This year I’ve been better about reading a variety – including transitional books to adult, classics, poetry, mysteries, and lots of short stories. I was surprised my list has doubled, as has the picture book list, and I’ve read enough nonfiction for a list also. It seems like forever since I read some of these. It sure was enjoyable having a reminder of all the good books.

11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett

The Best Alternate History Stories of the 20th Century ed. by Harry Turtledove with Martin H. Greenberg

Black Mirror by Nancy Werlin

City of Fire by Laurence Yep

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

The Ever-After Bird by Ann Rinaldi

Every Man for Himself ed. by Nancy E. Mercado

Every Soul a Star by Wendy Mass

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Read the rest of this entry »

Artisan Bread in Five Minutes by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoë François

Bread Comes to Life by George Levenson. photos by Shmuel Thaler

Cristo and Jeanne-Claude: Through the Gates by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan

A Curious Collection of Cats by Betsy Franco. il Michael Wertz, poetry

Cycle of Rice, Cycle of Life by Jan Reynolds

An Egg Is Quiet by Dianna Aston. il Sylvia Long

Read the rest of this entry »

365 Penguins by Jean-Luc Fromental and Joëlle Jolivet

Anna’s Table by Eve Bunting. il Taia Morley

Bats at the Library by Brian Lies

Beetle Bop by Denise Fleming

Butterfly House by Eve Bunting

A Curious Collection of Cats by Betsy Franco. il Michael Wertz

The Curious Garden by Peter Brown

Flower Garden by Eve Bunting. il Kathryn Hewitt

Read the rest of this entry »

I haven’t been keeping up with posting reviews lately. Partly because I’ve been working on some lists. But also I have a backlog of reviews to add. Running out of  time, so here are a few I wanted to highight before year end.

Sylvie and the Songman by Tim Binding. il Angela Barrett

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

A Curious Collection of Cats by Betsy Franco. il Michael Wertz

Bats at the Library by Brian Lies

Open Your Eyes: Extraordinary Experiences in Faraway Places edited by Jill Davis

Beetle Bop by Denise Fleming

Barbara Kerley has a new book in partnership with the National Geographic Society. I thought A Little Peace and A Cool Drink of Water were awesome. This one’s every bit as good. The emphasis seems to be more on the individuals instead of the locale. I love it. It’s one to have on your child’s personal shelf, even if you are like us and check out tons of books from the library.

Read More

This month’s selection is a book full of awe and anticipation. I absolutely love the illustrations and the building excitement. The cozy family and community experience at the end made me feel I was right there watching.

REVIEW

Current Pick and List of Previous

Christmas time for me is a time for introspection. So what could be better than a poetry book celebrating nature? I received this book for review and intended to give it away after reading. It is so delightful, I decided I don’t want to give it up for a while. I want to be able to refer back to it, and maybe even try memorizing some of it. The poems are simple enough. Some dealing with things I’ve never considered; others reaffirmation of things I feel deeply.

REVIEW

Sally’s story focuses on the Lincolns move from Kentucky to Indiana, including their mother’s death and Sally’s ordeal while Mr. Lincoln was absent courting their stepmother. Of specific interest are descriptions of frontier life (contrasted with the readers’ lives) and Sally’s struggle to belong in the new family (similar to modern step- situations).

REVIEW

December’s pick is a book I’ve been waiting to read for more than a year. I had some initial disappointment due to the low reading level, but I think overall it will be popular. I can’t wait to see if the Darwinist technology will be more developed in the sequel.

REVIEW

Current Pick and List of Previous

I love the name, and the story is a very funny depiction of the first census of the United States. Historical and humorous, odd happenings occur as the census taker attempts an official count. Imagine how many towns likely tried to skew the statistics!

REVIEW