Parkland Speaks Blog Tour (review)

Parkland Speaks 

Survivors from Marjory Stoneman Douglas Share Their Stories 

Edited by MSD teacher Sarah Lerner 

January 22, 2019 

Crown BFYR 

Source: ARC from pub 

Add on Goodreads 

Featuring art and writing from the students of the Parkland tragedy, this is a raw look at the events of February 14, and a poignant representation of grief, healing, and hope. 

The students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School share their emotional journeys that began on February 14, 2018, and continue today. This revealing and unfiltered look at teens living in the wake of tragedy is a poignant representation of grief, anger, determination, healing, and hope. 

The intimate collection includes poetry, eyewitness accounts, letters, speeches, journal entries, drawings, and photographs from the events of February 14 and its aftermath. Full of heartbreaking loss, a rally cry for change, and hope for a safe future, these artistic pieces will inspire readers to reflect on their own lives and the importance of valuing and protecting the ones you love. 

On February 14, 2018 a horrific, unforgettable tragedy occurred at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School when a gunman cowardly took 17 lives and forever changed many more. In Parkland Speaks, students and faculty from Marjory Stoneman Douglas share their stories, journeys, healing, and grief through their personal essays, poems, and artwork. 

Going into Parkland Speaks I knew it was going to be an emotional read, but it was even more powerful and poignant than I could have imagined. Each student/faculty contributor courageously open their hearts and thoughts up to readers to share their remarkable stories. These pieces aren’t easy to read –they shouldn’t be- but they are important and effective and real and heartbreaking and a thousand other things. At times I had to put this book down, dry my tears, and take a deep breath, but felt compelled to quickly return.  

Each story, poem, and piece of art is astonishing on its own, but together they send a powerful and much needed message to the world. A message about gun control. A message that demands change.  I am so grateful for and amazed by each student/faculty member’s contribution in this book and their ability to channel their grief, pain, and feelings into profound art. 

Parkland Speaks isn’t an easy read, but it’s an extraordinary and stirring one that will inspire and move readers of all ages.  

MY RATING

5/5 Cupcakes

SARAH LERNER is an English teacher, Journalism teacher, and yearbook adviser at MSD in Parkland, Florida. She began teaching in 2002 and was named the Sun-Sentinel High School Journalism Teacher of the Year in 2014. Sarah lives in Florida with her husband and two children.

Sleepover At The Museum Blog Tour (picture book review)

Sleepover at the Museum 

By Karen LeFrak 

Illustrated by David Bucs 

January 15, 2019 

Crown BFYR 

Source: pub 

Add on Goodreads 

Imagine spending your birthday at the museum! Join Mason and his friends on their scavenger hunt through all the exhibits that make any natural history museum so special. The perfect birthday gift for museum lovers and adventure-seekers alike!  

Mason couldn't wait to celebrate his birthday with a sleepover at the museum of natural history--his favorite place to visit. 

Armed with headlamps for the dark hallways, a map, and a list of clues, Mason and his two best friends take off on a scavenger hunt through each hall of the museum. But they aren't just trying to solve the clues. They're scouting for the best place to spend the night. 

Sleeping next to a T. rex in the Hall of Dinosaurs felt too scary. And sleeping with the monarch butterflies would probably tickle. This decision isn't as easy as Mason thought it would be.... 

Wherever they end up, the museum at night is the best place for a birthday adventure!

Mason, along with his parents and two best friends, is spending his birthday by having a sleepover at the museum! Clues take Mason and his friends through each exciting part of the museum as they try to decide just where to spend the night. 

Sleepover at the Museum is a fun and delightful picture book! Karen LeFrak’s engaging storytelling will thrill little readers as they excitedly join Mason on his museum adventures. Through crafty, clever clues, LeFrak wonderfully lays out the museum and introduces readers to so many fascinating topics, from dinosaurs to geology, butterflies, the ocean, and more! David Bucs bright, lively illustrations perfectly bring the museum to life and capture all the fun Mason and his friends are having. Little readers will enjoy pouring over each page and spotting all the cool details.  

My five-year-old niece is in love with this book and, since first reading it, has talked non-stop about visiting a museum. Sleepover at the Museum is sure to entertain, excite, and educate little readers everywhere!

MY RATING

5/5 Cupcakes

KAREN LEFRAK is the author of Jake the Philharmonic Dog, Jake the Ballet Dog, and Best in Show. She is an avid dog lover and breeder of champion poodles, as well as a composer of music for ballets and instrumental works around the world. Karen and her husband divide their time between Manhattan, Southampton, and Miami, where they live with their two poodles. For more information visit karenlefrak.com. 

  

DAVID BUCS began his career at KlaskyCsupo, the studio famous for Rugrats and The Wild Thornberrys, and has art directed television series for Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, TLC, PBS, and Disney. David loves to create characters and bring them to life using watercolors, colored pencils, and digital media. Sleepover at the Museum is his first children's book. He lives with his wife and young son in Hershey, Pennsylvania, where life is sweet. You can follow him on Facebook and Twitter, or visit him at davidbucs.com.