The Becket List - Release 4/2

The Becket List was such a quirky, fun, energetic story, that had me wanting to know more about Becket (formerly Rebecca). The Becket List had such a modern day Ramona Quimby feel to it, that I know students of all ages in elementary will enjoy her story. 

The novel is about Becket who moves with her family to the country from the big city, and if anybody knows that life transition - it is definite culture shock. Which it continues to be for Becket. As she adjusts she finds that life is not that easy, so she comes up with a plan, the "list", to help her adjustment. BUT - as well know, nothing ever goes according to plan. Becket has to learn that life in the country may not be what she's heard or seen on TV, but so much more. 

Becket's attitude is infectious and I can only hope her positivity finds its way into the hearts of kids all over. 

Advanced praise:

“This is not just a terrific book about sharing friends with siblings, rolling with changes, and the difficulty of making new friends after a move. It is also (spoiler alert) a terrific, gentle, earnest book for coping with pet loss…A sparkling story of weathering change.”

– Booklist, starred review

“Warm and amusing as Becket and her two siblings navigate their new life on a farm.”

– Kirkus Reviews

About the book:

Everything is changing for Becket Branch. From subways to sidewalks to safety rules, Becket is a city kid born and raised. Now the Branch family is trading urban bustle for big green fields and moving to Gran’s farm, where Becket has to make sense of new routines from feeding animals to baling hay. And as much as Becket loves to yell “Beautiful Alert!” there’s a lot about the countryside that is just plain odd.

But Becket is ready to put her own spin on country life. Whether selling her mouth-puckering lemonade, feeding hostile hens, or trying to make a best friend of her new neighbor Frieda Franca, Becket is determined to use her city smarts to get a grip on farm living. Laugh and learn with Becket as she mucks through the messy, exuberant human experience of change she didn’t ask for, in a story that sparkles with quirky characters and lasting connections.

About the author:

Adele Griffin is the acclaimed author of Tell Me No Lies and Be True to Me, as well as Sons of Liberty and Where I Want to Be, both finalists for the National Book Award. She lives with her husband and children in Brooklyn, New York. You can find her online at adelegriffin.com or on Twitter: @adelegriffin.

*click the picture above to purchase for your classroom! It comes highly recommended by my 5th graders! 

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Maybe a Mermaid by Josephine Cameron

MAYBE A MERMAID review with a special guest post from the author, Josephine Cameron. Thank you to the publisher for the free review copy.

 

Who can resist mermaids? From a young age, I’ve always been interested in the fantastical qualities of mermaids. I watched The Little Mermaid over and over and then when I got a little older I watched Splash with Darryl Hannah and Tom Hanks and wondered… could mermaids be real? I wished they were and always tried to spot one when I was on any body of water, especially an ocean.

In Maybe a Mermaid by Josephine Cameron, Anthony Gillis and her mom have a special bond being a small family, just the two of them and working together on her mom’s business with Beauty and the Bee cosmetics, a multi-level marketing company. They have just returned to a special lakeside resort where her mom spent summers vacationing. The family is struggling financially but Anthoni doesn’t find out until later just how bad it is. Anthoni’s mom has never kept secrets from her, but suddenly things have taken a turn and Anthoni uncovers secrets that her mom has been keeping from her.

This book has so many layers! Friendship and those agonizing pre-teen years, mystery, magical realism ...  I loved the mother-daughter dynamics and the mystery surrounding the lake’s rumored mermaid! This will be PERFECT  to pick up this summer while you’re lounging on the beach!  

We have a special guest today I am really excited to introduce to you, Josephine Cameron, who has graciously agreed to write a guest post for us today about her new book! Welcome, Josephine to Teachers Who Read!

Josephine, 

What is so special about the mother-daughter relationship in the book?

In Maybe a Mermaid, Anthoni Gillis and her mom have been a team for as long as Anthoni can remember. For the past five years, the two of them have been bouncing from town to town, selling honey-based beauty products for a multi-level marketing company, Beauty & the Bee. Together, the Gillis Girls are unstoppable. They have a Five-Year Plan with fool-proof Action Steps. They make each other laugh and share a sense of optimism and stick-to-itiveness that they apply to every challenge they encounter.

But some challenges are harder to fix than others. When they end up for the summer at the rundown Showboat Resort, Anthoni discovers that her mom hasn’t exactly been upfront about their financial situation, and she starts to see their relationship in a different light.

I think most of us reach a point in our lives when we realize that our parents aren’t actually superheroes. They can’t fix everything. And in fact, they’re just regular humans with problems of their own, trying to figure out how to get through the day. It’s a shaky, slightly terrifying realization. But it’s also an opportunity to find resiliency, independence, a sense of self. And in the best-case scenario, like Anthoni’s, it’s a moment when we can look around and find support and hope in True Blue Friends (who sometimes show up where we least expect them).

-Josephine Cameron

Thank you, Josephine, for stopping by today! I adored Maybe a Mermaid and cannot wait to discuss this one with students and friends! Maybe a Mermaid will be released on Tuesday, March 26th. Don't miss this one! 

*Affiliate link 

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It's Monday, What are you Reading? 3/26

Hey friends!

I don't know about you, but boy, these last few weeks have been INTENSE. I could do without the full moons, right?! 

Also, my mind is all over the place and I, personally, have several books started and going right now. It's "testing" season, so my life is BUSSSSSY. Here is what we are all in to currently:

Cassie:

Amber:



Andrea:



Haley: 



Click on the photos to read about the books! 
*affiliate links


WHAT are you reading this week??

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IMWAYR: March 18, 2019

Good morning! I am enjoying day one of my spring break. I have my stack of books ready to go, my favorite spot on the couch reserved, and my cup of coffee on deck! I have been waiting for a day to read for a very long time and today is my day to relax with a good book or books.

Here's what we have been reading:

Andrea:

Cassie:

    

Haley:

   

Amber:

   

Hope everyone has a wonderful reading week! What are you currently reading?

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