Tag: school story

REVIEW: Nat Enough by Maria Scrivan

REVIEW: Nat Enough by Maria Scrivan

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Just before Natalie starts at the local middle school, her best friend Lily moves across town. They’ll still be at  school together, but Lily’s been “busy” since she moved. So Natalie is feeling disconnected when school starts. Natalie’s nervous about starting at the larger school, but she feels secure knowing Lily will be there, too.

But Lily has made a new friend – Alex. Alex is super popular – athletic, talented, and stylish. Nat is desperate to get Lily back as her best friend, but it’s hard to compete with someone like Alex.

Review

This is lovely! Hand this new graphic novel to fans of Smile (♥♥♥♥), Real Friends (♥♥♥♥), or Just Jaime (♥♥♥♥), and I think they will love it! The art style here is great. The story is told through Natalie’s sketchbook. Readers should keep an eye on Nat’s pets because they are usually doing something fun on the pages where they appear.

There are hints in the art work early on for the sort of “friend” Lily is. Careful reading of the pictures will clue kids in that Lily is Nat’s friend because Nat lets Lily do whatever she wants. It’s pretty sad. But through the course of the book, Natalie makes some REAL friends – friends who point out what Nat isn’t ready to see yet.

The message of the story – focus on who you ARE rather than on who you are not – is reinforced in Nat’s contest entry which is presented at the end of the book. I love that the author included it – it’s a fun complement to the story.

Readers will enjoy this middle school friendship story (with a crush thrown in). The characters are endearing, the artwork is captivating, and the ending leaves you wanting to cheer. Don’t miss this one! Book 2, Forget Me Nat, will release in the fall. You can read about more great graphic novels for kids here.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: We Didn't Ask for This by Adi Alsaid

REVIEW: We Didn’t Ask for This by Adi Alsaid

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

Every year in April, Central International School holds a lock-in for their senior high students. It’s the highlight of the year, something students plan for and think about all year long.

On that night:

  • Amira is waiting for the decathalon to begin. She’s ready to take on all comers, boys and girls, to be named best athlete in the school.
  • Omar is probably her biggest competition. But his mind is focused less on the basketball competition and more on looking to see if Peejay is in the stands.
  • Celeste, a new student at CIS, is hoping the lock-in will help her finally connect with someone at this school.
  • Kenji is trying to steer kids to the improv room for his favorite activity (even though his dad thinks it’s a waste of time).
  • Peejay is responsible for planning the secret “party” space in the school, a role of immense importance given to one student each year. His brother’s turn was legendary, and Peejay is hoping to live up to that legacy, especially after the accident.
  • Joy, Malik, Eli and Lolo are chaining themselves to the doors and locking everyone in while Marisa, their leader, is leading them in stating their manifesto. The doors will stay chained until the students, teachers, and community agree to her list of ecological changes and demands.

This lock in is NOT going to be anything like previous years.

Review

This was fascinating! I don’t know that I’ve read many books like this. It reminded me of school shooting stories like This Is Where It Ends (Rating: ♥♥♥♥) in that the story moves to different characters and different parts of the building as the story moves forward. But the tension in this is lower because it’s less violent – a protest with unthreatened hostages as opposed to armed assailants – and has lower stakes.

The writing was fantastic. The point of view changes almost from paragraph to paragraph, third person, but each character shares from his/her perspective (third person omniscient). It took several chapters to get used to this, but it was brilliant for conveying urgency and the vast experiences and perspectives in the group. There’s a large cast in this, and this style helped with that, too, once I was used to it. It helped the reader understand what prompted some students to be part of Marisa’s original group as well as understand why some of the other students either became protectors as the story went on or antagonists.

While there were a TON of things going on inside the school – and in the world around the building – regarding the protest, there were tons of “little” things going on too. Friendships and potential romances developed. Parent/child relationships evolved. Teachers made choices on where they stood on the issues. Some kids leaned into their gifts and interests while others became more informed about environmental issues. The whole thing was really woven together well.

The romantic relationships between primary characters – both same-sex – felt heavy handed at times to me. Everything else in the book moved so quickly, but in at least one relationship it felt like time slowed when one character was exploring her developing feelings. This might be because it was going to be a huge cultural issue for her, which makes sense. It just felt like it slowed the story down to me.

If you love YA stories that dig into contemporary issues like the environment; books with a large and diverse cast of characters; or stories where all the characters are stuck somewhere, forced to deal with their feelings, experiences and limitations, do not miss this one! (Language, underage drinking, LGBTQ+)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

REVIEW: Frankie Sparks and the Class Pet by Megan Frazer Blakemore

REVIEW: Frankie Sparks and the Class Pet by Megan Frazer Blakemore

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Frankie’s 3rd grade class is getting a class pet. They are going to set some parameters for the pet, and then students will research their options, and make a presentation to the class. Then the class will vote on what pet they should choose.

Frankie’s aunt is a rodentologist, and Frankie loves to visit the animals in her aunt’s lab. So she decides the class should get a rat.

Frankie is so convinced her idea is the right one, though, she wants to skip the classroom process and just present her research right away. She also assumes her best friend, Maya, will vote with her for a class rat. But when Maya confesses that she doesn’t like the idea of a rat and she wants to research betta fish instead, it causes a fracture in their friendship.

Review

After an afternoon of reading a variety of only-okay early chapter books, I discovered Frankie. What an absolute treat!

Frankie is a complex character. She’s quite bright, although she does struggle some with reading and writing at times. Her enthusiasm for rodents is fun; this is a great age for kids to go all in on a topic or passion. She is an inventor with her own space and supplies for her creations. She can be moody and pouting when she doesn’t get her way. And her parents challenge those moods in really healthy ways. I loved all of this!

The friendship fracture is mild compared to what you might find in a middle grade novel, which is perfect for lower elementary readers. Frankie’s feelings are hurt because Maya doesn’t do what Frankie wants. Frankie tries to manipulate Maya and gets called out for it. Maya’s response is withdrawal rather than confrontation or nastiness. And Frankie figures out how to apologize with actions, not just words, as she prioritizes her best friend over her own desires about the class pet.

The class pet project process in the classroom is well developed. Frankie tries to push against the structure to get her own way, but her teacher kindly holds the boundaries. Frankie is never shamed for her behavior, but she is held to a reasonable standard and coached to help her fix her own problems.

I loved everything about this! Don’t miss this one. Great for home and classroom use. Would be a great readaloud!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

REVIEW: The World Ends in April by Stacy McAnulty

REVIEW: The World Ends in April by Stacy McAnulty

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Elle’s grandfather is a “prepper,” a survivalist. He is always prepared for a disaster or catastrophe. And he’s trained Elle and her younger brothers to be ready for unexpected disaster at any time. All three kids have go bags full of ready-to-eat meals, first aid supplies, etc.. Elle’s getting older, though, and she finds most of the survivalist stuff eye-rollingly dull. But her brothers still find the drills fun, and Elle’s best friend Mack thinks the whole thing is fascinating.

On a search for end-of-the-world memes to share with her grandfather, Elle stumbles across a website that says the world will end next spring due to an asteroid strike. She’s appropriately skeptical. But when she finds out the author of the web post is a professor at Harvard, and she researches other asteroid hits, Elle starts to wonder if the guy is onto something.

When other kids at school overhear Elle and Mack talking about “TEOTWAWKI” (The End of the World As We Know It), they beg for more information and check out the website for themselves. Before long, Elle finds herself leading a club of kids who want to know how to prepare for the asteroid strike and the end of the world.

Review

Elle grew on me over the course of this book. By the end I was quite attached to her, and my heart broke for her as things played out at the end of the story.

On one level this is Elle’s story. It’s about her family dynamics and her school experiences. It’s about her friendships and her protective abrasiveness. On another level you get all the science and survival bits along with information on screening internet sources. I was intrigued by the asteroid information shared. There’s a good chunk of back matter in this about asteroids and the author’s research.

I think this would be an excellent class read-aloud or book club book. How do readers see Elle’s choices for informing her peers about the impending doom? Are there things they are as passionate about as Elle? So many threads of the story students can dig into! And reading this with support will ensure some kids who might not otherwise get it understand Elle’s devotion to her cause. I thoroughly enjoyed how the author pulled everything together in the end.

Fans of the extraordinary The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl (like me!) should not miss the author’s latest work. If you aren’t a fan of either title yet, be sure to check them both out!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Shine! by JJ and Chris Grabenstein

REVIEW: Shine! by JJ and Chris Grabenstein

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

Piper’s life revolves around music, although she says she personally can’t carry a tune in a lunch box.

Her mother was a cellist and also a singer. At Piper’s age she had a full music scholarship to Chumley Prep. Piper’s dad has always dreamed of writing musicals and directing orchestras on Broadway, but he never caught a break like that. When Piper’s mom died, he started directing music at Fairview Middle School so he had a steady job to take care of the two of them.

And now, her dad’s a cappella group has won the Winter Sing-Off, beating the Chumley Prep group. It’s a huge achievement for Piper’s dad. And it gets him invited to take the director’s job at Chumley after Christmas. A “perk” is that Piper can go to the school for free. She’s less than thrilled.

At the Winter Sing-Off, Piper overheard the arrogant Chumley kids mocking her dad and his group, but she was too shy to speak up. What is she going to do now when she has to go to school with those kids every day?

Review

“The brightest stars don’t just shine for themselves.”

What a DELIGHT! This is the kind of book I want to hug. I loved this – the characters, the plot, the message. It was a treat to read!

Piper is my favorite sort of middle grade character. She’s bright and sweet and over time she gets comfortable in her own skin. She finds a fantastic crew at Chumley which offsets some of the social issues at the school. Piper’s not perfect. She struggles with the pressure to be a star at Chumley and with her expectations of herself, and that leads her to vent that frustration onto a friend. But she finds her way back, on her own, given some time and space – exactly what you hope kids can do.

The story was almost as excellent as Piper. It’s a new kid story combined with an identity story as Piper is trying to figure out who she wants to be in this new setting. As an outsider, she catches glimpses of what the pressure of a school like Chumley can be like for kids, especially kids with parents who have sky-high expectations and the money to make things happen. And while Piper puts up with some taunting and some unfair treatment, she mostly has the freedom to find her place and be herself while she figures out the Chumley system and competes for an all-school award.

This would be terrific for a classroom read aloud, for book groups, or for family/bedtime reading. Don’t miss out on this one. You can check out my reviews of some of Chris Grabenstein’s other books here.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

BONUS REVIEW: The Class by Frances O'Roark Dowell

BONUS REVIEW: The Class by Frances O’Roark Dowell

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary and Review

Mrs. Herrera’s class of 6th graders is an eclectic group of students. She has popular kids, and jocks and nice kids and brainy kids. Ellie is one of the new kids. She’s a writer – an observer – a spy. And when something happens in the class, her observations are a foundation for the rest of the story.

This is an unusual book. There are a ton of perspectives in this. Twenty different kids chime in to tell the story. It was hard at times to keep track of everyone. Then it took half the book for the class-impacting event to happen. And when it did, it felt small to me. It didn’t have a very big punch.

From the description I thought this would be 20 perspectives on the same moment/day/event where each subsequent story would fill in what really happened. [I was expecting something like the first part of the amazing book, The Candymakers, where each of the four characters tells their version of the A part of the story before moving back to the main character’s perspective for the wrap up of the book. It’s part of what makes The Candymakers so brilliant.] Instead, this was one story arc, and each kid told part of it as it moved along.

This format and story didn’t work for me. I struggled to stay engaged. I didn’t know the characters well enough to have them drive me from page to page through the story. And then there wasn’t a lot of action or punch to the “event” to drive me on either. I struggled to stick with this. I won’t be posting a rating for this one.

When it comes to multiple perspective stories, I prefer a Rob Buyea story or something like The Reckless Club. I think those are stronger examples of the format – fewer characters and higher stakes.

Other readers have found this delightful, so if the premise sounds interesting to you, check it out. It wasn’t a good fit for me.

REVIEW: The Unteachables by Gordon Korman

REVIEW: The Unteachables by Gordon Korman

Posted on by Jaymie

[I won an Advanced Reader Copy of this book in an online contest. Thanks to the publisher, Balzer + Bray, for the opportunity to read this book. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Mr. Zachary Kermit is counting down the days until he is eligible for early retirement. He used to be an exceptional teacher. But in 1992, a student – Jake Terranova – sold answers to a national standardized test to his peers. When the students scored well, the principal, Dr. Thaddeus, soaked in the accolades. When the cheating was discovered, Jack was suspended and Thaddeus blamed Mr. Kermit for the scandal. Mr. Kermit was the scapegoat. He kept his job, but he lost his fiancée and the fire he had for teaching.

Dr. Thaddeus, now the superintendent, is determined to push Mr. Kermit out before he can qualify for his retirement. So Mr. Kermit is assigned to the self-contained 8th grade class known as The Unteachables. This misfit group of kids is notorious. They’ve been shuffled to a corner of the building with hope that the kids won’t cause any trouble for the rest of the school. Kermit knows part of the problem is the school’s – they’ve failed to intervene on behalf of these kids for two years already. But he’s content to babysit them, drinking coffee and doing crosswords, until the school year comes to an end. But an unexpected student sees things in Mr. Kermit that he might have forgotten. And maybe those qualities can make all the difference for The Unteachables.

Review

This is such a great school story!! I love changing perspective stories like this one. This includes adult perspectives, not just the kids, which sets this apart from other books like this. And the adult perspectives are great and really essential to the story.

Mr. Kermit is the character who changes the most throughout the course of the book. And that sets this story apart, too. The reader can see Mr. Kermit fight for his students from the beginning. He’s burned out and beaten down. He’s just biding his time. Yet he still knows that dumping The Unteachables in a dark corner for a year until they can be the high school’s problem is wrong. And he says so. That spark of justice – of being a voice for the voiceless – is what starts to draw his students to him. When the kids recognize this quality in Mr. Kermit, they respond to it and start to change, too. And that’s where the story gets magical.

This was a delight from start to finish. I loved the characters and found the story inspirational. Another treat from Gordon Korman. Highly recommend.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: The Last Best Story by Maggie Lehrman

REVIEW: The Last Best Story by Maggie Lehrman

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Grant is ALL about the school newspaper. He’s dedicated all four years of high school to the paper, serving as editor-in-chief for his senior year. And through it all, his best friend, Rose, has been right by his side. Until she up and quit two months ago.

Rose thought she wanted the same things as Grant – the paper and the journalism program at Northwestern. She thought she wanted Grant, too. But two months before graduation Rose questions everything in her life. Does Grant feel about her the way she feels about him? Does she even want to be a journalist? Or did she get caught up in HIS enthusiasm? So Rose strikes out on her own, quitting the paper, getting a boyfriend and not telling anyone she was accepted at Northwestern.

So, that’s that. Grant and Rose end up at prom, but not together. Senior year for them is essentially done. Grant is alone. Rose is with JB. All of their opportunities to be together have slipped away. But when the school goes into lockdown in the middle of prom, Grant and Rose find themselves caught up in the news story of their lives.

Review

This was so fun! From online descriptions of this book, I was expecting all the romance pieces in the story. The will-they-or-won’t-they questions hanging over Grant and Rose’s relations were expected. And that was great. Neither of the kids were good at expressing their feelings. Sometimes they weren’t even aware of them at all. I was thrilled that Rose was strong enough to walk away from the paper and explore some other options for her final days of high school when she started question her direction. That’s a great story in and of itself.

The lockdown angle, though, was a complete surprise for me, and I loved it. It opened up the story to other characters and increased the pace and urgency in the story. And it gave Grant and Rose time to look back and examine some of their past choices.

I enjoyed the combination of typical high school relationships and drama with the jolt of suspense brought about by the lockdown and the ways that part of the story unfolded. This was a lot of fun to read! (Language)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Annie's Life in Lists by Kristin Mahoney

REVIEW: Annie’s Life in Lists by Kristin Mahoney

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Annie has a fantastic memory for people. She remembers names, faces and details. Usually, this is less of a gift than you might think. Annie is a quiet, blend-into-the-background kid and others think it’s weird when a “stranger” knows so much about them.

Annie’s awesome memory causes problems for her at school when her people-skills expose a family secret. Now Annie has to go to a different school. To make matters worse, Annie’s parents decide to leave the city and move to a small town. Her dad says it’s for his job, but Annie wonders if it was because she exposed their secret.

Annie is determined to keep her weird memory to herself when she starts at her new school. It takes time to make friends, and she doesn’t want her freaky skills to alienate people. Her brother already hates her because they had to move. And her dad doesn’t seem as enamored with the small town life as he did at first. How can Annie make things better for everyone after  she ruined everything?

Review

My list of things I loved about this book:

  • Annie. I really identified with her and her memory for people. I feel like I remember people better than others remember me. I also loved her lists. They tell the reader so much about what she’s thinking and how she’s feeling.
  • The kids in Clover Gap. Annie makes some great friends in her new home. The dynamic between Annie and Amelia is a great one for Annie to work through.
  • Annie’s growth across the story. One of my favorite themes in books is finding your voice. And Annie is on that journey here. It’s great.
  • The format. The “new kid at school” thing has been done before. But a story told almost entirely in lists? It’s brilliant! I can’t believe the author composed such a rich and intricate story with lists and a handful of paragraphs to fill in some details. This format created an absolutely excellent, unique reading experience.

This would make a fantastic addition to home and school libraries. This would also be an excellent mentor text in a writing classroom. Imagine young writers creating lists and list stories of their own! This has become one of my favorite books of the year. It’s one I recommend all the time.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

REVIEW: The Loser's Club by Andrew Clements

REVIEW: The Loser’s Club by Andrew Clements

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Alec is a reader. He loves getting lost in a story. He reads his favorite books over and over – and he has LOTS of favorites! You would think that Alec’s teachers would love Alec’s affinity for books.

They don’t.

Alec tends to read all the time and everywhere. Including in the middle of class. Like when he’s supposed to be doing an art project or listening to the teacher’s lesson. So Alec is in trouble at school. For reading. If he wants out of trouble, he has to pay attention all the time in every class.

Fortunately, Alec goes to an after school program every day for 3 hours. This is a perfect block of time for reading. But he has to choose an activity from an approved list. Reading alone is not one of them. So Alec starts a reading club. Not a book club to talk about books but a club for reading. For sitting quietly, all afternoon, to read. Alec figures if he calls it the Loser’s Club, kids won’t want to join. Because lots of kids usually means lots of noise and distractions. SO, if he can find one other reader to join his Loser’s Club, he’ll have his after school reading sanctuary. But who would want to join “the Loser’s Club?”

Review

I adored this book. The last few Clements books haven’t clicked for me like my old favorites – Frindle, No Talking, The Last Holiday Concert, etc. But this one fits in perfectly with those older treasures.

Alec is a fantastic character. His description of comfort books could have been written by me (actually, all of chapter 7 is delightful). I loved him as a young man trying to navigate middle school, and I loved him as a reader.

The family Star Wars obsession was icing on the cake for me. SO many fun moments in the story centered around that. Alec’s own “Jedi mind trick” was outstanding fun.

While this is primarily about books and reading, it is also about friendship, dealing with bullies, responsibilities at school, growing up and dealing with reality outside of your favorite fiction. For me, this book was perfect. I highly recommend this for a family purchase, a library purchase and for all middle grade classrooms!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥