The Giver: Graphic Novel by Lois Lowry
#cbr11bingo #Award I have never read the novel, The Giver by Lois Lowry, but thought I knew the story. I had read the second book, Gathering Blue and read about and talked about The Giver. Plus, I figured I know the authors style as well. It is sweet and “happy edgy.” You know good things can happen, even when bad things are going on. Yet, when I read The Giver: Graphic Novel I was blown away. This is not just due to the story (I […]
Friends With Boys by Faith Erin Hicks
Friends With Boys is more a three and half as something was missing for me. It also feels like a second book should happen but has not. I know the author/illustrator, Faith Erin Hicks, is no stranger to series (I have the Nameless City series on my TBR list) therefore, it might not be unheard of. Yet, at the same time, this is a standalone title. There is an open-ended completion to the story. And because of that, a second read is recommended. I know […]
This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki
#cbr11bingo #Listicle 2015 Caldecott Honor (List of Caldecott books of 2015 This is a snap shot of two girls during the summer their innocence is partly-lost, one comes of age and both learn that growing pains take on different forms. This premise of This One Summer by cousin collaborators, Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki, has been seen before, but the characters make it fresh. Rose is an only child, slightly older than her summer friend Windy. Her parents, while modern, do have a more conservative attitude […]
Looking for Alaska by John Green
Bingo Square: Banned Books There are a few categories on the Bingo board that have looked slightly more homework like to me than others, and I had the feeling Banned Books was going to be one of them. Fortunately for me, the Top Ten Most Challenged lists of books contain quite a few modern YA novels because of course teachers would want to include current novels to appeal to their students. I had already read a few of them, and some of the choices were […]
Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Feel by Sara Farizan
#CBR11 Bingo: Rainbow Flag (author is a lesbian, as is the main character) This book would also fit nicely into the “Youths!” and “Own voices” squares on the bingo card. Official book description: Leila has made it most of the way through high school without having a crush on anyone, which comes as something of a relief. Her Persian heritage makes her different enough; if word got out that Leila liked girls, life would be twice as hard. And what would her parents think? It’s bad […]
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin
#CBR11 Bingo: Far and Away (book set in fantasy version of historical China) Official book description: In the valley of Fruitless mountain, a young girl named Minli lives in a ramshackle hut with her parents. In the evenings, her father regales her with old folktales of the Jade Dragon and the Old Man on the Moon, who knows the answers to all of life’s questions. Inspired by these stories, Minli sets off on an extraordinary journey to find the Old Man on the Moon to ask […]
