#IMWAYR August 10, 2020

Hello out there. It's #IMWAYR time again, when readers share what they have been reading and find out what others have been up to in the past week. Kathryn hosts the adult version of this meme at Book Date. Jen at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki at Unleashing Readers host the kidlit rendition. Whatever you are looking forward to in your next great read, these are fabulous places to start your search.

Between having grandkids visiting and then camping last weekend, I think it's been three weeks since I last posted. I'm sorry this is such a long update. I read some remarkable titles and much of the credit goes to the #IMWAYR community for turning me onto so many amazing authors and books.

We have friends coming to stay this week and then the grandkids are back the following week. I will probably miss next week.

I have been thinking about my many teacher bloggers and friends as you prepare to return to teaching in whatever capacity that looks like. Some of you are already in the thick of things. As an older person with asthma, I haven't decided if I will return being an on call educator this year. I'm hoping you all stay 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.

PICTURE BOOKS

5 stars

Old Rock (Is Not Boring) by Deb Pilutti

I read this with my three year old grandkids. We read it over, and over, and over. They adored it. At one point we went and watched videos of volcanoes erupting. They laughed and laughed about the talking tree. They wanted to go somersaulting down a mountain just like old rock. They were fascinated by how smooth it is now compared to when it first erupted into daylight. They came to love Old Rock and so did I.
This is a brilliant introduction to the concept of geological time that works for children of all ages - even old folks like me.

4 stars

Double Bass Blues by Andrea J. Loney & Rudy Gutierrez (Illustrator)

The artwork is outstanding in this picture book about a young boy who plays a 'bull fiddle.' Through his skill he lives numerous lives. He is admired by his school peers, ignored and harrassed by others in the street, and applauded by his grandfather and his bandmates. It took me a while to actually figure out the story because the text is so spare.

5 stars

Goose by Molly Bang

My grandkids and I love this book, my granddaughter especially. Over the course of four bedtimes we read it at least 12 times. Near the end of their stay, she was ‘reading’ it to me.
During a storm a goose egg is blown out of it’s nest and rolls into a woodchucks burrow where it hatches. The woodchucks raise it as one of their own, but the young goose isn’t happy. She has to leave home and undergo hardships before discovering that she can fly.
Years ago when I saw Molly Bang she said she wrote this book for her adopted daughter.
I’m a a hard core Molly Bang fan. Did you know she creates her fiction picture books to find her nonfiction endeavours?

4 stars

Saturday by Oge Mora

I adore the art in this book. Ava and her mother spend Saturdays together following rituals of story time at the library, getting new hardos, and quiet picnics at the park. This Saturday everything goes wrong and the day, instead of being splendid and special, turns out to be a bit of a disaster. In spite of this, the really important aspect shines through.

3 stars

Spork by Kyo Maclear & Isabelle Arsenault (Illustrator) 🍁

It isn't easy finding your place in the world, especially if you are really different from everyone else, but find it you will.

3 stars

A Big Bed for Little Snow by Grace Lin

I read this with three year olds. They liked the jumping on the bed part, but didn't really understand the connection to snow. To be honest, it took me a while to figure it out too.

NONFICTION PICTURE BOOKS

4 stars

The Shortest Day by Susan Cooper & Carson Ellis (Illustrator)

Reading this made me happy. If I were still working in the library I would purchase this in a heartbeat. The poem and Carson Ellis' gorgeous artwork celebrate, across time and space, the joy of the end of one year and beginning of a new one.

4 stars

Our House Is on Fire: Greta Thunberg's Call to Save the Planet by Jeanette Winter

This book shows us how an almost invisible young girl became passionate about climate change. Through her actions people of all ages have become more aware of the dangers of our use of fossil fuels. I especially love Jeanette Winter's art and how it is used to demonstrate the different aspects of disaster already here with us. Given that the last fully intact ice shelf in the Canadian Arctic collapsed three days ago, we should all become as passionate as Greta Thunberg.

4 stars

Joni: The Lyrical Life of Joni Mitchell by Selina Alko 🍁

Selina Alko has captured the essence of Joni Mitchell in this gorgeous picture book. I wish it had been available when one of the teams I worked with in the library were researching musicians and bands for history projects. Like the author, my sister and knew all the words and sang along with her earlier work. Clouds was one of the first albums I purchased. This picture book introduces readers to the basic outline of her life. My only quibble is that while discussing her Blue album it didn't discuss her giving up her baby. Her sadness is mentioned, but the reason for it is left out. 

GRAPHIC

3.5 stars

Snapdragon by Kat Leyh 

 I'm always happy with a book that highlights friendship across generations. The older woman, Jack, turns out to be a witch who collects roadkill to create bone models to sell. She takes a young girl, Snap (Snapdragon) on as her apprentice. It is delightful. The book is full of diverse characters. Snap is part of a black family. While it never gets spoken, her best friend is a trans girl. It turns out there was once a romance between Jack and Snap's grandmother. Bits and pieces of this reminded me of Terry Pratchett's witches. 

5 stars

When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson & Omar Mohamed 

This book just gobsmacked me. It's a powerful tale of two brothers in a refugee camp. Born in Somalia at the onset of a civil war, Omar, the eldest, watched his father get killed. Then he and his brother were separated from their mother. The two boys fled with a group of other villagers and ended up in a refugee camp in Kenya. Omar was four but looked after his younger brother, Hussan who has special needs. A woman from the camp, Fatuma, was appointed their guardian. Eventually Omar goes to school. With the help of social workers and the rest of his community, he managed to finish high school. Eventually the two boys end up in America. This is a book guaranteed to build compassion in readers. It raises awareness of what it means to be a refugee. Through Omar's story we learn how people become refugees, what life is like for all kinds of people in the camps, and the special challenges for girls and women.

NOVELS

5 stars

The Weight of Ink by Rachel Kadish

At over 23 hours I was astonished at how fast this book ended. I did not want it to. I fell in love with all these brilliant characters. I wanted to be able to rescue Ester Velasquez, the teen prodigy coming of age in a world that won’t even consider her superior intellect. Helen Watt’s past and present lives drew me in. At first I was irritated by Aaron Levy, but came to care for him. While this a compelling mystery involving 16 century philosophers, it’s Rachel Kadish’ capacity to show us that all human beings are multifaceted that made me love this book. Just Wow!

4 stars

The One and Only Bob by Katherine Applegate

While this didn't have the gut wrenching emotional hit of The One and Only Ivan, this was still a delightful book. Bob is one heck of a dog.

4 stars

The Good Thieves by Katherine Rundell

I adore Katherine Rundell's writing. Her books are like sinking into a deep philosophical fairytale where anything is possible. Evil is vanquished and good is rewarded. I end up loving her characters. They have strength and vulnerability. I loved the convoluted plot in this one as a young girl and her friends attempt to out trick a nasty conman.

4.5 stars

The Riverman Trilogy by Aaron Starmer

I have Aaron Cleaveley to thank for turning me onto this series. It is brilliant storytelling that leaves the reader wondering what the heck is going on. These are novels that beg to be read with others and discussed. The first is told in first person, the second in third person, and the third, returns to first person through the perspective of Alistair's older sister. By the time I was finished I knew that I had been on one heck of a ride, but honestly, I'm not sure I really understand what exactly happened.

The Riverman

Fiona Loomis asks Alistair Cleary to write her biography. She spins a fantastical tale about a place called Aquavania and a Riverman who is stealing souls. Alistair worries that Fiona is being sexually abused by her uncle. (Although the book never comes out and says this directly) By the time he finally believes her, Fiona is missing. He has to accept that his best friend, Charlie, might be a monster. When he confronts him, the encounter ends in a disaster. Kyle, Charlie's brother is shot. Alistair is left to figure out a way to rescue Fiona and all the other children who have had their souls taken by the Riverman. 

The Whisper

Alistair heads off into Aquavania in search of Fiona. In Aquavania the kids who create worlds are called day dreamers, the creatures they create are figments and people like him, are swimmers. He discovers that worlds without their creators are disintegrating and corrupted. As he ventures deep into the many worlds, instead of dreaming, he is visited by memories of his past. These primarily involve Charlie, who is probably the Whisper, another name for the Riverman. 

The Storyteller

This book is told through the diary and stories of Alistair's older sister, Keri. Alistair is home from Aquavania, but mute for the first few days. Charlie is missing and Kyle is in a coma from a gunshot wound. When Alistair begins to speak, it is only to Keri. At first she thinks Kyle is just having a mental breakdown. Then strange coincidences turn her into a believer. I liked that Alistair's story, while important, is set against the backdrop of a creative 14 year old girl's everyday life experiences. 

5 stars

Anthem (The Sixties Trilogy #3) by Deborah Wiles 

This is how history should be learned, integrating historical documents with a story that shows what it was like to live through these experiences. I loved that each chapter begins with a relevant song. I ended up creating a spotify playlist, Anthem (Deborah Wiles), to accompany the book. In Anthem, the third of her Sixties Trilogy, Wiles takes us into America as the protests against the Vietnam War heat up. Two cousins, fourteen year old Molly and seventeen year old Norman, head off across America in search of Molly's older brother to let him know that his draft papers have arrived. Norman, a drummer, doesn't really want to go, but goes anyway with the proviso that he gets to focus on music as they make the journey. I appreciated much about this book: meeting characters from previous books in the series, seeing the war represented from multiple perspectives, and learning more about the music industry and the music of the times. I admire how deftly she integrates the women's movement and the onset of the gay rights movement into the novel without it ever being a big deal. I came to adore these two characters who come of age together as they make this momentous road trip. I concede that since I was about the age of the two protagonists and have memories of some of this background, I might be somewhat biased towards it. Nonetheless, if this book doesn't win some kind of award this year, I will be peeved. 

5 stars

Kent State by Deborah Wiles & Christopher Gebauer, Lauren Ezzo, Christina DeLaine, Johnny Heller, Roger Wayne, Korey Jackson, David de Vries (Narrators)

May 4th, 1970 I was in grade 11 and closing in on my 17th birthday. Here in Canada, we paid attention to what was going on with our neighbours to the south. (We still do.) The Kent State Massacre, and the realization that those whose duty it was to protect us, would actually kill us, was the end of innocence for a lot of white kids like myself. It was a wakeup call to a nation involved in an unwinnable war. Deborah Wiles book articulates this clearly. The audiobook is brilliant with different artists giving voice to the different perspectives of the community of participants, townspeople, students, activists, guardsmen and others. Her timely book inspires readers to take a stand against all misuse of power by politicians. It's dearly needed these days. I appreciated the author's note in the back matter explaining her research and how this book came to be.

5 stars

With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo (Author & Narrator)

I loved this book. It's a brilliant example of realistic fiction. It's so authentic you might forget these are fictional characters. I adored all of them. Emoni Santiago is a teen mom I would be proud to call daughter. One of my nieces was a teen mom. I saw aspects of her life in in this book. Emoni is a good mother to her two year old daughter. She works a part time job to help support her grandmother and herself. She studies hard even though some subjects in school are a challenge. Emoni is passionate about cooking and has an innate gift for mixing together different flavours. In her culinary arts class, she is challenged to tamp down her creative side and follow recipes as is. She ends up taking on the leadership role for fundraising for a class trip to Spain. There is a bit of romance, and while it is sweet, it's a minor part of Emoni's story.  I loved the pace of this coming of age novel. Nothing momentous happens. It is a slow thoughtful look into a teen mom's world as she finishes highschool and figures out what she wants to do for the rest of her life. If only there were recipes, this book would be even better! 

4 stars

Ciel by Sophie Labelle & David Homel (Translator)  🍁

 This own voices novela introduces us to Ciel, a trans nonbinary teen who is just starting high school. Their best friend, Stephie, is a trans girl. Ciel is in a long distance relationship with Eirikur, a bisexual teen who has moved back to Iceland from Montreal. They are interested platonically, (for now at least) in Liam, a trans boy at the school. 

It took me a bit to get into this story because the language felt stilted. Soon however I was engaged with the characters. Ciel is a sympathetic kid who works hard towards their goals. They get up every morning to deliver papers to raise money to purchase a new video camera. Ciel has a youtube channel where they post videos they have created. After a post about the lack of non gendered bathrooms at the school goes viral, they get a lot of negative comments. While this distresses Ciel, they have a supportive father and friends, and Ciel handles it well. This book isn't full of angst and action. It's a thoughtful look into the life of a teen and their friends who don't fit into the cisgendered world.
I read a netgalley title that will be released September 15, 2020 by Second Story Press. 

CURRENTLY

I'm reading  and Yara's Spring by Sharon McKay & Jamal Saeed. I'm listening to How It Went Down by Kekla Magoon. 

UP NEXT

I just downloaded Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds & Ibram X. Kendi so I hope to get to that. I picked up Audacity by Melanie Crowder and will find time for it. I'm hoping to read all of Molly Bang's nonfiction titles and write a blog post about them. Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond is arriving at my library Tuesday. I will drop everything and read it for my upcoming book club meeting.

PROGRESS ON MY READING GOALS

Big Books Summer 2020 7/10

#MustReadIn2020: 18/25

#MustReadNFIn2020: 6/12

25 Books by Canadian Indigenous Authors: 17/25

100 books by Canadian Authors: 105/100

Goodreads Reading Challenge: 236/333