In a setting reminiscent of Dicken’s Oliver Twist, Deborah Hopkinson’s The Great Trouble: A Mystery of London, The Blue Death, and a Boy Called Eel (Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2013) is a gripping tale about a community stricken with a horrid plague and the brilliant doctor who discovered the source of trouble. The story is… Read more »
Debbie Gonzales
Princess Posey and the Christmas Magic
In Princess Posey and the Christmas Magic (Putnam, 2103), first grade protagonist Posey is beginning to mature. In this book, the seventh in the series, author Stephanie Greene and illustrator Stephanie Roth Sisson masterfully present some challenging emotional issues for Posey to ponder. Not only does she desire for Santa to bring her a highly unrealistic Christmas… Read more »
Odette’s Secrets by Maryann Macdonald
Based on the true story of a young Jewish girl living in Paris during the horrific days of the Nazi invasion, Odette’s Secrets is a poignant and thoughtful depiction of one child’s life and death experience. As is stated on the flap copy, “Inspired by the life of the real Odette Meyers – and written… Read more »
Teaching Diversity Through Oral Storytelling
Teaching with Story: Classroom Connections to Storytelling (August House, 2013) is a celebration of a family who has joined together to share their delight in oral storytelling and all of the diversity that comes with it. Author Margaret Read MacDonald has devoted her career to sharing the joys of storytelling with parents, educators, and librarians. Inspired by… Read more »
“New Arrivals” – An Important Genre in the KidLit Arena
Children are children. Whether they wear a turban or track shoes, they share the same human need for a sense of belonging, acceptance, and understanding – no matter what culture they hail from. Well-crafted books are the place in which a bridge of cultural understanding can be established. Most especially, books crafted with America’s refugee… Read more »
Lara’s Gift, by Annemarie O’Brien
Lara’s Gift (Knopf, 2013), written by Annemarie O’Brien, is the type of book that will find a lasting place in the hearts of contemporary children and those who care for them. This timeless tale, loaded with family tradition and pride, takes place in snow-bound Russia during the early 1900’s. There we find a young girl… Read more »
Princess Posey and the New First Grader, by Stephanie Greene
Princess Posey and the New First Grader offers an insightful peek into a tender first grade girl’s social nuances. In it, Posey has a problem. There’s a newcomer in the first grade class, one who threatens Posey’s close friendships, causing her to question her sense of belonging. Grace, the new girl, is the personification of everything that Posey feels she can never be… Read more »
