Friday Five: 5 Star Books

It had the potential for being a crazy week...

Full moon... Friday the 13th... not just in the same week but on the SAME DAY!

I was prepared for the worst (seriously, if you work in education you know what I'm talking about). But I was pleasantly surprised that this week was actually one of the best as far as reading goes.

There were many 5 STAR BOOKS this week (HOORAY!), so I decided to dedicate the Friday Five to highlighting them. You can watch the video below, or click here to view this and other Friday Five booktalks.

If you marked yourself "safe" from the Full-Moon-Friday-the-13th school day this week, I hope you'll consider one or more of these books as your reward.

Happy Reading!

EDITED 9/16/19: This morning, the National Book Foundation announced that one of the books I highlight in this video, Look Both Ways by Jason Reynolds, was long-listed for this year's National Book Award for Young People's Literature!

Books mentioned in the video:

The Proudest Blue by Muhammad/Ali/Aly

Home in the Woods by Wheeler

Magic Ramen by Wang

Look Both Ways by Reynolds

Beverly, Right Here by DiCamillo Call Me American by Iftin Stargazing by Wang

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#fridayfive #audiobooks #top10 #mrsyuskoreads #yalit #nonfiction #memoir #newbooks #kidlit #picturebooks #nationalbookaward #shortstories #biography #graphicnovels

Top 10: Fly Me To The Moon

This weekend marks the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. In honor of that momentous occasion, here are my Top 10 books about astronauts, rockets, and landing on the moon.

Top Row:

Papa Put a Man on the Moon by Kristy Dempsey and Sarah Green (Grades K-3)

Moonshot by Brian Floca (Updated and more inclusive!) (Grades K-5) Rocket to the Moon by Don Brown (Grades 4-8)

Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterley (Grades 6- adult depending on whether you want the Young Readers Edition)

Middle Row:

Flying to the Moon by Michael Collins (Grades 6+)

Destination Moon by Seymour Simon (Grades 2-5)

Destination Moon by Richard Maurer (Grades 6-10)

Bottom Row:

Disaster Strikes by Jeffrey Kluger (Grades 6-10)

The Astronaut who Painted the Moon by Dean Robbins and Sean Rubin (Grades 1-4)

Team Moon by Catherine Thimmesh (Grades 5-9)

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#kidlit #yalit #moon #history #science #apollo11 #apollo50

3 on a Theme: Beatles

Every time I see a preview for the movie "Yesterday," all I can think about is how it seems VERY similar to the story in a book I used to book talk with my middle schoolers all the time.

Since the movie is out in theaters now, I thought that this week's 3 on a Theme (+1) would be The Beatles!

The Girl Who Became a Beatle by Greg Taylor. (Grades 6-10)

This is the book that inspired my post today. A girl makes a wish to be as famous as The Beatles. And then wakes up in a world where no one remembers the Beatles except her... and now her band has replaced The Beatles in music history. I vaguely remember this book being "optioned" for a film, so I hope this is the film... and that the author gets credit!

Beatle Meets Destiny by Gabrielle Williams (Grades 8-12)

A teen named John Lennon (nickname Beatle) meets his dream girl: Destiny McCartney. It has to be the perfect match, right?

John Lennon by Elizabeth Partridge (Grades 6-12 & ADULTS)

National Book Award Finalist Partridge's OUTSTANDING biography of John Lennon.

Plus 1: Fab Four Friends by Susanna Reich

If you're looking for a #picturebook biography of the group, this one is it! Perfect introduction for grades 2-5.

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#3onatheme #booklist #moviesbasedonbooks #basedonthebook #yalit #kidlit