<Everybody Knows by Jordan Harper
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It took a bit for me to get into this book, but once I did the pacing was quite good. It alternates between Mae and Chris, and goes a bit into their background/how they first met. It is creepy to think about aspects of this story that are probably true. At times it felt like I was reading a script instead of a narrative...just the writing style I guess.

It is overall a bleak story, but there's a smattering of hope at the end.

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3rd HS Summer Book Club Title

This was a terrific story. It was on my TBR for sometime, and is now part of a summer book club I am in.

The characters and premise drew me in right away. I could picture the characters, and felt like I knew them. Amazed this was a debut.
I was anxious throughout, and read it very quickly as a result.
Highly recommend, and the author's notes and resources are a wonderful addition. Read it, and then share your copy with others. 

2nd HS Book Summer Book Club

 

This was truly an exquisite book. In verse, it is a beautifully told story, that honestly surprised me.  

2nd MS Book Summer Book Club 2022

Wonderful book, and I will read Vol 2 as soon as I can. This graphic novel centers on 2 young Indigenous teens, who live in a city. Touches on Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women, Girls and Two Spirit People.  

2nd ES Book for Summer Book Club 2022

 

I had not heard of Tyler Gordon prior to this book. Wow, is he ever talented!  Wonderful portraits by this young artist, with nice short write ups of each person. Recommend adding it to your picture book collection, and a nice title for social studies/history classrooms as well. 

If you're looking for a mystery, this one is It.

I have read quite a few of Ware's books, and have enjoyed them.  This one was wonderful, and had me guessing throughout.  

I enjoyed the characters, and the protagonist especially grew on me.  The pacing and plot development were well done.  

I thought it was a well done mystery, and told my sister-in-law, that it was a brilliant set-up when I reached the end.

1st HS book: The Other Talk

 

This was an engaging book, and many anecdotes are shared by the author.  I read All American Boys with my students in a JDC, and we all became hooked on Jason Reynolds' other books too.  I should check out Brendon's solo works too, as he is an engaging writer.

While I think there are many great books dealing with racism, and education, I would recommend Stamped (both initial version by Kendi, and the YA version with Reynolds) for a great historical perspective.

1st ES title: Rez Dogs

 

I truly enjoyed this book.  The structure of the story was nice, the verse was well written, and the thematic points made were quite good.  I think my husband (who knows stories really only through visual media: films, series etc) will read this due to the dog focus. 

I think many students/readers will explore more of the history behind land takeovers, boarding schools and forced sterilizations (as well as other issues) that were addressed in this excellent book.

1st MS Book for Summer Book Club: Red, White and Whole

 

Truly a beautiful story.  The poetry grows as she grows, and the whole story is lyrical. While it is a quick read, in verse, it will stay with you.  The themes of acceptance, growth, and change are well developed. 

Summer Book Club 2022

 

I have joined the Summer Book Club 2022 (via The Book Love Foundation), and it is prompting me to restart blogging.  This was the first book for all grade levels (HS, MS and ES book groups).  I ended up buying all the sets, so lots of reading will need to take place!

This book was rejuvenating, and gives me so much hope as I enter my last years of teaching.  I started this career after leaving another career in the social services field.  There have been many ups and downs since I started teaching in the spring of 1997, but these last few years have been quite tough. 

This is the first educator book, that has given me hope in that time-frame.  Gives me the heart to get back to what I know to be true about literacy, and learning.  I hope that feeling is sustaining, as the year starts and progresses. 

Distance Learning = No blog writing

 I do hope to update my blog shortly, probably over the Thanksgiving break.  I have read books since my last post in July, but haven't posted. Instead I merely posted titles and gave star ratings on Goodreads.

Differing paths.

This was different from the previous books I have read of Picoult's, but I enjoyed it.  I was thinking it was going in a few different directions, but was ultimately pleased with the path it led the reader on.

There are philosophical discussions on the paths we choose, and take in our lives. The character development and various reveals are all quite good.  There is a quote I would love to use, but can't until the book is published. I also think though, that the quote is best read within the text, when it is said, so I guess I will simply say it is a quote that will truly stick with me. 

This will be published in September; put it on your TBR list now :-). 

Couldn't put it down

I truly enjoyed this unique thriller.  It was well paced, an engaging plot, with characters you root for. I couldn't put it down, and loved every minute of this. The red herrings were nicely placed, and had me guessing for most of the book.