The Playbook: 52 Rules to Aim, Shoot, and Score in This Game Called Life by Kwame Alexander (nonfiction, grades 4-8)
The Playbook is a book full of short, motivational stories and quotes that correspond to the 52 rules in life that Kwame Alexander presents. The book has a basketball theme and is divided into quarters (and halftime and overtime) featuring different traits: grit, motivation, passion, focus, teamwork, and tenacity. Some of the rules include: #3 The size of your heart matters more than the size of your opponent and #16 You may not be a starter but always be a star in your mind ready to shine at any time. This book is very quick to read as it has many pictures and large text. Fans of Kwame Alexander's The Crossover and Booked, as well as sports fans, will love this book. It has such a powerful message and would be great to read aloud as a whole, or in pieces. Here is a motivational music video from the book by the author:
School of the Dead by Avi (horror, grades 4-6)
Tony has one really, REALLY strange uncle! After he moves in and Tony gets to know him better, he realizes that his uncle isn't so bad. He figures that all of his uncle's talk about death and ghosts is just for fun. But then his uncle dies and Tony and his family move to a new town and enroll Tony in the school that his uncle used to attend. Suddenly, Tony starts to see his uncle, and possibly another ghost, around the school. Other strange things begin to happen at the school as well and Tony begins to wonder if his uncle really meant what he said about taking Tony with him to death. Could his uncle really do something so creepy? School of the Dead is a different type of story for Avi (although The Seer of Shadows is creepy at times) and is not my favorite from him. However, students looking for creepy ghost stories will love it!
Hidden Figures: Young Readers' Edition by Margot Lee Shetterly (nonfiction, grades 6-9)
This is the true story of four African American women who dared to dream and did what few other women before them did (of any color). During World War II and during the space race, Dorothy Vaughn, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson, and Christine Darden worked for the United States as mathematicians and engineers to help further our country's flight and space program. These four women endured gender and racial inequality in their pursuit of their dreams and they truly made a difference with their work. This book is similar to the movie but provides more information about the women, especially before they began working for the United States. The young readers' edition has many photographs. Students who enjoy biographies, learning about history, or learning about the civil rights movement would enjoy this book.
The Thing Lou Couldn't Do by Ashley Spires (picture book, grades PK-2)
Lou loves to explore and go on adventures! Sometimes she is a deep-sea diver and sometimes she and her friends are race car drivers. However, when her friends decide to be pirates and use the tree as their ship, Lou is frightened of heights and doesn't want to climb. After much encouragement, she decides to give it a try but is (gasp!) unsuccessful. "She knew it. She can't climb...not YET anyway". "She'll be back. Maybe even tomorrow." The ending of this book teaches kids that they might not always succeed, but they should keep trying. Similar to The Most Magnificent Thing by also by Ashley Spires, this is a great read aloud book and perfect for inspiring a growth mindset. I received a free copy of this book from the ALA annual conference (along with many other books) and I can't wait to share it with my students!
