Intro
Hi and welcome to Books Between - a podcast for teachers, parents, librarians, and anyone who wants to connect middle grade kids between 8-12 to books they’ll love. I’m your host, Corrina Allen - a teacher, a mom of two, battling a sore throat, but excited that I finally got to see the Fantastic Beasts movie last weekend! I gotta say - Jacob & Queenie were the best part for me.
This is Episode #12 and today we’re talking about gift ideas for middle grade readers, three novels with incredibly brave protagonists, and I’ll answer a listener’s question about keeping kids engaged when you read out loud.
Main Topic - Gifts Ideas for Middle Grade Readers
December is here and for many, December brings holidays that involve gift-giving. So if you have a child between the ages of about 8 and 12 on your list this year, I have some bookish ideas for you.
My first suggestion is, whenever possible, ask the child what they’d like that would be book related. And gift cards to local bookstores are always perfect as well so they can pick something they will love themselves. A friend of mine follows the philosophy of limiting holiday gifts to four categories: Want, Need, Wear, and Read. He gives each of his children a piece of paper divided into four sections and they list some items they want, some things they really need, some ideas of what they’d like to wear, and a list of things they want to read. Want, Need, Wear, Read. I really like that idea of giving children a focus, and of course the emphasis it places on reading.
But - if you’re not sure what books they’d like or you want to surprise them, here are four suggestions for you.
#1 - Try a biography that is connected to their hobbies or interests. For example, if they like art, you could get them the Who Was Frida Kahlo? Biography. (I haven’t read that one myself, but if my daughter sneak reading it under her blankets with a flashlight is any recommendation for you - it seems pretty good!) If they are into sports, a really great collection of real-life stories is Rising Above: How 11 Athletes Overcame Challenges in Their Youth to Become Stars. If you have a young dancer if your life, definitely get them the new Misty Copeland biography called Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina. That one is brand new and out December 6th. For the science-loving tweens and teens on your list, Phineas Gage: A Gruesome but True Story About Brain Science is awesome! Who can resist a book with “gruesome” in the title?
#2 - Build on a book they already like. For example, you could get a Diary of a Wimpy Kid calendar or one of the many fantastic Harry Potter coloring books. My girls loved those when we were listening to the audio books. You can also get their favorite book as a charm to put on a bracelet or necklace. I’ll link to that Etsy shop in the show notes. Another idea is to get them the audio version of a favorite book so they can experience the performance of that story. And hey - maybe even get them their own Audible account.
#3 - Pair a book with another gift so you build on the excitement. What I mean by that is if you give your nephew a LEGO kit, also get him the bold and colorful book 365 Things to Do with LEGO Bricks. If you get your daughter a science kit, include a biography of Marie Curie as some inspiration. You might pair an apron and set of cookie cutters with Cooking Class: 57 Fun Recipes Kids Will Love to Make (and Eat!). If you are getting your child a telescope, maybe add a copy of The Everything Kids’ Astronomy Book. A hot gift for my 9 year old lately are those fashion kits where she can make her own headbands and bracelets - you know, the stuff that leaves beads scattered all over your house! But - a great book to pair with a present like that is The Fashion Book by DK Publishing. It connects historical trends with modern fashion - it’s pretty cool. That’s one of those books that I want to buy for my kids so I can read it, too.
#4 - Get them a Mail Order Mystery. Now - I want to say upfront that I have no connection to this company. They are not paying me. I simply saw their ad online, got it for my girls as something fun to do over the summer, and it was great. Every week for about six weeks, my daughters got personalized wax-sealed letters describing the mystery they had to solve, artifacts connected to the story, riddles, and a code to crack that my whole family was working on together. It was so much fun - for all of us! The final package included a book that tied everything together. And if you have more than one child - no worries - they can share it and work together and the company will include all their names on the personalized items. So here’s how it works. You go to MailOrderMystery.com and pick one of three mystery options. The first two are Treasure Hunt (which is a pirate adventure) and The Enchanted Slumber (which is the mystery we did and it was fairy tale themed). The new mystery, which was revealed in their newsletter last week is called Spies, Lies, and Serious Badguys and will feature a secret safe disguised as a book, a personalized secret agent ID card, invisible ink pen, and so much other cool stuff. So after you’ve decided which of those three mysteries you want, you pick who it’s for, and then you get to decide when it will start. Also - if you are sometimes a last-minute shopper, this is a perfect quick gift. You just sign up online, print out a cool looking certificate to tuck in a card or roll up into a cool scroll, and BAM - awesome gift. It’s really tailor made for kids between 8 and 12.
I hope you’ve gotten some fresh ideas for any middle grade reader on your list this year. And I would love to get your ideas and share them with everyone else! You can tag me on Twitter or Instagram or email me at booksbetween@gmail.com and I’ll share your ideas, too!
Book Talk - Three Books Featuring Brave Girls
In this part of the show, I share with you three books centered around a theme and discuss three things to love about each book. This week I’m featuring three books with courageous female leads: Finding Perfect, Sticks & Stones, and Rain Reign.
Finding Perfect
The first book this week is one that I have been wanting to share with you since - jeesh, I think June! Finding Perfect is by debut author Elly Schwartz. And actually, I should clarify that - this is Schwartz’s first published novel but not the first she’s written. This novel doesn’t read like a first effort - it’s crafted like a novelist at the top of their game. Okay - I could keep gushing, but you probably want to know what the book is about. So a quick summary. Finding Perfect is about 12-year-old Molly Nathans who is always striving toward perfect. Perfectly sharpened pencils, perfectly crisp white paper, perfectly aligned glass figurines, and a perfectly safe and together family. And that last wish for family perfection is the one that seems to set her on a downward path when her Mom moves out and Molly spirals into her OCD. So here are three things to love about Finding Perfect:
“As time slips, it’s hard to hide
To keep my crazy tucked inside.”
Finding Perfect reminded me a bit of Raymie Nightingale and I have to give a shout out to the cover design. It is simply perfect - and has the BEST spine design I have ever seen.
Sticks & Stones
Book number two this week is Sticks & Stones by Abby Cooper - another debut author who seems like she’s been around forever. This is the story of middle schooler, Elyse, who has this very unusual condition where the words that people say about her appear on her skin. It’s called, well, I can’t pronounce it - and honestly I don’t think Elyse can either. But it’s shortened, mercifully, to CAV. Now, I will say at first that the rational, scientific side of my brain had a hard time suspending disbelief about verbalized words getting etched into skin. BUT. Once I could shush that side, I just fell in love with this story and with Elyse. So, the main character has this condition, she’s starting middle school, her friendships are shifting (like they do in middle school), and with the encouragement from an anonymous person writing her mysterious notes, Elyse decides to be brave and go for this elite position in her school called Explorer Leader.
And in the midst of all this, her disorder takes a turn and it’s not just others’ words that are etched into her skin, but her own thoughts about herself start to appear on her arms and legs. How powerfully symbolic is that?
So, if you’re not sold already, here are three more reasons to love Sticks & Stones:
In each letter, Elyse reflects on how things are going and lists some new goals. I really loved how those letters anchored the story.
“Remember, someone is always going to have something bad to say. But can you remember the good you’ve done? The good you ARE?”
I think that message is so important for middle grade readers who are sometimes focused so much on other people liking them. I remember those years myself - they were rough.
Sticks & Stones is about friendship, and boys, and learning what actions to take to be more comfortable with yourself. This book would be particularly powerful for middle grade girls.
Rain Reign
Our final featured book this week is Ann M. Martin’s Rain Reign. For the last two years, I don’t think there’s been a month that’s gone by where I haven’t been conferencing with a student who has been reading this book or reading it out loud to my daughters. One of the joys of being a teacher is getting to dip back into those favorite books. So, Rain Reign is a story told by 5th grader Rose Howard, who loves routines, collecting homonyms, and prime numbers. She lives with her dad, who is not the best care-taker for her. And she lives with her dog, who she calls Rain. And, in her own words says “My official diagnosis is high-functioning autism, which some people call Asperger’s syndrome”. One night, after a hurricane has caused flooding and destruction, Rose’s father lets Rain outside and now she’s missing. Because of that, Rose has to be brave, break out of her routine, and try to find her dog. And that’s just the beginning of her bravery. Alright, so - here are three fantastic things about Rain Reign.
“ Some of the things I get teased about are following the rules and always talking about homonyms. Mrs. Leibler is my aide and she sits with me in Mrs. Kushel’s room. She sits in an adult-size chair next to my fifth-grade-size chair and rests her hand on my arm when I blurt something out in the middle of math. Or, if I whap myself in the head and start to cry, she’ll say, ‘Rose, do you need to step into the hall for a moment?’”
I think most people who have spent any kind of time in a school will find that scene very familiar. Having it told from the point of view of the child with autism is so important.
Q & A
Our third and final segment this week is Question & Answer time.
Question:
Today’s question is from Sarah in Arlington, Texas.( And Hey Sarah - thanks for listening!) She asks, “My kids don't seem like they’re paying attention when I read aloud. How can keep them more interested?”
Answer:
First of all, I hear ya! Between my own kids and “kids” at school - I feel like I am always assessing their attention and interest. So I have a few thoughts, and hopefully you, listening, might chime in as well.
SO I know sometimes that we have this idealized image in our mind of our loving children nestled in our lap, taking in every word of what we’re reading, but - truthfully that doesn’t always happen that way. The main thing is to not give up on that daily read aloud time.
Closing
Alright, that’s it for the Q&A section this week. If you have a question about how to connect kids between 8-12 to books they’ll love or an idea about a topic we should cover, I really 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.
Thank you so much for joining me this week. You can get a full transcript of this show and all of our previous episodes at AlltheWonders.com. And when you are there, take some time to read a great post about Raina Telgemeier’s Ghosts by Mel Schuit. And, if you are liking the show, I’d love it if you helped others find us by sharing on social media or leaving a rating on iTunes or Stitcher.
Thanks and see you in two weeks! Bye!