The Curse of the Werepenguin by Allan Woodrow

Allan Woodrow writes humorous school stories such as Field Tripped, Class Dismissed or Unschooled. This book is a departure from previous books I have collected.  It is a darkly humorous book mashed up with horror.  Think Lemony Snicket books or Monty Python movies.  Unfortunately, this is not my genre at all but I hoped the book would surprise me. It did not.  With 334 pages, it was a slow read. I was determined to finish it so I could give a true review.  I am reading this book for the Follet Summer Read & Review Program and they sent me this advanced copy. 

This book is a story about an orphan named Bolt Wattle who lives in a very sorry and sad orphanage but is suddenly summoned to a country called Brugaria by a mysterious person named Baron. He is warned by the locals in town when he stops before arriving at the manor, that he is in danger. Barking penguins are heard everywhere and eventually you learn that the Baron turns into a "werepenguin" at midnight of a full moon. He wants company and is determined to bite Bolt on the neck and turn him into a "werepenguin" as well. It continues to get crazy, silly, dangerous, and a little scary as you continue reading. 

I thought the writing was well down and often thought about the clever sentences and wording.  Yes, some things were really funny! However, sometimes it was just really too crazy for my reading taste.  There are drawings throughout the book. There is a warning that the artwork is not finalized and I am going to assume that when some of the drawings look unfinished, it was because they were not ready at the time of the publishing of this advanced reader copy.  

I know that I didn't enjoy the humor in this book, however, it might be perfect for kids who love dark humor and horror mixed!  I would rate it a 2 for me because it was OK. However, I think I would recommend it to people who are drawn to horror and or comedy and could give it an overall 3 for good. The reading level is about 5th grade. 

On Sale: August 13, 2019

Pages: 352

Age Range: 8-12 years

PublisherViking Books For Young Readers

State of the Onion by Julie Hyzy

I discovered a little library on one of my regular walking routes and I like to take a peek at the titles. I found this cozy mystery and borrowed it.  It turned out to be a great mystery series that I plan to continue reading.  I will have to check the public library for more books. The series is called The White House Chef series and there are a total of 9 books. 

The book is about the White House's assistant chef Olivia Paras who not only can do amazing things in one of the most prestigious kitchens in America but also manages to do some sleuthing on the side. This mystery takes the reader to the kitchens of Camp David and adds a little political intrigue by introducing characters from around the world. 

The story is not too sinister or gruesome which is typical of a cozy mystery.  There are lots of details about the workings of the White House kitchen and the author even includes recipes. Chef Olivia is curious and a bit of a snoop which makes the reader happy to join her in her mystery pursuit.  

I highly recommend this book. If you like the culinary mysteries of Diane Mott Davidson or you like Madam Secretary TV show, try this book series. 

The Kanin Chronicles Trilogy by Amanda Hocking

You are hearing from me twice today!  I have read or listened to 14 books this June and this series was one of my June accomplishments.  This trilogy was written by a local Rochester author and I even had her autograph them several years ago.  Because they are not books for kids, they ended up last on my to be read pile, but this month, I put them on top! 

This is a series for high school or adults. The content tends to become more mature as the series progresses. The third book becomes more violent and steamier.  Just a warning! I tend to be a pretty sensitive reader and don't read books like this very often.  But the interesting storyline kept me reading. 

The trilogy is about a culture of trolls who live in northern Canada called the Kanin.  They look like humans and not like the trolls you imagine.  One thing they love is riches and sparkling things and have figured out a way to bring money into their families.  They switch a baby of theirs with a rich person's baby from the regular culture.  The other baby is adopted. When the Kanin child becomes of age, a tracker comes and gets the teen and they are able to access their riches for the Kanin family.  The main character, Bryn, is one of these trackers.  

The story continues with tension and war between many of the troll tribes as they try to gain riches and power.  Bryn is very important in fighting to maintain peace throughout the Troll Tribes.  There is a lot of action, some mystery, some romance and mystical elements to this series. This book is actually a spin-off from an earlier series. I also liked the descriptions of the unique villages that the trolls lived in. They were different depending on the tribe. 

I recommend this series....but not for kids! It would be a very cool movie or television series. 

Marilla by Sarah McCoy

I found this on my local public library "Libby" app.  It was available and I snatched it up. I tend to listen to audiobooks from my app and skip the digital books because I enjoy reading a paper book. However, this book called to me.

I loved Anne of Green Gables and last year read the graphic novel. Loved that one! Next I watched the newest PBS Anne of Green Gables show...and loved it as well. So, I was thinking that this book would probably be a disappointment.  Maybe too edgy or simply not in the style of the original books. Wrong! It was perfect.  Sarah McCoy did a lot of research  as you read in the end notes. In fact, I thought, wow, she went to a lot of research and effort for this book!

The book starts with a short chapter on Marilla and Matthew deciding they need help around the farm and are hoping to find an orphan boy to help them out. Well...we know how that works out! Then, the book goes back to a 13 year old Marilla and her 17 year old brother on the farm at Green Gables. Right away you are introduced to the parents and begin to discover how Matthew and Marilla grew to adulthood.  You meet their friends, neighbors, and relatives and learn about their struggles and joys. Some of the stories are simple and similar to Anne of Green Gable scenes. Other stories portray Canadian political issues and some are about the Underground Railroad.  I enjoyed this insight into history.  

This book is like a fresh summer breeze or a cozy cup of tea.  If you enjoy a sweet story and enjoyed Anne books... then this is a perfect book for your TBR pile.  I would put it at the top! It is also appropriate for teens who have read Anne of Green Gables books too.  I rate it 5 out of 4!  

Hardcover: 320 pages

Publisher: William Morrow (October 23, 2018)

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The Unteachables by Gordon Korman

Reading this book broke my reading dry spell. I giggled and laughed out loud and enjoyed every minute of this story. Gordon Korman has mastered the humorous school story in this new offering of his.  He is so prolific and yet brings it home again and again with a winning book. 

This is a story of a depressed teacher who is burned out and ready to take his early retirement. In his last year of teaching, the administration gives him the worst class in eighth grade. Everyone has given up on them and they are placed in the far reaches of the school to stay out of sight and hopefully trouble.  He doesn't have very many students but they are all quirky characters.  Korman writes this book with many points of view and yet it doesn't get confusing. He has great character development. 

Sometimes you read school stories where the teacher is too good to be true or really evil. This is a story about a real teacher with feelings and someone you care about despite his issues and failures.  He has lost his way just like his students have.  I do love a story with transformation and this one has it in spades. Each character is on his or her own journey and just needs a bit of help.  Never give up on someone. 

I give this book a 5 out of 4 rating.  I think it would be fabulous on Audible.  I noticed they had many different narrators credited...so I imagine each character has a different reader. This book is fun, fast, and easy! Loved it!

Reading Level:  5.1
Grade Level: 3-7
Pages:  288

Apple In The Middle by Dawn Quigley

Apple is a high school student who lives in MInnetonka, Minnesota. Her father is wealthy doctor and they live in a gated community. Her mother, who was Native American, died at childbirth.  Apple has never met her grandparents from the Turtle Mountain Ojibwe reservation. However, her father wants her to spend the summer with them for the first time. It will be a summer that helps Apple come of age and understand her heritage and Native American culture. 

When Apple's mother was dying, she named her baby Apple because she was the "apple of her eye."  It is also the slang name for a native person who lives in the "white world" where they are "red on the outside but white in the middle". Facing racial slurs from classmates and never feeling like she fits in plague Apple. She is quirky, blurts out crazy thoughts, and doesn't feel content in her life.  Her summer in North Dakota is a turning point for her. 

This book is funny and heartwarming. It deals with death, disappointment and mystical situations. I felt like I was discovering Apple's heritage along with her.  It is about a high school student but could also be read by upper elementary and middle school students. I also loved this book because of the connections I have with Minnesota and especially the Turtle Mountain area since I taught for two years in a town near that area. The town in this story appears to be fiction but it is near the town of Belcourt. 

We don't have many books like this and so I hope that it can be promoted and read in Minnesota and North Dakota schools.  NDSU press published this book. I hope they encourage Dawn Quigley to write a sequel or more books!

I rate it a 5 out of 4!  I couldn't put it down. 

Hardcover: 264 pages

Publisher: North Dakota State University Press; (August 2, 2018)

ISBN-13: 978-1946163073

Merci Suarez Changes Gears by Meg Medina

I just finished reading this 2019 Newbery Award winning book on a snow day in Minnesota! I appreciated the talk of heat and sweat and Florida weather. The book reads like it could be situational comedy with lots of heart. I would watch! Merci is a 6th grader navigating life at school and with her Cuban extended family with humor, angst and love. Great for 4th-6th grade readers.

This book is a fun choice for the Newbery award. It will be very accessible for its intended audience and I predict that it will be become a well loved Newbery.  It also checks the box for getting more diversity into books for kids. I will be waiting for the first Newbery sitcom based on this book!  I rate it a 4 out of 4!

Age Range: 9 - 12 years
Grade Level: 4 - 7
Reading Level:  4.6
Hardcover: 368 pages
Publisher: Candlewick; (September 11, 2018)
ISBN-10: 076369049X

Saving Winslow by Sharon Creech

I timed myself when I read Saving Winslow.  It took me one hour to read this book!  It was truly fun, fast and easy!  Louie, the main character, agrees to take care of a sickly newborn mini donkey and is optimistic in the donkey's survival despite his previous track record with pet survival.  His determination, love and care is admirable. A friend named Nora knows it is risky to love because of her own losses but connects in her friendship with Louie. 

I posted a picture of Winslow Homer's "Weaning a Calf" painting in the above graphic because this picture plays a part in the name of the mini donkey and connections to Louie. This book would be a great read aloud, book club, or just a quick read for busy kids and teachers. It is heartwarming, funny, inspirational and winning animal story.  I rate it a 4 out of 4!

Grade Level: 3-7
Reading Level:  4.2
Pages:  176 pages
Publisher:  HarperCollins (September 11, 2018)
ISBN: 978-0062570703

Books I Voted For! Division 2 Grades 6-8 Maud Hart Lovelace Award Nominees 2019-20

The following  books are the ones I had in my list to vote for the Division 2 books for grades 6-8 nominees for next school year. Since I had two Lauren Wolk books, I just voted for one but I liked both equally. Most of these books would be great reads for 5th graders and advanced 4th grade readers.

Amina's Voice by Hena Khan
Amina is a Pakistani Muslim middle school girl who struggles to stay true to her culture.

Beyond The Bright Sea by Lauren Wolk
12 year old orphan, Crow, tries to find out why she was abandoned as a baby.

Countdown Conspiracy by Katie Slivensky
Miranda and her team are stranded in outer space and have to figure out how to save themselves.

Real Friends by Shannon Hale
This is a graphic novel memoir about Shannon's struggles with friendship as a child and teenager.

Greetings From Witness Protection by Jake Burt
13 year Nikki is an orphan who is asked to be another family member in a witness protection situation. 

Nine, Ten: A September 11 Story by Nora Raleigh BaskinThe story of four children from different parts of the country and how their lives were affected by September 11th.

Pax by Sara Penny-packer
Peter is forced to give up his pet fox but later decides to leave and go looking for him.

Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk
12 year old Annabelle must stand up for the local hermit against the school bully. 

Books I Voted For! Division 1 Grades 3-5 Maud Hart Lovelace Award Nominees 2019-20

This week the readers for the Maud Hart Lovelace Award nominees get to vote for their favorites. This will become the list that Minnesota Kids from grades 3-5 will be reading from for the next school year.  Earlier, I made a list and then learned this week that we could only vote for 7 books. Yes, painful to trim my list! I am sending you all of the books I would have liked to have voted for this year. If you are looking for good books, check out my reviews which I have linked to the titles. 

Attack of the Alien Horde by Robert Venetti
So much fun! Part novel format and part comic book format.

Ban This Book by Alan Gratz
This is what  happens when parents start banning library books and the kids start their own secret library with all the banned books

Lemons by Melissa Savage
Lemonade Liberty moves in with her grandfather after her mother's death and gets invited to become part of the Bigfoot Detective agency by her neighbor Tobin Sky. Savage is a Minnesota author.

The Littlest Bigfoot by Jennifer Weiner
At boarding school, Alice Mayfield meets Millie who is part of a hidden bigfoot clan who lives in the woods. Yes, this is the same author of popular adult books.

Macy McMillan and the Rainbow Goddess by Shari Green
Macy's mother is getting married and her life will be changing but an elderly neighbor helps her out when Macy comes over each day to help sort her belongings.  Written in free verse.

Maxi's Secrets by Lynn Plourde
A deaf dog, a blind neighbor, and a loud-mouth kid find friendship. 

Once Was a Time by Leila Sales
Time travel book combined with World War II historical fiction about friendship and family. 

Refugee by Alan Gratz
Three refugee stories from three time periods and countries. Gripping!

Save Me a Seat by Sarah Weeks and Gita Varadarajan
Ravi moves to the United States from India and has a hard time fitting in.

The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Karina Yan Glaser
A family who lives in Harlem, New York try and convince their landlord not to sell their building.

Wishtree by Katharine Applegate
An Ancient oak tree in the neighborhood has seen much and tells a story important for the people in the community.

The Wolf Keepers by Elise Broach
Two kids try and figure out a mystery of disappearing wolves at a zoo and end up in lost in Yosemite National Park chasing the criminals. 

Dragon Dancer by Joyce Chng

This is a great book for the Chinese New Year collection of picture books! It is the story of a dragon dancer named Yao who finds his dragon costume, Shen Long, in storage and wakes him up for the Chinese New Year dance at the the shopping mall. Shen Long is an ancient dragon with his own voice that only his dancer can hear. The dance is noisy with drum beats, cymbals, and fire crackers. The note in the back tells us the noise is to remind us how a monstrous creature once ravaged a village for food and only loud noises by the villagers would frighten him away.  Today, the dragon dancer is dramatically dancing to chase bad luck away and invite in the good luck. The dragon dancer,Yao, hopes his grandfather will be proud of his dance.

The illustrations are done in deep tone watercolors with lots of blue, green, red, and golds. There are lots of white spaces on the page to highlight the images which are in irregular shapes throughout the book and across the two page spreads. It feels like you are dealing with an old dragon and old traditions.

Chinese New Year is celebrated for two weeks and ends with the Lantern Festival.  The festival welcomes spring and celebrates family reunions. Children receive red envelopes of money and wear new clothes to welcome the new year. Spring cleaning is also a tradition which removes junk and unused items which are thrown away or given to charity.  Cleaning up brings positive energy and good luck and prosperity.  Lion and dragon dancers will dance at shopping malls, restaurants, and homes to invite more good luck.

If I was reading this book to a class, I would give students some of the background information found in the author's notes at the back of the book to help kids understand the reason for the dragon dancing at the Chinese New Year.  This book will be a good addition to the holiday collection. 

I rate this book 4 out of 4.

Grade Level:  K-3
Reading Level:  3.9
Publisher: Lantana Pub (January 1, 2018)
Pages:  32
ISBN: 978-1911373261 

Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2019 (1/25/19) is in its 6th year and was founded by Valarie Budayr from Jump Into A Book and Mia Wenjen from PragmaticMom. Our mission is to raise awareness of the ongoing need to include kids’ books that celebrate diversity in homes and school bookshelves while also working diligently to get more of these types of books into the hands of young readers, parents and educators.

MCBD 2019 is honored to have the following Medallion Sponsors on board!

*View our 2019 Medallion Sponsors here: https://wp.me/P5tVud-

*View our 2019 MCBD Author Sponsors here: https://wp.me/P5tVud-2eN

Medallion Level Sponsors

Honorary: Children’s Book Council, The Junior Library Guild, TheConsciousKid.org.

Super Platinum: Make A Way Media

GOLD: Bharat Babies, Candlewick Press, Chickasaw Press, Juan Guerra and The Little Doctor / El doctorcito, KidLitTV,  Lerner Publishing Group, Plum Street Press,

SILVER: Capstone Publishing, Carole P. Roman, Author Charlotte Riggle, Huda Essa, The Pack-n-Go Girls,

BRONZE: Charlesbridge Publishing, Judy Dodge Cummings, Author Gwen Jackson, Kitaab World, Language Lizard – Bilingual & Multicultural Resources in 50+ Languages, Lee & Low Books, Miranda Paul and Baptiste Paul, Redfin, Author Gayle H. Swift,  T.A. Debonis-Monkey King’s Daughter, TimTimTom Books, Lin Thomas, Sleeping Bear Press/Dow Phumiruk, Vivian Kirkfield

MCBD 2019 is honored to have the following Author Sponsors on board

Honorary: Julie Flett, Mehrdokht Amini,

Author Janet Balletta, Author Kathleen Burkinshaw, Author Josh Funk, Chitra Soundar, One Globe Kids – Friendship Stories, Sociosights Press and Almost a Minyan, Karen Leggett, Author Eugenia Chu, CultureGroove Books, Phelicia Lang and Me On The Page, L.L. Walters, Author Sarah Stevenson, Author Kimberly Gordon Biddle, Hayley Barrett, Sonia Panigrah, Author Carolyn Wilhelm, Alva Sachs and Dancing Dreidels, Author Susan Bernardo, Milind Makwana and A Day in the Life of a Hindu Kid, Tara Williams, Veronica Appleton, Author Crystal Bowe, Dr. Claudia May, Author/Illustrator Aram Kim, Author Sandra L. Richards, Erin Dealey, Author Sanya Whittaker Gragg, Author Elsa Takaoka, Evelyn Sanchez-Toledo, Anita Badhwar, Author Sylvia Liu, Feyi Fay Adventures, Author Ann Morris, Author Jacqueline Jules, CeCe & Roxy Books, Sandra Neil Wallace and Rich Wallace, LEUYEN PHAM, Padma Venkatraman, Patricia Newman and Lightswitch Learning, Shoumi Sen, Valerie Williams-Sanchez and Valorena Publishing, Traci Sorell, Shereen Rahming, Blythe Stanfel, Christina Matula, Julie Rubini, Paula Chase, Erin Twamley, Afsaneh Moradian, Lori DeMonia, Claudia Schwam, Terri Birnbaum/ RealGirls Revolution, Soulful Sydney, Queen Girls Publications, LLC

We’d like to also give a shout-out to MCBD’s impressive CoHost Team who not only hosts the book review link-up on celebration day, but who also works tirelessly to spread the word of this event. View our CoHosts HERE.

Co-Hosts and Global Co-Hosts

A Crafty Arab, Agatha Rodi Books, All Done Monkey, Barefoot Mommy, Biracial Bookworms, Books My Kids Read, Crafty Moms Share, Colours of Us, Discovering the World Through My Son’s Eyes, Descendant of Poseidon Reads, Educators Spin on it,  Growing Book by Book, Here Wee Read, Joy Sun Bear/ Shearin Lee, Jump Into a Book, Imagination Soup,Jenny Ward’s Class, Kid World Citizen, Kristi’s Book Nook, The Logonauts, Mama Smiles, Miss Panda Chinese, Multicultural Kid Blogs, Raising Race Conscious Children, Shoumi Sen, Spanish Playground

TWITTER PARTY Sponsored by Make A Way Media: MCBD’s super-popular (and crazy-fun) annual @McChildsBookDay Twitter Party will be held 1/25/19 at 9:00pm.E.S.T. TONS of prizes and book bundles will be given away during the party ( a prize every 5 minutes!). GO HERE for more details.

FREE RESOURCES From MCBD

Free Multicultural Books for Teachers: http://bit.ly/1kGZrta

Free Empathy Classroom Kit for Homeschoolers, Organizations, Librarians and Educators: http://multiculturalchildrensbookday.com/teacher-classroom-empathy-kit/

Hashtag: Don’t forget to connect with us on social media and be sure and look for/use our official hashtag #ReadYourWorld.

Freddie Ramos Hears It All by Jacqueline Jules

Freddie Ramos has special shoes that he operates from a wristband and it gives him super powers! How fun would that be!  His shoes allow him to get super speedy and have a super bounce. In this book he now has the ability to have super hearing.  It comes in handy when his school goes on a field trip to a science museum where he is able to find a missing boy using his special powers.  He also gets a chance to use his super hearing powers when he hears strange sounds in his apartment building. He figures it out what is making the noise and saves the day!

This is a beginning chapter book for readers from grades 1-4. I can see my 2nd graders loving this series.  Since this is the 7th book in the series, I did not have the background for how Freddie got his powers, so I had to look up some of the earlier books to get some insight.  It appears that Freddie came home from school one day and there was a box for him and inside were ZAPATO POWER shoes that gives him super speed. Mr. Vaslov, who is an inventor and building maintenance person, is the person who created the shoes for Freddie. 

The book has lots of pictures and is a very fun, fast and easy read.  It includes some Spanish phrases and words that you can figure out from the context of the sentences. ZOOM ZOOM ZAPATO is illustrated in a variety of typography for the instances when Freddie is using his super powers. 

I plan on ordering this series for my Junior Fiction section in my elementary library.  I think it should be a hit. I give it a 3 out of 4 rating. You need to read some of the earlier books to understand Freddie's abilities. 

Name of Series:  Zapato Power
Grade Level:  1-4
Reading Level:  3.0  (2R)
Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company (September 1, 2018)

Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2019 (1/25/19) is in its 6th year and was founded by Valarie Budayr from Jump Into A Book and Mia Wenjen from PragmaticMom. Our mission is to raise awareness of the ongoing need to include kids’ books that celebrate diversity in homes and school bookshelves while also working diligently to get more of these types of books into the hands of young readers, parents and educators. 


MCBD 2019 is honored to have the following Medallion Sponsors on board!

*View our 2019 Medallion Sponsors here: https://wp.me/P5tVud-

*View our 2019 MCBD Author Sponsors here: https://wp.me/P5tVud-2eN


Medallion Level Sponsors


Honorary: Children’s Book Council, The Junior Library Guild, TheConsciousKid.org.

Super Platinum: Make A Way Media

GOLD: Bharat Babies, Candlewick Press, Chickasaw Press, Juan Guerra and The Little Doctor / El doctorcito, KidLitTV,  Lerner Publishing Group, Plum Street Press,

SILVER: Capstone Publishing, Carole P. Roman, Author Charlotte Riggle, Huda Essa, The Pack-n-Go Girls,

BRONZE: Charlesbridge Publishing, Judy Dodge Cummings, Author Gwen Jackson, Kitaab World, Language Lizard – Bilingual & Multicultural Resources in 50+ Languages, Lee & Low Books, Miranda Paul and Baptiste Paul, Redfin, Author Gayle H. Swift,  T.A. Debonis-Monkey King’s Daughter, TimTimTom Books, Lin Thomas, Sleeping Bear Press/Dow Phumiruk, Vivian Kirkfield,

MCBD 2019 is honored to have the following Author Sponsors on board


Honorary: Julie Flett, Mehrdokht Amini,

Author Janet Balletta, Author Kathleen Burkinshaw, Author Josh Funk, Chitra Soundar, One Globe Kids – Friendship Stories, Sociosights Press and Almost a Minyan, Karen Leggett, Author Eugenia Chu, CultureGroove Books, Phelicia Lang and Me On The Page, L.L. Walters, Author Sarah Stevenson, Author Kimberly Gordon Biddle, Hayley Barrett, Sonia Panigrah, Author Carolyn Wilhelm, Alva Sachs and Dancing Dreidels, Author Susan Bernardo, Milind Makwana and A Day in the Life of a Hindu Kid, Tara Williams, Veronica Appleton, Author Crystal Bowe, Dr. Claudia May, Author/Illustrator Aram Kim, Author Sandra L. Richards, Erin Dealey, Author Sanya Whittaker Gragg, Author Elsa Takaoka, Evelyn Sanchez-Toledo, Anita Badhwar, Author Sylvia Liu, Feyi Fay Adventures, Author Ann Morris, Author Jacqueline Jules, CeCe & Roxy Books, Sandra Neil Wallace and Rich Wallace, LEUYEN PHAM, Padma Venkatraman, Patricia Newman and Lightswitch Learning, Shoumi Sen, Valerie Williams-Sanchez and Valorena Publishing, Traci Sorell, Shereen Rahming, Blythe Stanfel, Christina Matula, Julie Rubini, Paula Chase, Erin Twamley, Afsaneh Moradian, Lori DeMonia, Claudia Schwam, Terri Birnbaum/ RealGirls Revolution, Soulful Sydney, Queen Girls Publications, LLC

We’d like to also give a shout-out to MCBD’s impressive CoHost Team who not only hosts the book review link-up on celebration day, but who also works tirelessly to spread the word of this event. View our CoHosts HERE.


Co-Hosts and Global Co-Hosts


A Crafty Arab, Agatha Rodi Books, All Done Monkey, Barefoot Mommy, Biracial Bookworms, Books My Kids Read, Crafty Moms Share, Colours of Us, Discovering the World Through My Son’s Eyes, Descendant of Poseidon Reads, Educators Spin on it,  Growing Book by Book, Here Wee Read, Joy Sun Bear/ Shearin Lee, Jump Into a Book, Imagination Soup,Jenny Ward’s Class, Kid World Citizen, Kristi’s Book Nook, The Logonauts, Mama Smiles, Miss Panda Chinese, Multicultural Kid Blogs, Raising Race Conscious Children, Shoumi Sen, Spanish Playground


TWITTER PARTY Sponsored by Make A Way Media: MCBD’s super-popular (and crazy-fun) annual @McChildsBookDay Twitter Party will be held 1/25/19 at 9:00pm.E.S.T. TONS of prizes and book bundles will be given away during the party ( a prize every 5 minutes!). GO HERE for more details.


FREE RESOURCES From MCBD


Free Multicultural Books for Teachers: http://bit.ly/1kGZrta


Free Empathy Classroom Kit for Homeschoolers, Organizations, Librarians and Educators: http://multiculturalchildrensbookday.com/teacher-classroom-empathy-kit/



Hashtag: Don’t forget to connect with us on social media and be sure and look for/use our official hashtag #ReadYourWorld.

Attack of the Alien Horde by Robert Vendetti

I wasn't sure if I would like this book but once I started reading it I could not stop.  The story is about a 12 year old named Miles Taylor who gets involved in an attack by an alien against the crime crusader named "The Gilded" who always wears a gold cape. The Gilded superhero passes on his cape to Miles and now he has to figure out how to follow in the superhero's footsteps.  He needs help and meets a boy in his class who is an expert on everything about Gilded and they become a team. They have to sneak around school and home schedules in order to save their town, Atlanta, Georgia, from all the trouble and crime happening and get Miles to the scenes on time. 

The book is funny, dramatic, and exciting.  When Miles becomes Gilded and is being a superhero, the book changes to a comic book format (black and white). Miles has to figure out good and evil, right and wrong, and selflessness.   This book is a fun read for grades 3rd - 6th grade. I rate it a 4 out of 4. 

Grade Level:  4-7
Hardcover: 304 pages
Reading Level:  5.1
Publisher:  Simon & Schuster
Copyright Date:  June 16, 2015

My Book Club Reads

After more than a decade of not belonging to an adult book club, I was finally able to join a group of readers the fall of 2017.  It is great fun and because of the club, I have read so many more books outside of my comfort genres. I like a good plot but do enjoy quirky characters. I don't like too much violence or language. I am not a fan of steamy books either; I like it pretty clean.  Here is a tour of the books we read last school year, starting September 2017. Maybe you will find a good read in this bunch!

Funny In Farsi by Firoozeh Dumas

This was a great memoir about a woman describing her childhood growing up in America in the 1980's as an Immigrant from Iran. She writes with much humor and nostalgia.  This was a great read for our first book and most readers really enjoyed the book.  I read it quickly and really liked the book.  I rate it a 4 out of 4.  Highly recommend!

 

The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York by Deborah Blum

Our October selection was also a non fiction choice and perfect for the season. It really was a fascinating account of the start of forensic medicine and how many times poisons were choices of murder in the early 20th century. I found descriptions of how much prohibition contributed to murder and mayhem very interesting.  Although not my typical genre, I read the book easily and have thought of it many times over the course of the year.  I have read that New York was an especially dark time period at the beginning of the 1900's. This narrative has that feeling of darkness and gloom. I recommend this book as well.  I might have had to put it down a few times in my reading process because it wasn't lighthearted. I give it a 3.5 out of 4 rating. I recommend this book. 

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

In November we read a book on the Amazon best seller list. It has been on a lot of best read lists and is going to be made into a mini-series at Hulu. Kerry Washington and Reese Witherspoon are playing leading roles!  

It is a story set in the carefully planned community of Shaker Heights in a Cleveland suburb. The author actually lived there as a child and teen, so it is a real community where even the small details of where the garbage cans are located in homes was thought out.  The story is about several families. One is the Richardson family who play by the rules and the other is a single mother and her daughter who live a artistic gypsy-like lifestyle. Their lives become entwined and the daughter becomes friends with the four Richardson children. There are a lot of secrets carried by different characters which all collide to form a custody battle  of an an Asian child which divides the town. 

I have discovered that I don't like reading about contemporary teenage angst and this book has episodes of this when the teenage characters are involved. I don't know why but it always feels whiny.  So I had to plow through some of the scenes to get to the better parts. I rate this book a 3.5 and recommend it. 

 

Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate

This book was on Amazon's Charts most of last year and was also voted by Good Reads as best book of 2017.  Lisa Wingate writes in a style that is easy to read and hard to put down. She writes this historical fiction book about a real life scandal from the 1930's that involved George Tann and a Memphis adoption agency.  Ms Tann made adoption so popular that children were stolen in or support the buying and selling of children. This book has suspense and some romance.  We loved it.  I rated it a 4 out of 4 and recommend it often. 

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

We wanted to read a classic and Jane Eyre was our choice. It is a tough read because of the vocabulary and length of text.  I read it on my Kindle, looking up words, and then followed along much of the time with Audible. I have done this before with tough reads.  It is very enjoyable way to "read" a book.  We recommend this for kids and it translates to my reading as well.  I am so glad we chose this book.  References to Jane Eyre come up all the time and now I know what they are actually referring to.  I  give this a 3 out of 4 rating.  

Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life 

by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

This is not a novel but a book of lists and anecdotes from the author's life. Lots of funny and quirky musings about life done in a encyclopedia type of writing format.  It is short and a quick read.  I found myself thinking about things and this format while I was reading this book. One of our book club members did some writing in a journal in this format as well.  This author has written many children's books that are always heartfelt and quirky. It was fun to read an adult book of her. I give it a 3 out of 4 rating. 

The Cartographer of No Man's Land by P. S. Duffy

Angus' brother-in-law and best friend goes missing during WWI and so he signs up for duty hoping to use his artistic talents to become a cartographer for the war effort. Unfortunately, they have plenty of talent and they send Angus to the battle front. Angus is a pacifist from Nova Scotia, Canada and his entry into battle is difficult. The story line goes back and forth between the French battle front and Angus' home. 

This is not an easy read but it was interesting to read about a Canadian perspective in WWI. Our book club was fortunate to have Ms. Duffy come to our book club and talk about the book with us. She happens to live in Rochester.  She was fabulous and very interesting to talk to about her novel.  So even though this book was a tough read for me....I was so worth reading in order to meet the author. I give the book a 2 but our visit with Duffy a 4!

Killing Kennedy by Bill O'Reilly

This was a very interesting and fast read. It is part of Bill O'Reilly's "Killing" series. This is about the life and events that led up to the assassination of John F. Kennedy.  I stopped and looked at many things online as I was reading this book...particularly when they were talking about televised speeches. After I read this book I also watched the movie Jackie which gives you a different perspective.  I rated this a 4.

The One by John Marrs

I couldn't put this one down. It wouldn't have been one I would have picked out on my own, but that is why I am in a book club!  This is a psychological thriller about a British woman who has figured out how to make romantic matches using a DNA swatch. Sounds simple but gets very complicated! The plot focuses on 5 different who have been matched and how their news affects their lives.  Just a warning, this book has the blush factor in some of the scenes. This is not great literature but a entertaining story.  I give it a 3 because I can't recommend it to everyone. 

Commonwealth by Ann Patchett

Bert Cousins shows up at the christening party of his co-worker's child and ends up kissing his wife, Beverly, by the end of the evening.  The marriage falls apart and Beverley weds Bert. Two families with children are now merged...forever. This book spans five decades and follows four parents and six children and their rather unhappy lives.

This was a forgettable book for me.  I just didn't connect with the story or characters and plodded through the reading.  I give it a 2 out or 4. 

The Women in the Castle by Jessica Shattuck

Marianne von Lingenfels promises to take care of the widows of one of the resistance groups in Germany who plotted to kill Hitler during World War II. She finds them after the war and invites them to live with her in the castle that she has inherited. It isn't glamorous or easy but she is earnest in helping after the war. Sometimes she seems to be bossy and meddling, but she is determined to make restitution and do the right thing.  This was an interesting perspective of WWII as you learn how Germans get back to their lives after the devastating war.  Of course, lots of sad scenes. I didn't love it as much as The Nightingale by Hannah, but it is one I would recommend.  I give it a 3.5 out of 4.