Review: Izzy Kline Has the Butterflies by Beth Ain

Izzy Kline Has Butterflies by Beth Ain
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Izzy Kline Has Butterflies is a charming new novel in verse from author Beth Ain that captures how a school year can feel like a series of small but important moments. It's these moments that tell Izzy's story--the good, the bad, and the butterflies that we feel as we grow up.

Izzy Klein is a character who's easy to love, and students will root for her as she navigates the challenges of fourth grade. Izzy's nervous--about friends, her new teacher, and changes at home--but she faces each new challenge with pluck and determination. Over the course of the story, young readers will find that there are many reasons to get the butterflies, and not all of them are bad!

Especially welcoming are the short chapters, which read like brief and vibrant glimpses into Izzy's world. Each chapter is punctuated with poignant connections and playful wording that are sure the be a hit when read aloud. Recommended for middle grade readers who are graduating to chapter books and in search of characters to love.

(I received an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review. )

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Here's a special message from Beth about her Butterfly Moments campaign. Follow the link for more detailed information along with a cute butterfly printable teachers can use in the classroom.

"My goal is to use the book as a way of getting kids involved with small moments writing and for teachers to see the book as a mentor text for both reading and writing. I really want kids to see how their sweet or not so sweet moments can be enough to make something special--because the poetry sometimes just presents itself out of nowhere smack in the middle of math class, you know?"

Beth Ain grew up in Allentown, Pennsylvania, where she and her best friend were free to finger-paint in the basement, and make plays, and get in and out of fights and hysterical fits of laughter, all to the soundtrack of Free to Be. . . You and Me. She is glad to have friends and family who encouraged her to be creative with her memories. Beth is the author of several books for children, including the Starring Jules series. She lives in Port Washington, New York, with her husband and two children.

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