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Showing posts sorted by date for query Scarborough. Sort by relevance Show all posts

#IReadCanadian: Books For Readers Of All Ages November 2, 2022


I read Canadian. 

I read Canadian all year round. 

I read Canadian for readers of all ages. 

I want everyone to read Canadian. 

The books on the lists below are ones I have read since the last #IReadCanadianDay in February 2021. If you click on the category heading, it will take you to a GoodReads list of these books. From there you can find out more about them. 

If you aren't already passionate about reading Canadian, I expect that books from the following lists will get you there. 

ADULT & YA FICTION

The Prairie Chicken Dance Tour by Dumont, Dawn
Butter Honey Pig Bread by Ekwuyasi, Francesca
What Strange Paradise by El Akkad, Omar
Satellite Love by  Ferguson, Genki 
Five Little Indians by  Good, Michelle
Scarborough by  Hernandez, Catherine
The Forest of Stolen Girls by  Hur, June
The Silence of Bones by  Hur, June
The Red Palace by Hur, June
All the Quiet Places by Isaac, Brian Thomas 
Bloomsbury Girls by Jenner, Natalie 
The Jane Austen Society by Jenner, Natalie 
If I Tell You the Truth by Kaur, Jasmin 
Deep House by King, Thomas 
Disappearing Moon Cafe by Lee, Sky 
Station Eleven by Mandel, Emily St. John
Sea of Tranquility Mandel, Emily St. John
Thrive by Oppel, Kenneth
The Madness of Crowds by (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, #17) Penny, Louise
The Midnight Bargain by Polk, C.L.
Zero Repeat Forever by (The Nahx Invasions, #1) Prendergast, Gabrielle
The Project by Summers, Courtney
Em by Thúy, Kim 
Fight Night by  Toews, Miriam 
The Strangers by Vermette, Katherena 
We Two Alone: Stories by Wang, Jack 
A Killer in King's Cove (Lane Winslow #1) by Whishaw, Iona



Spílexm: A Weaving of Recovery, Resilience, and Resurgence by Campbell, Nicola I.
Okanagan Geology South by Fulton, Murray A. Roed and Robe 
On Fire: The Burning Case for a Green New Deal by Klein, Naomi 
How to Change Everything: The Young Human's Guide to Protecting the Planet and Each Other by Klein, Naomi 
A Good War: Mobilizing Canada for the Climate Emergency by Klein, Seth 
Field Notes from a Pandemic: A Journey Through a World Suspended by Lou, Ethan
Rez Rules :My Indictment of Canada's and America's Systemic Racism Against Indigenous People by Louie, Chief Clarence 
War: How Conflict Shaped Us by MacMillan, Margaret 
Not on My Watch: How a Renegade Whale Biologist Took on Governments and Industry to Save Wild Salmon by Morton, Alexandra 
Willie: The Game-Changing Story of the NHL's First Black Player by O'Ree, Willie
Stories of Métis Women: Tales My Kookum Told Me by (Indigenous Spirit of Nature) Oster, Bailey et al
North of Normal: A Memoir of My Wilderness Childhood, My Unusual Family, and How I Survived Both by Person, Cea Sunrise
Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest by Simard, Suzanne
Life in the City of Dirty Water: A Memoir of Healing by Thomas-Muller, Clayton



Batter Royale by Adams, Leisl
Swim Team by  Christmas, Johnnie 
Living with Viola by  Fung, Rosena 
Grass by  Gendry-Kim, Keum Suk 
Shadow Life by  Goto, Hiromi 
My Body in Pieces by Hébert, Marie-Noelle 
I Am Not Starfire by Tamaki, Mariko 
Stealing Home by Torres, J.

MIDDLE GRADE FICTION


Rachel Bird by Citra, Becky
Alice Fleck's Recipes for Disaster by Delaney, Rachelle
Dragons in a Bag by Elliott, Zetta
Dragon Thief by Elliott, Zetta
The Witch's Apprentice by Elliott, Zetta
Macy McMillan and the Rainbow Goddess by Green, Shari
Pine Island Home by Horvath, Polly 
Me Three by Juby, Susan 
Linked by Korman, Gordon 
The Fort by Korman, Gordon 
Under Shifting Stars by Latos, Alexandra 
Harvey Comes Home by Nelson, Colleen 
Tremendous Things by Nielsen, Susin 
Thrive by Oppel, Kenneth 
The Wherewood (Faerie Woods, #2) by  Prendergast, Gabrielle 
The Crosswood (Faerie Woods, #1) by  Prendergast, Gabrielle 
The Overwood (Faerie Woods, #3) by  Prendergast, Gabrielle 
The Stone Child (The Misewa Saga, #3) by  Robertson, David A. 
Traitors Among Us by Skrypuch, Marsha Forchuk 
Barry Squires, Full Tilt by Smith, Heather 
Weird Rules to Follow by Spencer, Kim 
The Summer We Saved the Bees by Stevenson, Robin 
The Fabulous Zed Watson! by Basil Sylvester 
Cold by Tamaki, Mariko 
The King of Jam Sandwiches Walters, Eric

MIDDLE GRADE NONFICTION


The Boreal Forest: A Year in the World's Largest Land Biome by Carmichael, L.E. 
How to Change Everything: The Young Human's Guide to Protecting the Planet and Each Other by Klein, Naomi The 
Disability Experience: Working Toward Belonging by Leavitt, Hannalora 
Meet Mary Ann Shadd by MacLeod, Elizabeth & Deas, Mike
Powwow: A Celebration Through Song and Dance by Pheasant-Neganigwane, Karen



Belly of the Beast (The Fabled Stables Book, #3) by Auxier, Jonathan
Monster and Boy by Barnaby, Hannah 
Cranky Chicken: A Cranky Chicken Book 1 by Battersby, Katherine
Anne Arrives: Inspired by Anne of Green Gables by George, Kallie
Anne's School Days: Inspired by Anne of Green Gables by George, Kallie 
Anne's Tragical Tea Party by George, Kallie
Merry Christmas, Anne by George, Kallie 
Scaredy Squirrel in a Nutshell (Scaredy's Nutty Adventures, #1) by Watt, Mélanie

PICTURE BOOKS


It Happened on Sweet Street by Adderson, Caroline 
Pierre & Paul: Avalanche! by Adderson, Caroline 
Princesses Versus Dinosaurs by Bailey, Linda 
When I Found Grandma by Balasubramaniam, Saumiya 
Alice & Gert: An Ant and Grasshopper Story by Becker, Helaine 
Bad Dog by Boldt, Mike 
Find Fergus by Boldt, Mike 
Tough Like Mum by Button, Lana 
Abuelita and Me by Carranza, Leonarda Hug? Chua, Charlene 
Barnaby by Curtis, Andrea 
Mr. Postmouse's Rounds by Dubuc, Marianne 
Mr. Postmouse Takes a Trip by Dubuc, Marianne 
1, 2, 3, Off to School! by Dubuc, Marianne 
Bear and the Whisper of the Wind by Dubuc, Marianne 
Bear Wants to Sing by Fagan, Cary 
Ten Little Dumplings by Fan, Larissa 
Lizzy and the Cloud by Fan, Terry 
Mina by Forsythe, Matthew 
Pokko and the Drum by Forsythe, Matthew 
Out Into the Big Wide Lake by Harbridge, Paul 
ROAR-chestra!: A Wild Story of Musical Words by Heidbreder, Robert 
I Promise by Hernandez, Catherine
Weekend Dad by Hrab, Naseem 
Snow Days by Kerbel, Deborah 
The Better Tree Fort by Kerrin, Jessica Scott 
Thao by Lam, Thao 
Skunk on a String by Lam, Thao 
Nattiq and the Land of Statues: A Story from the Arctic by Landry, Barbara 
Over the Shop by Lawson, JonArno 
A Day for Sandcastles by Lawson, JonArno 
My City Speaks by Lebeuf, Darren 
Alligator Pie: The Beloved Canadian Classic by Lee, Dennis 
Going Up! by Lee, Sherry J. 
The Fog by Maclear, Kyo 
Story Boat by Maclear, Kyo 
The Big Bath House by Maclear, Kyo 
Time Is a Flower by Morstad, Julie 
The Little Ghost Who Was a Quilt by Nason, Riel 
This Is Ruby by O'Leary, Sara 
Maud and Grand-Maud by O'Leary, Sara 
A Kid Is a Kid Is a Kid by O'Leary, Sara 
Gemma and the Giant Girl by by O'Leary, Sara 
Choose Kindness by Ohi, Ruth 
Fox and Squirrel: The Best Christmas Ever by Ohi, Ruth 
My Wounded Island by Pasquet, Jacques 
Golden Threads by Rizzo, Suzanne Del 
I Talk Like a River by Scott, Jordan 
The Deepest Dig by Smith, Mark David 
When Emily Was Small by Soloy, Lauren 
I Sang You Down from the Stars by Spillett-Sumner, Tasha 
Knot Cannot by Stone, Tiffany 
Our Little Kitchen by Tamaki, Jillian 
The Doll by Tran-Davies, Nhung N. 
Lentil Soup by Tremblay, Carole 
Blue Rider by Valério, Geraldo 
At the Pond by Valério, Geraldo 
Raven Squawk, Orca Squeak by Vickers, Roy Henry 
Scaredy Squirrel in a Nutshell (Scaredy's Nutty Adventures, #1) by  Watt, Mélanie
Animals Move by Whittingham, Jane 
My Day with Gong Gong by Yee, Sennah

NON FICTION PICTURE BOOKS


Emmy Noether: The Most Important Mathematician You've Never Heard Of by Becker, Helaine 
The Boreal Forest: A Year in the World's Largest Land Biome by Carmichael, L.E. 
The Ocean Calls: A Haenyeo Mermaid Story by Cho, Tina 
My Family, Your Family! by Cole, Kathryn 
The Bat (Disguting Critters #6) by  Gravel, Elise 
Fred & Marjorie: A Doctor, a Dog, and the Discovery of Insulin by Kerbel, Deborah
Thao by Lam, Thao 
Terry Fox and Me by Leatherdale, Mary Beth 
Meet Mary Ann Shadd by MacLeod, Elizabeth & Deas, Mike
Time Is a Flower by Morstad, Julie 
A Kid Is a Kid Is a Kid by O'Leary, Sara 
My Wounded Island by Pasquet, Jacques 
On the News: Our First Talk about Tragedy by Roberts, Jillian 
I Have the Right to Save My Planet by Serres, Alain 
111 Trees: How One Village Celebrates the Birth of Every Girl by Singh, Rina Etty
Darwin and the Four Pebble Problem by Soloy, Lauren 
The Bug Girl: A True Story by Spencer, Sophia 
Burt the Beetle Doesn't Bite! by Spires, Ashley

Here are links to my 2021 #IReadCanadian lists

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#IMWAYR April 4, 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?

Hope you all had a fabulous time last weekend. I visited with my grandchildren and their parents in the big city of Vancouver, BC. My eldest son and I took the two youngest cousins to the aquarium. After reading The Soul of an Octopus a couple of weeks ago, I was happy to see that the octopus was in a much larger space with other native plants and animals. We searched and searched for it in the large tank, only to find it hiding in a small cave right in front of us. On the way out I purchased rubber octopuses for the children and (with apologies to Sharon Lois and Brahm) we sang this made up song almost all the way home: 

One octopus went out to play
Inside a kelp forest one day
She had such enormous fun
She called for another octopus to come....
 
We came home on Tuesday and the first thing I did was get caught up on the Canada Reads debates. This is the first time I have read all the books before the event. I wasn't really invested in having any of them win, but was sad to see Life in the City of Dirty Water by Clayton Thomas-Müller get voted off so soon. 

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 

5 stars

Shirley Chisholm Dared: The Story of the First Black Woman in Congress by Alicia D. Williams & April Harrison (Illustrator)

I had heard of Shirley Chisholm, but after Katherine Johnson, in her autobiography, talked about her, I determined it was time to learn more. 
Shirley Chisholm was a truly remarkable woman who certainly lived up to her father's words to, "Make something of yourself." No matter whether she was working as a teacher's aid or an elected representative, this daring, rebellious, persistent, troublemaking woman worked hard for her immediate community and all people. We need more politicians like her.

3 stars

I Have the Right to Save My Planet by Alain Serres, Aurélia Fronty (Illustrations) & Shelley Tanaka (Translation) 🍁 April 1, 2021

This is a book that looks not only at the rights children have with respect to the planet, but also at what they can do to protect it. It is an important book - one that I would absolutely have in my school library, even if it does get a bit preachy in places. I was irritated because the bold print in my digital copy was a jumbled mess that was impossible to decipher at times.
I adored the artwork!

CHAPTER BOOKS


I introduced Ada, my eldest granddaughter to this, the first in Kallie George and Abigail Halpin's adaptation of Maud Montgomery's famous Anne of Green Gables. It was a reread for me. I am impressed again by how rich this version is and how it captures the essence of Anne's story so authentically. Ada is now hooked. I will read the next in the series to her when I see her again at the end of the month. 

5 stars

The Princess in Black and the Mermaid Princess by Shannon Hale, Dean Hale & LeUyen Pham (Illustrations) February 01, 2022

My granddaughter and I loved this new Princess in Black book.
While out on a friend's boat, the Princess in Black and a few friends meet Princess Posy, a real live mermaid. Princess Posy has problems with kraken who terrorize her cute sea goats. The friends try to help her, but fighting under water is very different from fighting on land. Still, they inspire Princess Posy to take on and battle the kraken on her own. 
I love that this book in the series encourages children (especially girls) to speak up and use their voice on behalf of themselves and others. 

MG & YA NON FICTION


What an amazing woman!
Katharine Johnson’s story is the story of African American life in the 20th century.
She was a truly gifted learner who excelled at school. Her parents worked hard and sacrificed to ensure that all their children went to college. This was rare enough for white families and even more unusual for black ones.
She taught school, married, and had children before landing a position at NASA. Eventually she was an integral part of a team that put men on the moon.
In this book we get to see, through her perspective, the events of a century. 
I was fascinated by how, in spite of white politicians attempts to make education for black students more difficult, in many ways, these actions resulted in better education for black learners. Black teachers had to be much more qualified than white ones to get a teaching position, so their students were taught by superior educators. When universities were being forced to integrate, black students received grants to go to universities outside the state. Students ended up attending places like Columbia and New York State instead of the inferior campuses in Virginia - all on the government’s dime.
By the time I finished this book I was enchanted by Katharine Johnson herself. She was a brilliant, compassionate, community minded woman who worked hard her whole life to make life better for African American citizens of all ages. Irrespective of skin colour, the world needs more people like her.
The world would be a much better placed if everyone believed these words of wisdom given to her by her father. "You are no better than anyone else, and no one is better than you."


Ruta Sepetys never lets me down. I was completely enthralled by this novel that highlights the life of Romanian teens under the brutal rule of Nicolae Ceaușescu.
At the height of his reign, it is estimated that at least one out of every ten people was informing on the people around them.
I want more adults to read books like this. I believe that all those misguided people who think that they live under tyranny because they are asked to get vaccinated and wear masks, might come to realize how lucky they really are.

ADULT NOVELS 


Richard Powers is a force to be reckoned with. If he writes it, I will read it. 

Theo Byrne is raising his son, Robin, on his own after his wife, Ally, was killed in a car accident. Robin is a special kind of child to raise. He might be on a spectrum of some kind. What is for certain is that he is brilliant. Robin seems to have no impulse control and Theo is pressured to put him on drugs. Instead he sets him up in an experimental neurofeedback project. Robin makes dramatic progress until the project is cancelled because of political interference. Then it's just a matter of time until disaster strikes.


I think we talked more about this book in our book club than any other book. Maybe it is because we are all of age with the protagonists. Maybe it is because we were able to make some profound connections to our own lives. It is an epistolary novel - a conversation through letters between two lonely aging adults. We were all content with the unresolved ending.

NON FICTION


The world as we know it is in a precarious position. Here where I live, drought, heat waves, forest fires and floods, prove we are already experiencing the effects of the climate crisis. If we don't act now, there won't be much of a liveable future for our children and grandchildren. 
Naomi Klein addresses numerous climate crisis and extinction related issues in this collection of long form essays. I especially appreciate those articles that explain why we desperately need a green new deal, what it means, and how we can achieve it. 

5 stars

Deep House: A DreadfulWater Mystery by Thomas King January 15, 2022 🍁

It's no secret that I am a hardcore Thomas King fan. I have read almost everything he has written. His DreadfulWater series is a particular pleasure. Thumps DreadfulWater is a retired Native American cop who now lives in the small town of Chinook. He makes a living taking and selling photographs, and helps out the local sheriff when crime visits the small town. The characters take me back to a radio show, The Dead Dog Cafe, that King wrote for CBC radio. The books are so loaded with humour I find myself chortling and guffawing on a regular basis. At the same time, Thomas King slips important indigenous issues within the context of his brilliant story telling. 

ABANDONED


I had a hard time with this reread. I knew the ending for some of these characters and Hernandez' writing is so good, that I just dreaded revisiting what happens. I gave up on the ebook and tried to reread a hard copy, but returned it to the library unfinished. 

CURRENTLY

Audiobook - Those Kids from Fawn Creek by Erin Entrada Kelly
I Am Not Starfire by Mariko Tamaki & Yoshi Yoshitani (Artist) 🍁
The Waiting by Keum Suk Gendry-Kim & Janet Hong 🍁 (Translation)

UP NEXT 

Audiobook - Darius the Great Is Not Okay by Adib Khorram
All the Quiet Places by Brian Thomas Isaac 🍁

READING GOALS

#MustReadFiction 8/24 

#MustReadNonFiction 5/18

Canadian Authors 21/100

Canada Reads shortlist 5/5 

Indigenous Authors 9/25 

Goodreads Reading Challenge: 81/250
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#IMWAYR March 21, 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. 



Happy Spring everyone!

I'm going to be out of town next weekend so I thought this Monday, I better post what I've been reading. We will be in Vancouver, BC, where I will be delivering this quilt to my youngest granddaughter. I hope she enjoys it as much as her six month older cousin enjoys hers. 


Friday was International Quilt Day. The forecast was for rain, so I only hung a few wall hangings in my front window. I posted a collection of some of the quilts I have made over the years on Facebook. 

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

I Am Golden by Eva Chen, Sophie Diao (Illustrator) February 1, 2022

Sophie Diao's illustrations are absolutely stunning! I love how inspirational and affirming Eva Chen's text is. This is one of those books that can be a mirror, a window, and a way to make connections between our own stories and history, and those of others. 
Unfortunately, my ebook was wonky and chunks of text were either missing or out of alignment. 

MG NON FICTION

4 stars

Powwow, A Celebration Through Song and Dance by  Karen Pheasant-Neganigwane April 21, 2020 🍁

This book should be in every community and school library in North America. While the author focuses on Canadian First Nation Powwows, her scope extends into Native American Powwow culture and dances. The beautiful captioned photographs make the book worth picking up, even without the extremely informative text.
The back matter includes a glossary, an index, a resources section, and a note from the author.


We meet twelve year old Sara Martinez, a brilliant hacker, while she is talking with her legal aid lawyer. Sara hacked into the system to get information to show her foster parents up as the criminals they are. Instead, Sara is facing time in juvenile detention and no computer access for at least two years. 
A classily dressed man enters to replace her legal aid lawyer and before she can fully take stock of what is happening, Sara has been recruited as a spy and is on her way to Scotland. Within a couple of weeks she has to be ready to go on her first mission. 
The rest of the crew, also recruited by Mother, (Sara's saviour,) are a diverse group of teens and preteens from around the world. 
I needed this book. It has just the right amount of fun, excitement, intrigue and escapism. I've already put a reserve on the next one in the series. 
Thanks to the many #IMWAYR posters who have written about James Ponti. I have finally joined the fan club.  


John, a 30ish year old Cree man, lives a relatively reclusive life on his ranch in Saskatchewan. Not far from him is Nadine who carries a torch for John. Nadine teaches traditional dance and has organized a tour of Europe with her troupe. When food poisoning brings Nadine and her dancers low, John's brother, the chief, manipulates him into taking her place along with Edna, an older woman, and her niece, Desiree. Neither of them are dancers so he's going to have to teach them. At the airport they meet up with the last member of their troupe, Lucas Pretend Eagle, a young, slightly manic Native American. It starts off inauspiciously with their plane being hijacked. Meanwhile, Nadine has recovered from her food poisoning, connects up to someone else who claims to be Lucas Pretend Eagle and the two of them set off to meet up with the dancers in Germany. It continues on with one debacle after the next. 
At the same time as this book is full of humour, it's loaded with heart-aching sweetness. 
The story is told through the perspectives of John, Edna and Nadine. By the time they return home, we have learned a lot of their backstories and they have all learned more about themselves. Some of them might even have found love. 
I didn't know til I read the blurb on Goodreads after finishing the book, that this is very loosely based on the true story of a group of Indigenous dancers who left Saskatchewan and toured through Europe in the 1970s.


Understanding how other people experience the world is it's own kind of challenge. Connecting to how Octopus experience it requires a whole other level of comprehension. Just what is consciousness anyway?
Sy Montgomery takes us with her as she learns about, and bonds with, these remarkable animals. This book is full of humour, awe, and heartache. 

Some of the animals Montgomery connected with spent their entire life in captivity. I wish she had more fully addressed the incongruity of keeping such brilliant, beautiful creatures in what to them, are small cages. Some aquariums, like the Vancouver Aquarium near me, justify having them on display by only keeping each one for a limited amount of time before returning them to the wild. When I asked one of the staff there why they keep them in such small spaces, he told me it was because if they were bigger, the animals could get enough speed and force behind them to break the glass. 

If I hadn't already stopped eating octopus after watching My Octopus Teacher, I certainly would now. 

CURRENTLY

Scarborough by Catherine Hernandez 🍁
    This is a reread from me and I am having a hard time with it. I now know the ending for some of these characters and Hernandez' writing is so good, that I am emotionally invested in them and dread revisiting what happens. 

Reaching for the Moon: The Autobiography of Katherine Johnson by Katherine Johnson

Bewilderment  by Richard Powers

UP NEXT 

Meet Me at the Museum by Anne Youngson

READING GOALS

#MustReadFiction 6/24 

#MustReadNonFiction 3/18 - 1 in progress

Canadian Authors 17/100

Canada Reads shortlist 5/5 rereading one

Indigenous Authors 7/25 

Goodreads Reading Challenge: 70/250
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#IMWAYR March 14, 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. 


I'm here today with a couple of weeks of reading. It's a schedule I might adhere to since I seem to have a lot happening in my life these days. 

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

5 stars

Aaron Slater, Illustrator by Andrea Beaty & David Roberts (Illustrations) November 2, 2021

Just Wow! I think this is my favourite title from this series. This story, told in verse, is based on Aaron Douglas, an American painter, illustrator, visual arts educator and a major figure in the Harlem Renaissance. 
Aaron Slater is a young boy with dyslexia. Learning to read is hard for him, but he is a gifted story teller and artist. He is lucky to be surrounded by supportive family and teachers who love and appreciate him as he is while they help him learn to read. Every school library should have at least one copy of this book. Classroom libraries should have copies of it. I wish it had been around when I was still teaching to share with students who struggled with learning to read. 


As someone who sews, I was predisposed to love this book. I did. I read it twice. I especially love that the collage illustrations show Elizabeth's designs in real fabric. I liked that the book didn't gloss over the horrible things that happened to her while she was a slave.
I'm left wondering what she wrote in her book that made Mary Lincoln so mad at her.

These biographies in verse are a delightful introduction to these three young women. Maria Merian and Maria Mitchell are new to me. I have been reading about Mary Anning, so I knew a fair bit about her. I like how Jeannine Atkins' poetry brings an emotional poignancy to these biographies.

NOVELS


This is a fictionalized account of Mary Anning, known as the Mother of Palaeontology. Some of the events in her life are mixed up (like the opening of her shop), but this is an interesting look into her life.

4 stars

Pax, Journey Home by Sara Pennypacker, Jon Klassen 🍁 (Illustrator) & Michael Curran-Dorsano ( Narrator)

The war is over. In this book we see how Pax has moved on with his life and new family. In the mean time, Peter is still coming to grips with almost overwhelming loss. He joins the Water Warriors to help cleaning up the land and water destroyed by war. He doesn't want to connect with others because he doesn't want to experience that kind of loss ever again. In the end, when Pax needs him, his healing begins in earnest. 
I started reading this about the same time Russia invaded Ukraine. It left me wondering how people recover from these kinds of atrocities. 

The more I read of Nnedi Okorafor, the more I want to read.
It's almost impossible for me to put one of her books down once I've started. AO and DNA just might be the sweetest couple I've read in a long time. It helps that their romance is really incidental to the brilliant science fiction. I hope this is the first in a series. 

4 stars

Ikenga by Nnedi Okorafor & Ben Onwukwe (Narrator) August 18, 2020

It says a lot about Okorafor's writing that I was totally engaged in this super hero novel. It's a genre that I generally avoid. After Nnamdi's father, the police chief, was murdered, he and his mother end up living in near poverty. Then the ghost of his father gives him an ikenga, a small artifact that confers magical powers. Nnamdi uses these powers to fight crime and search for his father's murderer. He agonizes over his use of violence. When his friend Chioma learns what is going on, she ends up helping him. The numerous confrontations with the father's possible murderers and the almost completely corrupt police system make this a fascinating read. 


I am not well acquainted with the bible, but I enjoyed this fictional history that deals with the lives of women. It has been on my want to read list for a decade or so. I'm glad I finally got around to reading it. 

CURRENTLY
  • Powwow, A Celebration Through Song and Dance by  Karen Pheasant-Neganigwane 🍁
  • Scarborough by Catherine Hernandez 🍁
  • The Prairie Chicken Dance Tour by Dawn Dumont 🍁
  • The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration Into the Wonder of Consciousness by Sy Montgomery
UP NEXT 
  • Meet Me at the Museum by Anne Youngson
  • Reaching for the Moon: The Autobiography of Katherine Johnson by Katherine Johnson
READING GOALS

#MustReadFiction 5/24 

#MustReadNonFiction 1/18 - 2 in progress

Canadian Authors 15/100

Canada Reads shortlist 5/5 rereading one

Indigenous Authors 5/25 - 2 in progress

Goodreads Reading Challenge: 56/250
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