Vacation kicked off with the Staff Association providing ice cream sundaes at noon – great way to get in a summer mood! Neither my oldest son nor I listen well to audiobooks so I will probably squish between the boys in the back seat and read until my throat aches. They come back from overnight camp tomorrow so it’s hard to say what mood they’ll be in. I’ve checked out the following to offer up: Inkspell, Farmer Boy, Headless Cupid, The Magic Thief and Vampirates. My own choices: Great Expectations, Little Brother, On Etruscan Time, Straw into Gold, All Quiet on the Western Front, Ten Discoveries that Rewrote History and Edward VI. Do I really think I will read all these in 3 weeks?!? Don’t worry they won’t all get packed!
2nd Canadian Book Challenge
June 26, 2008 at 10:58 pm (Challenges)
The 2nd Canadian Book Challenge appeals to me because as an expat, I don’t make enough effort to keep up on Canadian books. I’m hoping this will force me to do a better job keeping up with my homeland. Since I’ll be travelling to Montreal and Ottawa in August, I’m planning to hold off on declaring my choices before that trip. I’m open to suggestions before that though! I’ll be checking out the Toronto Public Library’s 100 Best Canadian Children’s Books as well. My double-dipping title is from the Daring Girls Challenge: Behind Rebel Lines: The Incredible Story of Emma Edmonds, Civil War Spy by Seymour Reit. While most of the story takes place in the U.S., like me, Emma Edmonds hailed from New Brunswick before moving to the U.S. Counts for me!
Newbery notes
June 25, 2008 at 10:36 pm (Award winners)
Before I can start in on these challenges, I needed to work my way through the piles of books I’ve had checked out or on hold already. A personal challenge for this year was to catch up on older Newbery winners and honors. One of the tasks for the Library’s summer reading program is to read an award winning book and I wanted to feel better prepared for those questions this summer. There is a lot of reading aloud in our schools and I find that the kids are already really familiar with the newer award books. I’ve read Johnny Tremain, My Brother Sam is Dead, Up a Road Slowly, Adam of the Road, The Matchlock Gun, and Calico Bush. So far Adam of the Road has been the big hit. It was a joy to watch one girl’s face light up at the mention of a minstrel. After a pretty obvious bias towards historical fiction this year, I suppose next year I should focus on all the animal books that have won the Newbery – that will be more of a chore for me. Sounds like one to read in anticipation of the upcoming Newbery is Underneath by Kathi Appelt. If it wins it will flow nicely into a year of animal Newberys.
When I was Your Age Challenge
June 13, 2008 at 10:56 am (Challenges)
The third challenge I’m starting this summer involves my children’s cooperation and time so it may be a little trickier. The When I was Your Age Challenge involves reading three books I read as a child to my kids. With all the overnight camps and trips they have and the need to finish The Battle of the Labyrinth before starting these books, this may be tricky to fit in. The chosen books are:
The Headless Cupid by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Classics Challenge
June 10, 2008 at 1:30 am (Challenges)
Tags: Classics Challenge
The Classics Challenge is the second challenge I’m taking on at this time. A reason to fill in some gaps that I’ve meant to fill in long before now. I’m going to take the most straightforward option (#1) and read five classics. One of my other challenge goals is to always have at least one title fit two challenges. Great Expectations will fit the bill this time. The five choices are:
Great Expectations – Charles Dickens
Ivanhoe – Sir Walter Scott
All Quiet on the Western Front – Erich Maria Remarque
Cry the Beloved Country – Alan Paton
Things Fall Apart – Chinua Achebe
No female authors made my list, but since I generally read more female than male authors, I feel okay about that. Ivanhoe is probably the book I am most curious about. I first heard of it while watching a Canadian television show as a child. The main character was a girl who was ill and bedridden for a long time and this was a book that was read to her (or she read herself) during that time. My memories of the show are pretty foggy, but I do clearly remember that being the first time I heard of oilcloth. It was years before I understood what oilcloth was. It has taken me even longer to get around to reading Ivanhoe.
Daring Girls Challenge
June 8, 2008 at 2:43 am (Challenges)
Tags: Daring Girls Challenge
I’m starting this blog primarily so I can participate in reading and craft activities online that require a blog. First up, The Daring Girls Challenge, track 2 (9 books by July 2009). This is kind of difficult because as a children’s librarian I’ve already read most of the books (and don’t want rereading to count for the challenge) and I’m embarrassed to publicly announce that I haven’t read my choices the ones I haven’t! Nevertheless, here I go and here is the plan as it stands now:
Behind Enemy Lines: The Incredible Story of Emma Edmonds, Civil War Spy by Seymour Reit
Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink
Call of the Wild by Jack London
Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
Miss Happiness and Miss Flower by Rumer Goden
The Once and Future King by T.H.White
The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
Guess I should add The Daring Book for Girls to this list too!
