#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.
I screwed up big time this week. I thought my book club was later on in the month. We are reading The Boys in the Boat. By Sunday morning, I hadn't started it. There is no way I could plow through 400+ pages of tiny print in 24 hours. I downloaded the YA version to read since it isn't so long. Titles with a 🍁 indicate this is a Canadian Author and or Illustrator. Clicking on the title of the book will take you to the Goodreads page of the book. RECENT BLOG POSTS #IMWAYR November 24, 2019 - Crow Magic PICTURE BOOKS
I was intrigued by the cover of this book. Then I fell in love with the first couple of pages. The first shows only a genderless silhouette and the words, "Once there was a ranger. The next page shows an image of a girl and the words, "Her name was Annie." Annie finds a fox who is in a bad way, rescues it, and in turn the two become friends. What we readers eventually come to understand is that friendship is not about keeping score, it's about supporting each other when we need help without any expectation of payment. Sparse text accompanies Nancy Vo's glorious mixed media artwork in both of these two picture books.
5 stars
The Outlaw by Nancy Vo 🍁 An outlaw terrifies a town with his misdeeds. Eventually he leaves. Years later a stranger arrives and begins mending parts of the rundown town. In time he is recognized as the outlaw. This book makes you question. Can he be forgiven? Can he be redeemed? Is it enough that he is making amends? I'm itching to read it to a group of students to see what they think.
4 stars
Truman by Jean Reidy & Lucy Ruth Cummins (Illustrator) I love the vintage feel to the illustrations in this book. When Sarah leaves their apartment and is away for a very long time (in turtle time.) Truman, the turtle decides to go after her. The book has lots of math potential. It would also be fun to create a map of where Truman eventually went.
Listen by Holly M. McGhee & Pascal Lemaître (Illustrations) I like the idea of this book. It's about how we are all connected to each other and the world around us. It's a reminder to slow down and pay attention. Maybe if we do, we can hear that we are all part of the same heartbeat.
5 stars
What Riley Wore by Elana K. Arnold & Linda Davick (Illustrator) Riley is a character you will adore. Riley wears whatever will help get through the day. I was delighted by the ending. When asked. "Are you a girl or a boy?" Riley replied. "Today I'm a firefighter. And a dancer. And a monster hunter. And a pilot. And a dinosaur." GRAPHIC
4 stars
Mighty Jack and Zita the Spacegirl by Ben Hatke It was wonderful seeing both these characters working together to save earth from some evil giants. I appreciated that while at first Lily was wary of Zita, the two of them end up close friends. I also like that all those secondary characters end up doing important work. It's a truly collaborative action. NOVELS
A Boy Is Not a Bird by Edeet Ravel 🍁 This is the first in a trilogy about an eleven year old Jewish boy growing in the Ukraine. Natt’s life was comfortable up until 1940. Then the Russians arrived. Bit by bit things change. They are removed from their house. His father is arrested. Eventually he and his mother are rounded up and sent to Siberia. They are on the train when the novel ends. I appreciated reading about this aspect of history and am looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
4 stars
Dual Citizens by Alix Ohlin 🍁 This is a story of two sisters, Lark and Robin, and their absent Mother. Lark, the eldest, ends up raising Robin, a piano prodigy. The two girls are very close. When Lark goes away to school, their mother takes up with a man who has designs on Robin. She leaves home to join Lark. The two end up going separate ways, but in the end, are there for each other. I appreciated how rich all these characters are. As we learn more about the Mother, we come to understand what life was like for her and come to see that she did the best she could.
5 stars
Over the Moon by Natalie Lloyd & Cassandra Morris (Narrator) Mallie's life in her coal mining town is hard. When the opportunity arises for her to make a lot of money and pay off her family's debt, she disguises herself as a boy, and sets off. Mallie soon learns of a conspiracy to keep their families impoverished and obedient. This is a beautifully crafted book that looks at gender expectations and explores power dynamics and politics. It's a profound story that begs to be discussed. NONFICTION
The Boys in the Boat: The True Story of an American Team's Epic Journey to Win Gold at the 1936 Olympics by Daniel James Brown & Gregory Mone (Adaptor) This was riveting! I had to take a short break to deal with the details of life, but mostly finished the book in one sitting! It's the story of how a group of young men, most from difficult situations, became the fastest rowers in the world. They won the gold medal at the Olympics in Germany in 1936. It focuses on the life of Joe Rantz and goes back in forth in time from his rough early years to his time on the crew. I am really looking forward to the movie! Check out the book trailer below!
CURRENTLY
I started Dig by A. S. King, but had put it on hold to read The Boys in the Boat: The True Story of an American Team's Epic Journey to Win Gold at the 1936 Olympics. I'm listening to American War by by Omar El Akkad. Dion Graham's narration is brilliant! UP NEXT I've got a collection of graphic novels I want to finish up. I plan to get back to Dig and on to Ink Knows No Borders. PROGRESS ON MY READING GOALS How exciting is this? I have reached nearly all my reading goals! #MustReadIn2018 25/25 #MustReadNFIn2018 11/12 - one in progress 25 Books by Canadian Indigenous Authors 25/25 25 books by Canadian Authors 91/25 Goodreads Reading Challenge 391/333
Poetry Friday is hosted today by Bridget Magee at wee words for wee ones. She's sharing her experiences of trying to host a Thanksgiving dinner in Switzerland where she now lives. Don't miss her turkey poem! Don't forget to check out the links to other participants sharing poetry today. I have been contemplating Michelle Barne's Little Ditty challenge since the beginning of the month. I thought playing around with language would be simple. After all, I do it a lot with my grandchildren! My husband and I are lucky to live with my son, his wife, and Ada, their two year old daughter. When Ada and I are out and about together, we mess around with language. Some of this is about rhyming games I create to help her pronounce words more clearly. Other times it’s for the shear joy of basking in our magical power over words and sounds. Recently while we were traveling in the car she entertained herself by creating her her own rhyme. I heard her sing song chanting roly poly, roly poly, roly poly. Then she shouted from her car seat, "I did it! See Gramma! I did it!" She played with those words while I beamed with pride and listened intently from my driver's seat. It ended up something like this. roly poly roly poly roly roly poly roly roly poly up up up down down down roly poly roly poly roly roly poly roly roly poly round and round by Ada aged 28 months It wasn't until later that I realized it was her version of a song she learned in story time at the library. I still think she's brilliant. Soon after Kate O'Neil's challenge I was walking to my car in the Costco parking lot. The late afternoon light emanated a scene from The Birds. Sky, bushes and trees were thronging with cawing crows. Watching them congregate on their daily migration home in the evenings is an ordinary occurrence here, but I have never been in the middle of it before. Experts estimate that between 13,000 to 20,000 crows converge at the rookery near where I was. The following video gives you a sense of what it's like.
After gazing starstruck by the spectacle, I crawled into my car and scribbled a collection of words. It still took what seems like forever to come up with this draft. Crow Magic it’s a caw caw caw cawcophony of crows it’s a caw caw caw cawnjure of corvids it’s a caw caw caw cawreening cawnga line it’s a swoop loop troop whooping home to bed it's a caw caw caw cawniferous cradle it's a sh sh sh shnoozing roost of crows Happy Thanksgiving to all you American contributors to Poetry Friday!
#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.
Last weekend my partner and I took one of my sons and our two grandkids away for a few days. I discovered that when you put three adults and two two year olds together for four days, the toddlers win. I got no reading done whatsoever except for the audiobook I listened to while travelling. Before we left I attended the Vancouver Children's Literature Roundtable's Illustrator’s Breakfast. It was a tribute to Sheila Barry, a beloved publisher and editor at Groundwood Books. I enjoyed all the different speakers. I also bid on a number of book collections and art work in the silent auction. I came home to discover that I had purchased three of those collections. I still haven't had a chance to go through them to see what I ended up with. Titles with a 🍁 indicate this is a Canadian Author and or Illustrator. Clicking on the title of the book will take you to the Goodreads page of the book. RECENT BLOG POSTS Poetry Friday November 22, 2019 - A poem for my father. PICTURE BOOKS
5 stars
Mustafa by Marie-Louise Gay 🍁 Right from the dedication, For Sheila Barry, I knew this book would be an emotional read. It is the story of a young boy, Mustafa, whose family have travelled a long way to come to a new country. He has nightmares about the smoke and fire and loud noises of the country they left. His mother wakes him to look at the same moon that they saw there. Then he can sleep. In his new country Mustafa explores the park beside where he lives. So much of it reminds him of his old life. He watches the world around him but feels invisible as no one seems to acknowledge his presence. Eventually a young girl and her cat befriend him and Mustafa begins to learn a new language. It is a beautiful story, but the art is absolutely stunning. The autumn image is my absolute favourite. Mustafa wonders if this is magic, and if the old lady talking to the birds is the magician. I too wish I could speak bird language.
5 stars
How to Give Your Cat a Bath: In Five Easy Steps by Nicola Winstanley 🍁& John Martz (Illustrator) 🍁 I've been reading this with my 2 1/2 year old granddaughter over and over this week. I'm not sure she gets the humour since we don't have a cat, but she likes it. So do I. I've started sharing some of my vintage picture books with the grandkids. Aside from cautioning them to be very careful with them, they and I have been enjoying reading these two wordless picture books. I was nervous that the fox in the first book, and the wolf in the second, would cause nightmares, but it seems to bother me more than them.
5 stars
What Whiskers Did by Ruth Carroll (1965) This was first published in in 1932. This illustrations in the 1965 edition are much different from the earlier version. These are in colour and the original were in black and white. I love this wordless picture book. So do my grandkids. We've been 'reading' it over and over and over. Whiskers is Scottish Terrier. He and his girl are out for a walk in the snow when Whiskers' leash breaks and he takes off following some rabbit tracks. He has quite the adventures before finally making his way home again. If you can find a copy to read, It is delightful. Don't you love the expression on these little bunnies faces?
5 stars
The Adventures of Paddy Pork by John S. Goodall (1968) Paddy is a young pig who takes off from his mother to follow the circus. He has some dangerous misadventures before finding his way home again. The interesting thing about this book is that each double spread has a half page to turn that reveals more of the story. I hope you can find a copy of this one to read. I'm sharing a couple of pages below so you can see the detail in the art.
GRAPHIC
4 stars
Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell & Faith Erin Hicks 🍁 (Illustrator) I was hooked by the first chapter of this novel after I read it from Netgalley. As much as I loved it, I wasn't prepared to rate it based on only one peek. At last, I've read the whole thing. It is delightful. It's full of humor, charm, references to delicious food, and two fabulous characters. The setting of the Pumpkin Patch is fun. Such brilliant colours. The search for the idolized love interest is loaded with mishaps. That goat, well that goat almost stole the show.
4 stars
Estranged by Ethan M. Aldridge Two boys are switched at birth. The fae child keeps his powers secret from his human family. The human child is raised as a kind of plaything in the fae court. When the fae court is destroyed, he goes in search of his counterpart in the human world. I loved the examination of what family means that is at the heart of this fantasy adventure. I’m looking forward to the sequel.
5 stars
Just Jaime (Emmie & Friends) by Terri Libenson There are many fabulous graphic novels available today that deal with friendship. All of them highlight what it looks like to be in a healthy relationship. This is another stellar addition to the group. I love that this shows the perspective of two girls caught up in a toxic clique. It’s as authentic as it gets.
4 stars
Invisible Emmie (Emmie & Friends) by Terri Libenson I read these out of order, but after I read the the most recent, I had to go back and learn more about the other characters. The story is told in two parts. The text based one tells the story of Emmie, a quiet reserved young girl. The graphic section tells of an outgoing popular girl named Kate. What these two girls have in common is a delightful surprise. NOVELS
4 stars
Ramona Blue by Julie Murphy & Thérèse Plummer (Narrator) I really enjoyed these characters. Authentic and realistic are words that come to mind regarding their personalities, their interactions and their situations. I kind of wish Ramona had identified as bi at the end, but I’m OK with the acknowledgement that sexuality is fluid and complex.
3.5 stars
Death Bringer by Derek Landy & Stephen Hogan (Narrator) It’s not that I didn’t enjoy this book. I did eventually. Perhaps it was too long since I read the previous books, and it took a while to reconnect. I did eventually get caught up in the characters and the plot. Readers who like fantastical tales full of action, battles, and a smidgeon of romance should try out the series.
3 stars
The October Man by Ben Aaronovitch The problem with this book is that the main character, Tobias Winter, is boring. He has no pizazz. Compared to Aaronovitch's Peter Grant series, it's a letdown. I didn't mind the rehash of this magical world. I might even have appreciated it if only I could have connected to and believed in Tobias Winter and his side kick, Vanessa Sommer. If there are more in the series, perhaps they will become more real and endearing. CURRENTLY I'm listening to Over the Moon by Natalie Lloyd. I'm in the middle of Mighty Jack and Zita the Spacegirl by Ben Hatke. I just started A Boy Is Not a Bird by Edeet Ravel. UP NEXT I hope to get to Wilder Girls by Rory Power, My Jasper June by Laurel Snyder, and Dual Citizens by Alix Ohlin. PROGRESS ON MY READING GOALS How exciting is this? I have reached nearly all my reading goals! #MustReadIn2018 25/25 #MustReadNFIn2018 11/12 - one in progress 25 Books by Canadian Indigenous Authors 24/25 25 books by Canadian Authors 85/25 Goodreads Reading Challenge 377/333
Poetry Friday is hosted today by Rebecca Herzog at Sloth Reads. She has written a delightful poem about salad. It sounds delicious, except I imagine my arteries clogging just reading the recipe. Don't forget to check out the links to other participants sharing poetry today. My father would have been eighty seven today. He and my mother were on their way to a Masters' Bridge Tournament in San Fransisco when he had an aneurysm and died. He was fifty seven. He was injured in a logging accident when he was only twenty five. Although he recovered, he used a wheelchair for the rest of his life. I wrote this poem for him awhile ago. I added the last stanza recently, because my father survived that tragedy and came out the other side a better person than he might have otherwise been.
Tribulation My father was a logger, a high rigger, a faller of stoic giants. It's perversely fitting that one of them felled him My father was handsome: a tall, blonde, Nordic god, heir to kingdoms of possibility. When gods fall, they fall hard. My father couldn’t climb up into his before. He raged against his impossibly broken body and let dark descend. My father took years to climb up out of that dark into the sunlight of a new life. Vestiges of it left him volatile and humbled, our hero.
#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.
Today is Remembrance day here in Canada so last week schools were preparing for their own ceremonies. I set up a display of books in the library I was working in. Of course I sat down and read a few that were new to me. I've written about them here today. I'll be off at the local cenotaph this morning to think about all the people: men, women and children, who die in wars. I'll say a prayer for peace.
Proud as a Peacock, Brave as a Lion by Jane Barclay & Renné Benoit 🍁 This is my new favourite Remembrance Day book. A young boy helps his grandfather get ready for the ceremony at the cenotaph. It's beautiful writing with beautiful art, just perfect for elementary students. My eyes leaked at the end.
4.5 stars
Memorial by Gary Crew & Shaun Tan (Illustrator) This is set in a small town in Australia. When men come back from World War I, a statue of an unknown soldier is erected, and a small tree is planted in memory of those who served and didn’t return. Three generations remember their return from war in ceremonies under the tree. A child from the fourth generation does his best to save the tree from being cut down. This is best for older readers as the text and images are complex and require close attention to understand the message. Just like war itself, this has an unhappy ending.
5 stars
Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson & Axel Scheffler Found this in a drop in centre where I took my grandkids last week. It was a lot of fun to read this tale out loud to a group of toddlers! One laughed every time I used a special voice for the different characters. As a witch and her cat are flying on a broom she keeps dropping things. When she goes looking for it, an animal finds it for her and then joins them on the broom. Then disaster ensues.
Lizzy's Lion by Dennis Lee, Marie-Louise Gay (Illustrator) 🍁 It doesn't get much better than this duo. When a robber breaks into Lizzy's bedroom in search of loot, even the candy he brought along won't stop Lizzy's lion from putting an end to him. Bouncing, four line, rhyming stanzas make this a delight to read out loud and listen to. Don't read it to anyone who has a soft spot for thieves since this one comes to a messy ending.
5 stars
Merry Christmas, Ollie! (Gossie and Friends) by Olivier Dunrea I know it's a bit early for seasonal books, but some of us shop early. I have been purchasing Gossie and Friends titles as baby gifts for ages, but until I started reading them with my grandkids, I had no idea how perfect they are for toddlers. I wasn't so enamoured with the Halloween book, but I will most certainly purchase this one for my darlings! GRAPHIC
4 stars
Positively Izzy (Emmie & Friends) by Terri Libenson It took me until the end of the book to figure out what was going on with the alternative plot lines in this book. One story is told in graphic novel format and the other is primarily text based. I sill enjoyed all of it. NOVELS
5 stars
Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward & Cherise Boothe (Narrator) Jesmyn Ward is one of the finest American writers today. I'm not going to say this is a comfortable read. It's an emotionally hard slog. Eche is fourteen and pregnant. She lives with her three brothers and alcoholic father in a coastal town in Mississippi. The novel begins 12 days before Hurricane Katrina hits. It's brilliantly written with passages that made me swoon. It's also terrifying at times (I skipped over the part with the dog fight) but these characters have so much heart and love you won't be able to let go of them when you are finished the book.
5 stars
Where You'll Find Me by Natasha Friend I’m a Natasha Friend fan. My upper elementary girls loved her. At one point I had at least 4 copies of Perfect in our school library. They were always out. She writes with authentic grittiness about real issues that are pertinent to these middle grade readers. I expect they are loving this one. At the beginning of 8th grade, Anna’s best friend informed her that they could no longer be friends. Shortly after that, Anna's mother attempted suicide. Anna found her. Her mom ended up in the hospital with Anna staying at her father’s place with his new wife and their baby. It’s a heck of a lot to deal with. Through the course of the novel Anne makes new friends, connects to her step mom and half sister, reconnects with her father, and begins to forgive her mother. It’s a thoroughly authentic satisfying read!
5 stars
Miles to Go by Beryl Young 🍁 In 1940's on the Canadian Prairies, two young girls have to deal with overwhelming loss. Keeping their friendship intact requires gargantuan effort. Beryl Young has created brilliant characters and put them into realistic situations. I cried buckets. I learned in the back matter that the book is based on real events.
5 stars
Exit Strategy by Martha Wells I warn you, this series is addictive. In this one Murderbot rescues Mensah and her crew from from the corrupt Graycris corporation. I adore Martha Wells for creating this character. I love the fast paced plots. I adore the humour. I was heartbroken thinking this was the last in the series, but see that a fifth is scheduled for released next year. I can hardly wait. POETRY
5 stars
Bravo!: Poems About Amazing Hispanics by Margarita Engle, Rafael López (Illustrations) The book contains poems about eighteen important hispanic individuals who lived in what is now known as the United States of America. The earliest character, Juan De Miralles, was born in the early 1700's and one of the most recent, Baruj Benacerraf, died in 2011. Women and men are highlighted. Many of them are mixes of African and indigenous peoples. Their contributions are diverse. Some, but not all of them are famous. I knew of a few of these people, but most were new to me. The back matter contains short biographies of each of them. The poetry is exquisite. So is the art. If you click on the Poetry Friday post above, you can see samples of the art and read snippets of poetry. CURRENTLY I'm listening to Ramona Blue by Julie Murphy. I've started Just Jaime by Terri Libenson. I'm not going to mention The Creativity Project by Colby Sharp or The Dinner Party by Judy Chicago until I'm finished them! UP NEXT Estranged by Ethan M Aldridge and Pumpkinheads: A Graphic Novel by Rainbow Rowell are up next. I've also got a pile of picture books. PROGRESS ON MY READING GOALS How exciting is this? I have reached nearly all my reading goals! #MustReadIn2018 25/25 #MustReadNFIn2018 11/12 - one in progress 25 Books by Canadian Indigenous Authors 24/25 25 books by Canadian Authors 84/25 Goodreads Reading Challenge 366/333
I was intrigued by the cover of this book. Then I fell in love with the first couple of pages. The first shows only a genderless silhouette and the words, "Once there was a ranger. The next page shows an image of a girl and the words, "Her name was Annie." Annie finds a fox who is in a bad way, rescues it, and in turn the two become friends. What we readers eventually come to understand is that friendship is not about keeping score, it's about supporting each other when we need help without any expectation of payment.
