How I Heard About It: I have had the privilege of getting to know Abby over the last several years. She has made many classroom visits to talk with my students about her novels Sticks and Stones and Bubbles. During one visit, she left my class with an arc of Bubbles. We were the first group of students to get to read/listen to that story. Abby's new novel will hit bookstores in October of 2019. Abby was kind enough to share an ARC of the book. I just finished and plan on sharing it with my students during January.
What It Is About - FIVE Things You Need to Know:
1. *Jade lives in a small town in Colorado. Many of the students at her school come and go quickly which makes it difficult to make long-standing friendships.
2. *Jade has tried to establish friendships, but for various reasons they haven't worked out. She decides to find friendship through her pen and paper.
3. *With encouragement from a teacher, Jade has begun writing in a special notebook. It is in this notebook that she creates a cast of characters and stories. Jade enjoys sharing these stories with her father who is dealing with health issues.
4. *A boy in Jade's class, Clue, has his own family health concerns. He doesn't share this part of his life with Jade. He spends a lot of time observing Jade writing in her notebook.
5. Clue takes the notebook and brings it to a "magical" body of water. It is here that he is able to bring Jade's "fictional" character Zoe to life in order to try out a "theory" for both Jade and himself.
What I Thought Of It: I remember reading Sticks and Stones and devouring it in a sitting or two. The same thing happened when I read Bubbles. It was exciting to learn that Abby was going to be coming out with a third novel. Abby hand delivered an ARC and I got to reading as soon as I got home. As soon as I began, I could tell it was going to be a top-notch story. I sometimes worry that authors won't be able to continue to write stellar stories like their first ones. That is not the case with Abby. I actually think this novel might be the best one yet. I really enjoyed the character of Jade. She is relatable, real, and authentic. There were so many wonderful and thought-provoking life lessons woven throughout the story. Abby included some important and thoughtful supporting characters that rounded out the story. Two of my favorites were her teacher Ms. Yang and her friend Clue. I'm looking forward to sharing this story with my fourth grade class after the holiday break.
Who Should Read It: Abby's books are perfect for a class read aloud. Kids love the way she weaves reality and fantasy together. Of course her novels are also perfect to put in the hands of individual readers. This particular story would be appropriate for readers in grades three through six. Of course it could also be given to middle-school readers. I highly recommend it for any and all readers. It is a strong story with great characters along with a page-turning plot. Happy Reading!
Rating: 5 STARS out of 5 Stars!
No comments:
Post a Comment