Learning | The Crossover is a Winner!

Last Monday, I read the latest Newbery Medal Winning book.  It took me only one day to read The Crossover by Kwame Alexander. This book is really different from the typical Newbery book; it is a novel written in verse. 

The book gets its title from a basketball maneuver that involves rapidly switching hands while dribbling the ball. Good players say they can make an opponent break his ankles, when they change sides suddenly.

Josh Defines Crossover in a Poem,
from
The Crossover by Kwame Alexander

I must admit, when I first started reading the book, I wondered if I would like it. I don't have anything against basketball, but if the whole book was going to be about basketball, I wasn't sure it would hold my interest. 

I was mistaken.

There is a lot of basketball talk in this book, because Josh (the narrator) and his twin brother are basketball stars at their school. Basketball talent must be hereditary in their family; their father is a retired pro basketball player.  But there's so much more to this book. For example: 

1. Josh is part of a loving family. But they are headed for some rough patches in this book, which test their bonds.  
2. Josh loves words!  In between the poems that move the story along, there are poems about vocabulary words. 
3. Basketball is a metaphor in this book.  Especially the term "crossover." Read the book. Think about this. Then tell me what you think about it.
4. Josh's poems are so varied! Some of them have fun visual effects; some sound like lyrics from a song. Others are more like narratives.  I found myself wondering what I would find, whenever I turned a new page.
5. Remember what I said about not being sure the book would hold my interest? I got so absorbed in this book, I didn't want it to end.

Middle school and high school aged readers will especially enjoy The Crossover, but I would recommend it to anybody from 6th grade and up.

Ms. Suzy Reads | And Picks a Winner

Well, maybe I'll pick a winner -- a Newbery Medal Award winner -- to be exact. The Newbery Award is awarded annually by the American Library Association for the most distinguished American children's book published the previous year. That last line comes directly from the Newbery Award website, by the way. But anyway, the Newbery Award committee people will select the most distinguished book for children and announce it in January 2015. Oh my goodness, this is more exciting than predicting who will win an Oscar!

Recently I chatted with some of my colleagues about which book they think will win the Newbery Award. Here are a couple of our predictions...and since this weather is perfect for chilling with a great book, why not read one or both and tell us if you think it's the most distinguished American children's book. 

The Ghosts of Tupelo Landing by Sheila Turnage is a worthy contender. It's filled with all the things that make for a great read: a detective agency run by kids, an old inn that may or may not be haunted, and a slick new kid in town. Can Mo and Dale solve the mystery of the haunted old inn? This is the follow-up to Three Times Lucky, a Newbery Honor book, but you don't have to have read that one. You'll very quickly get to know Mo and her Southern quirkiness, and you'll be pulled into all the adventure from the very beginning.

Another book that several of my colleagues really liked is Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin. Now I've not read this one yet, but I'm told it's about a girl who has OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder), Asperger's Syndrome, and an obsession with homonyms (words with different meanings but with the same pronunciation). She names her beloved dog Rain, a word which has two homonyms -- reign and rein. Things go south when a big storm hits, Rain goes missing, and Rose must leave her safe little world in order to find her beloved dog. I'm pretty sure this is going to tug at the heart strings, but it still sounds like a great read! 

I'll be back with more possible Newbery Medal Award winners. In the meantime, let us know what book YOU think was the most distinguished American children's book.

Learning | Running

MANIAC MAGEE

If you are not familiar with the 1991 winner of the Newbery Award, you're in for a treat. Maniac Magee tells the tale of orphan Jeffery Magee's quest for a home.  He loves to run (and wake up early and do the dishes!) 

It turns out he has a talent making friends--and bringing people together. Jeffery has been miserable living with his aunt and uncle, so he leaves. He arrives in a segregated town, with black people and white people living on different sides. He appears to belong on the white side of town--but he is accepted on both sides.

There's humor in the story, and a satisfying ending.  This story would be best for children ages 8-12. It can also be a good choice for reluctant readers.

RUNNING IN THE LIBRARY

Jeffery Magee used running in a positive way.  We all know running can be good for your health, and it can feel great.  But there are some places where running is not a good idea. Running inside the library is a bad idea.  It disturbs people who are trying to read, use the computer or do homework.  It is also dangerous.  We don't want our customers to get hurt. Please walk in the library. 

4 Kids | And the Oscar Goes To...

Ok, not the Oscar, but yesterday, the American Library Association did announce several awards I just have to talk about! Admittedly, we library types get a little over-excited about these awards. But when I heard two of the winners, I simply had to write about them.

First of all, the Caldecott Award. This is awarded each year to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children. (It's like Best Actor Award at the Academy Awards.) This year -- drum roll, please -- the award goes to Jon Klassen for his book This is Not My Hat. You may recall I was singing the praises of this great picture book not too very long ago in this very blog! So I guess that means I picked the winner! 

And if you missed my praise earlier, I will repeat. This is a GREAT book! Aside from its good moral about how it's wrong to steal, the pictures really, really help tell the story. In fact, the reader who is paying attention will know more about what's going on in the story than the poor little narrator. Well, perhaps the "poor little narrator" doesn't deserve all our sympathy.

It's a great book....great for all ages....and my hat's off to Jon Klassen for being awarded this very prestigious honor!

And the other big award yesterday was the Newbery Award. Now this goes to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. And this year, the Newbery goes to The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate. This is one of the most beautiful stories I've ever read. It's told from the point of view of Ivan, a gorilla at a run-down mall circus. He's funny, very smart, and really, really knows the value of true friendship. Full disclosure: this one might make you tear up just a little. But it's ok. You'll come away feeling pretty darn good.

And just so you know, SSJCPL will be buying lots of copies of this great book very soon, so stay tuned!

That's all for today. Happy Reading to you all!