On My Bookshelf: The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily Danforth

The basic plot from Amazon: When Cameron Post’s parents die suddenly in a car crash, her shocking first thought is relief. Relief they’ll never know that, hours earlier, she had been kissing a girl.

But that relief doesn’t last, and Cam is forced to move in with her conservative aunt Ruth and her well-intentioned but hopelessly old-fashioned grandmother. She knows that from this point on, her life will forever be different. Survival in Miles City, Montana, means blending in and leaving well enough alone, and Cam becomes an expert at both.

Then Coley Taylor moves to town. Beautiful, pickup-driving Coley is a perfect cowgirl with the perfect boyfriend to match. She and Cam forge an unexpected and intense friendship, one that seems to leave room for something more to emerge. But just as that starts to seem like a real possibility, Aunt Ruth takes drastic action to “fix” her niece, bringing Cam face-to-face with the cost of denying her true self—even if she’s not quite sure who that is.

Why I liked it: The Miseducation of Cameron Post is a stunning read about a young girl who loses her parents and realizes her sexual identity in the same day. Her aunt and grandmother take over her care as she wrestles with the guilt of her desires and is eventually forced to attend a conversion therapy program.

What I loved most about Cameron was her youth and innocence. When she first kisses a girl, who also happens to be her best friend, she doesn't have a name for the feelings she has. She struggles to try to fit into the mold of a "typical" girl, but has more male friends than female ones and throws herself into athletics as an outlet. As she grows older, she engages in very few relationships with other girls, but each time she does, she opens herself up to the judgement and worse, condemnation of her community.

Classroom application: The first section of the novel would be appropriate for middle school, but as Cameron progresses into high school, the more mature content makes this novel overall more appropriate for high school. I haven't seen it yet, but the book has recently become a Sundance film so a comparison could be done between the two.

After reading, I would highly encourage a discussion about the dangers of conversion therapy.

If you are interested in purchasing a copy of The Miseducation of Cameron Post for yourself, you can find it on Amazon here.

Note: The Literary Maven is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

On My Bookshelf: Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse

The basic plot from Amazon: While most of the world has drowned beneath the sudden rising waters of a climate apocalypse, Dinétah (formerly the Navajo reservation) has been reborn. The gods and heroes of legend walk the land, but so do monsters.

Maggie Hoskie is a Dinétah monster hunter, a supernaturally gifted killer. When a small town needs help finding a missing girl, Maggie is their last best hope. But what Maggie uncovers about the monster is much more terrifying than anything she could imagine.

Maggie reluctantly enlists the aid of Kai Arviso, an unconventional medicine man, and together they travel the rez, unraveling clues from ancient legends, trading favors with tricksters, and battling dark witchcraft in a patchwork world of deteriorating technology.

As Maggie discovers the truth behind the killings, she will have to confront her past if she wants to survive.

Welcome to the Sixth World.

Why I liked it: Trail of Lightning  was like nothing I've ever read before. It's a fantastic mix of Native American mythology, science fiction, and fantasy with a post-apocalyptic setting and elements of the mystery and thriller genre. The protagonist, Maggie, is a fierce female with a male sidekick, Kai, who needs rescuing just as much as she does.

As Maggie and Kai hunt for more information about the most recent monster attacks, they encounter an eclectic mix of multi-dimensional characters. Everyone seems to have an ulterior motive for their actions though no one is strictly good or evil. The action in the story is constant leaving no room for a dull moment in the plot. I am excited to see what the rest of the series brings.

Classroom application: I would recommend this one for high school and up because of the violence and gore. Your Marvel comic loving students will be hooked on this first book in the Sixth World series as will students interested in Native American mythology. After reading, students could do research into Trickster myths across cultures.

If you are interested in purchasing a copy of The Lightning Trail for yourself, you can find it on Amazon here.

Note: The Literary Maven is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

On My Bookshelf: We Are Okay by Nina LaCour

The basic plot from Amazon: You go through life thinking there’s so much you need. . . . Until you leave with only your phone, your wallet, and a picture of your mother.

Marin hasn’t spoken to anyone from her old life since the day she left everything behind. No one knows the truth about those final weeks. Not even her best friend Mabel. But even thousands of miles away from the California coast, at college in New York, Marin still feels the pull of the life and tragedy she’s tried to outrun. Now, months later, alone in an emptied dorm for winter break, Marin waits. Mabel is coming to visit and Marin will be forced to face everything that’s been left unsaid and finally confront the loneliness that has made a home in her heart.

Why I liked it: I cried my way through Hold Still two years ago and had a similar reaction to We Are Okay. Both are beautifully written, but filled with incredible sadness. In We Are Okay, Marin is raised by her grandfather after her mother's death. Marin was just a toddler, when her mother, a surfer, died and has little memory of her. She has no other family and her grandfather shared little with her about her mother as she was growing up. Just before Marin is set to head off to college, her grandfather, who had worsening health issues, disappears, presumably purposefully drowning himself in the ocean. It is after his death that Marin discovers all of the belongings and photos of her mother he had hidden from her, including letters she thought he was writing to a friend, but were really to her mother.

Feeling completely abandoned, Marin spirals into a depression and leaves for college early, cutting herself off from everyone back home. Her best friend from back home, Mabel, forces her to allow her to visit over winter break and tries to convince Marin to come back home, but Marin just ins't ready yet, so instead Mabel's parents join them at Marin's dorm for the holiday.

Classroom application: I would recommend this for high school and up mostly because of the intense emotions.

If you are interested in purchasing a copy of We Are Okay for yourself, you can find it on Amazon here.

Note: The Literary Maven is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

On My Bookshelf: Steel Scars by Victoria Aveyard

The basic plot from Amazon: From #1 New York Times bestselling author Victoria Aveyard, this 100-page digital original prequel novella follows Scarlet Guard leader Captain Farley as she exchanges coded transmissions with the resistance and travels the land recruiting black market traders, smugglers, and extremists for her first attempt at an attack on the capital.

She was raised to be strong, but planting the seeds of rebellion in Norta is a tougher job than expected—until she stumbles upon a connection that may prove to be the key to the entire operation: Mare Barrow.

A rare look into the world of the Scarlet Guard, Steel Scars is the perfect companion to the #1 New York Times bestselling Red Queen series.

Why I liked it: After finishing War Storm, the final book in the Red Queen series, I found myself wanting more, which led me to Steel Scars, a novella connected to the series. Steel Scars focuses on Farley, a leader in the Scarlet Guard and allows you to see the start of her relationship with Shade, Mare's brother, Shade's reaction to the reveal of Mare's powers at Queenestrial, and gives you more insight into Farley's character. 

Farley takes risks and her willingness to bend the rules and make her own decisions, even if it costs her the lives of her teammates in the name of the cause. While these characteristics make her a bit of a wild card, they also seem to be why she is chosen as a leader and given more and more responsibility within the Guard.

Though the novella was focused on Farley, I found I still had many questions about her past. What caused the strain in the relationship between she and her father? And what happened to the rest of their family? I also found the sections of the book formatted as messages to sometimes be confusing to read.

Classroom application: As with the rest of the series, there is violence in the novella, though mostly of the fantastical kind, so the book is appropriate for upper middle school and high school students.

The novella could also serve as inspiration for some creative writing for students. Students could choose a favorite novel or series and write a short story from the perspective of a minor character.

If you are interested in purchasing a copy of Steel Scars for yourself, you can find it on Amazon here.

Note: The Literary Maven is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

On My Bookshelf: War Storm by Victoria Aveyard

The basic plot from Amazon: VICTORY COMES AT A PRICE.

Mare Barrow learned this all too well when Cal’s betrayal nearly destroyed her. Now determined to protect her heart—and secure freedom for Reds and newbloods like her—Mare resolves to overthrow the kingdom of Norta once and for all . . . starting with the crown on Maven’s head.

But no battle is won alone, and before the Reds may rise as one, Mare must side with the boy who broke her heart in order to defeat the boy who almost broke her. Cal’s powerful Silver allies, alongside Mare and the Scarlet Guard, prove a formidable force. But Maven is driven by an obsession so deep, he will stop at nothing to have Mare as his own again, even if it means demolish everything—and everyone—in his path.

War is coming, and all Mare has fought for hangs in the balance. Will victory be enough to topple the Silver kingdoms? Or will the little lightning girl be forever silenced?

In the epic conclusion to Victoria Aveyard’s stunning series, Mare must embrace her fate and summon all her power . . . for all will be tested, but not all will survive.

Why I liked it: I've been working my way through a bunch of series and just wrapped up the Red Queen series by reading War Storm (though there is also a short story collection that I haven't read yet plus a novella focused on Cal's mother). I loved the third book in the series, King's Cage, as well as the first book, Red Queen, but the second book, Glass Sword, dragged for me. I'm happy to report that the fourth and final book continued to come back with a vengeance.

Narration alternated primarily between Mare, Evangeline who is now betrothed to Cal, and Inge, Maven’s water nymph bride. Maven and Cal each had a single section at the end. While the introduction of multiple narrators in the previous book had been a bit off-putting at first, I loved hearing the the trio of powerful female voices in this book. I especially liked getting to know Evangeline better as she was very much an enemy earlier in the series and becomes an ally for Mare in this book. I was also relieved that Mare and Cal's relationship could be repaired. I liked them together too much to see Cal becoming king separate the two of them.

Classroom application: As with the rest of the series, there is violence in the novel, though mostly of the fantastical kind, so the book is appropriate for upper middle school and high school students. 

Issues surrounding equality and different types of governments arise in the book and would be perfect for making cross curricular connection with history and/or real world connections to current events.

If you are interested in purchasing a copy of War Storm for yourself, you can find it on Amazon here.

Note: The Literary Maven is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

Using Daily Agenda Slides to Stay Organized & On Task

At the end of last school year, the other two members of my sixth grade team and I sat down together to reflect on our year. One of the big issues that came up was our students' struggles with the transition from fifth to sixth grade. 

We work in a K-8 school and the fifth grade classrooms are self-contained, so moving up to middle school and switching classes in sixth grade can be a big adjustment for many students. Moving from room to room and teacher to teacher means students had to now keep track of all of their belongings in additional to several different teachers' personalities, expectations and routines. 

One solution for easing this transition and creating some consistency from class to class was for all of us to use a daily agenda slide made using Google Slides. All of our students have Google accounts and we already use Google Classroom as our learning management platform. In addition to displaying our daily agenda slide at the start of class, we also all posted our daily agenda slides in the same place in our Google Classrooms so students could access them at home.

My daily slide includes the date, our agenda and objective for the day, any materials students need to have out, homework and other reminders, and a timer. Having all of these things together in one place has helped me to be more intentional about connecting the objective to our activities for the day. I never forget to assign the homework or remind students about upcoming events. Having the ten minute timer for our independent reading on the screen means we can go right into reading once we've reviewed the agenda slide.

So that students have access to this daily agenda after class ends, I have the Slides posted in the Stream on their Google Classrooms. That's the only thing I have posted there (in "settings," you can turn off classwork notifications so they don't appear in the stream) so it can't get lost among other postings. I have found that the posting disappears after time, but clicking "move to top" (even though there's nothing else there) makes it reappear. Because Google Drive resources automatically save and update, there's no need to ever repost the Slides.

While I encourage parents to sign up for Google Classroom email summaries and sit down with their child each night to review homework, technically parents can't access Google Classroom on their own, so I also have my daly agenda slides posted on my classroom website (created with Google Sites).

I'll be using the same Google Slides presentation with my daily agenda for the entire year. Each day, I pull the most recent date to the front of the presentation. Having a single presentation allows students to look back at previous days, which is extremely helpful if they missed class for some reason or were absent. I also link other Slides presentations, handouts, etc. to my daily slides to make finding materials easier. This will be such an amazing resource to have next year.

Interested in using a similar daily agenda Google Slide in your classroom? Find it a completely customizable one here, including two different layouts and eighteen different color combinations.