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The Hate List by Jennifer Brown

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 Valerie Leftman is a high school Senior returning to her campus after her boyfriend, Nick, opened fire on multiple students and a teacher, killing them before taking his own life. Targeting students from a "hate list" he and Valerie shared, our protagonist is left to wrestle with old thoughts, replaying conversations she'd had with Nick over and over again, wondering what the catalyst was.  What could she have done to stop it? She never meant for anyone to get hurt.  Despite her best intentions, however, they did. And now she must face them all head-on, trudging through emotional fog and mourning someone she thought she knew.  I think Valerie is someone easy to empathize with. The author does an amazing job of putting us in her shoes; she is astoundingly relatable for someone going through such a unique traumatic experience.   If I had a classroom... I'd exercise "what if's":  "What if your friend were going to make a bad choice? Would you advise a...
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TROMBONE SHORTY by Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews

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  Trombone Shorty is what every kid with a dream needs to hear.  If it’s inside of you, do it with all your heart and with all your might, and something good will surely come of it. This simple story about a Louisianan boy and his trombone is uplifting and inspiring. It encourages children to chase their dreams and believe in their passions. Rooted in New Orleans heritage, the pages explode with color and music and jazz, a perfect way to say, “However far you travel, remember where you come from.” It’s got themes of relationship, family, and roots, our protagonist explaining his world and how it informed his love for music: his mama cooking gumbo on the stove, his friends rushing away from the homework table to play their makeshift instruments, his big brother calling him, “TROMBONE SHORTY!” when seeing him with the big brass thing, crowning Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews his stage name and legacy. Through hard work, Trombone Shorty did great things, just like he knew he could...
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