In her first novel since winning the Newbery Medal for When You Trap a Tiger, Tae Keller offers a gripping and emotional story about friendship, bullying, and the possiblity that there's more in the universe than just us. Sometimes middle school can make you feel like you're totally alone in the universe...but what if we aren't alone at all? Thanks to her best friend, Reagan, Mallory Moss knows the rules of middle school. The most important one? You have to fit in to survive. But then Jennifer Chan moves in across the street, and that rule doesn’t seem to apply. Jennifer doesn’t care about the laws of middle school, or the laws of the universe. She believes in aliens—and she thinks she can find them. Then Jennifer goes missing. Using clues from Jennifer’s journals, Mallory goes searching. But the closer she gets, the more Mallory has to confront why Jennifer might have run . . . and face the truth within herself. Tae Keller lights up the sky with this insightful story about shifting friendships, right and wrong, and the power we all hold to influence and change one another. No one is ever truly alone.
In her first novel since winning the Newbery Medal for When You Trap a Tiger, Tae Keller offers a gripping and emotional story about friendship, bullying, and the possiblity that there's more in the universe than just us. Sometimes middle school can make you feel like you're totally alone in the universe...but what if we aren't alone at all? Thanks to her best friend, Reagan, Mallory Moss knows the rules of middle school. The most important one? You have to fit in to survive. But then Jennifer Chan moves in across the street, and that rule doesn’t seem to apply. Jennifer doesn’t care about the laws of middle school, or the laws of the universe. She believes in aliens—and she thinks she can find them. Then Jennifer goes missing. Using clues from Jennifer’s journals, Mallory goes searching. But the closer she gets, the more Mallory has to confront why Jennifer might have run . . . and face the truth within herself. Tae Keller lights up the sky with this insightful story about shifting friendships, right and wrong, and the power we all hold to influence and change one another. No one is ever truly alone.
Family is family, no matter what it looks like. Readers will cheer for this pitch-perfect story, just right for fans of such books as The Great Gilly Hopkins and Fish in a Tree. For as long as Robinson Hart can remember, it’s just been her and Grandpa. He taught her about cars, baseball, and everything else worth knowing. But Grandpa’s memory has been getting bad—so bad that he sometimes can’t even remember Robbie’s name. She’s sure that she’s making things worse by getting in trouble at school, but she can’t resist using her fists when bullies like Alex Carter make fun of her for not having a mom. Now she’s stuck in group guidance—and to make things even worse, Alex Carter is there too. There’s no way Robbie’s going to open up about her life to some therapy group, especially not with Alex in the room. Besides, if she told anyone how forgetful Grandpa’s been getting lately, they’d take her away from him. He’s the only family she has—and it’s up to her to keep them together, no matter what. Praise for Just Like Jackie: "I was truly moved by this refreshing story about a scrappy young heroine and her struggle to protect her family."—Sara Pennypacker, New York Times bestselling author of Pax “Just Like Jackie is a lovely story of acceptance—about what makes a family and how we make our own families, and about embracing our differences.”—Ann M. Martin, New York Times bestselling author of Rain Reign "A fresh coming-of-age novel as feisty, funny, and forthright as its protagonist. Robinson overcomes obstacles with wit, grit, and a growing compassion for others, showing us that families are what we make them and happiness is found in the simple gifts we take for granted. A rich, rewarding read all around."—John David Anderson, author of Ms. Bixby's Last Day “As close to perfect as a book for middle grade children can get!”—Cammie McGovern, author of Just My Luck ? "Stoddard debuts with a quiet but powerful narrative that gently unpacks Alzheimer’s, centers mental health, and moves through the intimate and intense emotional landscape of family—what seems to break one and what can remake it. Validating, heart-rending, and a deft blend of suffering and inspiration."—Kirkus Reviews (starred review) “A home-run story that will resonate with all who feel they might not fit into the perfect definition of a family.”—School Library Journal “Debut author Stoddard crafts a winning narrator in Robinson. A beautiful story about the true meaning of family, perfect for fans of Lynda Mullaly Hunt.”—Booklist
Natalie's uplifting story of using the scientific process to "save" her mother from depression is what Booklist calls "a winning story full of heart and action." Eggs are breakable. Hope is not. When Natalie's science teacher suggests that she enter an egg drop competition, Natalie thinks that this might be the perfect solution to all of her problems. There's prize money, and if she and her friends wins, then she can fly her botanist mother to see the miraculous Cobalt Blue Orchids--flowers that survive against impossible odds. Natalie's mother has been suffering from depression, and Natalie is sure that the flowers' magic will inspire her mom to love life again. Which means it's time for Natalie's friends to step up and show her that talking about a problem is like taking a plant out of a dark cupboard and giving it light. With their help, Natalie begins an uplifting journey to discover the science of hope, love, and miracles. A vibrant, loving debut about the coming-of-age moment when kids realize that parents are people, too. Think THE FOURTEENTH GOLDFISH meets THE THING ABOUT JELLYFISH. NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR * KIRKUS REVIEWS * THE CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY * "Natalie's Korean heritage is sensitively explored, as is the central issue of depression." --Publishers Weekly "A compassionate glimpse of mental illness accessible to a broad audience." --Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW "Holy moly!!! This book made me feel." --Colby Sharp, editor of The Creativity Project, teacher, and cofounder of Nerdy Book Club
Scholars in the field of children’s literature studies began taking an interest in the concept of “liminal spaces” around the turn of the 21st century. For the first time, Liminal Spaces in Children’s and Young Adult Literature: Stories from the In Between brings together in one volume a collection of original essays on this topic by leading children’s literature scholars. The contributors in this collection take a wide variety of approaches to their explorations of liminal spaces in children’s and young adult literature. Some discuss how children’s books portray the liminal nature of physical spaces, such as the children’s room in a library. Others deal with more abstract portrayals, such as the imaginary space where Max goes to escape the reality of his bedroom in Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are. All of the contributors, however, provide keen insights into how liminal spaces figure in children’s and young adult literature.
Using a critical lens derived from ecopsychology and its praxis, ecotherapy, this book explores the relationships Madeleine L’Engle develops for her characters in a selection of the novels from her three Time, Austin family, and O’Keefe family series as those relationships develop along a human-nonhuman kinship continuum. This is accomplished through an examination both of pairs of novels from the fantastic and the realistic series, and of single novels which stand out as slightly different from the most prominent genre in a given series. Thus, this examination also shows L’Engle’s fluid movement along a fantasy-reality continuum and demonstrates the integration of the three series with each other. Importantly, through examining these relationships and this movement along continuums in these novels, the project demonstrates how ecopsychology and ecotherapy provide strong and important – and as-yet virtually unexplored – intersections with children’s literature.
Stop the Hate for Goodness Sake shows teachers how to confront racism and disrupt discrimination in order to deepen students’ understanding of social justice, diversity, and equity. Background information, statistics, and reports on incidents of hate will help students consider ethical and moral behavior. Forty step-by-step lessons involve discussion, oral and written narratives, case studies, assumption charts, and more. This thoughtful examination of today’s world will help teachers encourage reflection, foster inclusion, and inspire students to take action. This in-depth guide will show teachers of 8- to 14-year-olds how to start and manage important conversations that will lead to change.
An inspiring and delightful illustrated collection of quotations from a diverse range of our most beloved children's books that will help teach all of us how to live in the world today, perfect for gift season and for readers of books like The Boy, The Mole, The Fox, and The Horse and How to Love the World. Everything we need to know as adults can be found in the brilliant, imaginative, diverse world of children's books. That is the simple yet powerful promise that Believe In the World offers. This illustrated, gifty collection, with witty and inspirational quotations organized in chapters such as "How to Believe in the World" and "How to Have Fun in the World," reminds us not to lose sight of the values we learned as kids—to be courageous, to do good deeds, to respect our imaginations, and maybe even to break a few rules every once in a while. Some quotations will bring readers back to old favorites like The Little Prince or Ramona Forever while others will lead to new discoveries inspired by the exciting new variety of children’s books being published today. And all provide a roadmap to doing and being good in the world. As one reviewer wrote about Believe In the World's predecessor, What the Dormouse Said, published by Algonquin in 1999, “Whether you’re looking for wisdom about goodness or sadness or even more practical matters, you will surely find it in this delightful collection.” Believe In the World lands in the sweet spot of nostalgic and entertaining; fresh and enlightening. And at the same time, it reminds us of the exhilaration of being a reader, young at heart, venturing forth into the world of storybooks and unforgettable characters and confirming that we are never too old to recapture the lessons, pleasures, and exuberance of childhood.
Mihi and her friends are heading back to the Rainbow Realm—and this time, they have to save the princess. Mihi, Reese, and Savannah thought their fairy tale realm adventures were over. But just as they were getting ready to go home, they learn that their first friend in the realm, Princess Pat, has disappeared on a quest of her own. Pat is traveling around the fairy world trying to gather enough magic to save the Rainbow Realm, but the journey is too dangerous, and Mihi, Reese, and Savannah are the only ones that can save her. But as the girls chase after Princess Pat, they meet creatures and learn stories they've never heard of before, from cultures all over the world. And slowly, they realize Princess Pat might be the problem. Can they save the fairy tale world from their friend's destructive quest?
Newbery Medalist Tae Keller continues the fantasy adventures of Mihi Whan Park and her friends as they revisit the fairy tale realm to solve a giant problem. After just barely surviving their last trip to the Rainbow Realm, Mihi Whan Park and her friends Reese and Savannah know that stepping back through the library refrigerator and into the magical fairy-tale world would be a dangerous choice. But when they discover that Mihi’s nemesis, Genevieve, has crossed through the fridge and into the Rainbow Realm herself, Mihi, Reese, and Savannah decide they must bring her home. Through the refrigerator they go, and when they arrive, they find the world has changed. Atop an enormous beanstalk, a greedy giant wreaks havoc on the realm, and Genevieve isn’t the only one who needs saving. Now Mihi and her friends must team up with villains, concoct a magical disguise, and infiltrate a party full of the most fearsome creatures in all the land. What could possibly go wrong?
