The first weeks of the new school year are always busy, so this was a slower than usual month for me. I still managed to read some fun fiction, nonfiction, for adults and middle grades. What I read this month:

• Heart-Centered Connections: Seven Essential Skills for Helping Neurodiverse and Marginalized Children Thrive by Niki Elliot – I heard about this book from a colleague who has worked with the author to deliver what their teacher’s union president called “the best PD of her career”. My colleague shared that the work has impacted her self care and approach to our challenging profession, so I was intrigued. I LOVED this book. The author is speaking to educators, caregivers, and anyone who is around children, and especially children who are neurodiverse and/or marginalized by society for any number of reasons. The seven skills are about looking inward and doing our own work to get ourselves ready to interact with others, breath work, setting up inclusive environments, and basically being more open to changing how and why we do things. There were concrete examples and great advice all throughout the book. I have immediately put some ideas in practice and will work on others. I think this is a great resources for all educators.
• Listen Slowly by Thanhha Lai [audiobook] – I heard of this sweet middle grades book when I was looking for books set in Vietnam. We meet Mai, a SoCal pre-teen, when she is forced to go to Vietnam for the summer with her grandmother. Grandma speaks no English and Mai has refused to learn Vietnamese, other than a few words. But while Grandme is seeking answers about her husband who went missing during the war, Mai finds joy in learning about her own heritage and culture. This is a beautiful portrayal of Vietnam, told through the sometimes whiny and angsty eyes of a preteen American girl.
• Cujo by Stephen King – I first read this book when I was about 12 or 13 years old, and I think this might be why I was so scared of dogs for my childhood! This was so scary, for a very simple story about a rapid dog, and the people who own and interact with said dog. I can’t say I enjoyed reading this, as parts of this were so awful, but that is what makes King’s writing so impactful.
• Cover Story by Rachel Lacey – I love Rachel Lacey’s sapphic romance books and this one was sweet with a little bit of a mystery mixed in. Natalie is a famous actress whose kidnapper is about to be released from prison. When she demands extra security, her team decides the best approach will be to hire a female bodyguard to pretend to be Natalie’s girlfriend. Like any good romance, the fake romance participants start to develop feelings for each other, and chaos ensues. This was a cute story with some love for pets and astromony and a nod to the importance of therapy and support for trauma. I enjoyed it!
• The First State of Being by Erin Entrada Kelly – I picked this middle grades scie fi book up on a whim in a bookstore and I liked it! Now I want to read more by this award-winning author. Michael is a 12 year old worried about Y2K and his poor single mother who has to work three jobs. When he meets mysterious Ridge, he and his babysitter Gibby, are on a quest to figure out what is going on. I enjoyed the characters and twists along the way!
• The Wave: In Pursuit of the Rogues, Freaks, and Giants of the Ocean by Susan Casey – My friend and travel buddy, who is also an avid reader, recommended this author to me. After having seen the HBO show about the 100 foot wave I was intriqued to read this and learn even more. The ocean is so vast and powerful and scary and awesome all at once. Not only did this author follow around Laird Hamilton, a big wave surfer, but she also shared the statistics of ocean wrecks caused by big waves around the world. This book was fascinating and a good reminder that we have no control of or in the ocean, but we can learn from and respect it up close and from afar. I enjoyed learning a lot!
• Five by Ilona Bannister – I was intrigued about this story from the moment I heard Meredith describe in on Currently Reading. The book opens by telling you that one of 5 people in a subway station in London is about to die. Then we are introduced to all of the people in the station, including the sad backstories of our 5 key players. As a reader, I was guessing the entire time about which one will die and how. The author takes us right up until the end before she confirms who died. During the stories, there is so much addressed so well, even though this is a very short book. There are elements of family, marriage, parenting, raising difficult children and children with special needs, treating people, including strangers, with respect, and overcoming your own childhood traumas. This book gave me so much to think about and I loved it, despite the darkness.