Karen Foxlee | There's a Book for That

As of April 1st 2014, I had read 13/30 of my #MustReadin2014 list Three months later, I have read about 20 novels but only four of them have been from my list. I am planning to remedy this during the summer and hope to enter the fall with just a handful of titles remaining. As of today though, I have read 17 titles. The first thirteen I discussed in my Spring Update post.

I know some people keep making their original lists longer. Instead, I have started a #MustReadin2015 draft list! That way, I can ensure I really do get to complete all thirty titles from my list without always getting distracted by new books. For everything I have read in terms of novels during 2014, see this list.

What have I read since April from my #mustreadin2014 list? These four titles (all well worth reading!):

Threatened by Eliot Schrefer (Read April 18th, 2014) Rating: 5/5 YA title

Set in the jungles of Gabon, this novel is about a boy and his relationships with chimpanzees. No doubt, there are messages of conservation that come through loud and clear. But this book is also about being alone, finding connection, chasing dreams and finding home.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie (Read April 20th, 2014) Rating: 5/5 YA title

All kinds of amazing. I loved pretty much everything about it. The characters. The honesty and vulnerability of the narrator. The family dynamics. The truths. The humour. Wow, wow, wow. READ this book, if you haven’t already!

Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy by Karen Foxlee (Read May15th, 2014) Rating: 5/5 MG title

Vulnerable. Beautiful. Sad and full of grief while at the same time magical and full of hope. What a story.

Jinx’s Magic by Sage Blackwood (Read June 22nd, 2014) Rating: 4/5 MG title

Just plain awesome fantasy with a plucky character, plot twist and turns and a fascinating setting – the Urwarld forest. Full of humour, drama and great writing. I read this aloud to my children and we are all enchanted! Anxiously awaiting the next title: Jinx’s Fire.

I am currently part way through another title from my list: Cress (Lunar Chronicles #3) by Marissa Meyer

How is your To Be Read list treating you?

If you have been participating in #MustReadin2014 and written an update post, link up below and share on twitter using the #MustReadin2014 hashtag!

Want to know more about #MustReadin2014? Read here This post also includes links to all of the bloggers who wrote Must Read lists.

It’s Monday! What are you reading?

Join Jen from Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki from Unleashing Readers and share all of the reading you have done over the week from picture books to young adult novels. Follow the links to read about all of the amazing books the #IMWAYR community has read. The best way to grow your TBR list!

My favourite picture books of the week

If You Listen written by Charlotte Zolotow and illustrated by Stefano Vitale

How do you know someone is with you even when they are not physically there? A little girl needs reassurance from her mother about how to cope with missing her Dad who is no longer with her. Did he pass away? Has he left the family? It isn’t clarified. The important aspects of the story are how to deal with loss, grief and acceptance of love (whether immediate or far away). First published in 1980 and redone in 2002 with these gorgeous illustrations.

Once Upon a Balloon written by Bree Galbraith and illustrated by Isabelle Malenfant

An intriguing story about imagination, sibling dynamics and an act of kindness. This title explores the land of “what if” and the power of belief just as much as it celebrates the story telling whims of an older brother who knows he has a captive audience in his younger sibling. The ending brings an entire other aspect to this story and allows the reader to think about what it is to be kind and compassionate.

Awesome Book of Love! by Dallas Clayton

Love, love, love. Not any one kind in particular but simply love that is huge and all encompassing. My favourite line?

“or just being around when the others have gone or about letting go when you want to hold on.”

A true celebration of love.

Lala Salama: A Tanzanian Lullaby written by Patricia MacLachlan and illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon

Set by the lake in Tanzania, a mother speaks this lullaby to her child as they see father off in the morning and greet him again at the end of a busy day. Vividly illustrated. A story of routine, daily chores and family love.

Tippy-Tippy-Tippy Splash! written by Candace Fleming and illustrated by G. Brian Karas

Candace Fleming has such fun with language in this story of Mr. McGreely and his annoyance with the rabbits that make him so angry. Always trying to better these “wily twitchwhiskers” Mr. McGreely finds himself always outdone. Finally, he figures out a way to work with rather than against these “flop eared” foes. Silly and fun, a sequel to Muncha! Muncha! Muncha!

Moonday by Adam Rex

Absolutely odd. Stunning illustrations. It will either work for people or it won’t. The cover enchanted me and I felt persuaded to come along on Rex’s imaginative journey asking, “What if the moon ended up perched in your backyard?”

Samsara Dog written by Helen Manos and illustrated by Julie Vivas

Not necessarily a picture book for younger children. Emotional and thoughtful. Based on Buddhist concepts of Samsara and Nirvana, this story tells the tale of a dog who lives many lives, learning and growing in each of them. Finally, he lives the life that allows him to feel deeply, to know much and to give fully.

Shackleton’s Journey by William Grill

Amazing nonfiction – Shackleton’s story of the Endurance’s attempted voyage to Antarctica. Uniquely illustrated by Grill. This book is ironically a book about exploration that needs to be explored for its every detail. Read this aloud to my children (who are eleven) and we were all captivated. I had to own this book as soon as I heard about it and was in no way disappointed.

I finished two novels and am now avidly reading Golden Boy by Tara Sullivan

Completed:

Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy by Karen Foxlee

This was a #MustReadin2014 title

Vulnerable. Beautiful. Sad and full of grief while at the same time magical and full of hope. What a story.

Nightingale’s Nest by Nikki Loftin

I don’t know where to start with this book. The reader must suspend belief and be transported by the sweet song of a young girl and the power of a beautiful voice to heal so much that is wrong. A book full of many examples of choices with huge consequences. Hauntingly beautiful. A story about the power of grief to overwhelm and surround us. Full of so many different kinds of moments- worrisome, sweet and lovely, angst filled. Upper middle grade. Highly recommended.