Welcome Back, Maple Mehta-Cohen

Welcome Back, Maple Mehta-Cohen

I don’t recall reading a book in which the main character is being “kept back” a year in school. Maple Mehta-Cohen is told by her fifth grade teacher that she will repeat fifth grade because she’s not reading at grade level.

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We Belong

We Belong

I’ve seen many questions on social media, asking which books teachers will read aloud to their classroom during the first week of school. I don’t teach in a classroom but I’ve thought about this question anyway.

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The Library of Ever

The Library of Ever

It is no secret that I have a passion for libraries. Here is an author who shares that passion in a glorious, inventive, and enthusiastic story!

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How to Build a Human

How to Build a Human

This book about evolution is so interesting that I recommend it as a read-aloud in middle grade and high school classes and certainly at home. Perfect for a car trip.

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Hero for the Hungry

Hero for the Hungry

No matter the reader’s familiarity with agriculture Borlaug’s story is exciting. He affected the entire world with his dedication to changing world Hunger. And he did it!

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The Lost Things Club

The Lost Things Club

We’ve all seen horrendous reports from the schools that have experienced mass shootings. How do the students go back to any kind of normal? What are they thinking? Feeling? Fearing?

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Arab Arab All Year Long

Arab Arab All Year Long!

This is a buoyant book, organized by month, celebrating the things Arab kids make and the time they spend with family and friends. As the flyleaf says, it is a portrait “of the rich culture and the blend of old and new that exists throughout the Arab diaspora.”

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Starfish

Starfish

In Starfish, Ellie is never far from thinking about her weight, thanks to the relentless bullies around her.

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Out of My Heart

Out of My Heart

The first time I met Melody Brooks in Out of My Mind, I was so taken with this loquacious, caring 10-year-old girl who struggles to communicate with her family and her teachers, to let them know how smart she is, to express her wishes. She has no friends, but she has lots and lots of hope.

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