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READING STYLE GUIDE

Star Wars: The Saga Continues

12/28/2020

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Star Wars The High Republic: A Test of Courage
​by Justina Ireland

"For over a thousand generations, the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic.
​Before the dark times. Before the Empire."   Obi-Wan Kenobi
Long ago or not so long ago, depending on how you measure time, a group of creatives met at Skywalker Ranch and brainstormed the development of a multimedia, multi-publisher, multi-package Star Wars mythology.  While each story would stand alone, they were to be part of a sweeping interconnected Star Wars story arc.
The result: A Star Wars epic that takes place two centuries prior to events in the Skywalker film saga. It tells the story of Jedi Knights who lived during a period known as The High Republic.
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Star Wars: The High Republic debuts with A Test of Courage. Sixteen-year-old Vernestra Rwoh has recently completed Jedi Knight training and received her first assignment. She is to accompany a senator and her impetuous daughter as well as a delegation of ambassadors to witness the launch of the Starlight Beacon,  symbol of hope that will serve as a Republic temple and sanctuary.
Two saboteurs onboard the ambassadorial transport bound for the Starlight Beacon destroy the ship, killing almost everyone. Vernestra, three young passengers, and one droid survive the explosion. They escape the wreckage and are trapped on a maintenance ship. To their horror, they learn that they are the next targets marked for death.
This recently-knighted young Jedi must lead an unlikely fivesome: a Padawan mourning the loss of his mentor, an angry ambassador's son seeking revenge , an innovative tech-savvy girl, and a droid with canny human sensibilities. Vernestra must summon the Force's power, rescue two runaways, outwit Nihil pirates, and guide this rag-tag crew to the Starlight Beacon. That's a lot to ask of any young teen. But this is no average girl and she is no ordinary Jedi Knight.
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Ireland keeps the story moving forward with action, intrigue, and a host of futuristic technologies. There are pirates, a heart-stopping light saber battle, and a massively destructive explosion.   Sign me up. I'm ready for this to join with the High Republic.

The Force is Strong 

"Maybe on the edge of the galaxy you'll find what you're looking for..."
Uncorrected copy provided by publisher.
​Pub date: January 15, 2021  Publisher: Disney LucasFilm  ISBN:  978-1368057301
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Wonders and Delights

12/16/2020

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Counting Creatures by Julia Donaldson ill by Sharon King-Chai

Looking for a picture book for gift-giving? Consider Counting Creatures. This more-than-a-picture book is an explosion of tactile wonders and visual delights. Presented as a counting book featuring various animal species and their young, it begins with one baby bat and sequentially progresses to ten piglets before leapfrogging to multitudes of caterpillars, tadpoles, and spiders.
This interactive volume invites young readers to predict what will be underneath the next flap. How many babies? What word is used to describe them?
​Many terms are familiar, but the young of some species are not well-known. A baby arctic hare is known as a leveret while baby turkeys are called poults.
Rhyming couplets and the repetitive line of text "Who has more babies than that? " make this an excellent book for sharing and reading aloud.
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​Counting Creatures by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Sharon King-Chai has a wow factor to the max.
The generous size (approximately 8x10.5 inches) features a die cut cover with foil accents. Cut outs continue throughout the book, giving readers a hint as to the animals to be revealed. ​Art is stunning. Deep rich colors, gorgeously textured shapes, ingeniously designed flaps and tiny details sprinkled throughout the pages will send readers back the beginning to discover the answer to one final question.
C​opy provided by publisher.
Pub date: November 24, 2020  Publisher: Dial Books  ISBN: 978-0593324530
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Will You Ever Fly Again?

12/11/2020

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The Land of the Cranes by Aida Salazar

Not every story has a happily-ever-after. Some stories are drawn from the well of sorrows and painted with tears of anguish. Aida Salazar gives young audiences a searing portrait of the life of girl trapped in the nightmare of an immigrant from Mexico seeking asylum in the United States.
Betita lives in East Los Angeles with her parents who are undocumented workers, hoping to find a permanent home in the United States. Her father works as a construction laborer and dishwasher. Her pregnant mother earns money as a nanny.  Though life is challenging, these parents dream of building a new life for their family in the United States.
One day the unthinkable happens. Papi is apprehended by ICE agents for failure to appear in court and is taken into custody. Betita is left with an aching heart and a small square of fabric from her father's pillow.

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Hoping to connect with Papi at a park in San Diego, mother and daughter travel south with relatives. Tragically, they are stopped by border patrol and sent to a detention center. Conditions in the facility are despicable. Detainees live inside a chain link fence cage and sleep on a concrete floor with only a foil blanket. Unsanitary conditions and poor food threaten the life of Mami and the child developing within her womb. They endure daily acts of senseless hostility and cruelty.
Betita recalls her father's stories of their proud heritage. They are travelers from the land of the cranes. Now Betita is longer able to soar. Confined to a wire cage, hope seems lost. This resourceful girl discovers a way to cope. Her fourth-grade teacher showed her how to create picture poems, recording her life with words and images. She keeps a daily journal using her poetry and art to express her feelings.
There are no simple solutions. With little hope for asylum, there seems to be no influential individual that can rescue this suffering family. Mami eventually decides to sacrifice her dream of freedom and security to save herself and her two children. The plight of these individuals is painful to witness.
The Land of Lost Cranes, a fictionalized depiction of undocumented individuals, is gut wrenching. ​This novel in verse, exquisitely expressing a young girl’s longing, will find a place in the hearts of readers everywhere.

Border Stories 

These picture books introduce youngster to tales of immigrants coming to American from Mexico and the Caribbean.
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​Uncorrected copy provided by publisher.
​Pub date: September 15, 2020  Publisher: Scholastic Press  ISBN:  978-1338343809
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Quiet Protest

12/10/2020

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Lubaya’s Quiet Roar by Marilyn Nelson ill by Philemona Williamson

Lubaya is a quiet child, a solemn thoughtful child. While people around her instinctively interact with others, she prefers to silently listen and observe. She often finds herself tucked away with paper and colors. Art is her favorite means of self expression.
(she) "liked to be alone, happily watching the theater of her thoughts." Lubaya's Quiet Roar
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Lubaya’s parents are activists. Their home is filled with posters used during a recent protest march. This quiet girl discovers that the plain backs of posters are an excellent surface for her drawings: friends dressed in pretty party clothes, children on ladders painting a rainbow, even a hip-hop frog! Her art often includes phrases that her family members say when discussing social issues.
When a another cause for protest arises, the family proudly displays the poster backs featuring Lubaya's art. Her drawings beautifully illustrate the movement’s issues, adding an additional way to look at important concerns.
Nelson's poetic language precisely captures Lubaya's personality. Her verses speak in general terms of the need for socially-conscious activism. Illustrations flesh out a few specific social issues at stake. The words "Freedom Now" and "Clean Water" can be seen on two of Lubaya's posters. Williamson's signature style featuring vivid shapes on solid color backgrounds is distinctly different from Lubaya's drawings rendered on white rectangles.
Readers learn that in Swahili Lubaya means “young lionesses.” Using her unique skills, a young girl is able to make her voice heard. Not every contribution to a cause can be uttered. However, each individual can find a way to contribute and be heard.
"a quiet voice can make history"
Copy provided by publisher.
​Pub date: October 6, 2020  Publisher: Dial Books  ISBN: 978-0525555551
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Shape Search

12/7/2020

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Bronxshapes by Alex Rivera

Using photographs of common objects, Rivera celebrates his urban community with shapes found at a bodega, park, and vendor's cart. In addition to introducing geometric shapes, the book also introduces readers to city scenes that may be unfamiliar to those living in rural areas.
Bronx Baby board books are chunky little packages of bilingual delights. Found objects are named and identified, expanding youngsters' English and Spanish vocabulary. A simple line of large text, with the noun boldly accentuated serves as a vehicle for infant and toddler language acquisition.
These books make excellent gifts for welcoming a newborn or celebrating a toddler’s birthday. Package the books with shape blocks and a box of crayons for a great holiday gift.
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A companion title is the Bronx Baby Book series is Bronxtones, a book about colors.
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My Shapes

This concept can be expanded and adapted to many  different locations, cultures, and languages.
Here's an idea for youngsters confined to home during the winter months. Read Bronxshapes and then create a shape scavenger hunt. Document with drawings or photographs the many shapes discovered within the walls of your house.
Weather permitting, expand the shape search to your neighborhood. Let the fun begin!
Copy provided by publisher.
Pub date: September 8, 2020  Publisher: Kolika  ISBN: 978-0593110812
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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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