Let's Paint! by Gabriel Alborozo (Allen & Unwin, Australia, 2013) offers the same kind of encouragement to artists that I want to offer to my writers -- trust your ideas, no matter what shape they come in, find your own style, and above all HAVE FUN!
My Pen by Christopher Myers (Disney Hyperion, 2015) reminds us
"There are a million pens in the world
and each one has a million worlds inside it.
So if you have a pen, see what you can do--
let those worlds inside your pen out!"
Tulip and Rex Write a Story by Sarah Massini (Katherine Tegen Books, 2015) takes young writers all the way through the writing process. In the beginning, Tulip gets a new notebook in the mail from her grandmother, and Rex gets a new leash, so the two of them go out for a walk. At first, Tulip just gathers words in her notebook. Then, after Rex rescues her when she falls in the stream, Tulip uses her words to write a story about King Rex and Queen Tulip. Her story is interrupted by a call to lunch, but she realizes,
"Who knows what will happen next? Still, I'm sure there will be many more words and stories to come for this king and queen."These are my hopes for my writers: that they will have fun, discover new worlds, and come to know that the possibilities are endless for their writing!
by Aprilynne Pike
by Alexander Adornetto
by Rae Carson
by Michael Grant
by Veronica Roth
by Heather Dixon
Time to Eat
, 
, 
by Steve Jenkins 
by Chris Van Allsburg 
by Karen Day 
by M.P. Kozlowsky
by Ana Ursu 
by Kirby Larson 
by Helen Frost
. by Erica Perl
by N. H. Senzai
Adult Read
by Ann Patchett 
by Lauren Myracle
by Leslie McGuirk
by Eric Litwin 
by Lindsey Craig 
by April Pulley Sayre 
by Alison Murray 
by Louise Borden 
by Mo Willems
by Anne Ursu is due out in September. This is a favorite of mine for 2011 so far. It is a modern day fairy tale. A version of The Snow Queen. Ursu does an amazing job of weaving in issues that today's children may be dealing with into this fantasy story. The underlying themes are friendship and loss among other things. Divorce, boy-girl friendships, international adoption, and other things are explored in this book. The author does a great job at pulling in other stories we know such as the Chronicles of Narnia and the Little Match Girl. This is a book I may want to reread and definitely a great addition to any intermediate or middle school classroom. I loved it. It is so good that I would preorder it now so that you don't forget about it in September.
is a poetry book by Walter Dean Myers and Christopher Myers that I have been meaning to read. The book is a powerful one, reminding us about what it means to be American. The book is both a celebration of our country and a realistic look at some issues we deal with as a nation. This is a gorgeous book that older students could read with depth.
purchasing the new issue of 
because Michael J. Fox was on the cover. Honestly, I felt like I was 13 and buying an issue of Teen Beat when I saw his photo on the cover. I picked up 
by Michael J. Fox and read it as part of my 48 Hour Read. This is a great little essay--one of those books aimed at graduating students. But so much of what Michael J. Fox says in this book resonated for me. A good, quick, life message. (By the way, a little Franki Trivia for you--I have a credit in a Michael J. Fox movie. I was the tutor on the set for a child in 
for one day of filming in Ohio. I didn't have to do much tutoring but I did get to ride in a van with Joan Jett and see Michael J. Fox in person from afar many times during the day:-)
I picked up 
by Olivia Bouler a few weeks ago. I had heard the story about Olivia raising money to help birds during the oil spill and was intrigued by the book. This book is full of information and drawings about birds by Olivia. We learn about the fascination of birds and also learn about the dangers to birds, about the oil spill and about Olivia's work to help them.m This is a great piece by an 11 year-old working to make a positive difference in the world.
by Shaun Tan was another that had been on my stack for a while. This is a collection of 3 short pieces around the theme of loss. Each story is different and each leaves the read with lots to think about. The illustrations are incredible and add to the text. I can see using this with older elementary and middle school students to really dig into the meaning of these stories, both separately and together.
by Catherynne Valente was the first book that I read. I actually started it a week or two ago but didn't have much time to read during the last weeks of school. The book is a fairy tale and the main character is one that will stay with me for a long time. But this is not an easy read. It seems more middle school than middle grade to me. It is a great, unique fairy tale. I did not fall in love with it until the last 1/3 but by the time I was finished, I loved it. I think had I not spread it out over a busy time of year, I would have loved it immediately. I definitely recommend this one to readers of more complex fantasy/fairy tales.
by Chris Van Allsburg and wasn't really expecting to. Honestly, when I ordered it, I had no idea what it was about. I just ordered it because it was by Van Allsburg and I love most everything by him. The Polar Express was one of the first children's book I owned when I began student- teaching and I have loved his work ever since. But this book is different for this author/illustrator. It is a picture book biography about the first woman to go over Niagra Falls in a barrel. I am addicted to finding great picture book biographies so finding this one was a real treat. Van Allsburg's illustrations make this a biography I think kids will love--the story is a great one and Van Allsburg's illustrations bring it to life. I am happy to add it to my biographies and to my Chris Van Allsburgh collection.
by Kirby Larson was the last book that I read during the 48 Hour Read and it was a a great ending to a great reading weekend! I love dolls so I especially liked the idea of this book. It is a historical booked based on the 57 dolls sent to the United States from Japan in 1927 as "Ambassadors of Friendship". This is the story of one doll and the people she meets in her travels. The book consists of 5 stories and we see the way that the doll was "brought to life" by each new girl she met. We also see how each of the girls was changed because of the doll. Each story is powerful by itself. The book reminded me a bit of The Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo in its premise. This is definitely a new favorite for me. I have always loved dolls so I am anxious to see how this book does with others who are not so interested in dolls. My gut says that it is a great story regardless of how you come to it. Together these create a story of hope, change, loss, friendship and more. At the end of the book, author Kirby Larson gives us a little more background about the Japanese dolls.