Podcast appearances and mentions of lauren wolk

Das Mädchen Annabelle verfügt plötzlich über eine besondere Gabe: Nachdem sie vom Blitz getroffen wurde, kann sie die Gefühle der Tiere um sie herum verstehen und spüren. Luise (13) stellt "Der Sommer, in dem der Blitz mich traf" von Lauren Wolk vor. Von Luise.

In this conversation, Newbery Honor winner Lauren Wolk discusses her latest middle grade novel, Candle Island, and shares insights into her writing process, character development, and the importance of setting in her stories. She emphasizes the maturity and resilience of her characters, the role of art in her work, and her creative journey as a children's writer. Wolk also shares her journey as a writer, discussing her transition from adult fiction to middle grade literature, the impact of awards on her career, and her dedication to engaging young readers. For bonus content and info on upcoming episodes, subscribe to the Middle Grade Matters newsletter here: Newsletter, and follow us on Instagram, Threads, and Twitter.I love audiobooks! If you do, too, consider switching to Libro.fm, a platform that supports indy bookstores.If you're enjoying this podcast, please leave a rating and review (thank you!).

We talk with artist, poet and novelist Lauren Wolk about her latest book Candle Island. Set on a small island off the coast of Maine it's a moving portrait of loss and the restorative power of art.http://www.laurenwolk.com/

This week on From the Front Porch, it's another New Release Rundown! Annie, Erin, and Olivia are sharing the April releases they're excited about to help you build your TBR. When you purchase or preorder any of the books they talk about, enter the code NEWRELEASEPLEASE at checkout for 10% off your order! To purchase the books mentioned in this episode, stop by The Bookshelf in Thomasville, visit our website (search episode 524), or download and shop on The Bookshelf's official app: Annie's books: Passion Project by London Sperry (4/8) When the Harvest Comes by Denne Michele Norris (4/15) Ordinary Time by Annie B. Jones (4/22) Olivia's books: Gifted & Talented by Olivie Blake (4/1) Midnight in Soap Lake by Matthew Sullivan (4/15) The Trouble with Heroes by Kate Messner (4/29) Erin's books: A Change of Habit by Sister Monica Clare (4/29) The Amalfi Curse by Sarah Penner (4/29) The Eights by Joanna Miller (4/15) From the Front Porch is a weekly podcast production of The Bookshelf, an independent bookstore in South Georgia. You can follow The Bookshelf's daily happenings on Instagram, Tiktok, and Facebook, and all the books from today's episode can be purchased online through our store website, www.bookshelfthomasville.com.  A full transcript of today's episode can be found here. Special thanks to Dylan and his team at Studio D Podcast Production for sound and editing and for our theme music, which sets the perfect warm and friendly tone for our Thursday conversations.  This week, Annie is reading Annie is reading Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green.  Olivia is reading Candle Island by Lauren Wolk.  Erin is listening to Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins. If you liked what you heard in today's episode, tell us by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. You can also support us on Patreon, where you can access bonus content, monthly live Porch Visits with Annie, our monthly live Patreon Book Club with Bookshelf staffers, Conquer a Classic episodes with Hunter, and more. Just go to patreon.com/fromthefrontporch. We're so grateful for you, and we look forward to meeting back here next week. Our Executive Producers are...Beth, Stephanie Dean, Linda Lee Drozt, Ashley Ferrell, Wendi Jenkins, Martha, Nicole Marsee, Gene Queens, Cammy Tidwell, Jammie Treadwell, and Amanda Whigham.

In this Forecast episode, Chrissie is sharing 10 kidlit books releasing in April 2025 that she is looking forward to.FEATURED TITLESPicture BooksEarl and Worm: The Bad Idea by Greg Pizzoli (4/1)Oh, Carrots! by Mariajo Ilustrajo (4/1)Warm and Fuzzy by Scott Rothman, illustrated by Brian Won (4/15)Just One Wave by Travis Jonker (4/15)The Bear Out There by Jess Hannigan (4/29)Graphic NovelsAvery and the Fairy Circle by Rowan Kingsbury (4/1)The Cartoonist's Club by Raina Telgemeier and Scott McCloud (4/1)Middle GradeCandle Island by Lauren Wolk (4/22)The Barking Puppy by Lori Lobenstine, illustrated by Il Sung Na (4/22)The Trouble with Heroes by Kate Messner (4/29)Be sure to subscribe to the show wherever you get your podcasts. You can follow the show on Instagram @bookdelightpod, follow Chrissie on Instagram @librarychrissie, and subscribe to Chrissie's kidlit newsletter at librarychrissie.substack.com.If you want to support the show, please consider becoming a paid subscriber on Substack. For $7/month, you are helping to pay the costs of the show and receive exclusive content like extra booklists, live video Q&As with Chrissie, reviews of books Chrissie did not like, and more. Visit librarychrissie.substack.com to subscribe.

Our Guest: Aaron “Hutch” Hutchings is an incredible adventure guide and real life survival specialist. He's proudly autistic and a speed talker- depending on the platform you listen through, you may be able to slow the audio down if you find it hard to keep up! * Hutch's site: Ready Set Adventure. Be sure to check out all the free activities available including plans to build a kid's crossbow! You can also purchase adventure kits to complete with your kids!* Hutch's most recent book, How To Make and Use Hide Glue: "The Duct Tape of our Ancestors.", is frequently referenced in this episode. ***This episode focuses on all the real life applications of the book, Echo Mountain by Lauren Wolk, and we strongly recommend reading it before listening unless you don't mind spoilers!***Find a free literary database containing books we discuss on the podcast here:Links on our website are often affiliate links- they don't cost you any extra to use but they greatly help support the costs of running this site. Thank you!Featured books in this episode:These titles can all be found or searched through our Amazon Storefront.* Echo Mountain by Lauren Wolk* My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George* Hatchet by Gary Paulsen * Guts: The True Stories Behind Hatchet and the Brian Booksby Gary Paulsen* The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis* Cinderella Man: James J. Braddock, Max Baer, and the Greatest Upset in Boxing History by Jeremy Schaap * Oh, the Places You'll Go by Dr. Seuss* The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien * The Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind (!!!heavy adult content!!!)* How To Make and Use Hide Glue: "The Duct Tape of our Ancestors." by Aaron "Hutch" Hutchings* Wolf Hollow and its sequel: My Own Lightning by Lauren Wolk* Beyond the Bright Sea by Lauren Wolk* Tarzan by Burroughs* A Christmas Carol by Charles DickensThank you for listening! Share this episode with your nature study group! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.reshelvingalexandria.com

Many moons ago, we had the joy of hosting skincare guru Lauren Wolk-Goldfaden, on THE FULLEST Podcast. Today, she returns to our show, and plenty has changed since our last chat. This time around, Lauren has taken on two additional roles — she is now the mother of two and launched what she would call her third child, Mini Bloom, a clean, safe, and plant-powered line of essentials designed specifically for children's delicate skin. After years of working in the clean beauty space (she is also the Co-Founder of Goldfaden MD), Lauren was shocked when she couldn't find nourishing, effective, worry-free products to use on her babies. So she took matters into her own hands, and Mini Bloom was born. Busy mamas will appreciate that every Mini Bloom product is gentle, effective, sustainable, natural, and free of chemical irritants and harmful substances. She takes the research portion out for you — there is no need to look into every ingredient, as you can trust that all Mini Bloom products are clean and non-toxic.

V Mini teatru mesec maj začenjajo s politično temo. V režiji Ivice Buljana bo premierno uprizoritev doživela drama Angeli v Ameriki. V njej ameriški dramatik Tony Kushner tematizira epidemijo aidsa na začetku 80-ih let 20. stoletja in njegove politične vplive na manjšino gejevske skupnosti. Predstavljamo tudi mladinske in otroške knjige, to so: Moja babi Jana de Kinderja, Kaj pa, če me pogoltne kit? Susanne Isern, Nič več kot prej Manke Kremenšek Križman, Gora odmevov Lauren Wolk in Žabci Dore Kaštrun. Od 3. do 9. maja pa si je v Kinodvoru mogoče brezplačno ogledati pet filmov, ki so bili uvrščeni v ožji izbor za nagrado občinstva LUX.

An exploration of the exhibit 'Fragile' at the Cape Cod Art Museum. Curated by Lauren Wolk and featuring the work of artists Richard Neal and Frank Anigbo.

We are back with a global reader episode this week and are traveling to Australia using the magic of the internet. We had the pleasure of chatting with Lily Raiti, an avid reader who lives outside Melbourne and has worked as a personal trainer for 16 years and also does some freelance copyediting on the side. It's always fun to hear about what book lovers in other places are reading and Lily had some great indigenous author suggestions for us which we'll have in our show notes for you to check out. Of course, Lily also had to answer some general Australia questions like how far it takes to fly from one city to another but we avoided anything about Crocodile Dundee. You can find Lily Raiti on Instagram @lilyraiti. For show notes for any episode, go to our website at www.perksofbeingabooklover.com. We are also on Instagram @perksofbeingabookloverpod and on FB Perks of Being a Book Lover Books Mentioned in this Episode: 1- Books by Enid Blyton 2- Sweet Valley High by Francine Pascal 3- Flowers in the Attic by VC Andrews 4- The White Girl by Tony Birch 5- The Yield by Tara June Winch 6- Terra Nullius by Claire G. Coleman 7- Too Much Lip by Melissa Lucashenko 8- The Boy From the Mish by Gary Lonesborough 9- The Dry by Jane Harper 10- Picture books by Graeme Base 11- Books by Henry Lawson 12- My Brilliant Career and other books by Miles Franklin 13- The Year of Magical Thinking and other books by Joan Didion 14- My Name is Lucy Barton and other books by Elizabeth Strout 15- Beloved and other books by Toni Morrison 16- The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett 17- Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus 18- The Change by Kirsten Miller 19- Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk 20- The Unbelieved by Vikki Petraitis 21- The Happiest Man on Earth by Eddie Jaku (Audiobook narrated by Raphael Corkhill)

Episode Content Considerations: Miscarriage is discussed. At the end of the episode we dismiss any kids who have been listening along and Ambre recounts a story from a tv episode that includes brief references to murder, overdose, drug addiction, and infant loss, while addressing the dangers of avoiding processing one’s griefFind a free literary database containing books we’ve discussed on the podcast here:Links on our website are often affiliate links- they don’t cost you any extra to use but they greatly help support the costs of running this site. Thank you- we truly appreciate it!Featured books in this episode:Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times by Katherine May Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne CollinsMaybe Tomorrow? (a story about loss, healing, and friendship) by Charlotte AgellChristy by Catherine MarshallThe Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom Anxious Andy by Adam CiccioViolet Shrink by Christine Baldacchino Give and Take by Elly Swartz My Own Lightening by Lauren Wolk (sequel to Wolf Hollow) Beyond the Bright Sea by Lauren WolkEcho Mountain by Lauren WolkLittle Women by Louisa May AlcottMedia we discussed in this episode at length: Previous episode with Val that Amanda references throughout our conversation: 014 Night Wakings, Grief, and the Healing Power of PoetryElyse Myers “I just do it scared.” The six minute Grey’s Anatomy scene Ambre narrates at the end of the episode (here in two three minute parts) about moving through grief. (CCs: Talk of drug addiction and infant loss. Shows raw emotions.) part 1 part 2Thank you for spending time with us! Please join the conversation in the comments below! Do you have any favorite books showing anxiety being handled well for adults? What are your favorite books that model emotional intelligence for youngsters and teens?What’s a book you’ve loved that reached you when you needed it in an area of emotional or mental health? -If your kids/teens have a book they would like to pitch to our community, please submit their brief reviews to StoriesFromTheAshesPodcast@gmail.com. Include their first name, last initial, and age. Thank you! (It’s absolutely fine to submit a review for a book we reviewed already in an episode- we want to hear their voices!) If their review is aired we’ll send them a sticker!GIVEAWAY DETAILS: For every 5 reviews left, we will give away a book recommended on one of our podcasts! To enter, leave a review on your podcast player of choice or in the comments here and email StoriesFromTheAshesPodcast@gmail.com! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.reshelvingalexandria.com

EPISODE 150!!!!!!! Thanks to everybody who's supported the show up to now. Hey hey hey! Welcome back to this week's Author Interview. In this episode, Lauren Wolk, joins us to talk about her latest novel, My Own Lightning I chatted to Lauren about writing writing books set in settings dear to her, getting to write full time, and finding herself doubting success. Lauren was a great guest to have on the show and we are very grateful she was able to join us on the show. My Own Lightning is out now in both the US and UK from Penguin Random House.

Clean beauty has never been universally defined - yet it has redefined our beauty routines and the clean beauty revolution has grown faster than you can say paraben-free. It's gained popularity in part because beauty is one of the least regulated industries in the US, banning around only 30 ingredients.  Then add in the misinformation and buzzwords like natural, organic, clean, green. How can we truly know what that means without a universal standard or definition of each?  We have expert Lauren Wolk-Goldfaden with us today to put your products under the microscope and clean up the misinformation in clean beauty. Lauren Wolk-Goldfaden is the co-founder at Goldfaden MD, a prestige, plant-based skincare line inspired by the coveted in-office dermatology procedures that her father-in-law, Dr. Gary Goldfaden, performs. Since having her two children, Lauren has taken on two additional roles: mother and Founder of Mini Bloom, an organic and plant-powered line of essentials designed specifically for children's delicate skin. In this episode Lauren defines all the clean beauty buzz words to help you identify what's important for your health and even your child's, plus: Why there's a need for clean beauty The definition of clean beauty What qualifies as a toxic ingredient The difference between natural and organic products What it means to be chemical-free  What it means to be natural  Tips to keep brands accountable for their claims Top clean skincare and hygiene products for kids Common skin irritants to avoid in products  Follow Lauren on Social Media@minibloombaby Shop Mini Bloom Skincare Products www.minibloom.com Discount Code: KISS15 for 15% off your first order   Connect with Christine on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christinebullock/ Connect with Christine on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChristineBullockFitness Follow Christine on Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/chrissybullock/_created/ Text Christine questions at 1-310-361-8697 Join Brooke Burke Body App and get 2 weeks free with code "KISS22": https://kayobodycare.com/pages/bbbapp Sponsored by Kayo Body Care Kayo Body Care was the first to create Face Grade Body Care® products. Kayo believes in restoring vitality for your whole body both inside and out. Kayo's highly-potent formulas are designed to care for your skin and your body so that you can both look and feel your best. Shop Kayo's body care and supplement line - www.KayoBodyCare.com Use Code KISS20 for 20% off your first purchase

Lauren Wolk is an American author, poet and editor. Born in Baltimore, she studied English literature at Brown University graduating in 1981. Wolk won a Newbery Honor in 2017 for her novel Wolf Hollow and the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction in 2018 for Beyond the Bright Sea.In this episode of #InTheReadingCorner Lauren talks about In My Own Lightning, her sequel to Wolf Hollow,About My Own LightningIt has been several months since the tragic events set in motion by bully Betty Glengarry, and the routine of daily life in Wolf Hollow has slowly returned. But for Annabelle McBride, it's hard to move forward and make peace with what feels like threadbare justice. Newly warm summer days are about to bring a jolt of change on the winds of a powerful storm. In its wake, the search for her brother's missing dog will set Annabelle on a new path that brings her to unfamiliar doorsteps and reunites her with a too-familiar adversary—Andy Woodberry, who was complicit in Betty's most terrible acts. Growing up and blazing her own trail will soon force Annabelle to reexamine deeply felt truths—about people, about justice, about herself—that had once seemed so uncomplicated.

Lauren Wolk is on the #ReadingWithYourKids #Podcast to celebrate her new #MiddleGrade #Novel My Own Lightning. Lauren tells us this is a sequal to her very popular Newbery honor winning Wolf Hollow. In this powerful conversation Lauren tells us how she, like the lead character in the book, struggles to stand up to the bullies in her life. Click here to visit our website - www.readingwithyourkids.com

Pack a snack for a rundown of what's on Allegra's bookshelf for Spring 2022, along with thoughts about the upcoming Percy Jackson TV series! Books include Stories and Poems for Extremely Intelligent Children of All Ages by Howard Bloom; Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes; Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk; Echo Mountain by Lauren Wolk; Life of Pi by Yann Martel; The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick; The Crossover by Kwame Alexander; The Inexplicable Logic of My Life by Benjamin Alire Saenz; What if it's Us by Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera; Here's to Us by Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera; Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green; Aru Shah and the Nectar of Immortality by Roshani Chokshi; Star-Touched Stories by Roshani Chokshi; There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom by Louis Sachar.

Pack a snack for a rundown of what Allegra's been reading this month, along with thoughts about the upcoming Percy Jackson TV series! Books include Stories and Poems for Extremely Intelligent Children of All Ages by Howard Bloom; Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes; Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk; Echo Mountain by Lauren Wolk; Life of Pi by Yann Martel; The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick; The Crossover by Kwame Alexander; The Inexplicable Logic of My Life by Benjamin Alire Saenz; What if it's Us by Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera; Here's to Us by Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera; Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green; Aru Shah and the Nectar of Immortality by Roshani Chokshi; Star-Touched Stories by Roshani Chokshi; and There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom by Louis Sachar.

In ihrem neuen Roman erzählt Lauren Wolk davon, wie ein junges Mädchen ihren Platz im Leben findet. Dabei verhandelt die gefeierte US-amerikanische Jugendbuchautorin große Themen: Schmerz, Verzicht, Verantwortung, Zuversicht und Liebe. Von Sylvia Schwab www.deutschlandfunkkultur.de, Buchkritik Hören bis: 19.01.2038 04:14 Direkter Link zur Audiodatei

Lauren Wolk explores teenage resilience and alternative remedies in her Carnegie Medal shortlisted novel ‘Echo Mountain’.  Connect Radio’s Ellie Marsh learns more about an exciting online book group with author Fiona Shaw.  Sera Milano discusses her compelling new novel 'This Can  Never Not Be True', with Robert Kirkwood. And loyal listener NB Dixon reviews a spine-tingling tale by Sarah Waters. 

Mara and Josh travel back in time to 1943 and explore big ideas like prejudice, trauma, and truth in Lauren Wolk's Wolf Hollow. Be warned: some of our discussion ventures into territory that may be upsetting for some listeners. Also discussed: The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Great Wolf Lodge, "Funky Cold Medina", You're Next, and the dearth of pirate fiction. Next month we will (probably) be reading Rea and the Blood of the Nectar by Payal Doshi. If that's the case, the episode will be released on June 15 instead of June 1. Contact us at hfkpodcast@gmail.com or @hfkpodcast on Twitter and Instagram. We're also on GoodReads: www.goodreads.com/user/show/90379252-josh-mara Theme music composed by Ben Ash. Visit him at www.benash.com. Mixing and drums by Chaz Bommarito, guitar by Jakael Tristram. Note: This month's episode is being uploaded in WAV format instead of MP3 due to technical challenges. Please let us know if this affects your downloading or listening experience.

Listen to the first chapter of this watery tale.

Hope y'all are prepped on the first three books, because we're diving right into the fourth Fablehaven novel! Let's see what Brandon Mull treats us with this time. Also discussed: Stanley Tucci, The Happening, lactose-free milk, Butters from South Park, flat-earthers, and Dobby. Next month we will be reading Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk. Contact us at hfkpodcast@gmail.com or @hfkpodcast on Twitter and Instagram. We're also on GoodReads: www.goodreads.com/user/show/90379252-josh-mara Theme music composed by Ben Ash. Visit him at www.benash.com. Mixing and drums by Chaz Bommarito, guitar by Jakael Tristram. Note: This month's episode is being uploaded in WAV format instead of MP3 due to technical challenges. Please let us know if this affects your downloading or listening experience.

Eine römische Eröffnung, gleich drei Bestseller, das dickste Lieblingsbuch - und: Schreiben Frauen anders als Männer? Daniel stellt eine Detektivreihe vor, die im alten Rom spielt und beweist erstaunliche Kenntnisse in alter Heilkunde. Ein Bestseller aus Südkorea gefällt Katharina auf den zweiten Blick - und ein Buch taugt leider nur zum Lesen in homöopathischen Dosen auf dem Gäste-WC. Die Bücher dieser Folge 00:01:04 Lindsey Davis: "Silberschwein" (Droemer Knaur, nur noch antiquarisch) 00:05:08 Axel Hacke: "Im Bann des Eichelhechts" (Kunstmann) 00:09:37 Christian Kracht: "Eurotrash" (Kiepenheuer & Witsch) 00:17:36 Cho Nam-Joo: "Kim Jiyoung, geboren 1982", aus dem Koreanischen von Ki-Hyang Lee (Kiepenheuer & Witsch) 00:21:40 Lauren Wolk: "Echo Mountain", aus dem Englischen von Birgit Kollmann (Hanser) 00:27:20 Interview mit Laura Hage 00:35:00 Johan Harstad: "Max, Mischa und die Tet-Offensive", aus dem Norwegischen von Ursel Allenstein (Rowohlt) 00:37:58 Annemarie Selinko: "Désirée" (Kiepenheuer & Witsch) Link zu Kinder- und Jugendbuchrezensionen: http://ndr.de/kinderbuecher Das Rezept für Erbsen nach Vitellius Zutaten für vier Personen 225 g getrocknete Erbsen 2 cm frische Ingwerwurzel 2 TL geschnittenes frisches Liebstöckel- oder Selleriegrün ½ TL gemahlener schwarzer Pfeffer 3 hartgekochte Eidotter 3 EL (90 g) klarer Honig 2 EL (30 ml) Fischsoße 2/3 Tasse (150 ml) Weißwein 1/3 Tasse (80 ml) Weißweinessig 1 EL (15 ml) Olivenöl Zubereitung Die Erbsen über Nacht in kaltem Wasser einweichen, am nächsten Tag abseihen, in einen Topf geben und mit frischem kalten Wasser bedecken. 1 - 1 ½ Stunden weichkochen. Wenn nötig, noch kochendes Wasser nachfüllen. Die Erbsen abtropfen und zu einem Brei zerdrücken oder abgekühlt im Mixer zerkleinern. Für die Soße den Ingwer schälen, kleinschneiden und mit Liebstöckel und Pfeffer zerstoßen. Dann die gekochten Eidotter dazugeben und weiter verrühren, bis man eine weiche Paste hat. Honig und Fischsoße unterrühren, in einen Kochtopf umfüllen und Wein, Essig und Öl hinzufügen. Die Masse zum Kochen bringen und ein paar Minuten lang leicht köcheln lassen. Zum Schluss die Erbsen dazugeben und aufs Neue erhitzen. (Rezept der Universität Erlangen) ndr.de/eatreadsleep eatreadsleep@ndr.de

Our Middle Grade pick this week is Echo Mountain by Lauren Wolk, a historical novel about a young heroine in Depression-era Maine who is navigating the rocky terrain of her new life on Echo Mountain. This episode of First Chapter Fridays with ACL was recorded by Youth Services Librarian Hailee. To get your copy, click here!

Louise Ward of Wardini Books reviews Echo Mountain by Lauren Wolk, published by Penguin Books NZ.

Newbery Honor-winning author Lauren Wolk talks about her newest middle-grade novel, Echo Mountain, what inspires her, how she comes up with stories, how she makes time to write and more. Plus, she reads an excerpt from Echo Mountain.

Today we welcome Melissa Sarno to the Reading With Your Kids Podcast. Melissa is here to celebrate her new novel A Swirl Of Ocean. A touching, timeless novel--perfect for fans of Lisa Graff and Lauren Wolk--about a girl who discovers that the ocean is holding secrets she never could have imagined.  

Lauren Wolk, associate director of the Cultural Center of Cape Cod and author of "Wolf Hollow," joins Life With Gwenn to talk about the arts on Cape Cod.

In our first CILIP Carnegie show of 2018 we chat to three of the shortlisted authors   Marcus Sedgwick on Saint Death,  Anthony McGowan on Rook, And Lauren Wolk on Beyond the Bright Sea.

Intro Hey everyone! This is Books Between - a podcast for teachers, parents, librarians, and anyone who wants to connect kids between 8-12 to books they’ll love.  I’m your host, Corrina Allen - a teacher, a mom of two daughters, and ridiculously excited about the new twinkle lights on my Christmas tree this year.  Sometimes - you have to take joy in the small things. This is Episode #39 and today we are celebrating some of the best middle grade books published in 2017. And today’s episode is brought to you by WriteAbout.com - a writing community and publishing platform perfect for classrooms. If you are like me and are looking for an engaging and authentic way for your students to share their ideas with a wider audience, you are absolutely going to want to visit WriteAbout.com to check it out.    Main Topic - The Top 20 Middle Grade Books of 2017 This year has been another strong reading year for me so far. I read a lot more picture books thanks to participating in #ClassroomBookaDay but I still kept up with my middle grade reads. And as I look at my book list and genre tracker, I notice I read fewer fantasy books compared to last year and way more graphic novels thanks to the CYBILS. And also my plans to boost my nonfiction reading... failed. So this is an all fiction list.  And I decided to separate out the graphic novels this year since I read so many more of them so be on the lookout for another best of podcast very soon featuring just the middle grade graphic novels.    So, last year at this time,  I read 75 total books including 60 middle grade books with  31 of those published in in 2016. And my top three books last year were Booked, Ms. Bixby’s Last Day, and The Wild Robot as my favorite read last year. (You can find that list here.) This year (2017), as of December 20th - I have read 91 books, not including picture books. 79 of those were middle grade with 55 of those published in 2017. A quick word before I begin. Picking JUST 20 was excruciating. And they are not necessarily the most “literary”. I read some beautifully written books this year, ones that are bound to get some top awards, but these are the ones I felt were both well-written and had that special spark that would appeal to young readers.  Even with that - I could easily share with you another 20 (or more!) fabulous books, but then we’d be here all night. Alright here we go - these are my Top 20 middle grade novels of 2017: This Is Just A Test by Madelyn Rosenberg & Wendy Shang This novel is about a boy named David who is preparing for his bar mitzvah while trying to please both his Chinese and Jewish grandmothers. (Not a small feat!)  Oh - and building a nuclear fallout shelter just in case things get out of hand with the Soviets. I loved this book because of its warmth and humor AND because it’s set in 1984. And I am all about that 80s nostalgia lately. (If you want to hear more about this book, check out episode 28 to hear an interview with Madelyn Rosenberg and Wendy Shang.)   Beatrice Zinker, Upside Down Thinker by Shelley Johannes This book is about zany (and flexible!) 3rd grader Beatrice whose first day of school plans get derailed when her best friend, Lenny, shows up to school NOT wearing the matching ninja outfit they both agreed on. AND Lenny shows up with a new friend. I loved this book for it’s playful language, fun orange-tinted illustrations, and Beatrice’s great attitude. And since I have my own ninja-clad wall-climbing 8 year old gal at home, I have a special place in my heart for Beatrice.   Enginerds by Jarrett Lerner Speaking of playful books - what is not to love about a robot that blasts cubes out of its butt? But don’t be fooled by the humor - this is one smart book that celebrates the engineering spirit. It’s about a kid named Kennedy who discovers a mysterious box on his front step that assembles itself into a rather demanding robot. And Kennedy and the rest of his enginerd friends have to figure out how to contain this band of rogue robots who have escaped into their town.  Last week I had the honor of chatting with Jarrett Lerner  about Enginerds - and lots of other things - so watch for that episode in January!   A Rambler Steals Home by Carter Higgins This debut middle grade book by Carter Higgins is about Derby Clark who, along with her dad and younger brother, travel around in their Rambler car, selling Christmas trees in the winter. And hot chocolate and gingersnaps and cinnamon sugar donuts out of an old concession stand trailer. In the summers, they make their home in Ridge Creek, Virginia where they set up their concession stand in the parking lot of a minor league baseball team. But this year when they arrive - Derby discovers that her minor league family is different - with mysteries to solve, people to help, and wrongs to make right. This is ones of those books with characters that stay in your heart - and for me, reading so so many books - it’s a rare find when they’re this memorable.   A Boy Called Bat by Elana K. Arnold One of my great reading pleasures this year was getting to know the sweet and quirky Bixby Alexander Tam - or BAT for short. And I was excited to hear that there is at least one more book coming!  In this first one, Bat’s mother, who is a Vet, brings home an orphaned baby skunk to take care of and all Bat can think about is how to find a way to prove his responsibility and get to keep him. This book is adorable and poignant and a great fit for younger middle grade readers.   Scar Island by Dan Gemeinhart This incredible adventure is like Lord of the Flies meets Holes with a hint of The Ethan I Was Before.  It’s about a kid named Jonathan who has been sent to an island prison for kids for a crime he admits to committing but does not reveal until the end. On the island he encounters this tough group of 14 misfit boys - all imprisoned on this Alcatraz-type reformatory school for their crimes. Then suddenly, an incident occurs and the adults are all gone and the boys have to figure out what to do. If this one passed you by this year - definitely check it out! It’s got adventure and cool literary references and secret tunnels and oh it keeps you turning those pages!!   Beyond the Bright Sea by Lauren Wolk This is Lauren Wolk’s second novel after her 2017 Newbery Honor book Wolf Hollow. And oh is this a masterful follow up! And one of those books that had me constantly pausing to research the historical details referenced.  Beyond the Bright Sea is about a young girl called Crow who as an infant washed ashore in an old boat on one of the Elizabeth Islands off the coast of Massachusetts. Other than the reclusive fisherman who is raising her, the other people on the island shun her because they think she came from Penikese Island - the nearby leper colony. When one night Crow spots a campfire on that supposedly abandoned island, she decides to find out for herself what answers that place may hold. This book enveloped me in that world and was full of surprises.   Midnight Without a Moon by Linda Williams Jackson This incredible, important, and beautifully written historical fiction novel takes place in rural Mississippi in the summer of 1955 right after the brutal murder of Emmett Till. That event and its aftermath has shifted the world of the main character -  Rose Lee Carter, her family, and her community.  But this isn’t just a Civil Rights story but the story of young girl dealing with self-doubt and family complications, and trying to decide how to balance making a better life for herself and making a better world for everyone to live in. And in a society that is asking us all to make those same calculations and bringing to light prejudices that some thought were on their way out, this is must read to understand our country and ourselves. I’d probably recommend this one for maybe ages 12 and up or perhaps a little younger with the understanding that the n-word is used. So some readers might need some context for that  - which would be a fantastic opportunity for much-needed conversation. And the sequel, A Sky Full of Stars, is coming out on January 2nd - a perfect time to read or reread the first book and have the second one ready to go!   Forget Me Not by Ellie Terry This is a novel told in alternating chapters of prose and poetry. The poetry sections are told from the point of view of Calli who is smart, sensitive, and into astronomy. She also has Tourette syndrome (TS) and was advised by her doctor and mom to hide that fact from people. But since she’s just moved to Utah with her mom, Calli is in this stressful position of starting a new school and trying to mask her tics and noises. The other chapters are from the point of view of her classmate and neighbor Jinsong. He is the student body president and the two of them form a fragile friendship that seems like it might be doomed when his friends start to target her. I adored this book and I know you’re not supposed to judge a book by it’s cover (but we all do) - and Forget Me Not has such a gorgeous and meaningful cover. Kudos to Anna Booth for the cover design.   Funny Girl edited by Betsy Bird This collection of short stories is truly laugh-out-loud hilarious. Every one is written by women and about experiences young girls in particular can relate to. But - the boys in my class are loving this book, too!  It’s a great mix of personal narratives, poetry, comics, quizzes, and all kinds of cool formats. Some of my favorites are “One Hot Mess by Carmon Agra Deedy, “Bad Hair Day” by Kelly DiPucchio and “Brown Girl Pop Quiz” by Mitali Perkins. You really can’t go wrong with this book. And if you want to hear more about it, check out my interview with Betsy Bird on episode 32.   Amina’s Voice by Hena Khan This is a lovely and heartfelt story about a Pakistani-American Muslim girl, Amina, who is trying to navigate the complicated tides of middle school friendship where old friends are changing and old adversaries might be changing, too. Amina also has to deal with her rather traditional and more religiously strict uncle visiting their family and figuring out for herself how to express her beliefs and culture and voice in a way that feels right to her. This was Hena Khan’s debut middle grade, and I’m excited to see what else she has in store for us.   The Peculiar Incident on Shady Street by Lindsay Currie This book has taken my class by storm!  I read it in one weekend and loved how much it creeped me the heck out. Every sentence - every detail in that first chapter ratchets up the tension as Tessa arrives at her new (possible haunted?) home in Chicago where things start to disappear, and mysterious figures are drawn in her sketchpad, and her brother’s ventriloquist dummy is… acting strangely.  And I haven’t even told you about the cemetery part yet!! If you have young kids who love a scary mystery - get this book in their hands!   Patina by Jason Reynolds This is Book 2 in the Track series and the follow up to Ghost. Here we the story of Patina “Patty” Jones - one of the new and fastest kids on the Defenders Track team. A girl who is running away from a lot - the taunts of the girls at her fancy new school. But also a girl who is running for a lot - for her mom who lost her legs to diabetes and won’t ever run again. And those stresses can sometimes manifest themselves in what looks like a bad attitude toward others and her teammates. So of course, her coach challenges her to run the event that requires the most cooperation - the relay.  It’s a rare sequel captures my heart as much as the first book but this one absolutely did it. And that first chapter about false starts and false finishes is one that has stayed on my mind a lot this year.   Wishtree by Katherine Applegate Did we have any doubt that this book would be wonderful? I have loved seeing how much my students are enjoyed this story about a brave and wise tree named Red and its loyal band of oddly-named tenants. The more subtle themes of immigration and racism take some coaxing and explaining and rereading to bring forth for them, but the the ideas about friendship are at the forefront of their minds. In a time when we all could use a dose of empathy and hope, Wishtree is the book we need.   The First Rule of Punk by Celia C. Perez I really fell hard for this story about a Mexican-American girl reluctantly moving to Chicago with her mom and trying to both fit in and stand out and figure out who she is and what’s worth standing up for. Her fashion choices put her at odds with both her new school and her mother who wishes she could be more “senorita” and less punk rock. But the oh how I loved Malú and her parents and her friends, and I just wanted to go hang out with them in Chicago coffee shops and record stores. And the many zine sections in this book add a uniqueness that makes this book really stand out. (If you want to hear more about The First Rule of Punk, check out episode 33 to hear an interview with Celia.)   Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling This is a book that I came a little late to but when just about every single one of my middle grade Twitter friends are raving about a book, you know it’s something special. And they were right! And I’ll be honest with you - the moment I was sold on this book was the moment I took off the cover and saw the glorious undies - the cover underneath. But - I should tell you about the plot, too - right? This is a mystery centered around Aven - a girl with a fabulous (and sorta sick) sense of humor who likes to tell people that she lost her arms in a wildfire or an alligator attack. In reality, she was born without them and due to her adoptive parents’ vigilance - she can do just about anything that any other kid can do. But - when they all move so her parents can take over running the Stagecoach Pass theme park, Aven has to start a new school and deal with all that entails. Along the way, she meets a couple other “outcasts” who help her start to solve a major mystery at Stagecoach Pass. I loved this book because of how funny it was and how much research the author did to tell Aven’s story. Ban This Book by Alan Gratz I wish I had the guts that this main character has. But - she doesn’t start off so confident. Amy Anne is a shy, sweet fourth grader who loves the library, who loves to read, and who loves From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. It’s her favorite book - and one of my childhood favorites, too. But - when her favorite is banned from the school library - along with more and more books, she forms a secret banned book library that she runs out of her locker. Until…. well, I won’t tell you but it’s fantastic! With twists along the way, references to so many other books, and a special (cameo?) by Dav Pilkey who visits her school. Please get this book and has a great message that might be different than what you think.   Posted by John David Anderson As I’ve mentioned before, when you get a new book by an author whose previous work blew you away (Ms. Bixby’s Last Day), you’re almost expecting to be let down.But Posted is incredible. It’s the story of four middle school friends whose equilibrium is shifted when two things happen. One - a new girl comes to school (Rose) and some of them want her in their group and some don’t. Two - cell phones have been banned due to a recent ‘incident” and one of the four main friends, DeeDee, inadvertently starts a trend of posting sticky notes on lockers to communicate instead. Those two catalysts jump start this series of events that lead to a bike. And a hill. And a post-it. And so much more that threatens to fracture their friendship forever. I loved this book and how the author structured it - how it brought forward past information in a flashback but then withheld the next step and then brought everything together at the end. It just was so well crafted.     Refugee by Alan Gratz This book was the most powerful, most emotional I read all year. And I’ll admit that it left me a bit of a mess, and there were times I needed to pause. But how Alan Gratz braided the three stories of Josef and Isobel and Mahmoud together was brilliant and beautiful and raw.  Bringing forward one strand and then another and another, binding them together.  The three stories are - Josef a young Jewish boy, who is traveling with his family from 1930s Germany to Cuba on the infamous ship called the St. Louis. Then there is Isobel and her family who are traveling on a tiny makeshift raft from 1980s Cuba to Florida. And finally Mahmoud and his family who are making their way from war-torn Syria in 2015 to Austria. Since I read this book last summer, there hasn’t been a day that’s gone by where I haven’t thought of the courage and resilience of these characters and their brave parents in the face of the harshest realities. And… you know, it’s easy to be judgemental when reading about tragedies from the past, thinking to yourself, “Well, I would have done things differently - I would have stood up for those refugees.”  We often talk about books that encourage empathy - well, to me, this book helped me move beyond just empathy to some action. And if you’re looking to do more as well, please read Gratz’s suggestions at the end of the book about how you can help refugees around the world today. And I’ll link to those resources in the show notes if you want to check those out as well. (Alan recommends donating to UNICEF and Save the Children.)       Orphan Island by Laurel Snyder If you have spent any time with me over the past year, you have heard about this book. And if you’ve read it, I’ve probably cornered you for a long conversation to compare theories. And because I can’t stop thinking about it and talking about, and dwelling in the glorious uncertainty of it - my favorite book of 2017 is Orphan Island by Laurel Snyder!  On this mysterious eden-like island there live nine children - no more and no less. And every year when the green boat arrives bearing a new young arrival, the eldest child goes. This year, Jinny is now the Eldest and charged with teaching her young Care, Ess, all the rules she needs to follow to survive on the island and maintain that balance. But…  but.  This is a beautiful and compelling novel about goodbyes and childhood and innocence, and so so much more. I was really honored have the chance to chat with Laurel Snyder on the podcast last May when this book was released and if you want in on that conversation, take a listen to episode 25. Alright there it is. And this list, just like any other, is flawed. It reflects my own preferences and biases and I know there is just no possible way that I could read all the fabulousness in middle grade that was published in 2017. So there will be some of your favorites that I missed. In fact, one of my loves of last year - The Girl Who Drank the Moon - you know, the winner of the Newbery - wasn’t even on my 2016 list.  Because I didn’t finish it until after the episode aired. Right now, I am almost finished with The Ethan I Was Before by Ali Standish and the audio version of Jack Cheng’s See You in the Cosmos and both are turning out to be incredible! So a quick shout out to some 2017 middle grade releases that are on my To Be Read list: Top Want to Read Books from 2017 The War I Finally Won by Kimberly Bradley (but first I need to read The War Saved My Life) Me and Marvin Gardens by A.S. King Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly Lucky Broken Girl by Ruth Behar Clayton Byrd Goes Underground by Rita Williams Garcia Vincent and Theo by Deborah Heiligman The Someday Birds by Sally J. Pla   Annnd…. lots more that I know I’m missing! So - I want to hear from YOU - what were your favorite 2017 reads and which ones should I prioritize in the new year? You can drop me an email at booksbetween@gmail.com or connect with me on Twitter or Instagram with the handle @Books_Between. Closing Alright, that’s a wrap! Look for our next episode featuring the top middle grade graphic novels of 2017. And, If you have a question about how to connect kids between 8-12 to books they’ll love or an idea about a topic we should cover, I really would love to hear from you. You can email me at booksbetween@gmail.com or message me on Twitter/Instagram at the handle @Books_Between. Thank you so much for joining me this week. You can get a full transcript of this show and all of our previous episodes at AlltheWonders.com. And, if you are liking the show, please leave us some love on iTunes or Stitcher. And thanks again to WriteAbout.com for supporting the podcast this month - if you head over to their website you’ll find awesome ideas to get your students writing this year. Thanks and see you soon!  Bye!

Intro Hi and welcome to Books Between - a podcast for teachers, parents, librarians, and anyone who wants to connect middle grade kids between 8-12 to books they’ll love.  I’m your host, Corrina Allen - a mom of an 8 and 10 year old, a teacher to eighteen 11 year olds, and we are all in the home stretch for summer vacation. It’s almost here. And - if any of you of are headed to the ALA Conference in Chicago this summer, I will be be there on Saturday and Sunday to interview author Mira Bartok about her new middle grade book The Wonderling. So - if you will be there, look for that and I hope we can meet in person. This is Episode #26 and Today I am welcoming author Caroline Starr Rose to the show and then in honor of Father’s Day coming up, chatting about some of our favorite fictional dads and two fabulous new books featuring awesome fathers. But first I am excited to tell you that today’s episode is supported by OwlCrate Jr. - a book subscription box just for kids 8-12. My daughters and I have been loving it! Every month has a different theme and it is such a treat to have a package waiting on your doorstep with a box full of - not only an awesome newly released book but fun little items all connected to the theme of that middle grade book.  If you head over to owlcrate.com you can see some samples of past boxes, and if you use the code BOOKSBETWEEN, you can save 15%. I hope you check them out - I really think you’re going to love it!   This week I am welcoming to the show Caroline Starr Rose - author of the recently released middle grade historical adventure Jasper and the Riddle of Riley’s Mine. We chat about the inspirations behind her latest novel, encouraging kids to read more, and we reminisce about Little House on the Prairie. Caroline Starr Rose - Interview Outline  Your latest middle grade novel, Jasper and The Riddle of Riley’s Mine, was just released this past February. Is this your first novel that is not written in verse? Tell us about this new historical adventure - what is Jasper & the Riddle of Riley’s Mine about?   One of the things I really loved about this book was they way the boys speak - using “ain’t” and “them” instead of “those”, “it’s his own dern fault”... How did you capture the voices of Jasper and Melvin? I just noticed that you have a new picture book on the Pony Express coming out this fall, yes?  I saw that you taught Social Studies and English.   A lot of our listeners who are teachers and librarians and homeschooling parents are always trying to find ways to connect subjects to really maximize the limited time we all have. When you were teaching full time, how were you connecting social studies and English? Is there anything that you used to do as a teacher that now, looking back - you regret?   Anything you would go back and change? Even though you aren’t in the classroom anymore, your passion for connecting readers and educators with the right book is clear. I especially love the “Classroom Connections” section on your website where you interview authors about their books and include a specific section on how that book would be a good fit in a classroom. How do you think that we as parents and teachers can raise kids who love reading? How is having a teenager reader different than having a middle grade reader at home? As someone who has gone through those years and is now out the other side, what can we expect?   You recently posted on your website a quote from Donalyn Miller (one of my inspirations as well!). It said, “I am as much a composite of all the book characters I have loved as of the people I have met.” Which book characters are you a composite of?  What have you been reading lately that you’ve liked?   Book Talk - Two Novels Featuring Fantastic Fathers In this section of the show, I share with you a few books centered around a theme and discuss three things to love about each book. This week, with Father’s Day coming up, I thought I would focus on books with great dads. I know it’s such a trope with kids books that the parents get killed off or are otherwise out of the picture so that the main characters can go off on adventures unimpeded, but we’re breaking away from those books today. First, I’ll go into some detail about two newer releases that I have been loving - Amina’s Voice and Beyond the Bright Sea. And then chat about other favorite dads from both modern and classic books. Amina’s Voice This week I am starting with Amina’s Voice by an author who is new to middle grade - Hena Khan. This is a lovely and heartfelt story about a Pakistani-American Muslim girl, Amina, who is trying to navigate the complicated tides of middle school friendship where old friends are changing and old adversaries might be changing, too. Amina also has to deal with her rather traditional and more strict uncle visiting their family and figuring out for herself how to express her beliefs and culture. Here are three things to love about Amina’s Voice: Amina’s family! Her father - who is rather strict, does NOT care if he embarasses his kids by asking a million questions at Open House, but stands up for his daughter at a moment when she needs it. At first I wasn’t sure about him, but oh he grew on me! Her mom, who spends days preparing tons of traditional Pakistani food for their visiting uncle. That doesn’t quite go as planned. And Amina’s older brother, Mustafa, whose interest in trying out for the basketball team instead of joining something like Chess Club causes some friction at home. There was so much to relate to in those family moments in Amina’s Voice. That ending! I don’t want to give away too much but something bad happens in Amina’s Muslim community and the way things come together in the end makes me wish that every kid could read this story as a template of what to do in that kind of situation. It  didn’t shy away from difficult realities or make problems seem easy to solve yet it was uplifting and perfect. That this novel offers Muslim students and students from the Middle East with a main character whose background and customs might be a reflection of their own, or have pieces they can relate to. I so wish that I had this book six years ago to offer to my own Amina. She was a student of mine when I taught 6th grade and Muslim. And may have connected to this Amina’s story but she was from Bosnia so although the religious details about the Imam and Sunday school and learning passages from the Quran may have been a connection, the food and other cultural details might not have been. So while this book is absolutely a great addition to any library, I just hope that people don’t stop there and think they’ve covered a niche. It’s one girl’s story and I just can’t wait to see what else this new imprint of Simon & Schuster, Salaam Reads, will bring to the kidlit community so we have more and more stories to offer kids.     Beyond the Bright Sea Our second book this week is Beyond the Bright Sea by Lauren Wolk whose novel Wolf Hollow won a Newbery Honor last year. And this book is, I think, another contender. It reminded me a little bit of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society with a touch of Orphan Island in there. This book about a 12 year old girl called Crow who as an infant washed ashore in an old boat on one of the Elizabeth Islands off the coast of Massachusetts. She is now 12 and being raised by a reclusive fisherman and painter who she calls Osh. And the other people on this tiny close-knit island essentially shun her and will not touch her or touch anything she has touched because they think she came from Penikese Island - the nearby leper colony. And this chain of events suddenly takes off when Crow sees a fire on that nearby island and starts to get curious about where she came from. It’s so good! Here are three things to love about Beyond the Bright Sea.   The timeless quality of the setting. It reminded me of Pax in that way because there are very few clues at first in the way the islanders dress or how technology is described. Eventually, you do discover precisely when everything is happening but the journey of figuring that out is part of what I liked about the book. It brought to light some real history.  It took me until half-way through to realize that the leper hospital described in the novel actually existed. And they did really dynamite it and burn it down and transform it into a bird sanctuary for awhile. But the small cemetery does remain. I love a book that brings to light a forgotten story from history. Crow’s adoptive father who she calls Osh. He has his own secrets, his own complicated backstory, but his quiet, earnest protection of her makes you love him immediately. He’s from another land, speaks in a native language that no one on this New England island knows and we really feel for him as he is so deeply afraid of losing Crow - the one thing that has keep him anchored and steady. And as she ventures out to attempt to find her parents, it’s hard for him at first. And - I don’t want to spoil anything for you but oh when you find out what his name means…. Love him!   Both Amina’s Voice and Beyond the Bright Sea are outstanding reads. If you have a kid who enjoyed Finding Perfect or Like Magic or Sticks & Stones - Amina’s Voice would be great next book to introduce them to. And if you have a child who enjoyed Midnight Without a Moon or Wolf Hollow - Beyond the Bright Sea might be the perfect next book.   Q & A Our third and final segment this week is Question & Answer time.  Question: This question stems from a conversation I had with some students who have started to notice that in lots of books they are reading the parents are missing, dead, or otherwise out of the picture. So that had me thinking about counter examples and I came up with some but wanted other opinions, too. So I put the question out there on social media and asked: “Which middle grade books have you read that had great dads?”   Answer: And actually - there were a ton! Let’s start with some classics: Obviously one of the first mentioned was Ramona and Her Father. Loved him! I still remember that scene when he’s trying to draw his foot… Pa Ingalls from the Little House series Mr. Weasley from Harry Potter - such an honorable man who took on so much risk to protect Harry And some more modern novels with dads we love: Papa (Hans Hubermann) from The Book Thief is one of my all-time favorite fathers And one new book that came up over and over again and one that has been a classroom favorite with my 5ths is The Crossover - what a great relationship he had with his twin boys. Another book that was mentioned a lot was The Family Fletcher series and the two awesome dads heading up that family. I haven’t read it yet but that title is moving up my TBR list. Melanie Conklin’s Counting Thyme and the newly released Moon Shadow by Erin Downing are both books that I’ve been dying to read that so many mentioned as having a great fathers. The dad from Gertie’s Leap to Greatness and the dad in The Penderwicks and Mr. Pullman from Wonder and the dad from Ida B and Wolf Hollow!   I know there are tons and tons more - so I hope you jump on social media share your favorite middle grade dads. Closing Alright - that wraps up our show this week. If you have a question or an idea about a topic we should cover, I would love to hear from you. You can email me at booksbetween@gmail.com or message me on Twitter/Instagram at the handle @Books_Between. Thank you so much for joining me this week. You can find an outline of interviews and a full transcript of all the other parts of our show along with all of our previous episodes at AlltheWonders.com. And thanks again to OwlCrateJr for supporting the podcast this month - don’t forget to head over to owlcrate.com and use code BOOKSBETWEEN to get 15% percent off your subscription! And, if you are liking the show, please help others find us too by telling a friend, sharing on social media, or leaving a rating on iTunes or Stitcher. Thanks again and see you soon!  Bye!   Episode Links: Caroline's Official Website: https://carolinestarrrose.com Jasper and the Riddle of Riley's Mine Teaching Guide Where in the World Are We Reading? Activity Stone Mirrors: The Sculpture and Silence of Edmond Lewis (Jeannine Atkins) Wonder: A novel (Emma Donoghue) Insight (Tasha Eurich) Three Pennies (Melanie Crowder)  

Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk

The panel discusses The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner. Ca$h Money (aka Amanda) suggests I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga. Nathan and Katie suggest The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. Nate suggests Friday Night Lights (but only the television program), The Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson and Looking for Alaska by John Green. Kim suggests Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell, the opening scenes of the Hunger Games, The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness, Wolfhollow by Lauren Wolk, and Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruits by Jayne Robbin Brown.

Intro   Hi and welcome to Books Between - a podcast for teachers, parents, librarians, and anyone who wants to connect middle grade kids to books they will love.  I’m your host, Corrina Allen - a mom of two young daughters, a 5th grade teacher, and… whew - coming off a tiring couple of weeks. How are you all holding up? I feel like I’ve been through the wringer, honestly. But - even though my entire family (and half my students) are battling colds and respiratory things and the news has been…. um..concerning, there have been some much needed bright spots. I took my first trip ever to DC last Saturday, and I watched the Youth Media Awards live webcast with my students last Monday morning.   This is Episode #16 and Today we are discussing the Youth Media Awards and the featuring the 4 books that won Newbery Awards.   Main Topic - 2017 Youth Media Awards   Last Monday morning at 8am, I sat with my 18 pajama clad 5th graders and we had donuts and watched the Youth Media Awards live through the American Library Association website.  They had their favorites that they were rooting for - The Wild Robot and Pax among them.  But honestly, the day wasn’t really about the ultimate winners of those awards.  To me, it was about honoring ALL children’s literature and showing my students that books for THEM, for an audience of children and teens are worthy of stopping everything and making a big deal of it.  And, they learned about a lot of great books while they watched. They knew about the Caldecott and the Newbery, but now they know about the Alex Award, the Schneider Award, the Coretta Scott King Award and so many others that recognize the diversity in children’s literature.  There were gasps when March got its fourth award and suddenly, every kid in that room wanted to know  - wow, what is THAT book about? And when they learned about the Stonewall Award and that one of their all-time favorite authors, Rick Riordan, had won it for Magnus Chase - there were some opened minds that morning. Some of our favorites didn’t win - but that wasn’t really the point.  The point is having a favorite that you are passionate about and discovering new books and authors that are going to stay with you forever. Book Talk - 2017 Newbery Award Books For our book talk segment this week, I’m going rebroadcast the two segments about the Newbery books that I have already featured on the show and then talk about the two others that earned recognition this past week.   The novel that won the Newbery Award this year was Kelly Barnhill’s The Girl Who Drank the Moon. And -  yeah - I think I may screamed a tad when it was announced. Here’s what I had to say about this book back on episode 15.   The Girl Who Drank the Moon   Our second featured book today is The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill. This is also an adventure survival story but a fairy tale fantasy with powerful witches, a poetic swamp monster, and a seemingly small dragon. The start of this story takes place in a gloomy village along a bog called The Protectorate run by a group of unscrupulous men called The Council of Elders. Each year, on the Day of Sacrifice, these elders take the youngest baby in the village and leave it in the woods. They do this, they claim, to appease an evil witch. Well, it turns out that there is actually a witch, a kind witch named Xan, who rescues these poor babies and feeds them on starlight while she journeys across the dangerous volcanic mountain to find a new home for them. Except one year, she accidentally feeds a baby moonlight instead of starlight and enmagicks the child who grows to be uncontrollably powerful. The rest of the story is about Xan’s attempts to help her adoptive granddaughter harness that power, and what happens to the villagers left behind in The Protectorate - including a young Elder-in-Training named Antain who starts to have doubts, and the girl’s mother who ends up going mad and being locked in a tower with secrets of its own. It is beautiful and powerful. And here are three more things I loved about Kelly Barnhill’s The Girl Who Drank the Moon:   The magic. This is not your typical sparkly, wand summoned magic. It’s earthy and primal and often exists as something almost separate from the characters. Flowers spring from footsteps. And there is a flock of paper birds that swarm and cut and lead and protect in a way that is both beautiful and terrifying at the same time. I loved how unique the magic in this book was. The love you feel for the characters. Somehow Barnhill has written them in a way where you feel this deep sense of warmth and protectiveness and empathy for them. Xan, the witch, is getting older and she desperately wants to impart all of her knowledge that she can to her granddaughter, who she’s named Luna. But that same spell that protects her makes it so that she can’t get through to her. And you keep hoping that Luna will discover who she is and maybe be reunited with the mother she was so brutally ripped away from. And all the people in the village - especially Antain and his wife - who are under the thumb of the Council of Elders. I just felt so much love for this characters. What this story has to say about truth and power. In this book, there are some who feed off of other people’s misery. Those who raise themselves by putting others below them, by controlling what stories get told, and by spinning lies. But - there comes a time when the people start to realize how much power they actually have when they band together to use it. Loved it.   The Girl Who Drank the Moon  is lush and quirky and whimsical and funny and full of adventure. And I can’t wait to read everything else Kelly Barnhill has ever written because this was one powerhouse of a book.   Freedom Over Me         The first Newbery honor book announced was  Freedom Over Me by Ashley Bryan. Well, I was totally wrong when I predicted that a picture book would not be included this time. And I’ll admit that this gorgeous and powerful picture book slipped by me this year. When I got this book, one of the first things I noticed was the cover featuring the images of eleven enslaved black men, women and children whose faces appear in the links of circled chain. Wow. And then flipping open the book and skimming, my heart stopped when I noticed the prices under each face. $300, Stephen age 32. Or $400, Charlotte, age 30 and her child, Dora, age 8. Whew - I hadn’t even read the text yet and this book had struck me. Before I talk about the text, the illustrations are gorgeous bright yellows and purples and greens in a Van Gogh style where you can see the swirls and textures on the each page. And in the background of several of the pages are images of legal documents showing the sale of these people as property.           Okay - the text. Freedom Over Me is a book of poems - each one from the point of view of an enslaved man, woman, or child who live on the same plantation and are about to be sold. They share remembrances of their homes and childhood in Africa, their work on the plantation, and their hopes and dreams for the future.       What’s fascinating is that the seeds of this book came from real slave-related documents that the author had acquired and his wish to honor the humanity of these people lost to history. It’s beautiful, and moving, and just stays with you a long time.   Also receiving a Newbery Honor this year was the incredible The Inquisitor’s Tale. Here’s what I had to say about this book back in Episode #10.   The Inquisitor’s Tale   Our final book featuring an abundance of surprising twists is The Inquisitor’s Tale by Adam Gidwitz. I have been texting, tweeting, and talking about this book so much in the past month that when I type the letter I into my phone, it automatically suggests “Inquisitor” as the first option. This novel is a medieval adventure story about three magical children (and a dog) who are pursued by various agents of the Inquisition. The first is a young girl named Jeanne (sort of like a young Joan of Arc) who has fits and sees visions. Then we meet the talkative and tall monk-in-training, William - an eleven year old whose unusual dark skin is likely the result of a relationship between his crusading father and a North African woman. Since this is 1242 France, his appearance and supernatural strength immediately have people seeing him as dangerously different. And finally, there’s little Jacob - a wise Jewish boy reeling from the recent death of his parents and just starting to realize his powers to heal others.  Eventually all three are both hailed and condemned as saints and have to outwit and outrun their pursuers. The story is so gorgeously detailed and interconnected that any description I give you of this novel is NOT going to do it justice. You just have to get it and read it yourself.  The fact is there are so so many big and little things I loved about this book, but I have committed to limiting myself to three. I have to start with the illustrations. Just like many real medieval texts had illuminations in the margins, The Inquisitor’s Tale includes dozens and dozens of intricate sketches by Hatem Aly. There is so much to explore there but I think what is most fascinating is the note at the beginning of the novel explaining that the drawings might actually contradict or question the text. That profound mix of humor, philosophy, and yes - savagery. There are gross jokes galore in this book. And I love how that is mixed in with deep philosophical and religious discussions between the children. At one point, Jacob asks that eternal question: Why would a good God let bad things happen?  This is a book about saints and at some point it dawns on the children that most saints are martyred. In high school, I worked evenings in the rectory (the office) at St. Cecelia’s church and during down times, I would read this dusty old copy of Lives of the Saints. And the stories in there were appallingly gruesome - and this novel doesn’t really shy away from the awfulness of that. But, it does give some hope that people with intensely different beliefs might still find a way to work together and be friends. The character twists! I don’t want to say too much and ruin it, so I’m really holding a lot back here, but all throughout this book, you meet the most vile, nastiest characters and then suddenly… it flips and one of the narrators helps you see their point of view. And even if they’ve still DONE terrible things, you have more empathy for them. Then you realize that one of the key characters that have been telling you this story - You. Can’t. Trust.  Ahhhh!  I LOVED it - this book had me gleefully yelling at the pages.   The Inquisitor’s Tale would make a fantastic read aloud, and I’ve heard the audio version is phenomenal. I think this novel is probably best suited for upper middle grade readers about ages 10-14 but I am sure any teen or adult who likes an historical adventure with some awesome fart jokes thrown in is going to really love it!   Wolf Hollow        And finally,  the third Newbery honor book is one that you will not soon forget -  Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk.  I think just about every librarian I knew had this book in their hands at some point over the past year, and I finally started it last week and immediately knew I should have read it months ago. For some background, it’s an historical fiction set in 1943 rural Pennsylvania. And it’s about a 12 year old girl named Annabelle whose steady life gets derailed when this vicious, manipulative girl, Betty, arrives in town. She’s horrendous. You hate to speak ill of a child - even a fictional one, but - errr - she is clearly a sociopath or emotionally disturbed. The chain of lying that starts when this girl comes to town is tragic and yet - you could see it coming. I’ve got to say that I adored this book, but there were some times in the beginning that I had to put it down for bit when it got too intense. I can handle almost anything, but when kids are in danger - especially children the same age as my own - I have a bit of a tough time. There are these heart-rending moments when Annabelle is faced with moral dilemmas that would have adults cowering. And - it’s small but there’s this scene where Annabelle is in a clearing in the woods near her home and looking at this large stone with clear quartz veins running through it. And it suddenly hits her that this rock has been there long before her and everyone she knows and will be in the same place long after everyone is gone. And her life is nothing more than a flicker in time.  It’s that moment of cosmic realization that we all eventually go through. I’ll just read a small passage from that page: “And I decided that there might be things I would never understand, no matter how hard I tried. Though try I would. And that there would be people who would never hear my one small voice, no matter what I had to say. But then a better thought occured, and this was the one I carried away with me that day: If my life was to be just a single note in an endless symphony, how could I not sound it out for as long and as loudly as I could.”   That’s the line that I’m carrying forward with me today, this week, and for a long, long time. Closing Thank you so very much for taking the time to join me this week. You can get find a transcript of this show and all of our previous episodes at AlltheWonders.com. And lots of other fantastic resources to lighten your heart and connect the children in your life to books they’ll love.   Thanks again and see you in two weeks!  Bye!