Age: 1st-3rd grade
Sports: Bicycle riding
Tough Issue: Bullies

Age: Kindergarten-2nd grade
Emotions: Losing focus, imagination
Family: Helpful guide for caregivers, too

I was remarkably impressed by this didactic, to-the-point story, and I really hate didactic books. I appreciated that the author was encouraging and accepting of the situation where a child may lose attention in class or may go into their own world even doing mindless tasks like getting ready in the morning. The doctor's solution to the problem was eating well, and doing simple things like staying organized and removing oneself from distracting environments.

Although not presented in the story, Carlson seemed to be saying that most kids get distracted easily, and that the solution is not to always diagnose them with ADHD and prescribe medication. I somewhat wish that the author would have addressed--or even mentioned--this other scenario but the focus seemed to be on drugless solutions.

Age: Middle School-High School
Tough Issue: Bullying

This novel offers a unique addition to the books about being bullied. Piddy moves to a new school and becomes the target of a bully's attacks, for reasons Piddy (and others) cannot identify. There's no justification to this bullying, and Piddy is caught unawares. I felt the victim's actions were not heroic--they were believable and organic. Because she didn't know why Yaqui hated her, she had no control over preventing Yaqui's hatred. Piddy didn't want to tell on her because she was scared of the heinous reaction by Yaqui. Stuck in this impossible situation, Piddy became disconnected with the world. As she became disconnected, she started losing everything she enjoyed. There was a ray of hope with her love interest, but his role in the book wasn't that significant.

Spoiler

Her final response to the whole situation is also not heroic--she chooses to run. She chooses to not stand up to her attacker and, essentially, let her win. Yet, this is not seen as cowardly, but reasonable. We've seen the downward spiral that Piddy is experiencing and we want her to get out of it by any means possible. Once again, another unique addition to bullying stories.

On a side note, the name of this book and the book cover are perfect and very intriguing to browsers.

"One morning before school, some girl tells Piddy Sanchez that Yaqui Delgado hates her and wants to kick her ass. Piddy doesn’t even know who Yaqui is, never mind what she’s done to piss her off. Word is that Yaqui thinks Piddy is stuck-up, shakes her stuff when she walks, and isn’t Latin enough with her white skin, good grades, and no accent. And Yaqui isn’t kidding around, so Piddy better watch her back. At first Piddy is more concerned with trying to find out more about the father she’s never met and how to balance honors courses with her weekend job at the neighborhood hair salon. But as the harassment escalates, avoiding Yaqui and her gang starts to take over Piddy’s life. Is there any way for Piddy to survive without closing herself off or running away?" Goodreads review.

A fast read with a focus on action scenes and the trials one young boy must undergo to satisfy the world's expectations. Amidst detailed battle sequences, Card examines the importance of children in our world (their innocence, their future, their ability to be manipulated), and the issues surrounding war (miscommunication between waring sides, manipulation of soldiers by superiors, the perfect soldier).

Discussing any book in a book club can lean towards writing preference (did you like the characters?, was it descriptive enough?, did you like the plot?) as opposed to the deeper implications of the text. Unfortunately, I could not lead a good discussion about Peter and Valentine's importance in the book. Many said that they were useless, were too jarring to the flow of the text, and no one really cared about them. I thought their paralleled lives to Ender was so interesting to see three siblings, three children, try and save--or destroy--the world.

"In order to develop a secure defense against a hostile alien race's next attack, government agencies breed child geniuses and train them as soldiers. A brilliant young boy, Andrew "Ender" Wiggin lives with his kind but distant parents, his sadistic brother Peter, and the person he loves more than anyone else, his sister Valentine. Peter and Valentine were candidates for the soldier-training program but didn't make the cut—young Ender is the Wiggin drafted to the orbiting Battle School for rigorous military training.

Ender's skills make him a leader in school and respected in the Battle Room, where children play at mock battles in zero gravity. Yet growing up in an artificial community of young soldiers Ender suffers greatly from isolation, rivalry from his peers, pressure from the adult teachers, and an unsettling fear of the alien invaders. His psychological battles include loneliness, fear that he is becoming like the cruel brother he remembers, and fanning the flames of devotion to his beloved sister." Goodreads review

The artwork was sublime but the story seemed slightly off to me, perhaps not enough detail in the story?

Age: K-2nd grade
Emotion: Jealousy

I like that the book includes a real picture of capers in the inside cover. Nice touch!

Age: 1-years-preschool
Concept: Superlative adjectives
Interactive: Lift the flap
Animals: Birds

Art: Surrealism

"Gladwell introduces us to the particular personality types who are natural pollinators of new ideas and trends, the people who create the phenomenon of word of mouth." An interesting look at personality types, the influence of environment, and the stickiness of ideas.

Eleven years later, this book still has its usefulness (in the study of personality types), but without the inclusion of social media, this book lacks true depth in today's society.