The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill

The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill is 2017's Newbery Award Book. This book is the story of a town drowning in sorrow. Every year they believe they must take the youngest child born to a clearing in the woods and leave her there as an offering to the witch who lives in the woods. The townspeople are told it is the only way to stay safe from the witch. The story is about one little baby girl, Luna who is left in the clearing and the witch who comes to collect her.

If you like well told stories of magic, with witches, warlocks, dragons and bog monsters, you'll love this book. I couldn't put it down! In my opinion a well deserved Newbery winner.

Reviewed by Mrs. Castro

The Inquisitor's Tale: or The Three Magical Children and Their Holy Dog by Adam Gidwitz

The Inquisitor's Tale: or The Three Magical Children and Their Holy Dog by Adam Gidwitz is for fans of historical fiction stories. It is set in medieval times and holds very true to the religious and mythical tales that we learn about from that time period. Students will enjoy this quest story because it involves interesting characters with magical abilities. It is one of the Newbery Honor books of 2017. To be honest, I might suggest to start reading this book at the back. There you will find a section by the author that explains his research, the historical nature and setting of the book. It might help you to decide if the book is for you.

Reviewed by Mrs. Castro

Full Cicada Moon, by Marilyn Hilton

Full Cicada Moon, by Marilyn Hilton is a book written in verse. This was one of the books nominated for the RICBA award in 2017. I noticed it sat on the shelf and didn't get picked up by many students. So, I thought I'd give it a try and I was not disappointed. Because this book is written in a poem format it ends up being a fat book and maybe students thought it was too fat to get through. We may have to add, "Don't judge a book by it's size", to the old adage, "Don't judge a book by it's cover." Although the book appears thick, it is actually a quick read, because the poems spread the text out.

Full Cicada Moon is about a girl who moves to Vermont from California. Because Mimi's father is African American and her mother is Japanese, Mimi has a hard time fitting in at her new school. Every day challenges her to be patient and courageous as the teachers and students learn to see past her mixed race family. This is an excellent story and the character's struggles against racial and gender prejudice make it a great addition to a teacher's classroom list of read aloud books that encourage empathy.

Reviewed by Mrs. Castro