The days are getting brighter. Driving home at around 5:00 last night, it was still light – dimly, but still. Red Sox pitchers and catchers report to spring training on February 15. There are hopeful signs.
And new books! My spring school shopping list is getting long with highly anticipated releases coming out over the next few months. Here are four I’m particularly looking forward to:
Caldecott-winning illustrator Dan Santat’s graphic memoir (February 28)
Leeva at Last by Sara Pennypacker. A novel with pictures by Matthew Cordell (March 7)
Nic Blake and the Remarkables by Angie Thomas, the author of the YA novel The Hate U Give – her first middle grade novel (April 4)
The Book of Turtles by naturalist Sy Montgomery – and one of the best book covers of the spring (May 2)
In the meantime, there are so many other books to read! I’m thrilled that Freewater by Amina Luquman-Dawson won both the 2023 Newbery and Coretta Scott King Awards.
Coretta Scott King Book Awards Chair Jason Driver, said “Freewater is a beautifully written and captivating historical novel. Ms. Luqman-Dawson explores the complexities of the slave plantation and living in a secret maroon community.” Freewater was published in January 2022, and I read it over the summer. Once I began reading about Homer and his little sister, Ada, escaping a plantation where they are enslaved, I could not put it down, and I recommended it for our 5th and 6th graders learning about the Civil War. This is the best kind of historical fiction: adventurous, compelling, and well researched. Before reading Freewater, I had never heard about the Southern swamps (maroon communities) where escaped slaves lived in hiding. It is a fascinating piece of American history.
Christina Soontornvat’s fantasy novel, The Last Mapmaker, was named a Newbery Honor Book. Erin, an Inly student and avid reader, agrees with the award committee’s decision. She loved the novel, but reports that it’s a good book to read “without a lot of distractions around.”
Caroline, an Upper Elementary student, recommends Louisa June and the Nazis in the Waves by L.M. Elliott. “Reading this book is a good way to learn about WWII,” she told me.
Finally, a word about Hot Dog by Doug Salati – the winner of this year’s Caldecott Award, the “most distinguished American picture book for children.”
When Mary and I first read Hot Dog, we knew it was a special book. The Horn Book described it as “a breath of fresh air from start to finish.” At the story’s center is a little dog who is literally hot – and the noise and crowds of the city are overwhelming. Recognizing (and sharing) her pet’s exhaustion, his owner gets them both to the beach for some fresh air. The contrast between the busy city streets and the sand and waves is dramatic. Even readers experiencing the shift on paper rather than in “real” life, can feel the rejuvenating effect of the relative quiet and the space to run. It’s one of my favorite picture books of the past ten years – I even bought a copy for myself.
What I’m reading – but just starting:
Happy Reading!
Sommer Reading 