Monday, April 2, 2018

It's Monday! What Are You Reading #IMWAYR 4/2/2018

                                                           

With the popularity of mermaids and unicorns in elementary school, Third Grade Mermaid by Peter Raymundo is a hit in our library! This is a debut chapter book from a seasoned animation artist, so besides the cute story, the artwork is AMAZING! Cora is small mermaid with big dreams. She longs to be a part of the popular "Singing Sirens" swim team but a poor grade on a spelling test leaves her temporarily off the team until she can improve her grade. She tries to study, but a series of roadblocks distracts her from her goal (such as finding and keeping a gigantic shrimp as her new pet or making time for her friends, a jellyfish and a sea cucumber). Her mother gives her a diary to help her study and as she writes about her adventures, Cora successfully uses all of her spelling words to tell her tale.

This books has so many positive features. It's told in diary format which students love, there are only a few sentences on each page with short chapters, which is perfect for young readers who are intimidated by longer chapter books, and the artwork makes it seem a little like a graphic novel (a hugely popular trend). There are also many lessons mixed into the fun story about kindness, friendship, self esteem, and working hard. Also, the humor is also perfect for the 6-10 age level. Cora is sassy without being rude and her views on life under the sea are sweet and perfectly age appropriate.  It's often hard to find a title that bridges the gap between picture books and chapter books, but this one does the trick. His second novel Third Grade Mermaid and the Narwhals is just as fun and a great addition to our shelves.


                                                                    Greetings from Witness Protection! by [Burt, Jake]

I absolutely loved this book. Greetings From Witness Protection by Jake Burt kept my interest from beginning to end, and I think it's a story middle grade students will really like. Nicki is a foster kid who has been kicked around the system for years. She's street smart and  book smart, and also happens to be an excellent pickpocket. While between homes once again, Nicki get approached by the U.S. Marshalls to join a family in the Witness Protection Program. This family is on the run from a dangerous crime organization and adding a daughter will hopefully throw the mob goons off their scent. Joining this family means a chance for Nicki to totally start over as Charlotte Trevor. Charlotte now lives a typical suburban life far from New York complete with a tree lined street, southern block parties, and nice friends that bake cookies. The fiercely smart foster girl with a penchant for stealing is gone and in her place is an average student who must be careful never to excel in grades or extra curricular activities since flying under the radar is incredibly important. It takes her twice as long to take a test because she has to purposely try to get the answers wrong! The U.S. Marshalls are counting on Nicki/Charlotte to use her cleverness to keep the family safe (including one new annoying little brother).

This is a fast paced, highly suspenseful book. At first, it seems like a dream come true for Nicki to finally get loving parents and a stable life, but of course that comes with the constant threat of danger that can never be too far away from her thoughts. Her new "brother" doesn't seem to get the precautions the family has to take and without giving too much away, he puts all of them in unnecessary danger. I wanted to reach through the pages and shake some sense into him!  Everyone in her new town loves the new Nicki/Charlotte but while reading about her much longed for wonderful relationship with her new "mom" we are reminded that Nicki's past disappointments and hurt as a foster child isn't just going to simply disappear. She is there to help this family, but she needs a little help herself. She is very witty and there are many times I laughed while reading this story. Also, Nicki is a character I rooted for from the first pages of the book. She deserves a better life. One tiny thing about this story bugged me- Nicki is only thirteen and I felt like too much of the family's safety is placed on her teenage shoulders. Surely the adults should have more responsibility in this regard. That aside, I thought it was a terrific book. I would recommend this for fifth grade and older. I think it could be a little scary for younger students and the main characters are all in 7th grade, so that's where it would do best.


                                                                

Spirit Hunters by Ellen Oh is my favorite kind of book- deep dark secrets come to light in a haunted house and old ghosts ensue. Harper Raine and her family move to Washington D.C. from New York. They are trying to get a fresh start after a disturbing incident occurred in Harper's old school. Unfortunately, Harper can't remember anything about what happened, and her doctors have assured her parents that a fresh start would be the best solution. After moving, Harper notices some odd happenings in the new house and a neighbor tells her it has a reputation for being haunted. She's not sure if the rumors are true until her younger brother Michael starts acting very strangely. His normally sweet temperament is gone and Harper wonders if his new imaginary friend, Billy, might have something to do with it. As other weird things occur in the house, Harper starts to do some research into the property and is scared by what is revealed. As Harper tries to help Michael, she can't help but feel like what happened during the time of her memory loss has something to do with it. If only she could remember......

This books has a lot going on. There is the current haunting and the buried secret of Harper's past. Also, she is Korean American and her families ancient traditions and estranged Grandmother are woven into the story as well. There was maybe one too many subplots that wasn't necessary, and it often felt like the author used scenes from every horror movie out there. It is a bit much as I reflect, but it all seems to work. Oh puts all the pieces together in the end, but it is pretty easy to guess what's happening throughout the book because it's story I've heard a few times before. The bit about Korean shamans was unique and a nice twist. It kept my interest and I wanted to keep reading until the big reveal and then the reveal after that and then the next one (lots of plot twists).

I won't buy it for my elementary library because there were parts that were really scary, but I would recommend it for middle grade students that like this kind of genre.



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