After years of being teased for her lisp, Daisy hates the spotlight. Her brother Sorrel (known as Squirrel) is the opposite. He dreams of being a YouTube superstar. But, Daisy’s parents have strictly forbidden their son with Downs Syndrome from any social media, fearing cyberbullying. Daisy doesn’t agree with them. Squirrel could really use an ego boost. His girlfriend broke up with him and the Special Olympics have been canceled.
So, when Daisy’s social studies teacher gives an assignment to change the world, Daisy decides she will make Squirrel’s dreams come true. She pairs with her former bully, Miguel, to help Squirrel become a star and save the Special Olympics. Along the way she discovers not only can people change, they can change the world.
My Thoughts:
I received an ARC ebook of this book for a tbr books and beyond tour. I thought it was the exact direction middle grade books should be going. There is lots of representation for different cultures, abilities and LGBTQ+, but that’s not really what it’s about. It’s just telling the story of making a difference with characters who happen to be diverse.
When people ask me my favorite season, like any teacher, my response is summer. I do love summer for many reasons beyond time off work. However, if you were to tweak this question and ask for my favorite time of year, the response would be Christmas. I have strict rules for myself about decorating and watching Hallmark Christmas movies prior to Thanksgiving. But as soon as Thanksgiving’s over, I’m all Christmas.
Last year, I posted my Top Ten Features of Christmas Books . This year, I thought I’d write more about why I think those books are so appealing.
Most Christmas stories have an inherantly wholesome feel. You know everyone’s Christmas wish will come true. Even if it’s a story solving a crime involving “death by candy cane”, there’s bound to be some sort of festive party and you know the crime will be solved. There’s also a very good change that a grumpy character is going to see the light and embrace the Christmas spirit.
There’s also the familiarity of traditions magnified. It’s not just a person who loves Christmas, but an entire town with Christmas fanatics. It’s not just picking out a Christmas tree, it’s going out in the woods and finding the perfect tree which you chop down yourself. It’s not just baking cut outs, it’s every cookie imaginable. If you’re lucky they also include recipes. There’s also usually traditions from different cultures that may not be familiar to you.
Top 5 Wednesday is a goodreads group that shares weekly top five lists related to bookish topics.
This week’s topic:
November 23rd: Long Titles
We’ve featured short title books before, so let’s give some love to those much longer book titles! Maybe you’ve read them or maybe you’ve seen them in passing, but for this week’s prompt, what are five books you know of with long titles?
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly post hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, where people like me who love lists and books can share our thoughts on fun bookish topics.
This week is a Thankful Freebie. So, I’m going to start with a writing update before my top ten list
Nanowrimo Goal Update
As I mentioned in a post at the beginning of the month, my goal for nanowrimo was to write every day. I have stayed true to this goal, although I have not reached my individual goals for each day. Sometimes because I haven’t had time, and others because the revisions were more significant than expected. I’m hoping to squeeze in a couple of other posts beyond my regular weekly posts before the month ends.
Top Ten List
On to the top ten. I decided to write about the top ten favorite things that will make me love a book:
unique characters– I’m more of a character driven reader than plot driven, I love a complex character who evolves throughout the story
bookish themes– whether it’s a library , bookstore or just a protagonist that loves to read, I love books that honor bibliophiles
twists on familiar stories– I love stories that reimagine classic tales whether it’ be true retelling or one that just alludes to the original
dual timelines or multiple points of view– I love when multiple stories connect
foodie books– even better if the book includes recipes
exotic locations- I love when I get to learn about a new culture and get to travel vicariously through books.
endings that make me smile– I love when a book leaves me with a warm and fuzzy feeling
Christmas books– I love having seasonal reading
books set close to home or to places I’ve traveled– It adds something extra when you can visualize places from experience
a book that makes me laugh and cry– I love when an author can combine humor and serious topics, touching on multiple emotions
Mia Tang and her parents are Chinese immigrants. But, living in America isn’t the dream they imagined. Her parents have a job managing a motel. It’s all they can do to keep up with the cleaning, so Mia runs the front desk. She turns out to be really good at the job. Mia has a gift for making connections with the guests, and solving problems. Nevertheless, Mr. Yao, the horrid refuses to pay them fairly or even take precautions for their safety. It seems they’re trapped in a terrible situation, until Mia finds out about an essay contest with a motel as a prize.
My thoughts:
I love Mia as a protagonist. She calls out all the unfairness and prejudices that her family faces while still maintaining the optimism of a child. When she sees an injustice she finds a way to solve it. I also found some of her misunderstandings due to language or her age, entertaining. Overall, it’s an entertaining read which also addresses deeper themes.
Top Five Wednesday is a goodreads group that posts weekly top five lists based on bookish prompts.
This week’s prompt:
November 16th: Young Reads
Last month we talked about books that got us into reading, but let’s talk specifically about books for young readers! These don’t necessarily need to be books that got you into reading, but maybe young reads that left a deep impression on you growing up (or maybe you did read them and that’s why they left a deep impression). What books would you share?
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly post hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, where people like me who love lists and books can share our thoughts on fun bookish topics.
This week’s topic:
November 15: Favorite “Aww” Moments In Books (Share those sweet/cute moments in books that give you warm fuzzies.)
I struggled a little with novels for this list because the “aww”moments were spoilers in a lot of the books that came to mind. So, I went back to sweet picture books.
Robot Dreams is a graphic novel with few words. When a dog orders a robot in the mail, they become fast friends. Then, a trip to the beach leaves Robot rusty. Dog doesn’t know how to fix his robot friend, and ends up abandoning him on the beach. Dog tries to replace his robot friend, but no one is the same. Meanwhile Robot is daydreaming about better places while he is left lying on the beach.
My Thoughts:
As a reading teacher, I normally wouldn’t recommend a book with so few words. But this book lends itself to a lot of meaningful discussion, while also appealing to kids with it’s playful characters. This book could really work for any age. Young children would enjoy the fun animal characters, while older kids would pick up on the bigger themes about friendship and loss.
I’m so excited to participate in my first Book Tour with TBR And Beyond Tours and to help spread the word about this wonderful book!
Book Info:
Daisy Woodworm Changes the World by Melissa Hart
Genre: Middle Grade Contemporary
Publishing Date: November 8, 2022
Synopsis:
When her social studies teacher assigns each student a project to change the world for the better along with an oral report, Daisy fears the class bully—who calls her Woodworm— will make fun of her lisp. Still, she decides to help Sorrel fulfill his dream of becoming a YouTube fashion celebrity despite their parents’ refusal to allow him on social media.
With the help of her best friend Poppy, and Miguel—the most popular boy in school and her former enemy—Daisy launches Sorrel’s publicity campaign. But catastrophe strikes when her parents discover him online along with hateful comments from a cyberbully.
If Daisy has any hope of changing the world, she’ll have to regain her family’s trust and face her fears of public speaking to find her own unique and powerful voice.
My review
We need more books like Daisy Woodworm Changes the World. It has such a positive message about how everyone can make a difference. It doesn’t have to be a huge change that affects the entire world, but can be something as simple as helping someone else achieve their goals. There’s also an emphasis on working together.
I also loved the way diverse characters were represented in this book. The book features characters from different racial backgrounds, people with disabilities, and LGBTQ+ parents. But, that’s just part of who the characters are, not the focus of the plot. It was nice to see a diverse community that felt natural.
My rating: 5 stars
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Favorite Quotes
“But any etymologist worth her microscope would tell you people-like insects-went through metamorphosis all the time.”
“I hated that, how you could be going about your business, and then you caught sight of yourself-not just your reflection, but your eyes-and it was like meeting upwith your conscience, or something. Creepy.”
“…if you know what your goal is, and you know to ask for help in a way that makes people care, it doesn’t matter how young you are. You really can change the world.”
“If you want to change the world…cross-pollination is key!”
I’m an Oregon-based author, journalist, and instructor for the MFA in Creative Writing program at Southern New Hampshire University. My essays and articles have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, The Boston Globe, The Chicago Tribune, The Los Angeles Times, Real Simple, Orion, High Country News, The Rumpus, Brevity, Woman’s Day, The Advocate, Parents, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Hemispheres, and numerous other publications.
I’m the author of The Media Adventurer’s Handbook: Decoding Persuasion in Everyday News, Ads, and More (World Citizen Comics, 2023), Daisy Woodworm Changes the World (Jolly Fish, 2022), Better with Books: 500 Diverse Books to Ignite Empathy and Encourage Self-Acceptance in Tweens and Teens(Sasquatch, 2019), the award-winning middle-grade novel Avenging the Owl(Sky Pony, 2016), the memoir Wild Within: How Rescuing Owls Inspired a Family (Lyons, 2007), and the memoir Gringa: A Contradictory Girlhood(Seal, 2005).
I’m a contributing editor at The Writer Magazine, and I teach frequently at writing conferences, libraries, universities, and bookstores. I grew up near Los Angeles with my younger brother, who has Down syndrome. I live in Eugene with my husband and teen daughter, where I love to run and hike long-distance, cross country ski, kayak, cycle, cook, and roam the Pacific Northwest as an amateur naturalist.
Top Five Wednesday is a goodreads group that posts weekly top five lists based on bookish prompts.
This week’s prompt:
November 9th: Award-Winning
Did you know this week is National Book Awards Week? Let’s feature titles that won awards and why we want to spotlight them!
I don’t pay as much attention to awards for adult books, so I decided to focus on the Newbery and Caldecott.
Top Five Newbery Winners
I have featured most of these in my middle grade book of the month posts and have included the links. For the One and Only Ivan and Call it Courage I included a link the their goodreads page. I have read all of these books with students and their enjoyment of the books was weighted in my ranking as well as my own.
