Thought Kandi

 When I began this journey to become a school librarian I was more than a little intimidated by the thought of being in a position to be relied upon for technology resources. This is not something that is naturally in my wheelhouse. I am an old school kind of gal and don't seek out new technology often. In fact I can think of two instances when I saw a new piece of technology (hardware) advertised and immediately thought "I really want that!", otherwise I usually just come around when I am exposed through the people close to me. Worth noting, even though I recall those two instances when I reacted immediately I did not actually end up getting either - well the second time was more recently so there is still a chance I will purchase that one. When I saw the name of this course "Digital Technology for School Librarians" I commented to my husband that this was going to be a doozy of a semester. I fully expected to struggle my way through and barely come out with an...

To be honest, when I first looked at the guidelines for the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) I thought "I don't do any of this, I am such a poser!" But upon closer inspection and understanding of each layer I realized I already incorporate many of the checkpoints.   UDL was created based on scientific research on how the brain functions when learning new things. It has been divided according to 3 regions of the brain that address the "What," "How," and "Why" of learning. The principle of Representation is the "What" of learning, Action & Expression the "How," and Engagement the "Why."  Within each principle are guidelines for accessing, building, and internalizing knowledge. Each guideline contains checkpoints that provide further details on what these will look like in the classroom.  Finally, there is a goal for each principle to create expert learners who are resourceful & knowledgeable (Representat...

Applegate, K., Castelano, P. (2020). The one and only Bob. NY: HarperCollins. Bob, Ivan, Ruby This book is a sequel to The One and Only Ivan which has been made into a movie. I was not familiar with either prior to reading this adorable story. Bob is a former stray, now comfy at home with his humans. When he was a stray, he made friends with gorilla Ivan and young elephant Ruby. Ivan and Ruby are now living in an animal sanctuary and Bob can visit them. On the day contained within this book, Bob gets to visit Ivan and Ruby when a tornado hits and the sanctuary grounds are damaged. There are ups and downs as Bob, Ivan, and Ruby work to make sure all their friends are safe after the storm. Bob ends up in an animal shelter where he is placed in a cage with his sister who he thought was dead. It is an interesting but easy read, and great for animal lovers. There is some sadness as Bob describes his early life at the hands of not-nice humans, but everything wraps up nicely in the end. G...

  Takei, G. (2019). They called us enemy. GA: Top Shelf Productions. What a powerful graphic memoir. The story of the internment camps is one that I have gradually been learning more about as I have had to teach them as a part of the WWII era in Texas History. I was first introduced to this part of America’s past through a movie then later a television show. Putting George Takei’s first-hand account of the experience into graphic format helped to convey so much of the story that could have otherwise been too cumbersome to read. I appreciate that Takei conveys the story as a child when it happened, clueless to many of the details, as a teenager having after dinner talks with his father incredulous that the internees didn’t fight back more, and as an adult bringing it all together with the advantage of maturity and having the platform to speak publicly about America’s treatment of Japanese during WWII. You May Also Like: the March trilogy by John Lewis, Dear Martin by Nic Stone

  Phelan, M. (2016). Snow white. MA: Candlewick Press. This was my first graphic novel. I was a proponent of GN for what they could offer struggling readers. I was surprised by this one as it contains so few words. At first, I wondered if I had perhaps picked up the wrong book but as I continued, I realized how much I enjoyed that the graphics allowed me to visually process quickly what would have taken many more words to express. It was almost like watching a good movie adaptation of a book. In this version of the classic fairy-tale, Snow White lives in New York City in the 1920s and 1930s. The evil stepmother is labeled as “Queen of the Follies” and rather than a mirror, the ticker tape in her husband’s office tells her to do dark things to gain power. Of course, she sets out to get rid of Snow White who hides out, finding company with seven boys rather than sever dwarfs. Once her stepmother has given her the poisoned apple, Snow White is found in the Macy’s window. It is a De...

  Lewis, J., Aydin, A., Powell, N. (2016). March: Book three. GA: Top Shelf Productions. An important graphic novel that talks about the civil rights activism as told by participant John Lewis. Sometimes the graphics contained too much to fully process but like They Called Us Enemy by George Takei, it ultimately makes the information more accessible, especially to middle grade students. John Lewis tells about events and protests during the 1960s. This final installment of 3 opens with the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, AL in 1963. It closes with the President Lyndon B. Johnson signing the 1965 Voting Rights Act into law. Along the way we learn about his experience with local and national protests. He describes interactions with prominent leaders during the era such as Malcom X and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I would have liked to have had some sort of glossary to remember what the various acronyms stood for as they were a bit overwhelming and there were many I wa...

  Carter, A. (2018). Not if I save you first. NY: Scholastic Press. The story of a young girl who witnesses first-hand the attempted abduction of the first lady. Maddie is best friends with the president’s son Logan and daughter of the head of the president’s secret service detail. She is in the white house for an important state dinner and while exploring with her friend they are nearly run over by a group of men pushing a cart. When the men come back, she notices that the cart seems to be heavier than before, then they see a bit of red fabric peeking out and realize that is the first lady’s dress, Logan pushes his emergency button. The secret service responds immediately, a firefight ensues. Her father is shot, and her friend is grazed by a bullet. Shortly after, her father resigns and moves them to Alaska. She spends the next 6 years learning the skills of survival as her father flies supply runs. The president’s son has grown into a troubled teen who continues to act out, so ...

 Acevedo, E. (2020) Clap when you land. NY: HarperCollins. This story starts a little slow but then it hooks you and becomes hard to put down. The novel-in-verse story of Camino and Yahaira, two girls, half sisters who learn of the other’s existence after the death of their father in a plane crash. He was on his way to spend the summer with Camino as he did every year. It is a little hard to follow at first but then it is easier to follow whose story you are reading. Along the way, Acevedo peppers in real stories for those who are from or have family in the Dominican Republic. The grief of the girls and the family and friends around them in the months after the plane crash is heartbreakingly real. The people closest to them try to comfort them but the burden of the loss only seems to lessen once they have each other to lean on. Upon finishing I was ready for a sequel to tell me what happens next as the two girls learn to live together and go on with life. You may also like: Th...

  Smith, A. (2013) Winger. Simon and Schuster. I finished this book 24 hours ago and I am still processing the emotional ending to this book. Winger is the story of a 14-year-old junior at Pine Mountain Academy, a boarding school on the West Coast. Ryan Dean West embarks on a quest to toughen up during his junior year. It is difficult for him being 2 years younger than his classmates. He is struggling to find the courage to change the dynamics of his friendship with Annie Altman into a romantic relationship. He is seemingly helpless to stop the advances of his roommate’s super-hot girlfriend even though he is in love with his best friend and fears for his life if his roommate finds out. He is struggling in his relationship with his former roommates and develops a friendship with an older rugby teammate who gives him very sound advice. I am not sure how many books I have read with a teenage male protagonist, and I had to laugh thinking that Ryan Dean’s stream of consciousness is p...

  King, A. S. (2012) Ask the passengers . NY: Hachette The story of Astrid, a teen girl who finds herself in love with another girl and trying to figure out if she is gay. This was a window book for me but very enjoyable. I can relate to the main character’s family from first-hand experience. The mother is a FOTG – Friend of The Gays – but when her own daughter is arrested for being at a gay bar and underage, she can’t get herself out of bed for days and still doesn’t leave the house for days after that. The family is reeling, probably more from the way it comes out than the information itself and must find a new normal after the truth is revealed. First to the main character then to everyone else in her small town. I find the love story inspiring as she sticks to her convictions about taking things slowly despite her girlfriend, Dee’s constant pressure to move quickly, ultimately teaching her more experienced girlfriend to slow down and enjoy the journey of getting to know each ...

Crutcher, C. (1993) Staying fat for Sarah Byrnes. NY: HarperCollins. I started this book with one of my classes and they were captivated. The story of Eric Calhoun and Sarah Byrnes is that of true friendship that evolves but the strong bond they formed is unbreakable. Eric was an unpopular fat kid through junior high. His only friend was Sarah Byrnes who was badly burned as a child and still bore the scars for all to see. Once in high school, Eric joins the swim team and turns out to be very a very talented swimmer. Sarah feels abandoned by Eric even though he works hard to include her in his new slimmer and more popular life. Senior year, Sarah Byrnes stops talking or responding to anyone and is sent to the mental ward of the local hospital. Eric visits regularly, trying to find out what is going on with his friend and how to help her. How to save her. It is a touching story of loyalty, friendship, and trust. Although there are dramatic and sad moments it ends happily for Eric and S...

  Alexander, K. (2014). The crossover. NY: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt . This novel-in-verse was a window read for me. The story of a middle school boy, his twin brother, and their mother and father during basketball season. I could imagine many of my students relating to and enjoying this book with its talk of basketball, and how to navigate the inevitable changes that occur as one grows older and those in the inner circle begin to branch out. Josh and his twin brother Jordan were close as most twins are until adolescence causes shifts in their relationship. Jordan gets a girlfriend and Josh feels jealousy that his brother is becoming distant. The boys’ father, a former Euro league basketball player, faces health difficulties and their mother, their school’s principle, tries to get him to take it easy and make healthier choices. After some unexpected events the boys find a way to repair their relationship. Also available in graphic novel format. More from Kwame Alexander: Preque...

  Sartrapi, M. (2004). Persepolis . NY: Pantheon I enjoyed this graphic memoir about life in Persia/Iran during a political shift. It was enlightening to read the stories of political prisoners told through the lens of a child’s experience during those events. It was not always an easy read as I imagined what it would be like to be her. The illustrations supported the storyline without distracting from it. Although it is told from the perspective of a child during that time she witnessed and learned things well beyond her years. Things that children should be sheltered from knowing until they are older. Most people are familiar with the instability in the region, especially considering the American military presence there for several decades but this story brings to light why the fight for democracy is so important. This would be a good supplement to a high school world history class. You may also like: Persepolis 2 by Marjane Sartrapi or Rooftops of Tehran by Mahbod Seraji

  Myers, W.D. (1999). Monster . NY: Harper This was my first novel-in-verse and I enjoyed it. It was a difficult story, a young man on trial for murder and labeled a monster although he had nothing to do with the crime. The book opens with the main character’s thoughts about how to survive while locked up and being found guilty and sentenced to time in prison would be catastrophic for him. Just the time he spends behind bars throughout the trial have a lasting impact on him. We get glimpses of the effect the trial has on him and his family at home. There were some details I wish had been filled in, but the book leaves the reader to draw some conclusions on their own. Telling the story in the form of a movie script was a fresh take but sometimes distracting as I had to remember various terms that were only relevant to the story as a script. You May Also Like: Feed by Mathew Anderson or The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier

  Behar, R. (2017). Lucky broken girl . Y: Delacorte A very real story about an immigrant girl who struggles to fit in at her new school. Just as she is finding her footing her family is in a car wreck that leaves her in a body cast for almost a year. Confined to her room, Ruthie expresses herself through writing and art. She makes new friends and loses friends throughout the year. When she is finally free of her cast, she must learn how to free herself from the fear of getting hurt again. This is a great reminder that just because physical wounds may heal the emotional wounds left behind may take additional care to move past. This shows the very real side of loving someone but also struggling to maintain calm when you are overwhelmed by circumstances. You may also like: Burn Baby Burn by Meg Medina or The First Rule of Punk by Celia C. Perez

  Anderson, L. H. (1999). Speak . NY: Penguin A novel about a teenage girl finding her voice when no one really wants to listen to her. She finds healing through art and gardening. Starting her freshman year, she is already an outcast for calling the cops to break up an end of summer party. She does make friends with a new girl who doesn’t know what happened, but this relationship fails her for a while as well. She barely speaks to anyone but there are a few people in her life that she is comfortable with but not enough so to tell her story about that party. In the spring she begins to take steps towards healing the wounds no one can see. Near the end of the school year, she comes face to face with the person who hurt her and finds her voice to speak up for herself, avoiding being hurt again. The story comes out about why she called the cops, and her peers end their shunning of her, and she finds her way back to a stronger version of her former self. This would be a great read fo...

  Alexie, S. (2007). The absolutely true diary of a part-time Indian . NY: Little Brown The title is a bit confusing until you read the story of the boy who leaves the reservation to attend a white school where he struggles to fit in because he is a native but struggles to maintain relationships with his people on the reservation because he has left them to go to the white school. He is part-time Indian and part-time white but always the opposite of what he needs to be to fit in. Arnold is a freshman in high school when he gets suspended on the first day of class. He is not a bad kid, but it was a result of his reaction to seeing that the textbook he was given was the same one assigned to his mother 20 years before. In his frustration at the circumstances, he throws the book but hits the teacher in the face! Before his suspension is over the teacher pays him a visit and tells him to get off the reservation. This is how he comes to the decision to transfer the school 30 miles away...