student Archives - Anastasia Suen

The GiRaft: A Real-Life Giraffe Rescue
by Laurel Neme (Author) and Elisa Paganelli (Illustrator)
@ Amazon | Bookshop

Booktalk: Poor Asiwa—time is running out! She and seven other rare Nubian giraffes have peacefully lived on a peninsula that juts out into Lake Baringo in Kenya. But now relentless rain and rising floodwaters have turned their home into an island. Food is running out. It’s especially desperate for Asiwa as the water has stranded her away from the other giraffes. She is alone and frightened. If the giraffes aren’t rescued, this endangered breed will be one step closer to extinction.

But how does one transport an almost 20-foot-tall wild animal? With a GiRaft, of course! An alliance of wildlife rangers, conservancies, and local community members work to create a flotational craft specifically to ferry the giraffes to a new home. Will Asiwa and her herd get on board?

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The author, Laurel Neme, is one of my former students.
Copyright © 2026 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved. (*bookstore affiliate)

Tilt
by Jone Rush MacCulloch (Author)
@ Amazon | Bookshop

Booktalk: Ten-year-old Darrah has a word for when her world shifts: tilt. Her parents are getting a divorce. She feels abandoned, and her best friend, Lily, isn’t sympathetic. Once again, Darrah feels rejected. Tilt. Darrah’s mom reminds her that “forgiveness is like climbing a tree.”

One morning, Darrah sees someone hanging in her oak. Enter Jackson, a new boy to the neighborhood. He introduces himself by jumping out of the tree in front of her. He’s exactly the type of friend Darrah is looking for; bold, reliable, and fun.

Darrah and Jackson encourage each other to carry out pranks. They end up in the same fifth-grade class as Lily. Their antics grow increasingly reckless. When Jackson dies unexpectedly, Darrah’s world tilts in huge proportions.

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I was lucky enough to read this novel-in-verse while it was still being written. And now I am happy to celebrate this book’s birthday! Here’s the art from the book’s launch last week . . .

Happy #bookbirthday, Jone!!!