Glorious Nonfiction Picture Books to Fly Away With

Some student teachers at our school are researching birds with their primary grouping. Here are a few books I found for them. 

Feathers: Not Just for Flying by Melissa Stewart illustrated by Sarah S. Brannen
I guarantee you will learn more than you can imagine from this gloriously illustrated book. 

Did you know that feathers can make high-pitched sounds like a whistle? Did you know feathers can did holes like a backhoe or carry building supplies like a forklift?

I Spy in the Sky by Edward Gibbs
This peak a boo book is so much fun. 
Word and picture clues are given and then the reader guesses what bird is on the next page!

As the Crow Flies by Sheila Keenan, illustrated by Kevin Duggan
This exquisitely illustrated poem is fun to read out loud. The first person narrative from a crow's perspective  shares plenty of information about the habits of the corvid family. 

Hawks by Cecilia Pinto McCarthy (a First Facts book)
Strictly speaking this isn't a picture book, but it is the kind of information book that will engage many different readers. It has has stunning photographs, fact boxes, labeled pictures, and clearly written text. It also has the basics; a table of contents, an index, and a glossary. I am most certainly buying more of this series for the library. 

Aviary Wonders Inc. by Kate Samworth
Ok, so this really isn't nonfiction but it is pure delight. Want to build your own bird? Look no farther than this manual. You may need to order a few parts, but it will be worth it in the end. 

Eight Keys by Suzanne LaFleur

This was an almost perfect read. It's why realistic fiction is my favourite genre. In this one, small, sweet book, everything in the world that's important is revealed.

It's a book about relationships: losing them, finding them, and fixing them. 

Elise Bertrand has just discovered that middle school is a whole lot more complex than elementary school. First, she shares her locker with a bully. Second, her relationship with Franklin, her best friend since she can remember, is falling apart. She knows she is responsible but doesn't understand what to do about it. Third, she's having trouble keeping on top of her homework and feels like a failure. In short, Elise's school and social life are disintegrating.

Elise lives with her Aunt Bessie and Uncle Hugh because her parents died when she was young. Every year she gets a letter left for her from her father. This one, on her 12th birthday, will be the last. It motivates her her take a key in the barn with her name on it and open one of the locked rooms on the top floor. Over the next year other keys show up that open other doors. Each room is set up in a way to deliver a message to Elise from her father, if only she can figure them out. 

In the process of interpreting what they mean Elise finds the strength to deal with her school work, Franklin, the bully, and even make a new friend. Ultimately she comes to grips with who she is and who she is wants to become. Is there anything more important than that?

★★★★

Magyk by Angie Sage

I read that this was a book for Harry Potter fans, so I should probably get this off my chest straight away. I am not a Harry Potter fan. I read one and 1/2 books before discovering Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials Trilogy and never looked back. You will understand then, that this comparison was a discouragement for me to read this book. However, it was on the list of books students had recommended I read over Spring Break. Spring Break has come and gone, but as I am still trying to get through those books, I gave Magyk a try. Perhaps because I had no expectations, I was beguiled and bewitched by it!  

I'll have to thank Sam for the recommendation.

I adore most of these characters. I love those wild Heap boys. A large part of me longs to spend my time traversing and exploring wild fields and building snow forts along with them. I've found a place in my heart for Jenna who's strong, confident, perceptive and kind. I just know she will make a fine queen one day. Almost all the adults (at least those on the side of good) have a benevolent air. Marcie, the ExtraOrdinary Wizard is a bit impatient, but even she has goodness that shines out. There's something about Boy 412 that tugs at your heart. You know there is more to him than he first seems, but it takes a bit before you have an inkling just who and what he might be. And Aunt Zelda is the kind of wise old witch I might wish to be some day when I grow up. To add to the delight, the evil characters are top notch. Dastardly pretty much defines DomDaniel, the Hunter, and those creepy Magogs.

Angie Sage created a world I inhabited for a time. I know it's fantasy, but I became an onlooker sharing those tenement houses, quaffing beer in the ghost pub, traipsing around the Marram Marshes, and sailing those seas. 

This is the kind of series I love. The book is totally satisfying all by itself, but leaves me wanting to find out more about these compelling characters and how things work out for them. As soon as I get my 'to read list' under control, I'm coming back to visit them in Flyte!

PS - this book is much more complicated and superior to Harry Potter. 

★★★★

how I became a ghost by Tim Tingle

Knowing at an abstract level that unspeakable horrors have been visited upon a people is one thing. Living it vicariously through narrative is a profoundly different experience. This is why I read historical fiction. Not only do I get a chance to understand history at a much more viceral level, I also learn much about other cultures and their ways of knowing the world. 

Choctaw Nation Mississippi 1830:

Isaac, a young Choctaw boy lives idyllically with his parents and older brother until the treaty talk begins. The Nuhullo, (white men) come one night and set fire to their homes and churches. They flee for their lives into the swamp where the Nuhullo are afraid to come. They are safe until winter arrives and the swamp freezes over. A smallpox epidemic ravages the group and Issac's family is forced to flee again. 

This time they end up part of the Choctaw Trail of Tears. It's a savage journey filled with hardship, brutality, death and ghosts. In fact the tale begins with this warning:

"Maybe you have never read a book written by a ghost before. I am a ghost. I am not a ghost when this book begins, so you have to pay very close attention. I should tell you something else. I see things before they happen. You are probably thinking, "I wish I could see things before they happen."

Be careful what you wish for."

I was hooked, terrified, and anxious as I waited for the inevitable to happen. 

I've heard of the Cherokee trail of tears, but really had no comprehension of the magnitude of the American Indian Removal Act in 1830. Thousands of Native American people from different nations were forced to leave their land and march across the country in winter weather conditions with inadequate food and shelter. It is estimated that 2500 to 6000 people died in the Choctaw iteration of these journeys. Thousands more from other groups died along the other trails. 

In the midst of contemplating the dystopian aspect to this novel, and the popularity of that genre, I realize that North American History is punctuated with numerous dystopian eras. Tim Tingle has highlighted one of these for us.  

In the Hand of the Goddess by Tamora Pierce (Song of the Lioness #2)

Alanna, still disguised as a boy, is now a squire and continues her training to become a knight. She is a strong female character, especially in the context of other books I've read in this genre. The story is chock full of suspense, sword fights, battles, magic, deception, and romance. There are themes of friendship, being who you really are, and doing the right thing.  In so many ways this book should appeal to a broad spectrum of readers. I wonder why it remains the providence of mostly girls and young women? I'll have to book talk this series with my next group of upper intermediate kids to see if I can sell it more globally. 

I read the first in this series, Alanna: The First Adventure, during spring break and decided to read this sequel because of some student warnings that it should be on the grade seven shelf. It probably should since, while there are no graphic details, there are references to Alanna's and others' sexual activity.

★★★ 1/2

The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall

"This is what made a book great, she thought, that you could read it over and over and never get tired of it."

Piper recommended I read this book during spring break but I waited to get it as an ebook so I could enlarge the font. (It isn't easy getting old.) 

Honestly, I adored this book. It is reminiscent of all the children's classics. Think Amazons and Swallows. Think Half Magic. It took me back to reading The Bobbsy Twins, The Borrowers, Little Women, and other books of my youth. 

This is the sweet story of the Penderwicks, a family of motherless girls and their father who head off to spend their summer vacation at a cottage in the Berkshire Mountains. They end up staying at a cottage on the grounds of Arundel, an estate with a mansion inhabited by the crabby Mrs. Tifton, her son Jeffrey, and their cook Churchie. 

Rosalind, the eldest, does her best to keep her younger siblings in line, but it is a challenging job. She finds herself infatuated with Cagney, the gardner at the big house. Sky is part jock and part mathematical wizard. Jane aspires to be a published author of Sabrina Starr novels.  Batty, the youngest, has a profound bond with animals, especially Hound, the family dog. 

The Penderwicks befriend Jeffrey. Together they have numerous adventures that distress Mrs. Tifton, who is vociferous in her dislike for them. She and her fiance, Dexter, have plans for Jeffrey that ignore Jeffrey's wishes and dreams. Ultimately his friendship with the Penderwicks is the catalyst that gives him the strength to force them to listen to him. 

Mr. Penderwick seems a bit scatterbrained and absentminded, but is there when his children need him. This is beautifully shown when he visits Jane after she has been devastated by the nasty remarks Dexter made about her writing: 
"Jane-O, you're so much better than good. You have a rare and marvellous gift for words. And your imagination! Do you remember what your mother used to say?"
"That my imagination was the eight wonder of the world."
"And your mother was a wise woman, wasn't she?"
"Yes, Daddy, I love you."
"I love you, too, daughter. Now clean up this mess and go to bed. Great authors need their rest."

Even though I suspected that this story would end up where it did, it was still extremely satisfying. I want the next one now! 

If you are looking for a great read aloud, this one is it!

★★★★★

Checking In With My 2014 Must Read List

I always mean to be focused, but the truth is, I am easily beguiled by a shiny new hardcover. Faster than you can say, "goodreads," I've abandoned the patient stack of paperbacks that have been waiting for me for ages. 
Consequently, I am astonished to find that I have read more than one third of the 56 books on my 2014 must read list! Of the 36 novels I've read so far this year, 20 of them are there. (I abandoned two of them so that actually makes 22) 

So far I've completed:

The Boy at the End of the World by Greg Van Eekhout ★★★★ I liked this one enough to purchase a set for lit circles. 

Darius & Twig by Walter Dean Myers  ★★★★ The more I read of Myer's work, the more I admire him. 

The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches by Alan Bradley ★★★★★ Some people haven't liked this new Flavia novel, but I love that Bradley is taking her into new directions. 

The Fourth Stall by Chris Rylander ★★★★ So far, the lit circle set I purchased have been a success with readers.
Guitar Notes by Mary Amato ★★★★ I bought a set for lit circles before I read it because it was at the book fair, and I love Amato's work. So far no feedback from kids on it.
Hattie Ever After by Kirby Larson ★★★★ Hattie is an amazing character. Now I have to track down and read Hattie Big Sky. 

In Darkness by Nick Lake ★★★★★ Other than a few adult novels, this is one of the most powerful books I've read in the last few years. 
Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver ★★★ I liked this sweet fairy tale novel.
The Long Earth (The Long Earth #1) by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter ★★★★ 

Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen ★★★★ I'm slightly addicted to her work. This isn't one of her finest, but still satisfying.
Marie Antoinette, Serial Killer by Katie Alender ★★★ So far kids at school have loved this one. 

Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt ★★★★  I loved these books but I don't think kids at school appreciate them so much.

The Raven Boys, by Maggie Stiefvate  ★★★★★ (I adored this so much I am now reading The Dream Thieves) Her writing is unbearably beautiful. 

Ring of Fire by Pierdomenico Baccalario ★★★ This was good enough to make me want to try the next one.
Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin by Liesl Shurtliff ★★★★ I look forward to 'Jack' soon to be released.
Sammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief by Wendelin Van Draanen ★★★★ I need to read more of these to see if they are all this good.

The Spindlers by Lauren Oliver ★★★★ I hate spiders, but was compelled to finish it anyway.
Summer Days, Starry Nights by Vikki VanSickle ★★★ I liked this, but prefer Words that Start With B.

The Water Castle by Megan Frazer Blakemore ★★★★★ I ordered a set of these for literature circles. 
The Year of Billy Miller by Kevin Henkes ★★★★ When this book comes out in soft cover, I am buying a literature set for our younger readers!

Books I've abandoned:

Although I loved Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, I couldn't finish Eleanor and Park. I tried it as an audio book and got about 3/4 through but had such a hard time with it. First, it felt like I was waiting for a train wreck about to happen. Second, there was too much heavy breathing and angst in it for me. I think I will have a go at it again in old fashioned book form. 

I tried The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer and Brandon Dorman, but I  couldn't embrace it. It went too all over the place and was painful to read.