All journeys have a starting place.
This is a weekly place to find books and tools
that you may use with readers at the start of their reading journey.
Join in the conversation at #road2reading.
Each week, Michele Knott and I post about new early readers and transitional chapter books. We hope that you will join in with your own posts or enter into discussion through the comments.
Double of Nothing With the Two and Only Kelly Twins
by Johanna Hurwitz; Illustrated by Tuesday Mourning
Candlewick Press (April 25, 2017)
Audience: Ages 6 to 9 years old
Fiction * Family * Siblings
IndieBound | WorldCat
Description from GoodReads:
What's the same about identical twins -- and what's different? Sleepovers, poetry projects, and new haircuts are in play as seven-year-old Arlene and Ilene start coming into their own.
Arlene and Ilene love so many things about being identical twins. They like sharing a room, sharing friends, and wearing matching outfits. But they're in different classes at school, and one twin has a scar that the other one doesn't. One morning, their friends Monty and Joey point out a new difference that takes the sisters by surprise and gets them thinking: if they are identical twins, why are there differences between them at all?Their tongues must be the same, so why do they like different kinds of ice cream? Why does Arlene wear pink nail polish while Ilene thinks it's silly? Why is Ilene sleeping soundly when Arlene is awake, wondering how she can be sure that she is Arlene, not Ilene? Revisit the funny, lovable characters from The Two and Only Kelly Twins and take a peek at the wonders -- and puzzles -- of being an identical twin.
Thoughts on this book:
The Kelly Twins are back. Though this is the second book in the series, it does stand alone and provides young readers with enough back information needed to read the books out of order. With six chapters, readers get snapshots of Arlene's and Ilene's life as identical twins and as second graders. The Kelly twins may not always agree on everything such as what pet to get or what to dress up as at Halloween. However, the girls enjoy the closeness of their relationship and their shared friendships. When one of the girls has her appendix removed, the other one has to face school and friendships without her twin.
This book will find a home among late first grade and second grade readers. It provides readers transitioning from early readers to chapter books an option to build stamina and learn to navigate elements they will begin to encounter in longer chapter books. To better support readers who may struggle with holding a storyline over multiple chapters, each chapter can function as a separate story.
Look for The Kelly Twins at your local independent bookstore and public library.
Check out the Two and Only Kelly Twins Book:
Check out the interview with Johanna Hurwitz:
About the author: Johanna Hurwitz is a former children’s librarian and the award-winning author of more than seventy books for children, including The Two and Only Kelly Twins and four books about Arlene and Ilene’s friend Monty, who lives on their street. Ms. Hurwitz divides her time between Great Neck, New York, and Wilmington, Vermont. To learn more, visit her website: johannahurwitz.com.
Double fun giveaway!
One lucky winner will receive both books featuring the Kelly twins--THE TWO AND ONLY KELLY TWINS and DOUBLE OR NOTHING WITH THE TWO AND ONLY KELLY TWINS (U.S. addresses), courtesy of Candlewick Press.
Complete the rafflecopter below to enter. Entrants must be 13 years old or older and have a U.S. address.
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