#IMWAYR September 20, 2021

It finally feels like school is starting to hum along. With masks and social distancing, but still humming. In writing news, my agent loves my manuscript revisions (yay!) and so I should be out on sub soon. For those of you who don't know what this is, it's what happens after a writer finishes a book and the agent sends it to editors at publishing companies. Sometimes they get back to you right away. More often, it's a time of waiting and writing something new. And of course, lots of reading!

This middle grade book has been on my TBR list since it came out. It's every bit as wonderful as people have said. It's the story of Zoey, a 12 yo whose family situation makes it challenging for her to succeed in school. Her mother's verbally abusive boyfriend has made her mother somewhat absent in the life of her children and Zoey has had to step in. When her teacher notices her throw her homework out in the trash rather than turning it in, she decides to force Zoey into the debate team. Ms. Rochambeau sees herself in Zoey and through her pushing, Zoey is able to not just see herself in a different way, but help her mother and her friend's mother to find their self-worth too. I will admit to being particularly fond of books with great teachers. I hope that Zoey and her teacher find their way into the hands of real kids who need to adjust their own self-view.

I love middle grade fantasy, and Thirteen Witches is a really well done story. It's about a girl named Rosie whose mother has always been distant - almost to the point where sometimes she doesn't know who Rosie is. Her best friend, Germ, is the only one who really knows her, but lately Germ has been acting different, wearing makeup and caring about her clothes, and Rosie feels like she is losing the one person in her life that cares about her. When Germ makes a comment about the happy ending stories Rosie tells, Rosie decides to burn them and grow up. Little did she know that this act will be life changing because it opens Rosie's eyes to the magical world around her full of ghosts and witches. Rosie learns that she is the last in a line of witch hunters and now that she has this knowledge, her life is in danger from the witch who stole her mother's memory long ago.

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Stacy Barnett Mozer is a teacher and a middle grade author. If you like what she's been reading follow her on Goodreads. Please leave a comment below.

#IMWAYR September 13, 2021

 

Have you ever heard the saying, "People plan. G-d laughs." That would pretty much describe the past two weeks of my life. I made a pledge to myself to update this blog every Monday, and then Ida brought 6 inches of pond water into my basement from end to end. *Sigh* So no more promises, but here is what I've read since I posted last:

I really enjoyed the first two books in this magical middle grade series by Zetta Elliott. When Jaxon's mother asks a women named Ma to watch him so she can try to make sure they are not evicted from their apartment, Jaxon has no idea what his mother is getting him into. It turns out that Ma is a witch and she needs Jaxon to help her deliver three dragons. But when Ma gets trapped in the past, Jaxon turns to his best friend Vikram for help. Things seemed to go well until they realize that Vikram's sister has stolen one of the dragons. This series is fun, action packed, and has a lot to say about responsibility and friendship. It is definitely a middle grade must have.

Brewster's Millions was one of my favorite movies growing up, so I really loved Stacy McAnulty's middle grade version, Millionaires for the Month. When Felix and Benji find a wallet on a school trip belonging to millionaire Laura Friendly, Benji decides that she won't miss the $20 he finds inside to buy a hot dog. But Laura Friendly understands that every penny has value, so instead of simply rewarding the boys for finding her wallet, she gives them a challenge - spend $5,368,709.12 in 30 days and get 10 million dollars. The catch - no one can know what they are doing and why. If that was hard to do as an adult, for two kids in middle school, that's practically impossible. I loved watching these two opposite kids learn how to work together, seeing their friendship develop, and finding out what they decide to buy. Middle graders will love Millionaires for the Month.

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Stacy Barnett Mozer is a teacher and a middle grade author. If you like what she's been reading follow her on Goodreads. Please leave a comment below.

#IMWAYR Excited About Two New Books!

 

It has been a while since I added books to this blog for #IMWAYR. COVID definitely changed my reading habits. I used to read right before I went to sleep and now I find that by the end of the day I am exhausted. Fortunately, my body had other ideas and my internal clock now wakes me up each day between 5 - 6, before I'm ready to get out of bed. That's when instead of falling back into dreams, I fall into books instead. My next goal is to start getting back into review mode.

This week I finished two middle grade books I received as DARCS from NetGalley. I am so thrilled to be one of the first to read these amazing books and can't wait until they release so I can share them with my class! Both deal with the loss of a mother, but in very different ways.

Crick.

Crack.

This is a story. 

A Comb of Wishes is about a girl named Kela whose life has not been the same since her mother passed away in a terrible accident. She has distanced herself from her friends and spends her time on the beach collecting sea glass, known on her Caribbean island as "Mermaid's Tears." One day when she is collecting,  she is called to explore a cave and finds a comb that she finds out quickly belongs to an actual mermaid. The mermaid offers her one wish in exchange for returning her comb, but like most wishes, Kela's comes with a price and when the comb breaks and Kela can't return it, the stakes are raised even higher. I love the way this book handles Kela's loss and the stages of grief with a bit of magic, which may be just what a middle grader needs to help them move forward. There are also elements of betrayal and a high stakes mystery when the comb is stolen. You also get to learn about life on the island of St. Rita and their tradition of story telling. I also love how this book handles relationships with friends and family. I would highly recommend this book for middle grade classroom when it hits the shelves in February 2022.

When Morgan's mother collapses in front of her, her last words were, "Keep them safe, Morgan. Be Brave for them. Help them be happy." Since her mother's death, that is all Morgan has been doing. Taking care of her father and younger sister and brother, even if that means giving up her friends and soccer, something she loves to do most. Following her mother's life coach plans, Morgan is determined to make her family's plan B work for them. But when her father takes them on their usual end of summer camping trip, Plan B keeps getting changed and Morgan feels her control slipping. To get that back, she does something reckless that puts her life in danger. But when all hope seems lost, she learns that her mother's words on the floor wasn't her actual final message and that Plan Bs can turn into new Plan As. This book is full of heartbreak and love. I would recommend getting it for an upper middle grade classroom when it hits the shelves in January 2022.

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Stacy Barnett Mozer is a teacher and a middle grade author. If you like what she's been reading follow her on Goodreads. Please leave a comment below.

#IMWAYR #Readukkah December 16, 2019

 

Each week I try to join Jen from Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee from Unleashing Readers to share all of the reading I've done over the week from picture books to young adult novels. 

In addition to it being #IMWAYR, this week is also #Redukkah. #Reddukkah lasts from December 15 - December 22, was created by The Association of Jewish Libraries, The Book of Life/Jewish Kidlit Mavens, and The Jewish Council to promote awareness of any book of Jewish interest. To find about more join the Facebook Event.

Finally, it's my final week reviewing books as a first round Cybil judge for the middle grade fiction.

Here's what I read this week:

Middle Grade

When Shirli Berman gets the role of Goldie in the school production of the musical Fiddler on the Roof opposite her crush Ben, she decides to search through her Zayde's attack to see if he has any old clothes that would add authenticity to the play. When she comes across a poster of a klezmer band and a violin, she opens up a window into her Zayde's past that allows him to finally tell the story of his experience in the Holocaust. Set in 2002 with a backdrop of 911, Broken Strings is a story about family, forgiveness, acceptance, and moving forward.

Middle Grade Reposts for #Readukkah

It has been a year since Leah's life was forever changed. A year of feeling like a ghost with ghost parents with the door to her brother's room permanently closed. But when Leah meets Jasper, a new girl in town who never knew Leah's brother, Leah is able to find her way back to herself and to tell her story. But Leah isn't the only one with a story to tell. Jasper is experiencing problems too and has asked Leah to keep her secret. But some secrets are too big to keep and Leah has to decide whether to risk losing her one true friend in order to keep Jasper safe. This is a wonderful story about friendship and moving forward after loss.

Upper Middle Grade/YA Repost for #Readukkah

It is not often I find out something I didn't know about the Holocaust. I am normally a very quick reader, but The Librarian of Auchwitz is not a book to read quickly. The author goes backwards and forwards through time and makes references to the books the librarian is reading inorder to set the scene for the events in Block 31 in Auschwitz and the main character, Dita's role in saving the books and creating living books to enrich the lives of the children imprisoned in the family camp. It is an amazing read, especially when you realize that all the people and situations were based on true events. 

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Stacy Barnett Mozer is a teacher and a middle grade author. If you like what she's been reading follow her on Goodreads. Please leave a comment below. 

#IMWAYR May 8, 2017

Each week I join Jen from Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki from Unleashing Readers to share all of the reading I've done over the week from picture books to young adult novels. I was thrilled to see my own novel, The Sweet Spot, reviewed on Unleashing Readers on Friday. I started something new on this blog last week. On Tuesdays I will be posting book recommendations from my third graders as part of #BookTalkTuesday. You can see their first suggestions here. I used one of their recommendations and read my first Captain Underpants book this week. Check in tomorrow to see what other kids in my class are reading.

Here's what I read this week:

Picture Book

It was nice to see Lady Pancake and Sit French Toast working together again in The Case of the Stinky Stench. Josh Funk's rhymes along with Brendan Kearney's adorable illustrations makes this book fun for any age. Lots of great new characters to meet in an extension of the previous world. A definite must read.

Middle Grade

I can definitely understand why this series is a favorite in my classroom. Not only does it use potty humor, it also breaks up the prose with comic strips, illustration, and flip-o-rama. 

Young Adult

The third book in Sarah J. Maas's Court of Thorns and Roses didn't disappoint. The book was an exciting conclusion to Feyre's journey. It wrapped up all the story lines and didn't leave any questions - or at least I think it didn't. It felt like the conclusion. But according to Sarah's website and newsletter there are still three more books and two novellas to come. I'm not sure I can wait!

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Stacy Barnett Mozer is a third grade teacher and a middle grade author. The Sweet Spot and The Perfect Trip are available now from Spellbound River Press. If you like what she's been reading follow her on Goodreads. Please leave a comment below. It's Monday, what are you reading?

#IMWAYR May 1, 2017

Each week I join Jen from Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki from Unleashing Readers to share all of the reading I've done over the week from picture books to young adult novels. It's #IMWAYR.

Picture Book

On Saturday people around the world did more to celebrate the life of Amy Krouse Rosenthal. On Friday my third grade class read Spoon, Chopsticks, Exclamation Mark, The OK Book, and I Wish You More. We discussed the author's message and created our own messages to share with others. 

Middle Grade

Voyagers is the first book in a science fiction series about a group of kids that compete to go on a space mission to save the world. The story is told from close third person in multiple points of view. There are surprises at every turn. I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

Young Adult

In A Hundred Hours of Night, fifteen-year-old Emilia has escaped a social media scandal about her father in Amsterdam by running away to New York City. She thinks she has everything planned, but when she gets to New York she has no place to stay and Hurricane Sandy is closing in. She ends up weathering the storm with two other teenagers and an eleven-year-old girl. As the four of them experience NYC without power, they learn about each other and themselves. I enjoyed this book. It reminded me of The Memory of Things by Gae Polisner and Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins.

I was desperate for a high fantasy with a kick-butt female character so a friend recommended this series. The story did feel familiar (two teenagers on opposite sides of a war that are forced together and fall in love) but it had some twists that made me keep reading. I'm looking forward to finding out what happens next. 

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Stacy Barnett Mozer is a third grade teacher and a middle grade author. The Sweet Spot and The Perfect Trip are available now from Spellbound River Press. If you like what she's been reading follow her on Goodreads. Please leave a comment below. It's Monday, what are you reading?

#IMWAYR April 17, 2017 & Poetry Month Post 3

Each week I try to join Jen from Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki from Unleashing Readers to share all of the reading I've done over the week from picture books to young adult novels. April is Poetry Month so I will start each post in April by sharing a favorite poetry book and a novel in verse. It was vacation this week so I had lots of time to read up on some middle grade novels to recommend to my class. It's #IMWAYR.

Poetry

This book of silly animal poems is a ton of fun. There's a mix of forms and styles to best fit each animal.

Novel in Verse (Middle Grade)

A sharing of middle grade novels in verse wouldn't be complete without mentioning Kwame Alexander. His sports novels, Crossover and Booked are two of my favorites. Crossover is about 12 yo Josh Bell who tells his family's story from the basketball court. Booked is about 12 yo Nick who tells his story from the soccer field. Even if you don't love sports, you will love these novels.

Middle Grade

Rip is ready for the first day of fifth grade. But when he realizes his district has made some bit changes and he won't have the teacher he and his best friend Red expects, the year becomes a whole new ballgame. This is a novel about friendship, finding the best in people, and the power of growth mindset teaching. It should be on every teacher's nightstand as a reminder about the importance of making connections with kids and kids will love it too.

Mrs. Bixby's Last Day is also about an unexpected change to a school year, but in this book the change is brought about by the illness and departure of a really special teacher. When Topher, Brand, and Steve learn that Ms. Bixby is too sick to come back to school, they decide to give her the last day she deserves. The book is told from all three boys points of view. Read this one with a very large box of tissues. 

Ruthie is having a great week. She has finally learned enough English after moving to America from Cuba to be in the "smart" class, she is her neighborhood's Hopscotch Queen, and her dad has bought her the Go Go Boots she really wants. But when a horrible car accident leaves Ruthie in a body cast for months, all of those things no longer matter.  This historical fiction story of acceptance and personal growth is made so much more powerful when you realize that it is based on the true story of the author.

This character driven historical fiction novel follows a boy named Beans who lived with his family in Key West the year it became the tropical paradise we now know. Before the New Dealers came to town it was a garbage filled place where everyone did what they could to get by, including the kids. Full of Beans was a fun book and I loved learning the history from the author's note at the end.

What do a bus accident, four kids, and super powers have in common? You will have to read this book to find out. I enjoyed getting to know these characters in the first novel. I will look forward to seeing what happens to them next in book two.

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Stacy Barnett Mozer is a third grade teacher and a middle grade author. The Sweet Spot and The Perfect Trip are available now from Spellbound River Press. If you like what she's been reading follow her on Goodreads. Please leave a comment below. It's Monday, what are you reading?

#IMWAYR April 3, 2017 and Poetry Month Post 1

Each week I try to join Jen from Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki from Unleashing Readers to share all of the reading I've done over the week from picture books to young adult novels. I was also reminded this morning that it is poetry month, so each week in April I will share a favorite poetry book and a novel in verse. It's #IMWAYR.

Poetry

If you teach kids or have kids and haven't heard of Ted Scheu, you should look him up right away. His school poems cover topics from homework to kids who call out in class. They will make you laugh until you cry.

Novel in Verse

I shared this book on a previous post but it is worth sharing it again during poetry month. When the students in Ms. Hill's Fifth Grade Class learn that their school is closing at the end of the year, they each have a different reaction. Told in rhyme in eighteen diverse voices, this book is about so much more than the closing of a school It's about friendship, adjusting to change, the encouragement of an amazing teacher, and most of all, it's about finding your own voice. A definite must read.

Picture Book

It's another "must be shared with kids" picture book from Peter H. Reynolds. Like The Dot and Ish, Happy Dreamer encourages children to embrace the way they see the world. Don't tell my son, but I will be getting this book for him to celebrate his 8th grade graduation because it's a perfect moment to encourage big dreams.

Middle Grade

I really enjoyed this dark, middle grade historical fantasy by Catherine Jinks. Birdie McAdam is a spunky orphan who takes pride in her work as a Bogle's girl, even if it puts her in danger. I loved Birdie's voice and experiencing the events of the story from her point of view. I would recommend the book for an older middle grader and lovers of the last books in the Harry Potter series.

Young Adult

When Keeley learns that her town is going to be flooded and turned into a lake, she uses her humor and adventurous nature to help her friends and family through the experience. The only problem is that some people don't want to laugh when it is time to say goodbye. Overall I enjoyed this book, though I did feel the final choices Keeley makes were not true to her character.

Natasha's family is being deported to Jamaica and she is racing against time trying to get the decision reversed. Daniel is interviewing for Yale to follow the future his Korean parents have placed on his shoulders. Is it chance or fate that brings them together on one of the most monumental days of their lives? You will have to read the book to decide. Told from multiple points of view, this is a story about love and choices. It took a few chapters for me to get into this book, but once I did I was hooked.

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Stacy Barnett Mozer is a third grade teacher and a middle grade author. The Sweet Spot and The Perfect Trip are available now from Spellbound River Press. If you like what she's been reading follow her on Goodreads. Please leave a comment below. It's Monday, what are you reading?

#IMWAYR March 27, 2017

Each week I try to join Jen from Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki from Unleashing Readers to share all of the reading I've done over the week from picture books to young adult novels. It's #IMWAYR.

Here's what I read this week:

Picture Book

This book was The Ugly Duckling with a wonderful twist. Kelp grows up a narwhal but he is really a unicorn. But unlike in The Ugly Duckling, Kelp, is accepted by both of his communities. It's a heartwarming story that would teach kids about accepting and embracing differences.

This book is simply hilarious. It emphasizes the point, "Be careful what you wish for." Kids will want it read again and again.

A fractured Cinderella tale where the Cinderella character plays baseball? What wouldn't I love about that? I can't wait to share this one with my class during our fractured tale unit.

Young Adult

When I read this book this week I hadn't heard the criticism and discussion about the representations in this book. Here are two different points of view by Justine Ireland and Sabaa Tahir.

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If you like my reading choices, you can check out all the books I've read on Goodreads and please leave a comment below. It's Monday, what have you been reading?

#IMWAYR March 20, 2017

Each week I try to join Jen from Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki from Unleashing Readers to share all of the reading I've done over the week from picture books to young adult novels. It's #IMWAYR.

This is a big week for me with my virtual launch on Thursday and The Perfect Trip releasing on Friday. You can also find me today over at Middle Grade Minded where I talked about how I used me real life to create this story. 

I didn't have much extra reading time, but when the notification came from Overdrive that I could download The Hate U Give, I had to read it immediately.

Young Adult

This powerful, heart breaking, eye opening novel should be required reading. It is the story of sixteen year old Starr Carter who is the only witness to the police shooting of one of her oldest friends. After the murder, Starr has to decide whether to allow the media and police to portray her friend as an armed drug dealer or to tell the truth, take a stand, and put her life and the lives of her friends and family in danger.

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If you like my reading choices, you can check out all the books I've read on Goodreads and please leave a comment below. It's Monday, what have you been reading?

#IMWAYR February 27, 2017

Each week I try to join Jen from Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki from Unleashing Readers to share all of the reading I've done over the week from picture books to young adult novels. It's #IMWAYR.

A little more than a week ago, while I was on school vacation, I was invited to be an author in residence at the Community School of Naples, Florida. I had a wonderful time teaching three classes of third graders. They asked interesting questions and took risks with their own writing. It was a fantastic experience that I am looking forward to repeating next year and in other schools. 

Here are the books I read this week:

Picture Book

Whenever I'm on a beach this book comes to mind so I had to share it with my students. It's a fun story about what happens when a dragon moves into a sandcastle. We didn't see any dragons but we did see an octopus and crocodile. 

Middle Grade

This series has been on my reading list for a while and I'm glad I finally got around to reading it. Sammy is a spirited main character. I can see why middle graders enjoy these books. Time to get some for my classroom!

Young Adult

I didn't love the last book in this series but decided I had to read this next one anyway. I am so glad I did. By the end of the last book I disliked the main character, Adelina Amouteru. In this final chapter of her story she finally redeems herself and the story concludes in a satisfying way.

It has been a while since I read a paranormal book. This one didn't disappoint. Beezy Lin wakes up one year after her death with the need to bring murderers to justice. Unable to find her own killer, she seeks out truly bad people and uncovers a cult bent on destroying evil - only problem is they wouldn't recognize true evil if it bit them.

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If you like my reading choices, you can check out all the books I've read on Goodreads and please leave a comment below. It's Monday, what have you been reading?