Allison Haehnel > Recent Status Updates

Written like a diary. Like a journal of a very young uneducated orphan. While he experienced the atrocities of World War II in Warsaw,Poland. His name is given to him by another orphan, then a found family, and someone special at the very end of the book and his life. Jerry Spinelli has written a thoughtful and thought-provoking story that is best for 7-10 grade students.

We take our cars and road trips for granted. Stacy McAnulty’s “Are we there yet?” hilariously portrays the first cross country road trip. Eight thousand dollars were spent to win a $50 bet. Would you do it? Read this to find out the challenges and successes encountered on the excursion.

Such a clever book to get middle grade and young adult readers interested in Shakespeare and how books are made. Wonderful illustrations and images support the text, especially the descriptions of the complication process used centuries ago to compile books.

DNF at page 95

DNF - I struggled to get past page 10

An approachable graphic novelization of Liz Braswell’s twisted tale of Ariel the Little Mermaid. What happens of Ariel doesn’t defeat Ursula like she did in the original book? Read to find out!

Thank you Rex Ogle for being a friend to teachers & librarians. As a teacher I found Free Lunch & shared it with my kids. Now a librarian I share it w/teachers. They form entire units around it. Then students flood my library to find your books on their own. I wish I had a HS library so I could share When We Ride. But I bet they find it on their own. Thank you for another window to help me learn about the world.

An ironic title to follow “By Any Other Name”. “The Dictionary of Lost Words” imagines that the creation of the original Oxford English Dictionary was compiled by more than only elder white men. Women were critical to the completion of the work yet their words & input were largely disregarded. Williams’ novel highlights how women’s work, thoughts, & words are still dismissed today:a hundred years later.

Wow. How can we live in the times of America Ferrerra’s “Barbie” monologue, Taylor Swift’s feminist anthems, & “By Any Other Name” yet still have people believe that misogyny & sexism have been eradicated? The parallel stories of Emilia Bassano & her generationally-distant grand child Melina Green demonstrate that women are still not given their due despite centuries of efforts. Another Picoult triumph!

Seventh grader Lyla loves writing, English class, and her teacher Ms. Bowman. But she doesn’t know how to love it all when she develops writer’s block. Real life begins to mirror the plot of her story and Lyla inserts her own feelings into the story. Young and grown readers will easily see themselves in a character from “Unstuck”. Barbara Dee has created an easy to read and love middle grade novel for all.