Books Between Podcast

Intro Hi everyone and welcome to Books Between - a podcast for educators, librarians, parents, and everyone who loves middle grade books! My goal is to help you connect kids between 8-12 with fantastic reads because I believe that a book can change the trajectory of a child’s life. And I want to help you introduce kids to those amazing, life-shaping books and bring you inspiring (and fun!) conversations with the authors and educators who make that magic happen. I’m your host, Corrina Allen - a mom of two tweens, a 5th grade teacher, and just back from an awe-inspiring visit with my family to Niagara Falls. If you have ever have the opportunity to go, there is nothing quite like standing on a rocking boat within the mist of the roaring horseshoe falls and gazing up 170 feet at over 3,000 tons of water thundering over those cliffs every second. Do go you if you can - it’s impressive, we learned a TON, and it’s one of those things that should be experienced at least once in your life. A quick reminder to help out your future self and set yourself a reminder for Monday nights at 9pm EST so you can catch the #MGBookChat Twitter chat - we have scheduled some great topics and hosts later on this summer and fall. So I will see you there. This is episode #75 and today’s show starts with a discussion about the benefits of rereading and then I bring you a conversation with Scholastic librarian Deimosa Webber-Bey. Main Topic - The Benefits of Rereading Our main topic today is a discussion around rereading books. Over the years, my own thinking in this area has evolved a lot. As a young teacher who wanted to make the most out of absolutely every precious second of classroom time, I had a rather negative view of students reading a book for pleasure that they had already read before. If a kid was picking a novel for a book club or a book report, I wouldn’t let them select a book they had previously read. Thinking back, that really did seem to be the norm among my colleagues. Like them, I viewed it as cheating a little bit! As if they wouldn’t be as engaged in the text a second time around or they weren’t challenging themselves enough. Basically - I considered rereading a book in school as a waste of a learning opportunity. It wasn’t until about 5 years ago that a friend had a conversation with me that changed my mind. We weren’t even debating the merits of allowing kids to reread books, we were just chatting. She asked me, “Corrina, what’s your favorite movie?” And I said, “Oh! The Princess Bride! I’ve watched it like 50 times…..” Oh. Ohhhhh……. And that’s when it hit me. It was that one friendly person inadvertently holding up a mirror to myself that made me reconsider the misconceptions I held and start to realize there are huge benefits to experiencing a text, a film, multiple times. I mean - if you think about it - watching a movie or tv series over and over again - is a commonly shared and even celebrated social phenomenon. I hear lots of people talking about how many times they’ve watched The Office or Black Panther or Star Wars. In my house, it’s a running joke how many times my husband’s Facebook status is “watching Casino Royale” So today, I’d like to explore with you some reasons why rereading is so satisfying, some academic benefits, and a few ways to enhance the rereading experience for the kids you work with. Why Rereading is so Satisfying Let’s start with why rereading is so satisfying. First - it’s fun! If you love a book, you get to spend more time with favorite characters and relive those climactic moments in the story. It’s like going on your favorite roller-coaster again. Yeah, you already know when the twists are turns are, but also - here come those twists and turns and I can’t wait for them!Another way that rereading can be satisfying is that there’s less pressure to finish the book. Maybe you just want to skim it or reread your favorite scenes. It’s a lower commitment situation than...

Intro Hi everyone and welcome to Books Between - a podcast for educators, librarians, parents, and everyone who loves middle grade books! My goal is to help you connect kids between 8-12 with fantastic reads because I believe that a book can change the trajectory of a child’s life. And I want to help you introduce kids to those amazing, life-shaping books and bring you inspiring (and fun!) conversations with the authors and educators who make that magic happen. I’m your host, Corrina Allen - a mom of two tween girls, a 5th grade teacher, and finally beginning my summer vacation!! Before we begin, I have a few quick announcements! First - a reminder that Monday nights are the #MGBookChat Twitter chats with some really amazing topics coming up this summer like STEM in Middle Grade, Inspiring Kids to Write, Grief in Middle Grade, and several Open Chats where you can bring your own topic to discuss. So if you are like me and have a tendency to forget those sort of things, set a reminder on your phone for Mondays at 9pm EST and check out #MGBookChat on Twitter. Second - I will be at NerdCampMI this July 8th & 9th - so if you are headed that way this summer, please please do say hi. And finally - I am really excited to tell you that I will be rejoining the All the Wonders team as their Podcast Network Developer to produce a new array of shows cultivating a wider variety of perspectives and stories in the world of children’s literature. First up is All the Wonders This Week - a brief, topical show released every Tuesday where a guest and I will chat about all things wondrous and new in the world of children’s literature. So stay tuned for that this summer! But - no worries - Books Between isn’t going anywhere! This is episode #74 and today’s show features the Top 20 books that my students loved this year, a reflection on what went right and what went wrong for me this last school year, and a conversation with Rajani LaRocca - author of Midsummer’s Mayhem. Top 20 Student Favorites Let’s start with the top 20 books that my 5th grade students loved and recommended this school year. Because it’s one thing for an adult to enjoy a book, but for it to really make an impact, it has to connect with its intended audience. There have been plenty of books that I loved, but for some reason didn’t seem to resonate with middle grade readers. Honestly, I think THIS list is way more valuable than ANY list that any adult puts out. I couple notes before we begin. My students have pretty much free choice to read what they want in class and for homework at night, but we did have two book clubs this year - one in the fall featuring immigrant and refugee experiences and then we just wrapped up our fantasy book clubs. So that context likely influenced what books they had most exposure to. Also - our four main read alouds this year were Home of the Brave, a non-fiction title called When Lunch Fights Back, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, and The Thief of Always. Only two of those made it into this Top 20. And there are only six graphic novels on this list, which might surprise some adults who like to complain to me that “all kids read these days are those graphic novels”. (Can you hear my eyes rolling?) I also want to be transparent about how I calculated this “Top 20”. So, at the end of the year, we did various wrap-up and reflection activities. In mid-June, I send out a quick survey one morning asking them for their top reads of the year. They also worked on an end-of-the-year reflection celebration slideshow and one slide was devoted to sharing their favorite books. Also, each student worked on a “Top 10 List” (or” Top 5 List” or whatever - an idea I got from Colby Sharp) listing their most highly recommended books of the year - recommended for their current class and to be shared with the incoming 5th graders. So… I tallied up each time a title was mentioned in any of those places. And here are the top 20 titles my 5th...

Intro Hello and welcome to Books Between - a podcast for teachers, parents, librarians, and anyone who wants to connect kids between 8-12 to books they’ll love. I’m your host, Corrina Allen - 5th grade teacher, a mom of two girls (10 and 12), and muddling through some allergies. So if you are wondering why I sound “off” - we can blame all those plants trying to have babies! A quick reminder before we get started that you can find transcripts and interview outlines of every episode - along with lots of other great middle great content over at MGBookVillage.org. This is episode #73 and today’s show starts off with a discussion about strong endings to the school year and then I share with you a conversation with Tina Athaide- author of Orange for the Sunsets. Main Topic - Finishing the Year Strong Our main topic today is ending the school year with your students with strength and purpose. And wrapping up those final weeks together in a way that allows for both reflection on their reading lives and a way to step forward into a summer that builds on the successes of the previous year. It’s like the school year is the runway and the summer is the solo flight after take-off! If you haven’t been building those reading habits all year long, then… well that lift off is going to fall flat. But - there are some things that we can do to plan for a strong transition from that supportive classroom reading community to a strong independent reading life. For me, my school year up here in New York doesn’t end for another five weeks but lots of my friends are already wrapping up their school year so I thought it would be a good time to discuss this topic. And whether you are a parent, or a librarian, or a teacher there will be something in today’s show that you will find useful. First, we’ll talk building in time for reflection and what that can look like. Then, I’ll discuss some ways for students to celebrate and share the reading they’ve enjoyed during the past school year. And finally, I’ll chat about how to usher them into summer with a solid reading plan and hopefully some books in their hands. Reflection One of the most effective ways to cap off your school year is with some time for reflection and feedback. And there are a few options for you to consider. A student survey for YOU to grow as a teacher. So this would involve asking your students questions to help get feedback to helpyouimprove. These questions might be - What was your favorite read aloud this year? What strategies helped you grow the most as a reader? Did you prefer partner reading or book clubs and why? What types of reading responses helped you get the most of your reading? Should we read more nonfiction? What books should we get for our classroom library? Pernille Ripp uses these types of surveys exceptionally well, and I’ll link to her website to get some ideas for you to try and to tweak.It’s also really important that students get the opportunity to write about and discuss their own reading habits and growth - for their own self-reflection. In that case, since the purposes are very different, the questions you ask your students will be different. And if you’ve helped them build that habit of keeping good track of their reading, this will be a thousand times easier. These questions might be along the lines of - How many books did you read this year? How does that compare to last year? Of the books you’ve read, how many were non-fiction? How many were graphic novels? Written by a person of color? Written by a man? Were historical fiction? What was your favorite book you’ve read? How many books did you abandon and why? Those questions that dig a bit deeper are so powerful - especially when given the opportunity to share those thoughts with others.Another way that you can have your students doing some powerful thinking and reflection about the books they are offered is by guiding them through a diversity audit of your classroom collection or library. If you...

Intro Hi everyone and welcome to Books Between - a podcast for teachers, parents, librarians, and anyone who wants to connect kids between 8-12 to books they’ll love. I’m your host, Corrina Allen - 5th grade teacher currently enjoying Spring Break, a mom of two tween daughters, and part of the MGBookVillage team. And MGBookVillage.org where you can find transcripts and interview outlines of all of our episodes and links to every book and topic we mention today. This is episode #72 and oday’s show features three novels that will get your students talking, and a conversation with Mae Respicio - author of The House That Lou Built. Book Talk In this segment, I share with you three books and discuss three things to love about each. All three books today have a couple things in common - questions of identity and an element of mystery. Two involve recovered memories, two of them have a bit of magic, and two of them include rather helpful birds. The three books featured this week are Restart by Gordan Korman, The Lost Girl by Anne Ursu, and The Boy, the Boat, and the Beast by Samantha Clark. Restart Let’s start with Restart. This novel, by Gordon Korman, was one that people kept pushing me to read. Teachers, students, librarians - everyone kept saying, “But have you read Restart yet??” So how can you say no to that kind of pressure? And - they were right! First of all the premise is incredible - the school bully (Chase Ambrose) falls off his roof, gets amnesia, and forgets everything about his previous life. And doesn’t get why certain kids are terrified of him, why others treat him like some big hero, and others, well… do things like dump a cup of frozen yogurt over his head. Plus, it’s not just told from Chase’s point of view - we get to hear from lots of the other kids as Chase’s past (and present) are slowly revealed. Restart is incredibly crafted. Aside from how well this novel is paced and pieced together, here are three other things I really loved about Restart: Brendan Espinoza’s videos! Like lots of kids we know, he loves YouTube! Brendan is one of the first kids in the school to - if not accept the “new Chase” - at least offer him a little empathy. And that’s a powerful thing to do considering that Brendan was one of Chase’s biggest targets. He’s one of the video club kids and desperately wants one of his YouTube videos to go viral. So of course, he stages these increasingly over-the-top stunts to film. It’s hard to describe a funny video in a way that also makes you, the reader, laugh and cringe - but Gordon Korman pulls it off! And I’ll never go through a car-wash again without thinking of Brendan….Mr. Solway! He’s this crotchety, hilarious, Medal-of-Honor-winning veteran living at the nursing home where Chase and his crew are serving out their community service. And somehow he is the spark, the center, the fulcrum of the story.That it works really powerfully as a read-aloud with tons of big ideas to discuss.Restartwas our most recent bedtime book for my family, and whoa did we have a ton of deep conversations. Like…. When should you forgive someone? Is it possible to make amends for your past bad actions? And the whole situation with Joel and the video club and Shoshanna and Chase’s dad and football! If you are looking for a great book club novel, one that will offer a lot of fodder for discussion, then Restart is a fantastic option. It’s both hilarious and deep. Which to me, is that hard-to-achieve but perfect when it happens combination. The Lost Girl Next up is The Lost Girl by Anne Ursu. A story about inseparable twins Iris and Lark. Well, inseparable until 5th grade when they are each placed into different classes with teachers who might not be the best fit for their distinctive personalities. Iris is analytical, outspoken, conscientious - a girl who always knows when her library books are due. Lark is sensitive, brilliantly creative, dreamy - a girl who always knows what library books she...

Intro Hi everyone and welcome to Books Between - a podcast for teachers, parents, librarians, and anyone who wants to connect kids between 8-12 to books they’ll love. I’m your host, Corrina Allen - an elementary school teacher in Central New York and mom of two daughters - a 9 year old and a just turned 12 year old. Yesteday we celebrated her birthday with the most amazing cake - white with whipped cream frosting and layers of cannoli filling and raspberry filling inside. And just in case you are wondering - no, I did not make it. But if you live near a Wegmans, you can order one! This is episode #71 and oday and I’m sharing with you a conversation with Alyson Gerber - author of Braced and the recently released Focused. Her latest novel is about a gutsy, chess-loving, 7th grader named Clea who is learning to cope with her ADHD. So....do you know that slightly disorienting feeling you have when you are looking out a window & suddenly the lights shifts, your perspective shifts, and you realize you are seeing your OWN reflection? That is the experience I had when reading Focused. Like so many other people, Dr. Rudine Bishop’s analogy of books as mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors has always resonated with me. And I picked up Focused anticipating that I would get a window into the experiences of a young girl with ADHD - that it would help me become a better, more empathetic teacher. And while Focused absolutely did that - it also helped dispel a lot of the misconceptions I had about ADHD, particularly how it tends to manifest in girls and women. And launched me on a path to discovering that I have ADHD. I opened Focused thinking I was reading a window book - and it turned into a mirror book for me. I know that books can change minds and can change lives. But rarely has a novel changed my life for the better so completely and so soon. And by extension - the lives of my family and students. And when that happens - you just have to let the author know! And so, I emailed Alyson and thanked her and asked her to come on the show to talk about Focused, chess, her experiences with ADHD, her writing process, and so so much more. Take a listen. Alyson Gerber - Interview Outline Focused For our listeners who have not yet read the Focused, can you tell us a bit about it? In what ways is Clea’s situation and experiences similar to your own and in what ways did you angle her story so that it was different from your own? Another thing that I think you do masterfully in Focused is how you show Clea’s relationship with her therapist evolving over time from her denial and distrust to an eventual positive relationship. I think so many kids can benefit from that peek inside a therapist’s office... Is the testing you describe Clea doing things you’ve experienced or did you do some research to get those aspects of the story right? One of the other parts of the story that really rang true were the conversations around medication... One of the things that made me fall so hard for this book was the CHESS! My husband and daughters are all big chess players though not competitively. Do you play? So.... there is some romance in this story!! Your Writing Life What are you working on now? My students and kids are always eager to hear writing advice from authors. What’s a tip or trick that you’ve picked along the way that has helped your writing? Is there a piece of feedback that you got that changed Focused? Your Reading Life One of the goals of this podcast is to help educators and parents inspire kids to read more and connect them with amazing books. Did you have a special person who helped launch your reading life as a child? And if so, what did they do that made such a difference? What have you been reading lately that you’ve liked? What do you hope that readers take away from reading Focused? Thank You! Links: Alyson’s website - http://alysongerber.com Alyson on Twitter -...

Intro Hi everyone and welcome to Books Between - a podcast for teachers, parents, librarians, and anyone who wants to connect the tweens in your life to books they’ll love. I’m your host, Corrina Allen - 5th grade teacher, a mom of an 11 and 9 year old, and desperate to be DONE with winter, please!! Yesterday we saw robins all over the yard and today… it’s covered with snow again. I believe that the right book can change the trajectory of a child’s life and can help them recognize the world for what it is and what it can be. And I want to help you connect kids with those wonderful, life-shaping books and bring you inspiring conversations with the authors and educators who make that magic happen. This is episode #70 and today I’m discussing three new graphic novels that would be great additions to your collection, and I’m also sharing with you a conversation I had with one of their creators. Book Talk - Three New Graphic Novels In this segment, I share with you a selection of books centered around a theme and discuss three things to love about each book. This week I am featuring three new graphic novels released in the last few months that should absolutely be on your radar - Click, New Kid, and Meg, Jo, Beth & Amy. Click Let’s start with Click by Kayla Miller. This full-color graphic novel is about 5th grader Olive who is feeling left out and left behind when all of her friends have matched up with each other for the school variety show. They’ve all formed acts together and Olive is feeling like she just doesn’t “click” with anyone or anything. Here are three things I really enjoyed about Click: Olive’s Aunt Molly! She’s the kind of aunt we all wish we could have - the one whose house you can stay at when things are tricky at home. The cool aunt with ripped jeans, green streaks in her hair, and a “Kiss the Librarian” coffee mug. (I mean - well, *I* think that’s cool!) It’s Aunt Molly that gets Olive these DVDs of old-timey variety shows that leads to her “a-ha” moment.The friendship dynamics in the book! I know a lot of kids can feel like they don’t belong. Don’t feel popular, don’t have a best friend. And as someone who always seemed to be friends with girls who were best friends with each other - I could really relate to Olive.The third thing that I ended up liking about this book is that it’s slower paced, has essentially one main conflict, and it can be read in one sitting. Click is a great option for kids in grades 3-6 who liked Sunny Side Up or Raina Telgemeier’s graphic novel. And - Kayla Miller has a sequel coming out on April 23rd called Camp - so if they enjoy Click, they’ll have another one on the way. Meg, Jo, Beth & Amy Next up is Meg, Jo, Amy, and Beth by Rey Terciero and Bre Indigo which is, as you might have guessed from the title - a modern retelling of Little Women. A full-color, 256 page graphic novel reboot of the March sisters’ story. In this retelling, the March family lives in a brownstone in New York City and their father is deployed overseas in the Middle East. So the setting is different, but the girls’ personalities are pretty much the same, but with a modern twist. Meg is the responsible one and works as a nanny. Jo is an ambitious writer, Beth is shy and loves writing music but plays a guitar and not the piano, and Amy is still her obnoxious self - just in a slightly different way. My eleven-year-old and I devoured this book - oh it’s so good! And here are three reasons why: That the March family is reimagined as a modern blended biracial family. Mr. March is black and was a widower with one daughter, Meg. And he marries Mrs. March, who is white and also had one daughter, Jo. And they go on to have Beth and Amy together. And that mix of closeness and conflict that can happen between sisters had my daughter nodding her head and laughing in recognition. We also loved that this modern retelling including gay characters and just an overall more diverse slice of society.Noticing...

Intro Hi everyone and welcome to Books Between - a podcast for teachers, parents, librarians, and anyone who wants to connect kids between 8-12 to books they’ll love. I’m your host, Corrina Allen - a teacher of 21, a mom of two, and enjoying the last few hours of our Winter Break here in Central New York. We’ve had ice storms then sun and lots of time to read. This is episode #69 and Today I’m discussing four excellent middle grade novels that deal with grief and loss. And I’m also sharing with you a conversation I had with Laura Shovan about her latest book Takedown. Book Talk - Four Novels About Loss and Hope In this segment, I share with you a selection of books centered around a theme and discuss three things to love about each book. I happened to read these four books back-to-back without realizing how profoundly connected they were. They have completely different plots and one is even sci/fi / speculative fiction - but each novel features a main character who is dealing with loss in one form or another. In two of the novels, that loss is the death of a parent. And in two of the novels, that loss includes a parent dealing with mental illness and trauma themselves. A loss of another - a loss of what was once considered normal life. The books this week are: The Science of Breakable Things, The Care and Feeding of a Pet Black Hole, The Simple Art of Flying, and The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise. The Science of Breakable Things The first book I want to share with you and one that I hope makes its way into your collection is Tae Keller’s debut novel The Science of Breakable Things. The lead in this story is 7th grader Natalie who’s life has been turned upside down as she and her father are learning how to navigate her mother’s depression - the “situation” as her dad calls it that has her mom holed up in her bedroom and not able to cook, work, or keep up any of the routines and traditions that had kept their family together. At the beginning of the school year, Natalie’s science teacher has challenged them all to use the power of the scientific method to explore a question that intrigues you and study it with all your heart. Well - the question that tugs at Natalie’s heart? How can I inspire my mother to break out of her depression? And along the way Natalie teams up with Twig (her exuberant best friend) and Dari (their new serious lab partner) to enter an egg-drop contest hoping to use the prize money for a scheme to jumpstart her mother out of her depression. Here are three things to love about Tae Keller’s The Science of Breakable Things: How the story is laid out with the steps of the Scientific Method! Step One: Observe, Step Two: Question, Step Three: Investigative Research and so on. It’s a clever way to structure the story and have you predicting what those Results will be!The illustrations and footnotes! Oh am I such a sucker for a good footnote - especially funny ones and this novel has over fifty of these little gems!Natalie’s visits with her therapist, Dr. Doris - and Natalie’s resistance to falling for her “Therapist Tricks” and Natalie’s eventual shift to being more open with her. I think a lot of kids will be able relate to those begrudging trips to a counselor, and I hope some other children might see a glimpse into the help a therapist can offer. There is so much more to this book than just those things - like Natalie’s relationship with her Korean grandmother and her growning interest in their shared culture and the break-down of her relationship with her friend Mikayala. Here is one of my favorite quotes - one that captures the blend of science and hope in this book. This is from a section right after Natalie, Twig, and Dari have been experimenting with magnets. “It’s funny how the cold magnets actually worked best. It’s like how perennial plants seem to die in the winter but really, they’re just waiting till everything is all right again. Maybe it’s not such a surprise that there’s...

Intro Hi everyone and welcome to Books Between - a podcast for teachers, parents, librarians, and anyone who wants to connect kids between 8-12 to books they’ll love. I’m your host, Corrina Allen - a teacher, a mom, and battling a cold this afternoon! So if I sound a little...off - that is why! This is episode #68 and Today I’m answering some questions about trends in middle grade and sharing with you some fabulous 2019 titles to look forward to this year! Q&A - Trends in Middle Grade Fiction Last month, my husband asked me some questions about trends in middle grade fiction. He teaches a class at Seton Hall all about trends in genre fiction and wanted some input on middle grade. So I thought I would share my responses with you. And I would be very curious about what YOU would answer. What genres or subgenres do you believe are the hottest right now? Well, it’s a format and not a genre but graphic novel memoirs like Hey Kiddo, Real Friends, and Be Prepared are still really popular. And also graphic novel adaptations of classics (like Anne of Green Gables) and popular novels (like Wings of Fire or Percy Jackson). And again, not genre, but I see more books that are based on the core experiences of the writer. Those novels that draw on the real-life backgrounds of the authors like Kelly Yang’s Front Desk, Tami Charles’ Like Vanessa, and Supriya Kellar’s Ahimsa. They’re not memoirs but they are books rooted in a very personal experience. To authors, I’d say - take those things that make you unique, that make you a bit quirky, that set you apart from most other people - and write THAT story. Like Kelly Yang taking the experiences of her family coming from China and running motels to write Front Desk. Jarrett Krosoczka writing the critically acclaimed graphic novel memoir Hey Kiddo about his life living with his grandparents after his mom lost custody of him due to drug addiction. Crack that door open and invite us inside. What genres or subgenres do you believe are passé or overexposed? I don’t know…. I do wonder how long the unicorn and narwhal craze will last but that seems to live more in picture books than middle grade. Magical realism - or rather realistic fiction with a magical twist - doesn’t seem to be slowing down. You know - anything can be new and fresh with the right spin. And also, authors from marginalized backgrounds are still underrepresented in just about every genre so those are stories that will likely have new points of view. I thought I was totally over zombie stories but Dread Nation popped up and whoa!! I’ve never read a zombie story like THAT before! If you had to predict, what genre or subgenre do you think is primed to be the next Big Thing in the next year or so? I would say stories about immigrants, refugees, and the unique experiences of marginalized groups (especially by #ownvoices authors) will continue to be popular. Over the last couple of years we’ve seen an explosion of critically acclaimed middle grade stories like Alan Gratz’s Refugee, Jacqueline Woodson’s Harbor Me, and Escape from Aleppo by N.H. Senzai among many more. We also have more and more books coming out that tell stories of police violence in developmentally appropriate ways like Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes and Blended by Sharon Draper. I’m also really excited about a new crop of middle grade #MeToo stories on the horizon like So Done by Paula Chase and the upcoming Barbara Dee novel Maybe He Just Likes You. Any comments about where you see genre fiction heading? In middle grade, like everywhere else, #ownvoices books are still underrepresented - everyone has a unique story to tell or a unique POV to offer. EVERYONE. So my advice to authors, take the spark of your unique life experiences and let that burn throughout your story. My advice to educators - scour those shelves to find a wider variety of books. Also - if you write for a YA/MG audience, librarians and educators are more and more eager to the...

Intro Hi everyone and welcome to Books Between - a podcast for teachers, parents, librarians, and anyone who wants to connect kids between 8-12 to books they’ll love. I’m your host, Corrina Allen - a teacher in Central New York, a mom of two tween girls, and currently - all about the new Miles Morales Spiderman movie. It’s the lockscreen on my phone, my girls and I have the soundtrack set to shuffle in the car….and I already have plans to go see it a second time. Into the Spiderverse is the most innovative and fresh and exciting movie I’ve seen in years. It’s some next-level stuff. Just - go see it!! And see it on the BIG screen! This is episode #67 and today we are celebrating some of the best middle grade graphic novels published in 2018. On our last episode, I listed my top 25 middle grade novels of the year and I’ll include a link to that if you missed that episode. I think it’s important at the outset when making a list of this kind to explain what “best” means to you. What are your criteria? Is that popularity? The Goodreads best of lists tend to veer in that direction. Is it literary appeal? That is more along the lines of say, the Newbery Awards. For me, an outstanding book has to fit three criteria: I couldn’t put it down. Meaning - it was immersive, it has flow, it kept me turning the pages.I can’t forget it. Meaning - it had some extra special sparkle. An unforgettable character, an intriguing setting, a ground-breaking format, or a powerfully poignant message.I think kids would like it. There are books out there marketed to middle grade readers (sometimes those big award winners) that adults love but kids don’t seem to latch onto as much. So I also try to be mindful that kids books are for kids. Not for me. I am just the conduit to getting books into their hands and helping them discover what they like. Okay - let’s jump in! Main Topic - The Top 9 MG Graphic Novels of 2018 9. Making Friends by Kristen Gudsnuk This full-color graphic novel is about a 7th grade girl named Dany. She has just started middle school and is pretty lonely. Her friends are in different classes now and have new in-jokes and stories that she doesn’t get anymore. So she’s feeling socially vulnerable when her eccentric (and loaded) great-aunt passes away and she ends up with the woman’s sketchbook. A magical sketchbook that will turn your drawing into real-life. So when Dany draws the head of her favorite anime character (uh yeah… JUST the head) and a super popular girl to be her friend, there are (as you can imagine!) some unintended consequences. This book is FUNNY but you won’t catch half the stuff unless you read the background texts - like the store names: “Hot Topic” is “Cool Subject” and the indredients list on the food have some interesting things listed on them. This book is like a mix of Shannon Hale’s Real Friends with a touch of Suee and the Shadow with a little sprinkle of Amulet. If you have readers about ages 10 and up who like graphic novels about friendships and would be up for something with a supernatural twist, then this would be a great recommendation. And… I see Gudsnuk has a sequel in store as well! Mr. Wolf’s Class by Aron Nels Steinke This graphic novel started as a webcomic and is a great option if you are looking for something for younger middle grade readers who’d enjoy a sweet, gentle story. And it looks like lots of sequels are on their way! Mr. Wolf’s Class is about the first day of 4th grade - for brand new teacher Mr. Wolf and his students. By the way, Mr. Wolf is a wolf and the students are… rabbits and frogs and pigs and… well, just suspend your disbelief over the whole predator/prey thing! The book includes a cool preview of each student the night before school starts and then the day unfolds with short slice-of-life stories as we get to know each of the students and their teacher. A strength of this book is that the author clearly KNOWS what an actual classroom community is all about - the...

Intro Hi everyone! This is Books Between - a podcast for teachers, parents, librarians, and anyone who wants to connect kids between 8-12 to books they’ll love. I’m your host, Corrina Allen - a 5th grade teacher, a mom of two girls, and enjoying my extra reading time over the holiday break and the chance to relax. This is episode #66 and today we are celebrating some of the best middle grade books published in 2018. Main Topic - The Top 20 Middle Grade Books of 2018 I’m a bit of a data nerd, and I have always been into tracking my reading - from my color-coded index card system in high school to my alphabatized Excel Spreadsheet in the early 2000s to now where I do a mix of Goodreads and a bullet journal. So looking back over the last couple of years since I started doing this show, in 2016 I read 60 middle grade books with 31 of those published in 2016. And my top three books of that year were Booked, Ms. Bixby’s Last Day, and The Wild Robot. (You can find that list here.) Last year, I read 79 middle grade with 55 of those published in 2017. A jump I will totally attribute to the intensity of being on the CYBILS committee. And my top three books of 2017 were Posted, Refugee, and Orphan Island and my top three graphic novels last year were Real Friends, Pashmina, and All’s Faire in Middle School. (You can find the full list here.) This year, I read 59 middle grade books with 41 of those released in 2018. Before I start - a quick caveat. Selecting ONLY 25 titles was almost impossible. I enjoyed just about every book I read this year, and I know each one will find it’s reader. So how to choose the top twenty-five? I have two criteria - the writing is immersive (a book I couldn’t put down) and the story has that something special - unique character, an intriguing plot twist, or a thought-provoking theme (a book I can’t forget). And again this year, I decided to separate out the graphic novels so be on the lookout for another best of podcast soon featuring just the middle grade graphic novels. Okay, let’s get to it! Here are my Top 25 middle grade novels of 2018: Grantedby John David Anderson From the author of the soon-to-be movie, Ms. Bixby’s Last Day and last year’s amazing Posted is this story about Ophelia Delphinium Fidgets - one of the few remaining fairies entrusted with the job of Granter - a fairy who ventures into the dangerous human world to grant a wish. Ophelia’s increasingly difficult quest to grant a little girl her wish of a purple bike will keep you turning the pages. And her reluctant friendship with the slobbery dog Sam - along with some other hilarious touches like Ophelia’s special song - will make this novel one you won’t forget. Where the Watermelons Growby debut author Cindy Baldwin This book - better than any I’ve read - captures the heat and the swelter of a scorching-hot drought-ridden summer. Our protagonist, Della, is feeling the weight of that and also the burdon of her mother’s re-emerging schizophrenia. But this novel is also laced with the sweetness of friendship and watermelon and hope and a touch of maybe magical honey. Every Shiny Thingby Cordelia Jensen & Laurie Morrison This dual narrative novel is about Lauren and Sierra. The two girls end up living next to each other and becoming friends when Lauren’s neighbors become Sierra’s foster parents. As Lauren starts to become more aware of her priviledge, she comes up with a - shall we say “ill-advised” Robin Hood scheme that quickly starts to spiral out of control. Watching Lauren and Sierra get deeper and deeper and deeper into that pit and wondering how on earth they were going to dig themselves out is what kept me turning those pages. And what makes this book unique and fresh was the strength of the two perspectives - Lauren’s chapters in prose and Sierra’s in verse. The Three Rules of Everyday Magicby Amanda Rawson Hill Believe. Give. Trust. With those three magical rules passed on to her from her grandmother,...

Intro Hi everyone! And welcome to Books Between - a podcast for educators, parents and everyone who loves middle grade books! I’m your host, Corrina Allen - a mom of two tween girls, a 5th grade teacher in Central New York, and currently enjoying those magical days between Christmas and New Years when you have no idea what day it is and you spend half your time in your pajamas reading…..ahhhh….. I believe in the power of books - especially fantasy books - to help you mull over the big moral issues in life and help you discover who you really want to be. And few books have accomplished that for so many better than the Harry Potter series. This is our final #HappyPottermas episode of December and it is full discussion centered around those topics. First, you’ll hear some clips from Harry Potter fans - editors, authors, teachers, and… my own family. And then I’ll share with you three conversations that will definitely get your wheels turning - and probably disagreeing. First, #HappyPottermas organizer Erin Varley and I will chat with Dr. Pat Geyer about how she has transformed her school into Hogwarts. Then librarian Angie Manfredi and I get into some Harry Potter controversies. And then I share some firewhisky with author and KidLitDrinkNight podcast host Amy Skelding who shares her surprising 10 Most Devasting Harry Potter Deaths. It probably goes without saying that this episode will discuss the ending of the books - but just in case that’s not clear - Spoiler Alert!! #HappyPottermas - Audio Submissions (2:00) Cary (@CarytheEditor), Blogger Freelance Editor atThe Friendly EditorAdrianna Cuevas (@acuevaswrites) - MG author Cassie Thomas (@mrs_cmt1489) - 5th grade teacher, blogger atTeachers Who ReadVictoria J. Coe (@victoriajcoe) - author, Fenway & Hattie seriesKathy Burnett (@thebrainlair) - Independent Bookstore Owner -The Brain LairLena Allen - 4th grade studentAngie Allen - 6th grade studentPaul Goat Allen (@paulgoatallen) - genre fiction book reviewer Erin Varley & Dr. Pat Geyer - Interview Outline (17:20) Our first special guests this week are Erin Varley (teacher and #HappyPottermas organizer) and principal Pat Geyer - who, as you will hear, is doing some amazing Harry Potter themed activities at her school that has inspired me to do some similar things this year as well. Take a listen… Topics we chatted about IntroductionsHarry Potter Themed Activities at Pat’s SchoolHarry Potter Themed Activities at Erin’s SchoolHarry Pottter as a Read AloudKid’s Reactions to Harry Potter now vs. 20 Years AgoRereading Harry PotterNew Harry Potter Covers / Illustrated VersionsOur Hogwart’s HousesMore Hufflepuff and Slytherin love Links: Erin Verley on Twitter - @erinvarley Dr. Pat Geyer on Twitter - @patgeyer Pat’s school on Facebook The Harry Potter books Pottermore website Angie Manfredi - Interview Outline (32:40) Next up I am really excited to welcome special guest Angie Manfredi - librarian and editor of the upcoming anthology - The F Word. We chat about how our views of Harry Potter have changed over the years, our frustrations with Dumbledore and the new direction JK Rowling has taken with the spin-offs, and Angie’s incredible and very accurate one question quiz to sort you into the right Hogwarts House. Plus - she finally convinces me to read The Cursed Child. Which I will tell you - it is taking all of my willpower to do anything else around the house other than finish that book that right now. Take a listen… Topics we chatted about IntroductionsFirst memories of reading Harry PotterRereading Harry PotterProblematic DetailsDumbledore & DracoFantastic BeastsProblematic Systems of Magic involving Native AmericansThe Cursed ChildScorpius MalfoyAngie’s one question Hogwart’s House sorting quizShould we sort?The Harry Potter MoviesThe acting in the Harry Potter moviesFascist Ideology in Harry Potter & the Mitford SistersSnape, James Potter, the Black FamilyControversial...

Intro Hi everyone! And welcome to Books Between - a podcast for teachers, parents, librarians, and anyone who wants to connect kids between 8-12 to books they will love for a lifetime. I’m your host, Corrina Allen - a mom of a 9 and 11 year old, a teacher, and recently - staying up way too late wrapping presents and watching cheesy Netflix holiday specials like The Princess Switch and The Holiday Calendar. And apparently losing my voice a bit - it seems a tad scratchy tonight. I believe in the power of the right story at the right time to transform you into a different kind of reader. And a different kind of person. And Harry Potter is that one series that seems to have accomplished that for so many. In today’s special #HappyPottermas episode you’ll hear some clips from a variety of kids, parents, educators, and authors about what Harry Potter has meant to them. And then I’ll share with you a conversation with one of the founders of #HappyPottermas and the MGBookVillage website, author Jarrett Lerner and - David Marsh - and educator and the creative force behind the LEGO Batman Book Talks on YouTube. #HappyPottermas - Audio Submissions Katelynn Giordano (@Mrs_Giordano), 6th Grade English TeacherStephanie Lucianovic (@grubreport) - author ofThe End of Something Wonderful: A Practical Guide to a Backyard Funeral andHello StarRajani LaRocca (@rajanilarocca) - author of Midsummer’s Mayhem and 7 Golden RingsJazz Anders (@snazzsinclair) - student, Kid YouTuber Snazzy ReadsAmber Stivers Anders - library aid, Jazz’s momKaren Chow (@KChowrites) - author, contributor at MG @ Heart Jarrett Lerner & David Marsh - Interview Outline Our special guests this week are author Jarrett Lerner and educator David Marsh. We talk about the influence of Harry Potter, our favorite books, the movie adaptations - among lots and lots of other things! Take a listen… Topics we chatted about IntroductionsHow Harry Potter first came into our livesGrowing up with Harry PotterSkipping the beginning chapters of The Sorcerer’s StoneFavorite charactersPottermoreFavorite bookMovies vs. BooksAdult appeal of Harry PotterHarry Potter merchHarry Potter sortingPrizoner of Azkaban movie Links: Jarrett Lerner on Twitter - @Jarrett_Lerner David Marsh on Twitter - @Davidmarsh80 The Harry Potter books Pottermore website Tight (by Torrey Maldonado) The Bicycle Spy (Yona Zeldis McDonough) Skylark and Wallcreeper (Anne O’Brien Carelli) Oathbringer: Book Three of the Stormlight Archive (Brandon Sanderson) Stella Diaz Has Something to Say (Angela Dominguez) We’re Not From Here (Geoff Rodkey) Closing Alright, that wraps up our show this week! If you have a question about how to connect kids between 8-12 to books they’ll love or a suggestion about a topic we should cover, I would love to hear from you. You can email me at booksbetween@gmail.com or message me on Twitter/Instagram at the handle @Books_Between. Books Between is a proud member of the Lady Pod Squad and the Education Podcast Network. This network features podcasts for educators, created by educators. For more great content visit edupodcastnetwork.com Thank you so much for joining me this week. You can get an outline of interviews and a full transcript of all the other parts of our show at MGBookVillage.org. And, if you are liking the show, please leave us some love on iTunes or Stitcher so others can discover us as well. Thanks and see you soon! Bye!

Intro Hi everyone! And welcome to Books Between - a podcast for teachers, parents, librarians, and anyone who wants to connect kids between 8-12 to books they will love for a lifetime. I’m your host, Corrina Allen - a mom of two tweens, a 5th grade teacher, a Ravenclaw, and celebrating all things Harry Potter this month! I believe in the power of stories to give us the language and situations to help us identify and make sense of what is wonderful in our world. And give us the words and the way to fight against the injustices we see. And few books do that better than Harry Potter. Across generations parents and educators who grew up inspired by Rowling’s stories are sharing the books with the children in their lives. In today’s episode you’ll hear some short clips from a variety of librarians, and parents, and educators, and authors about how much the series has meant to them. And the special moments in their lives that were made a little more magical by Harry Potter. And then I’ll share with you a lenghtier conversation from across the pond where I chat with two of the founders of #HappyPottermas - Annaliese Avery from Suffolk in the UK and Lorie Barber from Chicago in the U.S. Defintely check out #HappyPottermas on Twitter and all the Monday night #MGBookChat topics throughout December will be all about Harry Potter! And I really would love to hear YOUR thoughts about Harry Potter as well So, if you are interested in being featured on this podcast later in December, just check out the link posted in the show notes, which includes very quick and easy instructions on to submit an audio clip to me. And I can’t wait to hear from you! #HappyPottermas - Audio Submissions Jen Jowett (@JenJowett), educator of 7th and 8th GradersDaphne Benedis Grab (@JenJowett) - author of The Angel Treeand Clementine for ChristmasAnn Braden (@DaphneBG) - author of The Benefits of Being an OctopusK.A. Reynolds (@KrisRey19) - author of The Land of Yesterdayand The Spinner of DreamsLindsay Currie (@lindsayncurrie) - author of The Peculiar Incident on Shady StreetAllison Stout (@rtslitech) - librarian at K-8 schoolJosh Funk (@joshfunkbooks) - author of Lady Pancake & Sir French Toastand Lost in the LibraryJill Diamond (@jillinboots) - author of Lou Lou & Pea and the Mural Mystery Annaliese Avery & Lorie Barber - Interview Outline Our special guests this week are Annaliese Avery and Lorie Barber - two of the founders of #HappyPottermas! We talk about Harry Potter inspired advocacy, the challenges of friendship trios, and the our thoughts about the new Fantastic Beast movies. Take a listen… Topics we chatted about IntroductionsHow Harry Potter first came into our livesThe origins of #HappyPottermasHarry Potter ushering in a golden age of children’s booksHarry Potter fueled activismFlawed characters & friendship triosTeaching Harry PotterComplicated characters in Harry PotterThe Crimes of Grindlewold / The Fantastic Beast moviesThe Harry Potter books vs. the moviesThe Cursed ChildSorting in SchoolsHarry Potter in the UK vs. Harry Potter in the U.SLooking at Harry Potter through a critical lens Links: Annaliese Avery on Twitter - @AnnalieseAvery Lorie Barber on Twitter - @BarberChicago Jess Lifshitz on Twitter - @Jess5th The Harry Potter Alliance A Monster Calls The Harry Potter books The Cursed Child Pottermore website Closing Okay, that wraps up our show this week! Remember to check out #HappyPottermas throughout December for some magical fun and remember to send in your own audio submission for a future episode. If you have a question about how to connect kids between 8-12 to books they’ll love or a suggestion about a topic we should cover, I would love to hear from you. You can email me at booksbetween@gmail.com or message me on Twitter/Instagram at the handle @Books_Between. Books Between is a proud member of the Lady Pod Squad and the Education Podcast Network. This network features podcasts for educators, created by...

Intro Hi everyone! And welcome to Books Between - a podcast for teachers, parents, librarians, and anyone who wants to connect kids between 8-12 to incredible stories. I believe in the power of books to bring communities together. And my goal is to help you connect your children and your community with fantastic books and share inspiring conversations with the people who make that magic happen. I’m your host, Corrina Allen - a mom of a 9 and 11 year old, a 5th grade teacher in Central New York, and glad to be back with you after a short hiatus to focus on school and supporting some local candidates in the mid-term elections! Before this year, I had NEVER done any phone banking or canvassing, but after being inspired by so many of YOU - I knew I had to get off my bum and get to work. This is episode #62 and Today’s show is all about promoting literacy in your community. First, I’ll share some advice about launching a community book club based on my experience starting a ProjectLIT Book Club at my school. And then I’ll share a conversation with Harper & Maggie, two young girls who’ve launched Books & a Blanket - an organization to promote literacy and well-being among young children in need. Before we get started, I have a BIG announcement that I am delighted to tell you about! For the whole month of December, Annaliese Avery and Jarrett Lerner and myself from MGBookVillage are teaming up with Lorie Barber and Erin Varley to bring you #HappyPottermas - a month-long celebration of all things Harry Potter! There will be daily Twitter prompts and all the 9pm EST Monday night #MGBookChat topics throughout December will be all about Harry Potter! And…. I’ve got some special guests lined up for the December episodes of the podcast to talk about the Wizarding World. And I would love to feature YOU on the show as well. So if you have THOUGHTS about Hogwarts, Snape, the books vs. the movies. If you have OPINIONS you want to share - I really, really want to hear what you have to say! So, if you are interested in being featured on this podcast, just check out the link posted in the show notes, and I can’t wait to hear from you! Main Topic - Launching a Community Book Club This week I’m sharing some things I’ve learned about launching a community book club based on my experiences starting a ProjectLIT Book Club at my school. But whatever type of book club you might already have going or are considering starting - whether that’s a ProjectLIT club or not - I think you’ll get some good ideas from today’s discussion. And - just know that every document I mention (flyers, surveys, discussion guides, etc…) are all available for you to download right in the show notes and on this episode’s post at MGBookVillage.org. And all of them are editable so you can download and adjust them however you need. Today I’ll be talking about the difference between ProjectLIT and other traditional community book clubs, including the pros and cons of each. Then I’ll share some ideas about how to prepare to launch your club, some ideas about how to decide what books to read and how to get copies of those books, how to get students and the wider community involved and excited, and then I’ll get into some specifics about planning meetings and hosting a community-wide book celebration. That’s a lot to cover! So let’s dig right in! What is the difference between a traditional book club with community involvement and a ProjectLIT Community Book Club - and what are the pros and cons of each? ProjectLIT is a grassroots literacy movement with community book club chapters all over the country. As of this week, there are now 592 chapters. Their goal is to increase access to culturally relevant books and promote a love of reading in our schools and communities. Each spring the ProjectLIT team consults with chapter leaders and announces a list of 20 books from middle grade to YA that include topics that will generate lots of discussion and bring awareness to issues...

Intro Hello everyone! Welcome to Books Between - a podcast for teachers, librarians, parents, and anyone who loves middle grade books! I believe in the power of stories to change our mood - make us laugh, cry, or… creep us out in the best possible way! My goal is to help you connect kids with those fabulous books and share inspiring conversations with the authors and educators who make that magic happen. I am your host, Corrina Allen - a mom of a 9 and 11 year old, a 5th grade teacher in Central New York, and spending a few hours each week phone banking! This is episode #61 and Today I’m booktalking three recent paranormal reads that will get you and your kids in the perfect fall mood, and sharing a conversation with Pablo Cartaya about his latest novel, Marcus Vega Doesn’t Speak Spanish! Before we jump into things, a few updates: The Middle Grade at Heart Book Club pick for October is The Three Rules of Everyday Magic by Amanda Rawson Hill and The Hotel Between by Sean Easley is the November pick. And - I just got sneak peek at the first four MG at Heart picks for 2019 and they’re fantastic. In fact, one of the authors, was recently featured on the show. Also remember to check out #MGBooktober to check out all the great discussions around middle grade and connect with other educators, librarians, authors, and fans. And remember that Monday nights at 9pm EST is the #MGBookChat Twitter chat! This month some of the topics are: Building Vocabulary with Middle Grade Books, and Taboo Roll Call: Does anything go in Middle Grade now? We always have a great time a leave with tons of suggestions for the kids in our lives. And...of course, ourselves! Book Talk - Three New Paranormal Reads This week I am sharing with you three new paranormal releases that are perfect for the fall - or anytime, really! They are Edison Beaker Creature Seeker by Frank Cammuso, Sheets by Brenna Thummler, and Small Spaces by Katherine Arden. Edison Beaker Creature Seeker Let’s start with Edison Beaker Creature Seeker. This full-color graphic novel is the first in a new series by Frank Cammuso - author of The Knights of the Lunch Table series and the Misadventures of Salem Hyde series. This book is about a young boy named Edison who has always been afraid of the dark. When his mom has to go out of town, Edison and his little sister, Tesla, go to stay with their Uncle Earl. Uncle Earl is an exterminator and he reluctantly takes the kids on a late-night “emergency” job where they end up going through a door to a shadowy other-worldly place where Edison has to confront his fears and lots of bizarre creatures! Here are three things to love about Edison Beaker Creature Seeker: Tesla’s hamster, Scuttlebutt! He is so stinking cute!! And gets into so much trouble - or rather, gets everyone else into trouble when he rolls away in his ball into the darkest, most dangerous corners.How FUNNY this book is! I was at the park with my daughters when I finished it last week, and I just could NOT help laughing out loud - even though I knew I was getting weird looks. The word play, especially, is so much fun. Already the names Edison and Tesla are awesome - but another example, the portal to the other realm is through the Night Door which is found in an old building called the Wherehouse. And so the creatures call their underworld - the UnderWhere. And as you can imagine - the conversations around that are THE BEST.This intriguing little creature called Knox who is this fierce, cute little purple scavenger with a blue mohawk. I. LOVE. HER. She’s complicated and tough and vulnerable - and clearly has a much bigger part to play in future books. Edison Beaker Creature Seeker is a fantastic graphic novel that you will definitely want to add to your collection. It’s sort of like a mix between HiLo and Amulet. So if you have kids who loved those two series, this is one to introduce them to next. Sheets Next up this week is another...

Intro Hi and welcome to Books Between - a podcast for teachers, librarians, parents, and anyone who loves middle grade books! I believe in the power of stories to lift us up and help us discover who we really are. My goal is to help you connect kids with those incredible books and share inspiring conversations with the authors and educators who make that magic happen. I am your host, Corrina Allen - a mom of two preteen girls, a 5th grade teacher in Central New York, and really, really glad that September is over. I always feel like, for educators, September is a little bit like childbirth and having a newborn. Somehow you forget the utter exhaustion and work and lack of sleep every time. And instead you focus on the fresh start! Getting the room set up! Getting to know new personalities and a chance to get right THIS time what you you struggled with last time. And you forget that it took you MONTHS to get them into a decent schedule. And that the first weeks are just…. triage. So… in solidarity with all the exhausted and overworked teachers and parents out there - I see you. I feel you. I AM you. And after 15+ years of teaching, I did two things this September that helped my stress level a bit. I went to bed. And if you know me at ALL - you know how hard this is for me. I am a night owl. I am most inspired between 9pm and 1am. But when I have to get up for work at 5:15 - it was killing me. Probably literally.I cut myself some slack. I DID NOT have my classroom “picture ready” on the first day of school. For the last few years, I have decorated my door with all the books I’ve read over the summer with favorite quotes. Nope - not this year. I just couldn’t pull it off. And that was…. honestly disappointing, but I think we need to give ourselves some grace with that stuff. I think we internalize all those Pinterest/Instagram ideas of what an “ideal” teacher and classroom should be and we give ourselves crap when we fall short of that imagined perfection. When in reality - NO one has it all together. Not the “education thought leader” with hundreds of thousands of followers, not the educator with the inspiring YouTube videos, not the teacher with that amazing new book out - NONE of them are living up to what we’re all “supposed to” be doing. Something is falling through the cracks. And I find the ones who admit that are really the ones worth listening to. So, it is now October. I’m more rested and sooo ready to dive back into things - including bringing you some fantastic interviews this fall! This is episode #60 and Today I’m sharing a conversation I had this past summer with Kate DiCamillo about her latest novel, coming out tomorrow - Louisiana’s Way Home! Before we dive into that, I want to give you a few updates. The Middle Grade at Heart Book Club pick for October is The Three Rules of Everyday Magic by Amanda Rawson Hill and The Hotel Between by Sean Easley is the November pick. Also - #MGBooktober is BACK!! The MGBookVillage is hosting a month of awesome middle grade related book prompts. We hope that you and your students will join in the fun. Just use #MGBooktober to post your responses and to find everyone else’s pics. And finally - remember to set yourself a reminder for Monday nights at 9pm EST so you don’t miss the #MGBookChat Twitter chat! This month some of the topics are: Teachers as Readers, Middle Grade Spooktacular (Why Scary Stories Matter), Building Vocabulary with Middle Grade Books, and Taboo Roll Call: Does anything go in Middle Grade now? Those all sound amazing - so see you Monday nights! Kate DiCamillo - Interview Outline Our special guest this week is Kate DiCamillo - author of Because of Winn-Dixie, Tiger Rising, Flora & Ulysses, The Tale of Despereaux, among so many other incredible books. I got the opportunity to chat with her this summer about Louisiana’s Way Home - the follow-up to her 2016 novel, Raymie Nightingale. We talk about why she decided to write a sequel,...

Intro Hi and welcome to Books Between - a podcast for teachers, librarians, parents, and anyone who loves middle grade books! And what I love is to help you connect kids between 8-12 with fantastic reads and share inspiring conversations with the authors and educators who make that magic happen. I’m your host, Corrina Allen - a mom of two, a teacher of twenty-two (as of the last classlist update), and a little over two days away from the first day of school. This is episode #59 and today I’m sharing a conversation with Barbara Dee - author of Everything I Know About You along with many other fabulous middle grade reads! A quick update on our Middle Grade at Heart Book Club schedule. This month’s pick is The House That Lou Built. And in October we are reading The Three Rules of Everyday Magic and The Hotel Between by Sean Easley is our November pick. And remember to set yourself a reminder for Monday nights at 9pm EST so you don’t miss the #MGBookChat Twitter chat! Our upcoming topics are Ending Gendered Labels, Books That Battle Mental Health Stigmas, and Teachers as Readers. And I would love to have you join the conversation and share your thoughts about those topics. Barbara - Interview Outline Our special guest this week is the amazing Barbara Dee - author of so many well-loved middle grade books like Halfway Normal and Star Crossed and Truth or Dare - and lots more. We discuss Hamilton, body issues among young girls, her own experiences with an eating disorder, her secrets to capturing dialogue in her writing, the incredible book that she’s working on next, and of course her latest novel - Everything I Know About You ! Take a listen… Everything I Know About You Your latest middle grade novel , Everything I Know About You, was just released this past summer. For our listeners who have not yet read the novel, can you tell us a bit about it? Would you mind reading a favorite passage? One of the things I loved about this novel was that it shed some light on the body issues that so many teens and tweens grapple with. When Ava and her friends have that conversations about “thigh gaps” and being “pre-fat”, I kept think about how many kids feel that pressure over their body…. Why did you want to explore those issues in this novel? This story centers around an overnight field trip to Washington D.C. Did you travel there to do research? Did you see Hamilton?! So how naughty ARE your cats? **BONUS SPOILER SECTION: Paula and I discuss the ending of the novel, and if you’d like to hear that conversation, I moved that part of the recording to after the end credits of today’s episode at the 43:30 mark. Your Writing Life Everything I Know About You is your 9th published novel. How has your writing process changed from those first books to now? If you can talk about it….. what are you working on now? You’ve mentioned before that one of the ways you get ideas is by eavesdropping. Where are some good places for aspiring writers to eavesdrop? And how do you keep from getting caught? Your Reading Life One of the goals of this podcast is to help educators and librarians and parents inspire kids to read more and connect them with amazing books. Did you have a special teacher or librarian who helped foster your reading life as a child? And if so, what did they do that made such a difference? What have you been reading lately? Links: Barbara’s website - http://barbaradeebooks.com Barbara on Twitter Books & Authors We Chatted About: A Wrinkle in Time (Madeleine L’Engle) The Black Stallion Series (Walter Farley) Island of the Blue Dolphins (Scott O’Dell) Rascal (Sterling North) Clock Dance (Anne Tyler) Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine (Gail Honeyman) Every Shiny Thing (Cordelia Jensen and Laurie Morrison) Hope in the Holler (Lisa Lewis Tyre) You Go First (Erin Entrada Kelly) So Done (Paula Chase) Eating Disorder Resources: National Eating Disorder Association -...

Intro Hey everyone and welcome to Books Between - a podcast for teachers, librarians, parents, and anyone who loves middle grade books! My goal is to help you connect kids between 8-12 with fantastic reads and share inspiring conversations with the authors and educators who make that magic happen. I’m your host, Corrina Allen - a mom of two girls, a teacher of 5th graders, and starting to have my annual back-to-school nightmares again. Last night it was that I had no clue what my schedule was, I had no plans prepared and was just winging it the entire first day! And - the worst part? I got to the end of the day and...FORGOT to include a read aloud!!! *shudder* This is episode #58 and today I am giving you a quick first impression of three new books, and a conversation with Cindy Baldwin - author of Where the Watermelons Grow. A quick update on our Middle Grade at Heart Book Club schedule. The September pick is The House That Lou Built. And in October we are reading The Three Rules of Everyday Magic and The Hotel Between by Sean Easley is our November pick. And remember to set yourself a reminder for Monday nights at 9pm EST so you don’t miss the #MGBookChat Twitter chat! We’ve got some really interesting topics coming up like ending gendered labels, the importance of immigrant stories, and how teachers and public librarians can support each other. Book Bites First up this week is Book Bites - where I’ll give you a quick taste of a few upcoming books. And share first lines and first impressions from reading the first chapter. This week I am previewing The Right Hook of Devin Velma by Jake Burt, The Lighthouse Between the Worlds by Melanie Crowder, and Zora & Me: The Cursed Ground by T.R. Simon. The first novel I want to talk about is The Right Hook of Devin Velma by Jake Burt, author of Greetings from Witness Protection. This novel is about Addison Gerhardt and his best friend, Devin Velma, who is trying to become a social media sensation by pulling a risky stunt at a nationally televised pro basketball game. Devin seems to have some secret reasons for doing something so dangerous, and Addison wants to help his friend but his introversion and anxiety often cause him to freeze up when he’s put on the spot. First lines: Chapter One: Narrowed Down I finally figured out why my best friend Devin punched me in the face. At first I thought it was because I saved his life, but that wasn’t it. For awhile, I blamed my freezing, only it wasn’t that either. It wasn’t even Twitter, the Velma Curse, that stupid dishwasher, or the Golden State Warriors. Nope. It was the Double-Barreled Monkey Bar Backflip of Doom. First impressions: I love this book! And could not stop reading at just that one short chapter. The banter between the two boys is clever and I’m intrigued by the possibility of this book exploring the power and pressures of social media on kids. Twitter is a space where I spend some time but I do have concerns about that. And I’m curious about how Addison’s anxiety plays a part in the plot later on. The Right Hook of Devin Velma is out October 2nd and is definitely one I want to order for my classroom. The second novel I’m featuring today is by Melanie Crowder - author of Three Pennies - a book from a couple years ago that I just loved. This novel - The Lighthouse Between the Worlds is about a young boy named Griffin who lives with his father on the coast of Oregon where they tend to their lighthouse. Every day they follow the same routine - a walk on the beach, placing a new piece of sea glass on his mother’s grave, and learning how to cast prisms in his father’s glassmaking studio. Things are routine. Until...one day a group of mysterious strangers appears and Griffin discovers that the lighthouse contains a portal to other worlds and that his father has far more secrets that he ever realized. First lines: “Chapter 1: The Apprentice Glassmaker The day began normally enough, for a Tuesday. Griffin and his...

Intro Hi everyone and welcome to Books Between - a podcast for teachers, librarians, parents, and anyone who loves middle grade books! My goal is to help you connect kids between 8-12 with fantastic reads and share inspiring conversations with the authors and educators who make that magic happen. I’m your host, Corrina Allen - a mom for the past 11 years, a teacher for the past 17 years, and a fan of flavored seltzer for the past two months. Either I have been oblivious to it or suddenly there is a plethora of sparkling waters and seltzer available everywhere! Including some tasty hard seltzers for those inclined. And during a hot, sticky summer - a frigid, fizzy can of black cherry seltzer poured over a full glass of ice is just about the best thing ever. Cheers! This is episode #57 and today I am giving you a quick first impression of three new books, and sharing a conversation with Paula Chase - author of So Done. One super quick announcement - set yourself a reminder for Monday nights at 9pm EST so you never miss the #MGBookChat Twitter chat! We have some really great topics coming up like creating a classroom community through books, ending gendered labels, and how teachers and public librarians can support each other. Book Bites First up is a brand new segment I am calling Book Bites - where I will give you a quick sampling of a few books. And share first lines and first impressions from reading the first chapter. This week I am previewing The Phantom Tower by Keir Graff, The Vanderbeekers and the Hidden Garden by Karina Yan Glaser, and Scream Site by Justina Ireland. The first novel I want to talk about is The Phantom Tower by Keir Graff. You may know him from his other middle grade novel The Matchstick Castle. This book is described as magic, mischief, and mystery colliding in a thrilling adventure. It’s about 12 year old identical twin brothers who move into a mysterious apartment building and discover a portal to a parallel dimension. First lines: The first time I saw Brunhild Towers was the day we moved in. Even though it wasn’t that long ago, I saw a lot of things differently back then, I thought old people were boring. I thought learning history was a good way to fall asleep. I thought dying was simple. You probably noticed I said Towers, not Tower. Pay attention and I’ll explain everything. First impressions: The first thing I noticed when I opened the pages - a map! The first chapter was fast-paced and fun but didn’t make you feel lost. You definitely get enough background info to help orient you to the characters and the tone with lots of touches of humor. The story is written in 1st person and told by one of the twins - Colm. The first chapter reminded me a bit of Peculiar Incident on Shady Street, so if you have kids who like that novel or The Explorers or The Mysterious Benedict Society, The Phantom Tower would be a good book to introduce them to next. Next up is the sequel to a beloved middle grade novel - Karina Yan Glaser’s The Vanderbeekers and the Hidden Garden. In this story - the Vanderbeeker kids band together to do something nice for their upstairs neighbors (Miss Josie & Mr. Jeet) who are going through a tough time. And in classic Vanderbeeker fashion, the five kids make an elaborate plan to convert the abandoned (and possibly haunted) lot next to the church into the gorgeous community garden that Miss Josie has always wanted. First lines: “This is the most boring summer in the whole history of the world,” nine year-old Oliver Vanderbeeker announced. He was wearing basketball shorts and a faded blue T-shirt, and his hair was sticking out in every direction.” First impressions: Well - Oliver doesn’t stay bored for long! And oh how I loved jumping back into the sweet Vanderbeeker banter! The premise of this novel reminds me a bit of the book Seedfolks, and I’m curious how they solve the water problem here…. Along with all the other obstacles I am sure they will encounter! I love...

Intro Hi everyone and welcome to Books Between - a podcast for educators, librarians, parents, and everyone who loves middle grade books! My goal is to help you connect kids between 8-12 with fantastic books and share inspiring conversations with the authors and educators who make that magic happen. I’m your host, Corrina Allen - a mom of two girls, a 5th grade teacher, and I just discovered the COOLEST thing last week and I have to share it with you! There is this teacher named David Marsh and he makes stop motion LEGO Batman Book Talks. They are SO awesome! There’s one for Enginerds and one for Serafina and the Black Cloak - and, my favorite - the one for The Frame-up! I’ll drop a link to his YouTube Channel in the show notes. Do you yourself a favor and go watch them. This is Episode #56 and oday is all about Kelly Yang and her fabulous new novel, Front Desk. Before we begin, I have two quick announcements! First is the Middle Grade at Heart Book Club update. This month’s pick is Where the Watermelons Grow, and I am so close to finishing that book - it’s so good and I can’t want to have Cindy Baldwin on the show to chat with me about it. In September we are reading The House That Lou Built and in October is Three Rules of Everyday Magic. So grab those books and let me know if you have questions you think I should ask the authors when they come on the show. And second quick reminder that Monday nights are the #MGBookChat Twitter chats with some really juicy topics coming up like building book access in book deserts, creating a classroom community through books, and ending gendered labels of books. It can be very easy to get into the hustle and bustle of your day and forget - so set a reminder on your phone for Mondays at 9pm EST and check out #MGBookChat on Twitter. Kelly Yang - Interview Outline Our special guest today is Kelly Yang. And as you will hear - she is one incredible and humble person. And since she’s not going to talk herself up, I am. Kelly Yang is one of the youngest graduates of Harvard Law School - earning her degree at 17. She’s a columnist for the South China Morning Post and her features have been published in The New York Times and the Washington Post. She’s a commentator, a debater, and founder of The Kelly Yang Project - an award-winning writing and debate program for kids in Hong Kong. And that’s really just scratching the surface of this WOW Woman! I was really honored that Kelly took the time out her family vacation to sit down with me and chat about so many things - how to reach English-language learners, racial profiling, the Simpsons, her writing journey, and her childhood helping her parents run motels which was the inspiration behind her debut middle grade novel, Front Desk. Take a listen… Front Desk Your debut middle grade novel, Front Desk, has been getting all kinds of love!! For our listeners who have not yet read the novel, can you tell us a bit about it? Would you mind reading a favorite passage? Aside from running the front desk of the motel, Mia is often translating for her family. Was this something you also had to do? If so - how did that impact you? I adored Mia, but I really really came to love her parents! But… her mother could be carelessly cruel. Her pressure to be good at Math. And then when she tell Mia that the other kids are cars but that Mia is a bicycle - oh my GOD! I started to wonder if maybe Mrs. Tang was just really scared for her daughter? One of the most powerful scenes is when a car was stolen from the motel and in the course of that investigation, Mr. Yao discovers that the Tangs have been renting to black people. And he says, “I thought I told you not to rent to bad people.” That thread of discrimination and racial profiling (even by other marginalized people) was woven throughout the story at various points. Can you speak a little bit about your thought process behind those sections? I love following you on Twitter and I loved your thread...