Just finished the last two Nutmeg nominees,
Paint the Wind by Pam Munoz Ryan and
Stumptown Kid by Carol Gorman. .
Horse stories are popular in the media center. We have a lot of kids who take riding lessons and they naturally gravitate towards the Marguerite Henry shelf. I am not an expert in this area but I think Ms. Ryan has put together a terrific story about a young girl who is desperate to find a connection with her horse loving parents who were killed in a car accident. Raised by her bitter and overprotective paternal grandmother in California, Maya is kept from her mother's Wyoming ranching family. When she is finally reunited with Moose (her grandfather), her Uncle Fig, Aunt Vi and cousin Payton will she fit in? Take a gallop through
Paint the Wind and find out.
We are often asked what's next after Matt Christopher, the prolific author of sports stories. Mike Lupica and Dan Gutman have written a number of upper elementary sports themed novels that we recommend. Now we can add
Stumptown Kid to our list.
Kid takes place in Holden, Iowa, 1952. Baseball is king and the desire to make the Wildcats, a team of 11 and 12 year olds, far greater than anything Charlie has ever felt. Brad Lobo has no use for Charlie and provides enough distractions during tryouts that Charlie doesn't make the roster. Enter Luther Peale, a twenty something African American who has found his way to Holden to start a new life. Mr. Peale and Charlie strike up a friendship and Luther who has played some ball, starts coaching a rag-a-muffin team to take on the Wildcats. Unfortunately, being African American in Holden in 1952 is a big deal and racism is rampant. Ms. Gorman explores the topic with sensitivity and raises the bar when it comes to sports stories.
Horse stories are popular in the media center. We have a lot of kids who take riding lessons and they naturally gravitate towards the Marguerite Henry shelf. I am not an expert in this area but I think Ms. Ryan has put together a terrific story about a young girl who is desperate to find a connection with her horse loving parents who were killed in a car accident. Raised by her bitter and overprotective paternal grandmother in California, Maya is kept from her mother's Wyoming ranching family. When she is finally reunited with Moose (her grandfather), her Uncle Fig, Aunt Vi and cousin Payton will she fit in? Take a gallop through Paint the Wind and find out.
We are often asked what's next after Matt Christopher, the prolific author of sports stories. Mike Lupica and Dan Gutman have written a number of upper elementary sports themed novels that we recommend. Now we can add Stumptown Kid to our list. Kid takes place in Holden, Iowa, 1952. Baseball is king and the desire to make the Wildcats, a team of 11 and 12 year olds, far greater than anything Charlie has ever felt. Brad Lobo has no use for Charlie and provides enough distractions during tryouts that Charlie doesn't make the roster. Enter Luther Peale, a twenty something African American who has found his way to Holden to start a new life. Mr. Peale and Charlie strike up a friendship and Luther who has played some ball, starts coaching a rag-a-muffin team to take on the Wildcats. Unfortunately, being African American in Holden in 1952 is a big deal and racism is rampant. Ms. Gorman explores the topic with sensitivity and raises the bar when it comes to sports stories.
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