That's Noteworthy! (vol. 17)

is there such a thing as too many library books? (asking for a friend)

Hi friends! Well, one of these days I will get back on more of an every-other-week schedule for this newsletter… but for now, here’s the one I’ve been dabbling on and meaning to send for a little while.

Scully and the books… this was after I cleared off the coffee table for a game. 🤷🏼‍♀️

I’ve been bringing a lot of books home lately as I continue checking out tons of books at the public library for school consideration (and just for fun), and as I wrap up my ordering for the year at school. Some may say we have too many library books… but is that a thing? Scully sometimes has to work around them to get comfortable, but otherwise, almost the whole family has been enjoying them. 😉

📚. Books I recently read…

• First Time for Everything by Dan Santat :: (upper MG graphic novel) I loved this graphic memoir (2023 National Book Award winner!) that’s both a travelogue and a coming-of-age story of a kid about to embark on high school. I love how it includes art within the comics, and real photos at the end. Great for middle schoolers who themselves are also figuring out a lot about themselves and the world. (Not one I’ll pick for my elementary school; Though the author is careful to state in the author’s note that he does not condone these things, this book takes place in 1989 and does contain snippets of drinking (underage), smoking, and theft).
  5⭐️s

  

• Voyage of the Sparrowhawk by Natasha Farrant :: (MG) A delightful book club pick.. thankful my friend Michele randomly saw this on one the library shelf because it was not on my radar (maybe because it was originally pubbed in the UK?). This would be a fantastic family or class readaloud. It has adventure and excitement but also presents tough family themes (delicately) and has a wonderful friendship story, in fact I think that’s its strongest quality. The characters are lovely (plus, dogs!), and while it has some predictable elements, it also takes its readers by surprise at some points. Fun connection can be made with studying how canal locks work and looking at different types of boats. Audio is great, but the hard copy has an awesome map and diagram of the Sparrowhawk (and the cover is gorgeous). Definitely a future pick for my library, for fans of A Place to Hang the Moon.
  5⭐️s

• The Amelia Six by Kristin L. Grey :: (MG) Overall this was a fun mystery, laced with interesting information about Amelia Earhart. The characters didn't quite grab me as much as with other MG mysteries, but it had a nice friendship thread and clever scavenger-hunt-turned mystery element. I listened to it because we have it in the school library and the cover drew me in. Would be perfect for a young reader interested in Amelia Earhart.
  3.75 ⭐️s

• Squished by Megan Wagner Lloyd (illustrated by Michelle Mee Nutter) :: (MG graphic novel) It's so nice to see middle grade books that show a healthy (not to say, perfect), loving family, and how various family members work to solve their challenges. This book deals with some very relatable issues for kids such as having to share a room, trying to raise money, changing/evolving friendships, and moving. While the sibling relationships have their hiccups, overall the siblings love and support each other. My one issue with the artwork is that the family genes are strong-- on pages where the whole family isn't present, I had a little bit of a hard time telling which character is who. Even the mom & dad look a lot like the kids in the family. I was able to figure it out with context but this took me out of the story a bit. My students love Allergic by the same duo so I will definitely order this one in the future.
  4.75⭐️s

• Hoops by Matt Tavares :: (MG graphic novel) I loved this inspiring story of a girls high school basketball team in the 1970s. I originally picked this up because my daughter was writing an essay about equality (or the lack there of) in sports between boys’ and girls’ teams. This book shows how one team earned the respect and support of a community in the early days of Title IX. The author’s notes in the back are very interesting and point out the truth that there is still more work to do for girls’ and women’s sports. This will be great one for my library (even though the characters are in high school).
  5⭐️s

• Family Style by Thien Pham :: (YA graphic novel) While this is YA, I think it’s fine for middle schoolers too. It’s not a completely fluid story so it might be hard for younger readers to follow and really get what’s going on. I love stories that show what it’s like for young immigrants to move to a new culture, and this one fits squarely in that category, showing the challenges, but also the supportive people in Thien’s family’s journey, and of course, food!
  ⭐️s

• Betting on You by Lynn Painter :: (YA) I read this so fast, that it’s honestly hard to review… I probably should just re-read it, because I loved it. Lynn does such a good job capturing teenage angst (without overdoing it) and swoon, and she reigns at the banter factor. I will advise that this one has a lot of language, so keep that in mind if you are considering for a teen in your life. But overall for me it was a delightful rom com (no explicit sexual content, but there is definitely innuendo and making out).
  4.75⭐️s

🤓. In the library…

This week we finished our 5th grade book club reads, and after spring break I will conclude these groups again with some fun activities. I recently started reading Mercy Watson to the Rescue to my first graders and they are loving this book, and devouring the other Mercy Watson books in their own checkouts. I’ve also taken some time to introduce them to some other chapter book series for those who are ready to read them on their own.

📖. What my kids are reading…

• Gigi (16) is obsessively reading The Toll by Neal Schusterman (and says that The Arc of the Scythe is her new favorite series).

• Brody (13) is reading The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt. He’s also been enjoying all the picture books I bring home (which is a good reminder that picture books are for readers of all ages!).

• Hallee (12) is also reading The Wednesday Wars, and recently enjoyed Ready, Set, Dough!

🥰. Things bringing me joy right now…

• Well, I did it! I finished the first draft of my contemporary middle grade story. 🥳 I’ll share some more details about it in the near future. Right now I’m working on revisions and letting my kids read it as they have time.

• Spring break! We had one totally rainy day at home which felt reminiscent of the early days of covid lockdown, complete with reading, TV, games, puzzles, and thankfully, unlike during covid, some live sports and no heavy anxiety.

• Related to what my younger kids are reading: I love it when my kids tell me they (urgently) need me to send a book to their kindle. Especially when a second one says Send me that too, please! or they end up liking my suggestions.

Happy Friday Tuesday and happy reading!

xo,
Nicole

P.S. I read one other middle grade book recently, but I’ll be sharing an extra special review of it coming up soon! Stay tuned.

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