Simon Sort of Says by Erin Bow

"Who wouldn't want to live in a place with no internet and no cell phones and no TV or radio? Who wouldn't want to live surrounded by emu farms in a town that's half astrophysicists and half people who are afraid of their microwaves. I mean isn't that the American Dream? Hint: no."

I am only going to give brief details about the plot of this book because I do not want to spoil your reading experience. Erin Bow drops tiny hints (Betsy Bird calls them breadcrumbs) which gradually give you the details of what has happened to Simon back at his old school. Here are a few of them:

My father got fired - the hilarious reasons are outlined in chapter one. Simon's mother is an undertaker. Undertakers can work anywhere. "And that's why we came here. Anyway, that's what I tell people."

"I would have moved to Mars if it got me away from what happened in Omaha."

"I don't like the stiff and clearly brand-new backpack, but I never got the old one back ... "

"I was home-schooled all last year, and I asked my parents not to include the records from before that."

"The bell is loud - it's a real bell, being hit by a real hammer, sounding like a real emergency - and my body slams backwards into the chalkboard, the eraser tray jamming into my hip. But none of the other kids notice."

There are some terrific plot devices in this story - no internet means no one can Google Simon to find out about his past. The name of the town Grin and Bear It allows the author to create a small town in America with so many quirky shops and other businesses including the funeral home which is called Slaughter and Sons. I love the other fun towns Erin Bow "invents" (perhaps they are real) Truth or Consequences, New Mexico; Come by Chance, Newfoundland; and Intercourse, Pennsylvania. There are emus in this story which is funny to me because I am here in Australia - we never do find out why Agate's neighbour has an emu farm. I also adore the minor adult characters in this story - Simon's mum and dad just seem so real and Erin Bow describes them so well; Agate has a wonderful eclectic family and even though we don't meet her dad until the final chapters I just wanted to hug him and Mrs Van der Zwaan. Mum has a deep coffee addiction - so funny to me especially as a non-coffee person. Read this:

"I need a proper mocha ... seventy two percent dark Madagascar chocolate, microfoamed almond milk and two shots of espresso, Yirgicheff bean, lightly washed."

If you want to read more the Kirkus review contains the main plot spoiler.

Adroit, sensitive, horrifying, yet hilarious. Kirkus Star review

Betsy Bird sums up this idea too, of not spoiling the story:

I almost fear telling you too much about it, in case you don’t come to it with the same clean slate that I had. The fact of the matter is that Erin Bow has created a masterpiece of tone with this book. Combining a legitimately horrifying situation with humor, heart, and the occasional Jesus squirrel, this is both the funniest book you’ll read this year, and the best-written. Would that I were joking about that. In three words: I am not.

BUT Betsy does go on to say do not read her review if you want to avoid possible spoilers!

The book itself has this summary:

"Two years after a tragedy saddles him with viral fame, twelve-year-old Simon O'Keefe and his family move to Grin And Bear It, Nebraska, where the internet and cell phones are banned so (that) astrophysicists can scan the sky for signs of alien life, and where, with the help of two new friends, a puppy and a giant radio telescope, Simon plans to restart the narrative of his life."

I love the final words of Betsy Bird's review:

This is for the kid who likes their humor to be complicated, their writing to be scintillating, and to never, ever, know what an author is going to do next. One and all, please be so good as to meet the most memorable book of the year.

Here are some detailed discussion questions.

Some time ago I joined an online book discussion group. I don't read every book but this one intrigued me. I am about to do some traveling so I have bought a small Kindle and I added this book to my Kindle library. Over the last few days while I had a small mountain mini break I decided to test out reading on the Kindle and I picked this book as a perfect one to try. Simon sort of Says is such an engrossing story with a plot structure I really appreciate where the author gradually reveals past events and also where other kids, not by design or on purpose, gently help the main character recover from a trauma. I do like to highlight sections as I read and in the past with Kindle titles I previously easily did this on my ipad but it took me a few tries to master this on a different device. The highlighted notes give me access to text quotes and also jog my memory about plot details and also a way to join the online discussion questions posted earlier this year. 

Companion books:

The Probability of everything

The Midnight Children

The Science of Baking - Ada Twist Scientist - The Why Files - by Andrea Beaty and Dr Theanne Griffin

When I make a cake - something I do every week - I marvel that odd ingredients can meld together into something delicious. I cannot image eating a dish of flour or a raw egg but adding these to a cake recipe, baking it in an oven for less than an hour and voila - a cake emerges. YUM. Actually as I write this post my cake is in the oven - the smell is wafting around my house - banana walnut cake. 

Most libraries have good collections of books filled with recipes but this one is very different. Ada Twist, Scientist explains how baking actually works. She spends time explaining this one ingredient at a time - flour, sugar, butter or another fat, eggs, milk, baking powder (this has always been a mystery to me) and if you are making bread you can also read all about yeast. There is also so much science in baking - biology, chemistry, physics, and of course maths. This book also contains a recipe and a science experiment. The first modern pastry chef was Marie-Antoine Careme from France (1784-1833).

Yes this book is nonfiction, yes, it is contains all the relevant facts BUT it is also a joy to read because it is filled with fun illustrations and photos and has a big font and very appealing page layouts. 

If you have any of the Ada Twist book series by Andrea Beaty I highly recommend adding the four small non fiction books to your collection. 

Read a review of Ada Twist, Scientist from Kirkus

Check out all the books in the Questioneers Series:

The Questioneers Picture Book Series: Iggy Peck, Architect | Rosie Revere, Engineer | Ada Twist, Scientist | Sofia Valdez, Future Prez | Aaron Slater, Illustrator | Lila Greer, Teacher of the Year

The Questioneers Chapter Book Series: Rosie Revere and the Raucous Riveters | Ada Twist and the Perilous Pants | Iggy Peck and the Mysterious Mansion | Sofia Valdez and the Vanishing Vote | Ada Twist and the Disappearing Dogs | Aaron Slater and the Sneaky Snake

Questioneers: The Why Files Series: Exploring Flight! | All About Plants! | The Science of Baking | Bug Bonanza! | Rockin’ Robots!

Questioneers: Ada Twist, Scientist Series: Ghost Busted | Show Me the Bunny | Ada Twist, Scientist: Brainstorm Book | 5-Minute Ada Twist, Scientist Stories

The Questioneers Big Project Book Series: Iggy Peck’s Big Project Book for Amazing Architects | Rosie Revere’s Big Project Book for Bold Engineers | Ada Twist’s Big Project Book for Stellar Scientists | Sofia Valdez’s Big Project Book for Awesome Activists | Aaron Slater’s Big Project Book for Astonishing Artists

Weird Little Robots by Carolyn Crimi illustrated by Corinna Luyken

 

Penny Rose loves creating things from found and recycled materials. Her latest project is the creation of five robots. 

"She had made them with odd items that pleased her, like a meat thermometer, a cell phone, a calculator, a pair of old dentures. One robot had a marble eye that Penny Rose had found in the town graveyard."

The robots have cute names: iPam, Fraction, Clunk, Sharpie and Data. On the night of her birthday something happens to her robots - something magical:

"And maybe it was the force of her determination, or a few stray whiskers from her cat, Arvid, or that northerly wind blowing in through the window that changed every single item in that shed on that cool September afternoon. Or maybe it was simply a desperate wish from a lonely girl."

Her family have just moved to this new town and Penny Rose would like a friend. Her robots are her friends but there is a girl right across the road called Lark. Perhaps there is a way Lark might become her friend. Sure, this can happen but there will be complications along the way along with some special discoveries about those quirky robots who now seem to have their own agenda. 

This is a sweet little story about the importance of friendship and the wonderful things that can happen if you believe in magic and there is just the right amount of tension to keep you turning the pages. I think readers aged 8+ will enjoy this book. I do like the subtitle: Two science geeks, five robots. One incredible adventure.

Penguin Random House blurb: Eleven-year-old Penny Rose has just moved to a new town, and so far the robots she builds herself are her only company. But with just a bit of magic, everything changes: she becomes best friends with Lark, has the chance to join a secret science club, and discovers that her robots are alive. Penny Rose hardly remembers how lonely she used to feel. But then a fateful misstep forces her to choose between the best friend she’s always hoped for and the club she’s always dreamed of, and in the end it may be her beloved little robots that pay the price.

Here is a set of teaching notes and questions from the US publisher Candlewick. The US copy has a different cover:

There are so many things to love about this charming little tale of friendship and creativity, science and magic. The girls are interesting and interested in the world around them. But it's the robots who steal the show. Reading Style

Carolyn Crimi’s prose is crisp and inviting. Believable dialogue helps move the story forward as does the overall paragraph/chapter structure. Corinna Luyeken’s sweet illustration have an earnestness to them that adds emotion and light throughout. Cracking the Cover

You can see books by Caroline Crimi on her web site. Here are some other books illustrated by Corinna Luyken:

A Field Guide to Getting Lost by Joy McCullough

Sutton is worried. Her dad has a new 'girl friend'. Does this mean he plans to marry Elizabeth? Does this mean two people will move into their small apartment? Or will Sutton and her dad have to move to the suburbs of Seattle? Elizabeth has a son called Luis. Luis is so very different from Sutton. How can they ever be friends? And then there is the issue of Sutton's mother who is working in Antarctica. Sutton is sad that her parents are divorced but at least mum does live in the same building except these days she is never home because she is studying emperor penguins and with climate change her study time is unpredictable. Mum's return will be delayed and she won't arrive home in time for Sutton's tenth birthday.  Life seems way too hard for Sutton right now and her bot programming is not working out either.

Sutton loves science. She is working on a program for her bot (small robot). Dad is keen for Sutton to like Elizabeth and to make friends with Luis but the outings he organises seem doomed to fail. They go to the Museum of Popular Culture. Luis loves Star Wars and Harry Potter but these references are a mystery to Sutton. In a way these two kids are polar opposites - science brain versus imagination. The next outing is a hike at Discovery Park which has 12 miles of trails. The biggest complication here is Luis and his allergies. He is allergic to bees, peanuts and dairy. His mum is naturally very protective but on the hike Sutton and Luis are separated from the adults and things do go terribly wrong. These kids, though, are resilient and together they can survive.

A field guide to getting lost is an easy novel to read, I did care about the characters, and I enjoy books with alternating voices. The sense of community in the final scene made me smile. It reminded me of the final scene in The View from the 32nd Floor and the community of Hazel Green (Odo Hirsch). There are a lot of "issues" in this middle grade story but they are handled with a light touch. If you know a middle grade reader who has allergies to various foods and bees this book could be somewhat reassuring showing there are ways to cope when things get tough especially when you have the support of a good friend (and a mum who truly cares about you).

With chapters switching narrative focus between the two protagonists, their inner turmoil is handled with sensitivity, creating a character-driven tale that doesn’t skimp on plot. Kirkus

You can read the first chapter on the Simon and Schuster web pages. Here is an interview with Joy McCullough. Thanks to Beachside Bookshop for my advance reader copy of A field guide to getting lost which was published in April.

I would follow A field guide to getting lost with:

To Night Owl from Dogfish

The Junkyard wonders by Patricia Polacco

"Mrs Peterson showed us how to shine."

"In my old school ... all the kids knew that I had just learned to read ... that I used to be dumb. Everyone knew that I was always in special classes."

Sadly Trisha finds herself in the special class in her new school and even worse this class is called The Junkyard.  Luckily this class has the  best teacher!  Her name is Mrs Peterson and she looks at her class and sees a group of wonderful individuals.

Genius is neither learned not acquired.
It is knowing without experience.
It is risking without fear of failure.
...
It is imagination without boundaries.
It is creativity with out constraints.

The class form tribes.  I love the way this is done using scents - vanilla, almond, lemon and cinnamon. The talents of each child emerges.  Jody loves poetry, Gibbie loved to building things, Thom made everyone laugh and Trisha can draw. Mrs Peterson tells them the junkyard is a place "full of wondrous possibilities! What some see as bent and broken throwaways are actually amazing things waiting to be made into something new. Something unexpected. Something surprising."

The Vanilla team find an old wrecked model airplane and so their project begins - to get this plane into the air and make it fly to the moon.  They raise money for a motor and prepare for the school science fair.  There are obstacles of course.  Some of them seem insurmountable and totally unfair but this tribe keep persevering right up to the big launch day.

If the ending does not move you to tears the final page will.  Here you can read that this book was inspired by a real class of wonders and a real teacher called Mrs Peterson and yes the author Patricia was in her class.

This is a truly special and important book which I would like to share with all senior classes.  We have purchased this book to support a class unit on the book Wonder and it seems to be the perfect partner.  Take a look at Patricia Polacco's web site.  She is the author of 115 books!  You can see some books below which also feature wonderful teachers like Mrs Peterson.

• Teaching activities
• Trailer
• Vocabulary ideas
• Publisher notes and discussion questions

Tomato Dynamite by Sharyn Eastaugh illustrated by Mitch Vane

Do you love the taste of a delicious tomato?  My friend at Kinderbookswitheverything blogged recently about tomatoes in picture books.  There are not very many especially when compared with apples and potatoes but I did enjoy Oh, No! Monster Tomato.

When I looked in our school library I found a little Aussie Bite book I had not read called Tomato Dynamite. Strictly speaking this is not exactly a book about tomatoes - rather the dynamite that might come from an old jar of tomato pickles.  Jack is a scientist.  He loves to experiment and explore the properties of things.  Finding a jar of old pickles labelled "Devil's own Hot Tomato Pickle 1984" is an object full of possibilities for Jack but first he has to convince Mrs Thomas, his neighbor and babysitter, to give it to him.

"I needed that jar.  It was the key to my future.  With that jar of tomato dynamite, I could make scientific breakthroughs. ... I really wanted to change the world.  I wanted to very badly."  Jack invents a story about a fictitious Uncle who works for the council waste disposal department.  Mrs Thomas believes him and hands over the jar.  Jack is delighted.

He spends several weeks conducting experiments.  Sadly nothing explodes but there is an awful smell - "an evil stench of incredible nastiness" that comes out of the jar.  Meanwhile Jack has to attend the dreaded school swimming carnival. Jack cannot swim and so he has to participate in a silly bubble blowing game in the baby pool.  He is desperate to avoid this embarrassment.

How will this jar of tomato pickles save the day?

Aussie Bites are perfect for newly independent readers and this one will certainly make you smile.  Mitch Vane adds his little cartoon illustrations which add to the fun.

Violet Mackerel's Natural Habitat

Violet Mackerel is a determined, honest, helpful little girl with a lovely view of life. I thoroughly enjoyed the first two installments in this series and so when I saw Violet Mackerel’s Natural Habitat at the local public library I grabbed it with both hands and when I arrived home I read it all in one quick gulp. I was not disappointed.

In this third book Violet is focused on the natural world although oddly enough this interest starts in the food court of a large shopping centre where she sees a little sparrow flying up near the ceiling. While Violet is thinking about birds and small creatures her sister Nicola is struggling with a school project where she has to make a natural science display.

Saturday is the day this family travel to the local market to sell Mum’s knitting but this week Nicola and Violet are left at home. The previous evening Violet has created a jar habitat for a small ladybird she has seen in the garden. Into her jar she places a flower, silver tinsel, a few tiny drops of water and a small, clear, rainbow pebble. She names the little beetle Small Gloria and falls asleep happy that she has a new friend in a jar beside her bed.

Violet needs to learn some things about habitats but out of her sadness comes the discovery that Nicola, with Violet’s help and good ideas, can make something absolutely unique for the science display.

Walker books have been very clever with this series. The cover designs are charming and the little hardcover editions very appealing. The US ones are nothing like our Australian ones. I now see from Violet’s own web site book four has been released too! These books are perfect for younger readers who are ready for short chapter books. The illustrations add a special vibrancy to the stories. I will now hunt for book four.