Showing posts with label Humour. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Humour. Show all posts

#IMWAYR April 11, 2022

 Welcome readers! It's #IMWAYR time again, when bloggers share what they have been reading and find out what others have been up to. 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. These are fabulous places to start your search for what to read next. 


Just a reminder to everyone participating in #MustReadIn2022,  I will host an (entirely optional) update at the end of the month. How are you doing? My goal is to have a post ready April 25th for you to connect to.

How have you all been? I've been fighting a sinus infection for the past week or so. My head feels like it's full of cotton and it's been hard to focus on my reading. Luckily I had a stack of graphic novels and picture books to while away the time. 

In spite of the foggy head I have managed to do some poetry writing every day so far this month. I shared a poem about my mother with my family, but other than that, I'm just enjoying the writing. 

Titles with a 🍁 indicate this is a Canadian or Indigenous Canadian Author and or Illustrator.

Clicking on the title will take you to the Goodreads page of the book.

PICTURE BOOKS 

4 stars

Everybody in the Red Brick Building by Anne Wynter, Oge Mora (Illustrator) October 12, 2021

Loved this cumulative story that begins with a baby waking in the middle of the night. The baby wakes up others and the sounds build up until everyone goes back to sleep to the cumulative quiet noises of night.

NON FICTION PICTURE BOOKS

5 stars

Stacey's Extraordinary Words by Stacey Abrams & Kitt Thomas (Illustrator) December 28, 2021

As a person who is not a brilliant speller, I am not a huge fan of spelling bees. That said, I am a huge fan of Stacey Abrams and was delighted to read this picture book memoir about her early life as a spelling bee contestant.
I suspect that if I had grown up thinking about words the way Stacey did, my spelling might have been at least slightly better. I hope this book inspires readers to be as persistent as Stacey about all of their goals. I also hope it encourages teachers to teach language with this kind of joy and creativity.


At first I thought this was going to be a take on the ant and grasshopper story. Initially it seems like this, but then ends up in an exciting adventure.
Two mice, Cornbread and Poppy, might be best friends, but they are as different as chalk and cheese. As winter approaches Poppy is not ready, but Cornbread is prepared to go with her into danger to help her find enough food to get her through the winter. They are forced to journey up the high mountain where danger and delightful surprises await them.
I'm getting this one for my grandkids for their fifth birthdays.
This book reminded me of Avi's Poppy series. I'll be suggesting my sons do it as a read aloud.

YA GRAPHIC


This book is about growing up and coming into your own power. The tension between Mandy and her superhero mom, StarFire, represents the separation of all children from their parents. It’s more challenging for Mandy because her mother seems to be the exact opposite of her. It’s only by distancing herself, and facing true danger, that she discovers how much they have in common.


Keum Suk Gendry-Kim calls this autobiographical fiction. It's loaded with truth about her mother's life growing up and fleeing North Korea when the communists took control. It introduces readers to the lotteries where a few hundred separated families are able to see one another for a short time. The tale is harrowing and heartbreaking.
This week I'll be picking up Grass by Keum Suk Gendry-Kim, a story about the Korean Comfort Women.

5 stars

Shadow Life by Hiromi Goto  🍁 & Ann Xu (Illustrations) March 30, 2021

Death might be stalking Kumiko, but she is not ready for it just yet.
This book is profound. It reminded me of my mother and mother in law who were not ready to give up their independence when circumstances forced them to. I'm no spring chicken myself and see hints of those dark shadows that follow Kumiko around.
I love that while this book centres on Kumiko now, we are also introduced to the strong young woman she once was.


Things heave been pretty much the same at Fawn Creek school until the exotic new girl, Orchid Mason arrives. She's got her own secrets, but that doesn't stop her from changing her classmates lives. She introduces them to a new way of looking at themselves and accepting who they are. Before she leaves she also shows them how brave and genuinely good they can be to one another.

ADULT NOVELS 

5 stars

Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman & Martin Jarvis (Narrator)

I just refinished listening to this in preparation for season 2 on Amazon Prime. 
This book is so much fun to read (or listen to.) It's easy to imagine how much fun Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman had writing it.
Two children are born. Another, the antichrist, arrives at the hospital and his planned substitution goes awry.
Consequently his strategic upbringing is meted out to the wrong child. This really screws things up, as nothing takes. Meanwhile, the real antichrist grows up in a small village with loving parents and a cohort of close friends.
Considerable celestial and satanic energy have been put into preparing for Armageddon. As the time draws near, the armies of good and evil are ready and waiting for the antichrist to take over the world and destroy it.
But what if the main actor decides to change plans?
This novel is peopled by a delightful cast of characters, including The Gang of Them, a 'fussy angel and a fast living demon', witches and witch finders, and the four Horsemen of the apocalypse.
It's also full of rich ruminations on religion, life, and what it means to be human.

CURRENTLY

Audiobook - Darius the Great Is Not Okay by Adib Khorram

All the Quiet Places by Brian Thomas Isaac 🍁

UP NEXT 

Stuntboy, in the Meantime by Jason Reynolds & Raúl the Third (Illustrations)

The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity by David Graeber & David Wengrow

Golden Gate (City Spies 2) by James Ponti

A Snake Falls to Earth by Darcie Little Badger

READING GOALS

#MustReadFiction 8/24 one in progress

#MustReadNonFiction 5/18

Canadian Authors 24/100

Canada Reads shortlist 5/5 

Indigenous Authors 9/25 one in progress

Goodreads Reading Challenge: 89/250
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#IMWAYR November 29, 2021

Hello everyone. 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.

There is some positive news regarding the recent flooding and road closures in my part of the world. Routes for essential traffic have opened up so the mail and other necessities are being delivered. The grocery store shelves are stocked and life seems pretty normal. We are a bit worried about whether our sons and their families will be able to make it for Christmas because of road conditions, but have already determined to celebrate later if it doesn't work out. 

We've had a wonderful week here. Well, except that we have piles of cupboards taking over the main floor of the house ready to install as soon as the valence is finished. Everything takes a lot more time than you anticipate. I'm making progress on my baby quilt, so hopefully it won't be true for it.

Titles with a 🍁 indicate this is a Canadian or Indigenous Canadian Author and or Illustrator.

Clicking on the title will take you to the Goodreads page of the book.


This picture book/graphic novel hybrid is hilarious! Princesses and dinosaurs argue over whose book this is. Each group brings in their big guns - a T Rex for the dinosaurs and a dragon for the princesses. It doesn't turn out like the original two groups planned.
I appreciate the diversity in the princesses. I love that by the end of the book the princesses and the dinosaurs have learned to appreciate one another and have fun together.
The colourful artwork was created digitally.

5 stars

The Little Ghost Who Was a Quilt by Riel Nason & Byron Eggenschwiler (Illustrator) September 1, 2020  🍁

This is a sweet story about being different, and coming to accept yourself just are who you are. I love that because the little ghost is a quilt instead of a sheet, it gets treated and admired just like regular quilts are. Riel Nason is a Canadian quilter and author. Check out some samples of her work here. You can see examples of Byron Eggenschwiler's other artwork here. 


After finishing this book I really wished I wasn't allergic to creatures with fur. It made me miss my childhood cat terribly.
I read this first and then went in search of Buffy singing this song. It was even better when I reread the book with her voice and the rhythm of the music in my head.
Ben Hodson's digitally rendered artwork is loaded with charm. It shows the story of a young girl and her diverse family adopting a dog from a shelter.
The back matter includes song lyrics and music, photographs of Buffy Sainte-Marie with some of her animals and a note from the author.
Listen to the song here. https://youtu.be/bLMUjeuhKkU

4 stars

Knot Cannot by Tiffany Stone & Mike Lowery (Illustrations) April 7, 2020   🍁

This book is a lot of fun!
The blurb says it is "a pun-packed look at friendship, jealousy, and being yourself." That's pretty much it. Knot envies Snake who can do a lot that Knot cannot. But when danger lurks, it's Knot who saves the day. If this isn't enough to encourage you to purchase a copy, The language is mostly simple enough to add to your reader shelf. I love the different kinds of knots at the end of the book.

NON FICTION PICTURE BOOKS

5 stars

Gizmos, Gadgets, and Guitars: The Story of Leo Fender by Michael Mahin & Steven Salerno (Illustrations) September 7, 2021

This is absolutely wonderful!
If you know anything about guitars and music from the past 6 or 7 decades, you will have heard of a fender guitar. This is the story of how Leo Fender went from tinkering away at broken radios to making world famous musical instruments.
Steven Salerno's art is the perfect accompaniment. The original illustrations were created crayon, ink, gouache, and pastel on paper. They were scanned, imported into Photoshop, and finished. I love how a history of technology and musical genres is revealed through these images.
The back matter contains an author's note with additional information about Leo Fender, a bibliography, and glossary.

GRAPHIC NOVELS

4 stars

Phoebe and Her Unicorn by Dana Simpson September 2, 2014

My four year old granddaughter is crazy about unicorns. This series was always popular in my school library, so I thought I would read this to see if it might work for her. I now see why it was always checked out. Alas, although this story about a girl who becomes best friends with a unicorn is witty, heartwarming, and precious, it's still too old for her. I'm open to alternative suggestions if you have any. 

5 stars

Living with Viola by Rosena Fung  🍁

I'm in the process of writing a full book review for this graphic novel. It's an intense look at how personal anxiety is exacerbated by external situations. It's heartbreakingly brilliant.

NOVELS


When I get into a series, it's because of the characters. Sure the writing is good, but it's that writing that creates individuals that my brain and heart comes to think of as real. A new book is like a visit with an old friend. That's how I feel about Ben Aaronovitch's Peter Grant series. Peter is a bit young to be an old friend, so I think of him as a kid I've watched grow up. He's a police office who is also a wizard in training. In this adventure he ends up in the countryside tracking down two kidnapped girls. Unicorns and the Fay are involved in the abduction.

I've read these with my eyes and ears. Kobna Holdbrook-Smith is Peter Grant to me! If you are a fan of mysteries, fantasy and like clever wit in your reading life, I highly recommend this series!

Now that I've finished rereading it, I swear it's better the second time round. 


The Furthest Station by Ben Aaronovitch & Kobna Holdbrook-Smith

Mystery, encounters with ghosts, talking foxes, river gods and goddesses, and magic are what I have come to anticipate and love from this series. In this novella. an increase in victorian ghost sightings causes Peter Grant; Jaget Kumar, his counterpart at the British Transport Police; Abbigail, Peter's young cousin; and Nightingale to patrol the underground. They track down and interview the spectres hoping to find out what is causing this increase in hauntings. It turns out to have it's origins in modern reality.

I first read this with my eyes, but without Kobna Holdbrook-Smith's narration, Peter Grant's character didn't come through. This time I was delighted to listen to it.  

NONFICTION


This book blew me away. George M. Johnson's memoir put me in mind of Thomson Highway's Permanent Astonishment, a memoir I recently finished. While they are decades apart in age, both of these queer men are from diverse backgrounds. Johnson is black while Thomson is Indigenous. Both of them radiate love and joy. Both are important reads for other boys like them who aren't blue, and for the rest of us who want to be allies. 

CURRENTLY

The Hanging Tree by Ben Aaronovitch
Goldilocks: Wanted Dead or Alive by Chris Colfer & Jon Proctor (Illustrator)

UP NEXT 

Hunting by Stars (A Marrow Thieves Novel) by Cherie Dimaline
The Vanderbeekers Lost and Found by Karina Yan Glaser
More picture books from my #MustReadList

UPCOMING BLOG POSTS

Living With Viola by Rosena Fung

PROGRESS ON MY READING GOALS

#MustReadIn2021 29/25 

#MustReadNFIn2021 12/12 

#MustReadPBIn2021 70/100 

Big Book Summer Challenge 9 

Books by Canadian Indigenous Authors 36/25

Books by Canadian Authors: 113/100

Canada Reads 2021 5/5 

Discworld Series 41/41

Goodreads Reading Challenge: 405/333 


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#IMWAYR July 26, 2021

Hello everyone. 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.


The world is on fire. At least, our part of it is. As of Sunday, we have 1,217 fires burning in our province. One of them is raging across the valley from where I live. So far it has burned 6,871.8 hectares (16,980.6 acres) It's moved from the grassland areas where people live into the treed area above it. On Sunday evening we sat on our front lawns with friends. Looking through our binoculars, we watched trees candling. I wept. 
 

Titles with a 🍁 indicate this is a Canadian or Indigenous Canadian Author and or Illustrator. 

Clicking on the title will take you to the Goodreads page of the book.


PICTURE BOOKS


This book features a diversity of boys engaged in all kinds of activities. They all focus on positive attributes. The books works to eliminate toxic masculinity from boys and men.

4 stars

Story Boat by Kyo Maclear & Rashin Kheiriyeh (Illustrations) 🍁

A family of refugees makes their home in different places on a daily basis. It’s the small things: a special cup, blanket, or light, that comfort them.
Rashin Kheiriyeh’s lovely artwork “was created with the coloured pencil and watercolour, oil and acrylic paint and painted paper, with additional natural materials including wood, wall and cut paper.”

4 stars

Escape Goat by Ann Patchett & Robin Preiss Glasser (Illustrations)

When this adorable goat decides it wants to see more of the world, it ends up getting accused of all kinds of things it didn’t do. I loved Robin Preiss Glaser‘s detailed artwork. She used ink and watercolour to create these illustrations. Many thanks to Shaye Miller for turning me onto this book.

4 stars

The Rock from the Sky by Jon Klassen 🍁

This is dark and weird and screamingly hilarious.

NON FICTION PICTURE BOOKS

4 stars

The Bat by Elise Gravel 🍁

Elise Gravel creates absolutely delightful nonfiction titles for younger readers. They are so much fun, you hardly know you are learning. She proves that bats are fascinating in this one. I appreciate that she even mentions how we humans are threatening bats with extinction.

5 stars

Nicky & Vera: A Quiet Hero of the Holocaust and the Children He Rescued by Peter Sís

I knew about the kindertransport, but this similar story is new to me. Nicolas Winton was a young man in 1938 when he arranged for 669 Jewish children to leave Czechoslovakia before the German invasion. Vera is one of the young girls he saved. This beautiful book, that celebrates the good that an ordinary person can do, gave me shivers.

CHAPTER BOOKS 

4 stars

Jo Jo Makoons: The Used-to-Be Best Friend by Dawn Quigley & Tara Audibert (Illustrations) 🍁

Jo Jo is a first grade Ojibwe girl. Her first best friend is a cat. She’s not sure about Fern, her school best friend. At the same time as this book is delightfully funny, it also deals with the important topic of how to be a friend.

Jo Jo reminds me of Junie B Jones.
Tara Audibert is Canadian. 

NOVELS

4 stars

Ways to Grow Love (Ryan Hart, #2) by Renée Watson

There is less cooking in this second Ryan Hart novel, but that's because Ryan has so much going on in her life! Her pregnant mom is on bed rest so she spends more time with her Grandma. She's busy reading books from the library for their summer reading program. There is the excitement of summer camp with her best friends. It isn't until the end of the book that we see this young chef cooking up a storm again.
Ryan learns a lot about caring for all your neighbours, even the ones you don't know. She comes to understand forgiveness. At the end of the book, Ryan discovers the overwhelming love of a baby sister when she arrives.

5 star reads

Instructions for Dancing by Nicola Yoon & Bahni Turpin (Narrator)

Every time I read something by Nicola Yoon, I fall more in love with her writing. If you add Bahni Turpin's narration into the mix, you get about as close to perfection as is possible.

I thought this would be a light fun romance. I needed it after all the intense adult nonfiction I've been reading. It has many of the aspects of a fun filled romcom. It's even got a bit of magic.

Ever since Evie Thomas caught her father kissing another woman, she doesn't believe in romance. Then she developed the ability to read the past and future of kissing couples. None of them have had happy endings. This new ability of hers led her to a dance studio where she ended up partnering with X, a gorgeous young man. The two of them enter a dance contest. Of course they fall in love. It seems perfect until Evie has one of her visions while the two of them are kissing.

What suprised me about this book is how deeply it looks into the nature of love. It's a lot about forgiveness, living for the moment, and embracing the love you get for however long you are lucky enough to have it.


This book deals with sexual assault.
Kiran Kaur was raped by her brother in law to be, a police officer, when she was still in Punjab. She left to go to Simon Fraser University, and didn't tell her mother about her pregnancy til she had safely arrived in Canada. Her mother doesn't believe her. 
Kiran was lucky to make a good friend, Joti, at university. Kiran moved into their house and Joti's family became Kiran and her daughter, Sahaara's family. 
Kiran remained in Canada as an undocumented immigrant while Sahaara grew up. When Sahaara was eighteen, Kiran was picked up by border officials. This is when Sahaara learned about her mother's history.
This book tells the stories of Kiran and Sahaara. At first Sahaara wonders about who her father was, and then when she finds out she struggles with hating herself. 
This is written in both poetry and prose. It's intense - so intense that I could only read it in bits and pieces. It's an emotionally hard read that speaks authentically about the reality of sexual assault and it's ramification for survivors. It's a story of love, survival, and speaking your truth. 


“This [is] has been a book about people trying to solve problems created by people trying to solve problems.”

We are living in the Anthropocene age. In our meddling with ecosystems, we always end up making things worse. We have destroyed our planet to such an extent, that we have put our species at great risk. A review in the New York Times states, "Leaving the natural world to repair itself isn’t an option anymore — or, at least, it’s not an acceptable one, considering the death and suffering that would inevitably ensue."
Kolbert writes about different mega projects either in the works, or in the research stage, in an effort to mitigate the worst of the damage. All this just so we can save ourselves from ourselves. She shows us an electrified river created to keep the voracious Asian Carp out the the great lakes water system. She talks about the terraforming attempts to return land to the areas around New Orleans. There are attempts to remove carbon from the atmosphere and turn it into rocks, ideas for seeding the atmosphere with diamonds, and projects to genetically modify coral polyps in hopes of saving the Great Barrier Reef. It isn't very hopeful.
As I finish this we have another wildfire burning out of control across the valley from us. It's the fourth fire in our vicinity this year. We haven't even reached the traditional fire season yet. While Kolbert didn't talk about fires in her book, I can’t help but make the connection between the constant roar of the helicopters and airplanes in the air here trying to keep us safe and what it's costing us to cope with this aspect of the climate crisis.

CURRENTLY 

Code Name Hélène by Ariel Lawhon with Barrie Kreinik & Peter Ganim (Narrators)
The Disability Experience: Working Toward Belonging by Hannalora Leavitt 
History Is Delicious by Joshua Lurie

UP NEXT
 
The Fabulous Zed Watson! by Kevin Sylvester & Basil Sylvester
Bruised by Tanya Boteju
I'll continue to work at getting the picture book pile under control.

BLOG POSTS PLANNED FOR NEXT WEEK

A Kid Is a Kid Is a Kid by Sara O'Leary
History Is Delicious by Joshua Lurie

PROGRESS ON MY READING GOALS

#MustReadIn2021 20/25 

#MustReadNFIn2021 8/12

#MustReadPBIn2021 48/100 

Big Book Summer Challenge 5 one in progress

Books by Canadian Indigenous Authors 24/25

Books by Canadian Authors: 76/100 - one in progress

Canada Reads 2021 4/5 

Discworld Series 41/41

Goodreads Reading Challenge: 276 /333 

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#IMWAYR June 28, 2021

Hello everyone. 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.

    My apologies for such a long post this week. I've been off galavanting so this is three weeks worth of reading. I guess it's a good thing I was too busy to do much  of it. 
    We were camping the first week. Even though it rained every evening, including a wild electrical storm one night, the days were glorious. Then we headed to the coast where we celebrated my four year old grandkids' birthdays and I had minor surgery. We returned home and my brother and I celebrated our birthdays on Saturday. On Sunday I ate the leftover pavlova for breakfast. 
    Here in Canada the confirmation of over 1000 children's bodies in unmarked graves (and more to come) at numerous church run residential 'schools' is waking many white people up to systemic racism in our country. I'm currently reading Five Little Indians by Michelle Good. It's a profound look at what happened in those places as well as the long term ramifications of these institutions.
    Like everyone else in the western part of North America, we are in the middle of a drought and heat wave. This week promises to be brutal. We are thankful for our air conditioning and books to read. 
    Next week my son and his family are coming to visit so I probably won't manage to get in a post. If I get one written, I won't get around to reading yours until later in the week. 

Titles with a 🍁 indicate this is a Canadian or Indigenous Canadian Author and or Illustrator. 

Clicking on the title will take you to the Goodreads page of the book. 

RECENT BLOG POSTS

PICTURE BOOKS


There is a good reason that Rocky is such a bad dog. You will have to read this humorous book yourself to figure out why. (Hint: Look closely at the cover)

5 stars

Maud and Grand-Maud by Sara O'Leary & Kenard Pak (Illustrator) August 18, 2020 🍁

This is a charming book about a loving relationship between a grandmother and a grandchild. I was lucky to get to stay overnight with one of my grandmothers on a regular basis and have had the pleasure of my granddaughter staying overnight with me. This book reflects all the love and joy of those times.

4 stars

You Are New by Lucy Knisley March 12, 2019

This book celebrates all the newness in our lives. It begins at our births, but goes on to include all the times we take on new challenges and learn new things.
I enjoyed the poetry in this one.

4 stars

When I Found Grandma by Saumiya Balasubramaniam & Qin Leng (Illustrations) March 1, 2019  🍁

As a grandmother myself, I am a sucker for books about intergenerational relationships. I appreciate that however diverse our cultures, the connection is still the same. This story shows a young girl, Maya, and her grandmother meeting for the first time. Grandma does not fit Maya’s expectations of how a Grandma should be. I appreciate that the two of them gradually bond. I also liked that it was the grandmother who adapted most, but both of them changed.

4 stars

Our Little Kitchen by Jillian Tamaki September 22, 2020 🍁

I loved the energy in this book. It tells of a diverse group of people getting together once a week to feed others in their community. Sometimes food is plentiful. At other times it's scarce and they have to make do with what they can scrounge. It's based on Tamaki's experience volunteering. The rhyming poetry didn't quite work for me.

4 stars

Something's Wrong!: A Bear, a Hare, and Some Underwear by Jory John & Erin Kraan (Illustrator) March 23, 2021

This is the book to read if you need a laugh. Bear has no idea why people are looking at him funny. Thankfully he has a good friend to help him out.

5 stars

Stand Like a Cedar by Nicola I. Campbell & Carrielynn Victor (Illustrations) February 23, 2021 🍁

This gorgeous picture book celebrates indigenous culture, tradition, and language here in British Columbia. The text is composed of English and different indigenous languages. It’s a book full of environmental awareness and thankfulness. The back matter includes a glossary, a pronunciation guide and an additional note about coastal and interior Salish languages.


This beautifully written and illustrated picture book introduces readers to the Inninwak and other indigenous peoples' understanding of conception and childbearing. “Summer was fading into fall on the day I found out that you had chosen to make my body your first home.”
While carrying her baby, the mother collects gifts for the child’s medicine bundle. Some are from nature while others are made by her. In the end we see that the child is their own kind of medicine for the people around them.

4 stars

Amy Wu and the Patchwork Dragon by Kat Zhang & Charlene Chua (Illustrations) December 15, 2020

This is a charming story that compares Eastern and Western dragons. No matter the variety, inclusivity is the message.

4 stars

The Bruce Swap by  Ryan T. Higgins May 4, 2021

Bruce's family and friends secretly long for Bruce to be more cheerful and adventuresome. When fun loving Kevin comes for a visit, Bruce didn't get the letter and is away from home. At first everyone thinks that their wishes have come true. Soon they wish they hadn't.

5 stars

Mii maanda ezhi-gkendmaanh / This Is How I Know by Brittany Luby & Joshua Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley (Illustrations) March 1, 2021 🍁

A grandmother and her granddaughter spend time together in nature. As the year cycles through the seasons, the grandmother teaches her grandchild what to look for during the different parts of the year.
It's written in both Anishinaabemowin and English. Joshua Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley's woodland art is the perfect match for Brittany Luby's words.

NON FICTION PICTURE BOOKS

4 stars

Maryam's Magic: The Story of Mathematician Maryam Mirzakhani by Megan Reid & Aaliya Jaleel (Illustrations) January 19, 2021

In 2014, Maryam Mirzakhani was the first woman and first Iranian to win the most prestigious award in mathematics, The Fields Medal. She was both an artist and a storyteller who was rewarded because of her magic wand theorem. 

CHAPTER BOOKS

5 stars

The Princess in Black and the Giant Problem By Shannon Hale, Dean Hale & LeUyen Pham (illustrator) October 6, 2020

I introduced my granddaughter to the Princess in Black by giving this to her for her fourth birthday. We read it four times in five days.We also downloaded the first two books from the library and read those. I'm calling it a success. I also purchased a copy for my grandson, but haven't heard any word on what he thinks. She loved the snow monsters and all the superhero princesses. She liked the giants. "They are so funny!"

4 stars

Trouble with Tattle-Tails by Jonathan Auxier & Olga Demidova (Illustrations) May 18, 2021 🍁

I'm not sure the younger crowd will appreciate all the idioms in this book, but I laughed out loud a number of times.
This is the second in Auxier's Fabled Stables series. When the alarm sounds ,Augie, Willa the Wisp, and Fen, the reluctant Stick in the Mud, head off to the rescue of another magical beast. When the arrive in the village they discover that the citizens have been plagued by literal Tattle-Tails. It's a hilarious challenge to figure out how to get rid of them and find the robbers who have stolen the villagers treasure.


I appreciate how close to the original Anne of Green Gables series these books are. This one made me cringe a bit. I guess they don't really carry over into modern times. You can read my full review, and see more of Abigail Alpin's gorgeous illustrations here. 

GRAPHIC NOVELS


I adored this memoir that highlights the relationship between two siblings. You can read my full review here. 

NOVELS

4 stars

The Forest of Stolen Girls by June Hur & Sue Jean Kim (Narrator) April 20, 2021  🍁

This mystery, set at the turn of the 14th century in Korea, is the story of two estranged daughters and their detective father.
Thirteen girls have gone missing from a forest on an island. The father disappeared while trying to find out what happened to them. A year later the eldest daughter came to search for him. She reunites with her younger sister who was left behind.
There is much sweetness in this story of two sisters reconnecting. It's also a tense murder mystery full of subterfuge and betrayal.

5 stars

The Black Kids by Christina Hammonds Reed August 4, 2020

Set against the backdrop of the Rodney King riots in LA, the story focuses on the life of a privileged black girl. Ashley Bennett is one of a handful of black kids attending a prestigious private school. All of her friends are white. Her older sister has dropped out of college, married a white construction worker, and become a communist.
This complex narrative shows readers that no matter how successful black people become, no matter how much they try to shelter their children, ultimately racism is inescapable.
Reed provides us with a cast of authentic individuals. I really appreciated how rich, complicated and layered all her characters are.
I loved this quote:
"You can’t tell people to pull up on bootstraps when half of them never had any boots to begin with, never even had the chance to get them."

5 stars

The Shape of Thunder by Jasmine Warga, Reena Dutt (Narrator) & Jennifer Jill Araya (Narrator) May 11, 2021

This is the story two best friends. They have been estranged since Quinn’s brother went on a shooting spree and killed Cora’s older sister.
They come up with a plan to find a wormhole and travel back in time to fix things so that the event never happened. Their magical thinking is jumbled up with the memories of their siblings in those last few days. It takes a near disaster before the two girls manage to come back to each other. My eyes leaked a few times while reading this.


I liked this a lot. It is narrated by Bahni Turpin so you know it is a brilliant audiobook. The tension is high right off the bat and before you know it, you are sucked right into Ophie's story and life. When her father is murdered and their house in Georgia is torched, Ophie and her mother head north to Pittsburgh where they stay with a Great Aunt Rose, and some reprehensible cousins. Ophie has the power to see ghosts. She's lucky that her great aunt has the same power and gives her advice on how to use it to help these specters move along.
Her mother gets a job cleaning at Daffodil Manor. Then a position opens up and Ophie has to leave school and go to work keeping the cantankerous old Mrs Caruthers happy. Daffodil Manor is full of ghosts. Ophie ends up befriending a ghost named Clara. Ophie figures that if she can figure out who murdered Clara, she will be able to help her move on.
At the same time as this is a fascinating paranormal murder mystery, it's also full of historical details that educate the reader about life for Black people in the 1920's.

5 stars

Ways to Make Sunshine by Renée Watson & Nina Mata (Illustrator)

I loved this book about a young black chef trying to make sense of her life. Renée Watson writes powerful full fledged characters. Ryan Hart and her family are some of them. Move over Ramona Quimbly and make room for Ryan Hart in the world of young, female protagonists. 


This modern version of Peter Pan addresses the misogyny and racism of the original version. Two step sisters, one of them Native American, and their four year old brother are tricked into visiting Neverland. They don't realize they can't leave until after they arrive.
What I admired most about this retelling is the richness of characters. I also liked that the ending is ambiguous but hopeful.



I'm working on a longer review of this. In the meantime, what you need to know is that this book is stunning. If you haven't read The Serpent King go find it for a taste of what you have to look forward to. Jeff Zentner writes with exquisite grace and beauty.

CURRENTLY 

Audiobook: Five Little Indians by Michelle Good & Kyla Garcia (Narrator)
Fiction: Thrive by Kenneth Oppel
Nonfiction: Hope Matters: Why Changing the Way We Think Is Critical to Solving the Environmental Crisis by Elin Kelsey

UP NEXT

Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids by Cynthia Leitich Smith et al
The Elephant in the Room by Holly Goldberg Sloan
Fred Korematsu Speaks up by Laura Atkins 
North of Normal: A Memoir of My Wilderness Childhood, My Unusual Family, and How I Survived Both by Cea Sunrise Person
Audiobook: War: How Conflict Shaped Us by Margaret MacMillan
I also have a pile of picture books demanding attention

BLOG POSTS PLANNED FOR NEXT WEEK

In the Wild Light by Jeff Zentner
 
PROGRESS ON MY READING GOALS

#MustReadIn2021 18/25 

#MustReadNFIn2021 6/12 

#MustReadPBIn2021 35/100 

Big Book Summer Challenge 3 - one in progress

Books by Canadian Indigenous Authors 20/25 - one in progress

Books by Canadian Authors: 66/100 - three in progress

Canada Reads 2021 4/5 

Discworld Series 41/41

Goodreads Reading Challenge: 235/333 

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