Books-February 2012
1. Innocent by Scott Turow
2. Hera, the goddess and her glory by George O'Connor
3. Hades: Lord of the dead by George O'Connor
4. Lucky cap by Patrick Jennings (intermediate book)
5. Blackout by John Rocco (picture book)
6. Believing the lie by Elizabeth George
7. Friendship bread by Darien Gee (audio book)
8. Henry's heart by Cherise Mericle (picture book)
9. There but for the by Ali smith
10. Shopgirl by Steve Martin
11. 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
12. The night strangers by Chris Bohjalian
13. Queen of hearts by Martha Brooks
14. All these things I've done by Gabrielle Zevin
15. Take control of dyslexia by Jennifer Engel Fisher and Janet Price
16. It's raining cats and dogs by Michael Barton
17. Temple Grandin by Sy Montgomery
18. Maggie and Oliver by Valerie Hobbs (intermediate book)
19. Grandpa Green by Lane Smith (picture book)
1. Interesting sequel to Presumed Innocent written about 20 years ago and made into a movie starring Harrison Ford. Once again, Rusty Sabich is framed by his wife for murder, all could be prevented if he could keep his pants on.
2. A graphic novel about Hera and her place in the Greek mythology of the god of Olympia.
3. A second graphic novel (several more in the series) this time focusing on Hades. Good story telling.
4. While Enzo learns many lessons in this book for middle schoolers, I was not impressed with the narrative voice.
5. A sweet story of what happens when the lights go out., won a Caldecott Honor this year.
6. While I love reading George’s books and am eager to see the characters develop and their lives unfold, I kept thinking as I was reading: why is this so long? Couldn’t she do this in 300 pages instead of 500?
7. I listened to this as an audio book. Even though I could tell what would happen next and who would hook up with whom, I still enjoyed the story and the writing.
8. Hmmm, a boy wants a dog so badly that he makes himself sick, then the doctor prescribes a dog for the boy and when he gets the dog all is well? Must have to be a dog lover to love this book.
9. Big thumbs down. I read this book because it was recommended by a blog I follow, but it was boring, the plot was not linear enough to follow and there really was not much of a story (in my opinion!).
10. Really more of a novella than a novel. Mirabelle works at the glove counter of a department store meets and falls in love with Ray; he wants the sex and her presence in his life, but he does not want a permanent relationship with her. All is well in the end. Very good writing and the story is well told.
11. One of the longest novels I have read. Originally published in Japan as three separate books. Again, I thought the story, which was a good one and one that held my interest, could have been told in a much shorter space. Good moral questions can be brought to mind here.
12. Hate would be a strong word to use here, but I did not like this book and probably would not have finished it if I was not reading it for a book club. Turns me off from Bohjalian, an author that I used to really like.
13. Set in early 20th century in Canada, a family is stricken with TB and all three children must enter the local Sanitarium. This is well told from the POV of the oldest daughter, just a little romance to keep the interest level high.
14. A new young adult novel set about 70 years in the future. I loved the main character and felt that she made hard choices to protect her family; would give a reading group many things to discuss.
15. A how to book for young people with dyslexia. Well written and containing good advice, I would like to see them re-organize this to put some of the more esoteric pieces in appendices.
16. A good book for those who have a hard time understanding idioms. Could be used in classrooms as a way to get kids to think about the way we talk and write.
17. A biography of Temple Grandin for middle school and high school students. What a great story and this was well told with plenty of pictures and other artifacts.
18. I enjoyed this somewhat unbelievable historical fiction about a young orphan who finds a dog and her grandmother (in that order) when she is forced to live on the streets of Boston in the early 20th century.
19. A Caldecott Honor book, tells of the relationship between a young boy and his grandfather, using only the color green in the illustrations. Another good pick by the Caldecott team.
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Picture book of the month
It is almost the end of the month, so here is my picture book of the month. Granpa Green by Lane Smith was a Caldecott Honor book. The story line is simple, a young boy is talking about his great grandfather who has a garden full of topiary figures that add to the story of important events in the grandfather's life. The section I liked best was when the boy describes the books his grandfather read when he was home in bed with the chicken pox. "So he read stories about secret gardens and a little engine that could." This page is illustrated with depictions of a train and the lion, scarecrow and tinman. All kinds of connections!!
For all the grandparents out there. This is a fun book to share with the grandchildren, imagining what kinds of topiary we would all put in our gardens of life!
You can learn more about Lane Smith at his page on Penguin Books: http://us.penguingroup.com/nf/Author/AuthorPage/0,,1000029880,00.html
Enjoy!
For all the grandparents out there. This is a fun book to share with the grandchildren, imagining what kinds of topiary we would all put in our gardens of life!
You can learn more about Lane Smith at his page on Penguin Books: http://us.penguingroup.com/nf/Author/AuthorPage/0,,1000029880,00.html
Enjoy!
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Grammar and books for kids
I just finished reading Lucky Cap by Patrick Jennings. It is was a fast read for upper elementary students, primarily aimed at boys. The narrator gets a new cap with a brand name from his father's new employer and thinks it brings him good luck. Over the course of his first semester in middle school, he learns many valuable lessons about friendship, bullying and being true to oneself. But, there were a few things that bothered me about the book. Since the narrator was a 6th grade boy, there were occasional grammar lapses, particularly the expression: Me and my father, or some variation of that. While I know that this is how kids talk (and even some adults), I hate to read poor grammar in books for kids. Doesn't it just reinforce their poor grammar habits? What do you think?
The book is also a little boy-centric and has a few areas where I felt that girls were unnecessarily stereotyped. For example, when Enzo loses his special cap, he finds himself "bawling like a baby girl" and wiping away his "girlish tears." Come on, can't we do any better than this in the 21st century? Do we still have to portray girls as crybabies, even when it is the boy doing the crying?
The book is also a little boy-centric and has a few areas where I felt that girls were unnecessarily stereotyped. For example, when Enzo loses his special cap, he finds himself "bawling like a baby girl" and wiping away his "girlish tears." Come on, can't we do any better than this in the 21st century? Do we still have to portray girls as crybabies, even when it is the boy doing the crying?
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
January 2012 list
Books-January 2012
1. The winters in bloom by Lisa Tucker
2. Samantha on a roll by Linda Ashman illustrated by Christine Davenier (picture book)
3. The prince's new pet by Brian Anderson (picture book)
4. A plain and fancy Christmas by Cynthia Keller
5. Deadly housewives edited by Christine Matthews
6. Zombie tag by Hannah Moskowitz (intermediate book)
7. The cruelest month by Louise Penny
8. The pile of stuff at the bottom of the stairs by Christina Hopkinson
9. Dead end in Norvelt by Jack Gantos (intermediate book)
10. The surrender tree by Margarita Engle
11. Emily alone by Stewart O'Nan
12. A secret kept by Tatiana de Rosnay
13. Maine by Courtney J. Sullivan
14. 1225 Christmas tree lane by Debbie McComber (audio)
15. Little Bee by Chris Cleave
1. A quiet story about a couple who have both suffered loss. Their lives are changed when their son is kidnapped and then returned to them.
2. I always start the month determined to get through the stack of books on my desk and never quite succeed. But, this was a cute story of a little girl who takes off on her own, only to eventually return safely to her own home.
3. See my comments about the picture book of the month. A good story and works on many levels.
4. When two baby girls are sent home from the hospital with the wrong parents, their lives are changed forever. Years later the mistake is acknowledged and the to young women get to know their birth families. Since one family is Amish, it adds a little twist to an old story.
5. Short murder mystery stories. Most were good but not memorable.
6. What a weird book about pretend zombies and real zombies with real loss and grief mixed in. May appeal to some teens.
7. The third Louise Penny book I have read in the last few months. She is still high on my list and I will eventually catch up with her latest book. Check her out if you have not read any of her mysteries.
8. This has been compared to I don’t know how she does it by Allison Pearson (see March 2011). I thought it was similar in some ways, but I liked it better. Still a little bit whiny about all that women have to do that men never seem to even notice. Much truth to the whines, though.
9. Newbery winner. I was not impressed. Gantos can do so much more than this, I think.
10. A series of poems about the wars fought at the end of the 19th century in Cuba. Strong characters based on real people who fought for the right to have autonomy in their own country.
11. Had never read Steward O’Nan before. I liked this simple story of Emily, a widow living our her last years, completing simple tasks and wondering how she can connect with her children and grandchildren.
12. This book was not as well received as Sarah’s Key by the same author. For me, it was not spectacular, but it worked somehow. A story about the importance of relationships and learning to love oneself as you love others.
13. This was hailed as a comic novel. But, I did not see it as funny so much as full of pathos. The way the characters treated one another was too hurtful to be funny. I did like the writing and would read this author again.
14. I listened to this story and it was a little confusing as I think this story was written to wrap up a series set in this town in Oregon. The author was constantly referring to past events in the many different characters’ lives. Of course it ends with all stories neatly wrapped up and many happily ever afters.
15. One of the most powerful books I read this month. About a young refugee from Nigeria, how she gets to England and what happens when she gets there. Told in two voices. This was the library book club book and we had a very good discussion.
1. The winters in bloom by Lisa Tucker
2. Samantha on a roll by Linda Ashman illustrated by Christine Davenier (picture book)
3. The prince's new pet by Brian Anderson (picture book)
4. A plain and fancy Christmas by Cynthia Keller
5. Deadly housewives edited by Christine Matthews
6. Zombie tag by Hannah Moskowitz (intermediate book)
7. The cruelest month by Louise Penny
8. The pile of stuff at the bottom of the stairs by Christina Hopkinson
9. Dead end in Norvelt by Jack Gantos (intermediate book)
10. The surrender tree by Margarita Engle
11. Emily alone by Stewart O'Nan
12. A secret kept by Tatiana de Rosnay
13. Maine by Courtney J. Sullivan
14. 1225 Christmas tree lane by Debbie McComber (audio)
15. Little Bee by Chris Cleave
1. A quiet story about a couple who have both suffered loss. Their lives are changed when their son is kidnapped and then returned to them.
2. I always start the month determined to get through the stack of books on my desk and never quite succeed. But, this was a cute story of a little girl who takes off on her own, only to eventually return safely to her own home.
3. See my comments about the picture book of the month. A good story and works on many levels.
4. When two baby girls are sent home from the hospital with the wrong parents, their lives are changed forever. Years later the mistake is acknowledged and the to young women get to know their birth families. Since one family is Amish, it adds a little twist to an old story.
5. Short murder mystery stories. Most were good but not memorable.
6. What a weird book about pretend zombies and real zombies with real loss and grief mixed in. May appeal to some teens.
7. The third Louise Penny book I have read in the last few months. She is still high on my list and I will eventually catch up with her latest book. Check her out if you have not read any of her mysteries.
8. This has been compared to I don’t know how she does it by Allison Pearson (see March 2011). I thought it was similar in some ways, but I liked it better. Still a little bit whiny about all that women have to do that men never seem to even notice. Much truth to the whines, though.
9. Newbery winner. I was not impressed. Gantos can do so much more than this, I think.
10. A series of poems about the wars fought at the end of the 19th century in Cuba. Strong characters based on real people who fought for the right to have autonomy in their own country.
11. Had never read Steward O’Nan before. I liked this simple story of Emily, a widow living our her last years, completing simple tasks and wondering how she can connect with her children and grandchildren.
12. This book was not as well received as Sarah’s Key by the same author. For me, it was not spectacular, but it worked somehow. A story about the importance of relationships and learning to love oneself as you love others.
13. This was hailed as a comic novel. But, I did not see it as funny so much as full of pathos. The way the characters treated one another was too hurtful to be funny. I did like the writing and would read this author again.
14. I listened to this story and it was a little confusing as I think this story was written to wrap up a series set in this town in Oregon. The author was constantly referring to past events in the many different characters’ lives. Of course it ends with all stories neatly wrapped up and many happily ever afters.
15. One of the most powerful books I read this month. About a young refugee from Nigeria, how she gets to England and what happens when she gets there. Told in two voices. This was the library book club book and we had a very good discussion.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Newbery Winner
I just finished reading Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos. I was thinking of doing a post and then heard it was the Newbery winner, so that gave me the added incentive to get this done! I saw Gantos at the National Book Festival in September. You can see his talk if you go to this site: http://www.loc.gov/bookfest/author/jack_gantos/
He is hilarious, had the audience in stitches. He could definitely make a living as a stand-up comic. But, the book? Not so much. It kind of stretched on and on, the main character was likable, but the whole thing was just not what I look for in a good children's book. Interesting that the whole Newbery Committee could be so wrong. (Oh, that was said tongue in cheek!) Well, if you get bogged down in the book, like I did, just check out his National Book Fair talk. You'll get the gist of the story and it is quicker and pain free!
He is hilarious, had the audience in stitches. He could definitely make a living as a stand-up comic. But, the book? Not so much. It kind of stretched on and on, the main character was likable, but the whole thing was just not what I look for in a good children's book. Interesting that the whole Newbery Committee could be so wrong. (Oh, that was said tongue in cheek!) Well, if you get bogged down in the book, like I did, just check out his National Book Fair talk. You'll get the gist of the story and it is quicker and pain free!
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Picture book of the month
I will try to post one outstanding picture book each month. So many are coming across my desk and many are extremely high quality.
This month it is The Prince's New Pet by Brian Anderson.
In this cleverly illustrated story, the prince lives in a kingdom without color. When he receives a colorful wooglefoof for his birthday, the royal color catcher is determined to catch the wooglefoof and wipe out any color that it brings to the kingdom. Of course there is a happy, and colorful ending. But, it is also a book that can be used to talk about sorrow, joy, discipline and so much more! I loved the literate language in the book as well as the cartoon-like illustrations.
Here is a link to Anderson's website. Enjoy!
http://www.dogeatdoug.com
This month it is The Prince's New Pet by Brian Anderson.
In this cleverly illustrated story, the prince lives in a kingdom without color. When he receives a colorful wooglefoof for his birthday, the royal color catcher is determined to catch the wooglefoof and wipe out any color that it brings to the kingdom. Of course there is a happy, and colorful ending. But, it is also a book that can be used to talk about sorrow, joy, discipline and so much more! I loved the literate language in the book as well as the cartoon-like illustrations.
Here is a link to Anderson's website. Enjoy!
http://www.dogeatdoug.com
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Top Ten books of 2011
After looking through the books read in 2011, I have picked my top ten. These are books that stand out for me because the writing is exceptional and the book spoke to me in some way. While I read many enjoyable books in 2011, and some of my favorite go-to authors did not make the top books of 2011 list, these books are on the list because they were exceptional, not necessarily the most enjoyable, but definitely the most memorable books. Happy reading!
1) The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery (December)
2) South of Superior by Ellen Airgood (July)
3) One of Us by Mark Osteen (April)
4) The Nobodies Album by Carolyn Parkhurst (March)
5) Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones (June)
6) Middlemarch by George Elliot (July)
7) The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot (January)
8) Sweet Jiminy by Kristen Gore (October)
9) State of Wonder by Ann Pratchett (November)
10) Twelve Rooms with a View by Theresa Rebeck (May)
1) The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery (December)
2) South of Superior by Ellen Airgood (July)
3) One of Us by Mark Osteen (April)
4) The Nobodies Album by Carolyn Parkhurst (March)
5) Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones (June)
6) Middlemarch by George Elliot (July)
7) The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot (January)
8) Sweet Jiminy by Kristen Gore (October)
9) State of Wonder by Ann Pratchett (November)
10) Twelve Rooms with a View by Theresa Rebeck (May)
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