#IMWAYR March 2, 2015

If it's Monday, then it's time for #IMWAYR. Visit hosts Jen from Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki from Unleashing Readers to discover what other readers are blogging about!

It was one of those frenetic weeks for me. On Thursday we celebrated our annual Winter Tonic, a professional development event for teacher librarians in and around Vancouver. As a member of the organizing committee, the days building up to the event were a tad busy. In addition to organizing, I presented a workshop on critical literacy. In the end a wonderful time was had by all, but between all that and supporting my mother, if it were not for audiobooks and picture books, I would hardly have gotten any reading done at all. I tried starting a few new novels at school, but I no sooner started, when I ended up handing them off to students who I caught eyeing them longingly.

I blogged more in depth about these picture books in my Friday post, so if you want to read my comments about them you can click here or on the titles of the books. I might be able to pick a favourite from them if my life depended on it.

5 stars 

Blizzard by John Rocco 

This book is a fabulous celebration of the best of winter, family, community, and of course, reading.

5 stars 

Extraordinary Jane by Hannah E. Harrison 

This is a most beautiful way to say, "Just being you is enough." 

3 stars 

Please Bring Balloons by Lindsay Ward 

This whimsical book has just gorgeous illustrations. I wish the story had grabbed me more.

4 stars 

Take Away the A by Michael Escoffier & Kris Di Giacomo 

Alphabet books are a weakness of mine. This book makes me glad of it.

I finished listening to a number of audiobooks this week.

The Black Cauldron by Lloyd Alexander 

This is the first Lloyd Alexander book I've read. It won't be the last. It is the second in The Chronicles of Prydain, and to be honest, it took me a bit to get the characters all sorted out. I wonder if I'd started with the first in the series if it would have been easier. I intend to go back to find out. The Chronicles were first published in the 1960's. Proof of how well done they are, is that they still hold up 50 years later! (While there is a spunky girl character, her role is very limited.) In this book, Taron, an assistant pig keeper, is one of a party of warriors who head off in search of the black cauldron. The cauldron's magic has been used to create an army of indestructible, undead warriors. Ultimately the cauldron is retrieved and destroyed, but at a great cost. 

Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy

In a #IMWAYR post awhile ago, someone gave this book rave reviews, so when I saw it available as an audiobook, I got it from our local library. It is a reminder to me not to judge a book by its cover, which had turned me off when it first came out. I was delighted to be swept up into this adventure story right from the get go. It has nasty relatives, magic, mystery, humour, and plenty of action, all bound up in a battle between good and evil. While the main character is an intrepid girl, Stephanie Edgley, there is an undead skeleton, Skullduggery Pleasant, in a supporting role. Fans of Lockwood & Co will love this I this.

Emma and the Blue Genie by Cornelia Funke

I'm always on the lookout for books for younger readers that feature strong girls. This one, like most of Funke's female protagonists, most assuredly fits the bill. Emma, who has four brothers, can handle almost anything. This is why she is the perfect person to help Karim, the blue genie, get his nose ring and magic back, all the while defeating the yellow genie.

Currently I'm reading Finding Grace by Becky Citra. It's a book club book that members love. Of course they do, Becky Citra is a gifted writer who tells stories that grab readers. The audio I've just started is The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness.