LIS 721 - Karina's Blog

 Valenti, K.A. (2024). Lola. Knopf Books for Young Readers. Ages 8-12. Taking place in Mexico City, Lola is a story about a young girl who is motivated to help cure her brother's illness. At her home, there is a large tree that blossoms as the seasons change and nature sprites called Chaneques that only Lola can see. These are important factors in the story because after her brother gets sick, Lola notices that the giant tree starts to die, which leads Lola to makes a correlation between her brother's health and the survival of the tree. In an attempt to save her brother, Lola visits a grocery store oracle who instructs her to follow the Chaneques if she wants to find a cure. The Chaneques lead Lola to Floresta, a hidden world where Lola has to work to convince the queen to reverse a Stillness which stopped the cycle of life and death. Through this journey, both Lola and the queen face their fears and learn that death is a natural cycle. Death and grieving are a central theme i...

Kelly, Erin E. (2022). Those Kids from Fawn Creek. Greenwillow Books. Ages 8-12.  Those Kids from Fawn Creek takes place in Fawn Creek, Louisiana, a small town that rarely sees change. One day, after a student at Fawn Creek Middle School named Renni Dean moves away, the class receives a new student named Orchid Mason. Orchid Mason catches everyone's attention not just because she is a new student but because she is so different: Orchid is well traveled and carries herself with a lot of grace and confidence. In a school where everyone knows each other and where there are cliques, it is unknown where Orchid will fit in.  Those Kids from Fawn Creek discusses the issue of bullying and judgement. Some of the students face pressure from family and friends to conform, while others are bullied for not fitting into what the popular crowd likes. After her arrival, Orchid seems to encourage the "unpopular" kids to find confidence and self-acceptance. Her friendship with classmates D...

 Rinaldi, A. (1999). My Heart Is on the Ground. Scholastic Inc. Ages 9-12. My Heart Is on the Ground is set in Pennsylvania during 1880 and follows Nannie Little Rose, a 12-year-old Lakota girl attending the Carlisle Indian Industrial School. This story is written through the perspective of Nannie as she writes about her daily life in a diary given to her by her teacher, "Missus Camp Bell." In her diary, Nannie Little Rose writes about the other children at the school, her classes, the teachers, and her home.  This story was meant to tell the experience of Nannie Little Rose at the Carlisle School; however, a problem that arises with this book is that it paints the school in a positive light and romanticizes Nannie's experience. The Carlisle Indian Industrial School is said to have been a place that attempted to wipe the identity of Native American children and their culture, leading to the deaths of over 180 children (McGreevy, 2021). Due to this, there is criticism abo...

  Paulsen, B. (2021). Garlic & the Vampire. HarperCollins. Ages 8-12.  This graphic novel for middle grade readers focuses on Garlic, a gardener who keeps to herself and is content with spending time with her friends, Carrot and Agnes. One day, the people in her village learn that a vampire has moved into a castle nearby, causing fear and worry. As a solution, Garlic is assigned to ward off the vampire as garlic is known to drive away vampires. We follow Garlic's journey of finding the courage to confront the vampire and save the village. Through Garlic's journey, the story wants to show readers that although it's hard to find confidence, everyone can help in some way and be courageous.  The characters are anthropomorphic as most are different vegetables with human characteristics. The characters are very expressive which helps when understanding the tone of the story as writing is minimal in some portions.  The village that the story takes place in is portrayed ...

  Griffits, A. (2009).  The Cat on the Mat is Flat (Denton, T., Illus.). Square Fish. Ages 4-8.    Inspired by Dr. Seuss's The Cat in the Hat , this book full of rhyme and illustrations is meant to be an engaging and easy-to-read book for beginning readers. The use of rhyme and silly illustrations makes this book fun to read because it's comical. The large text also makes this book accessible for young children to read on their own.   Pizzoli. G. (2019). The Book Hog. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. Ages 3-5.  The Book Hog tells the story of a Book Hog who loved books; he loved how they felt, smelled, and looked. The only issue was that the Book Hog did not know how to read. Wanting to find more books, the Book Hog went to the library where he met a librarian named Ms. Olive who invited him to read with her. Upon this invitation, the Book Hog went home to get all of the books he owned to read at the library. Once he learned how to read, the Book Hog ...