If you are a Global Read Aloud participant, you will be very familiar with PAX by Sara Pennypacker. If you are not familiar with GRA, check it out using the link above or on Facebook. You will find excellent ideas and discussion to use with your students for this book.
PAX is the story of a boy and the fox he has raised from a kit. Peter has to go live with his grandfather when his father goes to war and he is unable to take PAX, his fox, with him. However, not long after arriving at his grandfather's, Peter decides he needs to return to find PAX. His journey is full of adventure and misadventure. PAX is a story about friendship and love, but it is also about war and conflict.
PAX would be a great selection for a read aloud for middle grade students and will have an effect on all who read it. The novel features illustrations by Canadian Jon Klassen (author of the Hat books).
You can find an interview with Sara Pennypacker at this link. (It will take you to the School Library Journal website. Wait after clicking the link as an ad appears, but it disappears soon and provides the interview with the author.)
If you loved The One and Only Ivan, you will probably like PAX. See what Ivan's author Katherine Applegate says about PAX.
You can vote for PAX in the current Goodreads Choice Awards 2016. It has been suggested as a potential Newberry nominee as well.
Leave a comment if your students have been reading PAX. I am curious to know how they liked the book. It is a novel that requires discussion--I think readers will want to talk about many issues encountered within the pages of the book.
I have been very remiss in posting recommendations over the summer. My only excuse is I have been reading! The good news is I do have some great books to recommend.
One of the very best books I read this summer was Ms. Bixby's Last Day by John David Anderson. See the book promo here:
Everyone knows there are different kinds of teachers. The good ones. The not-so-good ones. The boring ones, the mean ones, the ones who try too hard. The ones you’ll never remember, and the ones you want to forget. But Ms. Bixby is none of these. She’s the sort of teacher who makes you feel like the indignity of school is worthwhile. Who makes the idea of growing up less terrifying. Who you never want to disappoint. What Ms. Bixby is, is one of a kind.
Topher, Brand, and Steve know this better than anyone. And so when Ms. Bixby unexpectedly announces that she is very sick and won’t be able to finish the school year, they come up with a plan. Through the three very different stories they tell, we begin to understand just what Ms. Bixby means to Topher, Brand, and Steve—and what they are willing to go to such great lengths to tell her. John David Anderson, the acclaimed author of Sidekicked, returns with a story of three kids, a very special teacher, and one day that none of them will ever forget.
Here is my Goodreads review:
What a great middle grade read aloud. The three boys are in grade six so it would be perfect for a grade 6 class, but fine for a little younger or older. It is a laugh out load book, but a very tenderhearted story as well. I can't get the picture of Brand pulling a booger out of Steve's nose out of my mind, but I am trying very hard. I love the Bixbyisms in the book and the references to literary figures (Atticus Finch) and poetry. Anderson provides a soft touch to spark curiosity and conversations about literature. I found the book to be a page-turner and I think students will as well.
I predict you will see this book on the "Best of 2016" lists.
The winners and honour books for the Newbery and Caldecott Awards were announced last week. The Newbery Medal was first awarded in 1922 and is awarded by the American Library Association for the most distinguished American children's book published in the previous year. The Caldecott Medal is awarded to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.
The 2016 Newbery winner is Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Pena, published by G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers. The choice was surprising to some as this is a picture book and the Newbery usually goes to a chapter book!
The Newbery Honor books include:
The War that Saved my Life. Author Kimberly Brubaker Bradley.
Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson.
Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan.
Recent Newbery winners include TheCrossover by Kwame Alexander (2015), Flora & Ullysses: The Illulminated Adventures by Kate DiCamillo (2013), and The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate.
The Honor Books are also very well-known titles including El Deafo by Cece Bell and Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson in 2015. If you want a list of recent winners, go to the ALA website here.
The Caldecott Medal was awarded to Sophie Blackall, illustrator of Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World's Most Famous Bear. The author is Lindsay Mattick and the publisher is Little, Brown and Company.
Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lous Maner, Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement. Illustrated by Ekua Holmes. Author Carole Boston Weatherford.
and
Last Stop on Market Street. Illustrator Christian Robinson. Author Matt de la Pena.
Recent winners of the Caldecott include The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend by Dan Santat (2015), Locomotive by Brian Floca (2014) and This is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen (2013).
The Newbery and Caldecott books are staples for your library collection, whether it be your classroom library or school library. They appeal to a wide audience of readers, including adults! I also find that it is not unusual for a book to be honoured in different categories (even though a book does not usually win in both Newbery and Caldecott categories). This year The War That Saved My Life was named the top audio book as well as being an honor book. The Crossover in 2015 earned several awards as well as the Newbery.
Many schools and teachers have a Mock Caldecott and/or Newbery process in their schools. The students nominate books and eventually vote on their own winners. You can find many samples online to guide you if you would like to try this out.
John Schumacher from The Nerdy Book Club is making an attempt to read ALL the Caldecott and Newbery winners from 1922 to the present (some are difficult to find). Check out the lists and see how many you could already check off your list!
Goodbye Stranger is in the running for a Newberry medal and
I certainly can see why. Classified as a
middle grade novel, the story unfolds from three points of view. Bridge and Sherm, both students in junior
high, take turns revealing their story in alternating chapters. However, every now and then a third person
adds to the story, but we are not told who the the speaker is. Bridge survived
being hit by a car at a younger age and when she was in hospital a nurse said
to her that she had survived for a reason.
Bridge is perplexed as to what that reason might be. Her two best
friends, Tab and Emily, play an important role in the story and readers will
relate to the situations each of the girls experience as they make their way
through the seventh grade.
So much happens in this book. Really! Em is a talented
athlete and singer who is interested in an older (8th grade) boy. Em
and her friend Patrick share selfies with each other, but as you can guess,
suddenly Em’s selfie is shared far and wide. Tab is enamored with her feminist
teacher Ms. Berman who becomes known as The Berperson. Sherm’s grandfather
leaves his grandmother after a very long marriage and Sherm has difficulty with
the family dynamics. Our unknown author
skips school and hides out a coffee shop owned by Bridge’s Dad. Bridge’s
brother Jamie is constantly in some challenge or dare with his friend Alex.
Bridge connects many of the characters in the story (good choice for her name)
and is relied on by her friends. Bridge seems like a very typical middle school
girl, except she wears a cat ears headband to school every day.
Oh . . . and the three girls have pledged to never
fight. Middle school girls . . . who
cannot have fights . . . even when they are really annoyed with each other.
The title is intriguing as well. Sherm asks, “Is the new you
the stranger? Or is the stranger the person you leave behind?”
I really enjoyed this book! The author had me thinking as to
who the third voice was and how it connected to the rest of the story. I liked the characters and could connect with
them and their experiences. As I often do, I then went to Goodreads to read
other reviews. I recommend that you do
so also, but read the book first.
One reviewer stated that this was really a book written for
adults masquerading as a middle school novel.
I read as much, if not more, young adult and MY literature
than adult literature. I like it. I like making recommendations. The reviewer has made me think. I rate this
book very high, but would middle schoolers do the same? The publisher rates it
for ages 10 and up and I do think it appeals to an older audience not 10-year
olds. Young readers may miss much of
what is happening in the story and the back story. The book has the potential for a great book
club discussion. It certainly has
diversity, but it is not front and centre.
Bridge talks about her Armenien family; Tabitha’s family is Hindu, and
Sherm’s Italian family live together as several generations. Will student
readers recognize the family expectations that have shaped the young
characters? The selfie sharing certainly
provides opportunity for discussion on internet safety. The many ups and downs
in the relationships among the characters also provide much for discussion
purposes. I think young readers will simply enjoy the story as it unfolds.
So is Goodbye Stranger
written for adults or youth? Does it matter?
I am off to find a middle schooler who has read the book so
we can have a discussion. I will let you know what kind of feedback I receive.
PAX is the story of a boy and the fox he has raised from a kit. Peter has to go live with his grandfather when his father goes to war and he is unable to take PAX, his fox, with him. However, not long after arriving at his grandfather's, Peter decides he needs to return to find PAX. His journey is full of adventure and misadventure. PAX is a story about friendship and love, but it is also about war and conflict.
