"One", by Kathryn Otoshi

Every teacher, and every parent, should read this picture book to their children: a simply-told, yet powerfully complex tale about strength in numbers against bullying.  Rich in metaphor, using wordplay, color and numbers, it glorifies positive action and character traits, including self-reflection, individuality, mutual admiration, affirmation, humility, and forgiveness.  Recommended for children aged 2 - 12.

"No!", by David McPhail

Another wonderful picture book by David McPhail, "No" (2009) is short on words and long on visual story. McPhail's illustrations show us a city in western Europe during WWII, and just how strong one boy's stance against hatred and agression can be. Young picture book readers will understand one message: that standing up for yourself and saying no to bullies brings positive change. Older readers will understand its global message as well.

"The Report Card", by Andrew Clements

Clements harks back to his recent success, "No Talking", by having school students whip up another rebellion against the teaching establishment. This one challenges the significance of grades and how they make students feel about themselves, i.e., dumb or smart, depending on the outcome. It also poses questions about the validity of rote memorization and standardized testing. The protagonist, Nora, is an extremely academically gifted child who has managed to hide her gifts until now, and she did so because she wanted to seem normal and on par with everyone else, not elevated to a position of "better and smarter" than everyone else. She finds a confidant in the school's librarian, who helps Nora see that her public challenges and her gifts are important in their philosophy, but are not the right way to address these issues. The librarian suggests that Nora focus on discovering how she can use her talents to make things better when and as she grows up. Nora also finds out that the teachers often feel frustrated with the system as she does, but she realizes that there have to be standards that work as best they can for the whole, diverse population. Once again, Clements on his education soap box - a great little book with thoughts to ponder.

"The Green Glass Sea", by Ellen Klages

Ellen Klages' "The Green Glass Sea" captured the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction, and won numerous other recommendations and honors. The meaning of the title is not revealed until the last - the fireball of the Los Alamos atomic bomb test, three weeks before Hiroshima, turned seventy-five acres of the desert into glass (a new mineral scientists called Trinitite). Klages stumbled upon the existence of the glass as mere bylines during her Los Alamos book research, and the glass "sea" serves as a final focal point for one of her two main characters, Dewey, to heal her personal emotional turmoil. That turmoil encompasses both her personal tragedy and the mixed blessings of the creation of the bomb, the atomic age - both its destruction and its awe-inspiring wonder - borne of creative, scientific minds and a furvent desire for the better good.

Alternately told in first person by two young girls, this is a novel which skillfully explains historical, philosophical dilemmas in the context of family and growing friendship. It actively encourages girls to pursue their dreams and talents in the field of science, and to open their minds to creativity. Further, it discourages negative, female teen social cliques and promotes kindness in the face of social pressures. All this, and yet not at all too heady for young readers! A good novel for all teens, especially girls, aged 11-15.

"When I Crossed No-Bob", by Margaret McMullan

"When I Crossed No-Bob", by Margaret McMullan, is an extremely compelling read, direct and honest, historical and geographically significant. Set in Raleigh, Mississippi in 1875, it weaves together stories of many people: sympathetic white Anglos; proud Choctow Indians; poor, miscreant white folk involved in the KKK, colored folk finding their way post-emancipation. The protagonist is a poor, uneducated 12 year-old girl, Abby O'Donnell, abandoned by her parents after growing up in No-Bob, the woods adjacent to the township. She is a sensitive and bright child, wanting to do right by people, and as she falls into uncertain and even dangerous situations, she develops into a stronger person, highly resiliant and with a gentile noblility.

Some of my favorite passages from the book are as follows. "People. They are like lightning sometimes. Unexpected, beautiful, and scary - mostly you can't run away from either one." "Zula is right. Us Anglos are full up with too much noise and too many words. My ears ring with all the words. Children running around, screaming in the streets, women inside whispering whispering, and the men brawling in the Harrison Hotel, singing, shouting, and making more noise. They can't sit quiet. They can't sit still. When do they think? DO they think?" [Concerning Keats' "Ode to a Grecian Urn":] "Now I think I know what that John Keats fellow means about truth. Once the truth is all laid out in front of you and everybody else and the whole world to see, truth good and bad, it IS a sight to behold, and that sight might be where beauty lies sleeping."

"...No-Bob" is also a book about love - faithful and courageous - and about developing the courage to be true to yourself, while being able to see the value of the greater good in your actions. Highly recommended for ages 10-15 and for adults, too!

"Living Sunlight: How Plants Bring The Earth To Life", by Molly Bang, Peggy Chisholm

An amazingly complex tale of earth's life cycle (photosynthesis) between plants and humans/animals, told simply and powerfully for young children (early elementary). Great for booktalking because the illustrations catch the eye and the text is straightforward and dynamic. The author's substantial notes at the end of the book give more detail, providing an apology for the over-simplification of photosynthesis, while it acknowledges other ways living things extract, split and exhale periodic elements. These illustrated notes are most appropriate for much older readers (ages 9-12), making this book a good pick for both the younger and the older set.

"Judy Moody Predicts the Future", by Megan McDonald

Judy Moody Predicts the Future" gives us a smart, modern girl's tale immersed in the sixties and seventies culture-hype of fortune telling, Mood Rings, and Magic 8 Balls. It feels right that Judy Moody would want to see the future and be the sole bearer of its message! In her curious way, she embarks on a quest to be the all important one. However, by the end she is capable of a mature understanding about truly reading the emotional signs and clues people give. She also comes to realize that we make our own future. A terrific read for boys and girls aged 7-10.