I was only going to do one set of peg dolls this year, but then I found some little peg trees in my craft supplies that begged to be decorated. And you can't just do a tree. A tree needs a character with it. So I found a little peg wearing a hat and turned it into a bunny. I decorated these pegs with colored pencil rather than paint for a softer look.
It's time for another puppet. I was thinking about Christmas foods and settled on the Little Debbie's Christmas Tree Cake. I don't know that I've ever eaten them but the package is rather iconic. And as I was considering them I immediately imagined one of those cakes with a face. I fashioned my puppet out of foam with knit fabric stretched over it. The stripes are made from fabric paint and the sprinkles are glitter. The mouth is a loop of elastic with a string attached to manage the movement.
I have mentioned before that I have rabbits. They don't get a lot of toys and treats but at Christmas I like to give them something special. This year I fixed them some paper twist wreaths. I took sheets of packing paper that came in packages, spread on a mixture of chopped hay and dried fruit, rolled the paper the long way, and twisted the resulting logs into a wreath shape. I'll hang these wreaths in the pens for them to tear into on Christmas. For now, they are stored in a coffee can with a fun festive sticker.
We're big gnome fans in this house so it's no surprise that I found some little gnome woodcuts in my craft supplies. I decorated this one with permanent marker, with a little bit of rabbit fur on his beard.
I found this antler headband in my Christmas things. It was already kind of cheesy with the bells but I figured we could kick it up a notch. Some gold ink designs and sequins make it delightful.
Here we are in the single digits! Christmas is fast approaching so today I have for you Christmas cookies. When I was a kid my mother would make butter cookies for us to frost and decorate while we listened to selections from the Nutcracker Suite and it was a favorite holiday tradition. We got out of the habit as we got older but have recently brought it back. This year, in addition to some traditional shapes, I decided to make some chickens. I'm especially fond of the coconut covered chickens. They remind me of silkies.
This particular set of ornaments is likely to end up in my craft sale inventory. I love the simple look and the contrast of the gold ink.
Would it be Christmas if I didn't make a sock puppet? Some years I try to pick a more traditional Christmas figure but this year I leaned into more of a "that's not normally something I associate with the holidays" theme. And this particular sock really wanted to be a rhino. So it's a rhino struggling to decorate.
I saw a simple wreath online and wanted to try it for myself. Some versions start by painting sheets of paper with watercolor but I used scrapbook paper in blue and green prints. Cut triangles of assorted size and glue them on your desired wreath shape. For extra interest I added some little paper rabbits and squirrels.
I always like to include a couple of practical projects in my Christmas crafting and bookmarks are always useful, so I whipped up these watercolor and ink bookmarks.
I used to make these upcycled buttons a lot so I decided to bring them back this year for Christmas. All you need is a button you no longer use, a little fabric, glue, and some decorations. I used cardstock scraps and sequins.
When I made my little Doctor Who tree, I knew it needed a topper. And after much debate I settled on a design: a fez and bow tie. They are a simple construction from colored paper.
Every year, I try to come up with a unique card with a meaningful verse. This is the design I came up with this year.
Holiday themed peg dolls have become one of my favorite crafting traditions. This year I decided to lean into the more obscure with this duo from Santa Claus Conquers the Martians. These are the child Martians, Bomar and Girmar.
I've never really been into the Krampus tradition, but I love the look. This is especially true when they lean cute. Hence, this little Krampus finger puppet.
I'm fond of the look of dried orange slices when used in Christmas decorating, but I've never had any to use. We don't get a lot of oranges and drying them seems like a lot of work. So to get the appearance of them on a garland, I made some out of cardstock with white charcoal lines.
When I spotted this perler bead design recently, I knew I wanted to try a version of it myself. These are my take on the idea.
As much as I enjoy a bunch of silly decorations during the holidays, I also like to craft with purpose. So I try to make at least a couple of useful projects during my countdown. This headband would be nice for a chilly day and could also fit into a large Christmas cracker in place of a tissue paper crown. I used this pattern, if you'd like to make one of your own.
I hadn't intended to make any Doctor Who themed crafts this December, but as I was unpacking my decorations, a little Doctor Who display started coming together. All it needed was a couple of decorations for my miniature tree. So I whipped up a couple of adipose and a Lady Cassandra. It might still need a star but that's a project for another day.
It's December! That means I am back and beginning my annual holiday countdown where I share a Christmas or winter themed craft every day. Let's start with a simple one. I used a basic glass candle holder and decorated it with some paint. I was going for a rustic vibe here, so details were less important.
What are you currently reading?
The Keeper of the Key by Nicole Willson - Rachel doesn't want to move. She certainly doesn't want to move in with her mom's boyfriend Geoff in his creepy old house and too many rules. And now she's having visions in the dead of night, warning her of something worse coming.
What did you recently finish reading?
Midnights With You by Clare Osongco - Deedee can't seem to get along with her mom. They have an uneasy peace, mostly the result of Deedee following all of the rules, no matter how many times they change. She doesn't know why her mother is so strict but her interactions with the boy who just moved in next door lead her to dig deeper into her family history.
What do you think you'll read next?
The Boy Who Learned to Live by D. N. Moore
Author: Gia Gordon
Genre: realistic fiction
Similar books: Something Like Home by Andrea Beatriz Arango
Looking for True by Tricia Springstubb
Rating:
.JPG)
Summary (provided by publisher): It’s the first week of middle school, and Ash (don’t call her “Ashley”) already has a class assignment: Make a family tree. But how can Ash make a family tree if she doesn’t have a family? Ever since she was four years old, Ash has been in foster care, living with one so-called family after another. Now she’s stuck with Gladys. And the only place Ash feels safe is in the branches of her favorite tree, drawing in her sketchbook, hidden from the view of Gladys’ son Jordan.
As Jordan becomes harder to hide from, and more dangerous to be around, Ash isn’t sure who she can trust. A new friend, an old friend, some teachers at school? Sometimes the hardest part of asking for help is knowing who to ask.
My opinion: I have read many books about kids in foster care. Kids finding their "forever family." Kids attempting to reconcile with biological families. Kids who are being abused. Ash's story doesn't match any of those narratives. The situation with Jordan is certainly concerning. It's a bit more gray and makes it more understandable that Ash is reluctant to speak up and ask for help. We see how systems that are set up to protect her are, in this case, letting her down. This is not always a comfortable read but its an important one.
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What are you currently reading?
Each Night Was Illuminated by Jodi Lynn Anderson - Cassie doesn't sleep. She spends her nights worrying about her family and climate change. Then she reconnects with Elias, a boy she spent one summer day with when they were children. Under Elias's influence she spends sleepless nights wandering the town and hunting for ghosts. And questioning everything she thought she knew.
What did you recently finish reading?
Snow Drowned by Jennifer D Lyle - There are stories on Fall Island that the snow swallows people. Consumes them. Gracie has never believed them. But a record breaking storm is coming and Gracie is trapped on the island. And something strange is in the air.
What do you think you'll read next?
My So-Called Family by Gia Gordon
We all know a train kid, the ones who love Thomas the Tank and live for a glimpse of a passing engine. Many grow out of it but some don't and those are the kids this book is meant for. Adams walks the reader step by step through the development of rail travel, each innovation and misstep. There is plenty of detail about the technology involved but also a lot of emphasis on social change. We're learning a great deal here about globalization and industrialization and how these changes had both positive and negative impacts on our lives. This is a great choice if you have any interest in transportation, history, or sociology. It can be read in short burst or all at once and would work well as a supplemental text for a classroom or homeschool setting.
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If October is for all things spooky, let's shift gears and lean into the funny for November. Who doesn't love a good laugh while reading. Here's six funny novels published in the past six months.
Six new humor books:
My hands get very cold. I wear mittens as soon as it is chilly. But when I started spinning angora fiber I had a thought that I might make an old-fashioned muff from the yarn.
Author: Ami Polonsky
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Similar books: Ruptured by Joanne Rossmassler Fritz
Sky Ropes by Sondra Soderborg
Rating:
.JPG)
Summary (provided by publisher): Stevie Jane Cohen-Kaplan’s sheltered suburban life is shattered by a mass shooting at a festival in her town. In the aftermath, her brain feels broken. She can’t bear to visit her mom, recovering in the hospital under Stevie’s dad’s watchful eye, or to be pent up in her grandparents’ nearby Manhattan apartment.
To escape the apartment and her own thoughts, Stevie starts adventuring around New York City with her best friend, Avi, and a new therapy dog (in training). The trio starts chasing stories—about a neighbor’s life after the Holocaust, Stevie’s grandfathers who died of AIDS long before she was born, and even about her own mom’s activist upbringing. These stories may not bring Stevie all the way back to “normal,” but can they help her find a new version of herself?
My opinion: If Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close had been written for a child audience, the result might be something akin to this novel. It is a bit of a gut-punch read. These are capital B Big topics going on in this story - mass shooting, surviving the Holocaust, the AIDS crisis, and finding your way through PTSD. Each step of Stevie's journey is a painful one. She makes bad choices, can't explain her motivations. But we are deeply invested in her story from the beginning. A word on that beginning - the book opens before the shooting. Over the course of the first few chapters we live that shooting with her (as well as a couple of brief flashbacks). But while the events are described it is in the same fragmented way that Stevie experiences it. While there is no graphic violence there is blood and it may well be upsetting for middle grade readers. It is absolutely respectful but honest, so bear that in mind before selecting this book.
More information: Every Story Ever Told releases October 29
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Consider the set-up here - a girl forced to spend the summer at an old plantation with her high-achieving mother who is searching for details about family history. We're going to expect secrets uncovered about the slave-owning history of the town and probably some modern racism along with a confrontation between the girl and her mother. And all of that is present. There's nothing supernatural here, no ghosts haunting the place (though the early chapters certainly would have allowed for it). Ultimately, it's not even about confronting racism, exactly. Instead Williams has used a town's racist past as a method of exploring identity. Noni picks apart the history of the families that lived at Tangleroot, certainly, but she also ends up examining herself. She's asking what motivates her and the kind of person she wants to be. This is less of a thriller, though it has some big reveals and dramatic moments, and more of a piece that asks us to question behavior and attitudes. Not only is this one worth reading, it's probably worthy of a second or third pass to truly explore the ideas at play.
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What are you currently reading?
Lonely Places by Kate Anderson - Chase's family has been living on the road for years, roaming the country in a converted school bus. They've settled for the year in a lookout tower in the middle of Pando. It should be a chance for Chase to work and earn some money, for her sister Guthrie to heal from a trauma. But strange things happen in Pando and Chase fears loosing her sister forever.
What did you recently finish reading?
Every Story Ever Told by Ami Polonsky - After a mass shooting at a street festival, Stevie feels like she's falling apart. With her best friend and her newly acquired therapy dog, she tracks down bits of her mother's history and starts putting herself together again.
What do you think you'll read next?
Let it Glow by Marissa Meyer and Joanne Levy
Author: Dina Havranek
Genre: realistic fiction
Similar books: Wild Swans by Jessica Spotswood
Life Unaware by Cole Gibsen
Rating:
.JPG)
Summary (provided by publisher): Giddy Barber knows with certainty she’s going to become a mechanical engineer. What she doesn't know is the last time she smiled.
With her parents overworked and unavailable, it falls to Giddy to make sure her siblings stay on track. But she’s exhausted. When you’re the person everyone else turns to, what do you do when you hit a wall?
Giddy finds an answer online—if you can’t handle how things are going, shake them up. Is it sound advice? Unclear. But is Giddy willing to try anything? Absolutely. Putting eleven days on the clock, she’ll change her routine. But soon it becomes clear that some problems are bigger than what an online column can fix—her family is fracturing, her anxiety is mounting, and all she knows is this: Something. Has. To. Give.
My opinion: We're hearing increasing reports of teens who are stretched to the limit and struggling with stress and depression. So Giddy's situation is timely. We see a character who is not only tightly wound and over scheduled, she's desperately unhappy and has no idea what would make her happy. The advice she follows sets me a bit on edge. Not only does she pick it up from what sounds like a pretty questionable source, her method of following it is deeply flawed. So her decisions can be pretty cringe-inducing. And the tension builds steadily throughout the book. The titular explosion feels increasingly inevitable. The resolution is ultimately satisfying and addresses some of her poor decision-making. Certainly, I wouldn't recommend that any reader follow Giddy's method of fixing their life but it's a solid illustration of how desperately wrong and over-burdened teen's life can turn.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley
Author: Isaac Blum
Genre: realistic fiction
Similar books: Beyond the Mapped Stars by Rosalyn Eves
The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner
Rating:
.JPG)
Summary (provided by publisher): Yoyo Gold has always played the role of the perfect Jewish daughter. She keeps kosher, looks after her siblings, and volunteers at the local food bank. She respects the decisions of her rabbi father and encourages her friends to observe the rules of their Orthodox faith. But when she sees her best friend cast out of the community over a seemingly innocent transgression, Yoyo’s eyes are opened to the truth of her neighbors’ hypocrisies for the first time. And what she sees leaves her shocked and unmoored.
As Yoyo’s frustration builds, so does the pressure to speak out, even if she can only do so anonymously on TikTok, an app that’s always been forbidden to her. But when one of her videos goes viral—and her decisions wind up impacting not only her own life but also her relationship with the boy she’s falling for—Yoyo’s world is thrown into chaos. She is forced to choose which path to take, for her community, for her family, and most importantly, for herself.
My opinion: There are plenty of books out there that feature characters in restrictive religious communities starting to look at the larger world for the first time. Mostly these books show the hypocrisy and stifling restriction of the religion. That's not quite what is happening here. Yoyo doesn't question her religion. Her belief in Hashem does not waver. Instead, she's questioning rules, restrictions. She's asking if all of these things are genuinely what is for her good. Or at least, that's how her journey starts. Without getting into spoilers, what I'll say is that I thought I had the direction of this plot figured out several times only to have the narrative shift in a small but significant way each time. The result is truly and introspective plot as Yoyo makes mistakes and keeps secrets, finding her way forward for herself. With a full cast of complex characters, this is an excellent read.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley
Looking for a ghost story that's more funny and exciting than scary? This might be the book for you. Combining a search for a lost treasure with social conflicts, Heebie Jeebies gives us s story of outsider kids looking for stability and understanding. It's not afraid to make jokes even as it digs into their characters and motivations. With a strong visual design and a solid plot, this is an entertaining read suitable for middle grade readers.
Hooray for new dinosaur books! The appeal of this one is strong, starting with the cover. The cartoony, almost friendly, dinosaurs on that cover make you want to pick this book up. The text is fascinating as well. First Lunde presents us with a large dinosaur, typically one familiar to us, and gives a couple of facts about its size and advantages. Then we learn about a small dinosaur that shares some of its features, like horns or being carnivorous, and how being small presents its own advantages. While the text is simple it is compelling and will likely lead to repeat readings.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley
What are you currently reading?
Giddy Barber Explodes in 11 by Dina Havranek - Giddy's life is carefully controlled, centered on taking care of her siblings and getting perfect grades to secure her future. She barely has time to sleep or figure out why she is so desperately unhappy. A random blog post has her looking for a reset and trying new things for the first time. In just 11 days she'll either fix things or completely blow up.
What did you recently finish reading?
The Judgement of Yoyo Gold by Isaac Blum - The daughter of an Orthodox rabbi, Yoyo has always known who she is and what is expected of her. But when her best friend breaks the rules and is sent away, Yoyo finds herself questioning her community and the interpretation of her faith.
What do you think you'll read next?
HappyHead by Josh Silver
Based on the title you might expect this book to be a science based defense of the idea of monsters. It is certainly more sceptical than that. Each section begins by establishing a few agreed upon "facts" about a monster and then examining what that would mean scientifically. For instance, we establish that a vampire has fangs. First we look at the form and function of fangs in the natural world. Then we apply the knowledge we gain from observation to the monster in question. The result is a simple and creative way of encouraging kids to think critically about thew world and the stories they are told. This is a fun way of celebrating spooky season while also educating.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley
Maybe you've wondered where spices come from. Even if you haven't, this book is surprisingly fascinating. It doesn't delve especially deeply into the origins or history of any individual spice but it does provide a brief overview. This includes region, varieties, and historical trivia. The text is easily understood with an accessible vocabulary, making it interesting for young readers and parents alike. And because each section is fairly short you can read it all at once or in fits and starts without difficulty. For anyone with an interest in food or culture, this book is worth a look.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley
Tangleroot promises a tale of a girl unraveling a town's racist past and her mother's expectations. It could be thrilling and thought-provoking. Let's find out.
What are you currently reading?
I Am Kavi by Thushanthi Ponweera - Kavi gets the opportunity of a lifetime - to move to the city and attend an exceptional school. She doesn't mean to lie to her new classmates but in order to make herself more interesting she does just that.
What did you recently finish reading?
Find Her by Ginger Reno - It's been five years since Wren's mom went missing and Wren hasn't stopped looking. Scouring message boards and following her mom's case has made her skilled at finding things. Now she's using that finding skill to discover what is happening to animals around town
What do you think you'll read next?
The Judgement of Yoyo Gold by Isaac Blum
Author: Kate McKinnon
Genre: humor
Similar books: A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snickett
How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell
Rating:
Summary (provided by publisher): So, you want to be a young mad scientist. Congratulations! Admitting it is the first step. The second step is reading the (definitely true) tale of the Porch sisters…
Gertrude, Eugenia, and Dee-Dee Porch do not belong. They don’t belong in the snooty town of Antiquarium, where all girls have to go to etiquette school and the only dog allowed is the bichon frise. They don’t belong with their adoptive family, where all their cousins are named Lavinia and their Aunt has more brooches than books. And they certainly don’t belong at Mrs. Wintermacher’s etiquette school—they’re far more interested in science. After getting kicked out of the last etiquette school that would take them, the girls expect to be sent away for good... until they receive a mysterious invitation to new school.
Suddenly the girls are under the tutelage of the infamous Millicent Quibb—a mad scientist with worms in her hair and oysters in her bathtub. At 231 Mysterium Way, the pizza is fatal, the bus is powered by Gerbils, and the Dean of Students is a hermit crab. Dangerous? Yes! More fun than they’ve ever had? Absolutely! But when the sisters are asked to save their town from an evil cabal of nefarious mad scientists, they must learn to embrace what has always made them stand out, and determine what side they’re on—before it’s too late!
My opinion: If you like offbeat kids' books, this may be the book for you. Every detail of this novel is seemingly random nonsense but it works together quite well. McKinnon gives us a trio of outsiders trying to find their place in a restrictive world, thrown into a chaotic school that happens to suit them exactly. For all of it's silliness there is a heart at it's center that speaks to the need to belong and be accepted that we all experience. This is a quick read that provides fun at every turn.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley
