Ok.  I have finished three books that I believe belong on our shelves for students to read!,

1.         Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg.  Thank you Janelle Owens for getting this book in my hands!  Loved the characters.  They are quirky, nerdy- but in a way that I wish I was.  (I wish I could learn a second language in less than a month!) There is great tragedy in the book, but this leads to lasting friendships and new family ties. Willow is a middle school genius with a vocabulary that may scare students initially away from reading the book.  Encourage them to stick with it, because they will get caught into the story and hopefully have a hard time putting the book down. Crazy things just keep happening to Willow and her new family that will make you laugh out loud and sometimes tear up.  This book is for middle school and middle grades. (Be aware of a scene early in the book where Willow speaks of how babies come to be!)

2.        A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd- Love, love , loved this book. I saw a tweet from Colby Sharp saying he was reading this book and I realized I owned it! The story reminds me in some ways of Holes, of things lost, a curse that keeps a family from finding happiness.  The characters truly become your friends and your family! Felicity, the main character is a word collector.  She sees words form above people’s heads and she keeps a journal collecting words- trying to make sense of words and the world! She makes a new friend Jonah with the gift of “Know-How.” He is able to see people’s troubles and help fix them.   To me the book is really realistic fiction that hints of magic- maybe the kind of magic we all possess if we learn to persevere and live with HOPE! (Middle grade, middle school – but really anyone can enjoy this read.)

3.        The Great Trouble by Deborah Hopkinson- Historical fiction based on a cholera epidemic in London in 1854. Hopkins weaves actual historical figures in with fictional children to create a tale the takes a young street urchin named Eel from a life of living on the streets to assisting a famous Doctor to find the cause of the spread of the “blue death.” All the while he is trying to hide from people in his past that could ruin his future.  This is a good book for grades 3 and up. It is a pretty easy read and a good historical fiction for kids that have never read this genre before. It has a nice author’s note at the end that gives factual information on this event in history.

That’s it for now!!  Hope you are all reading and sharing with your teachers and students!!!