New favorite author for kids

I happened to accidently read two books in a row by the same author, and after reading the first, Fish In a Tree, I didn't think the second, One for the Murphys, could possibly be as great as the first.  Well, I was so wrong.  Both books by Lynda Mullaly Hunt have been added to my go-to list of books to suggest when students, or adults, for that matter, are looking for something good to read.  

Fish in a Tree is about a smart girl that has made it to fifth grade while hiding a terrible secret from everyone.  She hides behind disruptive behavior and joking.  Her exasperated teacher has given up on her, often just sending her to the principal's office.  She suffers through the unwanted attention of bullies as well.  Then, she gets a new teacher, a kind man, who recognizes what she is doing and why.  Turns out, she can't read.  He draws her out, finds her gifts, and helps her begin to overcome her problem.  In One for the Murphys, the main character finds herself in foster care after her new step-father beats her and her mother, landing them both in the hospital.  She has had a rough life and finds the loving home she joined alien to her.  She honestly doesn't trust love and kindness when it is offered.  She is angry and resentful at first, then begins to hope for her own future.  It is about unconditional love.  If you think, however, you can guess how these books end, guess again.  They both end hopefully, but not with a fairytale happy ending.  This it what makes them so satisfying.

She has an amazing way of writing about complex feelings in a very relatable way.  Also, as a teacher, she really made me understand why children sometimes act out.  Why they act anti-social, aloof, or crack jokes at inappropriate times.  Both books make me want to be a better person.

Messy, much like life

I just read my first book by Hannah Moskowitz and it is so dense I am still thinking about it.  I believe it is a book that should be read, and yet, I can't say I love it.  Much like the main characters in Marco Impossible, and much like life, there are the high points, the low points, and the things that get in the way.

Marco and Stephen have been best friends since they were little, and now they are poised to graduate 8th grade.  Their favorite pastime is solving "cases" for which Stephen is the keeper of the notebook.  Their friendship has survived many trials: Marco being a bit of a jerk sometimes, Stephen always playing sidekick, and even Marco coming out as gay.  Their friendship is put to the test in every possible way when Marco decides to declare his crush on fellow classmate Benji at all places, senior prom.  Marco plans to go to attend a different high school, and Benji is leaving the next day to spend the summer in England.  What has Marco got to lose? Their crime-solving becomes planning a "heist" that allows them to sneak into prom where Benji and his bothers are in the band.  Marco doesn't even know if Benji likes boys or girls!  All they need to do is sneak out, forge permission letters to gain entry, come up with money, transportation, and tuxes.... all in one day.  What could go wrong!?!

Themes of family, bullying, taking advantage of friends, and standing up for yourself and for others are handled in a very honest way.  The book also handles the "guys can be friends with gay guys and not be gay" question quite well.  I can truly say that nothing ever turned out the way I thought.  This should be a good thing, but, it also felt very disjointed.  This "disjointed" feeling was underscored by the writing style, which seemed very run-on and did not work well with the way I read.  I found I had to stop and re-read often.  This is why I have a hard time loving this book, but, have no trouble recommending it.  It's messy, much like life

Bizarre little book

I seem to be on a Neil Gaiman, bizarre book trend.  I just finished Fortunately, the Milk, a tale that begins innocuously enough, with a morning trip to the store for milk.  Take a look at the cover, and you can see that it goes seriously off-track

Our intrepid hero manages to save the milk through some fantastic events, as related to his children, demanding to know what took so long.  It begins with alien abduction.  Fortunately, he, and the milk, escape, and while plummeting to certain death lands in the sea, only to be captured by pirates.  He (and the milk) talks his way off the pirate ship, where he is rescued by a time-traveling stegosaurus, flying in a "floaty-ball-person-carrier."  His fantastic tale is met with scepticism by his kids as the tale grows wilder.  There are piranhas, volcanoes, pink ponies, and, fortunately, the milk.  The illustrations of Skottie Young only add to the joy of the journey.  It's a wild ride!