Round 1 judge Debbie Tanner of The Book Search is a former classroom teacher, current elementary school librarian, who created her site and blog as a way to help people find books that match the skills they want to teach. A few months ago she reviewed Middle Grade Fiction finalist Listen, Slowly by Thanhha Lai, the National Book Award-winning author of Inside Out and Back Again. In Debbie’s review, she said:
“I think this one is even more accessible because it’s written in prose and the character’s voice is so strong and clear, I think she will resonate with a lot of kids. It’s about a Vietnamese American girl named Mai (or Mia in America) who lives in California with her mom and dad and grandmother…”