I am a member of two book clubs, one that meets with food and wine and the other is three of us, meeting through letters and emails. Both groups are reading Little Bee by Chris Cleave. The in-person group met this past Monday night and I wasn’t able to go. My wee girl had gymnastics and my teenager had an at-home soccer game. I make it to every home game I can because, well, because I want to be there. My husband had a theatre group performing at the exact same time these other events were going on so I didn’t make it to book club or yoga for that matter. Life is crazy busy and wonderful!
I digress as this post isn’t about how busy my Monday was but my reading of Little Bee! The only reason book club comes into the conversation is that I’m sad I was not there to be part of the conversation about this book. I’m not ready to review it yet as I still have three chapters to go but last night I went to a very casual fund-raiser for our local food bank and ran into another book club member. I asked her about Little Bee and what she thought. She said she wasn’t quite finished with it but she didn’t like it. I was a little shocked! It is well-written and she is a retired English teacher but there was more to it. She said from the very beginning she was hesitant because she knew it was going to have yucky stuff in it. Yucky stuff being the real life trauma Little Bee and other immigrants experience-first in their own countries and then again trying to immigrate. I’m not picking on my book club friend but it did start me to thinking; Are some books just to real??? Too gritty!! Too filled with the reality of how harsh our world is??
I love the story Chris Cleave tells-it is fiction yet the horrors of her experience are very real. I also loved Ismael Beah’s A Long Way Gone; memoirs of a boy soldier! Do your prefences run towards gritty? Or do you prefer milder fiction? Not so much real life mixed into your fiction? Just curious…
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, 
Here is my teaser for today:
I will tell you what happened when the taxi driver came. The four of us girls, we were waiting outside the Immigration Detention Centre. We were keeping our backs to it, because that is what you do to a big gray monster who has kept you in his belly for two years, when he suddenly spits you out. You keep your back to him and you talk in whispers, in case he remembers you and the clever idea comes into his mind to swallow you all up again. p. 50
We never know as educators and/or parents what book will touch a child in a certain way…it is an amazing marvel when they have a positive reaction and send that love back out into the world. I’ve commissioned her to paint another one for my room. Isn’t her painting lovely…her own imaginary garden! Don’t you just love it…
Kids Can Press synopsis of The Imaginary Garden–click here.
Kaity, after a summer trip to Wilderness Camp, turns herself into” Katya” and decides to take herself out of school- on her very first day back! She leaves, walks out, on a day when many students are excited to see their friends, show off new school wardrobes and be a part of something but not Katya. She heads back home where she hides out in her treehouse for most of the day. Katya puts together a massive binder of researched information about schools and homeschooling as well as her reasons for wanting this so much and shares it with her parents-begging to be allowed to stay home and learn what she wants to learn. After meeting with the principal, the parents become frustrated with the school system as well so they decide to give it a try.
Along the way Katya meets Milo, a H.S. neighbor and young violin prodigy. Milo doesn’t want to be homeschooled any more because his dad is overbearing about the whole practicing, studying thing.
Several middle school and high school students who homeschool hate it…
they fight to go to school while Katya fights for one year of freedom.
There is very real conflicting feelings in the story. It is tough to wonder, with one decision, am I going to ruin my child’s life? I liked the emotion the book brought out in me yet I didn’t love the book. Katya was screechy and drove me a little crazy but I also think that is how a middle school girl might be. I think I was like that-everything very dramatic!! I think I would like to read another Lucy Frank book to do a little compare and contrast. I don’t homeschoo lmy own children and I do teach in the public school system but I am a fan of homeschooling as a good friend taught me homeschooling fits a variety of purposes. My previous idea was more along the lines of parents trying hard to shelter their children from the reality of the world-don’t read “To Kill a Mockingbird” or “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” -you know.
My favorite quote:
“I thought you loved school,” I lied. “You’re Francesca Halloran, star of everything. Teachers love you, kids love you. Everyone wants to be you. You always have that sparkly, sprightly, spunky, everything is so fun and easy and interesting, I-live-for-school…You always know what you’re doing-“
Her look reminded me of Milo. “Did you hear anything I said before? That doesn’t mean I like it. I’m just good at it. It’s a game, Katya. So I play to win, okay? I’m so good at playing it, most of the time I don’t even know it is a game.” Her eyes shone with feeling. “But you said no, I’m not playing. I can’t do it. I really admire that.” p. 187
One of the themes I loved in the book was the idea of being true to yourself and both Katya, Milo and Francesca learn to stand up for what it is they really want. Just as it would be in real life, the hardest part was convincing parents that their children were mature enough to know themselves!
I discussed the book this afternoon with my friend (yes, the homeschooling mama) and she thinks it would make a great reading choice for the parents of her H.S. group! It will be interesting to hear what they think!
Blake (the third little pig) threw an apple as hard as he could at the wolf, hit him smack on the head, and ran for home. Surprised and hurt to the core, the wolf realized he’s been tricked again. p. 4
It’s funny and I will have a great time sharing one of these stories with 2nd grade students next week. Students will also love how tall the book is! For now I’m heading home to blog hop without my school filter getting in the way!! Happy Friday!
I’ve had kind of a depressing day. Sometimes the field of education can be so amazing and other days-total Debbie Downers! Makes me want to open a bookstore where every day would be blissful. I (helped:) clean my daughter’s room tonight and she wanted to count our blessings while we cleaned. I believe she was trying to cheer me up-love that empathy gene kicking in here and there.
This minute I’m feeling blessed to have fresh daffodils on my table in a ruby red vase. I’m also feeling blessed that tomorrow is Friday. Woo-hoo!
Story time this week for 1st graders involved two stories that I loved and that connected well together. I love when I can find pairs of picture books that compliment each other.
We read about pets in Stephanie Stuve-Bodeen’s book, A Small Brown Dog with a Wet Pink Nose( 2010)-it’s just fun to say and the kids loved saying it with me as it becomes a refrain in the book. Not every read-aloud fits my style as I ‘m not good with a million different voices. I can do a few but have a hard time switching back and forth but this one worked for me and made the kids giggle and smile…and isn’t that what we are really going for anyway! Amelia really, really wants a dog but her parents keep saying no! She asks every day then turns around and changes the questions on them. She stops asking for a dog and starts asking them questions related to dog care. Oh, it has some fun twists and I greatly enjoyed watching some quick students with their a-ha faces. A-ha faces really light up, another thing we are looking for as teachers as well. This book was a win/win! I had to stop in the middle and explain Amelia’s imaginary dog-but it made for an interesting conversation. Linzie Hunter’s illustrations gave the students much to stare at as they are filled with more than just the story.
I matched it with one of my favorite author’s Margie Palatini’s The Perfect Pet(2003)! Also about a young girl (Elizabeth) who wants a pet, any pet-doesn’t even have to be a dog! She has a variety of techniques to get her parents to say yes to a pet. There’s the element of surprise, catching them off guard, or the full stomach…her parents continue to say no to each and every pet she suggests until she discovers an animal already in the house, ready to be a pet! Hilarious. The illustrations are wonderfully drawn by Bruce Whatley-at first I didn’t like how the parents were drawn-very square looking parents considering their very unique-looking Elizabeth but of course, makes sense-they are anti-pet!! Elizabeth is the true star in this picture book!
This great little book came in my recent order from Titlewave. Great title, great front cover with the sweetest granny on the front!! From the first few lines you are pulled into a little mystery:
“To Drool, it seemed like her parents had been gone for an awfully long time.”
with a perfect illustration of Drool (Drew) gazing down a long and winding road and throughout the rest of the book is Grandma appeasing Drool with fun activities while she misses her parents.
By the end I discovered the “mystery” of the missing parents is a weekend sleepover with Grandma. Upon reflection this little book gives a great look at what it must feel like for a small child to spend an overnight with even a Grandma as lovely as this one; fun but still filled with longing for the missing parents. This will be a perfect book to use for deep thinking…and yummy cooking.
When I explored Aileen’s website I noticed she illustrated another favorite of mine, Bella and Bean(click here for my review of B & B) by Rebecca Kai Dotlich. I also noticed she has an Etsy shop as well. I’m going to explore that a little more as well!
As soon as I got close to Alvin’s field, I strained my ears for Mystery Boy’s violin. All I heard was a distant lawn mower. Even so, I could feel my spirits lifting. p. 71 The Homeschool Liberation League by Lucy Frank.
Peaceful Reader 