Guest Post: Wads of Tissue Summer

Wads of Tissue Summer

I like to call the past few months my Wads of Tissue Summer.
It seemed like I was consistently finding myself in a public place when I
encountered an especially heartwarming or heartbreaking scene in the book I was
reading.  More than once I had to
scrounge around in my purse for a tissue or three and try to make it look not
so obvious that I was all choked up about something. My ten and twelve year old
daughters got to the point where they would roll their eyes and say, “Another wad of tissues book, Mom?
Really?” My response was always, “We really need to read this together,” or
“Your teacher would love this book,
trust me.”

Now not all of the books I read were tearjerkers. The list
included picture books, middle grade and young adult fiction along with professional
development titles.  As I was looking
through my GoodReads account and chatting with my daughters about their
favorite reads of the summer, I realized that it was going to be almost
impossible to whittle my list down to only ten titles.  After much consideration, here are my Top Ten
Favorite Reads from the Wads of Tissue Summer, rated in number of wads of tissue
used on a scale from 1-5, with five being the most wad-worthy:

Bigger than a Breadbox
by Laurel Snyder

This book kicked off the summer
reading at my house in early June. I told my daughters I’d be ordering a few
middle grade books and would like them to read at least a couple of the titles.
My 12 year old snatched this one up right away and read it in one sitting. I
loved hearing her reactions to Rebecca’s choices. Her most-telling comment was
about how she now understood one of her classmates better because of what the
main character had went through. I’d rate Bigger
than a Breadbox a 3-wad book.

Divergent/Insurgent
by Veronica Roth

Divergent
was a reread for me, as I wanted to refresh my memory before heading into the
second book of the trilogy, Insurgent.
Out of the many Dystopian YA novels I read this summer, these two books
resonated with me the most. Maybe it was because I live in the Midwest and was
familiar with Chicago, Navy Pier and the surrounding suburbs. After reading
Roth’s books I spent a few days being thankful for the world I live in,
imperfect as it is. I also wondered if I could face everything that Triss did,
and still be strong at the end of the second book.  I do think that Insurgent is the better book of the two, simply because the stakes
are so much higher and the ending – well, I won’t give it away, but suffice it
to say that I can’t wait for the third book! These books didn’t cause me to
pull out the tissues, but were a favorite read none-the-less.

Innocent Darkness
(Aether Chronicles, Book One) by Suzanne Lazear

I originally read this book as an
ebook from NetGalley earlier in the summer. I had taken an online class with
Suzanne last year that focused on the Steampunk genre and received wonderful
feedback and encouragement from her. I was initially intrigued because she’d
said her novel was a mix of Steampunk and Faery, and I thought “how do you mix
the two in a YA novel?” Well, Suzanne has done just that. The protagonist,
Noli, is a teenage girl who loves all things mechanical and just happens to
live next to a faery prince. She finds her way to the faery world, falls in
love, and has decisions to make. This title was a favorite read and no tissues
were required. I can’t wait to share this title with students this fall!

The Pull of Gravity
by Gae Polishner

I
love it when I come across a novel that I can use in connection with a title I
teach in one of my high school English classes. The Pull of Gravity is one such novel. The references to
Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men makes me
excited to use it in my eleventh-grade literature class later this year. Ms.
Polishner is one of the sweetest YA authors I’ve gotten to know over the
summer, and I’d love to arrange a Skype visit with her in the Spring.  Zero wads required for this reading.

Boy + Bot by Ame
Dyckman

I had gotten away
from reading a lot of picture books since I began teaching at the high school
level a few years ago.  I fell in love
with this book from the very first reading. It has just the right mix of humor
and sensibility. Ms. Dyckman is such a funny and kind person, she even sent a
package of goodies to my 10 year old and included extras for our local
children’s librarian! I’m determined to find a way to incorporate this title
into my class curriculum somewhere this year. The reading of this book required
zero wads of tissue.

Out of My Mind by
Sharon M. Draper

I
had heard buzz about this book on Twitter and thought it would be a good book
to read with my daughters. I ended up reading it on my own, as my girls were
immersed in other MG titles at the time. Oh my, what a ride this book was, and
in a good way. For her entire life, Melody, the main character, has been
treated as a body. She has cerebral palsy and almost everyone in her life
assumes that her brain is as disabled as her body. Throughout the book, Melody
proves to everyone around her that she is smart and has a wonderful sense of
humor. As events unfolded, I found myself on a rollercoaster ride alongside
Melody, from scenes where my heart overflowed with love and admiration to a
gut-wrenching event near the end that caused a massive amount of tissues to be
used (while sitting in public no less). 
This is a book that helps readers of all ages better understand the
lives of those who are limited physically but not mentally. Out of My Mind earned a four wad rating.

See
You at Harry’s by Jo Knowles

I put off reading this title until later in the summer because
I knew it was a tear-jerker. Reviews along with people on Twitter and Facebook
all said that a totally unexpected plot twist happened and to make sure to have
a box of tissues handy. After reading three other titles that had me wallowing
in soggy tissues in public, I was hesitant to add a fourth title to my Wads of
Tissue summer. The book kept beckoning to me as I would peruse my TBR piles for
something new to read. I finally picked up See
You at Harry’s and began reading. And it did not disappoint. Talk about
reminding me how precious family and every single person’s life is makes me all
teary-eyed as I type this. I won’t give away what happens, let me just say that
I’m going to go hug my girlies just because I can. Everyone should read this
book at some point. See You at Harry’s
earns a 5+ wad rating.

One for the Murphy’s
by Lynda Mullaly Hunt

I was pulled into this novel from the
very first page. Carley’s voice is very authentic and I loved her sense of
humor. She’s adept at adjusting to new situations, and not at all good at
letting her defenses down. The idea of family as many know it is a foreign
concept to Carley, and through the love and patience of the Murphy family, especially
Mrs. Murphy, Carley comes to know exactly what family means. At the end of the
book, Carley knows what she wants but isn’t given the chance to choose. As a
mom, my heart was torn at the end, not only for Carley but for Mrs. Murphy as
well. I have a new appreciation for parents who choose to open their hearts and
homes to foster children. One for the
Murphy’s earns a four wad rating.

The
Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

In a departure from her Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy,
Stiefvater combines her love of equestrians and storytelling in The Scorpio Races. My 12 year old read
this first at our house, and couldn’t stop talking about it. Mind you, I had
purchased it to read and include in my classroom library, but that was not mean
to be. I have long admired Maggie’s (I hope she doesn’t mind I use her first
name) gift of weaving a story that entrances her readers. Puck Connolly, the
main character, is a young girl who I admired simply because of her
determination to save her family home when it seemed that no adult cared what
happened to her and her younger brother, Finn. Sean, the long-running winner of
the Scorpio Races, faces a similar battle. My favorite line from all of my
reading this summer comes from Puck: “I’m so full of an unnamed wanting that I
can’t bear it,” (page 54). The last few pages focus on a life-changing decision
Sean is forced to make, and the twist at the end had tears streaming down my
face. The Scorpio Races easily earned
a five wad rating at the Vorhis house.

Wonder
by R.J. Palacio

Wow, what can I say about this book? It is definitely my
FAVORITE read of the summer. Experiencing the world as Auggie does is humbling.
I have shared this book with everyone I know, teachers and non-teachers alike.
A common phrase heard at our house is “Choose Kind,” which reminds each of us
how precious and wonderful life is. I’m looking forward to reading this to my
10^th-graders this year, and know that I’ll have to have wads and
wads of tissues once we reach the end. Definitely a 5+ wad book.

Thanks so much for sharing, Kelly! Don’t forget to check out all of the #summerthrowdown guest posts at the blogs of all of the coordinators: Brian, Kathy, Sherry – and check back on Sunday for my own personal Top Ten list from my #summerthrowdown reading!