The Witch of Woodland by Laurel Snyder Book Blog Tour!

 


Cassie's Review

Laurel has always been a must-buy author since I first read Orphan Island. The Witch of Woodland definitely held its own as well. 

Zippy is definitely a character that students (boy and girl alike) will relate to in so many ways. I specifically enjoyed the journey of Zippy to understand her spiritual self and how Laurel provided tiffs with her parents and realizing who she is and what she stands for on her own. I remember being Zippy's age and my parents giving me the opportunity to find my place and I felt that really helped me figure out where I stood on what I believed for myself. Zippy's experiences are relatable for students, but parents and teachers alike will be able to learn more of the mindset of 11-12 year olds as well. 

Another connection my younger self was similar to Zippy is the self-isolation. I loved my bed room, I loved my space, and as an adult I found that carried over. It doesn't mean that she is angry all the time, or depressed, it just is that place to decompress. Friendships can be overwhelming, and Laurel did a great job of depicting this need for a young pre-teen. 

This will be such a relatable book for students where they find themselves in the pages and don't even realize with the magic sprinkled throughout. I hope students walk away thinking about themselves, their families, and their friendships and what work goes into those relationships. 

This would be a great read aloud/book club story and you can access the educators guide here: 

EDUCATORS GUIDE

About the Book

Laurel Snyder, author of Orphan Island, returns with a story of one girl’s quest

to answer the seemingly unanswerable questions about what makes us who we are.

 

Hi, whoever is reading this. I’m Zipporah Chava McConnell, but everyone calls me Zippy.

    Things used to be simple—until a few weeks ago. Now my best friend, Bea, is acting funny; everyone at school thinks I’m weird; and my mom is making me start preparing for my bat mitzvah, even though we barely ever go to synagogue.

In fact, the only thing that still seems to make sense is magic.

    See, the thing is, I’m a witch. I’ve been casting spells since I was little. And even if no one else wants to believe in magic anymore, it’s always made sense to me, always felt true. But I was

still shocked the day I found a strange red book at the library and somehow...I conjured something. A girl, actually. A beautiful girl with no memory,

and wings like an angel. You probably don’t believe me, but I swear it’s the truth.

    Miriam is like no one else I’ve ever met. She’s proof that magic is real. And, it’s hard to explain this part, but I just know that we’re connected. That means it’s up to me to help Miriam figure out what she is and where she came from. If I can do that, maybe everything else in my life will start to make sense too.

    Anyway, it’s worth a try.

 

About the Author



Laurel Snyder is the beloved author of many picture books and novels for children, including the National Book Award nominee Orphan Island and the Theodor Seuss Geisel Award winner Charlie & Mouse. A graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, she teaches in Hamline University’s MFA in writing for children and young adults program. Laurel lives in Atlanta with her family and can be found online at www.laurelsnyder.com.



THE WITCH OF WOODLAND by Laurel Snyder

Blog Tour:

May 16

Nerdy Book Club

@nerdybookclub

May 16

Unleashing Readers

@unleashreaders

May 17

Teachers Who Read

@teachers_read

May 18

Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers

@grgenius

May 22

StoryMamas

@storymamas

May 23

LitCoachLou

@litcoachlou

May 26

A Library Mama

@librarymama

May 30

A Foodie Bibliophile in Wanderlust

@bethshaum




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THE GREATEST KID IN THE WORLD Blog Tour

*Click to order! 

 

From the beloved author of Posted comes the story of Zeke Stahlsa thoroughly average twelve-year-old who somehow finds himself in a competition to be named the World's Greatest Kid.

Zeke Stahls is not the best kid in the world. Some days he struggles just to be good. He'd rather be pulling pranks than doing extra credit, and he's too busy performing experiments on his little brother, Nate, or tormenting his older sister, Jackie, to volunteer for charity.

    Which is why Zeke and his entire family are shocked when they receive word that he has been selected as a contestant in an online competition to find the World's Greatest Kid.

    Zeke has no idea how he was chosen for this, and he knows that measuring up to the other nominees--a saintly lineup of selfless, charming and talented do-gooders with photogenic smiles and hearts of gold--is hopeless. Still, with a $10,000 cash prize on the line, and Zeke's mom struggling to hold the family together on her single-parent salary, he decides to give it his best shot.

    As Zeke concocts various plots to show the world just how “great” he is, however, he finds himself wondering what that word even means, and who gets to decide. And what kind of kid he wants--and needs--to be.



John does it again with this fantastic middle grade story. The Greatest Kid in the World is such a heartwarming story that students across the world will find relatable. 
The characters were well developed and John did a great job of writing the entire plot seamlessly. This is a great story to add as a read aloud to your 4th or 5th grade classrooms any time of the year. Even though there is a loss in the story, kids will find themselves loving the humor that is woven throughout. 






About the Author




 

John David Anderson is the author of many highly acclaimed books for kids, including the New York Times Notable Book Ms. Bixby’s Last Day, Posted, Granted, One Last Shot, and Stowaway. A dedicated root beer connoisseur and chocolate fiend, he lives with his wonderful wife, two frawesome kids, and clumsy cat, Smudge, in Indianapolis, Indiana. You can visit him online at www.johndavidanderson.org.

 

And here is the schedule for the tour.

 

May 9

Nerdy Book Club

@nerdybookclub

May 9

Unleashing Readers

@unleashreaders

May 10

Teachers Who Read

@teachers_read

May 11

Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers

@grgenius

May 13

Maria's Melange

@mariaselke

May 15

StoryMamas

@storymamas

May 15

LitCoachLou

@litcoachlou

May 16

A Library Mama

@librarymama

May 30

A Foodie Bibliophile in Wanderlust

@bethshaum





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