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Dorothy Must Die, The Wicked Will Rise, Yellow Brick War by Danielle Paige
I started reading Dorothy Must Die because I was intrigued by the premise: all the characters that you thought were good in The Wizard of Oz are actually incredibly sinister... especially Dorothy. But as the story progressed, I lost interest. Realize, however, that fantasy is always a hard sell for me. So rather than strugle through all three books, I just decided to bring them to my classroom and share them with my students instead.
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A Whole New Ballgame by Phil Bildner
I have loved every single Phil Bildner picture book I have ever read. But I just haven't gotten around to reading his first middle grade novel yet and I REALLY WANT TO. But I have a feeling this is one of those books that is better put in students' hands than impatiently waiting for me to read it.
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Julia Vanishes by Catherine Egan
Despite not usually being a fan of fantasy, I'm intrigued by the premise of this YA novel: in a town that has outlawed magic, Julia, a thief and a spy, uses it to her advantage by working as a housemaid for a woman who employs and houses an odd cast of characters when she realizes, perhaps too late, that something sinister is afoot.
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The Tenderness of Thieves by Donna Freitas
The jacket flap describes this book as: "suspense novel marries psychological thriller with summer romance." Definitely a book-talk waiting to happen.
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Hurricane Kiss by Deborah Blumenthal
A YA romance with an intriguing premise: two teens try to escape a hurricane by breaking into their school for shelter, which brings back some dark and disturbing memories for one of them.
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Being Jazz: My Life as a (Transgender) Teen by Jazz Jennings
My cousin lives in North Carolina and will be returning to the classroom as a high school teacher this fall after many years in a university setting. I sent this book to her and told her I thought it would be a good fit for her classroom given the controversial bill that was enacted there that discriminates against transgender people.
I also recently acquired a variety of NatGeo Kids books:
Ocean Animals: Who's Who in the Deep Blue
125 Wacky Roadside Attractions
Real or Fake? Far-Out Fibs, Fishy Facts, and Phony Photos to Test for the Truth
Mastermind: Over 100 Games, Tests, and Puzzles to Test Your Inner Genius
These books are always fun to share with students -- especially those that love to fill their heads with facts and trivia.
I'm starting to get too many piles around my house also. However, I'm always a little afraid to bring middle grade/YA novels into my 4th/5th grade classroom without reading first. I worry that I may bring something in that's too mature! A Whole New Ballgame is great and I also read Hurricane Kiss. Hurricane Kiss is aimed more at high school kids & is not quite right for my classroom, but I did think it was a good dramatic, romance read!
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