Tag: Rob Buyea

YEAR IN REVIEW - Best of 2021 for Kids and Teens

YEAR IN REVIEW – Best of 2021 for Kids and Teens

Posted on by Jaymie

Continuing my best of lists for 2021, here are the lists for books for kids and books for teens/young adults.

Best of 2021 – Books for Kids

The Hunger Heroes: Missed Meal Mayhem – If I could only pick one kids book from 2021 to highlight, it would be this one. I struggle to find early chapter books that I really love and am excited to share with kids, but this is one I literally handed to anyone and everyone in 2021. This graphic novel was a delight to read and to share. Don’t miss it! You can read my full review here.
The Winterborne Home for Mayhem and Mystery – Book 2 in this fantastic series for kids 10 and up from the amazing Ally Carter was another favorite from 2021. You can read my full review here for book one and here for this second book in the series.
Bea Is for Blended – A lovely, powerful middle grade story that shouldn’t be missed. You can read my full review here.
What Comes Next – A stand alone story from the author of the Mr. Terupt series as well as the Perfect Score series. You can read the full review here.
Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Boy – I don’t usually read a lot of nonfiction for kids, but I was intrigued by this kid-friendly version of the author’s show/book Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man. This is for readers 10 and up. You can read my full review here.

 

Best of 2021 – Books for Teens/Young Adults

Amelia Unabridged – If I could only pick one “Best of 2021” book, regardless of audience, I would pick this one. This book rocked my world when I first read it, and it stuck with me all year. I’m looking forward to carving out some time for a re-read soon. You can read my full review here.
Teen Titans: Beast Boy Loves Raven – I have really enjoyed this graphic novel series. Yes, I wish the series had more depth to the characters, but once I accept the limitations of the format for digging deeper into character details, I just enjoy the story and characters for what they are – fun. You can read my full review of this book here and the whole series here.
Bookish Boyfriends: Get a Clue – This series has been a delight since book one. You can read my full review of this book here, and you can read more about the whole series here.
Counting Down with You – Loved this powerful YA novel this year! You can read my full review here.
The Hawthorne Legacy (♥♥♥♥♥) – Book 2 in the Hawthorne series by my favorite YA author, Jennifer Lynn Barnes, was a powerhouse, It delivered on all the things I thought were missing for the first book while not losing any of the parts I loved. I can’t wait to read book 3 later this year. You can read my full review of book 1 here.
Enola Holmes and the Black Barouche – After the delightful Netflix movie starring Enola Holmes, this book was a must read for me – and it did not disappoint! You can read my full review here.
Never Saw You Coming – I heard a lot about this book last year as I follow the author on social media. The book did not disappoint. Read my full review here.
You Have a Match – This was my second Emma Lord book and I loved it! You can read my full review here, and check out the author page here – she has a new book out that I will be reviewing soon.

REVIEW: What Comes Next by Rob Buyea

REVIEW: What Comes Next by Rob Buyea

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

When Thea’s best friend, Charlie, died, Thea stopped speaking. Going back to school was excruciating, so her mom homeschooled her to finish out the year. But her parents decided that the family needed a change, so they moved to a new town.

On top of a change in location, Thea’s dad promises her younger sisters that the family will also get a dog. Thea has no interest in a puppy, especially as her frequent nightmares shift to start including a puppy she can’t save. But at the shelter, Jack Jack reaches a paw out to touch Thea, and she is converted. He picked her – just like Charlie once did. And that’s only the first of many examples of how special Jack Jack is.

Review

Oh, this was lovely! I was immediately drawn in by Thea, and I loved her on every page. I loved her whole journey – with Charlie, with Jack Jack, and with the folks she meets in her new home. But Jack Jack was the star of the story. He was exactly what Thea needed – but not just Thea. His story was so much bigger.

There’s a great epilogue here that goes farther into the future than you usually get in a middle grade novel. It was the cherry on top of this terrific story!

I loved every moment of this – and I cried through several of them. This is another hit from Rob Buyea – do not miss it!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥♥ = Outstanding!

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: The Perfect Star by Rob Buyea

REVIEW: The Perfect Star 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

Eighth grade begins for the stars of The Perfect Score series.

  • Gavin is playing football after overcoming all the hassles from last year. After a summer with no coach, the team finally has one, but the unconventional choice leads to drama for the school and community.
  • Randi’s future in gymnastics is up in the air after a serious injury.
  • Natalie is leading the group once again, this time as they start up a school newscast in place of the newspaper.
  • Trevor and Natalie are still dating, but it’s causing a major rift in Trevor and Mark’s friendship.
  • Scott is enthusiastic about everything from being the weatherman on the newscast to being the stat guy for the football team. But his enthusiasm for protecting the new football coach leads to some issues.

And that’s just the beginning of an 8th grade year that is going to challenge these kids and draw them together tighter than ever.

Review

Wow. This was so good! It’s been delightful to watch these kids grow up and grow together over the three books in this series. And I LOVE this group of kids – even more than I loved the group in the author’s previous series. They are quirky and genuine and flawed and family to one another.

So much happens in this book (including at least one “suspend disbelief here” moment), but it all holds together around the idea of this core group getting older and gaining some maturity as well as compassion and empathy for others. Family, friendship, and football are major themes, but this also touches on homelessness, insurance and health care, grief, bullying, and dating (hand holding, peck on the cheeks/lips). This book is perfect for middle school readers in its richness and depth.

When I talk with readers about stories told from the perspective of several characters, I always end up talking about Rob Buyea‘s books. He writes these great, nuanced characters, and then turns them loose to tell their stories in their own ways. And I fall in love with the stories every time.

Don’t miss this one!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

REVIEW: The Perfect Secret by Rob Buyea

REVIEW: The Perfect Secret by Rob Buyea

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Secrets abound when the kids from The Perfect Score return as seventh graders.

  • Gaven is ready to play some football, but being on the team isn’t what he expected.
  • Randi is in a great place with her mom, but a special gymnastics camp opens an unexpected door to their past.
  • Natalie is determined to lead the team in their effort to reunite Mrs. Woods and Mrs. Magenta (estranged mother and daughter), but she ends up leading a lot of other vital projects as well.
  • Scott learns that he has the perfect skills to be the stat guy for the football team, if only they’d give him a chance.
  • Trevor is safe from his brother and his friends, but the whole mess last year could be tearing his family apart.

Review

Rob Buyea’s books are my favorite example of multiple points of view done well. Each of the kids has a great voice, and they can tell so many stories because each gets a moment on the “stage.” I think I love this group of kids even more than the group in the Mr. Terupt series. They are smart, caring kids. They are so good at looking outside of themselves and helping others.

The first book in the series looked at standardized testing. This one looks at immigration – among other things. It’s a pretty simple discussion of a very complex issue, but it’s handled really well. Middle school dating is introduced in this one, too – hand holding only. There are also pieces in this about racism, bullying and the trouble secrets can cause. My only complaint is that it felt like there is a lot of “we would learn later…” sorts of foreshadowing. I would have preferred the story to just happen, or maybe to just use that technique once or twice when it really mattered.

This is a series I highly recommend. I look forward to each new book. Book three – The Perfect Star  – will release in the fall.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: The Perfect Score by Rob Buyea

REVIEW: The Perfect Score by Rob Buyea

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

As their sixth grade year begins, these five kids have a lot going on:

  • Gavin loves football but isn’t so hot on school. His dad dropped out to take over the family business, so Gavin thinks that is his destiny, too, unless football gives him another choice.
  • Randi’s whole life is about gymnastics. And early on she enjoyed that. But now she’s practicing 6 days a week, including three hours on school nights. But she’s somehow supposed to keep her grades up, too. And her mom wants her to ace the CSAs (state standardized tests) so she can be placed in the highest levels in 7th grade.
  • Natalie is the teacher’s pet of the class. She’s never really had friends before but things may be starting to change this year. Once she has friends, what is Natalie willing to do for them?
  • Scott is crazy smart but also something of a naive goof ball. He doesn’t realize some of the guys in his class aren’t teasing him because they like him. They are mocking him.
  • Trevor doesn’t care about much more than cutting up with his friends at school and steering clear of his older brother and his crew at home. Those guys have always told Trevor he was a mistake. And Trevor has started to believe them.

In the middle of these individual stories, there’s the larger story of a class of 6th graders, their teachers/administrators, and the state standardized tests. As the kids lose more and more of what has made the year special to make space for test prep, they become more and more desperate to ace the test and put it behind them. Whatever it takes.

Review

Wow, this was FANTASTIC! I loved all the kids – well, the punkish one won me over in the end. Their concerns and actions felt genuine. I cared about them from the first page. The adults were fantastic, too – not perfect by any means. But they felt real, and they were trying to do the right things (even when they failed to).

I loved the author’s previous series about another teacher, Mr. Terupt, and his students. But because it’s so special, I worried that this wouldn’t live up to it. My worry was unnecessary. This was a delight to read from start to finish. Buyea does an awesome job with this format of a handful of kids telling the story. Each has a distinct voice and style. It’s great. There’s so much more nuance to the story than just the test at the center of the plot. Every part of it worked for me. I was thrilled to hear that he’s already been working on a sequel.

Many thanks to Delacorte books and Netgalley for an electronic review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

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?