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Author Archives: Sally Snyder
Friday Reads: Let It Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle
Three stories, or novellas, by three different authors are interconnected in a satisfying way and will appeal to teens and adults.
The first story is “The Jubilee Express” by Maureen Johnson. It is about Jubilee (or Julie when she doesn’t want to explain her name) and her sudden, unexpected trip to Florida to visit her grandparents. En route she is stranded in Gracetown when her passenger train runs into a pile of snow during a Christmas Eve blizzard. It makes sense to leave the train for the warm, inviting Waffle House just in view.
“A Cheertastic Christmas Miracle” by John Green is the second story. Tobin will spend Christmas with his two friends as his parents are stuck in Boston due to the blizzard. Then another friend calls from the Waffle House that there are 14 cheerleaders there from the stranded train and a couple more guys are needed (but not too many more!).
The third story, “The Patron Saint of Pigs” by Lauren Myracle tells of Addie, who recently cheated-on and felt she had to break-up with her boyfriend, and is in despair. Her two best friends are not letting her dwell in her misery and insist she try to think of others instead of just herself. So she decides to be someone else’s “angel” as penance for her mistake.
How does this all come together? While romantic and festive, the stories are not sugary sweet and the separate plots are brought to heartwarming and gratifying conclusions. As Booklist noted, “A delightful read any time of the year.” (9/5/08)
Does this sound like a good choice to you? This is a title you can find in our Book Club Kits. Reserve it for your book club for something light, yet also substantial.
Green, John, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle. Let It Snow. Speak, 2008.
What’s Sally Reading?
Teens Top Ten
Recently the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a section of the American Library Association (ALA) announced this year’s Teens Top Ten. The titles are voted on by teens across the country from a list created by 15 designated teen groups in the U.S. The 2018 Teens’ Top Ten PDF with annotations.
The list of 25 titles the teens chose from is also available. Additionally, any reader from age 12 to 18 can nominate a title to be considered for the list by going to the nomination form.
You can learn more about the Teens Top Ten by visiting YALSA’s website for it.
One of the Top Ten I have read that is intriguing and complicated (in a good way) is Warcross by Marie Lu. Emika Chen (18) is one of the millions of players who log into Warcross every day. The virtual reality game began 10 years ago, and now it has become a way of life. Emika, a top coder and bounty hunter, is not your average Warcross player. Desperate for money to pay her bills, she risks everything by hacking into the Warcross championships, but instead she glitches herself into the game and everyone sees her true identity. Emika believes she will be arrested, but instead the game’s creator has other plans. Billionaire Hideo Tanaka decides to pay off Emika’s debt and offer her a job. Will Emika accept the bounty job and help uncover a sinister plot against the Warcross game and its players? Action-packed science fiction novel that will keep you guessing until the very end! Plus the sequel, Wildcard, came out in September (I haven’t read it yet).
(The Nebraska Library Commission receives free copies of children’s and young adult books for review from a number of publishers. After review, the books are distributed free, via the Regional Library Systems, to Nebraska school and public libraries.)
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National Book Award 2018 Longlist for Young People’s Literature
The National Book Award organization recently announced their longlists for the selected categories of literature. Here are the ten books on their longlist for young people. The winners will be announced on November 14, 2018.
Some I have read and some I haven’t even seen yet. Time to go to the library! You can challenge the young people in your community to vote on the title they think will win and display the local winner in your library. Or, you can ask them to vote for their favorite title in the Teens’ Top Ten event by October 13!
Friday Reads: How We Roll by Natasha Friend
I borrowed How We Roll from the library as I enjoy this author’s work and had not seen her newest book until I ran across it on their “New Books” shelf.
Quinn (high school freshman) and her family have moved from Colorado to Massachusetts for a new school for her younger brother, Julius, who is on the autism spectrum. This is good for Quinn, too. She has lost all of her hair to alopecia and a fresh start is great since Colorado is where her friends backed away from her and then there was a sexual harassment episode that wouldn’t go away. Now, in Gulls Head, Mass. She will wear a wig and no one will know about her alopecia. Instead she worries the wig will fall off or move, and it itches like crazy.
At her new school she makes friends and learns a bit about Nick who is in a wheelchair and not friendly in study hall. He has his reasons for being rude.
Good friends are worth gold, and Quinn has found them at her new school, though she is afraid to trust them at first. Helping her brother can be tough, but he is only being himself. Now a potential new friend for her, Nick has his own issues but also begins to show a considerate side.
As SLJ mentions, readers of The Running Dream or The Fault in Our Stars will likely pick this one up.
And please accept my deep apologies for posting this very late “Friday Reads!”
Friend, Natasha. How We Roll, 2018. Print.
Youth Grants for Excellence Applications due 10/15/18
The Nebraska Library Commission announces that grants are available to accredited public libraries and state-run institutional libraries for special projects in the area of children’s and young adult services. These grants are awarded to encourage innovation and expansion of public library services for youth and their parents or caregivers. Applications will be accepted for projects in an area that will benefit children and/or teens and which you see as a need in your community; for examples see the “Introduction” link below.
Log in to the NCompass Live program on September 19 where Sally Snyder will tell you how to “Get a Youth Grant for Excellence.”
There are two different application forms. For projects requesting $250 – $1,000 in grant funds use the abbreviated, or short form. Applications requesting more than $1,000 must use the long form. Please be sure to use the correct form for your project. Please go to the “Introduction” page for links to the forms (at the bottom of the page).
The minimum amount that will be awarded per grant is $250 and the grants require a 25% match of the requested amount. This means the minimum total project cost will be $313, with your library providing at least $63 ($25 cash and $38 in-kind, remember to round up to full dollars) for the 25% match required. Use the Project Budget Form at the end of the application form to estimate the amount you will need and to itemize specific expenses. You are advised to be as precise and detailed as possible.
You are welcome to call or email Sally Snyder with questions or to ask for more information.
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Teens’ Top Ten Voting is Now Open!
See the announcement from YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), and encourage teens, ages 12-18, at your library to read and vote by October 13, 2018 for the book they think is the best.
The list of contenders is located on YALSA’s Top Ten page, just scroll down a bit for it, and you will also see where you can download a PDF of the 25 titles with annotations.
Teens, and only teens, may vote on this designated page by clicking on the “Vote” button below their choice. Teens may vote for up to three books.
The “Top Ten” titles will be announced the week of October 15, 2018.
Friday Reads: I Am Gandhi: A Graphic Biography of a Hero by Brad Meltzer
As graphic novels have gained popularity and recognition as legitimate reading, authors and illustrators continue to expand into other areas. Although nonfiction told in graphic novel format has been around for 
quite some time, it seems in recent years more opportunities have been taken. Well-known nonfiction writer, Brad Meltzer, has created a slim volume the publisher is calling a graphic biography.
I Am Gandhi is illustrated by 25 artists, with the variety of art strengthening this excellent biography of an outstanding man. Meltzer tells of his childhood in India, his time spent in London and South Africa, and mentions a particular picture book that influenced his life. It is written as if Gandhi himself is telling of his life to a small group of children. How he developed his non-violent approach, what existing ideas influenced him in its development, and how he and others put it into practice are all included.
This title is a good introduction to Gandhi, his life and beliefs. It may guide readers to look for more in-depth information about him. The timeline, quotes, and photos at the back of the book add to his story.
Librarians may see the title and author and think of his series of biographies for much younger readers, also titled “Ordinary People Change the World.” This younger series is aimed at kindergarten through grade 3 and gives a much briefer look at a number of amazing people.
Meltzer, Brad. I Am Gandhi: A Graphic Biography of a Hero. , 2018. Print.
Posted in Books & Reading, General
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Friday Reads: Piecing Me Together by Renée Watson
Jade (16) loves collage art and photography. She is a scholarship student at a mostly white prestigious private school and lives in what others consider a questionable area of Portland, Ore. She is invited to join the Woman to Woman program and if she stays with it for her last two years of high school she is guaranteed a college scholarship.
During her junior year Jade makes friends with Sam (Samantha) who rides the same city bus to school. It isn’t long before things begin to chafe her, how her new white friend makes excuses for prejudiced behavior and how she feels sometimes that the school, and even her mentor, Maxine (who is black), thinks she needs saving. She finally works on speaking up for herself. When she hears about a black girl at a pool party who was beaten by police, she has trouble dealing with it, but finally finds a positive way to respond (with others) and make a difference. Similar in some ways to The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, which I will be reading next.
Piecing Me Together is the winner of the 2018 Coretta Scott King Author Award, as well as being named a 2018 Newbery Honor Book. The Hate U Give received the 2018 William C. Morris Award for a debut book published by a first-time author writing for teens, was named a 2018 Coretta Scott King Author Honor book, and a 2018 Michael L. Printz Honor book.
Watson, Renée. Piecing Me Together. Bloomsbury USA Childrens, 2017. Print.
Youth Awards Announced at ALA Midwinter Meeting
Here is a quick look at some of the book awards announced today in Denver. For a PDF of the complete list of winners and Honor Books click here.
John Newbery Medal goes to Hello, Universe, written by Erin Entrada Kelly. Three Honor Books were also named.
Randolph Caldecott Medal was awarded to Wolf in the Snow, illustrated and written by Matthew Cordell. Four Honor Books were named.
Coretta Scott King Author Award was given to Piecing Me Together, written by Renée Watson, and three Honor Books were named.
Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award recipient is Ekua Holmes for Out of Wonder: Poems Celebrating Poets, two Honor Books were named.
Michael L. Printz Award recipient is We Are Okay, written by Nina LaCour and four Honor Books were noted.
I hope you get a chance to read one or two award-winning titles of your choice. It is a great day when the country’s attention is on reading and books.
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What’s Sally Reading?
Jason Reynolds on Encouraging Reading
One librarian’s blog, Alicia Abdul, and her list of “Six Sensational YA + MG” titles for 2017. Since seeing this I have checked one title out of the library, and am pleased that two of her six were on Jill Annis and my Teen list for 2017.
But I really hope you will take the 3+ minutes to hear what Jason Reynolds has to say about reluctant readers. Makes good sense. It is included on this page, right under his title Long Way Down.
I was tempted to include my review of Long Way Down but thought that might be redundant. Instead here is my review of brave by Svetlana Chmakova. A full-color graphic novel: Jensen, is just starting middle school and still trying to figure it out. He knows to avoid Foster and Yanic – they are never nice. He sees the school as a video game, all he needs to do is survive to the end of the day. Math is hard, but he lives for art club after school. He becomes involved with the newspaper crew as an on-call helper, and then as a possible subject for their bullying article. He isn’t certain he is being bullied, aren’t his “friends” just joking with him? He slowly finds his way and eventually speaks up on his own behalf.
(The Nebraska Library Commission receives free copies of children’s and young adult books for review from a number of publishers. After review, the books are distributed free, via the Regional Library Systems, to Nebraska school and public libraries.)
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What’s Sally Reading?
School Library Journal’s Best Books 2017
Once again it is time for journals to print (or post) their choices for “Best Books of…” lists. School Library Journal recently posted their choices and the lists can be found here.
A total of 71 titles have been honored this year, divided into the following categories: Picture Books (14 titles), Chapter Books (1 title), Middle Grade (13 titles), Young Adult (18 titles) and Nonfiction (25 titles). I enjoy learning about excellent titles I did not encounter earlier, and also finding some agreement with some I have read and put on my lists. Now here is the chance for you to do the same.
On the main page, scroll down to find a form to fill out in order to download, at no charge, a printable PDF version of the full list. There is also an “Other Bests” link on the right side of the screen which contains a print list of six additional categories, such as “Top 10 Graphic Novels,” “Top 10 Audiobooks,” and “Top 10 Apps.” I hope you can find some time to explore these pages. For the Best Books of 2017, once you click on one of the categories you will see a slide show of the titles.
One of the selected picture books from 2017 is The Three Billy Goats Gruff, adapted and illustrated by Jerry Pinkney, gives readers another wonderful retelling of a popular folktale with outstanding artwork. The author notes at the back of the book that this story gave him trouble because in many versions the Troll does not have the opportunity to learn his lesson. Mr. Pinkney found a satisfying way for this to happen in his version. I will say it again: It is great that Pinkney is retelling both folktales and fables so children today can continue to hear them.
(The Nebraska Library Commission receives free copies of children’s and young adult books for review from a number of publishers. After review, the books are distributed free, via the Regional Library Systems, to Nebraska school and public libraries.)
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Youth Grants for Excellence Awarded
Nineteen public libraries were awarded Youth Grants for Excellence on December 1, 2017, for a total of $25,000. The recipients are:
Atkinson Public Library, $750 – for a Musical Lego workshop
Bennington Public Library, $2,132 – “Summer of STEAM”
Blue Hill Public Library, $1,620 – LEGO Club
Broadwater Public Library, $250 – to restart the Summer Reading Program
Central City Public Library, $1,600 – to reinforce STEM concepts in music and celebrate reading
Hruska Memorial Public Library, David City, $740 – to hold afterschool programs: a K-2 Makers Club and a 3-7 Makers Club
Keene Memorial Library, Fremont, $750 – to establish a Teen/YA Advisory Board and develop programming for teens
Genoa Public Library, $450 – to start an Adventure Club for children ages 9-14
Grand Island Public Library, $1,000 – to draw teens to the library
La Vista Public Library, $995 – “Movers and Shakers” to provide age appropriate musical instruments and manipulatives for programming for ages birth to five
Lincoln City Libraries, $2,638 – encouraging youth to become Makers through Makerspace Kits and programming
Morrill Public Library, $1,000 – Afterschool programs
Norfolk Public Library, $1,000 – “Book-to-Film Club”
Plattsmouth Public Library, $2,000 – “IDEA Boxes” relating to STEAM subjects
Baright Public Library, Ralston, $550 – “Monthly Mini Makers”
Ravenna Public Library, $3,000 – “Baby and Me: Bringing in the Children’s Museum Feel”
South Sioux City Public Library, $1,250 – “1,000 Books Before Kindergarten”
Dvoracek Memorial Library, Wilber, $1,000 – programs to celebrate books and reading
Kilgore Memorial Library, York, $2,250 – “Starlings for York” for encouraging parents to read to and talk with their babies, toddlers, and preschoolers
Congratulations! We look forward to hearing more about your projects and how they are helping your communities.
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Friday Reads: Solo by Kwame Alexander
Written in free verse, we meet Blade, who is almost 18, and the son of a famous rock star. His father is now more famous for his crazy acts while drunk or on drugs. His older sister is still supportive of their father, but not Blade, not anymore. On the day of his high school graduation, when he was ready to address the students and parents, his father created a spectacle by running a motorcycle into the stand. That evening his sister reveals that Blade was adopted.
And in no time he is on his way to Ghana, to find his birth mother. She is from the U.S. but is working in Ghana, to make a difference. Blade has much to sort through— the death of his adoptive mother when he was about 10, his father’s behaviors, his girlfriend cheating on him, meeting his birth mother, the people he has met in Ghana, and his nightmares that won’t let go. A look at the cathartic moments in the main character’s life, and what it reveals of his true self. Amazing.
Alexander is one of my favorite authors, and this title is one more of his I greatly enjoyed.
Youth Grants for Excellence Applications due 10/4/17
The Nebraska Library Commission announces that grants are available to accredited public libraries and state-run institutional libraries for special projects in the area of children’s and young adult services. These grants are awarded to encourage innovation and expansion of public library services for youth and their parents or caregivers. Applications will be accepted for projects in an area that will benefit children and/or teens and which you see as a need in your community; for examples see the “Introduction” link below.
The minimum amount that will be awarded per grant is $250 and the grants require a 25% match of the requested amount. This means the minimum total project cost will be $313, with your library providing at least $63 ($25 cash and $38 in-kind, remember to round up to full dollars) for the 25% match required. Use the Project Budget Form at the end of the application form to estimate the amount you will need and to itemize specific expenses. You are advised to be as precise and detailed as possible.
There are two different application forms. For projects requesting $250 – $1,000 in grant funds use the abbreviated, or short form. Applications requesting more than $1,000 must use the long form. Please be sure to use the correct form for your project. Please go to the “Introduction” page for links to the forms (at the bottom of the page).
Please note: AWE work stations, or similar stations of other companies, are no longer eligible for a youth grant.
You may also be interested in viewing the NCompass Live session from 8/20/14 titled “What You Need to Know to Apply for a Youth Grant.”
You are welcome to call or email Sally Snyder with questions or to ask for more information.
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Friday Reads: Restart by Gordon Korman
Chase (8th grade) wakes up in the hospital and remembers nothing of 
who he is, or his family—the group of people standing around his bed looking at him. He remembers how to walk, talk, eat, read, all the daily things we all do, but nothing personal about himself. His school is unfamiliar, but as he walks down the hall he notices students cringing away from him. Slowly he begins to discover that he has been the reigning bully, and not only that, he has encouraged his former two best friends to do it too. As the 8th grade team quarterback, he ruled the school. But now he is repulsed by who he was. How did he get that way when now his impulses are to be friendly and helpful? And what should he do now?
This is a fascinating look at human behavior, our inner selves vs. our outer selves, and how we may end up so far from where we were meant to go. The author is known for his humorous books, but this one takes a more serious, and intriguing path.
Friday Reads: Garvey’s Choice by Nikki Grimes
Garvey is 
not interested in sports at all. He is interested in reading, science, and jokes, which his father does not value. His dad keeps trying to pique his interest in becoming an athlete and is not able to drop the topic. Garvey knows he is not an athlete but is not certain who he is. He faces bullies at school due to his weight and awkwardness. Finally Garvey’s best and only friend since first grade guides him to Chorus at school, where he finds his place and a second friend. His wonderful voice is valued and his confidence grows. Now his dad has something in common with him at long last, since many years ago he sang in a band.
This short, small book offers a heartfelt story about finding one’s place and uses a poetry form that may be new to many. It is told in tanka poetry which involves five lines with a particular number of syllables for each, and is explained at the back of the book. Spend a little time with Garvey and friends Joe and Manny to relive what it is like to be an adolescent again. You will leave content.
Grimes, Nikki (2016). Garvey’s Choice. Honesdale, PA: Wordsong.
What’s Sally Reading?
School Library Journal’s 9th “Battle of the Kids Books”
This is the ninth year that School Library Journal has invited well-known authors of children and/or teen books to read and judge two titles placed before them. This elimination contest is designed like a “March Madness” for books. Only one book moves ahead to the next round, and favorites could fall. Read about this year’s event on the School Library Journal blog.
The sixteen titles for the elimination rounds were announced on January 18. For the first time the contest includes four picture books, so the phrasing “Battle of the Kids Books” is more appropriate this year. The titles are:
ANNA AND THE SWALLOW MAN by Gavriel Savit
FREEDOM IN CONGO SQUARE by Carole Boston Weatherford and R. Gregory Christie
FREEDOM OVER ME by Ashley Bryan
GHOST by Jason Reynolds
THE GIRL WHO DRANK THE MOON by Kelly Barnhill
THE LIE TREE by Frances Hardinge
MAKOONS by Louise Erdrich — (look, Makoons is here too and I didn’t know it before last Friday)
MARCH BOOK THREE by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell
THE PASSION OF DOLSSA by Julie Berry
SAMURAI RISING by Pamela Turner and Gareth Hinds
SOME WRITER! by Melissa Sweet
THE SUN IS ALSO A STAR by Nicola Yoon
THUNDERBOY JR. by Sherman Alexie and Yuyi Morales
WET CEMENT by Bob Raczka
WHEN GREEN BECOMES TOMATOES by Julie Fogliano and Julie Morstad
WHEN THE SEA TURNED TO SILVER by Grace Lin
The judges for the contest will be named on February 6 and the competition begins on March 13. The victor will be announced on March 31. It is enlightening to read the judges comparisons of very different genres and his or her reasoning for naming the winner of that round. Each year one of my favorites bites the dust. But, last year the final judge, Ann M. Martin, selected The Marvels by Brian Selznick as the winner, a favorite of mine I was hopeful could go the distance.
This is an event you could design and hold in your library at any time of year, for example have kids or teens each read and present their book as if in a debate. Then the judge (choose them wisely) will make the decision between the two titles. Or you can encourage your students or patrons to be involved in this year’s event by writing a promotional piece for a favorite contender.
One of the contenders this year is Wet Cement: A Mix of Concrete Poems by Bob Raczka. It contains a collection of 21 clever and inspiring poems. Concrete poems are designed so the lines of poetry are laid out to look like the topic of the poem. My favorite in this collection is entitled “PoeTRY” and says it all in five lines, although this one is a less concrete poem than those in the rest the book.
(The Nebraska Library Commission receives free copies of children’s and young adult books for review from a number of publishers. After review, the books are distributed free, via the Regional Library Systems, to Nebraska school and public libraries.)
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Youth Media Awards Announced at ALA Midwinter
Monday, January 23, the American Library Association (ALA) announced the 2017 Youth Media Awards. The winner of the John Newbery Medal is The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill. Three Honor books were named:
Freedom Over Me: Eleven Slaves, Their Lives and Dreams Brought to Life by Ashley Bryan written and illustrated by Ashley Bryan
The Inquisitor’s Tale: Or, The Three Magical Children and Their Holy Dog by Adam Gidwitz
Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk
The winner of the Randolph Caldecott Medal is Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat illustrated and written by Javaka Steptoe. Four Honor books were named:
Leave Me Alone! illustrated and written by Vera Brosgol
Freedom in Congo Square illustrated by R. Gregory Christie, written by Carole Boston Weatherford
Du Iz Tak? illustrated and written by Carson Ellis
They All Saw a Cat illustrated and written by Brendan Wenzel
For a complete list of the winners and honor books visit the ALA press release. I hope you already have a few of the named titles in your library collection.
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What’s Sally Reading?
School Library Journal’s Best Books 2016
Every year the editors of School Library Journal announce their choices of the best books published that year. A total of 66 titles have been honored this year and are listed on this page. Divided into five lists the categories are: Picture Books (17 titles), Chapter Books (2 titles), Middle Grade (14 titles), Young Adult (15 titles), Nonfiction (18 titles).
Once you click on one of the categories you will see a slide show of the titles. Scroll down to find a form to fill out in order to download a printable PDF version of the full list. There is also an “Other Bests” link on the right side of the screen which contains a print list of eight additional categories, such as “Top 10 Graphic Novels,” “Top 10 Latinx” (a new gender-neutral term to include Latina and Latino) titles, and “Top 10 Apps.” I hope you can find some time to explore these pages.
One of the titles included on the School Library Journal’s “Best Books 2016,” Middle Grade list is Makoons by Louise Erdrich (The Birchbark House series, Bk 5). Continuing the story of an Ojibwe family, this title focuses on Makoons, twin brother of Chickadee, both of whom are determined to succeed as buffalo hunters. Makoons has a vision that shakes him to his core. Will his family be able to handle the coming challenge? This series has been widely praised and has appeared on numerous “best” lists. Makoons is intended for grades 4-6.
The first book in the series, The Birchbark House, was published in May of 1999. Following it are: The Game of Silence (Bk 2) which received the Scott O’Dell Historical Fiction Award, The Porcupine Year (Bk 3), Chickadee (Bk 4) which also received the Scott O’Dell Historical Fiction Award, and, of course, Makoons.
(The Nebraska Library Commission receives free copies of children’s and young adult books for review from a number of publishers. After review, the books are distributed free, via the Regional Library Systems, to Nebraska school and public libraries.)
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Friday Reads: All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook by Leslie Connor
Perry, age 11, was born and has lived all his life with his mother in the fictional Blue River Co-ed Correctional Facility in Surprise, Nebraska, thanks to the current warden pretending he isn’t there. Then the new district attorney, Tom VanLeer, living in a nearby town, discovers his existence and “rescues” him from his mother and friends by bringing him home and becoming his foster family with his wife and his step-daughter, Zoey. Zoey is Perry’s best friend at school.
For his class project, Perry decides to write the story of several inmates, who are his friends, and who agree to be interviewed. Regret for what they, including Perry’s mother Jessica, had done and how they have changed and are working toward parole, staying positive as much as possible, all send a different message than one might expect from prisoners. There are a few negative people incarcerated there, and Perry keeps his distance from them.
District Attorney Tom VanLeer is certain his approach is the right one, even as he delays Jessica’s parole hearing, believing she is guilty of making her son suffer in prison. Zoey finds some of her stepfather’s viewpoints and habits condescending and irritating. She and Perry also find their new situation, as foster brother and sister, rather problematic.
Perry is a wonderful character, with a positive viewpoint and an understandable confusion about things he has never encountered before, such as how to make the bathtub become a shower. His upbringing in the correctional facility has prepared him to give others a chance, and to challenge Tom VanLeer on his misconceptions. Other characters are well-developed and offer additional viewpoints as to how things can go terribly wrong and hopefully be forgiven. A terrific choice for grades 5-8 as well as adults.
