ANYTHING BUT TYPICAL by Nora Baskin

 Realistic Fiction, Autism,  Families, Friendship, Literary Devices, Emotional & Social Intelligence, Writing

Book Description

School Library Journal (March 1, 2009)

Gr 4-7-Baskin writes in the voice of a high-functioning boy who identifies himself as having numerous disorders, most with labels that appear as alphabet soup. In the third grade, after yet another battery of tests, Jason receives the diagnosis of autism. Now in sixth grade, he relates how he does not fit in, even though he tries to follow the instructions of his therapists and helpers. He labels the rest of his classmates and teachers as neurotypicals, or NTs for short. While humor resonates throughout the book, the pathos of Jason's situation is never far from readers' consciousness. If only he could act on what he knows he needs to do, his life would be so much easier. Jason also shows himself to be a deep thinker and an excellent writer. Through his stories and thinly veiled fictional characters, Baskin reveals not only the obstacles that Jason faces, but also his fierce determination to be himself at all costs. Jason is a believable and empathetic character in spite of his idiosyncrasies. Baskin also does a superb job of developing his parents and younger brother as real people with real problems, bravely traversing their lives with a differently abled child without a road map, but with a great deal of love.-Wendy Smith-D'Arezzo, Loyola College, Baltimore, MD Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.

My Comments

Five Stars! Jason's character portrays the confusion, intelligence, and emotions of an autistic child in this spare and heartbreaking story. It brings to life the day in the life of an autistic child. Young readers will be pulled into Jason's world in this short, readable story, allowing them to empathize with people who are struggling with disabilities. A book like this could greatly benefit the social culture of a classroom, encouraging kindness and patience. I enjoyed reading Jason's descriptions of the writing process and literary devices which could be helpful examples for ELA teachers.

SORCERY OF THORNS by Margaret Rogerson

Fantasy, Apprentices, Libraries, Magic, Romance

From the Publisher

A New York Times bestseller!

"A bewitching gem...I absolutely loved every moment of this story." --Stephanie Garber, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Caraval series
"If you loved the Hogwarts Library...you'll be right at home at Summershall." --Katherine Arden, New York Times bestselling author of The Bear and the Nightingale

From the New York Times bestselling author of An Enchantment of Ravens comes an "enthralling adventure" (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) about an apprentice at a magical library who must battle a powerful sorcerer to save her kingdom.

All sorcerers are evil. Elisabeth has known that as long as she has known anything. Raised as a foundling in one of Austermeer's Great Libraries, Elisabeth has grown up among the tools of sorcery--magical grimoires that whisper on shelves and rattle beneath iron chains. If provoked, they transform into grotesque monsters of ink and leather.

Then an act of sabotage releases the library's most dangerous grimoire, and Elisabeth is implicated in the crime. With no one to turn to but her sworn enemy, the sorcerer Nathaniel Thorn, and his mysterious demonic servant, she finds herself entangled in a centuries-old conspiracy. Not only could the Great Libraries go up in flames, but the world along with them.

As her alliance with Nathaniel grows stronger, Elisabeth starts to question everything she's been taught--about sorcerers, about the libraries she loves, even about herself. For Elisabeth has a power she has never guessed, and a future she could never have imagined.

My Comments

Fabulous! Loved this one. It's also great for both middle and high school students. Five stars!

THE SUN IS ALSO A STAR

Romance, Immigration, Emigration, Poetry, Middle-High School



My Comments
A favorite! 5 Stars! This is more than romance and heartbreak; it portrays people who fight for their dreams in the face of obstacles completely out of their control, the importance of enduring self belief and love. This is high school, but appropriate for mature middle schoolers. The message is positive, the characters human and inspiring.

"Natasha is a girl who believes in science and facts. Daniel has always been a good son and good student. But when he sees Natasha he forgets all that and believes there is something extraordinary in store for both of them"--OCLC.

From the Publisher

Natasha: I'm a girl who believes in science and facts. Not fate. Not destiny. Or dreams that will never come true. I'm definitely not the kind of girl who meets a cute boy on a crowded New York City street and falls in love with him. Not when my family is twelve hours away from being deported to Jamaica. Falling in love with him won't be my story.

Daniel:I've always been the good son, the good student, living up to my parents' high expectations. Never the poet. Or the dreamer. But when I see her, I forget about all that. Something about Natasha makes me think that fate has something much more extraordinary in store--for both of us.

The Universe:Every moment in our lives has brought us to this single moment. A million futures lie before us. Which one will come true?

***

A 2016 National Book AwardFinalist
A New York Times Notable Book
A BuzzFeed Best YA Book of the Year
A POPSUGAR Best Book of the Year
A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year
A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year
A Booklist Editor's Choice
A New York Public Library Best Book for Teens
An Amazon Best Book of the Year

"Beautifully crafted."--People Magazine

"A book that is very much about the many factors that affect falling in love, as much as it is about the very act itself . . . fans of Yoon's first novel, Everything Everything, will find much to love--if not, more--in what is easily an even stronger follow up." --Entertainment Weekly
"Transcends the limits of YA as a human story about falling in love and seeking out our futures."--POPSUGAR.com

★"An exhilarating, hopeful novel exploring identity, family, the love of science and the science of love, dark matter and interconnectedness--is about seeing and being seen and the possibility of love... and it shines."--Shelf Awareness, starred review 

★"Moving and suspenseful." --Publishers Weekly, starred review 

★ "Fans of Eleanor & Park and The Fault in Our Stars are destined to fall for Daniel and Natasha." --The Horn Book, starred review

★ "Lyrical and sweeping, full of hope, heartbreak, fate. . . and the universal beating of the human heart." --Booklist, starred review

★"Profound . . . both deeply moving and satisfying."--Kirkus, starred review

SIMON VS THE HOMO SAPIEN AGENDA by Becky Albertalli

Realistic Fiction, Gays, Friendship, Secrecy, Schools

Hornbook Review 2015
"Sixteen-year-old Simon loves emailing Blue, an anonymous boy from school. But when another student sees the correspondence, the blossoming romance is threatened. Set in Georgia, this realistic coming-out story features a cast of unique, believable characters. Simon's humorous narrative alternates with his emails with Blue as Simon wonders, 'Don't you think everyone should have to come out? Why is straight the default?'"

My Comments
The beginning hooks you and sets the tone for Simon's anxiety at being exposed by another student. It also shows a high school boy who has close friends, is loyal, and has courage. This book shows the complexities of high school life and will speak to kids trying to navigate the social scene and family life.
 

GOODBYE, CHUNKY-RICE by Craig Thompson

Graphic Novel, Hero's Journey, Grief, Loneliness, Friendship, Courage

 

Important lessons about friendship, loss, and loneliness.

 

Kirkus Reviews (April 15, 2006)

 

"Though the title and the deceptively simple character drawings suggest a kids' comic, rarely are graphic novels aimed at adults as sweetly affecting as this.

Chunky Rice is a very cute turtle. Dandel, his girlfriend, is an equally adorable mouse deer (as identified by the book, though she appears more rodent-sized than cervine). Chunky must explore the world by water, for that is his nature. As he says, "My home is on my back." Dandel must remain on land, for that is her nature. Before his bittersweet but inevitable departure, the two construct an entire world of sand castles, and he proceeds to tell her a bedtime story, the tale of the doomed lovers of Greek mythology, Orpheus and Eurydice (or, as rendered by graphic-artist Thompson, "Or-fee-us" and "Yourid-uhsee"). It's unclear whether what follows the bedtime story is dream or reality, but Chunky seems to emulate the example of another mythological hero, Odysseus, as he makes his way to what looks to be an ocean-bound tugboat with a grizzled, mercenary captain. Chunky has brought all his prized possessions, including his collection of Motown records, but the country-and-western-loving captain tells him he must travel light for a life on the sea. His shipmates include female Siamese twins, whose different sizes and sleeping patterns complicate their attachment. As Chunky sails the ocean and Dandel drops love letters into bottles carried by the waves, not much happens to propel the narrative. Yet the artistic range displayed within the black-and-white drawings, as Thompson evokes the turbulence and majesty of the sea, shows a more sophisticated command of technique than he employs with his characters (who are almost Peanuts-like). Originally published in 1999, this reprint represents the debut of another promising artist within the Pantheon stable.

For characters who must pursue their own destinies, love is as boundless as the sea."

 

My Comments

Intriguing. Not an easy read, but incredibly creative. Put this out there and the right kids will find it.