#TeachersWrite Weekly Check-In #3 2021!

Welcome to our third Weekly Check-In! On Monday, Kate shared a video for us to try some play in our writing. I'm obsessed with play right now so this was perfect! I've been exploring ideas for play and just shared some of my exploration on Instagram. 

I decided I'd take Kate's three-column idea and try it with characters from the YA novel I'm drafting. I may have made it easy on myself and added a panadería for setting and jealousy for a mood because that's exactly the scene I needed to happen next. Actually, I didn't see the story headed this direction but it's perfect!

Here's what my notebook entry looked like for this exercise:

After I had the idea for the scene, I wrote it out in my notebook.

If you did the prompt from Monday, I'd love to hear how it went for you! What stories came up? Please share in the comments!

Teachers Write Weekly Check-In Agreements:

1. We respect each other and the type of writing we each do do.

2. We are positive and encourage each other.

3. We recognize and maintain this as a safe, inclusive environment for all.

4. We have fun!

Ideas for today in the comments section:

What character, setting, and mood/big idea did you play with this week?

What was the pit of your week? (The hardest part, the non-fun part?)

What was the peak of your week? (The best part, the most-fun part?)

My Weekly Check-In: This week I actually worked more on writing I'm doing about teaching and it was really cathartic. I looked over notes and anecdotes I collected throughout the year and saw a big theme emerge. I started to write about that and explored a couple of ways into what I'm writing about. It's neat to see how sometimes I need to write things a certain way to then see a different way to start.

I loved how the playful exercise from Kate helped me move forward in my YA novel. This is why it's so important! I'm very much practicing not taking myself so seriously. This might just mean I'm missing being around tons of kids all day. :)

I can't wait to hear how Teachers Write is going for you! If you have any questions or if I can help with anything, please let me know!

The Power of Female Protagonists - Seeing is Believing

I'm in Houston this weekend for the NCTE Annual Convention. It's been amazing so far and I'm excited for today and my two sessions. One session is on innovative non-fiction and the other is called "Becoming the Leaders: The Power of Female Protagonists to Empower All Student Voices." I already know it's going to be a fantastic conversation with Molly Brooks, Alex Gino, Mae Respicio, Laura Shovan, and Linda Williams Jackson.

I'm honored to be part of this amazing group and can't wait for the conversation we are going to have. On the plane ride here to Houston, we had a female pilot. I overhead a woman on the plane say, "And we had a female pilot. I've didn't know there were female pilots. I mean, I knew there were, but I didn't really know."

It stood out to me because I could hear the importance of representation and believing something when you see it. I couldn't remember ever having a female pilot before so it made me stop and think too. There is power in seeing yourself. There is power in seeing a variety of people and knowing truly seeing that each person is unique and valued and in then truly seeing that you are unique and valued.

Below I have a list of recommended reading to share from the amazing authors that I'll be talking with today: Molly Brooks, Alex Gino, Mae Respicio, Laura Shovan, and Linda Williams Jackson. My contribution is this wonderful video from Bomba Estéreo. Their song Soy Yo is a celebration of being yourself and a reminder to love who you are. I hope you enjoy it!

Recommended Reading

The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman

Escape from Aleppo by N.H. Senzai

Ernestine, Catastrophe Queen by Merrill Wyatt

Evangeline of the Bayou by Jan Eldredge

Front Desk by Kelly Yang

George by Alex Gino

Here Lies Arthur by Philip Reeve

The House That Lou Built by Mae Respicio

The Laura Line by Crystal Allen

Lumberjanes by Noelle Stevenson

The Mad Wolf’s Daughter by Diane Magras

The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl by Stacy McAnulty

Nadya Skylung and the Cloudship Rescue by Jeff Seymour

Patina by Jason Reynolds

Peasprout Chen, Future Legend of Skate & Sword by Henry Lien

Sanity & Tallulah by Molly Brooks

A Sky Full of Stars by Linda Williams Jackson

Skylark and Wallcreeper by Anne O’Brien Carelli

Spin the Golden Lightbulb by Jackie Yeager

Takedown by Laura Shovan

The Unforgettable Guinevere St Clair by Amy Makechnie

Unidentified Suburban Object by Mike Jung

The 11:11 Wish by Kim Tomsic

Recommended Listening

Kidlit Women Podcast 

Episode from 10/22/18: “Jennifer Ziegler discusses with Alvina Ling how adults gender-limit children's reading without realizing it.”

Julián is a Mermaid

Title: Julián is a Mermaid 
Author: Jessica Love 
Illustrator: Jessica Love
Publisher: Candlewick 
Publication Date: May 22nd, 2018 
Genre/Format: Fiction/Picture Book 
GoodReads Summary: In an exuberant picture book, a glimpse of costumed mermaids leaves one boy flooded with wonder and ready to dazzle the world.

While riding the subway home from the pool with his abuela one day, Julián notices three women spectacularly dressed up. Their hair billows in brilliant hues, their dresses end in fishtails, and their joy fills the train car. When Julián gets home, daydreaming of the magic he’s seen, all he can think about is dressing up just like the ladies in his own fabulous mermaid costume: a periwinkle curtain for his tail, the fronds of a potted fern for his headdress. But what will Abuela think about the mess he makes — and even more importantly, what will she think about how Julián sees himself? Mesmerizing and full of heart, Jessica Love’s author-illustrator debut is a jubilant picture of self-love and a radiant celebration of individuality. 
What I Think: Kids are amazing. They notice things and they pay attention and sometimes, if you're a certain kind of person who they think they can trust, they'll share things with you. Not a day goes by that I don't find myself in awe of young people and thankful that I get to serve kids as my job. Not to mention that I get to be a mom to two awesome kids. 
     Reading Julián is Mermaid highlights a special moment between a boy and his grandmother and illustrates how easy it is for an adult to see a child and to encourage a child. The snatch of text I pulled below shows two lines of dialogue that I believe are pivotal. Dialogue is a powerful tool for writers. Writers in kindergarten and first grade can add speech bubbles to their drawings. Older writers can make the connection between the speech bubbles in their drawings to the text they write. And even older writers can think about how dialogue is a way to describe and show the reader a multitude of things. 
     In these two lines, we see Julián ask a question and Abuela answer him. When I read these two lines, I see so much about who they are and how they interact. Julián asks a question without revealing what he's thinking. And Abuela responds similarly. She could have dismissed him, she could have shared her thoughts - good or bad - about the mermaids, she could have judged him. But she doesn't. And in not doing so, she gives Julián space to share his thoughts. Asking writers to look at dialogue and think about how much what a character says reveals about him, her, or them helps them then think about how to use dialogue intentionally in their own writing. It's not easy to do but looking at books like Julián is a Mermaid as a mentor texts helps show young writers what is possible. 
    Also! I've been more intentional about talking to young writers about using different languages in their writing. It's important that we let students know that this is okay. If they don't get the message that this is okay, they might not ever try it. 
Snatch of Text: 

"Abuela, did you see the mermaids?"

"I saw them, mijo."

Updated November 25th, 2018:
After sharing my post, I read this blog post from Dr. Laura Jiménez which led me to think more critically about Julián is a Mermaid. I still believe it is a beautiful book and appreciate the relationship Julian has with his grandmother but I realize now that this might be an over-idealistic representation of reality for many LGBTQ+ people. I invite you to read the ideas shared in her blog post. 

A Perilous Journey of Danger and Mayhem: A Dastardly Plot

Title: A Perilous Journey of Danger and Mayhem: A Dastardly Plot 
Author: Christopher Healy
Publisher: Walden Pond Press 
Publication Date: September 25th, 2018 
Genre/Format: Historical Fiction/Middle Grade Novel 
GoodReads Summary: It's 1883—the Age of Invention! A time when great men like Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, Nicola Tesla, and George Eastman work to turn the country into a land of limitless opportunity.

And it all happens at the world famous Inventor’s Guild headquarters in New York City—a place where a great idea, a lot of hard work, and a little bit of luck can find you rubbing elbows with these gods of industry who will usher humanity into the future.

Unless, of course, you’re a woman.

Molly Pepper, daughter of brilliant but unknown inventor Cassandra Pepper, lives with her mother in New York. By day, they make ends meet running a pickle shop; but by night, they toil and dream of Cassandra taking her place among the most famous inventors in America.

In an attempt to find a way to exhibit Cass’s work at the World’s Fair, they break into the Inventor's Guild, where they discover a mysterious plot to destroy New York.The evidence points to the involvement of one of the world’s most famous inventors, and now it’s up to Molly, Cassandra, and a shop hand named Emmett Lee to uncover the truth—even if no one will ever know it was they who did it. 
What I Think: I already loved Christopher Healy's Hero's Guide series and how he portrayed the female characters in that series but now there is more girl power to love from him! A Perilous Journey of Danger and Mayhem is such a fun blend of historical fiction and girl power and adventure.
     As a mentor text, there is really rich description throughout the entire book. You could easily find many examples of how word choice makes an impact on what message the writer makes. Chris describes using very specific words and he also shows readers what is happening using the five senses. As I was listening to the audiobook sample, I realized how great he described the pickle shop and how he also was able to tell us about Molly by showing us that she lives there as well. I pulled the snatch of text below that you'll also hear in the audiobook clip. I would ask writers to close their eyes and listen to the sample. Ask them to visualize as they listen. Then I would show them the snatch of text below and ask them to think about how describing the setting helps a reader and how it can even help a reader understand the character. You could even ask writers to think about their own character and draw their room or closet. This is an opportunity to think about how the room is organized (or not!) and what is found there. Then they could write a paragraph or two describing the room or setting and show readers about their character using this technique. All of this tells us about the character and is a neat way to explore a character. 
Snatch of Text: "For the most part, Pepper's Pickles looked like any of the other specialty food establishments along the bustling thoroughfare that was Thompson Street. Upon entering, customers would see barrels of fermenting cucumbers and a wooden counter stacked with murky jars of dill spears. They would smell a tang in the air from the canisters of salt and flasks of vinegar crammed onto shelves. But few took note of the tall folding screen that protected the rear half of the store from prying eyes.
     If a customer were to peek behind that screen, however - which none did without feeling the sting of a shot from Molly's Thimble Cannon - they would see a long worktable littered with springs, screws, bolts, gears, and tools of every time. And the'd see two thin beds, a stove-top, and a clothesline drooping with damp bloomers. Because the Peppers also lived in their pickle shop." (p. 5)
Audiobook Clip: Listen here.

 Here are the tour stops:

September 24th - Novel Novice

September 25th - A Foodie Bibliophile in Wanderlust

September 26th - Unleashing Readers

September 27th - Teach Mentor Texts

September 28th - Novel Novice

September 29th - Maria’s Melange

October 1st - The Flashlight Reader

October 2nd - Nerdy Book Club

October 3rd - Book Monsters

October 3rd - Novel Novice

October 4th - Blustocking Thinking

October 5th - Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers

And don't forget the giveaway! a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks to Walden Pond Press

for sending me a copy of this book to review 

and for partnering with me for this giveaway.

Merci Suárez Changes Gears

Title: Merci Suárez Changes Gears 
Author: Meg Medina 
Publisher: Candlewick 
Publication Date: September 11th, 2018  
Genre/Format: Realistic Fiction/Middle Grade Novel 
GoodReads Summary: Merci Suarez knew that sixth grade would be different, but she had no idea just how different. For starters, Merci has never been like the other kids at her private school in Florida, because she and her older brother, Roli, are scholarship students. They don’t have a big house or a fancy boat, and they have to do extra community service to make up for their free tuition. So when bossy Edna Santos sets her sights on the new boy who happens to be Merci’s school-assigned Sunshine Buddy, Merci becomes the target of Edna’s jealousy. Things aren't going well at home, either: Merci’s grandfather and most trusted ally, Lolo, has been acting strangely lately — forgetting important things, falling from his bike, and getting angry over nothing. No one in her family will tell Merci what's going on, so she’s left to her own worries, while also feeling all on her own at school. In a coming-of-age tale full of humor and wisdom, award-winning author Meg Medina gets to the heart of the confusion and constant change that defines middle school — and the steadfast connection that defines family.  
What I Think: I visited a classroom last week for a writer's workshop lesson. We had Dr. Carla España, a consultant from The Ed Collab in to work with our middle school teachers. As she was presenting, she showed students some of her writing and how she slipped Spanish in sometimes. A student I was sitting with wrote a goal of using more Spanish in her own writing. When I asked her if she had ever thought of doing that before, she said not until this day because Carla had mentioned it. It gave me goosebumps. How powerful is that? I love Meg Medina's books because she does a great job of capturing the experience of being Latinx in her books. But beyond that, she does a great job of description and developing character through her description. The snatch of text I pulled shows how we can learn so much about a character from a short scene. 
     As a mentor text, I would think about asking students to look at the snatch of text below, or another snatch of text from Merci Suárez Changes Gears, and ask writers to look at what Meg has done to show us who the main character, Merci, is. We can tell a lot about Merci from this snatch of text. I would make sure students recognize that she uses dialogue to show how Merci interacts with others and how their words or actions show us about Merci. I would also think in general about how the scene goes and what that tells us about Merci. Finally, I would look at word choice and how the words Meg has chosen show us the mood of the moment and how that adds to what we know about Merci. 
Snatch of Text:
"I sit on the stool exactly the way the photographer says: Ankles crossed. Torso swiveled to the left and leaning forward. Hands in lap. Head tilted like a confused puppy. Who sits like this, ever? I look like a victim of taxidermy. 
    'Smile,' the photographer says, without an ounce of joy in her voice. 
    Just as I'm trying to decide whether to show teeth, a huge flash goes off and blinds me.
     'Wait. I wasn't read,' I say. 
    She ignores me and reviews her shots. It must be really bad for her to hold up the line this way. Do-overs mean time, and everyone in business knows that time is money. 
    'Let's try again,' she says, trying to adjust my glasses. 'Chin up this time.'
     Chin? Who is she kidding? I already know that's not the problem. My eyes is fluttering and I can feel the soft pull to the left. 
     'Look at the camera, honey,' the photographer says. 
    I blink hard and fix both my eyes on her lens, which always makes me look angry, but it's the best I can do. She shoots again and again in an explosion of shutter clicks. I must look as awkward as I feel, because I can hear the boys snickering." (p. 11-12)

Santa Bruce Giveaway Thanks to Disney Hyperion!

Disney Book Group is partnering with me for a giveaway!

Title: Santa Bruce  
Author: Ryan T. Higgins 
Illustrator: Ryan T. Higgins 
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion 
Publication Date: September 4th, 2018 
Genre/Format: Fiction/Picture Books 
GoodReads Summary: Bruce is a lot of things. He is a bear. He is a grump. He is a pretty decent cook. And he is a mother.
One thing Bruce is not?
Santa Claus.But that doesn't stop the whole forest from lining up to give him their Christmas wishes when he becomes the victim of mistaken identity - again. 
What I Think: How can you not love Bruce? He's such a lovable grump. He's still grumpy but still a good sport about it in this new book, Santa Bruce. What I really love about the Bruce books is that Bruce is that even though Bruce might be mistaken for someone else, he's definitely still himself. We all know that he's grumpy and that's just how he is. Ryan has done a great job of establishing Bruce's character and it's a great opportunity to look at character development with student writers.
     As a writer, we have to develop our characters. One way to develop characters is to use dialogue to show who our characters are. In the snatch of text below, you'll see that Bruce's words reveal his grumpiness. His sentences are short and emphatic and that gives us information about Bruce. 
     This book has a holiday theme and many people around the world are familiar with Santa. It might be neat to find a few books with Santa in them and to look at what Santa's dialogue looks like in other books. Is it similar or different from Bruce's? And again, what does dialogue tell us about our character. Then of course, try using dialogue with your own characters and see how it's a device writers can use to show the reader who the character is. 
Snatch of Text:

"And then it happened...again.

'Are you Santa?!'

A case of mistaken identity.

Bruce did not like mistaken identities.

'No. I am not. Go away.'

'Ohmygosh! I met Santa! Wait right here while I go get my friends!'

'Wait! Grrrrrrr! I am NOT Santa!'"

And now for the giveaway!
I’m giving away a copy of #SantaBruceBook 
and this amazing prize pack thanks to my partner @DisneyHyperion!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks to Disney Books

for sending me a copy of this book to review 

and for partnering with me for this giveaway.

Snow Pony and the Seven Miniature Ponies

Title: Snow Pony and the Seven Miniature Ponies
Author: Christian Trimmer
Illustrator: Jessie Sima
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Publication Date: August 21st, 2018   
Genre/Format: Fiction/Fairy Tales/Picture Book 
GoodReads Summary: From Christian Trimmer and bestselling illustrator Jessie Sima comes an adorable and imaginative twist on the tale of Snow White…with lots more ponies!

Sweet Snow Pony is loved by all for her beautiful coat as white as snow and her mane as black as ebony. Children come to her farm from all over just to have her braid their hair and teach them line dancing.

But not everyone loves Snow Pony. Jealous Queenie hatches an evil plan to make Snow Pony run away from the stable by planting a trail of apples into the woods and before long Snow Pony is lost! Full of delicious apples but all alone in the woods, Snow Pony stumbles upon the home of seven miniature ponies. The mini-ponies couldn’t be cuter, especially with Snow Pony’s braids, but they don’t have quite the same moves as the kids back on the farm.

Will her new friends help her find her way home? Or will the evil Queenie get her way?
What I Think: To be honest, I'm not a huge fan of horses BUT this story and the illustrations are really sweet. I like how this is a twist on a fairy tale but also a blend of different fairy tales. At first, I thought it would mimic Snow White and the Seven Dwarves but there's a little Goldilocks and the Three Bears thrown in. 
     As a mentor text, I like looking at different versions of fairy tales and seeing how authors switch things up. I particularly like how Jessie switched the characters and made the people characters into animals and vice versa. Student writers could think about this in their own stories if they wanted to. They could write a twist on a fairy tale or even fan fiction with a similar character swap. 
     I've been working on my next young adult novel and I've spent a lot of time working on character development. I've always paid attention to my characters and who they are but this time around, I've really done a lot of character exercises and it's been fun to get to know my characters more before I start writing. Students would play with character options and think through which choice in characters they'd like to try and write. Below you'll find the first paragraph from the book that can be used as a mentor text as writers think about their own version of the story. What if the main character was a tiger or a penguin or a puffer fish? 
     In thinking about the snatch of text, I also really love how it starts with a description and then the author announces, "Her name was Snow Pony." I like how starting with a description and then naming who the character is gives the information a bit of punch. Something else to try!

Snatch of Text:
"Once upon a time there was a pony who had a coat as white as snow and a mane as black as ebony. (As you can see, the combination was quite spectacular.) Her name was Snow Pony."

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing

for sending me a copy of this book to review.

Drawn Together

Title: Drawn Together
Author: Minh Le
Illustrator: Dan Santat
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion 
Publication Date: June 5th, 2018 
Genre/Format: Fiction/Picture Book 
GoodReads Summary: When a young boy visits his grandfather, their lack of a common language leads to confusion, frustration, and silence. But as they sit down to draw together, something magical happens-with a shared love of art and storytelling, the two form a bond that goes beyond words.

With spare, direct text by Minh Lê and luminous illustrations by Caldecott Medalist Dan Santat, this stirring picture book about reaching across barriers will be cherished for years to come.
What I Think: Relationships with grandparents are special. My own kids adore their grandparents and I loved mine so much. I have memories of working in the garden and mowing the lawn with my grandpa, painting with my grandma, and playing cards with my other grandma. Each of them made me feel important. They showed me how to slow down and take my time and enjoy what I was doing. Drawn Together felt so true to me because my grandmother Mamita spoke Spanish and barely knew English. I learned most of my Spanish from her but there were still so many times when I struggled to express myself accurately to her or failed to understand what she was trying to say to me. Especially her jokes. She loved to recite poetry, sing songs, and tell stories and jokes. Jokes involve complex language which made them so hard to understand. I wish I could have better understood everything she ever said to me...but the reality is that I couldn't. It's hard to explain the heartbreak of this reality but in Drawn Together, Minh Le and Dan Santat bring this feeling to life. 
     While not everyone has the same experience with a language barrier with their grandparent, I wonder if many will still identify with the idea of misunderstanding each other in some way or another. In any relationship, there are so many ways to misunderstand each other. We can feel close and still feel so far away at the same time. 
     As a mentor text, Drawn Together can be used to spark conversations about relationships. It offers an opportunity for students to think about their own relationships and whether they recognize similarities in their own relationships or not. It's also a chance to think about how things like language differences might make growing a relationship difficult and whether there might be ways to overcome this. Student writers can then think about what relationships look like in their own writing and think about how things like language differences might impact the characters or people in their writing. 
     This book relies heavily on the illustrations to tell the story with the text. It's not a wordless picture book but there are several layouts without any text. I love books like this because they make it easy to focus on visual literacy. As a mentor text, readers can think about how they might describe what is happening in the illustrations and how to show this in their writing. It's a powerful way to link reading and writing. 
    Drawn Together is an absolutely beautiful book that everyone needs to read.
Snatch of Text:

"All the things we could never say come pouring out...

...and we build a new world that even words can't describe."

Love Sugar Magic

Title: Love Sugar Magic: A Dash of Trouble
Author: Anna Meriano
Publisher: Walden Pond Press 
Publication Date: January 2nd, 2018 
Genre/Format: Realistic Fiction/Mild Fantasy/Novel 
GoodReads Summary: Leonora Logroño’s family owns the most beloved bakery in Rose Hill, Texas, spending their days conjuring delicious cookies and cakes for any occasion. And no occasion is more important than the annual Dia de los Muertos festival.

Leo hopes that this might be the year that she gets to help prepare for the big celebration—but, once again, she is told she’s too young. Sneaking out of school and down to the bakery, she discovers that her mother, aunt, and four older sisters have in fact been keeping a big secret: they’re brujas—witches of Mexican ancestry—who pour a little bit of sweet magic into everything that they bake. 

Leo knows that she has magical ability as well and is more determined than ever to join the family business—even if she can’t let her mama and hermanas know about it yet. And when her best friend, Caroline, has a problem that needs solving, Leo has the perfect opportunity to try out her craft. It’s just one little spell, after all…what could possibly go wrong? 

What I Think: I have wonderful memories of making tamales with my grandma, my mom, my aunt, my sister, my cousin, and more recently my kids. We all pack ourselves into the kitchen to stir the dough and then when it's ready, we set up an assembly line and put tamal after tamal together. The joy and love in these memories reminds me of Leo and her family in Love Sugar Magic. 
     I love how we get to see the vibrancy of Leo's family and we can use this as  a mentor text for character development. Yesterday, I talked about how Tracy Holczer's character Lucy in Everything Else in the Universe also has a big family and how being part of a big family influences who she is and how she experiences the world. When we talk about characters and what makes them who they are, it allows us to also think about ourselves and what makes us who we are. And, ultimately, then we can think about other people and what makes them who they are. Discussions like this are so important. Discussions like this help us see that we might have things in common with other people and we might be different from other people. But just because someone is the same or different, it doesn't make them good or bad. Too often we don't slow down to ask why or to even realize that there might be a very good why that we need to understand. 
     As writers, we think about the world and the people in it. We need to know our characters and think about why they might make a choice that they do and in order do that, we need to understand what has happened in our character's past that has shaped them. Pairing Love Sugar Magic with Everything Else in the Universe gives readers an opportunity to think about the choice both authors made to give the main character a large and vibrant extended family. Recognizing the author's purpose in doing this give writers an opportunity to think about character development in their own stories.
     The snatch of text I pulled gives a little insight into Leo compared to her family getting ready in the morning and it also has an example of onomatopoeia, word choice, and being specific in describing. Lots of good things to discuss with these two sentences!

Snatch of Text: "The hallway filled with morning noises as the Logroño family got ready for the day. Leo shuffled down the hall, her orange-and-black-striped knee socks shush-shushing against the wood floor." (p. 4)

Everything Else in the Universe Blog Tour!

I'm so excited to be celebrating the release of Tracy Holczer's book Everything Else in the Universe! I love how she introduces us to Lucy and her Italian family. They are loud and lovable and I found myself enjoying how she shared her Italian heritage through Lucy's story. Her close family and her extended family play a big role in the story so I wanted to celebrate them with cannoli. We happen to have a locally-owned cannoli place in town called tony cannoli so I stopped in to pick up a small box of Siciliana cannoli (my favorite). 

(Photo Credit: Holly Waxman)

On a more serious note, this book is about a girl whose dad comes home from serving as an Army doctor in Vietnam and my dad was in the Air Force during the Vietnam War. I wasn't born until after my dad came home but I've heard (some) stories from him about what it was like to be there and to come home. He has also dealt with a lot physically and mentally because of his time in Vietnam and I've seen what that looks like for him. 

While my experience with a dad who is a Vietnam veteran is different from Lucy's, I was still so interested to read her story and see if we might have some similarities. I've read other books set in our around the Vietnam War like The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt and Eli the Good by Silas House and I find that each story I read helps me feel more connected to my dad as I try to develop a deeper understanding of the time period and what life was like from different perspectives. This book gives us Lucy and her dad and her family and how the Vietnam War impacted them and it reminds us that so many families were impacted by Vietnam War in a variety of ways. 

Here's a picture of me and my daddy. I love him a lot and celebrating Everything Else in the Universe feels like I'm celebrating him in a way.

You can find my ideas for how to use Everything Else in the Universe as a mentor text below. And be sure to visit the other stops on the blog tour.

Everything Else in the Universe Blog Tour:

Smack Dab in the Middle - June 16th

Mr. Schu Reads - June 17th

Kidlit Frenzy - June 18th

Teach Mentor Texts - June 20th

Caroline Starr Rose - June 22nd

Title: Everything Else in the Universe 

Author: Tracy Holczer

Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers 

Publication Date: June 12th, 2018

Genre/Format: Historical Fiction/Novel 

GoodReads Summary: In the midst of the Vietnam War, a young girl struggles to embrace change in this tender family story for fans of Cynthia Lord and Wendy Maas. 

Lucy is a practical, orderly person--just like her dad. He taught her to appreciate reason and good sense, instilling in her the same values he learned at medical school. But when he's sent to Vietnam to serve as an Army doctor, Lucy and her mother are forced to move to San Jose, California, to be near their relatives--the Rossis--people known for their superstitions and all around quirky ways. 

Lucy can't wait for life to go back to normal, so she's over the moon when she learns her father is coming home early. It doesn't even matter that he's coming back "different." That she can't ask too many questions or use the word "amputation." It just matters that he'll be home. But Lucy quickly realizes there's something very wrong when her mother sends her to spend the summer with the Rossis to give her father some space. Lucy's beside herself, but what's a twelve-year-old to do? 

It's a curious boy named Milo, a mysterious packet of photographs and an eye-opening mission that makes Lucy see there's more to life than schedules and plans, and helps to heal her broken family. The latest from critically-acclaimed author Tracy Holczer is a pitch-perfect middle grade tale of family and friendship that's sure to delight fans of One for the Murphys and Rules.

What I Think: As I said above, the role of family in this book is key to the story. Through learning about Lucy's family and watching how she interacts with her family, we're able to learn about her and who she is. Writers talk a lot about show, don't tell and one of my favorite ways to show instead of tell is to incorporate interaction between characters. Adding dialogue allows us to see what a main character might say, how another character would react to the main character, and how they deliver their lines. 

     In Everything Else in the Universe, we get to met Lucy's parents and her father's side of the family as well as her mother's side of the family. There are so many exercises writers use to get to know their characters better and thinking about their family is one way to do this. Who are your character's parents or caregivers? Does he/she/they have siblings? Does he/she/they have a big extended family like Lucy? Does his/her/their family live close or far away? Your character's family impacts who they are. Their experiences and how they belong to a family shape who they are. 

     I'll be reviewing another middle grade novel this week, Love Sugar Magic: A Dash of Trouble by Anna Meriano. In Love Sugar Magic, the main character Leo also has a large family and she happens to be the youngest. Being the youngest of five sisters makes her want to grow up faster. She wants to be included in some of their family traditions that she doesn't get to be part of because she isn't old enough yet. It would be neat to match these two books and even look at other books with a lens of how the main character and their family plays a role in who they are but also to look at how the author uses dialogue to show family dynamics and to develop a character for the reader. 

Snatch of Text: 

     "'Life is a meatball, Lucy. Always remember that,' Papo said. Great-Aunt Lilliana grunted her agreement. Because a good meatball was all about the right balance of ingredients, and so was life.

     As the parade of cars peeled off one by one, Lucy looked back at the sign she and Mom had made together and hung last night: WELCOME HOME, CAPTAIN ROSSI!

     When they reached the bottom of the hill, honking and carrying on as though they were a wedding procession, Lucy closed her eyes and tried to imagine Dad's voice when he told her I'll always come back to you.

     But she only heard her own." (p. 14-15)