It's Monday! What Are You Reading? and Slice of Life Challenge - Day 17 - Champion Ducks

First, I have to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LIBBY!  It's my oldest daughter's 21st birthday today.  I remember my anesthesiologist was Irish, so Irish jigs were playing during my Cesarean, and the nurses put a little green bow in her hair while exclaiming, "Look at all that hair!"

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. 
  

 

EARLY MIDDLE GRADE BOOK

 

 

The Year of Billy Miller by Kevin Henkes

	2013-book, award-winner, character-development, character-who-writes, early-middle-grade, read, teachers-who-inspire

	This is a sweet story about Billy, a second grader with a big heart and honest feelings. My favorite chapter was the one about his love/hate relationship with his sister.  I think younger middle grade readers will like it. I love Kevin Henkes because he find beauty and humor in simple things.

 

MIDDLE GRADE BOOK

 

 

A Snicker of Magic by  Natalie Lloyd

 

2014-book, bebrave, character-who-writes, characters-with-disabilities, family, fantasy-science-fiction, fears, figuative-language, friendship, gifted-character, home, loss, love, mock-newbery-2015, mock-schneider-family-award-2015, model-for-writing, mood-tone, vocabulary   I wrote about this book and my Mock Newbery Club's Skype visit with her on my Celebration Saturday post, but I'm not done talking about her or her fabulous book yet!   You can see Natalie (just barely) on the screen with us.  Brady (2nd front left) is holding the Jeni's Ice Cream we ate during the Skype visit.  We sent some to Natalie as a thank you, too! Spindiddly! I just finished what is destined to become a children's literature classic. I knew I was in for a treat when one of my sixth graders, who read it for my Mock Newbery Club and is a voracious reader, said, "This is the best book I ever read. It has everything I like." Wow. I know what she means now. It's funny, poignant, compelling, magical, and real. I have so many post-it flags marking favorite parts that I couldn't possibly write them all, but I'll include some: - A sister is like a...more Spindiddly! I just finished what is destined to become a children's literature classic. I knew I was in for a treat when one of my sixth graders, who read it for my Mock Newbery Club and is a voracious reader, said, "This is the best book I ever read. It has everything I like." Wow. I know what she means now. It's funny, poignant, compelling, magical, and real. I have so many post-it flags marking favorite parts that I couldn't possibly write them all, but I'll include some: - A sister is like a super-forever-infinity friend. - But there is was. I'm fairly certain LONELY'S most natural habitat is a school cafeteria. - I can very often tell how much a person loves another person by the way they say their name. I think that's one of the best feelings in the world, when you know your name is safe in another person's mouth. When you know they'll never shout it out like a cuss word, but say it or whisper it like a once-upon-a-time. - Some miracles are big and flashy, and others are sweet and simple. - Home isn't just a house or a city or a place; home is what happens when you're brave enough to love people. Lloyd's writing reminds me a little of Ingrid Law, Kate DiCamillo, Sharon Creech, and Deborah Wiles, and that's factofabulous!  YOUNG ADULT      The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black                                     2013-book, fantasy-science-fiction, young-adult-book       I'm a big fan of Holly Black.  My kids read her Spiderwick Chronicles when they were young, and we met her and Tony DiTerlizzi when they visited The Blue Manatee years ago.  I LOVED Doll Bones, a 2014 Newbery Honor Award winner.  This one, however....yikes!!!  This is no Twilight romance - it's a dark and violent vampire story. Black's writing is captivating and creepy. Not for the faint of heart or younger teens! Great ending.   Here are pictures when we met Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi in 2004   CURRENTLY READING and LISTENING TO       What are YOU reading this week?   In case this is your first time reading my slices, here is my focus for the challenge: my fifth graders and I are participating in the Slice of Life Challenge this month, and they're writing memoirs.  I thought I'd do the same kind of writing - memory writing - throughout the challenge. I'm going to be writing around photographs and memorabilia.          This batch of Pekin ducklings in 1979 were a treasure!  I raised ducks from ducklings each year.  Aren't they cute?!  I remember my dad and I training them to come to their pen for the night with fishing line.  We'd stand on opposite sides of the pond where they'd be swimming, and we'd gently nudge them to the shore and herd them in to their pen where food would be waiting.  After awhile, I could just call them in for the evening because they'd know food would be waiting.  Being in their pen for the night would keep them from getting eaten by nighttime predators (it didn't always - that's another future post!).        I showed three of these ducks at the Warren County Fair that summer.  They were champions!  I was so proud.  A ritual of the fair is the auction.  At the end of the week, all the animals are auctioned off, champions bringing in the most money.  I couldn't believe someone bid $100 for my ducks!  The people who bid on animals usually arranged for them to be butchered and prepared for the freezer - some were individuals who supported 4-H, and some were businesses like Bob Evans who not only wanted to support local farming, but wanted advertising.  I was excited that I made $100, but I was really sad that my ducks were going to get turned over to someone else.  I can't say that I was the type of country girl who became toughened by animals dying or sent off to be butchered/slaughtered.  I was more the Fern type in Charlotte's Web.  I got attached to my animals.  But I was surprised by the person who bought my ducks (I don't remember who it was); he gave them back to me!  I was so happy! I got to bring my champion ducks home.   Carrying the ducks to the fair barn with my dad.   Wearing the blue ribbon I won for Champion Ducks! I also won a blue ribbon for showmanship.   I can remember wanting a trophy for poultry so badly at the fair, and in my last year, I won two!  Don't you love the chickens on top?!