Less toxic masculinity, more community support

Ultraviolet by Aida Salazar is already one of my favorite books of 2024. When I was entering middle school, I read a lot of Judy Blume and Ann M. Martin books because they wrote about real growing pains that my friends and I were experiencing.  Now I can add Ultraviolet to that group of stories that encapsulates what it's like to be 13, developing first crushes, heartbreak, and learning how to navigate your emotions without hurting others. 

In this novel in verse, Salazar follows Elio, a Mexican-American boy who has a core group of friends and looks to his dad to teach him what it means to "be a man."  According to his dad, it's not allowing yourself to feel any negative emotions and to embrace a macho attitude.  Thankfully, Elio's mother steps in and gently guides him to fully embrace the changes he's going through and to allow himself the time and space to heal from being hurt. Elio's two younger sisters, who typically get on his nerves, turn up for him when he is at his lowest point. 

My favorite part of this book is how Salazar writes authentically from the perspective of teenagers.  Their dialogue is completely believable, even using the most up-to-date slang of our current times: "no cap" and "rizz" make their way into the conversations throughout the story. She also weaves in the power of social media, group chats, and consent into the tale as Elio faces big decisions over how to deal with his ex-girlfriend's new boyfriend who is taunting him.  Elio's problems are realistic so readers can possibly work through similar issues they are having through the story. 

As a teacher, parent, and school librarian, I would highly recommend this book to upper middle grade readers (6th grade and up).  The story's open and honest conversations about bodies and hormones between the grownups and teenagers can show readers how to respectfully have these important conversations by using accurate language and some humor, at times. I also appreciate Salazar showcasing a broad range of side characters who are also dealing with similar coming-of-age feelings. The last part that I especially enjoyed is how much Spanish is used in the story.  Being an immigrant myself, I can attest that hearing your ancestral language is powerful, using it yourself is even more moving, and finally seeing it printed in a published book is beyond feeling seen.  It signifies your experience as a person with a another language and cultural background that is just as a part of your identity as any other part. 

Be sure to checkout this novel as it is released in April of 2024 and Salazar's other books. She is a master storyteller who will have you laughing at one point and reaching for the tissues at another. For a read-alike to this book, I suggest the young adult book by Lamar Giles, Not So Pure and Simple:

Thanks to Net Galley for providing an Advanced Reader's Copy of this book. 

 

This Book is Banned -- a basics on censorship for children

 

Banned Books Week is held every September, yet in these past few years, it has become even more important to educate the public about. Celebrating the freedom to read is a cornerstone of a free community. When others dictate what is or isn’t available to read based on biased opinions, it is dangerous. I teach my older elementary school students about the history of banning books and they are continually shocked by how it starts small, but then grows to epic proportions. Student lessons on this even reach our present-day times when book bans and challenges are at the highest levels on record. 

As an educator and librarian I am trained on how to select the best books for my school’s library collection. A book that I will definitely be adding and reading with students is the humorous, yet informative picture book, This Book is Banned.  

From the start of the story the narrator is speaking directly to the reader, warning them that they will never make it to the end of the book because an arbitrary decision to ban the book’s topics will keep them from reaching its conclusion. Through humor, the writer demonstrates how book bans affect people’s ability to choose for themselves.

The hand-drawn illustrations by the artist, Julia Patton, are detailed and they help the information get through to the reader in a funny way. Readers will want to go back and look at the images again and discuss what they see. 

I highly recommend this book for elementary students and the larger community. It sends an important message while entertaining the reader about this topic. Very rarely do picture books do this well. It would benefit the reader to supplement this book with further research into the current situation in which books are being banned, especially books by people whose perspectives are not widely shared. 

Thanks to NetGalley for sharing an ARC of this book with me.

Here is an interview of the author, Raj Haldar, as he discusses what brought him to write about this topic and a video of him reading aloud the book:

Listen to and/or read  NPR's All Things Considered news broadcast about This Book is Banned.

Middle grade readers can continue their study of this topic by reading the following chapter books:

 Ban This Book, by Alan Gratz 

Attack of the Black Rectangles, by A.S. King

What are more books that deal with censorship that you'd like to share in the comments?

My Top Reads of 2023

 

"How do you decide to what to read next?" This is a common question I get asked by my students, colleagues, even friends and family members want to know.  One of my responsiblities as a school librarian is to be on-top of publishing trends, award nominees, and participate in global professional learning networks centered around literacy for young people. 

Below, you will find my top reads of the year for young adults and middle grade readers. These are all books that I personally read as print books, e-books or audio books.  Some were from my public and school library, some I purchased from used bookstores, garage sales and independent bookstores.  In my work I get to pre-read books prior to publishing so some of these titles were read as Advanced Reader Copies (ARCs) through NetGalley. I'm also in a book review group with fellow educators and school librarians from across the U.S., #BookExcursion. We receive books from publishers and authors with the intention of getting the word out about upcoming titles. Finally, in addition to these professional groups that I am a part of, I am personally a reader in over 4 book clubs. 

I hope that this list below helps people who are looking for powerful books to read themselves, read with children, for a book club, read aloud for a class lesson, use with small groups, order for their children, for school libraries or even to gift to others. 

Check out my list from 2022 HERE for more book ideas to use with children and young adults. 

Young Adult 

• Warrior Girl Unearthed
• Monday's Not Coming
• Like a Love Story
• Punching the Air
• Only This Beautiful Moment 
• Invisible Son
• Rana Joon and the One and Only Now
• Allegedly

Nonfiction Middle Grade

• Star Child: A Biographical Constellation of Octavia Estella Butler 
• Dreams from Many Rivers 
• The Prisoner and the Writer
• The Mona Lisa Vanishes
• The Great Stink
• Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre
• Twenty-One Steps: Guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Middle Grade Chapter Books

• Lily and the Night Creatures 
• Key Player (Front Desk series #4)
• Wildoak 
• Iveliz Explains it All
• On Air with Zoe Washington 
• Big Tree 
• The One and Only Ruby
• Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls 

Middle Grade Chapter Books

• Legends of Lotus Island: The Guardian Test
• Dust 
• Skyriders 
• You are Here: Connecting Flights 
• OCDaniel
• Time to Roll
• Lotus Bloom and the Afro Revolution 
• Forget Me Not 

Middle Grade Chapter Books

• Good Different 
• Eb & Flow 
• What About Will 
• Closer to Nowhere
• City Spies 
• Ground Zero 
• Lost Kites and Other Treasures 
• Mixed Up 

Middle Grade Chapter Books

• Green
• A Work in Progress
• Nightbooks
• The Order of Things
• The Last Cuentista 
• Finally Seen
• Stuntboy: In Between Time 
• Top Story (Front Desk series #5)

Middle Grade Chapter Books

• Strong as Fire, Fierce as Flame
• The Ghosts of Rancho Espanto
• Attack of the Black Rectangles 
• The Labors of Hercules Beale
• Grounded 
• The Fire, the Water, and Maudie McGinn
• Rez Dogs
• The Lion of Mars

Middle Grade Chapter Books

• Linked
• Different Kinds of Fruit 
• Mihi Ever After 
• Nic Blake and the Remarkables: The Manifestor Prophecy
• Out of My Heart 
• Freewater 
• The Windeby Puzzle
• Counting by 7s

Middle Grade Chapter Books

• The Story of Gumluck the Wizard
• The Very Unfortunate Wish of Melony Yoshimura
• Coyote Queen 
• Eli Over Easy
• Not Quite a Ghost
• Between Monsters and Marvels 
• Tree. Table. Book. 
• The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams 

Graphic Novels

• Invisible
• My Aunt is a Monster
• White Bird 
• School Trip 
• Mexikid
• Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library 
• Two Tribes
• A First Time for Anything 

See any books that you enjoyed? Let me know in the comments. What should I read for 2024?

One positive effect of a comprehensive booklist like this is that I am able to see what types of books are missing from my reading life. In the year ahead, I plan to read more nonfiction books, as well as graphic novels. There are some excellent reading challenges for 2024:

Winter Reading Challenge

The Candid Cover's list for all ages

The 52 Book Club

BiblioLifestyle Reading Challenge

ShelfReflection

ReaderHaven

Feel free to pick one to help you stay motivated to read and share what you like with others. The best way to find out what to read next is by word of mouth!

Creative ways to end the school year

The end of the school year marks a unique opportunity for educators to create lasting memories with students. If you aren't able to try any of these activities out this year, keep them in mind as beginning of the school year rolls around or use them at the close of next year.

STEAM challenges

• Students choose a book, either a new one or a past read that they enjoyed.

          They must create an object that goes with the book. Then they share the story and what they chose to create with their classmates. These can go on display or be taken home, depending on the materials used with the books. 

Pictured here are my students using LEGO blocks:

• Use a picture book to challenge students to construct an object from the story, for example, we read the new version of The Three Billy Goats Gruff by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen:

Students were challenged to build a troll bridge out of LEGO blocks. I gave them a piece of blue paper as the water and the only stipulation I made was that it had to be elevated, not touching the water.  As the students worked they found that they wanted to continue the challenge with more requirements, like the ones that are the sturdiest, tallest, etc. 

The best part was listening to them share their strategies for building and helping each other when they got stuck. It also inspired some to want to perform a reader's theater of the story! 

• Put up a big Spot the Difference to complete as a class. Then challenge students to make their own and trade with one another. They can use old magazines to cut out pictures and words or use Google Slides or another digital format to make their pictures. 

The one shown in this video is from the publisher's website for the book, Someone Builds the Dream by Lisa Wheeler and Loren Long. 

• Challenge students to create a BookFace photo. They will need access to a camera and book covers You can do this with book covers that are already separated from books or from the books themselves. In small groups, 3 people is usually good, students select a book cover that they can finish with their own bodies, faces, or other objects. Then students pose in a way that aligns with the book's cover art and another student takes the picture. Pictures can be edited and cropped so that only the BookFace remains.  Here are some of our favorites from this past year:

Blast From the Past

This is a fun way to look back on the school year and reflect on those moments of growth, humor, and classmates who have come and gone.  

• Show photos and ask students to recall those lessons. I also record or have them write down what they are interested in at the start of the school year.  At the end, I share with them what they said and ask if anything has changed since then.  It is so neat to hear how their interests and lives change.

• Roll videos produced by students, for example, stop motion films, book trailers, etc.  After looking at some, students asked to make more next year and for specific events, like, Talk Like a Pirate Day.  We even made several of our own as a class on our last library day!

• Have students rank their top reads of the year. Our library management system allows them to see their circulation history, so students were able to rank their favorite books they checked out. 

Looking ahead

• Share with students special days, holidays, or hide them in plastic eggs around the room. (I got the list from LM_NET and had to cut some out due to the age of my students.) Students select one to learn more about and then share with their classmates what they learned. You can have them write it on a sticky note, make a poster, or a digital copy.

This poster displayed here is from my Capstone Publisher representative:

• Survey students about their opinions about the library program or your classroom.  I've had students use devices to fill out Google Forms and I've had them write their ideas on paper posted around the room.  This helps to shape the next year and gives students a voice:

Play unplugged games

• Peep Knock-out: you take turns with a partner trying to knock a Peep off of the side of a table using only a plastic egg that you roll.  I heard about this game from a librarian colleague of mine and was waiting to play it on a special occasion. My 1st graders played the game and then we came together to critique it and adjust the rules for playing it again in the future. 

• "Water Balloon Battle" or "________ Battle": You take turns launching a balloon on paper towards your opponents figures, also drawn on paper.  Your eyes are closed when launching and if you hit the figure then you succeed.  I first saw this on a fellow librarian's Twitter account and had my students play it, they loved it!  They also had fantastic ideas for adjustments.  
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  Follow the directions below for the rules to the tabletop game: 

Of course there are so many fun ways to end the school year or engage with learners to build community, please leave your favorite activities in the comments or if you have specific questions, send them my way.

Who protects nature? Legends of Lotus Island, a new middle grade series

"I'd never known my parents. I was just a baby when a storm capsized their boat on the open sea." - Plum

The new middle grade fantasy series, Legends of Lotus Island: The Guardian Test, by award-winning author, Christina Soontornvat, is the ideal story to share with children.  She writes of an orphaned farm girl, Plum, who is raised by her grandparents since she was a baby. She knows nothing of the rest of the country and is shocked when she is invited to join the elite school so that she may become a Guardian, a protector of the natural world.  

It is difficult for Plum to leave the security of her grandparents' home where she is comfortable taking care of the crops and livestock.  As she learns about the other cities in her country and meets children from those places, her eyes are open to how important Guardians are in this society. Readers can connect to this as they, too, are learning about the vast world and their place in it.  As Fred Rogers famously said, "Look for the helpers." This is perfectly applied to this story.  The natural resources are being depleted and it is up to the Guardians to save what is left for everyone's well-being, even if they are vilified for it.

Readers who enjoy magical school stories, like Harry Potter and Amari and the Night Brothers may also like this series. It is significantly shorter than both of those series at under 150 pages, so it is not as intimidating to pick it up.  The teachers and cast of students are all unique and bring a sense of humor and danger to the story. After a month of lessons, students are given a Guardian test in which they must transform into their creature form that will allow them to protect the natural world.  Plum has had difficulty with this and is on the verge of quitting.  Will she find what is inside of her to allow her to transform?

Another aspect of this story that readers will find interesting is the role of meditation in it. One of the lessons that the students learn each day is to sit and focus and on their breathing.  In this era of constant noise and entertainment, this is an important practice that will bring much-needed calmness to many young people.  As an educator I have witnessed the effects of my students being unable to control their emotions.  Daily practice of focusing on their breath helps to center them when they feel their emotions start to get out of hand. Soontornvat also wrote about this meditation practice in her nonfiction account of the Thai Boys' Soccer Team rescue in the caves in her award-winning book, All Thirteen.   The boys said that their coach taught them to meditate and that is one reason that they were able to stay calm and get through the many days of being trapped in the caves before they were able to be rescued. 

The last part of the story that drew me in the most is the mystery surrounding Plum and her mother. In the opening chapters the readers learn, along with Plum, that her mother was from the big island to which she didn't want to return.  When Plum sees this place up close and meets people from there she wonders how her mother would've been there. As the series continues, I hope that Plum uncovers her mother's past and why Plum has a set of powers that nobody else exhibits. Soontornvat's books are all ones that I recommend and this one is no different. It belongs on all bookshelves and in readers' hands. 

(Thank you to the book's publisher, Scholastic,  for sending an ARC to my book review group, #BookExcursion!)

 

Understanding the misunderstood worm

 

Spring is in full force and as people tend to their gardens, one animal that inevitably pops up is the worm.  Love them or hate them, they are here to help the earth in many ways.  As a teacher, parent and librarian, I seek out picture books to help young people understand the why behind creatures in nature so Marie Boyd's debut story, Just a Worm, does exactly that! Other than the sweet story of a worm, Boyd also has illustrated the book with an artistic paper cut technique called, quilling. You can learn more about her craft on her website where she has a tutorial on how to make a snail! I am excited to share this with my students and daughter. 

I had some questions for Marie Boyd regarding her book, its topic, her inspiration and other topics. Here are her responses: 

1.    Why did you decide to write about a worm of all creatures?

 

Hi Fallon, Thanks so much for having me on The Story Spectator! I’m excited to be here. I decided to write about a worm because when my son was younger, I often told him “It’s just a worm” when he saw worms on the sidewalk. One day I started thinking about how a worm might respond if it could understand my words. That question led to my debut picture book Just a Worm.

2.    What do you hope readers will gain after reading your book?

 

In Just a Worm, after being called “just a worm” by two children, Worm embarks on a journey through the garden to prove them wrong. Along the way, Worm encounters several insects and other creatures, each of which has important qualities. But what can Worm do? I wrote Just a Worm for everyone who has ever compared themselves to others and felt that they have fallen short. I hope that Just a Worm will encourage readers to consider the special ways that they contribute to their families and communities.

3.    How did you get into quilling?

 

I learned about quilling by chance. I was at a craft store buying fabric when I came across some quilling supplies. I didn’t know what quilling was, so I looked it up on my phone. I was intrigued by what I saw and bought the supplies. I started quilling cards for my family and friends and quickly fell in love with quilling. I had a lot of paper that I had collected over the years for various craft projects so eventually I began cutting my own quilling strips. That opened so many new creative possibilities, and eventually led to me using quilled paper to illustrate Just a Worm.

 

4.    What came first, the words or the illustrations?

 

The story started with the phrase, “it’s just a worm,” but when I thought about what Worm’s garden would look like I imagined it quilled.

 

5.    Do you have a special experience or memory with gardens?

 

I have so many special memories with gardens and the illustrations in Just a Worm draw on some of those memories. As a child, I often helped my parents in the yard and many of the plants in Just a Worm are inspired by plants from their garden.  I love gardens so much that I got married in a garden.

 

6.  What advice do you have for people who think worms are gross?

 

Worms play an important role as decomposers and it is possible to appreciate worms and what they do from a distance.

 

Thanks again for hosting me and allowing me to share a bit about Just a Worm. If your readers are interested in learning more about how I illustrated Just a Worm, I share quilled crafts and more on my website at www.marieboyd.com. Happy reading! 

The book, Just a Worm, is released by Greenwillow, an imprint of HarperCollins, on March 14, 2023, so you can get it now!   A big thanks to author Marie Boyd for taking the time to speak with me about her first picture book.  I hope to see many more of her works in the future.