Mango Delight, by Fracaswell Hyman (Sterling, June 2017)
My Brigadista Year, by Katherine Paterson (Candlewick, October 2017)
Patina, by Jason Reynolds (Simon & Schuster, August 2017)
Wishtree, by Katherine Applegate (Macmillan, September 2017)
All of these will appeal to 3rd, 4th and 5th graders, both in length and topics. Many of my students love realistic fiction they can see themselves in, like debut author Celia Perez's The First Rule of Punk. I am really looking forward to reading this and know many students will love the visual appeal of the zines included as part of this story. I also think many kids will see themselves in Mango Delight, as they follow Mango's friendship drama.
Jason Reynolds' Patina is the second in his Track series, following a track team in New York. Students across Berkeley loved Ghost, the first in this series. Like Ghost, Patina runs to escape from many of her problems, and I'm looking forward to seeing how Jason Reynolds draws readers into her world.
My Brigadista Year, master storyteller Katherine Paterson delves into the life of a young Cuban girl who leaves the comfort of her home in Havana to join Castro's army of literacy teachers. She goes into the countryside to teach villagers how to read. This historical fiction will help readers see into life in 1960s Cuba, as well as learn something about what it means to be human.
Wishtree, by Katherine Applegate, is such a truly wonderful story. I read this early in the year and cannot wait to read it again. As a teacher in Berkeley wrote me after reading this, it restores your faith in books and stories and people. This is exactly why we read -- to think about how we can respond when facing challenges, to know how our actions matter, to have the courage to speak up in the face of society's pressures.
When I get home, I will add onto this list. I'd love to hear about new books you're looking forward to reading.
©2017 Mary Ann Scheuer, Great Kid Books
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