Hello out there. 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.
I am finally actually feeling relaxed. Our house is somewhat under control and the gardens are almost done. This is a temporary respite as we are planning on starting house renovations in the next couple of days. I am determined to preserve time to read everyday no matter what!
Titles with a 🍁 indicate this is a Canadian Author and or Illustrator.
Clicking on the title will take you to the Goodreads page of the book.
PICTURE BOOKS
Queenie Quail Can't Keep Up by Jane Whittingham & Emma Pederson (Illustrations) 🍁
I enjoyed this story about a little quail who is distracted by the world around her. Consequently, she is always trailing behind her siblings. This turns out to be a good thing when she is diverted by a flash of orange and tracks it to find out what it is. Queenie ends up being a hero and her family come to appreciate the way she sees the world.
I live in the middle of quail country and watch them scuttle around my neighborhood everyday. So here's the rub, the quail in this book are cute, but they just don't look enough like my real ones.
Seaside Treasures: A Guidebook for Little Beachcombers by Sarah Grindler 🍁
This is an introduction to all the different things you can find on beaches around the world. It discusses shells, animals, sea glass and garbage. I appreciated the informative bits about the different kinds of flotsam and jetsam to be discovered on seashores.
If Pluto Was a Pea by Gabrielle S. Prendergast & Rebecca Gerlings (Illustrations) 🍁
I appreciate how this book translates our solar system into common everyday objects. It provides readers with a way to relate to the immensity of the planets and our sun. I like the diversity represented in the two children camping out in a backyard.
This will make a fabulous addition to a collection of books about space for primary school readers.
Dog vs. Ultra Dog by Troy Wilson & Clayton Hanmer (Illustrations) 🍁
This book is full of layers of meanings. It's the story of Dog, who can't live up to the commercial portrayal of a superhero, Ultra Dog. His doubts about his worth are exacerbated by the neighbor's cat. Dog tries his best to compete with Ultra Dog with mostly distressing, albeit hilarious results.
NONFICTION PICTURE BOOKS
Scholastic Canada Biography: Meet Elsie MacGill by Elizabeth MacLeod, Mike Deas (Illustrator) 🍁
Elsie MacGill was one heck of a woman! She lived a life of many 'firsts.' Born in 1905, she was the first Canadian woman to get an engineering degree and the first woman in the world to to get her master's degree in aeronautical engineering. Getting polio in her twenties might have slowed her down a bit, but it sure didn't stop her! In 1938 she became the chief aeronautical engineer in charge of all airplane work at the Canadian Car and Foundry Company. During WW2 she was in charge of a team building Hawker Hurricane planes for the airforce. In 1942, children got to read about her in a comic called 'Queen of the Hurricanes: Elsie MacGill." After the war Elsie became involved with the UN as technical advisor to the International Civil Aviation Organization. In the 1960's she was active in the women's rights movement and became one of the commissioners for the 1967 Royal Commission on the status of Women.
Elsie MacGill is a role model for young women all over the world. She received many awards and honors during her lifetime and now has an award named after her. The Elsie MacGill awards are given out to recognize achievement of women in aviation.
Mike Deas' comic style illustrations are the perfect match for this biography. They provide context to Elizabeth MacLeod's words. I especially appreciate the use of text bubbles to add humour and reality to the story.
This book is a brilliant introduction to this amazing woman's life.
NOVELS
Stowaway by Pam Withers 🍁
If you are searching for a read that gets your adrenaline pumping, look no further than Pam Withers. Do not read this book before going to bed because you will either stay up all night reading, or not be able to sleep because of all that epinephrine coursing through your system.
Owen and his parents live on an island off the coast of British Columbia. His is a solitary life without peers nearby. Eventually we learn how and why this came to be.
When his folks leave him alone for a week, Owen connects to Arturo, a young man who, with his 'uncle,' have sheltered at their marina. When Owen stows away on what he thinks is Arturo and his uncle's friendly boat expecting to get dropped off at the nearest center, is he ever wrong. He finds himself caught up in an international human smuggling syndicate.
Pam Withers takes her readers from one hairbreadth adventure and escape to the next. I like how she alternates the two perspectives of Arturo and Owen in different chapters.
The Horse of the River: A Camp Canyon Falls Adventure by Sari Cooper 🍁
This surprised me. I'm not much of a horse riding fan, but was completely engaged by this coming of age tale.
Gillian is nervous to be attending a horse riding/training camp for the first time. It seems to be going fine until the thoughtless actions of another girl damages her horse. She ends up paired with The Beast, a horse who challenges even more confident riders. When Gillian loses control of The Beast, she lands in a raging river where she is pulled downstream through rapids and over a waterfall. At this point it becomes a survival story with Gillian and The Beast coming to terms with one another.
I appreciated that all the characters end up being thoughtfully rendered with authentic back stories.
The Body Under the Piano (Aggie Morton, Mystery Queen, #1) by Marthe Jocelyn & Sarah English (Narrator) 🍁
I loved this audiobook. It has the feel of Alan Bradley's Flavia de Luce series. Aggie Morton is a precocious, imaginative twelve year old writer growing up around the turn of the century in 1902. Many of the characters Agatha Christie would come to write about are integrated into this murder mystery for middle grade readers. Aggie's newest best friend, Belgian immigrant Hector Perot, and her perceptive Grannie Jane, help solve this mystery of the murder in a dance studio. I especially appreciate the depth of characters here and the complexity of the plot.
I can hardly wait for the next one in the series. Unfortunately that won't be until September of this year!
CURRENTLY
I'm reading Embrace the Chicken by Mahtab Narsimhan. I'm listening to The List of Things That Will Not Change by Rebecca Stead.
UP NEXT
I started listening to Maybe He Just Likes You by Barbara Dee, but my life has been already so full of anxiety, that I put it aside. Maybe I will get back to it this week, or I might just try and find the book in text format. This coming week I'm planning of reading Tick Tock Terror by Melanie Jackson, Dressed to Play by Jennifer Manuel, and Cold Falling White by G. S. Prendergast.
PROGRESS ON MY READING GOALS
#MustReadIn2020: 8/25 one in progress
#MustReadNFIn2020: 4/12
25 Books by Canadian Indigenous Authors: 9/25
100 books by Canadian Authors: 87/100
Goodreads Reading Challenge: 166/333
Hello out there. 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.
We have moved. Moving is hell.
The job is partly done. We have said goodbye to our house in Vancouver and moved some of that stuff to our house in our home in Oliver. The majority of it is in storage because we already have a house full of stuff here. Stuff is hell. I have tried amalgamating and sorting, but in this Covid 19 reality, there is no place except the dump to take things we no longer need. My partner has taken a number of loads already, and there is more to go. I just don't have the heart to throw away stuff that can still be used.
On a positive note, we are carving out new garden space and weeding and replenishing the dirt in existing beds and planting there. I've managed to put in a raspberry bed and a herb garden.
In the middle of all this, my reading life took a huge hit. Honestly, if it wasn't for audiobooks I would not have survived. I wish I had made time to write a few comments as I finished each one, but consider myself lucky to have even recorded what I was listening to.
In the last week I have managed to read some books with my eyes. Maybe I'm getting my reading mojo back. Maybe I just have some time to call my own. Whatever, I'm sure glad for it.
The following is a culmination of a month of reading. I'm looking forward to finding out what you have all been up to.
Titles with a 🍁 indicate this is a Canadian Author and or Illustrator.
Clicking on the title will take you to the Goodreads page of the book.
PICTURE BOOKS
Kevin the Unicorn: It's Not All Rainbows by Jessika Von Innerebner 🍁
Kevin the Unicorn is having a bad day. Although he tries to keep his spirits up, his day goes from bad to worse. What helps him is learning that others have bad days too.
NOVELS: Chapter Books
Ruckus by Laurie Elmquist (Goodreads Author), David Parkins (Illustrations) 🍁
This little chapter book delighted me. Ruckus is a well named Jack Terrier pup. Reece, the narrator of this book, worries about a lot of things. Will their father ever come back and live with them? Will their mother make Reece return Ruckus to the breeder? Will Ruckus ever poop out Mom's diamond earrings that he ate?
I loved Reece. Part of what I appreciated is that this kid is almost genderless. Except for the comments on the back cover of the book, I might never have figured it out. All the characters have depth - not an easy feat with this kind of book. I especially liked the earnestness of Reece's character. The issues between the parents is authentic and one many kids can relate to.
Sophie Trophy by Eileen Holland 🍁
Sophie is a delightful girl who is always getting herself into messes while trying to do the right thing. In this case it's trying to save her teacher from the spider crawling on her head. Sophie is sure to appeal to fans of Junie B Jones and Piper Green.
NOVELS: Low Vocab High Interest
Room 555 by Cristy Watson 🍁
Roonie loves her grandmother but can't bring herself to visit her now that she has Alzheimer's and has to live in a care home. Then she ends up volunteering in the geriatric ward at the hospital for school credit. While there she bonds with an aging woman over their shared love of dancing. Her new friend helps her mend fences with her best friend and find a way to connect with her grandmother.
This started out slow, but soon had me fully engaged in these characters' lives. I ended up loving it.
Iggy's World by Gail Anderson-Dargatz 🍁
This book of sibling rivalry taught me more about insects and spiders than I could have imagined. Iggy desperately wants his parents, or someone, to pay some attention to him. His best, and only friend happens to be a tarantula. So he starts a podcast that integrates his real life with his fascination for bugs of all kinds.
To be honest, Iggy's spider attachment kind of freaked me out. Comparing the softness of a tarantula to that of a kitten is just too over the top for me. That said, I was fascinated by how much I learned about spiders and other insects in the course of this short book.
NOVELS
Kings, Queens, and In-Betweens by Tanya Boteju 🍁
This was a delightful look into the world of drag queens and kings. While mostly comfortable with who she is, Nima Kumara-Clark awkwardly enters this queer world. Lucky for her, Deirdre, the bodacious drag queen, takes her under her wing. Under her tutelage Nima figures out how to integrate this world with her old one and create a whole new community. There are interesting subplots that are not fully resolved here, but I'm ok with that since that's how life usually happens.
A Place to Belong by Cynthia Kadohata, Julia Kuo (Illustrations)Jennifer Ikeda (Narrator)
I loved these characters. I'm a sucker for any intergenerational tale, but this one is truly special. Following WW2, after their forced stay in Japanese internment camps, Hanako and her family return to Japan from America. Connecting with her grandparents is the gift in all this, but given the existing Japanese economy, there is no way out of poverty and servitude if the family stays in Japan.
I was enthralled by the story while learning more about a shameful aspect of American (and Canadian) history. This one made my eyes leak.
Me and Banksy by Tanya Lloyd Kyi & Veronica Hortiguela (Narrator) 🍁
This was much deeper and richer than I anticipated. Just wow! Dominica Rivers attends a prestigious school that has surveillance cameras everywhere. When someone hacks into them and shares embarrassing clips of students across social media, Dominica and her friends set out to put an end to it.
Don't miss this. You can read more about it in the Quill and Quire review here.
The Queen of Nothing (The Folk of the Air #3) by Holly Black & Caitlin Kelly (Narrator)
I am so sad to say goodbye to these characters and am heartbroken that this series is done.
Roll with It by Jamie Sumner & Candace Thaxton (Narrator)
This audiobook turned out to be a surprise reread for me, but I'm ok with that. I've discovered that reading series or rereading familiar books is a grand way to visit friends during this time when we can't spend time with our real ones.
My Jasper June by Laurel Snyder & Imani Parks (Narrator)
So much is packed into this book. Something is wrong with Leah, but it isn't until she meets up with Jasper June and starts talking that we come to understand what it is. We soon discover that Jasper June has big problems of her own, one that these two girls are not equipped to handle on their own.
NONFICTIOIN
Finding Chika: A Little Girl, an Earthquake, and the Making of a Family by Mitch Albom (Author and Narrator)
This is a tearjerker of a story. I would have loved to have read this as part of a book club because I have lots of questions and things I wonder about.
Still, Chika will steal a bit of your heart away as you read this, just like she stole Mitch Albom and his partner's hearts.
The audiobook was just lovely as it included clips of Chika talking and singing.
CURRENTLY
I have started listening to Maybe He Just Likes You by Barbara Dee. I'm reading The Horse of the River: A Camp Canyon Falls Adventure by Sari Cooper.
UP NEXT
The Body Under the Piano by Marthe Jocelyn is qued up to be my next audiobook. Otherwise, this is what I plan to finish up this week.
PROGRESS ON MY READING GOALS
#MustReadIn2020: 8/25
#MustReadNFIn2020: 4/12
25 Books by Canadian Indigenous Authors: 9/25
100 books by Canadian Authors: 79/100
Goodreads Reading Challenge: 158/333
Hello out there. 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.
We are enjoying some gorgeous weather here in Vancouver, BC. I live on a block famous for its spectacular ornamental cherry blossom display. Unfortunately, a lot of people don't understand what staying inside and/or social distancing means. While it's not as busy at it would be any other year, it's still like a party out there.
Now that I am finished with my rant, how are the rest of you doing?
I have no time to be bored.
Packing, cleaning, listening to audiobooks, reading, and sewing masks (until my machine died) has kept me busy. I am now working on a Read Across Canada database. If you are interested in helping out with this project please let me know!
Titles with a 🍁 indicate this is a Canadian Author and or Illustrator.
Clicking on the title will take you to the Goodreads page of the book.
PICTURE BOOKS
 |
| 5 stars |
Ojiichan's Gift by Chieri Uegaki & Genevieve Simms (Illustrations) 🍁
This beautifully illustrated picture book tells of the connection between Mayumi and her grandfather, who live an ocean apart. She spends two months each summer staying with him and helping him tend his garden. Then one summer when she arrives with her family, the garden is in disarray, and she understands that her grandfather can no longer look after it and must move. After taking out her feelings of frustration and loss on the garden, Mayumi figures out a way to preserve it for both herself and her grandfather.
 |
| 3.5 stars |
My Mommy, My Mama, My Brother, and Me by Natalie Meisner & Mathilde Cinq-Mars (Illustrator) 🍁
Mathilde Cinq-Mars' water colour illustrations are gorgeous in this rhyming picture book. It takes readers to Crescent Beach, Nova Scotia, a small fishing community. Two brothers explore the beach with their two moms. On their walk they discover all kinds of interesting objects and creatures, but the highlight of the excursion is in the making of new friends.
I appreciate much about this book except that while the rhyming pattern worked and delighted me initially, later on it became cumbersome and got in the way of my enjoyment.
 |
| 4 stars |
The Good Egg (Bad Seed #2) by Jory John & Pete Oswald (Illustrator)
Just delightful. A little egg drives himself nearly to a breakdown by not only trying to be a really good egg, but by trying to get the rest of his carton to do likewise. He leaves to go and restore himself and returns with a healed shell and a renewed outlook on life.
GRAPHIC NOVELS
 |
| 4 stars |
The Monster Sisters and the Mystery of the Unlocked Cave by Gareth Kyle Gaudin 🍁
This book starts out strong. While introducing readers to the history of Victoria BC it begins by acknowledging the Coast Salish people. I loved this bit where it continues, "It may have been "found" by James Douglas in 1843. But it has been "lost" by monsters in the twenty-first century."
The Monster Sisters, Enid Jupiter and Lyra Gotham, are superheroes fighting off monsters and protecting their city. The book is a medley of serious and imaginary history and geography. I love the references to Neil Young and his After the Gold Rush album. Readers of this graphic novel will experience fast paced action, mystery, humour, research, puzzles to solve, and even saga poetry.
Honestly, I was completely absorbed by this graphic novel until the ending when it all kind of fizzled out. This doesn't mean I won't be looking forward to reading the next in the series though!
NOVELS
 |
| 5 stars |
Badir and the Beaver by Shannon Stewart & Sabrina Gendron (Illustrations) 🍁
I'm just delighted with this book! Badir and his family are new immigrants from Tunisia to Canada. While on a walk with his mother he spies a large rat swimming in a pond. When Badir learns that the the rat is actually a beaver, he begins to research this new to him, animal. When the beaver is threatened by a local park enthusiast who is worried about the trees, Badir and his friends have to come up with a way to save the beaver and the park.
I like so much about this book.
1. It's peopled with diverse characters who are kind and work together for a cause.
2. Readers will learn a lot about beavers and what it means to be a Muslim family celebrating Ramadan.
3. It's full of humour and love.
4. The characters have depth and nuance and will wiggle their way into your heart.
5. It's written at an easy to read level, but you wouldn't know it by the richness of the story.
 |
| 4 stars |
Ghost of the Mill House by Margriet Ruurs & Claudia Davila (Illustrator) 🍁
Four friends travel to an old grist mill in Oregon to stay with an aunt and uncle of one of them. While they have a lot of time for fun, they also help get the house and grounds ready to become an historic park. This is not a ghost story to keep you awake at night. The infestation of bugs is more disturbing! When a hollywood film crew rents the property for a location, a ghost shows up on the rushes. That's how they all learn it is real. The film is rewritten and the two boys end up taking turns acting as the ghost in the movie.
There is a lot in this book to entertain readers of all ages and genders. The illustrations portray diversity in the characters. The kids get along with each other and the adults are solid role models.
Badir and the Beaver and Ghost of the Mill House are from the Orca Echo Series. These titles are written at a grade two reading level, so they are perfect for young readers just starting chapter books. They aim to interest readers from six through to nine years, but even old people like myself are entertained by them.
 |
| 4 stars |
Here in the Real World by Sara Pennypacker & Noah Galvin (Narrator)
This is a beautifully crafted coming of age novel. It's a slow thoughtful look into the lives of two quirky preteens. Ware is an introvert with a passion for the knight's code of honour. Jolene is a tough realist. The two create a refuge in an abandoned church grounds where Jolene grows papayas and Ware escapes from the Rec program he is supposed to be attending.
This novel reminded me of Lynn Rae Perkins' Criss Cross. It's as much about character as plot, although this one does have an interesting dilemma and satisfying conclusion.
 |
| 4 stars |
The Three Spartans by James Alfred McCann 🍁
There is nothing quite as satisfying as knowing the setting of a book. The mention of places and events a reader can actually visualize from memory adds a layer of unparalleled authenticity to a novel. This story of Art, a twelve year old Canadian boy visiting his family's summer home in Birch Bay, Washington is like that for me. Over the years I've been lucky to have spent many weekends there with friends and family.
Art and his friends, Leo and George, are the three Spartans. They challenge Zeke, a local bully, to a paintball war in the woods behind the local campgrounds. I've never paintball battled, but in my youth, my cousins and siblings and I had many cow pie fights over control of the barn. Although the stakes were very different, it sounds pretty similar. In this case, the three Spartans and their crew are standing up for the freedom to enjoy their summer without being harrassed and bullied. Whether they win at paintball or not, they will still come out ahead.
 |
| 5 stars |
Ru by Kim Thúy & Sheila Fischman (Translator) 🍁
Listening to this feels as if someone is reciting poetry. The prose is gorgeous. The original French language version and Sheila Fischman's translation have garnered all kinds of accolades and won, or been nominated for, all kinds of awards. It won a Governor General award, was a finalist for the Scotiabank Giller Prize and in 2015, was a Canada Reads winner.
It's a fictionalized account of a Vietnamese family who were part of the first group of Boat People. The story is revealed through the first person perspective of An Tinh Nguyen. It weaves together her memories as a young girl in Vietnam, then living in a refugee camp in Malaysia, immigrating with her family to a small town in Quebec and then visiting Vietnam as an adult.
I knew of some of these experiences from narratives by other authors and for many years I taught Vietnamese children and got to know their parents and their stories.
Narrated by the author, Ru is so authentic, I thought it really was a memoir as I listened to it!
CURRENTLY
My Jasper June by Laurel Snyder is the audiobook I have on the go. With my eyes I'm reading Kings, Queens, and In-Betweens by Tanya Boteju.
UP NEXT
Roll With It by Jamie Sumner will be the next audiobook. I'm hoping to read at least four novels and finish off the picture books from my Chocolate Lily Box.
PROGRESS ON MY READING GOALS
#MustReadIn2020: 6/25 1 in progress
#MustReadNFIn2020: 3/12
25 Books by Canadian Indigenous Authors: 9/25
100 books by Canadian Authors: 72/100
Goodreads Reading Challenge: 146/333
Hello out there. 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.
Hope you are all staying safe inside these days and managing to find comfort in books, art, interacting with friends via the internet and whatever other hobbies you enjoy. I have planned out three quilting projects and managed to get one of them cut and ready to sew. Unfortunately I have started packing up my house so I probably won't be doing much sewing other than masks for friends and family in the next while.
Titles with a 🍁 indicate this is a Canadian Author and or Illustrator.
Clicking on the title will take you to the Goodreads page of the book.
PICTURE BOOKS
 |
| 4 stars |
Light A Candle/Tumaini Pasipo Na Tumaini by Godfrey Nkongolo, Eric Walters, Eva Campbell (Illustrations) 🍁
This is a fictional retelling of an important event in the history of the United Republic of Tanzania. It is told in both English and Swahili.
Ngama is a young Chagga boy who goes against his father's wishes and follows a group of men who were tasked to light a freedom torch at the top of Mt Kilimanjaro to unite their new country. Eva Campbell's art captures the majesty of the country and the culture of the people in her vibrant painting.
The back matter contains additional information about the country and it's origins.
 |
| 5 stars |
Unicorns 101 by Cale Atkinson 🍁
This compendium of information about unicorns is delightfully hilarious. It’s chock full of important facts that are sure to please the unicorn fan club. The jacket cover even has glitter on it. In the back matter there’s a Unicorn Scientificus Diploma readers can fill in proving they are officially Unicorn Scientists. Cale Atkinson knows his stuff. According to the jacket cover, he studied under Professor Sugar Beard to earn his PhD in hornology. His knowledge shines through in the comical illustrations filled with a riot of rainbow colours.
 |
| 4 stars |
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Moose by Chrissy Bozik & Scot Ritchie (Illustrator) 🍁
This is a fun retelling on the traditional story. It has a definite Canadian twist to it with all the things the old lady eats. The ending is just delightful!
NOVELS
 |
| 5 stars |
The Wicked King by Holly Black & Caitlin Kelly (Narrator)
I am just loving everything about this series - the characters, the world building, the suspense and tension both romantic and political. The only thing I hate is having to wait for the next book to become available.
 |
| 3 stars |
The Atomic City Girls by Janet Beard & Xe Sands (Narrator)
This takes us into the lives of numerous characters who worked on the Manhattan Project. Ordinary people had no idea they were working on the atomic bomb. The title is deceptive because it actually introduces us to the reality for multiple characters, not just women. The main focus is a country girl, June, who ends up in a relationship with Dr Sam Cantor, one of the scientists. June shares a dormitory with another young woman, CC. Their relationship starts out positive but deteriorates when CC can no longer control June. I appreciated Dr Cantor's moral dilemma as he worked towards creating a bomb that he knew was going to be horrific. I was also fascinated by the lives of the black men who worked as labourers and janitors.
This is ok as a light romantic story, but didn’t get into enough details about the actual going’s on at the site for me. That said, it's made me want to read this nonfiction title about life in Atomic City: The Girls of Atomic City: The Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War II.
 |
| 4 stars |
Making Friends with Billy Wong by Augusta Scattergood.
This is why I have MustRead lists. Making Friends with Billy Wong has been on my list for the past few years and I finally got to it. It's the story of a girl and her grandmother. It's about making mistakes and reconciliation. It's about friendship. It's a reminder to look deep beneath the surface to understand where others are coming from.
Set in 1953, this historical novel features Azalea as the main protagonist, but Billy Wong's perspective is shown in alternate verse chapters. It's a powerful format that enables readers to learn what it was like to live in an important time in history. The underlying sweetness encourages us to have empathy for those who are different from us.
 |
| 3.5 stars |
Finding Cooper by Stacey Matson 🍁
I have mixed feelings about this book. Cooper Arcano and his best friend, Ali, are fans of The X Files and unsolved mysteries. Cooper's grandfather is losing his memories due to Alzheimer's disease. Somehow Cooper ends up engaged in some fantastical magical thinking. He gets it into his head that his grandfather is the famous outlaw, D.B Cooper and is faking his illness. If Cooper can prove it, then he will come into enough money to cover the cost of his grandfather's care and his parents will stop fighting and not get divorced. He ends up getting himself and his friend into all kinds of trouble before it's all over.
I really appreciated the authenticity of the grandfather's decline and the family's struggle to deal with the emotional and financial stress that accompanied it. I liked the authentic characters - especially Cooper's mom and his friend Ali. I liked Cooper.
My quibble is that while I understand that Cooper's belief in his hypothesis about his grandfather is connected to his not wanting to acknowledge reality, it just did't work for me. I can't see any of the 12 year old boys I've met getting caught up in this. I would love to be able to give this to some of them and see what they think. Maybe they will enjoy seeing the mistakes Cooper is making before he does.
CURRENTLY
I've just started listening to Here in the Real World by Sara Pennypacker. With my eyes I'm reading a graphic novel, The Monster Sisters and the Mystery of the Unlocked Cave by Gareth Kyle Gaudin, and The Three Spartans by James McCann.
UP NEXT
Ru by Kim Thúy will be the next audiobook. I'm hoping to read at least three novels and three picture books from my Chocolate Lily Box.
PROGRESS ON MY READING GOALS
#MustReadIn2020: 5/25
#MustReadNFIn2020: 3/12
25 Books by Canadian Indigenous Authors: 9/25
100 books by Canadian Authors: 65/100
Goodreads Reading Challenge: 137/333
Today's edition of Poetry Friday is hosted by Heidi Mordhorst at my juicy little universe. Heidi is sharing poems inspired by poets.org #ShelterInPoems project. Enjoy her poetry and don't forget to check out all the other bloggers posting today.
Hello Poetry Friday friends. I have missed you.
Like a lot of you, I'm overwhelmed with other things in life. For the last few years I have participated in the April Poem a Day Challenge. This year, what with moving, house renovations, shelter in place orders, and social distancing, I don't need any more challenges. I've also got three quilting projects on the go.
I'm going to try to write at least one poem a week but...
My poem this week is not inspired by other poetry, although poetry and other art forms have brought me solace in these interesting times. Instead I am inspired by the art of our friend, Ron Peace, a gifted photographer and artist. He shares his work with friends and followers on facebook. Ron's photographs are a regular highlight of my day. Please take a moment to check out his website. Prepare to be dazzled.
Wednesday's image almost broke me.
While we are not yet stir crazy here in our isolation, I had no idea how much I wanted to break free until I saw this. Ron has graciously granted me permission to share his image with the poem it inspired.
imagine
someday
we too might fly
might take off
into sky
might rise high
into glorious light
imagine
flight
lift off
a gift of
respite
