ICEBERG by Jennifer A. Nielsen -- an exciting adventure with a 12-year-old aspiring journalist

 

Why this book?

The story of the Titantic is always intriguing. I was drawn to the idea of a stowaway aboard the ship--and what an interesting character she turned out to be! Hazel’s dream of being a journalist was a great way to bring in bits of the history of what happened to the Titantic. There was also a storyline of Hazel collecting information to solve a mystery about some swindlers she came across on board. The friends Hazel makes give us different perspectives on life at the time of the Titantic. From a writer’s perspective, I think this would be a great read for anyone writing historical fiction. It’s a wonderful example of how to incorporate history into a compelling story!  

Connections: mysteries, the Titantic, journalism, adventure, icebergs

Activity Ideas:

Literacy: What are some of the clues Hazel collected about what was going to happen to the Titantic?

Discussion: Consider Mrs. Abelman’s statement: “We must live the best we can until we gracefully accept our fate.” Do you think Hazel had any regrets about any of her actions on the Titantic? Was there something she could have done differently?

STEM: Look up Morse Code and try to write a coded message to a friend. Tap it out and see if your friend can decode your message.

STEAM: Create a piece of art using a collage technique that contains a coded message.

STEM: Make a list of the things Hazel learned about icebergs. Write three question you have about icebergs. Do some research to see if you can find out the answers. Or research the question: What are some ways ships can avoid or be protected from colliding with icebergs?

Additional Resources: 

Also by Jennifer A. Nielsen and still one of my favourites is The False Prince (click here for my thoughts)

 Description from the publisher:   

Hazel Rothbury is traveling all alone from her home in England aboard the celebrated ship Titanic. Following the untimely death of her father, Hazel's mother is sending her to the US to work in a factory, so that she might send money back home to help her family make ends meet.

But Hazel harbors a secret dream: She wants to be a journalist, and she just knows that if she can write and sell a story about the Titanic's maiden voyage, she could earn enough money to support her family and not have to go to a sweatshop. When Hazel discovers that mother didn't send her with enough money for a ticket, she decides she must stow away onboard the storied ship.

With the help of a porter named Charlie and a sweet first-class passenger named Sylvia, Hazel explores the opulent ship in secret, but a haunting mystery quickly finds her. The danger only intensifies when calamity strikes, and readers will be caught up in the terror and suspense alongside Hazel as she fights to save her friends and herself.

 

Iceberg, written by Jennifer A. Nielsen was published by Scholastic Press in 2023.

 

 

To find more middle grade books to read, check out Marvelous Middle Grade Monday, organized by Greg Pattridge over at his blog.

 

THE BIG STING by Rachelle Delaney

Why this book?

Since I love books about nature and all its creatures, I was intrigued to read a story involving bees. I also know that Rachelle Delaney’s books usually have some kind of mystery to solve—and missing beehives is certainly a unique premise.

 I was having so much fun I read this story in one day, and actually laughed out loud a few times. The characters are believable and I loved the idea that Grandpa was leading his more cautious grandson on adventures.

This story also referred to some interesting professions (such as auditor) and included some fun names for computer games, like Applewood Acres. The games sounded so fun I wished they were real! I really enjoyed this book! From a writer’s perspective, I think it would be a good mentor text for anyone writing a contemporary middle grade novel.

Connections: mysteries, neighborhood adventures, bees

Activity Ideas:

Social Emotional Learning: The story mentions several personality types related to an online personality quiz: Auditor, Adventurer, Problem-Solver and Counselor. List the characteristics of each personality. Which ones do you most relate to? What kind of career interests you? Does it fit with your personality type?

Literacy: What are some of the obstacles that Leo faced as they worked to find the missing beehives? How did his character change by the end of the story?

STEAM: Research bees and design a model of a beehive using materials of your choice. Or build a real bee habitat to install outdoors.

MEDIA: Design your own computer game idea by making up a name and rules for how to play. Create an ad for your game in a format of your choice (poster, video).

 

Additional Resources:

25 Bee Activities for Middle Schoolers - Link here.

For my thoughts on some other books by Rachelle Delaney, click on the titles:

The Metro Dogs of Moscow  

Alice Fleck’s Recipes for Disaster

Book description from the publisher (to visit the publisher click here):   

A visit to Leo's grandfather's farm turns upside down when his grandmother's bee hives are stolen. A light-hearted and funny middle-grade novel for fans of Rebecca Stead and Lynda Mullaly Hunt.

Eleven-year-old Leo is an "armchair adventurer." This, according to Dad, means he'd choose adventures in books or video games over real-life experiences. And while Leo hates the label, he can’t argue with it. Unlike his little sister Lizzie, Leo is not a risk-taker.  

So when he, Lizzie, Mom and Dad leave the city to visit Grandpa on Heron Island, Leo finds all kinds of dangers to avoid — from the deep, dark ocean to an old barn on the verge of collapse. But nothing on the island is more fearsome than Grandpa himself — Leo has never met anyone so grumpy! According to Mom, Grandpa is still grieving the recent death of his wife, a beekeeper beloved by everyone on the island.

Despite Leo's best efforts to avoid it, adventure finds him anyway when Grandma’s beehives go missing in the dead of night. Infuriated, Grandpa vows to track down the sticky-fingered thieves himself . . .  with risk-averse Leo and danger-loving Lizzie (plus a kitten named Mayhem) in tow.

The Big Sting, written by Rachelle Delaney was published by Tundra Books in 2023.

 Other reviews of this book (click on title):

Kirkus 

CM

 To find more middle grade books to read, check out Marvelous Middle Grade Monday, organized by Greg Pattridge over at his blog.

THE THINGS OWEN WROTE by Jessica Scott Kerrin

Why this book?

It was refreshing to read this unique middle grade novel. Owen is a likeable character and I enjoyed the mystery of wondering about what he had written in his journal that made him want it back so desperately. I also loved the idea of a spontaneous adventure to another country! This is a quieter story with interesting details about Iceland, but it also brings out some of the feelings Owen experiences as he realizes his granddad’s memory is starting to fail. 

Connections: Iceland, anxiety, grandparents, elder care, poetry

Activity Ideas:

Literacy – Make your own journal page about a place you’d like to visit (or a place you’ve been). Do some research to add “little known facts.”

Literacy/Poetry – Choose an object from a place you’ve visited. Make a list of words and feelings you associate with the object. Use your list to create your own poem.

History/Geography: Choose one of Canada’s northern lands, such as Nunavut, Yukon or the Northwest Territory. Find a map and trace or print it. Mark key features of the land. Research the kinds of buildings and animals you might find there.

Literacy Discussion – What do you think about Owen’s terrible secret? Record your thoughts or discuss the resolution to the story. What are your thoughts about using AI to help with writing an essay or assignment?

 

Description from the publisher:   

Owen has always done well, even without trying that hard. He gets A’s in school, is an avid photographer and knows he can count on his family’s support. But then Owen makes a mistake. A big one. And now he must face his fear of disappointing his entire family.

A last-minute trip to Iceland, just Owen and his granddad, seems like the perfect way out. For Owen’s granddad, the trip is about paying tribute to a friend with Icelandic roots. But Owen has a more urgent reason for going: he must get back the notebook his granddad accidentally sent to the Iceland archive. He can’t let anyone read the things he wrote in it!

The pair gets on a plane, excited to leave their prairie town for a country of lava fields, glaciers and geysers. However, as they explore Iceland, the plan to recover Owen’s notebook starts to spiral out of control. Why does Owen’s granddad seem so confused and forgetful? And can Owen really hide the truth of what’s in his notebook?

The Things Owen Wrote, written by Jessica Scott Kerrin was published by Groundwood Books/House of Anansi Press in 2017.

You can find out more about this book, as well as connections to core standards, by visiting the publisher’s webpage HERE. 

Lucy Tries Hockey by Lisa Bowes & James Hearne

Why this book?

I was excited to see this book at my local library. It’s a perfect way to introduce kids to hockey – as well as the idea of practicing to get better. The big, bold digital –style illustrations are full of action. I also appreciated the diversity in the kids depicted on Lucy’s team. This book is part of a series, where Lucy tries other sports—soccer, luge, short track, basketball and baseball. Some of them are also available in French and Spanish.

My thoughts as a creator:

It’s great to see a picture book that focus on a girl learning to play sports. I love the added layers in this story about not being afraid to try and practicing. This story is also told in rhyme, which adds another dimension to the story. I’m looking forward to reading the other books in the series.

My thoughts as an educator:

I love the idea of reading books that show case different sports. This series would be great to read during an Olympic year, as well as anytime to promote active living. The story contains a lot of hockey vocabulary that I discussed with my students.

Ages: 4 - 7

Grades: K - 3

Connections: hockey, rhyming, practicing sports 

Activities:

Active Play:  Check out this link from Hands On As We Grow for a fun way to play “indoor hockey” with tape and bean bag that could be adapted for playing on a table or area in the classroom.

Literacy: Draw a picture of your favourite sport or a sport you might like to try one day.

Literacy: Which sport do you think Lucy should try next? Write your own “Lucy Tries” story about your favourite sport!

STEM: Can you design a hockey stick? Provide materials for designing such as straws, popsicle sticks, cardboard, and tape. With a water bottle lid or other small object for a puck, students can test their hockey sticks on a table top to see which designs work best. Another challenge might be to try playing on different surfaces (e.g., carpet, table top, frozen slab of ice) to see what happens!

 

More resources:

Find out more about Lisa Bowes and her book Lucy Tries Basketball:

https://blog.orcabook.com/author-feature-lisa-bowes-2/

Read an article about Lisa Bowes and her series from Collingwood Today:

https://www.collingwoodtoday.ca/national-sports/bowes-hopes-to-encourage-kids-to-try-sports-through-lucy-tries-sports-series-1160434

More information about the series from Orca Books:

Created by veteran sports journalist Lisa Bowes, the Lucy Tries Sports series aims to promote inclusive physical literacy and encourage young readers to get involved in sports. Endorsed by elite athletes, the series focuses on participation and the importance of play.

The books follow Lucy and her friends as they learn introductory skills in a variety of exciting sports, guided by coaches and teachers. Lucy's eagerness to try new things will inspire all children to get outside and play.

The Lucy Tries Sports series reinforces the HIGH FIVE principles of healthy child development needed for quality programs, including the support of a caring adult, the opportunity to participate, to play, to make friends and to master skills.

Description from the publisher:

Lucy and her family are skating on an outdoor rink when she sees a game of hockey going on. It looks like fun, but maybe too challenging. Supported by her parents, Lucy enrolls in an introductory hockey clinic. And thanks to an encouraging instructor, she and her friends learn basic hockey skills, have fun on the ice and decide to add hockey to their list of favorite sports!

Lucy Tries Hockey is also available in French: Lucy joue au hockey

Lucy Tries Hockey by Lisa Bowes and illustrated by James Hearne was published by Orca Books in 2018.

For more wonderful picture books, visit Perfect Picture Book Friday at Susanna Leonard Hill's website. 

 

NIKKI TESLA AND THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE BLING by Jess Keating and Lissy Marlin

Why this book?

It’s funny, it’s a mystery and it’s packed with action! I also love the way the main character Nikki relies on her friends to help her and how they all have their own special skills—and messy real life problems. Nikki has an interesting and temperamental pet ferret to add to the mix.

Connections: science, mysteries, friendships, STEM

Activity Ideas:

Literacy – Do some research to find out more about the real-life scientists that inspired the characters in book, such as Nikola Tesla, Charles Darwin and Michael Faraday. Create a poster or a short video to tell your friends more about them.

STEM: If you could invent anything, what would you invent? Draw a design for invention. Have one of your friends look at your design and ask questions about it. Do you need to revise your design? What materials would you need to build it?

Literacy/STEM: – If you found a ring with unknown powers, what tests would you try to figure out it’s capabilities?

Art: Imagine you’ve been shrunken to the size of a ferret or other small pet. What would you see? Create a piece of art to show what your classroom or room would look like from a tiny animal’s perspective.

Watch this video by Jess Keating to learn more about the books and the science behind them:

Find out more about this book by visiting the publisher’s webpage HERE.

Find out more about illustrator Lissy Marlin by visiting her webpage here.

Additional Resources:

Check out the other books in this series:

Nikki Tesla and the Ferret-Proof Death Ray (Elements of Genius #1)

Nikki Tesla and theTraitors of the Lost Spark (Elements of Genius #3)

 

Description from the publisher:   

"For a group of geniuses who are supposed to help people, we do an awful lot of stealing."

Nikki Tesla and the rest of the Genius Academy team have agreed to pilfer a completely priceless, totally lethal high-tech ring. Why? Because a mad scientist on a power trip plans to use it to do some serious damage. And because the very same mad scientist has kidnapped Mary Shelley. Mess with one genius, and you mess with them all.

But mostly they're planning the heist of the century so Nikki can get to know her long-lost father who claims he isn't the criminal mastermind she believes him to be. After all, if a little international thievery can protect the world from evil, it just might save Nikki's family.

Nikki Tesla and the Fellowship of the Bling (Elements of Genuis #2), written by Jess Keating and illustrated by Lissy Marlin was published by Scholastic Press in 2020.

 

To find more middle grade books to read, check out Marvelous Middle Grade Monday, organized by Greg Pattridge over at his blog.

 

ANOTHER SQUIGGLY STORY by Andrew Larsen & Mike Lowery

Why this book?

What a great book for inspiring kids to write! This one is extra fun because of comic-style design and the lists of ideas. I love how it models different aspects of the writing process—generating ideas, thinking, connecting ideas, writing and revising. I also enjoyed their first book, A Squiggly Story (see my blog feature here). 

My thoughts as a creator:

I love books that contain lists and hope to write one someday, so it was interesting to me to see how they incorporated the lists into the story. I also noticed there is a lot of dialogue in this story, which was included in speech bubbles. I loved the notebook pages in the illustrations! This book includes many different levels – the writing process, the relationship with a sibling, friendships, taking a break from a challenging task, and includes some gentle humor.

My thoughts as an educator:

It’s great to see a book that contains several different writing formats –speech bubbles, lists, and autobiography. This book is great for grade 1 and 2, where kids are learning to write using sentences, and especially for introducing a writing notebook. But I would definitely read this in kindergarten to show my students how to make lists of things they love. It was great how the story also shows how sometimes, when you’re stuck, taking a break can be helpful. This story also shows a little of the process of revision, and how to improve a story by adding details and changing sentences.

Ages: 4 - 7

Grades: K - 3

Connections: writing, lists, imagination, perseverance, siblings

Activities:

Literacy: Provide children with writing notebooks to write in when they are inspired. A writing corner with visual lists could be a fun way to inspire young writers. 

Literacy: Write or draw your own list of things you love. Can you create a story about yourself?

Social Emotional Learning: What do you do when you can’t think of an idea or feel stuck doing your school work? Brainstorm some ideas for short breaks you can take

Social Emotional Learning: Think of a time when a sibling or someone else in your family helped you. Draw a picture to show how you felt.

Art: Create a self-portrait! Provide a mirror and materials for kids, with tips such as making a large shape to almost fill the paper to begin.

More resources:

 Teaching Guide for A Squiggly Story from Kids Can Press

Self-Portrait Ideas from Fantastic and Fun  Learning

12 Strategies to Support Struggling Writers from TeachWriting.org

Description from the publisher:

The kindergartener who learned to use squiggles to write a story in award-winning Andrew Larsen’s A Squiggly Story is now in second grade and learning to write an autobiography. Told in the same authentic child’s voice, this playful book encourages readers to just start, even if they don’t know how their story will go. It offers an accessible early language arts lesson on the writing process, exploring important basics (brainstorming, first draft, revising) and key terms (autobiography, editing, title, cover). Mike Lowery’s bold illustrations incorporate story panels and dialogue bubbles, keeping the energy high and giving a fresh and modern feel to the pages. A strong tie-in with early literacy curricula, this book also works well for supplementary or at-home learning. It’s a perfect choice to inspire the storyteller in every child!

Another Squiggly Story, written by Andrew Larsen and illustrated by Mike Lowrey, was published by Kids Can Press in 2022.  Go here to visit Kids Can Press for more about this book.

ALICE FLECK’S RECIPES FOR DISASTER by Rachelle Delaney - a cooking-related middle grade mystery with lots of surprises

Why this book?

I’m a big fan of books that involve kids cooking and especially books with cooking competitions! I was hooked right from the beginning, since Alice didn’t want to be part of a Victorian-themed cooking show (what would her friends think?) Even worse, she was entered in this contest by her dad’s new girlfriend Hana, without being asked first. Lucky for us readers, Alice agrees to participate and we get to read about Alice and her historian dad working together to bake in the contest. There are even more plot twists when her favourite "Culinary Chronicles" cooking show is renamed "Culinary Combat" with a whole new approach. And then it becomes clear that someone is sabotaging the contestants! Alice meets some sweet new friends and they work together to solve the mystery of the saboteur, while she comes to terms with her dad’s new relationship, and discovers how to be herself.  

Jacket Art: Morgan Goble

Connections: reality shows, mysteries, cooking, friendships

Activity Ideas:

Literacy – Create your own “mystery” by choosing a popular recipe and inventing clues to reveal 4 or 5 of the ingredients. Can your friends guess your recipe?

Literacy/Drama – Design and film a commercial for “Culinary Combat” or another reality show you think would be interesting.

Art: Use your imagination and art materials to create your own version of “Peacock Pie.”

 

A bookformercial for the book by Tundra Books: 

 

Additional Resources:

Rachelle Delaney, the author, has lots of resources with her research materials on her website HERE.

A book club discussion guide from Kawartha Lakes Library can be found here.

Other cooking-related books students might enjoy:

The Doughnut King by Jessie Janowitz 

Summer of a Thousand Pies by Margaret Dilloway

All Four Stars by Tara Dairman

Eliza Bing is (Not) a Big, Fat Quitter by Carmella Van Vleet

Description from the publisher:   

Alice Fleck's father is a culinary historian, and for as long as she can remember, she's been helping him recreate meals from the past — a hobby she prefers to keep secret from kids her age. But when her father's new girlfriend enters them into a cooking competition at a Victorian festival, Alice finds herself and her hobby thrust into the spotlight.
     And that's just the first of many surprises awaiting her. On arriving at the festival, Alice learns that she and her father are actually contestants on Culinary Combat, a new reality TV show hosted by Tom Truffleman, the most famous and fierce judge on TV! And to make matters worse, she begins to suspect that someone is at work behind the scenes, sabotaging the competition.
     It's up to Alice, with the help of a few new friends, to find the saboteur before the entire competition is ruined, all the while tackling some of the hardest cooking challenges of her life . . . for the whole world to see.

Alice Fleck’s Recipes for Disaster by Rachelle Delaney was published by Tundra Books/Puffin Canada in 2021. Visit the publisher’s page to listen to an audio clip of the e-book version here.

 

To find more middle grade books to read, check out Marvelous Middle Grade Monday, organized by Greg Pattridge over at his blog.