That's Noteworthy! (vol. 15)
don't mind me: a birthday girl and James Ponti super-fan
Hi friends! This week I celebrated my 43rd birthday and was out partying on Thursday when I usually write this newsletter (just kidding, it was just dinner and dessert with the fam). 🤷🏼♀️ I got two new books for my birthday and have some plans to do a little book shopping in the near future (along with renewing my SCBWI membership). Yay for birthdays! Last night went to see Argylle. I hope you’ve seen all the buzz and the conspiracies about this book/movie, because it’s quite fun. The movie: not for everyone. But totally for me. I loved it.
This week’s books are all middle grade, though I would heartily recommend both City Spies (the whole series) and The Liars Society to younger teens. In my experience, teens are quick to pickup MG graphic novels as well (and of course there are great options in the YA market too), since their visual component is inviting and they know they will be quick read. If you’re trying to encourage your teen to read, maybe strategically place a pile of graphic novels on a nearby surface (and don’t worry, that counts as quality reading in my book). 😉
📚. Books I recently read…
Mission Manhattan (City Spies 5) by James Ponti :: I've probably said this ad nauseam but I think this is my favorite middle grade series. Volume 5 did not disappoint at all. It was captivating, intriguing, and fun, with a chance to get to know some of the characters a little more (especially Rio and Cairo). I love recommending City Spies to both kids who love to read, and those are don't think reading is for them, and then watching them get sucked into this world of espionage and found family. We got this book delivered to our library before pub day (!!) and it has been constantly checked out since then. As always with City Spies, the audio is excellently done with great accents for all the different characters.
5⭐️sHow to Win a Slime War by Mae Respicio :: This was recommended to me by my daughter who read it in 6th grade and loved it. She loved the story and the slime recipes, too. This was a great story of a MG character making friends, fitting in, and finding his true voice. Family is a big theme as well (including the issue of standing up for your passions to a parent). A book with lots of heart! I put it on my recommended shelf in the library as I think a lot of our students will like it.
4⭐️sThe Liars Society by Alyson Gerber :: What an intriguing middle grade story full of so many fun elements- found family/friends, prep school, secret societies, heists, sailing, environmental issues, and of course, the question of who to trust! I can’t wait for this book to find its readers and for more installments in this series. The characters are flawed but endearing as they try to figure out the secrets, lies, and truths that they’re caught up in. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. Ordering this one for the library!
4.75⭐️sFox Point’s Own Gemma Hopper by Brie Spangler :: I really liked this graphic novel. Though it's middle grade, I would put it firmly in the middle school and up age range ( primarily due to a conversation between Gemma and Teddy on page 116-117, but also due to the difficult family themes). My own kids liked this book but I will say that as baseball/softball players/pitchers, they were a little miffed by the way that Gemma is using the pitching rubber incorrectly on the cover and had a hard time suspending belief about the speed the radar gun at the end of book. But overall I think they really liked the story itself. It deals with some difficult themes and circumstances really delicately, and I love how the sibling relationship between Gemma and Teddy evolves.
4⭐️sInvisible by Christina Diaz Gonzalez & Gabriela Epstein :: Loved this graphic novel… a story of unlikely friendship and looking below the surface. The bilingual text bubbles are so clever and I love the ending, which surprised me. Definitely a great one for an elementary library. My students have enjoyed Christina’s novel Concealed, and I have this one on order for my graphics-lovers.
5⭐️sWildfire by Breena Bard :: Really liked this graphic novel that explored life after wildfires and climate change/conservation efforts. The main character’s feelings felt realistic, and it features positive friendship vibes as well. Defintely buying this one for our school library; feels particularly relevant since we live in an area under threat of wildfires, and I like that the conservation themes aren’t too heavy handed for kids.
4⭐️s
🤓. In the library…
The best picture book I’ve read recently is Dim Sum Palace, which is so cute and charming and got some serious giggles out of my students when our adorable character was turned into a dumpling (trust me). :)
📖. What my kids are reading…
Gigi (16) is working on a research paper about women in sports so she’s reading a lot for that project. She’s also reading Cake Eater (a futurist retelling of Marie Antoinette’s story) and Thieves Gambit (which I plan to read soon).
Brody (13) is devouring every graphic novel I bring home, just read Minerva Keen’s Detective Club and the first three Fireborn books (random Libby find), and is now planning to reread the City Spies series since I won’t stop talking about book 5. He’s also reading Dear Martin for school. He’s also casually reading Why We Love Baseball, along with my husband.
Hallee (12) picked up The Jules Verne Prophecy this week and is super into it, which makes me very happy.
🥰. Things bringing me joy right now…
I’m on break for the next week and excited for time to rest, read, and write. Also we started watching The Recruit on Netflix (starring “Peter Kavinsky”), and I hope to watch more of it this week. Nice days squeezed in between rain. Also baseball and softball are slowly creeping back into my life- yay!
Happy Friday Sunday and happy reading!
xo,
Nicole
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