(Click on the episode title to listen to the podcast)
In western Washington, born and raised
In a library is where I spent most of my days
Chillin’ out, reading, acting all cool…
Don’t worry listeners, I’m not going to torture you with an entire rap about my childhood. Besides, if you are just dying to hear me make a fool of myself, I'm sure there are a couple of videos floating around the Internet that will satisfy that particular craving.
Welcome to episode five of the Happy Reading podcast, where I shine a light on a handful of books aimed at kids in 4th through 6th grade that are connected by a specific theme. I'm Sarah Threlkeld, an elementary school librarian, former 6th grade reading teacher, and proud Washingtonian. I was born in Seattle, grew up in Bellevue, which is the fifth largest city in the beautiful Evergreen state, and currently reside in a cozy late-60’s split-level in Renton (or Ren’in if you’re a local); it’s a city known for horrible freeway traffic and a Boeing plant. I have always been in love with the Seattle area. Not only is it absolutely gorgeous, but it also has more bookstores than any other city in the United States* and so many fantastic authors hail from this region. In fact, I’m going to tell you about some of their books today. That’s right, the theme of this episode is Washington authors. So head to your nearest Starbucks, don’t you dare open up an umbrella if it’s raining out (no respectable Seattleite even owns an umbrella), and settle in for episode 5 of the Happy Reading podcast.
Book 1 - Scar Island by Dan Gemeinhart
Sixteen boys on an island who think they’re all alone
Sixteen young criminals, not ready to go home
Sixteen boys on an island, now trying to survive
When tragedy strikes the island will sixteen make it out alive?
Dan Gemeinhart, who lives in the small town of Wenatchee, Washington, came out swinging with his riveting debut novel The Honest Truth. His third novel, Scar Island, is even more intense and thought-provoking. Because of the subject matter, I'd recommend this book to 5th through 8th graders.
Tragedy struck Jonathan’s family a few months ago and no one can convince him it wasn't his fault. He is so burdened by grief that he thinks serving time at the Slabhenge Reformatory School for Troubled Boys is the only way to atone for his sins and save his parents from the pain of being around him everyday. Within a few minutes of arriving on the island where the school is located, however, Jonathan realizes he will punished far beyond what he anticipated. The adults running the school, which is housed in a former psychiatric hospital, are power hungry and treat all of the boys like their personal servants. The boys are consequenced severely for the slightest transgressions and are forced to lie about their experiences in daily letters home. Then the unimaginable happens - every single adult dies instantly and unexpectedly. The boys can finally leave the island and return home, but what if someone convinces them to do otherwise? What happens when the inmates are the ones running the asylum? Scar Island is a riveting account of power and humanity that will keep you up way past your bedtime. Here's an excerpt from the first chapter when Jonathan arrives at the island.
excerpt - pages 6-7
Our next book fits into so many different categories that I had a hard time deciding which episode should feature it. Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer is an epistolary novel, a middle grade title about magical chickens (yes, I'm thinking of doing an episode about chickens), and a book written by Kelly Jones, an author who lives in the Seattle area. Kelly got her Master’s of Library and Information Science from the University of Washington, which is where I happened to get my library certification, so I feel a certain kinship with her and am happy to talk up her debut novel every chance I get. She was also gracious enough to meet with me recently at a children’s literature conference and share details about one of her favorite middle grade books, which will be featured in a future episode of this podcast.
In Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer, a series of letters from Sophie to her deceased grandmother and Great Uncle Jim, as well as to a farm supply company, gives readers insight into Sophie’s new life on a neglected farm. The letters also provide information about a nosy neighbor who is up to no good and illustrates what it's like to wrangle chickens with highly unusual traits. Sophie takes it upon herself to figure out how her late uncle ended up owning such extraordinary chickens and not everyone in town is pleased with her detective work. Kelly Jones does an exceptional job of bringing characters to life and making the impossible seem perfectly normal. Here’s an excerpt from one of Sophie’s letters to her Great Uncle Jim where she tells him about her latest interaction with Henrietta, the first chicken she discovers on the farm.
excerpt - pages 37-38
Book 3 - The Ghost’s Grave by Peg Kehret
Before starting my very first teaching job, I had never heard of Peg Kehret, which is kind of remarkable because she has published close to a zillion books for kids. Seriously, I went to her website planning to count the number of books she’s written and my eyes started to cross as I scrolled down the page. Kehret, who lives in a log cabin on a wildlife sanctuary near Mt. Rainier (um, how cool is that?), is a lifelong animal lover and actually toyed with the idea of becoming a veterinarian, so it makes sense that a lot of her books revolve around animals. She is also known for writing suspenseful stories about kids in some kind of danger. The Ghost’s Grave definitely falls into the latter category. One of the fourth grade teachers at my school reads it out loud to her kids every year and they go nuts over it, so I thought it made sense to have one of her former students tell us a little about the plot and why it’s such a page-turner. But first, let’s hear a little bit about why Gavin loves to read and what kinds of books he enjoys.
Interview with Gavin
Gavin’s recommendation: In The Ghost’s Grave by Peg Kehret, a young boy named Josh has to stay with his aunt Ethel in Carbon City, Washington. During his stay he meets an old coal miner who isn’t human, but a ghost! The ghost asks Josh to do him a favor and dig up his grave. Now Josh needs to find a way to do this without being caught. Will he complete his task or will he be in a whole lot of trouble?
I recommend this book because it is intriguing and has cliffhangers. It’s also humorous and a great read! When I read this it was a class read aloud and every time my teacher stopped reading I was in suspense.
Legend of an oversized wild man living deep in the woods has been popular in the Pacific Northwest since Native American tribes were the only inhabitants. I wasn't aware of the fabled creature until I saw Harry and the Hendersons as a kid, but nowadays it's almost impossible to escape images and references to Sasquatch when you're tootling around Seattle; he's on tote bags, playing cards, stickers, t-shirts - pretty much anything sold in hipster boutiques that abound in the city. He can also be found in Suzanne Selfors’ The Sasquatch Escape, the first book in her The Imaginary Veterinary series. Suzanne lives on an island in the Pacific Northwest (we have a lot of those around here), and, according to her website her favorite author is Roald Dahl and she eats chocolate every single day. I think we'd get along famously. Suzanne’s version of Bigfoot is also a chocolate lover, which is important to know when you stumble across one of these giant, furry beasts gorging itself on pudding at the local senior center and need to lure it back to the abandoned button factory so a mysterious doctor can cure it of foot fungus. What, that isn't how you spent your summer vacation? Will Pearl Petal, notorious town troublemaker, and Ben, who is living with his grandpa while his parents repair their failing marriage, have enough chocolate to complete their mission or will they have to rely on some other equipment from their Sasquatch Catching Kit? Will the town busybody and her daughter uncover the truth about Dr. Woo’s medical practice? And what about the injured baby dragon Ben found? You’ll have to pick up a copy of The Sasquatch Escape to find out. In the meantime, here's an excerpt from when Ben realizes something fishy is going down at the old button factory.
excerpt - pages 77-78
If those four fabulous titles didn't whet your appetite for the wonders of Washington, then I don't know what will. And, believe it or not, that's just the tip of the author iceberg. My state also lays claim to Dav Pilkey, of Dog Man and Captain Underpants fame, Betty MacDonald, creator of the beloved Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle character, and Kazu Kibuishi, author of the Amulet graphic novels. Young adult novelists and picture book creators also abound here, which makes Seattle a pretty awesome place for people like us who adore children's literature. If my ten-month old could speak in words tall people could understand, I'm pretty sure she would recommend Ben Clanton’s Narwhal and Jelly books and Toni Yuly’s Early Bird, which she is currently obsessed with. So the next time you plan a vacation, keep Washington in mind. You can spend your days browsing our many bookstores and then enjoy some world class coffee and chocolate while reading under the shadow of the Space Needle.
Thank you so much for taking time out of your day to listen to episode five of the Happy Reading podcast! As always, a transcript of each episode can be found on my website, happyrdng.blogspot.com, along with links to every book mentioned. If you have suggestions for themes or want to let me know about your favorite middle grade books, you can always message me through my website or track me down on Twitter with the handle @happyrdng. If you're enjoying this podcast I would love it if you left a glowing review on iTunes. I also highly recommend the Books Between podcast if you want to hear about more awesome middle grade titles. And now I think I’ll head to Elliott Bay Book Company, pick up a few choice reads, and spend some quality time with a good book. I hope you have time today to do the same. Until next time, happy reading!
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