THE REMARKABLE JOURNEY OF COYOTE SUNRISE by Dan Gemeinhart – A story full of personality and emotion

Another book you really don’t want to put down! A cool “road trip” story with an interesting cast of characters and a mission that will break your heart.

Description from the publisher

Five years.

That's how long Coyote and her dad, Rodeo, have lived on the road in an old school bus, criss-crossing the nation.

It's also how long ago Coyote lost her mom and two sisters in a car crash.

Coyote hasn’t been home in all that time, but when she learns that the park in her old neighborhood is being demolished—the very same park where she, her mom, and her sisters buried a treasured memory box—she devises an elaborate plan to get her dad to drive 3,600 miles back to Washington state in four days...without him realizing it.

Along the way, they'll pick up a strange crew of misfit travelers. Lester has a lady love to meet. Salvador and his mom are looking to start over. Val needs a safe place to be herself. And then there's Gladys...

Over the course of thousands of miles, Coyote will learn that going home can sometimes be the hardest journey of all...but that with friends by her side, she just might be able to turn her “once upon a time” into a “happily ever after.”

The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart was published by Henry Holt in 2019.

Why you want to read this book:

Coyote’s story is heart-breaking and full of hope at the same time. It’s a contemporary “quest” story with a lot of kindness and a troop of interesting characters to help and cheer on Coyote as she faces one of the most difficult challenges in her life. This story is full of interesting details. For example, she adopts a kitten and names it Ivan, after one of her favorite book characters.

Opening:

There were big days and there were small days and there were bad days and there were good days and I suppose I could pick any one of ‘em for my “once upon a time.”

If you’re a writer…

There is so much personality in this story! I’d definitely read this if you’re thinking about how to create a unique or quirky story, one that stands out from the crowd.

I know it’s weird to call eyes “quiet,” since I’ve never seen a loud eyeball, but it’s the truth. Salvador’s eyes were quiet, and something about that quietness kinda gave you the courage to talk to them.

If you’re an educator…

Kids who have experienced periods of sadness or family troubles will be able to relate to this book. Coyote’s interesting character keeps you hooked on the story, but it’s really the story of how she and her father come to term with a terrible, life-changing event. It’s also a story of perseverance, because Coyote has a goal and she really doesn’t let anything stop her from reaching it. The other big theme in this book is kindness and helping others.

“Friend” wasn’t a word I heard all that often. It is one of those words that once you hear it, you wanna hear it a lot more.

Here's another review of this book by Colby Sharp:

  

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

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday – THE HONEST TRUTH

A loyal dog, a survival trip and an emotional, heart-wrenching story of a kid with cancer all in one! I knew I’d love this one!

Description from Amazon:  

In all the ways that matter, Mark is a normal kid. He's got a dog named Beau and a best friend, Jessie. He likes to take photos and write haiku poems in his notebook. He dreams of climbing a mountain one day.

But in one important way, Mark is not like other kids at all. Mark is sick. The kind of sick that means hospitals. And treatments. The kind of sick some people never get better from.

So Mark runs away. He leaves home with his camera, his notebook, his dog, and a plan to reach the top of Mount Rainier--even if it's the last thing he ever does.

The Honest Truth was written by Dan Gemeinhart and published by Scholastic in 2015.

My Take:

I really enjoyed this book. Mark has a pretty good plan to run away, with some false leads for searchers and a good idea for hiding his dog. It seems like he’s thought of everything, until…well, I won’t say what happens, but something messes up his plans and getting to the mountain turns out to be harder than he expected.  I loved the way Mark didn’t shy away from facing what was likely to happen with his cancer, but at the same time, wanted to be seen as a kid, not a kid-with-cancer. This action in this story moves along quickly

From a writer’s perspective, I liked the authentic details about the wilderness that the author embedded in the story. They helped to create a strong sense of place. Though it wasn’t always clear how much time was passing. 

Opening Line (which in this novel is the last line, too):

“The mountain was calling me. I had to run away. I had to.”

Quotes:

“But when you take a picture, that one moment isn’t gone. You caught it. It’s yours. And you get to keep it.”

“Across far, dark miles a friend can still hold your hand and be there with you.”

“It was weird how something could look so close and so far away at the same time. Like I could reach out and touch it, but I could walk all day and night and never get there.”

Other Info:

The Honest Truth is Dan Gemeinhart’s first published novel.  

Dan Gemeinhart did an entertaining Q & A video to give readers more insight into his book. I especially like what he said about dogs: “Stories are more fun, especially adventure stories, if you’ve got a great dog there with your main character.”

Learning from Picture Books: Chopsticks

Chopsticks

written by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

illustrated by Scott Magoon

published by Disney Hyperion Books, 2012

ages 4- 8

From Amazon:

Meet Chopsticks! They've been best friends forever. But one day, this inseparable pair comes to a fork in the road. And for the very first time, they have to figure out how to function apart. From New York Times best-selling author Amy Krouse Rosenthal and rising artistic talent Scott Magoon, this witty and inventive tale celebrates both independence and the unbreakable bonds of friendship.

 My Thoughts as a Writer:

Chopsticks is a wonderful example of a fun, playful story with a word count well under 500 words. I’d read this book again to study the structure of the story and how it leads the reader on to the next page. This is another great example of how a simple idea can turn into an entertaining story. The word play was a lot of fun and added another level to the story. I also admired how the illustrations were integral to the story, creating emotion that just wouldn’t be there in the text alone.   

 

My Thoughts as a Teacher:

Young children often don’t understand that it’s okay for a friend to do something else or play with someone else sometimes, and this book would be a good one for beginning that discussion. I would also use this to talk about “chopsticks”, what they are and maybe do a graph on how many kids have used chopsticks. It would be fun to bring in real chopsticks and have students try using them. They could write their own stories or writing journal entries about other things chopsticks could do—either alone or together, or create a chopsticks poster with pictures of chopsticks together and chopsticks apart.


**If you're looking for more good picture books to read or to use in your classroom, check out Susanna Leonard Hill’s wonderful list of resources, Perfect Picture Books as well as her blog feature Perfect Picture Book Fridays.**