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READING STYLE GUIDE

A Room To Talk

6/27/2018

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Harbor Me by Jacqueline Woodson

I think, looking back on that day now, that’s the line that will always stay with me--Another room, by ourselves.
​​What would happen if you intentionally leave a group of kids alone in a classroom?
This story framework, a group in a confined space for a specific period of time, is generally reserved for adult literature. Think: a sequestered jury, a therapy group, passengers on a plane/train etc. The most notable equivalent application for teens is The Breakfast Club. But a group of students deliberately put together in a classroom without an adult present is something I don’t offhand recall in another work of juvenile fiction.
It’s a bold construct that really works. It works so well that I became a virtual member of the group, as the dynamic slowly, often painfully, evolves. I could relate to each student. It was easy to picture myself as an unseen participant in the room.
​​Concepts of immigration, incarceration, racial disparity, and economic inequality are woven into the narrative. While these are important issues, it’s the relationship among the six kids that is imprinted on my mind and heart. Each voice is distinct and offers a unique perspective.
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Kudos for the cover design. It captures the essence of creating harbors for kids.
Meet the students who gather each Friday in A Room To Talk (ARTT)
  • ​​​Haley is of mixed race with the distinguishing feature of red hair. An uncle cares for her while her father is in prison. 
             Sometimes, I don’t feel so brave. Sometimes I just feel scared.
  • ​Tiago uses art as a means of self-expression. He is proud of his Puerto Rican culture and heritage.
             I know in my heart...the language we speak is music and poetry and even cold sweet piranhas on hot, hot summer days.
  • Holly is Haley's friend. She often speaks before she thinks.
             Life gives you stuff you don’t want but you have to take it anyway.
  • ​Esteban lives with the uncertainty of deportation.
             You’re rich he always told us. Not in money ‘cause money isn’t everything.
             But rich in dreams, cuz in this country you can be anything.
  • Amari is Esteban's protector and defender.
             My pops said it’s like we’re suspects from the day we’re born.
  • ​Ashton is the only white member of the group.
             I never even thought about my color till that day.

​I loved the gradual shift of pronouns from you to we/us. At the book’s conclusion this diverse group with seemingly little in common learns to understand and accept one another and call each a friend. I absolutely LOVED the scene where the group moves in solidarity, walking shoulder-to-shoulder to protect Ashton from the eighth grade bullies. My skin tingles when I picture that encounter.
And we’ve been coming here so long I feel like I know you guys and you’re sort of like my brothers and sisters
​and I know I can trust you, right?
The value of this book will be enhanced with further exploration in the classroom. There are many themes here which would make excellent discussion points: 
  • Freedom and what it means to be free. Consider the larger context of freedom in a world view and compare that with the granular from the standpoint of classroom rules.
  • Familiar vs. the unknown
  • Time: the passage of time and our perceptions of time. Consider the words “always” and “moment”
  • Friendship: what it means to be a friend and the long-term effects of friendship
  • Harbor: what is a harbor (this may be a new concept for students living in land-locked areas) and what does harbor mean in the larger sense.
  • Poetry as a means of expression
  • Tragedy: the place that tragic events have in our lives
References to Harmonic Convergence, Ailanthus tree, Francisco Alarcón and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn may be unfamiliar to young readers. They provide opportunities for further exploration and discussion.
I was also intrigued by the choice to forgo quotation marks and use italics to denote dialog. This stylistic decision is well-suited to the narrative.
As a former classroom teacher, I can easily see this as a class study, with a copy of Harbor Me for each student.  Reading and discussing together, the shared experience would help students create their own ​ARTT.
...if the worst thing in the world happened, would I help protect someone else? Would we let ourselves be a harbor for someone who needs it.  Then she said I want each of you to say to the other I will harbor you. I will harbor you.

Sing Along

Introduce young readers to these classics mentioned in Harbor Me.

Bonus: Twitter post from Jacqueline Woodson

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​Uncorrected copy provided by publisher.
Pub date: August 28, 2018  Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books  ISBN: 978-0399252525
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Get on Board

6/20/2018

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In Praise of Board Games

"I can't remember the last time I played a board game." Magda pulled a rack toward her and shook the bag of letters. Rattle. Rattle. Rattle.
"It's a lost art," Charlotte said. She sat down too.
Sometimes it's good to put way the electronics, take playing pieces out of the box and go "old school" with a board game.
Featured here are some middle school books that celebrate the joy of sitting across the table from an opponent for some friendly competition. Enjoy these novels for middle-grader featuring a board game component. Along with these books include a selection of new and classic tabletop entertainment in the library collection. 
​Let the games begin!
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Bob by Wendy Mass and Rebecca Stead

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Meet Bob, the small green not-a-zombie creature who lives in Olivia's grandmother's closet with a Lego pirate ship and a dictionary. He has been waiting years for Livy to return to her grandmother's home in Australia.     
Long ago, Livy's father taught her the basics of chess. She, in turn, showed Bob to how to play. He has practiced alone in the closet, using only the white chess pieces, as the black pieces are missing. When Livy returns she recovers the black chess pieces.  They commence playing this game of thinking and planning strategically.
Together, Bob and Livy assemble collective memories into a meaningful pattern to remember about Livy's promise, made long ago. Using clues and deductive skills, the two friends uncover secrets from the past.
Check out my review of Bob.
​"But chess is not about luck," Bob says. "It's about recognizing the strength of the little guy."
​Pub date: May 1, 2018  Publisher: Feiwel & Friends  ISBN: 978-1250166623

You Go First by Erin Entrada Kelly

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Charlotte's world seems to be falling apart: her dad suffers a major heart attack and her best friend wants to leave Charlotte and join another group of girls.
Ben's parents just delivered some shocking news: they are getting a divorce. Ben is floored.  He has no idea that this was coming and is at a loss on how to cope. He decides that maybe what he should do is run for a student body position.  He's a younger student and really doesn't have any close friends. How is this going to work?
The one thing that both Charlotte and Ben have going for them is their virtual friendship. They are serious Scrabble players.  They admire each other's playing skills and their online competition develops into a support system. Each helps the other as they work through word puzzles and puzzling events in their lives.
When she was seven years old, he pulled the game board from the closet and set it on the dining room table.
Pub date: April 10, 2018  Publisher: Greenwillow Book  ISBN: 978-0062414182

Me and Marvin Gardens by Amy Sarig King

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Eleven-year-old Obe Devlin has always been a loner, spending hours at Devlin Creek, picking up trash. One day he encounters an animal never seen before. He names it Marvin Gardens because his dad is obsessed with the board game Monopoly. 
Obe is fascinated and escapes to the creek spending time with this strange creature. To his amazement, he learns that Marvin can consume plastic. While it might be considered a good thing, this also presents a tremendous cost to the environment. What will become of this creature? What will happen to the land that Obe loves?
Monopoly is a game of acquiring and selling real estate. This dovetails with the loss of the Devlin family's 175 acres and the construction of a housing development on the property.
Read my review of Me and Marvin Gardens.
I didn't believe stories about ghosts -- not even the one about spirits who were angry at the developers for growing houses instead of crops.
Pub date: January 31, 2017  Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Book  ISBN: 978-0545870740

Sunny by Jason Reynolds

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Sunny has lost interest in running. Yes, he is lightning fast. Yes, he has a fistful of medals. But he doesn't want to run any more. Coach suggests that discus might be more to his liking. It's a whole new sport and requires an entirely different sets of skills. It combines his love of dance with his desire to stay connected with the team. Sunny decides to give it a try.
Sunny has his share of conflicts at home. His mother died during childbirth and Sunny blames himself for his mother's death. ​He lives with his father Darryl, who often seems detached from his son.
One thing that they share is a love for jigsaw puzzles. They are currently working on a complicated puzzle that is an image of Sunny's mother's face.  Will putting the puzzle together help to resolve the missing pieces in Sunny's life?
Yes, Diary, we still do puzzles together. It's our way of, I guess, bonding.
Pub date: April 10, 2018  Publisher: Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books  978-1481450218
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Point of View

6/18/2018

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Look Up! by Jung Jin-Ho

"Different people can perceive the same event or behavior differently" Jung Jin-Ho
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When perusing my book shelves, I noted a slim little spine, crammed in a mass of book galleys, way up high on the shelf.  I was curious. What was that little yellow sliver wedged between so many mammoth-sized volumes? I pulled it out for closer inspection.
Look Up! is Korean author and illustrator Jung Jin-Ho’s tiny treatise on perspective and the power of point of view.
Using simple black line drawings, readers are invited into the street from an unusual vantage point, a birds-eye view of a terrace overlooking a city street. An initial spread reveals feet placed on the footrests of a wheelchair. The occupant of the wheelchair appears to be gazing on the scene below. As time passes and activity takes place in the street, the lone observer leans over the edge of the roof imploring, "Look up!" "Look up!" "I'm here! Look at me!"
Finally a passerby does indeed look up. He calls to the girl peering down from above.  She explains that she can't come down and that she can only see the tops of heads. The boy offers her another perspective. He lies down on the cobblestones below so that she can view him in his entirety. Soon others join, lying horizontally and offering the girl in the wheelchair a new view.  As other bodies take this supine position, the strictly black and white landscape makes a subtle change: trees begin to blossom in shades of pink. A bicyclist rides by, sporting a bouquet of colorful balloons.  And on top of the roof, a potted plant begins to sprout tender green leaves.
This little picture book posits that changing one's perspective changes not only one's view of the world but causes change to happen in the world.
"It is important to see things from different heights or travel in different paths." Jung Jin-Ho
Uncorrected copy provided by publisher.
​Pub date: January 23, 2018  Publisher: Holiday House; Reprint edition  ISBN: 978-0823440139
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Crowning Glory

6/12/2018

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My Hair is a Garden by Cozbil A. Cabrera

My hair is a garden, and I give it love.
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For as long as she can remember, MacKenzie has been the object of ridicule at her school. Students constantly tease her about her hair. She tries ignoring their taunts. That doesn't work. She takes to wearing a hat to cover her head. That doesn't help.
Finally she flees to the home of her neighbor Miss Tillie, who lives in a warm and welcoming home. MacKenzie pours her heart to her compassionate friend.
"I need help with my hair. Folks have been poking fun of my hair since I was little...Mama tried to fix it, but the truth is, she doesn’t know what to do with it."
Following a gentle shampoo and careful combing, Miss Tillie invites her young guest outside to enjoy her garden. Years of thoughtful planning, cultivation, and nurturing have resulted in a retreat that is a filled with a variety of lush and vibrant landscaping.  
MacKenzie discovers the similarities between caring for a garden and caring for her crowning glory.
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​Cozbi A. Cabrera has created a lovely picture book celebrating the magnificence of natural black hair. In addition to the narrative, she thoughtfully includes helpful hair care tips, along with suggestions for self-improvement and personal development.
​Recipes for Herbal infusion Rinse and Moisturizing Shea Butter include directions on proper application.
My Hair is a Garden is more than a story of self-acceptance, more than a set of platitudes. It offers a positive approach and realistic advice. When hair receives attentive care, it is indeed "beauty wrapped in a song."
My hair is a garden and I take care of it.
My words and thoughts are like seeds that I plant.
I say and I think beautiful.

For the Love of Hair

Picture books celebrating the glories of natural black hair.
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Bonus

Cozbi A. Cabrera's creative talents are not limited to artistry with words and pictures.  She is a very talented seamstress, doll maker, and fashion designer. 
​Take a look at some of her creations.
Be sure to view her beautiful handcrafted dolls, featured in Country Living.
Uncorrected copy provided by publisher.
Pub date: April 1, 2018  Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company  ISBN: 978-0807509234
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School for Dinosaurs

6/8/2018

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We Don’t Eat Our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins

Sometimes it’s hard to make friends with children. Especially when you eat them.
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Penelope Rex is about to enter a new phase in her reptilian life. This young dinosaur is going to Kindergarten. She’s got a new backpack decorated with ponies and she carries her lunch: three hundred tuna sandwiches and a juice box. Naturally she is anxious. What will her classmates be like? Will she make new friends? Upon arrival she is surprised to learn that all her classmates are ... Children!  Penelope reacts immediately, swallowing all the delicious children in an enormous gulp. With furniture in disarray and a shoestring dangling from her mouth, Penelope appears to be somewhat chagrined by what she has just done.
"Penelope Rex! We don't eat our classmates!  Please spit them out at once!"  
it is interesting to observe the teacher’s demeanor. She appears unruffled by Penelope’s instinctive action, but firmly states the class rule. She makes it clear that Penelope must comply. The obedient little Rex acquiesces.  As the day progresses Miss Rex comes to the unhappy conclusion that her behavior is not conducive to making friends. However, it is not the teacher who ultimately solves the problem. Neither Penelope nor the other students can help her control her impulsive responses. Assistance in helping Penelope's develop friendship-making skills arrives from an unexpected source: the class pet.
Higgins’ illustrations are whimsical. Who knew that a tiny T- Rex in pink overalls and slurping up young children could be so adorable? The artist wisely chooses to make Penelope the central feature on each page. Backgrounds are sometimes monochromatic or eliminated entirely. The little Kinder-dino and her dilemma are the focus.  End papers are a delightful display of children’s art, featuring representations of various dinosaurs.  We Don't Eat Our Classmates tells a story rich in charm, wit and wisdom. Get ready. There will repeated requests to "read it again."  All kinds of kids (and adults) will eat it up.
This picture book arrives at an opportune time. I have worked with a class of adorable toddlers that is currently experiencing a change in the group dynamic. A two-year-old has suddenly, for no apparent reason, begun biting other children. It seems so bizarre. The youngster comes from a calm, stable, loving family where differences are settled in a gentle manner. Where did this impulse to bite others originate? And why? Is there a little bit of Penelope in children?
Care-givers who encounter disruptive childish behavior: take heart. Penelope made the change. There is hope.

More Picture Books! More Fun!

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Uncorrected copy provided by publisher.
Pub date: June 19, 2018  Publisher: Disney Hyperion  ISBN: 978-1368003551
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Travels with Bicycle

6/5/2018

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The Adventures of a Girl Called Bicycle by Christina Uss

You never know what's around the next corner,or across the next state line, right?
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Sister Wanda discovers something unusual amid the  Mostly Silent Monastery construction clutter: a silent little girl with no name and no past.  Wearing a shirt emblazoned with the word BICYCLE, she is appropriately given the name Bicycle.  Our young heroine takes to the monastic life, spending her days intently listening and studying.  Her fortune changes the day that she accompanies the monks into town and discovers her namesake, a discarded bike. Scraping together all her loose change, Bicycle becomes the proud owner of the two-wheeler, christened Clunk.
Sister Wanda is concerned because her young charge lacks youthful companions and enrolls Bicycle in the Friendship Factory’s camp. Determined to escape from the well-meaning intentions of Sister Wanda, Bicycle decides to bike from Washington D.C to San Francisco to meet her cycling hero Zbig.
...you can take heart. It gets easier. And its's worth the effort.
Her epic cycling journey west is replete with ups and downs: a herd of stampeding pigs in Missouri, heat exhaustion in the Nevada desert, and the arduous scaling of the Rocky Mountains. Along the way she encounters the ghost of a young man killed in the Civil War who longs to return to his hometown of Green Marsh, a race horse named Cannibal, and the inventor of Wheels of Fortune 713-J, a fantastic bike equipped with everything from a climate-controlled tent to missile launchers. 
​​I won't give up hope without a dozen-cookie consideration first.
There is a lot of food in this book.  A cookie lady dispenses quantities of cookies along with sage advice. Paradise Pies features a constantly changing variety of hand-held pastry pockets encasing fillings such as tapioca muffin and chicken noodle.  SlowDown Cafe invites guests to travel by horse or bicycle and enjoy regional fare such as rainbow trout spaghetti, tumbleweed lasagna, and elk chops
The fertile imagination of Uss is a wonder.  Who would dream of a ghost from the Civil War, inhabiting a bicycle and entertaining his traveling companion with Stephan Foster melodies?  Who would have envisioned a bike with a sophisticated artificial intelligence system that can dispense restorative care to the rider and print cash?  
​​I've paddled as hard as I can in the river of luck.
Bicycle is a sparkling young protagonist, filled with equal parts, determination, imagination, and fear.
​​I still have my chance to do this my way...3,720 to 1 though it may be.
Several underlying themes are woven throughout the narrative: the part that luck plays in our lives, the importance of staying the course when the odds are stacked against you, and the need to find one's own way even when it goes against prevailing wisdom.
Cookies do help put a sweeter perspective on things.
The Adventures of a Girl Called Bicycle is an inventive and heart-warming novel for middle grade readers that is not-to-be-missed. A Sunflower Seed Burger to Christina Uss for this stellar debut. A scoop of Praline Scramble ice cream to Margaret Ferguson on the publication of her maiden novel for her new Holiday House imprint.
Uncorrected copy provided by publisher.
​Pub date: June 5, 2018  Publisher: Margaret Ferguson Books  ISBN: 978-0823440078
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    Barbara Moon

    I like talking about books and  interesting ideas. I like thinking about how books affect my life. Not particularly interested in giving out stars or in rating books. 

    Audio Publishers Association
    2013, - present  Audies judge 
    American Library Association Book Awards and Lists 
    ​2017 YALSA Award Nominating Committee
    2016 Excellence in Nonfiction 
    2014 Margaret Edwards Award
    2012 Odyssey Awards.  
    2009, 2010, 2011 Great Graphic Novels for Teens.

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