I Am Every Good Thing (Derrick Barnes)

 

Good beginning of year book? Lots of good message in here! 

Goodreads says:

I am

a nonstop ball of energy.
Powerful and full of light.
I am a go-getter. A difference maker. A leader.

The confident Black narrator of this book is proud of everything that makes him who he is. He's got big plans, and no doubt he'll see them through--as he's creative, adventurous, smart, funny, and a good friend. Sometimes he falls, but he always gets back up. And other times he's afraid, because he's so often misunderstood and called what he is not. So slow down and really look and listen, when somebody tells you--and shows you--who they are. There are superheroes in our midst!

I Am A Thundercloud (Leah Moser)

 

Great for teaching kids how to move from one zone to another.

Goodreads says:

Big feelings are hard to manage, especially when you’re a small person trying to understand yourself and the world.  For those confusing stormy days, I Am a Thundercloud helps readers relate to their feelings through the sounds, sensations and colors of nature, making them feel comfortable and lighter.

Having emotions, even angry ones, is a part of being human. In Leah Moser’s I Am a Thundercloud a young child is having a bad day—they BOOM, ROAR, CRASH, and CRACKLE like an angry thundercloud. Tense body language, an inability to say the “right” words, the instinct to hide are like a brewing storm within the child. But like the sun breaking through, our protagonist processes big emotions by relaxing, asking for help, opening up, and pausing to permit themselves to breathe. This powerful picture book reminds us that having the ability to recognize how we are feeling not only increases our emotional intelligence and helps us process our own emotions, but it also allows us to recognize and empathize with others who are struggling with their emotions.

The Brain at Rest (Dr. Joseph Jebelli)

 

I seem to be on a deep dive into rest and the importance of taking it easy. This book was a great addition to that quest.

Chapter 1: How Overwork Is Literally Killing Us

• Spend at least twenty minutes a day staring blankly into space. Try not to think about anything in particular; simply let your mind rest and wander, breathing slowly and deeply through your nose as your do. This is arguably the hardest way to rest because our society has indoctrinated us into believing it's a waste of time, but it's one of the best ways to activate your default network.
• Try to step away from your normal routines and thoughts for at least a few minutes every day. Your mind needs intermittent breaks to refresh and stimulate default network activity. Don't worry about justifying it - you never need to justify your health. I snatch these precious moments just before getting on my bike in the morning, pausing to look at trees lining my street. 
• In Poincare fashion, go for long walks and spend time sitting on public transport, staring out of the window. Sometimes, when I need inspiration, I take a bus to nowhere in particular.
• If you have a bathtub, have more baths than showers. Besides being better for sore muscles and lowering your blood sugar levels, a bath lets your best thinking happen because it allows your mind ample space to roam. A bath before bed also improves your sleep, another period of high default network activity. Try including some soothing bath salts; I find they give me the best mental relief.

Chapter 2: The Neuroscience of Work

• Take regular, scheduled breaks throughout the day. Follow, for example, the Pomodoro Technique (25 minutes of work followed by a 5-minute break), which lowers your risk of burnout, allowing the brain to recover and restore its executive functions, thus maintaining a higher level of performance.
• Try the time-blocking technique, where you simply divide your day into blocks of time, which prevents task-switching and multitasking (known productivity killers) and ensures focused effort on one thing at a time. This method harnesses your executive network's preference for structured tasks. By focusing on a single activity, you reduce cognitive overload and help your prefrontal cortex optimize task management.
• Implement email rules - that is, set specific times for checking and responding to emails. This prevents consistent interruption and helps preserve focus on more important tasks. Ceaselessly checking your email fatigues the prefrontal cortex and depletes your executive network's resources for focused thinking and decision-making. It's like trying to walk a tightrope while someone keeps tugging on your rope from below, throwing you off-balance with each pull.
• Establish criteria for accepting work meetings. Ask yourself, Is this meeting relevant? How long is it? Do I really need to be there? Then propose alternatives like email updates or condensed sessions to preserve time. Streamlining meetings helps your executive network enormously. When meetings are short and relevant, they make better use of our attention and working-memory capacities.

Part 2 Rest

Chapter 3: Mind Wandering

Practical tips to help your mind wander:

• Try a technique called positive constructive daydreaming (PCD) which involves tempting yourself into a controlled fantasy, helping your mind wander and thus engage your default network. For example, imagine it is one year from now and you're living the life you want, or imagine yourself in an earthly paradise. This intention kind of mind wandering, as opposed to the unintentional kind we often slip into, may provide even more protection from stress and anxiety, according to a recent study by the American Psychological Association - and this is especially true if we find what we're thinking about particularly interesting. So the next time you feel guilty for wandering off from work to muse about the fact that whale song can be used to map the ocean floor, or that there are 4 quadrillion quadrillion bacteria on the Earth, or that there are fossilized plants in Greenland under 1.4 kilometers of ice - don't.
• Try something new at least once a week. Every time you put your brain in a novel situation, it quickly learns how to process the new circumstances using the inferior prefrontal cortex, a hotbed of creativity-enhancing default network neurons. If it's hard to try something new, try something you usually do in an unusual way; take a different route to work, write paper notes instead of typing, pause while in your neighborhood and soak in all the multisensory impressions
• Listen to sad music. Not only does it improve your mood when you're feeling down (yes, really), but it's also associated with stronger mind wandering and greater default network activity.
• For employers, do yourself and your company a huge favor by removing teh stigma associated with mind-wandering. Discuss its benefits with your employees and allow them time to explore its creative powers.

Chapter 4: The Science of Tree-Hugging (Why Nature is So Good For Your Brain)

Some tips to activate your default network with forest bathing.

• Walk slowly through the forest. This isn't a hike or jog; it's a leisurely stroll.  The goal isn't to get to the finishing line. Move at a pace that allows you to observe and connect with your surroundings.
• Hugs a tree whenever you can. As well as reducing cortisol, blood pressure, and heart rate, it releases oxytocin and activates your brain's default network.
• If at all possible ,go camping a few times a year. This will raise your natural killer cell count nicely. If you can go more frequently, even better.
• As well as in the forest, spend time on the beach or near the sea. People who live near the coast tend to have better physical and mental health than those who don't. Believe it or not, a big reason for this is that the color blue actually changes our brain waves and induces a sense of calm and peace. The sea air is also remarkably good for our mood.

Chapter 5: Mindful Solitude

1. Start small (10 min/day) Just sit and breathe.

2. Schedule solitude. Plan a specific time each day to be alone.

3. Disconnect to reconnect. No digital devices during your solitude time.

4. Engage in solo activities (walking, journaling, yoga)

5. Reflect and reassess. 

• Just go. Sometimes the simplest advice is best, especially when it comes to rejuvenating your brain's health. Planning a solo trip or retreat can seem daunting at first, with concerns about loneliness or boredom creeping in. But the act of stepping away from your daily routine and immersing yourself in a new environment can be incredibly liberating. It forces you out of your comfort zone, stimulates your senses in unexpected ways, and provides the perfect backdrop for introspection and creativity
• If you can't plan a big trip and are tied down by work and family commitments, just go to a quiet room alone; even a brief respite in a tranquil space can be a powerful form of solitude. By making the effort to find peace in the midst of a busy life, you're taking a vital step toward maintaining mental well-being and enhancing your brain's health.
• Understand that doing nothing, even when it involves not being social, is no bad thing. The social circuits within your brain's default network need time to rest and replenish. In fact, studies show that too much socializing may even cause harm, including high stress and greater mortality risk. Though isolation and loneliness are not good for our health, we still need solitude, so set boundaries and leave space for alone time.
• Ensure that when you do socialize, it's meaningful, good quality socializing. Many of us spend time with people we shouldn't - bad friends, frenemies, a toxic family member - but we do it because we feel obliged to. This raises levels of the stress hormone cortisol int he brain, which damages our social circuitry and harms the good-quality relationships we should be enjoying.

Chapter 6: Sleep On It Your Brain's Master Healer

- Broadly speaking, sleep has two functions: it's cognitive enhancer and a restorative powerhouse. The cognitive side of sleep nurtures our capacity for learning and memory. (p. 123) Note to self: Re-read pages 123-127

Napping: it lowers stress by reducing cortisol levels in the brain; it encourages the regeneration of damaged brain cells; and it triggers a new kind of thinking "that we have yet to understand." That final point presents an intriguing mystery. We know that napping improves memory, creativity, and cognitive function, yet there could be other, less understood aspects of brain function and benefit from napping. (p. 129)

• Every night before you go to bed, spend ten to twenty minutes staring blankly into space. This will activate your default network at the critical hypnagogic phase, the period between wakefulness and sleep. After doing nothing during your hypnagogic phase, write down your thoughts in a journal. It's a key moment for your best insights and ability to solve problems.
• When you wake up the following day, don't immediately roll out of bed and begin your day as usual; instead, spend another ten to twenty minutes doing absolutely nothing. Just stare into space. At this point, the period between sleep and full alertness, your brain's hypnopompic phase is active, which is another golden opportunity to active your default network.
• Try to nap for thirty minutes daily. This short rest during the day will make your brain bigger, reduce stress, and regenerate damaged brain cells.
• Sleep  for as long as you feel like sleeping. Your brain doesn't care about arbitrary work hours or overbearing bosses. Your brain needs as much asleep as it tells you it needs. Listen to it. And know that the usual amount of six to eight hours' sleep is often not enough. To ensure your default network is thriving, aim for eight to ten hours.

Chapter 7: Playology

Re: Video games: My partner has noticed an improvement in my mood ever since I started gaming a little each day, a hobby I hadn't indulged in since my early twenties. Like many, I feared it could negatively affect my well-being, especially given the moral panic that video games can harm our brains or incite violence - theories now thoroughly disproved. In fact, video games can positively impact mental health and well-being, providing a sense of achievement and a safe escape from everyday pressures. (p. 148)

Play personalities (p. 149) (or ways to engage in play...keeping this list for when I feel at a loss for something fun to fill time with:

The Collector - finds joy in the hunt, whether it be for books, plants, antiques or rare Pokémon cards;

The Competitor - thrives on sports and winning, and loves a five-a-side football match and the teamwork of a basketball game

The creator - finds deep satisfaction in the hours spent filing, painting, composing music or tending to a garden

The Director - has natural aptitude for leadership and wants to change the world by organizing and inspiring others

The Explorer - driven by an insatiable curiosity, always on the lookout for new experiences, be it a new forest or a spontaneous hike in he mountains

The Jokes - loves to laugh, using wit hand humor among friends and injecting levity into life's darker moments

The Kinesthete -loves to move - to dance, to swing, and to reap all the brain benefits of active rest

The Storyteller - the ultimate raconteur and who loves to transport their audience to other worlds; using mediums like writing, acting or teaching

• Find micro-moments of play throughout your day. Whether it's dancing to your favorite song while cooking dinner or singing out loud on your cycle home, these small acts of joy will lighten your mood and significantly improve your brain health. Embrace these snippets of spontaneity to weave a tapestry to playfulness into the fabric of everyday life.
• Advocate for a shorter workweek. Explore the feasibility and benefits of a four-day workweek in your workplace or community, inspired by the successful trials in Iceland, to create more time for rest and play. Now, more than ever, is the moment for workers around the globe to unite and reclaim their time for leisure, wellness, and personal growth.
• Make downtime and play sacrosanct. In our rush toward short-term productivity we completely overlook the value that comes from moments of leisure and play, not just for children but for adults as well. This sacred time, carved out from the demands of our daily lives, is vital for the resting brain. Value it like sleep, a cornerstone of life itself.
• Resist the urge to share your playful activities on social media. True play is for your enrichment, not for external validation. This approach helps maintain the purity and personal significance of the experience, ensuring that it remains a genuine source of joy and rest.

Chapter 8: Active Rest

• If you can, introduce some high-intensity exercise - anything aerobic - into your week. This will strengthen connections in your default network
• Aim for thirty minutes of exercise a day, five days a week. If you're struggling to fit this in, remember, your brain doesn't need quite as much to see benefits: just twenty-five minutes of exercise per week, a mere four minutes a day, can enhance your brain size and health. Even gentle physical exercises like walking and yoga can increase your brain size.
• Harness the brain benefits of sex if you can. Whether it's once every few weeks or several times a week, incorporating this form of active rest benefits adults of all ages, stimulating the brain's default network and improving memory, thinking ability, decision-making, and emotional processing.
• Ultimately, the crucial thing to remember is that active rest lowers your risk of developing a devastating neurological disorder. Just as stopping smoking lowers your risk of cancer, embracing active rest lowers your risk of Alzheimer's disease, stroke, PTSD, and depression, to name a few. So create a sense of urgency about active rest - because it is urgent.

Chapter 9: Just Do Nothing

• Carve out time every day to just be. I find the best way to do this is to simply sit in a chair and stare out the window. In doing so, your brain is no longer focusing on the details of an action; it has entered the perfect zone for default network activity. A great resource for helping people just be is www.donothingfor2minutes.org. Try it
• When you feel that you've had enough niksing, try combining it with an easy, semiautomatic activity such as knitting, This will keep your mind occupied without deactivating your default network. If knitting's not your thing, explore other semiautomatic activities: draw, do a jigsaw puzzle, sort things by color, create a family tree, look for stones and shells on the beach, stargaze, fold and refold paper, peel the labels from bottles, pop bubble wrap. There is no one-size-fits-all. Try whatever form of rest fits you best.
• Try what's called the Black marker test; jot down all the things you plan to do this week, then take a black marker and cross out all the tasks that can be postponed or, better still, canceled. You'll be amazed at how cluttered your free time really is.
• Push through the initial discomfort of doing nothing and work up to longer stretches of doing nothing. Reach a stage where you have a few days a week without any obligations or appointments. Dare to be idle. It is a quiet kind of revolution, but your brain will thank you in the end.

He had some great quotes in the book too. I just had to note them:

Burnout is not the price we have to pay for success. (Arianna Huffington)

How much better is silence; the coffee cup, the table. (Virginia Wolf)

How we spend our days is, of course, how se spend our lives. (Annie Dillard)

The soul should always stand ajar, ready to welcome the ecstatic experience. (Emily Dickinson)

Everybody should be quiet near a little stream and listen. (Ruth Krauss)

Without great solitude, no serious work is possible. (Pablo Picasso)

The death of each day's life, sore labor's bath, 

Balm of hurt minds, great nature's second course,

Chief nourisher in life's feast.

 (Macbeth 2.2.36-38)

Leisure is the mother of philosophy (Thomas Hobbes)

I have always believed that exercise is the key not only to physical health but to peace of mind. (Nelson Mandela)

Just act normal, that's already crazy enough (Dutch proverb)

How much better is silence; the coffee cup, the table. (Virginia Woolf)

Goodreads says:

From Joseph Jebelli, PhD, neuroscientist and author of In Pursuit of Memory, a narrative exploration of the science of doing nothing and its benefits for the brain and body.

We are constantly told to make the most of our time. Work harder, with more focus. Stop procrastinating. Optimize. To be happy, creative, and successful requires discipline. The most important thing is to be efficient with every precious hour. 


But what if all that advice was wrong, and letting the brain rest, and the mind wander, could improve our lives? Dr. Joseph Jebelli proves this surprising and fascinating point in The Brain at Rest, blending science and personal stories with practical tips about using the brain’s “default network,” which turns itself on when we turn off the constant need to always do and achieve. By activating our default network through long walks, baths, and spending time in nature, we can all be more content, less stressed, and actually more productive.


Perfect for anyone interested in science and creativity, or anyone feeling overwhelmed in their day-to-day lives, The Brain at Rest is a deeply researched and entertaining antidote to overwork and burnout, showing readers the way to happier, healthier, and more balanced lives.

[Un]Intentional (Doug Smith)

 

This was an audio book I decided to listen to while delivering flyers for the food bank drive (hours and hours of walking!) It was really good. He has a Biblical approach to the problems with screens. The people creating social media are very intentional at capturing our attention and as a result, we have started to live our lives in unintentional ways. I was quite persuaded by his argument that we have to take back the control and be in charge of our own lives and one of the key ways to do that is to break the screen addiction. I was quite persuaded by the author's approach to this topic. I know I'm much happier and contended when I spend time reading and listening to good podcasts and audio books. The pull of social media is really strong and easy to get sucked into as a time waster.

Goodreads says:

Most of us are unintentional with screens, but tech industry architects intentionally make their content distracting, manipulative, and addictive.

[Un]Intentional shows how our obsession with screens often takes us—unintentionally—to places we regret. It reveals the way many apps, games, and videos are designed to entice us to make decisions and form harmful habits that profit the creators at our expense.

[Un]Intentional helps you break free by guiding you through proven biblical practices to reclaim your thought life, make good decisions, and fulfill your God-given mission.

Billy and the Giant Adventure (Jamie Oliver)

 

January 2025: I might be the only person on the planet who didn't know who Jamie Oliver was before I read this book. He's a chef. He has trouble with words and is apparently dyslexic. He wrote a book. 

I read lots of raving reviews about it....but I'm not on board. I didn't think it was really well written. I also thought it was way to long for J fiction. He could have made each adventure one book if he really wants kids to read it. Close to 400 pages is too much. Although, the pictures were great. They were big and interesting and really well done. 

I always tell my students, when we are learning narrative writing, that they can't a story with "I got up and had breakfast" and they can't end it with "I went home, had dinner and went to bed". Jamie Oliver does that with EVERY single chapter. I know he's a food guy....but it was too much. 

The recipes were interesting. Not sure why he also added his favorite movies from the 80s. Maybe they inspired his story? I don't know. 

It's part Narnia (they escape into a magical forest....David Robertson did a Narnia remake way better in The Barren Grounds), part environmental education (something is wrong with the "Rhythm"....which is always capitalized in the book....I'd encourage kids to read Willowdeen instead of they want that topic) and part adventure (Magic Tree House anyone?).

Oh. And it's called the GIANT adventure because there's a giant....but you don't find that out until the last few chapters. Weird.

There's controversy with book 2. He has been criticized for stereotyping First Nations people in Australia. I blame that one on the editors. Seriously? No one clued in?? I think they just ran with something they thought could really sell because he's already famous. 

Because we picked this for our Grade 3 book club book, I did finish it. I wouldn't have otherwise.

I don't usually have this much to say about books I don't like.

Update: My students LOVED this book. Maybe I should stop being such a grumpy old teacher. LOL We sat in a circle and talked about our favorite parts. Ten students had read it and their responses were so delightful. We had lots of laughs remembering the funny parts of the book.

Reread August 2025. I'm still not a fan. This is a terribly written book. It could have been 200 pages if all the food stuff that kids aren't interested in was left out. With this read I wrote out chapter summaries to help keep myself focused. It was the only thing that kept me going, to be honest. I'll never pick this book again for a book club read! It's just been too painful.

Chapter summaries:

Chapter 1 The Day It All Began We meet all the kids (Billy, Anna, Andy and Jimmy), a bully named Bruce Brace and Basil. Basil is a sprite that lives in Waterfall Woods. He warns them about the boonas - a rag tag group of creatures that like to bother the sprites

Chapter 2 Boonas vs Billy Billy goes into Waterfall Woods alone because he got a message on his necklace that Basil needed help. He has a confrontation with the boonas....all solved with some dramatic fighting which Billy wins dramatically. The worst of the boonas was Mama Boona but Billy conquers her by throwing food his mother had packed for him in a picnic basket (I guess this fit in his backpack?) Billy goes home and shares with his friends that the sprites have told him about a problem in Waterfall Woods - an imbalance.

Chapter 3 Basil to the Rescue Billy's experience with the Boonas gives him courage to take on Bruno the bully at school. Bruno dumps Billy's lunch on his head, steals his donut when he leaves the bakery shop. They have an altercation and finally Billy zips off on his skateboard, only to crash into a lady whose groceries go flying. While trying to help her, of course, Bruno catches up. But Basil freezes everyone. He spends the weekend at his grandfather's house and finds out he knows about the rhythm and about a strange mystery of two brothers who went into Waterfall Woods and one disappeared.

Chapter 4 Battle of the Treehouse The Boonas come to attack Billy. They managed to get a piece of his clothing in the wrestle in the previous chapter. All the kids are in the treehouse. Luckily, Andy eats a lot of beans and has gas and so they're able to create fire while farting on a flame. The Boonas have never seen anything like this and run in fear. Andy is named Andy the Fart Blaster.

Chapter 5 The Lost City

Basil gets lost. They find him and it turns out as they do so they're led to a lost city. There's talk of Balthazar. Who is Balthazar?  Problems with the water and The Rhythm are introduced. Andy's Uncle Kev has a new electronic prison tag? Random weird information (p. 148)

Chapter 6 Who's Wrecking the Rhythm

I can barely stand this anymore. These chapters meander so much. 

Gem of a quote: ....when you've fought off Boonas and discovered hidden cities, the school bully doesn't seem such a big deal anymore (p. 177) Lesson: Imaginative play and ignoring bullies pays!! 

The kids discover more dead fish. They're concerned and set off to figure out why this is happening. They find a pipe that is "gushing green-tinged gunk pouring into the river," which also causes their eyes to sting. They spy on the location and find someone dressed up as a "scary astronaut" (lame description). Seems that they have a turkey farm and all the poop is pumped out on a conveyor belt (why was it green??) They want to keep investigating but they have a field trip coming up so they decide to forge some letters from their parents to give the schools to get out of going to school...elaborate plans and concerns over handwriting, spelling problems, etc are discussed ad nauseum. The kids decide to contact a local reporter because he has always wanted a big break story.

Chapter 7 Billy's Masterplan

Lots of detail about how they write the letters....they eventually discover a typewriter and decide to type their letters excusing their absence. Jimmy is encouraged to "think James Bond". Do kids even know who James Bond is? Couldn't the author find something that would be a better connection?

Finally, they're back on their adventure, only something weird has happened....the compass seems to be totally reversed. They discover some huge beautiful garden and a giant.

Chapter 8 A Giant Mystery

Turns out the giant is friendly and he used to be their size but he ate vegetables a lot and grew like crazy. The giant likes to sing (totally corny song) and has an "enchanting voice". That really doesn't go anywhere though and is instead, an extra superfluous, unnecessary detail. There's some lame dialogue (The giant says, "What's that? Who's that? Where are you....where are you? Let me see you - give me a sign!" They introduce themselves and find out his name is Bilfred. He tells his story: he was sad to be trapped in this garden but he started to realize how beautiful this little piece of paradise was and started to change his attitude. 236) He teaches them that his garden taught him that  nature and life are all about harmony (p. There's weird kid humor moments (Andy yelped and let our a panicked fart, which propelled him just a little bit further...p. 233) The giant also sometimes uses big words: "There are many tales about the symbiotic relationship between Sprites and Giants..." (p. 251) which is kind of weird next to the fart jokes. He gives them some stones in a variety of colors that appear to be magical.

Then there's this weird "meanwhile, back in the bedroom where dad is telling the kids a bedtime story" narrative. I'd almost forgot this book is dad telling kids a story. The kids beg for the story to continue. As the mom, I'd say, just go to sleep! But anyway...

Chapter 9: Operation Overnight

All through the book they use walkie talkies...and have codes like "operation overnight" which means they're all lying to their parents that they're staying at another person's house over night...but in reality they're off on another adventure (sometimes there are great lessons in this book and other times they're plain old lying to their parents and forging letters) Amidst the intricate details of breakfast, Billy finds out from this parents that the reporter friend is on the trail of the story they leaked to him. Billy side steps reporters, circling helicopters, etc to get on with his adventure. They've realized they're able to open the secret door to this land of adventure by being tree-huggers. They're solved the problem of the disturbance of the Rhythm so now their mission is to rescue Bilfred, the giant. They do.

Chapter 10: Bilfred's Tale

Turns out Bilfred had gone into the woods with his brother. They got scared and got separated. Big tears plop down as Bilfred tells the story. The kids realize Bilfred's brother is Wilfred...the cranky old man who always tells them to not go into the woods. Turns out he's only cranky because he misses his brother so very much (insert eye roll). Now the dilemma is how can they reunite a man and his brother when the man is actually a giant and their homes are swarming with journalists. They get Bilfred to tell them a story (code word kind of thing) that only Wilfred would recognize.

Chapter 11 A Midnight Adventure

The break into Wilfred's house and discover a room full of maps all over the walls and newspaper clippings about a boy being lost in the woods. The secret code worked (a tin that Bilfred had given Wilfred and of course, Wilfred still cherishes it)

Chapter 12 Together Again

The hug a tree thing works and Bilfred and Wilfred are reunited. A map is discovered that shows there is even more in the Waterfall Woods than they realized...but that's an adventure for another day.

Epilogue

Kids can't believe this story is over and beg for a resolution to what else happens in Waterfall Woods. Dad promises he'll keep telling stories.

And I'm so glad to be finished this corny book finally. I think it's time to put the book in the recycling, to be honest.

Goodreads says:
One pinch of adventure, a dash of friendship, a sprinkle of mystery and a HUGE spoonful of magic . . . Jamie Oliver, bestselling author and internationally renowned chef, delivers the perfect recipe for a page-turning children's fiction debut!

Billy and his friends know that Waterfall Woods is out of bounds; strange things are rumoured to have happened there and no one in their village has ventured past its walls for decades...But when they discover a secret way in, Billy and his best friends, Anna, Jimmy and Andy, can't resist the temptation to explore! Only to quickly discover that the woods are brimming with magic and inhabited by all sorts of unusual creatures, including a whole community of sprites who need the children's help!

With magical battles, a long-lost mythical city, fantastical flying machines, epic feasts and one GIANT rescue, get ready for an adventure you'll never forget!

The Maid (Nita Prose)

 

This was kind of like Amelia Bedelia grows up and becomes a maid and becomes part of a murder. 

Her obsession with things being super clean totally spoke to my heart. I get it! 

I'll totally read more in this series. It was just what I needed: a light weekend read after a tiring week of being back to school.

Nita Prose has to be a pseudonym, right??

Goodreads says:

Molly Gray is not like everyone else. She struggles with social skills and misreads the intentions of others. Her gran used to interpret the world for her, codifying it into simple rules that Molly could live by.

Since Gran died a few months ago, twenty-five-year-old Molly has been navigating life's complexities all by herself. No matter—she throws herself with gusto into her work as a hotel maid. Her unique character, along with her obsessive love of cleaning and proper etiquette, make her an ideal fit for the job. She delights in donning her crisp uniform each morning, stocking her cart with miniature soaps and bottles, and returning guest rooms at the Regency Grand Hotel to a state of perfection.

But Molly's orderly life is upended the day she enters the suite of the infamous and wealthy Charles Black, only to find it in a state of disarray and Mr. Black himself dead in his bed. Before she knows what's happening, Molly's unusual demeanor has the police targeting her as their lead suspect. She quickly finds herself caught in a web of deception, one she has no idea how to untangle. Fortunately for Molly, friends she never knew she had unite with her in a search for clues to what really happened to Mr. Black—but will they be able to find the real killer before it's too late?

A Clue-like, locked-room mystery and a heartwarming journey of the spirit, The Maid explores what it means to be the same as everyone else and yet entirely different—and reveals that all mysteries can be solved through connection to the human heart.

Penguin Huddle (Ross Montgomery)

 We loved this! It totally captured our imagination. And who couldn't love these penguins?! 

Goodreads says:

A charming and playful picture book told with humour and heart from the brilliant team behind Ten Delicious Teachers.

The penguin pack play all day long. And when the sun goes down, and the night grows cold and dark…“PENGUIN HUDDLE!” The penguins squeeze and squish together to stay warm and cosy. But one night, there is a freezing gale. And the next morning … the penguins are stuck! They are frozen together like a giant penguin ice pop. What a penguin MUDDLE! Nobody in the Antarctic can figure out how to unstick them. But Pipsqueak, the smallest penguin of them all, has a brilliant idea... They must adventure out of their snowy home to a vibrant city across the great, gleaming ocean to solve their penguin puzzle.

This light-hearted tale of jolly penguins big and small is a celebration of friendship, community spirit and helping those in trouble.