This just didn't work for me - also not the target audience so that might have had something to do with it. I don't LOVE first person narration so thaThis just didn't work for me - also not the target audience so that might have had something to do with it. I don't LOVE first person narration so that also was probably part of it. The inner monologue felt forced and I think there were just too many characters that no one really got enough attention to make them full and rounded. (Also (view spoiler)[ like almost everyone on the ship who isn't a human dies at the end so......... and while I'm in spoiler mode, Marrant's powers don't make any sense and feel just super awkward overall - The whole psychic attack making everyone hate the person dissolved? Why is Marrant doing these things? What's his real motivation? There's WAY too much that is going on and nothing is fully fleshed out (hide spoiler)]) The premise was amazing, but this just fell flat for me....more
Much of this information was familiar to me, but it is presented in a very accessible form. I think this could definitely and confidently be handed toMuch of this information was familiar to me, but it is presented in a very accessible form. I think this could definitely and confidently be handed to parents who want to know what the big deal about reading aloud is. This did make me think seriously about my role as a steward of the facts/methods/importance of reading aloud and how I can translate this information into bite sized, digestible chunks for parents. (The section on what screens do to babies' brains both when being used and when others are using them is frightening though it is completely unrealistic to expect everyone to give up devices and screens for the first two to five years of a child's life). The audio is fantastic. Gurdon reads it herself to good end.
(Also it took me until halfway through to make the connection that this Meghan Cox Gurdon is THE Meghan Cox Gurdon of the YA too dark scandal....so yeah....)...more
A wonderful story about mental health and finding your place. Give to kids who like fantasy, who don't have their place figured out, who are misfits. A wonderful story about mental health and finding your place. Give to kids who like fantasy, who don't have their place figured out, who are misfits. (Also give to kids who aren't any of these things because windows, baby, windows)...more
I love space horror. This wasn't quite as creepy as The Luminous Dead but it definitely came close. Highly recommend if you're into this genre.I love space horror. This wasn't quite as creepy as The Luminous Dead but it definitely came close. Highly recommend if you're into this genre....more
This was not at all what I was expecting when I picked up the NEW Brian Selznick book. That being said, this is a beautiful book and I wish that the aThis was not at all what I was expecting when I picked up the NEW Brian Selznick book. That being said, this is a beautiful book and I wish that the author's note had been at the beginning of the book, rather than at the end. The author's note helped to clarify the stories and their relationships and put the book into perspective. I also am not sure who the intended audience is for this and I think it will hardcore have to be handsold and to the right reader....more
Very interesting book about family and privilege and history. I just read Born on the Water and this would be excellent paired with that - learning abVery interesting book about family and privilege and history. I just read Born on the Water and this would be excellent paired with that - learning about where you come from can be difficult for African Americans, especially if your family is in America because your ancestors were enslaved. Though this isn't something that Amara wrestles with in Some Places More Than Others, she does explore Black history in Harlem. ...more
(3.5 stars) Very interesting premise. I might have liked this a little better I think if I hadn't listened to it. The narrator tended a little toward (3.5 stars) Very interesting premise. I might have liked this a little better I think if I hadn't listened to it. The narrator tended a little toward whining and that was not my jam. I definitely didn't see the ending of this coming. Ray's experiences were hard to listen to, but I think that's the idea, especially as the author notes that he, as a black violinist, has had similar experiences. We need to do better....more
I think I was expecting this to be a bit more like her first book where it went places I never dreamed it would go. This stuck a little more closely tI think I was expecting this to be a bit more like her first book where it went places I never dreamed it would go. This stuck a little more closely to the initial story and didn't delve deeply into imaginative realms. It was okay....more
Excellent read. I did read this after reading Gracefully Grayson and they struck really similar notes for me - a transgender girl coming to realize heExcellent read. I did read this after reading Gracefully Grayson and they struck really similar notes for me - a transgender girl coming to realize her gender identity and starting to come out through a class play. The ages are different - Melissa is younger and Grayson is middle school ish, but still. They also came out around the same time. Important books all around though....more
Little Witch Hazel is #goals. Living in the woods. Taking care of yourself and others. Foraging. Sounds good to me. Where do I sign up? Other things ILittle Witch Hazel is #goals. Living in the woods. Taking care of yourself and others. Foraging. Sounds good to me. Where do I sign up? Other things I liked about this book: the illustrations, Hazel's hairy legs, the Mousepapa, all of the mushrooms, Gnome Chomsky, the breastfeeding fairy, and OTIS!!!! Highly recommend....more
I only picked this up because I thought I was missing something when I started Goldenhand. And "Across the Wall" was decent and a good re-introductionI only picked this up because I thought I was missing something when I started Goldenhand. And "Across the Wall" was decent and a good re-introduction to Nicholas Sayre. But yeah, I don't particularly love short stories. I did enjoy both of the Arthurian stories - "Under the Lake" and "Heart's Desire" - along with "Three Roses," "The Hill," and "Hope Chest" (which was my favorite from this collection)....more
UGH! I love this series sooooo much! It was so nice to revisit the Old Kingdom and all of my old friends there. This was my favorite line: "Though sheUGH! I love this series sooooo much! It was so nice to revisit the Old Kingdom and all of my old friends there. This was my favorite line: "Though she no longer felt she was one of the Clayr, she still felt she was a librarian and always owuld be, no matter what else she had become as well." Ahh, yes. :D...more
(4.5) This is an IMPORTANT book. I know, in the past 3 years, I've explored what it means as a white woman to have privilege, to understand that many (4.5) This is an IMPORTANT book. I know, in the past 3 years, I've explored what it means as a white woman to have privilege, to understand that many of the services, indulgences, basics I enjoy have been built on the back of exploited workers, have been denied many others because of the color of their skin, their religion, their sexual preferences. And I am still working through that. Throughout all of this reckoning that was largely sparked due to events happening in our country, very very very rarely is fatness considered. Obseity is highly stigmatized in America and the effect of weight on health is, in my opinion, not fully studied or known. In Starfish, Lisa Fipps explores what it's like to be a fat teen today. The things that happen and are said to Eli are horrible (view spoiler)[ especially the things her mother says and does (hide spoiler)] and obviously have caused her irreparable harm. It's important for people who aren't like Eli to understand what it's like and for kids who ARE like Eli to understand that it doesn't have to be this way. Definitely read this if you work with kids in any capacity. Highly recommend if you're a human being at all....more
I am bad at reading short stories and maybe shouldn't listen to them either. I find that with audio, it often takes a little while for a story to compI am bad at reading short stories and maybe shouldn't listen to them either. I find that with audio, it often takes a little while for a story to completely grab my attention and with short stories, I would often find I was just getting invested and really into the story they would end. That all being said, this is a fun and interesting collection. I will probably revisit this when we get it at the library just to look over some of the stories I feel I missed a bit of. I would recommend to people who enjoy a little humor with their stories and can appreciate the absurd. If you're sick of all the traditional tropes that usually include women in fiction, give this a try....more
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