middle grade Archives - Page 133 of 369

The Way I Say It
by Nancy Tandon (Author)
@ Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound

Booktalk: Sixth-grader Rory still can’t say his r’s, but that’s just the beginning of his troubles. First Rory’s ex-best-friend Brent started hanging out with the mean lacrosse kids. But then, a terrible accident takes Brent out of school, and Rory struggles with how to feel.

Rory and his new speech teacher put their heads together on Rory’s r’s (as well as a serious love of hard rock and boxing legend Muhammad Ali), but nobody seems to be able to solve the problem of Rory’s complicated feelings about Brent. Brent’s accident left him with a brain injury and he’s struggling. Should Rory stand up for his old friend at school–even after Brent failed to do the same for him?

Snippet: “Brent, your friends are here,” Mrs. Millikin announces.

Like last time, I almost don’t recognize him. He has a soft helmet over buzz-cut hair. His eyes are open oddly-wide. Spit is collected at the corners of his mouth. He stares at us and squints like he’s trying to focus. He stands up.

“I don’t want to be here!” he says.

He comes charging at me. Teresa stands up and grabs his arm before he can knock me over.

“Brent,” she says, her voice firm and calm. “Your friends came to visit you. We’re going to say hi and talk for a while. “Sit down.”

Be the Change: Rob Greenfield’s Call to Kids–Making a Difference in a Messed-Up World
by Rob Greenfield (Author) and Antonia Banyard (Author)
@ Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound

Booktalk: Rob Greenfield loves this planet, and he’s willing to go to extremes to show kids how our way of life is causing it harm. He’s walked around New York City dressed in his own garbage, cycled across the U.S. on a bamboo bike (three times), and survived one year on food he foraged or grew himself. For Rob, it’s all worth it: he brings attention to important topics like food and water waste; our dependency on fossil fuels; our piles of stuff (and the energy required to produce it); and our disconnection from community and the wider world. In this book for ages 8 to 12, Rob uses his own experiences to show kids that no one is too young to make a difference, and no action is too small to make a start.

Snippet:

Nonfiction Monday

It’s Nonfiction Monday!