When You Were Small (2006)
word by Sara O’Leary with illustrations by Julie Morstad
When young Henry asks about when he was small, his dad continues with a very literal answer. Small Henry used to have a pet ant, wear a thimble hat, and sleep in a slipper. My favorite is Henry getting ready to jump into the teapot for his bath. Darling little story and wonderful illustrations. Our daughter loves this book.
Matched (2010)
by Ally Condie
How did I not hear about this trilogy until now? In this young adult dystopian novel, we are introduced to 17-year old Cassia who has just been told by the Society who her match/life partner will be. The officials arrange what is best for everyone in Society, so there is no need to question their decision. But after she sees another face flash briefly on her matching screen, Cassia’s world slowly starts opening up and bubbling with questions, passionate feelings, and rebellion.
I don’t have a lot of time to sit and read, but I did manage to fly through this book in less than 24 hours with stolen bits of moments. Reminiscent of Lois Lowry’s The Giver, Matched again looks at the “perfect” life versus a life of choice, with the good and bad it might bring. This is the kind of book that keeps you up way past bedtime, and makes you relieved there is more to the story. I’m eagerly awaiting the next two books in the trilogy.
Matched (2010)
Quotes:
ch 6 “You were ready to jump. You just weren’t sure of it yet.”
ch 17 “Is falling in love with someone’s story the same thing as falling in love with the person himself?”
ch 32 “Each word I write brings me closer to finding the right ones.”
*Update:
Finally read the second and third books!
Always so interesting now to read about pandemics…
Quotes:
Crossed (2011)
ch 13 “It would be much easier to mark how I want the world to be, instead of trying to figure out how it really is.”
ch 32 “But then I feel it. Even hidden away in the dark, I can tell that it is there. Some small part of me is always, always free.”
ch 35 “It’s not knowing how to write that makes you interesting. It’s what you write.”
ch 42 “Love changes what is probable and makes unlikely things possible.”
ch 50 “When you first love, you look blind and you see it all as the glorious, beloved whole, or a beautiful sum of beautiful parts. But when you see the one you love as pieces, as whys–why he walks like this, why he closes his eyes like that–you can love those parts, too, and it’s a love at once more complicated and more complete.”
Reached (2012)
ch 20 “You cannot change your journey if you are unwilling to move at all.”
ch 61 “It’s all right to wonder.”
ch 62 “When we fall in love the first time, we don’t know anything. We risk a lot less than we do if we choose to love again.”
ch 62 “We would compose poems about love and tell stories that have ben heard in some form before. But it would be our first time feeling and telling.”
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The Giver
Earth Dance (1996)
by Joanne Ryder
This is a delightful book, where the reader imagines she is planet Earth. As a baby, our daughter enjoyed the colorful illustrations and flowing words, but as she’s grown, it’s so much fun to wriggle, twirl, and shake along with the book’s suggestions. A great book to help remind us of our connection to Mother Earth.
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An Awesome Book of Thanks
A Whole Nother Story (2010)
by Dr. Cuthbert Soup
A hilarious and wacky kids’ novel that tells the adventures of a family on the run. Dr. Cheeseman is trying to fix the time machine he and his now-deceased wife built, but there are several evil organizations chasing him down. Cheeseman and his three kids are constantly moving to new towns and creating new identities to keep themselves and their time machine safe.
This is Dr. Cuthbert Soup’s first book, and it is so incredibly well done. His comedic timing plays out effortlessly on the pages, as if you are watching the scenes unfold before you. The characters are quirky and likable, even the “bad guys.” I am so pleased to see there is a sequel available!
A Whole Nother Story (2010)
Some quotes:
“The hot afternoon sun seemed to melt the horizon like a gooey grilled cheese sandwich…” ch 4
“Always lift with your legs, no matter how tempting it might be to use your hands.” Advice on Avoiding Back Injuries
“Parrots repeat what they hear,” said Mr. Cheeseman. “And they have a brain the size of a walnut. I suggest you choose your words more carefully.” ch 20
“Why is it that we can put a man on the moon yet we can’t seem to devise a more efficient, cleaner-burning engine than the one that put a man on the moon?” Advice on the Dangers of Technology
The Year of the Dog (2008)
by Grace Lin
As Ms. Lin herself writes in the author’s note, “My favorite chapter books when I was younger were…stories (that) took place in school, in (someone’s) home, and in (someone’s) neighborhood.” And this story is just that. While not the “adventure” story that Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is, this debut novel is exactly the kind of book I would have read and enjoyed in grade school. As a blend of memoir and fiction, The Year of the Dog tells the everyday stories of young Grace growing up as a Chinese American.
In this new lunar year, young Grace is trying to find her “purpose.” The book follows Grace and her friends and family through their daily events such as school contests, Halloween parades, summer vacations, and so on. But intertwined in all of this, the reader gets a glimpse at how Grace sorts through the traditions of her family and the surroundings of her American life.
The anxieties, excitements, confusions, joys, and pangs of Grace’s year are told with a genuine simplicity and humor. I laughed out loud several times. Ms. Lin’s illustrations throughout the book are entertaining without detracting from the story or the reader’s imagination.
The more Grace Lin I read, the more I love her. On her website, she offers activities and real-life photos from some of the events in the story. The end of the book offers reader discussion questions as well.
The Year of the Dog (2008)
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Dumpling Days