Tell Me: Have you read this book? What did you think?
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10/25/2017 0 Comments Forest Born by Shannon Hale
Tell Me: Have you read this book? What did you think?
10/17/2017 0 Comments Peter Pan by J.M. BarrieHow I Found: Like all lost things from childhood, they resurface, and I have an affinity for all children's books, classics in particular. Coming across another illustrated version of Peter Pan is something I can never just fly past. The story of the boy-who-never-grows up is one we all hold tight to because each of us is inclined to think happy thoughts, even when they need a little pixie dust. I am drawn to illustrated versions because it is like looking at the magic through the artist's eyes and new details are revealed in each interpretation. Why You Might Read: I recently pulled my copies off the shelves as bedtime stories for my children whose imaginations are ready for a more sustained story, and each night when the chapter begins, they are pulled in by both the words and the pictures. As their imaginations explode with the magic of an unforgettable tale, I am reminded of my own childhood, how we all have a Hook to defeat, and that time is but a grumpy crocodile who only haunts those who are fearful of it. Tell Me: Have you read this book? What did you think?
How I Found: Amongst the piles of books given to an avid reader for her babies, this little bunny was hidden. Margaret Wise Brown is best remembered for Goodnight Moon and, secondarily, The Big Red Barn. Both vividly illustrated and unforgettably written, just reading the first line of these no doubt sets off the rest of the story photographed on your mind. But, Runaway Bunny is a different sort of story. One that reveals a mother's love despite our babes being ready to run as soon as they can crawl, but it is also a precursor to picture books without words that rely solely on the illustrations. Why You Might Read: Just like Brown's other books, the lyricism and pictures pull you in, but your little readers will love looking for little bunny in the pictures by Clement Hurd and the novel ways mother bunny invents to bring him home. Then, like all good mummy bunnies she gives him his good food, and he his satisfied to be still in mum's cozy home, for awhile. Tell Me: Have you read this book? What did you think?
10/3/2017 0 Comments Fahrenheit 451 by Ray BradburyHow I Found: In honor of this year's banned book week, I spent some time with one of my all-time favorites, Fahrenheit 451. The irony of this book being banned and censored when the message is to bring books back to a culture that relies instead on technology and danger for entertainment makes it worth a yearly re-read. Not to mention how eerily closer and closer the similarities between the dystopia and our own society grow. From the decades-ago that I first read this book, until now, there have been leaps and bounds in the advances of technology matched with Bradbury's other frightening predictions for our future; the discomfort of reading this too-close-for-comfort book, may be just the wakeup call society is dialing for. Why You Might Read: One can't help but hope that every reluctant or reticent reader has the opportunity to delve into this short novel that packs so much between its less than 200 pages. It will spark ideas never considered about the hows and why of reading that may just be the nudge needed toward starting their own reading fire. And, if you're among the bibliophiles of the world, read it for the first time or again. I have no doubt you'll appreciate its ability to add fuel to your fire even if your just coming back to it like an old friend met around a campfire. Tell Me: Have you read this book? What did you think?
9/27/2017 0 Comments River Secrets by Shannon HaleHow I Found: On to the third of The Books of Bayern which proved to be equally entertaining as the protagonist is the beloved friend of both Enna and Isi. Razo is just the type of character anyone can relate to for his Everyman sensibilities. Sent with the ambassador to deter war, Razo visits the ocean for the first time, and he says, "He thought he could lie in the sand and forget who he was, let the water and the sound of water unstitch his soul from his body and send it floating away to see what the dead see." Razo uncovers secrets about himself he never knew while coming into his own and allowing us to journey along with him. Why You Might Read: Like the ocean, a good book takes us away from ourselves. Razo is the Ron of Harry Potter here, once goofy becomes desirable while growing at the same rapid rate known to all fairytale characters and children alike. Stepping away, here though, from the traditional girl at the heart of a fairy tale, this young man is worth taking the time to get to know. Tell Me: Have you read this book? What did you think?
How I Found: The bookstore! Ah, that magical place I used to frequent before babies. But, they grow, and start to want to choose their own books, so this is how I found this preciously illustrated and whimsically written beauty. X chose this when he said, "Oh! Look at the baby," and I was enthralled because the baby with balloons looks a bit like both of my babes. Why You Might Read: Behind that cover there are pages of possibilities for your little one, and I intend to use this book as the one signed by my children's teachers instead of the typical Oh, The Places You'll Go. I hope each teacher will choose a page that represents them at that stage in their life with the ultimate hope of gifting this treasure on their graduation day (shh, don't tell). Tell Me: Have you read this book? What did you think?
9/6/2017 0 Comments Enna Burning by Shannon HaleHow I Found: I'm just reading the second in the series of The Books of Bayern. Reading these is like eating candy right now; I haven't been able to stop (I just bought River Secrets), and they seem to fit right in with the transition to fall--exciting with a bit of dark lurking at the edges. In this second, a steadfast character becomes the protagonist and time has progressed. We still see Isi (Ani), but we see what it's like to have a different type of power. If power corrupts absolutely, when it comes to Enna, there's no better way to show it. Why You Might Read: Like the friendships of Harry Potter, Isi and Enna have lessons to learn, but they show that our humanity is what makes us most powerful. Along the way we are reminded, "how people start with wrinkles and end with wrinkles, grow into their skin and then live to grow out of it again," and there is comfort in finding yourself on the other side of that if you have the privilege to be surrounded by those you can call friend. Tell Me: Have you read this book? What did you think?
8/30/2017 0 Comments Call Me Zelda by Erika RobuckHow I Found: There are few classics I have read as many times as The Great Gatsby. I have an affinity for the 1920s and all the possibilities it opened for our lives and culture. It was a time of change and progress despite much backwards thinking followed by a striking regression--perhaps too hauntingly similar to the present. This book delves into the life of the wife of F. Scott Fitzgerald revealing just how dark and twisted the glittering times really were. Why You Might Read: The author reveals that Fitzgerald used parts of Zelda's diaries to write his books. Although this book is historical fiction, the parallels are striking between what we've read a thousand times and what the author adds to reality with her imagination. I have yet to see the Prime show Z, but I have a sneaking suspicion if you were intrigued by that show, you'd be intrigued by this book. Tell Me: Have you read this book? What did you think?
8/23/2017 0 Comments Out of Wonder by Kwame AlexanderHow I Found: There are a few people I personally know who love poetry and poets as much as I do. One of these treasured humans came to me with that gleam in her eye, "look what I found!" Out of Wonder is a vividly illustrated (children's) book with poems about poets. Giving a glimpse into the lives and writing styles of 20 poets ranging from Robert Frost who "walked on ice through starless winter nights" to Okat p'Bitek that teaches we can "learn to love ourselves full like the pregnant moon." Why You Might Read: This is the perfect (re)introduction to a myriad of poets for both young and old. If you like the poem about the poet, I'd even venture to say you'll like their poetry. If you don't know where to begin, this is the place. Authors Kwame Alexander with Chris Colderley and Marjory Wentworth and illustrator Ekua Holmes have created a tabletop classic to get lost in. Tell Me: Have you read this book? What did you think?
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S.M.(M).LI am a reader who was brought to the world of books by being read to as a child, a wonderful librarian, scores of dedicated teachers, and the friends who still talk to me about books. This page is dedicated to all readers as a way to help you find books for you and yours as they were found by me. Let their pages turn your life into a world of magic, reality, and possibility. Archives
July 2021
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