Book Recommendations

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what Mrs. Cole is currently reading, good audio books, and more!!

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Guess What?!!?

Alan Gratz's Refugee has just come out in a graphic novel form!! Whooo Hooo!!

That got me thinking...🤔

Books Mrs. Cole listened to over winter break

Have you tried listening to an audio book recently? Some are great!!!! Some are better read in print and some are great for both at the same time!

The Freedom Seeker by Ruchira Gupta was a really good audio book. It has a lot of action that came through as suspenseful in the audio book. If you liked Allen Gratz's Refugee you should give this book a try!
Kareem Between by Shifa Saltagi Safadi is a book in verse. I really liked this book and thought it was read well but because it is a book in verse I think I missed some of the impact of how the text is arranged on the page. This would be a good one to both listen to and read along with.
Paper Dragons: The Fight for the Hidden Realm by Siobhan McDermott is an exciting fantacy. I liked the audio book because there were a lot of words that I wouldn't have known how to pronounce. This book starts with a lot of action!

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND EACH OF THESE BOOKS!!

❄️Books Mrs. Cole read over winter break❄️

All 4 of these books take place close to around the same time in history.

How High the Moon, Enemies in the Orchard, and The Lions' Run are all during WWII but in different places with very different perspectives.

Lion of the Sky is a novel in verse that takes place just 2 years after WWII. If you like Alan Gratz's, Refugee, you should check this book out.

How High the Moon has multiple character perspectives is set in South Carolina and Boston. The crime that takes place is a true part of the story, read the author's note at the end of the book to find out more about it!

Enemies in the Orchard also has multiple character perspectives. This book takes place in Michigan where German prisoners of war were sent to work at factories and farms during the war. There are also a lot of real facts along with an author connection to this book but don't read the author's note until after the book because there is a spoiler in it.

The Lions' Run takes place in France during the German occupation. There is a lot of action and suspense as the main character joins the resistance and tries to help those around him survive!

Click on the image for a book trailer and Check out this book in our library! ⬆️

Click on the image for a book trailer. Just arrived! ⬆️

Check out the spotlight book!

Currently: Boy 2.0 by Tracey Baptiste

Spotlight Book

A Spotlight Book is an AWESOME read that we think should take 'center-stage'!

These books deserve 👏 and we think you will ♥️ them too!

So much in fact, that if you read a spotlight book you will receive a punch card. Fill out a review card and read more spotlight books, fill out your whole punch card, and receive a prize! Maybe even an Oscar! 🏆

Previous SPOTLIGHTS: Find Her, Ghost, Rebellion 1776, Whale Eyes

Want to learn more? Go to WhaleEyes.org:

★ Publishers Weekly, starred review
★ Booklist, starred review
★ BookPage, starred review
★ BCCB, starred review
★ School Library Journal, starred review

"From Emmy Award–winning documentary filmmaker James Robinson comes a breathtaking illustrated memoir for middle-grade through adult readers—inspired by the viral, Emmy-nominated short film Whale Eyes." www.whaleeyes.org/

Want to join our book club?

James Robinson, the author of WHALE EYES, spoke to the whole school about his disability, his Emmy- award winning documentary, empathy, and how he started as a kid who didn't want to read and ended up writing a book!

After listening to him speak, one Blaker commented, "It was WOW that is all I can say!" another said, "It was cool!"

At the end of January we are going to have our first meeting of the Blake Community Book Club. We will discuss the subjects in Mr. Robinson's book and do fun activities.

All Blakers, their caregivers, & families are invited to join! More information and an RSVP form are on the Book Club tab.

Unlimited copies of WHALE EYES in ebook 💻 and audio 🎧 book form are available on SORA!! The book is also available at the Blake and public libraries as well as to order from Park Street Books!

Audio books are great in a lot of different ways!

They can help support reading by giving clues to signposts
They can foster a love of reading because of the ability of students to access content that may be above their decoding level. Connecting them with books they find engaging.
New York Times article: Part of the confusion comes from how we tend to think reading works. Learning to read with the eyes starts with decoding, linking letters to sounds and meaning. But once those pathways are built, the brain draws on the same language network to make sense of words, whether they arrive through sight or sound. A 2019 study in The Journal of Neuroscience by researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, found that the brains of people reading or listening to the same stories processed meaning in almost the same way. Focused listening lights up those networks just as print does... Youngsters who read daily for enjoyment tend to develop stronger skills and score higher in school — on average, roughly the equivalent of a year and a half ahead, according to Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development data on student performance in member countries. Some research suggests they’re also more likely to keep reading for pleasure later in life. According to last year’s survey by the National Literacy Trust of Britain, younger people who grew up with audiobooks and podcasts were already reporting a preference for listening over traditional text-only reading. And pairing print and audio has been shown to improve comprehension for some struggling readers, especially when decoding written text is a barrier.

Bannon, Brian . Opinion Guest Essay: “Do Audiobooks Count as Reading?” New York Times, 23 Nov. 2025.

Audio books

What Mrs. Cole is reading now...

I am the Walrus written by Neal Shusterman & Eric Elfman

What Mrs. Cole is listening to now...

Dive written by John David Anderson

What Mrs. Cole read recently...

The School for Thieves written by Peter Burns

I give it a 10 out of 5! 😉 This book was sooo much fun!! I didn't want it to end but I'm assuming it will end up being a series. It reminded me of Harry Potter without the magic.

What Mrs. Cole listened to recently...

Kareem Between written by Shifa Saltagi Safadi

I liked listening to this book but it is probably better since it is a book in verse to also be seeing the pages and how the words are arranged. But I really liked the story!!