Anastasia Suen – Page 16 – Booktalking #kidlit

While We Run

While We Run
by Karen Healey (Author)

Booktalk: Abdi Taalib thought he was moving to Australia for a music scholarship. But after meeting the beautiful and brazen Tegan Oglietti, his world was turned upside down. Tegan’s no ordinary girl – she died in 2027, only to be frozen and brought back to life in Abdi’s time, 100 years later.

Now, all they want is for things to return to normal (or as normal as they can be), but the government has other ideas. Especially since the two just spilled the secrets behind Australia’s cryonics project to the world. On the run, Abdi and Tegan have no idea who they can trust – and, when they uncover startling new details about the program, they realize that thousands of lives may be in their hands.

Snippet: Diane leaned in, close enough that I could feel her breath on my check. “Of course, you can Abdi. You’re very good at being convincing. Why do you think we sent you to the camps? Why do you think you’re here?

Because I’m African, I thought. Because I’m thirdie. You want me to tell these people that the refugees want this, that what the Australian government is doing to people who come here out of fear and desperation is just and noble. And you want me to persuade the refugees that they should file into their cryopods as docilely as sheep into a pen.

Rain or Shine (board book)

Rain or Shine
by Ronald Heuninck (Illustrator)

Booktalk: This wordless board book show children playing outdoors throughout the year.

Snippet:

The Kite that Bridged Two Nations: Homan Walsh and the First Niagara Suspension Bridge

The Kite that Bridged Two Nations: Homan Walsh and the First Niagara Suspension Bridge
by Alexis O’Neill (Author) and Terry Widener (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Homan Walsh loves to fly his kite. And when a contest is announced to see whose kite string can span Niagara Falls, Homan is set on winning…

Snippet:
Through snow, on ice, and two miles north,
I took my place above the grasping Whirlpool Rapids.
Don’t look down, I told myself.

I set my gaze aloft and launched my kite.

Nonfiction Monday

It’s Nonfiction Monday!

A Trip into Space: An Adventure to the International Space Station

A Trip into Space: An Adventure to the International Space Station
by Lori Haskins Houran (Author) and Francisca Marquez (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Visit the International Space Station, where astronauts work, sleep, and walk in space!

Snippet:
Tasting a drink
That may float around
Sipping in space

Taking a walk
Without any ground
Flipping in space

Two in One!

This week’s Poetry Friday Round-up will be hosted by Today’s Little Ditty.

It’s STEM Friday! (STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)

Norman, Speak!

Norman, Speak!
by Caroline Adderson (Author) and Qin Leng (Illustrator)

Booktalk: A boy and his family who adopt a dog that just can’t seem to learn the things other dogs do. Norman won’t respond to commands. He doesn’t even know his own name. During a chance encounter with another dog owner in the park, the family is very surprised to learn the reason for Norman’s confusion; he “speaks” Chinese instead of English! And so the family enrolls in a language class…

Snippet:
We went over to the man. He was talking to both dogs, and both dogs were listening. We didn’t understand a word he said.
Then he turned to us and asked, “Is this your dog?”
“Yes,” we said.
He laughed. “Your dog understands Chinese. Did you know that?”

Explorer: The Lost Islands

Explorer: The Lost Islands
Edited by Kazu Kibuishi

Booktalk: This second volume of the critically acclaimed Explorer graphic novel series is a collection of seven all-new stories written and illustrated by an award-winning roster of comics artists, with each story centered around the theme of hidden places.

Snippet: From the Raina Telgemeier’s blog
Desert Island Playlist

Imani’s Moon

Imani’s Moon
by Janay Brown-Wood (Author) and Hazel Mitchell (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Imani wants to touch the moon. She is eager to achieve something great, just like the heroes do in the stories Mama tells her each night. But how can a tiny girl soar so high in the sky?

Snippet:
“Look at tiny Imani!” the other children teased.
“She’s no higher than a lion cub’s knee!”
“Careful,” they called to her.
“Don’t let the meerkats stomp on your head!”
“Mini Imani! You’ll never accomplish anything!”
Day in and day out, the children teased her, and Imani began to believe them.
Every night, Imani’s mama lifted her spirits with stories. This night, Mama told her of Olapa, goddess of the moon who fought a great battle against the god of the sun and triumphed.

Vibrations Make Sound

Vibrations Make Sound
by Jennifer Boothroyd (Author)

Booktalk: Young readers will learn how vibrations make sound that we can hear with simple text for beginning readers.

Snippet: Sound is what we hear.

It’s STEM Friday! (STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)

The Hero In You

The Hero In You
by Ellis Paul (Author) and Angela Padron (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Meet thirteen real-life American heroes from Chief Joseph to Rosa Parks with a song, facts, and a famous quote for each in this picture book collection of song lyrics with a music CD.

Snippet:
THE HERO IN YOU
Everybody’s got a story
of all their troubles, all their glories
Tell me yours, you cannot bore me
I love to listen to you

All your bumps and all your scratches
All your holes and all your patches–
It’s you! It’s true! You have no matches
There’s a hero in you

Hear Ellis Paul sing the title song!.

This week’s Poetry Friday Round-up will be hosted by The Poem Trail.

Cast Away on the Letter A: A Philemon Adventure

Cast Away on the Letter A: A Philemon Adventure
by Fred (Author, Illustrator)

Booktalk: On an ordinary day in the countryside, Philemon falls into a well on his father’s farm and lands . . . on the Atlantic Ocean — literally on an A-shaped island complete with unicorns, centaurs, and exploding clocks. He begins a wild and whimsical journey home through a fantasy world as original as Alice’s Wonderland, as richly imagined as Little Nemo’s Slumberland, and as exciting to explore as Oz.

Snippet: From the TOON BOOKS