A Song for Cambodia

A Song For Cambodia by Michelle Lord is an excellent picture book for my elementary students about the events that occurred in Cambodia. I am sure my students know nothing of the Khmer Rouge and this book is written at a level they will understand. They will also be able to connect with Arn who is a young boy living through a horrible war. Because there are illustrations and not photographs my students will ask many times (even after I tell them) whether this is fiction or non-fiction. They are always amazed by the non-fiction stories and this will be no exception.

Backcast

I am no fisherman (or fisherwoman) but I did enjoy reading Backcast by Louis Ureneck, whose memoir discusses his childhood, marriage, divorce, and parenting and how fishing has been a large part of every segment of his life.Ureneck's childhood was marked by poverty. Raised by a single mother, he yearned for a father-figure. He also spent hours fishing, even practicing how to cast away from the water. It is no surprise that Ureneck, a journalist spent hours reading while growing up. His marriage and time raising his family was one marked by professional success, yet he and his wife grew apart, and end up divorcing. As a product of divorce, Ureneck had always believed that was something that he would never allow to happen to him. He struggles through this time in his life, and he tries to repair the rift that has occurred between him and his son, Adam. Their fishing trip to Alaska is an attempt to reconnect and Ureneck chronicles their interaction in Alaska and the how this trip altered their relationship. Even though I don't know anything about fishing and I think my husband would really enjoy reading about that aspect, I really liked the parts of the book that Ureneck spent recounting his history and how fishing impacted him. As I have said numerous times, I love memoirs. Backcast would appeal to outdoor lovers, fishermen, and readers looking for a good memoir.

Everyone Is Beautiful

Last weekend I read Everyone is Beautiful by Katherine Center and enjoyed it thoroughly. While I wouldn't call this book chick lit, it is a fun and fast read. Lanie Gilbert, mom to three small boys is overwhelmed when she and her husband move from Houston to Cambridge, Massachusetts. In her busy-ness to care for growing family, Lanie has lost a bit of herself. On her first day in Cambridge she is embarassed at the park when another mother asks her when she is due - even though she hasn't been pregnant for ten months. Lanie sets about to reclaim some of herself - taking up photography, starting to exercise, and developing some friendships with other adults - all things she had neglected for a while. Other problems befall Lanie: she and her husband go through some trying times as well. It is the ending that I most enjoyed. Lanie never achieves perfection, but she is able to see beauty in herself and in others.

Gennifer Choldenko Visit

I just got back from meeting Gennifer Choldenko, author of Al Capone Does My Shirts. She gave a great talk to our school's group of fifth grade students at our local public library and I was so glad to be able to attend. I read Al Capone back when it was first published and enjoyed it a great deal....it also got me very interested in Alcatraz Island which caused me to purchase Children of Alcatraz: Growing up on the Rock by Claire Rudolf Murphy, a non-fiction book about life on Alcatraz Island for the children who lived there.

Choldenko was so knowledgeable about Alcatraz and Al Capone that she had her audience captivated- both the children and the adults. Her newest book, Al Capone Shines My Shoes was there on display and there were many of us there who looked longingly at it.

In addition to talking about Alcatraz, Choldenko also discussed her career as a writer. As an adult, and someone who would someday love to write a book, I am always interested to hear how others achieved success in writing. Choldenko's first book was amazingly published quickly. However, between her first and second book (Notes From a Liar and her Dog) seven years passed. Even Al Capone, which Choldenko thought was her best work, edited and revised many times.
I was quite excited to have her sign my copy of Al Capone and get a picture taken with her. Some people want to meet rock stars or athletes. Me? How about a children's author!

Big Plans

Big Plans by Bob Shea and Lane Smith is one of those picture books that I really looked forward to getting my hands on. I just happened across it at the library over the weekend and hurriedly checked it out to read to my girls. My two year old got up while I was reading to inspect something in the closet. My five year old started singing to herself and my seven year old rolled her eyes while I was reading. Despite their reaction, I really liked this book. The boy in this story has big plans. On his way to realize these plans he shouts things: "Listen up, big shots, bigwigs and muckety mucks....", and "'Look, are you a naysayer?' I'll say. 'Do you say nay'? I say." There are so many catchy little phrases included in this book that my children had no idea about. So, maybe I didn't do a good job selecting my audience. I'm willing to try with an older crowd...but I really feel like the book is intended for some group of kids, or maybe adults, who will "get" the humor. There aren't a lot of kids around with such a grasp on these humorous phrases who will actually find them funny. They might get the plot- that the boy is intent on realizing his big plans, which include becoming president and telling the world of his big plans, but the plot, while entertaining is only half of the story. I would so like to try this with a certain group of ninth graders who "got" a lot even when I taught them back in first grade. I can almost see them laughing now.

Lane Smith's illustrations are wonderful as he uses collage as well as photographs on some pages. Just as in Madame President there is a lot to look at and notice and think about.

I'm not giving up on this book yet....I will try it with a few other age groups and see if there is any eye rolling going on.

Chasing Normal

Chasing Normal by Lisa Papademetriou is a nice middle grade novel I enjoyed reading. Mieka is growing up in Boston with her father, an artist. When his mother who he is estranged from has a heart attack in Houston, the two travel to see her, staying with Mieka's aunt and her family. Mieka can't get over how different things are in Houston than in Boston. The weather in Houston is so hot and muggy for one thing, and they spend all their time trying to avoid going outside. It isn't just the weather that is different, though. Mieka's Nana (her mother's mother) lives in Boston and runs a consignment shop. Mieka is close to Nana and misses talking with her a lot. She is also struck by how un-normal her family is compared to her aunt's. At first Mieka thinks her aunt and cousins have a perfect life - beautiful home, beautiful clothes....it is only after Mieka and her father sit down and talk that she realizes that even her aunt and her family have their struggles....maybe there is no "normal." Mieka's grandmother in Houston is the opposite of Nana. She is mean and judgemental and seems to enjoy hurting everyone's feelings. Mieka has to come up with a way to deal with Grandma and all her insults. In addition to all of this, Mieka's cousin, Greta, who is the same age, is a hard person to measure up to. Greta appears perfect- great clothes and great hair, definitely in the popular crowd - which is something Mieka isn't a part of in her own school. Greta is nice to Mieka and tries to include her in her own social circle, even though they do go through their own rocky patches.

Papademetriou does a good job of creating a realistic character who is going through some struggles while trying to mature. Mieka is so believable and likeable - everybody can relate to her; she shows readers what it is like to make mistakes and grow up.

No Cream Puffs - Realistic Fiction or Historical Fiction?

I am reading No Cream Puffs by Karen Day and thoroughly enjoying it. Madison is a twelve year old girl in 1980 and the first girl on an all boys little league team. Madison loves baseball and has great ability, however, she loves playing ball and NOT the attention that goes with being the first girl to blaze this trail. Madison is also struggling with issues twelve year old girls deal with - growing up, developing physically, noticing her appearance and boys for the first time, and trying to hang on to some friends even though they are growing in different directions. Madison has also put her absentee father on a pedestal. He was a great baseball player in college and Madison is sure that if he knew her now as she has grown up, he would want to be part of her life. Day has created suspense as well as we root for Madison's team at each game as the season progresses and at the championship game as Madison must face Billy, the boy she got into a fistfight with at the beginning of the novel when he made fun of her chest.

As I am telling others about this book, I never know if I should say it is realistic fiction or if I should say it is historical fiction. What makes something cross the line from one genre to the other? I ask myself this many times when I am pulling books for genre studies as I debate between whether something is historical fiction or realistic fiction. I think I will always consider Judy Blume's books realistic fiction, with perhaps the one exception being Starring Sally J. Freedman as Herself. The same is true for Beverly Cleary, even though they were written a while ago. However, this book is set in 1980 (which scares me that something set 29 years ago - a year I can remember! is historical fiction), and deals with issues that are unique to that time period- gender equity in sports and the 1980 hostage crisis in Iran. So, because of this I lean toward this book being historical fiction. Is it possible for books to fall into more than one genre? What about when teachers are trying to use these books for genre studies and need them to be one genre, not both? Is there a line somewhere that defines this? What does everyone else think?

Perfect You

I've been hearing a lot about Elizabeth Scott lately, so I finally decided to read one of her young adult books. I will admit I had mixed feelings about Perfect You. When the book started I really had a hard time getting into it. The whole idea that Kate's father has quit his job to sell vitamins at the mall seems sort of unbelievable, and not really all that interesting. Kate also has a few other problems: her grandmother has come to live with them for a while, bringing along her expectations and demands; Kate's best friend Anna has come back from a summer away and no longer acknowledges Kate now that she has lost weight and joined the popular crowd. And along with her father's job change, the family faces a financial crisis as her father refuses to accept responsibility for things. Scott has written a novel with a lot going on. After I got past the fact that the idea of Kate's dad selling vitamins seemed unrealistic, the book did become more interesting. I also enjoyed the story about Kate and her friend, Anna. Kate so desperately wants Anna to still be her friend, and eventually she can see glimpses of the real Anna underneath her old friend's new hair do and new body, but Anna is so caught up in her new popular lifestyle that she really doesn't have room for Kate. Kate puts up with this for a while, but I liked that Scott allowed Kate to develop some self worth and realize how Anna's friendship was not genuine. Kate also begins to date Will, a boy from school who has a bad reputation. This, too, was interesting, as it unfolded that Will's reputation was not really how Will is, but just the product of what different people had made up and said about him.

I can definitely see why these books are appealing to young adults. While I didn't love Perfect You, I did enjoy it, and will definitely try a few more of Scott's books.

Keeping Corner

As I have mentioned many times, I love historical fiction books. Keeping Corner by Kashmira Sheth is set in Ghandi-era India. Leela is twelve years old and already married when the novel begins. She is preparing to go and live with her husband and his family, when he suddenly and tragically dies. The death of her husband changes Leela's life forever. She must spend a year in mourning, keeping corner, not leaving her home. Even after that year is over she will forever be marked as a widow. Her head must be shaved, she can wear no jewelry and there is little for her to look forward to. However, times are changing in India. While Leela is from a small town, her brother is an adult and has moved to a city where he sees more modern ideas and begins to question the practices that have always been observed. It is his constant fighting for Leela to get to continue her education, to not be forever penalized for her husband's death that causes friction in their family, but ultimately causes Leela's family to reevaluate how things have always been done.

Sheth's own great aunt had been a child bride in India who was widowed and experienced keeping corner, shaving her head, and fought for her right to continue to live despite her widow status. This book provided a fascinating look at a time in history that I enjoy reading about, and about a topic I didn't have a great deal of knowledge of.

Revenge of the Spellmans

I just got done reading Revenge of the Spellmans by Lisa Lutz. This is a great addition to Lutz's previous books about Isabel Spellman and her family full of private detectives. I remember reading the first book, The Spellman Files a few years ago. I enjoyed it and thought Lutz was clever, but I am not sure I really "got it." Lutz is very creative with her chapter numbering system, and has created a very clever way of writing. The second book is one I also enjoyed, and actually it is that book that I remember quite well, especially as I was reading this book when it was referenced numerous times. Revenge of the Spellmans was well written, suspenseful, and equally as clever as Lutz's other two books - and this time I "got it." Isabel continues to resist her parents attempts at having her work for their agency. Her younger sister, Rae, continues to confound her parents and everyone else. David, her older brother, is recovering from his recent divorce, and Isabel tries to solve a case on her own. I was sad to see her friend, Morty, move to Florida with his wife, since I have always found him an enjoyable character, but perhaps Lutz has a plan for allowing us to see Morty again. This book is also a fast read, and right now, as my stack of books doesn't appear to be getting any smaller, that is a good thing.

A Wedding In Our Family

Yesterday was my sister's wedding...we spent the day getting pictures taken, eating some great food, and congratulating the newlyweds. We were all very tired when we got home last night.

Top- the bride and groom with the flower girls...3 are mine

Middle- our family- my parents, my brother and his family, my sister and her husband to be, and my family

Bottom - 4 of the flower girls: my 3 daughters and their cousin

Charles and Emma

Charles and Emma: The Darwins Leap of Faith by Deborah Heiligman was interesting and thought provoking. This year celebrates the anniversaries of Abraham Lincoln's and Charles Darwin's birth - both were born on the exact same date - and while I had heard of many books that were published to commemorate Lincoln's birth, this is only one of two books that I have seen recently published about Darwin. I will also admit that besides my rather limited knowledge of Darwinism I knew nothing about Charles Darwin's life.

Heiligman's book does a wonderful job of creating a picture of Charles Darwin as a real person - one who struggled with his scientific findings and what that meant to his own personal religious beliefs and those of others, specifically his wife Emma's. Emma was a devout Christian and when Charles was first interested in marrying her, his father, Dr. Darwin, instructed Charles to keep his religious doubts a secret. Charles didn't heed his father's advice, and luckily for him, his wife was open-minded and one of his strongest supporters. Emma and Charles' marriage was a true partnership. The two had ten children together, losing three before adulthood. Emma supported her husband's work, and while she continued to pray for him and remain true to her own religious convictions, she was able to see the value in Charles' work and believed in the things he had discovered.

Heiligman does a wonderful job of making the Darwins real people. She also does a wonderful job of showing what a true moral/religious dilemma Charles' discoveries created. While no right or wrong beliefs are given, there are many things to think about while reading this book, and it is very apparent what sort of dilemma Darwin's work presented to devoutly religious people.

This book is best suited for high schoolers - perhaps younger students could understand the story, but the issues involved may not be entirely understood or evaluated by younger readers.

Library Mouse: A Friend's Tale

In the fall I read Library Mouse by Daniel Kirk to my students. It was enjoyed by both lower and upper elementary students. Today I read Library Mouse: A Friend's Tale by Daniel Kirk. This second book was equally as enjoyable as the first. Sam, the library mouse, is back. This time when Mrs. Forrester's class uses the library to write their stories, Tom doesn't have a partner to work with. Sam, who is quite shy comes out at night, but one night when retrieving his notebook, he steps in an inkpad, leaving a trail of footprints to his hole. Tom is able to figure out who Sam really is and leaves him some treats. Eventually the two collaborate on a story, with one writing it and the other illustrating it. Sam's identity remains a secret much to his and Tom's relief. I think Kirk's latest work is another good addition to what I hope is a collection of Library Mouse books.

Handle With Care

Handle With Care by Jodi Picoult is the newest of Picoult's work, and the book I stayed up late reading last night. I have read different reviews of this book, and a few friends have read it already. I am anxious to discuss it with them a bit more now that I am finished, but they have shared with me some very basic ideas that I would agree with.
First of all, the story is told by various narrators: Amelia, Sean, Charlotte, Piper, and Marin. Charlotte and Sean have two daughters, Amelia a teenager, and Willow, who is six and suffers from osteogenesis imperfecta, or brittle bone disease. Charlotte's best friend, Piper, was also her ob/gyn and the person who read the ultrasound when Charlotte was pregnant with Willow. Six years have passed and Willow has broken many bones in her short life. Charlotte and Sean have struggled financially and emotionally in caring for their disabled child and Amelia has often felt neglected. When the opportunity arises for them to file a wrongful birth lawsuit, Charlotte is persuaded - not because she wishes Willow had never been born, but because she loves her so much that she wishes for her to have some security in her life, something that could happen if she won a huge amount of money in a lawsuit. Piper is stunned when her best friend sues her for wrongful birth and much of the book is devoted to the aftermath of this decision. Marin Gates, who narrates chapters in this book is Charlotte's attorney. She had been given up for adoption as an infant, and despite a loving relationship with her adoptive family longs to know her birth mother. This personal struggle she is having also puts her at odds with representing Charlotte, as she is thankful her birth mother never had the opportunity to decide if she did not want to even give birth to Marin.
In true Picoult fashion this book contains a twist at the end. I agree with my friend, Kristin, who commented that the twist was unnecessary - and perhaps only written in because that is Picoult's style. There were several other issues I (and the others who read this that I know) had - the lack of involvement or awareness of Amelia and her problems seemed somewhat unrealistic, as did the whole premise of the lawsuit. Picoult loves a moral dilemma, and she has delivered it once again in Handle With Care. My Sister's Keeper and Nineteen Minutes still stand as my two favorites, and despite my criticism of this book, I did enjoy it, and she did keep me reading anxiously until the very end.

Wild Girls by Pat Murphy

Yesterday I developed a very annoying pain in my jaw/tooth/cheek which turned out to be a sinus infection. I managed to see the dr., get some medicine, but still couldn't sleep last night. So, I stayed up and read a book. I absolutely loved Wild Girls by Pat Murphy, which I have read some review on in the past, and only had tucked the title away somewhere in my memory so that when I saw it in the library I decided to pick it up. I also almost returned it without reading it because I just could hardly get by the cover. Yuck.
If you can make it past that, which I don't think a lot of kids will, the story is wonderful. Murphy has written a middle grade novel about two friends. Joan has just moved to California from Connecticut and meets Fox (Sara) in a wooded area by her home. Fox lives with her father, a writer, and has constructed a story about a fox she sees in the woods, who she claims is her mother. While Fox knows her story isn't true, she likes it better than the reality: that her mother left her five years ago and she hasn't seen her since. Joan and Fox become friends, even though Joan is also friends with some other girls at school, too. Joan and Fox enter a writing contest together and win for their story, Wild Girls. The two attend a special writing school during the summer, where they learn writing technique and a lot about life and looking at things from many angles. Joan's own family life is stressful, as her parents continue to fight with each other, and her father continues to belittle them all. While Joan learns about subtext in her writing class, she is able to understand the concept when she sees how her father treats others as well.
I really felt like this book was so well written it could have won an award, but has flown under the radar and not received a lot of press. I have been told the paperback has a better cover on it, so am hopeful that it might appeal to some middle grade readers. While Murphy teaches her characters about subtext and writing, there were so many opportunities for readers to learn the same lessons, and this is one book I would enjoy reading again.

Gooney Bird Is So Absurd

I am reading Gooney Bird Is So Absurd by Lois Lowry. I can't believe that I have never read the Gooney Bird books before. I am loving this one! I am not overly excited about Junie B., and this is a great substitute. I actually think I would equate it to Amber Brown, who I also enjoy. This title focuses on Gooney Bird and her class learning about poetry - perfect for April, National Poetry Month. I am thoroughly enchanted by the way poetry is introduced and a part of the story created by Lowry. This book is smart, funny, and clever and I am so excited to use it with my classes and at home with my daughters. In addition, to the subject of poetry that the kids are learning about, Mrs. Pidgeon is also teaching them about the aging and death of her mother. This book is wonderful, and I am highly recommending it to all young readers.

Not Reading Very Much

I had high hopes for Easter weekend in terms of reading. We had an extra day off - no school yesterday- but we have been busy running around doing things. Yesterday morning started off with a long overdue trip to the post office to mail my godson's Christmas present (nothing like stringing things out a bit), then a visit to Target. Target was way too busy for my liking, but we managed to get most of what we needed and my two year old was only crying for the last ten minutes of this trip. Lunch, a visit to my husband's office so the girls could see Dad at work, some playing outside, then gymnastics class. After gymnastics, a stop at home for frozen pizza and then off to visit some friends before we rushed home to go to bed. Today has been about that busy again: Easter egg decorating this morning followed by lots of hunting, then lunch out with friends and seeing Hannah Montana: The Movie. Now we are at my parents for Easter tonight. Tomorrow we go to the in-laws, then church. So, I have read 10 pagesin a new book over this long weekend. I have managed to read a bit in my treadmill book, Honeymoon in Tehran, and my bike book: Handle with Care by Jodi Picoult. Hopefully I can find a few minutes to myself to get something read tomorrow afternoon. If not, at least I will have enjoyed the long weekend, the beautiful weather, and spending time with my family.

Songs for the Missing

My stack, or stacks, of library books is truly overwhelming me. I finally got around to reading a book I have had checked out for way too long. Songs for the Missing by Stewart O'Nan is a new book that I pulled off the shelves with some interest, but not a burning desire to read. So other things I have checked out later have moved ahead of it on my pile. I didn't want to take it back to the library but I also was not just dying to read it, either.
Songs for the Missing tells the story of a family whose daughter, Kim, goes missing during the summer between her senior year of highschool and freshman year of college. While this could have been an overwhelmingly sad book, O'Nan writes the story in a more matter of fact way that doesn't create that type of emotion. Kim is an apparently normal eighteen year old girl: working a job to save money for college, hanging out with her friends and boyfriend. All the police and detectives find out about her is that she had tried pot and was sleeping with her boyfriend. Her disappearance takes place fairly early in the book so that we are left to wonder with her parents, sister, and friends what has happened to Kim. Months pass and eventually years as they all must go on with their lives.
While I won't say this is the best book I have read, I will say I was pleasantly surprised to have enjoyed it as much as I did. O'Nan managed to create characters so real that readers will wonder from time to time how Kim's family is doing years after she is gone and her story has ended.

Maybe I Really Do Have Too Many Books

Shh! I can't say that too loud! My husband and my mother have been telling me I have too many books for years now, and I have always answered, "you can never have too many books!" Mostly I believe that, but there have been a few times I have wondered. Like when we moved to the house we currently live in and every single friend who helped us looked at all of my books and had nothing good to say. And like last night when my daughter wanted to read a book that I know we own, but I couldn't find it no matter how hard or long I searched. We have been reading the Little House books and just finished On the Banks of Plum Creek. We have By The Shores of Silver Lake all ready and waiting for us. However, I brought up to my girls that there are a few years in between when Plum Creek ends and SilverLake starts that Laura didn't write about because they were so sad. This is when her brother was born and died. I told them how Cynthia Rylant wrote a book about this time period and they decided we should read that one next. What a great plan....except after digging through boxes of books I can't find it anywhere. This happens to me fairly frequently. So, maybe I should stop buying books....but I don't really think that is the problem. I think I should buy some bookshelves. This has been discussed with my husband several times without a lot of enthusiasm on his part. Since I don't plan to get rid of my books this seems a logical conclusion. I'll just have to keep working on him, and until he changes his mind, continue digging through box after box of books until I find what I need.

The Secret Keeper

On Friday I received The Secret Keeper by Mitali Perkins in the mail. On Saturday morning I started reading it and was finished by Saturday night. This is a wonderful young adult novel set in Bangladesh in the mid 1970s. Indira Gandhi is the prime minister and there is a great deal of unrest. Asha Gupta is sixteen years old, trying to grow up and keep up with her beautiful older sister, Reet. Their father leaves the girls and their mother in the care of their uncle while Father travels to America looking for an engineering job. The search takes longer than anyone likes and the family's need for money begins to cause some stress. Reet is old enough to be married off so Uncle begins to look into that, and Reet, despite her own feelings about marriage, goes along with Uncle in order to please her mother. Asha has a harder time conforming to the traditional role set before her. She dreams of going to college and can't wait for Father to send for them in America. Helping her pass time is Jay, an artist who lives next door. The two meet to talk on the roof of their homes in secret, since doing so publicly would not be allowed. When they finally hear from Father the whole family is left to cope with their new status and Asha continues to struggle with her promise to her father, that she take care of her mother.
I have never read Perkins' work before, but enjoyed this book thoroughly.

Things I've Been Silent About

Things I've Been Silent About is a memoir written by Azar Nafisi, the author of Reading Lolita in Tehran. I read her first book, Reading Lolita, several years ago now and remember enjoying it a great deal, so I was excited to see she had published something again. While Reading Lolita focused on a specific time period in her life when she met with a group of women to discuss literature that had been forbidden to them, this second novel covers Nafisi's entire life.

Nafisi grew up in Iran. Her parents' relationship was interesting, her mother never having gotten over her marriage to her first husband, Saifi, who had been ill and died, leaving her a widow. Nafisi's father had affairs, which he let his daughter know about so she could help him conspire against her mother. While Nafisi never felt approval from her mother, her mother also helped her travel to London to continue her education, something she had wanted for herself but never received. Amidst the family drama, Nafisi also writes about the political unrest in Iran during her lifetime. Her parent were fairly affluent and held positions of some power, giving an interesting perspective to life in Iran. As one would expect after reading Reading Lolita in Tehran, literature played a vital part of Nafisi's life. The importance of reading throughout her life as well as her professional aspirations are two other areas Nafisi has included in her memoir. I have read some reviews that have wondered at the amount Nafisi reveals about her family, some which is not complimentary. As I was reading I tried to be conscious of the types of revelations made in this book and how they would be perceived by those she loved. While Nafisi may by painfully honest, I also felt as though she tried very hard to understand why her family behaved in the way they did. One such example is the relationship she had with her own mother. Nafisi and her mother's relationship was difficult at best and they fought often. However, Nafisi did acknowledge that her mother's mother died when her mom was very young and she never was given the approval she craved from her stepmother. This may not have made Nafisi feel better about her mother's actions toward her, but she was able to understand them.
This is the book I have been reading for the past few weeks on the treadmill. The true test of a book is if it is one that can actually make me want to run on the treadmill longer than I had planned. Things I've Been Silent About is a memoir that had me happy to lace up my running shoes and spend some time on the treadmill.

The Leanin' Dog

K. A. Nuzum's The Leanin' Dog is a middle grade novel sure to be enjoyed by any dog lover. Dessa Dean is just getting over the death of her mother when a stray dog shows up at her cabin one day. Dessa is in desperate need of a friend, and because she and her father live in cabin in the woods, the is often alone all day while he hunts. When the stray dog shows up at their cabin Dessa is still grieving for her mother, suffering from daymares, and does not leave the house. My heart broke for Dessa and all she had lost-and just when I thought there would be no more for her to lose, a wild bear visits their cabin on Christmas Day ruining their Christmas meal and breaking her mother's good china. However, despite all the bear took, in some ways it did Dessa a favor. Because of the bear Dessa is forced to confront her fears and decide if she is able to move forward. This was a good read, one I enjoyed, but think I would have liked even more if I hadn't been interrupted so many times while reading it. I have many students who will be interested in checking this one out.

April Fool! Watch out at School!

I have loved Diane De Groat's books for many years now. These books have been a regular part of story times during holidays for many different groups of students I see. Second graders, fifth graders, and all those in between have enjoyed hearing We Gather Together....Now Please Get Lost her Thanksgiving title. I have also read Jingle Bells Homework Smells at Christmas, Trick or Treat, Smell My Feet at Halloween, and Roses are Pink, Your Feet Really Stink at Valentines, along with many other titles she has written. De Groat has finally created a book about April Fool's Day. I have had this book sitting in my office just waiting for today (and yesterday, too). After using it at school I am most definitely bringing it home to read tonight, too. It was a hit with all of my classes, and even my most busy students who don't always enjoy sitting and hearing stories were entertained by Gilbert.
Gilbert awakens to his sister Lola reminding him it is April Fool's Day. Throughout the day Gilbert has trick after trick played on him. While he tries to play tricks on others, his friends are not as easily fooled as he is. Finally Gilbert announces to his friend, Lewis, that he has a great trick to play on him. From that point on Lewis pays close attention to everything Gilbert does, just waiting for a trick. The suspense nearly does Lewis in, and Gilbert's trick may be the best one of all.
I have few April Fool titles in my collection, so this is a great addition and one that appeals to a wide audience.