Tag Archives: Hospitals

Elem./MG – Light and Air

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Wendell, Mindy Nichols. Light and Air. Holiday House, 2024.  978-0-823-45443-3. 188 p. $18.99. Grades 4-6.

In her debut novel, Wendell introduces us to Hallelujah Grace Newton, an only child who lives with her parents in New York in 1935.    Halle is a fifth grader who enjoys being with her friends when she is not helping her mother with chores. Even though her father is a high school history teacher, they struggle to make ends meet, which may explain why her father is becoming so distant and short-tempered  with his daughter. Family circumstances suddenly change when Halle’s mother is diagnosed with a severe case of tuberculosis. She is taken to the J.N. Adams Sanitarium located in upper New York state. Since there is no pharmaceutical treatment, doctors prescribe heliotherapy- fresh air and sunlight. Halle and her father also test positive, but have no sign of active disease. This does not deter some students from avoiding her and calling her names. Halle’s father is even more aloof and seems not to realize how much his daughter missing her mother. She decides to skip school and walk the long distance to the sanitarium, but becomes sick and is injured along the way. She develops a fever and cough and the doctor, concerned that she has active tuberculosis, recommends that Halle be admitted to the sanitorium. There she is diagnosed with pneumonia, not TB. After her release from isolation, Halle goes to a ward with other TB patients close to her age. After one of her new friends suffers a fatal lung hemorrhage, Halle is fearful she may also lose her mother, who is not responding to treatment.  The girl is determined to do all she can to help her mother get better and reunite her family, no matter how many rules need to be broken. There are many plot threads woven together in this short but engaging novel. More information about the hospital and the disease can be found in the author’s note. The author lives near the ruins of the J.N. Adams Sanitarium, which inspired her to write this story.

THOUGHTS: Readers may be surprised to learn how the lives of so many people, both young and old, were affected by tuberculosis at a time when there was no cure. With its bright attractive cover, this work of historical fiction deserves a place on the shelf of every middle grade library.

Historical Fiction

Elem. – The Hospital Book

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Brown, Lisa. The Hospital Book. Neal Porter Books, 2023. 978-0-823-44665-0. Unpaged. $18.99. Grades K-3.

The Hospital Book follows our main character as she navigates having appendicitis and going through the process of the emergency room, having surgery, and going through her recovery. The illustrations also showcase the different things happening in the hospital and help to engage the reader as they follow our main character. There is an author’s note at the end, which addresses the timing of when the book was written, an explanation of why she included certain illustration details, as well as a thank you to the various doctors and medical staff that helped her with her book.

THOUGHTS: This was a lovely picture book that deals well with a delicate topic of hospitals and sickness. This book would be a wonderful addition to any elementary  collection.

Picture Book

Tags: hospitals, surgery, nurses, doctors, appendicitis, feelings, families.

MG – Wave

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Farid, Diane. Wave. Cameron Kids, 2022. 978-1-951-83658-0. 313 p. $18.99. Grades 4-6.

Wave is a middle grade novel in verse that follows Ava, a Persian girl who loves to surf and sing. Ava also loves spending time with her best friend, Phoenix, but the summer before 9th grade things are not going to plan. Her mom wants Ava to volunteer at the local hospital in the hopes that Ava will follow in her mother’s footsteps and become a doctor. One day Phoenix’s lymphoma is back, and there isn’t a lot that makes Ava feel better anymore. When she is with Phoenix she feels like she belongs, and as he goes through treatments Ava begins to feel lost. Will she be able to handle what life has in store for her? Or will she be thrown off and set adrift?

THOUGHTS: This a beautifully told middle grade novel in verse about a friendship and finding your own voice. This book does not shy away from the hard topics and the ending may have the reader in tears. Great read alike for fans of Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie.  

Realistic Fiction          Mary McEndree, Lehigh Valley Regional Charter School
Novel in Verse

Elem. – Gross-Out Books (Series NF)

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Rosenberg, Pam. Gross-Out Books. Child’s World, 2022. $22.00 ea. $176.00 set of 8. 24 p. Grades 3-6.

Gross Stuff in Your Body. 978-1-503-85019-4.
Gross Stuff in Your Food. 978-1-503-85020-0.
Gross Stuff in Your Garden. 978-1-503-85021-7.
Gross Stuff in the Hospital. 978-1-503-85022-4.
Gross Stuff in Your House. 978-1-503-85023-1.
Gross Stuff in Your School. 978-1-503-85024-8.
Gross Stuff Underground. 978-1-503-85025-5.
Gross Stuff Underwater. 978-1-503-85026-2.

When looking at the world, there are gross things in it! If you want to dive into some of the things in the world that make you say “yuck!” then this book series is for you! From home, to your body, to the outside world, there are tons of things that will gross you out – so start reading to learn about them! This reviewer read Gross Stuff in Your Garden and Gross Stuff in Your House. Gross Stuff in Your Garden focuses on all the yucky things that can be found in your garden. The dirt, garden bugs, and even meat-eating plants are just a few of the gross items you may run into! Gross Stuff in Your House notices all the yucky things you may just ignore. From fleas and mites to mold growing in many places, there is always something around to make you say “yuck!”

THOUGHTS: A truly gross book! Readers will enjoy the photographs and illustrations filled in this series, all the while learning about the things that make you wrinkle your nose!

577.5 – 641.3 Science          Rachel Burkhouse, Otto-Eldred SD

MG – Normal: One Kid’s Extraordinary Journey

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Newman, Magdalena, and Nathaniel Newman. Normal: One Kid’s Extraordinary Journey. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2020. 978-1-328-63183-1. 327 p. $16.99. Grades 7-8.

Nathaniel has always felt normal despite living with Treacher Collins syndrome (TC), a condition diagnosed at birth which causes bones in his face to grow and others not to grow, causing breathing and hearing difficulties. Nathaniel and Magda, Nathaniel’s mother, recount the story of his life from infancy to his teenage years. Throughout his life, Nathaniel had over sixty procedures to correct craniofacial differences caused by TC. Despite the challenges, Magda and her family were determined to give Nathaniel a normal childhood, full of video games, pets, bike riding, and sibling rivalries. When he turned 11, Nathaniel chose to have his largest procedure yet which would eventually allow him to reach a lifetime goal, to swim submerged in water for the first time. Each chapter begins with a black and white cartoon which entices readers to finish the chapter. The story is told from two perspectives, as indicated by different font styles for each narrator, and includes flashbacks to Magda’s life growing up in Poland. Both Nathaniel and Magda teach all children to separate “who someone is from what he looks like.”

THOUGHTS: Readers of R.J Palacio’s Wonder will easily recognize this story and will enjoy learning how the book and movie positively affected the lives of “Wonder Kids” around the world. Middle Grade readers interested in digging deeper into Teachers Collins syndrome or those who enjoy reading books about diverse kids, will enjoy Nathaniel’s and Magda’s story.

617.5 Medicine and Health            Jaynie Korzi, South Middleton SD
Biography