My "to read" pile never seems to grow any shorter. This month is no exception.
When Jays fly to Barbmo by Margaret Balderson (published in 1968)
Yes this is a very old book but a friend mentioned it with such passion I knew I had to find it. Luckily on Love Your Bookshop Day I found it.
Blurb : "Ingeborg's home was a farm on the remote island of Draugoy, in the far north of Norway ... then came the day when Ingeborg, out ski-ing with her dog Benne, glimpsed a strange vessel lurking in the fjord, and knew it for a German warship. The invasion of Norway had begun and the shadow of war fell over the island ... "
Hello Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly - winner of the Newbery Medal
Blurb : "Virgil Salinas is shy and misunderstood. Valencia Somerset is clever and stubborn. Kaori Tamla tells fortunes and can read the stars. Chet Bullens is the biggest bully in the neighborhood. They aren't friends. They're practically strangers. But when Chet pulls an unthinkable prank on Virgil and his pet guinea pig, Gulliver, these four students are thrown together in incredible and surprising ways. Just a coincidence or are some things meant to be?"
Dolls of Hope by Shirley Parenteau
I loved Ship of Dolls so I am looking forward to picking up this next installment.
Blurb : "All her life Chiyo Tamura has been told that honor is everything. When she shames her parents and is sent from her mountain village to a city school, she never dreams that she'll go from there to Tokyo to welcome more than twelve thousand Friendship Dolls from America. Or that she'll have a hand in crafting Miss Tokyo, one of the dolls to be sent in return."
Good Dog by Dan Gemeinhart
I read and recommended The Honest Truth by Dan Gemeinhart and one of the teachers in my school loved reading it as a serial story each day to her Grade 6 class. I am keen to read another title by this writer. Also, I do enjoy a good dog story! I am also keen to read this book because Kirkus said "Action-packed, highly suspenseful, and deeply moving. Perfect!"
Blurb : "Brodie was a good dog. And good dogs are supposed to spend the afterlife in peace. It's perfect: as far as the eye can see, with endless room to run, huge ponds to splash in, and all the smells you could ever want to smell. But Brodie can't enjoy it. As wonderful as it seems, he can't forget the boy he left behind - the boy he loved and who loved him in return. The boy who is still in danger."
Front Desk by Kelly Yang and a it received a Kirkus Star review
Blurb : "I used to think being successful meant having enough to eat, but now that I was getting free lunch at school, I wondered if I should set my standards higher. Ten year old Mia Tang moved to the US for a better, freer life, but so far, it's a life where she runs the front desks of a motel while her parents clean rooms And she's not even allowed to use the swimming pool."
Evangeline the wish keeper's helper by Maggie Alderson illustrated by Claire Fletcher
This one appealed to me because I was a big fan of Maggie's column in the Sydney Morning Herald.
Blurb : "Evangeline the toy elephant lies under the bed all day, waiting and waiting for something to happen. If only she could be useful somewhere ... Will her wish be granted?"
Not just another Princess story by Sheri Radford illustrated byQin Leng
Ever since I read The Tough Princess by Martin Waddell I have been attracted to 'feminist' fairy tales and this one sounds very promising.
Blurb : "Princess Candi is no ordinary princess. She loves to do math problems, her mother has been turned into a pickle, and she knows that not just any old prince is good enough for her. So when the king declares it is time for Candi to get married, she decides to carry out a husband search on her own. Not knowing how to find such a creature, she turns to fairy tales for inspiration. But can she really find her Prince Charming by kissing frogs, hosting dragon slaying competitions, and summoning a fairy godmother?"
Watch this space. I will talk in more detail about these titles over the coming weeks.
No comments:
Post a Comment