More Award Nominees

Ways to Live Forever by Sally Nicholls.
Eleven year old Sam knows he is dying but before that happens he wants to accomplish everything he has always wanted to do. It all started with Mrs. Willis's idea of writing a book, Mrs. Willis is Sam's home school teacher, and is always looking for ways to engage Sam and his side kick Felix.  Soon Sam and Felix start to find ways to make Sam's dying wishes come true. Felix finds a way for Sam to go to a pub, kiss a girl, and have a drink- everything a teenage boy wants to do. Throughout the book Sam finds ways for his family to deal with his death.  I am sure you will find yourself pondering the same questions Sam's wonders about- why do kids get sick? why do they have to die? what happens after you die?  Hard to finish without tearing up.



Legend by Marie Lu.
This boy-girl fighting to survive a dystopian world ruled by a republic using viruses against their own people reminded me of the Hunger Games trilogy. Enough said about dystopian worlds, harsh realities, love and romance against all the odds. I enjoyed the story even with the predictability factor. 



 
I Feel Better with a Frog in My Throat History's Strangest Cures by Carlyn Beccia.
We had lots of fun reading and trying to guess which was the correct cure for common illnesses like sore throats or fevers. In the past, people have used all sorts of strange remedies, like wearing a necklace made of live worms to using leaches to bring down a fever.  The illustrations and layout made the guessing game even more fun with a spread from three to six possible cures to one page followed by a page with the correct answers.

Award Winners continued...

Here are a few more award nominated books.


 










I, Emma Freke by Elizabeth Atkinson, Carolrhoda Books, 2010.  Emma is an unusual 11 year old, taller than most with fiery red hair.  Her family lives up to their "freaky" name.  Donatella, her mom, acts more like an older sister, which leaves poor Emma in charge of their store and living arrangements. Her dad is MIA and until now she only has one friend. 
Emma has never felt like she belonged  but all that changes when she finds out that there is a whole side of her family she never knew. When she meets the other Freke at their annual Family Reunion she starts to see that there is a lot more to her than just her odd name.  I loved Emma's  transformation throughout the book from self-doubting to self-confident.  This book will be a great read for both boys and girls dealing with change and acceptance.

 
Calli Be Gold by Michele Weber Hurwitz, Wendy Lamb Books, 2011. Another book about an 11 year old girl dealing with a family situation.  I wasn't hook onto this book right away with the story dragging on until the last chapters when you can see the Gold's transformation. The best way to describe Calli's family is to say they are overachievers. Their goal is to excel at everything they try.  They reach for the gold just like their last name.  The family calendar is crowded with post it notes for all of Calli's siblings  extra curricular activities...except for Calli, she hasn't found her passion yet and not for lack of trying.  She hates the family competition but doesn't know how to make them stop.  Truth be told all of them are tired but can't imagine giving up or admitting that they would rather do something else. What would it take for this family to change? I enjoyed the ending of this book when we are all given permission to just be who we are.

 
Close to Famous by Joan Bauer, Viking Children Books, 2011. This is a sweet story about struggling dreams and how to make them come true. Foster McFee's dreams of becoming a chef and she has the goods- cupcakes- for it to be a reality. Her mom dreams of being the lead singer instead of back-up. Her friend Macon wants to be a documentary filmmaker once he gets his first camera. And Miss Charlenna just needs to believe she can be the actress she once was.  Their little town is full of dreams and they will all  have a chance to make them come true when the town is put on the map big time. 

Caudill Update

I was so busy last week that I never got around to update my Caudill progress from two weeks ago.  I have been trying to focus on a particular award each week and depending on the award I might only get to read two or three books a week. This was one of those weeks with only two books read, you have to remember some of them are almost 400 pages! But they were great books. 


The Outcasts Brotherband Chronicles (Book 1) by John Flanagan. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes adventures and thrill.  As you read it you get to know this unusual group of outcasts as they become a "brotherband".  These young Vikings enter training to become warriors and in the process discover who they are and what becoming a "brother"means for their future.  Hal and his friends are consider outcasts each on its own way but together they will battle at sea against rival brotherbands (the Wolves and the Sharks) with a cliff hanging ending.


A Tale Dark & Grimm by Adam Gidwitz. I have to admit that I was disappointed with this book.  While the story is intriguing and somewhat dark my overall engagement was very low.  I liked the main characters and the odd twits to the traditional fairy tale stories, but there was something missing for me.

Road Trip Listening Adventures

Last week it was spring break and we decided to get away for a few days and enjoy the semi-spring weather. In preparation for the trip, I decided to check out some audiobooks to make the best of our two hour drive. I used to listen to audiobooks all through grad school thanks to my hour long drive to and from school, it was great and I missed it. Here are the titles we listened too:

 
Wonder by  R. J. Palacio, Books for Young Readers, 2012. This is a double nominee both on the Bluestem and Caudill list and after listening to it I can see why. It is an amazing book. We loved  the story, the characters, the growing and transformation that takes  place throughout the book. It is a powerful book. There were moments when we found ourselves parked on the hotel parking lot listening to Auggie's (August Pullman) story without been able to stop.  Auggie is a 5th grader born with a facial deformity. All of his life his parents and sister have protected him, but this year, his parents decided that he should attend school like every other kid. This is a terrifying thought for Auggie, and while some of his fears will come true, there will be lots of ways his new friends will surprise him.  Readers, or listeners in this case, get to experience Auggie's life through his experiences but also through those close to  him with alternating chapters told by his family and friends.


Time Warp Trio #1 Knights of the Kitchen Table by Jon Sciezka, illustrated by Lane Smith, Puffin Books, 2004.  I loved the humor on this book and can see why boys loved this series. The audio was engaging and entertaining with the language descriptive enough to allow you to imagine this three "amigos" traveling through time.


 Clementine by Sara Pennypacker, illustrated by Marla Frazee, Disney-Hyperion, 2006.  I liked the main character and her enthusiasm. She is that happy, outgoing, confident little girl that I wasn't. Overall we enjoyed listening to Clementine's not so good week from principal's office visits, awful haircuts, and pigeon relocation. 

2014 Award Nominations Challenge

This is a year of challenges for me,  all of them good and positive in their own way, for example I have challenged myself to run a 5K,  grow a vegetable garden, and read more.  Okay, that last one is not really a challenge since I already love to read. So I decided to truly make it a challenge and read all the 2014 award nominated in our state.  In Illinois, we have four main award groups ranging from Kindergarten to high school grades including picture books, non-fiction, and YA novels. The Monarch books are for K-3 children books, the Bluestem  comprises books for 3 through 5th grade, Rebecca Caudill books for Young readers (4-8th grade), and the Abraham Lincoln for high school students.  Last year, I managed to read most of the Abe Lincoln , a good portion of the Monarch books, and a few Bluestem. Sadly, my Rebecca Caudill books list went untouched.

The combined lists total 82 books! The good news is that I have already read some of them- Yippee. I will update these lists as I read the books and post short reviews and links to the our library catalog so you can check them out.