Hope you are all staying safe inside these days and managing to find comfort in books, art, interacting with friends via the internet and whatever other hobbies you enjoy. I have planned out three quilting projects and managed to get one of them cut and ready to sew. Unfortunately I have started packing up my house so I probably won't be doing much sewing other than masks for friends and family in the next while.
Titles with a 🍁 indicate this is a Canadian Author and or Illustrator.
Clicking on the title will take you to the Goodreads page of the book.
PICTURE BOOKS
Light A Candle/Tumaini Pasipo Na Tumaini by Godfrey Nkongolo, Eric Walters, Eva Campbell (Illustrations) 🍁
This is a fictional retelling of an important event in the history of the United Republic of Tanzania. It is told in both English and Swahili.
Ngama is a young Chagga boy who goes against his father's wishes and follows a group of men who were tasked to light a freedom torch at the top of Mt Kilimanjaro to unite their new country. Eva Campbell's art captures the majesty of the country and the culture of the people in her vibrant painting.
The back matter contains additional information about the country and it's origins.
Unicorns 101 by Cale Atkinson 🍁
This compendium of information about unicorns is delightfully hilarious. It’s chock full of important facts that are sure to please the unicorn fan club. The jacket cover even has glitter on it. In the back matter there’s a Unicorn Scientificus Diploma readers can fill in proving they are officially Unicorn Scientists. Cale Atkinson knows his stuff. According to the jacket cover, he studied under Professor Sugar Beard to earn his PhD in hornology. His knowledge shines through in the comical illustrations filled with a riot of rainbow colours.
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Moose by Chrissy Bozik & Scot Ritchie (Illustrator) 🍁
This is a fun retelling on the traditional story. It has a definite Canadian twist to it with all the things the old lady eats. The ending is just delightful!
NOVELS
The Wicked King by Holly Black & Caitlin Kelly (Narrator)
I am just loving everything about this series - the characters, the world building, the suspense and tension both romantic and political. The only thing I hate is having to wait for the next book to become available.
The Atomic City Girls by Janet Beard & Xe Sands (Narrator)
This takes us into the lives of numerous characters who worked on the Manhattan Project. Ordinary people had no idea they were working on the atomic bomb. The title is deceptive because it actually introduces us to the reality for multiple characters, not just women. The main focus is a country girl, June, who ends up in a relationship with Dr Sam Cantor, one of the scientists. June shares a dormitory with another young woman, CC. Their relationship starts out positive but deteriorates when CC can no longer control June. I appreciated Dr Cantor's moral dilemma as he worked towards creating a bomb that he knew was going to be horrific. I was also fascinated by the lives of the black men who worked as labourers and janitors.
This is ok as a light romantic story, but didn’t get into enough details about the actual going’s on at the site for me. That said, it's made me want to read this nonfiction title about life in Atomic City: The Girls of Atomic City: The Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War II.
Making Friends with Billy Wong by Augusta Scattergood.
This is why I have MustRead lists. Making Friends with Billy Wong has been on my list for the past few years and I finally got to it. It's the story of a girl and her grandmother. It's about making mistakes and reconciliation. It's about friendship. It's a reminder to look deep beneath the surface to understand where others are coming from.
Set in 1953, this historical novel features Azalea as the main protagonist, but Billy Wong's perspective is shown in alternate verse chapters. It's a powerful format that enables readers to learn what it was like to live in an important time in history. The underlying sweetness encourages us to have empathy for those who are different from us.
Finding Cooper by Stacey Matson 🍁
I have mixed feelings about this book. Cooper Arcano and his best friend, Ali, are fans of The X Files and unsolved mysteries. Cooper's grandfather is losing his memories due to Alzheimer's disease. Somehow Cooper ends up engaged in some fantastical magical thinking. He gets it into his head that his grandfather is the famous outlaw, D.B Cooper and is faking his illness. If Cooper can prove it, then he will come into enough money to cover the cost of his grandfather's care and his parents will stop fighting and not get divorced. He ends up getting himself and his friend into all kinds of trouble before it's all over.
I really appreciated the authenticity of the grandfather's decline and the family's struggle to deal with the emotional and financial stress that accompanied it. I liked the authentic characters - especially Cooper's mom and his friend Ali. I liked Cooper.
My quibble is that while I understand that Cooper's belief in his hypothesis about his grandfather is connected to his not wanting to acknowledge reality, it just did't work for me. I can't see any of the 12 year old boys I've met getting caught up in this. I would love to be able to give this to some of them and see what they think. Maybe they will enjoy seeing the mistakes Cooper is making before he does.
CURRENTLY
I've just started listening to Here in the Real World by Sara Pennypacker. With my eyes I'm reading a graphic novel, The Monster Sisters and the Mystery of the Unlocked Cave by Gareth Kyle Gaudin, and The Three Spartans by James McCann.
UP NEXT
Ru by Kim Thúy will be the next audiobook. I'm hoping to read at least three novels and three picture books from my Chocolate Lily Box.
PROGRESS ON MY READING GOALS
#MustReadIn2020: 5/25
#MustReadNFIn2020: 3/12
25 Books by Canadian Indigenous Authors: 9/25
100 books by Canadian Authors: 65/100
Goodreads Reading Challenge: 137/333
Titles with a 🍁 indicate this is a Canadian Author and or Illustrator.
Clicking on the title will take you to the Goodreads page of the book.
PICTURE BOOKS
 |
| 4 stars |
This is a fictional retelling of an important event in the history of the United Republic of Tanzania. It is told in both English and Swahili.
Ngama is a young Chagga boy who goes against his father's wishes and follows a group of men who were tasked to light a freedom torch at the top of Mt Kilimanjaro to unite their new country. Eva Campbell's art captures the majesty of the country and the culture of the people in her vibrant painting.
The back matter contains additional information about the country and it's origins.
 |
| 5 stars |
This compendium of information about unicorns is delightfully hilarious. It’s chock full of important facts that are sure to please the unicorn fan club. The jacket cover even has glitter on it. In the back matter there’s a Unicorn Scientificus Diploma readers can fill in proving they are officially Unicorn Scientists. Cale Atkinson knows his stuff. According to the jacket cover, he studied under Professor Sugar Beard to earn his PhD in hornology. His knowledge shines through in the comical illustrations filled with a riot of rainbow colours.
 |
| 4 stars |
This is a fun retelling on the traditional story. It has a definite Canadian twist to it with all the things the old lady eats. The ending is just delightful!
NOVELS
 |
| 5 stars |
I am just loving everything about this series - the characters, the world building, the suspense and tension both romantic and political. The only thing I hate is having to wait for the next book to become available.
 |
| 3 stars |
This takes us into the lives of numerous characters who worked on the Manhattan Project. Ordinary people had no idea they were working on the atomic bomb. The title is deceptive because it actually introduces us to the reality for multiple characters, not just women. The main focus is a country girl, June, who ends up in a relationship with Dr Sam Cantor, one of the scientists. June shares a dormitory with another young woman, CC. Their relationship starts out positive but deteriorates when CC can no longer control June. I appreciated Dr Cantor's moral dilemma as he worked towards creating a bomb that he knew was going to be horrific. I was also fascinated by the lives of the black men who worked as labourers and janitors.
This is ok as a light romantic story, but didn’t get into enough details about the actual going’s on at the site for me. That said, it's made me want to read this nonfiction title about life in Atomic City: The Girls of Atomic City: The Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War II.
 |
| 4 stars |
This is why I have MustRead lists. Making Friends with Billy Wong has been on my list for the past few years and I finally got to it. It's the story of a girl and her grandmother. It's about making mistakes and reconciliation. It's about friendship. It's a reminder to look deep beneath the surface to understand where others are coming from.
Set in 1953, this historical novel features Azalea as the main protagonist, but Billy Wong's perspective is shown in alternate verse chapters. It's a powerful format that enables readers to learn what it was like to live in an important time in history. The underlying sweetness encourages us to have empathy for those who are different from us.
 |
| 3.5 stars |
I have mixed feelings about this book. Cooper Arcano and his best friend, Ali, are fans of The X Files and unsolved mysteries. Cooper's grandfather is losing his memories due to Alzheimer's disease. Somehow Cooper ends up engaged in some fantastical magical thinking. He gets it into his head that his grandfather is the famous outlaw, D.B Cooper and is faking his illness. If Cooper can prove it, then he will come into enough money to cover the cost of his grandfather's care and his parents will stop fighting and not get divorced. He ends up getting himself and his friend into all kinds of trouble before it's all over.
I really appreciated the authenticity of the grandfather's decline and the family's struggle to deal with the emotional and financial stress that accompanied it. I liked the authentic characters - especially Cooper's mom and his friend Ali. I liked Cooper.
My quibble is that while I understand that Cooper's belief in his hypothesis about his grandfather is connected to his not wanting to acknowledge reality, it just did't work for me. I can't see any of the 12 year old boys I've met getting caught up in this. I would love to be able to give this to some of them and see what they think. Maybe they will enjoy seeing the mistakes Cooper is making before he does.
CURRENTLY
I've just started listening to Here in the Real World by Sara Pennypacker. With my eyes I'm reading a graphic novel, The Monster Sisters and the Mystery of the Unlocked Cave by Gareth Kyle Gaudin, and The Three Spartans by James McCann.
UP NEXT
Ru by Kim Thúy will be the next audiobook. I'm hoping to read at least three novels and three picture books from my Chocolate Lily Box.
PROGRESS ON MY READING GOALS
#MustReadIn2020: 5/25
#MustReadNFIn2020: 3/12
25 Books by Canadian Indigenous Authors: 9/25
100 books by Canadian Authors: 65/100
Goodreads Reading Challenge: 137/333
Now you've reminded me about Making Friends With Billy Wong, and I remember loving it, Cheriee. As for The Atomic Girls, doesn't sound great, but interesting. I've spent time at the Los Alamos Bradbury Science Museum which is fascinating. A second cousin was a scientist there during the secret mission. No one knew his part in it until years after, and even then he was unable to tell much. I may never get to the Holly Black books, but I liked the earlier ones, just too many books on the list. Thanks, & best wishes for a good week!
ReplyDeleteOh yes, so many many books on the list. My high school physics teacher worked on the Manhattan Project. We
Deletenever knew what he did except that he was a brilliant scientist and we were really lucky to have him at our small town school. I hope you get to this series. She writes such strong female characters!
Unicorns 101 is so fun! The follow-up Monsters 101 is great, too!
ReplyDeleteI will be really looking forward to it>
DeleteYou're all set for National Unicorn Day on April 9th. I didn't buy Billy Wong, but now I can't remember why. I think I read Finding Cooper, but I'll have to go back and check. Thanks for the heads up on so many good titles.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know there was a national Unicorn Day!
DeleteMaking Friends With Billy Wong has been on my TBR for a long time, maybe I'll finally read it soon! Have a good reading week.
ReplyDeleteYes! Honestly, Making Friends With Billy Wong is one you don't want to overlook!
DeleteI totally agree with what you said about Billy Wong - thank goodness for the mustread community! So many books and so little time! I'm reading one of my mustreads right now, too!
ReplyDeleteI love Cale Atkinson's books but this one was a lot! I think it works better as a book you read either 1:1 with someone or to yourself. Hard as a read aloud!
I am going to get to the Holly Black books soon. They sound something I would really enjoy. My sister has it on her mustread list and I told her to move it up because I want to read it soon, lol!
I can see that Unicorn 101 wouldn't work as a read aloud, but it would make delightful mentor text just showing a page or so at a time and unpacking it. It so delightfully follows the format of many real nonfiction titles.
DeleteI hope you get to this Holly Black series. It's so good!
I'm glad you're able to find comfort in quilting. Hope you stay healthy and safe through your pack up. I Know An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Moose looks like an awesome picture book. I'll look for it once the library reopens. Have a good week!
ReplyDeleteThanks Jana, I've gone from quilting to sewing masks these days. Doing something helpful feels like I am making a difference and takes away that feeling of being overwhelmed.
DeleteI totally agree about Unicorns 101 and am looking forwards to Monsters 101. I also enjoyed Light a Candle and should get into more of Holly Black's books. Thanks for the post, good luck with the house!
ReplyDeleteOh now I really really want Monsters 101! Hurrah for Holly Black. Fantasy is what I need right now.
DeleteI had to immediately skip down to your thoughts on The Wicked King. Any time I think of this series, I want to read it again. The end of The Wicked King just killed me and it felt like I had to wait forever for book #3 to come out. If you're reading the print book, see if you can get your hands on the B&N special edition because there are hand written letters from Cardan to Jude. I heard about the letters after I'd already read the final book and so I had to buy a second copy from B&N just so I could read them. LOL I'm definitely finding comfort in a variety of books as they help me forget to log onto social media and get caught up in the frenzy. Have a wonderful and safe week, Cheriee!
ReplyDeleteI am there! I am hating having to wait for the final. I have been listening to it and will probably continue with it since I've become attached to the narrator and will be too busy packing to sit down and read.
DeleteOh yes, I totally relate to becoming attached to a narrator's voice. They become so much part of the characters. Caitlin Kelly narrated all the books in this series on Overdrive. (I'm not certain how that works -- is there anyone else who narrates this series? I've encountered other books that have audiobooks with different narrators.) I really, really liked her voice -- I even loved her voice for Cardan!! In fact, the only reason I read book #3 with my eyes is because I wasn't willing to wait for the audiobook when the print book was released. LOL But I see that I now have access to it on Overdrive (but a long wait list), so I need to go back and listen to it. <3
DeleteLight a Candle is one of our family mottos -- (Don't curse the darkness -- light a candle!) So I'm very interested in that book, even if the phrase is used differently. Thanks for sharing all these books, and have a safe week!
ReplyDeleteThe meaning is similar Beth. It's a beacon of light joining two different groups together.
DeleteOooh, The Atomic City Girls sounds like a great read. I have Pennypacker's book on my TBR list too, just haven't picked it up yet. I'm interested to see what you think of it!
ReplyDeleteI loved it!
Delete