3 in 3 (and tea) – Episode 2!

Debbie Ridpath Ohi and I are back for another episode of 3 in 3 (and tea), where we feature 3 children’s books by Canadian authors and/or illustrators and provide some tips for using them in the classroom. 

In Episode 2, we explore a picture book and a middle grade novel that feature emotionally challenging situations, and check out a bonus middle grade novel that  includes a visit to Drumheller (I love dinosaurs!) and STEM connections. After you watch the video, click on the book cover or title to find out more about each book.  For more episodes of Three in Three (and Tea!) check out Debbie's Three in Three playlist!  You can find Episode 1 here.

Picture Book: 

 Malaika's Winter Carnival by Nadia L. Hohn & Irene Luxbacher

 Summary: In this picture book, a young girl is faced with a new family, a new country, a new school and maybe even new Carnival traditions. The vibrant, collage-style illustrations are a perfect fit with the writing style of standard English and Caribbean patois.

This book is part of the Malaika series which follows the same character through three stories.

Visit the author and illustrator:

Nadia L Hohn  🍁

Irene Luxbacher  🍁

Visit the publisher:

Groundwood Books 

Activities & resources here.

 

Middle Grade: 

Sorry for Your Loss by Joanne Levy

Summary: In the middle grade novel, Sorry for Your Loss, Oren, a boy whose parents were killed in a car accident and Evie, whose parents own a funeral home, start off *not* being friends—but they end up helping each other.

Visit the author online:

Joanne Levy 🍁  

Book cover design by Rachel Page

Visit the publisher:

Orca Books    

Activities & resources here.

 

Bonus Middle Grade: 

 Peter Lee's Notes from the Field by Angela Ahn with illustrations by Julie Kwon

Summary: In Peter Lee’s Notes from the Field a boy who is really into dinosaurs gets a chance to attend a special paleontology expedition at the Royal Tyrell Museum, but has to learn to cope with disappointment and the failing health of his beloved grandmother.

Visit the author and illustrator online:

Angela Ahn 🍁 

Julie Kwon

Visit the Publisher

Penguin Random House Canada

Activities & resources here.

 

Find out more about Canadian author/illustrator Debbie Ohi by visiting her website.

Thanks to The Faithful Sidekicks for writing and performing our theme song! You can learn more about them at their website. 

 

LAURA INGALLS IS RUINING MY LIFE by Shelley Tougas

I can’t believe I missed this one when it came out! It was a really absorbing read. 

Why you want to read this book…

 The writer did a wonderful job of making Charlotte and the other characters feel real. I liked the way Charlotte thought about the connection between her own life and the historical articles she was reading. 

Even though I am a fan of the “Little House” books and really enjoyed them, I am aware of how problematic they are, and it was great to see some of the bias and facts being carefully woven into the story. I also liked the way Charlotte’s teacher challenged and encouraged her.

 

 Here’s the summary from the publisher:

 A life on the prairie is not all its cracked up to be for one girl whose mom takes her love of the Little House series just a bit too far.

 Charlotte’s mom has just moved the family across the country to live in Walnut Grove, “childhood home of pioneer author Laura Ingalls Wilder.” Mom’s idea is that the spirit of Laura Ingalls will help her write a bestselling book. But Charlotte knows better: Walnut Grove is just another town where Mom can avoid responsibility. And this place is worse than everywhere else the family has lived—it’s freezing in the winter, it’s small with nothing to do, and the people talk about Laura Ingalls all the time. Charlotte’s convinced her family will not be able to make a life on the prairie—until the spirit of Laura Ingalls starts getting to her, too.

Laura Ingalls Is Ruining My Life by Shelley Tougas was published by Roaring Brook Press in 2017. I read an e-version from my local public library.

 

If you’re looking for another fun middle grade book to read, check out Marvelous Middle Grade Monday on Greg Pattridge's blog.

PINE ISLAND HOME by Polly Horvath - A story of adventure and family with four orphan sisters

 

Why you want to read this book…

This absorbing story about four orphan sisters living on their own was just delightful. The characters seemed like they could be loosely based on the girls in Little Women, but this story also reminded me of an old favourite, The Five Little Peppers,  based on the writing style and the predicaments the children experienced. 

The four sisters all had very different personalities and I could see something of myself in each one of them. I especially loved Marlin’s struggles as a writer and how their guardian grew and changed through interacting with them.  I also loved the nature elements-–a bear!—and Natasha’s birding adventures.

The emotions the girls had for their deceased parents were handled so realistically, and yet didn’t drag down the story into sadness. Each chapter was like a new adventure. I loved how not everything was wrapped up neatly at the end. Delightful really is the best word to describe this gem. I hope Polly Horvath is writing a sequel, because I’d love to see what these girls get up to next!

 

Here’s the summary from the publisher:

Fiona, Marlin, Natasha, and Charlie McCready are left on their own when their missionary parents are washed away in a tsunami. Fortunately, their great aunt Martha volunteers to have them live with her on her farm in British Columbia. But while they are traveling there, Martha dies unexpectedly, forcing Fiona, the eldest, to come up with a scheme to keep social services from separating the girls - a scheme that will only work if no one knows they are living on their own.

     Fiona approaches their grouchy and indifferent neighbor Al and asks if he will pretend to be their live-in legal guardian should papers need to be signed or if anyone comes snooping around. He reluctantly agrees, under the condition that they bring him dinner every night. As weeks pass, Fiona takes on more and more adult responsibilities, while each of the younger girls finds their own special role in their atypical family. But even if things seem to be falling into place, Fiona can't help but worry that it is only a matter of time before they are caught. What she needs to do is find them a real guardian.

 

Pine Island Home by Polly Horvath was published by Penguin Random House in 2020. I read an e-version from my local public library.

THE LENGTH OF A STRING by Elissa Brent Weissman, for Marvelous Middle Grade Monday

The characters in this story were like real people for me. An interesting and absorbing read!

Description from the publisher:

Imani knows exactly what she wants as her big bat mitzvah gift: to find her birth parents. She loves her family and her Jewish community in Baltimore, but she has always wondered where she came from, especially since she’s black and almost everyone she knows is white. Then her mom’s grandmother–Imani’s great-grandma Anna–passes away, and Imani discovers an old journal among her books. It’s Anna’s diary from 1941, the year she was twelve and fled Nazi-occupied Luxembourg alone, sent by her parents to seek refuge in Brooklyn, New York. 

Anna’s diary records her journey to America and her new life with an adoptive family of her own. And as Imani reads the diary, she begins to see her family, and her place in it, in a whole new way.

The Length of a String, written by Elissa Brent Weissman was published by Dial Books for Young Readers in 2018.

Why you want to read this book… 

I felt so close to the characters of Imani and Anna that I felt sad, disappointed and excited right along with them as I read the story. I’ve always thought that researching your own family is a wonderful way to learn about history, and this novel showed me it’s true. I enjoyed the realistic way the author showed relationships between characters, especially Imani and her mom. I haven’t come across many contemporary stories about girls with a Jewish upbringing, so that was also interesting.

Opening:

Dear Belle,

All my life I’ve shared with you. Before we were born, we shared Mama’s belly, splitting the resources so equally that we weighed the exact same amount at birth.

If you’re a writer… 

This is an excellent mentor text if you’re trying to weave together stories from two different time periods, or if you want to include a series of letters in your novel. I also really enjoyed the writing style and careful use of details. Technology is integrated into the story with limits and as a research tool.

I ran my hand over the old paper until my eyes stopped on a familiar word. A name: Anna. It was at the bottom of the page on the right, the way you’d sign a letter or a diary. My fingers jumped back as though the ink were hot.

If you’re a teacher…

This would be an interesting read aloud to kick off a family history project or to encourage discussion about war, the Holocaust, identity and family. Thinking about real life events from the perspective of how it affects families made this work of fiction seem quite real. There are details about the Jewish faith, as the main character is preparing for her bat mitzvah.

“Can you imagine that? Being your age and going to a new country all by yourself?”

I got a sudden pang of nervousness, like a pinprick in my side. I could tell Mom knew something about Grandma Anna’s family, and I didn’t want to know what it was. Not yet.


Check out more great middle grade reads on Marvelous Middle Grade Monday, hosted by writer & book blogger, Greg Pattridge.