Wrapping up my links to 2021 NOTABLE TRADE BOOKS for YOUNG READERS from NCSS: Grades 6-12

 Rather than repeat what that title is all about, check out my first post, featuring titles for grades K-2, HERE. Then move right along for a look at the titles for grades 3-5, HERE. While you're on those pages you'll see what a wealth of resources and recommendations result from this annual listing from an expert curating team of members of National Council of Social Studies. I'm always pleased to see how many of the featured titles have been among ones I've read, reviewed, and recommended in the prior year. (Smug? Certainly not! Simply happy to see them celebrated with wider audiences than I could ever reach. Maybe just a bit smug.) 

I'm even more thrilled to find acclaimed titles from the past year that I somehow missed, which accounts for a couple of follow-on posts on new favorites as my library hold list came through for me (HERE and HERE). 

These books include very few picture books, but in many cases I could immediately recall one or more picture books related to these content/topic. Several are in Graphic Novel/Nonfiction format, giving many of them the visual narrative advantage and accessibility of picture books. For anyone with your own children, grandchildren, students, or even adults you know who may have an interest in the subject matter, this is a list of potential titles to read, discuss, and share. At the risk of sounding like a broken record (does anyone even remember what that figure of speech refers to?) there are many important books on the previous lists for "younger" grades that offer deep and important content for readers in these older grades.

Bold color highlight of a few titles below will link to reviews of mine.

SIXTH TO EIGHTH GRADE

Astronauts: Women on the Final Frontier. Jim Ottaviani. lllus. Maris Wicks. 176pp. ISBN 9781626728776. Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group / First Second. 6-8     Graphic Novel format, nonfiction

Big Ideas For Young Thinkers: 20 Questions About Life and the Universe. Jamia Wilson. lllus. Andrea Pippins. 64pp. ISBN 9780711258358. Quarto Group / Wide Eyed Editions. 6-8   Nonfiction picture book, 60 pages, Q/A explorations about justice, freedom, bias, and other big ideas.

BOX: Henry Brown Mails Himself to Freedom. Carole Boston Weatherford. lllus. Michele Wood. 56pp. ISBN 9780763691561. Candlewick Press. 6-8 (Picture book, stallion my library HOLD list)

Displacement. Kiku Hughes. 288pp. ISBN 9781250193537. Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group / First Second. 6-8  Graphic Format version of a Japanese Internment camp story.

Fish Out of Water. Joanne Levy. 144pp. ISBN 9781459826595.Orca Book Publishers. 6-8 

History Comics: The Challenger Disaster: Tragedy in the Skies. Pranas T. Naujokaitis. 128pp.  ISBN 9781250174291. Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group / First Second. 6-8

Mighty Justice (Young Readers’ Edition): The Untold Story of Civil Rights Trailblazer Dovey Johnson Roundtree. Dovey Johnson Roundtree and Katie McCabe. 208pp. ISBN 9781250229007. Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group / Roaring Brook Press. 6-8

Normal: One Kid’s Extraordinary Journey. Magdalena Newman and Nathaniel Newman. lllus. Neil Swaab. 336pp. ISBN 9781328631831. Houghton Miin Harcourt / HMH Books for Young Readers. 6-8

On the Horizon. Lois Lowry. lllus. Kenard Pak. 80pp. ISBN 9780358129400. Houghton Miin Harcourt / HMH Books for Young Readers. 6-8  Novel in Verse, Hawaii, Pearl Harbor

Poisoned Water: How the Citizens of Flint, Michigan, Fought for Their Lives and Warned the Nation. Candy J. Cooper and Marc Aronson. 256pp. ISBN 9781547602322. Bloomsbury Children’s Books. 6-8

Powwow: A Celebration through Song and Dance. Karen Pheasant-Neganigwane. 88pp. ISBN 9781459812345. Orca Book Publishers. 6-8

Radium Girls: Young Readers’ Edition: The Scary but True Story of the Poison that Made People Glow in the Dark. Kate Moore. 432pp. ISBN 9781728209470. Sourcebooks Explore. 6-8

A Sporting Chance: How Ludwig Guttmann Created the Paralympic Games. Lori Alexander. lllus. Allan Drummond. 128pp. ISBN 9781328580795. Houghton Miin Harcourt / HMH Books for Young Readers. 6-8

Strongman: The Rise of Five Dictators and the Fall of Democracy. Kenneth C. Davis. 272pp. ISBN 9781250205643. Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group / Henry Holt BYR. 6-8

The Sufragist Playbook: Your Guide to Changing the World. Lucinda Robb and Rebecca Roberts. 160pp. ISBN 9781536210330. Candlewick Press. 6-8

We Are Power: How Nonviolent Activism Changes the World. Todd Hasak-Lowy. 320pp. ISBN 9781419741111. ABRAMS / Abrams Books for Young Readers. 6-8

The Woman’s Hour (Adapted for Young Readers): Our Fight for the Right to Vote. Elaine Weiss. 224pp. ISBN 9780593125182. Random House Children’s Books / Random House BFYR. 6-8

Chance: Escape from the Holocaust. Uri Shulevitz. 336pp. ISBN 9780374313715. Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group / Farrar, Straus and Giroux BYR. 6-12

Go With the Flow. Lily Williams and Karen Schneemann. lllus. Lily Williams. 336pp. ISBN 9781250305725. Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group / First Second. 6-12

Street of Storytellers. Doug Wilhelm. 230pp. ISBN 9781578690169. Rootstock Publishing. 6-12

Strong Voices: Fifteen American Speeches Worth Knowing. Tonya Bolden. lllus. Eric Valasquez. 128pp.ISBN 9780062572042. HarperCollins Children’s Books. 6-12

We Are Not Free. Traci Chee. 400pp. ISBN 9780358131434. Houghton Miin Harcourt / HMH Books for Young Readers. 6-12

Yes No Maybe So. Becky Albertalli and Aisha Saeed. 448pp. ISBN 9780062937049. HarperCollins Children’s Books / Balzer + Bray. 6-12

NINTH TO TWELFTH GRADE

Atomic Women: The Untold Stories of the Scientists Who Helped Create the Nuclear Bomb. Roseanne Montillo. 272pp. ISBN 9780316489591. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. 9-12

Call Me American (Adapted for Young Adults): The Extraordinary True Story of a Young Somali Immigrant. Abdi Nor Iftin. 272pp. ISBN 9781984897114. Random House Children’s Books / Delacorte BFYR. 9-12

Cat I Never Named, The: A True Story of Love, War, and Survival. Amra Sabic-El-Rayess and Laura L. Sullivan. 384pp. ISBN 9781547604531. Bloomsbury YA. 9-12

Dear Justyce. Nic Stone. 288pp. ISBN 9781984829665. Random House Children’s Books / Crown BFYR. 9-12 The Degenerates. J. Albert Mann. 288pp. ISBN 9781534419353Simon & Schuster / Atheneum BFYR. 9-12  Sequel to DEAR MARTIN

Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From. Jennifer De Leon. 336pp. ISBN 9781534438248. Simon & Schuster / Atheneum / Caitlyn Dlouhy Books. 9-12

Don’t Read the Comments. Eric Smith. 368pp. ISBN 9781335016027. Harlequin Trade Publishing / Inkyard Press. 9-12

Finding a Way Home: Mildred and Richard Loving and the Fight for Marriage Equality. Larry Dane Brimner. 112pp. ISBN 9781629797519. Boyds Mills & Kane / Calkins Creek. 9-12

Grown. Tiany D. Jackson. 384pp. ISBN 9780062840356. HarperCollins Children’s Books / Katherine Tegen Books. 9-12

Heads Up: Changing Minds on Mental Health. Melanie Siebert. lllus. Belle Wuthrich. 192pp. ISBN 9781459819115. Orca Book Publishers. 9-12

Jane Against the World: Roe v. Wade and the Fight for Reproductive Rights. Karen Blumenthal. 400pp. ISBN 9781626721654. Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group / Roaring Brook Press. 9-12

No True Believers. Rabiah York Lumbard. 304pp. ISBN 9780525644255. Random House Children’s Books / Crown BFYR. 9-12

Parachutes. Kelly Yang. 496pp. ISBN 9780062941084. HarperCollins Children’s Books / Katherine Tegen Books. 9-12

Running. Natalia Sylvester. 336pp. ISBN 9780358124351. Houghton Miin Harcourt / Clarion Books. 9-12 Saving Savannah. Tonya Bolden. 272pp. ISBN 9781681198040. Bloomsbury YA. 9-12

Stamped: Racism Antiracism and You. Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi. 320pp. ISBN 9780316453691. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. 9-12

This Is My America. Kim Johnson. 416pp. ISBN 9780593118764. Random House BFYR. 9-12
This Light Between Us: A Novel of World War II. Andrew Fukuda. 384pp. ISBN 9781250192387. 

Unrig: How to Fix Our Broken Democracy (World Citizen Comics). Daniel G. Newman. lllus. George O’Connor. 288pp. ISBN 9781250295309. Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group / First Second. 9-12   Accessible and important nonfiction Graphic Novel

What I Carry. Jennifer Longo. 336pp. ISBN 9780553537710. Random House Children’s Books / Random House BFYR. 9-12

When They Call You a Terrorist (Young Adult Edition): A Story of Black Lives Matter and the Pow- er to Change the World. Patrisse Khan-Cullors, Asha Bandele, and Benee Knauer. 272pp. ISBN 9781250194985. Macmillan Publishers / Wednesday Books. 9-12

Thank You, John Lewis. May Your Light Shine On

Congressman John Lewis

Until his passing on the day I write this, the last surviving speaker from the 1963 August MARCH on WASHINGTON was then very young John Lewis. He eventually became Congressman John Lewis, continuing to speak out and lead across generations. 
During that long career he worked tirelessly to secure justice, to eliminate racism, and to ensure equity and freedom for all.
His individual accomplishments are too long to list but can be examined in these links:

Brief biography
A UNIFYING FORCE in CONGRESS (The Atlantic)
JOHN LEWIS Profile: ACLU

In recent books for young readers, Lewis partnered with Andrew Aydin and Nate Powell at Top Shelf Productions to produce the multiple award winning series, MARCH, a graphic history of the past and recent present. In these astonishingly accurate and appealing graphic books can be found a story within a story, tracing Lewis's personal history overlaid on the template of our nation's changes. 
The first book spans critical points at which Lewis stood on that Lincoln Memorial stage fifty years ago to speak, and into the near-present when he sat in the audience in 2009 as a congressman,  witnessing the inauguration of Barach Obama. There he was within sight of that original gathering. 
At this writing I can simply repeat and endorse the many praises this work has garnered, included rave reviews, as this one in School Library Journal. and multiple well-deserved awards. 
The death of Lewis today was the sudden but predictable course of a recent Stage Four pancreatic cancer diagnosis, which he faced with the brilliance and courage that has marked his character throughout life. 

MARCH, BOOK ONE, was widely acknowledged as a groundbreaking effort to ignite young readers with the powerful sense of urgency of those Civil Rights Years. It was so widely acclaimed and used that it was soon followed by MARCH, BOOK TWO, which was also widely awarded and welcomed in schools, libraries, and individual lives. Among its many accolades are these:
New York Times Bestseller
One of YALSA's Great Graphic Novels for Teens
2016 Eisner Award for Best Reality-Based Work - Winner
2016 Harvey Award for Best Biographical, Historical, or Journalistic Presentation - Winner
2016 Harvey Award for Best Graphic Album Original - Winner
2016 Street Literature Book Award Medal for Best Graphic Novel - Winner
2016 Denver Independent Comic & Art Expo Award for Best Work - Mid/Large Press - Winner

The concluding volume, MARCH, BOOK THREE, released in 2016 to conclude the dramatic and detailed story of Lewis and other dedicated Civil Rights leaders continuing the struggle throughout succeeding years. The trilogy captures the compelling voice of Lewis with the immediacy and inspiring tone that he sustained until his last breath.
Each book in this unequaled and essential series has garnered attention and I'm confident that they will continue to do so:
Winner of the 2016 National Book Award for Young People's Literature
#1 New York Times Bestseller
2017 Coretta Scott King Author Award Winner
2017 Michael L. Printz Award Winner
2017 Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal Winner
2017 YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction - Winner
2017 Walter Dean Myers Award for Outstanding Children's Literature - Winner
2017 Flora Stieglitz Straus Award Winner
2017 LA Times Book Prize for Young Adult Literature - Finalist

Nancy Paulson books, 2016

I dedicate this blog to picture books, but I've occasionally used the platform to call attention to the importance of graphic novels and nonfiction content in graphic format. These are perfect examples of the power of combining images and voice to convey stories with an impact that neither media alone would achieve. 
Even so, the audience for these is not the very young. That doesn't mean that the life of Lewis is not accessible and compelling, even for the youngest. Please also read PREACHING TO THE CHICKENS: The Story of Young John Lewis to learn more about the earliest years of his lifelong journey to lead us to a better world. His story is inspiring and more timely now than ever.
Lewis often referenced his early years in speeches, and it is a blessing to us all that his story was captured so beautifully in the text of Jabari Asim and the incomparably rich images of E. B. Lewis. 

Apart from the absolutely stunning illustrations of E. B. Lewis (no relation to the subject), this book is an invaluable early-childhood story of an American figure whose contribution to human rights is immeasurable. This book opens his life-story to even the youngest readers and all readers seeking insight to the origins of Lewis's commitment to causes greater than himself. He continues to teach us this through his lifetime examples and his words and accomplishments. 

Anchoring this in COVID 19 Time and #BLackLivesMatter movement:
This is simply a note in confirmation of some facts that Lewis lived and confronted throughout his life: 
Struggle never ends.
Truth is not found in the statements of the media or the perceived reality that is delivered by those with political agenda and investment in the status quo.
We are stronger when we stand up and speak up together, but sometimes we must have the courage to be the only voice among our circle of contacts. 
Whether we take on that challenge or not is a question of personal integrity.
This applies to deciding to wear a mask, return kids to schools, or walk (or sit) in protest.
Struggle never ends.
Be inspired by Lewis to examine your own moral compass and act on it.

MULTI-CULTURAL Day Celebrations- With Books!

Side note- I love celebrating theme days and months, but consider them to only be periodic reminders of the importance of reading WIDELY and DIVERSELY all year long, Please, keep the momentum moving forward all year long.

This post anticipates the coming annual MULTICULTURAL CHILDREN'S BOOK DAY, January 31, 2020, in order to provide readers here with easy access to resources. A quick click will lead you to tabs offering lists of recommended books, press kits, and other resources.

I was tempted to insert multiple links in this post to various titles I've featured over the life of this blog. One reason for that is based on my experience as a classroom teacher. I know that a classroom library and/or a school library is unlikely to have on hand the very latest releases, regardless of how outstanding they may be. 
Speaking for myself, I'll admit that before buying copies of books I would usually wait several months to see if the latest, acclaimed titles might be picked up in less expensive formats- book club order forms, paper back editions, etc. The less I had to spend on each book, the more books I could provide to my students. So I want to be sure that those who lead young readers will seek out diverse titles to spotlight from among those immediately on hand. 
Having said that, I can't help but celebrate some of the latest and greatest books from the past year. Monday morning marked the annual American Library Association Youth Media Awards announcements, and the full list of the winners and honor titles, and their creators, are listed fully in a link, here. I'm thrilled to note that many of the acclaimed titles reflect multi-sutural categories, creators, stories, and content. 
One way to celebrate on Friday, Multicultural Day, could be to have a short discussion about the past practices of the publishing world, practices that were managed by and featured, almost exclusively, a very narrow menu of works, a body of materials. The vast majority of published works excluded a large number of cultures and experiences from the world of literature, especially for youth. 
Follow that brief publishing history lesson with a live viewing of the actual award announcements from January 27, 2020. The hour-plus videotape of those announcements will allow students to realize that BOOKS deserve  rock-star, sports-star attention and cheers. Encourage kids to have a notebook out to jot down titles and creators' names for the next trip to the library, to watch for in book club over forms, and to put on wish-lists for birthdays and holidays.Model hat process by developing a list of works to add to the classroom library.
Here's the  link to the ALA MEDIA AWARDS.
Meanwhile, let's not forget that picture books are for EVERY age, and this is particularly true for those designated in this year's accolades. The same is true for the graphic novel, NEW KID, by Jerry Craft. This year marked a history-making decision by ALA for a graphic novel to be named the NEWBERY WINNER, and I applaud the decision of that committee with a standing ovation. See my notes about it on Goodreads here. 
Whatever choices you might make to honor this particular day (and all the days that follow), please make sure that the literary choices available in your lives and the lives of your learners will throw wide the doors and windows to the world!

,

Facing the Truth: Feeling Better!

I can say with confidence that we all have hidden stories about ourselves. They may be hidden from the general public, from our circle of family and friends, from those closest in our lives, or even from ourselves. At a time when privacy feels (and usually is) elusive, the last, most sacred, private spaces are within our own heads and hearts. As a very private person myself, this feels like a good thing, something to help kids appreciate and develop for themselves. 
Except...
When those inner secrets haunt us, make us sick, twist our guts, or torment our thoughts, finding safe ways to let them out is the healthy thing to do.
Healthy, but not easy.
Once again, using picture books (and other books- see below) allows us, at any age, to live through intense or seemingly threatening inner struggles through the eyes of a character. That slight distance from the personal and often visceral distress of trying to talk about our own turmoils, whether those are minor or major, provides a sense of safety and  perspective.

NorthSouth Books, 2019

I AM A THIEF is written by Abigail Raynor and illustrated by Molly Ruttan, both of whom seem to be deeply connected with the emotional distress some prickly secrets can generate, at any age. 
The text introduces the issue in Eliza Jane Murphy's matter-of-fact first person voice: 
"I am a thief. Me. Eliza Jane Murphy. Line leader. Caring friend. Captain of the Worm Rescue Team."
This confident and clearly empowered girl is not in denial, only in SHOCK! The reality of what she has done appalls her, and her self-worth is in question. She lays things out as facts, even if they are mind-boggling facts, to her. 
When that sparkly green stone on the classroom display table caught her eye, it stole her heart, her attention, and then stole its way into her little bag. 
"Having" it made her heart sing, until she reflected (wonderfully demonstrated in a bathroom mirror). She realized that her impulsive act had made her someone she never imagined she could be- a THIEF! As she seeks to understand her own actions and also define herself as good or bad by questioning loved ones about their own thieving pasts, she is in for a surprise. 
Not only are the stories she hears unexpected, but they also offer various approaches to integrating obvious mistakes and even intentional poor choices into a full identity. Possible consequences and resolutions are modeled within their stories. A funny and not-so-subtle visual subplot involves her thieving cat, which tempers the satisfying conclusion and avoids an overly sweet resolution. Involving insights into dad and teacher in the ending lends some perspective, too, without extending a free pass to take whatever you want in life. 

Graphix (Scholastic) 2019

As I mentioned above, this kind of self-betrayal and hidden struggle is not limited to the very young. Picture books are not the only explorations of hiding the truth and subsequently stewing internally. Young people often view that approach as a sign of independence, but that isolation only increases anxiety and pain. I AM A THIEF depicts a young elementary girl, but a parallel issue involves a middle grade girl working through hidden fears and suffering in a new semi-autobiographical graphic novel, GUTS. Raina Telgemeier presents aa lightly fictionalized version of her middle grade life that shares many of the same stages and steps toward growth. It also opens the character's eyes to fuller truths about her friends, her nemesis, parents, and teacher. 
And, ultimately, about herself.
Books, particularly books with visual depictions of emotions, settings, and relationships, are uniquely positioned to develop awareness of a reader's internal explorations. More importantly, they can develop empathy for others, as is discussed in a wonderful post by author Bobbi Martin recently on one of my favorite blogs, Teaching Authors.
I AM A THIEF confronts the very common experience of impulsively helping ourselves to something that is not rightly ours. GUTS explores unexpected and escalating feelings of anxiety and desperation, arriving at a highly realistic but encouraging non-resolution. 
In both cases the books remind us, at any age, that we are not alone in our struggles. 
Not alone in such experiences.
Not alone in seeking understanding and resolution.
Let's use books like these to actively help young people develop patterns of turning to others to strengthen themselves, in empathy and independence.

A Father's Day Salute to the Funnies

***blush*** I was so excited about celebrating Father's Day, comics, and the great graphic novels discussions that this popped out a week early. Dads deserve a full week of love, don't ya' think?***

The funnies, that's what we called the comics in the paper, especially the multi-paged full-
color ones on Sunday mornings.

When I was young, Sunday mornings followed a comfortable routine. Our whole family dressed up for church and walked down the block together. Afterwords, Dad gave Mom the morning off and made a big pancake breakfast. He even cleaned up after himself, until we were old enough to help. He was a pancake-making expert, but that’s a different story.

That's when it was time to relax in the living room. The big Sunday paper, the Columbus Dispatch, was loaded with sections for Mom and Dad to read, but we wouldn’t give Dad any peace until he read us the funnies.

His chair was the perfect size for all four of us. The prime spot on his knee was mine until little sis came along. Once she took over I perched on one wide arm of the chair, my sister sat on the other arm, and my brother hung over the back of the chair with his head next to Dad’s, reading over his shoulder. Settled in place with a clear view of the comics, we waited for the show to begin.

One by one, each comic strip came to life in Dad’s voice. Dick Tracy snarled his orders to his team of detectives. Prince Valiant bravely proclaimed his rights as he marched through his kingdom, sword at the ready. Dad would make Blondie and Dagwood sound just like they did in the movies, including Daisy’s occasional woofs.

Each full-color eight-panel strip was like a little movie at arm’s length.

The Katzenjammer Kids are unforgettable. Coming alive in Dad's second-generation quasi-German accent, the twins, Hans and Fritz, gave Mama, the Captain, and the Inspector plenty of grief. But even when their accents sounded confusing, the pictures and expression in their voices left no doubts about their shenanigans.

When the time came to fold up the funny papers and give Dad some peace, we clung to his neck and begged, “Read them again!”

“Which one?” he’d ask, only to hear four voices calling out four favorites.

“They’re not going anywhere, you can read them yourselves now,” he’d grin, turning to the rest of the newspaper to relax.
And one by one, oldest to youngest, we’d stretch out on the floor and go at them again. Even before I learned to read, the voices were already in my head, on the page, waiting for me to enjoy a second time when it was finally my turn.

Mom and Dad shared bedtime stories daily, and I wouldn’t trade those moments for anything. But reading the Sunday funnies, huddled on Dad’s chair, smelling his Old Spice aftershave and hugging his stiff, starched collar- that happened just once a week. Bedtime stories were well-worn favorites, but the funnies were colorful and new, every week.

And the voices. The voices were so alive! Bedtime storybooks in those days had only a few spot illustrations, and characters were gentler, more familiar. The Sunday Funnies’ voices were thrilling, dramatic, goofy, and bizarre. They made themselves at home in my head, and made me hungry to hear the voices in everything I read. Thanks for the voices, Dad. (Happy Father's Day!)

Those funnies and some occasional dime comic books were the closest we came to the energy and immediacy of today's picture books. It's no surprise that we savored them, revisited them, talked about them, imitated them.

Just as kids (of all ages) still do with quality picture books.

It's also no surprise that graphic novels, illustrated narratives, and emerging hybrid-visual-narratives are exploding in popularity at every age level.


A recent post on the Teach Mentor Text blog addresses the value and appeal of graphic novels and other illustrated narratives. For even more opinions check out the May #titletalk chat archive on Twitter for a discussion of the use, quality, and validity of these in the world of children's literature. If you have the slightest doubt that reading comics demands mindful and complex thinking, read Scott McCloud's iconic book, Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art.

When you have the time, explore the page I've added about graphic novels, illustrated narratives, and hybrids. It features several outstanding titles and provides links to online resources.

Do you have memories of reading the "funny papers"? I'd love to hear about them.