Looking for Newbery (2013 style) - Liar and Spy

Ever since I read When You Reach Me, I have been a huge Rebecca Stead fan.  That book caught me off-guard with all its subtle plot twists and turns that led me to gasp toward the end.  What an amazing storyteller Stead is.  So when I had an opportunity to read an ARC of her latest book, Liar and Spy, earlier this year, I jumped on it and I remember really, really liking it. 

Here's a small snippet of what I had to say about this book after first reading it in July:

"Like When You Reach Me, things aren't always what they seem and I don't want to ruin that for anyone. I will share my favorite two sentences from the book, though:
'It means you're not alone. No matter what.'
Powerful stuff!!"

As this title has been one mentioned on several Mock Newbery lists, I decided it was time to reread Liar and Spy over holiday break since I read it so quickly my first time through.  Doing that quick read, I've been known to miss important plot devices. This time I read more slowly and thoughtfully.  Knowing the ending already also allowed me to focus on the surprise plot twists and turns, and see things a little more clearly.

I loved this book the first time, but loved it even more the 2nd time. The plot and the characters are so well developed, but I didn't fully appreciate that in the first read.  I have read on some of the Mock Newbery blogs that theme is one of the many things on which the Newbery panel will focus.  This book has several themes and all of them quite important.  Empathy, staying true to who you are, the importance of friendship, friendship issues, how we deal with difficult situations, and more -- all themes that Stead delves into.

Stead is a master of her craft, and while When You Reach Me might be one of my all-time favorite books, Liar and Spy is another well-crafted book as well.  No matter what happens on Jan. 28, this book will have an important place in my classroom!

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? - Aug. 6

I visited our local independent children's bookstore, Cover to Cover, on Friday, and had the chance to browse all their new purchases.  There were a ton of nonfiction books available; it makes me happy to see so much good nonfiction being done right now (but that's a post for a later time).  However, I did walk away with 10 great NF books; one has already made my list below.  Here is what I read in the past two weeks:

MIDDLE GRADE CHAPTER BOOKS

 *****Liar and Spy by Rebecca Stead - Because I think this book is incredibly special, I'm not going to say much about it here. Like When You Reach Me, things aren't always what they seem and I don't want to ruin that for anyone. I will share my favorite two sentences from the book, though:
"It means you're not alone. No matter what."
Powerful stuff! And I would love to talk to someone who has read the book, so please let me know!!

Horten's Incredible Illusions - I just read Horten's Miraculous Mechanisms this summer and really enjoyed it. This sequel did a good job tying up some loose ends for me. Once again magic is the centerpiece of the story, but the importance of knowing what you value and who your friends are is important as well. I'm glad it's coming out in September so that students who enjoyed the first book will be able to grab the second one right away.

Ungifted - Read this ARC recently, and the actual publish date can't come too soon!! (Sept. 2012) Gordon Korman is at his best in this book, as we follow the adventures of a huge trouble maker who is just an average guy, but accidentally ends up in a gifted school with kids he initially views as geeks. He is "hiding out" there as he tries to avoid the superintendent of schools after causing massive damage during one of his many pranks. Kids will love the different narrators of the story, and will love how an average guy can make all the difference in the world to a group of incredibly talented students. Must read! 

PICTURE BOOKS

Oh No!  Not Again! - written by Mac Barnett and illustrated by Dan Santat - funny stuff!

Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns: A Muslim Book of Colors - For the past few years, I've had many Muslim children in my classroom, but no books that represented them within our library, I'm embarrassed to say. This is a lovely book that will serve as a great conversational starter about many different cultures.

Creepy Carrots - This book is due out in about a month - hysterical!! Kids will love it!  A fun picture book that allows for some inferring while having a blast enjoying the pictures.

Rocket Writes a Story -  If I taught primary grades, I would most definitely have this in my writing mentor tubs for kids who are stuck with what to write. Really enjoyed this.  Rocket is stuck with his story, but when given some wonderful words, is able to craft something meaningful to him.

ADULT READS

Fireproof by Alex Kava

Catch Me by Lisa Gardner (a favorite author of mine)

Please join Kellee and Jen at Teach Mentor Texts, who are the cohosts of this wonderful Monday event!  I love finding out what others are reading, and start planning my next week's reading using some of the participants ideas.

Looking For Newbery - When You Reach Me

Back in the summer, I read When You Reach Me for both a first and second time. It absolutely knocked my socks off both times.

Because it is getting so much "buzz" with regard to the Newbery, and because I wanted to pick a great book for my class read aloud coming back from holiday break, what better book than When You Reach Me?! Just to triple check myself, though, I reread it for a third time yesterday. I am amazed that even in a 3rd read, this book just continues to both surprise and delight.

In the review I posted this summer, Mary Lee (A Year of Reading) posted a comment about how great the chapter titles were as well. She said they would make great writing prompts. Better yet, since I missed the connection the first two times, is how well the titles correlate with an important strand in the story. I don't know how Rebecca Stead managed to tie up all the story strands by the end of the book. She is truly a gifted author.

Other accolades for When You Reach Me:

1) It is on the Mock Newbery list for the Allen County Library.

2) It made five of the "best of the year" lists (thanks to Jonathan Hunt at Heavy Medal for this post).

3) Out of 6 possible review journals, it received stars in 5 of them (thanks to Shelftalker for the 2009 Starred Books Wrap-Up).

4) It made Fuse #8's mid-year Newbery prediction list.

I truly believe that When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead is a book worthy of the Newbery award. Fingers crossed until January 18!!

When You Reach Me

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead is a book I won't forget for quite a long time. I was fortunate enough to get a review copy from Sally Oddi, owner of Cover to Cover. I had put it in my TBR pile until I read Mary Lee's post about this book (she even links to other reviews). It immediately became the book I needed to read next.

Because of Mary Lee's comments, I made the time to both read and reread this book -- I'm glad I did. There were so many clues to what happens at the end (even the front cover makes sooooooo much more sense); I just missed/overlooked some of them the first time through. For this reason, and a bazillion others, I am definitely thinking about reading this aloud to my students next year.

Yes, the rereading strategy is great, but as Fuse #8 mentions in her comments about the book when she added When You Reach Me to her mid-year Newbery list, the story jumps back and forth in time. Thinking through these jumps with students would be important. I do worry that a student reading this on their own might get confused, or not even realize that there were changes in time. Or maybe this is just an excuse to read this book with as many people as possible. :)

I'm being a little vague in this post because I can't tell many things without giving the important plot points away. Giving those plot points away will detract from your reaction to the ending. I will say it is character driven, but character motivation in When You Reach Me is critical -- yet another great conversation to have with students.

This book also has a section that deals with someone trying to be successful on the game show, The $20,000 Pyramid, that brought back many fond college memories for me. Lots of time spent playing this game with college friends.

I have read so many fabulous books this summer, but When You Reach Me is by far one of the best.