#IMWAYR February 16, 2015

For a reason to love Mondays, check out #IMWAYR, and visit hosts Jen from Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki from Unleashing Readers to discover what other readers are blogging about!

I've managed to read a number of fabulous picture books this week, finished up a chapter book or two, read some nonfiction and found time for poetry. So all in all, it's been a very fine reading week. 


4 stars
Katie Woo: Keep Dancing Katie by Fran Manushkin & Tammie Lyon (illustrator)

I like this series for young readers for many reasons. This particular title is a sweet story of a girl learning to accept and appreciate others. The multicultural characters are real, just like the kinds of children I see everyday at my school.


4 stars
The Magician of Auschwitz by Kathy Kacer & Gillian Newland (illustrator) (book club book)

This is one of our book club books. It has impressed students who have read it. It is a true story of two men who survived the horror of Auschwitz. Against that backdrop of evil, they connected and gave what they could to each other. Herr Levin, a magician, is kept alive because he is able to entertain the German guards and officials with his magic tricks. He passes some of his knowledge on to Werner. More important than the gift of magic, Levin and Werner give each other the gifts of friendship and hope.


4 stars
There's Going to Be a Baby by John Burningham and Helen Oxenbury (illustrator)

Oh so charming. Young readers will enjoy this book. It begins with a mother telling her young child that there is going to be a baby. What ensues is the child asking questions and imagining hilarious situations wherein the baby attempts to do things like cook and paint (with disastrous results). As the baby grows in the mother, we see the older child move from being anxious into joyful anticipation. Burmingham and Oxenbury have created a sweet book that I wish was around to read way back when I was the mother of small children. It would have been perfect to read to my older son when he was waiting for the new baby to arrive.


5 stars
Wild Berries by Julie Flett

These images are stunning. I love the use of red midst the otherwise neutral background. It's a simple tale of a young boy going wild blueberry picking with his grandma. The integration of Cree words in the text makes the experience feel magical: a connection to another time and place. The whole book reminded me of my own experiences as a child, heading off with my family into the wild to pick berries. Like Grandma, we also made sure to "check for bears maskwak."


4 stars
The Troublemaker by Lauren Castillo


Everything Carrie Gelson wrote about this book last week is right on the money. I love the illustrations. It's a charming tale of a little boy who takes his little sister's stuffed rabbit and gets in trouble for it. When it goes missing again, he is thought to be the culprit, but then his stuffed raccoon, his boat, pirate and the rabbit all disappear. You will have to read the book to find out who the real thief is.

3 stars


Lily the Unicorn by Dallas Clayton

This is the sort of book and will probably appeal to fans of Richard Scarry's books. There is A LOT going on in the pages. It is the story of Lily, an extremely active unicorn who meets up with Roger, an extremely reserved Penguin. Lily manages to win Roger over. I had a couple of problems with this book. 1. it was too busy for me and 2. Lily is so much bigger than life and doesn't seem to really let Roger be who he is. I wish they could have met in the middle.




4 stars

Mama's Saris by Pooja Makhijani, Elena Gomez (illustrator)

This is another oh so beautiful book. A young girl is hanging out with her mother as she gets dressed in a sari for a special occasion: the girl's birthday. As they go through the collection of saris, they reminisce about the events associated with each one. Like most young girls, the child wants to be grown up like her mother. This book would pair up beautifully with Deep in the Sahara, a tale about a young girl who wants to wear the malafa. Both are visually stunning books.

3.5 stars


Nanny X by Madelyn Rosenberg


Imagine that your nanny is a secret agent. This is the premise for this chapter book. I enjoyed it and think many of my readers will also. It's got humour, adventure, and looks to be the first of a series. 




3.5 stars
Life Lines: the Lanier Phillips Story by Christine Welldon

This book worked for me on some levels, but at times the writing got in the way and interrupted what might otherwise be a fabulous read. It's still worth the time you put into it though. 


5 stars






How I Discovered Poetry by Marilyn Nelson, Hadley Hooper (Illustrations)
If you haven't read this book, you really should go out and find a copy. I got mine from the library, but intend to purchase my own so that I can reread these poems whenever I feel like it. 


Currently I am listening to Shadow Throne by Jennifer Nielsen. I am finally enjoying it, but to be honest, I nearly abandoned it in the beginning because there is so much brutality and violence. Instead I skipped over chunks of it. I'm sad that I feel this way about a series that I was really excited about initially. It's just that it's been impossible for me not to compare it to Stroud's Lockwood and Co, a suspenseful, action filled, riveting tale without all the nastiness. I'm still working on How Not to Be Wrong: The Power of Mathematical Thinking by Jordan Ellenberg. I have no idea what novel I'll be picking up next. There are so very many of them in my pile....

18 comments:

  1. I'm curious about your read-in-progress, How Not to Be Wrong. Will watch for your comments about that text when you finish!

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    1. it's pretty dense, but we have a professional day coming up and I plan on investing time into it then.

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  2. I am getting ready to start Shadow Throne. I really enjoy "Sage" and his world! I have Jennifer's new one to start soon too.
    The Troublemaker was a big favorite of mine last year. So glad to see Lauren get kudos this year!

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    1. I enjoyed Shadow Throne eventually, but there is a lot of brutality in the beginning. I don't cope well with so much violence in stories. I've been reading The Troublemaker to kids this week. It is a hit!

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  3. So pleased that you enjoyed The Troublemaker. Such a charmer! Hang in there with the Shadow Throne. I read with F & B and we had lots to talk about. My favourite of the trilogy was the first thought. I want to nudge F to read Lockwood - it's on his shelf! This Katie Woo series is new to me. I will have to take a look.

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    1. The students I'm reading The Troublemaker to are loving it also. I did come to enjoy The Shadow Throne, but I wouldn't read any more. Why don't you read Lockwood out loud? It has a fabulous girl as narrator. Then you can get him the second one to read for himself. Katie Woo is delightful. I think you will love her.

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  4. So many 'looking good' picture books, & I'll look for them, especially The Magician of Auschwitz & Wild Berries. I have How I discovered Poetry & need to read it! Thanks for all!

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    1. I enjoyed How I discovered Poetry more than Brown Girl Dreaming! Wild Berries is going to end up a favourite of mine I think.

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  5. I read False Prince and enjoyed but never felt compelled to finish the series. That frequently happens to me in series. Wild Berries has the most gorgeous cover! I have got to get my hands on that book! Planning to get Lockwood & Co for an audio soon.

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    1. I should have left well enough alone Elisabeth. I never read past The Hunger Games, but I just don't do well with violence anyway. One of my goals this year is to read more Canadian writers. Julie Flett is a local artist and writer! The inside beauty equals the cover.

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  6. I had the same problem with Shadow Throne. It felt like Sage's age wasn't stable, because all that violence (and romance!) belong with an older boy. It made the character hard to relate to, and I needed something to hold on to in the midst of all that carnage. The tone matched a younger age, and then there would be battles and violent death and life-time romantic commitments, and I just felt whiplashed and battered. I did eventually finish, though!

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    1. I agree with your assessment. There is no way I would follow him anywhere, never mind into battle. He comes off as brash and egocentric. i finished it, but really, I was ok without having read it.

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  7. There's Going to be a Baby reminded me a little bit of Sophie Blackall's The Baby Tree - have you read that one yet? Gorgeous illustrations. I did see Wild Berries in our public libraries, and will now check it out when I return to Singapore. I was not that enamoured with Jennifer Nielsen's series myself but I managed to finish all three novels, it gets better I think as you move along with the characters growing on you. I will have to get my hands on How I Discovered Poetry.

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    1. I haven't read The Baby Tree, but the cover looks delightful. I've added it to my list.. I think you will love both Wild Berries and How I Discovered Poetry.

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  8. Those picture books sound delightful, Mama's Saris particularly caught my eye. I'm also interested in How Not To Be Wrong, the title sounds fascinating!

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  9. Mama's Saris is a beautiful book. If you haven't read Deep in the Sahara, it is also a wonderful book about growing up. How not to be wrong is a bit of a slog. I'm taking it with me on spring vacation in hopes that I will get some more reading done from it.

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