Thanks to: TeachMentorTexts for the inspiration! Thanks to Jen and Kellee for the meme! I had a fun reading week with a random assortment of books. I’ve been enjoying audiobooks a bit more, somehow completed listening to two books in one week. I’ve found that I’m starting to recognize some people who narrate different audiobooks. I always knew about Jim Dale since he is connected with the Harry Potter audiobooks, but a few others are familiar now… I really appreciate learning how to use Overdrive through my public library now- shocked I hadn’t taken care of it numerous years ago. Now, when I want to listen to an audiobook, first- I check on my free selections that I’ve been enjoying through http://www.audiobooksync.com — still going on!! and then I go to my public library audiobook selection. My only challenge is when I choose an extremely long title and only have 7 days to listen to it…
Picture Books:
Andrew’s Angry Words by Dorothea Lachner, illustrated by The Tjong-Khing - loved the point- if you share negative, it could possibly continue on. My son clapped and “got” it immediately. Goodreads Summary: “Andrew shouted angry words when his sister spilled his toys. He was instantly sorry, but Marion had already shouted the angry words over the phone to Ted. Andrew ran to Ted’s house–but it was too late. Ted had already passed them along, and the angry words were loose in the world. Children learn very early just how powerful words can be.”
Crouching Tiger by Ying Chang Compestine, illustrated by Yan Nascimbene – I just loved reading Revolution is not a dinner party by this author a few years ago, powerful historical fiction book. This is a lovely present day picture book celebrating different family generations getting to know one and appreciate one another. Loved the introduction to tai chi, the concept of patience, and the relationship development between grandfather and grandson. Beautiful picture book! Goodreads Summary: “Vinson is very excited when his grandfather comes from China for a visit. When Grandpa practices tai chi in the garden, Vinson asks to learn, hoping it will be like kung fu, full of kicks and punches. But tai chi’s meditative postures are slow and still, and Vinson quickly gets bored. He can’t understand why Grandpa insists on calling him by his Chinese name, Ming Da, or why he has to wear a traditional Chinese jacket to the Chinese New Year parade. As the parade assembles, however, he notices the great respect given to his grandfather and the lion dancers under his training. And when Vinson is offered a role in the parade, he realizes that being part Chinese can be pretty cool—and is ready to start learning from his grandpa’s martial-arts mastery in earnest.”
Fiction Books:
The Real Boy by Anne Ursu – Note- normally I don’t post about advanced reader copies of books but I don’t want to overlook the opportunity to share about this brilliant book- date out: September 24th, 2013. Wow, I was quite surprised to find a connection between this fantastic new book and an audiobook I just completed. What a world Anne Ursu created! I just read the advanced readers copy of this book and can’t wait to get the official copy in my hands to pass to readers… Interesting storyline with a boy who is unsure of his past and living in a pretty complicated situation as a hand to a local magician who passes along spells to those who pay for them. The book was packed with suspense, adventure, and the development of a character who learns to empathize, communicate, and predict what people need instead of only feeling comfort living amongst cats who he easily communicates with and a forest that he feels at home in, when collecting supplies for his magician. I was a little surprised at how one huge issue was quickly resolved in the book, but as the plot unfolded, I became more and more impressed. I enjoyed the book, how it drew me into another world full of dark mysteries, interesting magical history, and use of natural remedies for illness. Additionally, I appreciated the underlying message= don’t forget about your past/disregard your past, it can come back and punish you for disregarding the lessons it has for you. Goodreads Summary: “On an island at the edge of an immense sea there is a city, a forest, and a boy. The city is called Asteri, a perfect city that was saved by the magic woven into its walls from a devastating plague that swept through the world over a hundred years before. The forest is called the Barrow, a vast wood of ancient trees that encircles the city and feeds the earth with magic. And the boy is called Oscar, a shop boy for the most powerful magician in the Barrow. Oscar spends his days in a small room in the dark cellar of his master’s shop grinding herbs and dreaming of the wizards who once lived on the island generations ago. Oscar’s world is small, but he likes it that way. The real world is vast, strange, and unpredictable. And Oscar does not quite fit in. But it’s been a long time since anyone who could call himself a wizard walked the world, and now that world is changing. Children in the city are falling ill and something sinister lurks in the forest. Oscar has been content to stay in his small room in the cellar, comforted in the knowledge that the magic that flows from the trees will keep his island safe. Now, even magic may not be enough to save it…”
The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis – for some reason, I really, honestly thought I’d read this book. I really hadn’t. This is part of Hong Kong Battle of the Books this coming year for my 4th/5th graders. It is a book I wouldn’t honestly choose for battle of the books because it is brilliant, powerful, and upsetting- I really don’t feel like some of my 4th graders/Year 5 students are ready for this book. There are such violent acts within the book that I shuddered a little. When I read a book years ago- A Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman, I debated having the book in my library. There was one violent act that made me concerned whether it would be appropriate for elementary school. Now, I read this amazing story that really puts you into the shoes of a young girl in Afghanistan under Taliban rule and how she and her family members survive the restrictions creatively. Really not sure whether the exposure to violence is appropriate but instead of pulling the book from the selection, I think I’ll give warnings about it. It was well worth the read. I also cannot wait to read the next book in this series. Goodreads Summary: “Since the Taliban took over Afghanistan, 11-year-old Parvana has rarely been outdoors. Barred from attending school, shopping at the market, or even playing in the streets of Kabul, the heroine of Deborah Ellis’s engrossing children’s novel The Breadwinner is trapped inside her family’s one-room home. That is, until the Taliban hauls away her father and Parvana realizes that it’s up to her to become the “breadwinner” and disguise herself as a boy to support her mother, two sisters, and baby brother. Set in the early years of the Taliban regime, this topical novel for middle readers explores the harsh realities of life for girls and women in modern-day Afghanistan. A political activist whose first book for children,Looking for X, dealt with poverty in Toronto, Ellis based The Breadwinner on the true-life stories of women in Afghan refugee camps.
In the wily Parvana, Ellis creates a character to whom North American children will have no difficulty relating. The daughter of university-educated parents, Parvana is thoroughly westernized in her outlook and responses. A pint-sized version of Offred from Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, Parvana conceals her critique of the repressive Muslim state behind the veil of her chador. Although the dialogue is occasionally stilted and the ending disappointingly sketchy, The Breadwinner is essential reading for any child curious about ordinary Afghans. Like so many books and movies on the subject, it is also eerily prophetic. “Maybe someone should drop a big bomb on the country and start again,” says a friend of Parvana’s. “‘They’ve tried that,’ Parvana said, ‘It only made things worse.’”"
Encyclopedia Brown Finds the Clues by Donald J. Sobol – we’re getting to the point where my kiddo is catching the clues more often. Quite fun to watch his listening skills/reading skills grow! 3rd book in the series. Goodreads Summary: “Encyclopedia Brown is confronted with ten new cases. Solutions are given in the back of the book.”
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Early Chapter Book:
Captain Fact’s Space Adventure by Knife & Packer - I’d heard very little about this book series but I enjoyed reading this book. I know it is quite appealing to numerous students but especially reluctant readers who enjoy reading Captain Underpants and non-fiction books. This book is a combination of both. When I read this book I connected it with the Flying Rhino book series by Ray Nelson. I really loved sharing the series with students and pulling the book when it connected with curriculum/research times. The book similar to Captain Fact’s Space Adventure is Connie and Bonnie’s Birthday Blast-Off by Ray Nelson. I also highly recommend visiting this webpage, it is pretty fantastic information presented on various topics and fun how-to-draw instruction as well. https://fraboom.com
Audio Books Enjoyed:
Noah Barleywater Runs Away by John Boyne, illustrated by Oliver Jeffers - Interesting storyline, fascinating characters and stories revealed throughout. The twists and reveals are pretty fantastic yet somewhat upsetting. I think since this was an audiobook listen I will reread this book later in the summer to see the illustrations that accompany the text. Can’t wait! This is part of the Hong Kong Battle of the Books list for next year. Quite happy to continue reading my way through the end of the list. Goodreads Summary: “In Noah Barleywater Runs Away, bestselling author John Boyne explores the world of childhood and the adventures that we can all have there. Noah is running away from his problems, or at least that’s what he thinks, the day he takes the untrodden path through the forest. When he comes across a very unusual toyshop and meets the even more unusual toymaker he’s not sure what to expect. But the toymaker has a story to tell, a story full of adventure, and wonder and broken promises. And Noah travels with him on a journey that will change his life for ever.”
Clockwork Angel- The Infernal Devices Book One by Cassandra Clare -I didn’t enjoy this audiobook as much as I expected to. Perhaps I need to listen to it again, I’m not certain. I know I followed all the twists and turns and thought they were well planned out… just didn’t really connect with any character or get quite invested in the book enough. Shall see when the mood strikes me to read this again. Goodreads Summary: “Magic is dangerous—but love is more dangerous still. When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her destination is England, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrifying is waiting for her in London’s Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Only the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons, keep order amidst the chaos.
Kidnapped by the mysterious Dark Sisters, members of a secret organization called The Pandemonium Club, Tessa soon learns that she herself is a Downworlder with a rare ability: the power to transform, at will, into another person. What’s more, the Magister, the shadowy figure who runs the Club, will stop at nothing to claim Tessa’s power for his own. Friendless and hunted, Tessa takes refuge with the Shadowhunters of the London Institute, who swear to find her brother if she will use her power to help them. She soon finds herself fascinated by—and torn between—two best friends: James, whose fragile beauty hides a deadly secret, and blue-eyed Will, whose caustic wit and volatile moods keep everyone in his life at arm’s length . . . everyone, that is, but Tessa. As their search draws them deep into the heart of an arcane plot that threatens to destroy the Shadowhunters, Tessa realizes that she may need to choose between saving her brother and helping her new friends save the world. . . . and that love may be the most dangerous magic of all.”
Presently beginning the audiobook of The Fire Chronicle by John Stephens- Jim Dale as a narrator is pretty fantastic! – Book is the sequel to The Emerald Atlas.
Want more book ideas and reviews? – Yes, I’m quite brief, but a prolific reader! Please visit me at Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1941055-the-styling-librarian Also, please follow this blog through email updates – (do so to the right of this blog post), my Facebook page, comment, or meet up with me on Twitter. I appreciate all of the support, makes my day! Honored by all the wonderful followers.
Filed under: Book Recommendations, Book Review, Books, Weekly Reading Update
