#IMWAYR MARCH 27, 2016

Here we are.  #IMWAYR time again. Thanks to Jen at Mentor Text and Kellee and Ricki at Unleashing Readers for hosting this weekly event where readers of kidlit get together to share what we have been reading in the previous week.

First off, thanks so much for everyone's kind words last week. My mother has just been transferred to the palliative ward at the hospital while we wait for a hospice space to become available. It isn't easy, but we, (my siblings and I) are coping. I've felt some guilt for going away this past week, but  a sister came over from the island to be with Mom and my brother was back from his vacation. Many other relatives made the trek from other places to spend time with her as well. 

Otherwise, my week has been busy with renovations, but peaceful. I read some amazing books and managed to write a couple of blog posts. I found time to listen to the Canada Reads 2016 podcasts and am excited to take some of the questions about the books to use with my book club at school. 

COMPLETED

3 stars

Audacity Jones to the Rescue by Kirby Larson

Although I enjoyed this book, it just didn't work for me as well as I had hoped. Audacity Jones is a spunky young girl who lives at Miss Maisie's School for Wayward Girls. When their benefactor, The Commodore, comes searching for an orphan to help him on a mission, she volunteers. The Commodore and his driver take her on a long road trip to Washington DC. Some kind of nefarious plan is afoot and it's up to Audacity and her friends, both new and old, to stop it. 
I enjoyed this plot but it was the characters and their relationships that kept me going.

4 stars

Honey by Sarah Weeks

I had forgotten why I liked Sarah Weeks until reading this book. You can't help but admire and empathize with her characters. Melody's father is behaving strangely and she wants to know why and who he has been calling Honey on the phone. This ois a sweet story that involves mixed up conclusions based on insufficient information. Having the dog in there will make it appeal to many of my readers.

Sweetland by Michael Crummey

4 stars

This is one of the Canada Reads titles that didn't make the short list. I get it since it really doesn't seem to be about transformation and starting over. However, it won the Governor General award in 2014 and I can see why. It continues to haunt me. This book is about the end of a life and the end of the place we call home. In this case it's an island off the coast of Newfoundland. Now that most of the youth have left, the remaining inhabitants have been offered a financial incentive to leave. The catch is that everyone must buy in. Moses Sweetland is the last holdout. The story is circular with present day events triggering recollections of major events in Moses' past. It put me into a state of mourning for Moses and many of my stoic uncles who are now gone. 

3 stars

Dumplin' by Julie Murphy

I wanted to like this book more than I did. Unfortunately Willowdean Dixon just didn't grab me and make me really care about her. On top of this I couldn't connect with anybody wanting to participate in a beauty pageant. 

5 stars

The Odds of Getting Even (Tupelo Landing #3) by Sheila Turnage

Gush, gush, swoon, swoon. Yes, I loved this book. Sheila Turnage is one of my favourite writers of middle grade fiction. I flat out adore the idea of her writing a book. I read this, Pax and Crenshaw kind of at the same time. I think my appreciation for them suffered as a result of the inevitable comparison. 

4.5 stars

Pax by Sara Pennypacker

There is nothing quite so fabulous as a superbly written middle grade novel. This one, a story of a boy and his fox, is going to be in my top ten this year. It's about war and truth and peace. It is a deeply philosophical book. I made some connections to Kate DiCamillo's The Magician's Elephant while reading it, but it stands on it's own. It might be the only book that could hold its own in comparison to The Odds of Getting Even. 

Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate

I've just finished this one and need to think a bit more about how I feel about it. I enjoyed it, but it just didn't live up to my expectations I think. Maybe I'll change my mind after it percolates with me for a while. 

CURRENTLY

I've just started listening to Through Black Spruce by Joseph Boyden but I'll take a break from it if one of my YA or MG titles becomes available. I'm reading When I was the Greatest by Jason Reynolds.

UP NEXT

All American Boy by Jason Reynolds and whatever strikes my fancy. The Shepherd's Crown by Terry Pratchett, the last in the Tiffany Aching series is ready for me to pick up at the VPL. I will probably start that as soon as I get it.