We are heading off to Vancouver this weekend to pick up our granddaughter who wants some Gramma and Grampa time. My other son is bringing his son so we will be having a good time. Such a good time that I doubt I will find time to post next Monday.
A number of covid cases have been diagnosed here in our small town. It is pretty scary, but inevitable. I'm wearing my mask faithfully if I have to go to town.
Hope the rest of you are staying safe.
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.
BLOG POSTS LAST WEEK
Monsters 101 by Cale Atkinson
Sara and the Search for Normal by Wesley King
PICTURE BOOKS
 |
| 4 stars |
Just like he did with Unicorns 101, Atkinson has researched and written a compendium of monsters. The only thing that's missing is information about monster life cycles. Haven't you always wanted to know how monsters reproduce? I loved the note in the verso claiming the illustrations were completed using Photoshop, slime and zombie pus.
You can read my full review with illustrations by clicking on my blog post.
I read a Netgalley copy. This will be released August 4, 2020.
NONFICTION PICTURE BOOKS
 |
| 4 stars |
I am always impressed by how Chris Ferrie and the rest of his team manage to take complex topics and break them down so simple, even a baby can understand them.
In this case I appreciate how they show the earth, our home planet, as a huge ball wrapped in a blanket called atmosphere. They compare our blanket to those of Mercury and Mars. They explain how we keep our blanket just right, and how we humans have managed to get ours out of balance so it is getting too hot.
What I especially appreciate is that while they show us the problem, they also show us solutions.
This would be a brilliant introduction to climate change for readers of all ages. Older readers can go on to read more complicated texts about climate change with this simple one providing an overarching framework.
I read a Netgalley copy. This will be released August 4, 2020.
GRAPHIC
 |
| 5 stars |
This is another Netgalley title I read this week. I'm almost finished a longer review that I'll post closer to the publication date (September 1st) In the meantime, what you need to know is that it's as visually gorgeous and as wonderfully loving and big hearted as the rest in the series. If you haven't read the first two, The Tea Dragon Society and The Tea Dragon Festival, you should do it now so you are ready for this one.
NOVELS
 |
| 5 stars |
I read this in one sitting. I couldn't put it down.
Amy Sarig King takes us inside a family going through separation and divorce. We experience it through the eyes of Liberty Johansen, a middle schooler. Liberty is a character you will find yourself cheering on and rooting for. She's smart, creative, and caring. She's heartbroken after her parents separate and her father doesn't see her and her sister for almost three months.
What this book shows is how divorce is not really just about the parents, but that it is a whole family experience.
 |
| 4 stars |
I went into this book with no idea of what I was getting into. It is gorgeous. I loved and cared deeply about these girls. The audiobook was brilliant. The voices of Audre and Mable, two black girls from different lives, are beautifully rendered in the text and through the narrations of the different narrators. I cried.
 |
| 4 stars |
I just finished this and have started writing a longer blog post. If you are a fan of Sheila Turnage's Mo & Dale series, you are going to love this.
NONFICTION
 |
| 5 stars |
I am so glad I put this book on my must read list for 2020. It is much more than I expected it to be. I assumed it would be about Henrietta Lacks, her HeLa cells, and how they have contributed to science. That is part of the story, but it's also about how the loss of their mother affected her family. While the HeLa cells are used all over the world, Henrietta Lacks' family doesn't even have healthcare. Rebecca Skloot has integrated the science and human interest aspects of this so that it's impossible to separate them. I cried a number of times.
CURRENTLY
I'm somewhere in the middle of listening to The Weight of Ink by Rachel Kadish. I've started The Good Thieves by Katherine Rundell.
UP NEXT
I plan to get to one Netgalley title this week, but am not sure what that will be. I've picked up a pile of books from the library, so something from here will be next.
PROGRESS ON MY READING GOALS
Big Books Summer 2020 4/10 one in progress
#MustReadIn2020: 14/25 one in progress
#MustReadNFIn2020: 6/12
25 Books by Canadian Indigenous Authors: 17/25
100 books by Canadian Authors: 103/100
Goodreads Reading Challenge: 215/333
Unicorns...monsters...I wonder if they'll be another 101 book and what that could be.
ReplyDeleteSpace Aliens?
DeleteI really enjoyed Unicorns and Monsters and share Lisa's thoughts on wondering what the next one might be. Dragons?
ReplyDeleteI also really enjoyed The Year We Fell From Space, and I totally agree with what you wrote about the impact of divorce on the whole family. I think she does a good job of showing how the impact of trauma is like that.
I have Coop Knows the Scoop on a list that I might try to whittle down when things get back to normal. I think my school will still be on a restricted budget this year, so fewer hardcovers for sure.
Climate Change for Babies is something I saw on NetGalley but did not pay enough attention to. I will check it out. Thanks for the great reviews.
Dragons would be a good topic and so would space aliens. I just want to read something about reproduction!
DeleteMonsters 101 and Climate Change For Babies both look like great picture books! The art in The Tea Dragon Tapestry looks beautiful! The Stars and the Blackness Between Them sounds like a great novel, and The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks sounds like an interesting account of a story I am unfamiliar with. I hope you have fun with your family! Thanks for the great post!
ReplyDeleteKatie O'Neill's gorgeous artwork is one part of why her graphic novels are so spectacular.
DeleteI've heard some really good things about Coop Knows the Scoop. I have it ordered, looking forward to reading it!
ReplyDeleteDoesn't it feel good to get home improvements done? I love standing back and looking at the completed job! Enjoy your time with your little ones. And thank you for wearing a mask... we all need to do our part!
Every little bit we accomplish makes a huge difference, whether it's renovations or mask wearing!
DeleteI didn't realize there were more Tea Dragon books. I will have to look for them here. I know of Henrietta Lacks, but still haven't read the book. It certainly is an important story. Have fun with the kids.
ReplyDelete