Listen with me

 

The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise

A joyous, heart-breaking story. This book could have been an absolute disaster. It is filled with all kinds of weird events, happy accidents, wild coincidences. Basically, the plot is nearly impossible. But we swallow it easily because the characters are what matter. There is a strong cast of complex, believable characters. Each major character has some degree of growth, some truth they have to face. The pacing is strong with enough action to keep the reader engaged and enough emotion and reflection for it to matter. It reminded me somewhat of the book Big Rig by Louise Hawes. They share a lot of the same bones. It was well narrated with a pleasant voice. Overall, two thumbs up from me.

Pick 6: mental illness

 We are seeing an increasing number of books for young readers that include mental illness to some degree. Sometimes it directly affects the protagonist; others we see the impact that a family member's illness has on a character. Sometimes the diagnosis is central to the plot; others it merely informs how characters respond. All of these books affect how we think about mental illness in our own lives and facilitate conversation. Here are six books published in the past six months that include mental illness as a plot element.

6 books that feature mental illness:

1. Underdog City by Chris Negron
2. Swarm by Jennifer Lyle
3. Lost Kites and Other Treasures by Cathy Carr
4. Just Shy of Ordinary by A J Sass
5. You Owe Me One Universe by Chad Lucas
6. Drawing Deena by Hena Kahn
   

Happy Blogiversary, I guess

 

It was pointed out to me that this months 10 years that I've been on this 10 platform. 10 years of reviewing books, making crafts, and finding my voice. 10 years during which I was a librarian, an IT technician, and now a freelance consultant and homesteader. 

Here are a few of my favorite posts from the past 10 years:

A Snicker of Magic

Because You'll Never Meet Me 

Zita the Spacegirl

Possum puppet

K-9 

Buttons 

Here's to 10 more years

Graphic novel spotlight - Wildful

 

Wildful by Kengo Kurimoto

Wildful is a story of the healing power of nature, how wonder and beauty draw people together. There is a plot here, though a very simple one. And it hardly matters. We're not caught up in these characters and their interactions with one another. It's all about the visuals. Kurimoto's art captures both facial expressions and the details of the natural world with equal detail. The color is sparse but used to great effect. This is a book you can read very quickly but don't. Do yourself a favor and linger over each page, each panel, and experience the wonder along with the characters.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.

Book review - Force of Nature

 Title: Force of Nature

Author: Ann E Burg

Genre: creative non-fiction/verse novel

Similar books: Beauty Mark by Carole Boston Weatherford

                      Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me 'Round by Kathlyn Kirkwood

Rating:

 

lovely

Summary (provided by publisher): 

Rachel was a girl who loved
science and the sea,
books and writing
and all the creatures of the world.
Rachel was quiet,
a listener by nature.
But when she saw problems,
she could not remain silent.
Some people thought girls
shouldn’t be scientists.
They thought girls
shouldn’t use their voices
to question or challenge,
even to protect
all the creatures of the world.
Luckily Rachel didn’t listen
to them.

My opinion: I think all that I knew about Rachel Carson before this book was that she wrote Silent Spring. So I learned a lot from this novel, stripped down as it was to the barest impressions. I hadn't realized her importance in the development of science communication as a field, more than just the importance of ecology. This is a quick read. Being a verse novel, it's more about impressions than details. Still, it's a solid way to supplement more factual education.

More information: Force of Nature releases March 5

Cheese

 For a while now I've wanted to make a peculiar plushie. The idea was to make a plush version of some food item that could wear little outfits, mostly doll clothes and accessories. Something about that struck me a hilarious. I'd thought about a pickle but couldn't quite work out how to construct it. Sorting through some t-shirt scraps I found the perfect shade of light yellow and knew I needed to make a cheese. I cut a few pieces of foam mattress pad and covered them with the t-shirt, then sewed the whole mess together.

It might not fit the accessories quite as well as a pickle, but something about a cheese wearing scuba gear makes me very happy.

Book review - Shark Teeth

 

Title: Shark Teeth

Author: Sherri Winston

Genre: realistic fiction

Similar books: Looking for True by Tricia Springstubb

                      The Benefits of Being an Octopus by Ann Braden

Rating:

 

mostly solid

Summary (provided by publisher): Sharkita “Kita” Hayes is always waiting.
Waiting for her mama to mess up.
Waiting for social services to be called again.
Waiting for her and her siblings to be separated.
Waiting for her worst fear to come true.
But Mama promises things are different now. She's got a good job, she's stopped drinking, stopped going out every night-it's almost enough to make Kita believe her this time. But even as Kita's life is going good, she can't shake the feeling that everything could go up in flames at any moment. When her assistant principal and trusted dance coach starts asking questions about her home life, Kita is more determined than ever to keep up appearances and make sure her family stays together-even if it means falling apart herself.
As the threat of her family being separated again circles like a shark in the water, the pressure starts to get to Kita. But could it be that Kita's worst fear is actually the best thing that could happen to her family . . . and to her?

My opinion: We know, from the start, that things are not going to end the way that Kita want them to. Her situation is too unstable. So we can largely predict where this book is headed. That's okay. It's more about the path than the end point. We have a plot with strong characters who are realistically portrayed. They make mistakes, keep secrets. While the ending has some idealized moments, it isn't too unrealistic for a middle grade audience. While the scenario may be too intense for some kids, for most this will be a solid read.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley