Monday Sharing - Terrific Books

   Visit Kellee and Ricki at UnleashingReaders and 

  

Jen at Teach Mentor Texts to see what they and others have been reading! Your TBR lists will grow! Happy Reading! 

      I finished the first book on my "Must Read" list and now am embarrassed that I ignored With the Fire on High for so long. 

Happy New Year! Here we go. . . Best wishes for a super year everyone!

          I'm not sure why I waited so long to read this? I loved 'The Poet X', so there is no real reason except other books got in the way. Elizabeth Acevedo managed to keep the "tension fire" on high on every page, showing the many layers of a young girl named Emoni Santiago who also in the four years we learned about, she also managed her many-layered life as Nena (by her abuela), Mommy (by her toddler born when she was fourteen), and Santi (by a new friend). Other numerous characters are fully drawn, reminding me of the quote, "Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind. Always." Slowly and lovingly, those battles are revealed, creating a group of people one wants to know better. Acevedo does allow peeks, and digs deep into the main ones, helping us to love each one of them, Emoni most of all. Early in the book, one of her thoughts is one you might want to know: "And that if everything else goes wrong, a little squeeze of lime and a bottle of hot sauce ain't never hurt nobody." Loving are the many food connections, listening to more of Emoni's love when she boils of pot of water "with the fire on high" and readies herself for what delicious thing might appear in her life next. It isn't all fun and she has those dark moments, but keeps going as us readers, and her family and friends, cheer for her. Thanks to Elizabeth Acevedo for this treasure of a girl and her story.

       

          This is a re-read, twice! It came through as a donation to the bookstore where I volunteer and I thought I'd read it again. It's good and well worth a look, for younger mid-grade readers who might like a look at another epidemic long ago. My full review is HERE on Goodreads.

         Wordless, coming via New Zealand, then Peru, Issa Watanabe offers a poignant story of immigrants using a group of anthropomorphic animals carrying just the clothes on their backs and a few other belongings. Shown, like the cover, in a stark background, they travel over rocky terrain and eventually climb into a boat, traveling in a stormy ocean which eventually falls apart and most manage to make the shore. Apart from the group is another traveler, death, moving with and sometimes flying with a blue ibis. I researched and could find no special meaning of a blue ibis, although in some places, a white ibis for some can mean danger and optimism. Not everyone survives the journey. One thing that struck me is that the array of animals were different, but Watanabe showed different ones caring for differing young ones. That felt important to notice. I also noticed the determined togetherness on every page. It's a powerful book that would be good to share and discuss with upper middle grade and up.

          

           Here is a gorgeous book by Katy S. Duffield that focuses on one environmental threat to so many different animals, freedom of movement through loss of habitat. With gorgeous mixed-media illustrations by Mike Orodán showing the new pathways (crossings) when animals have only dangerous ways to cross, Duffield explains when new areas have expanded people's thruways, many animals suffer. For example, squirrel gliders in Australia travel from one place to another to eat and breed. A very busy highway made that journey hazardous, so rope bridges have been created above this freeway in more than one place to keep those squirrels safe. High ropes for tiny monkeys in Costa Rica, highway underpasses in Montana for bears and their cubs, and similar underpasses for blue penguins in New Zealand are a few other examples. Additional information is added in the back matter. For a way to show students one more way, of the many, to help animals thrive, this is a great book! 

 

What's Next: As promised, Echo Mountain by Lauren Wolk! And I may find time to read the next Kenneth Oppel, Hatch!

          Wishing everyone a good reading week and some peace in your world!