It’s Monday! What are You Reading? 6/25/18

Summer is the time for spending time with my beagle girls and reading books! Beagles and Books is excited to share another edition of It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR is a community of bloggers who link up to share what they are reading. Kellee Moye of Unleashing Readers and Jen Vincent of Teach Mentor Texts decided to give it a #kidlit focus and encourage everyone who participates to visit at least 3 of the other #kidlit book bloggers that link up and leave comments for them.

Our Reads This Week:

The Boy, the Boat and the Beast by Samantha M. Clark

A boy appears on a deserted beach.  He is wearing navy blue swim trunks and a yellow t-shirt with the words IN REAL LIFE I’M A PIRATE.  His head is sore but has no idea of who he is or how he got on the beach.

With every page, the boy attempts to figure out what happened.  Seeing a light, he is convinced that it is his parents looking for him and is determined to follow this light which disappears and reappears throughout the story.  An internal voice of a bully taunts and puts him down and a half bear half wolf beast pursues him, but the boy remains hopeful for a happy ending to his story and perseveres in spite of being frightened and alone.  Every few chapters an omniscient narrator shares some insights to the plot but it is not until the last few chapters that the narrator reveals its identity.

The Boy, the Boat and the Beast immediately pulled me in, and I couldn’t let go until I read the last page.  And even after that last page, I immediately wanted to re-read the novel again to find those clues that author Samantha Clark masterly hid so subtly within the text.  Without giving the plot away, my advice is to add this original and thrilling novel to your TBR stack and then move it to the top. It is a compelling story of hope, courage, and redemption.

A very special thanks to Samantha Clark and Simon and Schuster for sending  The Boy, the Boat and the Beast to my #bookexcursion group.  It celebrates its book birthday tomorrow on July 26, 2018.

Annie B., Made for T.V. by Amy Dixon

Annie Brown and Savannah Summerlyn are best friends, well, almost-always best friends. Eleven year old Annie is a “wrinventor” or in other words, a writer-inventor and has a knack for not only creating inventions such as Feelings Folder and Sticky Buttons but also writing commercials to market them.  Savannah though excels at everything and at times, Annie gets tired of being Savannah’s perpetual sidekick.

When Savannah sees an audition flyer for a kids web show called The Cat’s Meow, she immediately thinks of Annie as a shoo-in for the show’s host. Auditions do not go according to plan, and Savannah is instead chosen as host.  Annie is once again relegated to sidekick when she is given the opportunity to try out for the show’s writing team.  And their friendship is further strained when Savannah accidentally reads lines that Annie never intended on Savannah seeing.  Will Annie and Savannah’s friendship be able to get past this bump in the road?

Maintaining friendships throughout elementary school years can be tough.  Annie B. Made for TV reminds us that no friendship is perfect but the best friendships are those where each person is truly happy to see the other get the things they want.  In addition, Annie B. celebrates those who assist or are on the sidelines for “when you are good at a job that no one really sees, you might not be the only everyone gets excited about, but without you, it would have never happened.” As a teacher of elementary students, this is an important message for young readers.

A very special thanks to Amy Dixon for sending an ARC of Annie B. to my #bookexcursion group. It recently published last week so go get your copy now.

Jack B. Ninja by Tim McCanna Illustrated by Stephen Savage

In this original twist to the classic nursery rhyme, author Tim McCanna has recasted Jack B. Nimble as Jack B. Ninja.  On a secret mission to find a stolen treasure chest, Jack B. Ninja must not only be nimble and quick but also quiet, bold, and brave.  When he gets stuck and spotted by the bandit crew, Jack B. Ninja must use his tools and skills to escape.  Will he successfully complete his quest?

I have no doubt that young children will thoroughly delight in having Jack B. Ninja read aloud.  Illustrator Stephen Savage’s bold artwork of simple shapes, lines, and colors literally jump off the pages.

A very special thanks to Stephen Savage for sending a F & G copy of Jack B. Ninja to my #bookexcursion group.  You better be nimble and quick because Jack B. Ninja releases tomorrow on July 26, 2018.

Etta’s and Bella’s Dog Pick of the Week:

Wanting to spread the dog love, Beagles and Books has a weekly feature of highlighting a literary selection with a canine main character.

Sterling, Best Dog Ever by Aidan Cassie

Sterling is determined to find a home.  Sleeping outside the Butlery Cutlery Company, he sneaks into a box of forks that are delivered to the Gilbert family.  When the family opens the box and finds Sterling, the mom and dad are perplexed but the daughter ‘s and her baby sister’s smiles say it all.  Sterling strives to be the best fork ever but soon discovers that perhaps, the family doesn’t need a fork.  Being adaptable, Sterling attempts to be a whisk, a rolling pin, and even a stick but none of these tools seems to make him or the daughter happy.  Will Sterling ever realizes his one and only job is to just be himself?

Sterling is a heartwarming yet humorous story about learning to be comfortable in your own skin or in Sterling’s case, fur. The rich and colorful illustrations beautifully complement the plot and depict not only Sterling’s determination to be needed and useful but also the little girl’s true desire to have a dog of her own to love.   I can’t wait to share Sterling with students in the fall!  If you need any more convincing, get a sneak peek of Sterling by viewing the trailer below.

A very special thank you to Aidan Cassie and Macmillian Kids for sending Sterling to my #bookexcursion group.  Pre-order now so that Sterling appears in your mailbox promptly on July 10, 2018, its release date.

Etta, Bella, and I thank you for visiting Beagles and Books.  Happy Reading!