Library Matters: September 2020

#IMWAYR September 28, 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.

We enjoyed camping by the river last weekend even if it was cold in the mornings. I managed to read four books although I didn't listen to my audiobook at all. I am usually the kind of person who stays up till eleven, but my body adapted to the light so I was asleep by ten every night. The problem is that I was awake by six and it was still dark out. Our tent trailer does not have electricity so I just laid around in bed getting bored and anxious. We had a bit of rain but it was welcome as it cleaned out the air.

The best part of being away was spending a couple of days in Vancouver with our children and grandkids and meeting our brand new granddaughter. The worst part is saying goodbye to them all. Here is the newest in the sweater I made for her.

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.

RECENT BLOG POSTS

The Barren Grounds (The Misewa Saga, #1) by David Alexander Robertson

Obsidian: A DreadfulWater Mystery by Thomas King

PICTURE BOOKS

5 stars

Nana Akua Goes to School by Tricia Elam Walker & April Harrison (Illustrator)

Zura is worried that people will laugh at her Nana on Grandparents' day. But Nana Akua has a plan to circumvent any problems that might arrive. I love this because it's about the relationship between a grandchild and grandmother, it has a homemade quilt, and I learned about Adinkra symbols of the Akan people of Ghana. April Harrison's illustrations are beautifully rendered.

5 stars

An Ordinary Day by Elana K. Arnold & Elizabet Vukovic (Illustrations)

OMG! This gorgeously illustrated book gave me shivers. On an ordinary day in a neighbourhood, two extraordinary events are taking place in two side by side houses. In the one, a family is saying goodbye to their beloved dog. In the other, a new baby is being welcomed.This is one of the most powerful and poignant books about the cycle of life I’ve ever read!

NON FICTION PICTURE BOOKS

5 stars

Paper Son: The Inspiring Story of Tyrus Wong, Immigrant and Artist by Julie Leung & Chris Sasaki (Illustrations)

This beautiful book pays homage to Tyrus Wong, who came to the USA with his father under a false name. While not recognized for his contributions to art in his lifetime, “his story reminds us that immigrants, wanted or not, leave an essential mark on the masterpiece that is this nation.” If you have seen the Disney film, Bambi, then you have seen his work.
The book is a great introduction to what being a paper son means as it addresses the systemic racism of North America.
I know that Canada had its own racist policy limiting immigration from non-white countries through the head tax. After reading this book I discovered that Canada had its own paper son system.
You can learn more about it here.

GRAPHIC NOVELS

4 stars

Power Up by Kate Leth & Matt Cummings 🍁

This is a delightful romp. The universe has been waiting for prophecy to come true. When it does, it’s not exactly in the way present day interpreters expect. Three unassuming humans from diverse backgrounds suddenly find themselves imbued with magical powers and under attack from strange alien creatures.

4 stars

Constantly by GG 🍁

This is a dark and brooding, almost wordless graphic novel. It centers around a poem that addresses mental health issues. It's powerful and disturbing.

CHAPTER BOOKS

4 stars

Mindy Kim and the Yummy Seaweed Business (Mindy Kim #1) by Lyla Lee & Dung Ho (illustrator)

I liked this well enough. I had plans to read it to my half Korean granddaughter who is three, or at least purchase it for her, but won't be doing that. Maybe when she is older she will love Mindy, but for her now, the fact that Mindy's mom died, isn't something I would expose her to.
Mindy and her father have just moved to Florida from California and Mindy has the usual new school angst. She is the only Asian kid there and some of the other students make fun of her lunch until they try her seaweed. With the help of a new friend, Sally, Mindy ends up trading snacks with other kids and then selling it.
It turns out that this is against the school rules and Mindy, Sally, and the boy who told on them all end up in trouble.
Of course it all ends up fine in the end.

NOVELS

4 stars

Clean Getaway by Nic Stone & Dion Graham (Narrator)

After getting into some trouble at school, William (who is black) ends up on a road trip with his G'ma (Grandmother - who is white.) She's sold her house and purchased a motor home. The two of them end up following the same route she took with his black Grandfather during the 1960's. It's a lesson in the history of segregation for William at the same time as he comes to realize that his G'ma, is not the person he thought she was.

4 stars

Monsters by David A. Robertson 🍁

This is the second in Robertson's Reckoner series. In the first one, Strangers, Cole Harper finds a serial killer. As though that wasn't enough for a kid with anxiety issues, in this book there is some kind of monster in the woods. What is it exactly? The people call it “Upayokwitigo.” In Cree it means, He Who Lives Alone. If you know anything about tales of the Wendigo, you will have a sense of what this creature is.

The ending just gobsmacked me. I've requested Ghosts, the last in the trilogy.

4 stars

Forward Me Back to You by Mitali Perkins

I really enjoyed this YA novel. It’s the story of three teens who travel with a church group to Kolkata. While they are there they support an organization that works to rescue child sex slaves.
The story is told from the perspectives of the two main characters, Ravi and Kat. Each is carrying a heavy load going in. Ravi wants to find his birth mother. Kat is recovering from an assault that happened at her high school. Gracie, their other friend, has come to Kolkata to get away from babies and to be with Ravi who she cares for.
By the time they return to Boston they are transformed into their own versions of superheroes. They are stronger physically and emotionally and have learned to be honest with each other.
I came to care deeply for all these characters. All of them, including the secondary individuals, are richly developed. I especially loved Mrs Vee and bet all readers will appreciate her advice about the golden rule.

4 stars

Indians on Vacation: A Novel by Thomas King 🍁

An indigenous married couple, Bird and Mimi, are on vacation in Prague. A hundred years ago, Mimi's Uncle Leroy was forced to leave the reserve and join a wild west show. He took the family medicine bundle with him and it never returned. He sent home ten postcards from different countries in Europe. This is Mimi and Bird's tenth and last country searching for information about Uncle Leroy. On their travels, Bird and Mimi are creating a new medicine bundle.
Bird's demons, named by Mimi and her mother, are characters in the novel. Eugene represents self loathing, Kitty for catastrophizing, twins Didi and Desi are depression and despair, and there's Chip, for the one on Bird's shoulder. Told from Bird's perspective, it's a novel that wanders back and forth in time. Nothing's really resolved, but that's just how life is.

This is classic Thomas King in that it's both funny and not funny at the same time. I came away thinking about storytelling and wondering about truth. This is an adult novel.

5 stars

A Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende & Edoardo Ballerini (Narrator)

This is a family story that stretches across time and space. It begins in Spain during the time of the civil war. When Franco comes to power, they flee to France. From there they travel as refugees to Chili where they build a new life.
It's a story about survival, love, and hope. Roser, a pregnant young widow, marries her husband's brother, Victor, so that they can escape the refugee camp in France. It's hard to get my head around the fact that one family could endure so much hardship in their lifetime. This book is a reminder that democracy is a fragile construct that can, all too easily, be betrayed. This is an adult novel.

NONFICTION

4 stars

Paying the Land by Joe Sacco

Joe Sacco is brilliant. In this book he set off to explore how resource extraction intersects with indigenous people.

He shows the reader a complex and complicated culture in the middle of conflict with Euro-Western values. Through the voices of the different people sharing their stories with him, he reveals how the Dene people have become colonized. What's different in this book is that unlike his other books, he didn't stay with Dene families. The people he interviews are mostly leaders.

In the middle of it all, he acknowledges that he is one of the colonizers.

He takes us back in time from what living on the land was like for the elders in the community, to the profound disruption of residential schools and its legacy, and into the modern conflict with petro-capitalism. It's important to note that it isn't that the Dene reject resource extraction - it's that they want to have control of whatever happens on their land.

Paying the Land is about a different kind of war than the ones Sacco usually writes about. This is about a clash of world views. In the traditional Dene way of knowing the world the land owns them, they don’t own it. The Euro-Western perspective is shown thus.

The Dene face hard problems, and Sacco doesn't presume to have any answers. He introduces readers to young men and women who will one day take over leadership of their groups. They are doing what they can bit by bit. It won't be easy.

I wonder about the fact that this is not an own voices story. I’ve read other work by Sacco and have always been impressed by the quality of his journalism and storytelling. One of the reasons this book took four years to come to fruition is the time that was taken for Dene participants to preview and provide feedback on the pages that involved them. I would like to read an indigenous review of it and see what they think.

This is an adult novel, but YA readers will get a lot from it.

CURRENTLY

I'm listening to 10 Things I Hate About Pinky by Sandhya Menon and reading Laura Dean Keeps Breaking up With Me by Mariko Tamaki.

UP NEXT

I'm planning on reading Dragon Hoops by Gene Luen Yang and Indian No More by Charlene Willing McManis. I've downloaded Claws of the Panda: Beijing's Campaign of Influence and Intimidation in Canada by Jonathan Manthorpe for a book club. I will see how it goes.

PROGRESS ON MY READING GOALS

Big Books Summer 2020 10/10

#MustReadIn2020: 20/25

#MustReadNFIn2020: 9/12

Books by Canadian Indigenous Authors: 21/25

Books by Canadian Authors: 109/100

Goodreads Reading Challenge: 263/333

The Barren Grounds (The Misewa Saga, #1) by David Alexander Robertson

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. It was released September 8th, 2020, by Penguin Random House Canada.

This middle grade fantasy novel, featuring two indigenous youths, is the first in David Robertson’s Misewa Saga. Morgan and Eli are living in a supportive foster home. The attic of the house contains a painted over door that turns out to be a portal into Aski and the Misewa people.

Morgan has no memory of her family. She’s been in numerous negative homes and has trust and abandonment issues. This is Eli’s first time away from his family. The two of them are staying with a professional couple who are foster parenting for their first time. They are trying to do a good job, but make mistakes. Morgan has taken Eli under her wing and the two children have bonded.

Eli is a gifted artist whose artwork turns out to have paranormal qualities. When one of his paintings is combined with the attic door, the two children end up in the world of animal people. One of them, Ochek, (Fisher) rescues them from the barren ground separating the portal from the community of Misewa. The people in the community are starving because in earlier times a man came through the portal and stole the green time. This left the people in perpetual winter. Food is scarce and it is just a matter of time before they all die.

Morgan and Eli end up going on a quest with Ochek and Arik (Squirrel) to find the man and return the summer to the people. Morgan is at first an unwilling participant in this endeavor, but during their journey in Aski she has vision/dreams. By the end, she begins to remember her mother and heritage.

The book is referred to as an indigenous Narnia, and while there are some similarities, I find the comparison irritating. The Barren Grounds stands out all by itself. There is enough action and adventure to keep all kinds of readers engaged. The group has to outwit and defeat a wolf person, steal the birds of summer from the thief, and then make it back to Misewa. It's a fast paced adventure filled with thoughtful interludes that will appeal to indigenous and non indigenous readers alike.

The Barren Grounds left me full of questions: questions about the characters and their families of origin, questions about the Aski community, and questions about future books. When will the next be published?

I can’t help but see parallels between the animal people in the world of Aski who are starving because of one man stealing their green time, and the situation of animals disappearing here in our world because of people causing habitat loss. I wonder what other readers will connect to.

Obsidian: A DreadfulWater Mystery by Thomas King

Picking up from the previous novel, A Matter of Malice, Thumps DreadfulWater, a Cherokee ex cop, returns from following new leads in his search for the serial killer who murdered his girlfriend and her daughter. All that happened in what seems to be a lifetime ago. After the murder, with no suspects in sight, DreadfulWater quit his job in Eureka California, headed out across country, and by happenstance, ended up in Chinook.

He settled in to the community and started making a living as a fine art photographer and solving the occasional crime. The community of Chinook plays a significant role in this series. Al's cafe, where characters eat breakfast and banter with each other, puts me in mind of The Dead Dog Cafe, a satirical radio play written by Thomas King and produced by Kathleen Flaherty for CBC radio. (You can listen to the first in that series here.)

While Thumps was away, a community of women met and put together a list of questions for him to answer. The survey deals with his relationship with Claire Merchant, Chief of the local Blackfoot tribe. She wants to adopt a baby girl and while Thumps isn't sure about this, he wants to try building a relationship with Claire and the child. But before moving forward into his new life, he has to deal with the unsolved murder in his past.

Thumps' friend, Leon Ranger, a black cop who writes romance novels, arrives unexpectedly in town. Ensconced in his brand new motorhome, he is now retired and ready to spend some time with his old buddy. I enjoyed the many conversations between the two of them.

“You’re still shooting film?” Leon banged his hand against the side of his head. ”Darkrooms and nasty chemicals?”

“Nothing wrong with film.”

“You do know,” said Leon, dropping his voice an octave, “darkroom fumes are what killed the dinosaurs.”

It's a good thing Leon showed up. The serial killer, who the two of them refer to as Obsidian, because he leaves a piece of obsidian in his victims mouths, has turned up in Chinook. As the murders start piling up, local law enforcement drag Thumps and Leon into the case. They have to solve it soon since Obsidian is stalking Thumps and threatening the people he loves.

Like other books in the series, this novel is rife with Thomas King's signature humour and important contemplations about life.

“Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel”

It's full of gorgeous writing with lines that make me swoon.

"Of course there was no rush, no reason he couldn’t just stand by the car and wait for the dawn to find the river and fill the land. Sometimes doing nothing was the appropriate response to uncertainty.

Sometimes, doing nothing was the answer."

I sure hope this isn't the last in the series.

#IMWAYR September 14, 2020

We took a break from canning and renovating last week and headed off into wilderness with a couple of friends. We got back late Sunday afternoon after three glorious nights right by the East Kettle River. The evening sky was full of stars and bats. I managed to settle down and read two novels. I'm nearly done another. Our campsite, as you can see from the photograph below, was as close to heaven as can be. Sure it was cold at night, but with these kinds of vistas, you can't complain about a small thing like that.

We went swimming here. Actually we got wet and got out. The water was really cold.

We went swimming here. Actually we got in, got wet and got out. The water was so cold, we couldn't get used to it. Our limbs just went numb.

We arrived home to a dense haze of smoke. The air is bordering between unhealthy and very unhealthy according to IQ Air Map. Luckily we have air conditioning and hepa filters so that I can breathe and my asthma doesn't get out of control. I still hate not being able to breathe in fresh air.

Next week we are out camping again and then off to meet my new granddaughter in person so I won't be able to post an update.

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.

NOVELS

4 stars
Wild Bird by Wendelin Van Draanen & Alex McKenna (Narrator)

Aside from the romanticized Native Americans, there were many things I liked about this book. Had I read Debbie Reese's comments before reading it, I probably would have taken a pass on it. You can read her post about this book here. The flawed portrayal of indigenous people was especially obvious in contrast to the other books by indigenous authors that I read this week.

This is the story of Wren Clemmens, a very troubled young teen. After years of failed individual therapy, her parents send her off, unwillingly, to a therapeutic survival camp in the middle of the desert.

What worked for me was the concept of building relationships and confidence at the camp. I think those are critical for someone like Wren.

I liked that the family had to go to group therapy while Wren was at the Camp, but honestly, if they had done this at the first sign of trouble, the situation would probably never have escalated to the extent it did.

5 stars
The Barren Grounds by David A. Robertson 🍁

This middle grade fantasy novel, featuring two indigenous youths, is the first in David Robertson’s Misewa Saga. Morgan and Eli are living in a supportive foster home. In the attic of the house is a painted over door that turns out to be a portal into Aski, the land of the Misewa people. This is an adventure that will appeal to all kinds of readers.

I received this from Netgalley and will have a full blog posted sometime in the next couple of days.

5 stars
Obsidian: A DreadfulWater Mystery, by Thomas King 🍁

Picking up from the previous novel, A Matter of Malice, Thumps DreadfulWater, a Cherokee ex cop, has been following new leads in his search for the serial killer who murdered his girlfriend and her daughter in what seems to be a previous lifetime. I liked this so much that I'm in the middle of writing a longer post about it, but in the meantime, what you need to know is that this book is as much about characters as it is about solving a murder mystery. I sure hope this isn't the last in the series.

CURRENTLY

I'm still reading Forward Me Back to You by Mitali Perkins. I've just started listening to A Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende.

UP NEXT

I wanted to get to Unplugged by Gordon Korman, a Netgalley title, but unfortunately my iphone is too old to download the app so I can't listen to it. Other than this, I plan to finally get to Monsters by David A. Robertson and whatever jumps out at me.

PROGRESS ON MY READING GOALS

Big Books Summer 2020 10/10

#MustReadIn2020: 18/25 one in progress

#MustReadNFIn2020: 8/12

Books by Canadian Indigenous Authors: 19/25

Books by Canadian Authors: 107/100

Goodreads Reading Challenge: 251/333

#IMWAYR September 7, 2020

Canning and gardening continue here. On a positive note, I almost see the end in sight. Today I will can peaches and put another batch of tomato sauce on to cook before sitting down and reading all your blog posts.

Maybe the end isn't really in site. My garden still has an abundance of green tomatoes. A friend who is a farmer was over for supper last night. She told me I will be harvesting til the end of September. Next year I am not going to put in so many tomato or cucumber plants! Also, does anyone want any eggplant or basil?

The really really big news from last week is that I am now a Grandma again! I know I am biased, but isn't she the most beautiful newborn you have ever seen?

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.

RECENT BLOG POSTS

The Tea Dragon Tapestry by Katie O'Neill

NOVELS

5 stars

Welcome to the World, Baby Girl! (Elmwood Springs #1) by Fannie Flagg & Kate Reading (Narrator)

I adored this book. The sequel is on my this years #MustRead and so of course I read this first. Although it was written in 1998, the way some media mess with the truth make it eerily prescient for us two decades later.
Baby Girl, Dena Nordstrom, is a successful TV journalist with an even brighter future facing her. She just has to overcome a few obstacles to get there: her health issues and her scruples. I loved her.
Everytime I read a Fannie Flagg novel I am gobsmacked by her characters. Each of them have depth and richness. Elmwood Springs is a town I'm looking forward to visiting again.

5 stars

Yara's Spring by Jamal Saeed & Sharon E. McKay 🍁

I read this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. It will be published October 13th 2020 by Annick Press.

"Give what you can, my daughter, even if it is only a smile."

This novel begins and ends in a refugee camp in Jordan. The rest of it reveals what happened to Yara and how she ended up there. It finishes with hope for a better future.

Those in between pages are a hard read. Tears leaked from my eyes more than once. Yara’s life in Aleppo was a happy one with her family in spite of an authoritarian regime. With the Arab Spring uprisings all over the Middle East, conflict in Syria was inevitable.
When her Uncle Sami comes for a visit, Yara ends up asking her father,

What is revolution?
Baba hung his head. “It is another word for war,” he said softly.

Readers see how life changed gradually until their house and family bakery was bombed by government helicopters. Yara's grandmother, Yara, her younger brother, and two neighbour children flee in search of a way out of Syria and into Jordan. It's a treacherous journey with danger coming from everywhere. At the same time, they are helped by many ordinary people.

Add this to your must read list. Read it and give it to your anti immigrant friends to help you and them understand what it means to be a refugee. #CanKidLit

5 stars

Dog Driven by Terry Lynn Johnson & Morgan Hallett (Narrator) 🍁

This was an exciting, fast paced adventure. It's full of heartfelt characters with all kinds of obstacles to overcome. McKenna Barney agreed to enter a dog sled race for her sister who has stargardt disease and is legally blind. They hope to raise awareness of it so that a cure can be found. The route is challenging, but what makes it more hazardous is that McKenna also has the disease. She's been keeping it a secret from her family because she doesn't want to lose her independence.
At the same time as this novel is full of hair raising near disasters, it's full of wonderful compassionate characters. It might be a competition, but for the most part the contestants have each other's backs.
I really appreciated learning more about dog sled racing and stargardt disease. #CanKidLit

NONFICTIOIN

5 stars

Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds, Ibram X. Kendi

What does it mean to be racist? These two authors have brilliantly and beautifully unpacked it in this book. It’s a journey across time and space into the origins of slavery and how it became the economic background of what is America today. It’s examines the historical roots of systemic racism in analyzing the language and behaviour of individuals with power.
This is a must read for everyone. I would purchase a couple for my elementary school library for upper intermediate readers and encourage all teachers to read it.

CURRENTLY

I'm reading Forward Me Back to You by Mitali Perkins and The Barren Grounds by David A. Robertson. I'm listening to Wild Bird by Wendelin Van Draanen

UP NEXT

I'm blaming Aaron Cleaveley for not getting to David Robertson's Monster last week. (He mentioned Roberston's new book so I found it on Netgalley and I am in the middle of it instead.) I'm planning on getting to Obsidian: A DreadfulWater Mystery, by Thomas King. My next audiobook will be Unplugged by Gordon Korman.

PROGRESS ON MY READING GOALS

Big Books Summer 2020 10/10

#MustReadIn2020: 18/25 one in progress

#MustReadNFIn2020: 8/12

Books by Canadian Indigenous Authors: 17/25 one in progress

Books by Canadian Authors: 107/100

Goodreads Reading Challenge: 248/333

The Tea Dragon Tapestry by Katie O'Neill

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. It was released September 1, 2020 by Oni Press.

This, the third and final installment in Katie O’Neill’s Tea Dragon graphic novel series, focuses on two characters, Minette and Greta. Greta has been tasked with creating something in her forge to share with master blacksmith Kleitos in hopes of being taken on as his apprentice. At the same time, she is worried about her tea dragon, Ginseng, who is grieving the death of it's previous caretaker. Minette receives a package of an unfinished tapestry from her time at the monastery. The parcel triggers difficult dreams of loss and homesickness.

Reading these books is like visiting with old friends. A large part of the enjoyment is following the characters' continuing stories and connecting with protagonists from other previous adventures.

Like others in the series, this is a coming of age tale. Both of these characters must learn to accept who they are, find their purpose in life, and create from their hearts. This piece of sage advice Minette received from her ancestor is one that is applicable for all of us, “Remember that you are already whole.”

Through her words and art, Katie O’Neill takes us into an alternate magical reality. Her world is vibrant with colour that will dazzle you with its intricate splendour. Her world celebrates diversity in multiple ways. It's there in the different shades of skin, it's there in the deliberate nongendering of some of the characters and it's there in the pairing relationships across species.

For those who have not read other books in the series, (and even if you have) the back matter is full of additional information extracted from The Illustrated History of Tea Dragons. It includes details about the first tea dragon, tea dragon biology, tea dragon varieties, living with tea dragons, and the Tea Dragon Society.