Monday - Books Shared

Visit Kellee and Ricki at UnleashingReaders and Jen at Teach Mentor Texts to see what they've been reading, along with everyone else who post their favorites. 

        


And Cathy Mere & Mandy Robek remind here that it's nearly time for #PB10for10! Are you getting ready?





Sixth-grader Obe Devlin has a lot of troubles. His beloved family farm has been gone for a while, most of it lost by a great-grandfather who "drank dirt" (you need to read it) and a small, beloved patch with a creek saved by a spunky great-grandmother. That 'patch' is where Obe lives and where, collecting trash that floats down into the creek, he discovers a wonder of a friend, one he is in need of, but this friend is nothing he's ever seen before, a combination of pig, dog, perhaps a peccary. Obe just isn't sure! We do discover other troubles, like his loss of his earlier best friend, gone to be with the crowd now living in the suburban homes built on the Devlin land. Obe tells this story, his problems, and his loves, like having still another friend from the bus named Annie, always with smiles and tissues for his constant nosebleeds. No worries, yes, there are worries. And A.S. King also lets Obe tell what's happening on this land 100 years ago, a perfect connection, but heartbreaking, too. The thread that binds is the environment. To Obe's science teacher, April is Earth Month, not just for one day, and it is she who tells about the need for everyone to do something to save the earth. Obe's love for nature, then for this new creature and his steadfast beliefs that make him stay lonely, showing his commitment to doing the right thing. You will love this character created by A.S. King. She writes that it took her a long time to write about losing a beloved cornfield, "something beautiful and magical replaced with something more convenient". I am so glad that she did.

         This is from my #MustReadin2019 list. Why did I wait so long?

        It's not the greatest dystopian book I've ever read, but it goes quickly and I imagine middle grade/early teens would love it. I'd love to see more character development, but perhaps that will happen in the next books. I am intrigued to think of what would happen if everything went dark, all electricity, all technology, and so on. It's like a sci-fi beach read, good for summer and I will read the next ones!

        This may be for younger readers, but my granddaughter going into 5th grade loved it, sympathized with this boy. He's going into first grade, is nervous about it, wishes he could stay in kindergarten. Later, he shares that his mother is pushing him to do more for himself. Is it proof that he's growing a bit more independent? After all, he chooses to sleep in the second tent with the tiger. I imagine this will bring many conversations about the meaning in the story. This beautiful story by Susan Choi is made even more so by John Rocco's fabulous illustrations. John Moffit writes "To look at any thing,/If you would know that thing,/You must look at it long". Rocco's paintings made me stop to look, to see well that gorgeous tiger. It's a lovely book.

          Thanks to Charlesbridge for these copies. I saved them for a while for when it really was time for "Back to School". Some schools start this coming week!

       It's wonderful for children to see their peers from all over the world IN school, traveling there, and doing activities like science, art, music, learning new languages, and sports. There is added information at the back with a world map, which includes where and how one learns, who is the teacher, good students and making friends. The very best about the book is the myriad of photographs of the world's beautiful children, smiling, interested in their learning, dressed for the schooling, happy! You can see one example from that wonderful cover.

        Lola's back on her first day of school, taking it slow, but happy to prepare all that's needed the night before, like the clothes she'll wear and the pencils and water bottle that will go into her backpack. Anna McQuinn has written multiple books for young children, all showing their lives in important things to them, like pre-school, going to the doctor and to the library. The Lola books are also available in Spanish.  This special day is shown simply and with positive, glowing pictures by Rosalind Beardshaw.

What's Next: I won't be posting except for #PB10for10, will be out of town next week visiting family. I'll probably take one of the adult books on my stack. Happy reading everyone and best wishes to those prepping and/or going back to school!