Dreams for my daughter: Build your dream and soar!
Great Kid Books
by Mary Ann Scheuer
2y ago
How do you bundle all of a parent's dreams and love for a child together in one book? How do you help children see all their potential? Two new picture books do a lovely job of just this, and I'll be bringing them with me this weekend to celebrate my daughter Katy's college graduation. Dreams for a Daughter by Carole Boston Weatherford illustrated by Brian Pinkney Atheneum / Simon & Schuster, 2021 Amazon / Your local library / preview ages 4-adult This love letter from mother to daughter captures a mother's love and hopes, inspiring her daughter to follow her dreams, no matter what ch ..read more
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In My Feed: interesting articles & blogs to share (September 2021)
Great Kid Books
by Mary Ann Scheuer
2y ago
 As the fall weather starts changing (yes, we do have seasons here in California!), some "best of the year" lists are starting to show up in my feed. I always have fun seeing what books other folks highlight as their favorites. We've got the longest for the National Book Award for Young People's Literature, and different Mock Newbery lists. Want to get in on the fun yourself? Nominations for the CYBILS Awards start on October 1st. image credit: SLJ Longlist for the National Book Award for Young People's Literature The National Book Foundation has announced the 2021 longlist ..read more
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Celebrating Latinx & Hispanic heritage with teens (ages 13 and up)
Great Kid Books
by Mary Ann Scheuer
2y ago
We're celebrating Latinx and Hispanic Heritage Month at Albany High School, and I'd love to share some of the books that the teens at our school are excited about. Check out the wide range of books below -- these are all ones that our students are checking out, sharing with each other and recommending. Definitely teen tested! Realistic fiction Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, by Benjamin Alire Sáenz Furia, by Yamile Saied Méndez Here the Whole Time, by Vitor Martins Juliet Takes a Breath, by Gabby Rivera Fantasy & Sci-Fi Cemetery Boys, by Aidan Thomas Dealin ..read more
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2022 Berkeley Mock Newbery Book Clubs (ages 9-11)
Great Kid Books
by Mary Ann Scheuer
2y ago
Across Berkeley, students, teachers and families are joining this year's Berkeley Mock Newbery Book Clubs. Every elementary school has invited 4th & 5th graders to participate in these book clubs, talking about the best books published this year. I'm so excited that the Berkeley Mock Newbery tradition is continuing. Each winter, the American Library Association awards the the Newbery Medal to the author of the most “distinguished contribution to American literature for children.” In Berkeley, 4th and 5th graders form their own Mock Newbery book clubs, considering some of the books which th ..read more
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Wishes, by Mượn Thị Văn: Opening our readers' hearts
Great Kid Books
by Mary Ann Scheuer
2y ago
Personal stories, especially picture books, have an incredible power to open readers' hearts. In her beautiful new book Wishes, Mượn Thị Văn draws on her personal experience fleeing Vietnam with her family in search of a safer home. She prompts readers to ask, if you had to leave everything you knew and loved behind, what would you wish for? Wishes by Mượn Thị Văn illustrated by Victo Ngai Orchard / Scholastic, 2021 Amazon / your local library / Overdrive ages 6 and up As a young girl and her family pack in the middle of the night, they say a tearful goodbye to her grandfather and others who ..read more
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Red, White and Whole: Finding your path, caught in the middle (ages 10-14)
Great Kid Books
by Mary Ann Scheuer
2y ago
How do our children navigate feeling caught between two cultures, two groups of friends, two identities? In the new novel-in-verse Red, White and Whole, thirteen-year old Reha struggles to figure out her own path, acutely aware that she must juggle between her home life, filled with Indian family, friends and traditions, and her school life. When Reha's mother is diagnosed with advanced leukemia, Reha must figure out how to draw strength from both sides of her life and chart her own way forward. Red, White and Whole by Rajani LaRocca Quill Tree / HarperCollins, 2021 Amazon / your local ..read more
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Chronicling the events of 9/11: In the Shadow of the Fallen Towers, by Don Brown (ages 12 and up)
Great Kid Books
by Mary Ann Scheuer
2y ago
As we approach the 20th anniversary of 9/11, I wonder how the teens I work with think about it. The events of September 11, 2001 are certainly etched into my memory—but today's teens weren't even born when these attacked happened. Does 9/11 feel far away and removed to them? Do they wonder what it was like to live through those traumatic times?  In the Shadow of the Fallen Towers brings readers right into the moment the towers were struck and the devastating, chaotic aftermath. Don Brown masterfully create an accessible and immersive chronicle that's presented in a graphic novel form ..read more
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The Fox and the Forest Fire -- sharing about a disaster with young readers (ages 5-9)
Great Kid Books
by Mary Ann Scheuer
2y ago
As California's skies fill with smoke and our forests burn, I wonder how you talk with children about wildfires and other natural disasters. The Fox and the Forest Fire, a new picture book, shares this experience with young children better than any other book I've read, creating empathy and understanding in a gentle but powerful way. The Fox and the Forest Fire by Danny Popovici Chronicle, 2021 Amazon / your local library / Overdrive ages 5-9 After moving to a new home in the woods with his mother, a young boy works to adjust to his new home. At first it's too different, but he gradually disc ..read more
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Inspiring Young Environmental Advocates: 6 middle grade novels (ages 9-14)
Great Kid Books
by Mary Ann Scheuer
2y ago
Environmental issues impact and threaten our lives in so many ways--from raging fires to supersize storms. Here are six novels that tackle some of these issues, whether it’s through showing characters fighting to protect endangered species or setting survival stories in the wilderness impacted by changing climates.  Willodeen by Katherine Applegate  Feiwel & Friends / Macmillan, 2021 Amazon / your local library (scheduled to be published on Sept. 7, 2021) ages 9-12  Eleven-year-old Willodeen feels a connection to all kinds of animals, and has an adorable hummingbear (a cros ..read more
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Reclaiming mythology & California history: The Legend of Auntie Po, by Shing Yin Khor (ages 9-14)
Great Kid Books
by Mary Ann Scheuer
2y ago
Attention comic book lovers: come explore a 19th century California logging camp and listen to a young Chinese girl spin stories and tall tales envisioning a better future. The Legend of Auntie Po, by Shing Yin Khor, explores the struggles of the Chinese in California in the years following the Chinese Exclusion Act, balancing important historical details with a compelling, heartfelt, magical story. The Legend of Auntie Po by Shing Yin Khor Kokila / Penguin, 2021 Amazon / your local library / Overdrive ages 9-14 Mei helps her father cook and feed dozens of hungry men in a Sierra Nevada logg ..read more
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