That moment when your reading life and real life collide

Let me take you back to January 2014. On a whim, I downloaded the eARC of a book called A Snicker of Magic by debut author Natalie Lloyd on NetGalley because I had heard great things about it at NCTE but didn't get a chance to pick up a physical ARC there.

Well I hadn't even gotten past chapter one and I was already searching for Natalie on Twitter to fangirl over this enchanting story. This picture was the first tweet I sent her:

And from there a Twitter friendship was born. I gushed over how much I loved the magical town of Midnight Gulch and the crazy ice cream flavors she conjured up at Dr. Zook's Dreamery Creamery (seeing as how I'm a fan of crazy ice cream flavors myself) and I continued to evangelize my love for this book long after I finished reading it.

I wrote my review of the book for the Nerdy Book Club blog instead of my blog because I wanted it to receive a bigger audience so more people would read it. I interviewed Natalie here on the blog the same day my Nerdy review went live. I went so far as to drive three hours to meet Natalie at an event near Columbus, Ohio and made her my version of the signature flavor of Dr. Zook's Dreamery Creamery: Blackberry Sunrise.

Over a year later and we still exchange emails and tweets back and forth. She even Skyped with my 8th graders back in May.

But nothing prepared me yesterday for the moment when my reading life and real life collided when Natalie sent me this email:

You see, Natalie wrote a short story that revisits the town and the characters in A Snicker of Magic. And in that writing process of this new, yet familiar story, she thought of me. And she gave my name a place in her story and therefore in her heart. And for that I am so grateful. Because, you see, A Snicker of Magic is a book that touched my heart from the moment I began to read it. It is put on that literal and metaphorical shelf where books like Charlotte's Web, Because of Winn-Dixie, The One and Only Ivan, The Fault in Our Stars reside... the shelf of books that won my heart and soul and that I will never forget as long as I live. And so the fact that Natalie validated my love for her story as a reader by thinking of me and including the four letters that make up my name as a permanent fixture in Midnight Gulch, touched me more than I can adequately express in words. I guess that's why she's the writer and I'm just the adoring fangirl. So thank you dear Natalie. You are a beautiful writer, a beautiful person, and a beautiful soul. And I still wish we were neighbors so we could go on lots of foodie adventures together. :)

If you want to read Natalie's new short story entitled "When the Ghosts Come Out to Dance," as you should, then visit The Stacks. 

It's Monday! What are you reading? 10-12-15

It's Monday! What are you reading? Is a wonderful community of readers, teachers, and librarians. Hosted by Jen over at Teach Mentor Texts along with Kellee and Ricki at Unleashing Readers, participants share their reading adventures from the past week along with their reading plans for the week ahead.

My Monday posts are generally just a highlight of what I've been reading during the week so if you'd like to see all that I've been reading, follow my Goodreads page.


Last week I reviewed:

Endless Summer by Katie Lee


Picture books I read:


Hello World by Paul Beavis
Read Mrs. Mo's Monster before reading Hello World. It will make more sense that way. 

Lizard from the Park by Mark Pett
I absolutely loved this book and have so much more to say about it. I hope I can find the time to write a full review on it. But I will say this: reserve judgment for this book until you've read it at least two or three times. In one reading you are sure to miss many delightful little details that will suddenly give this story new meaning. It's now one of my favorite picture books of 2015.

The King and the Sea by Heinz Janisch, illustrated by Wolf Erlbruch
A unique and captivating book about a king and each page is a different story about how he interacts with the world. Lots of philosophical discussions are sure to ensue when reading this book with a group of students.

Billy's Booger by William Joyce
I know this book deserves a better rating than I gave it on Goodreads (3 stars), but I just really can't get past the idea of the word booger being in the title. There are certain gross things that make some people laugh and other people cringe. I'm in the latter category with this one. That doesn't mean I don't recognize that this is a great piece of writing and has wonderful artwork. I just wish it weren't about a booger.  


 Still reading with my eyes and ears:
 
 Stand-Off by Andrew Smith
Daughter of Deep Silence by Carrie Ryan  

Cookbook Review: Endless Summer by Katie Lee

 In Endless Summer, Katie Lee invites readers to her home in the Hamptons, a place of beauty and bounty. Lee shows readers a different side of the Hamptons, one that is different from the life of indulgence, excess, and snobbery that is so often portrayed on TV and in movies. Here, Lee shows a more laid-back, down-home side of this place and while I'm still not completely convinced that it isn't the snobbish, persnickety hamlet of which it has been long portrayed, I also appreciate that Lee is giving readers a different view into this community that she loves.

As winter is approaching, a book like this just makes me long for an endless summer even more. Cold weather and I don't get along and so perhaps on those gray, depressing days, I can pick up this cookbook and remember what I have to look forward to when warm weather finally makes its way back to the northern hemisphere.

Individual recipes in this cookbook don't particularity stand out to me. Instead, it's the tone and the vibe of the book that intrigues me. The simple, clean layout along with the lovely yet no-nonsense writing makes Endless Summer a cookbook worth picking up and perusing even if you don't end up attempting any recipes from its pages.


Endless Summer by Katie Lee
Published: April 14, 2015
Publisher: Stewart, Tabori and Chang
Pages: 224
Genre: Cookery
Audience: Adults
Disclosure: Library Copy

If you buy this book or any book through Amazon, it is my hope that you also regularly patronize independent bookstores, which are important centerpieces of thriving communities. While I am an Amazon Affiliate, that by no means implies that I only buy my books through their website. Please make sure you are still helping small, independent bookstores thrive in your community. To locate an independent bookstore near you, visit IndieBound. 

It's Monday! What are you reading? 10-5-15

It's Monday! What are you reading? Is a wonderful community of readers, teachers, and librarians. Hosted by Jen over at Teach Mentor Texts along with Kellee and Ricki at Unleashing Readers, participants share their reading adventures from the past week along with their reading plans for the week ahead.

My Monday posts are generally just a highlight of what I've been reading during the week so if you'd like to see all that I've been reading, follow my Goodreads page.

Since last week was Banned Books Week, I wrote this post for the NCTE blog:
On Banned Books and Beyond, Say YA to Reading


Last week I finished reading:

Fun Home by Alison Bechdel
Sunny Side Up by Jennifer L Holm & Matthew Holm  
It's interesting that I finished both of these books this week because Sunny Side Up could most certainly be a reading ladder that could eventually lead to reading Fun Home as both deal with some very heavy family issues.  ETA: I want to make it clear that Fun Home is not a direct rung up the reading ladder from Sunny Side Up. Fun Home is a VERY adult book and I wouldn't recommend it for anyone under 17.


Favorite picture books from last week:

We Forgot Brock! by Carter Goodrich 
Where The Adventures of Beekle tugs at your heartstrings, We Forgot Brock tickles your funny bone. A fun story and lovable illustrations about a boy who leaves his imaginary friend at the fair.  


The Princess and the Pony by Kate Beaton 
This book is lovable and hilarious and I just want to hug it.


A Friend for Lakota: The Incredible True Story of a Wolf Who Braved Bullying by  Jim and Jamie Dutcher 
An intriguing story about a wolf cub who experiences bullying in his own pack and how a friend stood up for him.  


The Color Monster: A Pop-up Book of Feelings by Anna Llenas
An absolutely gorgeous pop up book that would be a great mentor text to discuss how we associate and describe feelings with colors.  


Currently reading:

Stand-Off by Andrew Smith 


Currently reading with my ears:

Daughter of Deep Silence by Carrie Ryan 
I think this book might have gotten me out of my audiobook slump. It's all those podcasts I've been listening to that's been making my interest in audiobooks wane. I've been abandoning quite a few audiobooks lately but I definitely want to listen to this one.  

It's Monday! What are you reading? 9-28-15

It's Monday! What are you reading? Is a wonderful community of readers, teachers, and librarians. Hosted by Jen over at Teach Mentor Texts along with Kellee and Ricki at Unleashing Readers, participants share their reading adventures from the past week along with their reading plans for the week ahead.

My Monday posts are generally just a highlight of what I've been reading during the week so if you'd like to see all that I've been reading, follow my Goodreads page.


Last week I reviewed: 

Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast by Josh Funk, illustrated by Brendan Kearney


I finished reading with my ears:

None of the Above by I.W. Gregorio
A definite page-turning read. Recommended for older high school students based on some rather explicit intimate encounters at the beginning of the story. Those encounters are necessary for the arc of the narrative and how the main character discovers her intersex diagnosis, but that means the age and maturity of the protagonist's actions should probably mirror the age of the reader.  


Currently reading:

Fun Home by Alison Bechdel
Bechdel will be a keynote speaker at NCTE in November so I wanted to familiarize myself with her work before I hear her speak.  


Currently reading with my ears:

City Love by Susane Colasanti 

Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast by Josh Funk, illustrated by Brendan Kearney

Deep in the fridge and behind the green peas,
way past the tofu and left of the cheese,
up in the corner, and back by a roast,
sat Lady Pancake beside Sir French Toast.
The leftover friends were as close as could be,
until they heard news from their neighbor, Miss Brie.


The news? That there's only a single drop of maple syrup left. And now the race is on! Both Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast are determined to be the one to use up that last drop of maple syrup. But there will be many obstacles in their way: the Broccoli Forest, the Orange Juice Fountain, and Potato Mash Mountain just to name a few. And just who is this Baron von Waffle guy?

Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast is a fun foodie frolic through the fridge with two friends that briefly become frenemies in an attempt to be the one to come out on top. Josh Funk is skilled at writing meaningful rhymes that flow well and don't feel contrived, which is why I have always entered rhyming texts with trepidation, and sometimes outright groans. Because it's really hard to do rhyming well. And even harder to do it exceptionally well. I'm here to tell you there were no groans here. Only smiles. And I may or may not have audibly shouted, "Curse you Baron von Waffle!" But I think I might have just given too much away. Or have I? You'll just have to decide for yourself when you read:

Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast by Josh Funk, illustrated by Brendan Kearney
Published: September 1, 2015
Publisher: Sterling Children's Books
Pages: 40
Genre/Format: Picture Book
Audience: Primary
Disclosure: Library copy

If you buy this book or any book through Amazon, it is my hope that you also regularly patronize independent bookstores, which are important centerpieces of thriving communities. While I am an Amazon Affiliate, that by no means implies that I only buy my books through their website. Please make sure you are still helping small, independent bookstores thrive in your community. To locate an independent bookstore near you, visit IndieBound. 

It's Monday! What are you reading? 9-21-15

It's Monday! What are you reading? Is a wonderful community of readers, teachers, and librarians. Hosted by Jen over at Teach Mentor Texts along with Kellee and Ricki at Unleashing Readers, participants share their reading adventures from the past week along with their reading plans for the week ahead.

My Monday posts are generally just a highlight of what I've been reading during the week so if you'd like to see all that I've been reading, follow my Goodreads page.


*Sigh* I am in such a reading rut right now. I started reading:

Symphony for the City of the Dead: Dmitri Shostakovich and the Siege of Leningrad by M.T. Anderson. And it is a REALLY good book. But it's REALLY dense and it's not something I would call a page-turner. Don't get me wrong. The subject-matter is fascinating and the writing is stellar. It's just a book that takes time and careful reading and I don't have the patience for that right now... so I'm going to put it on pause and read this instead:

 
Stand-Off by Andrew Smith


Still reading with my ears:

None of the Above by I.W. Gregorio
I'm really enjoying this book, so what kept me from finishing it last week? Well, I discovered Serial, that's what! I spent my entire week listening to all 12 episodes of season 1. I couldn't stop. And now I'm impatiently waiting for season 2.


Picture books I read last week:

Hug Me by Simona Ciraolo
Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll, illustrated by Christopher Myers
Frozen Wild by Jim Aronsky
To the Sea by Cale Atkinson
Leo: A Ghost Story by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Christian Robinson
Wherever You Go by Pat Zietlow Miller, illustrated by Eliza Wheeler
Penguin's Big Adventure by Salina Yoon
The White Book by Silvia Borando


Picture books I read last week that stood out in the pile:


Waiting by Kevin Henkes
I get the sense that this is a book the Caldecott committee is going to be discussing at length. It has beautiful illustrations, it bares no obvious lessons (award committees tend to shy away from didacticism), and disguises itself as a simple story shrouded in complexity. Henkes fills your heart with affection for these sweet, quirky toys sitting on the windowsill waiting...

Marvelous Cornelius: Hurricane Katrina and the Spirit of New Orleans by Phil Bildner, illustrated by John Parra
Cornelius is a beautiful tear-inducing modern folk hero. 


And finally, if you missed last night's #nctechat on Twitter, check out the Storify archive. It was a celebration of all things YA Lit and it was hosted by Matt de la Pena and Jennifer Buehler.