This stunning debut novel about grief and wonder was an instant New York Times bestseller and captured widespread critical acclaim, including selection as a 2015 National Book Award finalist!
During the first three weeks of seventh grade, I'd learned one thing above all else: A person can become invisible simply by staying quiet.
Sometimes you want things to change so badly, you can't even stand to be in the same room with the way things actually are.
Mrs. Turton says when something happens that no one can explain, it means you have bumped up against the edge of human knowledge. And that is when you need science. Science is the process for finding the explanations that no one else can give you.
The point, she said, was to learn how to research, how to find out more about anything we wondered about. "That's what science is," she explained. "It's learning what others have discovered about the world, and then - when you bump up against a question that no one has ever answered before - figuring out how to get the answer you need."
Back in 1968, people saw Earth rising over the moon and believed they mattered. They believed they could accomplish anything. What if we could feel that way again? There are so many things to be scared of in this world: blooms of jellies. A sixth extinction. A middle school dance. But maybe we can stop feeling so afraid. Maybe instead of feeling like a mote of dust, we can remember that all the creatures on this Earth are made from stardust.
"What did you learn from your research? Take a step beyond your own investigation to consider the implications for future questions. What else is there to learn? Where might your inquiry take you next?"
“You know the greatest lesson of history? It’s that history is whatever the victors say it is. That’s the lesson. Whoever wins, that’s who decides the history. We act in our own self-interest. Of course we do. Name me a person or a nation who does not. The trick is figuring out where your interests are.”
― Anthony Doerr, All the Light We Cannot See
Stealing is bad.
Yeah.
I know.
But my brother Levi is always so sick, and his medicine is always so expensive.
I didn’t think anyone would notice,
if I took that credit card,
if, in one stolen second,
I bought Levi’s medicine.
But someone did notice.
Now I have to prove I’m not a delinquent, I’m not a total bonehead.
That one quick second turned into
juvie
a judge
a year of house arrest,
a year of this court-ordered journal,
a year to avoid messing up
and being sent back to juvie
so fast my head will spin.
It’s only 1 year.
Only 52 weeks.
Only 365 days.
Only 8,760 hours.
Only 525,600 minutes.
What could go wrong?
Boys don't write in journals,
unless it's court-ordered.
At least, this is what I've figured.
We're fine.
Please don't worry.
It's not like we live in a cave in China.
Or a hut in Africa.
It's not like there are flies circling my face.
Or clods of dirt caked on my feet.
We have enough.
We're OK.
Please, Mrs. B, don't talk about social services again.
We're doing our best.
We're fine.
One year ago.
Like one of those machines
where the ball falls in a bucket
and knocks over a bottle
that lights a match
that pops a balloon
that scares a chicken
who lays an egg
that cracks in a pan
and makes your breakfast for you.
One year ago it all started.
One year ago I made this crazy meal
that I am still eating.
"I'm not meant to be part of the things that are wrong with the world, but neither am I meant to run from them. I'm meant to fight against them. I can't hold my own in the ring, but out in the world, I do know how to fight. With words. With truth."
At the outset of World War II, Denmark did not resist German occupation. Deeply ashamed of his nation’s leaders, fifteen-year-old Knud Pedersen resolved with his brother and a handful of schoolmates to take action against the Nazis if the adults would not. Naming their secret club after the fiery British leader, the young patriots in the Churchill Club committed countless acts of sabotage, infuriating the Germans, who eventually had the boys tracked down and arrested. But their efforts were not in vain: the boys' exploits and eventual imprisonment helped spark a full-blown Danish resistance. Interweaving his own narrative with the recollections of Knud himself, here is Phil Hoose's inspiring story of these young war heroes.
"Deceptively simple but packed with heartfelt and complex relationships. Sunny's reactions to all the things going on around her ring true and the exploration of a difficult topic is done appropriately for the reader's age. This is a gem."
When people look at George, they think they see a boy. But she knows she’s not a boy. She knows she’s a girl. George thinks she’ll have to keep this a secret forever. Then her teacher announces that their class play is going to be Charlotte’s Web. George really, really, REALLY wants to play Charlotte. But the teacher says she can’t even try out for the part . . . because she’s a boy. With the help of her best friend, Kelly, George comes up with a plan. Not just so she can be Charlotte — but so everyone can know who she is, once and for all.
Scott put down his fork. "So do you?"
"Do I what?"
"Think you're a girl?"
"Yes." George was surprised at how easy that question was to answer.
"Weird. But it kinda makes sense. No offense, but you don't make a very good boy."
"I know."
Scott looked at George as if his sibling made sense to him for the first time. George had never been gladder to have an older brother.
"You're one tough cookie. But the world isn't always good to people who are different. I just don't want you to make your road any harder than it has to be."
"Trying to be a boy is really hard."
Mom blinked a few times, and when she opened her eyes again, a teardrop fell down her cheek.
The final chapter from Charlotte's Web begins chapter 2 of the book and plays a big role in the story. You can read it HERE... be sure to grab a tissue first.
