Sophie Washington: Things You Didn’t Know About Sophie
Written and Illustrated by Tanya Duncan Ellis
This is Book Three of the Sophie Washington book series. In this tale, Sophie is about to turn eleven. She is excited because she has a crush on Toby, a new boy in school who has recently moved from Cleveland. Of course she wants desperately for him to notice her. Her other big concern is talking her parents into getting her a cell phone for her birthday. Sophie tells her friend that she is getting an Apple phone, but her parents have not agreed yet. In an effort to impress her friends, she might just jeopardize her fondest wish.
This series is popular with late elementary school and middle-grade readers. Sophie is a character with which many of her readers empathize. Her mistakes and hijinks move the story along. She is funny, genuine, and contemporary. I recommend the series to students ages seven through thirteen.
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Publisher’s Synopsis: Introducing eight-year-old Marisol Rainey—an irresistible new character from Newbery Medalist and New York Times–bestselling Erin Entrada Kelly!
Marisol Rainey’s mother was born in the Philippines. Marisol’s father works and lives part-time on an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico. And Marisol, who has a big imagination and likes to name inanimate objects, has a tree in her backyard she calls Peppina . . . but she’s way too scared to climb it. This all makes Marisol the only girl in her small Louisiana town with a mother who was born elsewhere and a father who lives elsewhere (most of the time)—the only girl who’s fearful of adventure and fun.
Will Marisol be able to salvage her summer and have fun with Jada, her best friend? Maybe. Will Marisol figure out how to get annoying Evie Smythe to leave her alone? Maybe. Will Marisol ever get to spend enough real time with her father? Maybe. Will Marisol find the courage to climb Peppina? Maybe.
Told in short chapters with illustrations by the author on nearly every page, Maybe, Maybe Marisol Rainey is a must-have for early elementary grade readers. Erin Entrada Kelly celebrates the small but mighty Marisol, the joys of friendship, and the triumph of overcoming your fears in this stunning new novel for readers of Kevin Henkes, Meg Medina, Andrew Clements, Sara Pennypacker, and Kate DiCamillo.
Newberry Award Winner, Erin Entrada Kelly has created an adorable character in a new series that is sure to win the hearts and minds of beginning and middle-grade readers. This multicultural book features Marisol, a child who says maybe to everything because she is afraid to try anything new. What is Marisol afraid of? Climbing trees, strange noises, speaking in front of the class, to name just a few of them. Luckily, Marisol’s best friend, Jada, has an insatiable curiosity like Marisol. She is kind and empathetic, encouraging and patient. Together they create imaginative scenarios.
Kelly manages to reveal Marisol’s life chapter by chapter. Readers learn her father works on an oil rig and is only home one week a month. Her mother is a teacher, who speaks three languages and was born in the Philippines. Marisol loves silent films, real and stuffed animals, and cannot stop asking questions. Throughout the story, readers uncover bits of knowledge about philosophy, science, bullying, and common sense.
The charming black and white illustrations make this book a wonderful choice for new readers. Character depth and age-appropriate themes will have middle-grade students unwilling to put it down. Looking forward to new stories in this series.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
New York Times–bestselling author Erin Entrada Kelly was awarded the Newbery Medal forHello, Universe and a Newbery Honor forWe Dream of Space. She grew up in Lake Charles, Louisiana, and now lives in Delaware. She is a professor of children’s literature in the graduate fiction and publishing programs at Rosemont College, where she earned her MFA, and is on the faculty at Hamline University. Her short fiction has been nominated for the Philippines Free Press Literary Award for Short Fiction and the Pushcart Prize. Erin Entrada Kelly’s debut novel,Blackbird Fly, was a Kirkus Best Book, a School Library Journal Best Book, an ALSC Notable Book, and an Asian/Pacific American Literature Honor Book. She is also the author ofThe Land of Forgotten Girls, winner of the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature; You Go First, a Spring 2018 Indie Next Pick;Lalani of the Distant Sea, an Indie Next Pick; andMaybe Maybe Marisol Rainey, which she also illustrated. The author’s mother was the first in her family to immigrate to the United States from the Philippines, and she now lives in Cebu.
GIVEAWAY
Enter for a chance to win a hardcover copy of Maybe Maybe Marisol Rainey!
Ten (10) winners receive:
A hardcover copy of Maybe Maybe Marisol Rainey
The giveaway begins April 26, 2021, at 12:01 A.M. MT and ends May 26, 2021, at 11:59 P.M. MT.
Mesa White is enjoying a normal teenage life on planet earth until she receives an unexpected visit and learns she is princess from a far-away world called Satellite. Ethan informs her that she is the only one who can save them from the evil, Mirwilla. Mesa will be their savior when she employs her special powers,
Mesa wants to help, but she is confused and perplexed. What are these powers and how can they be useful in saving the planet? Can she trust this boy named Ethan?
The book contains a lot of magic, fantasy, and adventure. There are twists and turns that will entertain young readers. The artwork is well-done and appealing. I would suggest using a bit less dialogue and more active voice. This is book one in a series, so I am eager to follow the progress of this young writer.
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Aman is only two years old when his parents depart India for London. He is left in the care of his grandmother. Aman’s parents rarely visit.
Aman is a happy child who is extremely close to his grandmother. When he is eight years old, Aman learns that his parents will be returning to India permanently. Aman experiences conflicting emotions. Then he overhears a phone call that changes his life. A car accident has killed his father and his mother is hospitalized.
Aman’s grandmother goes off to London and leaves Aman in the care of her nephew. She decides not to tell him anything about the accident. She finally returns with Aman’s mother, but she has not made the recovery that Aman desired. The tale traces the boy’s anguish which impacts his health and his studies.
The author does a good job of portraying the characters’ emotions and cultural traditions. I believe the book could help children cope with similar feelings. This book could lead to productive discussions with middle-grade and teen readers.
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Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books | ISBN-13 : 978-0062838438
Publisher’s Synopsis: As book three of the Greystone Secrets series opens, the Greystone kids have their mother back from the evil alternate world, and so does their friend Natalie. But no one believes the danger is past.
Then mysterious coins begin falling from unexpected places. They are inscribed with codes that look just like what the Greystones’ father was working on before he died. And with the right touch, those symbols transform into words: PLEASE LISTEN. And FIND US, SEE US, HELP US. . . .
The coins are messengers, telling the Greystones and their allies that their friends in the alternate world are under attack—and that the cruel, mind-controlling forces are now invading the better world, too.
After another spinning, sliding journey across worlds, the Greystone kids must solve mysteries that have haunted them since the beginning: what happened when the Gustanos were kidnapped, what created the alternate world, and how a group of mismatched kids can triumph once and for all against an evil force that seems to have total control.
Margaret Peterson Haddix grew up on a farm in Ohio. As a kid, she knew two girls who had the exact same first, middle, and last names and shared the same birthday—only one year apart—and she always thought that was bizarre.
As an adult, Haddix worked as a newspaper reporter and copy editor in Indiana before her first book, Running Out of Time, was published. She has since written more than forty books for kids and teens, including the Greystone Secrets series, the Shadow Children series, the Missing series, the Children of Exile series, and lots of stand-alones. Haddix and her husband, Doug, now live in Columbus, Ohio, where they raised their two kids. You can learn more about her at www.haddixbooks.com.
MY REVIEW OF THIS BOOK
DOUBLE TROUBLE
This book is the conclusion of the Greystone Secrets series. While reading the first two books in the series is not necessary, I would recommend readers do so in to get the full impact of the author’s message.
Book Three begins with the return of the Greystone kids’ mother from an alternate evil universe in which their father has been killed. They all remain in danger. The leaders from that evil world are tying to kill them. Then strange coins start falling from everywhere. These coins are inscribed with messages like please listen and find us. They are messages from the alternate world pleading for help from their evil attackers. The Greystone kids, Chess, Finn, and Emma, partner with their doubles, the Gustano children to slide between the two worlds in a frantic effort to save both worlds and them.
Readers will be intrigued by the notion of mismatched doubles who do not match each other physically but share other familiar traits. They need to overcome their fears and weaknesses, combine their strengths, and use their smarts to defeat the overwhelming forces of evil.
This is a fast-moving adventure that will keep the reader from putting the book down. The characters are believable and richly drawn. Young readers can easily identify with their struggles and empathize with their successes and failures.
Highly recommended for ages eight through eighty-eight.
GIVEAWAY
Enter for a chance to win a set of the Greystone Secrets series, including Greystone Secrets 3: The Messengers.
One (1) grand prize winner receives:
A paperback copy of Greystone Secrets 1: The Strangers
A paperback copy of Greystone Secrets 2: The Deceivers
A hardcover copy of Greystone Secrets 3: The Messengers
The giveaway begins April 6, 2021, at 12:01 A.M. MT, and ends April 22, 2021, at 11:59 P.M. MT.
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CHILDREN’S BOOK REVIEW AND EVA DIETRICH
ABOUT THE BOOK
Mesopo
Written by Eva Dietrich
Illustrated by Ingrid Kallick
Ages 9+ | 338 pages
Publisher: Independently published | ISBN-13: 978-1731518217
Publisher’s Synopsis: Twelve-year-old Ankido is on a quest to save his missing father through the magical realm of Mesopo.
Mesopo is the land where all fantasy originates, a land whose words and language are in peril. Can Ankido save his father and restore all these words in time?
It was a red velvet box, the size of a school book. Ankido lifted the lid, revealing an old-fashioned quill made out of a reed. It smelled remote and otherworldly. Ancient. And for a reason he couldn’t explain, everything felt all right for a moment.
He thought he caught a sound flowing out of the quill, a word maybe. He wasn’t sure and he shook his head. This was ridiculous. No, he surely must have been mistaken. But there! There was the sound again. This time Ankido was sure of it.
“Mesopo” … whispered in a way that slipped around the room like the warm breeze of the desert.
Eva Dietrich is the author of The Great Rainbow Hug (Le gros câlin arc-en-ciel, from Samir Editeur, 2011), recognized by La Revue Des Livres Pour Enfants in 2011 as their annual selection. Eva holds Masters’ Degrees in Children’s Literature from the University of Surrey, London, and Creative Writing from the Metropolitan University of Manchester, UK, and is the founder and director of Aladdin Books. She is equal parts Spanish and German, and currently resides in Madrid with her three kids, three dogs, two cats, three rabbits, and lots of hens.
Ankido Gulzar is a twelve-year-old boy of British-Iraqi descent. He loves to write so much that his grandmother, Habubti, calls him Word Boy.
One day his grandmother comes to report that Ankido’s father, an archaeologist who has been working in Iraq, is missing. She is going there to search for him. Before she leaves, Habubti, entrusts him with the book she has been working on. She warns him to guard it carefully and never let it get into the hands of his Aunt Geraldine. Habubti also gives him a velvet box with a quill pen that he can use to get in touch with her.
Ankido is left in the care of Geraldine and her husband. They treat him poorly, but Ankido loves his two female cousins dearly. When Geraldine demands Ankido give up his grandmother’s book, Ankido throws it into the fire. His aunt plots to place Ankido in a boarding school but before he arrives there, Ankido finds himself in a magical place called Mesopo.
Mesopo is a gateway to ancient Nineveh. It is a land of words. But these words are in danger of disappearing. Why is Ankido the only one who can save this civilization? What role does his aunt and grandmother play? What can his beloved cousins do to save him?
Dragons, demons, myths, and magic are woven into the plot. Middle-grade readers are treated to well-defined, strong characters who must use their strengths and conquer their weaknesses. A few fantastic illustrations assist the reader to visualize this magical land and its alluring inhabitants. Our words are powerful, and they must be protected.
GIVEAWAY
Enter for a chance to win a copy of Mesopo and a feather dip quill pen writing set!
One (1) grand prize winner receives:
A paperback copy of Mesopo
A digital copy of Mesopo
A Feather Dip Quill Pen Writing Ink Set
Two (2) winners receive:
A choice of:
A paperback copy of Mesopo
A digital copy of Mesopo
The giveaway begins April 1, 2021, at 12:01 A.M. MT and ends April 30, 2021, at 11:59 P.M. MT.
This middle-grade novel provides a fascinating glimpse into one family’s growth and evolution. The narrator is one of four sisters who describes her coming of age within a family that matures along with her.
Valene loves to write. The reader is treated to her reminiscences through her journal. It describes the struggles of a family who are fiercely devoted to each other yet defined by distinct differences. Valene loves horses and dreams of owning one Her family needs to make many sacrifices before they can buy their own farm. The word someday always seems far off. That is why Valene thinks it is the perfect name for their farm.
Readers learn what life is like growing up on a farm. How does one feed and care for animals, and live without conveniences like central heat and running water? Merrell’s drawings help readers visualize what a 50s washing machine and iron look like. She describes the stringing of lines for telephones, and the Sears Wish Book Catalog.
Many of the trials and tribulations of growing up have not changed. Teasing, bullying, and jockeying for power among siblings are still present. Merrell brings her characters to life. Today’s youth learn a lot about the past and how to appreciate modern conveniences, while getting a good flavor of living on a 1950s Montana farm.
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Mermaids and Mayhem: A Young Adult Paranormal Romance
Written by Erin Hayes
I would say this book is more of a novella than a novel. At a little more than 150 pages, it is a good choice for middle grade readers who enjoy romance and paranormal genres. The protagonist is an eighteen-year-old young lady taking a year off before going off to study marine biology in college. Tara gets a summer job working for aquariums across the country. While in Houston, she undergoes a mysterious transformation in the seas.
Tara is transformed into a mermaid and she meets Finn. A romance soon develops. Now, enter the problem. Will Tara remain a sea creature and pursue her romance or will she return to land and resume her human life. Tara has always wanted to be a mermaid, but?????
Recommended as a quick read for readers ages ten and older.
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Publisher’s Synopsis: Magic is like a dream. Delightful. Terrifying. Unreal.
Rose Alice Anders is Little Luck. Lucky to be born into the Anders family. Lucky to be just as special and magical as the most revered man in town—her father. The whole town has been waiting for Rose to turn twelve, when she can join them in their annual capturing of magic on New Year’s Day and become the person she was born to be.
But when that special day finally comes, Rose barely captures one tiny jar of magic. Now Rose’s dad won’t talk to her anymore and her friendships have gotten all twisted and wrong. So when Rose hears whispers that there are people who aren’t meant for magic at all, she begins to wonder if that’s who she belongs with.
Maybe if she’s away from all the magic, away from her dad telling her who she’s meant to be, who she has to be, Rose can begin to piece together what’s truly real in a world full of magic.
Corey Ann Haydu is the author of Eventown, The Someday Suitcase, and Rules for Stealing Stars and four acclaimed books for teens. She grew up in the Boston area, earned her MFA at the New School, and now lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her dog Oscar.
Rose Alice Anders lives in Belling Bright. Here everyone gathers magic in jars, and it appears that magic can make their world a beautiful place. Her father has the most magic in the town and is widely respected, but as the reader gets to know them better, one learns that appearances can be deceiving.
Rose is called Little Luck by her father. He believes that she will be even more powerful than he. Soon she will reach her twelfth birthday. On New Year’s Day, she will travel with the other twelve-year-old children to Too Blue Lake, where they will gather magic in their jars. Rose’s older brother, Lyle, assures her she will be successful.
Rose has her doubts. Lately, she does not feel lucky. Her best friend Cindy seems to turn away from her, and her father’s mounting pressure on her to succeed fuel her doubts. Things are not going well in the family. Her parents fight often.
When the big day arrives, it brings surprises for everyone. Rose learns about family secrets and the possibility of a vastly different future. What does Rose discover and how will she use this information to create a future for herself, her community, and her family?
This novel brings to light many of the worries and fears middle-grade students experience. As they mature, they begin to question things formerly accepted, learn to manage relationships, and create new friendships based on understanding themselves better.
The author also provides a list of resources for readers who discover themselves in situation like that of Rose. This book is highly recommended as a read-aloud discussion book for classrooms and library book clubs.
GIVEAWAY
Enter for a chance to win a set of books by Corey Ann Haydu, including One Jar of Magic.
One (1) grand prize winner receives:
A hardcover copy of One Jar of Magic
A hardcover copy of Eventown
A hardcover copy of The Someday Suitcase
A hardcover copy of Rules for Stealing Stars
Four (4) winners receive:
A hardcover copy of One Jar of Magic
The giveaway begins February 9, 2021, at 12:01 A.M. MT and ends March 8, 2021, at 11:59 P.M. MT.
This exciting adventure novel is the perfect read for middle grade and young adult readers who enjoy fantasy, magic, compelling characters, and a plot with lots of twists and turns. I did not read the first book of this series, but will probably go back to it to see the evolution of these fascinating characters.
Ethan is a thirteen year old boy who has pledged himself to serve the Light. The forces of the Dark Side constantly rail against and attempt to thwart his search for treasure. Mel presents readers with a strong, fiercely independent female role model.
I won’t give away the plot, but their journey consists of nonstop adventures and excitement, packed with a few surprises to keep readers guessing. I hope for more adventures in this series.
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May 16, 2021
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