Titles with a πindicate this is a Canadian Author.
Clicking on the title of the book will take you to the Goodreads page of the book.
RECENT BLOG POSTS
Poetry Friday November 1, 2019
Poetry Friday October 25, 2019
PICTURE BOOKS
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| 3 stars |
I enjoyed this heartwarming tale about a boy and an elderly woman who become friends. The characters are indigenous but the author is not. It was published in 1996, before the #Ownvoices movement. All the money from the sales of this and the author's other books go towards funding homes in Haiti for abandoned children. I'm wondering if this justifies cultural appropriation.
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| 4 stars |
I read this picture book about a girl and her pet rock in a classroom I was in. They were studying geology. Readers will learn there are advantages and disadvantages to having a rock for a pet. I liked the surprise ending but wish there had been some hints earlier. Delightful vintage illustrations.
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| 4 stars |
I read this one while subbing in Carrie Gelson's classroom recently. It's a charming book with two important messages: celebrate our friends' successes and it takes work to be a great author.
GRAPHIC
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| 3 stars |
In this small town all the women have special powers. There is a special force field around the town that makes it impossible for them to leave. Our hero, Bucky, once longed for a power of his own, but then his sister was kidnapped. As he searches for her he learns the dark side of having powers.
I was impressed as all get out by the artwork here. I had a devil of a time reading the font though. I appreciate the story line, which is truly creepy, but the ending didn't leave me feeling satisfied.
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| 4 stars |
This is a delightful novel about friendship and finding your own way of fitting in. When the Fifth Grade Variety Show is announced, all of all of Olive’s friends form groups and make plans for what they want to do. Olive is left out. At a sleepover with her aunt they watch old variety shows and Olive finally decides what she would like to do. I love the diverse cast of characters. I like Olive and her friends. I’m looking forward to meeting them again.
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| 4 stars |
What I loved most about this book is that Raina and her friends discovered that authenticity is best. Being and sharing who you are helps all of us realize that we are not so different.
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| 5 stars |
In this book Shannon Hale explores the difference between being part of a popular group, and having real friends. Her grade 6 year is full of near crippling anxiety. Her worries about fitting in get in the way of her just being who she is. She makes some terrible mistakes before she comes to understand that it is ok to follow her own passions.
NOVELS
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| 5 + stars |
Just Wow! What a story! It was more than 28 hours of listening, but I hated each time I had to pause and deal with the details of real life. In this book Kvothe, the protagonist, tells of his early life and time at the university learning magic. I feel compelled to start the next in the series, The Wise Man's Fear, but at 994 pages, I might wait for next Summer's Big Book Challenge! At almost 43 hours, I don't think I will listen to it.
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| 4 stars |
As you might have noticed from the quote at the top of this blog, I am a hard core Terry Pratchett fan. Sometimes a person needs to escape the realities of of their ordinary life and visit Terry Pratchett’s Discworld. This hilarious novel is a parody of football. Like all of Pratchett work it’s full of important messages about living a good life and getting along with others. I always come back from his worlds refreshed and full of laughter .
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| 5 + stars |
Gu Miyoung is half Gumiho. She needs to feed on human energy. Her conscience is appeased by killing only evil men. Then she rescues Jihoon, a teen boy, from a goblin. Their fates become entwined.
I couldn't put this book down. I adore the combination of mythology and modern times. Readers will discover plenty of pathos, action, and humour in this love story that highlights doing the right thing. Although it has a satisfying ending, it also introduces us to the sequel. (I can't help but wonder if schools in Korea really have this level of bullying.)
I don't say this often about a book, but this was the jewel in my last two weeks reading life.
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| 3.5 stars |
Three generations of Cree women live together. They all have the ability to see ghosts, catch them, and help them move on. Shelly, the youngest of them is in 6th grade and looking forward to following the family tradition. When her mother dies in a car accident Shelly searches for her ghost and ends up collecting and keeping a menagerie of other ghosts in her bedroom.
I liked the three characters. My problem with this book is that it's more about dealing with grief than it is about the ghosts. I wanted more. I wanted to be more connected to and afraid for Shelly but that never happened.
NON FICTION
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| 3 stars |
This was ok. I appreciated reading this biography of an important indigenous Canadian. I tried to find out if either the author or illustrator have any indigenous connections but unfortunately couldn't find any. I can't help but wonder how different it might be if it was. This was published in 2019, well after the #Ownvoices movement. I don't see how Scholastic Canada can justify this cultural appropriation.
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| 4 stars |
This is a good introduction to an unknown philosopher and mathematician. It doesn’t address the challenges that must have faced Hypatia and her father as she was brought up with the freedom and education only available to men. The art is spectacular.
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| 5 stars |
The history of indigenous peoples since first contact with Europeans isn't comfortable reading. This makes it necessary to read about it from an indigenous perspective.
I've written a blog post that I will share this week, closer to the publication date. If I was still in my library I would preorder two copies of it. I would book talk it at a staff meeting and strongly encourage every teacher in the school to read it.
POETRY
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| 5 stars |
As gorgeous as the poetry in this book is, it's almost completely overshadowed by the spectacular art.
CURRENTLY
I've just started listening to Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward. I'm into Positively izzy by Terri Libenson. I made a bit of progress on The Creativity Project by Colby Sharp and The Dinner Party by Judy Chicago.
UP NEXT
I've got Miles to Go by Beryl Young, Estranged by Ethan M Aldridge, Exit Strategy by Martha Wells are up next. I'm also planning on reading the full version of Pumpkinheads: A Graphic Novel by Rainbow Rowell. I downloaded it from Netgalley without realizing it was just the first bit. In retaliation I decided to read the whole novel before reviewing it. (I hope the rest is as good as that snippet)
PROGRESS ON MY READING GOALS
#MustReadIn2018 23/25 one in progress
#MustReadNFIn2018 11/12 - one in progress
25 Books by Canadian Indigenous Authors 24/25
25 books by Canadian Authors 79/25
Goodreads Reading Challenge 353/333
