More Notable Reads

I haven’t been able to read nearly as much as I would like over the past few months, but here are some recent favorites:

Grown Up Books

• Where Did you Go Bernadette by Maria Semple.  I absolutely loved this book.  It would be included on my list of most favorite and entertaining books ever.  The characters are outstanding and quirky and wonderful.
• Restless by Jennie Allen.  I read this as part of a Bible Study this fall, and it was excellent.

Young Adult Literature

• The Summer I Saved the World in 65 Days by Michelle Weber Hurwitz.  A lot of the YA books I read over the past 6 months were either poorly written and cheesy, or well written but not something I’m comfortable actually recommending that someone else read.  This book was a sweet and uplifting read, though, a particularly great choice for a younger teenager.

Children’s Chapter Books

• Nest by Esther Erich.  YaYa and I both really loved this deep book with full characters.  I highly recommend it, although it’s probably more appropriate for upper elementary and middle school readers.
• The Grunts in a Jam by Philip Ardagh.  We have been loving the crazy Grunts!  This made a terrific read aloud.
• The Children on Troublemaker Street  by Astrid Lindgren.  I had to censor in a few places as I was reading this out loud in the car to the younger kidlets while the big ones were having music lessons, but they laughed uproariously at the antics of Lotta.
• The Story of Diva and Flea  by Mo Willems.  This is a short chapter book filled with great pictures, and it makes an excellent short read aloud.
• Lord and Lady Bunny: Almost Royalty by Polly Horvath.  Perhaps the antithesis of the book right above on this list, this is a long, very involved book.  It took a long time to read the entire story out loud, and perhaps it is a bit wordy for reading aloud.  The story is really great, though, and we all really enjoyed this companion to The Bunny Detective Agency.
• Stella by Starlight by Sharon Draper.  Segregation.  Persecution. Discrimination.  The Ku Klux Klan.  Yet, this book is diffused with hope and even touches on the notion of reverse discrimination.  It would be such a great book for discussion.  It would be well deserving of many children’s literature awards.
• Lost in the Sun by Lisa Graff.  Mr. SP and I both thought this book was positively excellent.  Read it!  Lisa Graff is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors.

Picture Books

• Horace, Morris, but Mostly Dolores, by James Howe, along with Horace and Morris Join the Chorus and Horace and Morris Say Cheese.  We had previously read some of these wonderful picture books, but recently they have become steadfast favorites, frequently pulled out of the reading baskets.  Each of these books deals with a complex topic important to kids, but in such a fun and entertaining way.
• Mr. Brown’s Fantastic Hat  by Ayano Imai.  What a hat!
• Squid Kid The Magnificent by Lynne Berry.  I loved the word choice in this book.
• Betty Goes Bananas by Steve Antony.  Perfect for anyone who has ever worked with a two or three year old.
• Seb and Hamish by Jude Daly.  This book captured perfectly how I felt as a little girl when I arrived at the home of someone who had a dog.
• Wild Boars Cook by Meg Rosoft.  This book, along with Meet Wild Boars made our list several years ago, but we are loving those terrible boars so much that I simply have to include them on this list too. The boars are so terrible they are magnificent.
• Pip and Posy Books (there are several) by Axel Schleffer.  While the simple and sparse text in these stories lends them to be perfect for a young preschooler, there is just something about these books that remain fascinating even for older preschoolers.  It might be the interesting illustrations, or maybe just the sweet, relevant truth in each story.  We loved the three books we had so much that we got a few more over Christmas, and they are being read almost every day.
• Yard Sale by Eve Bunting.  It’s a great book about having a yard sale, and all the feelings that come with selling things to strangers.
• Lenny and Lucy by Philip C. Stead.  Half of us love this book.  The other half of us are not impressed.  I love the depth of the text (it’s intriguing) and the great illustrations.
• Princess Pistachio by Marie-Louise Gay, along with Princess Pistachio and the Pest.  These are  terrific first chapter books for early readers — engaging, exciting and the illustrations are terrific.
• RoboSauce by Adam Rubin.  Mr. TOF absolutely loves this one, and I must admit, it is quite clever.
• I really Like Slop by Mo Willems.  It’s Gerald and Piggie.  It’s hilarious.  What more do you need to know?
• Shark Detective by Jessica Olien.  Mr. TOF really appreciated this book.
• Curious Critters by David Fitzsimmons. Fascinating nonfiction, beautifully worded, with magnificent photography.