May was a busy month but I squeezed in as much reading as possible. It helped that we went to Seattle because I was able to listen to books on the plane and then in the car as we drove to Spokane. My reading groups at school are doing some great work as well but sadly my time as a school teacher is coming to an end.
My favorite book this month was The Gown. It is an historical fiction book but is also had a bit of romance in it as well. My favorite middle grade book this month was Bridge to Terabithia. I am not surprise by this because this was a reread for me and it is one of my favorites.
Fiction
The Big Four ***
Caroline ****
The Cuckoo’s Calling ***
Fly Away ***
The Folded Clock DNF
The Gown ****
Just Look Up ***
Young Adult Fiction
The Outsiders *****
Middle Grades
The Boxcar Children ***
Bridge to Terabithia *****
Molly’s Pilgrim ****
The One and Only Ivan *****
The World According to Humphrey ***
6 Fiction
1 YA
5 Middle Grade Fiction Books
12 Total Books for May
“When you’re a mom, you learn about fear. You’re always afraid. Always.
About everything from cupboard doors to kidnappers to weather.” K. Hannah
I read Kristin Hannah’s book Fly Away, it is a sequel to Firefly Lane as part of a buddy read with #khbcbuddyreads. The beginning of the book seems like a recap of of the Firefly Lane but from different perspectives. However it really is about how Tully’s life spirals apart after the death of her best friend. The characters from Firefly Lane are all in this book as well. They all come together to support Tully in the hospital yet at the same time they all see how their actions since the funeral played into Tully’s situation.
What I liked about this book is that the reader was able to hear some of the voices that were not heard in Firefly Lane. I also enjoyed Dorothy's story. I would give this book ⭐️⭐️⭐️ stars.
“The dead could only speak through the mouths of those left behind…” R. Galbraith
I am struggling to find a mystery series to read now that I have read all of the Louise Penny’s books to date. My friend Cheryl recommended this book/series to me.
As with any new series it took me a bit to find Cormoran Strike likeable. At first he was a bit harsh. However as the story unfolds you learn more about him and understand what he is going through and see some of his life struggles.
***Spoiler Alert***
The murder and the suspects itself kept me guessing. I was confused to who had done it. But in the end it comes down to motive, however I didn’t expect her brother to be a killer. I question if Bristol already got away with it and the police ruled it a suicide, why he would hire a private detective to look back into it.
This the first crime novel by J.K. Rowling, writing under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith. I did enjoy it enough to give the second book in the series a try.
“With enough time, you can get used to almost anything.”
K. Applegate
I read The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate last summer and just loved it. So when my fifth graders were looking for a new book to read I put this on the table as a choice. I was thrilled when they picked it. This book is just adorable. I did reread it and took so many more notes about feelings. This book was just great for our book talks because I am trying to get the girls to infer how and why the characters are feeling or reacting to situations and find the evidence to support their statements. I am trying to get them to read between the lines a bit. Both girls only see what is on the page.
Today our discussion was all about the difference between principal and principle. And when Julia said It was a matter of PRINCIPAL.” He father corrected and said PRINCIPLE, what did he mean and was this a major turning point in the story. Maybe it was Monday morning but that question landed with a THUD!
“You may be afraid, but you may not let your fear chase you away from what must be done.”
S. Miller
This past week I was back on the prairie in Kansas with the Ingalls family but with a twist in Caroline, by Sarah Miller.
I loved this historical fiction book. It was interesting to hear what life on the prairie would be like from Ma’s point of view. I could not imagine living in a small cabin with my three children. The book focuses on the family’s travel from Wisconsin to Kansas. Then their two years in Kansas.
My picture is from the window of the Airbnb I stayed at in Seattle. The simplicity of the window with the plant reminded me of the part in the book when Caroline rocked in her new rocking chair with baby Carrie. She would stare out the window watching for trouble.
The picture of the teal house is the Airbnb we stayed in. It was adorable inside. This was my first time staying at an Airbnb and it was a great experience. I highly recommend it.
“I've been thinking about it, and that poem, that guy that wrote it, he meant you're gold when you're a kid,
like green. When you're a kid everything's new, dawn. It's just when you get used to everything that it's day.
Like the way you dig sunsets, Pony. That's gold. Keep that way, it's a good way to be.”
S.E. Hinton
This is the first book my sister and I are reading together for a buddyread. We both are avid readers but we rarely read the same books and we never talk books. As of today she has not read the book. We picked this book because I told her I was trying to read one book a month from the #greatreadpbs list.
I started listening to this book on Overdrive as we flew out to Seattle. I fell asleep sometime after **spoiler**Johnny died. When I went back to find the spot the audiobook would not work. So I had to buy the book on Kindle and stayed up til midnight reading the ending.
First of all I liked the names Sodapop and Ponyboy. Next I liked that this story was from Ponyboy’s point of view. He is the youngest in the gang and struggling with his own identity and his loyalty to the gang. The story centers around Ponyboys struggles with why the greasers are different from the Socs. The only thing he can figure out is that the Socs have money. Otherwise they are all kids who are just trying to fit in and belong in high school.
This is a wonderful book with many teaching opportunities for students in high school. I give this book ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ stars for addressing many issues facing children and for showing how to view situations from different viewpoints.
“You never know ahead of time what something's really going to be like.”
K. Patterson
Jessie thinks he has his entire fourth grade year planned out until he meets the new girl, Leslie. She opens up his thinking to all new possibilities. She introduces him to a whole new world of imagination.
I love this ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star book. This was a reread for me, I first read this book in my Children’s Lit. Class in college. How I loved that class. Our homework was to read two middle grade books and four picture books a week to discuss in class. I can not tell you how many books I bought that semester. I was already married with little kids and my husband said this was the most expensive class ever!!
Anyways, Katherine Patterson is an amazing writer. I quickly identified with the character Jessie because of his relationship with his father. Jessie had to hide his love of art because his father would not understand. It was interesting to me that Jessie appeared to have all the jobs in the family but it could have been because the story was told from his perspective.
This is a wonderful story for teaching standing up for friends, friendships and loss.
I read The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner with one of my reading groups. It was my first time reading this book. It is a realistic fiction (unrealistic) book about four children whose parents pass away in a car crash and they run away because they think their grandfather will be mean to them.
What I liked about this book is that it was easy to read and easy to comprehend. There was no complicated vocabulary for my struggling readers. What I didn’t like about it is that the children took on stereotypical roles. The big brother went to look for a job while the older sister set up a house (out of an old boxcar) and took car of the younger children. Overall I would give this book ⭐️⭐️ stars.
“You can learn a lot about life by observing another species.” B. Birney
Considering, The World According to Humphrey, is told from the hamster’s point of view, the story has a very strong message for the student readers.
Humphrey lives in classroom 26. He is learning to read, write and shoot rubber band. Rubber Band shooting is for self defense so it is a necessary skill. He is learning to speak English. Every night he has conversations with the janitor and each weekend Humphrey goes to a different student’s house. At each house Humphrey somehow helps the family out by solving some type of family problem. The story is very humorous and the students loved trying to figure out how Humphrey was helping in each chapter.
My students highly recommend this book.
Molly’s Pilgrim by Barbara Cohen is an excellent story. I read this with several of my reading groups this week and they really enjoyed it. First of all they really liked how short the book was. Leave it to kids to make that a criteria for how good a book is. Secondly, all of my students were surprise that “Pilgrims” could mean more than just the people who came from England and found their way to Massachusetts.
This was just a great story dealing with bullying, understanding people who are different from you, don’t judge someone until you get to know them and be open to new ideas or interpreting things in a new way. I give this book 5 stars.
I read The Gown with my CK teacher book club and Wow did I enjoy the book. It was our second meeting and we now have six members.
It was one of those dual historical reads where part of the story took place just after WWII at the time of the queen’s wedding. Then there is Heather who is exploring her Grandmother’s connection to the gown in present time. Heather is given a box with embroidered flowers and a picture of her Nan and Miriam Dassin after her grandmother passes away. It has her name on it. Heather sets out to find out the history/story behind the pieces. She is able to find Miriam Dassin who knew and worked with her grandmother.
Miriam and Ann’s story is a beautiful story of friendship, secrets and sacrifices made after WWII. Both were young ladies working to make ends meet in the famous Mayfair fashion house of Norman Hartnell. They do a lot of the embroidery on the dresses. The Queen and the princesses order their clothes from this designer. So the make a lot of important dresses including the priceless wedding dress for the then princess.
After the dress is complete the ladies go their separate ways but their hearts are always close together. I enjoyed this ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 star book.
“He laughs best who laughs at the end.”
A. Christie
I read my fifth Hercule Poirot Mystery this year as part of the #queensofmystery buddy read, however I was unable to participate in the buddy read because of my busy schedule. The Big Four by Agatha Christie was my favorite so far. It was very difficult to figure out who the main players were because they were all new characters. Hastings was back in this book and I found him to be likeable in this story. In The Big Four Poirot and Hastings are looking for four international criminals who have teamed up to cause instability in the world. Overall I give this book ⭐️⭐️⭐️ /5 stars.
Just Look Up by Courtney Walsh was the final book I read in May. I picked this book because it was written by a pastor’s wife. In January I started the Hope By The Book 2019 challenge and I thought I was signed up for the magazine. I follow @hopebythebook on Instagram as well and I thought there was going to be book recommendations throughout the year. I don’t know if I am missing something but it did not work out the way I thought. I feel like I am on my own with this challenge. I only got one magazine and I am struggling to find books to fit their categories.
Anyways, I read the book Just Look Up and it was a cute story about a young girl named Lane Kelly who has a high powered design job in Chicago and felt disconnected from her family. She comes back to Harbor Pointe, MI when her brother is in a serious motorcycle accident. She struggles to get along with her family, however, she does reconnect with a family friend Ryan who helps her re-evaluate what is important to her. It’s a fun and easy ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 star read.
I couldn’t get to Harbor Pointe, Michigan to take my picture however I do live on the other side of Lake Michigan. I thought Lake Michigan would be a fun background for my picture.
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