Kisses and Croissants by Anne-Sophie Jouhanneau

 Goodreads Summary: 

Seventeen-year-old Mia, an American girl at an elite summer ballet program, has six weeks to achieve her dreams: to snag an audition with one of the world’s best ballet companies. But there’s more to Paris than ballet—especially when a charming French boy, Louis, wants to be her tour guide—and the pair discover the city has a few mysteries up its sleeve.

In the vein of Love & Gelato, Love & Luck, and Love & Olives, Kisses and Croissant takes romance to Paris and straps a pair of pointe shoes on its feet. What an adorable story! Although the romance is primary, it is introduced with some drama and loads of adventure.  And the setting....who wouldn't LOVE a story told riding a moped through the streets of Paris? 

Highly recommend this story for foodies, world travelers, and lovers of a great story! (and the croissants really ARE that delicious!)

Author's Website

Goodreads Reviews

Kirkus Review

Maya and the Robot

 

Maya approaches 5th grade with trepidation and bravery. Her friends are not in her class and she has to navigate this school year carefully. Her interest in Science keeps her focused on the science fair, particularly after she finds a partially built robot. 

This book grabbed my attention at the beginning and didn't let go. The journey was sweet, mysterious, emotional, and adventurous. I HIGHLY recommend this book to all readers, grades 3-5. This book will inspire children to accept challenges and realize that kids CAN make a difference.

Author's website

Goodreads Reviews

STEM-themed books for middle-grade students:

Nikki Tesla and the Ferret-Proof Death Ray by Jess Keating - Book & Trailer

Ellie, Engineer by Jackson Pearce - Book 

Frank Einstein and the Antimatter Motor by Jon Scieszka - Book & Read Aloud

Nick and Tesla's High-Voltage Lab by Bob Pflugfelder -  Book 

Maya’s nervous about fifth grade. She tries to keep calm by reminding herself she knows what to expect. But then she learns that this year won’t be anything like the last. For the first time since kindergarten, her best friends Jada and MJ are placed in a different class without her, and introverted Maya has trouble making new friends.

She tries to put on a brave face since they are in fifth grade now, but Maya is nervous! Just when too much seems to be changing, she finds a robot named Ralph in the back of Mr. Mac’s convenience store closet. Once she uses her science skills to get him up and running, a whole new world of connection opens up as Ralph becomes a member of her family and Maya begins to step into her power. In this touching novel, Eve L. Ewing melds together a story about community, adapting to change, and the magic of ingenuity that reminds young readers that they can always turn to their own curiosity when feeling lost.

Maya’s nervous about fifth grade. She tries to keep calm by reminding herself she knows what to expect. But then she learns that this year won’t be anything like the last. For the first time since kindergarten, her best friends Jada and MJ are placed in a different class without her, and introverted Maya has trouble making new friends.

She tries to put on a brave face since they are in fifth grade now, but Maya is nervous! Just when too much seems to be changing, she finds a robot named Ralph in the back of Mr. Mac’s convenience store closet. Once she uses her science skills to get him up and running, a whole new world of connection opens up as Ralph becomes a member of her family and Maya begins to step into her power. In this touching novel, Eve L. Ewing melds together a story about community, adapting to change, and the magic of ingenuity that reminds young readers that they can always turn to their own curiosity when feeling lost.

Graphic Novels - Fantastic additions to any collection!

 

Graphic Novels have a come a long way from their distant cousin the comic book. Today's graphic novels are not limited by genre or format. The only consistency is the combination of words and images.The  categories are vast and wide! My graphic novel shelf has non-fiction, myths, manga, middle grade, YA, historical fiction and more keep popping up.

Why Graphic Novels (Aka: Comic Books)

Comic books average 53.5 rare words per thousand, while children’s books average 30.9, adult books average 52.7, expert witness testimony averages 28.4, and the conversations of college graduates with friends average 17.3. 

—“Big Ideas in Beginning Reading: Vocabulary.” University of Oregon Center on Teaching and Learning. http://reading.uoregon.edu/big_ideas/voc/voc_what.php

Allergic and Measuring Up are two graphic novels I read recently. In thinking about reviewing them, I pondered why I liked them so much. My answer: They have unique story lines and represent diverse characters. Each demonstrates the strength of the characters overcoming a challenge and concludes with wonderful lessons for children to learn. The artwork is pretty great too! 

Allergic by Megan Wagner Lloyed & Michelle Mee Nutter (Goodreads summary)

At home, Maggie is the odd one out. Her parents are preoccupied with getting ready for a new baby, and her younger brothers are twins and always in their own world. Maggie loves animals and thinks a new puppy to call her own is the answer, but when she goes to select one on her birthday, she breaks out in hives and rashes. She's severely allergic to anything with fur!

Can Maggie outsmart her allergies and find the perfect pet? With illustrations by Michelle Mee Nutter, Megan Wagner Lloyd uses inspiration from her own experiences with allergies to tell a heartfelt story of family, friendship, and finding a place to belong.

Measuring Up by Lily LaMotte & Ann Xu (Goodreads summary)

Twelve-year-old Cici has just moved from Taiwan to Seattle, and the only thing she wants more than to fit in at her new school is to celebrate her grandmother, A-má’s, seventieth birthday together.

Since she can’t go to A-má, Cici cooks up a plan to bring A-má to her by winning the grand prize in a kids’ cooking contest to pay for A-má’s plane ticket! There’s just one problem: Cici only knows how to cook Taiwanese food.

And after her pickled cucumber debacle at lunch, she’s determined to channel her inner Julia Child. Can Cici find a winning recipe to reunite with A-má, a way to fit in with her new friends, and somehow find herself too?

*******

In exploring Graphic Novels, I cam across an amazing author/illustrator with a website chock-full of resources for parents and students (and teachers).

Jarett Lerner

By going to Jarett Lerner's Home page, you will meet the author:

"Hi, and thanks for stopping by my website! My name is Jarrett, and I write and illustrate books about farting robots, superheroic taco ingredients, and other very serious matters. On this site you can find information about me, my books, what I’m up to now, and where I’ll be headed next. You can also find a ton of fun activity pages and a whole bunch of free art. You can also drop me a line — and please do. I love to hear from readers!

There are a couple of other places you can find me on the internet, too. If you’re on Twitter or Instagram, look for me at @Jarrett_Lerner. I also spend a lot of time hanging out at the MG Book Village, of which I am a proud co-founder. I hope you’ll visit!"

His "Activities" page is pretty amazing too!

 

Happy Reading!

Need more resources?

http://www.tracyedmunds.com/uploads/8/2/5/6/82569464/why_comics_te.pdf

https://www.npd.com/wps/portal/npd/us/news/press-releases/2017/comics-and-graphic-novels-one-of-highest-growth-categories-in-publishing-reports-npd/

Do you love a murder mystery?

 

Before I read YA and middle-grade books, I was an avid murder mystery reader. I read books by Sue Grafton, Patricia Cornwell, Tony Hillerman, James Patterson. I even liked Agatha Christie, the true Who-Done-It writer. 

Now that I "don't read grown-up books anymore" (my famous line), I have found a genre that appeals to my inner sleuth. Two authors are killin' it with their intrigue, plot twists, and just plain awesome mysteries: Holly Jackson and Karen McManus.

 

Having just finished Cousins and Good Girl Bad Blood, I felt that they were both worth a mention!

 

These books DO NOT DISAPPOINT! Although they are completely different from each other, these books grab your attention immediately and don't let go until the mystery is solved and you...are left thinking, "That was an amazing story!".

The Cousins (Goodreads Summary)

Milly, Aubrey, and Jonah Story are cousins, but they barely know each other, and they've never even met their grandmother. Rich and reclusive, she disinherited their parents before they were born. So when they each receive a letter inviting them to work at her island resort for the summer, they're surprised... and curious.

Their parents are all clear on one point—not going is not an option. This could be the opportunity to get back into Grandmother's good graces. But when the cousins arrive on the island, it's immediately clear that she has different plans for them. And the longer they stay, the more they realize how mysterious—and dark—their family's past is.

The entire Story family has secrets. Whatever pulled them apart years ago isn't over—and this summer, the cousins will learn everything.

Good Girl, Bad Blood (Goodreads Summary)
Pip is not a detective anymore.

With the help of Ravi Singh, she released a true-crime podcast about the murder case they solved together last year. The podcast has gone viral, yet Pip insists her investigating days are behind her.

But she will have to break that promise when someone she knows goes missing. Jamie Reynolds has disappeared, on the very same night, the town hosted a memorial for the sixth-year anniversary of the deaths of Andie Bell and Sal Singh.

The police won't do anything about it. And if they won't look for Jamie then Pip will, uncovering more of her town's dark secrets along the way... and this time everyone is listening. But will she find him before it's too late?

Karen McManus- Author Website

Twitter: @writerkmc

Penguin Random House - Meet Karen M. McManus

Holly Jackson (Penguin Random House page)

Twitter: @HoJay92

Get Underlined - Meet Holly Jackson

Holly Jackson talks all things Good Girl, Bad Blood!:

Happy Reading!

Class Act

 

Another phenomenal story with perfect illustrations. The winner of last year's ALA book of the year, Jerry Craft, is a talented storyteller. The author/illustrator uses images to enhance his storytelling, which deals with the issues of diversity, microaggression,s and the age-old issue of fitting in.

Another example of how Graphic Novels are a new approach to literature....maybe even better! 

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Class Act, the sequel to New Kid. 

Happy Reading!

The author's website

Meet the author!

Love in English

LOVE IN ENGLISH, by Maria E. Adreu

I received this book as an ARC and was immediately drawn in. 

The journey of the main character, struggling to master the English language and new relationships (when you really don't understand half the words people use) made her vulnerable and brave at the same time.

Then, at the end of each chapter, the author uses poetry to share the main character's emotions.....so clever.

This book is perfect for middle-grade and YA readers. This might be of particular interest to readers interested in gaining a diverse perspective on the immigrant experience (not the struggles of the journey but the struggles of adapting).

Definitely, a "light" read, with no controversy. 

I loved this book and highly recommend it!!!

Happy Reading!

Author's website

In the author's own words

Love & Olives

I reviewed Love & Gelato in August of 2019 and LOVED it. Well, Love & Olives, the 3rd book by author Jenna Evans Welch did not disappoint.

This book has adventure, some romance but mostly a fun story which takes you on a journey to Santorini, Greece. The sightseeing adventure reminded me of my trip at 15 to Oia, with the wonderful people, sights and food! 

I am sure that anyone who reads this book will enjoy the views which are described to a T, the storyline, which sucks you in, and the at times heart-wrenching story-line of a daughter who wants to know her father.

My only problem is deciding which book is my favorite?

Take a peek: Love & Gelato BookTrailer

Need more convincing? Read 7 Reasons to Read Love & Gelato

Interested in knowing more about the author?

Click here for Jenna Evans Welch's website

Find her on Simon & Schuster's Website

Follow her on Instagram: @jennaevanswelch

Happy Reading!

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