New Books for a New Year

Most teachers’ bookshelves are stuffed with favorites and barely have room for any new titles. But updating your shelves with some of these books, all published in 2016, will be worth reorganizing and rearranging those jam-packed bookcases. Here are some you just might want to choose.

The Quickest Kid in Clarksville by Pat Zietlow Miller

Wilma Rudolph is returning to her hometown, Clarksville, to be honored in a parade celebrating her three Olympic gold medals in the 1960 games. Inspired by Wilma, two girls in Clarksville challenge each other to be the “quickest kid in Clarksville.” In their quest of this dream, they learn important lessons about determination, cooperation, and friendship. The energetic artwork and rhythmic language make the book appealing to kids. The backstory at the end, tells the story of Wilma Rudolph, her accomplishments, her challenges and her contribution to fighting segregation. This book would be inspirational for any age child and would be a great book to kick off a field day or athletic school event.

Horrible Bear! by Amy Dyckman

A “horrible” bear breaks a little girl’s kite. And the little girl is absolutely furious until she accidentally breaks an ear off of her favorite stuffie. Although the story is pretty simple, a first grade class I read it to impressed me by how much they enjoyed the book, how well they could discuss options for dealing with anger, and most importantly understood the power of an apology. They also had a great time chiming in on the repeated refrain, “horrible bear.” This is one book that’s meant to be shared.

The Secret Subway by Shana Corey for the “Dreamers Who Do”

One of my all-time favorite quotes is: “The world needs dreamers and the world needs doers but most of all, the world needs dreamers who do.” Inspire your students to be “doing- dreamers” like the inventor, Alfred Ely Beach, who designed the New York subway system based on the idea ofmail processing tubes. (Did YOU know that? I didn’t! I’m not sure I would have felt safe on the subway if I had known.) And as a bonus, tie this to current events- NYC just built its first new subway line in a LONG TIME! Do a little research, there are some great articles and videos online that describe building the subway line and just HOW LONG it takes! Spoiler alert- it’s a loooonnnngg time.This non-fiction story is interesting, inspiring and fact-filled. The illustrations are interesting and the story is a great reminder of how important everyday heroes are. Also, last spoiler: our hero, Alfred Ely Beach, fails. And if we’ve learned anything from our heroes, we’ve learned that we need to fail to succeed. Dream big and inspire your students to learn about someone is known less but accomplished much.

PAX by Sara Pennypacker "the book everyone is talking about"

When I checked out at the Scholastic Book Fair, the cashier stopped to talk about this book. As soon as the Junie B Jones author started writing for older students, we were all going to pay attention. This book doesn’t disappoint. Pax is a fox turned pet that is abandoned by his “boy” at the beginning of the book. Like any good main character, the boy realizes his mistake and heads on an adventure that takes him through homemade crutches and the war his father fighting.

This is a perfect pick for the boys in your class who are obsessed with war and adventure. The story has some slow points but also a few epic one liners about life. It’s going to make you ask some tough questions about being wild or war-sick. As with any book centered on an animal, expect a little heartbreak and some deep love.

Someday, I hope to be as good of a person as my dog thinks I am.

Maybe a Fox by Kathi Appelt and Alison Mcghee

You really have to be okay with sad to want to read this book. But it is a book that addresses grief and ways to deal with grief and would probably appeal to many of your students. Jules, an 11-year old girl, loses her best friend/sister when she falls into a river and is never seen again. After her sister disappears a fox is born who has some kind of deep connection to Jules. The baby fox, named Senna, knows she was born to help this sad girl. I didn’t actually mean to pick two “fox” books, but I think animals are easy for kids to empathize with and, therefore, help kids understand and deal with tragedies. It’s a tough book. It’s a creative book with its inclusion of the baby fox. And it’s a book that helps kids realize that there are some terrible things people have to deal with in life (and if they are dealing with something – maybe makes them realize they aren’t alone).