Shelf marker

Ages ago, when I first got some good art markers, I drew some llamas on cardstock. I've been using them to mark where the graphic novel I'm currently reading belongs on the book shelf ever since. They're starting to show their age, though, mostly missing their legs and ears. So I decided to replace them with something a little bit sturdier. I made a tentacle out of a cereal box and kind of love how it looks peeking out between the books.

 

Book review - Broken Strings

Title: Broken Strings
Author: Eric Walters and Kathy Kacer
Genre: realistic fiction
Similar books: Dara Palmer's Major Drama by Emma Shevah
                      The Marvels by Brian Selznick
Rating:

A genuinely compelling read

Summary (provided by publisher): It's 2002. In the aftermath of the twin towers -- and the death of her beloved grandmother -- Shirli Berman is intent on moving forward. The best singer in her junior high, she auditions for the lead role in Fiddler on the Roof, but is crushed to learn that she's been given the part of the old Jewish mother in the musical rather than the coveted part of the sister. But there is an upside: her "husband" is none other than Ben Morgan, the cutest and most popular boy in the school.
Deciding to throw herself into the role, she rummages in her grandfather's attic for some props. There, she discovers an old violin in the corner -- strange, since her Zayde has never seemed to like music, never even going to any of her recitals. Showing it to her grandfather unleashes an anger in him she has never seen before, and while she is frightened of what it might mean, Shirli keeps trying to connect with her Zayde and discover the awful reason behind his anger. A long-kept family secret spills out, and Shirli learns the true power of music, both terrible and wonderful.

My opinion: There's a lot to like about this book. When Shirli doesn't get the part she wants in the play, she learns embrace and appreciate her new role. But that doesn't stop her wishing. While she's happy to play the mother she still longs to play the daughter. A new appreciation doesn't wipe away the old desire.
The book takes us somewhat back in time here, to a world just post 9/11. A world with a much smaller cell phone presence and where kids don't yet feel constantly unsafe. Where we weren't yet at war but islamaphobia was beginning to rear it's ugly head. And we view all these elements through the lens of the Holocaust. The parallels aren't explicitly drawn but a savvy reader will make that connection.
While some plot points are a bit too random, overall it's a joy to read and leaves the reader with elements to reflect upon. It might be well suited to a book club discussion.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Picture books for everyone

Edwina: The Dinosaur Who Didn't Know She Was Extinct by Mo Willems

Most people who spend any time reading to small children are familiar with the work of Mo Willems, either through the Pigeon or Elephant and Piggie. My favorite of his books, though, is Edwina. Edwina is a dinosaur well loved by her community. She's friendly and helpful. She also shouldn't exist, a source of consternation for a little boy named Reginald Von Hoobie-Doobie. The plot is simple - Reginald tries to convince people that Edwina should be extinct and he is constantly thwarted. It's silly and utterly charming. Very young children will enjoy this book at a surface level. Reginald's name alone never fails to elicit giggles. Older children are entertained by the nonsense of the plot. It never fails to entertain and holds up to repeat reads.

Book review - The Monster Hypothesis

Title: The Monster Hypothesis
Author: Romily Bernard
Genre: realistic fiction
Similar books: Spirit's Key by Edith Cohn
                      The Disappearance of Emily H by Barrie Summy
Rating:

more than meets the eye

Summary (provided by publisher):  Welcome to Bohring-home to 453 people, 2,053 alligators, and one monster curse.
Correction: home to 454 people, now that Kick Winter is living in the swamp Hollows with her Grandma Missouri, the town (fake) psychic. Bohring is anything but boring for Kick who has already blown a hole through the kitchen floor, befriended a chicken-eating gator, and discovered that the town's hundred-year curse is upon them.
It's the Bohring curse and all the kids are about to become monsters-or so the legend goes. People are worried-except for Kick. She knows there's a scientific explanation for everything, especially curses and monsters. But Kick is the new kid in school and she's determined to make a name for herself . . . by pretending to be psychic.
According to her calculations: one teeny-tiny life + (fake) psychic skills = popularity. But when kids start disappearing and glowing creatures start showing up, Kick's theory quickly evaporates in a puff of foul-smelling swamp gas. Can Kick use her (real) science smarts to prove the curse is a hoax? Or is it just-maybe-sort of-somehow possible the curse is here?
Author Romily Bernard weaves a fast-paced middle-grade mystery filled with humor and scientific intrigue, set in a perfectly eerie Southern town.

My opinion: I like the interpretation of a curse as the power of suggestion over a group of people. Our inclination towards belief influencing our perceptions and interpretation. We see that in the large scale in this book with the town curse. The people believe in it so they are inclined to attribute strange happenings as being related to the curse. Its an excuse for wild or weird behavior. Mass hysteria aided by malfeasance. We also see it in the small scale with Kick and her school relationships. She refuses to see the truth about who values and accepts here.There's an emotional complexity that belies the simplicity of the plot. While the mystery's resolution is a bit lacking in evidence, the heart of the story is strong.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Darning

I've long been interested in the idea of darning but never had a reason to try it. Until now. I have a pair of knitted socks that I love that recently developed a rather large hole.

I was pretty bummed but set it aside intending to repair it eventually. I mentioned it in passing to my mother and she found a darning egg for me to use in her stash.

Now, I'm aware that typically one darns a garment in matching yarn. But that seems boring to me. I decided to follow the Japanese philosophy of kintsugi, embracing a repair as part of the objects history and highlighting it instead of hiding it. So I darned my green sock with red-orange yarn. 

Not bad for my first attempt

I have a small stash of remnants of sock yarn now, just waiting for the next repair.

Crafty Christmas Countdown: 1

It's already Christmas Eve, friends! So I have just one last craft to share with you. It's a simple one, made from felt, glitter, and embroidery floss, but it's the symbols I've been focused on all month. 

May you have a blessed Christmas.

Crafty Christmas Countdown: 2

I've made a lot of puppets in recent years but my experience with marionettes is limited. I really wanted to try my hand at it this year and I settled on Scrooge as my subject. I fashioned a head and hands from some air dry clay.

If you look closely, though, you can see that as it dried, the head cracked. So I had to make a second attempt with a ping pong ball and hot glue. Given it's haphazard nature, I neglected to get any photos of the puppet in process. I formed the body from a chunk of foam, the clothes from scrap fabric.

The result is a bit rough but I think that suits Scrooge's character.