Perfect for my students

More to the Story, by Hena Khan is a wonderfully engaging book. It centers on Jam (Jameela), a 7th grader who loves writing for her school, (and home) newspaper.  She has 3 siblings: Maryam is the oldest, Bisma is younger than Jam, and Aleeza is the youngest.  Each are nicely described, and Khan shares details that add more depth to each character as the story moves on.

Jam is dealing with quite a bit here! She is excited that she has been picked to be the features editor for her school paper. She has many supporters, but when one of her biggest, her dad, leaves for a job overseas, she starts dealing with some harder aspects in life.  In addition to that, her younger sister, Bisma get seriously ill. I thought the ways Jam dealt with this, what she thought, how people helped, how Bisma dealt with it, were all realistically portrayed.

I also thought the themes around the newspaper club were handled deftly.  I will share the story here with my media journalism class, as so many ethical issues were dealt with well.

While there are serious issues to contend with, humor abounds in this novel.  It is perfect for older ES students, and MS students.

I truly loved it.

Realistic YA novel that deals with bullying.

I enjoyed Picture Me by Lori Weber very much. Initially I was worried that distinguishing the characters might be difficult, as the voices were somewhat similar, but whether due to their circumstances, or the subtle differences between the characters' voices, I got over that.

I liked the foreshadowing, and think it will be a  perfect book for MS students. The book is told in alternating chapters from the views of Tessa, Krista and Chelsea.  Chelsea is the bully in the book and Krista is the primary victim.  I felt it was realistic and though I could easily predict how things would turn out, I think most 6th and 7th graders would enjoy predicting and seeing if they were correct.  I think as well the book portrays bullying in a realistic manner.

I enjoyed the cliffhanger ending as well, as it is particularly realistic.

I recommend this for MS students, particularly for girls, but I think boys would enjoy it as well.

Look for it March 1st.

Red Heart Tattoo

I have loved all of the McDaniel books I have read. As I was reading Red Heart Tattoo I became quite anxious, fearing a central character would be found guilty. At times it seemed more a very well developed outline, the characters seemed a bit sketched out versus fully developed, but in the long run, it all made sense, and perhaps not much more will be edited prior to publication on July 24th. The story is set in a typical high school. Initially a prank comes under fire, and then a horrific bombing takes place. As we and one of the victims discover more and more about the plot, and who is responsible, McDaniel successfully builds suspense, while at the same time creating empathy for numerous characters. A good read; perfect for the YA community, and adults who enjoy this genre.