It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

These are memes started by Teach Mentor Texts and Book Journey, and I'm excited to participate, along with many other bloggers, in reviewing books I read the previous week. I'll be reviewing picture books through adult books.

Here are the books I read this week:

 

PICTURE BOOKS:

 

 

Bluebird by Bob Staake

 

2013-book, allusion, birds, bullying, empathy, fears, friendship, kindness, loss, mythology, picture-book, setting, spiritual, symbolism, theme, visual-literacy, wordless

 

 

 

 

Oh wow. I wish I had someone to talk to about this book right now! It's a story of friendship and conquering fears, bullying and bravery. SPOILER ALERT: But the end was shocking, and although I usually love stories of loss and legacy, this one seemed unnecessary to me. I remembered Mr. Schu had an interview with Bob Staake on his blog, so I went back to that and Mr. Staake said maybe what you think happened at the end didn't. That's why I need to process it with someone before I share it with ki...moreOh wow. I wish I had someone to talk to about this book right now! It's a story of friendship and conquering fears, bullying and bravery. SPOILER ALERT: But the end was shocking, and although I usually love stories of loss and legacy, this one seemed unnecessary to me. Don't get me wrong - I really loved this book, though!  I remembered Mr. Schu had an interview with Bob Staake on his blog, so I went back to that and Mr. Staake said maybe what you think happened at the end didn't. That's why I need to process it with someone before I share it with kids! Or maybe not - they can help me process it! And does the allusion to Icarus on the school clock earlier in the book give us a clue about what happened? Is the bluebird an angel? Or did it fly too close to the "sun?" Or did what seemed to happen, happen - the bird was killed by the bullies and the other birds help the boy release the bird into heaven? Questions, questions. That's the brilliance about wordless books - much room for interpretation! I love the choice of making the pictures black, white, and gray except for blue accents and the colorful birds at the end. I also love the strong sense of setting - the markets, taxis, apartments, outdoor cafes, and even an independent bookstore!     follow follow by Marilyn Singer, illustrated by Josee Masse                               2013-book, fable, fairy-tale, picture-book, poetry, point-of-view                                    Reverso poems, which Marilyn Singer debuted in Mirror Mirror must be incredibly difficult to write! This is a companion book to Mirror Mirror and features more poems from different points of view, meant to read top to bottom, then bottom to top with just a few changes in punctuation and capitalization. Singer gives brief summaries of the fairy tales and fables, some more obscure to kids than others, in the back. In the words of my teenage daughter after I asked her to look at a couple of them, "...moreReverso poems, which Marilyn Singer debuted in Mirror Mirror must be incredibly difficult to write! This is a companion book to Mirror Mirror and features more poems from different points of view, meant to read top to bottom, then bottom to top with just a few changes in punctuation and capitalization. Singer gives brief summaries of the fairy tales and fables, some more obscure to kids than others, in the back. In the words of my teenage daughter after I asked her to look at a couple of them, "Wow! It's like magic!"   MIDDLE GRADE BOOKS     11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass character-development, fantasy-science-fiction, friendship, intermediate-kids-book, mystery   I've had the Willow Falls books in my classroom library for a long time and just have never gotten around to reading them. This year, I've had some girls who have been clamoring for them, so I thought it was finally time I got to it! I really enjoyed this first one in the series. Amanda and her friend, Leo, were born on the same day and have shared every birthday since. Sadly, on her 10th birthday, she overheard him saying mean things about her at their party and hasn't talked to Leo for a year....moreI've had the Willow Falls books in my classroom library for a long time and just have never gotten around to reading them. This year, I've had some girls who have been clamoring for them, so I thought it was finally time I got to it! I really enjoyed this first one in the series. Amanda and her friend, Leo, were born on the same day and have shared every birthday since. Sadly, on her 10th birthday, she overheard him saying mean things about her at their party and hasn't talked to Leo for a year. Now it's her 11th birthday, and they will be having separate parties for the first time. EVERYTHING goes wrong that day, and Amanda is glad it's all over when she goes to bed that night. Mysteriously, when she wakes up the next day, she realizes it's NOT over. It's the SAME day!! This is like a kids' version of Groundhog Day. No wonder the kids like this book - the characters are realistic, but the magic is compelling. There is also a mystery about what it will take to finally make the day stop. It's no accident that a white-haired lady named Angelina keeps showing up! I'll have to read the next two now.  This series is not the only Wendy Mass books my 4th grade students love.  They've been reading every Wendy Mass book they can get their hands on.  We also had a very successful book group in the fall who read Mango-Shaped Space. Our theme topic was empathy, and they LOVED that book, so it's been circulating too!   ADULT BOOKS     Painted Girls by Cathy Marie Buchanan   2013-book, adult-fiction, art, audio-book, dance, historical-fiction, setting, sisters

 

 

I like books like this - historical fiction books about artists and their subjects. Tracy Chevalier and Susan Vreeland have written similar ones. This one is about the van Goethem sisters - Antoinette, Marie, and Charlotte. It begins in Paris in 1878 when the sisters' father dies, leaving them with their mother who falls into an absinthe-induced existence. After being evicted from their apartment, the sisters begin to figure out how to survive and fiercely hang on to each other. Marie goes to wo...moreI like books like this - historical fiction books about artists and their subjects. Tracy Chevalier and Susan Vreeland have written similar ones. I started listening to the audio version of this while in Marco Island, FL, so I will forever associate this book with the sand, morning sun, and ocean since I would listen to it on my morning walks. Not at all like the Parisian setting in which the story was set!  This one is about the van Goethem sisters - Antoinette, Marie, and Charlotte. It begins in Paris in 1878 when the sisters' father dies, leaving them with their mother who falls into an absinthe-induced existence. After being evicted from their apartment, the sisters begin to figure out how to survive and fiercely hang on to each other. Marie goes to work at the Paris Opera, where she hopes to make it into the famous ballet. Antoinette, who has been dismissed from dancing for being rebellious, tries to make a meager living and falls for the dangerous Emile. Marie captures the attentions of Edgar Degas, and she begins modeling for him. She becomes the Little Dancer Aged Fourteen. The story is told from Antionette's and Maria's points of view, and the setting of 19th century France is described richly - from the opulence and glamour of the opera to the seedy underbelly of the poor and criminal. Throughout the story is interwoven a study of newspaper articles that attributed certain physical facial traits to a life of crime. The author experimented with whether or not Marie, and her facial similarities to those described as being criminal, was affected. I've seen some of Degas's work before, but now that I've read this book, I want to see it again!     Documentary that convinced Cathy M. Buchanan to write The Painted Girls:   CURRENTLY LISTENING TO:       CURRENTLY READING:         I also reread a couple novels in verse: http://hollymueller.blogspot.com/2013/04/reread-in-april_20.html and read nonfiction: http://hollymueller.blogspot.com/2013/04/nonfiction-wednesday_17.html   If you enjoyed stopping by my blog, I would love it if you would consider joining it or signing up for an e-mail subscription!  Just scroll to the bottom of the blog, and you will find those opportunities at the bottom right.  It would make my day!   What are YOU reading this week?