#IMWAYR MARCH 21, 2016

Hello #IMWAYR! Jen at Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki atUnleashing Readers host this weekly event when readers and bloggers of kidlit get together to share what they have been reading. 

It's been a while since I last participated. I'm an all or nothing kind of person, and if I'm part of this, I feel the need to read everyone's posts and comment. But February was a hard month. My mother ended up in the hospital again. I was in the throws of last minute organization for Winter Tonic, our annual Teacher Librarian professional development and social event. And then, my Aunt Yvonne died. She was only a few years older than I am. I couldn't do and cope with everything, so I prioritized. Once the tonic was over, I carved out some space to grieve and started spending more time with my mom who hasn't left the hospital. 

Anyone who is a school librarian knows that libraries are about so much more than books. I took time to contemplate the workshops I attended at the Tonic, most especially creating more makerspaces in our library. I am loving the kit of Littlebits I purchased and hoping to round up money for more. Then there was the intensity of end of term work with students: finishing up book trailers and helping my young writers publish their stories. (coming soon)

I started out this first week of spring break by attending my last BCTF AGM. I love participating in democracy and appreciate everything I learn when I am there. I had no time to read or even listen to a book for four days! I did read lots of resolutions and rationals for them though.

Although I took a break from blogging, I did not take a break from reading. Reading is my break from real life and one of my first priorities! Here are some novels I have been reading. Don't worry, I'm only going to highlight my favourites today.

NOVELS

Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon

This is a fascinating look into an illness that I know nothing about. Sometimes when an author's writing draws you into their world with such finesse, you just trust them, and go along for the ride. This is what happened to me here. Madeline Whittier has SCID. This means that leaving her house can kill her. Up until now, Madeline has been content with her life, but that all changes when new neighbours move in next door and she starts up an online relationship with their very attractive teenage son.
Some of what I enjoyed most about this book were Madeline's musings and decisions about what it means to have a life. (Ok, So I also loved Madeline's dictionary entries and her Spoiler Reviews)
At one point I thought I would stop reading because I anticipated a tragic, heartbreaking ending. I'm glad I didn't. 

The Boy in the Black Suit by Jason Reynolds

I could have sworn I took notes and wrote about this book, but I can't find them anywhere. I read it while travelling home from my aunt's funeral. Of course I cried. I just adored the sweetness of this story about a young boy who has lost his mother. He attends funerals to watch the mourners and find a connection to others who have experienced his level of grief. It's also a bit of a quirky romance. I love love love all the characters in this story.

Orbiting Jupiter by Gary Schmidt

I am in awe of the way Gary Schmidt crafts his characters. His are young boys to become smitten with in so many ways. This book is no different. Jack lives in a happy family with his mother and father. They take in Joseph, a troubled young man a couple of years older than Jack. Joseph has had a hard life. He lived with an abusive father. Then at 13, he ended up falling in love and getting his girlfriend pregnant. What ensued was a year of hell. By the time he came to Jack's family he was badly damaged. Most of this book is about the redemptive quality of love and acceptance. It reminds us how important a few select adults can be in a child's life. Over time Joseph shares his story with them. More than anything he wants to see his baby girl, Jupiter.

I suspected what was going to happen with Jupiter. I did not like the way Joseph's story went.

Dory and the Real True Friend by Abby Hanlon

I adore Dory! If the gods had given me a daughter, I would have wanted one just like her. I suspect she would have driven me around the bend and I already have two boys who do that.

In this chapter book, Dory goes into grade one. I love the advice her older siblings give her:

You can't wear that dirty old nightgown.

You can't talk to yourself.

Do not move furniture around in your classroom to build a fort.

No matter what, do not use your imagination!

DON'T BE YOURSELF.

At school, after disregarding these directions, Dory finally makes a real best friend. Unfortunately her older siblings don't believe her.

My younger readers are devouring this series!

I Crawl Through It by A.S. King

I'm finished this book, but I'm still trying determine what the heck happened. I've got synapses sparking all over the place, but I'm still working to identify the big ideas. In a strangely familiar parallel reality, four brilliant teens experience the build up to the insanity of high stakes testing week. In the midst of all this, the story is an exploration of the power of belief, truth and honesty, love and acceptance. At least that's what I've figured out so far.

Death by Toilet Paper by Donna Gephart

From the cover you might think this is a goofy book. It is not. While there is humour, it's also a profound story of a boy and his mother coping with the loss of father and husband. They are in dire financial straits and will be evicted from their apartment if they can't come up with enough money soon. Ben hopes to do this by winning some kind of contest.

Toilet paper comes into the story when Ben writes a letter to a toilet paper company telling them how much he misses their superior product now that his mother has to buy a cheaper brand. I enjoyed reading the toilet paper facts at the beginning of each chapter.

There is so much to love about this book. There are sensitive realistic characters dealing with complicated issues. 

The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin

Just bloody lovely. This is a beautiful novel that integrates nonfiction information about jellyfish into a heartbreaking story of loss, forgiveness and acceptance.

Neil Flambé and the Marco Polo Murders by Kevin Sylvester

The first in this series was published in 2011 and I'm only reading it now. I regret having missed it earlier. Neil Flambé is a 14 year old chef who runs his own restaurant. Because of his superb sense of smell, he helps the police solve crimes. 

GRAPHIC NOVELS

The Outside Circle by Patti Laboucane-Benson & Kelly Mellings (illustrator)

I wish I could say that all of the intergenerational pain dealt with in this book was news to me, but it isn't. It is the story of Pete, an indigenous young man who grew up with a damaged mother who came from a family damaged by the residential school system. He got tangled up in a gangster world of drugs and violence. Then he killed his abusive stepfather and ended up in prison. In prison he connected to a special warriors program that focused on healing him and saving his life.

This book is gritty, but ultimately hopeful. The notes at the end tell more about the program Pete attended.

One of my goals for this year is to read all the longlisted Canada Reads titles. This is my first finished one. Unfortunately, it didn't make the short list. The battle over which book will win begins tomorrow. 

PICTURE BOOKS

Worm Loves Worm by by J.J. Austrian & Mike Curato (Illustrator)

This book is perfection in so many ways. I could connect to the craziness of organizing a wedding since my son was married last September. But this book is so much more than this. I loved sharing it with students and talking about the biology of worms. 

NONFICTION PICTURE BOOKS

Swan: The Life and Dance of Anna Pavlova by Laurel Snyder (Goodreads Author), Julie Morstad (illustrator) 

Beautiful just beautiful. The text is a graceful dance. You must take time to look closely at the images for they are filled with surprises. This ending is the most beautiful reflection on dying.

"Every day must end in night.

Every bird must fold it's wings.

Every feather falls at last, and settles."

I took this in and read it to my mother. We were both in awe. 

Funny Bones: Posada and His Day of the Dead Calaveras by Duncan Tonatiuh

I am such a fan of Duncan Tonatiuh's art. I loved this narrative that educates readers about Posada's art, Mexican history, political cartooning, and the meaning behind the day of the dead. 

This Bridge Will Not Be Gray by Dave Eggers, & Tucker Nichols (illustrator)

I adore the abstract illustrations and the straightforward narrative. Such a beautiful combination! 

I read this just after finished Funny Bones and I think the juxtaposition of the two books made me appreciate the art in each of them more. 

CURRENTLY

I am in the middle of trying to decide what audiobook to go to next. Otherwise I'm reading The Odds of Getting Even by Sheila Turnage and Audacity Jones to the Rescue by Kirby Larson. 

UP NEXT

I've just picked up All American Boys from the library and am nearly delirious with excitement to start reading it!

I'm heading away for a week's holiday next week and loading up on books, but not too many. In my need to prioritize and focus on spending time with my mom, I'm working hard not to overwhelm myself with things I must do, and that includes bringing home an overambitious number of books to read during breaks. Aside from what is on my device, here is what I'm bringing with me. 

I've got some of the longlisted Canada Reads titles as audiobooks and I think my partner and I will listen to one of them on our trip.  

Neil Flambé and the Marco Polo Murders by Kevin Sylvester

Gourmet cooking, murder, history, humour, and hints of romance come together in this first mystery in a series starring a precocious 14 year old chef, Neil Flambé. He has a super sensitive nose that can detect molecules of odours the rest of us are oblivious to. When renowned Vancouver chefs are being murdered by a serial killer, Neil is called in to help Police Inspector Sean Nakamura figure out what poisoned them. Pretty soon the clues start pointing to Neil himself. 

I started this book because I had heard good things about it and found three new copies of the series discounted in a second hand book shop. I figured I better read at least the first so I could encourage my readers to have a go at them. 

I continued reading because it is a great story. Neil has many of the qualities of gifted kids I've met over the years. He doesn't have many social skills and his passion for food and cooking, not to mention his over sized ego, prove to be a barrier in his acquiring any. His parents have little to do with him except to fund his restaurant, but luckily he has had a great mentor in semi-retired chef, Angel Jicama, who attempted to teach him cooking at the same time as trying, unsuccessfully, to encourage Neil into a more emotionally healthy attitude. In spite of all his quirkiness, I found myself getting attached to this flawed main character. I also came to admire Larry, Neil's older cousin, who is more charming, sensible and smarter than Neil has figured out. One reason I enjoyed this book is that it is set in my city, Vancouver, BC. There is something special about being able to make a personal connection to places mentioned in a book. In addition to all this, there was enough suspense, action, and shenanigans in the plot to keep me hooked till the end. 

You would think this would be enough, but I can't leave without mentioning the illustrations which are a delight to look at all by themselves. See what I mean?

This will be a book to hand over to students who enjoyed All Four Stars by Tara Dairman. Even though there are no recipes included, I'll definitely be reading more of this series.

#IMWAYR FEBRUARY 8, 2016

This week Ayla, one of my grade five library assistants, guest hosted my blog with her review of Lumberjanes. I've been lucky to have worked with Alya a number of times over the years. Like those Lumberjanes, Alya is the kind of person who can get along with just about anyone. 

It's Monday and that means time for #IMWAYR. Jen at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki at Unleashing Readers host this weekly event where bloggers connect and talk about the middle grade and YA literature they have been reading.

PICTURE BOOKS

4 stars

Nerdy Birdy by by Aaron Reynolds & Matt Davies (illustrator)

Nerdy Birdy likes reading and playing video games, but he is lonely. He doesn't fit in with other birds, not even at the bird feeder because he is allergic to bird seed! He would like to be like the cool birds, Eagles, Cardinals, and Robins, but they want nothing to do with him. Eventually he finds a group of other nerdy birds to belong to. They all like to read, play World of Wormcraft and many have the same food allergies. Then a new bird, Vulture, enters the community. He isn't like the cool birds, but neither is he like the nerdy birds. When his new friends rejected Vulture, Nerdy Birdy knew something was wrong and decided to make friends with him anyway. I love the ending message in this book, that you can be friends with people who are not the same as you. Students are sure to love these illustrations as much as I did.

NOVELS

5 stars

Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

I am so glad this book was on my #mustreadin2015 list and that I transferred it to my #mustreadin2016 list. Wow! It took me a while to figure out what was going on, and who all these characters were. By the time I started to understand, I was hooked. This is a powerful story about love and loss and forgiveness.

It is a book that made me cry, not just at the heartbreaking moments of sadness, but sometimes just because of the heartbreaking sweetness.

Taylor is caught up in game of war between different groups of teens on the Jellicoe Road. There are the townies, the cadets, and Taylor's faction, the boarders. It's a strange conflict with roots that, unbeknownst to Taylor, tangle up with her own.

Since her mother abandoned her at a 7/11 when she was eleven, Hannah has been the one dependable adult in her life. There is a parallel story, written by Hannah, of the young people who once upon a time inhabited this space, and out of boredom, created the war. When Taylor discovers that Hannah has disappeared, she starts to read the novel in an attempt to figure out what is going on. Eventually she heads off in search of her. 

There is a reason books win the Printz award. The writing in this book is just gorgeous. The story is mythical and magical. I love the honesty and love between the characters: not just the romantic love, but the deep caring that Taylor's housemates and the other characters have for each other. 

4 stars

Red Wolf by Jennifer Dance

This is a powerful story about a five year old Anishnaabe boy who is taken from his loving parents and forced to attend residential school until he is 15. There he is stripped of his name, his language, and his self-respect. He is taught that all indigenous peoples are "dirty savages" who must be saved and assimilated. Equality was never part of the equation, as the children, once they left, were expected to do nothing more than work as menials for white people.

This is a very dark and troubling story, made worse by the fact that while Red Wolf may be a fictional character, what happened to him and his peers was reality for many children here in North America. This story is set in the late 1800's, but the last residential school in Canada closed in 1996.

I'm hoping to get a full blog post up about this book sometime later this week.

4 stars

Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins

I'm not sure I really want to give this book four stars, but it is definitely more than three. My students have been encouraging me to read it and since I was between audiobooks and this one was available, I decided to listen to it. I was reticent because Collins also wrote The Hunger Games series. I finished the first in it, but couldn't read more because they were too violent for me. Gregor was a pleasant surprise. Boots is a delightful character and Gregor is such a loving brother. It is a really great middle grade adventure. I might even listen to more of the series.

NONFICTION

5 stars

Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family's Fight for Desegregation by Duncan Tonatiuh

This is a fabulous book that tells how a family worked hard to ensure that their children and other Latin American children would have the same quality of education as the rest of their peers. I loved the illustrations as much as the story. The notes at the end of the book provide additional detail about how this story eventually leads up to the better known Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka case that ended segregation of students across the United States.

5 stars

Redwoods by Jason Chin

What a great read! A young boy picks up a book about redwoods, and as he reads from the book we see him transported into the Redwood forest. I love how Jason Chin's illustrations make the text come alive. I learned much as I read this deceptively simple picture book. The ending is a delightful surprise.

5 stars

Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

I've finished this book for now, but I'm not sure it is the kind of book that will ever let go of me. Coates words pierced my consciousness and from hereon in, will haunt how I interpret the world around me, especially when it has to do with my personal and societal interconnectedness with black people. These days I'm worried how our lessons on black history in Canada might be perceived by the black children in our school.

Ta-Nehisi Coates can really write. Words and phrases carve themselves like tattoos onto my consciousness. Lines like this, "Some of us make it out but the game is played with loaded dice." leave me stunned as I take in the hard, simple truth of them.

Here is a man brilliantly passing on his knowledge and wisdom to his teenage son. But it's also a lesson on history, civics and morality for the rest of us as he reveals the inherent danger of occupying a black body in America and how it signifies everything that is wrong with the dream of America. I am left mindful that the dream of Canada is carved into the skin of our indigenous population and other immigrants not deemed white enough. 

CURRENTLY

I'm listening to Flunked by Jen Calonita, another book we have in our library that I need to read. I'm still waiting for All American Boys so instead I started reading The Boy in the Black Suit by Jason Reynolds. 

UP NEXT

I've got The Outside Circle by Patti LaBoucane-Benson waiting for me. I'm also hoping to get to Zomboy by Richard Scrimger, one of our book club books. I also have to read Lumberjanes!