We Are Family (LeBron James and Andrea Williams)

 

I read this aloud to my class. I probably wouldn't have picked it (even if I had read it ahead of time) but when the student who rarely listens to the read alouds comes to you and says, "Could we PLEASE read this one next?"! the answer will always be YES! 

As I got reading, I realized there were some things that were just a little too much for the age of students I teach. There's domestic violence, teen pregnancy, bullying, financial stress, alcoholism and more. The authors are also very elaborate with their description. While it's really well explained and would be great to help you get into the mind of the character, it just didn't move fast enough as a read aloud. I started to read ahead and find parts I could skip and that worked just fine. 

All that being said, there are some great lessons taught in this book. Lessons about never giving up on your dreams, pushing through trials, supporting your friends and possibility thinking. LeBron James apparently co-wrote the book, and that's always going to be a hit with the kids who love basketball. That man does a lot of good in the world and I'm happy to support his efforts by buying and reading this one.

Goodreads says:

Kids have big dreams. And when those dreams are on the line, how far are they willing to go to achieve them?

When Jayden and his teammates find out there's not going to be a Hoop Group this year--and maybe ever again--they have to learn to lean on each other if they want to save their basketball season, in this inspiring new middle grade novel from NBA superstar LeBron James and acclaimed author Andrea Williams.

Jayden Carr has been training all summer to be ready for Hoop Group--the free afterschool basketball program where his hero, NBA superstar Kendrick King, got his start. But when his beloved coach tells him there's not going to be a Hoop Group this year, Jayden is heartbroken.

And he's not the only one. Coach Beck's daughter, Tamika, was planning to be the first girl ever to start for the squad. Chris King, Kendrick's only nephew, spent the summer bragging that his uncle was coming home just to watch him play. For Anthony Pierson, Hoop Group was supposed to be his way out of trouble. And for Dexter Donyel, all 4'6" of him, Hoop Group was his chance to finally be part of a team, instead of just watching from the stands.

For each kid, Hoop Group was more than just a chance to ball; it was an escape, a dream, a family. Now their prospects seem all but impossible--but then the world hasn't met Jayden, Tamika, Chris, Anthony, and Dex before. Determined to have their shot, the five new friends scrap, hustle, fight, and play hard to save their season to prove that sometimes a chance is all it takes.

It's an inspiring, original middle grade story from NBA superstar LeBron James and acclaimed author Andrea Williams that channels the many relatable challenges so many young kids face.

The first step to winning is getting out on the court.

Digging For Words (Angela Burke Kunkel)

 

In our comfortable and plush lives we can hardly imagine anyone pulling stuff out of the garbage to make it useful.

Goodreads says:

Based on the life of Jose Alberto Gutierrez, a garbage collector in Bogota, Colombia who started a library with a single discarded book found on his route.

In the city of Bogata, in the barrio of La Nueva Gloria, there live two Joses. One is a boy who dreams of Saturdays-- that's the day he gets to visit Paradise, the library. The second Jose is a garbage collector. From dusk until dawn, he scans the sidewalks as he drives, squinting in the dim light, searching household trash for hidden treasure . . . books! Some are stacked in neat piles, as if waiting for Jose. Others take a bit more digging. Ever since he found his first book, Anna Karenina, years earlier, he's been collecting books--thick ones and thin ones, worn ones and almost new ones-- to add to the collection in his home. And on Saturdays, kids like little Jose run to the steps of Paradise to discover a world filled with books and wonder.

With an evocative text by a debut author, and rich, stunning illustrations from an up-and-coming Colombian illustrator, here is a celebration of perseverance, community, and the power of books.

The King of Jam Sandwiches (Eric Walters)

 

This is a great story! I love stories of people who figure out how to not just survive, but succeed in life despite everything being against them. The author (who is Canadian!) says this was a very personal story and that he also grew up in poverty. I was left wondering how much of it was directly from his life and how much he made up and who is the girl?! Is she a real person? It sounds like she is, from the afterward.

In some ways, we're all the underdog and this story inspires me to think I can do anything! 

I recently heard it won a 2021 Govenor General's Award for Young People's Literature.

Goodreads says:

★ "Tug at the heartstrings and tickle the funny bone...This warm tale is definitely one for the keeper shelves. Highly recommended."--School Library Journal, starred review

Thirteen-year-old Robbie leads a double life. It's just Robbie and his dad, but no one knows that his dad isn't like most parents. Sometimes he wakes Robbie up in the middle of the night to talk about dying. Sometimes he just leaves without telling Robbie where he's going. Once when Robbie was younger, he was gone for more than a week. Robbie was terrified of being left alone but even more scared of telling anyone in case he was put into foster care. No one can know. Until one day when Robbie has to show the tough new girl, Harmony, around school. Their first meeting ends horribly and she punches Robbie in the face. But eventually they come to realize that they have a lot more in common than they thought. Can Robbie's new friend be trusted to keep his secret?   

Lots de Casha (Madonna)

No one in my class had any clue who Madonna was. I left that alone.

I found this story a little strange. The pictures were elaborate and over the top and the story was quite drawn out. My class seemed to quite enjoy it. They listened quite intently and in the end, caught the play on words.

Goodreads says:

Money can't buy love and being the wealthiest person in the world doesn't guarantee happiness.Lotsa de Casha is the richest -- and most miserable -- man in the world. No matter how colossal his castles, how fast his horses, nor how big his sandwiches, he remains a gloomy old sourpuss -- until he embarks on a fantastic adventure that leads him to the discovery of life's greatest treasure...

What is the secret to happiness? Read Lotsa's story and find out...

On Our Street: Our First Talk About Poverty (Jillian Roberts)

We had an assembly this month about homelessness and are doing a special project where the students will be making sandwiches at school for homeless people in our city. This was a great book to continue the conversation on this topic. It helped clear up a lot of misunderstandings about people who are homeless.

Goodreads says:

A gentle introduction to the issue of poverty, On Our Street explores the realities of people living with inadequate resources. Using age-appropriate language, this book addresses mental illness, homelessness and refugee status as they are connected to this issue. Quotes from individuals and organizations such as UNICEF are included throughout to add further perspective on the issue.

Papa Gave Me a Stick (Janice Levy)

This story reminds me of the story, What Mary Did. It's about the domino effect of kind acts.

Goodreads says:
When Antonio sees the members of the Mariachi band play, he wants nothing more than a guitar of his own. But guitars cost money, explains his father, who hands Antonio a stick instead. Confused and upset, Antonio resentfully accepts his father’s gift. He heads off, unknowingly starting a chain of exchanges that may, miraculously, earn him what he wants most. Filled with plenty of Spanish vocabulary for young readers, Papa Gave Me a Stick is a vibrant story about the virtues and rewards of kindness. 

419 (Will Ferguson)

I really enjoyed this book. It was fun to read a book set in the city I live in! The story is quite compelling. It makes me crazy to hear of people who get sucked into online scams. It was interesting to read the story from all sides. In the end, the women prevail. Only right! :)

Goodreads says:

A car tumbles down a snowy ravine. Accident or suicide?

On the other side of the world, a young woman walks out of a sandstorm in sub-Saharan Africa. In the labyrinth of the Niger Delta, a young boy learns to survive by navigating through the gas flares and oil spills of a ruined landscape. In the seething heat of Lagos City, a criminal cartel scours the internet looking for victims.

Lives intersect, worlds collide, a family falls apart. And it all begins with a single email: “Dear Sir, I am the son of an exiled Nigerian diplomat, and I need your help ...”

419 takes readers behind the scene of the world’s most insidious internet scam. When Laura’s father gets caught up in one such swindle and pays with his life, she is forced to leave the comfort of North America to make a journey deep into the dangerous back streets and alleyways of the Lagos underworld to confront her father’s killer. What she finds there will change her life forever...

Something About Hensleys (Patricia Polacco)

Patricia Polacco has a magic story telling gift. Every my toughest students who don't seem to enjoy story time get drawn into her stories. My students even gasped as the two girls were walking down the street and came across a kitten while having just what they needed to catch the kitten.

I started off telling my class how my husband's family lives in a very small town and everyone loves to go to The Merc. You find all sorts of cool things at The Merc....just like at Hensley's. This is a historical fiction book. The author says she is still loyal to Hensley's because of her great experiences there.

Goodreads summary:

There's something about Hensley's! No matter what you need, that general store is sure to have it. It's almost magical the way the manager, Old John, seems to know what the townsfolk need before they do! But then a new family moves to town. The youngest child, Molly, has asthma--but her mother doesn't have money to treat her, or for anything else. But leave it to Old John to find a way to use Hensley's to give the family exactly what it needs, even if it can't be boxed or bagged.

A true--and truly moving--story about an unforgettable general store and about the extraordinary power one person's acts of kindness can have on another.

About the Author: Patricia Polacco lives in Union City, Michigan.

Those Shoes (Maribeth Boelts)

Great story. Have you ever just wanted something because you felt like life would just be better? You'd just be a little cooler? We could all relate. Often, everyone just wants to fit in. In our school kids wear uniforms and they're well aware that one of the benefits of uniforms is that we don't seem to have those issues as much - but they still got the concept. We all had empathy for Jeremy when he just wanted to have the same shoes as everyone else. We felt excited for him when he found some in the second hand store and we understood the crazy idea of squishing your feet into the shoes he finally found even though they were too small. When he gives the shoes away, our hearts sang. There is a great lesson in this story about learning the difference between wants and needs and what really matters when it comes to fitting in.



Goodreads summary:
But all the kids are wearing them! Any child who has ever craved something out of reach will relate to this warm, refreshingly realistic story.

"I have dreams about those shoes. Black high-tops. Two white stripes."

All Jeremy wants is a pair of those shoes, the ones everyone at school seems to be wearing. But Jeremy’s grandma tells him they don’t have room for "want," just "need," and what Jeremy needs are new boots for winter. When Jeremy’s shoes fall apart at school, and the guidance counselor gives him a hand-me-down pair, the boy is more determined than ever to have those shoes, even a thrift-shop pair that are much too small. But sore feet aren’t much fun, and Jeremy comes to realize that the things he has — warm boots, a loving grandma, and the chance to help a friend — are worth more than the things he wants.

The Children Who Loved Books (Peter Carnavas)

The children in my class very quickly caught on to the idea that we don't need things to make us happy and spending time with our family, even reading, can be wonderful.

We really loved the illustrations too! They kind of reminded me of a non-black and white possibly Quinten Blake style illustration. There were a number of pages that funny things got pointed out.

Everyone was very focused and into this story. Reads well.

Goodreads summary:

Angus and Lucy love books.They have hundreds of them.Then one day, all the books are taken away, and Angus and Lucy discover they need books more than they ever imagined. A warm and moving celebration of books and the way in which they bring us all together.