I likely wrote about this last year too, but this is the time of year when I freeze up in the aisles at Target. Why?
Because I feel at a loss at whether or not to buy a(nother) mini-Christmas tree for Macy.
Drawn Together
My Lola was one of my kindred spirits. I think she understood me in a different way than my mom does.
So you can imagine that when I heard that Dan Santat was illustrating a picture book about a boy’s relationship with his grandfather, I leaped at the chance to read it. I mean, it’s Dan Santat, right?
First Pages: Crimes of Grindewald
“Scene 1: EXT NEW YORK, AMERICAN MINISTRY OF MAGIC—1927—NIGHT
AERIAL of New York and MACUSA building.]
Scene 2: INT MACUSA BASEMENT, BARE, BLACK-WALLED ROOM, NIGHT
The long-haired, bearded GRINDEWALD sits motionless, partially fixed to a chair. The air shimmers, charged with spells.
ABERNATHY peers in at GRINDEWALD from the corridor.
A baby chupacabra—part lizard, part homunculus, a blood-sucking creature of the Americas—is chained to GRINDEWALD’S chair. “
~ The Crimes of Grindewald by J.K. Rowling
First Pages: Awkward
“Okay, so when you’ve just moved to a new town and are still a total outsider…
this…
…is not the best way to start life at your new school.
Hi! Penelope here. Peppi for short. It’s my first day at Berrybrook Middle School, and I just ripped over my own feet and dropped everything.”
~ Awkward by Svetlana Chmakova
First Pages: How to Train Your Dragon
“Long ago, on the wild and windy isle of Berk, a smallish Viking with a longish name stood up to his ankles in snow.
Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, the Hope and Heir to the Tribe of the Hairy Hooligans, had been feeling slightly sick ever since he woke up that morning.”
~ How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell
Peaceful Days for a Mom
Dr. Bookworm talks about PEACEFUL mornings as a mother, and also about Special Delivery and the OC Walk to Remember.
Banned Books Week 2018
Books are still being banned in the U.S. in 2018. Let’s take a look at some of the reasons why.
Simon Vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda VERSUS Love, Simon
Mini Me and Dr. Bookworm debate the movie versus novel version of Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda AKA Love, Simon by Becky Albertalli.
Harry Potter Read-Along Part 3
Part 3 of our Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone read-along. Trivia questions included!
Back to School Grind/What Kind of Student Were You?
A day in the life of the Bookworm family on the last day of summer break.
First Pages: The Book Thief
“First the colors.
Then the humans.
That’s how I see things.
Or at least, how I try.”
~The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Harry Potter Read-Along Part 2
Here is Part Two of our discussion of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone for our summer read-along. Please note that because I’ve posted this late, I’ve extended the deadline to our summer contest giveaway to Sept 10 at midnight PST.
To All the Boys I've Loved Before/P.S. I Still Love You
Jenny Han, the author of To All the Boys and its sequels, wrote an op-ed piece in the NYT about what it means for teens to have an Asian teen role model like Lana Condor AKA the actor who plays Lara Jean Song Covey. Why is her full name important? Because Lara Jean is a mixed Asian-American. Just like my kids.
Why Dan Santat is My Imaginary Friend
The bullet point list on author-illustrator Dan Santat and why he’s my IMAGINARY FRIEND.
A new series featuring “The Skinny” on our favorite writers and illustrators.
Happy World Breastfeeding Week 2018!
I read everything I could about breastfeeding when I became a mom. You know why? Because breastfeeding wasn't easy. It didn't come naturally. And it hurt! Why didn't anyone tell me it would hurt at first? Mini Me kept falling asleep and she lost more than the maximum ten percent. And later she went on nursing strike at three months of age.
First Pages: The Fellowship of the Ring
“When Mr. Bilbo Baggins of Bag End announced that he would shortly be celebrating his eleventy-first birthday with a party of special magnificence, there was much talk and excitement in Hobbiton.”
The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkein
Happy Birthday, Harry: Part One of our Harry Potter Read-Along
I'm FINALLY reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone! Finally! I admit that I had started and stopped it many times, not because of poor writing, but because it starts slowly for someone who has already seen the films. But the whole reason I picked this book for our summer read-along is because I wanted to get through the first book so I can get to all the rest.
And I'm glad I did. The world building is fantastic right from the get-go.
Monster Boogie
Monster Boogie as its re-incarnation of a picture book is such a pleasure to sing. Yes, sing. I couldn't help but sing the book the first time I read it to Little Lion because I know this song too well. And I'm a bit tone deaf.
Roof Octopus
What I love about Roof Octopus is the quirkiness of the storyline and the whimsical, magical, and colorful illustrations that match the story perfectly. Basically a little girl wakes up to find an octopus on her rooftop. And while the adults aren't so quick to accept someone new and foreign to their neighborhood, Nora is wholeheartedly all in.
A Shakespeare Story: Hamlet
While I had one dream come true by being able to finally see a performance at the Globe theater in London, I have to admit that the situation wasn't ideal. I was still jetlagged, it was crazy humid, and Little Lion was fidgety.