The Little Crooked Bookshelf

THE LINE TENDER
by Kate Allen

(This week's pick is from cottager & librarian Melanie Roy.)

What it’s all about …

Best friends Lucy and Fred live in the seaport town of Rockport, Massachusetts. Lucy is an artist and Fred is a scientist and together they are working on a field guide of the wildlife they come across over the summer. When Lucy experiences a devastating loss, she relies on her late biologist mother’s shark research proposal to pull her out of despair. 

Why I love it …

This story is so well done. It will break your heart yet leave you with hope. When you finish reading, be sure to go back and re-read the Rachel Carson quote at the beginning. It will have so much more meaning. As I read I kept picturing the seaside town in the Jaws movie as the setting. This book really would make a terrific movie. There is loss, love, laughter, and a road trip. 

The illustrations --  Lucy’s shark drawings -- are incredible. 

Why will kids love it?

I would hand this to a reader in fifth grade and beyond.Kids will love it because they want to grapple with heartbreaking and difficult topics from the comfort of the pages of a book. And it has some really cool sea animal facts that will be interesting to learn. I hope to do a book club with this title to hear their thoughts.

Why will grown-ups love it?

The opening paragraph of the book: “The morning the great white came to Rockport, my best friend and I were sticking our fingers into the coin returns of every pay phone in town. We averaged about two dollars a day during the summer. Most days we cashed in for candy.” What grown-up wouldn’t want to be reminded of those simple pleasures of our childhood? Beyond that, though, this story is so well done. It tackles tough topics and presents it in a way that is not utterly depressing. 

Pair it with:

Great White Shark Adventure (Fabien Cousteau Expeditions)

by Fabien Coustea, James O. Fraioli, and Joe St. Pierre

This graphic novel would be a great companion to The Line Tender.

Where to find/buy …

Indie Booksellers

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Or at a school or library near you!

About the Author-Illustrator
Kate Allen grew up in Massachusetts and now lives in Minneapolis, MN with her family. The Line Tender is her first novel. You can find Kate on Twitter at @kateallenbooks

Feel Good Friday - The Power of the Read Aloud

Someone Who Makes a Difference 

Mr. Farley and his student (2017)

Fourth graders in Mr. Kevin Farley's class at Hampden Meadows School in Barrington, RI become voracious readers when spending the year in his room. As their school librarian I am a witness to this year after year. Children place holds for and have dozens of books delivered to their classroom each month. They cannot wait to take out their own copy of the book Mr. Farley is currently reading aloud to them. Students are eager to hear about new titles I introduce them to, and they eat out of the palm of my hand. The reason these children have such a positive outlook on literacy boils down to something so simple yet so important and sometimes overlooked: the daily read aloud.

Mr. Farley reads aloud to his students every day and this builds a culture of reading. It gives his class a shared experience and a level playing field. So far this year he has read How to Steal a Dog, Loser, Letters from Rifka, Maniac Magee, Al Capone Does My Shirts, and Crash. His students had lots to say about Mr. Farley's read alouds. I interviewed his class so they could help me write this post. The following paragraphs are completely their contributions.

Before beginning a book, Mr. Farley gives them background knowledge on what they'll need to know, like telling them about Alcatraz for Al Capone Does My Shirts. Before he starts a book, he tells them it's great and why. His class says he has read the book before so he can read it aloud even better, but he never spoils it.

Students love the way Mr. Farley reads aloud to them. They say when he reads, he uses different voices for the characters, and students almost feel like they are in the book. Students say when he does the voices for different characters they can imagine what the characters look like. Students like that if someone is absent, Mr. Farley catches them up on the read aloud when they get back. They also appreciate that he stops and talks about what a word might mean or he explains the time period to make the book easier to understand.

The impact of Mr. Farley's daily read aloud is far-reaching. Students say that by taking the time to read to them he makes them feel important. One child said that Mr. Farley's reading to them gave her a chance to get to know him better. One student said, "Sometimes if we need to take a break from the work we're doing, he will notice and say, 'Let's take a break and read for a bit.'" Yet another compelling reason to read aloud to students is a quote from a girl in Mr. Farley's class: "Whenever he reads aloud, it makes me feel calm."

I asked the class if anyone liked reading more this year after hearing Mr. Farley read aloud to them. Eighteen students raised their hand. One girl said his read alouds made her want to read more books and read all night. One boy said, "He mostly reads realistic fiction, which encouraged me to read other realistic fiction titles such as the Mr. Terupt series, One for the Murphys, and Eggs by Jerry Spinelli." Some students report that they enjoy reading the book along with Mr. Farley. One girl said before she had Mr. Farley she had seen the covers of the books he read aloud and wasn't interested, but now she wants to read the books he reads to them. Another girl said it makes her want to read the books again and imagine him doing the voices.

A few years back, one of Mr. Farley's students (pictured above) wrote her Library of Congress Letter About Literature to Jerry Spinelli because Mr. Farley had shared his books with her. I reached out to Mr. Spinelli through email to let him know about the student's letter and how her fourth grade teacher helped her develop a love of his books. Jerry Spinelli graciously wrote a letter to the student and sent a signed Maniac Magee poster for Mr. Farley as well. It was a thrilling day at our school. And a true testament to how a teacher who takes the time to read aloud to his students makes a bigger impact than he will ever truly comprehend.

WE'RE BACK! How we've missed you!

Happy Valentine's Day! We're celebrating by re-opening our doors to share our LOVE of books! 

But first, Anika, Jamie, and Mr. Pig are thrilled to introduce our new roomie at the Cottage, elementary school librarian rock star . . . Melanie Roy! Get to know her and the rest of us, and stay tuned for a brand-new year of book picks, interviews, studio tours, giveaways, and more!

Melanie Roy

Library Teacher of Fourth and Fifth Graders

Favorite Valentine’s Day book: Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch

5 Things I Love That Aren’t Books or People: planning fun surprises, baking, flavored lip gloss, trying new restaurants, traveling

Books I Loved as a Kid (and Still Do!): Caps for Sale, Ramona, Mrs. Piggle Wiggle, Bunnicula, Nancy Drew

Some of My Past Jobs: swim instructor, penny candy seller, ice cream scooper, florist delivery girl, H & R Block receptionist, waitress, tutor, grocery store clerk

Anika Aldamuy Denise

Author of Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré, Starring Carmen, and a few more!

Favorite Valentine’s Day book: Never Too Little To Love

5 Things I Love That Aren’t Books Or People: The Moth Radio Hour, the Adirondack Mountains, wandering in a city with no schedule, coffee, writing with my cat curled up next to me

Books I Loved as a Kid (and Still Do!): From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, Time At The Top, The Snowy Day 

Past jobs: associate film producer, newspaper columnist, chamber maid, breakfast waitress, storyhour lady

my little sister and me

Jamie Michalak

Author of Frank and Bean (coming this September!), the Joe and Sparky early reader series, So You Want to Catch Bigfoot?, and more!

Favorite Valentine's Day Book: Groundhug Day

5 Things I Love That Aren't Books or People: food trucks, coffee, karaoke, tiny things, and my dog, Lucy Caboose
Books I Loved as a Kid (and Still Do!): Harriet the Spy, The Monster At the End of This Book, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Past jobs: children's book editor, giant mouse impersonator, waterpark lifeguard, waitress, toy namer, paper girl

Mr. Pig
Talk Show Host and Famous Children's Book Star

Favorite Valentine's Day Book: Mr. Prickles: A Quill-Fated Love Story

5 Things I Love That Aren't Books or People: ascots, brick houses, tea, travel, and interviewing other children's book characters
Books I Loved as a Piglet (and Still Do!): The True Story of the Three Little Pigs, Charlotte's Web, and Miss Piggy's Guide to Life

Past jobs: Writer, lyricist, actor, and dean emeritus of the Children's Book Character School in New York City