Monday Quick Pick: RESTART by Gordon Korman

I don't have time for a full review of this one, since it's so early in the school year and I'm still re-learning how to balance my writing, reading and teaching without collapsing from exhaustion at the end of every day. But I really wanted to give this book a shout out. 

I loved the concept of the story: a kid who was a terrible bully has an accident, gets amnesia and gets a chance to start his life over again.

This is a different take on a bullying story and it's worth sharing with kids to generate discussion about feelings and behaviour choices. As well as Chase's point of view, the story is also told from the perspective of kids who he bullied in his "previous life."

I am a big fan of Gordon Korman's writing and you can learn more about him from some of my other reviews of his books: UNGIFTED, MASTERMINDS and THE HYPNOTISTS.

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday – SPEECHLESS

When I first saw this book, I was intrigued by the title and the cover. It's the last of the nominees for the 2016 Silver Birch Fiction Awards that I needed to read before the results come in! The winner will be announced on May 18.

Description from the publisher:

 Jelly Miles would rather be playing video games with his best friend P.B. than preparing for a speech competition. In fact, he’d rather be doing just about anything else. So he’s as surprised as anyone that he’s taking this year’s competition seriously. At first, it’s for the awesome prize. But when the competition turns ugly, Jelly realizes it’s his chance to finally get the last word with the class know-it-all. With his reputation, self-respect and the friendship he values most on the line, can Jelly find the courage to get up in front of the whole school and show his true self?

Laugh-out-loud funny, Speechless is about standing up to bullying, knowing who your friends are and finding your own unique voice.

Speechless was written by Jennifer Mook-Sang and published by Scholastic in 2015.

My Take:

Jelly’s character had some interesting hobbies (e.g., ventriloquism) and skills (e.g., he’s a computer genius) but what I really loved most about his character was his humor. He had a realistic personality that hooked me from the beginning of the story. This book tackles typical middle grade themes such as bullying, friendship and learning to be yourself.

For writers: 

I really liked the way the author used a speech contest as the backbone of the plot and built the other events around it. It kept the story focused but allowed room to explore and connect other subplots, such as Jelly’s work with the food bank.

Opening Line:

“The door of the school library burst open and Parker blasted in.”

Quotes:

“I will never understand girls.”

“Of course I was trying to stay out of trouble. But unfortunately, these days, trouble seemed to be lying in puddles all around me.”

“I took slow breaths and tried to keep the fear-excitement gathered into a small, cold knot in my middle, instead of rampaging through my whole body.”

“With all the presentations and class circles, I’m sure the bullies had learned more about how to bully than they’d ever be able to use in a lifetime.”

Other Info:

Jennifer Mook-Sang lives in Burlington, Ontario. Speechless is her first middle grade novel.

Teaching Ideas:

Reflect: Have you ever given a speech? What was the most difficult part of it for you? Think of one strategy to help yourself work through that challenge.

Think up your own set of steps or strategies for giving a speech. Create a comic or short story that uses all your steps.

Create your own anti-bullying slogan  or use Jelly’s (Speak Up, Speak Out) and design an anti-bullying poster. 

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday - THE SURVIVAL GUIDE TO BULLYING

I don’t usually review nonfiction middle grade books, but I think this is an important book for middle schoolers to read, or to at least be aware of in case they need it. 

Description from Amazon.com:

The Survival Guide to Bullying covers everything from cyber bullying to how to deal with fear and

how to create the life you dream of having. From inspiring "roems" (rap poems), survival tips, personal stories, and quick quizzes, this book will light the way to a brighter future. This updated edition also features new, never-before-seen content including a chapter about how to talk to parents, an epilogue, and an exclusive Q&A with the author.

The Survival Guide to Bullying was written by Aija Mayrock and published by Scholastic, Inc. in 2015.

My Take:

Since this book was written by a teen who was actually bullied, in the very least it will help other kids in similar situations realize they are not alone. Although there are other nonfiction books about bullying, this one contains the author’s own rap-style poetry which demonstrate one way to deal with negative feelings. I really liked the writing style and the voice of this book, because you feel like you are talking to someone rather than just getting advice. I wish I had a book to read like this when I was a teen. Highly recommend this book for any school library or teen’s bookshelf.

Opening Line:

“Bullying was the dark cloud over my head.”

Quotes:

“But if you can find at least one thing at school that makes you happy, it will power you through your entire day.”

“When I wanted to avoid bullying, I knew where to go. I was safe there. And I was the happiest that I could be at school.”

 “…it’s not easy to be who you really are. It’s not always comfortable or “safe.” But when it’s good, it’s really good.”

Other Info:

Aija Mayrock began writing the book when she was 16 and finished it when she was 19. She is now a writer, actress and filmmaker.

You can find out more about Aija and her book in this interview:

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday: Pack of Dorks

As a middle school “dork” myself, I often choose middle grade books where the dorky kid finds a place for themselves. This one was interesting because the main character had a new baby sister with a disability. I read it as an e-book from my public library.  

Here’s the Amazon description:

Lucy knows that kissing Tom Lemmings behind the ball shed will make her a legend. But she doesn’t count on that quick clap of lips propelling her from coolest to lamest fourth grader overnight. 

Suddenly Lucy finds herself trapped in Dorkdom, where a diamond ring turns your finger green, where the boy you kiss hates you three days later, where your best friend laughs as you cry, where parents seem to stop liking you, and where baby sisters are born different.

Now Lucy has a choice: she can be like her former best friend Becky, who would do anything to claim her seat at the cool table in the cafeteria, or Lucy can pull up a chair among the solo eaters—also known as the dorks. Still unsure, Lucy partners with super quiet Sam Righter on a research project about wolves. Lucy connects her own school hierarchy with what she learns about animal pack life—where some wolves pin down weaker ones just because they can, and others risk everything to fight their given place in the pack. Soon Lucy finds her third option: creating a pack of her own, even if it is simply a pack of dorks.

Weaving tough issues, including bullying, loyalty, and disability, with a thread of snarky humor, family bonds, and fresh perspective, Pack of Dorks paints characters coming-of-age and coming-to-terms. Beth Vrabel’s stellar debut contemporary middle grade novel is sure to please fans of Jack Gantos, Elizabeth Atkinson, and Judy Blume.

Pack of Dorks by Beth Vrabel, Sky Pony Press, 2014

My Take:

Lucy has a lot of problems with kids at school, not to mention the problems that arrived when her new baby sister was born. I haven’t come across many middle grade books where the main character has to deal with a sibling having Down Syndrome. Lucy's behaviour and actions seemed realistic for her age and I was rooting for her to find a way to solve her social problems and fit in. I especially liked her unconventional grandmother, and learning about wolves and the wolf sanctuary. 

From a writer’s perspective, it was interesting to think about how the author stayed true to Lucy’s point of view, by having her more concerned and aware of problems with her friends than the issues related to her new sister, which were consuming her parents.

Opening Line:

“This was the biggest recess of my life.”

Quotes:

“Dad nodded at me, and the sick feeling I had trapped under my ribs since our fight trickled away.”

“Maybe I should’ve stood up for April the way she had for me, but I couldn’t seem to move.”

“She pushed back the sleeves of her uniform and I could see her arms weren’t soft like the soggy chicken skin on Grandma’s arms. They were solid and rippled with muscle. I swallowed hard.”

Other Info:

Beth Vrabel lives in Connecticut, and once wanted to be a wolf biologist.

Her next book, The Blind Guide to Stinkville is coming in the fall of 2015.

On her blog, Beth Vrabel says this about writing: “First I think of a character. Over the course of weeks or even months, I think about that "person," what makes him tick and how he'd react to different situations. And then I (hopefully) find my plot.”

 For more, visit Beth Vrabel’s website. 

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday: The Hidden Agenda of Sigrid Sugden

I can't remember reading another book about a bully trying to change their ways. I was intrigued right from the beginning. This is a novel that really makes you think, but also one that hooks you and keeps you reading until the end.

Here’s the Amazon description:

Sigrid Sugden is a Shrike, a member of one of the toughest group of girls in school. They are experts at blackmail, extortion and bullying their terrorized classmates.

But one day, the Shrikes go too far. Sigrid realizes that their favourite victim, Prinny Murphy, is in real danger. She makes a decision that will save Prinny from danger but will turn the Shrikes anger and bullying against the former friend who betrayed them to the authorities.

For Sigrid, this is a transformative moment. She wants to be a better person and begins to reflect on the events that led to her being a Shrike. Participating in their mean pranks made her feel powerful and safe. But now, she realizes she needs and wants to turn over a new leaf - make new friends and be kinder to others. But overcoming her bad girl image is a whole lot harder to do than she originally thought. No one likes her, no one trusts her - no one is willing to give her a second chance. But then an unlikely ally comes forward to help her convince the rest of the students at school that she really does want to be a better person - her former victim, Prinny Murphy.

The Hidden Agenda of Sigrid Sugden by Jill MacLean, Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 2013

My Take:

I got very wrapped up in this story. Some parts surprised me and other parts reminded me how cruel kids can be towards each other and others. I wasn’t sure I liked Sigrid at the beginning, but by the end, I was rooting for her. The characters and situations in this story are realistic and take the reader on an emotional journey. This is a fast-paced story that didn’t take too long to read. It's not a book to turn to if you want a happy ending with everything tied up neatly, but it had a realistic and hopeful ending that left me thinking. It would be a great book to read with a class to discuss issues related to bullying.

The writer in me admired the way the author managed to dig right in to difficult issues and convey the struggle and emotion the character faced. This novel is written in first-person, so it’s a good one to study to see how to create a unique character voice.

Opening Line:

“Show her the photo, Sigrid,” Tate says.”

Quotes:

“It feels like the walls are closing in on me, the air so stale I can scarce breathe.”

“The dandelions smear into yellow streaks as I hit the ground.”

“Crazy, I know, major crazy, but fears are fears because they grasp you by the throat, not by the brain cells.”

Other Info:

Jill MacLean lives in Nova Scotia, Canada.

This is the third book in Jill MacLean’s trilogy of books set in Newfoundland. The others are The Nine Lives of Travis Keating and The Present Tense of Prinny Murphy. She has also written two YA books.

This book is shortlisted for The Manitoba Young Readers' Choice Award, 2015 and is also a 2015 Silver Birch Fiction nominee.

For more, visit Jill MacLean’s website.

Looking for more Marvelous Middle Grade Monday books? Visit Shannon Messenger’s blog for a list of bloggers reviewing great books today! Shannon is the founder of Marvelous Middle Grade Monday and the author of the middle grade novels, Keeper of the Lost Cities and Exile (Keeper of the Lost Cities #2).

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday - Eight Keys

Today’s Pick: Eight Keys by Suzanne LaFleur

Published by Wendy Lamb Books

From Amazon:

Elise and Franklin have always been best friends. Elise has always lived in the big house with her loving Uncle and Aunt, because Elise's parents died when she was too young to remember them. There's always been a barn behind the house with eight locked doors on the second floor.

When Elise and Franklin start middle school, things feel all wrong. Bullying. Not fitting in. Franklin suddenly seems babyish. Then, soon after her 12th birthday, Elise receives a mysterious key left for her by her father. A key that unlocks one of the eight doors upstairs in the barn . .

My Take:

This was a touching story about that challenging time when you start middle school and your friendships and family life is changing. The characters in this story felt very alive to me, including Elise’s aunt and uncle (instead of being absent or fading into the background as in many middle grade novels).

Elise wasn’t always kind to her best friend, but the story seemed a realistic portrayal of how Elise tried to find her place in the social sphere, and the problem of bullying and whether to talk about it to anyone or not. The mystery of the keys to the locked rooms in the barn was unique story element that kept me wanting to read more.

As a writer, I’d study this book more closely to see how author created a full picture of the main character’s life, showing both her time at home and her time at school. There were careful details about the setting that created a strong sense of place. I really admired how the way Suzanne LaFleur layered in deeper emotions and thoughts.

Favourite Quotes:

“I didn’t know how to explain how lately I had had more thoughts than ever before whirring through my head and sometimes when I stopped to think about them I lost track of time.”

“I thought all my questions would be answered, but instead I found a million more.”

“We have plenty of room for people...in our lives, I mean. Especially the ones who make us be the people we want to be.”

“A good friend is one of the hardest things to keep in this life. Don't forget that sometimes you have to work at it.”

Other Info:

Suzanne LaFleur lives near Boston and in New York. She loves to travel and used to be a competitive swimmer. She knew she wanted to be a writer when she was in fourth grade.

On her website she says, “I find that the writing process goes so much more smoothly when I hold my ideas in my imagination for a long time before I sit down in front of the blank paper or computer screen.”

She also suggests that exercise is a good way to keep writing flowing: “The more I work out, the more I find myself writing.”

Other Books:

Love, Aubrey

 

For more info, visit Suzanne LaFleur’s website.

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday was dreamed up by the incredible Shannon Messenger, author of Keeper of the Lost Cities. Visit her blog for an up-to-date list of all the bloggers who are participating and posting about middle grade books today!

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday: Dragon Seer’s Gift

Today’s pick:  Dragon Seer’s Gift by Janet McNaughton

HarperCollins Canada, 2011

From the publisher:

Bored by homework and bullied at school, twelve-year-old Gwyn Rae reluctantly takes on a Heritage Fair project to boost his history mark. He begins to investigate the papers of his ancestor, Daniel Rae, with help from his older sister, Maddie. Together they discover a notebook filled with writing only they can see and an iron key that seems to react to their touch. When the key unlocks a secret door in an old church, Gwyn and Maddie are launched into the adventure of their lives.

My Take: 

It’s interesting the way the author tied magic and dragons to history. This is not a fast-paced story, but I was intrigued by Daniel and Maddie’s special abilities and wanted to keep reading to find out more. I liked the way Daniel and Maddie were depicted as part of a family, with their parents having a presence in the story. The bullying and environmental issues in this story make it a good book for discussion in a classroom.  

As a writer, I liked the idea of bringing history into fiction. I thought the dialogue was realistic and studied the way the author was able to tell so much of the story through dialogue.

Favourite quote:

“Real magic is a force of its own, like the force of nature. It works as it wants to, not as humans would have it work.”

Other Info:

Janet McNaughton lives in Newfoundland. Dragon Seer’s Gift is set in her own neighbourhood in St. John’s. You can take a visual tour of some of the places in her book on her website.

This book is nominated for the Ontario Library Association's Forest of Reading in the Silver Birch category for 2013. [I have previously featured some of the other nominees: Cat Found by Ingrid Lee, A Tinfoil Sky by Cyndi Sand-Eveland and The Mighty Miss Malone by Christopher Paul Curtis.]

Dragon Seer's Gift also won the IODE Violet Downey Book Award and was named as one of three honour books for the Canadian Library Association's Book of the Year for Children in 2012.

On her website, the author says: “I'm very happy to be able to spend my time writing. I usually can't wait to get to work in the mornings.”

Other books by this author include:

Dragon Seer

An Earthly Knight

The Secret Under My Skin

The Raintree Rebellion

 

Catch Me Once, Catch Me Twice

 

Make or Break Spring

 

The Saltbox Sweater

 

To Dance at the Palais Royale

 

For more about Janet McNaughton, check out her website.

 

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday was dreamed up by the incredible Shannon Messenger, author of Keeper of the Lost Cities. Visit her blog for an up-to-date list of all the bloggers who are participating and posting about middle grade books today!