Tag: John David Anderson

REVIEW: Stowaway by John David Anderson

REVIEW: Stowaway by John David Anderson

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Walden Pond Press in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Leo and his brother, Gareth, live on board a science vessel called the Beagle with their father, Dr. Fender. At least, they did, before the Djarik came. They took Dr. Fender along with the fuel for the Beagle and stranded the rest of the crew in space. They don’t even leave anything pirates would want. Leo knows this because after the Djarik leave, the ship is attacked by pirates.

But those pirates give Gareth an idea. If the boys could stow away on the pirates’ ship, they could sneak off when they landed and find help for the Beagle. But the pirates’ hold only has room for one, so he sends Leo off to find help.

It doesn’t take long for the pirates to find Leo. And after some deliberation, they decide not to just push him out into space. But what started as a plan to look for help for Gareth and the Beagle becomes a fight for their lives. Leo might be with the pirates longer than Gareth had planned….

Review

I enjoyed this latest story from John David Anderson. Leo is a great kid, and I was rooting for him the whole time. I enjoyed the science fiction story and the ragtag group Leo finds himself with.

There are a lot of flashback scenes and moments of remembering for Leo. And while at times that filled the backstory in nicely, other times they interrupted the flow of the story and the momentum of the action. I think I would have liked fewer flashbacks – or maybe shorter ones. The action with Leo and the quest to find his family held my attention better.

I wasn’t sure I would read a sequel to this one, but the epilogue is great and sets up book two really nicely. There are some predictable developments here, but they were all enjoyable. I’d happily adventure with Leo and friends again.

Rating: ♥♥♥½*

*♥♥♥½ = Good +

REVIEW: Finding Orion by John David Anderson

REVIEW: Finding Orion by John David Anderson

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

“Seriously?” I shouted, my voice carrying through the amphitheater. “This freakin’ family can’t even DIE normally.”

Rion (Orion) Kwirk has a unique family. His little sister’s favorite book is the dictionary. She has a better vocabulary than most adults. His older sister can quote Shakespeare and challenges him to sword fights. His mom is into astronomy and named all three kids after constellations. And his dad, a scientist by education, comes up with chemical formulas for jelly bean flavors. His latest – fried chicken – is stunningly accurate.

The Kwirk’s quirkiness hits new heights, though, when a singing clown shows up to tell them Rion’s grandfather, Frank, has died.

It’s obvious to Rion that his dad and grandfather had a strained relationship. They rarely visited his grandfather’s home or his dad’s hometown. When Papa Kwirk and his sister Gertie would ride into town on Papa’s motorcycle for the holidays, Rion’s parents seemed to brace themselves for the visit rather than look forward to it. Rion figures the funeral will be just as tense as those visits.

But Aunt Gertie informs the family that Papa Kwirk had very specific instructions for the celebration of his life. Rather than a funeral, they are having a “funneral” complete with food trucks and a marching band. And that’s just the beginning of the journey Rion and his family will undertake as they say goodbye to Frank.

Review

Absolute perfection! Rion is probably my favorite character from a John David Anderson novel so far. He’s bright – and hilarious – and awkward in all the best ways. He’s observant and a thinker – he notices things. And he feels out of step with his unusual family. Spending time with Rion was my favorite part of reading this book.

The rest of the characters are just as fun. The sibling dynamics are delightfully normal. There’s all the usual teasing, but there’s real care and understanding in there, too.

The story is wild. When was the last time you heard of a funeral with food trucks and a marching band? And the journey Rion and his family take after the “funneral” – the real journey of the book – is beautiful. When Rion hears from the people who knew Frank in his day-to-day life, he feels like he didn’t really know his grandfather at all. The journey they take is a chance for everyone in the family to know Frank better. It’s a rare chance at some degree of reconciliation for Rion’s dad even after Frank is gone. And it’s a bonding opportunity for Rion’s family. They will never be the same after this trip.

I can’t recommend this highly enough. It’s both funny and touching. It’s anchored by a fantastic point of view character. And the heart of the story is lovely. This was perfect!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

SATURDAY SMORGASBORD: York Children’s Literature Festival.

Posted on by Jaymie

A few weeks ago I attended a local Children’s Literature Festival (you can see my post from last year here) and it was delightful!

There were four authors/illustrators this year – John David Anderson, Jeff Stone, Louise Borden and Loren Long.

I was most excited to hear from John David Anderson. I have read – and loved – several of his books. His presentation was inspiring and a lot of fun! The pop culture references – like Star Wars and Harry Potter – were so fun. It really solidified my high opinion of him. Anderson does skype visits with schools for FREE. If I was a writing teacher, I would get on his schedule asap because he had great things to say about his writing process.

Jeff Stone was a new author to me. I have seen his books in book stores, but I have not read them. Since my son does taekwondo, I was interested in the pieces of his talk that centered on his own martial arts training (he has a black belt in kung fu) and how he wove that into his stories. He has one series that takes place in the past and another that is contemporary. If I was still teaching, I would put these books into the hands of kids who love adventure stories as well as the ones interested in martial arts.

I hadn’t heard Louise Borden speak before but I was familiar with her book on the back story of the author of Curious George. Borden’s presentation felt like she was reading a book; there was a lovely rhythm to her talk. And the research she does for her books made me want to run to the library and start researching something myself. Her presentation was inspiring. If you are looking for excellent nonfiction picture books, look up her material.

Loren Long was the only illustrator in attendance this year. I had never read an Otis book before the conference, but I was familiar with his art work from the covers of Otis books, which I have seen in bookstores, as well as his work on the Obama book, Of Thee I Sing, and Matt de la Pena’s 2018 release, Love. My favorite part of the presentation was when he talked about the evolution of Otis, from his first sketch to the final product.

Any of these four folks would be amazing presenters at schools. If you are a teacher or librarian, be sure to check them out!

REVIEW: Posted by John David Anderson

REVIEW: Posted by John David Anderson

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Frost. Bench. Wolf. Dee Dee. Friends by default. Eighth graders who’ve been together for a couple years. A “tribe” of kids with different interests who found each other because they didn’t really fit in another group.

The “war” starts when student cell phones and devices are banned from the school. They are a distraction from learning and a means for being horrible to other people. But just because they can’t use their devices at school doesn’t mean the students are going to be nice to each other all of a sudden. They move from electronic communication to paper – notes passed in the hallway. And Post-it notes.

It starts as a harmless message between friends, a sticky note on a locker. But it grows bigger very quickly.

That’s not the only thing that changes during those weeks. In the middle of the phone ban, a new girl arrives at the school She changes the dynamic in the whole building – and the dynamic between Frost, Bench, Wolf and Dee Dee. And Eric (Frost) isn’t sure things will ever be the same between them again.

Review

I have been looking forward to this book for months! But the reality was a different book than I was expecting.

At its core, this is a book about friendship and about finding your tribe. And it’s a great friendship story! I loved the core group of boys. Their nicknames – Frost, Bench, Wolf and Dee Dee – are so perfect for their characters and reflect their passions. I love how these guys are together and how they support one another.

There’s strong foreshadowing in the story. From the beginning, Eric calls what is coming a “war.” This set a different, darker tone than I was expecting for the story. It’s a great tool for pulling the reader forward. I had to know how the “war” got started and how it might wrap up.

This is also a bullying story. Middle school is a tough time. Kids can be cruel. They look for ways that others are different, places where they might be insecure, and target those. In this case it’s gaming and “nerdy” hobbies, sexuality, and appearance. It’s painful and sadly realistic. This would be a great book to read aloud and discuss, either at home or in a classroom setting. It’s important for kids to know 1) how to find their tribe and 2) how to support it. Posted is a great place to start that discussion!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

SATURDAY SMORGASBORD: My 2016 Favorites

Posted on by Jaymie

I read a lot of books every year. A lot of times,  I don’t remember all the details about the books I read. But I always remember how I felt when I finish. I remember which books follow me throughout the year – how I feel when I see them in the bookstore or library or online. These are the ones I want to go back and read again. These are the ones I recommend over and over and over.

When I went back through my list of the 304 books I read in 2016, I came up with 28 that were candidates for the best of the year. I whittled that list down to ten. And here they are:

10. The Scourge by Jennifer Nielsen

I read this one earlier this year, so I don’t have a review posted here at The Neverending TBR. This is a fantastic middle grade fantasy from the author of The False Prince. You can read more about The Scourge here.

 

 

9. Alien Nation by Gini Koch

You can find my review of this here.

 

 

8. Ms. Bixby’s Last Day by John David Anderson

You can find my review of this here.

 

 

7. Darkstalker by Tui T. Sutherland

I love the middle grade dragon series Wings of Fire. This book stands alone as a backstory for a dragon that makes an appearance in the second five book series.

 

 

6. Still a Work in Progress by Jo Knowles

You can find my review of this here.

 

 

5. Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake

You can find my review of this here.

 

 

 4. The Christmas Town by Donna VanLiere

You can find my review of this here.

 

 

3. The Charming Life of Izzy Malone by Jenny Lundquist

You can find my review of this here.

 

 

2. The Boy Is Back by Meg Cabot

You can find my review of this here on February 1. This was a fun romantic story told totally in emails and chat rooms and memos!

 

 

1. The Long Game by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

You can find my review of this here.

SATURDAY SMORGASBORD: My Favorite Teachers in Children’s Lit

Posted on by Jaymie

 

Today’s post is all about TEACHERS! I love teachers. I loved being a teacher (One year I taught history and science to a split class of 2nd and 3rd graders. I taught a creative writing club to elementary students for 3 or 4 years.  And I was a teacher/librarian at an elementary school for five years. It was my most favorite job ever!). My father was a teacher for over 30 years as was my father-in-law. Many of my friends are teachers. Teachers are rock stars!

There are several literary teachers that I adore and I wanted to post about them today. Here they are:

The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds Vashti’s Teacher in The Dot

The woman never gets a name but she is a key component to how Vashti thinks about art. She challenges Vashti to make her mark and own it. And her encouragement gets passed on to another young artist through Vashti.

Teachers are inspiring.

 

Mrs. Granger in Frindle Frindle by Andrew Clements

At the beginning, Mrs. Granger calls Nick out for trying to distract her at the end of the day. Kids probably aren’t sure they like her at the beginning. Adults might cheer that she gets Nick with a pretty awesome consequence. This is not a soft and sweet teacher. She is tough. Her expectations for her students are high. But as the Frindle story unfolds, you start to wonder what those looks in her eyes might really mean. And at the end, you find out she was rooting for Nick all along!

Teachers see things in their students that the students don’t yet see in themselves and then try to call those things out.

Mr Terupt in Because of Mr. Terupt  Because of Mr. Terupt by Rob Buyea

Mr. Terupt is the rookie teacher for a group of fifth graders including the class clown, the genius, the kid who hates school, the mean girl, the new girl, the “fat girl,” and the outsider. These seven students share the story of their school year together with Mr. Terupt – their struggles, their triumphs, the times they grow, the times they fail, and the accident that changes things for all of them.  And this is just the first of three books where we get to watch these particular students grow. But we also get to see the impact Mr. Terupt has on them. He wants more for his students than occupying space in a classroom. He challenges them to creative projects to really cement the learning for his students. Mr. Terupt is inspiring!

Teachers are creative and innovative.

Ms. Bixby in Ms. Bixby’s Last Day Ms. Bixby's Last Day by John David Anderson

I posted about this book earlier this week here. You don’t get a lot of information about Ms. Bixby right off the bat, but as you read, you discover why she makes such an impact on her students, especially these three boys.

Teachers care about their students lives outside of the school day. 

 

Mr. Howell in Surprise Attack of Jabba the Puppett (Origami Yoda 4)   The Surprise Attack of Jabba the Puppett by Tom Angleberger

If you aren’t familiar with this fun series, you should really check it out. It starts out as a series about a kids with an origami Yoda puppet that gives advice. But the series becomes so much more  when the emphasis moves to the school’s program to improve standardized test scores. In this particular book, the students (with a plethora of origami Star Trek characters) stage a rebellion against the school’s inane test prep program. I can’t say too much about Mr. Howell’s role, because that would be a big spoiler. I’ll just say this:

Teachers go to bat for their students.

Mrs. Twinkle in Chrysanthemum  Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes

Chrysanthemum feels special and loved. She especially likes her name. But when she gets to school, the other girls tease her for being named after a flower and for having such a long name. Poor Chrysanthemum starts to wilt at school. But when Mrs. Twinkle arrives and says how much she adores the name, how she is also named after a flower, and that she might even name her baby Chyrsanthemum, the other girls change their tune. And Chrysanthemum can bloom at school once again.

Teachers are clever, and understand group dynamics and how to diffuse difficult situations.

Do you have a favorite teacher from children’s literature?

REVIEW: Ms. Bixby’s Last Day by John David Anderson

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Ask any kid and they’ll tell you not all teachers are alike. Some seem to be there to punch a clock. Others, though, put everything they have into their students and into their subject matter. Those are the teachers kids remember later. Those are the teachers kids would do anything for. Ms. Bixby is one of those teachers to Topher, Brand and Steve. When she gets sick, these boys will do anything to be sure she can celebrate their last day together.

Books about Great Teachers

Review

I picked this up at a bookstore while I was shopping with my nieces. We got back to the house, and the three of us dove right into our new books. Pretty soon I was aware that I was building a pile of tissues next to me. And I was working really hard not to startle the girls by sobbing out loud. But this book was so touching. I love stories with amazing teachers! I was especially touched that she connected with these three students so much that they were willing to risk a great deal to give her a memorable celebration.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

Do you have a favorite book about an amazing teacher?  I am planning a post for SATURDAY SMORGASBORD about amazing teachers in books. I would love to hear from you about your favorite books with great teachers.