Some Places More Than Others

Product Information

It rains a lot across Scotland, but that rain isn’t evenly spread. Some places get much more rain than others. Why does this happen? Winds keep blowing the air east out of the mountains and across lower ground. As the air sinks lower and starts warming up again, the clouds evaporate andthere is less rain. Warming is already occurring in all areas of the globe, but models of future temperatures show that the changes will not be distributed equally. Polar regions and land areas are expected to see the largest temperature changes.

This book heavily features parents and family ties. I loved seeing how included her mum and dad were throughout the whole novel. Her parents clearly love her, and while they have their own imperfections and learning to do, I love that they put Amara first. Extended family were also at the forefront of the novel, especially when it comes to living far from home and meeting them for the first time. I had this exact experience when I met my cousins from Jamaica for the first time (I’d never been before so it was like tapping into a realm of family I’d never had access to!) and it was such a good portrayal. Love, forgiveness and reconciliation are some important themes here. And the storyline of forgiveness and love was handled very well. Until arriving at her grandfather's Harlem brownstone, Amara had only spoken to Grandpa Earl, a former basketball coach, on the phone for special occasions. And although her father manages to avoid him, Grandpa Earl and Amara immediately bond. Amara is excited to see the places where her dad grew up in Harlem, and Grandpa Earl can't wait to show her his favorite places, too. No sooner does the week begin, and her dad runs into an old friend who spills the beans about her dad writing poetry in high school, something Amara didn't know about him.This is athree-sessionspelling seed for the book Some Places More Than Othersby Renee Watson. Below is the coverage from Appendix 1 of the National Curriculum 2014.

As temperatures continues to warm, global average precipitation will also increase by the end of the century. This increase is not, however, expected to be distributed evenly around the globe or throughout the seasons in a given year. Many parts of the world could experience increases in the frequency and intensity of extreme, heavy rain events, and in other parts of the world, dry conditions may become more severe and last longer. There is a lot of history in the book that I loved reading about. Harlem sounds like an incredible place full of history, ancestry, and family values. I loved reading about how Amara really began to understand her roots and that she actually appreciated everything. While she was mature for her age, she does get in over her head. I don't read a lot of middle grade books, but I enjoyed Watson's contribution to the YA title, WATCH US RISE, that I really wanted to see more of her work. SOME PLACES MORE THAN OTHERS seemed like another title that would explore identity, heritage, and growing up in a positive and interesting way, delving in deeper to serious issues rather than merely scratching at the surface as so many books aimed at teens seem to do.This is a book about family. Amara's father hasn't talked with his father since she was born, and Amara promises her mother that she'll see to her dad and grandfather communicating again. Why they had a falling out has never been explained to Amara, but it will become clear when they're in the city. Adding to Amara's desire to know that side of her family is an assignment by her teacher called the Suitcase Project. Students are expected to create a time capsule that explores their past, present and future with items that represent who they are, where they are from and what their dreams for the future are. But just when Amara gives up hope of getting to New York, her mother changes her mind and says she can go. And maybe, just maybe, while she is there, Amara can get her dad and grandpa talking so they can mend their rift. But Amara also spends a lot of time with her cousins, Nina, 16, and Ava, 14. She and Ava don't really get along. Sightseeing for Ava is going to H&M, not visiting the murals, statues, and other places she sees all the time. After a family visit to the cemetery where Grandma Grace is buried, the tension between Amara and Ava comes to a head when Ava refuses to "babysit" her cousin again. Angry, Amara decides to make her own way to the East Village and find a place called the Nuyorican Cafe, a place, she had discovered while snooping in her dad's old bedroom, where her dad had wanted to read his poetry on open mic night when he was in high school. But when she finds herself in the Bronx at the Yankee Stadium stop on the subway, Amara realizes she's gone the wrong way. But maybe it's the right way for past hurts and anger to finally be dealt with. Most of the time in Scotland the winds come from the west, known as a westerly wind. This brings relatively warm wet air from over the North Atlantic Ocean causing clouds to form over the west of Scotland – where it tends to be rainier!