Shift by Jennifer Bradbury

Imagine this scenario.

 Chris has just returned from a cross country bike trip with his best friend, Win. He goes on to orientation at Georgia Tech but his best friend never checks in at Dartmouth.

As it turns out, the two got separated at the end of their tension-filled journey. Chris assumed Win went on to Seattle where he was to meet an Uncle. Except the uncle was fictional. That's one of many lies Win told. 

Win also claims to be broke when he actually had $19,000 in cash on hand.

The FBI come to Chris's college and expect him to know where his friend went.  Only he has no idea. Everything he thought he knew about his friend and his life has just shifted.

That's the conundrum Chris finds himself in Jennifer Bradbury's 2012 novel, Shift.

When the boys go on their road trip, for the first time, they feel cool. Win's father is rich yet he doesn't feel supported or loved. The bike trip gives him purpose.

Girls respond by sending both of them postcards. Some of the postcards, however, are signed "Tricksey." 

Chris does not know who the mysterious Tricksey is though its pretty easy for readers to guess. 

One of the best scenes has Win wrestling with Chris, reminiscent of the wrestling match Jacob had with the angel in the Bible.

This is a novel about new starts and about saying goodbye. A powerful debut.  

Additional Jennifer Bradbury books:

Wrapped.

A Moment Comes.

River Runs Deep.

http://www.jennifer-bradbury.com/

All sorrows

All sorrows can be borne if you put them in a story or tell a story about them--Isak Dinesen.

One solution

Here's what happened in Florida. According to a  Sun Sentinel article by Skyler Swisher, the killer,

"fired more than 100 rounds in a roughly three-minute span, killing 17 and wounding 15 others."

Right after the incident, there was the usual hand-wringing. What can be done? Why is this happening?' 

Gun rights advocates say, of course, its not the gun but the wielder of the gun who is at fault. In this case, however, it wasn't a handgun, it was a high-powered rifle that could fire 100 rounds in three minutes.

Here's a partial solution to a complex issue. Ban the AR-15, the weapon Cruz used. Make it as difficult as possible to obtain weapons that can fire that many rounds that quickly because it isn't a defense weapon.

No one fires that many rounds to defend themselves unless they are in a war. 

Printz Awards

The Michael L. Printz awards are given each year to outstanding young adult literature. 

In 2017, the Printz prize went to John Lewis' March (Book 3). 

This year's award went to Nina LaCour's We Are Okay.

The Chalk Man by C.J. Tudor

C.J. Tudor likes writing mysteries about small towns. As reported in a January 2018 Kirkus interview, Tudor said,

"In small towns, you've got this hothouse for stuff to happen--accusations, for arguments, for fallouts, for resentments...It's the perfect breeding ground for mystery."

Engineering Tables for Public Libraries

Self-directed programming:

For kids, there are engineering tables like the ones Abby Johnson describes in American Libraries. 
bit.ly/2gM4pWc

Engineering Apps:
BOSEbuild Speaker Cube. 

Engineering activities:

Burker, Josh. Invent to Learn. 
Mercer, Bobbi. Junk Drawer Engineering.