Fiction

Ready, Set, Go! Children’s Books Compete Overseas

By on March 28, 2018   /   Book Lists, children's bookstores, Fiction, For Librarians, For Parents, For Teachers, independent bookstores, Nonfiction  

Morning Calm medal featuring the Seoul Tower in the background and traditional Korean buildings in the forefront.

Librarians are readers. They love books and read plenty of them. They delve into fictional worlds, constantly update their knowledge with the latest nonfiction, hone their research skills with a constantly evolving cyber world, keep abreast of the latest apps and an ever-increasing catalog of digital books.

 

So, what happens when a group of librarians from Korean International Schools (International schools teach in English) and an American School get together to compare favorite titles? They develop the Morning Calm Program, aptly named for a program featured in South Korea. Korea is described as “The Land of the Morning Calm” in a poem written by the Indian poet, Sir Tagore during the Joseon Dynasty.

Each librarian selects their own books to recommend to the committee. Each book must have been published in the last two years, have school-wide student appeal, and is worthy of literary merit. Where they find books to consider is wide-open. Books can be chosen from far and wide, and not through regular channels. If a librarian falls in love with a book, and it meets the criteria, he or she is free to bring it forward.

The books are presented to the whole committee of librarians. The committee, a multi-cultural mix of people representing many different perspectives, reviews and discusses each book before placing it on the next school-wide reading list.

The list contains: 5 picture books, 5 intermediate elementary, 5 middle school, and 5 books for high school.

The following are the books that made this year’s 2017-2018 Morning Calm Reading list:

Elementary Picture Books

 

 

 

 

Elementary Chapter Books

    

Middle School

 

 

 

 

High School

At the beginning of the year, our elementary school librarian sets up a showcase featuring all of the picture books and intermediate titles. The top shelf showcases a photocopy of the book standing up. The books are in such demand, a representative has to take its place. The bottom shelf houses the copies. Students are allowed to open the case and take one from the pile to check-out.  At any given time, a quick glance tells you the books are popular.

The program doesn’t stop there. The librarian begins the school year by introducing the books to each class in an exciting way. For the little kids, it might be a video introduction. For the older kids, it might be a letter from the author. PYP/IB schools call this a “provocative introduction” because it peaks your interest and makes you want to know more.

Many teachers purchase class sets for their students. Some classes do projects centered around the story. Many teachers make the books required reading. Older students do reviews and post them to the school’s Schoology website. The books might be part of a literature circle. They may become part of an after school book club. They may become part of a reading competition between classes. They may be chosen for a teacher’s read aloud time.

Our librarian, and every librarian out there, offers student incentives for reading. The incentives may come in the form of reading contests, where the winning class is rewarded with an ice cream party. Or there might be banners hung in the library listing the names of students and the titles they’ve read.

Teachers get in on the act, too. They may have bulletin boards featuring book elements and plots. Classes may have book talks with other grades. Parents may be invited for a read-in with their child. Students from 5th grade may read picture books to 1st grade partners. There are also volunteer community members who might read to a student one-on-one or a student may read to the volunteer. And we can’t forget the PTO. Members running the book fairs may offer the Morning Calm titles for sale.

Anyway you look at it, these books are the talk of the school for an entire school year.

The librarian at our elementary school estimates 50% of the student body reads the featured titles. Keep in mind that the little ones generally aren’t part of those statistics, meaning the upper elementary grades make up the bulk of the reading.

At the end of the year, students vote on their favorite titles. Each student must have read 4 of the 5 titles to be eligible to vote. Numbers are crunched from the participating schools and a winner in each category is announced. Winning books receive the Morning Calm Medal and shouting rights for placing first.

The most important thing? The exposure our students receive for a year of great reading. Check back in May when all the votes are in!

 

 

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Interview and Giveaway with Author Varian Johnson

By on March 23, 2018   /   Author Interviews, Book Lists, Diversity, Fiction, Giveaways  

Varian Johnson is the author of several novels for children and young adults, including The Great Greene Heist, which was an ALA Notable Children’s Book, a Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2014, and a Texas Library Association Lone Star List selection, and To Catch a Cheat, another Jackson Greene adventure and a Kids’ Indie Next List pick. He lives with his family near Austin, Texas. You can find him on the web at www.varianjohnson.com and @varianjohnson.

Photo credit: Kenneth B. Gall

Varian’s newest book, The Parker Inheritance (Arthur A. Levine/ Scholastic) will come out next week, and has received starred reviews from School Library Journal, The Horn Book, and Kirkus, and is a Junior Library Guild Spring 2018 Selection.   

About the book:

“When Candice finds a letter in an old attic in Lambert, South Carolina, she isn’t sure she should read it. It’s addressed to her grandmother, who left the town in shame. But the letter describes a young woman. An injustice that happened decades ago. A mystery enfolding the letter-writer. And the fortune that awaits the person who solves the puzzle.

So with the help of Brandon Jones, the quiet boy across the street, she begins to decipher the clues. The challenge will lead them deep into Lambert’s history, full of ugly deeds, forgotten heroes, and one great love; and deeper into their own families, with their own unspoken secrets. Can they find the fortune and fulfill the letter’s promise before the answers slip into the past yet again?”

How does your engineering background inform your writing?

The Parker Inheritance was probably influenced by my engineering career more than any of my other books. There are a lot of math terms in the book, much of which I learned while getting my civil engineering degree. But there’s also a very big difference between designing bridges and writing books. And as much as I liked my engineering job, I’m very happy now be a full-time children’s book author.

 

The Parker Inheritance pays homage to the classic puzzle novel, The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin. (The Cooperative Children’s’ Book Center at UW-Madison has many of her notes and drafts archived here.) Can you tell us about your process for constructing the Parker puzzle(s) and deciding how the clues would reveal the answer?

The novel that would eventually become The Parker Inheritance started off as two separate novel ideas, with one being a puzzle mystery and the other being a historical multi-generational novel. I tinkered with both on and off for years, but neither idea was strong enough to stand alone. It wasn’t until rereading Holes that I got the idea to combine the ideas. The puzzle was pretty well developed when I began writing the book—and it was surprising how well the puzzle fit into the larger historical story. Even though I was consciously writing two books, maybe my subconscious always knew that the stories belonged together.

Like your Jackson Greene books, The Parker Inheritance involves complex details for the characters to put together, but in a sort of reverse way. Instead of building the details into a caper like “Gang Greene,” Candice and Brandon are breaking down a mystery by revealing the details. Did that difference influence your approach to the writing?

Oh, totally. Candice and Brandon’s strategies mirror the real-life sleuthing I did to create and “solve” the puzzle. I ran each of the web searches that they performed in order to see what popped up—to make sure that the answer to a clue wasn’t revealed too quickly. In many ways, it was easy to write about the techniques that Candice and Brandon used for deciphering the letter, as I had performed that very same research to write the book.

What made you decide to use flashbacks and multiple points of view to tell part of the story instead of sticking with Candice’s POV?

I thought it was important to see the lives of the people from the puzzle through their own eyes—not just Candice and Brandon’s viewpoints. I also thought it would be interesting to show how race relations have improved from the 1950s to today…and unfortunately to also show how race relations have stayed the same.

If there was one single thing that you wanted readers to get from The Parker Inheritance what would it be?

If anything, I want readers to think about the preferences and preconceptions that they bring into any interaction. I want readers to question what they believe when they see someone; when they speak with someone. I want reader to step past their internal biases in order to see the real person standing in front of them.

What other books do you recommend to readers who enjoyed The Parker Inheritance?

The Westing Game, obviously! But also The Watsons Go To Birmingham—1963, Holes, March Book 3, and When You Reach Me.

And now for the giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Interview with Tami Charles, author of LIKE VANESSA

By on March 12, 2018   /   Author Interviews, Book Lists, Fiction, For Librarians, For Parents, For Teachers  

Like Vanessa, by Tami Charles

Welcome to the blog, Tami Charles! Charles’ debut middle grade novel, Like Vanessa, is out 3/13/18. This semi-autobiographical story is set in 1983, and 13-year-old Vanessa Martin’s life in Newark, NJ is not at all like the amazing, newly-crowned Miss America Vanessa Williams. The opportunity to be in the school beauty pageant pushes Vanessa to take risks, and she may learn to be as confident in her skin as her role model. “This debut is a treasure: a gift to every middle school girl who ever felt unpretty, unloved, and trapped by her circumstances. “—Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW

MIXED-UP FILES: So this is your debut middle grade novel. Congrats! What made you want to go back to this age and write a book for middle grade readers? What do you hope they will get out of reading Like Vanessa? 
TAMI CHARLES: It is my debut and thanks so much! For me, it was a no-brainer to write a story that fictionalized my early teen pageant years. My hope is that readers will follow Vanessa’s journey of self-love and become empowered to find their own talents and strengths.

MUF: Your press materials say that your book is semi-autobiographical. How is Vanessa Martin different from you at that age? 
TC: So much of this story is a reflection of my life and past experiences so this is a hard question for me. I think the biggest difference is that unlike Vanessa, I grew up with both my mother and father present in my life. Vanessa is raised by her grandfather and father, whom each have their own ways of showing their love for Vanessa.

Tami Charles

MUF: Can you talk a little bit about Vanessa Williams? What made her so important to you when she won Miss America, and what do think it means for a young girl to have a role model like Vanessa Williams for them? 

TC: Though I was very young at the time, I clearly remember when Vanessa Williams was crowned Miss America in 1983. It was a big deal to see a woman of color finally win a pageant that historically shut us out since its inception. For a young girl at the time to witness such a moment, it’s a life altering experience! Every year many girls of color watched Miss America faithfully, hoping and praying to see someone like them win. Vanessa Williams’s win, was a win for ALL of us!

MUF: How did THE ACTUAL VANESSA WILLIAMS come to endorse your book? That is so exciting! 
TC: This was such a dream come true for me! Thanks to the help of my writer friends, I was able to contact Vanessa’s agent, Brian Edwards, and tell him about my novel. I had tickets to see her perform at a local theater and Brian arranged for me to meet her backstage. I had the opportunity to have my picture taken and give her a copy of the novel, to which she said, “I can’t wait to read it!” A few months later, I received her glowing endorsement via email. I cried for a good ten minutes!

MUF: What are some of your favorite middle grade books?
TC: The One Crazy Summer trilogy, by Rita Williams-Garcia, is a favorite! I’m so honored that she has read and provided a blurb for Like Vanessa as well. I also really enjoyed The Ninth Ward by Jewell Parker Rhodes and Summer of the Mariposas by Guadalupe Garcia McCall. Right now, I’m reading The Way to Bea, by Kat Yeh, and I’m loving it!

MUF: If you were a tween today, who would be your celeb idol? 
TC: I’d have to go with Stephen Curry, mostly because my son is obsessed with him. We’re reading his biography together and I think Steph is a great role model for tweens.

MUF: If there’s anything else you’d like to add, please feel free! 
TC: Yes! I’d love to share my book trailer and an invitation to my book signing, being held Saturday, March 17th, from 4 – 6 p.m. at the Barnes & Noble in Edison, NJ. My special guest will be Karyn Parsons, famous for her role as “Cousin Hilary” on the iconic TV show, “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air!” If you’re local, come join us for conversation, treats, fun, and BOOKS!

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