Tag: poetry

REVIEW: Goodbye, Mr. Terupt by Rob Buyea

REVIEW: Goodbye, Mr. Terupt by Rob Buyea

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Delacorte Books for Young Readers in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Mr. Terupt’s favorite students are back for another year of middle school. Their summer is full of camp and festivals and babysitting Mr. Terupt’s daughter, Hope. But when their 8th grade year starts, Mr. Terupt is teaching 7th grade science. All the kids are disappointed to not have him as their teacher for another year.

But when the school announces a one hour advising block every two weeks, the “Babysitters Gang” is thrilled to find out their advisor is Mr. Terupt. The kids are looking forward to the projects Mr. Terupt comes up with for them, like the time capsule, before they move on to high school.

In the midst of their season of change at school, the kids are also dealing with personal issues:

  • Peter is maturing, getting in less trouble, and doing well in school and wrestling. But he’s also watching his friends struggle, not aware that his own crisis is coming.
  • Jessica’s dad is moving back to town, hoping to reconnect with his family. But will he stick it out this time?
  • Anna misses the quality time she used to have with her mom before she got engaged to Danielle’s older brother.
  • Jeffrey is determined to make varsity wrestling as an 8th grader, in a lower weight class, no matter what it takes.
  • Lexie wonders if she carries the breast cancer gene now that her mom is in remission, so she steals a test to find out.
  • Luke is trying to excel in his advanced courses, which includes spending a lot of time with Danielle on the farm for a project.
  • Danielle is adjusting to the logistics of an insulin pump and wondering about her new feelings for Luke.

But the kids don’t know Mr. Terupt has his own changes on the horizon – and those changes will impact them most of all.

Review

What a perfect send off for this delightful series! Oh, how I cried. It’s been years since I spent time with these characters, but I felt like I was with old friends. They are older, wrestling with more mature life moments. But they are still sweet and loyal and compassionate. Wonderful friends. And they are soaking up time with the teacher who loves them and has drawn out the best in them over the years. (I wrote a post about my favorite teachers in children’s literature, and Mr. Terupt is on the list. You can read that post here.) And aside from some coaching, literally and figuratively, he gives them the space to step into their own opportunities to care for others and make a difference.

The focus of the book is relationships – the relationships between the kids, including some dating relationships (hand holding, a couple kisses), as well as the kids with their families, and ultimately their relationship with Mr. Terupt and his family. Through the lens of relationships, the book addresses communication, warning signs of trouble, service, friendship, and loyalty. There’s also a faith component for some of the characters that is lovely and feels genuine. With the dating and relationship pieces and some of the other material these 8th graders face, this might appeal more to the older end of the middle grade age range, even pushing up to “Older Middle Grade” readers between 10 and 14.

Fans of the series will NOT want to miss this final installment. Mr. Terupt even gets a point-of-view chapter in this book! If you are a parent or teacher planning to read this aloud, bring your tissues. I cried often. This is a beautiful story! If this series is new to you, be sure to grab all of the books – Because of Mr. Terupt (♥♥♥♥♥), Mr. Terupt Falls Again (♥♥♥♥♥), and Saving Mr. Terupt (♥♥♥♥♥) – and read them in order so you can enjoy the evolution of the relationships and watch the impact of this great teacher on his beloved students. You can read my reviews of the author’s other series, The Perfect Score, here. (TW: Eating disorders, cancer remission)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½*

♥♥♥♥½* = I loved it! Would re-read.

REVIEW: Stella Endicott and the Anything-Is-Possible Poem by Kate DiCamillo

REVIEW: Stella Endicott and the Anything-Is-Possible Poem by Kate DiCamillo

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

Stella’s second grade teacher instructs her students about metaphors and starts a unit on poetry with the class. When Stella struggles to think of a good metaphor for an assignment, she visits her friend Mercy Watson.

Sitting on the couch, leaning on Mercy, Stella writes a lovely poem. She can’t wait to share it with her teacher. She makes the mistake, though, of sharing it with Horace Broom, a know-it-all boy in her class.

When Horace and Stella get into a loud argument in class, their teacher sends them both to the principal. This was NOT how Stella thought her day would go.

Review

This is a sweet story about friendship and poetry. I adored Stella. She’s bright and creative. She’s not afraid to ask questions when she doesn’t understand something. She’s also not afraid to stand up for herself which she does with Horace.

Many readers will know a person like Horace. But Horace isn’t all bad. While he doesn’t believe a pig would live in a house or sit on a couch, he’s not cruel or mocking to Stella. And he shows the beginnings of self-awareness, which is a great character trait.

The poetry pieces are light and engaging. Stella’s skill at finding metaphors and her curious nature make poetry sound like something fun rather than something intimidating. This would be a great read aloud, even in upper elementary classrooms, for poetry units and discussions about figurative language, word choice in writing, etc. (Middle school students who loved Mercy Watson as kids might also get a kick out of this book as an introduction to a unit on poetry or writing.)

This is book 5 in the Tales from Deckawoo Drive series, a companion/spin off from the Mercy Watson series. Readers do not need to read these in order, but anyone who discovers either series through this delightful book should be sure to check out the rest. The whole collection is quite fun.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

BONUS REVIEW: Verse and Vengeance by Amanda Flower

BONUS REVIEW: Verse and Vengeance by Amanda Flower

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Violet Waverly is the Caretaker for a magical tree located at the center of her bookstore, Charming Books. Women in Violet’s family have been caring for the tree for generations, protecting its secrets. But under Violet’s care, those secrets are in danger.

A private investigator named Joel Redding was in Cascade Springs before investigating a murder, but now he’s back, determined to find out what Violet is hiding. He’s casing her store and following her.

While she’s come to expect their run-ins outside the shop, she doesn’t expect to see him in the middle of a 30 mile bike race.  But wearing loafers and street clothes, Redding zooms by her, taking her picture. Only a few minutes later, at the bottom of Breakneck Hill, Redding is dead.

When a copy of Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman is found on him, Violet knows. The shop had given her the same book twice lately. The shop obviously wants her to solve Redding’s murder.

Review

This is book four in the Magical Bookshop Mystery series, my favorite series so far by Amanda Flower. Of the four books in the series so far, I have only known or read the bookstore’s book of choice once. This has never impacted my enjoyment of the series. There’s plenty of Walt Whitman history in the novel as well as an author’s note. While Whitman isn’t a writer I enjoy, I did enjoy the historical pieces here – both real and fictional.

The mystery in this one was solid. I did feel like there was a lot of time spent on Violet searching for, finding and losing the young woman she was trying to help. This started to get old. Violet was far too kind to someone who pushed her away with her words and with her behavior.  And the will-she-or-won’t-she over Violet telling the detective about the shop’s secrets, something she started debating in a previous book, also stretched into this book. I was happy to see that plot thread finally settled. I also felt like one piece of the mystery solution wasn’t explained, but it was a minor piece. The solution was solid otherwise – nice and twisty!

Amanda Flower has another book out this month – Matchmaking Can Be Murder. This is the first in a new Amish Matchmaker Mystery series which is a spin off of the Amish Candy Shop series, which I have also enjoyed. I’ll be reviewing that one at the end of the year.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Breakout by Kate Messner

REVIEW: Breakout by Kate Messner

Posted on by Jaymie

[Thanks to the folks at Netgalley and Bloomsbury Children’s Books for the opportunity to read an electronic review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Nora is breaking out her journalism skills for the Wolf Creek Time Capsule project. Five letters for the time capsule will get her extra credit for 8th grade English class in the fall.

Elidee and her mom just moved to Wolf Creek from New York City to be closer to Elidee’s older brother who is in the prison at Wolf Creek. Elidee hates being the new kid for the last two weeks at school. If that doesn’t make her stand out enough, she’s also only the second African American in her grade. It doesn’t take long before the whispers start following her down the school halls.

All of Nora’s expectations for writing about Wolf Creek Traditions like the Middle School field day vanish when two inmates break out of the maximum security prison that employs most of the folks in town.

The prison break changes everything. Nora’s dad, the prison supervisor, is under a lot of pressure to explain what happened. Elidee and her mom are cut off from her brother when the prison goes into lock down. The whole town is on edge, afraid the inmates are still in the area, armed and dangerous. The break out shows Nora, her friend Lizzie, and Elidee things about the “quiet, friendly town” they never experienced before.

Review

This was exceptionally good! The three main characters were a delight. Elidee has a great perspective on life in her new town. Her affinity for Hamilton and poetry was a great piece of the story. I loved Lizzie’s humor and her satirical news articles. But I connected the most with Nora. The “stages” she goes through regarding the racial issues in the story – oblivious to questioning to wanting to change – felt a lot like my own experience over the last couple years. It’s honest, and I loved it.

The time capsule is the vehicle that makes the story possible. It gets the kids writing – something else I loved about this story. The whole story is told in letters and transcripts of conversations or news reports. It’s such a fun format! The escaped inmates are hardly in the story, but they impact every character as well as the town’s sense of self.

This is the perfect sort of middle grade book for me. There are fantastic characters learning and growing through challenging life experiences. There’s an emphasis on writing as well as great pop culture tie ins. And the story makes me think.  This would be a great fit for any 5th to 8th grade classroom and school library as well as home collections. I highly recommend this book.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥