#IMWAYR July 16, 2018

#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.

It's been hot here in Vancouver, BC. I made it to the folk festival Saturday and enjoyed listening to the music and discovering artists I didn't know about. I was especially impressed by Canadian indigenous artists, Iskwé and Leonard Sumner. 

Other than that I've been hunkered down inside reading, writing, and sewing. A friend's daughter is expecting a baby and I'm making a quilt for her. I'll post a picture when it's done.

PICTURE BOOKS

4 stars

What Happens Next by Susan Hughes & Carey Sookocheff (Illustrator)

This is an important book that shows the consequences of bullying.

I like how Carey Sookocheff’s simple illustrations highlight the important characters and show these consequences. I also like that we don't know the bullied child's gender. When this child finally tells their mother, the mom does a good job of helping the child understand the bully’s perspective. I’m not sure that the eventual solution is realistic, although I concede that telling the principal doesn’t always make a difference.

This is a book that should be in every school library. It’s a book that needs to be read and talked about in all classrooms.

4 stars

Just a Walk by Jordan Wheeler & Christopher Auchter (Illustrator)

This reminded me of a Robert Munsch tale. Chuck goes for a walk and has all kinds of adventures and close escapes. It’s hilarious. The cartoon illustrations enhance this humour. My only complaint is that it’s written in rhyming verse and while it works most of the time, there are sections where it doesn’t and the flow of the language falls apart.

4 stars

The Digger and the Flower by Joseph Kuefler

I read this a couple of times because I've read reviews that praised it. The first time I thought it was sweet but it didn't wow me. The second time I read it I started to think about its potential. This is a book I would love to read with intermediate aged students. I think there is a lot to unpack about who we are and our responsibility for the earth.

3 stars

All the Animals Where I Live by Philip C. Stead

The art in this is lovely, but the book itself didn't quite work for me and I can't help but wonder if it will engage children.

NOVELS

4 stars

You Go First by Erin Entrada Kelly

I liked many things about this book. It took me a bit to get into, but then I connected with the characters and couldn't stop reading. Charlotte and Ben are online friends who play scrabble together. Both are going through hard times at home and at school. Some of the school stuff, like friends moving apart is somewhat ordinary, but the bullying is pretty intense.

To be honest it felt like too much to deal with in one book. That said, Erin Entrada Kelly had me right there with those children throughout their ordeals.

5 stars

The Sweet Spot by Stacy Barnett Mozer

Wow! There is so much to love about this book. First off, it's about baseball. Baseball is the one sport I love to watch. Second, Stacy Mozer, (a fellow #IMWAYR blogger) has created authentic characters who grow and mature throughout the novel.

Sam Barrette loves baseball and is also very good at it. She's the only girl on her team and her coach rides her hard and complains about her attitude. When she goes away to baseball camp she has to deal with more misogyny, but manages to overcome these obstacles to become an even better player. The bit of romance is just right. I can't wait to read the next in the series!

4 stars

Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes & Miles Harvey (Narrator)

Jerome is a 12 year old black boy who is killed by a white police man while out playing in the park with a toy gun. He's now a ghost who wanders through the world visiting his family, looking at the courtroom, and spending time at the police officer's home. It's there he meets Sarah, the officer's daughter. She is able to see and talk to him. Jerome discovers that there are a lot of ghost boys out there. One of them, the ghost of Emmet Till, is there to support him through whatever comes next. Jerome has some things to figure out before he can move on to that. Sarah and Emmet are part of this.

Add this one to your list. It's a fine book to partner up with The Hate U Give and Dear Martin.

4 stars

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng & Jennifer Lim (Narrator)

To be honest, if I wasn't listening to this book while I was sewing, I might have put it aside, but it turned out to be the perfect book to keep me company. I was transported into this almost perfect world.

It's a slow book. Nothing really happens as Celeste Ng takes us from character to character spiralling deeper and deeper into each one of them. If you like thoughtful riveting stories, this one's for you. It's a compassionate look inside people, some who aren't really very nice. It's so well done that you will end up feeling sorry for them anyway.

5 stars

Heart Berries: A Memoir by Terese Marie Mailhot, Rainy Fields (Narrator), Sherman Alexie (Introduction) & Joan Naviyuk Kane (Afterword)

This book will wrench your guts out and break your heart. Terese Marie Mailhot’s memoir gave me insight into what it means to have a bipolar diagnosis. Her life has been filled with all kinds of horrors most of us can’t imagine. She seems to have come out the other side, and is a successful writer and teacher, but I still find myself worrying about her.

I can’t recommend this book highly enough!

CURRENTLY

I bet you are getting tired of me saying I am working on Naomi Klein’s This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs the Climate. So am I, but I did read a few pages this week. I started reading Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed, but then the audiobook became available so I switched to it. I've just started reading The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl by Stacy McAnulty.

UP NEXT

I'm hoping to read The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora by Pablo Cartaya. Then I'll decide between Rebound by Kwame Alexander and Out of Left Field by Ellen Klages. I'm hoping to start listening to The Grapes of Wrath by John Stienbeck. I've wanted to read it for ages. It's one of my #MustRead titles for this year and one of my #BigBookSummer reads. How's that for killing a few birds one stone! Then there is also that pile of picture books to get to...

PROGRESS ON MY READING GOALS

#MustReadIn2018 17/25

#MustReadNFIn2018 5/12 1 in progress

#BigBookSummer 2/4 1 in progress

25 Books by Canadian Indigenous Authors 13/25

Goodreads Reading Challenge 243/333

Notable Novels from 2018

Really good fiction, of whatever genre and age appropriateness, forces us to acknowledge universal truths. All of the books in the lists today do this.

I make no claim that they are the best books published this year, although some of them just might be. Some are classics that have been around for decades. All of them just happen to be the finest novels I have had the pleasure of spending time with this year.

BEST CHAPTER BOOKS

Chapter books are delightful transitional fare for readers just moving into reading longer text. What sets them apart from regular novels is the illustrations on almost every page. 

Big Foot and Little Foot by Ellen Potter & Felicita Sala (Illustrations) (2018)

Hugo is young Sasquatch squidge. On a sneaking expedition with his class he sees a human. By chance this same human, Boone, and Hugo end up writing letters to each other and eventually become friends. Ellen Potter has created a world I want to be part of. I especially want to eat like a Sasquatch: hazel nut pancakes, wild mint juice, acorn butter and raspberry cream sandwiches, walnut pie, mushroom casserole, acorn butter cookies, gooseberry pie, walnut rumples, huckleberry trifles, and rosehip crunchers! There is a whole Sasquatch culture with baby Sasquatches called chuddles.

Charlie & Mouse & Grumpy by Laurel Snyder & Emily Hughes (Illustrations) (2017)

Grumpy reminds me a lot of my partner because he too is very grumpy in the mornings no matter how much he loves his grand babies. Perhaps this Grumpy isn't a a grandparent. I suppose he could be a favourite uncle. What's certain is that there sure is a lot of love between Charlie, Mouse and him. Like the first in this series, we get to spend time with this delightful family while they go about their daily business of ordinary living. I have so much love for all of them and you will also.

Dory Fantasmagory: Head in the Clouds by Abby Hanlon (2018)

Oh so fabulously hilarious! I adore Dory more with each new book. In this one she meets the tooth fairy and saves her from Mrs. Gobble Gracker, Dory's arch nemesis.

Eugenia Lincoln and the Unexpected Package by Kate DiCamillo & Chris Van Dusen (Illustrations)

When Eugenia Lincoln receives an accordion from an anonymous benefactor, she is not impressed. At first she tries to return it to the manufacturer, but they do not take returns. When she puts an advert in the paper to sell it, a Monsieur Gaston LaTreaux arrives at her doorstep to give Eugenia lessons. 
 What you might not know about Kate DiCamilla, is that under the guise of writing for children, she writes important books for adults. Her Deckawoo Drive stories show how our interactions with children ensures our own metamorphosis. Kate shows us that we are never to old to change and be the best we can be.

The Princess in Black and the Science Fair Scare by Shannon Hale & LeUyen Pham (Illustrations)

Princess Magnolia sets off to a science fair. While she is there a monster pops out of a volcano. She changes into the Princess in Black and together with the Princess in Blankets, attempt to subdue the monster who is only looking for a home and something to eat. I like the science focus here, but I love that these princesses work together to find a solution that works for everyone, including the monster. The ending, that suggests that all princesses can be heroes, is the best!

BEST MIDDLE GRADE FICTION

Charlotte's Web by E.B. White (1953)

Of all the children's book I've read, this remains my favourite. I have read it more times than I can count. When I discovered an audiobook with E. B. White narrating it, I had to listen to it. I highly encourage adults to revisit the books of their childhood. It's amazing what we miss when we are young.

Front Desk by Kelly Yang (2018)

This book is brilliant. Mia Tang and her friend, Lupe, are characters you can't help but love and root for. While reading of her struggles at the motel her parents manage, I thought of the many immigrant students I taught and how they too worked for their families.

Good Dog by Dan Gemeinhart (2018)

This is a delightful tear jerker of a book. That doesn't mean it's simple. Brodie, the dog, has died, but wants to return to his life before because he has unfinished business. Tuck, the dog who accompanies him on his journey back, and Brodie, are marvellous characters, but it is Patsy, that ghost cat who is most fascinating.

Granted by John David Anderson (2018)

Wow! This is no wussy fairy book! It deals with important social issues and will leave you wondering about magic and how we can bring more of it into our world. We sure do need it. And then there is Sam, a goofy dog you will inevitably fall in love with.

Harbor Me by Jacqueline Woodson (2018)

This book is so beautiful. It's the story of six children from a special learning class who spend unsupervised time talking to each other once a week. The stories they share hold a finger on the pulse of American reality today. I don't think I've appreciated one of Jacqueline Woodson's novels this much since I read The House You Pass On Your Way. There are all kinds of places where I stopped and revelled in the writing, and often had to stop and write bits of it down. Just Wow!

Louisiana's Way Home by Kate DiCamillo (2018)

Louisiana just jumps off the page and into your heart. There is just so much I adore about this book. It's deeply philosophical. It's gut wrenching. It's got heart and soul. I cried with sorrow and joy. This is a must read middle grade novel that celebrates the best in all of us.

Me and Marvin Gardens by A.S. King (2017)

This is another brilliant novel by A. S. King. It is both magical and profound. It addresses the magnitude of environmental degradation we humans are perpetrating upon the earth. At the same time it deals with the more ordinary issue of friends growing up and apart. There are realistic issues of bullying, but the adults mostly step up to the plate when they are finally made aware. Marvin Gardens is an imaginary creature who eats plastic, and it is this strange creature who kept me wondering through the entire book. I would love to discuss this with others.

No Fixed Address by Susin Nielsen (2018)

Susan Nielsen creates beautiful characters: individuals you believe in and care about. Felix and his mother, Astrid, are homeless. We learn this from the get go. The rest is the revealing of what happened to get them to this place and what might happen next. My eyes leaked for the last 25 pages or so.

The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson (2018)

The story is set and told in alternative time frames: the present day and in 1957. Two youngsters, Candice Miller and Brandon Jones, set out to solve a decades old puzzle that involves the ramifications of a tennis match between a black and white team, and ends up being a search for a missing fortune. The historical aspects teach us much about life in America during the early days of the civil rights movement, while the modern day aspects show us how much has changed, and how much farther we have to go.

I love the references to novels and literature. I love these characters and their families!

Sweep: The Story of a Girl and Her Monster by Jonathan Auxier (2018)

This novel looks at the plight of chimney sweeps in Victorian England. It's got a bit of a Dickensian feel, but it is imbued with magic, including a loveable golem.It's the story of a sweep who finds a baby girl, Nan, and looks after her. He teaches her his trade, but he is also a story teller who fills their hardest times with love. The story unfolds in two sections. Italic text tells the story of Nan when she was still with her sweep. Regular text puts the reader into Nan's present.

The Sweet Spot by Stacy Barnett Mozer (2016)

First off, this book is about baseball, the one sport I love to watch. Second, Stacey Mozer has created authentic characters who grow and mature through the book. Sam Barrette loves baseball and is also very good at it. She's the only girl on her team and her coach rides her hard and complains about her attitude. When she goes away to baseball camp she has to deal with more misogyny, but manages to overcome these obstacles to become an even better player. The bit of romance is just right.

The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle by Leslie Connor (2018)

Mason Buttle's family has gone through some hard times in the past six years. Three deaths in your family will do that. The most recent death was Mason's close friend Benny Kilmartin, who died under suspicious circumstances. When Mason's new friend, Calvin, disappears, the lieutenant in charge looks suspiciously at Mason. Mason has all kinds of learning issues including synthesia so that he can't read or write. What he has is boundless loyalty, love for family and friends, and the capacity to look for good in everyone. Leslie Connor writes these characters with so much heart and soul, you can't help but love them as if they are real people.

Wish by Barbara O'Connor (2016)

Charlie Reese is a character you won't forget any time soon. She's got fiery spunk, maybe even a bit too much of it. In spite of having a mother who never gets out of bed, a father who's in a correctional facility, and a sister living far away, she manages to make a wish everyday. At first Charlie isn't happy having to stay with her Aunt Bertha and Uncle Gus. What changes things for her is being surrounded by their love, her friendship with Howard Odum and his family, and getting her own dog who adores her. I admit to getting all teary eyed more than once while reading this.

Middle Grade Novels From Series:

Dragon Overnight (Upside-Down Magic #4) by Sarah Mlynowski (Goodreads Author), Lauren Myracle, Emily Jenkins (2018)

I read two books in this series this year. Each time I read one, I am sure it is the best one so far. They tell the story of a group of children who have unconventional magic.

The War I Finally Won (The War That Saved My Life, #2) by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley 92018)

If you haven't read the first in this series, you should read it first. Both are heart wrenching novels of Ada, a young girl with a club foot. She was saved from an abusive family when children were shipped off to the country during the second world war. Both of the books in the series had me sobbing my eyes out.

BEST YA FICTION

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness (2015)

I put off reading this novel because I thought it was going to be a kind of horror story. Yes, there is a monster, but it isn’t the monster I anticipated. All this one wants is the truth. It’s never easy to lose anyone and this book resonates with this reality.

Dear Martin by Nic Stone

This book belongs on the same shelf as The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. While we can try to understand what it means to be black in America it's only when the experience is personalized that we really begin to apprehend the gravity of the reality. I was not prepared for the death in this book. I continue to reflect on the significance of this because while nobody should ever have to anticipate the possibility of it, I've come to realize that it's my white privilege that allowed me to be ignorant of what was to come. I appreciate the complexity in this book. Nice Stone has created authentic characters and posited them in untenable situations. I hope that we learn to do better by their real counterparts from reading literature like this.

La Belle Sauvage by Philip Pullman

Another Wow! This tells the story of two children who rescue and look after Lyra when she was threatened by different groups and individuals. It reminded me why I fell in love with the dark materials trilogy in the first place. It was such a joy to be back in this world. All these characters, the main and secondary ones, are richly drawn and compelling. Michael Sheen’s narration is perfection. At the same time as I couldn’t stop listening, I also didn’t want this tale to end. While this story wrapped up satisfactory, it still left me gnashing my teeth that I will have to wait for the next one.

Celia's Song by Lee Maracle (2014)

This beautifully written book, if you are able to let go of your own conceptions of reality, will show you that there is more than one way to know the world. It is a book about catastrophic loss, healing, justice and survival.
The characters in this novel inhabit a landscape where past, present and future, physical and spiritual realms exist simultaneously. It is historical in scope; from the beginnings of time for this group of indigenous people, through to the disasters of first contact with white people and on to residential schools, and the fallout in the present from all that.

Rebel Seoul by Axie Oh

I ended up loving this fast paced adventure much more than I anticipated. It’s got fabulous characters placed in a dystopian, futuristic Korean world. I loved the concept of genetic engineering creating super humans who still have the capacity to choose what is right. I appreciated the creative technology and the numerous political factions warring with each other.

Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin (2016)

Riley Cavanaugh, a sympathetic character, is witty, compassionate, smart and gender fluid. Riley's anonymous blog becomes an overnight sensation, but someone knows Riley is the author and threatens them. Riley's parents don't know about the blog or Riley's gender fluid identity.
I really liked this one. I liked the romantic relationship between Riley and Bec, and friendship between Riley and Solo. Although it is YA, and there is a violent incident near the end of the book, I would comfortably pass this on to students in grades 6 and 7. Ultimately it is a positive book with positive characters that will educate readers about what it means to be gender fluid.

We Are Okay by Nina LaCour (2017)

Holy carumba! this is one mighty fine book. That I wept reveals how emotionally invested I was in Marin, the protagonist.
I started listening to this book while traveling,  something I do regularly, but this time the world outside the story just disappeared. That’s how compelling and all encompassing it is. The story is loaded with grief and loss, but it’s also layered with love and mystery. It’s impossible not to love these characters as though they are real people. Read this and you will understand why why a book wins the Michael Printz award.

BEST ADULT FICTION

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck (1939)

There is a reason books win big prizes like the Pulitzer. Just the writing alone is jaw dropping, but its political and philosophical relevance across time takes my breath away. Set in the 1930’s, the Joad family are forced to leave their land in Oklahoma and migrate to California in search of work. The story is brutal, but the characters are beautiful. I really loved the alternating between the big picture sections and then showing the reader what this was like at an intimate level through the Joad family. It gave me insight into what it was like for my parents and in laws who were children at the time. That bleak ending shocked me and left me hanging, which I guess it was supposed to do. I’ll be carrying the Joad family around with me for a while. I wonder if Steinbeck had any ideas about what happened to them all.

Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (2017)

The best thing about historical fiction is what it teaches us about who we are, and what we don’t know about the world. I was a young teenager when this novel takes place. The only thing I knew from western media was about the starving Biafrans and how I better eat my vegetables. This book shows us, through the stories of three connected characters, how Biafra came to be and what it was like to live through the war. It's a compelling, absorbing read with fascinating characters that gripped me from the first page.

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman (2003)

Neil Gaiman has, as usual, spun a tale that sucked me completely into it. Richard Mayhew, an ordinary young businessman, aids a young woman and ends up trapped in a fantastical, dangerous world underneath London. I was caught up in his world and am hoping that there will be a sequel. However, since this book was first published in 1996, and one isn't available yet, it's highly unlikely. While reading it I was reminded of the Peter Grant series by Ben Aaronovich, which, if you haven't read yet, you should definitely treat yourself to.

Tilly and the Crazy Eights by Monique Gray Smith (2018)

This a coming of age novel for the older crowd. Tilly and a group of indigenous elders head out on a road trip to Albuquerque for the world's biggest Powwow.  Sure it's loaded with laughter and tenderness, but there is also loss, heartache and romance. A lot of learning and growing takes place. Each of the characters has issues to grapple with. Not the least are their histories of residential schools. I ended up weepy at numerous points in this book. Ultimately it's a heartwarming feel good read about a group of people who are survivors. What more can you want?

#IMWAYR July 9, 2018

#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 MentorTexts 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.

Because of family stuff, it was an intense week for me. I didn't manage to get in much reading until Saturday while travelling on a ferry back from Vancouver Island. I spent Saturday evening and Sunday lazing around curled up with books. Life will return to normal soon enough right?

PICTURE BOOKS

5 stars

Ocean Meets Sky by Terry & Eric Fan

This is my favourite Fan Brothers book so far. Beautiful story and beautiful images. Just Wow!

5 stars

A Day with Yayah by Nicola I. Campbell & Julie Flett (Illustrator)

This takes me back to the landscape of my youth and the times I went gathering wild plants with my family.

In this book a group of children go on a plant harvesting expedition with their Yayah (Grandmother) and other elders. Although I am familiar with many of these plants, I had no idea that some of them, like the arrowleaf balsamroot, are edible. The book integrates Nte?kepmxcin vocabulary and way of knowing the world into the story. There is a glossary with a pronunciation guide at the end of the book.

4 stars

Backyard Fairies by Phoebe Wahl

These gorgeous illustrations take the reader into the enchanted landscape of the Pacific Northwest Coast. I've meandered into these kinds of spaces numerous times, places I've been certain are inhabited by the wee folk. What is gorgeous about this book is it begins with this possibility of magic and then moves into a fantasy where evidence of the fey are discovered all around the young girl's world. It's written in rhyming poetry that works delightfully.

NONFICTION PICTURE BOOKS

4 stars

Who Says Women Can't Be Computer Programmers?: The Story of Ada Lovelace by Tanya Lee Stone & Marjorie Priceman (Illustrations)

I found this in my book bag after finishing up Enchantress of Numbers by Jennifer Chiaverini. There are some conflicts in the two narratives, most notably in that Chiaverini's version has Ada introducing the idea of punch cards to Babbage. What is clear in all the many books about Ada Bryon, is how she was able to envision the potential for the analytical engine even beyond that of Babbage himself.

CHAPTER BOOKS

5 stars

Dory Fantasmagory: Head in the Clouds (Dory Fantasmagory #4) by Abby Hanlon

Oh so fabulously hilarious! I adore Dory more with each new book. In this one she meets the tooth fairy and saves her from Mrs. Gobble Gracker, Dory's arch nemesis.

NOVELS

3.5 stars

Enchantress of Numbers by Jennifer Chiaverini

I want to give this 3.5 stars. This fictional account of the life of Ada Lovelace gives readers all kinds of insights into how she became the remarkable woman who is know as the world’s first computer programmer. I especially enjoyed reading the sections of this book that pertained to science and mathematics. It hasn’t been (and still isn’t) easy to be an intelligent woman in a patriarchal society.

GRAPHIC

5+ stars

The One Hundred Nights of Hero (Early Earth) by Isabel Greenberg

Five stars is not enough for how much I love this book. It's epically mythic. I became a fan of Isabel Greenberg's work when I read The Encyclopedia of Early Earth, the first of her Early Earth series. If you haven't yet read either of these, you need to fix that soon. I can hardly wait for her next book, but in the meantime, I'm going to see what other works of hers my library has.

CURRENTLY

I switched to a text version of Naomi Klein’s This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs the Climate because I couldn't stay focused in the audio version. I'm reading The Sweet Spot by Stacy Barnett Mozer. I just started listening to The Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes.

UP NEXT

Heart Berries by Terese Marie Mailhot is ready to go as my next audiobook. Other than that I'm planning on reading You Go First by Erin Entrada Kelly and finishing up the pile of picture books.

PROGRESS ON MY READING GOALS

#MustReadIn2018 17/25

 #MustReadNFIn2018 5/12 1 in progress

 #BigBookSummer 2/4 1 in progress

25 Books by Canadian Indigenous Authors 11/25

Goodreads Reading Challenge 233/333