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From: Crystal Brunelle <brucr_at_webmail.onalaska.k12.wi.us>
Date: Mon, 19 Dec 2011 10:14:36 -0600
I know some of these titles may have been mentioned, but here are my fav orites for the year. There were so many wonderful middle grade books th is year it is hard to choose the best.
Picture Books Me...Jane - the text and illustrations fit together so well. I loved the mix of created illustrations with actual photos from Jane's childhood a nd it had a quiet feel. Beautiful.
Blackout - pictures are great, but I also enjoyed the message of taking a time out to reconnect with each other.
Press Here - just absolutely fantastic for many ages. The interactivity of it is so fun for little ones.
I Want My Hat Back - hilarious and a great way to get people interacting since some things are left to the imagination and readers don't always agree about what happened.
Queen of the Falls - pictures are fabulous and the story is a jaw droppe r.
Pete the Cat: Rocking in my School Shoes - My kids adore this - the song adds so much, but Pete is just too cool.
Middle Grade Chapter Wonderstruck - he has done it again with a weaving of stories that pulls the reader along. The excellent illustrations really move the story.
Bigger Than a Breadbox - a bit of magical realism that touches the heart of any reader, but particularly a reader that has experienced the separ ation or divorce of parents. Beautifully done.
When Life Gives You OJ - unique storyline and I fell in love with the Gr andpa even though he is seriously cranky.
Ghetto Cowboy - a part of urban life that I did not know was possible an d characters that touched my heart.
Friendship Doll - great historical fiction following a Japanese dolls in teractions on a tour of the states prior to and through WWII. Great for the history, but the doll was convincingly learning and growing and cha nging people around her.
A Monster Calls - powerful message for anyone dealing with grief. Gives me shivers when I think about it.
Non-Fiction Amelia Lost - I appreciated learning that Amelia was not perfect. This was a more well rounded biography than those I have read in the past.
Heart and Soul - just beautiful and it is wonderful to see US history fr om another perspective
YA Divergent - LOVED IT! Action, adventure, strong characters. Excellent
Under the Mesquite - another great book dealing with grief - this time t hrough verse. Appreciated that it was based on the author's own struggle s. Beautiful.
It's a long list, but I was wowed by a lot of books this year and there are even some I am leaving out to keep the list shorter like Inside Out and Back Again. Just have to stop at some point.
Crystal Brunelle Library Media Specialist Northern Hills Elementary 511 Spruce St. Onalaska, WI 54650 (608)783-4542
_____
From: Janeyolen
To: pgardow_at_ecasd.k12.wi.us, ccbc-net@lists.wisc.edu Sent: Mon, 19 Dec 2011 09:17:16 -0600 Subject: Re:
another favorite added to my list
Pam--pair it with the devastating Deo Gratias graphic novel from First/ Second.
JaneY
Message-----
From: Gardow, Pamela To: CCBC Network Sent: Mon, Dec 19, 2011 10:08 am Subject:
another favorite added to my list
I just finished Now is the Time for Running by Michael Williams, a novel about two boys from Zimbabwe: Deo and his mentally impaired older brot her, Innocent. After their mother and grandfather are murdered by soldi ers, they flee to South Africa to avoid the brutality and political pers ecution of the current regime. This was a powerful little novel that h ighlights the terrible price children pay in countries dealing with poli tical brutality and warfare. Themes of family, resilience, and hope tur n the underlying despair to an affirmation of the power of the human spi rit. This would be a wonderful novel for the classroom!
Pam Gardow, LMS Memorial High School Eau Claire, WI 54701
************************************************************************
****** This email was scanned for viruses at the gateway of the Eau Cla
ire Area School District (ECASD). ECASD is in no way responsible for the content of this email or possible damage to your computer or network as a result of opening it or any attachments associated with it. (PM2)
Date: Mon, 19 Dec 2011 10:14:36 -0600
I know some of these titles may have been mentioned, but here are my fav orites for the year. There were so many wonderful middle grade books th is year it is hard to choose the best.
Picture Books Me...Jane - the text and illustrations fit together so well. I loved the mix of created illustrations with actual photos from Jane's childhood a nd it had a quiet feel. Beautiful.
Blackout - pictures are great, but I also enjoyed the message of taking a time out to reconnect with each other.
Press Here - just absolutely fantastic for many ages. The interactivity of it is so fun for little ones.
I Want My Hat Back - hilarious and a great way to get people interacting since some things are left to the imagination and readers don't always agree about what happened.
Queen of the Falls - pictures are fabulous and the story is a jaw droppe r.
Pete the Cat: Rocking in my School Shoes - My kids adore this - the song adds so much, but Pete is just too cool.
Middle Grade Chapter Wonderstruck - he has done it again with a weaving of stories that pulls the reader along. The excellent illustrations really move the story.
Bigger Than a Breadbox - a bit of magical realism that touches the heart of any reader, but particularly a reader that has experienced the separ ation or divorce of parents. Beautifully done.
When Life Gives You OJ - unique storyline and I fell in love with the Gr andpa even though he is seriously cranky.
Ghetto Cowboy - a part of urban life that I did not know was possible an d characters that touched my heart.
Friendship Doll - great historical fiction following a Japanese dolls in teractions on a tour of the states prior to and through WWII. Great for the history, but the doll was convincingly learning and growing and cha nging people around her.
A Monster Calls - powerful message for anyone dealing with grief. Gives me shivers when I think about it.
Non-Fiction Amelia Lost - I appreciated learning that Amelia was not perfect. This was a more well rounded biography than those I have read in the past.
Heart and Soul - just beautiful and it is wonderful to see US history fr om another perspective
YA Divergent - LOVED IT! Action, adventure, strong characters. Excellent
Under the Mesquite - another great book dealing with grief - this time t hrough verse. Appreciated that it was based on the author's own struggle s. Beautiful.
It's a long list, but I was wowed by a lot of books this year and there are even some I am leaving out to keep the list shorter like Inside Out and Back Again. Just have to stop at some point.
Crystal Brunelle Library Media Specialist Northern Hills Elementary 511 Spruce St. Onalaska, WI 54650 (608)783-4542
_____
From: Janeyolen
To: pgardow_at_ecasd.k12.wi.us, ccbc-net@lists.wisc.edu Sent: Mon, 19 Dec 2011 09:17:16 -0600 Subject: Re:
another favorite added to my list
Pam--pair it with the devastating Deo Gratias graphic novel from First/ Second.
JaneY
Message-----
From: Gardow, Pamela To: CCBC Network Sent: Mon, Dec 19, 2011 10:08 am Subject:
another favorite added to my list
I just finished Now is the Time for Running by Michael Williams, a novel about two boys from Zimbabwe: Deo and his mentally impaired older brot her, Innocent. After their mother and grandfather are murdered by soldi ers, they flee to South Africa to avoid the brutality and political pers ecution of the current regime. This was a powerful little novel that h ighlights the terrible price children pay in countries dealing with poli tical brutality and warfare. Themes of family, resilience, and hope tur n the underlying despair to an affirmation of the power of the human spi rit. This would be a wonderful novel for the classroom!
Pam Gardow, LMS Memorial High School Eau Claire, WI 54701
************************************************************************
****** This email was scanned for viruses at the gateway of the Eau Cla
ire Area School District (ECASD). ECASD is in no way responsible for the content of this email or possible damage to your computer or network as a result of opening it or any attachments associated with it. (PM2)
---Received on Mon 19 Dec 2011 10:14:36 AM CST
