone calls. I'll be streaming it with my class and can't wait to chat more with you about it!

This is Episode #43 and today I'm talking about some fails, some wins, and bringing you a conversation with author Anna Meriano about her debut novel (and the MG at Heart January Book Club pick) Love, Sugar, Magic!

But first I have some exciting news to share with you — I'm joining the fabulous team at MGBookvillage.org! MGBookVillage has become THE place for all things middle grade, and I'm so thrilled to be working with Annaliese Avery, Jarrett Lerner, and Kathie MacIsaac who've done such an incredible job developing a home for lovers of middle grade that I can't imagine we ever made do without it!

MGBookVillage has it all; a book-release calendar, a Kids' Corner, a monthly book club (MG at Heart), an all-day twitter chat on Mondays (#MGBookathon)—and so, so much more.

And from now on it will be the new home of the Books Between podcast and where you can find all our transcripts.

Three Fails & One Win

And now a new segment I am calling three fails and a win. So - I am going to share with you three failures. And then one thing that went well recently. I think we all have the tendency to share our achievements and hide our failures, only revealing things that put us in a positive light. Inadvertently, it can lead to people feeling like they aren't living up to all the amazingness they see on Instagram and Facebook and Pinterest, and next door. It's an unrealistic view of teaching and parenting and it makes it seem like there are just these amazing rockstar kidlit advocates who have success after success. Nah! In the interest of acknowledging that the most learning happens through our mistakes, I'll share three of mine with you today. And then I share something good that happened.

Fail #1

Last summer I had an great conversation with Jillian Heise about #ClassroomBookADay and was so inspired to give it a try this year. (If you want to hear that conversation about the power of reading one picture book a day with your students, check out episode 30). So, at the beginning of the year I made this GIANT public display of 280 blank polaroid-style frames - all waiting for me to post colorful pictures of the books we are reading. And I have! Up until about like 40. Now - we have STILL been reading those picture books. Mostly. We've missed a few days here and there, but - ugh that display has embarrassingly just... stalled. And I want to catch up but now I can't quite remember the order of the titles we've read or even the names of them all. And in fact, one of my eagle-eyed gals noticed that we have Not Quite Narwhal on there twice. Not my best moment of this year.

Fail #2 -

So last summer, I secretly pre-ordered a certain book for my daughter. I will withhold the name because it doesn't really matter but I'll just say that it was the next title in a fun graphic novel series that my 8 year-old daughter LOVES. She's picky with her reading, so when she finds something she likes, I RUN to the ball. Well, I thought I was getting the Best Mom Ever award when a few weeks ago the book arrived on our stoop Tuesday afternoon and I gleefully called her into the kitchen as I whipped the book from around my back and held it out to her with a GIANT grin on my face! TA-DA!! And she….backed out of the room cringing. And then told me she's just not into those books as much anymore. Okay then - mom win turned into major mom fail.

Fail #3

This is the one I refer to as The Armadillo Book Debacle.

So, a couple weeks ago my daughter comes home upset because she's going to have to pay $15 to replace a missing library book. Well - High Alert in the Allen household! We tear apart the house looking for it. All the bedrooms, under the couch cushions. I look at school. I call the grandparents! Nowhere is this darn Armadillo book. And my husband and daughter start to think they saw it go in the backpack and back to school. And mistakes happen, so we email the librarian and explain that we think it was returned and could she look? And I just want to say - she was extraordinarily nice about it! And so - she's looking all over the school for it.

Yeah, you know where this is going don't you? A couple months ago we had a party at our house. And, like happens, there comes a point when you have cleaned and scrubbed and dusted and vacuumed and people are just about to arrive! So you switch from cleaning mode to hiding mode. You know, there's that one dirty casserole dish in the sink so you shove it in the oven. And there's a stack of random papers and mail and books that you haul down into the basement. Including an Armadillo book that ended up tucked away in a corner of our basement for two months. My fault. Awkward email back to the librarian.

And…. a WIN!

I have to end on a positive note. So I have this student who I love but he was tough nut to crack when trying to find a book that would hold his interest. In September, I discovered he had liked The One and Only Ivan, so I handed him my ARC of Wishtree weeks before it came out. Nope. I piled book after book after book on his desk - asking him questions about what he liked - to no avail. It seemed like he was going to be one of those kids that you just hope the next person can help them find books they'll love because it just didn't click with you. But, then - I found out that he LOVES wrestling - like WWE wrestling. And a friend on #mglitchat recommended these Choose Your Own Adventure style WWE wrestling books. I order them on Amazon Prime and two days later, I slid one across his desk and his eyes just lit up! I even caught him reading it as he walked to the bus! He read those books back and forth cover to cover for weeks. And now - he's on to the second Tapper Twins book and on a roll and YES!!! (I'll link to those wrestling books in the show notes if you want to check them out. As far as I can tell there are only two of them - Race to the Rumble and then Night of Champions. Both are by Tracey West)

So, maybe my hallway display has stalled out, and I got overzealous with my child, and I embarrassed myself with the school librarian, but I helped that one kid get himself on his way.

Anna Meriano - Interview Outline

This week I had the opportunity to have a fantastic conversation with two authors debuting middle grade novels in 2018. Joining me today is Amanda Rawson Hill. She is the author of the upcoming book Three Rules of Everyday Magic and one of the organizers of the MG at Heart Book Club. Her and I hopped on Skype to chat with Anna Meriano about her debut novel (and the January MG at Heart Book Club pic), Love Sugar Magic.

Take a listen…..

Interview Outline

Love, Sugar, Magic

CA: Your first middle grade novel, Love Sugar Magic, debuted last month. For those listeners who haven't yet read the book - can you tell what the story is about?

CA: One of things I loved about this book was that passing down of family recipes from mother to daughter generation to generation. So - did I hear that you aren't actually much of a baker?

CA: Where did the recipes come from?

CA: In your novel, each sister has a special power, depending on her birth order. First born daughters have the gift of influence, second born daughters have the talent of manifestation, and the third borns have the gift of communicating with the dead. Which gift would YOU want to have?

ARH: I wanted to get some insight into how you wrote a big family so well...

Your Writing Life

CA: How long ago did you start writing Love, Sugar, Magic?

ARH: You've talked a lot about how you worked with Cake Literary, a book packager. I was wondering what the experience of doing that from the beginning with someone else was like compared to when you're writing a book all on your own. And how did it affect your creative process?

CA: What is Cake Literary and what is a book packager?

CA: How did you end up connecting to Leo?

JL: I'd be interested to hear about Anna's experience with her debut group. The Electric Eighteens seem like such a positive and supportive bunch, and they're so active in promoting one another. I'd love to hear what Anna got out of being a part of such a group — both in practical terms of promotion and things, and emotionally and psychologically, too, since the debut experience can be so confusing and exciting and overwhelming and joyful and terrifying and a million other things, too!

CA: The more I chat with authors about their process, the more I want to share with my students the idea that what they see as a finished story is the very tip of a gigantic iceburg of planning and writing and revising that never sees the light of day. What below-the-surface part of your writing process do you really enjoy? And what parts are challenging?

Your Reading Life

CA: Something that I think about a lot is how sometimes it only takes ONE person to really influence a child's reading life - either in a positive way or sometimes in a negative way. Was there someone in your life who impacted you as a reader?

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

Links:

Anna on Twitter

Cake Literary website - http://www.cakeliterary.com

Electric Eighteen Debut Group website - https://electriceighteens.com

Anna's Nerdy Book Club Post is here

The Coco Movie

Books & Authors We Chatted About:

The First Rule of Punk (Celia C. Perez)

Goosebumps (R.L. Stine)

Calvin & Hobbes (Bill Watterson)

The Inquisitor's Tale (Adam Gidwitz)

The Gauntlet (Karuna Riazi)

Betty Before X (by Ilyasah Shavbazz & Renee Watson)

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.

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. Or even better - tell a friend about us!

Thanks and see you soon! Bye!

Intro

Hi there everyone! Welcome to Books Between - a podcast for teachers, parents, librarians, and anyone who wants to connect kids between 8-12 to books they'll love. I'm your host, Corrina Allen - a mom of two, a teacher of 23, and always amazed at how much I learn from my students. Sometimes it's something profound, or like last week it's a snack suggestion! So a shout out to Jadyn and Malia for helping my daughters and I get completely addicted to these things called Flip yogurts. Have you tried them? They are these little flavored yogurts with a side sprinkle of sweetness. I have purchased an embarrassingly large amount of these in the past week - enough so that the Wegman's cashier is giving me the side eye. You have to try them - delicious!

This is Episode #42 and Today I'm sharing with you a great opportunity to participate in the MG @ Heart Book Club, a fantastic interview with author Elly Swartz about her upcoming novel Smart Cookie, and then I'll share with you some news about the All the Wonders website.

MG @ Heart Book Club

The first thing that I am really excited to tell you about is that I am teaming up with the Middle Grade at Heart Book Club to bring you great discussions and interviews with the authors of each month's selection.

So you can read along with us all and at the end of the month or sometimes early the following month, MG at Heart will host a Twitter chat to discuss the book together and I'll host an episode of Books Between featuring that novel.

First, let me tell you about all of the awesome 2018 picks so you can plan out your reading and pre-order the ones you want to get. There are lots of debut authors on this list so I'm excited for us all to meet some new voices in world of middle grade literature. (And remember that links to all of the books mentioned are in the show notes and the transcript posted on allthewonders.com so you don't have to scramble to write anything down.)

After I list the reading schedule, then I'll let you know where you can go to get more information about the MG at Heart Book Club.

In January, we are reading Love, Sugar, Magic by debut author Anna Meriano. It is about an 11 year-old girl, named Leonora, in a tight-knit family where all the women are brujas - witches. Leonora soon discovers that she - like her sisters and mother - have magical abilities that manifest through their baking. I'm about halfway through this book right now and I love the family, and magic, and food, and culture. It's like a mix of the movie Coco and one of my favorite novels, Chocolat. I just know you and your kids will love it! So, I hope you can join us all for the Twitter chat about Love, Sugar, Magic on Tuesday, February 6th at 8pm EST using the hashtag #mgbookclub.

And February's read is See You in the Cosmos by Jack Cheng! Oh my gosh - I just finished the audio version of this novel and I was blown away. Really - you HAVE to read this one! Or better yet since the premise of the entire book is that it's recorded on an ipod - get the audio performance! You'll just fall in love with Alex and his dog, Carl Sagan. So - stay tuned for the Twitter chat date for that book!

In March, we'll be reading The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Karina Yan Glaser. This one has been on my TBR pile for ages so I'm glad to have a reason to push it to the top of my pile and get ready for the sequel which, I think, is due out this fall.

April's book is Varian Johnson's The Parker Inheritance - which sounds like a fabulous historical mystery. Can't wait to read that one - it looks amazing!

In May, we'll be reading Every Shiny Thing by Cordelia Jensen and Laurie Morrison - a contemporary novel in half prose, half verse.

June's selection is The Mad Wolf's Daughter by Diane Magras - a Scottish medieval adventure that sounds a bit like The Ranger's Apprentice with a twist of Tamora Pierce. Doesn't that sounds amazing?

In July, we'll be reading Just Under the Clouds by Melissa Sarno about a family struggling to find a lasting home.

August's pick is Cindy Baldwin's Where the Watermelons Grow - a book about twelve-year-old Della Kelly of Maryville, North Carolina, who tries to come to terms with her mother's mental illness while her father struggles to save the farm from a record-breaking drought.

And in September, we are reading The House That Lou Built by Mae Respicio. This one is about a girl who longs to create a space of her own away from the small room she shares with her mother in their grandmother's house that is home to her lovable but sometimes wild Filipino family. So - she decides to built her own 'tiny house."

October's pick is The Three Rules of Everyday Magic by Amanda Rawson Hill. Listen to this description: "Magic doesn't work the way you think it will, but it's what Kate needs as she confronts friendship trouble, her parents' divorce, and Grammy's dementia in this lyrical middle-grade coming-of-age novel."

And November's pick is The Hotel Between by Sean Easley -a story where twins Cam and Cass uncover the secrets of their missing father in a magical hotel whose doors lead its guests to places all over the world.

And stay tuned for the December plans!

So - I hope you are just excited as I am to read some outstanding new middle grade books this year. So - go get your pre-orders in, adjust those TBR piles, and I'll see on Twitter and in your podcast feed.

If you want to know more about the Middle Grade at Heart Book Club, check them out on Twitter at the handle @mgatheart. And you can find them online at mgbookvillage.org. And a big shout out to the creators of MG at Heart - Julie Artz, Cindy Baldwin, Laurie Morrison, Amanda Rawson Hill, and Kit Rosewater.

Main Topic - A Conversation with Elly Swartz

This week I am so excited to welcome Elly Swartz to the show - author of Finding Perfect and her upcoming middle grade novel, Smart Cookie. We chat about her new novel and the unconventional research she did to get the details right along with schools visits, her writing process, and what she's been reading lately.

Take a listen…..

Interview Outline:

Smart Cookie

Your new middle grade novel, Smart Cookie, is released in just a few days - can you tell us a bit about it?

We all loved the Greene Family Bed & Breakfast - Angie wants to know - did you model it after a real place or a real situation?

We all loved the game inspired rooms - Yahtzee and Monopoly and Checkers and Chess! My daughters and I had so much fun deciding which ones we'd want to stay in. So, we all want to know - which game-themed room would you prefer to stay in?

And Lena wants to know - why did you decide to call the book Smart Cookie?

I really loved the relationship between Frankie and her grandmother. I also grew up with an energetic, card-playing grandmother who lived with me, so I really connected with the bond between Frankie and her Gram….

Were you close to your grandparents?

One of the parts of this book that had us laughing out loud (and cringing!) - were all the women that Frankie secretly sets her dad up with from the dating site!

Did you do research on dating sites?

I've been seeing a lot of pictures of your school visits lately! What are some of the things you like about visiting with students?

Your Writing Life

What is your writing process like?

I saw that you studied psychology and law - do you think anything from your time studying those subjects has helped you become a better writer or made its way into your novels?

What are you working on now?

Your Reading Life

Something that I think about a lot is the impact that adults can have on a child's development as a reader - either in a really positive, encouraging way or sometimes in a negative way...

Was there someone like that in your life who impacted you as a reader?

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

Links:

Elly's Website - http://ellyswartz.com

Smart Cookie Curriculum Guide

Elly on Twitter and Instagram

Books & Authors We Chatted About:

Ramona the Brave (Beverly Cleary)

Eloise (Kay Thompson and Hilary Knight)

Pippi Longstocking (Astrid Lindgren)

Radio Free Vermont (Bill McKibben)

Love (Matt De La Pena and Loren Long)

Everything I Know About You (Barbara Dee)

The 57 Bus (Dashka Slater)

Turtles All the Way Down (John Green)

Some news

Before we wrap up, I wanted to share with you some news. As you may have heard, Matthew Winner and Blake Hamilton (co-founders of the All the Wonders website) have decided to end the project due to some other demands on their time and energy.

However, all the podcasts happily - including Books Between - will still continue. Nick Patton's Picturebooking podcast will be found on picturebooking.com. And the All the Wonders podcast will now be called The Children's Book Podcast with Matthew Winner and will have a home at matthewcwinner.com.

And for me, this episode will be the last one at www.AlltheWonders.com. All the previous episodes of Books Between and the transcripts will still be there. And, as always, you'll still be able to find links to every single episode at booksbetween.com. On the next episode, I'll have an announcement with some further details about our new home.

For now, I just want to say how happy I am to have been part of the All the Wonders team. And how grateful I've felt for their warm welcome into that incredible family. I want to give a special thanks to Matthew Winner who within the first week of this podcast, has always been such an enthusiastic champion of the show and incredibly generous with his time, resources, and advice.

And Matthew, and Blake, and everyone else at the All the Wonders team have made this show so much better than it would have been on its own.

And as much as there is a twinge of disappointment at seeing the end of something so wonderful, instead of feeling like it's a sad goodbye, I look at it like an evolution of how we all connect and collaborate.

And I am really excited to see what Blake and Matthew have in store next! Because you all know that the forces behind the awesomeness that was All the Wonders are going to be up to something brilliant!

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.

Thank you so much for joining me this week. You can get a full transcript of this show and all of our previous episodes at AlltheWonders.com. And, if you are liking the show, please leave us some love on iTunes or Stitcher. Or even better - tell a friend about us!

Thanks and see you soon! Bye!

Intro

Hi everyone and welcome to Books Between - a podcast for teachers, parents, librarians, and anyone who wants to connect kids between 8-12 to books they'll love. I'm your host, Corrina Allen - a teacher, a mom, and spending a lovely weekend with my family inside away from the bitter cold playing epic games of Sorry and watching all the Star Wars movies. Again.

This is Episode #41 and today I'm sharing with you some fabulous 2018 titles to look forward to this year and an awesome interview with EngiNerds author Jarrett Lerner!

Book Talk - Most Anticipated Middle Grade Books of 2018

Typically in this segment, I share with you a few books centered around a theme. And during the last few episodes I was all about looking back at some of the best middle grade fiction and graphic novels of 2017. (If you missed those, go check out episodes #39 and #40.)

But this week I want to talk about some of the most anticipated books of the upcoming year. Some are long-awaited sequels or new installments in well-loved series. Some are new ventures for favorite authors. And some are by debut authors. So, buckle up and and get ready to add to your wish list. And just a reminder - before you scramble for a pen and paper. You can find every book mentioned here AND a picture of the available covers AND a link to pre-order them right through the Books Between Podcast link at AlltheWonders.com. I've got your back, I know you're busy, so it's all right there for you. And I've come to really love pre-ordering - it helps out favorite authors and it's like a little gift to your future self.

Two quick things to mention before I start. One - this is just a sampling of all the incredible books coming out this year. I'll add some links to some great resources in the shownotes where you can find more complete listings of titles to browse through and discover some gems:

http://www.readbrightly.com/middle-grade-books-2018/

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/98185.Middle_Grade_Novels_of_2018

https://mgbookvillage.org/2018releasedates/

https://electriceighteens.com/

And second - publication dates do change, so while I've mentioned the book release month - things sometimes change.

All right - let's get to it!

Coming in January…

Let's start with the some sequels because there are some AWESOME sequels coming our way to give us something to look forward to during this dreary month….

• Linda William's Jackson's follow-up to Midnight Without a Moon - A Sky Full of Stars is out this January as Rose struggles with the way to face the rising racial tensions in her community.
• Ooooo - and the new Fenway & Hattie is out this January!!! I just can't get enough of that little dog! This third one is called Up to New Tricks so definitely snag that one for your Fenway fans - and for you, too!
• And Gordon Korman's Supergifted is also set for a January release - this is the sequel to Ungifted - a great book about a boy named Donovan who is mistakenly transfering into a gifted program and has to figure out how to pass as brilliant. This follow up is about his new friend, Noah.
• We are also getting another Terrible Two book in January - Terrible Two Go Wild!
• And a new Spy on History book - Victor Dowd and the World War II Ghost Army!
• Ah! And we a get a new HiLo book this January! It's called Waking the Monsters! (As my husband said - yeah, that sounds like what I do every weekday.) Our 8 year old is SUPER psyched about this new book! - so keep 'em coming Judd Winick!
• Okay - and it's not really a sequel BUT - there is just released a GRAPHIC NOVEL version of the first The Wings of Fire book - ahhhh!!! It's illustrated by Mike Holmes and my students are going to FREAK when I tell them tomorrow.

Some other January releases that are looking fabulous are….

• Betty Before X - an historical fiction novel set in the 40s about 11-year-old Betty Shabazz - future civil rights leader. This one is written by her daughter, Ilyasah Shabazz with Renee Watson
• Winterhouse by debut author Ben Guterson - this is an urban fantasy mystery set in a magical hotel containing a huge library with secrets to discover.
• We are also getting the first middle grade book by picture book author Angela Dominguez called Stella Diaz Has Something to Say!
• Another novel that looks REALLY interesting is called TBH, This is SO Awkward by Lisa Greenwald and it's told entirely in texts. So I definitely need to check that one out.
• And my friend Emily Montjoy has been raving about Just Like Jackie by Lindsey Stoddard so I'm looking forward to my turn with that one.
• Also - Leslie Connor, the author of the critically-acclaimed All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook, has a new novel out in January called The Truth as Told By Mason Butte - so definitely check that one out.
• Natalie Lloyd also has a new novel coming out this January! So if you liked A Snicker of Magic or The Key to Extraordinary, look for The Problim Children - which is described as a mix between Lemony Snicket and the Addams Family...
• Annnd - the new Elly Swartz novel - Smart Cookie!! I had a chance to read an ARC of this one with my daughters and oh I can't wait for it to be out in the world!

On to February …

• One that I've had a chance to read ahead of time is Playing Atari with Saddam Hussein by Jennifer Roy and Ali Fadhil. I'll talk more about this book later when I have time to really go into depth, but for now I'll just say - preorder it. A great historical fiction about an Iraqi boy during the first Gulf War.
• Then we have The Serpent's Secret by Sayantani DasGupta - a fantasy about a New Jersey girl discovering that she may, in fact, be an Indian princess.
• The 11:11 Wish by Kim Tomsic looks really fun. It's about a dorky math nerd who vows to reinvent herself at her new school. And when she makes a wish as the clock strikes 11:11, she gets granted a magical object that might help her.
• Shannon Hitchcock, author of Ruby Lee & Me has a new novel coming out in February - this one is call One True Way.

• Another one to look out for in February is Becoming Madeleine: A Biography of the Author of A Wrinkle in Time by Her Granddaughters. With all the buzz about Wrinkle in Time with the new movie coming out, this book looks really great.
• Aaand - we get a new John David Anderson novel in February!! This one (Granted) is so different from Ms. Bixby or Posted, but I just loved it! It's a fantasy novel about a fierce fairy named Ophelia Delphinium Fidgets who runs into some trouble as she attempts to grant her first wish.

In March, there are so books I am really looking forward to! My principal won't mind if a take a month-long reading sabbatical, right?

• Like Vanessa is the debut novel by author Tami Charles - it's set in 1983 and is about a young girl inspired by seeing Vanessa Williams get crowned Miss America and is encouraged by her teacher to enter a beauty pageant.
• Lauren Magaziner has a new book out in March called Wizardmatch that looks like a fun fantasy.
• And The Science of Breakable Things by debut author Tae Keller looks really good - a book about a scientifically minded girl competing in an egg-drop contest AND using those skills to try to help her mom deal with her struggles.
• In March we also get Colby Sharp's Creativity Project! An "awesometastic" collection of short stories developed from the author's prompts to each other. It is a fantastic read and such a clever idea! Definitely one that teachers will want on hand to spark your writers' imaginations.
• The Train of Lost Things by Ammi Joan-Paquette is another favorite of my #BookVoyage friend Emily Montjoy - who has amazing taste by the way. (Definitely go follow her on Twitter @mrsmontjoyreads ! ) So I'm looking forward to a chance to read this one as well.
• Oh! And the next Dan Gemeinhart novel comes out in March!! It is called Good Dog and I can't read the synopsis to you or I'll start crying but it sounds simply wonderful. Of course it is - it's Dan Gemeinhart!

March lets us reconnect with some favorite characters with a great bunch of sequels coming out.

• We get a new Emily Windsnap book, Emily Windsnap and the Falls of Forgotten Island.
• And a new Star Scouts graphic novel - League of Lasers

• The third Narwhal and Jelly book (Peanut Butter and Jelly) come out.

• The 78-Story Treehouse as well as a new Dory Fantasmagory book called Head in the Clouds along with a new Stick Dog Stick Dog Crashes a Party.

• We also get Elana Arnold's follow up to A Boy Called Bat - Bat and the Waiting Game

• And - probably the book that I have been waiting and waiting for. DYING to read with my daughters - is The Wild Robot Escapes - the sequel to Peter Brown's incredible The Wild Robot! So - mark your calendars for March 13th, pre-order this one, AND - if you haven't yet read the first one…. well, what's the matter with you? Get on that!

In April we have lots to look forward to including sequels, like:

• The next Moon Base Alpha book called Waste of Space, Janet Tashjian's My Life As a YouTuber , and Jasmine Toguchi, Drummer Girl will be out. And Adrienne's Kress' second Explorers book - The Reckless Rescue!
• And the third book in Jason Reynold's incredible Track series will be out! It's called Sunny and follows "the chillest dude on the Defenders team", but one with a troubled life at home that hides behind that sunny smile.
• And, the debut by Laurie Morrison and Cordelia Jenson, called Every Shiny Thing looks really really good….
• I'm also looking forward to the new Jewell Parker Rhodes novel called Ghost Boys. It's about a young boy who is killed by the police when they mistake his toy gun for the real thing. And as a ghost, he witnesses how that event unfolds in his neighborhood and meets other ghosts like Emmett Till. Oh that gives me chills just thinking about it!
• And - we get a new Kwame Alexander novel this year! It is called Rebound - the much-awaiting prequel to his Newbery-winning The Crossover. This one about Josh and Jordan's father, Chuck Bell.

On to the awesome May releases to watch for:

• Terri Libenson's new graphic novel - Positively Izzy looks great- it's the companion to Invisible Emmie.
• And the The Cobalt Prince, the second 5 Worlds graphic novel will be out.
• Another May release that I am so so excited about is Most Valuable Players - the next Phil Bildner Rip & Red book.
• There are three books coming in May that have been getting a lot buzz lately - one is called Bob - written by Wendy Mass and Rebecca Stead. I can't wait to see the awesomeness THAT collaboration brings!
• The second one is Aisha Saeed's middle-grade debut, Amal Unbound, which is about a Pakistani girl forced into working as an indentured servant to pay off her family's debts. Friends who have read this one are saying it is incredible.
• And then I keep hearing about Front Desk by Kelly Yang. Let me just read you a bit from the description and tell me this doesn't sound AMAZING! Okay, "Mia Tang has a lot of secrets. Number 1-She lives in a motel, not a big house. Number 2- Her parents hide immigrants. Number 3-She wants to be a writer."

In June we have some really cool books coming our way:

• Kate Messner's new novel Breakout - based on some details from the real-life (and close to home for me) breakout of two prisoners in New York and how the community reacts to that situation. I can't WAIT for this one!!

• Also - Kate Beasley (of Gertie's Leap to Greatness) and Dan Santat (of a million books you love, most recently the picture book After the Fall) are teaming up for a book called Lions & Liars - about a boy named Frederick who is sent to a disciplinary camp for troublesome boys. That one looks phenomenal!

• And Laura Shovan's new book Takedown is coming this June! Can't wait to read this novel about a girl who wants to join the wrestling team. I keep hearing people raving about it on Twitter.
• And Barbara Dee has a new novel coming out in June called Everything I Know About You.

• We also get to read Wendy McLeod MacKnight's new middle grade novel The Frame-up! I had a chance to read this one this past fall and it is phenomenal. It's about a young artist who goes to live with his father for the summer and attends an art-camp at the museum where his father is the director. And he soon discovers that the paintings are alive! Truly - after reading this book, I'll never look at another painting the same way again. It's so so good!

And thankfully I have July and August off from school, so I can catch up AND snag some summer release books such as….

• Cindy Baldwin's debut - Where the Watermelons Grow
• And my daughter will be thrilled to know there will be a new Dog Man this summer called Lord of the Fleas!
• Oh! And Denis Markell, author of Click Here to Start has a new novel coming this summer called The Game Masters of Garden Place.
• Also this summer is a cool book called Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish by Pablo Cartaya. Let me read you a blurb: "Marcus Vega is six feet tall, 180 pounds, and the owner of a premature mustache. When you look like this and you're only in the eighth grade, you're both a threat and a target." And the rest of the description is so good - definitely check this one out.
• This August we also get a new Jess Keating book! This one is called Cute as an Axolotl: Discovering the World's Most Adorable Animals

So after August, specific publication dates get a little harder to come by. BUT - a few things have popped up. Like..

• A new Last Kids on Earth book called The Last Kids on Earth and the Cosmic Beyond

• The new Nameless City graphic novel called The Divided Earth

• The Vanderbeekers and the Hidden Garden!!
• A new Beatrice Zinker book!
• And I can't wait for Jarrett Krosoczka's graphic novel memoir coming out called Hey, Kiddo.

• Also - I saw, I think... a Sarah Weeks has a sequel to So B. It coming out called Soof? That is definitely on my radar!

• And the big news in my class this week - the 8th Amulet book!!!!!! Woohoo!!! Oh my gosh - my students cheered when I told them that Kazu Kibuishi announced this on Twitter last week! It is called Supernova and has a beautiful cover so go check that out and make all your middle grade readers happy by pre-ordering it now.

So so much to look forward to this year! And of course - I'll keep you posted about all the amazing books headed our way so we can stay up to date. And definitely make sure you check out the show notes and check out those links so you can dive deeper and discover awesome new books that you are looking forward to reading this year. Main Topic - A Conversation with Jarrett Lerner

This week I am so excited to welcome to the show Jarrett Lerner - author of the fantastic middle grade novel EngiNerds. We chat about his plans for the sequel, the power of the perfect metaphor, and Project Runway!

Take a listen…..

Interview Outline:

Enginerds

Enginerds has been getting all kinds of love lately - congratulations!! I saw Colby Sharp used Enginerds as his example in his 5 ways to support authors you love video.

For those who aren't (yet!) familiar with Enginerds, can you tell what this story is about?

What was your thought process like when deciding what your robots would look like and act like?

Enginerds is in a long and glorious line of children's books and movies and TV shows featuring robots.

What are some of your favorites?

We are getting a book two, right?!

Other Middle Grade Projects

So I saw on Twitter last month that you have teamed up with Analiese Avery (@_AJAvery) to launch @MG_BookBot.

How did that get started and what are your plans?

And I am so excited about your new middle grade focused website - MG Book Village! Aside from the twitter hashtags, what are you hoping to include on the site?

Tell me about your KidLit Mentorship Project….

Project Runway

Your Writing Life

What is your writing process like?

What are you working on now?

Your Reading Life

One of the things I talk about a lot with other educators is the power of that one person to really influence a child's reading life - either in a really positive way or sometimes in a negative way.

Was there someone in your life who impacted you as a reader?

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

Thank You!

Links:

Jarrett's Website - https://jarrettlerner.com

Jarrett on Twitter and Instagram

Books & Authors We Chatted About:

Jasmine Toguchi Series

Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus

The First Rule of Punk

Kurt Vonnegut

Baby-Sitters Club

Sweet Valley High

Judy Blume

Beatrice Zinker Upside Down Thinker

Clementine

Ramona

Jerry Spinelli

The Game Masters of Garden Place

Oddity

Other Topics We Chatted About:

MG Book Village Website

#MGBookathon

Electric 18 Debut Group

Project Runway

The Kentaro Dead Cat Scene

Tim Gunn's Golden Rules

Melissa Roske's Interview with Jarrett Lerner

Closing

Alright, that's it for today!

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.

Thank you so much for joining me this week. You can get a full transcript of this show and all of our previous episodes at AlltheWonders.com. And, if you are liking the show, please leave us some love on iTunes or Stitcher. Or even better - tell a friend about us!

Thanks and see you soon! Bye!

Intro

Hi everyone and welcome to Books Between - a podcast for teachers, parents, librarians, and anyone who wants to connect kids between 8-12 to books they'll love. I'm your host, Corrina Allen - a 5th grade teacher, a mom of an 8 and 10 year old, and oh so ready to welcome 2018!

This is Episode #40 and today we are celebrating some of the top middle grade graphic novels published in 2017!

And today's episode is brought to you by WriteAbout.com - a writing community and publishing platform perfect for classrooms. If you are like me and are looking for an engaging and authentic way for your students to share their ideas with a wider audience, you are absolutely going to want to visit WriteAbout.com to check it out.

Main Topic - The Top 10 Middle Grade Graphic Novels of 2017

On the last episode, I shared with you my top 20 middle grade novels published in 2017 and unlike last year, where I had only one list, I decided to separate out the graphic novels since I read so so many more of them this year. And also - this way, I can share 30 books with you instead of just 20, so…. More love for more books is a good thing, right?

Okay - let's dive in! Here are my Top 10 middle grade graphic novels of 2017!

1. One Trick Pony by Nathan Hale

If you already love Nathan Hale's work from his fabulous Hazardous Tales series, then you'll want to check out this book where he ventures into the realm of science fiction! This novel is set in a post-apocalyptic future where these creeptastic alien invaders are devouring every last trace of human-made metals and electronic devices. The only people keeping the flame of civilization going are a small band of survivors trying to outwit and outrun the aliens. The main character is a girl named Strata who finds a beautiful and rare robot pony named Kleidi which makes her a target of the aliens who are soon chasing after Strata and her brother. One Trick Pony is kind of like a blend between A Canticle for Leibowitz and an Hieronymus Bosch painting - both thought-provoking and beautifully creepy.

1. NewsPrints by Ru Xu

This is a gorgeous graphic novel with a 1920s flavor and a twist of steampunk that features a young orphan named Blue who is disguising herself as a newsboy for the newspaper called The Bugle. That paper is the only truth-telling news left in the war-torn city of Nautilene. When Blue meets a mysterious boy named Crow, they both need to decide whether to take the path of who they really are or take the path of how others see them. This is a powerful story about truth and ethics and humanity - and the warm, light-infused illustrations are just phenomenal.

1. Invisible Emmie by Terri Libenson

This debut graphic novel tells the story of the quiet, un-noticed, hero-in-waiting Emmie Douglass who is dealing with the challenges of seventh grade. Things like finding time to go to the bathroom between classes, the awkwardness of changing for gym, not having a cell phone and feeling left out of things, and…. being completely embarrassed in front of your crush. What makes this book stand out is that the chapters alternate between the main narrative of Emmie and the secondary story of Katie. And I loved how Emmie's parts are text with lots of illustrations in softer blues, and tans, and mauves. And the sections from Katie's point of view are that more traditional graphic novel format with panels in bright yellows and pinks and greens. The blend of those two styles is really well done and I loved the surprise twist about how they connect at the end.

1. Swing it, Sunny by Jennifer & Matthew Holm

This is the sequel to Sunny, Side Up, and this book picks up with Sunny's life right after her summer spent in Florida with her grandfather. She is now back home, it's September 1976 and this story takes her through the school year, her complicated feelings about her brother Dale, who is now in boarding school, and the challenges of middle school. This is a book that is quick to read but has a lot of nuance to explore on rereads. Many of my students have read this one multiple times. It's full of small slice of life seasonal stories and the 1970s nostalgia made me smile.

1. Mighty Jack and the Goblin King by Ben Hatke

This series has totally won my class over - with this second installment having quite the waiting list. This fantasy/fairy tale blend has a lot of humor, heart, and cool characters. In this book, Jack, Lilly, and Maddy have ventured up the beanstalk into a world of goblins and giants and dragons who at turns harm and occasionally help. This is a great adventure story that I especially recommend to kids who want something fun. And I just loved the title character - the Goblin King - and that cameo at the end of this book.

1. Anne of Green Gables adapted by Mariah Marsden, Illustrated by Brenna Thummler

This classic, I'll admit, was one that got past me! But after reading this graphic novel, I know I missed out on something special - this story is wonderful! And Brenna Thummler's illustrations in vibrant greens with seasonal splashes of pinks and lavenders and oranges are softly stunning. I especially love her scenes of Anne and Diana in the woods with the sunlight dappling the trunks of the trees - it's just enchanting! If you are already familiar with Anne of Green Gables - you'll love reliving the magic of her story through this graphic novel. And if you are NOT yet familiar or have kids who might find the classic text a bit daunting, this is a perfect introduction to this beautiful story about resiliency and imagination.

1. Brave by Svetlana Chmakova

This book is set in the same universe at Chmakova's debut middle grade graphic novel Awkward, which is also awesome, but this novel is centered on the character Jensen. In his daydreams, Jensen is a swashbuckling hero with dreams of becoming an astronaut or saving his schoolmates from the zombie apocalypse! But, in real life, he's having a hard time in middle school - math class is difficult, his art club friends seem to be ditching him, and he's being harassed by two boys at school. I love this book for its diverse set of characters and for a realistic exploration of harassment - both from bullies and from friends. This one is a must-get for classrooms and libraries serving kids 9 and up.

1. Real Friends by Shannon Hale with artwork by LeUyen Pham

This one took me a while to get to - mainly because my ten year old daughter made off with it as soon as it entered the house and then stayed up half the night reading it in bed with a flashlight. And - the two copies I brought into school were immediately snatched away - and I have no clue whose hands they're in now and can only trust they'll find their way home. Real Friends is an autobiographical novel in a similar vein as Raina Telgemeier's Smile and Sisters or the Holm's Sunny Side Up. This book tells the story of young elementary school Shannon as she struggles to break out of her middle child loneliness and make good friends at school and at home. I think what makes this book so powerful and appealing to kids is that Hale clearly understands those seemingly small but socially HUGE details that happen in the lives of friends. Who sits next to who at lunch, who gets invited to whose house, the intentional but unseen-by-the-teachers jabs in gym class, the ranking, and the lying. And after Shannon's first Kindergarten friend Adrienne moves and then comes back, she gets attached to what's called The Group - these popular girls lead by Jen and her friend Jennifer. Adrienne is clearly IN, but Shannon is sometimes OUT. I also really loved the sections about Shannon's family - especially her sometimes contentious relationship with her older sister, Wendy. And how this book is also about learning how to BE a real friend as well as FINDING real friends.

1. Pashmina by Nidhi Chanani

Oh - how I LOVED this book! The swirling reds and oranges with shimmers of gold contrasted with those deep blues are simply a gorgeous feast for your eyes. Oh, and the story is pretty awesome, too! It's about an Indian-American teenage girl named Priyanka. She finds a beautiful red pashmina hidden away in her mother's old suitcase. A pashmina is an Indian shawl made of finely woven cashmere. After wrapping herself in this mysterious pashmina Priyanka is transported to a mythic India of her imagination filled with both light and an subtly encroaching darkness. Her journey uncovers the line between fantasy and reality and she discovers some truths about herself, her family, and her future. I really loved how the sections alternate between panels in black and white and the rich, vibrant colors. If you want some behind the scenes info about this book, absolutely check out Matthew Winner's interview with Nidhi Chanani on All the Wonders, Episode 393 !

1. All's Faire in Middle School by Victoria Jamieson

And - my number one most favorite graphic novel of the year is All's Faire In Middle School! I have been waiting for a full-length follow up from Newbery honor author Victoria Jamieson and I gotta say - I might even like this one better than Roller Girl. She has a knack for digging deep into the heart and soul of a subculture. First roller derby and here - renaissance festival! This novel is about Imogene - an eleven-year-old girl who has grown up and been homeschooled within the Florida Renaissance Festival community. Her father works as a knight and she helps her mother run their family's arts and crafts store there. She also has a little brother and a main thread in this book is a fracture in their relationship centered around his stuffed rat? Skunk? Ferret? Also - there's tension around the fact that she starts her training as a squire, which mean more responsibility at the faire. And she's going to public school for the first time and starting middle school. I loved this book so, so much - for the behind the scenes secrets of renfaire life, the fun banter of the Elizabethan speaking characters, the chapter introductions that look like illuminated manuscripts. It was just a full on pleasure to read! And absolutely please check out Jamieson's conversation with Matthew Winner on Episode 386 of All the Wonders.

So - those are my top 10 middle grade graphic novels of 2017!

And as I said in the last episode, this list, just like any other, is flawed. It reflects my own preferences and biases. And the constraints of time.

So I've probably missed lots of amazing graphic novels from 2017 so which ones were your favorites?

Closing

Alright, that's it for today!

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.

Thank you so much for joining me this week. You can get a full transcript of this show and all of our previous episodes at AlltheWonders.com. And, if you are liking the show, please leave us some love on iTunes or Stitcher. Or even better - tell a friend about us!

And thanks again to WriteAbout.com for supporting the podcast this month - if you head over to their website you'll find awesome ideas to get your students writing this year.

Thanks and see you soon! Bye!

Intro

Hey everyone! This is Books Between - a podcast for teachers, parents, librarians, and anyone who wants to connect kids between 8-12 to books they'll love. I'm your host, Corrina Allen - a teacher, a mom of two daughters, and ridiculously excited about the new twinkle lights on my Christmas tree this year. Sometimes - you have to take joy in the small things.

This is Episode #39 and today we are celebrating some of the best middle grade books published in 2017.

And today's episode is brought to you by WriteAbout.com - a writing community and publishing platform perfect for classrooms. If you are like me and are looking for an engaging and authentic way for your students to share their ideas with a wider audience, you are absolutely going to want to visit WriteAbout.com to check it out.

Main Topic - The Top 20 Middle Grade Books of 2017 This year has been another strong reading year for me so far. I read a lot more picture books thanks to participating in #ClassroomBookaDay but I still kept up with my middle grade reads. And as I look at my book list and genre tracker, I notice I read fewer fantasy books compared to last year and way more graphic novels thanks to the CYBILS. And also my plans to boost my nonfiction reading... failed. So this is an all fiction list. And I decided to separate out the graphic novels this year since I read so many more of them so be on the lookout for another best of podcast very soon featuring just the middle grade graphic novels.

So, last year at this time, I read 75 total books including 60 middle grade books with 31 of those published in in 2016. And my top three books last year were Booked, Ms. Bixby's Last Day, and The Wild Robot as my favorite read last year. (You can find that list here.)

This year (2017), as of December 20th - I have read 91 books, not including picture books. 79 of those were middle grade with 55 of those published in 2017.

A quick word before I begin. Picking JUST 20 was excruciating. And they are not necessarily the most "literary". I read some beautifully written books this year, ones that are bound to get some top awards, but these are the ones I felt were both well-written and had that special spark that would appeal to young readers. Even with that - I could easily share with you another 20 (or more!) fabulous books, but then we'd be here all night.

Alright here we go - these are my Top 20 middle grade novels of 2017:

1. This Is Just A Test by Madelyn Rosenberg & Wendy Shang

This novel is about a boy named David who is preparing for his bar mitzvah while trying to please both his Chinese and Jewish grandmothers. (Not a small feat!) Oh - and building a nuclear fallout shelter just in case things get out of hand with the Soviets. I loved this book because of its warmth and humor AND because it's set in 1984. And I am all about that 80s nostalgia lately. (If you want to hear more about this book, check out episode 28 to hear an interview with Madelyn Rosenberg and Wendy Shang.)

1. Beatrice Zinker, Upside Down Thinker by Shelley Johannes

This book is about zany (and flexible!) 3rd grader Beatrice whose first day of school plans get derailed when her best friend, Lenny, shows up to school NOT wearing the matching ninja outfit they both agreed on. AND Lenny shows up with a new friend. I loved this book for it's playful language, fun orange-tinted illustrations, and Beatrice's great attitude. And since I have my own ninja-clad wall-climbing 8 year old gal at home, I have a special place in my heart for Beatrice.

1. Enginerds by Jarrett Lerner

Speaking of playful books - what is not to love about a robot that blasts cubes out of its butt? But don't be fooled by the humor - this is one smart book that celebrates the engineering spirit. It's about a kid named Kennedy who discovers a mysterious box on his front step that assembles itself into a rather demanding robot. And Kennedy and the rest of his enginerd friends have to figure out how to contain this band of rogue robots who have escaped into their town. Last week I had the honor of chatting with Jarrett Lerner about Enginerds - and lots of other things - so watch for that episode in January!

1. A Rambler Steals Home by Carter Higgins

This debut middle grade book by Carter Higgins is about Derby Clark who, along with her dad and younger brother, travel around in their Rambler car, selling Christmas trees in the winter. And hot chocolate and gingersnaps and cinnamon sugar donuts out of an old concession stand trailer. In the summers, they make their home in Ridge Creek, Virginia where they set up their concession stand in the parking lot of a minor league baseball team. But this year when they arrive - Derby discovers that her minor league family is different - with mysteries to solve, people to help, and wrongs to make right. This is ones of those books with characters that stay in your heart - and for me, reading so so many books - it's a rare find when they're this memorable.

1. A Boy Called Bat by Elana K. Arnold

One of my great reading pleasures this year was getting to know the sweet and quirky Bixby Alexander Tam - or BAT for short. And I was excited to hear that there is at least one more book coming! In this first one, Bat's mother, who is a Vet, brings home an orphaned baby skunk to take care of and all Bat can think about is how to find a way to prove his responsibility and get to keep him. This book is adorable and poignant and a great fit for younger middle grade readers.

1. Scar Island by Dan Gemeinhart

This incredible adventure is like Lord of the Flies meets Holes with a hint of The Ethan I Was Before. It's about a kid named Jonathan who has been sent to an island prison for kids for a crime he admits to committing but does not reveal until the end. On the island he encounters this tough group of 14 misfit boys - all imprisoned on this Alcatraz-type reformatory school for their crimes. Then suddenly, an incident occurs and the adults are all gone and the boys have to figure out what to do. If this one passed you by this year - definitely check it out! It's got adventure and cool literary references and secret tunnels and oh it keeps you turning those pages!!

1. Beyond the Bright Sea by Lauren Wolk

This is Lauren Wolk's second novel after her 2017 Newbery Honor book Wolf Hollow. And oh is this a masterful follow up! And one of those books that had me constantly pausing to research the historical details referenced. Beyond the Bright Sea is about a young girl called Crow who as an infant washed ashore in an old boat on one of the Elizabeth Islands off the coast of Massachusetts. Other than the reclusive fisherman who is raising her, the other people on the island shun her because they think she came from Penikese Island - the nearby leper colony. When one night Crow spots a campfire on that supposedly abandoned island, she decides to find out for herself what answers that place may hold. This book enveloped me in that world and was full of surprises.

1. Midnight Without a Moon by Linda Williams Jackson

This incredible, important, and beautifully written historical fiction novel takes place in rural Mississippi in the summer of 1955 right after the brutal murder of Emmett Till. That event and its aftermath has shifted the world of the main character - Rose Lee Carter, her family, and her community. But this isn't just a Civil Rights story but the story of young girl dealing with self-doubt and family complications, and trying to decide how to balance making a better life for herself and making a better world for everyone to live in.

And in a society that is asking us all to make those same calculations and bringing to light prejudices that some thought were on their way out, this is must read to understand our country and ourselves. I'd probably recommend this one for maybe ages 12 and up or perhaps a little younger with the understanding that the n-word is used. So some readers might need some context for that - which would be a fantastic opportunity for much-needed conversation. And the sequel, A Sky Full of Stars, is coming out on January 2nd - a perfect time to read or reread the first book and have the second one ready to go!

1. Forget Me Not by Ellie Terry

This is a novel told in alternating chapters of prose and poetry. The poetry sections are told from the point of view of Calli who is smart, sensitive, and into astronomy. She also has Tourette syndrome (TS) and was advised by her doctor and mom to hide that fact from people. But since she's just moved to Utah with her mom, Calli is in this stressful position of starting a new school and trying to mask her tics and noises. The other chapters are from the point of view of her classmate and neighbor Jinsong. He is the student body president and the two of them form a fragile friendship that seems like it might be doomed when his friends start to target her. I adored this book and I know you're not supposed to judge a book by it's cover (but we all do) - and Forget Me Not has such a gorgeous and meaningful cover. Kudos to Anna Booth for the cover design.

1. Funny Girl edited by Betsy Bird

This collection of short stories is truly laugh-out-loud hilarious. Every one is written by women and about experiences young girls in particular can relate to. But - the boys in my class are loving this book, too! It's a great mix of personal narratives, poetry, comics, quizzes, and all kinds of cool formats. Some of my favorites are "One Hot Mess by Carmon Agra Deedy, "Bad Hair Day" by Kelly DiPucchio and "Brown Girl Pop Quiz" by Mitali Perkins. You really can't go wrong with this book. And if you want to hear more about it, check out my interview with Betsy Bird on episode 32.

1. Amina's Voice by Hena Khan

This is a lovely and heartfelt story about a Pakistani-American Muslim girl, Amina, who is trying to navigate the complicated tides of middle school friendship where old friends are changing and old adversaries might be changing, too. Amina also has to deal with her rather traditional and more religiously strict uncle visiting their family and figuring out for herself how to express her beliefs and culture and voice in a way that feels right to her. This was Hena Khan's debut middle grade, and I'm excited to see what else she has in store for us.

1. The Peculiar Incident on Shady Street by Lindsay Currie

This book has taken my class by storm! I read it in one weekend and loved how much it creeped me the heck out. Every sentence - every detail in that first chapter ratchets up the tension as Tessa arrives at her new (possible haunted?) home in Chicago where things start to disappear, and mysterious figures are drawn in her sketchpad, and her brother's ventriloquist dummy is… acting strangely. And I haven't even told you about the cemetery part yet!! If you have young kids who love a scary mystery - get this book in their hands!

1. Patina by Jason Reynolds

This is Book 2 in the Track series and the follow up to Ghost. Here we the story of Patina "Patty" Jones - one of the new and fastest kids on the Defenders Track team. A girl who is running away from a lot - the taunts of the girls at her fancy new school. But also a girl who is running for a lot - for her mom who lost her legs to diabetes and won't ever run again. And those stresses can sometimes manifest themselves in what looks like a bad attitude toward others and her teammates. So of course, her coach challenges her to run the event that requires the most cooperation - the relay. It's a rare sequel captures my heart as much as the first book but this one absolutely did it. And that first chapter about false starts and false finishes is one that has stayed on my mind a lot this year.

1. Wishtree by Katherine Applegate

Did we have any doubt that this book would be wonderful? I have loved seeing how much my students are enjoyed this story about a brave and wise tree named Red and its loyal band of oddly-named tenants. The more subtle themes of immigration and racism take some coaxing and explaining and rereading to bring forth for them, but the the ideas about friendship are at the forefront of their minds. In a time when we all could use a dose of empathy and hope, Wishtree is the book we need.

1. The First Rule of Punk by Celia C. Perez

I really fell hard for this story about a Mexican-American girl reluctantly moving to Chicago with her mom and trying to both fit in and stand out and figure out who she is and what's worth standing up for. Her fashion choices put her at odds with both her new school and her mother who wishes she could be more "senorita" and less punk rock. But the oh how I loved Malú and her parents and her friends, and I just wanted to go hang out with them in Chicago coffee shops and record stores. And the many zine sections in this book add a uniqueness that makes this book really stand out. (If you want to hear more about The First Rule of Punk, check out episode 33 to hear an interview with Celia.)

1. Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling This is a book that I came a little late to but when just about every single one of my middle grade Twitter friends are raving about a book, you know it's something special. And they were right! And I'll be honest with you - the moment I was sold on this book was the moment I took off the cover and saw the glorious undies - the cover underneath. But - I should tell you about the plot, too - right? This is a mystery centered around Aven - a girl with a fabulous (and sorta sick) sense of humor who likes to tell people that she lost her arms in a wildfire or an alligator attack. In reality, she was born without them and due to her adoptive parents' vigilance - she can do just about anything that any other kid can do. But - when they all move so her parents can take over running the Stagecoach Pass theme park, Aven has to start a new school and deal with all that entails. Along the way, she meets a couple other "outcasts" who help her start to solve a major mystery at Stagecoach Pass. I loved this book because of how funny it was and how much research the author did to tell Aven's story.
2. Ban This Book by Alan Gratz

I wish I had the guts that this main character has. But - she doesn't start off so confident. Amy Anne is a shy, sweet fourth grader who loves the library, who loves to read, and who loves From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. It's her favorite book - and one of my childhood favorites, too. But - when her favorite is banned from the school library - along with more and more books, she forms a secret banned book library that she runs out of her locker. Until…. well, I won't tell you but it's fantastic! With twists along the way, references to so many other books, and a special (cameo?) by Dav Pilkey who visits her school. Please get this book and has a great message that might be different than what you think.

1. Posted by John David Anderson

As I've mentioned before, when you get a new book by an author whose previous work blew you away (Ms. Bixby's Last Day), you're almost expecting to be let down.But Posted is incredible. It's the story of four middle school friends whose equilibrium is shifted when two things happen. One - a new girl comes to school (Rose) and some of them want her in their group and some don't. Two - cell phones have been banned due to a recent 'incident" and one of the four main friends, DeeDee, inadvertently starts a trend of posting sticky notes on lockers to communicate instead. Those two catalysts jump start this series of events that lead to a bike. And a hill. And a post-it. And so much more that threatens to fracture their friendship forever. I loved this book and how the author structured it - how it brought forward past information in a flashback but then withheld the next step and then brought everything together at the end. It just was so well crafted.

1. Refugee by Alan Gratz

This book was the most powerful, most emotional I read all year. And I'll admit that it left me a bit of a mess, and there were times I needed to pause. But how Alan Gratz braided the three stories of Josef and Isobel and Mahmoud together was brilliant and beautiful and raw. Bringing forward one strand and then another and another, binding them together. The three stories are - Josef a young Jewish boy, who is traveling with his family from 1930s Germany to Cuba on the infamous ship called the St. Louis. Then there is Isobel and her family who are traveling on a tiny makeshift raft from 1980s Cuba to Florida. And finally Mahmoud and his family who are making their way from war-torn Syria in 2015 to Austria. Since I read this book last summer, there hasn't been a day that's gone by where I haven't thought of the courage and resilience of these characters and their brave parents in the face of the harshest realities. And… you know, it's easy to be judgemental when reading about tragedies from the past, thinking to yourself, "Well, I would have done things differently - I would have stood up for those refugees." We often talk about books that encourage empathy - well, to me, this book helped me move beyond just empathy to some action. And if you're looking to do more as well, please read Gratz's suggestions at the end of the book about how you can help refugees around the world today. And I'll link to those resources in the show notes if you want to check those out as well. (Alan recommends donating to UNICEF and Save the Children.)

1. Orphan Island by Laurel Snyder

If you have spent any time with me over the past year, you have heard about this book. And if you've read it, I've probably cornered you for a long conversation to compare theories. And because I can't stop thinking about it and talking about, and dwelling in the glorious uncertainty of it - my favorite book of 2017 is Orphan Island by Laurel Snyder! On this mysterious eden-like island there live nine children - no more and no less. And every year when the green boat arrives bearing a new young arrival, the eldest child goes. This year, Jinny is now the Eldest and charged with teaching her young Care, Ess, all the rules she needs to follow to survive on the island and maintain that balance. But… but. This is a beautiful and compelling novel about goodbyes and childhood and innocence, and so so much more. I was really honored have the chance to chat with Laurel Snyder on the podcast last May when this book was released and if you want in on that conversation, take a listen to episode 25.

Alright there it is. And this list, just like any other, is flawed. It reflects my own preferences and biases and I know there is just no possible way that I could read all the fabulousness in middle grade that was published in 2017. So there will be some of your favorites that I missed. In fact, one of my loves of last year - The Girl Who Drank the Moon - you know, the winner of the Newbery - wasn't even on my 2016 list. Because I didn't finish it until after the episode aired.

Right now, I am almost finished with The Ethan I Was Before by Ali Standish and the audio version of Jack Cheng's See You in the Cosmos and both are turning out to be incredible! So a quick shout out to some 2017 middle grade releases that are on my To Be Read list:

Top Want to Read Books from 2017

The War I Finally Won by Kimberly Bradley (but first I need to read The War Saved My Life)

Me and Marvin Gardens by A.S. King

Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly

Lucky Broken Girl by Ruth Behar

Clayton Byrd Goes Underground by Rita Williams Garcia

Vincent and Theo by Deborah Heiligman

The Someday Birds by Sally J. Pla

Annnd…. lots more that I know I'm missing! So - I want to hear from YOU - what were your favorite 2017 reads and which ones should I prioritize in the new year? You can drop me an email at [email protected] or connect with me on Twitter or Instagram with the handle @Books_Between.

Closing

Alright, that's a wrap! Look for our next episode featuring the top middle grade graphic novels of 2017.

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

Thank you so much for joining me this week. You can get a full transcript of this show and all of our previous episodes at AlltheWonders.com. And, if you are liking the show, please leave us some love on iTunes or Stitcher.

And thanks again to WriteAbout.com for supporting the podcast this month - if you head over to their website you'll find awesome ideas to get your students writing this year.

Thanks and see you soon! Bye!

Intro

Hi and welcome to Books Between - a podcast for teachers, parents, librarians, and anyone who wants to connect kids between 8-12 to books they'll love. I'm your host, Corrina Allen - a mom of two girls, a 5th grade teacher, and glad to be back after a brief hiatus to refocus and recharge. But - we've got a lot of great new books to talk about so you knew I wasn't going to be gone for long!

This is Episode #38 and today I am chatting about the Wonder movie with a friend of mine, I'll discuss three new graphic novels you'll want to check out, and then I'll answer a question about what to do when all your child wants to read is graphic novels and nothing else.

But first I am excited to tell you that today's episode is brought to you by WriteAbout.com - a writing community and publishing platform that is perfect for classrooms. If you are like me and are looking for an engaging and authentic way for your students to share their ideas with a wider audience, you are absolutely going to want to visit WriteAbout.com to check it out.

Main Topic - Wonder Movie

A couple weekends ago, I had the chance to go see the film adaptation of Wonder by RJ Polacio - one of my all-time favorite books and one I've read every year with my fifth graders since it came out in 2012. And I am sure a lot of you also have a lot of love for this book. So, when I saw that my #BookVoyage friend, Julie Kirchner, had also seen the movie - I asked her to come on the show so we could chat about it. As you will hear, Julie is an amazing librarian and an all around amazing person and one of those people really worth connecting with Twitter.

Alright - take a listen.

Links to books and topics we chatted about:

Nerdy Book Club

Wonder by R.J. Palacio

Auggie & Me: Three Wonder Stories by R.J. Palacio

The Bad Seed by Jory John

The Wonder Movie website

Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds

Ghost by Jason Reynolds

Patina by Jason Reynolds

Sunny by Jason Reynolds

The Peculiar Incident on Shady Street by Lindsay Currie

Fenway & Hattie: Up to New Tricks by Victoria Coe

Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut by Derrick Barnes & Gordon C. James

Dazzle Ships by Chris Barton & Victo Ngai

Red and Lulu by Matt Tavares

Claymates by Devorah Petty & Lauren Eldridge

After the Fall by Dan Santat

Dan Santat's Interviews on Picturebooking and SharpRead

Come With Me by Holly M. McGhee and Pascal Lemaaitre

Most People by Michael Leannah & Jennifer E. Morris

Book Talk - Three New SciFi/Fantasy Graphic Novels

In this section of the show, I share with you three books centered around a theme and discuss three things to love about each book. This week I want to share with you three brand new graphic novels with scifi /fantasy elements - Fish Girl by David Wiesner and Donna Jo Napoli, NewsPrints by Ru Xu, and Mighty Jack and the Goblin King by Ben Hatke.

Fish Girl

Let's start with Fish Girl! This is the first graphic novel for both Caldecott medalist David Wiesner and linguist and children's book writer Donna Jo Napoli. Fish Girl is about a young mermaid trapped inside a huckster's multi-story aquarium on the boardwalk of an ocean-side town. But- she doesn't REALIZE that her captor isn't really Neptune, God of the Seas and when Fish Girl secretly becomes friends with one of the visitors, things get dicey. Here are three things to love about Fish Girl:

1. The simplicity and softness of the story. That isn't to say that it doesn't have depth or nuance, but I liked that the plot was quieter, easier to follow, and set mainly in the aquarium. And because the mermaid girl can't speak, a lot of the emotion and backstory is conveyed in her expressions and gestures and in her internal thinking.
2. I loved how the mermaid is portrayed and drawn. So - I'm always a little leery of mermaid depictions because they can tend to look sexualized with clamshell bras and such. But - it is always clear that Fish Girl is just that - a young girl. One who likes pizza and creating handmade jewelry for her new friend. I love the decision to keep her young.
3. I just loved the other sea creatures who have become her family - how they protect and rally around her. Especially the orange octopus who has his own hidden talents. Plus - octopuses (octopi?) are just - amazing. And not the first time they've been a symbol of female empowerment and freedom. If you're a fan of Mad Men, you know what I mean.

Fish Girl is a beautiful graphic novel about breaking free from the limits others place on us, it's about identity, and the power of friends to broaden our world and make us see things from a new perspective.

NewsPrints

Our second new graphic novel featured this week is NewsPrints by debut author Ru Xu. This is the story of Blue - a young girl disguising herself as a newsboy for the newspaper called The Bugle. The only truth-telling paper left in Nautilene - a city struggling through war. When Blue meets a mysterious boy named Crow, they both make some some decisions about revealing who they really are. Here are three things to love about NewsPrints:

1. I love the semi-steampunk setting with the inventor's studio filled with, well - steam and parts of various flying machines and blueprints strewn everywhere. But then there's this 1920's flavor. I really, really love that blend.
2. The birds! There's this cute little yellow - canary? - called Goldie that flits around Blue and plays a part throughout the story. And the swirling, circling crows that inexplicably turn up at odd moments.
3. The message this book has about the truth, about the the power of the news, and about our ethical obligations toward artificial intelligence. And if there even are any.

NewsPrints is gorgeous and if you know a child who liked The Nameless City or Compass South, this would be a great title to put in their hands next.

Mighty Jack and the Goblin King

Our third graphic novel suggestion this week for those who love a fairy tale inspired fantasy is Mighty Jack and the Goblin King by Ben Hatke - the sequel to the must-read Mighty Jack. So, if you haven't read that one yet - first of all - get on that. And second of all, I'm about to reveal a spoiler for the first book so…. you know, you might want to skip ahead a few seconds if that would bother you. Okay - Mighty Jack and the Goblin King begins with Jack and his friend Lilly in pursuit of the ogre that abducted Jack's sister, Maddy, and carried her up the beanstalk into another realm. Now, I've read Jack and the Beanstalk so I thought I knew what they would discover in this other world. But, no…. completely and wonderfully different than what I was expecting! Here are three things to love about Mighty Jack and the Goblin King.

1. Lilly's story with the goblins. At the very beginning, she and Jack get separated and she ends up rescued(?) by a clan of goblins and on the brink an arranged marriage with their king. And the goblins are this weird mix of cute and gross and sweet and disconcerting.
2. The magic eight ball and the old mustang that Lilly finds in the goblin's junk heap. And how both of those objects come into play later on in the story.
3. That surprise ending!! I finished this book in the waiting room of doctor's office and I embarrassed myself by squeaking loudly when I got to that page.

The Mighty Jack books have been a huge hit with my students and my kids. And I love them because they have depth paired with a lot of action and humor. So if you have kids who loved Amulet or Hilo - this would be a great series to introduce to them next.

Q & A

Our last segment this week is Question & Answer time. This question came up multiple times during my parent-teacher conferences last month and honestly - it's my MOST asked question about reading.

Question:

My child only wants to read graphic novels. How can I get them to read something else?

Answer:

Does that sound familiar to you? Well, first off - reading a graphic novel IS real reading. It's less and less common every year, but I still sometimes hear parents and teachers and even librarians disparage graphic novels as not "counting" as "real" reading. Ugh!! I mean - really??? I wish I could hand them Nathan Hale's Treaties, Trenches, Mud & Blood and SHOW them that graphic novels are not "cheating" - they add layers, they add complexity, they add context for really challenging concepts and vocabulary. Students are learning inferencing by interpreting the body language and facial expressions of characters…. Really, there is SO much complex thought happening when you read a graphic novel. (And honestly - I find the adults who are griping about them, haven't read any.) And graphic novels lend themselves to being read over and over again because the first time, you are reading for plot and then you notice the interplay between the text and the images on further rereads. So - if your son or daughter is like mine and rereading Dog Man over and over - let them! And maybe ask them what new things they are seeing.

Now, with that said, I do think it's important to encourage everyone - including children - to read a variety of genres and formats. And developing the stamina and focus to read and comprehend longer chunks of text is a vital skill to have. So for kids who really love graphic novels, but would benefit from some practice with longer stretches of text, I do have some really great suggestions that still include illustrations and graphic elements but are more on the continuum toward a traditional chapter book or novel.

Frazzled series by Booki Vivat - fantastic and funny realistic fiction books about a girl named Abbie Wu dealing with the tribulations of middle school. Tons of black and white drawings on each page and short chapters keep you turning those pages. I featured Book 1 on episode 8 if you want to know more, but I just finished Book 2 last week and loved it just as much. It's called Frazzled: Ordinary Mishaps and Inevitable Catastrophes.

Invisible Emmie by Terri Libenson is another great option that includes alternating chapters of comics and text. This is also a middle school story about fitting in and finding your place.

There's also Olga and the Smelly Thing from Nowhere by Elise Gravel. (And I think the sequel just came out.) I haven't yet read this one myself but a lot of my heavy graphic novel readers are also picking this one up.

Series like Timmy Failure, The Tapper Twins, The Terrible Two, or The House of Robots might be catch their fancy - they are funny and have lots of illustrations and graphic elements to break up the text a bit.

Another option might be to hand them the full novel version of a graphic novel they already like. For example, my 5th graders are loving the new Baby-sitters Club graphic novels and were thrilled when I brought in the "old school" originals from Ann M. Martin. They didn't know that there was a whole series of books out there. I was flabbergasted by that, but they've been out of print for awhile, so maybe I shouldn't be surprised.

Those are a few suggestions to tempt graphic novels readers. But - if they don't bite. It's okay. Just get them another graphic novel.

Closing

Okay - that wraps up our show this week. If you have a question or an idea about a topic we should cover, let me know. You can email me at [email protected] or message me on Twitter/Instagram at the handle @Books_Between.

Thank you so much for joining me this week. You can find an outline of interviews and a full transcript of all the other parts of our show along with all of our previous episodes at AlltheWonders.com. And, if you are liking the show, please help others find us too by telling a friend, sharing on social media, or leaving a rating on iTunes or Stitcher.

And thanks again to WriteAbout.com for supporting the podcast this month - if you head over to their website you'll find awesome ideas to get your students writing this year.

Thanks again and see you soon! Bye!

Intro

Hi everyone and welcome to Books Between - a podcast for teachers, parents, librarians, and anyone who wants to connect kids between 8-12 to books they will love. I'm your host, Corrina Allen - a mom of two and a teacher of 23. And last weekend, I had the huge pleasure of meeting and having lunch with Amy Skelding from the KidLit Drink Night Podcast! We had apple cider martinis and spent hours chatting about Parks & Rec and Harry Potter and Wegmans and everything we've been reading and everything we want to read. So if you haven't yet had the chance to check out her show, Alan Gratz - the author of Refugee and Ban This Book, is her most recent guest and he is just phenomenal. So make sure you subscribe to Kid Lit Drink Night.

This is Episode #37 and today I am welcoming author Orli Zuravicky to the show to chat about her paranormal middle grade series Happily Ever After, and then I am sharing with you three new books about the power and perils of friendship.

Before we start today's interview, I am excited to tell you that this month's episodes are sponsored by WriteAbout.com - a writing community and digital platform that is perfect for classrooms. And their school platform can connect every child in your school to build that community of writers. Write About for Schools makes it really easy for kids to read and respond to each other's published writing. So, if you or someone you know is looking for a way to bring your school together by celebrating student authors, definitely check out WriteAbout.com. And at the end of the show, I'll share with you the fall themed creative writing that my students are writing about.

Main Topic - A Conversation with Orli Zuravichy

Today I am so happy to welcome Orli Zuravicky to the podcast. She is a senior editor at Scholastic and the author of several books including the recently published middle grade series Happily Ever Afterlife. Take a listen.

Happily Ever After Series

Your new middle grade series Happily Ever Afterlife was released last year and now has two new books coming out this fall.

For those listening who aren't familiar with the series, can you tell us a bit about it?

One of the reasons that I love paranormal stories is that phase of figuring out the rules of the world the story is set in. For example, there is no interaction between the ghost world and the previous world, once someone becomes a ghost, they stay that age forever….

How did you decide on the parameters of the afterlife in this book?

With a book that is essentially about a middle school girl dying, it could have gone very dark. But it's an upbeat and fun read. How did you strike that balance to avoid having the story be too morbid?

What is next for Lucy and the others students at Limbo Central Middle School?

Scholastic

So you work at Scholastic!

What do you do there?

What is your day like?

So I follow you on Instagram - which I recommend everyone do - and I have a couple questions:

What amazing polish do you have on your nails right now?

I notice you have a lot of Parks & Rec references on there -

Who is your favorite character?

Your Writing Life

You previously wrote a couple of board books..

What made you decide to try a paranormal middle grade?

Right now my 5th graders have been working on writing narratives - personal narratives and stories.

What is one piece of advice you would give them about how to make their stories come alive?

What are you working on now?

Your Reading Life

What were some of your favorite books as a child?

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

Thank You!

Episode Links:

Orli Zurvicky's website

Books We Chatted About:

Lyle, Lyle Crocodile by Bernard Waber

Corduroy by Don Freeman

Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans

Eloise by Kay Thompson & Hilary Knight

The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein

Betsy-Tacy by Maud Hart Lovelace

Baby-Sitters Club Series

Sweet Valley High Series

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain

1Q84 by Haruki Murakami

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

The Diary of Anne Frank

Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds

Book Talk - Three Novels about the Power and Perils of Friendship

In this section of the show, I share with you three books centered around a theme and discuss three things to love about each book. This week I am featuring three books about the power and perils of friendship. They are Beatrice Zinker, Upside Down Thinker by Shelley Johannes, Brave by Svetlana Chmakova, and Real Friends by Shannon Hale.

Beatrice Zinker, Upside Down Thinker

Beatrice Zinker, Upside Down Thinker is the first in a new series by debut author Shelley Johannes. It's about a unique middle child who climbs out of every box imposed on her, loves the word WOW, and has a knack for seeing the positive possibilities in any situation. Beatrice has big plans for her first day of 3rd grade, but…. those plans get derailed when her best friend Lenny shows up to school NOT wearing the black ninja outfit to match Beatrice's AND with a new friend, Chloe. Suddenly, Lenny seems less interested in their top-secret playground mission and more interested in sparkly clothes and playing veterinarian with her cool new friend. Here are three things to love about Beatrice Zinker, Upside Down Thinker:

1. The playful language! Johannes really gets the tone right here. There's light touches of rhyme and alliteration and it's just fun to read! Here's a bit from the beginning to give you a taste: "Beatrice Zinker always did her best thinking upside down. It worked like magic, and she never questioned it. It worked like poof. It worked like presto. It worked like shazam - on every problem, every pickle, and each and every jam."
2. The illustrations! I just love the movement and the shapes and the orange tints throughout. There's long-legged Beatrice suspending from trees, her strict triangular teacher, Mrs. Tamarack and cute wide-stanced Lenny. There are pictures on just about every page!
3. Beatrice's attitude! When we first learn of her super secret spying mission, it's not entirely clear what her plans are. But, the way that plays out and how that ties in with the situation with the new girl, Chloe… I don't want to say too much and spoil it for you, but…I love it! And I think you and your students will, too.

This book about an upside down zany girl who has a knack for seeing the upside in everything would be a great read aloud and perfect for kids in about grades 2-5.

Brave

Another new book touching on the themes of fraught friendships is Brave by Svetlana Chmakova. This graphic novel is set in the same universe at Chmakova's debut middle grade graphic novel Awkward, but this novel focuses on the character Jensen. In his daydreams, Jensen is a swashbuckling hero with dreams of becoming an astronaut or saving his schoolmates from the zombie apocalypse! But, in real life, he's having a tough time in middle school - math class is hard, his art club friends seem to be ditching him, and he's being harassed by two boys at school. Here are three reasons to love Brave:

1. The diversity of characters! Throughout the pages there is a huge range of skin tones and hairstyles. One of the trio of friends who run the school newspaper, Akilah, wears a hijab. She is absolutely my favorite character aside from Jensen. (And I really hope she gets her own book someday!) She's bold and wants to be a voice for justice. And she also handles her friend and vlog co-host, Jenny, very well. Jenny can be, umm… a little intense. I also love the diversity of body types all throughout. Our main guy, Jensen, is overweight and some of the bullies call him cruel names because of that. Or rather - I should say - because they're jerks and the insults just reference that. And I love how the story is not about Jensen wanting to lose weight to attempt to fit in. And characters that you think are going to fill a stereotype surprise you! Like Jorge - Jensen's partner in English class who at first glance, seems like a big jock who just wants to do a project on baseball. But the sports part is actually not what he wants to focus on! The depth in the minor characters in this book are really remarkable.
2. How this book really sheds light on the fact that friends can be some of the biggest harassers! And I think the author does a deft job of helping readers reflect on bullying through the survey Jensen takes as part of the social studies project Jenny is working on called The Lizard Brain Culture in Middle School. In a very accessible way, it brings forth ideas like normalized behavior and in our society where cultural norms and gender norms and political norms are changing quickly, I think the reflecting that happens in this book is a good thing.
3. The small thread in this book about the dress code. At one point, Felicity gets suspended for wearing a skirt deemed too short. So, the school is in an uproar and they put together a petition to get her back. Personally, I loved that several of the teachers were just as upset and used the opportunity to have their class discuss it and discuss the long history of controlling what women wear.

Brave warms your heart, makes you laugh, and gets you thinking about what you want to see in the world. The call-backs to the first book, Awkward, are fun if you've read it, but kids absolutely don't have to have read Awkward at all to enjoy this book. If you have a child who loves to draw or one who has trouble finding that group to fit into or a child who has been a target of bullies, Brave would be a perfect story to share with them. And - I just saw the other day that the third book will be out next fall. It features Jorge and is called Crush. Can't wait for that one!

Real Friends

And finally - THE hot graphic novel read of this summer (the one that my daughter was up half the night reading with her flashlight) was the autobiographical novel Real Friends written by Shannon Hale with artwork by LeUyen Pham. This book tells the story of young elementary school Shannon as she struggles to break out of her middle child loneliness and make good friends at school and at home. This book is about the power of friendship - in both a positive and a negative way. Here are three things to love about Real Friends:

1. How Shannon Hale understands those seemingly small but socially HUGE details that happen in the lives of friends. Such as who sits next to who at lunch, who gets invited to whose house, the intentional but unseen by teachers jabs in gym class, the ranking, and the lying… ugh… After Shannon's first Kindergarten friend Adrienne moves and then comes back, she gets attached to what's called The Group - these popular girls lead by Jen and her friend Jennifer. Adrienne is clearly IN, but Shannon is sometimes OUT.
2. How this book is not just about Shannon learning how to make good friends, but also about her learning how to BE a good friend. Early on after her first real friend Adrienne, moves away, she makes friends with Tammy. A girl that I think is in foster care and there's hints about how challenging her life is. Tammy joins Shannon's class and they become friends but Tammy is FAR more attached to Shannon while Shannon is still pining for Adrienne and is cold to her and makes her feel bad when they say good-bye for that last time. I appreciated that this book was honest with her own mistakes. And when I was finished reading, I wondered a lot about Tammy.
3. The Wendy section. The final chapter is about Shannon's older sister Wendy who can be amazing but who also has this incredible mean streak - hitting and \ scaring and forced tickling. Shannon feels like there's this wild bear unleashed in their home that no one else sees. And that doesn't exactly change but evolves in a way that I think a lot of children can relate to who have complicated relationships with their siblings. That piece of the story reminded me a lot of Swing It, Sunny so if you have fans of that book, this would be another great title to have them check out.

So if you are looking for some great new books to introduce to your readers that have the universal and timeless theme of friendship absolutely check out Beatrice Zinker, Upside Down Thinker, Brave, and Real Friends.

Closing

Alright - that wraps up our show this week. We have some great interviews and book talks coming up this fall on topics like the Anne of Green Gables graphic novel and the timeless appeal of The Baby-Sitters Club. And our Q&A section will be back next episode!

Thank you so much for joining me this week. You can find an outline of interviews, and a transcript of all the other parts of this show along with all of our previous episodes at AlltheWonders.com. And, if you like the show, please help others find us too by telling a friend, sharing on social media, or leaving a rating on iTunes or Stitcher.

And thanks again to WriteAbout.com for supporting the podcast this month - when you visit their website you'll find fantastic ideas to get your students excited about writing. Tomorrow I am surprising my students by bringing in 6 pumpkins - one for each group. Their goal - to write a story featuring that pumpkin. It could be spooky, it could be funny and it includes my students who don't celebrate Halloween. We'll have some special guest judges and the winner of each group gets to keep the pumpkin.

See you in two weeks! Bye!

Intro

Hi and welcome to Books Between - a podcast for teachers, parents, librarians, and anyone who wants to connect kids between 8-12 to books they will love. I'm your host, Corrina Allen - a mom of two daughters and a 5th grade teacher in Central New York. My goal is to help you find fabulous books for your kids and help create a community where we all can support each other as we build those readers.

This is Episode #36 and today is all about graphic novels!

Before we start the show today, I am excited to tell you that this month's episodes are sponsored by WriteAbout.com - a writing community and digital platform that is tailor made for students of all ages. Their school platform can connect all your classrooms for shared writing topics. So if your school is like mine and has certain themes for each week, Write About for Schools makes it really easy for every class to read and respond to each other's published writing. So, if you or someone you know is looking for a way to bring your school together by celebrating student authors, definitely check out WriteAbout.com. And at the end of the show, I'll share with you what my class plans to write about this week.

Main Topic - CYBILS

Before we jump into the book talks for the show - a little bit of news. I am so excited to be a round one judge for the CYBILS this year in the graphic novels category, so I am taking a deep dive into as many middle grade graphic novels published in the last year as I can get my hands on. Phew!

So if you are not familiar, the CYBILS are the Children's and Young Adult Bloggers' Literary Awards. This award started in 2006 and aims to recognize the children's and young adult authors and illustrators whose books combine the highest literary merit and popular appeal. There are about a dozen categories and subcategories within Picture Books to Middle Grade to Young Adult. Nominations take place from October 1st - October 15th so you still have time to go to cybils.com and nominate your favorite books. Finalists in each category are announced on January 1st and winners are revealed on February 14th. So be on the lookout for those.

Last year's middle grade winners included Ghost by Jason Reynolds, The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary by Laura Shovan, Shadow Magic by Joshua Khan, and Lowriders to the Center of the Earth, Book 2 by Cathy Camper and Raul the Third. So, some pretty fabulous choices.

I've been following the CYBILS for a long time and using their lists as a resource, but this is my first time participating as a judge, and I'm honored to be working alongside a great team, including our very own Mel Shuit from All the Wonders! So, in other words, expect to be hearing a lot more about the great graphic novels of the past year. Starting…. now.

Book Talk - Three Fresh New Graphic Novels

In this section of the show, I share with you three books centered around a theme and discuss three things to love about each book. This week - as promised - it's all about graphic novels! And since my aim is to keep you up to date on what's new and fresh and really good in the world of middle grade, here are three new graphic novels to introduce to your readers. They are Swing It, Sunny by Jennifer & Matthew Holm, Invisible Emmie by Terri Libenson, and All's Faire in Middle School by Victoria Jamieson.

Swing It, Sunny

First up is Swing It, Sunny - the much-awaited sequel to Jennifer & Matthew Holm's Sunny, Side Up. This book picks up with Sunny's life in September 1976 - right after the summer she spent with her grandfather down in Florida in the first book. This story is all about Sunny's life back at home, her complicated feelings about her brother Dale, who is now in boarding school, and the challenges of middle school. Here are three things to love about Swing It, Sunny:

1. Seasonal Slice of Life stories. Unlike the first book which was set just in the summer, here we have Sunny starting school, getting fall allergies, reluctantly dressing up as nurse for Halloween, making loom potholders for Christmas gifts…. And small but poignant moments of that year in her life. My 10 year old was wishing for bigger events with a stronger resolution at the end. And for that reason she said she prefered the first book. But, personally, I liked the rhythm and pacing of this book with small moments told over the course of a year.
2. How it explores a complicated relationship between siblings, and the impact that has on the rest of the family. After her older brother, Dale, ends up in a military boarding school for doing drugs and getting into big trouble - at one point Sunny says to her mom, "I miss him. But I don't miss what it's like when he's here." And I think a lot of kids - in some way or other - can connect to that.
3. I LOVED all the 1970s details!! I will out my age here and say that I was born in November 1976, a bicentennial baby, so this book felt like stepping back into the avocado green and rust brown and orangey yellow shades of my childhood. When having a TV dinner (cooked in the oven by the way!) was cause for excitement. I'm sure that qualifies this book for "Historical Fiction" status, and kids are obviously not going to have that nostalgic feeling that I had, but I loved all the TV shows referenced - Six Million Dollar Man and Gilligan's Island and The Brady Bunch and General Hospital… there are so many tiny little details from the antennas on the tvs to the Jiffy Pop pan, to the vintage Golden Grahams cereal box… Ahhhh….. There's so much more. But I'll let you discover all of it.

Swing It Sunny is absolutely a must-have graphic novel for kids 8-12. And they don't have to have read Sunny, Side Up to enjoy this one, but if you have the first book on hand, I'd recommend starting there so you have the background about what happened the summer before.

Invisible Emmie

Another great new book is Invisible Emmie by debut author Terri Libenson. This book tells the story of the quiet, un-noticed, hero-in-waiting Emmie Douglass who is trying to deal with the challenges of seventh grade. Things like finding time to go to the bathroom between classes, the awkwardness of changing for PE class, not having a cell phone and feeling left out of things, and…. being completely embarrassed in front of your crush. Here are three reasons to love Invisible Emmie:

1. How relatable Emmie is - especially for girls! From the frustration with your curly hair to that anger at yourself for not speaking up in your own defense. I think most girls (and boys!) feel that pressure of fitting in and comparing yourself to your peers, your friends, and to that perfect version of yourself that you wish you were.
2. How this book alternates between the main narrative of Emmie and the story of Katie. And I loved how Emmie's parts are text with lots of illustrations in softer blues, and tans, and mauves. And the sections from Katie's point of view are a more traditional graphic novel format with panels and done in brighter yellows and pinks and greens. The blend of those two styles is really well done.
3. How Emmie's and Katie's stories come together in the end! As I was reading, I kept theorizing how they were going to connect, and then I started to notice some of the same characters show up in both sections. That ending and the message of that ending was powerful. Loved it!

Terri Libenson's Invisible Emmie is funny, heartfelt, and great for kids who love books like Raina Telgemeier's Drama or Bubbles by Abby Cooper. And I can't wait to see what this author does next!

All's Faire in Middle School

Our final graphic novel is one that my students and I have been anticipating for a long time - and oh was it worth that wait!. It's All's Faire in Middle School - by Victoria Jamieson. You might know Ms. Jamieson from her incredible Newbery Honor book - Roller Girl. This novel is about Imogene - an eleven-year-old girl who has grown up and been schooled at the Florida Renaissance Festival where her father works as a knight and she helps her mother run their family's arts and crafts store. But - this year two things are changing. One - she starts her training as a squire, which mean more responsibility at the faire. And two - she's going to public school for the first time and starting middle school. I loved this book so much I am completely breaking my rule of three things. So, here are six things to love about All's Faire in Middle School:

1. The behind-the-scenes look at the renaissance festival. The jousting, the human chess game, the mud pit, the juggling, and the sword play. And how Imogene is taught by the other actors to do what's called "street" - how to walk and talk and pull visitors into the fun as though they were all REALLY living in a Renaissance village filled with colorful characters.
2. The Elizabethan flavored talk at the fair is so much fun to read. Here, let me give you a sample for you.. This is from page 27. This is when Cussy, an actor who plays a hermit, is teaching Imogene how to interact with the shopkeepers as she walks around the faire. "Good Morrow, and well met, baker! Prithee, hast thou any fresh loaves this morning?"
3. The gorgeous chapter introductions that are in the style of an illuminated manuscript. They are so beautiful!
4. How this is a story about a family that is poor. Imogene is always a bit torn between her pride in her Ren Faire lifestyle and embarrassment that her family is picking her up in a beat-up old car. Or that she gets dropped of at the shabby apartment complex. Or that they can't really afford those cool shoes and jeans that would help her blend in more at school. Yeah - relatable. For many many kids.
5. The nuanced struggles and mistakes that Imogene deals with in middle school and at home. She makes BIG mistakes. At one point she harnesses her talent of drawing to be cruel in order to make others laugh. And has to deal with how much she hurt people. At point she lies to her parents about school work, and gets in huge trouble. And then - she does something so mean to her little brother that overcoming that one rash act is going to take a lot. But, you know - I see sibling conflict and peer conflict up close every day. And Jamieson gets it right.
6. The small thread about the romance novel. There's a scene where Imogene and her new friends sneak read part of a romance novel and later she writes the word sex in her journal and then quickly crosses it out. The words from the novel aren't explicit at all but the context of that thread is so relatable for a lot of preteen and teenaged kids. That impulse to want to know more and yet not feeling really ready for that is handled so well here with a light touch that I'd say would probably be appropriate for most kids in grades 5 and above.

Honestly, I could go on and on about all the reasons I loved All's Faire in Middle School but instead I think that time would be better spent having YOU just go get it and read it and put it into the hands of kids who are going to love it. And if you ever have the chance to go to a Renaissance Festival - please do it!! My family always attends the Sterling Renaissance Festival in northern New York, and it is such a blast. We get our hair braided, enjoy a giant turkey leg, and just have fun transporting yourself to another era. And make sure you check out Matthew Winner's interview with Victoria Jamieson on episode 386 of the All the Wonders podcast where they talk about All's Faire and her inspirations for this story. It's so good!

Closing

Okay - that wraps up our show this week. We have some great interviews and book talks coming up this fall. I'll also be chatting about flexible seating, Shelley Johannes' Beatrice Zinker, Upside Down Thinker, Shannon Hale's Real Friends - and of course - even more great new graphic novels.

Thank you so much for joining me this week. You can get find a transcript of this show and all of our previous episodes at AlltheWonders.com. And, if you like the show, please help others find us too by telling a friend, sharing on social media, or leaving a rating on iTunes or Stitcher.

And thanks again to WriteAbout.com for supporting the podcast this month - when you visit their website you'll find fantastic ideas to get your students excited about writing. My school is doing the Positivity Project this year where each week we focus on one character strength. So my students will be writing about how they and others show Perspective.

See you in two weeks! Bye!