I'm very excited to be a part of the Blog Tour for Ian Eagleton's new fantastic picture book, "Rory's Room of Rectangles". This is the perfect Father's Day gift, as the cover accurately represents, it's "a story of blended families and big feelings." When Rory's teacher asks the class to make a Father's Day card, it introduces to the reader the fact in 2023, the family dynamic for many children might not be as straight forward as people think. Rory is no exception, he lives with him mother and her new boyfriend Tony. This does not mean he doesn't have contact with his father, in fact it's quite the opposite. Rory spends his weekends happily with his father and this is why the idea of making a Father's Day card is confusing and anxiety-inducing for Rory. He is unsure if he should make a card for Tony or his father and what he ends up doing is making a card that represents his feelings and then tears it into pieces. On Father's Day, Tony takes Rory to an art gallery, and I love how art plays a big role in this wonderful book. Rory sees that some of the art he sees is similar to the pieces of paper he tore up from his card. Tony is a very sensitive person who understands Rory's sadness when it comes to Father's Day. Tony wants him to have a good relationship with his dad and that's why he has a surprise for him after they leave the art gallery. This is a very sensitive and empathy-building story for ages 4+ that I cannot recommend enough. I think it will be a staple in school and public libraries and classrooms.
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Paige works on her high school newspaper, she enjoys the idea of being a reporter but struggles with the fake school garbage that surrounds her. not only that, she's been asked to work on the school yearbook. Attached to this are some awfully mean students, Grace & Laura for example. These two make a point to highlight the embarrassing moments of others, they want these toxic moments put in the yearbook, making Paige's life even harder. In addition, Paige's home life is a mess. Her father is a monster, the entire family has to walk on eggshells around him. Her brother, Adam, is the one the family adores, but he's gone off to university, leaving the brunt of her father's insecurities and outrage on Paige and her mother. Paige's only solace is her aunt Polly and someone else, a mysterious stranger in her school who leaves messages written in red ink in her assigned reading. Desperate to find out who it is, Paige tries to find out who she is at the same time, because nobody in her immediate life seems to care. The Yearbook is a searing look at the toxicity of high school, the social pressures that pile up along with the educational ones. In addition, it has some very real moments regarding family tensions. Her father is a brutal ogre but his sinister nature isn't all yelling and breaking things, it's the subtle ways the family must dance around him, creating prepared statements for him, readying the house before he gets home. This is how people must deal with a true narcissist, and true narcissism is a very, very scary thing to behold. Holly Bourne is a master at writing for the teenage heart in all its broken glory. I highly recommend this for ages 13 and up! Sarah is a young teen who is obsessed with basketball. She wants to be the best, because being the best is what makes her feel like she's important, like she matters. However, she's got a problem, she's no longer as fast as she used to be. Her legs feel sluggish, she sometimes feels lightheaded, it's like her body is fighting against her. It doesn't help that Sarah has a secret, her mother doesn't feed her well. Sometimes there is food in the fridge, sometimes there isn't. Sometimes Sarah has to reach into the bottom of her backpack and eat a crushed granola bar for breakfast. Her mother hides candy throughout the house and will occasionally only eat that. Sarah's friends know her mother is "weird" about food but they don't know how far it goes. Sarah has lists in her head of the good food and bad food, most of the "bad" food is food that her friends would consider healthy, but not Sarah, and definitely not her mother. Sarah decides the only way to get better at basketball is to lose eight and meticulously count her calories, because skinnier means healthier, right? When Sarah decides to join a cooking competition with the boy she likes, her issues with food come to the forefront. Taking Up Space brought to light an issue that I have had no experience with and that is a great thing to discover as a reader and more importantly as someone who works with teenagers. This novel sheds light on eating disorders in a way that is informative and never heavy handed. It's also a great story about friendship, competition, familial pressure and more. The clique that Sarah once belonged to largely abandons her because of gossip and misunderstandings. I felt myself getting outraged on Sarah's behalf, it's hard to know that there many children out there going day to day with these kinds of challenges around food. I feel this novel is a wake up call and it is important that teens and adults read it. As with all of Alyson's novels, I will be championing this one in the library, I know the students will engage and connect with Sarah immediately. Highly recommended for ages 11 and up! The blog tour of the new First Names book about Einstein continues! Did you know that when Einstein was young he was given the nickname "The Dopey One"? Or that when he was ill in bed as a boy he was given a compass to pass the time and it changed his life? Or that he revelled in tormenting and annoying his teachers and professors and even FAILED tests and exams at school? Neither did I! Reading this fast-paced, funny illustrated non-fiction title about Einstein opened up a whole new world to me. You really feel like you are living Einstein's life beside him, all of his challenges and successes, his frustrations and his triumphs. I also really enjoyed seeing his more complicated theories explained using illustrations and language that younger readers can understand. It's a truly fascinating read packed with information and a ton facts that highlight why Einstein was so unique, a true genius that was often misunderstood. He was someone who had pure curiosity about the universe and how it worked. I loved this story and I recommend it for ages 9+ Daphne is lost, she is terribly sad and lonely, the loss of her father means she can't find hope anywhere. The only place she finds comfort is the local library, a latchkey kid, she visits there often to sit in the quiet and reflect on her past, the pain and the guilt. Woven together into this story is the Greek myth of Daphne who was transformed into a tree. As Daphne becomes entangled into a beautiful blend of fantasy and reality, she must try to come to grips with the pain that is facing her and her mother. This is a really gut-wrenching story told in often searing poetic verses. This is a welcome addition to any school library, any fans of Sarah Crossan or Louisa Reid should get this into the hands of their students. Poetic stories are a very effective way to get students involved in reading, making the subconscious come to life, bringing sometimes hard thoughts to the forefront in a cathartic way. I'm excited for any new addition from Joseph Coelho! This is an important graphic novel that should be on every school library shelf. Aiden is at summer camp, in September he will be starting high school. He's not excited, he's terrified. He knows he's not gay but that doesn't stop others from talking about, pointing fingers, calling him names, casually yelling out homophobic slurs at him. In his head he knows he's not gay, he just knows it...does he? At camp he can find some solace, he's got some real friends there, at least he thinks he does. He learns archery with Elias, a boy that has wiggled his way into Aiden's brain and won't leave. He writes to his best friend, a girl he doesn't get to see very much. Even so, Aiden tells her everything. Aiden's home life isn't very good, his parents seem to do nothing but scream at each other. Aiden has something burning inside of him that he can't seem to grapple with, the story itself moves at a rapid, burning pace in a way that will make you go back and appreciate the haunting, powerful artwork. As life for Aiden becomes unbearable, he begins to feel that nothing will stop the hate being thrown at him, nothing will stop his parents from fighting, nothing will stop the feeling that he's wrong. This is a powerful story that should be in the hands of every student ages 15+, it's one that will stick with you for a very long time. Finding great non-fiction for students can sometimes be tricky for a school librarian. Things have gotten much, much better over the last decade and I'm very excited to see this new book by Dara Briain to add to our shelves at Glenthorne. Is There Anybody Out There? is funny, interesting and informative. It's a magic missile of facts cleverly sprinkled with humour. Dara takes us from the definition of life on earth and the possibility to life on other planets to evolution, being stuck in space, how hard it is to actually go to space and much, much more. Layered throughout are clear and bright illustrations to drive the points home. Black holes, wormholes, gravity, aliens, it's all here. It's a wonderful, jam packed answer-fest, I highly recommend it for ages 7+. All Ross wants is to be a normal seventh grade kid, but when he's diagnosed with a rare form of eye cancer, he becomes thrust in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. With the help of his new friends at the hospital and his lifelong friend at school, he tries his best to distract himself against one wave of bad news after another. Ross develops a love of music and continues his love of drawing and comic books but will it be enough to stop him from snapping under the stress? Wink is a really lovely story with real humour and a strong heart. It's sad, realistic and at the same time doesn't sugar coat how terrible life can be sometimes. I loved how Harrell developed Ross' relationships with the people who work at the hospital and especially the school bully. All of the characters have real depth to them, it's a book that will be a sure hit with our students, recommended highly for ages 10+. isJoe and Imogen are meant to be together. At least that's what Joe thinks. There are signs that she's not always interested in him, she sometimes makes him feel like he's not good enough. Joe's dealing with some major issues at home, his dad has suddenly become very ill and he's dealing with an increasingly agitated and unpredictable Imogen. Things get weird, in that Imogen becomes angry if Joe does better on exams than her, she blames him for things that aren't his fault. Imogen's got issues at home too, her father is a downright scary figure, unpredictable, intimidating. When a tragic accident happens, Joe's life hangs in the balance, he's facing major prison time, something Imogen is more than happy to let happen. As the trial proceeds, we see flashbacks on Joe and Imogens' real relationship, and what actually happened on that terrible night. Written in verse, WRECKED is another powerful story by Louisa Reid. Joe's situation is terrifying, you can feel yourself standing in his shoes, sweating in the courthouse, hearing everyone tell the judge who you are, when nobody actually knows or cares about the truth. You will fly through Wrrecked, not only because you will need to know what happens, but it's got a pace to it that's truly something else, like a speeding car racing towards an unknown future. I highly recommend Wrecked for ages 13+, get your hands on it and get it into your libraries today! Donte wishes nobody could see him, especially Alan, the bully at school that taunts him. As one of the only black students in his new private school, nobody looks like him and everybody seems to notice him for the wrong reasons. Even his teachers subconsciously select him as the "problem" student even when he isn't. When Alan gets Donte into trouble, and then arrested, Donte is led out of school by the police. Released from jail, his parents furious at the system and completely broken, Donte discovers redemption through fencing and a coach that teaches him a lot about life. This is another powerful book by Jewell Parker Rhodes, Donte's arrest highlights a real threat in America, black students going from high school to prison in a highly organised and deliberate system. Donte's struggle is one that many black students face in the United States. This is an important book, like her previous work, Ghost Boys, and I'm very excited to introduce it to our students in September. Highly recommended for ages 11+. |
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