Monday Holiday - Sharing New Books

              Visit Kellee and Ricki at UnleashingReaders and Jen at Teach Mentor Texts to see what they've been reading, along with others who post their favorites.  Your TBR lists will grow! Happy Reading!
          Share with the hashtag #IMWAYR

     
           I hope all of you are doing well and doing the best you can during this time. 





               Thanks to Candlewick Press/Walker Books for the advanced copy of this seaside adventure, out last week! Thomas Taylor has written a second wonderful adventure set on Eerie-on-Sea. The illustrations in the book are by Tom Booth, not all finished in this ARC, but those included add much to the exciting, sometimes scary atmosphere of Eerie-on-Sea. 
               Here is Herbert Lemon, still the Lost-and-Founder at the Grand Nautilus Hotel, teaming up again with Violet Parma, whom Herbie met in the last adventure. This time another 'thing' has washed up and found by Mrs. Fossil, beachcomber even in storms, owner of the Flotsamporium where she sells her finds. It's a mysterious bottle that happens to gleam with light, sometimes. The whole town, especially the fisherfolk, are ablaze. They see the bottle has "Eerie Script" written on it, know that it belongs to the ancient Gargantis who has been waked up and is causing the terrible storm that's coming, that might finally destroy the town. And they all claim it as theirs!
             Again, Herbert and Violet are the center of the tale, but Taylor's included regulars from the first book like Mrs. Fossil as mentioned above, and Dr. Thalassi, owner of the town's museum. Even characters met earlier that appear only a few times are memorable, like Seegol of Seegol's diner, serving up the sumptuous fish-and-chips and new fascinating characters like Blaze, captain of the Jornty Spark, helper in this adventure and persistent searcher for his uncle, Old Squint Westerly. 
            I love reading Taylor's stories, the details are extraordinary from the frightening to the descriptions that ensure we see everything in our imaginations. He introduces a villain named Deep Hood who seems to have a tentacle that can lash out from his hood and a sidekick called a clockwork crab. There are bits of solid friendship and support between Herbert and Violet that show the good feelings that come when a friend always has your back, no matter the danger. He even left a few questions, meaning there's bound to be still another trip to Eerie-On-Sea, and certainly with Herbert and Violet. I can't wait!

       I hope that my family and I can make it to the beach late in the summer and though we might not create a castle that looks like this one, it is fun to imagine new ways to build when reading this amazing book by Einat Tsarfati. Sad to say considering the social distancing we are supposed to be doing, the opening page of many, many people hanging out on blankets by the sea makes me sad and nostalgic for the way it used to be. But the illustrations are true-to-life from before, detailed and filled with color! 

       A young girl gazes at the sea, then sits and begins, saying "I love building castles in the sand. So I built a sandcastle." And what a castle she created! Wow! You can see from the cover that this isn't just "any" castle. She is that little one way up on top! People come to visit from all over the world, and they love it. I'm reading an e-copy and must imagine the glorious double-page spread of the interior, so many details show the private bedrooms, the public rooms like the library, the inner workings in the lowest "cellar" part, etc. Evening brings a wonderful party, but in the morning, ugh, trouble. The food looks elegant, yet guests stick out their tongues, complaining of sand, yes, in the food! This problem remains, in athletic contests, in sheets where they sleep. One Egyptian princess says it's even worse than a pea under a mattress! The ending, well, you must read to discover how this little girl who loves sandcastle-building solves it all. 

           I shared The Camping Trip by Jennifer Mann here a couple of weeks ago, and now I'm happy to share two more books about camping, both for younger readers, both lots of fun and things to think about! Thanks again to Candlewick Press for the copies!

         Who says dogs don't take care of their families? This could be re-titled McTavish Knows Best. Meg Rosoff shows he really does take notice of the family who does not often agree, on anything. This time youngest child Betty is trying to have the family go camping for their summer vacation choice. Ma Peachey does, too, and remembers a long ago campsite that has made a wonderful memory. Pa Peachey says terrible dangers wait; Ava, the older sister, only wants to read her philosophy books; and Ollie, the older brother, wants to find a dance place (and a girlfriend). They do go and despite the varied opinions, nice things do happen, all because of caring McTavish. It is a cute early reader, but would also make a nice read-aloud in order to discuss the different family members, how each one changes, at least a little bit.

           There is a life lesson to be learned in these Infamous Ratsos stories by Kara Lareau and this one is learned after a long and tiring day of camping by the Big City Scouts, not directly by them, but by their leader, Grandpa Ratso. He believes that the real motto is that every Scout should be able to solve problems without asking for help. After raising the tents, attempting a fire, and finding their way on a hike, they realize it's tough without advice. One person, toward the end, comes to the rescue, and a lesson is learned by all, including Grandpa. This too will be a great read-aloud for discussing. When is it time to ask for help? When should one try and try again? Another adventure by the Ratsos includes some humor, too, helped by the fun illustrations by Matt Myers.

What's Next: I finally received a couple more books from my favorite Indie. They have had so many orders, a wonderful thing, that it's taking a long time to receive the books (by mail). I have They Went Left by Monica Hesse and The One and Only Bob by Katherine Applegate.