Jack and Louisa: Act 1 by Andrew Keenan-Bolger and Kate Wetherhead

  

• MHL 2019 Reading List
• Genre: Realistic Fiction - Musical Theater
• Grade Level: 3rd - 7th 
• Reading Level: 5.7 (6 points)
• Length: 240 pages
• Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap (February 10, 2015)
• My Rating: 3 out of 4
• Readability: Easy and quick read.  Very specific story about musical theater.
• Division 1 or Crossover
• Summary:  In separate voices, 12-year-old Jack and Louisa tell of Jack's reluctant move from New York City to the suburbs of Shaker Heights, Ohio, where his new neighbor Louisa urges him to audition for "Into the Woods."

I was little lost in this book because I have never seen the musical or movie called Into the Woods. I did put them on queue to watch this summer on my Amazon movies account. It sounds like they might be fun to view. As when I read some sports books, I felt a little lost since I didn't have all the background knowledge that the story was immersed in.

Anyway, this is a light read with a simple and steady plot. I think the right kid may just love it if musical theater is their thing.  I am currently reading Short by Holly Goldberg Sloan and it seems to not only be about musical theater (Wizard of Oz) but the author does a better job of just telling a well rounded interesting and funny story. 

There are three book in this series so far:

Midnight Without a Moon by Linda Williams Jackson

• 2017 Copyright
• Genre:  Historical Fiction
• Grade Level: 5th - 7th 
• Reading Level: 6th
• Length: 320 pages
• Publisher:  HMH Books for Young Readers (January 3, 2017)
• My Rating: 4 out of 4
• Readability: Good story!  Well Written. History comes alive. Mature Readers....not sensitive readers....violence, language, tough issues... Newbery Contender!
• Division 2
• Summary:  Rose Lee Carter, a thirteen-year-old African-American girl, dreams of life beyond the Mississippi cotton fields during the summer of 1955, but when Emmett Till is murdered and his killers are unjustly acquitted, Rose is torn between seeking her destiny outside of Mississippi or staying and being a part of an important movement.

This book took me a few chapters to want to continue reading. I have been on the track of abandoning books lately. But, I continued and was very pleased with this book.  It is a book that might be tough to read because it has lots of violence and language.  I would be particular about which 5th grader I would give this book to. It is not for a sensitive reader.  

I kept thinking that this book took place in 1955 and that is not ancient history but it felt maybe even 100 years older. The culture of the deep South and a African American family are the key elements of the story. It is something that is not familiar to someone raised in Minnesota. 

This book has been well reviewed and may be one of those books that will tossed around as a Newbery contender for the writing and story for 2018. 

This book is the author's first novel for middle grades.  She has a sequel coming out in January 2018 called A SkyFull of Stars. 

Maud Hart Lovelace Division 2 Nominees 2018

Here is my Spark Video for Division 2! MHL II 2018

The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann

• Genre:  Fantasy
• Grade Level: 4th - 7th 
• Reading Level: 5.7 (11 points)
• Length: 400 pages
• Publisher:  Aladdin; First Edition edition (August 30, 2011)
• My Rating: 5 out of 4
• Readability: Great and can't put it down book!  Not for sensitive readers. 
• Not eligible for MHL (too old)
• Summary:  In a society that purges thirteen-year-olds who are creative, identical twins Aaron and Alex are separated, one to attend University while the other, supposedly Eliminated, finds himself in a wondrous place where youths hone their abilities and learn magic.
  

This title is featured on the Barnes and Noble summer reading journal as one of the choices for 5th and 6th graders. The catch line from Kirkus Reviews that is written on the cover of the book says  "The Hunger Games meets Harry Potter".  I would say that is pretty accurate!  I was concerned as to the level of violence in the book. So, I decided to read it.  I loved it and couldn't put it down.  It does end with a violent battle at the end a few characters do face death, however, it is not to the extent of violence as The Hunger Games series.

Aaron and Alex are twins who live in the land of Quill. On their 13th birthday children are sorted in this dystopian type of community.  The Wanteds go the University, the Necessaries do all the work, and the Unwanteds are eliminated.  They are eliminated because they are creative and that is not tolerated at all in Quill.  It is pretty horrible to read about them as they leave their families and go on a bus to the Death Farm where they face dying in a boiling lake of oil.  However, when they get there, they find a beautiful world full of magic and color, and love. Aaron is a Wanted and Alex is an Unwanted. 

The plot continues with Alex longing to rescue his twin who lives in Quill and yet his twin is becoming a powerful leader soon to be in line to take over the kingdom.  Secrets are told and eventually the  land of Quill discovers this unknown world of magic and a battle between good and evil is played out.  
There are 7 books total.  I looked on Good Reads and it seems as though the series is really liked.  I will have to see about ordering them for my library. 

Billy Sure: Kid Entrepreneur by Luke Sharpe

• Genre:  Humorous
• Grade Level: 3rd - 5th 
• Reading Level: 4.2 (3 points)
• Length: 160 pages
• Publisher:  Simon Spotlight (May 26, 2015)
• My Rating: 4 out of 4
• Readability: Funny, Fast and Easy Read!
• Division 1 and crossover
• Summary:  Famous young inventor Billy Sure is hosting an online contest to help other kid inventors.

Billy Sure has invented the All Ball over the summer; it makes him famous and the All Ball is selling like crazy. When he gets back to school in the fall his teachers, friends, and even the principal treat him differently. They want money or their own ideas invented or as in the case of the adults, they want him to inspire the school population. Billy decides to hold a contest and asks people to submit their ideas for a new and great invention to get everyone off his back.  But one thing is bothering Billy, he is not sure he really came up with the All Ball idea on his own. 

This book is funny and a little fantastic as it somewhat spoofs inventing shows and contests.. Yet, it is inspiring for kids to know that with work and ingenuity, they can come up with lots of new ideas that the world might need. I really liked it because it was a quick read and yet mature enough for a middle school student to enjoy.  Billy is in seventh grade. However, this book is also appropriate for 3rd graders. There are tons of books in this series already. (12!)  I hope the rest of them are as good!

Introducing the Maud Hart Lovelace 2017-2018 Nominees

Maud Hart Lovelace 2017-2018 Nominees

The Warden's Daughter by Jerry Spinelli

• Genre:  Historical Fiction
• Grade Level: 5th - 8th
• Reading Level: 4.1 (9 points)
• Length: 352 pages
• Publisher:  Knopf Books for Young Readers (January 3, 2017)
• My Rating: 3 out of 4
• Readability: Easy to read, lots of things happening, easy to lose track 
• Division 2
• Summary:  Living with her warden father in an apartment above a 1950’s prison, Cammie O’Reilly struggles to come to terms with the loss of her mother, who died saving her from harm when she was a baby, and interacts with some of the inmates. 

In the summer between 6th grade and 7th grade, Cammie comes to grip with the trauma that has always haunted her because her mother died to save her life when she was just a baby. Cammie's anger and frustration 

sends her to set a fire, smoke, shoplift, and just be hard to live with. Lots of characters in this book interact with her, including her best friend, some of the  inmates from the prison her father is a warden of, and other people in the town. Cammie has a reputation for being tough and a "curmudgeon". Hope, however comes to Cammie and she finds transformation during this particularly tough summer when she misses having a mother. 

This book reminded me of Al Capone Shines My Shoes by Choldenko and the musical Hairspray. One of the plot lines is about the TV show Bandstand in Philadelphia along with some of the music of the era.  I had to look up some of the lines in the book and then realized that Spinelli was referring to music lyrics. 

I don't think elementary kids would get this book since it seems to refer to history without giving much explanation. A lot of things happen in this book and it was hard for me to keep track of everything.  I did, however, like how Cammie found hope at the end of the book. It reminded me that kids with trauma in their lives do have a hard time dealing with it and many times are destructive or take it out on everyone else. Even though Cammie's father seems rather distant in this book, he seemed to be taking the outlook that his daughter needs to struggle and she will come out of it OK.