Author Guest Post: “3 Activities to Help Children Meet Challenges Successfully” by Elizabeth Godley, Author of Rock, Scissors, Paperbag

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3 Activities to Help Children Meet Challenges Successfully

As children grow, they will face many challenges. Some of these challenges will be small, like learning to tie their shoes, while others will be larger, like making new friends or dealing with a bully. It is important for kids to learn how to meet challenges successfully so that they can overcome them and grow as individuals.

Activity 1: Brainstorming Challenges

The first activity is to brainstorm a list of challenges that children might face. This can be done as a whole class activity or in small groups. Once the list is complete, have students share their thoughts on how they might meet each challenge.

Activity 2: Role-Playing

The second activity is to role-play different challenges. This can be done in small groups or as a whole class. Have your students choose a challenge from the list and act out how they might meet it. After each role-play, have the group discuss what went well and what could be improved.

Activity 3: Journaling

The third activity is to journal about challenges. Have your students write about a challenge they have faced and how they met it. Encourage them to be honest about their feelings and to reflect on what they learned from the experience.

These are just a few ideas for activities that can help children learn how to meet challenges successfully. By providing our students with opportunities to practice and reflect, we can help them develop the skills they need to overcome any challenge they may face.

Published November 8th, 2023 by Nobody’s Banana Publishing

About the Book: Rock, Scissors, and Paperbag are the bestest of friends! Paperbag is afraid of everything, Rock is a talented musician, and Scissors is an excellent Orange Ball player. After the school bullies, The Bucket Kids, steal Scissors’ fake orange-ball, the kids decide to get back at the bullies. What if they could get a real orange-ball from The Great Orange Tree? That would show The Bucket Kids!

Recalling the local magical legend, they embark on a fantastic adventure to find The Great Orange Tree. However, while solving the riddle within the ancient map, they encounter a cave monster, a tornado of rapping cooties, and the horrid Land of Smells. How will they face each challenge? Will they end up back home? Will they get a real orange-ball? And if they do, will they share it?

Throughout their adventure, Rock gains confidence, Paperbag conquers his fears, and Scissors makes peace with being imperfect. Best Buds!

Winner of the 2023 Speak Up Talk Radio International Firebird Book Award, Rock, Scissors, Paperbag is a spellbinding tale of friendship, fantasy, and adventure. A perfect book to be shared and treasured.

About the Author: Hi! I’m Elizabeth Godley. I have been working with children for almost 20 years as a teacher, caretaker, mentor, fairy, clown, and friend. I am a kid magnet. Seriously at school, I cannot walk across the playground without at least 3 kids saying “Hi, Ms. Godley!”, showing me a cool stick they found, and/or asking “Are you on TikTok?” This is my second children’s book and my first kid’s chapter book. Writing books for children is a long-held dream of mine! You are helping it become a reality.

Why do I write? I want to add joy to children’s lives in a way that makes them feel connected and not alone. Kids are so “plugged in” nowadays and isolated. That is why I wanted to write Rock, Scissors, Paperbag. I want to encourage kids to make friends, go on make-believe adventures, get dirty, stand up to the bully, accidentally scrape their knees, and make some innocent mischief. In. Real. Life. Technology is amazing, but it can’t beat the smell of a library book or the weight of a water balloon in your hand.

Thank you, Elizabeth, for giving educators these tools to help their students through challenges!

Educators’ Guide for Promise Boys by Nick Brooks

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Promise Boys
Author: Nick Brooks
Published: January 31st, 2023 by Henry Holt and Co.

Summary: Promise Boys is a blockbuster, dark academia mystery about three teens of color who must investigate their principal’s murder to clear their own names. This page-turning thriller is perfect for fans of Karen McManus, Jason Reynolds, Angie Thomas, and Holly Jackson .

The prestigious Urban Promise Prep school might look pristine on the outside, but deadly secrets lurk within. When the principal ends up murdered on school premises and the cops come sniffing around, a trio of students―J.B., Ramón, and Trey―emerge as the prime suspects. They had the means, they had the motive . . . and they may have had the murder weapon. But with all three maintaining their innocence, they must band together to track down the real killer before they are arrested. Or is the true culprit hiding among them?

Find out who killed Principal Moore in Nick Brooks’s murder mystery, Promise Boys ― The Hate U Give meets One of Us Is Lying.

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation and Discussion Questions: 

Please view and enjoy the educators’ guide I created for Cake Creative Kitchen:

You can also access the educators’ guide here.

Recommended For: 

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 11/27/23

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?
For readers of all ages

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly blog hop we host which focuses on sharing what we’re reading. This Kid Lit version of IMWAYR focuses primarily on books marketed for kids and teens, but books for readers of all ages are shared. We love this community and how it offers opportunities to share and recommend books with each other.

The original IMWAYR, with an adult literature focus, was started by Sheila at Book Journeys and is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. The Kid Lit IMWAYR was co-created by Kellee & Jen at Teach Mentor Texts.

We encourage you to write your own post sharing what you’re reading, link up below, leave a comment, and support other IMWAYR bloggers by visiting and commenting on at least three of the other linked blogs.

Happy reading!

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We had a fall break last week!

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Ricki

I am sorry that I need another week to get my book list together. I read a lot! I am so excited about the books I received at the NCTE (National Council of Teachers of English) National Conference and the ALAN (Assembly on Literature for Adolescents of NCTE) Workshop.

Kellee will be back next Monday with a normal roundup.

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Tuesday: Educators’ Guide to Promise Boys by Nick Brooks

Sunday: Author Guest Post: “3 Activities to Help Children Meet Challenges Successfully” by Elizabeth Godley, Author of Rock, Scissors, Paperbag

Link up below and go check out what everyone else is reading. Please support other bloggers by viewing and commenting on at least 3 other blogs. If you tweet about your Monday post, tag the tweet with #IMWAYR!

 Signature andRickiSig


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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 11/20/23

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?
For readers of all ages

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly blog hop we host which focuses on sharing what we’re reading. This Kid Lit version of IMWAYR focuses primarily on books marketed for kids and teens, but books for readers of all ages are shared. We love this community and how it offers opportunities to share and recommend books with each other.

The original IMWAYR, with an adult literature focus, was started by Sheila at Book Journeys and is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. The Kid Lit IMWAYR was co-created by Kellee & Jen at Teach Mentor Texts.

We encourage you to write your own post sharing what you’re reading, link up below, leave a comment, and support other IMWAYR bloggers by visiting and commenting on at least three of the other linked blogs.

Happy reading!

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Tuesday: Discussion Guide for How to Heal a Gryphon by Meg Cannistra

**Click on any picture/link to view the post**

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We are taking this week off because we are at the NCTE (National Council of Teachers of English) National Conference followed by the ALAN (Assembly on Literature for Adolescents of NCTE) Workshop.

Ricki will be back next Monday with a normal roundup.

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Link up below and go check out what everyone else is reading. Please support other bloggers by viewing and commenting on at least 3 other blogs. If you tweet about your Monday post, tag the tweet with #IMWAYR!

 Signature andRickiSig


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Discussion Guide for How to Heal a Gryphon by Meg Cannistra

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How to Heal a Gryphon
Author: Meg Cannistra
Published: October 4th, 2022 by Inkyard Press

Summary: To save her family, she’ll have to make a dangerous bargain and tip the scales off balance.

With her thirteenth birthday just around the corner, Giada Bellantuono has to make a big decision: Will she join the family business and become a healer or follow her dreams? But even though she knows her calling is to heal vulnerable animals, using her powers to treat magical creatures is decidedly not allowed.

When a group of witches kidnaps her beloved older brother, Rocco, and her parents are away, Giada is the only person left who can rescue him. Swept into the magical underground city of Malavita, Giada will need the help of her new companions to save her brother—or risk losing him forever.

Review: In the first book of the Giada the Healer series by Meg Cannistra, we enter a world where magic is real and mythical creatures exist and we get to meet Giada, a thirteen year old girl from a family of healers. She has magic, just like the rest of her family, but unlike them, her magic works best with animals. She knows she is going to have to tell her family that she wants to work with animals, not humans, but she has been putting it off trying to figure out how to break it to them without them being too upset. But before she can get a chance, she finds herself in the most important fight of her life–one against the witches underground to save her brother. Through this journey, will Giada be able to show that her passion is just as important as tradition?

Readers will love Giada and her story. It is paced so well, with a balance of plot-driven and character-driven elements, a body-positive message throughout, and the magical system & world building is intertwined with aspects of Roman mythology and Italian folklore. I also particularly love the lesson found within the book about passions: Giada’s internal struggle of passion versus expectation is one that so many readers will connect with, and Giada will be a great guide for those in similar situations. 

I was lucky enough to be able to create a discussion guide for Cake Creative Kitchen and Inkyard Press for this book and educators will find that Cannistra’s novel includes imagery and descriptive language, complex characters, an opportunity to look at cause and effect, thought-provoking reflection opportunities, a quest-focused plot that follows the hero’s journey, and more elements that allow the reader to deeply delve into the text. 

This book will definitely leave any reader wanting more, but they’re in luck! The second book in the series, How to Save a Unicorn, is waiting for them! Happy reading everyone!

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation and Discussion Questions: 

Please view and enjoy the educators’ guide I created for Cake Creative Kitchen:

You can also access the educators’ guide here.

Recommended For: 

readaloudbuttonsmall classroomlibrarybuttonsmall litcirclesbuttonsmall closereadinganalysisbuttonsmall

Kellee Signature

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 11/13/23

Share

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?
For readers of all ages

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly blog hop we host which focuses on sharing what we’re reading. This Kid Lit version of IMWAYR focuses primarily on books marketed for kids and teens, but books for readers of all ages are shared. We love this community and how it offers opportunities to share and recommend books with each other.

The original IMWAYR, with an adult literature focus, was started by Sheila at Book Journeys and is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. The Kid Lit IMWAYR was co-created by Kellee & Jen at Teach Mentor Texts.

We encourage you to write your own post sharing what you’re reading, link up below, leave a comment, and support other IMWAYR bloggers by visiting and commenting on at least three of the other linked blogs.

Happy reading!

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Tuesday: The Night Raven (The Moonwind Mysteries #1) by Johan Rundberg

Sunday: Author Guest Post: “The Powerful Nature of Graphic Memoirs” by Claire Lordon, Author of One in a Million

**Click on any picture/link to view the post**

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Kellee

Middle Grade

 

  • Coraline by Neil Gaiman & Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman: My family and I were lucky enough to go see Neil Gaiman and Art Spiegelman speak last Monday, so I wanted to prepare Trent, who had not read any Gaiman books yet. We listened to both Coraline and Fortunately, the Milk and Trent loved both of them! He called Coraline “an R rated kids book because it was so creepy” and Fortunately, the Milk was just an extravagant tale. Both are great reads!
  • I am the Walrus by Neal Shusterman & Eric Elfman: I am always so impressed with the ideas that Shusterman comes up with, and this novel is no different. The adventure Noah goes on is nonstop and just has surprises all the way through. The ending seemed to set up for a sequel, so it will be really interesting to see how this seemingly resolved story continues in the next book.
  • Gone Wolf by Amber McBride: Whoa whoa whoa! I read this book in less than 24 hours because I didn’t want to put it down. It is a dystopian novel that takes a turn in the middle that I DID NOT see coming, and I just want more people to read this so I can talk to them about it.
  • Escape by K.R. Alexander: I can definitely see why this book is on our state reading list (SSYRA). It is a fascinating topic, very timely, is so suspenseful, and just doesn’t stop until the end of the book. It is also a quick read. Most middle school readers would love this book.
  • Best Wishes: Time After Time by Sarah Mlynowski & Christina Soontornvat: I truly love all of Mlynowski’s series (Upside Down Magic, Whatever After, and Best Wishes); they are all so much fun to read, and this one was no different. This was a Groundhog Day book (if you know, you know) and the reader will root for Lucy to figure out how to truly make a perfect day.

Young Adult

  • Legendborn by Tracey Deonn: Oh, I now see why this book is so loved! It is full of adventure, pain, truth, exploration, and tradition. Deonn uses the Arthur legend to build her own mythology and unveil the truth behind good ole boys clubs, especially those in the south. And Bree, the protagonist, is such a phenomenal character! She just kicks so much butt and her, with her friend Alex, just won’t back down.

Picture Books

 

  • Pirate Stew by Neil Gaiman, Illustrated by Chris Riddell; Cinnamon by Neil Gaiman, Illustrated by Divya Srinivasan; Chu’s Day at the Beach by Neil Gaiman, Illustrated by Adam Rex: More Neil Gaiman reading to prep for seieng him!!
  • Contenders: Two Native Baseball Players, One World Series by Traci Sorell, Illustrated by Arigon Starr: As a baseball fan, I loved learning about this slice of history of the game. Both Charles Bender and John Meyers were amazing baseball players whose influence can still be seen today. I am thankful that Sorell was blatant in her description of the racist treatment these players faced, and that Native players still face, while still focusing on their achievements and life. And make sure not to miss out on the Author’s Note to see the truly amazing stats these men held. I also enjoyed Starr’s illustration; her work is new to me, and I look forward to seeing other picture books from her.
  • The Bone Wars: The True Story of the Epic Battle to Find Dinosaur Fossils by Jane Kurtz, Illustrated by Alexander Vidal: This book is so fascinating! Any reader interested in dinosaurs, scientific research, or rivalries is going to love this one. The back and forth of Marsh and Cope keep the story going and the fact that it is nonfiction will really trip some kids up because some of the antics seem unbelievable. And through the whole rivalry story, readers will get to learn about the early years of paleontology. Reading about the early fossil discovery was just so interesting, and don’t miss out on the back matter to add even more layers to the information. I was specifically intrigued by the Author’s and Illustrator’s notes in the back. Learning the rest of the tale of Marsh and Cope added to the experience, and reading about how the illustrator chose to depict prehistoric creatures in the book is just so cool!

  To learn more about any of these books, click on any title/image to go to the book’s Goodreads page or check out my read bookshelf on Goodreads.

Ricki

This is my week off and then next week is vacation for us, so I’ll see you in a couple of weeks!

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Kellee

  • Reading: Strikers: A Graphic Novel by Kiel Phegley, Illustrated Jacques Khouri
  • Listening: Me: Moth by Amber McBride

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Tuesday: Discussion Guide for How to Heal a Gryphon by Meg Cannistra

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Link up below and go check out what everyone else is reading. Please support other bloggers by viewing and commenting on at least 3 other blogs. If you tweet about your Monday post, tag the tweet with #IMWAYR!

 Signature andRickiSig


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Author Guest Post: “The Powerful Nature of Graphic Memoirs” by Claire Lordon, Author of One in a Million

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“The Powerful Nature of Graphic Memoirs”

I think graphic memoirs are so powerful because not only are you reading a story but you can also visualize things as well. When I was thinking of creating my graphic memoir One in a Million there never was a doubt that it was going to be in graphic memoir format. I wanted to show what I went through. I knew I would have a hard time conveying what depression felt like in writing, but with my illustration background I sure knew how to show it.

Graphic memoirs are just that, memoirs that are created with graphics. While creating this book I first called it a “graphic novel memoir” just because I hadn’t heard the term graphic memoir, and because it gave people an idea that it would be similar to a graphic novel. The term “graphic novel memoir” always seemed like a misnomer because how can something be a novel and a memoir? It was only since Jarret J. Krosoczka’s Hey, Kiddo that I started hearing the term graphic memoir in use. It fit and since then I’ve heard many other books use that term too. I made sure that the term graphic memoir was on the cover of my book because I needed people to know that it’s a true story.

Since I started working on my book I have also learned about the term “graphic medicine”. This is a subgenre of comics, graphic novels, and graphic memoirs that depict or have themes relating to healthcare. One of the interesting ways graphic medicine is being used is in the medical humanities at medical schools. Medical students can gain an understanding of what a patient’s perspective may be.

The importance on memoirs, including graphic memoirs is that they give the reader an insight into another person’s life and perspective. This can help create compassion and empathy for others. My hope is that my book helps others that are going through something similar. I also hope that others gain some understanding of what being sick as a teen can entail (especially if someone looks “normal” on the outside). Everyone has a story to share. What will be yours?

Some of my favorite graphic memoirs:

  • Smile by Raina Telgemeier
  • Hey, Kiddo by Jarret J. Krosoczka
  • A First Time for Everything by Dan Santat
  • Parenthesis by Élodie Durand
  • Fun Home by Alison Bechdel
  • In Limbo by Deb JJ Lee

Writing prompt

Everyone has a story to tell.

Create a short comic about an event in your life. It could be as simple as to your morning routine today to a big life event. Don’t worry about your art skills. Stick figures will work (see xkcd.com).

Some prompts: What is the happiest memory you have? What is the saddest memory you have? What was your day like yesterday? Draw a comic of your most recent birthday.

Create a grid on paper could be 4×4 or more, depending on how long you want your story to be (some comics are even just a single panel! I encourage starting with a 4×4 so you can show time passing). You can work on creating your characters separately or you can just jump into creating. Draw your character(s) and make sure to leave room for the text (if needed). Remember in comics half the story is in the art. So if you want to show someone putting on their shoes you don’t need to state it in the text (ex. ”…and then I put on my shoes.”) We don’t need the text because we can see it. Happy creating!

Published October 10th, 2023 by Candlewick Press

About the Book: Debut graphic novelist Claire Lordon’s medical misfortunes may be one in a million in this relatable memoir, but so is her determination, grit, and passion to beat the odds and reclaim her life.

Something is wrong with Claire, but she doesn’t know what. Nobody does, not even her doctors. All she wants is to return to her happy and athletic teenage self. But her accumulating symptoms—chronic fatigue, pounding headaches, weight gain—hint that there’s something not right inside Claire’s body. Claire’s high school experience becomes filled with MRIs, visits to the Mayo Clinic, and multiple surgeries to remove a brain tumor. But even in her most difficult moments battling chronic illness, Claire manages to find solace in her family, her closest friends, and her art. A deeply personal and visually arresting memoir that draws on the author’s high school diaries and drawings, One in a Million is also a sophisticated portrayal of pain, depression, and fear that any teen or adult can relate to. With a sensitive preface and an author’s note connecting past to present, this true story of resilience strikes a moving balance between raw honesty in the face of medical and mental trauma and the everyday musings of a teenager.

About the Author: Claire Lordon is an author, illustrator, and designer who creates children’s books, comics, murals, maps, and greeting cards. She is the author-illustrator of Lorenzo, the Pizza-Loving Lobster, the Taking a Walk series, and other picture books. One in a Million is her first graphic novel. Claire Lordon lives in Vancouver, Canada.

Thank you, Claire, for these writing prompts to get our students creating!