The Unsinkable Walker Bean by Aaron Reiner - Bookaday #4

Unsinkable Walker Bean by Aaron Reiner
First Second
2010

This little fantasy graphic novel follows Walker Bean as he sets out on his quest to return this crazy, cursed skull back to its rightful owner. Along the way, Walker meets Gen and Shiv. Gen secretly wants to keep the skull because it's supposed to answer your questions. Did I mention they are on ship? I found this a little hard to follow with the variety of storylines. We've got Walker's dad, Billy Bean; his grandfather, who'd stolen the skull in the first place; the people on the ship Walker stows away on; this mysterious man who's trying to get people to sail him to Laptev; the beasts from the trench, etc. It was too much for me.

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Palace Beautiful by Sarah DeFord Williams - Bookaday #3

Palace Beautiful by Sarah DeFord Williams
Putnam/Penguin
2010

 "All the bad things in the world lie inked on these pages."
 
Sadie finds a little room hidden inside the attic of her new house.  Inside the room is a picture of a family and a journal.  The journal belongs to Helen White who lived in the same house in the early 1900s.  Sadie, her next door neighbor Bella, and Sadie's little sister Zuzu, decide to read 6 entries a day to find out what Helen thought was so horrible, she wrote about it, but never wanted to read again. "Father came home from work early.  He said it was the influenza that took that family Sunday.  He said it seemed to be spreading across the city."  They read all about the flu epidemic that ravaged the town in the early 1900s and what Helen's family had to deal with.  "I started thinking about the sick families again...and went to the attic...I've decided to make this my safe place...my very own Palace Beautiful."

In the meantime, Sadie is afraid for her stepmother's life.  Her mother died giving birth to Zuzu and now her stepmother, Sherrie, is in her last month of pregnancy.  Also Bella, who's real name is Kristin, is trying to get her mother to spend more time at home and to let her be herself. A great middle grade read with just a touch of history.

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A Game of Character by Craig Robinson - Blog Tour

A Game of Character
Craig Robinson
Gotham Books
2010

"You can lead others up the steps to where they need to go and maybe help open the door. But it's up to the individual to walk through it. Or not."

Craig Robinson is the basketball coach of Oregon State University. He credits his success in coaching, and in life, with the way his parents raised him and his sister. The self-esteem instilled in them by their parents allowed them to take risks that led to great success. Craig depended on the character instilled in him to get him from the south side of Chicago to Mount Carmel Academy and then to get him through Princeton.  At Princeton, Craig Robinson suffered a setback when his first report card showed extremely low grades, including an F. Craig was ready to give up but his parents, especially his dad, helped him call on the character traits they'd worked on his whole life; "self-esteem, enthusiasm, conviction, relentlessness, diligence" to pull himself together in order to play basketball and graduate.  Craig went on to start a family where he hoped to raise his children the same way. He sacrificed his love of basketball for his family and went into finance. After 10 years and a divorce, he found his way back to coaching, and the rest is history.

A Game of Character is written in a conversational style, it's like Craig Robinson is sitting here chatting with you. It's a great story of overcoming odds and setbacks and making it doing the job you love. It's easy to read and flows from one event to the next, showing not only the ups but the downs and includes pictures. Very inspiring.

Check out the rest of the TLC Book Tour.




Thank you to TLC Book Tours and Gotham Books for this PB.

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If You Come Softly by Jacqueline Woodson - Bookaday #2

If You Come Softly by Jacqueline Woodson
Penguin Young Readers
1998

This is the story of a black boy and a white girl who like each other.  They met when Elisha transferred to Percy Academy and Jeremiah ran into her in the hallway.  That chance encounter changed both their lives.  They struggled with peoples reactions to them dating. "He's black, Anne."

She didn't say anything.  I could feel the air between us getting weird.

Miah takes Ellie home to meet his mother, who turns out to be a famous novelist.  Now, Elie has to deal with her own misconceptions about Jeremiah.  "What If I had told you the truth from the beginning?  That day, in the hallway, I wanted you to see...to see me, Ellie. Miah."  I enjoyed this one but the ending was shocking and unexpected.

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A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness - Bookaday #1

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
Walker Books, UK
9/2011

"What you think is not important. It is only important what you do."

I couldn't wait till September to get this book in the US so I bought it from Book Depository.  It was worth it.  I can't tell you much about the book because it would spoil it. The monster comes to tell Conor three stories.  "You're going to tell me stories?" ..."How is that a nightmare?"  But the stories are not what they appear and Conor's understanding of them has some surprising results.  "And suddenly they were back in Conor's grandma's sitting room. Conor saw that he had destroyed almost every inch of it."  This will definitely be on our Mock Newbery list at school.  Don't miss this one.


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The Sunday Salon - 48 Hour Book Challenge Update

I did it! I set myself a goal of 15 hours and I did it! It was touch and go towards the end what with shopping thrown in the mix but I did it!

Books Finished
When A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness and Siobhan Dowd
If You Come Softly by Jacqueline Woodson
The Grand Plan to Fix Everything by Uma Krishnaswami
The Unsinkable Walker Bean by Aaron Reiner
Virals by Kathy Reichs
Palace Beautiful by Sarah DeFord Williams

Books Started
Bossypants by Tina Fey (audio 51 min)
Shine by Lauren Myracle (128 pgs)

Networking - 1hr of Twitter

Total Pages 1,429
Total Time 17hr 1m

Even though I didn't read a ton of hours, this was one of the most satisfying readathons I've ever finished. It's been a while since I've just sat and read for fun.  I actually stayed up beyond my ending time and finished Shine! Such joy!

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No Summer Slide and The 48 Hr Book Challenge

It's my favorite weekend of the year.  Motherreader's 48 hour Book Challenge (#48HBC) started this Friday, June 3rd.  This weekend is also the official start of my summer break which means The No Summer Slide Bookaday Challenge (#bookaday) starts for me too! Double Woot!

What's that you say? You know not of which I speak?

The 48 Hour Book Challenge
Check out the rules for the #48HBC and know that this is reading challenge that focuses on HOURS read.  It runs from Friday, June 3rd 7a till Monday June 6th 7a.  You can read for any 48 hours within that time period but those hours must be consecutive.

Last year I read around 18 hours or so. Not enough to win any prizes but enough to jumpstart my Newbery reading!  This year I'm walking a 5K and going to a graduation party so my goal is 15 hours.  I'm going to start at 10pm Friday and end at 10pm Sunday.  Weird I know, but it works for me.

Follow our progress on Twitter! - use the hashtag #48hbc to join in!

Book A Day Challenge
Donalyn Miller, author of The Book Whisperer believes teachers/educators should put their money where their mouths are, so to speak.  If you want kids to read, you need to read.  This is my second summer participating in BookAday where my goal is to average one book a day for every day of my summer vacation!! Does that mean I will read a book each day? Sometimes! Sometimes 3! Sometimes none! It's an average so there's no pressure! Also, picture books count!  Last year I read 68 books!

My summer vacay runs from June 4 - August 14, 2011.  That's 72 days.  So that's my goal.  What I love about bookaday is the lack of pressure.  If I read a book in one day? Sweet! If I don't read a book? Sweet!

Follow the progress on Twitter - use hashtag #bookaday if you want to join in!

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Thoughts Without Cigarettes by Oscar Hijuelos - Blog Tour and Review

Thoughts Without Cigarettes
Oscar Hijuelos
Gotham Books
6/2011 367pgs ARC

Thoughts Without Cigarettes is, as the author says, "told in so many parts--illness, sheltered messed-up childhood, death of father, subsequent struggles with identity and just surviving, my sometimes existence as a writer..."

Thoughts Without Cigarettes is like sitting down with an older relative, pulling out the photo album/scrapbook/netbook/picture place and having them tell you the history of each picture.  Each story brings back memories of the occasion and sparks other memories that are somehow connected in the storytellers mind.  Reading Thoughts Without Cigarettes is like strolling around the neighborhood, stopping to chitchat with neighbors, petting the animals, sort of ambling with a destination but no hurry to get there.

The prose, however rambling, is mostly beautiful.  We meet Oscar Hijuelos father, Pascual, early on as he's trying to get his brother to come visit New York from Cuba.  Uncle Oscar has a fatal accident for which Pascual forever after believes he caused and this sets the tone for the rest of his life, as well as that of the Hijuelo family.

"He'd wince with the realization that certain events cannot be undone, and, blaming himself for that tragedy, embarked upon a sea of regrets."

Another recurring aspect of the book is Oscar Hijuelos search for his "Cuban-ess".  Hospitalized at the age of four with few visits from family, he forgot how to speak Spanish.  This separated him from his family, both physically and culturally, and he would spend a large portion of his life "trying to become anything else but what I should have been, Oscar Hijuelos."

These two paths, his father's depression that becomes his own, and his struggle to reclaim  his Latino heritage are the main points of this dense, sad read.  The only uplifting portion of the book happens when Oscar Hijuelos travels to Rome, by way of Spain, for a fellowship.

"Rome...pressed so many wonderful buttons inside me that for much of my time there, I became a new and improved version of myself...really enjoying my life for a change."

It was a struggle to get through Thoughts Without Cigarettes due to Hijuelos tendency to get sidetracked.  These extra details served to slow the re-telling down and we'd have to backtrack to unravel the original thoughts.  Oscar Hijuelos takes those many episodes of his life and narrows them down to two sections - The Way Some Things Worked Out, his life from early childhood until the age of eighteen, and What Happened Afterward, his life as a grownup. We spend an inordinate amount of time in part one while Hijuelos sets up the illness that changed his life as well as his mother's consequent nagging of him and his dad. This left part two feeling rushed as he embarked on his writing life and subsequent Pulitzer Prize award.  Although I enjoyed the book, I would have appreciated it more if I'd known it was going to be more about his relationship with father and if it had been a bit more straightforward.

Check out the TLC Book Tour for other reviews.

Thanks to Gotham Books and TLC Book Tours for the opportunity to read this ARC.

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Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai - Review

Inside Out and Back Again
Thanhha Lai
HarperCollins Children's
2/2011

Ha and her family are forced to move from Saigon to Alabama.  They not only leave behind their life experiences and their belongings but also Ha's father who was captured by the military.  They haven't seen nor heard from him in years and are afraid that, if he is alive, he will never be able to find them in America.

In Saigon the family is mostly happy but very poor.

Yam and manioc
taste lovely
blended with rice,
she says, and smiles,
as if I don't know
how the poor 
fill their children's bellies.

And the high cost of everything without any additional money coming in combined with the encroaching war is what convinces the mom that leaving is their best bet.  Their father's military connections land them a coveted spot on a naval ship. All is not well in America.  The family is ostracized and Ha is bullied at school.

Things will get better,
just you wait.


I don't believe her
but it feels good
that someone knows.

The brothers and the mom look for work and try to support themselves, not wanting to depend on the American who "sponsored" them, especially since he didn't really want a family.  Throughout the parts in Alabama, we also listen in as Ha learns English with all of it's confusing rules.  This helps to lighten the story somewhat.

Historical fiction works well as a verse novel.  The spareness of the prose makes the images seem more stark and heartfelt. The story takes place over one year, opening and closing with Tet, the lunar new year.  Ha's wishes on both these days help to solidify the changes we see happening to her over the course of the novel.

Possible Pairs
All The Broken Pieces by Ann E. Burg
Tropical Secrets: Holocaust Refugees in Cuba by Margarita Engle
The Red Umbrella by Christina Gonzalez

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Ten Things We Did (And Probably Shouldn't Have) by Sarah Mlynowski - Review

Ten Things We Did (And Probably Shouldn't Have)
Sarah Mlynowski
HarperTeen
354p. ARC - 6/7/11

Let me just say, I hope they change the cover when this is published.  This book is more about two friends enjoying three months of freedom than it is about romance.  Also, you need to put aside reality for this realistic fiction read.  If you do that, you will enjoy Ten Things and possibly read it all in one sitting.  Or maybe that was just me...

It all begins with April's dad letting her stay behind in Connecticut while he and her stepmom move to Cleveland.  Did I tell you April is only a junior in high school?  And the girl she's staying with has a mom who is extremely unreliable? Yeah, well, Violet, aka Vi, comes up with an ingenious plan to fool both sets of parents and her and April get the party rocking.  They've got a $1,000 mo. budget and no supervision.  This should be the perfect time for April to take her relationship with Noah to the next level and Vi decides she wants to get it on too.  They plan dates but things don't work out as planned.  Juggling a house, some hotties, and school prove to be just a little more than the girls expected.

Ten Things We Did jumps back and forth between the now of April's life and how she ended up wanting to stay in Connecticut.  We meet her mom and her brother Matthew and find out why they are in Paris instead of with April and her dad.  The few times we "meet" April's mother leads me to want more.

"And anyway...I was her friend.  When your parents divorced and your mom started dating again, that's what happened...Mom needs someone to dissect dates with..." 

There has to be more to the story.  I'm a divorced mom and I have actual friends my own age who I talk to about personal things, not my soon-to-be sophomore daughter.  We are closer than many mother-daughter duos but she is STILL just a kid!  Also, the mom lives in Paris! What gives?

I'd also like to know more about Vi.  She is self-sufficient and smart and takes care of herself.  But she also exercises constantly.  What's up with that?And Hudson, he sounds hotter than the guy on the cover.  Change that cover, HarperTeen!

Overall, Ten Things We Did (And Probably Shouldn't Have) is a fun, lighthearted read. It touches on quite a few teen issues in an informational non-preachy way.  April and Vi have a good time but learn about themselves and what they really want along the way. 

Other fun reads:
Anna and The French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
Gimme a Call by Sarah Mlynowski

ARC courtesy of AmazonVine
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