Archive for Mackin Picks

WWII Fiction and Nonfiction for Middle School

March 9, 2013 · Filed under Fiction, Historical, Mackin Picks, Middle School (6-8), Nonfiction, Novels, Reviews, Social Studies

Hero on a BicycleHero on a Bicycle by Shirley Hughes. April 2013. 9780763660376. Gr 6-8.

When I heard the Candlewick rep say, ” Hero is about a 13-year-old boy during World War II, living in Italy,” I wanted to read this book.  World War II is my favorite period of history. We meet Paolo Crivelli, his older sister Constanza, and their mother Rosemary living in the hills of Florence. It is 1944, and the Allied forces are trying to push the Nazis north of Florence to the Italian border. Paolo wants to be part of the war efforts, but is too young to enlist as a soldier and is bored staying home. So he daily plans his escape and rides his beloved bike through the darkened streets of Florence late at night.

One night on his way back home, he is stopped by some Partisans who want help from Paolo’s family. Rosemary agrees to hide Allied prisoners until they can be moved to safety. By hiding prisoners, she puts her whole family at risk of being shot. Paolo, Constanza, and Rosemary show their bravery and courage.

This story captured my attention from the first page. It is Shirley’s first novel, but she has known since she visited Florence at the end of World War II that she would someday write a story about this beautiful area. That someday has come—sixty years later. Her teenage characters seem very authentic, because she based them not only on her own memories as a teenager living in England during this war, but also on a family she met in Italy after the war.

Courage Has No ColorMackin PicksCourage Has No Color : The True Story of the Triple Nickels : America’s First Black Paratroopers by Tanya Lee Stone. 2013. 9780763651176. Gr 5-8.

Courage Has No Color  is also a story about World War II, but it is based here in the U.S. Think about it, we had troops in Europe and the Pacific fighting Hitler’s injustices. But in the United States, men of black skin didn’t have the same rights as those with white skin. German and Italian prisoners of war, who had killed American soldiers, were allowed into the post exchange, but the black soldiers in uniforms were not allowed in. Black soldiers could not even sit at a table with the white soldiers to eat. They were treated as servants.

I had not heard of this group of paratroopers before, but I have gained much respect for them from this book. In the fall of 1943, first sergeant Walter Morris started a training program modeling that of the white paratroopers. Within a week his men began to act like soldiers. Sixteen African-American men made history on February 18, 1944, when they became paratroopers. The Triple Nickels were never sent to the war front, but were transferred to Pendleton Air Base in Oregon. At Pendleton, the Triple Nickels became smoke-jumpers, putting out fires started by bomb-laden balloons. These balloons had been floated by the Japanese on the jet stream to the west coast of the U.S.  I found this story as fascinating as the Red Tails story of the Tuskegee Airmen, the first African-American group of pilots from World War II.

Tanya Lee Stone asks, “What did it take to be a paratrooper in World War II? Specialized training, extreme physical fitness, courage, and—until the 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion (the Triple Nickels) was formed –white skin… What is courage? What is strength? Perhaps it is being ready to fight for your nation even when your nation isn’t ready to fight for you.”

Guestblogger : Kathy V.

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Book Review : One Frozen Lake

February 28, 2013 · Filed under Reviews, Picture Books, Primary (K-2), Mackin Picks · Tagged , , , ,

One Frozen Lake by Deborah Jo Larson, illustrated by Steve Johnson & Lou Fancher. 9780873518666. 2013. PS-2.

I like winter.  It’s true.  And yes, I live in Minnesota, where we really do have winter—snow, ice, blizzards, wind chill.  Our daily high temperatures are sometimes below zero.  I actually love it all.

002My older son, Alex, didn’t inherit my winter genes.  In fact, he moved south to Kansas City, Missouri, last fall just to get away from the winter snow storms.   Well, here is a picture of his car after their first huge snow storm last weekend. And here is the headline from the online Kansas City Star on February 26 : WINTER’S CRUSHING BLOW LEVELS SNOW-WEARY KC AREA (caps and bolding are mine).  As I am writing this, he is driving home to Minneapolis for a week, where we have clear roads and no snow in the forecast.  (For now.)

But despite the fact that I like winter, there are some cold-weather activities that I’ve never wanted to do.  One of them is ice fishing.   Honestly, sitting in a tiny hut on the ice waiting for a fish to bite is not my idea of winter-time fun.  And I have a phobia about the ice cracking open underneath me.  Don’t tell me the ice is thick—every year people, cars, and snowmobiles crash through the ice—and I’m not going to be one of them!

But a new picture book by Deborah Jo Larson makes me understand why some people like to go ice fishing.

One Frozen LakeOne Frozen Lake counts up to ten while telling the story of a little boy who likes to spend time with his grandpa out on the ice.  One lake, two fishermen, three bundles of fishing gear, four inches of ice.  But just as not every fishing expedition is successful, so at first we don’t count any farther than “Five hours pass.  Not one fish.  Where are the fish?”  The next day the count goes higher. “Seven hours pass. Not one fish. Has anyone seen a fish?”

On the last day, the two fishing buddies, a little discouraged, play Go Fish to pass the time. Finally, at nine o’clock, they finally snag a ten-inch fish—a keeper!  But after all that work, the soft-hearted little boy begs his grandpa, “Please…” and  “Splash!”  They go home again with no fish.  But there’s always another day and another lake.

One Frozen Lake 2 This imaginative story is lots of fun.  And like any good picture book, the wonderful story and the terrific art go hand in hand.  At a children’s literature conference a few weeks ago, the author said that before she saw the illustrations, she wondered how much color could be in a book about ice and snow.   She needn’t have worried.  From the bright flannel jackets and colorful hats and mittens to the beautiful blue of January skies in Minnesota to the deep green of the water under the ice, bold colors abound.  The wallcoverings of One Frozen Lake 3the ice house are maps of lakes and pages from fishing books and ads for fishing gear.  Despite the boy’s bad luck with fishing, the lake under the ice is populated with many fish, some realistic, some in plaid flannel.

I skyped with a class of first graders in Iowa a couple weeks ago and read this book to them.  (Thanks, Shannon!)  It was a hit!  I’d love to see the reaction of kids in the southern states to this crazy sport of ours.

TraceyBlogger : Tracey L.

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Social Problems in World Cultures

January 28, 2013 · Filed under Biography, High School, Mackin Picks, Nonfiction, Social Studies · Tagged , , ,

Social issues include such problems as poverty, gender issues, education, race, and crime.  Here are three adult cross-over titles that are appropriate—and interesting—for high school students.

King PeggyKing Peggy : An American Secretary, Her Royal Destiny, and the Inspiring Story of How She Changed an African Village by Peggielene Bartels. 9780385534321. 2012. Gr 10-Adult.

Imagine you’re sitting at your desk one day, working as a secretary, never imagining that you are about to get a telephone call that will change your life.  No, you haven’t won the lottery.  You’ve just been declared king!

Peggielene Bartels was born in Ghana, and then came to the United States to study. After becoming a U.S. citizen, she began working as a secretary at the Ghanaian embassy.  After the death of her uncle, a village king, the council of elders decided that she should be his successor.  After much thought, she accepted…and has since travelled back and forth between Washington and Ghana.  This amazing woman has tackled traditions, poverty, illiteracy, and other problems to make many positive changes to her village of 7000 people…and to herself.  An excellent biography about a fascinating woman.

In My Father's CountryIn My Father’s Country : An Afghan Woman Defies Her Fate by Saima Wahab. 9780307884947. 2012. Gr 11-Adult.

Saima Wahab’s autobiography begins auspiciously: “I was welcomed into this world by gunshots.”  In Afghanistan, when a son is born, the father runs outside with a pistol and fires a few shots into the air.  Saima’s father had done so when his first child, a son, was born.  But he also did it after the birth of his daughter.  And he made Saima’s grandfather promise that his daughters would have a life different than the lives of other Afghan girls.  Her grandfather kept that promise.

When Saima was 15, an uncle living in America brought her to America, where she learned to speak English—and learned to stand up for herself.  She began to work as in interpreter for a defense contractor in Afghanistan—one of a few female interpreters that were native speakers of the Pashtun language.  But she was frustrated with how little the American soldiers knew about Afghan culture—especially what was acceptable in regard to the women—and how their ignorance exacerbated their relationships with the Afghan population.  Her goal became to educate the soldiers.  A meaningful look at communication issues between cultures.

Behind the Beautiful ForeversBehind the Beautiful Forevers : Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai UndercityMackin Picks by Katherine Boo. 9781400067558. 2012. Gr 10-Adult.

Next to the Mumbai International Airport and near its luxury hotels lies Annawadi, one of the city’s slums, a neighborhood of families whose situation is so dire that I almost had to stop reading about them.  Entire families live in one-room cardboard shacks with tin roofs.  During the rainy season, sewage-filled water runs down the street.  Some survive by sorting through garbage and selling it to recyclers.  Some eat scrub grass, rats, and frogs. Drug abuse, corruption, and disease run rampant throughout the slum.

Author Katherine Boo is not a native of India, but in 2001 she married an Indian citizen.  A journalist, she became interested in how the country’s global development had affected the lives of women.  She started spending time in Annawadi, just listening and taping and writing, and the residents slowly began to accept her presence there.  Katherine’s book is written so much like a story that, halfway through, I actually had to check to make sure that it really was nonfiction.  An excellent choice for students in Honors and AP classes and IB schools, and for those interested in current issues in other countries.

TraceyBlogger : Tracey L.

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Tracey’s Favorite 2012 Fiction – A Baker’s Dozen

January 7, 2013 · Filed under Fiction, High School, Intermediate (3-5), Mackin Picks, Middle School (6-8), Novels · Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I used to think it would be excellent to be on the Caldecott or Newbery or Printz committee.  Can you imagine getting to decide which book is the best of the year?  Now, after two years of creating a “10 (or so) Best Books of the Year” list, I will with no regrets admit that I’m not cut out for such a job.  I’d be the one wailing, “But they’re ALL the best!  They ALL have to win!”  (Has anyone ever been thrown off of an award committee?)

So here I will gladly share what are, in my opinion, the best fiction books of 2012—and they are ALL the very best.

One and Only IvanWonderGoblin Secrets

The One and Only IvanMackin Picks by Katherine Applegate.  9780061992254. 2012. Gr 3-6.

Ivan, a silverback gorilla, has lived most of his life in a cage at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade, his only friends a captive elephant named Stella and a stray dog named Bob.  Ivan’s fame is his art; people come to watch him as he paints inside his cage.  He no longer thinks about his life before the mall…until Ruby joins Stella.  Ruby is a baby elephant, recently captured, and she remembers her life with her family.  Ivan determines to find a way to help this homesick baby.  This story is told through the voice of Ivan, a gentle, intelligent voice telling a heart-sick and heartfelt story.  I challenge you not to care.

WonderMackin Picks by R.J. Palacio. 9780375969027. 2012. Gr 3-6.

August Pullman considers the real him to be just like all the other fifth-grade boys—smart, funny, and brave.  But other people don’t see it that way—they have a difficult time looking beyond the extreme facial malformations that he was born with.  His parents have always homeschooled him; this year August is going to school for the first time, and hopes merely to be treated as a kid.  An excellent read-aloud to start discussions on compassion and empathy.

Goblin SecretsMackin Picks by William Alexander.  9781442427266. 2012. Gr 4-6.

Rownie lives with other stray children in the household of the witch Graba. His only relative is his brother, Rowan, who left Graba’s house to become an actor.  But acting is forbidden, and Rowan has disappeared—so Rownie escapes the witch and joins a troupe of goblins who put on plays despite the law.  But their masks and plays are not just for make-believe.  They believe that the town is about to be destroyed by a mighty flood—and that Rownie is the only one who can save it. (Goblin Secrets is also a 2012 National Book Award winner.)

Mighty Miss MaloneKeeping Safe the Stars

The Mighty Miss MaloneMackin Picks by Christopher Paul Curtis.  9780385904872. 2012. Gr 4-7.

Deza Malone would love to start everything she writes with “Once upon a time…” and end it with “…and they lived happily ever after.”  And when the book opens, Deza’s life with her brother and parents does seem to be rosy—even for a black girl living in Gary, Indiana. But she lives during the Great Depression; there are no jobs for black men in Gary, so one day her father leaves to try to find work in Flint, Michigan.  And when her mother loses her job as well, they end up in a Hooverville, fighting poverty and racism.  Curtis’s characters and setting are well done, and though the ending is a bit unrealistic, I don’t mind a happy ending for such an appealing individual.

Keeping Safe the StarsMackin Picks by Sheila O’Connor.  9780399254598. 2012. Gr 4-8.

Pride, Nightingale, and Baby Star are orphans and live with their grandfather, Old Finn, in rural Minnesota.  Old Finn is very independent and self-sufficient, and the girls have learned to be wary of outsiders.  But their self-reliance comes at a price, which they find out when Old Finn gets very sick—and is transported to a hospital way up in Duluth.  The girls try to fend for themselves, and Pride even finds a way for them to earn some money for bus tickets to Duluth.  But when they see Old Finn, they realize that there is no way that he will soon be able to care for them.  A lovely story about a close family and the friends that they must learn to rely on.

Obsidian BladeCode Name VerityFault in Our StarsSeraphina

The Obsidian BladeMackin Picks (Klaatu Diskos : 1) by Pete Hautman. 9780763654030. 2012. Gr 8-12.

When Tucker Frey sees his father vanish through a shimmering disk, he is shocked—but even more so when his father comes walking down the road an hour later, looking older and with a young girl he says is from Bulgaria.  A year later, both parents vanish, and  Tucker goes in search of them with the girl and his crazy uncle.  He finds out that these disks allow travel through time and space, and in his journey he travels into the past (9/11) and far into the future.  This is a great beginning to a fascinating science fiction trilogy.

Code Name VerityMackin Picks by Elizabeth Wein.  9781423152194. 2012. Gr 9-12.

Two young women become friends while working for the British war effort during the first days of World War II, one training to be a spy and the other a pilot.  When their spy plane crashes in Nazi-occupied France, the spy is captured—and she doesn’t know if anyone else survived.  In order to stop the torture, she promises to provide information.  In the meantime, the pilot has made contact with the French Resistance—but can they find her friend before it is too late?  A deeply intense historical fiction that I couldn’t stop thinking and talking about.

The Fault in Our StarsMackin Picks by John Green. 9780525478812. 2012. Gr 9-12.

Hazel is a terminal cancer patient, living on borrowed time.  At a group therapy session for teens with cancer, she meets Augustus, who is there with his friend. Gus knows first-hand about cancer as well—his leg was amputated before his own cancer could spread.  From their first conversation, Gus and Hazel have a connection, but Hazel wonders how she can let this boy fall in love with her when her prognosis is so grim.

SeraphinaMackin Picks by Rachel Hartman.  9780375966569. 2012. Gr 9-12.

In a land where the peace is held together by an uneasy truce between dragons and humans, dragons are able to hide what they are and take human shape.  On the day of Seraphina’s birth, her father found out that her mother was one of these dragons, a fact that Seraphina did not discover until scales started appearing on her arm and around her waist.  Now the Queen’s son has died—obviously murdered by a dragon.  Seraphina is drawn into the investigation and uncovers a plot to destroy the fragile peace in the land.  Click here to see my original post.

Froi of the ExilesNever Fall DownOctober MourningRaven Boys

Froi of the ExilesMackin Picks (Lumatere Chronicles : 2) by Melina Marchetta.  9780763647599. 2012. Gr 9-12.

Three years after the end of Finnikin of the Rock, Froi is sent on a mission to Charyn, the kingdom that was responsible for unleashing bloodshed and evil on Lumatere.  But when he arrives, he finds a curse…and a history.  This second of Marchetta’s epic Lumatere Chronicles is amazing, and ends with not just one cliffhanger, but four or even five.  I usually finish one book and immediately pick up another; but when I finished Froi, I was so swept up in it that I couldn’t get involved in another story for two days.  Quintana of Charyn, the final book in the trilogy, comes out in April, 2013.

Never Fall DownMackin Picks by Patricia McCormick. 9780061730948. 2012. Gr 9-12.

When Arn’s Cambodian village is invaded by the Khmer Rouge, everyone is marched into the countryside.  Arn is separated from his family and sent to a labor camp, where intense work, blazing sun, insufficient food, and disease cause the deaths of many children.  Prisoners are taken to a nearby mango grove and do not return.  Arn learns to be invisible to the Khmer Rouge, until the day the country is about to be liberated, and Arn is handed a weapon and forced to become a soldier.  He lives by one rule:  Never fall down.  This book, based on the true story of Arn Chorn-Pond, is heart-breaking…and uplifting.

October Mourning : A Song for Matthew ShepardMackin Picks by Leslea Newman.  9780763658076. 2012. Gr 9-12.

Twenty-one-year-old Matthew Shepard, a gay student at the University of Wyoming, died in October of 1998.  He was lured out of a bar on the night of October 6 by two men who drove him to a remote area, beat and tortured him, tied him to a fence, and left him to die.  Days later, Leslea Newman was the keynote speaker at the university’s Gay Awareness Week, and now has written this tribute to Matthew Shepard.  The book contains 68 poems from many perspectives, including the killers and even the fence itself.  It is a quick, but very moving, read; and it should be recommended to all high school readers, and especially for a unit on tolerance.

The Raven BoysMackin Picks by Maggie Stiefvater. 9780545424929. 2012. Gr 9-12.

Blue Sargent is from a family of clairvoyants, but she herself has no psychic gift—except maybe to strengthen the talents of others, which is why she stands with her mother every year in the churchyard on St. Mark’s Eve, the day that the soon-to-be dead walk past.  Other psychics have predicted that if Blue were to kiss her true love, he would die.  That’s OK, because she’s not interested right now…until the spirit of a boy walks up to her on St. Mark’s Eve and speaks to her.   And then she meets that boy, Gansey, a Raven boy from a local private academy, and he pulls her into a quest with him and his friends—a quest that could be dangerous for them all. The Raven Boys is the first of four books in the series.

Disclaimer:  I listed 173 books as “Read” on Goodreads last year, and these have been chosen only from those books that were published in 2012.  I didn’t get to all of the great books…and now 2013 is here already!

TraceyBlogger : Tracey L.

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A Dozen of Tracey’s Favorite 2012 Nonfiction

December 24, 2012 · Filed under High School, History, Intermediate (3-5), Language Arts, Mackin Picks, Middle School (6-8), Nonfiction, Science, Social Studies · Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

It’s time for that most strenuous time of year.  No, not the holidays—but the making of the top 10 lists.  Let me confess:  I just can’t do it.  I don’t think I have ever been able to cut a list of books down to ten titles.  You’ll notice that this list is a dozen, and for the life of me I can’t pick two titles to remove.  All of these books (and those in the runner-up list below) are excellent titles for Common Core use, as well as just plain interesting to read.

IslandSnakes Forgive Me Wild Horse Scientists

Island : A Story of the GalapagosMackin Picks by Jason Chin.  9781596437166. 2012. Gr 1-4.

In Chin’s earlier books, a child is drawn into a habitat by opening a book on redwoods or coral reefs.  But as the reader of Island, I felt like I was that child, being drawn into and observing the life cycle of the Galapagos Islands.  Beautiful art and engaging text give a clear explanation of the evolution of the islands and their inhabitants.

Snakes by Nic Bishop.  9780545206389. 2012. Gr 1-4.

One has only to look at the cover of Snakes to see that award-winning photographer Nic Bishop has done it again.  I’d like to say that even people who do not care for snakes (hate them?) will be able to see the beauty of these marvelous creatures—however, I have a few sisters that will disagree with me.  But Mr. Bishop can capture the diversity and nature of snakes—and provide fascinating information in a conversational tone.  In an afterword, he tells about the difficulties of photographing snakes.

Forgive Me, I Meant to Do It : False Apology Poems by Gail Carson Levine.  9780061787263. 2012. Gr 2-5.

Each of these hilarious poems is patterned after William Carlos Williams’ poem, “This Is Just to Say,” and contains a false apology—one in which the person apologizing is not really sorry.  Read more in my post about using poetry as writing examples.

Wild Horse Scientists (Scientists in the Field) by Kathryn Frydenborg.  9780547518312. 2012. Gr 4-8.

This book, as do the rest of the Scientists in the Field series, is a work of narrative nonfiction that focuses on the work of scientists.  These scientists, Ron Keiper and Jay Kirkpatrick, are studying the wild horses on Assateague Island near Maryland.  The scientists keep records and have developed a birth control vaccine so that the population of horses does not get out of control and disturb the ecosystem of the island.  (Find out more about this excellent series in this post.)

Invincible MicrobeTemple GrandinIceberg, Right AheadBeyond Courage

Invincible Microbe : Tuberculosis and the Never-Ending Search for a CureMackin Picks  by Jim Murphy.  9780618535743. 2012. Gr 5-8.

This biography is about a killer that has caused the death of over a trillion people throughout history.  This serial killer is the germ that causes tuberculosis.  Invincible Microbe describes the symptoms and history of treatment of the disease, and I learned that TB can attack many parts of the body, not just the lungs.  Murphy also explains how the discovery of antibiotics almost led to a cure, but drug-resistant varieties have appeared.  A clearly written and fascinating true tale, with a frightening ending.

Temple Grandin : How the Girl Who Loved Cows Embraced AutismMackin Picks by Sy Montgomery.  9780547443157. 2012. Gr 6-8.

When Temple was young, no one realized that she had autism.  Her doctor recommended that she be institutionalized, and her father agreed.  Her mother, however, insisted that she go to school.  She grew up to make changes to the livestock industry that took account of the feelings of animals.  This book describes Temple’s childhood, her education, and friendships, as well as how she came to realize that her autism helps her to understand animals.  (Books written by Temple are now on my bedside table.)

Iceberg, Right Ahead! : The Tragedy of the Titanic by Stephanie Sammartino McPherson.  9780761367567. 2012. Gr 6-9.

McPherson’s excellent narrative account of the voyage and sinking of the Titanic goes back to her construction.  Personal accounts, photographs, and diagrams help the reader to understand and experience the disaster.  See more posts about the Titanic here and here and here.

Beyond Courage : The Untold Story of Jewish Resistance During the HolocaustMackin Picks by Doreen Rappaport.  9780763629762. 2012. Gr 7-12.

Many Holocaust books describe the plight of European Jews in the ghettos and in the concentration—those Jews who did not understand or would not believe what the Nazis planned to do.  Rappaport’s book looks at those Jews who understood and took matters into their own hands, describing their courageous efforts to help Jews and their acts of resistance, many of which ended in tragedy.  Some of these stories have never been told, but all should be heard.

MoonbirdFaces from the PastGlobal WeirdnessBehind the Beautiful Forevers

Moonbird : A Year on the Wind with the Great Survivor B95Mackin Picks by Phillip Hoose.  9780374304683. 2012. Gr 7-10.

B95, or Moonbird as he is also known, is a red knot shorebird that was caught and banded in 1995.  Red knots migrate each year from the southernmost tip of South America to the Canadian arctic and back—a round trip of over 18,000 miles.  B95 is famous because he has survived the destruction of his kind (over 80 percent of the population has disappeared due to human interference in their immigration patterns) and is still flying at the estimated age of 19.  Scientists call him Moonbird because he is thought to have flown over 350,000 miles—about the distance from the Earth to the moon.  A fascinating book with clear text and colorful pictures, giving the inside story of this remarkable bird and the people who watch for him.

Faces from the Past : Forgotten People on North America by James M. Deem.  9780547370248. 2012. Gr 7-12.

The skeletons and skulls of people from long ago have been found in forgotten burial sites, and little was known about who they were.  But scientists, including forensic anthropologists and bioarchaeologists, have developed processes to discover the identities of these people.  They can find out about the way these people lived, diseases they might have suffered, and how they died.  The book covers five such examples, including how artists using clay have been able to reconstruct the skulls to give a face to these unknown people.

Global Weirdness : Severe Storms, Deadly Heat Waves, Relentless Drought, Rising Seas and the Weather of the Future.  9780307907301. 2012. Gr 10-Adult.

Climate Central, a nonprofit news organization, provides clear analysis and reports about climate science, and has been featured in many respected news sources.  In this book, they provide easy-to read answers to 60 questions about climate change in these areas:  What the Science Says, What’s Actually Happening, What’s Likely to Happen in the Future, and Can We Avoid the Risks of Climate Change.  The short chapters provide facts in plain language, avoiding hysteria and partisan bias.

Behind the Beautiful Forevers : Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai UndercityMackin Picks by Katherine Boo. 9781400067558. 2012. Gr 10-Adult.

Katherine Boo has written a heartfelt account of what life is like in the slums of Mumbai in India, where people live in cardboard shacks near rivers of raw sewage; where suicide is a fact of daily life; where the kind of medical care and human rights you get depends on how many rupees you can pay to the doctors and the police; where families survive by digging through the garbage and recycling what they find.  This book reads so much like a novel that I thought it was fiction; sadly, it is not.  Pair it with Andy Mulligan’s Trash.

Here are some other nonfiction titles that Mackin’s librarians are raving about, but I haven’t had time to read.  Are there any others that you would like to add?

Bomb : The Race to Build – and Steal – the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin.  9781596434875. 2012.  Gr 7-10.

King Peggy : An American Secretary, Her Royal Destiny, and the Inspiring Story of How She Changed an African Village by Peggielene Bartels and Eleanor Herman. 9780385534321. 2012. Gr 11-Adult.

Superman Versus the Ku Klux Klan : The True Story of How the Iconic Superhero Battled the Men of Hate by Rick Bowers.  9781426309168. 2012. Gr 6-9.

Their Skeletons Speak : Kennewick Man and the Paleoamerican World by Sally M. Walker. 9780761374572. 2012. Gr 7-12.

We’ve Got a Job : The 1963 Birmingham Children’s March by Cynthia Levinson.  9781561456277. 2012. Gr 5-8.

TraceyBlogger : Tracey L.

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Unlikely Heroes

December 6, 2012 · Filed under Fiction, High School, Intermediate (3-5), Mackin Picks, Middle School (6-8), Novels · Tagged

Hunger GamesTeaching thematically allows us to develop inspired units of study based on big, deep, essential questions that lead kids to think about important life ideas and that guide them toward developing their own personal philosophies. One of my favorite essential questions is “What defines a hero?”—in other words, what are the traits and attributes that collectively make someone heroic? Bravery? Compassion? Superior skills?

My favorite literary heroes are of the unlikely variety—characters who become champions, even if they didn’t originally set out to be heroic; characters who don’t necessarily seem destined for greatness but surprise you with their determination and bravery. They get under your skin and you root for them to succeed…and they do.

We might agree that Bilbo Baggins, Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, and Katniss Everdeen all epitomize a sort of reluctant heroism. Other unlikely heroes of note include Stanley Yelnats of Holes by Louis Sachar, Despereaux Tilling of The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo, Ed Kennedy from I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak, and Gabriel King of The Liberation of Gabriel King by K. L. Going.

Which characters from this year’s crop of children’s and young adult literature are unlikely heroes? The teachers and librarians in Mackin’s classroom services department and the next-door opening day collections department have been discussing this question, and we came up with a short list of our favorite (somewhat-)unlikely heroes from titles published in the past year.

Of these titles, three are about World War II—a dire time in Europe that decidedly molded many real-life unlikely heroes as well as fictional ones.

Code Name VerityMaddie Brodatt in Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein becomes many things within the timespan of the book—the beginning of the war through the year 1943—including an unlikely hero. This amazing novel is told from the perspectives of Julie, a British spy being held captive in occupied France, and Maddie, a wartime pilot and Julie’s best friend. Although both young women are heroic, Maddie’s rise from bike mechanic to wartime pilot and hero surprises even her. This may be my favorite book of 2012!

*Lina Bilkas in Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

Espen in Shadow on the Mountain by Margi Preus

Other unlikely heroes from 2012:

Safekeeping

In Safekeeping by Karen Hesse, Radley Parker-Hughes has grown up in a loving family, with few worries or cares. Upon graduation, Radley goes to volunteer at an orphanage in Haiti, but the dire political situation in the U.S. convinces her to rush home to her parents—who aren’t there. Radley must figure out how to survive as she escapes to save her life—and that of another person as well.

Augie Pullman of Wonder by R. J. Palacio

*This title was first released in 2011; look for a new title by Sepetys in February of 2013. Out of the Easy is another historical novel—set in the French Quarter of New Orleans in 1950—for a slightly older audience.

Who are your favorite unlikely heroes in children’s and YA novels?

Bibliography of titles for Unlikely Heroes theme:

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys. 9780399254123. 2012. Gr 7-12.

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein. 9781423152194. 2012. Gr 9-12.

The Harry Potter series by R. K. Rowling. Gr 4-9.

The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien. 9780618968633. 2007. Gr 5-Adult.

Holes by Louis Sachar. 9780374332662. 2008. Gr 5-8.

The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins. Gr 7-12.

I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak. 9780375830990. 2006. Gr 9-12.

The Liberation of Gabriel King by K. L. Going. 9780399239915. 2005. Gr 4-6.

Percy Jackson & the Olympians series by Rick Riordan. Gr 5-8.

Safekeeping by Karen Hesse. 9781250011343. 2012. Gr 7-12.

Shadow on the Mountain by Margi Preus. 9781419704246. 2012. Gr 6-8.

The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo. 9780763617226. 2003. Gr 3-6.

Wonder by R. J. Palacio. 9780375969027. 2012. Gr 3-6.

Lori Blogger: Lori C.

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In the Sea: Exploring the Ocean in Books

November 5, 2012 · Filed under Intermediate (3-5), Mackin Picks, Primary (K-2), Science · Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

Earlier this year, I blogged about the Sylvia Earle biography for kids by Claire A. Nivola and how inspiring Earle’s love of the sea was to me. For the young readers in your libraries who may have felt similarly after reading Life in the Ocean, here are more books that will take them under the sea.

Ocean Sunlight: How Tiny Plants Feed the Seas by Molly Bang. May 2012. 9780545273220. Gr. K-2

It all starts with the sun.  We learned about photosynthesis in Molly Bang’s Living Sunlight, and she expands on that in this book as she explains that everything is connected to the sun, even under the ocean.  Bang simplifies the text in a way that makes the science accessible to young readers and provides more information in the notes.  She even acknowledges  that the subject is much more vast than the generalizations she includes in the book, which just may inspire young science enthusiasts to do more research!

City Fish, Country Fish  by Mary Cerullo. May 2012. 9780884483236. Gr. 2-5

In the spirit of the classic story “The Country Mouse and the City Mouse,” Mary Cerullo compares a fish’s life in the bustling tropical seas to life in the comparatively quieter cold oceans.  The vivid photographs in this book are sure to attract browsers, and the fascinating comparisons between city fish and country fish will draw readers into the text.  I gave this title the “Mackin Pick” flower because it caught everyone’s attention here in the office.  I think all the librarians in the department read it—or at least paged through it to look at the photographs.  It really is quite beautiful.  I’m sure your students will be drawn to it just as much as we were! :)

I’m Not a Plastic Bag by Rachel Hope Allison. April 2012. 9781936393541. Gr. K-8

This visual allegory follows a plastic bag on its journey to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, which is portrayed as a monster.  It seems friendly, but it proves deadly for animals that get too close.  All it wants is someone to notice it, to pay attention.  Allison has created a beautiful wordless story that will be of interest to kids, teens, and adults.  Teachers may want to share it as part of an environmental unit or to talk about ocean currents—perhaps pair it with Tracking Trash by Loree Griffin Burns.  Readers are sure to be more aware of how their actions connect to the ocean and the importance of reducing waste thanks to this book.

No matter how far from the ocean you may be, these books will immerse readers in ocean life, but don’t stop there!  Here are even more great books to take you to the sea:

Big Green Book of the Big Blue Sea by Helaine Becker. January 2012. 9781554537464. Gr. 4-6

Far From Shore: Chronicles of an Open Ocean Voyage by Sophie Webb. 2011. 9780618597291. Gr. 4-6

Make a Splash!: A Kid’s Guide to Protecting Our Oceans, Lakes, and Rivers by Cathryn Berger Kaye. October 2012. 9781575424170. Gr. 4-6

Water Sings Blue: Ocean Poems by Kate Combs. March 2012. 9780811872843. Gr. PS-3

Wow! Ocean! by Robert Neubecker. 2011. 9781423131137. Gr. PS-2

Blogger: Mindy R.

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Book Review: Endangered

September 27, 2012 · Filed under Fiction, High School, Mackin Picks, Multicultural, Novels, Realistic · Tagged , , , , , ,

Endangered by Eliot Schrefer. Coming out Oct. 1, 2012. 9780545165761. Grades 9-12. (ARC copy)

Sophie is spending another summer with her mother in the Congo at her bonobo sanctuary when she rescues Otto, a baby bonobo, from a poacher on the street. The two become inseparable, and when a chaotic revolution breaks out in the capital, Sophie decides to stay with Otto rather than flee to safety to the United States. After a brutal attack on the sanctuary, Sophie’s left on her own with Otto and the other bonobos desperately trying to survive in a nation ravaged by violence.

I picked this book up based on Maggie Stiefvater’s review, expecting a good read. I did not expect a powerful, emotionally packed journey, but that’s what this book delivered. I instantly connected with Sophie and Otto and their inseparable bond. Their relationship is tender and humorous and believable. It’s clear that Schrefer did his research about bonobos (he even traveled to Kinshasa to visit a bonobo sanctuary in 2011). I also loved Sophie’s interaction with the adult bonobos when she was trapped in the sanctuary. It was fascinating to see how she changed the group dynamic and hierarchy.

Schrefer also does a great job of describing the horrors of the revolution and how the people struggled to survive. That’s what makes this book so powerful. It introduces you to a world so unlike our own here in the United States. I think we take a lot of things for granted, and reading a book like this reminds us how good we have it, and how much worse life could be. I agree with Maggie Stiefvater’s opinion in her review: “It’s one of those books that makes you look at your own culture a little differently; makes your world a little stretchier.”

This book will stay with you long after you’ve turned the last page.

**Also today is the last day to enter our Back to School Contest!  If you haven’t entered already, check it out!!**

Lindsey L.

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It’s a bird; it’s a plane! No, It’s a Tiger!

September 24, 2012 · Filed under Mackin Picks, Picture Books, Primary (K-2), Reviews · Tagged , ,

It’s a Tiger! by David LaRochelle (ill. by Jeremy Tankard). 9780811869256. 2012. Gr P-1.

When my boys were little, any time I sat down, they would come running with a pile of books.  “Mom, read to me!”  I might have been planning to sew or read or call my mom on the phone, but whenever I made a lap, it was story time.

“Are you ready for a story?”

The narrator, a young child, in David LaRochelle’s newest picture book is ready to make up his own story.  The setting is the jungle with tall trees and monkeys and vines.  But wait…what’s that hanging from the tree?  That’s not a monkey.  It’s a tiger!  RUN!

The narrator hides in a cave.  But wait…what are those shadows?  It’s a tiger!  RUN!

Wherever the narrator goes—out in the sunshine, across the canyon, in a boat, and on a deserted island—the tiger pops up.  But is it chasing us?  Does it really want to eat us?  There is more than one surprise at the end of the book.

It’s a Tiger! is a great interactive read-aloud for preschoolers to primary students.  I would have loved reading this to my daycare kids—and we would have actually gotten up and run from room to room whenever the tiger appeared.   Kids will also have fun searching Jeremy Tankard’s art for the tiger’s hiding places.

Check back tomorrow for an interview with David.  We’ll be asking him about It’s a Tiger! as well as some of his other picture books.

And don’t forget about our contest!  We’ll be announcing the winners on Friday, September 28.

Blogger:  Tracey L.

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Book Review: The Raven Boys

September 13, 2012 · Filed under Fantasy, Fiction, High School, Mackin Picks, Magic, Novels, Paranormal, Reviews, Romance · Tagged , , ,

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater. Coming out Sept. 18, 2012. 9780545424929. Grades 9-12. (ARC Copy).

Blue comes from a family of psychics, but she has no powers of her own, just the ability to boost the psychic abilities of others. So when she sees a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve, she’s told that he’s either her true love or she’ll kill him within the next year. The mystery deepens when Blue meets Gansey and his friends from the local prep school school. They are known as the Raven Boys, and Blue wants nothing to do with them until she realizes that Gansey is the spirit from the cemetery. Gansey is on his own quest to discover the ley lines and awaken a sleeping king. The five of them work together to uncover the mysteries of the ley lines, but they are unaware of the dark forces working against them.

This is one of those books that is so hard to describe, and you want to tell people to just pick it up and read it! In my opinion, this is Maggie’s best book yet. It’s the perfect blend of adventure, mystery, romance, and supernatural. I’ll have to admit, I wanted a little more romance in Scorpio Races, and that’s what Maggie delivers with this novel, but she manages to do so without making it the main focus of the plot.

Oh and the characters! Don’t get me started on the characters! Maggie shows sheer genius with her character development in The Raven Boys. Each character is drawn out, complex, and unique. She uncovers layer after layer of character development while still hinting at more being revealed in later books. Adam was my favorite character because of his struggles throughout the book. He is a scholarship student at the prep school so while he is surrounded by privilege, he himself has to work hard for every little thing. There are also domestic issues to deal he has to deal with, but I don’t want to go into too much detail. His vulnerability, yet determination won him a spot on my top ten best male characters list.

I also loved Blue. She’s feisty and sassy, but loyal and kind. Her first encounter with Gansey had me laughing out loud. She grows a lot throughout the book and comes into her own. She defies her mother for the first time in her life, and allows herself the possibility of love even when she knows it may end in tragedy. I’m glad Maggie decided to write from multiple character’s points of view. I enjoyed the shifting views because it really let you get inside the character’s heads to get to know them better.

Pick up this book and read it! You won’t be disappointed.

Also check out this amazing book trailer done by Maggie herself.  To see the making of it, check out her blog.

Lindsey L.

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