chapter books – Peaceful Reader

Best Books 2023

I read a lot of great books this year even though I didn’t make my GoodReads goal; maybe it was quality over quantity. I love going back through the year and revisiting and thinking of each story. I started the year off big with Demon Copperhead which turned out to be my absolute favorite of the year. I remember I started it right after Christmas because someone sent it to me as a gift. Barbara Kingsolver is one of my top 5 authors. What are the others you ask? Louise Erdrich, Taylor Jenkins Reid, Gabrielle Zevin, and Matt Haig. And this is just the shortlist.

1. Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver (2022) : This is a moving coming-of-age story told in the first person from childhood through young adulthood. Damon struggles with a teenage single mom, a terrible stepdad, and neighbors that are family once removed in the Southern Appalachia region.

2. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab (2020) : Beautifully written fantasy novel that begins in France, 1714 and ends in New York City, As a teenager Addie sits on the banks of the river near her home and wishes for a vastly different life to what women are expected to do. She doesn’t want to get married and live in the same village as her parents have done. She wants more and as she asks for it her life changes forever.

3. Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid (2021) : TJR does her homework for the time period and creates characters that are so memorable that I feel like they are out there somewhere living beyond the pages of the book. This book tells the story of the young Riva family; Mick and June parents to Nina, Jay, Hud, and Kit. Told through two different time periods so we understand both parents and the kids on the night of a memorable beach party thrown at Nina’s Malibu home. I loved that this book also brought in Carrie Soto.

4. Fellowship Point by Alice Elliot Dark (2022) : Our book club read this and I didn’t know what to expect except that the book was big! I enjoyed every page though and thought the writing was brilliant. I could see myself in the two main characters, Agnes and Polly, best friends and neighbors in their Maine summer homes. They’ve led very different lives but strive for the same things. I loved their friendship and conversations.

5. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel (2014) : This one was on my radar when it first came out but I never picked it up. Then the show came out and my brother handed me the book and told me to read it. I did, was captivated by the story, and proceeded to hand it to my husband, and daughter. I thought the show was done well but of course, the book is always better.

6. The Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros (2023) : I’d heard some of the buzz about this but wasn’t pulled in by the whole romance-fantasy genre but then a librarian friend said she liked it and that opened up a portal for me. I picked it up from the library and read it straight through in just a few days. I am set to read the sequel here as soon as I finish Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez.

I’ve used Libby quite a bit to find books I can read in the middle of the night on my phone if I happen to be awake for a couple of hours. And Yours Truly was one that popped up. I hope you’ll pick up any of these books at your local library or bookstore. Let me know what you think. More favorites in a day or two.

Best of Elementary Fiction 2022

As a reader for the Iowa Children’s Choice Award committee I am pushed to read quite a few interesting elementary chapter books. This year 9 took me by surprise and worth passing on to you.

1. Alone by Megan E. Freeman (2021) : This is a fabulous dystopian novel in verse about young Maddie who finds herself completely alone after a secret sleepover. She learns to survive on her own with only George, her neighbor’s Rottweiler, as her only companion.

2. The Mighty Heart of Sunny St. James by Ashley Herring Blake (2019) : This was the perfect year for me to read this sweet novel about Sunny and how her heart transplant pushes her to figure out much about her life.

3. Born Behind Bars by Padma Venkatraman (2021) : Kabir has been in jail his whole life with his mother who was convicted of a crime she didn’t commit. A new ruling pushes Kabir into an unknown world for him and he needs to learn to survive the streets of India on his own.

4. Violets are Blue by Barbara Dee (2021) : Wren is dealing with divorced parents, a new stepmother, and trying to fit into a new school. She finds her niche helping out with makeup for a theatre production as her mother struggles with this new life without her husband.

5. Maya and the Robot by Eve L. Ewing (2021) : Maya is nervous about moving up to 5th grade and how her school life will go with her two best friends in a different class. When she discovers a forgotten robot her life takes off in a new direction.

6. Red, White, and Whole by Rajani LaRocca (2021) : Reha is tied between two worlds-school where she navigates being the only Indian American student and home where her parents have certain expectations for her. She doesn’t feel connected to her amma until Reha discovers that her mother is sick.

7. Where We Used to Roam by Jenn Bishop (2021) : At the beginning of Emma’s 6th grade year, just as she’s making cool artsy friends, her brother is injured in a football game which sends their family on a whirlwind year.

8. The Elephant in the Room by Holly Goldberg Sloane (2021) : I love Sloane’s writing and this one was no exception. Sila’s mother travels to Turkey to fix an immigration issue and has been gone for a long time. Sila and her father have to learn to live on their own and the two discover quite a bit about each other with a few new friends.

9. 365 Days to Alaska by Cathy Carr (2021) : Rigel loves her life off the grid in the Alaskan wilderness until her parents get divorced and she has to move to Connecticut with her mother and siblings. Life is very different in her new surroundings as she learns to deal with city life, other people, and her father’s betrayal.

While the list is numbered it isn’t in any particular order because each of these chapter books stand on their own with different stories to tell. I think fiction books help young people learn something new and unique about other people and cultures. Give any of these books a try and let me know what you think.

Poetry of all kinds

I’m reading The Honest Truth by Dan Gemeinhart to 4th grade students in the library. This is an amazing story about a young person with cancer and his quest to hike a mountain on his last days. The book is beautifully written and the author intersperses bits of haiku poetry throughout the story. Mark and his best friend Jesse have a shared love of the poetry form and communicate notes of haiku back and forth. As I was reading I thought what a great gift for students to hear or read poetry within the book. Kids do love poetry. I did a whole poetry experience last April and they really enjoyed it. It can be light-hearted or serious and is an easy way for students to experiment with word play.

My stepmother sends poems in her birthday cards. Most often it is Mary Oliver but not always. I appreciate very much how her poetry is focused on the natural world because I can imagine myself taking a long walk with the author. I don’t have any Mary Oliver books but I can turn to the pages sent to me and read and reread when I want. Diane, my stepmother, adds these poetry pieces in as a gift to the receiver and what she picks always makes me feel emotional just as Dan Gemeinhart’s book does by weaving haiku into his story about Mark.

Here is Wild Geese, one of my favorites I found on YouTube:

And here is another favorite When I’m Among the Trees:

Share some poetry with a friend, reading it can be a form of meditation and we all need more calm at this time of year.

Today and tomorrow

I anxiously awaited the end of the Chauvin trial, as millions of others did, because I wanted a trend to be set and I am very happy with the outcome. In fact I cried. If we can convict one police officer then it can happen again and hopefully start a fire burning for better policing. City and state budgets need to be spent on training for officers on how to de-escalate with more emphasis on better understanding and compassion. Long live the memory of George Floyd! It’s one tiny step to restorative justice in these United States.

I finished The Night Watchman Louise Erdrich’s excellent novel which recounts the story of her grandfather in 1953.. There has been no time in our country’s history where we’ve treated the First People with the respect they deserve and this book recounts the “emancipation bill” created by Senator Arthur V. Watkins, a Mormon, of Utah. This bill was set to relieve the Native people of their status as a tribe and force integration into bigger cities like Minneapolis/St Paul. Watkins pushed this idea as the Emancipation Proclamation for Natives. Erdrich’s ability to weave facts into her beautifully-written prose makes this a majestic book to read. I strive to read whatever she publishes. My favorite quote from The Night Watchman:

“We’re from here,” said Thomas. He thought awhile, drank some tea. “Think about this. If we Indians had picked up and gone over there and killed most of you and took over your land, what about that? Say you had a big farm in England. We camp there and kick you off. What do you say?” Barnes was struck by this scenario. He raised his eyebrows so fast his hair flopped up.” I say we were here first!”

Many aren’t aware that Erdrich has a historical fiction series that begins with The Birchbark House for elementary students. This 5 book series is a wonderful look into Native life as they attempt to survive while European explorers and settlers encroach on their land and way of life.

I’m feeling burned out from school and look forward to summer. I will be happy to have Groovy Girl back home and hope for somewhat of a “normal” summer with threads of pre-pandemic moments. I am taking my worries to my yoga mat and have challenged myself to show up everyday for at least 20-30 minutes with Adriene. I thought I would have so much extra time this year and I just ended up juggling more work and stress. I always have hope and know this is temporary. Be good to yourself. Peace be with you…

Best Books (so far) 2019

It was a beautiful day today-the sun was shining and it felt warm even though the wind was a bit brisk. I can feel summer winding down and even though I Fall weather is lovely and I love a good sweater I always miss summer. I’m a t-shirt and sandal kind of person and love being outside.

Fall weather does bring it’s own joy with it as well. Sweaters, boots, beautiful leaves falling, and warm beverages-ohhh, and backyard fires. Good times!

Over the last few months I’ve read quite a few books from April-August and some of them you should definitely add to your reading lists. I have two different lists; one with adult reads and one with children’s literature. They are all worth reading though whether you are young or older…

Adult Fiction:

Daisy Jones and the Six (2019) by Taylor Jenkins Reid – This was the book that made me jump head first into Book-of-the-month club! This read like it was real, so much so that I googled it to see how I’d missed this band. Billy Dunne, Daisy Jones and the rest of the cast all make for memorable characters that stayed with me. Sex, drugs, and rock and roll, baby! She’s an author I want to read more of soon.

Their Eyes Were Watching God (2006) by Zora Neale Hurston – We picked this one as our “classic” for book club and I was so satisfied reading this excellent novel. It felt like I was back struggling with the Joad (Grapes of Wrath) family in college. Janie’s life is a rough and joyous journey as she tries to stay independent and enjoy life along the way.

Normal People (2018) by Sally Rooney – This second novel was a very interesting tale of friendship and love between Marianne and Connell while in high school and at Trinity College in Dublin. the characters are very memorable and the story was so intriguing. I also read Rooney’s first book, Conversations with friends, and liked it as well.

The Kiss Quotient (2018) and The Bride Test (2019) by Helen Hoang – These two little books are w-a-y too sexy for most but oh, so good. They rate like 12 stars from me. Stella Lane and Khai Diep both resonated with me as characters on the spectrum struggling with their emotions. Sexy and fantastic; Hoang is writing a 3rd and I can’t wait! Also I did find both at my local library!

The story of Arthur Truluv (2017) by Elizabeth Berg – What a beautiful story of Arthur as he works through the death of his wife and learns to form a new family of sorts with a young and lost teenage girl and his bothersome and moody next door neighbor Lucille. Family is truly what we make of it when we need it and Arthur opens up his heart to help those around him even though he still feels devastated. Thank you to Jen and Chris for passing this on to me this summer. I’m waiting for the second one to arrive.

Memoirs:

Educated (2018) by Tara Westover – Amazing read! I was so intrigued by her family struggles and Tara’s desire to rise above. I was appalled at some of the problems she had to overcome from her own family but her own independence was even more breath-taking because of it.

The shortest way home; one mayor’s challenge and a model for America’s future (2019) by Pete Buttiegieg – Also an Amazing read!! Mayor Pete is a wonderful writer and his story flowed from his family life, his public life, and his road to love. I was already part of the #PeteWave but after this I feel like I know him personally. I’m totally rooting for him.

I am a fiction reader for the most part so the fact that I have not one but two excellent memoirs on my list is pretty amazing. Honorable mention would be The Saboteur (2017) by Paul Kix which tells the story of Robert de La Rochefoucald who was part of the French Resistance during WWII. We read this for book club and I found out Kix has a podcast, Now that’s a great story, and it is quite good! Not that I need another podcast b/c I can’t keep up with what I have downloaded so far.

Young Adult and Children’s lit:

On the come up (2019) by Angie Thomas – Her second novel focuses on 16-yo Bri as she strives to make it the rapper world; a world that her father was king of before his death. I have to admit Bri was a bit brazen for me yet I understood where her anger boiled and spilled over from as she deals with life in her neighborhood. I look forward to what ever Angie brings forth in her 3rd novel.

The Novice (2015) by Taran Matharu – High fantasy and a fun escape book that a student recommended to me. Fletcher and the other cast of characters in this magical world of summoners was easy to get lost in and I quickly read the second one as well, The Inquisition. My friend Wyatt did give me the 3rd one a few weeks ago and it is still sitting on my desk. I have a stack to finish here before I’ll be ready to bring it home.

Gracefully, Grayson (2014) by Ami Polonsky – Grayson’s story is an amazing journey of acceptance as she learns to accept who she is and share her true identity with her adopted family. Grayson’s parents died years ago and she is being raised by his uncle. As Grayson reads some old family letters she begins to understand that this is who she has always been. This is wonderfully written debut novel about friendship and acceptance.

Amal Unbound (2018) by Aisha Saeed – Amal desires to be a teacher one day until an event in her small Pakistani village takes her dream away. When she gets angry at the local landowner for his rude behavior he teaches her about power as he forces her parents to send her to him as a servant. Amal’s fierce independence never lets her accept her fate as she fights for a way to break free. I loved this story and hope to find more of her stories to come.

Merci Suarez changes gears (2018) by Meg Medina – This is a feisty school story with Merci and her family struggling to make it through middle school as a scholarship student and as a sunshine buddy to the cute new boy, all while watching her beloved grandfather begin to suffer from bouts of confusion.

Amina’s Voice (2017) by Hena Khan – Amina is struggling with middle school as her best friend, Soojin begins to hang out with one of the popular (and unkind) girls. It is so hard to figure out how to stay true to yourself but also fit in with the friend you love. Amina worries about her friendship and her strict uncle coming to stay with them which is already enough to handle when the mosque her family attends is vandalized. When the community comes together for them Amina learns to understand how to be herself.

Aru Shah and the end of time (2018) by Roshani Choksi – Aru totally stretches the truth to her classmates (and to herself, really) as she deals with her absent and busy mom and their life living in the Museum of Ancient Indian Art. When three classmates stop by to accuse her of more lies she breaks a vow to her mother and she lights an ancient lamp to placate her classmates. When time is literally stopped she must unlock the mystery of her family’s history in order to put life back in motion. I must make time to read the second book in this series.

Walking with Miss Millie (2017) by Tamara Bundy – Alice is not happy that her mom has moved the family to the exact small town where her mother grew up just so they can take care of her aging grandmother. She misses her dad and her old life. When she is forced to spend time with her grandmother’s aging nieghbor Alice learns that life in a small town can be filled with all kinds of interesting characters. I liked the slower pace to this as Alice learns to navigate some life lessons.

Ohhh. That’s a lot of books. I hope you find something interesting to read from my list.

29 days of book love…

Kate DiCamillo

Simply Kate

Beautiful writing

Everything by Kate

This is how my students and I speak of DiCamillo and her books. I pretty much read them in order because that’s how they came out for me but my school kids read them in any which order and they recommend them to each other. Teachers read them aloud and when I say a title the kids collectively swoon, as in “OOOhhhh, Mrs. Tjaden read that to us last year…AAhhhh, it was soooo goooood!” I’ve heard she has a new one just out. I’m sure we’ll love that one as well.

1. Because of Winn-Dixie (2000): Girl and her lovable adopted dog.
2. Tiger Rising (2001): Rob and Sistine make memories with a tiger.
3. The Tale of Despereaux (2003): Mouse + Princess Pea =charming!
4. Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane (2006): Stuffed rabbit journey.
5. The Magician’s Elephant (2009): Peter takes an unexpected chance.
6. Bink and Gollie (2010): Adorable quirky friends, easy reader style.
7. Flora and Ulysses (2013): Flora Belle and a squirrel, yes, for real.

Everyone should read Kate; you will be transported into whatever world she has created.

29 days of book love…

Finding Fortune

Delia Ray

2015

An almost ghost town mixed with the long gone button factories that lived along the Mississippi River and you have just two parts of Delia Ray’s new story for elementary and middle school students.

12-year-old Ren is fascinated by the old school in the almost empty next town over curiously named Fortune. An older woman is fixing up the school as a boarding house and a button museum and Ren gets mixed up with their stories instead of her own.

Her dad, serving in Afghanistan, will be home soon and Ren feels like her mother needs to be more excited about his upcoming arrival. Her older sister is busy working and dating a French foreign exchange student. It’s easy for Ren to find life a little more thrilling with Hugh, Hildy, Mime, and the rest of the museum characters.

Mystery and intrigue-perfect for kids wanting just a bit of a scare.

I'm crushed; my baby is growing up!

It happened. About a week or so ago Groovy Girl and I started another night time book and there were a few nights she opted out of reading. In the past she is generally excited to read and it is encentive to get ready for bed and wind down. She has trouble getting into the mode and storytime has been our bridge, the cuddling that goes with it and the story all lead to an easy bedtime routine. It doesn’t hurt that she’s my baby and I loved this special time.

Just a few chapters in to the new book she announced to me as she was preparing for bed that she just wasn’t that interested in reading together anymore. This is what it sounded like to me “I don’t love you and your little stories ANYMORE!” Ackkkk.

After my initial reaction, we had a nice talk about this new stage of her life journey, and she said things like “Mom I am 12 you know!” As if I’d forgotton. Then I made a comment that she would now have to read a lot more on her own as us reading together counted to me as reading time for her. Reading is an issue for Groovy Girl. It’s not her first choice of a leisure activity. She likes YouTube, Minecraft, Sims, and crafting. She loves watching movies on Netflix. She is creative, outgoing, and fiesty. She is a dancer and pirouettes her way through the house several times in a day but sitting down with with a good book is the very last thing on her list. The very last thing. I often hand her a book only to find her back on her iPod. I’ve taken the iPod away to make my point but that doesn’t feel right to me as then I’ve just made reading an even bigger chore.

While we were talking I said that her older brother and sister were heavily into reading Harry Potter and beyond when we stopped reading together. She was a baby at the time so she doesn’t recall but they were often found (and still to this day) curled up with a good book. I know I have to let this go but I’m worried she won’t have that same joy. Curling up with a good YouTube video is not the same. Ackkkk.

We did compromise. We didn’t quit cold turkey. She said we could finish this current book, Circa Now by Amber McKee Turner, and it’s good but I’m a bit sad that we’re not finishing with something classically amazing. Maybe she’ll change her mind. Especially when I lay down the new Groovy Girl reading expectations.

Any advice for this tough time?

First two books of summer…

I’ve been on summer break for four days so far and I’ve finished two fantastic books. I’ve also deep cleaned parts of my house that are regularly forgotten. I made a few delicious meals while my stepdaughter was here. I’m also packing for our upcoming trip to the East Coast. In between all that I managed to finish these two:

Defending Jacob (2012) by William Landay is our book club choice for June. I won’t be here for the gathering but the book was so highly recommended by my friend Sue that I had to read it anyway. One morning I was reading it at the breakfast table and after checking out the cover she said “That does not look like your kind of book Mama.” She’s right…The cover looks adult and mysterious; not fun but read it I did and loved it. Perfect reason to be in a book club as I’m pushed to read outside my normal reading zone.

The story, narrated by Andy Barber, assistant DA, revolves around the murder of a young man, a classmate of Barber’s son, Jacob. Andy is a loving father and a great lawyer and eventually both those attributes are called into question as his son is arrested for the boy’s murder. This is a precise look at what can happen to a family when they are pushed to the brink of despair. Defending Jacob is filled with plot twists and interesting character portrayals. Landay is a former District Attorney himself so the courtroom drama and lawyer speak is accurate and intense.

Sample:

“Worse, the eighth graders at the McCormick were not especially competent liars. Some of them, the more shameless ones, seemed to believe that the way to pass off a lie convincingly was to oversell it. So, when they got ready to tell a particularly tall one, they would stop all the foot-shuffling and y’knows, and deliver the lie with maximum conviction. It was as if they had read a manual on behaviors associated with honestly-eye contact! firm voice!-and were determined to display them all at once, like peacocks fanning their tail feathers.” (48-49)

If you are looking for a great crime story Landay’s book is definitely worth reading. It would make a great Father’s Day gift for a mystery buff.

Same is true of Boy Still Missing (2001) by John Searles. My husband read this and couldn’t stop chatting with me about it. At my last book club meeting he even mentioned it to them with a slight tone that eventually I would get to it on my PILE. So after I finished Defending Jacob I shocked him by picking Boy Still Missing next off the large stack. I read it in under a week and will add John Searles to my growing list of favorite authors. He told a most interesting story without bogging it down with too much detail and he seamlessly snuck in some important feminist rhetoric weaving it right into the story.

Dominick helps his mother track down his wayward father whether the father is out drinking or sleeping it off with a trail of women. Dominick gets caught up with one of his father’s cast-off girlfriends, Edie, and his life is forever changed as he turns his back on the mother that needs him. His chance encounter with Jeanny, a young protestor for change, pulls him back to earth as he struggles with the direction his life has taken. Sexual explicit details make it not for everyone but fit with Dominick’s experiences.

Sample:

“I peeled back the rug where I had been skimming money for the last two months. Ever since the radiator broke, most of the usual smells of our apartment-canned food, cooked beef, furniture polish-had been muted. But beneath the rug the musty earth scent was as strong as ever. I grabbed three stiff hundred-dollar bills and shoved them into the pocket of my sweatshirt. ‘Just a few Bennies,’ I said under my breath, thinking it sounded cool.” (51)

Both stories feature young men as they struggle through rough times. Boy Still Missing is told from Dominick’s point-of-view and Defending Jacob is shared from his father’s narration. Both have unexpected surprises in store for the reader.

Last week I took both College Boy and Groovy Girl to our local library to check out books for summer and our approaching vacation. I found The Red Book by Deborah Copaken Kogan which I started late last night and continued reading early this morning before I hoisted myself out of bed for some yoga and breakfast. Ahh, summer sleep-ins are treasures.

Top Notch Elementary Fiction; The Humming Room by Ellen Potter

I’ve had so many new books arriving over the last few weeks and I’m trying to read some of them as fast as I can.

The Humming Room (2012) was in paperback at our book fair a few weeks ago and had me intrigued. I’ve read the first Olivia Kidney book and liked it well enough but last summer I read The Kneebone Boy and was blown away by its quirky characters. Potter’s wonderful writing style carries over to The Humming Room which is loosely based on the classic The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett.

Roo Fanshaw, the young main character, is orphaned when her father and his girlfriend are both killed in a drug-related shooting. Roo is very adept at hiding in small places and going unnoticed. Lucky for her her rich uncle’s assistant comes for her and they make the journey to his island house. On the island Roo is out of place at first but easily slips around to discover mysteries and she begins to enjoy her surroundings. The house was once a tuberculosis sanitarium and Roo explores where the children lived and died. This book has a cast of interesting characters and just enough creepiness to keep 4th-6th graders interested.

Ransom quote:

Pressing her ear to the ground, she closed her eyes and listened to the hushed singing in the soil. It was such a tiny, complicated sound that it required the steadiest concentration. The stirring of worm’s eggs in their cocoons, the pulse of roots, the minute shifting of bugs. Immediately Roo felt herself relax. Her world collapsed down into a tiny little bundle, just the way she liked it. (65)

You Tube book trailer