I wish I could say I read a lot in Norway ... but I didn't! Lots of boats, but not lots of books. So please be patient with me as I ramp up now that school is almost underway. I did, however, get some fun kids books in London, during our week there, which I have not seen in the states ... but more on those in the coming weeks.
I am going to start off the week with some potential award winners. These two books are not for every kid. They are written in verse to begin with, which can be liberating or confusing, depending on your child. I found them amazing, but my kids were lukewarm, showing that sometimes the best written books are not the ones that kids will gravitate towards. However, I think that if I had read them aloud with the kids, they would have been riveted. Investing some time with these is worth it.
Also, both books feature main characters of color. What a delight to see stories where the main character is not a white boy. Kids need a variety of characters as they see books as a reflection of their own experiences and feelings. It is lovely to put a range of faces to the stories kids read.
So here are two books that I think we will be hearing more about as award season draws near. They are beautifully written and I encourage you to nudge your kids to read them or read them aloud, because the experience is worth it.
Title: The Crossover
Author: Kwame Alexander
Target: Grades 5-8
Series: No
What this book is about:
Told in verse, this book is about twin brothers who are in middle school. They are basketball stars, but with a father who used to play professional basketball, this is no surprise. Their mother, however, is the assistant principal, so academics are equally important in this household. The family dynamics, the relationship between the brothers and the action on the court dominate this story.
Told in verse, this book is about twin brothers who are in middle school. They are basketball stars, but with a father who used to play professional basketball, this is no surprise. Their mother, however, is the assistant principal, so academics are equally important in this household. The family dynamics, the relationship between the brothers and the action on the court dominate this story.
Why I love this book:
A book told in verse can be an unusual delivery choice for a story. Kids are not typically drawn to poetry, so a whole story can be a harder sell. But this story is told in a more rap/jazz verse so the flow does not feel rhyming, the imagery is fresh and the story moves along well.
A book told in verse can be an unusual delivery choice for a story. Kids are not typically drawn to poetry, so a whole story can be a harder sell. But this story is told in a more rap/jazz verse so the flow does not feel rhyming, the imagery is fresh and the story moves along well.
This book absolutely surprised me in the best way. While I didn’t always understand all the basketball references (it is not our family sport … we are really slow) I still felt the suspense of the games as they worked towards a state championship. The family relationships and the brothers struggles were touching.
I always enjoy when stories feature characters with different ethnicities without making this central to the story. In this book the characters are African American, but their family and struggles were that of a family of any ethnicity.
Who this book is for:
This is the hardest part for me. This book has the excitement of basketball which is great for sports loving kids, but it is also a tender story of family, so kids have to be able to handle the “touchy feely” parts as well. The verse component can be a perceived challenge for some kids, but the story itself reads quickly in this formal, so it is actually a great vehicle for reluctant readers who will not be intimidated by the size of the text or the length of the chapters.
This is the hardest part for me. This book has the excitement of basketball which is great for sports loving kids, but it is also a tender story of family, so kids have to be able to handle the “touchy feely” parts as well. The verse component can be a perceived challenge for some kids, but the story itself reads quickly in this formal, so it is actually a great vehicle for reluctant readers who will not be intimidated by the size of the text or the length of the chapters.
Final thoughts:
The Crossover is a wonderful book that combines a love of basketball with strong family dynamics and a moving story.
The Crossover is a wonderful book that combines a love of basketball with strong family dynamics and a moving story.
To purchase this book:
Click on the following link to connect to Amazon: The Crossover
A portion of each purchase goes back to support this blog at no cost to you. Thank you for your support.
Title: Brown Girl Dreaming
Author: Jacqueline Woodson
Target: Grades 5-8
Series: No
What this book is about:
Told in verse, this book is about the life of the author growing up. It shares her experiences of being a black child in the South, the memories of living with her grandparents and the challenges of living in New York with her mother and three siblings. Fundamentally it is about her family, but on another level it is about finding her voice in a world full of challenges.
Why I love this book:
Ok, I don’t like to get too esoteric in these reviews, but this is why I love this book done in verse. Every chapter is like a vibrant photograph that stands alone and tells it’s own story. You put the photographs in a book and they connect and chronicle your voyage. Unlike a book written in prose, in this book each chapter can stand alone, a little vignette, and shares an intimate moment with you. This is a beautiful book of snapshots that still weave together to create a lovely journey.
If I have one criticism, and this is me being nit picky because really I could never write anything as beautiful as this, it is that the ending kind of falls off instead of coming to a soft rest. That I think is the function of the story being a series of moments about her life which then lacks a more significant conclusion.
Who this book is for:
This is a hard one. I actually think this book read aloud is probably the best way to enjoy it. There are not many kids who will take the time to savor the language in this story so reading it aloud gives you and them a chance to take in the picture she has written for you. However, if you have a particularly observant child or one who likes quieter books, this would be a good fit.
Also, if you have a desire to share what it was like for a young black child to grow up in the 60’s and 70’s this book hits the mark.
Final thoughts:
Many thanks to Emily Scheinman of Banana Seed for lending me her advanced copy. This story is a thoughtful and touching look at the life of Jacqueline Woodson growing up and it was a treat to get an early peak at her words.
To purchase this book:
Click on the following link to connect to Amazon: Brown Girl Dreaming
A portion of each purchase goes back to this blog at no cost to you. Thank you for your support.
A portion of each purchase goes back to support this blog at no cost to you. Thank you for your support.Title: Brown Girl Dreaming
Told in verse, this book is about the life of the author growing up. It shares her experiences of being a black child in the South, the memories of living with her grandparents and the challenges of living in New York with her mother and three siblings. Fundamentally it is about her family, but on another level it is about finding her voice in a world full of challenges.
Ok, I don’t like to get too esoteric in these reviews, but this is why I love this book done in verse. Every chapter is like a vibrant photograph that stands alone and tells it’s own story. You put the photographs in a book and they connect and chronicle your voyage. Unlike a book written in prose, in this book each chapter can stand alone, a little vignette, and shares an intimate moment with you. This is a beautiful book of snapshots that still weave together to create a lovely journey.
This is a hard one. I actually think this book read aloud is probably the best way to enjoy it. There are not many kids who will take the time to savor the language in this story so reading it aloud gives you and them a chance to take in the picture she has written for you. However, if you have a particularly observant child or one who likes quieter books, this would be a good fit.
Final thoughts:
Many thanks to Emily Scheinman of Banana Seed for lending me her advanced copy. This story is a thoughtful and touching look at the life of Jacqueline Woodson growing up and it was a treat to get an early peak at her words.
To purchase this book:
Click on the following link to connect to Amazon: Brown Girl Dreaming
A portion of each purchase goes back to this blog at no cost to you. Thank you for your support.
You are welcome for the advanced reader copy! Thank you for such a beautifully worded review!
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