Friday, January 10, 2020

Best Reads T1 2019-2020

Here's what I read and loved this trimester. Click on the titles to read plot summaries. If you'd like to see all of my books, you can follow me on Goodreads.


Picture Books


TreesTrees by Verlie Hutchens
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Editors, THIS is poetry! Please make some of your other authors work a little harder at word choice and rhythm. Rich vocabulary - castanets shimmer, canapes of sunshine and pollen, fuzzy round baubles, akilter / unkempt, struts in royal ermine robes. I have ideas for using this for lessons ...


SaturdaySaturday by Oge Mora
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Loved it. Loved the pictures, loved the text patterns, loved the message.




Grandpa's StoriesGrandpa's Stories by Joseph Coelho
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Beautiful. I miss Beepie.





Ginny Goblin Cannot Have a Monster for a PetGinny Goblin Cannot Have a Monster for a Pet by David Goodner
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Extra star for the vocabulary. Oh, this will be so fun to read for Mock Caldecott. And I can use in the future for some kind of bad pet theme with other books of the ilk.




The Phone Booth in Mr. Hirota's GardenThe Phone Booth in Mr. Hirota's Garden by Heather Smith
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What a wonderful idea for dealing with grief.






Who Wet My Pants?Who Wet My Pants? by Bob Shea
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Definitely adding to the Mock Caldecott list. The hand in the fish tank made me laugh out loud. Thank you, Bob Shea and Zachariah O'Hora, for living up to expectations.




Sweet DreamersSweet Dreamers by Isabelle Simler
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

At first I found the palette off-putting, but upon rereading, I became more appreciative of this book as an artistic tour de force. I also noticed that the wordless spreads were introducing new habitats. May buy as a gift for the next baby I know who is born.



A Normal PigA Normal Pig by K-Fai Steele
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Nice rendition of a classic theme.





Music for Mister MoonMusic for Mister Moon by Philip C. Stead
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the first Stead production I have really liked! Will my kids? Not sure.






Bear Came AlongBear Came Along by Richard T. Morris
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

We're all in this together.






Cat KnitCat Knit by Jacob Grant
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Adorable.






Early Readers



Chick and Brain: Smell My Foot!Chick and Brain: Smell My Foot! by Cece Bell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

OMG.







Hello, Crabby! (A Crabby Book #1)Hello, Crabby! by Jonathan Fenske
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Love these Acorn books. And crabby characters.






Harold & Hog Pretend For Real! (Elephant & Piggie Like Reading!, #6)Harold & Hog Pretend For Real! by Dan Santat
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

So meta!







Graphic Novels


GutsGuts by Raina Telgemeier
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

As someone with terrible stomach problems for years, who didn't even know "anxiety" was a thing until she was 30, I really could have used this when I was in middle school.





Middle Grade Novels



A Drop of HopeA Drop of Hope by Keith Calabrese
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Immensely readable, sweet, and lovely. The interconnecting stories worked, and some of the resolutions made me cry.

p. 10: "It was like he was riding in the back seat of his own family."

p. 25: "Parents always tell their kids to stand up for themselves, but they never mean for their kids to do it with them>."

p. 90: "At first none of it made any sense. ... It was like trying to listen to a four-year-old describe his dream to you."

p. 301: "You can't fix the world. But you do your best in your own little corner of it. And you hope."



The Line TenderThe Line Tender by Kate Allen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

One of our strongest Mock Newbery contenders so far. Although I stopped reading for a while after an unexpected tragedy struck and traumatized me. Mr. Patterson was a fantastic character. The postcards were lovely. Would probably recommend for middle school v. elementary.

p. 84: "I love that you can just throw around 'uterus.' You are highly evolved."



Finding OrionFinding Orion by John David Anderson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

So much fun. And now reviewing the highlights, I'm sad I agreed to let it go from the Mock Newbery list. Hoping it makes RICBA.






Dear Sweet PeaDear Sweet Pea by Julie Murphy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Charming with a sweet resolution. Although I never got over Sweet Pea hiding her dad's mail.

p. 10: "And because he's a true best friend, he even slams my bedroom door for me because my hands are full."

p. 34: "Heck, when I fed Miss Dillon's cat for a week when she went on a cruise, she told me she'd pay me too. She just didn't say it would be in seashells she'd found on the beach and painted herself. When one of them started stinking up my room, Dad found a dead snail inside. Mom said it was a good lesson in doing nice things without expecting anything in return. I thought it was a good lesson in why you should check your seashells for living creatures before taking them home."

p. 53: "He laid claim to Greg on his first day. Oscar says it's like he peed on him to mark his territory."

p. 240: "We all love each other, but it's like on those shows about doctors where they need a certain kind of blood for a patient, but all they have is the wrong kind. This is what that feels like. We have plenty of love. It's just not the right kind."

p. 255: "Sometimes it's easy to forget that quiet moments mean just as much as the loud ones, because it's no always about moving. Sometimes it's about sitting perfectly and quietly still."



Nonfiction



Her Fearless Run: Kathrine Switzer’s Historic Boston MarathonHer Fearless Run: Kathrine Switzer’s Historic Boston Marathon by Kim Chaffee
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Great combination of text and pictures. May use for a Mock Sibert.







For Grownups


The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn HardcastleThe 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Well done, Mr. Turton. Meticulously plotted with a reveal I did not see coming but tied up some loose ends. Supremely entertaining if a bit braintwisting.

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