Insignificant and momentous event in the life of a cactus

  

What a fantastic duo! These books follow Aven through some up and some downs and some pretty heavy stuff that typical teens may face.

I used the book in my Blind Date with a Book and it flew off the shelf! (my description was on point!)

I highly recommend this as a "character education" book, where the characters have to make hard decisions that tremendously impact their lives.

Dusti Bowling - Author's Website

What's next for this author?



Worth the read for any age!

Happy Reading!

Graphic Novel Wins Newbery Medal for the First Time

I was fortunate enough to witness the announcement for the 2020 Newbery winner which was AMAZING!

Being in a room with people who:
1) love to read
2) spend their year reading children, middle grade and YA books
3) want to encourage kids to read
4) only want to promote all the amazing authors who write fantastic stories

New Kid by Jerry Craft

Goodreads synopsis:
Seventh grader Jordan Banks loves nothing more than drawing cartoons about his life. But instead of sending him to the art school of his dreams, his parents enroll him in a prestigious private school known for its academics, where Jordan is one of the few kids of color in his entire grade.

As he makes the daily trip from his Washington Heights apartment to the upscale Riverdale Academy Day School, Jordan soon finds himself torn between two worlds—and not really fitting into either one. Can Jordan learn to navigate his new school culture while keeping his neighborhood friends and staying true to himself?

Author's website

American Library Association announcement of the Newbery Award!









Did you know this is not his first award?

Winner of the 2020 Newbery Medal
Winner of the 2020 Coretta Scott King Book Awards Author Award
New York Times Bestseller
Winner of the 2019 Kirkus Prize for Young Readers’ Literature
Finalist for Audie Award – Middle Grade Book of the Year
San Francisco Chronicle Bestseller
Indie Bestseller for Early & Middle Grade Readers
One of Publishers Weekly’s Best Middle Grade Books of 2019
New England Independent Booksellers Association Best Children’s Book of 2019
New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association 2019 Book of the Year for Middle Readers
Top 10 Spring 2019 Indie Next List Pick
Amazon Best Book of the Month, Ages 9-12
2019 Harvey Award for Best Children’s Book Nominee
One of Booklist’s 2019 Top 10 Diverse Fiction for Youth
One of Publishers Weekly’s Most Anticipated Children’s Books, Spring 2019
#1 Indie Comics & Graphic Works Bestseller
One of the Best Graphic Novels of 2019 – School Library Journal
One of the 5 Best Fiction Books of 2019 – Washington Post
One of the Best Graphic Novels of 2019 – Washington Post
2020 Charlotte Huck Award for Outstanding Fiction for Children – Honor Book
One of the Best Books of the Year – Time.com
Best Books of 2019 – New York Public Library
Best Fiction for Older Readers of 2019 – Chicago Public Library
25 Best Children’s Books of 2019 – New York Times
Best Multicultural Children’s Books of 2019 – Center for the Study of Multicultural Children’s Literature
The Best New Gift Books for Kids – People

What's next you ask.......