#IMWAYR October 26, 2015

Monday is one of my favorite days of the week. I'm forced to take note of my own reading life, and I get to read about all kinds of literature being read by other participants in this weekly event. Check out our hosts Jen at Mentor text and Kellee and Rickie fromUnleasing Readers, to find the links for other bloggers. Your reading life will be much enriched. 

I love these warm sunny fall days in October. I love the colours of the trees outside our front window. (I'm not so happy with having to clean up the leaves) Mostly what I love is Halloween. It is my favorite celebration. There is no feast to prepare and no presents to get or make. Because of this I made time for a Halloween book post this week. Some of the books I talked about were new to our library, and others are just books I've read in the past year or so. 

PICTURE BOOKS

Last week I read a few new picture books. Two are perfect for the season. (You can read more about them at the above link)  

4 stars

Fright Club by by Ethan Long

This is a fun romp filled with all kinds of other issues that students at our school picked up on right away. 

4 stars

Leo A Ghost Story by Mac Barnett & Christian Robinson (Illustrator)

This is a charming story about a tender hearted ghost. 

3 stars

Buddy and Earl by Maureen Fergus & Carey Sookocheff (Illustrator)

This is a sweet picture book about a dog and a hedgehog who become friends. It provides opportunities to talk about perspective and imagination. 

5 stars

Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Pena & Christian Robinson (Illustrator)

I honestly don't know how I haven't read this book yet. It came into the library and went through processing, and it is only last week that I finally got around to reading it. It is so fabulous! I love that it shows how beauty can be found in many different places and that we can all find ways to give back to our community.

4 stars

Charlie's Dirt Day by Andrew Larsen and Jacqueline Hudon-Verrelli (Illustrator)

I really love the illustrations in this charming picture book about gardening and community. It looks like they are done with pencil crayons. Charlie and his father join a parade heading off to the park where people are collecting compost to bring back to their gardens.

This will be a superb addition to our collection for teachers who do environmental themes.

CHAPTER BOOKS

5 stars

Diva and Flea by Mo Willems and Tony DiTerlizzi (Illustrator)

Holy #booklove! 

When you put two brilliant artists together, you can't help but end up with this magnificent jewel of a story. Honestly, it is an honor to be able to read this book. 

I declare that my readers will love Diva and Flea as much, if not more, than I do. 

NOVELS

The Swap by Megan Shull

4 stars

This is the story of two young teens, Ellie and Jack, who end up in each other's bodies and lives for a weekend. I have numerous issues with the gender stereotyping, but I think it is almost what makes it work. I'm also not a fan of mean girl books and this one has a few real doozers. Unfortunately there is no depth to their characters. This is especially annoying since the bullying boy we are introduced to does have a backstory that puts his behaviour into perspective. 

I did have a conversation with one of my grade seven library monitors about it. She adored it. I guess that is really what it is all about. It would be interesting to hear from a boy's perspective on this though. 

4 stars

Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity by Katherine Boo

Well, that was some book! Boo's writing held me in thrall throughout this narrative non-fiction. I'm certain I've been bearing witness to what hell looks like. Is it enough to glimpse into this world of corruption, and desperation and then let it be? It is overwhelming, and while I understand that human beings need hope, as an outside observer, I feel a profound hopelessness, after finishing this book. 

CURRENTLY
I'm listening to Another Day by David Levithan and reading with my eyes, Amanda in Alberta by Darlene Foster.

UP NEXT

Book Club starts next week, so I really need to start reading at those titles. Some will be from a couple of boxes of Top Grade: CanLit for the Classroom we received the week before. Thankfully, I've read some of the other titles, but I'm not sure I'm going to get much further on my 2015 must read list this year.