EL DEAFO by CeCe Bell

Author and illustrator CeCe Bell (wife of author Tom Angleberger) is releasing an autobiographical graphic novel this fall about her experience growing up deaf in the 1970s. I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book at the nErDcampMI conference this summer. Of all the ARCs I received, this was the one that made me giddy! I was halfway through it before the conference even started for the day.

This was great!  It's also a story about childhood - crushes, social roller coasters, schools, etc. It's a friendship story. It's a family story. It's a story of being deaf - and all the well-meaning, clueless and mean responses of others. There's a great author's note about deaf culture and cautions about lumping her experiences into "all deaf people" stereotypes. There's a great "side story" about "El Deafo," Cece's alter-ego superhero figure pictured here on the cover.

I think a teacher with several students reading El Deafo could have some great discussions about relating to people who have different abilities and what it means to be a good friend.

4 out of 5 stars.
Match this one with Smile by Raina Telgemeier. Both could be used as mentor texts for visual story telling as well as autobiographical stories.

El Deafo should release on September 2, 2014.

PRINCESS LABELMAKER TO THE RESCUE by Tom Angleberger

The origami rebels are back after their small triumph in Jabba the Puppett. Now they are waiting for Principal Rabski to follow through on her promise to do something. Princess Labelmaker shares a case file with Principal Rabski. Will it convice her to help end the torturous "Fun Time" test prep? Or will it just give her the evidence she needs to bust the members of the Rebel Alliance?

What a great continuation of this fun series! Timely, too, in the world of Common Core Standards and standardized testing and boycotts and rebellions.  Some of the case files are a little "random" and don't tie as tightly to the overall story as others, but they are enjoyable on their own as character development and fun school stories. There is a nice resolution of the Fun Time issue - but is it temporary? There are hints at more adventures yet to come. Book 6 is showing an August or September release, depending on what internet source you check - and that may be the final chapter in the series. You can read more about the series at the author's site here.

There is one chapter that may lead to some family discussions as kids read this book - a kid in the group is teased by some outsiders because he wears a pink shirt for picture day. The other kids call him "gay" and his friends wrestle with how to respond and wonder if they should care if he is gay. I loved how the friends responded to this situation, and I think there are some great discussion points for families and school settings about bullying that can come from the reading of this chapter.

4 out of 5 stars
AR reading level of 4.9

THE SURPRISE ATTACK OF JABBA THE PUPPETT by Tom Angleberger

The kids have lost their electives in favor of "Fun Time," a set of horrible, childish videos that are supposed to raise standardized test results. The kids are miserable. But Dwight is back, along with Origami Yoda. Maybe Yoda will have some wise ideas to help them fight against the not-so-fun Fun Time.

This is my favorite book in the whole series! More kids getting involved in fighting Fun Time means more origami Star Wars characters. And that means more Star Wars jokes in the book. Also, the "surprise attack of Jabba the Puppett" was fantastic! I am so excited to get this into the hands of my students! I recommend this for kids in 3rd or 4th grade and up, especially for fans of the series.

5 out of 5 stars
AR reading level of 4.9

CRANKEE DOODLE and SEA MONSTER'S FIRST DAY

  

Two great picture books for the new school year!! Crankee Doodle is the story of Yankee Doodle and his horse talking about making a trip to town. Yankee Doodle is irritable and uncooperative while the horse is sweet and longsuffering, suggesting they go to town and maybe buy a feather for Yankee Doodle's hat. The whole thing is a hoot! I can't wait to share this with students. We'll be singing the Yankee Doodle song for days afterwards! This book is written by Tom Angleberger, the author of the Origami Yoda books and it is illustrated by his wife, Cece Bell.

Sea Monster's First Day is a sweet first day of school story starring Ernest the sea monster. Ernest, like most new students, is eager to fit in and find his way in a new place, and he triumphs with a good dose of imagination and a good attitude. This book is written by Kate Messner, the author of Capture the Flag.

These will both be books I am sharing with students early in the school year - I can't wait! Both of these picture books are written by authors my students already love.

4 out of 5 stars for both
AR reading level for both is 2.4

CHAPTER BOOK: The Secret of the Fortune Wookiee by Tom Angleberger

Dwight is at Tippett Academy and life at McQuarrie Middle School just isn't the same without him - or without Origami Yoda to give advice to kids. But then Sara arrives with a Fortune Wookiee (and Han Foldo to translate), so kids with questions have somewhere to go again for advice. But when Tommy gets word that Dwight is changing at Tippett - and not for the better - he's got reason to create a whole new case file.

Great set up throughout this book for a coming battle with Principal Rabbski that is sure to be epic. That means there will be more Origami Yoda books to come and that makes me very happy - and makes my students ecstatic! This story has some great Star Wars references, good "problems" and solutions. The "voice" of Han Solo is fantastically done - you can just hear the snark and sarcasm.

4 out of 5 stars

No AR rating at this time

Recommended for: Fans of the other books in the series, kids 3rd grade and up. Teachers might enjoy these for classroom read-alouds. Lessons and discussion could be built around writing (what could students keep a case file about?), problem solving (how would you have advised this student? Is the Fortune Wookie's advice good?), voice (each character's portion is written in a different font, which is a fun visual for voice, but students could easily talk about how Tommy's "voice" is different than Harvey's, etc.)

TUESDAY: The Strange Case of Origami Yoda

Dwight has an origami Yoda finger puppet that spouts words of wisdom in Yoda speak ("Cheetos for everyone you must buy")

Tommy has a dilemma. Origami Yoda has given him some advice, but Tommy isn't sure he should believe it, so he does some research, asking kids to share their stories of Origami Yoda's advice and the outcome. Is Yoda the real deal? Or is Dwight just playing all of them?

Tommy and his friends are something of the outcasts in the 6th grade. But Dwight is the oddest one in the bunch, even if you don't consider the finger puppet. I liked the story. I thought it was a good portrayal of the social scene at this age, with reasonable dilemmas for the students. Great ending. But I had no luck making my own origami Yoda....
 
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