Howton's Hidden Corner Posts

Lu was the most difficult character to bond with in this series, until now. Hearing his backstory and finding his true character behind the mask he wears gave me an appreciation of the amazing man he is. This made a perfect ending to this wonderful series.

Lu was born to be co-captain of the Defenders. Well, actually, he was born albino, but that’s got nothing to do with being a track star. Lu has swagger, plus the talent to back it up, and with all that—not to mention the gold chains and diamond earrings—no one’s gonna outshine him.

Lu knows he can lead Ghost, Patina, Sunny, and the team to victory at the championships, but it might not be as easy as it seems. Suddenly, there are hurdles in Lu’s way—literally and not-so-literally—and Lu needs to figure out, fast, what winning the gold really means.

Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books, Amazon

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I no longer have the words to explain how great this series and these books are. Each book I read is completely different in style and voice of character but they all fit together just like this group of newbies. I hope I can sell this series to students now that I have spent time with each of these characters!

Ghost. Lu. Patina. Sunny. Four kids from wildly different backgrounds with personalities that are explosive when they clash. But they are also four kids chosen for an elite middle school track team—a team that could qualify them for the Junior Olympics if they can get their acts together. They all have a lot to lose, but they also have a lot to prove, not only to each other, but to themselves.

Patina, or Patty, runs like a flash. She runs for many reasons—to escape the taunts from the kids at the fancy-schmancy new school she’s been sent to ever since she and her little sister had to stop living with their mom. She runs from the reason WHY she’s not able to live with her “real” mom any more: her mom has The Sugar, and Patty is terrified that the disease that took her mom’s legs will one day take her away forever. And so Patty’s also running for her mom, who can’t. But can you ever really run away from any of this? As the stress builds, it’s building up a pretty bad attitude as well. Coach won’t tolerate bad attitude. No day, no way. And now he wants Patty to run relay…where you have to depend on other people? How’s she going to do THAT?

Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books, Amazon

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Oh, how I cried and cried! Sunny is such an original character. This book is told in a diary format and hovers on the verge of stream of consciousness. It tackles tough subjects with a grace and ease that was heartbreaking and lovely at the same time. I have loved every moment of getting to know each of these newbies to the Defender team.

Ghost. Patina. Sunny. Lu. Four kids from wildly different backgrounds, with personalities that are explosive when they clash. But they are also four kids chosen for an elite middle school track team—a team that could take them to the state championships. They all have a lot to lose, but they all have a lot to prove, not only to each other, but to themselves. Sunny is the main character in this novel, the third of four books in Jason Reynold’s electrifying middle grade series.

Sunny is just that—sunny. Always ready with a goofy smile and something nice to say, Sunny is the chillest dude on the Defenders team. But his life hasn’t always been sun beamy-bright. You see, Sunny is a murderer. Or at least he thinks of himself that way. His mother died giving birth to him, and based on how Sunny’s dad treats him—ignoring him, making Sunny call him Darryl, never “Dad”—it’s no wonder Sunny thinks he’s to blame. It seems the only thing Sunny can do right in his dad’s eyes is win first place ribbons running the mile, just like his mom did. But Sunny doesn’t like running, never has. So he stops. Right in the middle of a race.

With his relationship with his dad now worse than ever, the last thing Sunny wants to do is leave the other newbies—his only friends—behind. But you can’t be on a track team and not run. So Coach asks Sunny what he wants to do. Sunny’s answer? Dance. Yes, dance. But you also can’t be on a track team and dance. Then, in a stroke of genius only Jason Reynolds can conceive, Sunny discovers a track event that encompasses the hard beats of hip-hop, the precision of ballet, and the showmanship of dance as a whole: the discus throw. But as he practices for this new event, can he let go of everything that’s been eating him up inside?

Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books, Amazon

p.s. I just realized that I read book three before book two! Goes to show that these books do not have to be read in order!

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This man has a voice for teenagers. He has an amazing ability to find the voice of middle school teenagers especially. I am taken in by the authenticity of his characters and the relatable voice he gives them. Castle Crenshaw, Ghost, is flawed. He makes mistakes and doesn’t make the “right” choices most of the time. But he is also fiercely loyal to those who prove worthy and man is he fast. I look forward to reading every word of the remaining books in the track series.

Ghost. Lu. Patina. Sunny. Four kids from wildly different backgrounds with personalities that are explosive when they clash. But they are also four kids chosen for an elite middle school track team—a team that could qualify them for the Junior Olympics if they can get their acts together. They all have a lot to lose, but they also have a lot to prove, not only to each other, but to themselves.

Running. That’s all Ghost (real name Castle Cranshaw) has ever known. But Ghost has been running for the wrong reasons—it all started with running away from his father, who, when Ghost was a very little boy, chased him and his mother through their apartment, then down the street, with a loaded gun, aiming to kill. Since then, Ghost has been the one causing problems—and running away from them—until he meets Coach, an ex-Olympic Medalist who sees something in Ghost: crazy natural talent. If Ghost can stay on track, literally and figuratively, he could be the best sprinter in the city. Can Ghost harness his raw talent for speed, or will his past finally catch up to him?

Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books, Amazon

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Well, a pandemic might not be the best time to read about another pandemic or maybe it is. I am not sure if I feel encouraged or discouraged by reading this book. But I feel that one thing that stood out to me was societies general distrust with medicine. The first doctors were crackpots but once medicine became a scientific practice doctors still faced distrust. People, especially religious groups, were warning against vaccines, discrediting germ theory, and blaming most sicknesses on the downfall of man. The general public’s need to doubt medical and scientific professionals (and education professionals as well) was one of the largest reasons that this pandemic lasted so long. I fear that history is repeating itself with our general public’s views of Covid-19.

In spring of 1918, World War I was underway, and troops at Fort Riley, Kansas, found themselves felled by influenza. By the summer of 1918, the second wave struck as a highly contagious and lethal epidemic and within weeks exploded into a pandemic, an illness that travels rapidly from one continent to another. It would impact the course of the war, and kill many millions more soldiers than warfare itself.

Of all diseases, the 1918 flu was by far the worst that has ever afflicted humankind; not even the Black Death of the Middle Ages comes close in terms of the number of lives it took. No war, no natural disaster, no famine has claimed so many. In the space of eighteen months in 1918-1919, about 500 million people–one-third of the global population at the time–came down with influenza. The exact total of lives lost will never be known, but the best estimate is between 50 and 100 million.

In this powerful book, filled with black and white photographs, nonfiction master Albert Marrin examines the history, science, and impact of this great scourge–and the possibility for another worldwide pandemic today.

Knopf Books for Young Readers, Amazon

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Friendship to the max! That is the motto that the Lumberjanes follow. These girls are learning how to be comfortable in their own skin and proud of what they bring to the table. It doesn’t matter that they are all vastly different, they are still friends. These friends need all the help they can get when they stumble upon the adventures that just seem to draw them in.

I enjoyed this lighthearted fantasy. The relationships between the girls was inspiring and I wished that I had a group of friends in middle school who knew we were different but still appreciated what each girl could do. I was not fortunate to have that and I loved falling into this world and feeling like I could be a part of this awesome girl group.

Welcome to Miss Qiunzella Thiskwin Penniquiqul Thistle Crumpet’s Camp for Hardcore Lady Types. The five scouts of Roanoke cabin—Jo, April, Molly, Mal, and Ripley—love their summers at camp. They get to hang out with their best friends, earn Lumberjane scout badges, annoy their no-nonsense counselor Jen . . . and go on supernatural adventures. That last one? A pretty normal occurrence at Miss Qiunzella’s, where the woods contain endless mysteries.

Today is no exception. When challenge-loving April leads the girls on a hike up the TALLEST mountain they’ve ever seen, things don’t go quite as planned. For one, they didn’t expect to trespass into the lands of the ancient Cloud People, and did anyone happen to read those ominous signs some unknown person posted at the bottom of the mountain? Also, unicorns.

Amulet Books, Amazon

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I Love the Grisha world that Bardugo created. I have been so excited to immerse myself in it again. However, my students have been checking these books out so frequently that I couldn’t ever get them both and I knew I wanted to have both of the at the same time as I would not want to wait between the two stories. Bardugo knocked these out of the park. Each of these characters made me fall in love with them because of their flaws and I loved how each disaster just fueled our main characters to find a more spectacular way to work it all out. Wonderful…wonderful….wonderful.

Six Of Crows

Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price―and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can’t pull it off alone. . . .
A convict with a thirst for revenge.

A sharpshooter who can’t walk away from a wager.

A runaway with a privileged past.

A spy known as the Wraith.

A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums.

A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes.
Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist. Kaz’s crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction―if they don’t kill each other first.

Henry Holt and Co. 

Crooked Kingdom

Kaz Brekker and his crew have just pulled off a heist so daring even they didn’t think they’d survive. But instead of divvying up a fat reward, they’re right back to fighting for their lives. Double-crossed and badly weakened, the crew is low on resources, allies, and hope. As powerful forces from around the world descend on Ketterdam to root out the secrets of the dangerous drug known as jurda parem, old rivals and new enemies emerge to challenge Kaz’s cunning and test the team’s fragile loyalties. A war will be waged on the city’s dark and twisting streets―a battle for revenge and redemption that will decide the fate of the Grisha world.

Henry Holt and Co. 

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This fantasy was amazing! I want the next book so badly…it will be added to our purchase list next week. I loved the alternating narrative and differing voices between our two main characters. I was not expecting the twist that came at the end and thought it was revealed perfectly. I could not have enjoyed this book more and cannot wait to finish the story!

Kestra Dallisor has spent three years in exile in the Lava Fields, but that won’t stop her from being drawn back into her father’s palace politics. He’s second-in-command to the cruel king, Lord Endrick, which makes Kestra a valuable bargaining chip. A group of rebels knows this — and they snatch Kestra from her carriage as she reluctantly travels home.

The kidnappers want her to retrieve the lost Olden Blade, the only object that can destroy the king, but Kestra is not the obedient captive they expected. One of the rebels, Simon, has his hands full as Kestra tries to foil their plot, by any means necessary. As motives shift and secrets emerge, both have to decide what — and who — it is they’re fighting for.

Scholastic Press

The Deceiver’s Heart by Jennifer A. Nielsen

Spoiler alert! Don’t read until ready for the second book! The second Book in the installment did not disappoint. It left a lot more questions than answers, as many second in a series books do, but I felt that the character development, world building, and the ensuing action propel the story forward enough to engage me in what would happen next. I love these characters and the flawed world they live in and cannot wait for the final installment in this series.

In this sequel to the instant New York Times bestseller The Traitor’s Game, Kestra Dallisor has finally gained possession of the Olden Blade. With the dagger in her control, she attempts to destroy the tyrannical Lord Endrick. But when Kestra fails, the king strips her of her memory, and leaves her weak and uncertain, bound to obey him. Heartbroken, Simon is desperate to return Kestra to the rebel she was, but refuses to use magic to heal her. With untrusting Coracks and Halderians threatening to capture and kill her, and war looming on the horizon, Kestra and Simon will have to learn to trust each other again if they have any hope of surviving. But can a heart once broken ever be healed?

Scholastic Press

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Wow at how my lack of understanding of different cultures was highlighted by this book. I re-read so many passages because I could just not believe that I had never heard about the things being told in this story. I loved the narrator’s voice and her strength. I felt that the ending was very abrupt and too neat. I wish a more realistic outcome was fleshed out, however most students will be thrilled with how this story is told and how it ends!

Life is quiet and ordinary in Amal’s Pakistani village, but she had no complaints, and besides, she’s busy pursuing her dream of becoming a teacher one day. Her dreams are temporarily dashed when–as the eldest daughter–she must stay home from school to take care of her siblings. Amal is upset, but she doesn’t lose hope and finds ways to continue learning. Then the unimaginable happens–after an accidental run-in with the son of her village’s corrupt landlord, Amal must work as his family’s servant to pay off her own family’s debt. 

Life at the opulent Khan estate is full of heartbreak and struggle for Amal–especially when she inadvertently makes an enemy of a girl named Nabila. Most troubling, though, is Amal’s growing awareness of the Khans’ nefarious dealings. When it becomes clear just how far they will go to protect their interests, Amal realizes she will have to find a way to work with others if they are ever to exact change in a cruel status quo, and if Amal is ever to achieve her dreams.

Nancy Paulsen Books

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This book was not easy to read. The format was wonderful, the art was phenomenal and the memories felt authentic. However, it was so authentic that my heart felt like it was rubbed raw. I felt like I was able to step inside Jarrett Krosoczka’s life and a lot of it was not happy. However, Jarrett was able to find a part of himself that he loved and it gave him hope in even the darkest times. I feel this will be such a powerful book for those students and teachers who need help finding hope.

In kindergarten, Jarrett Krosoczka’s teacher asks him to draw his family, with a mommy and a daddy. But Jarrett’s family is much more complicated than that. His mom is an addict, in and out of rehab, and in and out of Jarrett’s life. His father is a mystery — Jarrett doesn’t know where to find him, or even what his name is. Jarrett lives with his grandparents — two very loud, very loving, very opinionated people who had thought they were through with raising children until Jarrett came along.

Jarrett goes through his childhood trying to make his non-normal life as normal as possible, finding a way to express himself through drawing even as so little is being said to him about what’s going on. Only as a teenager can Jarrett begin to piece together the truth of his family, reckoning with his mother and tracking down his father.

Hey, Kiddo is a profoundly important memoir about growing up in a family grappling with addiction, and finding the art that helps you survive.

Graphix

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