No Bootstraps When You're Barefoot (Wes Hall)

 

I'm fascinated with how some people come from terrible backgrounds and use that as an excuse to not do better - and others accomplish so much.

Goodreads says:

From one of Canada's most successful business leaders, the founder of the BlackNorth Initiative and the newest and first Black Dragon in the Dragon's Den comes a rags-to-riches story that also carries a profound message of hope and change.

Wes Hall spent his early childhood in a zinc-roofed shack, one of several children supported by his grandmother. That was paradise compared to the two years he lived with his verbally abusive and violent mother; at thirteen, his mother threw him out, and he had to live by his wits for the next three years. At sixteen, Wes came to Canada, sponsored by a father he'd only seen a few times as a child, and by the time he was eighteen, he was out of his father's house, once more on his own. Yet Wes Hall went on to become a major entrepreneur, business leader, philanthropist and change-maker, working his way up from a humble position in a law firm mailroom by way of his intelligence, his curiosity, and his ability to see opportunities that other people don't.

When people expected his thick Jamaican accent, lack of money and education, not to mention the colour of his skin, to shut down his future, Wes was not to be stopped. He is still overturning expectations to this day. Well aware of racism and injustice, his lack of privilege and the other roadblocks to his success, Wes has always believed that he can walk along any cliff edge without falling. His book teases out and shows how he fostered that resolve in himself, exploring his childhood and the milestone successes and failures of his career in order to share not only how he stopped himself from falling, but survived and thrived, and then dedicated himself to bringing his family and his community along with him.

Now, with the founding of the BlackNorth Initiative, Wes takes aim at ending systemic anti-Black racism. It's a huge goal, but one he's tackling with heart, soul, smarts, and every connection he's made in an extraordinary career that's taken him to the centre of the Canadian establishment. Throughout his life he's resisted sinking into despair or getting lost in anger; now he wants to tell truth to power and pave a path forward.

When I Found Grandma (Saumiya Balasubramaniam)

 

The struggle of loving grandma but also being embarrassed when our relatives are different.

Goodreads says:

Maya longs to see her grandmother, but when Grandma arrives from far away for a visit, she is not quite what Maya expected. When Maya’s grandma makes a surprise visit from thousands of miles away, Maya is delighted. But her excitement doesn’t last long. When Grandma picks her up from school, she wears fancy clothes and talks too loudly. Grandma’s morning prayer bells wake Maya up, and she cooks with ingredients Maya doesn’t usually eat. Plus, Maya thinks cupcakes taste better than Grandma’s homemade sweets. Maya and Grandma try to compromise, and on a special trip to the island Grandma even wears an “all-American” baseball cap. But when Maya rushes off to find the carousel, she loses sight of her mother, father and grandmother. She is alone in a sea of people … until she spots something bobbing above the crowd, and right away she knows how to find her way. Saumiya Balasubramaniam’s story is an insightful and endearing portrayal of a grandparent-grandchild relationship that is evolving and deeply loving, as Maya and Grandma navigate cross-cultural contexts and generational differences. Qin Leng’s sweet, evocative illustrations complement the story and illuminate Grandma and Maya’s growing closeness. Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.4
Identify words and phrases in stories or poems that suggest feelings or appeal to the senses. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.6
Identify who is telling the story at various points in a text. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.9
Compare and contrast the adventures and experiences of characters in stories. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.3
Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.5
Describe the overall structure of a story, including describing how the beginning introduces the story and the ending concludes the action. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.6
Acknowledge differences in the points of view of characters, including by speaking in a different voice for each character when reading dialogue aloud.

Polar Bear Island (Lindsay Bonilla)

 

Super cute. 

Someone should send this book to the ICE agents and Trump administration.

Goodreads says:

When Kirby, a fun-loving penguin, arrives on Polar Bear Island, she shakes things up—much to the dismay of Parker, the mayor. Will Parker learn to see how great it is to make new friends? Or will he chase Kirby away . . . forever? 
 
“Welcome to Polar Bear Island. NO OTHERS ALLOWED!” Parker is the mayor of this peaceful, predictable island, and he wants to keep it just the way it is. But Kirby, a penguin, thinks the place is paradise, and she wants to stay. Parker says no, but the other polar bears love Kirby —and soon they’re begging Parker to let Kirby (and her family) move in. Will Parker agree . . . and make the island fun for EVERYONE? With its gentle message of inclusivity, this playful and lighthearted story will delight children.

Mustafa (Marie-Louise Gay)

 

...a little glimpse into what it might be like for a child to leave their country and come to a new one. This story makes it so relatable and real.

Goodreads says:

Mustafa and his family traveled a long way to reach their new home. Some nights Mustafa dreams about the country he used to live in, and he wakes up not knowing where he is. Then his mother takes him out to the balcony to see the moon — the same moon as in their old country. In the park, Mustafa sees ants and caterpillars and bees — they are the same, too. He encounters a “girl-with-a-cat,” who says something in a language that he can’t understand. He watches an old lady feeding birds and other children playing, but he is always looking in from the outside and he feels that he is invisible. But one day, the girl-with-the-cat beckons to him, and Mustafa begins to become part of his new world.

Carnegie's Maid (Marie Benedict)

 

I enjoyed this book. It was interesting to learn about the Carnegie family (which we all, apparently pronounce incorrectly....emphasis should be on the second syllable!)  the main character is made up - the author's attempt to find a reason for Andrew Carnegie's business dragon personality that changed into a philanthropist. 

I learned at book club that his organization funded the first library in Calgary - Memorial Park Library. It is my favorite library in Calgary. If only there was better parking around there, I'd go there a lot just to sit and soak in its beauty.

I borrowed this book from a book club friend. She said it was an easy read and that she read it in two days. I felt bad that it took me a week to read it. I thought I should have read it faster and then be able to pass it on - but actually, a little over a week isn't that bad. I wasn't compelled to keep reading like my friend said she was. It was an enjoyable read but not one where I couldn't put it down.

Goodreads says:

From the author of The Other Einstein, the mesmerizing tale of what kind of woman could have inspired an American dynasty.

Clara Kelley is not who they think she is. She's not the experienced Irish maid who was hired to work in one of Pittsburgh's grandest households. She's a poor farmer's daughter with nowhere to go and nothing in her pockets. But the other woman with the same name has vanished, and pretending to be her just might get Clara some money to send back home.

If she can keep up the ruse, that is. Serving as a lady's maid in the household of Andrew Carnegie requires skills he doesn't have, answering to an icy mistress who rules her sons and her domain with an iron fist. What Clara does have is a resolve as strong as the steel Pittsburgh is becoming famous for, coupled with an uncanny understanding of business, and Andrew begins to rely on her. But Clara can't let her guard down, not even when Andrew becomes something more than an employer. Revealing her past might ruin her future -- and her family's.

With captivating insight and heart, Carnegie's Maid tells the story of one brilliant woman who may have spurred Andrew Carnegie's transformation from ruthless industrialist into the world's first true philanthropist..

Anita and the Dragons (Hannah Carmona)

 

The dragons in this story are the planes that fly overhead. The main character imagines herself as a princess. In time, it's time to board one of those dragons and immigrate to a new country. She is brave.

Goodreads says:

A beautifully tender story touching on the range of emotions immigrants may feel when leaving their home countries – excitement and sorrow, fear and courage. Anita watches the dragons high above her as she hops from one cement roof to another in her village in the Dominican Republic. But being the valiant princesa she is, she never lets them scare her. Will she be brave enough to enter the belly of the beast and take flight to new adventures? A Barnes & Noble Bookseller Favorite. A BookTrust Book of the Month. A Love Reading For Schools Book of the Month.

“A gorgeous story about the love of one’s homeland and the courage it takes to emigrate”― Kirkus Reviews , STARRED “Anita's courage as she flies off with the dragons to a new land will linger long after the final page”― Girls Read The World “What a punch this book packs. Hannah Carmona’s lyrical narrative is paired with THE dreamiest artwork by Anna Cunha – I’m obsessed with the color palette, and the gentle simplicity of her spreads is calming, yet full of energy”― The Little Literary Society

Mexikid: a graphic memoir (Pedro Martín)

 

I don't really love reading graphic novels, but this one was recommended by many people that I admire as readers and so I decided to read it. The author is also the illustrator and there is a LOT in the illustrations. It also received a number of awards this year:

• Newberry Honor Book
• Pure Belpre author award
• Pura Belpre illustrator award
• Odyssey honor audiobook
• NPR best books of the year
• New York Times best books of the year
• The Guardian five best young adult books of the year
• Boston Globe best books of the year
• Booklist best books of the year
• Kirkus best books of the year
• Publisher Weekly best books of 2023

Goodreads says: 

A poignant, hilarious, and unforgettable graphic memoir about a Mexican-American boy’s family and their adventure-filled road trip to bring their abuelito back from Mexico to live with them.

Pedro Martín has grown up hearing stories about his abuelito—his legendary crime-fighting, grandfather who was once a part of the Mexican Revolution! But that doesn't mean Pedro is excited at the news that Abuelito is coming to live with their family. After all, Pedro has 8 brothers and sisters and the house is crowded enough! Still, Pedro piles into the Winnebago with his family for a road trip to Mexico to bring Abuelito home, and what follows is the trip of a lifetime, one filled with laughs and heartache. Along the way, Pedro finally connects with his abuelito and learns what it means to grow up and find his grito.

My Mother's Tongues (Uma Menon)

 

Great book for International Mother Tongue Day.

Goodreads says:

In a sparkling debut authored by a sixteen-year-old daughter of immigrants, this ode to the power of multilingualism gives voice to the lasting benefits of speaking with more than one tongue.

Sumi’s mother can speak two languages, Malayalam and English. And she can switch between them at the speed of sound: one language when talking to Sumi’s grandmother, another when she addresses the cashier. Sometimes with Sumi she speaks a combination of both. Could it be she possesses a superpower? With awe and curiosity, young Sumi recounts the story of her mother’s migration from India and how she came to acquire two tongues, now woven together like fine cloth. Rahele Jomepour Bell’s inviting illustrations make playful use of visual metaphors, while Uma Menon’s lyrical text, told astutely from a child’s perspective, touches lightly on such subjects as linguistic diversity and accent discrimination (“no matter how they speak, every person’s voice is unique and important”). This welcome debut, penned when the author was still a teenager, is an unabashed celebration of the gift of multilingualism—a gift that can transport people across borders and around the world.

Indian No More (Charlene Williams McManis)

 

I'd heard a lot of people talking about having this book on their TBR list. I didn't like the cover and that may have put me off for a while. I also thought the title was kind of odd. However, with so many people talking about it, I figured I should read it. 

I loved the story behind how this book came together (manuscript lost and discovered by someone down the line and then published) but I'm sorry to say that I didn't love it. I found the writing to be uncaptivating and the story was just a little too didactic for me. I do think the topic is important and more people need to know these stories. Perhaps because we are so pushed to learn about these things as teachers, it didn't hit me the same. I actually didn't finish it.

Goodreads says:

Regina Petit's family has always been Umpqua, and living on the Grand Ronde reservation is all ten-year-old Regina has ever known. Her biggest worry is that Sasquatch may actually exist out in the forest. But when the federal government signs a bill into law that says Regina's tribe no longer exists, Regina becomes "Indian no more" overnight--even though she was given a number by the Bureau of Indian Affairs that counted her as Indian, even though she lives with her tribe and practices tribal customs, and even though her ancestors were Indian for countless generations.

With no good jobs available in Oregon, Regina's father signs the family up for the Indian Relocation program and moves them to Los Angeles. Regina finds a whole new world in her neighborhood on 58th Place. She's never met kids of other races, and they've never met a real Indian. For the first time in her life, Regina comes face to face with the viciousness of racism, personally and toward her new friends.

Meanwhile, her father believes that if he works hard, their family will be treated just like white Americans. But it's not that easy. It's 1957 during the Civil Rights Era. The family struggles without their tribal community and land. At least Regina has her grandmother, Chich, and her stories. At least they are all together.

In this moving middle-grade novel drawing upon Umpqua author Charlene Willing McManis's own tribal history, Regina must find out: Who is Regina Petit? Is she Indian? Is she American? And will she and her family ever be okay?

The Girl Who Smiled Beads (Clementine Wamariya)

 

African countries are full of unbelievable stories. I just recently sat and listened to the stories of someone who lived in the DRC for two years and found the stories a universe away from my experiences. This book is like that. Clemantine's story is amazing. I am sure glad she told it, although, I don't know if I can ever say that I understand it. It's just so much. I have read some other books on the Rawandan war, and while this one starts there, it isn't really about Rawanda because Clemantine and her sister, Claire, are sent away when the war starts. However, the war comes to them and so they have to run. Their horrific journey travels through seven different African countries and then to the states. Her family is eventually reunited through an Oprah show. All doesn't end well there. How do you just start over and continue on when you have been through so much? This book was one I could not put down. It will stay with me for a long time. I have no answers. War is terrible.

Goodreads says:

A riveting story of dislocation, survival, and the power of the imagination to save us.

Clemantine Wamariya was six years old when her mother and father began to speak in whispers, when neighbors began to disappear, and when she heard the loud, ugly sounds her brother said were "thunder." It was 1994, and in 100 days more than 800,000 people would be murdered in Rwanda and millions more displaced. Clemantine and her fifteen-year-old sister, Claire, ran and spent the next six years wandering through seven African countries searching for safety--hiding under beds, foraging for food, surviving and fleeing refugee camps, finding unexpected kindness, witnessing unimaginable cruelty. They did not know whether their parents were alive.

At age twelve, Clemantine, along with Claire, was granted asylum in the United States--a chance to build a new life. Chicago was disorienting, filled with neon lights, antiseptic smells, endless concrete. Clemantine spoke five languages but almost no English, and had barely gone to school. Many people wanted to help--a family in the North Shore suburbs invited Clemantine to live with them as their daughter. Others saw her only as broken. They thought she needed, and wanted, to be saved. Meanwhile Claire, who had for so long protected and provided for Clemantine, found herself on a very different path, cleaning hotel rooms to support her three children.

Raw, urgent, yet disarmingly beautiful, The Girl Who Smiled Beads captures the true costs and aftershocks of war: what is forever lost, what can be repaired, the fragility and importance of memory, the faith that one can learn, again, to love oneself, even with deep scars.

Inside Out and Back Again (Thanhha Lai)

 

We read a story in Open Court about a girl who comes to the United States from Vietnam. She comes without her mother. The girl in this story comes without her father. There were so many connections between the two stories - which tells me the Open Court story is quite authentic. This was like an expanded version.  It is an amazing glimpse into what life is like for a child who comes to a new country. It's heartbreaking. The humility and work and determination was astounding. It broke my heart to have her tell about the decision to leave her country to escape communism, even without her father. Also of the journey on a defunct boat and then living in a refugee camp in Guam. Finally they get to the USA and the struggle to fit in and find their way in their new life broke my heart. I wish it didn't have to be this way for some people. 

"No one would believe me

But at times

I would choose

wartime in Saigon

over

peacetime in Alabama"

I listened to the audio book and having the child's voice tell the story was powerful. I think seeing the prose the way it is organized in the book, from what I've read on Goodreads, would be powerful as well. 

Angel Child Dragon Child ends with the main character finally shouting, "Mother!" when she arrives at home after school. I kept hoping this one would end with her father coming home. Unfortunately, not all stories are happy.

Goodreads says:

For all the ten years of her life, Hà has only known Saigon: the thrills of its markets, the joy of its traditions, and the warmth of her friends close by. But now the Vietnam War has reached her home. Hà and her family are forced to flee as Saigon falls, and they board a ship headed toward hope. In America, Hà discovers the foreign world of Alabama: the coldness of its strangers, the dullness of its food . . . and the strength of her very own family.

The Gown (Jennifer Robson)

I'll be forever grateful to my friend, Karen Johnson, for introducing me to the author Jennifer Robson. Jennifer Robson is Karen's sister in law's sister and we got to speak with her for a book club meeting when we read one of her other books. It was so wonderful to hear her passion for history and all that went into creating the story. I also got to go listen to Jennifer Robson at Wordfest when she spoke about The Gown. (Here is an interview with her in Calgary). That was really a fun night! The person who interviews Jennifer Robson wore her wedding gown and many people in the audience were dressed in proper England tea-party type dresses. If only I thought of those kinds of things ahead of time! 

I can't remember the story exactly or if this is a real sample from the Queen's gown, but they passed this around at the event for everyone to see:

When she was doing her research, Jennifer Robson met a woman named Betty who really did work on the dress and was a big source of inspiration for the book. She talks about her at the back of the book as well.

Some of her other books that I've read are: Moonlight Over Paris, Somewhere in France, and After the War is Over. I also own Goodnight From London and I don't think I've read that one. Time to do that! Actually, reading The Gown has made me want to go back and re-read all of Robson's books.

This book is a special blend of family history research, historical fiction, mystery and romance. I was raised by a mom who sews, who was raised by a mom who sewed and so I have a bit of a passion for that as well. This book made me want to learn to do beadwork, for sure! As far as the royal family goes, I thought it was appropriate that Jennifer Robson should have a character who kind of looked at everyone's love for the princess with a bit of disdain at first. She does seem to come around though and mostly have good to say about princess Elizabeth. I woke up in the middle of the night to watch Diana and Charles' wedding and also loved the stories around Kate and William's wedding...and I love Harry and Meghan too despite all the bad press they get. All in all, I guess I'm a bit of a royal family fan. 

I thought this book was well written and came together nicely in the end.I love historical fiction and this book does not disappoint. We're going to discuss this book for my book club in June and I'm quite looking forward to it!

Goodreads says:

“Millions will welcome this joyous event as a flash of color on the long road we have to travel.”—Sir Winston Churchill on the news of Princess Elizabeth’s forthcoming wedding

London, 1947: Besieged by the harshest winter in living memory, burdened by onerous shortages and rationing, the people of postwar Britain are enduring lives of quiet desperation despite their nation’s recent victory. Among them are Ann Hughes and Miriam Dassin, embroiderers at the famed Mayfair fashion house of Norman Hartnell. Together they forge an unlikely friendship, but their nascent hopes for a brighter future are tested when they are chosen for a once-in-a-lifetime honor: taking part in the creation of Princess Elizabeth’s wedding gown.

Toronto, 2016: More than half a century later, Heather Mackenzie seeks to unravel the mystery of a set of embroidered flowers, a legacy from her late grandmother. How did her beloved Nan, a woman who never spoke of her old life in Britain, come to possess the priceless embroideries that so closely resemble the motifs on the stunning gown worn by Queen Elizabeth II at her wedding almost seventy years before? And what was her Nan’s connection to the celebrated textile artist and holocaust survivor Miriam Dassin?

With The Gown, Jennifer Robson takes us inside the workrooms where one of the most famous wedding gowns in history was created. Balancing behind-the-scenes details with a sweeping portrait of a society left reeling by the calamitous costs of victory, she introduces readers to three unforgettable heroines, their points of view alternating and intersecting throughout its pages, whose lives are woven together by the pain of survival, the bonds of friendship, and the redemptive power of love. 

Stella Diaz Has Something To Say (Angela Dominguez)

This will be a great book for Grade 3 Book Club. The lessons are quite overt and easy to find, which is a great way for children to learn to discover the theme in a story. We could practice it as a class. This is also the Global Read Aloud book for this year. I am tossing around the idea of connecting with another class and also reading it aloud.  It was also a quick work to find Notice and Note Signposts.

Goodreads says:

In her first middle-grade novel, award-winning picture book author and illustrator Angela Dominguez tells a heartwarming story based on her own experiences growing up Mexican-American.

Stella Diaz loves marine animals, especially her betta fish, Pancho. But Stella Diaz is not a betta fish. Betta fish like to be alone, while Stella loves spending time with her mom and brother and her best friend Jenny. Trouble is, Jenny is in another class this year, and Stella feels very lonely.

When a new boy arrives in Stella's class, she really wants to be his friend, but sometimes Stella accidentally speaks Spanish instead of English and pronounces words wrong, which makes her turn roja. Plus, she has to speak in front of her whole class for a big presentation at school! But she better get over her fears soon, because Stella Díaz has something to say!

Stella Díaz Has Something to Say introduces an infectiously charming new character with relatable writing and adorable black-and-white art throughout. Simple Spanish vocabulary is also integrated within the text, providing a bilingual element.

Wishtree (Katherine Applegate)

Katherine Applegate has done it again. This is a beautiful book! The narrator is a tree. The tree's neighboorhood has a "newcomer" family move into the neighborhood and someone carves the words "leave" into her trunk. The tree is resourceful and communicates with animals and other trees and they gather their resources to solve some of the friendship issues. Unfortunately, someone wants to cut down the tree, so their time is limited.

This is a great book to talk about empathy as well. What would it be like to be the family that is being threatened or to have no friends?

Activity ideas:

• Make a big tree (on paper) and make wishes
• one for yourself, one for someone else

Goodreads says:

Trees can't tell jokes, but they can certainly tell stories. . . .

Red is an oak tree who is many rings old. Red is the neighborhood "wishtree"—people write their wishes on pieces of cloth and tie them to Red's branches. Along with her crow friend Bongo and other animals who seek refuge in Red's hollows, this "wishtree" watches over the neighborhood.

You might say Red has seen it all. Until a new family moves in. Not everyone is welcoming, and Red's experiences as a wishtree are more important than ever

King of the Sky (Nicola Davies)

This book won an award for the illustrations. The author wrote about it on the Nerdy Book Club blog.

The book has an eerie feel because the illustrations are smudgey....which works well with the coal town it is set in. I think this could be an interesting story about friendship across different ages. It's beautiful. It could be used around Remembrance Day because it says that pigeons carried messages during the war.

I'm still not quite sure how I'd use it in my classroom though.

Goodreads says:

In this tale of a young boy, an old man, and a dauntless pigeon, a lyrical text and extraordinary illustrations offer a gorgeous meditation on loneliness, belonging, and home. 
A young Italian boy has moved to the Welsh hills with his family. He feels isolated and unhappy, a stranger in a strange land. It is only when he makes an unlikely friend, an old man who lets him fly one of his pigeons in a race, that he learns how he can belong. Nicola Davies s beautiful story an immigrant s tale with powerful resonance in our troubled times is illustrated by an artist who makes the world anew with every picture."

Little Bee (Chris Cleave)

This was a compelling glimpse into the life and experiences of a refugee. The story is fiction, but many parts of it are real. The twist is the topic of suicide. One of the characters has committed suicide and is quite a key part of the story. It was interesting. Just like when I was recently reading a book about white supremacists and having a bizarre experience because of issues happening in real life with white supremacists, I also was touched by suicide as I was reading this story. It's a really weird experience when real life collides with what you're reading.

Goodreads says:

From the author of the international bestseller Incendiary comes a haunting novel about the tenuous friendship that blooms between two disparate strangers---one an illegal Nigerian refugee, the other a recent widow from suburban London.

In a Sunburned Country (Bill Bryson)

Before this, I didn't know about Bill Bryson. When I was carrying this book around people would comment, "Oh! I love Bill Bryson. Have you ever read...."

I definitely have some more reading to do.

I really didn't know anything about Australia before this. His book was a great way to learn about Australia. I learned that you could die there. They have some seriously unique animals and plants and a lot of danger. I think I'll stick to the coastal areas, if I go there. Although, the lure of undiscovered gems and minerals in the wide open outback is a bit of a temptation!

I really enjoyed his humour. I found myself chuckling often. I read this while hanging out in the lodge on our school's ski days and my friends around me would often ask what I was chuckling about. We enjoyed it together. I was glad I had those two days to sit and read. I wouldn't want to spread this one out over too many more days...it could take forever to read this one, if you let that happen. Instead, I totally immersed myself. It isn't that long, but the font is quite small....very dense!

It is interesting to me that so many countries have a part of their history where they were abusive to the indigenous people that were there when they arrived. There doesn't seem to be much shame in that on the part of Australians though. I found that quite curious.

I did find him a little more verbose than necessary. He does like to go on and on and on. Mavericks was the same way. (I never did finish that one...it's more of a long term project type book) It had a lot of great information, but there was just so much of it! I wondered if more people would read these kinds of books if only they were a little more succinct. He also likes to use crazy words. At first I'd look them up. Then I just started making a list to look up later. Most of the time I discovered that there was usually a word that would be just as effective that he could have used.

Goodreads summary:

Every time Bill Bryson walks out the door, memorable travel literature threatens to break out. His previous excursion along the Appalachian Trail resulted in the sublime national bestseller A Walk in the Woods. In A Sunburned Country is his report on what he found in an entirely different place: Australia, the country that doubles as a continent, and a place with the friendliest inhabitants, the hottest, driest weather, and the most peculiar and lethal wildlife to be found on the planet. The result is a deliciously funny, fact-filled, and adventurous performance by a writer who combines humor, wonder, and unflagging curiousity.

Despite the fact that Australia harbors more things that can kill you in extremely nasty ways than anywhere else, including sharks, crocodiles, snakes, even riptides and deserts, Bill Bryson adores the place, and he takes his readers on a rollicking ride far beyond that beaten tourist path. Wherever he goes he finds Australians who are cheerful, extroverted, and unfailingly obliging, and these beaming products of land with clean, safe cities, cold beer, and constant sunshine fill the pages of this wonderful book. Australia is an immense and fortunate land, and it has found in Bill Bryson its perfect guide.

A Night Divided (Jennifer Nielsen)

This is by the same author that wrote The False Prince trilogy.


I had never thought of what it was like when the Berlin wall went up. The author tells this story in a gripping way that teaches a lot about that time. It was very hard to put down.


I have recommended this to many students and many of them have said they are reading it and loving it.


Goodreads summary:


From New York Times bestselling author Jennifer A. Nielsen comes a stunning thriller about a girl who must escape to freedom after the Berlin Wall divides her family between east and west.

With the rise of the Berlin Wall, twelve-year-old Gerta finds her family divided overnight. She, her mother, and her brother Fritz live on the eastern side, controlled by the Soviets. Her father and middle brother, who had gone west in search of work, cannot return home. Gerta knows it is dangerous to watch the wall, to think forbidden thoughts of freedom, yet she can't help herself. She sees the East German soldiers with their guns trained on their own citizens; she, her family, her neighbors and friends are prisoners in their own city.

But one day, while on her way to school, Gerta spots her father on a viewing platform on the western side, pantomiming a peculiar dance. Then, when she receives a mysterious drawing, Gerta puts two and two together and concludes that her father wants Gerta and Fritz to tunnel beneath the wall, out of East Berlin. However, if they are caught, the consequences will be deadly. No one can be trusted. Will Gerta and her family find their way to freedom?

Inkheart (Cornelia Funke)

For some reason this has often been a stall book for me. I get half way through it then don't finish it. Despite all the times I started and didn't finish it, I love this book! (I did finally finish it) I love the idea of having stories come to life. I loved how people escape into the stories and escape out of the stories. I loved that reading well can make it all happen. I loved all the references to other books and stories. Fabulous story! Goodreads Summary: Twelve-year-old Meggie learns that her father, who repairs and binds books for a living, can "read" fictional characters to life when one of those characters abducts them and tries to force him into service.   Characters from books literally leap off the page in this engrossing fantasy. Meggie has had her father to herself since her mother went away when she was young. Mo taught her to read when she was five, and the two share a mutual love of books. He can "read" characters out of books. When she was three, he read aloud from a book called Inkheart and released characters into the real world. At the same time, Meggie's mother disappeared into the story. This "story within a story" will delight not just fantasy fans, but all readers who like an exciting plot with larger-than-life characters

Long Way Gone (Ishmael Beah)

Considering all the boys went through in this story, it is really trite to say this, but this was a hard book to read. I took a long time to get through it because I kept having to take breaks. I couldn't handle too much of it for too long. It is difficult to give words to the emotions stirred by this book. It is a story, however, that should be heard.

First, I was so heartbroken for Ishmael to lose his family in such violence. After that, for him to have to simply run and hope for the kindness of strangers to help him out was also heartbreaking. He was the same age as my own son is now. When he was taken by the army to be a boy soldier, I was horrified with the violence and drugs. It never ended though. Even when he was taken away from the army to be rehabilitated, it was painful to read! The violence and hate was deep n these boys and thinking they would be removed from the army and go on to a better life was niiave. Inear the end of the book, after being rehabilitated, he finds family again, only to have to run for his life when war breaks out again.

I wonder, as Ishmael did, why do I get to keep living such a good life when others go through so much horror?