It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journey as a way to share what you have read and/or reviewed in the past week. It's also a terrific way to find out what other people are reading.

Jen Vincent, of Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee Moye of Unleashing Readers have given this meme a children's literature focus: picture books, middle grade novels, etc. They "encourage everyone who participates to support the blogging community by visiting the other bloggers that link up and leave comments for them.

I hope that everyone is having a pleasant and restful Memorial Day weekend. It's strange how this three-day weekend kind of crept up on us. For those of us that are still spending most of our time at home, it almost doesn't feel that different from any other day. It's been raining and raining and raining here. We're situated between low pressure systems from the west and the east, and so the rainy weather has just sort of stalled out over us. But even though I haven't gotten outdoors to walk much, one of the neighborhood ducks paid a visit to my next door neighbor's yard...

Anyway, the rainy weather has given me more time to spend inside reading. Here's what I've been reading this past week:

Adult/YA

Stowaway by Pam Withers

This YA fiction novel was recommended by Cheriee Weichel on her blog, Library Matters (https://dickenslibrary.blogspot.com/2...), and luckily I was able to download an e-copy from my library. It certainly was page-turner, an exciting drama that tells the story of a lonely teenager living on a remote island in British Columbia who stumbles into an illegal immigration operation and finds himself in great danger. Owen's parents have gone out of town and left him in charge of their boat marina service. Bored, Owen hides in a giant yacht, hoping to get a ride to a neighboring island. But he discovers that this boat is being used to smuggle youngsters from Honduras into Canada. Now he's in danger and faced with perilous decisions to get himself and his new friends out of this mess. It was a fast-paced novel and I enjoyed it.

This YA fiction novel was recommended by Cheriee Weichel on her blog, Library Matters and luckily I was able to download an e-copy from my library. It certainly was a page-turner, an exciting drama that tells the story of a lonely teenager living on a remote island in British Columbia who stumbles into an illegal immigration operation and finds himself in great danger. Owen's parents have gone out of town and left him in charge of their boat marina service. Bored, Owen hides in a giant yacht, hoping to get a ride to a neighboring island. But he discovers that this boat is being used to smuggle youngsters from Honduras into Canada. Now he's in danger and faced with perilous decisions to get himself and his new friends out of this mess. It was a fast-paced novel and I enjoyed it.

Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal 

I guess the Stay at Home/social isolation orders of the coronavirus pandemic has me thinking about food a lot. We have plenty and it's not like I'm hungry, but I miss being able to the grocery store and getting what I want without being a big ordeal. At any rate, I saw a couple of other reviews of this book that made me put it on my To Read list, and then BookBub.com had a special price on the Kindle edition of this book. I enjoyed it even more than I thought I would! The book follows the character, Eva, from infancy when her chef father longed for her to become a foodie like himself, through her troubled adolescent years to her mid-twenties. Each chapter revolves around a specific food, but has so much more in terms of interpersonal drama. The character development in this story is awesome and I was rooting for Eva the whole way through. Of course, when I was done with the book, I was even more hungry to try new foods, new recipes, and maybe even new restaurants when the current health crisis is over.

Relish: My Life in the Kitchen by Lucy Knisley

Still hungry after reading Kitchens of the Great Midwest, I grabbed this awesome graphic novel off of my shelf. I bought it a while back, but then got to busy to read it. The book takes readers through the author's life of growing up with her chef mother and restaurant loving father. The book's chapter look at different periods of the author's life through food memories. Lots of fun to read and there's recipes in it that have inspired me. Lately, I've really wanted to try some new things and this book is a good starting point!

Picture Books

You Loves Ewe! by Cece Bell

This funny picture book is a follow-up to I Yam a Donkey!, in which the Yam tries so hard to patiently explain to Donkey the difference between YOU and EWE as a new friend is introduced. Young readers will definitely giggle at the confusion that follows and the frustration that Yam experiences as they try to sort out the silly love triangle. This would definitely be a fun way to talk about homonyms with kids. The pair of books might even make good mentor texts to those who would like to try their own stories highlighting words that sound the same. It would be a fun extension to find a video of the old Abbott and Costello routine, "Who's On First?" and share that.

Here's a link to a recording of Abbott and Costello's famous routine!

I'm a Baked Potato! by Elise Primavera, Juana Medina (Illustrations)

Dog-lovers will really appreciate this adorable picture book that tells the story of a lady and her little dog, Baked Potato. Every day the lady eats a baked potato and when she decides that her little dog reminds her of her favorite food, she starts calling her pet, "Baked Potato." But when Baked Potato gets lost in the neighborhood, he becomes very confused and needs help. Anyone who's ever lost track of their pet will be able to relate to the lady's joy and relief at finally having the dog back home.

Nobody Hugs a Cactus by Carter Goodrich 

Managing emotions can be tough, especially during these challenging times of social isolation due to the coronavirus pandemic. When we're all cooped up in our houses together with our families, sometimes you just want to find a place by yourself where you can have some peace and quiet. But, of course, we live in community with our families and our friends, and the relationships we have with them are important. The little cactus in his spot on the windowsill, is definitely a prickly character. He just wants to be alone, and everyone that passes by with a friendly greeting gets yelled at by him. But after he pushes everyone away, he realizes that he's lonely. I like the messages of forgiveness and restoration of relationship in the way that he interacts with Rosie, the sweet tumbleweed. This would be a great book to share to start a discuss about ways to find balance between being together with our friends/families and finding a time to take care of oneself quietly. It might even inspire young writers to create their own narratives about being in community with others.

Zola's Elephant by Randall de Sève, Pamela Zagarenski (illustrator)

Meeting new neighbors can be difficult; I'm somewhat shy and it's hard to reach out and meet new people. So the when the little girl finds out there's a new girl her age moving in next door, Zola, she imagines that the girl is far too busy tending to her pet elephant and doesn't have time to be friends. The lyrical text and gorgeous illustrations show the elephant being fed toast, being bathed, and playing hide-and-seek by Zola. Young readers will be anxious to see how the little girl is going to work up the courage to introduce herself. This could be a good way to start a conversation about how we make new neighbors feel welcome. It could also inspire young writers to create their own stories about meeting new friends or overcoming fears.