Negative Cat (Sophie Blackall)

 

This is so true to cats! And I loved how everything is made better with reading, because everything actually is made better with reading. 

Goodreads says:

Two-time Caldecott winner Sophie Blackall spins a winning tale about Max, a feline whose behavior doesn't win any raves, except from the boy who believes in him and finds a way to turn a negative into a positive.

When a boy is FINALLY allowed to get a cat, he has no doubts about which one to bring home from the shelter. But Max the cat isn't quite what the family expected. He shuns the toy mouse, couldn't care less about the hand-knitted sweater, and spends most of his time facing the wall. One by one, the family gives up on Max, but the boy loves his negative cat so much, he'll do anything to keep him. Even the thing he dreads most: practicing his reading. Which, as it turns out, makes everything positive!

The Lemon-Ade Ripple (Paul Reichert)

 

My students totally get the idea of a domino effect or a ripple. There were even some gasps when we read this one when they saw how many people showed up to the final event.

Goodreads says:

When Caroline watches her disabled friend Shannon struggling with an old, rusty, squeaking, and wobbling wheelchair, she decides to use her grandmother’s secret recipe to make and sell lemonade to raise money for a brand-new wheelchair. When the neighborhood kids see Caroline trying to help, they choose to pitch in, too. Some kids look for spare change, while others start a carwash. Seeing the difference all the children make inspires Caroline’s grandmother to organize a sponsored paddle race down the river, which gets them enough money to buy Shannon the best new wheelchair available. 
This inspiring book engages kids in charity and shows them the value of helping others in fun and creative ways. Like the ripples made in a river, one act of kindness can ripple out through the community and make a real impact on a person’s life. Proceeds from the sale of The Lemonade Ripple benefit the Foundation for Community Betterment. 

Mere Christianity (CS Lewis)

 

I've heard this quoted so much! I have been reading and re-reading a sermon this past week that referred to it and I decided finally that I really should read it. An interesting fact I learned was that it was originally written as a radio series. Imagine something like this being popular on the radio? I especially enjoyed his chapters on faith, hope and charity. 

The goodreads summary says he was one of the greatest writers of our time. I wonder how they decided that? Don't get me wrong....seems like he's written some great things...but the greatest of our time? 


Goodreads says:

In the classic Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis, the most important writer of the 20th century, explores the common ground upon which all of those of Christian faith stand together. Bringing together Lewis’ legendary broadcast talks during World War Two from his three previous books The Case for Christianity, Christian Behavior, and Beyond Personality, Mere Christianity provides an unequaled opportunity for believers and nonbelievers alike to hear this powerful apologetic for the Christian faith

Lilac Girls (Martha Hall Kelly)

 

I was drawn to the story, even though I felt like the writing was not stellar. I started it during the week of Remembrance Day and the timing seemed to make it more impactful. I didn't know about "the rabbits" and the all female camps ran by the Nazis. The urine letters written were fascinating as well. 

This book is centered around three women. One is a German woman that is a doctor. She seems like a good person in the beginning, but she ends up being a doctor in the camp that does experimental medical experiments on women, as well as letting them be killed. Her likability decreases as the novel continues but all along the way I felt like the author wanted me to feel sympathetic towards her. I suppose she did a good job of making some like-able qualities in someone who did some abhorrent things. However, you don't get a glimpse into how she makes the transition from a seeming good person to a doctor who does some of the worst atrocities in history. 

Another woman is from Poland and ends up being in the camp and a victim of the experimental surgeries. She had a lot of anger, which seemed understandable. 

The third was a woman from the US whose life was spent trying to help disadvantaged groups. She is based on a real person and did in fact do some great things in life, but I found myself irritated by her luxury and wealth running parallel to such atrocities. I should have hated the German doctor the most, but I found myself really not having any sympathies for Caroline. She's just too privileged and made out to be a hero that I don't connect with. Although she did have to sell her silver. I guess that is something (spoiler: she gets it back in the end). There was too much about the galas she organized, yearnings to be with someone she can't be with (even after she could actually be with him) and description of perfectly chosen outfits for different scenes.

I dislike the cover. When you go into the historical fiction section of a book store, almost all the books have a picture of a woman taken from the back. I don't know who the three women are on the cover. It certainly can't be the three main characters. Maybe it's Caroline (the woman from New York?) and Kasia (the Polish woman) and her sister? And the cut off with the lilacs at the bottom....weird. They're there, I guess, because Caroline had a lovely garden with lilacs. It's not a key part of the story though.

Apparently, it's the author's first book. The book is quite long, but I felt like many of the situations weren't well developed. For example, when Kasia decides she'll take up Caroline's offer and go back to Germany to identify the doctor, she must have had some internal conversation that wasn't shared. One page she isn't going, the next she gets up and goes. Not sure what changed her mind. There was also a few sex things that were odd. The German girl is abused by her uncle in the back of his butcher shop. It's not explained not does it seem to really negatively affect the character. It's just there. It seems to be implied that the mother of the girls gives sexual favors to soldiers to keep the family off their radar....but that isn't a key part of the story....it's just there and then it's not talked about anymore. Odd. Most of all, I found the sections with dialogue between two or more characters odd and choppy and not well developed.

There are a lot of amazing World War II books that are amazing. I'd skip this one. This one is definitely a story worth telling, but I told think it's very well told in this book. Disappointing. 

All that being said, I did read the entire thing. I wanted to see how issues would be resolved. I hadn't finished it when my book club met and everyone seemed to like it - which gave me hope. My hopes were dashed though. It just isn't a great book.

Goodreads says:

Inspired by the life of a real World War II heroine, this debut novel reveals a story of love, redemption, and secrets that were hidden for decades.
 
New York socialite Caroline Ferriday has her hands full with her post at the French consulate and a new love on the horizon. But Caroline’s world is forever changed when Hitler’s army invades Poland in September 1939—and then sets its sights on France.

On ocean away from Caroline, Kasia Kuzmerick, a Polish teenager, senses her carefree youth disappearing as she is drawn deeper into her role as courier for the underground resistance movement. In a tense atmosphere of watchful eyes and suspecting neighbors, one false move can have dire consequences.
 
For the ambitious young German doctor, Herta Oberheuser, an ad for a government medical position seems her ticket out of a desolate life. Once hired, though, she finds herself trapped in a male-dominated realm of Nazi secrets and power.
 
The lives of these three women are set on a collision course when the unthinkable happens and Kasia is sent to Ravensbrück, the notorious Nazi concentration camp for women. Their stories cross continents—from New York to Paris, Germany, and Poland—as Caroline and Kasia strive to bring justice to those whom history has forgotten.

The Bravest Dog Ever: The Story of Balto (Natalie Standiford)

 

This really is a step into reading book: simple sentences (all subject openers) but kids love the story. 

Goodreads says:

Balto has a quiet life as a sled dog - until tragedy strikes. Dozens of children in Nome become sick with diphtheria. Without antitoxin serum, they will perish - and the closest supply is 650 miles away! The only way to get the serum to Nome is by sled, but can the dogs deliver it in time? Heading bravely into a brutal blizzard, Balto leads the race for life.

Watercress (Andrea Wang)

 

The author's note at the back of this book makes the book even more meaningful. My class totally got it. We all have stories and some we are leery to share...but we really should share them.

Goodreads says:

Gathering watercress by the side of the road brings a girl closer to her family's Chinese Heritage.

Driving through Ohio in an old Pontiac, a young girl's parents stop suddenly when they spot watercress growing wild in a ditch by the side of the road. Grabbing an old paper bag and some rusty scissors, the whole family wades into the muck to collect as much of the muddy, snail covered watercress as they can.

At first, she's embarrassed. Why can't her family get food from the grocery store? But when her mother shares a story of her family's time in China, the girl learns to appreciate the fresh food they foraged. Together, they make a new memory of watercress.

Andrea Wang tells a moving autobiographical story of a child of immigrants discovering and connecting with her heritage, illustrated by award winning author and artist Jason Chin, working in an entirely new style, inspired by Chinese painting techniques. An author's note in the back shares Andrea's childhood experience with her parents.

Bear Island (Matthew Cordell)

 

Amazingly, everyone seemed to have a story to relate to this book. We have all experienced loss. The sadness and the anger was something we all knew about. This book beautifully depicts those emotions and also gives a sense of wonder. We don't know what happens to the bear in the end. We chose to believe he (she?) has a happy ending. 

Goodreads says:

Bear Island is a heartfelt picture book about healing after loss by Caldecott Medalist Matthew Cordell.

Louise and her family are sad over the loss of their beloved dog, Charlie. "Life will not be the same," Louise says, as she visits a little island that Charlie loved.

But on a visit to the island after Charlie's death, something strange happens: She meets a bear. At first, she's afraid, but soon she realizes that the bear is sad, too. As Louise visits more often, she realizes that getting over loss takes time. And just when she starts to feel better, it's time for Bear to bed down for the winter.

Once again, Louise believes that life will not be the same. But sometimes, things can change for the better, and on the first warm day of spring, her family welcomes a new member. Here is a lovely, poignant story about loss and healing that will bring comfort to even the youngest readers.

The Good, The Bad and the Spooky (Jory John)

 

Everyone has been there. It's time for Halloween and you just can't come up with a good costume. Things like this stress us out - just like the baaaaad seed (who is quick to jump to rage). This is a great story on realizing what is important and what isn't worth stressing about. 

Goodreads says:

Based on the New York Times bestselling picture book sensation The Bad Seed, Jory John and Pete Oswald present: The Good, the Bad, and the Spooky! Includes two sticker sheets, perfect for decorating your own mini jack-o'-lantern.

Halloween is the Bad Seed’s favorite holiday of the year. But what’s a seed to do when he can’t find a show-stopping costume for the big night? Postpone trick-or-treating for everyone, of course!

Can he get a costume together in time? Or will this seed return to his baaaaaaaaad ways?

Find out in this hilarious, charming, and thought-provoking continuation of Jory John and Pete Oswald’s bestselling series.

Option B: Finding Adversity, Building Resilience and Finding Joy (Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant)

 

I read Lean In and quite enjoyed it and this book was the same. I have definitely experienced adversity in life and love the topic of resilience. I could read this book again and again. I think most of us are stronger and more resilient than we realize. Sometimes we need a little help discovering that in ourselves. This book is a great way to do that. I have a few people in my life I'd like to share this book with, but I probably won't. Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems like most people need to discover their innate ability to bounce back on their own. 

For some reason, the summary on Goodreads is in some Asian language. So Amazon sums up the book like this: 

From Facebook’s COO and Wharton’s top-rated professor, the #1 New York Times best-selling authors of Lean In and Originals: a powerful, inspiring, and practical book about building resilience and moving forward after life’s inevitable setbacks.
 
After the sudden death of her husband, Sheryl Sandberg felt certain that she and her children would never feel pure joy again. “I was in ‘the void,’” she writes, “a vast emptiness that fills your heart and lungs and restricts your ability to think or even breathe.” Her friend Adam Grant, a psychologist at Wharton, told her there are concrete steps people can take to recover and rebound from life-shattering experiences. We are not born with a fixed amount of resilience. It is a muscle that everyone can build.
Option B combines Sheryl’s personal insights with Adam’s eye-opening research on finding strength in the face of adversity. Beginning with the gut-wrenching moment when she finds her husband, Dave Goldberg, collapsed on a gym floor, Sheryl opens up her heart—and her journal—to describe the acute grief and isolation she felt in the wake of his death. But Option B goes beyond Sheryl’s loss to explore how a broad range of people have overcome hardships including illness, job loss, sexual assault, natural disasters, and the violence of war. Their stories reveal the capacity of the human spirit to persevere . . . and to rediscover joy.
Resilience comes from deep within us and from support outside us. Even after the most devastating events, it is possible to grow by finding deeper meaning and gaining greater appreciation in our lives. Option B illuminates how to help others in crisis, develop compassion for ourselves, raise strong children, and create resilient families, communities, and workplaces. Many of these lessons can be applied to everyday struggles, allowing us to brave whatever lies ahead. Two weeks after losing her husband, Sheryl was preparing for a father-child activity. “I want Dave,” she cried. Her friend replied, “Option A is not available,” and then promised to help her make the most of Option B.
We all live some form of Option B. This book will help us all make the most of it.

Mel Fell (Corey Tabor)

 I love this story! Sometimes others may be horrified by our choices. They may have the best of intentions when they try to save you or stop you. Only you can know what is right for you....take the leap! You just might fly.

Goodreads says:

From Geisel Award–winning author-illustrator Corey Tabor comes a tale about self-confidence and taking a leap of faith, starring an adorable, brave kingfisher.

Sometimes, you might fall

down,

down,

down,

before you learn to fly

up,

up,

up…

A charming and innovative tale about a plucky little bird, from the award-winning author of Fox the Tiger.

Unspeakable (Carole Boston Weatherford)

 

Wow. Stories like these make me feel so sad for history. It is written well for children. It shares the horrors without showing too much of the horror (how is that possible). I'm not sure I can share it with my class though. It is such a difficult topic. I read this while in the waiting room of my mammogram appointment. I had to hold back tears and I missed them calling my name. It's one of those stories that makes me want to say to everyone, "Did you realize...."

Goodreads says:

A must-have--Booklist (starred review)

Celebrated author Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrator Floyd Cooper provide a powerful look at the Tulsa Race Massacre, one of the worst incidents of racial violence in our nation's history. The book traces the history of African Americans in Tulsa's Greenwood district and chronicles the devastation that occurred in 1921 when a white mob attacked the Black community.

News of what happened was largely suppressed, and no official investigation occurred for seventy-five years. This picture book sensitively introduces young readers to this tragedy and concludes with a call for a better future.

The Beatryce Prophecy (Kate DiCamillo)

 

I really wanted to love this book. It just doesn't feel like a book that kids would get at all though. Are kids really the audience? Or adults? I enjoyed the interviews of Kate DiCamillo talking about the book and the concepts more than the book itself. Maybe I need to read it again. I did love the idea that stories save the family.

‘What does, then, change the world?
If the hardheaded goat Answelica could speak, she would answer with one word: “Love.”
And if you were to ask Beatryce of Abelard?
She too would answer “Love.”
Love, and stories.’

Goodreads says:

From two-time Newbery Medalist Kate DiCamillo and two-time Caldecott Medalist Sophie Blackall comes a fantastical meditation on fate, love, and the power of words to spell the world.

We shall all, in the end, be led to where we belong. We shall all, in the end, find our way home.

In a time of war, a mysterious child appears at the monastery of the Order of the Chronicles of Sorrowing. Gentle Brother Edik finds the girl, Beatryce, curled in a stall, wracked with fever, coated in dirt and blood, and holding fast to the ear of Answelica the goat. As the monk nurses Beatryce to health, he uncovers her dangerous secret, one that imperils them all--for the king of the land seeks just such a girl, and Brother Edik, who penned the prophecy himself, knows why.

And so it is that a girl with a head full of stories--powerful tales-within-the-tale of queens and kings, mermaids and wolves--ventures into a dark wood in search of the castle of one who wishes her dead. But Beatryce knows that, should she lose her way, those who love her--a wild-eyed monk, a man who had once been king, a boy with a terrible sword, and a goat with a head as hard as stone--will never give up searching for her, and to know this is to know everything. With its timeless themes, unforgettable cast, and magical medieval setting, Kate DiCamillo's lyrical tale, paired with resonant black-and-white illustrations by Caldecott Medalist Sophie Blackall, is a true collaboration between masters.

After the Fall (Dan Santat)

 

This is well written and actually quite brilliant. Kids like it and it will speak to adults even more.

This speech goes well with this book:

https://youtu.be/tp7TQJ2q5QE?si=rGSqI6G6sDdTkUjb 

Goodreads says:

My name is Humpty Dumpty.
I'm famous for falling off a wall.

(You may have heard about it.)

But that's only half the story...
Because I decided to get back up.
And when I did, something amazing happened.

This story is about my life...
AFTER THE FALL.

Inspiring and unforgettable, this epilogue to the beloved classic nursery rhyme will encourage even the most afraid to overcome their fears, learn to get back up--and reach new heights.
(front flap)

No Cure For Being Human (Kate Bowler)

 

Wow. This book was really compelling for me. The author is Canadian and refers to many places in Canada where she and her family have lived. It's quite current, published just this past September! She talks about the pandemic and the impact it has had. Also, just having lost my brother to cancer, I really related to the fear and the rollercoaster cancer treatments bring. Happily, she recovered. Hopefully, life continues that way for her. She also talks about what she will do when this pandemic is over. Sometimes I can't even imagine that....but we have to look forward. Have to!

This book has made me want to read anything else she has written. She talks about prosperity gospel preaching - a subject I have found fascinating for years. She seems to lean towards Christianity in a lot of her topics. 

I loved her appendix at the end....things people say: 

- things happen for a reason

- let go and let God

- be present

- No regrets

- facing the past is part of facing the future

- make every minute count

and more

All those things end up being questioned when someone gets cancer or a pandemic happens or your husband has a stroke and struggles to heal his heart issues or....so many things. 

Goodreads says:

The bestselling author of Everything Happens for a Reason (And Other Lies I've Loved) asks, how do you move forward with a life you didn't choose?

It's hard to give up on the feeling that the life you really want is just out of reach. A beach body by summer. A trip to Disneyland around the corner. A promotion on the horizon. Everyone wants to believe that they are headed toward good, better, best. But what happens when the life you hoped for is put on hold indefinitely?

Kate Bowler believed that life was a series of unlimited choices, until she discovered, at age 35, that her body was wracked with cancer. In No Cure for Being Human, she searches for a way forward as she mines the wisdom (and absurdity) of today's "best life now" advice industry, which insists on exhausting positivity and on trying to convince us that we can out-eat, out-learn, and out-perform our humanness. We are, she finds, as fragile as the day we were born.

With dry wit and unflinching honesty, Kate Bowler grapples with her diagnosis, her ambition, and her faith as she tries to come to terms with her limitations in a culture that says anything is possible. She finds that we need one another if we're going to tell the truth: Life is beautiful and terrible, full of hope and despair and everything in between--and there's no cure for being human.