Sunday, January 14, 2018

Jada Jones: Rock Star by Kelly Lyons - ADVISABLE

Lyons, Kelly Starling Jada Jones: Rock Star, 86 pages.  Penguin Random House (Penguin Workshop), 2017 $0 (no price listed). Language: G; Mature Content: G; Violence: G.

Jada Jones used to love going to school until, part way through fourth grade, her best friend moves away. Now Jada realizes that everyone else already has a best friend and she’s not sure where she fits in. When her teacher announces that they will be learning about rocks for their next science unit, Jada can hardly wait to get started. She and her best friend loved to collect rocks together. Maybe she can use her love of rocks to do well in science and help her make some new friends at the same time.

The first in a series, this book introduces the reader to an everyday hero, Jada Jones. Jada is a strong, likeable character without being bossy, rude, or silly like some other heroes or heroines in other children’s books.  The plot is simple without being condescending to the young audience. It would be a good book to use as a read aloud to discuss what it means to be a friend. It would also be good for young readers who are reading on their own and want a book that is more than three chapters but is not too long.

EL (K-3), EL - ADVISABLE. LMA, future elementary school teacher

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