The Book Sighting: Hidden Reads

To celebrate our seventh episode, Watson Mountain Middle School's Gela Russell (Assistant Principal) and Adam Howells (Instructional Technology Facilitator) dive into two incredible books with the number "seven" in the title: Holly Goldberg Sloan's Counting by 7s and Shelly Pearsall's The Seven Most Important Thing. Both books' young protagonists navigate profound grief and discover their own strength through unexpected human connections. They also discuss the power of fiction and how stories can profoundly change the way you interact with others on a daily basis.Check out some of the art that inspirated The Seventh Most Important Thing: James Hampton | Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Welcome to the sixth episode of The Book Sighting: Hidden Reads! This week, Watson Mountain’s very own Maya discusses Stuart Gibbs' Big Game from the FunJungle series. Ms. Peyton, one of Watson's fabulous English teachers, serves as guest interviewer.From Goodreads:When someone takes aim at Rhonda Rhino, FunJungle's pregnant (and endangered) Asian greater one-horned rhinoceros, the zoo steps up security measures in order to protect this rare animal and her baby.But the extra security isn't enough;someone is still getting too close for comfort. Teddy and company start to suspect that whoever is after Rhonda is really after her horn, which is worth a lot of money on the black market.For the first time ever, the head of the zoo enlists Teddy for help; for once, he doesn't have to sneak around in order to investigate, and the results are even more wacky, and even more dangerous, than ever before.

Welcome to the fifth episode of The Book Sighting: Hidden Reads! This week, Watson Mountain’s very own Navvy discusses Ann Liang's I Hope This Doesn't Find You. Mr. Chung, one of Watson's fabulous English teachers, serves as guest interviewer.From Goodreads:Sadie Wen is perfect on paper: school captain, valedictorian, and a "pleasure to have in class." It’s not easy, but she has a trick to keep her model-student smile plastered on her face at all times: she channels all her frustrations into her email drafts. She'd never send them of course -- she'd rather die than hurt anyone's feelings -- but it's a relief to let loose on her power-hungry English teacher or a freeloading classmate taking credit for Sadie's work.All her most vehemently worded emails are directed at her infuriating cocaptain, Julius Gong, whose arrogance and competitive streak have irked Sadie since they were kids. "You're attention starved and self-obsessed and unbearably vain . . . I really hope your comb breaks and you run out of whatever expensive hair products you've been using to make your hair appear deceptively soft..."Sadie doesn't have to hold back in her emails, because nobody will ever read them... that is, until they're accidentally sent out.Overnight, Sadie’s carefully crafted, conflict-free life is turned upside down. It's her worst nightmare -- now everyone at school knows what she really thinks of them, and they're not afraid to tell her what they really think of her either. But amidst the chaos, there's one person growing to appreciate the "real" Sadie -- Julius, the only boy she's sworn to hate...

Welcome to the fourth episode of The Book Sighting: Hidden Reads! This week, Watson Mountain’s wonderful librarians, Ms. Larson & Ms. Buffi, discuss books that are not regularly checked out (but should be), as well as what makes the Watson library the literal and metaphorical heart of the school. Adam Howells, Watson's Instructional Technology Facilitator, serves as guest interviewer.Books Discussed:The Lost Year (2023) - Katherine MarshBetween Shades of Gray (2011) - Ruta SepetysSalt to Sea (2016) - Ruta SepetysMaybe He Just Likes You (2019) - Barbara DeeImpossible Creatures (2023) - Katherine RundellThe Poisoned King (2025) - Katherine Rundell

Welcome to the third episode of The Book Sighting: Hidden Reads! This week, Watson Mountain’s very own Samanvitha discusses Kelly Yang's' Front Desk. Mrs. Williams, one of Watson's fabulous English teachers, serves as guest interviewer.From Goodreads:Mia Tang has a lot of secrets.Number 1: She lives in a motel, not a big house. Every day, while her immigrant parents clean the rooms, ten-year-old Mia manages the front desk of the Calivista Motel and tends to its guests.Number 2: Her parents hide immigrants. And if the mean motel owner, Mr. Yao, finds out they've been letting them stay in the empty rooms for free, the Tangs will be doomed.Number 3: She wants to be a writer. But how can she when her mom thinks she should stick to math because English is not her first language?It will take all of Mia's courage, kindness, and hard work to get through this year. Will she be able to hold on to her job, help the immigrants and guests, escape Mr. Yao, and go for her dreams?

Welcome to the second episode of The Book Sighting: Hidden Reads! This week, Watson Mountain’s very own Mahdi discusses Alan Gratz' Refugee. Mrs. Och, one of Watson's fabulous English teachers, serves as guest interviewer.From Goodreads:JOSEF is a Jewish boy living in 1930s Nazi Germany. With the threat of concentration camps looming, he and his family board a ship bound for the other side of the world...ISABEL is a Cuban girl in 1994. With riots and unrest plaguing her country, she and her family set out on a raft, hoping to find safety in America...MAHMOUD is a Syrian boy in 2015. With his homeland torn apart by violence and destruction, he and his family begin a long trek toward Europe...All three kids go on harrowing journeys in search of refuge. All will face unimaginable dangers -- from drownings to bombings to betrayals. But there is always the hope of tomorrow. And although Josef, Isabel, and Mahmoud are separated by continents and decades, shocking connections will tie their stories together in the end.As powerful and poignant as it is action-packed and page-turning, this highly acclaimed novel has been on the New York Times bestseller list for more than four years and continues to change readers' lives with its meaningful takes on survival, courage, and the quest for home.

Welcome to the inaugural episode of The Book Sighting: Hidden Reads! This week, Watson Mountain’s very own Nishi discusses Remy Lai’s Read at Your Own Risk. Mr. Howells, Watson's Instructional Technology Facilitator, serves as guest interviewer.From Goodreads:Read at Your Own Risk is the illustrated sketch diary of a girl who is being haunted after a game goes terribly wrong and an evil spirit starts conversing with her on the page—perfect for fans of R.L. Stine and Steven Seagle's Camp Midnight.Hannah and her friends were just having a bit of fun when they decided to play a game to communicate with spirits of the dead. Little did they know something would answer their call and crawl its way into the pages of Hannah’s journal. What started out as a game has turned into something much more evil. With dire, horrifying consequences.Is there any way to escape the curse?