Booktalks – Page 21 – Booktalking #kidlit

Shelter

Shelter
by Patricia H. Aust (Author)

Booktalk: Miguel’s dad is at it again—physically abusing his mom and sister and terrorizing Miguel for no good reason. But when Miguel’s mom and sister, who have been whispering to one another for some time, decide to stand up to the abuse and decide to move to a women’s shelter, Miguel’s life begins to take turns he never expected. After the family moves out, it isn’t long before Miguel’s dad promises to change his ways before once again becoming abusive; leaving Miguel to summon the courage to stand up to the man he thought he loved.

Snippet: In one way, it’s good we won’t be home for a few days. It’s always hard for me when Dad hurts Mom and she has to hide her injuries. Lie to her boss and friends.

But this is worse. One look at her face and Ellie’s leg and anyone would know something’s wrong. They’ll pity us, think we’re freaks. Maybe even call the cops or the State.

What was Dad thinking?

Mom pulls into a paved driveway. “Is this the shelter?” Ellie asks.

Everything Goes: In the Air

Everything Goes: In the Air
by Brian Biggs (Author, Illustrator)

Booktalk: Zoom along with Henry and his parents as they take off on an airborne journey and learn about all kinds of flying vehicles in this oversized picture book that looks like a comic.

Snippet:

HENRY: Wow! Where is everyone going?

DAD: Everywhere! They’re traveling on vacations and for business to places like London, Paris, and Hawaii.

MOM: Planes leave from here and go all over the world.

Mr Strike Out

Mr. Strike Out by Anastasia Suen (writing as Jake Maddox)

A baseball novel

David Gray is notorious in his baseball league, notorious for striking out, both as a pitcher and a batter. He spends so much time practicing his pitching, he has never honed his batting skills. After learning about the great Babe Ruth, David becomes determined to be a better all-around player, which means he’ll have to learn how to bat. With some help from a teammate, David hopes to never hear the words “Mr. Strike Out” again.

Copyright: 2007
Guided Reading level: J
Lexile Level: 380L
ATOS Level: 2.7
AR Quiz Number: 109968
Library Binding / Paperback: 72 pages
Publisher: Stone Arch Books

Book Activities:

Play Math Baseball (If your answer is correct, you will get a hit!)

Explore the Science of Baseball. Test your baseball reaction time, learn how to throw a curveball and how to find the “sweet spot” on a bat.

At Teachers Corner, you can print baseball journal pages, and create your own baseball crossword, word search or word scramble pages.

Find out what happened Today in Baseball History.

The Technology of Baseball

The Technology of Baseball (High-Tech Sports)
by Thomas K. Adamson (Author),

Booktalk: Take me out to the ballgame or just watch the game from your phone! From motion capture technology to software such as GameChanger and PitchTrax, the tech world has become a regular part of Americas national pastime.

Snippet: Tim Lincecum of the San Francisco Giants pitches with motion capture sensors attached to his body. The sensors provide data that will help Lincecum’s delivery look more realistic than a video game.

Nonfiction Monday

It’s Nonfiction Monday!

Just So, Brianna

Just So, Brianna by Anastasia Suen
All-Star Cheerleaders (Book #3)

Copyright: 2012
Ages 5-9
ATOS Level: 2.6
Lexile Level: 300L
AR Quiz Number: 153277
96 pages
Publisher: Kane Miller

Booktalk: Brianna wants everything to be perfect, and that includes her cheer moves. She practices and practices, and even then, sometimes not everything is “just so.”

Snippet:
“Really?” said Victoria. “The baby can fly?” She looked down at Brianna as if she didn’t believe it.

Brianna looked over at Victoria. I’ll show you what I can do.

Hazel Mitchell did a great job with the illustrations in this chapter book series. You can find activities for each book and see the entire squad at the All-Star Cheerleaders webpage…

June Quick Tips: Focus on STEM

My June Quick Tips: Focus on STEM column, Testing, Testing: Summer Science Experiments has 6 new books for children and teens to use this summer!

Have you read these three?

Explore Natural Resources! With 25 Great Projects.
by Anita Yasuda

Plastic, Ahoy!: Investigating the Great Pacific Garbage Patch
by Patricia Newman

Genetics: Breaking the Code of Your DNA
by Carla Mooney

Nonfiction Monday

It’s Nonfiction Monday!

If It Rains Pancakes: Haiku and Lantern Poems

If It Rains Pancakes: Haiku and Lantern Poems (Poetry Adventures)
by Brian P. Cleary (Author) and Andy Rowland (Illustrator)

Booktalk: What is a haiku? It sounds like a sneeze. And isn’t a lantern a light source? Actually, they are two types of ancient Japanese poetry. See how each form works– and how these little poems can contain big surprises! (And when you’ve finished reading, you can try your hand at writing your own haiku and lanterns!) Here is a lantern poem…

Snippet:

Slush—
gulping
icy treat.
Getting brain freeze.
Whoa.

This week’s Poetry Friday Round-up is hosted by Buffy’s Blog.

Quinny & Hopper

Quinny & Hopper
by Adriana Brad Schanen (Author) and Greg Swearingen (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Quinny has a lot to say. Hopper gets to the point.

Quinny has one speed: very, very, extra-very fast. Hopper proceeds with caution.

Quinny has big ideas. Hopper has smart solutions.

Quinny and Hopper couldn’t be more different. They are an unstoppable team.

But when summer ends, things suddenly aren’t the same.

Snippet: “Quinny Bumble, get down from there!” calls Mom from the sidewalk.

The good news is, in eight years I’ll be old enough to drive this thing.

The grumpy news is, today we’re moving.

We = me + Mom + Dad + Pee-U Piper + icky-sticky-screamy Cleo + 147 boxes of all our stuff.

Good-bye New York City. Hello, some other place in the middle of nowhere that we have to go live for Mom’s new job.

Splash, Anna Hibiscus!

Splash, Anna Hibiscus!
by Atinuke (Author) and Lauren Tobia (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Anna Hibiscus is at the beach and all she wants to do is SPLASH! But everyone, including Grandmother and Grandfather, Chocolate, Benz, Wonderful, Joy, Clarity and Common Sense, is much too busy to wave-jump!

Snippet:
Anna Hibiscus looks around.
There is nobody left to ask.

See and hear the book!

A Hitch at the Fairmont

A Hitch at the Fairmont
by Jim Averbeck (Author) and Nick Bertozzi (Illustrator)

Booktalk: After the mysterious death of his mother, eleven-year-old Jack Fair is whisked away to San Francisco’s swanky Fairmont Hotel by his wicked Aunt Edith. There, he seems doomed to a life of fetching chocolates for his aunt and her pet chinchilla. Until one night, when Aunt Edith disappears, and the only clue is a ransom note written…in chocolate?

Suddenly, Jack finds himself all alone on a quest to discover who kidnapped Aunt Edith and what happened to his mother. Alone, that is, until he meets an unlikely accomplice—Alfred Hitchcock himself!

Snippet: Hitchcock was still shaken but seemed to calm down as he mopped his sodden brow. He folded his damp handkerchief in half four times. When he stuffed it in his pocket he was fully composed.

“I suppose you thought that was clever,” he said. “That woman wanted to help you.”

“Into an orphanage,” said Jack. “Who would find Aunt Edith then?”

Hitchcock shrugged. “The police–”