The Nora Notebooks: The Trouble with Ants by Claudia Mills

The Nora Notebooks: The Trouble with Ants 
by Claudia Mills

Expected publication: Sept. 22nd 2015 

by Knopf Books for Young Readers

179 Pages

Realistic Fiction

Middle Grade

Review copy is an advanced readers copy provided by Blueslip Media.

Goodreads Summary

Science-obsessed fourth grader Nora has ants all figured out—now she just has to try to understand her fellow humans!

The trouble with ants is . . .

. . . people think they’re boring.

. . . they are not cuddly.

. . . who would ever want them for a pet?

Nora Alpers is using her new notebook to record the behavior of ants. Why? Because they are fascinating! Unfortunately, no one agrees with her. Her mom is not happy about them being in the house, and when Nora brings her ant farm to school for show and tell, her classmates are not very impressed. They are more interested in cat videos, basketball practice, or trying to set a Guinness World Record (although Nora wouldn’t mind that).

Mostly they are distracted by the assignment their teacher Coach Joe has given them—to write a persuasive speech and change people’s minds about something. Will Nora convince her friends that ants are as interesting as she thinks they are? Or will everyone still think of ants as nothing but trouble?

With real science facts, a classroom backdrop, an emphasis on friendship, and appealing black-and-white interior illustrations from artist Katie Kath, The Nora Notebooks is perfect for newly independent readers—especially budding scientists like Nora!—and adults who want to encourage awareness of STEM subjects in young readers.

My Thoughts

Claudia Mills writes many fabulous books for early middle grades. I have read and enjoyed several in her Franklin School Friends series. Like that series, The Trouble with Ants (and likely the entire upcoming series) contains characters the reader gets to know well through their interactions and the author's descriptions. The characters are diverse and complement each other well. Readers may recognize Mason from Mills' Mason Dixon series. This book is a bit longer and "meatier" that the Franklin School series for student who are ready for a bit more of a challenge. 

Nora is an intelligent and delightfully quirky girl who is not afraid to proudly and publicly like what she likes. She loves science, but currently thinks ants are the most fascinating creatures and wants others to feel the same. She is a multifaceted character who also enjoys sports and is a great basketball player. This shows readers how it is possible to like something, but also have other talents and interests. 

Nora is also a bit socially awkward and is navigating the increasingly complex world of friendship. She is not what one would call "girly" and struggles to see the allure of cute cat videos and tea parties that seem to be capturing the interest of the clique of girls at school.  I think many middle graders will identify with Nora's difficulty with the confusing and increasingly strange social world of upper elementary school. 

When looking at the title, I thought that The Nora Notebooks would be "notebook style" books that are all written as though the character has written them. That is not the case. While there are a few interesting pieces of Nora's ant notebook scattered throughout, the book is written in third-person narration in a font size that will be comfortable to many readers.

Katie Kath's adorable black and white illustrations give the reader occasional images of the action. This will help readers who are beginning to read longer prose. The pictures are adorable and compliment the text beautifully. 

I would recommend The Nora Notebooks for students ready for a challenge in grade 2, but mostly for grades 3-5. 

Read what others are saying about The Nora Notebooks: Trouble with Ants.

Publishers Weekly

Visit Claudia Mills' website and Illustrator Katie Kath's website.

The Franklin School Friends Series by Claudia Mills

Kelsey Green, Reading Queen   

by Claudia Mills                              

Pictures by Robb Shepperson       

Published 2013 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)                    

128 Pages                         

Genre: Realistic Fiction                   

Disclosure: Review copy provided by publisher

Goodreads Summary

Kelsey Kline is the best reader in the third grade--well, maybe tied for best with know-it-all Simon Ellis. When the principal Mr. Boone announces  a school-wide reading contest, complete with a pizza party for the winning class and a special certificate for the top readers in each grade, she knows she's just the person to lead Mrs. Molina's third graders to victory. But how can they win when her classmate Cody Harmon doesn't want to read anything, and even Kelsey's best friends Annika and Izzy don't live up to her expectations? And could Simon possibly be reading all of those books that he claims he is, or is he lying to steal Kelsey's rightful spot at the top? 

My Thoughts

I really like the three friends (Kelsey, Annika and Izzy). They each have their own strengths and talents and balance each other well. Kelsey is determined to win the individual reading contest and help her classroom win first place. Throughout the book she tries to get Cody to read in order to boost the classroom total. At first she is annoyed by his reluctance. Then as she gets to know him her feelings change. He begins to trust her and starts reading. To me, this is one of the most important parts of the book. It all ties up nicely at the end and there are some great life lessons emphasized. 

Annikka Riz, Math Whiz

by Claudia Mills

Pictures by Robb Shepperson

Published May 2014 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) 

128 Pages                         

Genre: Realistic Fiction                   

Disclosure: Review copy provided by publisher

Goodreads Summary

Annika Riz loves math more than anything. She's trying to teach her dog, Prime, to count. She's determined to beat fellow math whiz Simon Ellis in a Sudoku contest at the public library. She even sleeps under number-patterned sheets. But Annika's best friends Kelsey and Izzy think math is boring. All they care about is the upcoming school carnival: their principal is going to be dunked in a dunking tank and their class is going to have a booth selling home-baked cookies. But then disaster foils the friends' cookie-baking plans. Can math save the day?

My Thoughts
This most recent installment in the series features Annika in the forefront. I enjoyed seeing the increased interaction among the three friends. This book also contains many areas where math is used in "real world" situations. The baking mistakes are very entertaining as the girls learn first hand how important it can be to follow a recipe's measurements carefully. Since they have no cookies to donate to the school carnival, they decide to sell lemonade. Math comes into play again as the girls figure out how much they need to charge for the lemonade in order to make a profit. I enjoyed this book and look forward to the next. 

I would recommend this series especially for grades 3-4 although some second graders will likely be able to enjoy it alone or as a read aloud. Although on the surface the books seem to be centered around a competition, they turn out to be about so much more as the stories develop. There are themes of teamwork, dedication, differences, learning from mistakes, jealousy, acceptance and, or course, friendship. 

Claudia Mills has provided a curriculum guide to use with this series on her website. It contains discussion questions and many other curriculum connections complete with CCSS alignment. 

The next book, Izzy Barr, Running Star is set to be released in April 2015. 

Visit her website to learn more about Claudia Mills' books. 

Zero Tolerance by Claudia Mills Blog Tour Review

I am thrilled to be part of this blog tour for Claudia Mills' Zero Tolerance. Please see below for other tour stops. 

Zero Tolerance
by Claudia Mills
Published in 2013 by Farrar Stratus Giroux Books for Young Readers.

Disclosure: I was provided a copy of the ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts. 

I rated this book 4 out of 5 stars. 

Summary from Goodreads

Seventh grader Sierra Shepard has always been the perfect student, so when she sees that she has accidentally brought her mother's lunch bag to school, including a pairing knife, she immediately turns in the knife at the school office. Much to her surprise, her beloved principal places her in in-school suspension and sets a hearing for her expulsion, citing the school's iron-clad no weapons policy. While there Sierra spends time with Luke, a boy who's known as a troublemaker, and discovers that he's not the person she assumed he would be-and that the lines between good and bad aren't as clear as she once thought. Claudia Mills brings another compelling school story to life. 

My Thoughts
I really enjoyed reading Zero Tolerance and could hardly wait to find out Sierra's fate.  Like any good book, it made me feel many different emotions. When the administration began to treat, the previously adored, Sierra with such distain and negativity for an innocent mistake I was frustrated and downright angry.  I could not imagine that a well-meaning honor student could be sacrificed in the name of "zero tolerance".  

Having had no personal experience, this book made me think about what a zero tolerance policy would be like in a middle school.  I know administrators have to keep schools safe, but would an honor student with no previous infractions really be expelled for grabbing the wrong lunch and immediately turning in the knife?  I would hope not. I was just so flabbergasted that expulsion was even discussed in this case where she was turning the knife in to trusted adults.  

Something positive came out of Sierra's in-school suspensions. After spending so much time with them, she realized that she had misjudged the "troublemakers" who were there with her.  She developed a real friendship with Luke who proves to be a loyal and selfless friend.  He even tries to take the blame after she does something very uncharacteristically reckless-something she could get in even bigger trouble for if anyone found out. 

Claudia Mills did an excellent job keeping just the right amount of suspense and tension in this book.  It grabs you right from the beginning and you really feel like you are right there with Sierra. You can feel her frustrations, fears, anxieties and hopes.  I think many upper elementary and middle schoolers will really enjoy reading Zero Tolerance.  


Claudia Mills is the author of many chapter and middle-grade books, including 7 x 9=Trouble!; How Oliver Olson Changed the World; and, most recently, Kelsey Green, Reading Queen. She also teaches philosophy at the University of Colorado at Boulder. She lives in Boulder, Colorado. To learn more, visit her website: claudiamillsauthor.com.




Please visit other blogs along the tour to hear more about Zero Tolerance. 

Wed, Sept 4         Read Now, Sleep Later

Thurs, Sept 5       proseandkahn

Fri, Sept 6            The Book  Monsters

Mon, Sept 9         Once Upon a Story

Tues, Sept 10        Pass the Chiclets

Wed, Sept 11         The Late Bloomer's Book Blog

Thurs, Sept 12       The Mother Daughter Book Club

Fri, Sept 13            The Children's Book Review

Sun, Sept 15          Nerdy Book Club

Mon, Sept 16         Geo Librarian

Tues, Sept 17         A Life Bound by Books

It's Monday, What Are You Reading?- September 2, 2013

Please visit the amazing blogs: Teach Mentor Texts and Unleashing Readers who host this terrific meme each week.

Please click on the picture to go to the book's page on Goodreads.

Being back at school, I did not get much reading done.  
Here is what I managed to get through.

The Invisible Boy 
by Trudy Ludwig
Release date: October 8, 2013 
Published by Knopf Books for Young Readers
Picture book
40 Pages
Disclaimer: I received a digital copy from 
Edelweiss in exchange for my honest thoughts. 
I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars.

Brian is an "invisible" boy.  No, not invisible in the sense that he cannot be seen, but invisible in the sense that no one seems to notice him.  He is quiet and shy and his teacher and classmates just seem to overlook him. He is not picked for recess teams or classroom groups.  Then one day a new student named Justin arrives at school.  After other make fun of Justin's lunch, Brian makes Justin feel welcome and accepted and soon the two are friends. Having one friend starts to change things for Brian, maybe he isn't so invisible after all. 

The illustrations are terrific.  I love the symbolism of how the illustrator portrays Brian in black and white and everything else in color.  

This book would make a great mentor text for a discussion about making everyone feel accepted.  It also serves as a reminder for teachers to make sure we try to give adequate attention to all of our students. 

Zero Tolerance
by Claudia Mills
I will be reviewing this book as part of a blog hop on September 11, please check back. 



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