January 2022
As we look ahead into a new calendar year, one thing I hope for is more opportunities to feel the beauty of humanity in the face of so much prolonged loss and collective trauma of the global pandemic. A way I know to do that is through appreciation of the fine arts. Not only can music and dance celebrate and honor life and cultures and communities, but they can also be an escape from heavy things or a support for heavy things. And at a time when “learning loss” is so heavily emphasized in our schools, taking time to remind young people about the value of artistic endeavors and the importance of finding ways to be mindful and present can be a benefit to all in our schools. One of the benefits of #ClassroomBookADay is that it provides a structure for bringing in these topics that we know can benefit students without having to adjust lesson plans or curriculum units or get approval. Let’s all work to find ways to bring joy and peace into our classrooms, and to the young people we get to serve, by reminding them of the human connection we can make through the arts. I hope these twenty picture books help you foster that in your own classrooms.

I was thrilled to be able to interview the author & illustrator of one of my most anticipated new books on this month’s list! Publishing in February, Powwow Day, written by Traci Sorell and illustrated by Madelyn Goodnight, is a fantastic addition to the authentic picture books by Indigenous creators available today. Check out the video to hear what they had to say about how this book came to be and their hopes for it.

Follett Classroom has partnered with me to spread the #ClassroomBookADay message. As part of that, my themed picture book recommendation lists are housed in Titlewave, one of my favorite free databases for looking up all things related to book information! Don’t have your free account? Grab it today.

Music & Dance Picture Books | January 2022

DANCE
Powwow Day
Boys Dance!
When Langston Dances
I Will Dance
Feel the Beat: Dance Poems That Zing from Salsa to Swing
Alicia Alonso Dances On
Teo’s Tutu
Kitchen Dance
How Do You Dance?
Dancing with Daddy

MUSIC
Because…
Drum Dream Girl
The Roots of Rap
Sing a Song: How “Lift Every Voice and Sing” Inspired Generations
Double Bass Blues
The Good Song
Trombone Shorty
A Song of Frutas
Listen: How Evelyn Glennie, a Deaf Girl, Changed Percussion (April)
I Got the Rhythm

You can shop this list & many more for your personal or classroom collection at my Bookshop page!

Title: AUDITION & SUBTRACTION
Author: Amy Fellner Dominy
Publisher: Walker & Company
Release Date: September 4, 2012
Number of Pages: 272
Source of Book: ARC from publisher at IRA Convention

For as long as Tatum can remember it’s been:

Tatum + Lori = Best friends

They
do everything together, including a yearly clarinet/flute duet for
District Honor Band auditions. But when a new boy transfers to their
middle school and their band, the equation suddenly changes to:

Lori + Michael – Tatum = One happy couple

With
her best friend slipping away and her parents recently separated,
Tatum’s life has turned upside down. Plus her good friend Aaron thinks
that they are secretly boyfriend and girlfriend, all because of one
little lie Tatum told. Accepting change isn’t easy for Tatum, but just
how much is she willing to give up to hold on to her friendship with
Lori and life as she knows it? For Tatum, the best way to move forward
may require a whole new formula . . .

AUDITION & SUBTRACTION is such a cute story. It’s exactly what I’ve come to expect from Amy Fellner Dominy! Her writing voice is spot on for a middle grades book that will engage readers. Her books have middle school appropriate romance with a unique twist. This time it’s the band students.

Some things seemed a little obvious to me as an experienced reader, but as a middle schooler, I probably wouldn’t have realized them at that age. However, Amy’s writing is that type of fun, school-set romance, with friendship/family elements. It’s kinds of like the chick flick for the book set, which is a very good thing because so many of my students are asking for that, but with more depth of thought and lessons to learn and quality to it than some of the other books for this age in this genre. She also writes smart characters who are not the popular kids, but are the real kids that I see who are interested in a variety of things and want to be successful, but are also insecure at times.

AUDITION & SUBTRACTION is all about the reality of what happens when it’s no longer just you and your best friend, but a boyfriend is introduced to the mix. It’s the reality of how we move on in our lives and reevalute friendships and relationships as we grow up and sometimes grow apart. It also includes a very sweet start to a relationship with a really good guy who is fully supportive of the main character.

Beyond the friendship and romance elements, there’s a strong message of figuring out what you want and going for it, no matter what others might say to try to hold you back. Doing what you can to reach your dreams by working hard is an important part of this novel. There are also strong parental figures who are supportive of their child, which is always nice to see.

Overall, Amy Fellner Dominy has written a cute, fun, easy to read romance and drama book that middle school girls are always asking me for. I think they’ll really enjoy AUDITION & SUBTRACTION, especially those band students. I know I did!

Title: TAKE A BOW
Author: Elizabeth Eulberg
Publisher:  Point (a Scholastic imprint)
Release Date: April 1, 2012
Number of Pages: 278
Source of Book: ARC from NCTE Convention

From the fantastic
author of The Lonely Hearts Club and Prom & Prejudice comes a story
of all the drama and comedy of four friends who grow into themselves at a
performing arts high school.

Emme, Sophie, Ethan, and Carter
are seniors at a performing arts school, getting ready for their Senior
Showcase recital, where the pressure is on to appeal to colleges, dance
academies, and professionals in show business. For Sophie, a singer,
it’s been great to be friends with Emme, who composes songs for her, and
to date Carter, soap opera heartthrob who gets plenty of press
coverage. Emme and Ethan have been in a band together through all four
years of school, but wonder if they could be more than just friends and
bandmates. Carter has been acting since he was a baby, and isn’t sure
how to admit that he’d rather paint than perform. The Senior Showcase is
going to make or break each of the four, in a funny, touching,
spectacular finale that only Elizabeth Eulberg could perform.

I adore Elizabeth Eulberg and I love, love, love her books and writing. It all started with THE LONELY HEARTS CLUB in January 2010, I was drawn in by the cover and I immediately loved it and recommended it to a few students who started passing it on to each other until I had to buy a second copy to meet demand. Then came the wonderfulness of PROM & PREJUDICE last year which was a lovely modern retelling of the classic Jane Austen story (and a title my students recently chose for an impromptu book club). You may have seen me mention one or both of those titles on twitter whenever someone asks for a cute, light-hearted, contemporary with some romance. The thing I love most about her books is that they are very accessible read and completely appropriate for the middle schoolers I recommend them to the most. And TAKE A BOW is no exception. In fact, I think this might be her best one yet!

One of the cool things about Elizabeth’s books is that they all incorporate music in some way. Now, if you follow her on twitter or her blog, you’ll quickly realize that Elizabeth loves music in real life and is always on the look out for the next concert, and I think that’s something that many students can relate to. Sometimes it’s more subtly included than others, but it’s always there. In TAKE A BOW, it’s a huge part of the story, but also done in different ways based on the characters. As I was reading I kept thinking back to Fame and that this is what it must really be like in these performing arts high schools. I love the whole concept and setting for this book-it’s like high school drama on steroids when you add in the musicians and actors. This is one of those books where you’re going to want to say, “I’m with the band!”

There is an honesty to Elizabeth’s writing that I really appreciate and can relate to. It’s not angsty just to be angsty, these teens are dealing with real issues that affect their lives and hopes for the future. Carter, Sophie, Ethan, and Emme are each their own definitively unique characters and all come across and realistic portrayals of people we could all know out in the world. They are not stereotyped, they have depth, they have real emotions and feelings, and they aren’t always perfect. Even the good guy (and I appreciate having a true good guy, not just the bad boys) isn’t perfect in how he deals with his emotions and feelings, which is realistic. They are teens and they are learning how to get by and figure out their lives in this cuthroat environment reaching for their dreams. Even the secondary characters are well-drawn and add some needed commentary and humor. I really appreciated that this story was told from the four different points of view, and the way in which they overlapped was so well done that I got the feeling of the complete story. Sometimes it was a little hard to distinguish what was happening in the present from the past memories helping us get background, but the voices were each distinct from each other.

I passed my ARC on to one of my students who was looking for a new book (and who had read Elizabeth’s other two books and loved them) and asked her to share her thoughts with me when she was done, and she gave me a bullet pointed list of her thoughts. This is what she had to say (*caution-spoilers ahead): “Liked how it was from four people’s points of view and how they all knew each other. Loved how Sophie was using Emme by Emme didn’t realize it for awhile, loved how Emme stood up to Sophie, glad Sophie got what she deserved. Love the band. LIked how they were talking about college. Liked Carter’s point of view. Liked how Ethan has always like Emme and glad Ethan and Emme are a couple.” And my favorite comment from my student: “Loved how the book made me want to read more every time I put it down!”

This is definitely one to add to any middle school or high school classroom library or recommendation list. Especially recommend it to your drama kings and queens and your passionate musicians. And I hear it’s already on store shelves, so go get it today and come back and let me know your thoughts about it! I am eagerly anticipating whatever Elizabeth Eulberg will share with us next!

Title: RIVAL
Author: Sara Bennett Wealer
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: February 15, 2011
Number of Pages: 336
Source of Book: Won from The Contemps Challenge
Author’s Website: www.sarabennettwealer.com

Goodreads Summary:
What if your worst enemy turned out to be the best friend you ever had?

As pressures mount, Brooke starts to sense that the person she hates most might just be the best friend she ever had. But Kathryn has a decision to make. Can she forgive? Or are some rivalries for life?
*************************
All right Gleeks – this is your book (and you’ve got two more weeks until a new Glee episode – just enough time to read RIVAL!) Before I start raving too much about the book, I just have to share that I read this book on a plane flight, and I am now typing my review based from my notes on airplane beverage napkins as I didn’t have any paper with me (what was I thinking?!)

I ADORE this book about the roots of friendship, and popularity, and the fleetingness of acceptance in the high school social hierarchy. It’s about figuring out what one really wants, what’s really important, and who really matters. Both of the main characters have voices that were so true and honest. It was refreshing that they were both well-rounded and the focus wasn’t on boys (although boys do, of course, play a secondary role to the main point of the story-this is YA after all!), but it was refreshing that wasn’t the main focus – it was about this friendship, why it started, why it failed, and if it could be saved. It was about girls and the pressures they feel about friendships and rivalries, even if they don’t want them that way. It was one of the most interesting contemporary books that I have read recently and the vocal music piece added another level of sophistication to it and heightened the drama.

I love that we get to hear the story from both Brooke and Kathryn’s points-of-view in alternating chapters, and that it alternates sections from senior year and junior year (when it all went down). It was a very effective way to tell this story (instead of strictly chronologically) to leave the reader in a bit of suspense as to why these two girls are such staunch rival – and then to find out that they were friends at one point. Tension built throughout the story as we get clues and eventually get the full story of what happened and what turned these two girls into friends and rivals. The big competition looming at the end adds the perfect prize at the end. Wealer writes in a straight-forward and engaging style as we see into the minds of both girls and how they perceive the same situations so differently. One of my favorite lines from this book highlights the writing style and voice and gets to one of the themes in this book about rivalry, “But I don’t shatter; I’m not made of glass. Anyway, the parts that break aren’t on the outside.”

Ultimately, this book shows that sometimes you really don’t know someone else, nor can you see yourself clearly as others do. It’s a fascinating look into perceptions and intentions and misperceptions and true desires. This is a fantastic new addition to the contemporary genre – and a great YA book! I highly recommend getting this one – it will be a quick read because you won’t want to stop until you find out who wins the big competition at the end.

4.5 STARS for RIVAL

Sometimes I really want a light-hearted book without all the angst and drama of a lot of the popular YA books/genres out there right now, and to get a good girl-power message – even better. That’s exactly what I got with Elizabeth Eulberg’s debut novel, THE LONELY HEARTS CLUB, plus I got a little Beatles nostalgia along with it. I was drawn to it as soon as I heard the plot summary, but of course, the cover sold me on getting it in hardcover – it’s so fun!


This book is a story with an independent high school junior girl main character who gets treated badly by a boy she’s had a crush on for a long time. The girl – Penny Lane (a Beatles song of course since her parents are huge fans) – decides she’s not going to deal with one more boy treating her badly, so she swears off dating for the rest of high school. Thus starts the lonely hearts club (inspired of course by the Beatles’ Sargeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band). Once word gets out, other girls decide they don’t want to deal with immature boys who treat them badly either, and they see how much fun the girls in the club are having, so the club gets a reputation around the school.


There’s a really important message coming out of reading this story – it’s not just about not dealing with the boy drama, but it’s more about what it means to be a good friend to the girls around you.  It’s about keeping your friends honest, being there for each other, and not letting boys change your priorities. The club’s rules say that a girl can’t change who she is for a guy, she can’t ditch her friends for a guy, she can’t let a guy take over her whole life and forget about her friends – what a great message to send teen girls who need to remember that when they get to high school and boy drama and pressure becomes so much more of a part of their lives. 


I think the highlight about this book for me was that even though it deals with the typical boyfriend drama of high school girls, it’s done in a unique way in which the girls still get to be strong characters. I do wish some of the secondary characters had the chance to be developed a little more fully because they had the potential to really add to the story more than they were able to with the length of the book, but it was it will be an accessible book for many adolescent girls – and it doesn’t cross the line into mature content. I loved this book for it’s light-heartedness, great message, and fun story (with a Beatles twist) and am glad I found it.


4 1/2 STARS for THE LONELY HEARTS CLUB