What's your go-to book? When I have nothing to read and no access to the internet (and fan fiction), there are a handful of books that I can always count on. Where She Went by Gayle Forman is one of them.
Seb and the Sun
In Seb and the Sun, we follow Seb and Walrus through their very specific coastal town and community. And as we follow this close-knit community, Seb realizes that something is missing and he knows exactly how to go find it. Gigot contrasts the brightness and darkness in her illustrations, creating a beautiful reflection of each other.
Eleanor, Quiet No More
The first book that caught my eye when I saw the display for Women In History at the local library last month was Eleanor, Quiet No More: The Life of Eleanor Roosevelt written by Doreen Rappaport and illustrated by Gary Kelley. The cover is a gorgeous painting of Eleanor Roosevelt, that looks like a photograph. What's more, it looks like Eleanor is looking at the reader right in the eyes.
Some Days I Feel Like this AT-AT
Some days I feel like this AT-AT. Like I'm losing the mom war. Yes, it's a war some days....and sometimes I'm not winning. It's not even close.
Soulmates and a Teacher's Legacy
Do you remember the names of all your teachers? I don't remember all their names but I remember their important lessons.
First Pages: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe
"Once there were four children whose names were Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy. This story is about something that happened to them when they were sent away from London during the war because of the air-raids. They were sent to the house of an old Professor who lived in the heart of the country, ten miles from the nearest railway station and two miles from the nearest post office. He had no wife and he lived in a very large house with a housekeeper called Mrs. Macready and three servants."
~The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
Different Like Coco
It may be news to you but I've always been a bit obsessed with fashion designers. I learned to sew when I was a kid and I loved to fiddle with my clothes or make them my own when I was a teen. Just little things here and there. And while I still love to make things, I don't have a talent for pattern making.
Hufflepuff Letterman Jacket Upcycling
My mom has slowly been giving me things from my childhood room over the years. I have no idea what to do with my spelling and academic trophies, but I did know that when she handed over my letterman jacket from varsity cheer, I was reluctant to donate it.
Then I had an immediate epiphany. Though I went to an all-girls school, I cheered for the all-boys school counterpart....and their colors were HUFFLEPUFF HOUSE COLORS. Well, I happen to know a very loyal Hufflepuff in my house, Little Lion!
Niko Draws a Feeling
Niko Draws a Feeling by Bob Raczka is about learning to look at the world with different eyes, or at least accepting that others may see the world in different ways than you do. I parallel Niko with some of my patients who express themselves differently—maybe they have autism, maybe they have a different artist's eye than I do, maybe they don't speak yet (or at all). But they may have specific ways of communicating with others.
My type of PTSD
By definition, PTSD doesn't really go away....it's just that not everyone understands that I have PTSD. I didn't know it myself until I heard my therapist say it off-hand. Like it was a given. And that it was okay.
Just like I didn't realize that I had 'depression' until she said it. I thought I was grieving. But I also wasn't functioning as well. So "acute depression" it is. It's interesting that we tend to stay away from 'labels' and 'diagnoses' even as medical professionals. But, years later, I can say that I had depression. And that it was okay. I'm okay.
Ordinary, Extraordinary Jane Austen
One book I came across was Ordinary, Extraordinary Jane Austen written by Deborah Hopkinson and illustrated by Qin Leng. It's no secret that I'm an Austenite. I even endured that film about her with Anne Hathaway (Becoming Jane). And I took a course on Austen as a grad student that was purely for the delight of discussing all of her works.
So I've always known that Jane Austen was extraordinary.
Love is Love is Love is Love
I thought Love was a beautiful and inclusive ode to the many ways that we see love in our every day. What I loved most was how tactile everything felt in the story. De La Pena spun his words so I could see every image in my mind--besides what was on the page--and what's more I could feel the scent in the air, hear the music notes being played.
Wonder Read-Along, Part 2
Join in as we discuss the second half of Wonder by R.J. Palacio. We also decide which wins this battle: the novel versus the film.
Tell us what YOUR precept would be, or your favorite one from the book! #ChooseKind
First Pages: A Wrinkle in Time
"It was a dark and stormy night.
In her attic bedroom Margaret Murry, wrapped in an old patchwork quilt, sat on the foot of her bed an watched the trees tossing in the frenzied lashing of the wind. Behind the tress clouds scudded frantically across the sky. Every few moments the moon ripped through them, creating wraith-like shadows that raced along the ground.
The house shook.
Wrapped in her quilt, Meg shook."
" A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
Long Way Down
There have been two school shootings since I started reading this book. Two.
And Long Way Down is a quick and easy read. However....I put it down after the first school shooting which was by a 12-year-old. Someone pretty much the same age as my Mini Me.
And then there was an even bigger shooting, more lives lost senselessly.
In Long Way Down, Jason Reynolds tackles gun violence in a different way—from the point of view of a teenage boy who feels as if he has no other choice but to avenge his brother's senseless death. It makes sense....and it doesn't.
Wonder Read-Along Part 1
Join Dr. Bookworm in this EPIC Read-along of Wonder by R.J. Palacio.