Middle Grade Thursday: Happy Birthday Beverly Cleary

Beverly Cleary turned 100 on Tuesday. I would not be a librarian today if it weren't for her books. I remember going to the public library and heading straight to the C shelves to check out a book about Henry, Ramona, Risby or The Mouse and the Motorcycle. My very favorite Beverly Cleary book, published in 1981:



It was good to grow up in the 1980s! Thank you Ms. Cleary for your contributions to children's literature.


Here's the feature of Beverly Cleary from the Today show:

Picture Book Wednesday: Horrible Bear

Amy's Review:

Horrible Bear seems to be the story of a little red haired girl's encounter with a bear, but this book provides so much more. The book begins when a girl's kite flies into a bear's cave. The bear accidentally breaks the little girl's kite. The little red haired girl reacts poorly about the situation. The book continues with confrontation between the bear and the little girl that eventually leads to an apology and a friendship between the two characters. The thing I liked most about this book is the fact that it teaches multiple lessons. One lesson children can learn from this book is to watch what they say to people. Bear was perfectly pleasant until the little red haired girl called him horrible. Then he decided that he would show her how horrible he was. I think teachers can also use this lesson as far as students are concerned. Often if we are expecting students to act up then they do to prove us right. The other lesson children can learn is the importance of admitting you are wrong and saying you are sorry. A simple apology changes the entire dynamic between the bear and the little red haired girl. 

Ultimately, I think Horrible Bear is an excellent book for all readers. I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. 

FYI: this is my favorite page from this book. A little kindness goes a long way. 

Sara's Review:

Wolfie the Bunny was one of my favorite books of 2015, and I was thrilled to see that Ame Dyckman and Zachariah OHora teamed up for another book. Do you remember a time in your life when something horrible happens and you need someone to blame? Or when someone horrible blames you for something you didn't do? If so, you will be able to relate to the little girl, the bear or perhaps even both. Dyckman teaches a great message on conflict resolution without being preachy. This would also be a wonderful book to read when talking about emotions. OHora's illustrations are so colorful and vibrant. I love, love, LOVE the girl's hair! Just check out the end paper:

Horrible Bear is a five-star book and highly recommended for all school, public and home libraries.

New Book Tuesday 4/12

New books coming to my door:

I ordered some books using the online book fair option when the middle school I work at part-time had their Scholastic Book Fair. Here is what I bought:

Maybe I'll go a week without a trip to Barnes and Noble ;) Here's what I bought:

Happy Reading!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading

Sara:

For Newbery Pie, I finally finished Story of Mankind. This feels a little like climbing Everest. Okay, okay, a bit of hyperbole, but I've never been so happy to be finished with a book. Next up:

I am extremely lucky to have a reading community as a source of book recs. This is partially why I buy too many books. I bought this one on a friends recommendation and it was beyond awesome! I can foresee many, many rereads. 

I am reading and loving Linda Urban's newest book and will be reviewing it on Thursday:

Happy Reading!

YA Friday: Unbecoming

Three women from three different generations. After her boyfriend dies from a heart attack, Alzheimer's patient, Mary, comes to live with her estranged daughter, Caroline, and two grandchildren, Katie and Chris, who is disabled. Since Mary abandoned Caroline to be raised by her sister, Pat, Caroline is not at all happy with this arrangement. She is also frustrated with the other aspects of dealing with someone who has Alzheimer's: inability to recognize her, constant running away, refusal to bathe, etc. Katie, on the other hand, enjoys spending time with her grandmother, and helps her create a memory book to help her become less upset.

During the process of creating the memory book, stories from Mary's past are told in small vignettes. Katie discovers many secrets that her mother has not told her about her past, and pushes for more details. Katie is also exploring her own sexuality, and faces bullying at school after kissing a friend. She uses the memory book to express her own feelings along with Mary's memories.  The women in this book experience a lot of pain revealing these family secrets. Many false assumptions are made about the other person's intentions and feelings that could have been cleared up with communication.

Regarding the LBGT theme, I have three daughters and this book made me think about how I should react (or not) if they tell me that are not heterosexual:

1) I am not going to cry and act like they have harmed me.
2) I am not going to question them or act as if this is a "phase."
3) I am going to make sure they know that I love them for who they are.
4) I will accept and love whomever they love as long as that person is not abusive.

Middle Grade Thursdays: Alamo All-Stars

Here are 5 things I learned while reading Alamo All-stars, the seventh book in Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales series.

1) One of the leaders of the Texas colony, Stephen Austin, pushed for peace at every turn, and only agreed to go to the fight with Mexico when it was obvious that there was no alternative.

2) We may think of Texas as a warm state, but the Mexicans marched through snow to get to the Alamo.

3) Davy Crockett fought and died at the Alamo.

4) Mexican president, Santa Anna, ordered 300+ Texans to be executed by being shot in the back.

5)  Sometimes a series can get tired or formulaic. No worries with that happening here. Hale changes things up a bit; even the characters remark on it! This is one not to be missed.

New Book Tuesday 4/5

This week is about as severe as it gets for me a #bookaddict. Books scheduled to arrive today:

I went to two different Barnes & Noble stores last week. On Wednesday, I bought these books: 

On Friday, I bought two more. The first one is a new release today, but it was on the shelves Tuesday. Nancy Cavanaugh is special to us because she was the first author my daughter Carolyn met at Nerd Camp Jr. in Parma, Michigan in 2014. 

This last book is the April read for the Printz group on Goodreads.

Happy Reading!

It's Monday! What's Are You Reading?

Sara:

Still struggling with Story of Mankind. Here is what I posted on Facebook over the weekend about the book:

I decided to start the 1965 Newbery winner, which my co-blogger, Benji, had already read so we skipped it in our sojourn through the 1960s. 

I am also reading a YA novel that I will be reviewing on Friday.

Amy:

Picture Book Wednesday: Twenty Yawns

Sara's Review:

In Twenty Yawns, a little girl, Lucy, spends a lovely day at the beach with her family. Then she prepares for bedtime, but has difficulty going to sleep without her stuffed animals, which she goes throughout the house to collect. Jane Smiley's story is the perfect bedtime story for your little ones. And Lauren Castillo's illustrations:

Gorgeous! I give Twenty Yawns 5 out of 5 stars.

I was never into stuffed animals much as a child; my books alway helped me go to sleep. My children, however, are a different story. We have tried to institute the "one in, one out" rule, but they can never seem to part with any of their stuffed animals. We also have a two book rule only book for their beds; this rule is also frequently broken. It is a wonder my 2nd and 4th grader have any room to sleep for all the books and stuffed animals in their beds:

Amy's Review: 

When I first read Twenty Yawns I was reminded of my childhood. Those family vacations where we had so much fun and excitement. At the end of the day the adults would be tired but the kids were on excitement overload. I felt just like Lucy. I had a hard time going to sleep on those nights. Lucy's journey to find her favorite bear also reminded me of my childhood. I used to line all my stuffed animals on my bed before I went to sleep. I loved how the writing of Jane Smiley and the illustrations by Lauren Castillo come together to tell Lucy's story. I think that this picture book is an excellent bed time story for children and for nerdy adults like me. I give Twenty Yawns 5 out of 5 stars. 

Young Adult Friday: 12 Young Adult Novels w/ POC Protagonists

As I mentioned in last week's post about our new schedule, my reading as a young adult (in the mid-1990s) did not consist of YA literature. YA lit is extremely popular nowadays, not just among teenagers and educators either.

I recently watched author Grace Lin's amazing TED talk, in which she discusses growing up being ashamed of her ethnicity. I love her message that our children's bookshelves should be both mirrors and windows. Kids of all backgrounds need books that help them live in a world of growing diversity.




A pop culture sight I found that includes lots of YA content is Bustle.com. Check out their list of 12 Young Adult Novels w/ POC Protagonists.
Next week I will be reviewing a 2016 YA novel.