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If you happen to be an educator, you are probably drowning in responsibilities right about now. If the new year has already started for you, I hope everything went off without a hitch and you aren’t doubting your decision to take responsibility for guiding the next generation toward independence. No pressure right? The first day of school in my district is the Wednesday after Labor Day. Today is Tuesday. This means I have zero more days left to get the library ready for 700 kids. Anxiety starts to creep in if I spend more than a minute thinking about everything I need to get done by tomorrow morning and then inevitably I notice my giant stack of library books that are being neglected and the office bookshelf that’s crammed with untouched titles and the three bags full of books I agreed to read for a local librarian review group, some of which I’ve had since December, and my anxiety starts to grow.
You can imagine, dear listeners, that writing and recording a podcast has slowly tumbled down my list of priorities. So, I’m going to format this episode a tad differently in order to save myself from hiding under my desk in the fetal position and blubbering like a stressed out baby. In other words, I am letting myself off the hook, which we all deserve to do sometimes.
Welcome to Happy Reading, a podcast about fabulous middle grade fiction, with the occasional picture book and YA title thrown in for good measure. I’m your host, Sarah Threlkeld, a former 6th grade reading teacher, a current elementary school librarian, and newly minted 40-year old who’s grappling with returning to work full-time after spending the last year at home with my incredible daughter. All of the books on today’s episode fit previous themes, which was actually my intention all along when thinking about how I would wrap up the first season of Happy Reading. Full disclosure, though - I haven’t actually read any of the titles I’ll be recommending. I did pluck the books from my TBR pile, so they are all entertaining enough for me to spend money on, and several of them have been recommended to me by trusted bibliophiles. So, let’s dive right in and discover a few new books together!
I rang in the new year with the very first episode of this podcast, which spotlighted books about dessert. It doesn’t get much sweeter than that! Save the Cupcake!, the first book in Lisa Papademetriou’s Confectionately Yours series, is about a girl named Hayley whose family is going through some difficult changes. Her parents have divorced, her mother has lost her job, and now she and her sister are living in their grandmother’s apartment, where they are stuck sharing a bathroom. Total teen girl nightmare! Hayley loves to bake and thinks cupcakes may be the key to making life bearable until she starts fighting with her best friend and realizes it’s going to take more than a few delectable baked goods to turn her life around. Here’s an excerpt from chapter one.
excerpt - pages 2-4
This next book was recommended to me by Erin Ostrander, children's librarian extraordinaire for the King County Library System, and it actually fits two of this season’s previous themes. Hannah West in the Belltown Towers was written by Linda Johns, a Washington author, and it stars a spunky girl detective. Twelve-year old Hannah lives in the ritzy Belltown neighborhood of Seattle with her mom Maggie. She fancies herself a sleuth and never leaves home without her sketchbook so she can quickly jot down her keen observations. You never know if that guy strolling down the street is actually a criminal mastermind, right? Within minutes of moving into her new digs two police officers show up at Belltown Towers to investigate the theft of a painting that was supposed to be delivered to the penthouse tenant, a wealthy patron of the arts named Dorothy. Hannah wonders if the theft is somehow connected to the reckless bike messenger she noticed outside the building seconds before the policemen showed up. As more paintings go missing Hannah takes it upon herself to solve the case, but can she finger the thief before the upcoming charity auction where all of the art will be up for bidding? Here's an excerpt from chapter three where we find out about the first stolen painting.
excerpt - pages 17-19
Varian Johnson sites Ocean’s Eleven, Sneakers, and The Westing Game, which is one of my all-time favorite books, as inspirations for his book The Great Greene Heist, so there is absolutely no possible way I won't enjoy this middle grade novel about a pack of kids who plan the biggest con in history at Maplewood Middle School. Much like Miles and Niles from The Terrible Two, which I gushed about in episode seven, Jackson Green is famous for his complex pranks. He swore that after the infamous Shakedown in Shimmering Hills and the Blitz at the Fitz he changed his ways, but he can't pass up an opportunity to smooth things over with Gaby, his former crush, and inject some ethics into school politics. With the help of a tech genius, a money man, an artist, and science-minded cheerleader, Jackson plans the Great Greene Heist. Will it go off without a hitch or will his world come crashing down around him? The beginning of chapter one will give you a great sense of Jackson’s struggle to leave the past behind and keep things on the straight and narrow.
excerpt - pages 1-2
If you listened to episode ten of Happy Reading you know that I have a strange fascination with twins. Lucky for me Seattle author Kathryn Siebel explores the relationship between twin sisters Arabella and Henrietta in her debut middle grade novel The Trouble with Twins. Despite being almost identical in appearance, the girls are quite different in terms of their personalities and how they are treated by others. Arabella is adored by everyone she meets and basks in the glow of attention. Poor Henrietta is serious and quiet, which quite often leads her to being overlooked by others, including her own parents. Well, you can imagine how this could result in a smidge of resentment from Henrietta. One night the neglected sister decides to get back at Arabella by doing something unthinkable - cutting her bangs! Oh, the horror of crooked bangs on a beautiful child! As punishment Henrietta is banished from the house and sent to live with her great aunt Priscilla. A ridiculous consequence to be sure, but perhaps it will turn out to be just the change Henrietta needs. The tone of this novel reminds a lot of The Willoughbys by Lois Lowry and the Series of Unfortunate Events books. Here’s an excerpt from chapter; let’s see if you agree with me.
excerpt - pages 3-7
Well, dear listeners, I better wrap things up and get back to the business of preparing the library for another fabulous school year. Thank you so much for taking the time to listen to Happy Reading. This is the last episode of season one and I’m not sure when season two will start, but if you subscribe to the podcast on iTunes new episodes will magically appear on your device. As always, a transcript of this episode can be found on my blog, happyrdng.blogspot.com, along with links to all of the books I spotlight. You can contact me through the website and I’m also on Twitter as @WordNerd153 I’d love to hear your suggestions for themes for season two! If you are a student or an educator I wish you a wonderful school year full of books that make you laugh, cry, and think. Until next time, happy reading!
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