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Thanks to a series of unfortunate bites, Tom is now part vampire, part werewolf, and part zombie. Just in time for middle school. So much for his Invisible Tom Plan. He never thought to make a What If I Turn Into A Vampire Werewolf Zombie Plan. With the help of his best friend Zeke, Tom tries to make the most of his new life as a Vam-Wolf-Zom. But how do you hide from the sun during gym class? Does Burger King make rare hamburgers? You’ll howl with laughter reading this new series by a head writer on SpongeBob SquarePants!
Hi Kid Lit Friends!
I am currently reading Lauren’s Wolk’s new middle grade novel, Echo Mountain (April 21, 2020, Dutton Books for Young Readers) out loud to my ten-year-old daughter every night before she goes to bed. The cover is beautiful: a collection of jars containing all sort of natural treasures, like a pinecone, a pair of bumblebees, a feather, a trio of fish, a handful of leaves, and stars. I’ve spent a lot of time looking at this cover, and the jars made me think about other books that have some reference to jars or bottles.
A lovely picture book about friendship and loss is Juna’s Jar by Jane Bahk, illustrated by Felicia Hoshino. Juna and her best friend, Hector, have many adventures together, and June loves to collect things in empty kimchi jars that her mother saves for her. When Hector unexpectedly moves away without having a chance to say good-bye. Juna is heartbroken uses her jars to find connection with Hector wherever he might be.
The Heart and the Bottle by Oliver Jeffers is another picture book about loss. When a young girl loses her grandfather, she puts her heart safely in a bottle where it is protected. She grows up, her heart safe from heartbreak, until she meets a young girl who teaches her to remember the wonder that her grandfather taught her. Can she embrace that wonder and risk her heart again?
The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi is one of my favorite picture books. Unhei is the new kid in school, having just moved from Korea. Anxious that American kids won’t be able to pronounce her name, she tells the class that she will choose a name by the following week. Her new classmates decide to help out by filling a glass jar with names for her to pick from. But while Unhei practices being a Suzy, Laura, or Amanda, one of her classmates comes to her neighborhood and discovers her real name and its special meaning. On the day of her name choosing, the name jar has mysteriously disappeared. Encouraged by her new friends, Unhei chooses her own Korean name and helps everyone pronounce it.
Shouting at the Rain, a new middle grade novel by Lynda Mullaly Hunt (author of One for the Murphys and Fish in a Tree), has a beautiful cover with a jar and a storm. Delsie loves tracking the weather–lately, though, it seems the squalls are in her own life. She’s always lived with her kindhearted Grammy, but now she’s looking at their life with new eyes and wishing she could have a “regular family.” Delsie observes other changes in the air, too–the most painful being a friend who’s outgrown her. Luckily, she has neighbors with strong shoulders to support her, and Ronan, a new friend who is caring and courageous but also troubled by the losses he’s endured. As Ronan and Delsie traipse around Cape Cod on their adventures, they both learn what it means to be angry versus sad, broken versus whole, and abandoned versus loved.
Donavan’s Word Jar, a chapter book by Monalisa DeGross, illustrated by Cheryl Hanna, is about a young boy who collects words—big words, little words, soft words, and silly words. Whenever Donavan finds a new word, he writes it on a slip of paper and puts it in his word jar. But one day, Donavan discovers that his word jar is full. He can’t put any new words in without taking some of the old words out—and he wants to keep all his words. Thankfully, Donavan’s grandmother has the perfect solution…
I have one last picture book to share with you: The Hard-Times Jar by Ethel Footman Smothers, illustrated by John Holyfield. The Turners are migrant workers and money is tight, which means that Emma can’t have the new books that she desperately wants. Emma has a plan, though – she’s going to save all the money she earns picking apples and put it in Mama’s hard-times jar. Then there will surely be enough for extras. But when Mama tells Emma that this year she has to go to school instead of to work, it spoils everything. Now she will never own a store-bought book! But school turns out to have a wonderful surprise in store for Emma.
Around the web…
Understanding My Child’s Needs Through Books, via Book Riot
‘Hair Love’ Wins Oscar for Best Animated Short, via Publisher’s Weekly
On Writing Books for Real Kids… And Telling the Truth by Kate Messner, via Nerdy Book Club
What are you reading these days? Let me know! Find me on Twitter at @KarinaYanGlaser, on Instagram at @KarinaIsReadingAndWriting, or email me at KarinaBookRiot@gmail.com.
Until next time!
Karina
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