#IMWAYR October 12, 2015

Hurrah it's Monday and Thanksgiving Day here in Canada! Lots of time for reading everyone's #IMWAYR posts. I'm sending love, hugs and plenty of thanks to Jen at Teach Mentor Texts, and Kellee and Rickie from Unleashing Readers for hosting this weekly event.

My week has been busy, but I've managed to find time to read some mind blowing books.

PICTURE BOOKS

5 stars

Wings by Christopher Myers

This is a truly beautiful book I read it and ran around sharing it with other teachers in the school as soon as I finished it. It's a powerful message about accepting people no matter what. It's a powerful message about standing up for each other. The illustrations are just gorgeous. Christopher Myers is one of my new favorite picture book writers.

5 stars

10 Little Fingers and 10 Little Toes by Mem Fox and Helen Oxenbury

I was in Kidsbooks last week and while searching for a baby book found this one. I'd heard of it but never read it before. I sure wish it had been around when my boys were little. I love, love, love these illustrations. They're so soft and sweet and universal. Now I'm really looking forward to having grandchildren and reading this book to them.

3 stars

That's (Not) Mine by Anna Kang and Christopher Wayant

I read this one while I was at Kidsbooks, but I didn't like it enough to buy it. I'm not sure why it didn't work for me. The squabbling between the two creatures just irritated me. Then the premonition at the end that it was going to continue on over another object was too much for me. 

4 stars

Space Boy and His Dog by Dian Curtis Regan and Robert Neubecker

This is a delightful story about a boy and his dog who build a spaceship and set off for Mars. His sister, Posh, is not coming with them. Unfortunately, Posh doesn't agree with this and stows away. In the end, this just might be a good thing.

3 stars

Some Things are Scary by Florence Parry Heide and Jules Feiffer

This arrived in a collection of books for use as learning resources. I'm not sure why. I can see some possible writing connections so maybe that is it. The book is ok, but it went on a bit too long. I was looking for a Halloween themed book, and this is not that kind of scary.

NOVELS

Circa Now by Amber McCree Turner

4 stars

I almost abandoned this book after the father's death. But I had already been sucked in by the whimsical stories connected to his photoshopped (shopt) pictures. 
This, and I am a sucker for magical realism. While this book does deal with coping with death, the hint of possible magic and the finding of the lost boy, make this book more than that. I've used photoshop to change pictures (although it's my partner who is the wizard) so this aspect to the story really intrigued me into continuing as well. 
As I read, I couldn't help but make connections between Circa's belief in the power of the shopt images and the magical thinking that Joan Didion wrote about in her book after the death of her husband.

The Shadow Hero by Jean Luen Yang and Sunny Liew and Chu Hing

4 stars

American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang, opened my eyes to the power of graphic novels. I've been a fan of his ever since. While not as multilayered as that first one, this is still a very fine tale. It is the story of an American Chinese superhero, The Green Turtle, who takes on the local tongs and ends up making Chinatown a safer place. I appreciated the complex back story for all the characters and how the Turtle spirit came to be part of his family.

At the end of the book are two delightful surprises. First is information about Chu Hing, a Chinese cartoonist who worked in the comic industry during the 1940's. He was the creator of a World War II superhero called the Green Turtle who was rumoured to be Chinese. The second treat is a reprint of Green Turtle's first adventure.

FooterDavis is Probably Crazy by Susan Vaught

4 stars

I started out writing about this book here, but got carried away and decided it needed it's own post. It is a fabulous read about a girl who wants to be a journalist when she grows up. Her life is extremely complicated by her mother's mental illness and trying to figure out who murdered their neighbour and set his house on fire.

I appreciated that Footer's best friend, Peavine, has cerebral palsy. (You don't see this very often in children's literature) I loved how supportive the adults in this book are. I like that even when they are flawed, they are just human and can become better people. After all, isn't this the truth about all of us?

I have some reservations about the side effects of the treatment for Footer's mother's bipolar disorder, but other than that, this is one is keeper. 

Echo by Pam Manolo's Ryan

5 stars

Holy smokes. This one truly stunned me. I'm so thankful it was on my list of books to read. I'm thankful for all your reviews about it. All the accolades are truly deserved. Echo is right up there with The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. If you haven't yet read it, stop everything, run out, purchase a copy, and start reading. Or even better, find it as an audiobook and listen to it. The individual voices are authentic and being able to hear the music that is written about, makes a story that is already powerful, even more so.

CURRENTLY

I'm listening to The Selection by Kiera Cass. Many of my grade 5's and up are reading this so I decided I better find out what it is about. I've also started reading Upside Down in the Middle of Nowhere by Julie T. Lamana.  

UP NEXT

I've got behind the beautiful forevers by Katherine Boo downloaded from the library. I'd forgotten about it so I have to get on it before it expires. A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park is waiting for me as my next audiobook.