Two Canadian Readers

Red Maple Mini Reviews - 3# Fanatics (and Stones)

2012-02-04T20:41:00.003-05:00

by William Bell

Fanatics is on this year's Red Maple list, but as it is a sequel to Stones, I decided to read and review both books together.

Garnet Havelock has never been good at school, and now, in his final year of high school, he's just waiting to get out and go into the carpentry business. However, during a class debate about love at first sight, he meets Raphaella and falls in love. Together, they discover the existence of a ghost named Hannah, stoned to death 150 years ago because of the colour of her skin and doomed to haunt a trailer park until she has brought her murderers to justice.

In the next book, Fanatics, Garnet, while trying to find a place to set up his shop, meets Ms. Stoppini and strikes a deal to rent the coach house on the estate of the late Professor Corbizzi. In exchange, he must repair the damage to the professor's library and study. However, while cleaning up the library, he finds a secret manuscript titled 'Fanatics' that results in the unveiling of an old problem surrounding theocracy. At the same time, Garnet accidentally witnesses what he thinks is a gang of terrorists.

One thing that was very interesting was how these two problems intertwined and ended up being the same message about how killing people in the name of a religion is wrong. It applied the same problem to modern and past events and presented the solution in a persuasive way that anyone could understand.

Something else that I found with both books was that they covered a lot of topics. You don't find many books that have romance, action, terrorists, social justice, history, and paranormal activities. The characters were also well-rounded. Bell vividly portrayed their unique personalities and throughout the stories, there was much character development. Overall, I thought this was a fantastic book and am hoping that a third will come out next year. However, I would recommend reading Stones before reading Fanatics.

Reviewed by Kate

Winterberries and Apple Blossoms

2011-12-22T20:17:00.000-05:00

I recently picked up a copy of Nan Forler's new picture book, Winterberries and Apple Blossoms: Reflections and Flavors of a Mennonite Year, published by Tundra Books, as a Christmas present for my goddaughter and her siblings. This book is particularly special as it features the lovely paintings of Peter Etril Snyder.

The book follows a year in the life of Naomi, a Mennonite girl, with a poem and painting for every month. These reflect beautifully the Mennonites' simple lifestyle, closeness to nature and sense of community. As a bonus, twelve traditional recipes, one for each month, are featured at the end of the book. Living reasonably close to a Mennonite community, I can pop over to the local Farmer's Market to purchase their baked goods, but these recipes, including yummy treats like Strawberry-Rhubarb Custard Crisp, will be especially useful for those not so fortunately situated.

The Dragon Turn by Shane Peacock

2011-12-11T17:54:00.003-05:00

Kate and I are both huge fans of Shane Peacocks’ award-winning Boy Sherlock Holmes series, which started with The Eye of the Crow. Each book has been suspenseful and true to the world created by Arthur Conan Doyle. A big strength of the series has been the development of the young Sherlock Holmes, with entirely plausible explanations of how and why the character had evolved into the familiar detective we know from Doyle’s classic novels.

Perhaps it is because the first four novels had been so strong that I find The Dragon Turn somewhat of a disappointment. Of course, this means that the latest in the series is merely a good story rather than an exceptional one. The Dragon Turn is about two rival magicians and the disappearance of the woman that had been married to both of them in turn. As before, Irene Doyle and the Lestrades, father and son, play significant roles in the story. The plot is, as usual, exciting and fast-paced, but I missed the exploration of Sherlock’s character and history that was more prominent in the earlier books.

This is not Shane Peacock’s best, but still, the series is well worth reading, for both those well acquainted with the Sherlock Holmes character and those meeting him for the first time.

Red Maple Mini Reviews - 2# Haunting Violet

2011-11-13T17:20:00.008-05:00

by Alyxandra Harvey

Violet Willoughby is convinced that ghosts don't exist. Having participated in her mother's fake séances, she has learned that ghosts are just ways to scam people of their money. However, when she has terrifying hallucinations of a drowning girl, she learns that while she doesn't believe in ghosts, ghosts believe in her. She later finds out that the girl was Rowena Wentworth, who had drowned last year. With suspicious actions by everyone, Violet must find out who the murderer was before another person gets killed.

I found this book has a little bit of something for everyone: romance, action, suspense, fantasy, history, and mystery. It always kept me on my toes wondering who she was going to be betrothed to, if her mother was going to be found out as a fake, or if she would be killed by Rowena's murderer. I would recommend this book to young adults who like a well-rounded story.

Reviewed by Kate

Red Maple Mini Reviews - 1# Home Truths

2011-11-07T20:01:00.011-05:00

by Jill MacLean

Brick MacAvoy plans to escape his abusive father and negligent mother the minute he turns sixteen. However, when he learns that his little sister, Cassie, is just as vulnerable to his father's attacks, he realizes he needs to stay and protect her. Throughout the book, he learns that he's just as bad as his father by bullying other kids. In the end, he comes to the realization that he's a bully and decides to never hurt other kids again.

I found this book very inspiring and meaningful. The author found an effective way to introduce the topic of bullying and I understood it a lot better than any teacher ever explained it to me. The fact that the characters seemed very realistic helped me appreciate the effects of bullying.

Reviewed by Kate

The Book Mine Set's Canadian Book Challenge

2011-11-06T19:37:00.003-05:00

Recently, I joined the 5th Annual Canadian Book Challenge hosted by The Book Mine Set. My friend Heather from Books and Quilts had told me about this challenge in July, when it had started. I'm a bit late in joining, but better late than never, right? The challenge is to read and review 13 Canadian books before the next Canada Day, July 1, 2012. I figured the challenge will motivate me to post on this blog more regularly. I have no trouble reading Canadian books, as I love to keep up with my favourite Canadian authors and discover new ones, but sitting down to write a review takes more work. Despite the late start, I managed two reviews since joining. Kate did not officially join this challenge, but she too is hoping to add more reviews in the coming months.

Dewey's Read-a-thon: Final Post

2011-10-23T09:38:00.001-04:00

I managed another hour of reading last night and half-hour this morning to get halfway through Dragon Turn. Kate read for two hours last night and another this morning. She finished Haunting Violet and started The Once and Future King by T. H. White.

Here are Kate's totals:
Hours of reading: 9
Total pages read: 656
Books finished: 2 (Home Truths by Jill Maclean and Haunting Violet by Alyxandra Harvey)
Other books started: 1 (The Once and Future King by T. H. White)

My totals:
Hours of reading: 7.5
Total pages read: 475
Books finished: 1
Other books started: 1
Mini-challenges done: 3 (Hour 1 end-of-event meme, Hour 6 Top 5, Hour 12 end-of-event meme)
Cheerleading hours: 1.5

Kate and I spent 18 hours participating (reading and cheerleading) in the read-a-thon, so as promised, we've donated $36 to UNICEF.

Now for the end-of-event meme:

Which hour was most daunting for you?
Definitely the hour that coincided with my normal bedtime.
Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?
Young adult books are always good for these events.
Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?
I always wish I could have more time for visiting other people's blogs and still have time to read. I would love to extend the read-a-thon by a couple of hours so we could have an "intermission" or post-event period for blog visiting, to leave encouraging or congratulatory posts.
What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?
I'm really happy the read-a-thon didn't land on the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend this year, as we're usually busy with travelling or family activities on holiday weekends.
How many books did you read?
For me: one finished and another started. For Kate: two finished and another started.
What were the names of the books you read?
For me: The Guardian by Andrew Pyper and The Dragon Turn by Shane Peacock
For Kate: Home Truths by Jill Maclean, Haunting Violet by Alyxandra Harvey, and The Once and Future King by T. H. White.
Which book did you enjoy most?
Can't decide -- we liked them all!
Which did you enjoy least?
Can't decide -- we liked them all!
If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders?
I temporarily subscribed to all the blogs I was covering so I could immediately see the updated ones in Google Reader.
How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?
Kate and I will definitely participate again. I will try to do more cheerleading next time.

Thanks to the organizers for another extremely well-run event!

Dewey's Read-a-thon: Update #2

2011-10-22T19:55:00.000-04:00

We are at the halfway point of the challenge. Since the last update, I've read 3 more hours and Kate has read 2.5, to make a total of 6 hours for each of us. I finished The Guardians by Andrew Pyper and have just started The Dragon Turn: The Boy Sherlock Holmes, His 5th Case by Shane Peacock. Kate is halfway through Haunting Violet by Alyxandra Harvey, another book from the Red Maple list.

I've also spent some time on my cheerleading duties, checking out other readers' blogs and getting some good recommendations as a result. Because of a social commitment this evening, I'll be offline and away from my books for a while, but I hope to squeeze in a bit more reading before I go off to bed tonight.

Dewey's Read-a-thon: Top 5 Mini-Challenge

2011-10-22T16:55:00.000-04:00

Lisa's World of Books is hosting one of the Dewey's Read-a-thon mini-challenges, which are always a lot of fun. This one asks, "What are the 5 books you are looking forward to in the next few months or really into next year?"

Here are Kate's top 5:

The Mark of Athena, next in the Heroes of Olympus series by Rick Riordon, to be published in fall 2012.
The Calling, the next book in the Darkness Rising series by Kelley Armstrong, to be published in April 2012.
Fear, the next book in the Gone series by Michael Grant, to be published in April 2012.
The Ghost of Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen.
The next book in the Kane Chronicles series by Rick Riordon, to be published in spring 2012.

Here are my top 5:

River of Smoke by Amitav Ghosh
Half-Blood Blues by Esi Edugyan
Perdido Street Station by China Mieville
Vortex by Robert Charles Wilson
The Mirror and the Light by Hilary Mantel (whenever that will be published)

Dewey's Read-a-thon: Update #1

2011-10-22T14:52:00.003-04:00

Seven hours have gone by since the start of the read-a-thon and here is where we're at. I've read for about 3 hours and accomplished this:

Finished the last 20 pages of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, to finally complete my year-long reread of the Harry Potter series!
Am halfway through The Guardians by Andrew Pyper, his most recent novel about a group of friends and a haunted house.
Listened to Linger by Maggie Stiefvater on audiobook during a half-hour walk.

Kate has done even better. She finished Home Truths by Jill Maclean in 3.5 hours of reading. She was so absorbed in this book that she pretty much read it continuously, with only one big break to go for her voice lesson. I'm hoping that she'll provide a full review later, but she says that this novel, about bullying and child abuse, is a very good story. It is on the Ontario Library Association's recently announced 2012 Red Maple list.

The final exciting bit of news is that we won a Dewey's Read-a-thon random draw prize! We always love participating in this very well-run event.

Dewey's Read-a-thon: Introductory Post

2011-10-22T08:53:00.002-04:00

The read-a-thon has started! I'll start with Kate's and my answers for the introductory meme.

1)Where are you reading from today?
We're both comfortably settled in the living room.

2)Three random facts about me…
From Kate:

My favourite colour is purple.
I play the violin, piano and guitar.
I read the newspaper comics every morning.

From me:

I usually knit in my free time when I'm not reading.
I love every kind of seafood.
I've just finished watching all the Star Trek Next Generation season 2 episodes with Kate.

3)How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours?
I've got about a dozen books in my TBR pile and will pick a few of them for the read-a-thon.

4)Do you have any goals for the read-a-thon (i.e. number of books, number of pages, number of hours, or number of comments on blogs)?
I signed up for an hour of cheerleading. Hopefully, I'll be able to spend even more time catching up with all the blogs after the actual read-a-thon is over. I'm hoping to finish two books this time around. Kate has no definite goals. She said she'll just read when she feels like it.

5)If you’re a veteran read-a-thoner, any advice for people doing this for the first time?
I like to save up books that I really, really want to read for read-a-thon day. Even if I have other books on the go, I give myself permission to start new books today.

Dewey's Read-a-Thon

2011-10-20T21:56:00.002-04:00

Kate and I will be participating in Dewey's Read-a-thon once again on Saturday. We will attempt to read for as many hours as we can in the 24-hour period starting 8am EDT. We will donate a toonie to UNICEF for every hour that either of us reads.

Last year, our combined total was 15 hours. As we have some other activities scheduled for Saturday, I suspect we'll fall short of this number, but we'll still read for as many hours as we can!

Seeing that we're coming up to Halloween, I think I'll spend the day with some dark, scary books from the pile of mystery, thriller and horror novels on my shelves. Kate will probably read a couple of books she has on hand from the recently announced Red Maple list.

If you have nothing to do on Saturday, or if whatever you need to do is less appealing than spending the entire day reading, then please join us! You can sign up as a reader and/or as a cheerleader. Cheerleading involves visiting other readers' blogs and leaving encouraging comments. It's a great way to discover new book blogs and get book recommendations.

The Accident by Linwood Barclay

2011-10-19T20:54:00.002-04:00

This is the fourth Linwood Barclay thriller I’ve read and they have all been enjoyable if somewhat formulaic. His novels typically involve a small-town middle-class guy, a family man who is well educated but not quite working at his potential. This very ordinary person suddenly gets caught up in an extraordinary chain of events and discovers disturbing secrets about his family, neighbours and friends.

In this particular novel, the main character’s wife is killed in a car accident, in unexpected circumstances that seem completely contrary to everything he knows about her character and history. Unwilling to believe the police’s account, he investigates further and finds a complex chain of events leading to her death.

Despite the predictability, I cannot seem to put Barclay’s books down. They are extremely readable, well-paced, and scary because the characters are so ordinary. That family could be yours. The dialogue and characters are completely believable even if the plot seems highly unrealistic at times.

The Accident is not a deep or challenging read. It’s just a really good way to spend a few hours if you enjoy mysteries and thrillers.

Queen of Hearts by Martha Brooks

2011-10-13T22:14:00.001-04:00

Intrigued by the premise and the cover design, I picked up Queen of Hearts from a bookstore recently. This is the first book by award-winning Canadian author Martha Brooks that Kate and I have read. The novel is an honest and touching account of life in a sanatorium as seen through the eyes of a French-Canadian teenage girl during the World War II years.

Marie-Claire and her two younger siblings are put into a sanatorium in southern Manitoba after contracting tuberculosis from their uncle, who had succumbed to the illness. Marie Claire must deal with worry and fear for her sister and brother, despair about her own situation, and anger with her parents’ inability to cope with the tragic situation.

In the sanatorium, Marie Claire’s constant companion is Signy, a needy girl that she befriends with great difficulty. In the development of this relationship, Brooks examines the obligations, pains and awkwardness of friendship as well as the joys. In an environment where people are slowing dying, friendship necessarily encompasses a range of emotions, including not so pleasant ones like pity, revulsion and guilt. Yet, in this bleak environment, there is also happiness, love, and even hope for a future life outside this tiny enclosed world.

Eric Walters- Part 3

2011-08-13T13:20:00.000-04:00

The Falls

When Jay Hunter, a fourteen-year-old boy, discovers some hidden family history, he's hooked on the story about his great-grandfather, Harold Jamison. As he digs deeper, he finds out that his great-grandfather was a famous river man. He also finds the same barrel that he went over Niagara Falls in. In an attempt to sell the barrel to a daredevil museum, he meets Boomer Williams, another famous river man, and discovers a challenge that he can't resist.

The Falls is an interesting and educational book, but I it found slightly slow-paced. However, this book would be perfect for young adults who enjoy realistic fiction.

Rating:****

Reviewed by Kate.

The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival

2011-07-07T21:37:00.000-04:00

I recently finished The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival, another book from the Ontario Library Association's 2011 Evergreen list. John Vaillant's book about the Amur tiger takes the reader into the most remote regions of Far East Russia. It provides an in-depth and fascinating examination of the psyches of both the tiger and the people living in these isolated Russian communities in post-Perestroika times.

There are a number of interesting human and tigrine characters, but the main ones are Yuri Trush, who works for a government agency set up to protect the Amur tiger, and the man-eating tiger he is charged with destroying. Though this is a work of non-fiction, it often reads like a mystery/thriller, as predator stalks prey, with tiger and human interchanging roles.

Vaillant often veers from the main story to talk about the history of tiger hunting in Asia. He succeeds in conveying to us the significant environmental impact of this practice without being overly preachy. My only complaint is that the audiobook version was narrated by the author. The narration was tolerable but subpar compared to that of narrators professionally trained for the job. Otherwise, this book is well worth a read (or a listen).

Elizabeth I by Margaret George

2011-07-02T16:14:00.004-04:00

I devoured Jean Plaidy's historical novels as a teenager and was thrilled to receive a review copy of Elizabeth I by American novelist Margaret George from Penguin Canada. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel that covers the second half of Elizabeth I's life, starting from the attack of the Spanish Armada. Narrated in turn by Elizabeth and Lettice Knollys, lifelong enemy of the queen because of their shared love for Robert Dudley, the people and events of the era are seen through the eyes of these older, more mature and reflective women.

Though the novel is ostensibly about Elizabeth, the more poignant story for me is that of the rise and fall of Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex, son of Lettice and a favourite of Elizabeth. Like a Shakespearean hero with a tragic flaw, Essex manufactures his own downfall through his pride and sense of entitlement. Shakespeare himself is a major character in this novel. While much of what he says and does may be speculation on George's part, her portrayal of his character is entirely consistent with what I would expect, or perhaps hope, he had been like.

Coincidentally, when I received this book, Kate was doing a unit on historical fiction at school. She is a huge fan of Tudor history and insisted on reading it herself, though I had some doubts whether she'd be able to get through the almost-700 pages. Clearly, the characters and plot were engaging enough to keep her attention, as she did finish it, and we will both look for more of Margaret George's work.

Eric Walters- Part 2

2011-06-12T22:11:00.000-04:00

Fly Boy

Fly Boy is one of Eric Walters' more suspenseful books. It is set mostly in England during World War II. I think the description on the back of the book is more accurate than I could ever do, so here it is:

It's 1943, and World War Two is raging across Europe and around the globe. Seventeen-year-old Robbie McWilliams can't wait to follow in his father's footsteps and enlist in the Royal Canadian Air Force-he wants to become a Spitfire pilot and fight for his country. The only problem is that he's still too young to join. So with a little help from his best friend, Chip, Robbie devises a plan that will allow him to enlist early and keep it a secret from his mother, from his schoolmaster, and most important, from the authorities at the RCAF.

Using the birth documents issued to his older brother who died in infancy, Robbie joins the air force and begins his training in Brandon, Manitoba. He aces all his classes and shows the makings of a great Spitfire pilot, but is dealt a huge blow when he's assigned to train as navigator on a Lancaster. Soon he's on his way to England, where he completes his training on treacherous missions bombing German targets in enemy territory, all the while wishing he were training to be a pilot. One of his bombing missions goes awry, though, and Robbie is about to learn that you should be careful what you wish for...

This book is exactly what anyone would look for in an adventurous historical fiction book. Its suspense-filled pages keep you on your toes and it's accuracy makes it educational as well as interesting. I would recommend it to anyone.

Rating:*****

Reviewed by Kate

48-Hour Book Challenge: Final Update

2011-06-05T22:53:00.001-04:00

My final totals:
Hours of reading: 15
Hours of listening to audiobooks: 3.5
Hours blogging/networking: 2
Books finished: 2
Pages read: 1175

Kate's final totals:
Hours of reading: 15
Books finished: 4
Pages read: 1404

We're at the end of the 48-hour challenge, after 15 hours of reading for each of us! (We actually stopped at 5pm, but after reading all day long, I had to catch up on chores before writing this post.) I didn't surpass my totals for last year, but Kate beat hers by 50%. I suspect that she likes this reading challenge event even more than I do, and the only reason I can keep up with her is that, for now, I can survive on less sleep.

Kate finished Hunger and will post more reviews soon. I finished all 779 pages of Tigana and I'm almost done with The Tiger on audiobook. I also took some time to visit other participants' blogs and have augmented my wishlist greatly after seeing their recommendations.

We've donated $2 to UNICEF (to go toward education) for every hour that we participated, including reading, audiobook listening and blogging/networking time, so that makes $75 in all. We had a great time participating in this event again this year and thank MotherReader for organizing it all. We're both looking forward to participating again next year and hope that we'll convince more of our family and friends to join in the fun. I'll sign off with some brief comments about Tigana, which consumed most of my reading hours this weekend.

Tigana is by Canadian author Guy Gavriel Kay. I've read two of Kay's other works and I enjoy his writing because of the complex plots, the well-developed characters and the detailed settings which are often based on real historical periods. Twenty years ago, a friend insisted I read Tigana after I told him that I didn't like high fantasy. I ended up liking the novel then and I enjoyed it even more this second time around. In the other Kay novels I'd read, the fantastical elements are very light, but in Tigana, sorcery does play a large part. Despite its length, I had a hard time putting this novel down, which made it perfect reading for the 48-hour challenge.

48-Hour Book Challenge: Update #3

2011-06-05T12:28:00.003-04:00

My update:
Hours of reading: 13
Hours of listening to audiobooks: 3
Books finished: 1
Books in progress: 2

Kate's update:
Hours of reading: 12
Books finished: 3
Books in progress: 1

I added another 4.5 hours of reading and an hour with my audiobook since the last update, and Kate has added another 5 hours of reading. We both took an extended break yesterday evening to attend a parent-child book club meeting, where we discussed and watched the movie version of Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo.

I'm still working on Tigana and The Tiger, and I hope to finish them before the end of the challenge at 5pm EDT. Kate finished Gone early this morning and immediately started its sequel, Hunger.

I'm also very pleased I convinced my sister-in-law Jill to join the challenge, if only unofficially. Maybe next year, I'll be able to get even more members of the family to join.

48-Hour Book Challenge: Update #2

2011-06-04T17:33:00.000-04:00

My update:
Hours of reading: 8.5
Hours of listening to audiobooks: 2
Books finished: 1
Books in progress: 2

Kate's update:
Hours of reading: 7
Books finished: 2
Books in progress: 1

We're at the 24-hour mark, and I've managed to add another 4.5 hours of reading to my total. I also listened to my audiobook for 1.5 hours today, while exercising, cooking and driving.

Kate has had a very productive day so far, finishing Flyboy and writing a review for Alexandria of Africa and Beverly Hills Maasai. She is now working on Gone by Michael Grant and so absorbed in it that I can barely make contact with her.

The book I finished earlier today is Bone China by Roma Tearne. This novel follows three generations of a once-wealthy Tamil family, with matriarch Grace as the central figure. As the family suffers a decline in their fortunes and personal tragedies caused by the political upheaval surrounding them, the members leave Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon) one by one and settle in England.

I didn't find the story as engaging as other immigrant stories I've read. However, this novel is worth reading if you want a sense of the cultural and political history of Sri Lanka in the second half of the 20th century. Tearne describes movingly the ordeals faced by those who escape the ethnic violence by relocating to a foreign land as well as those who choose to stay behind in the aftermath.

Eric Walters- Part I

2011-06-04T13:40:00.008-04:00

Alexandria of Africa and Beverly Hills Maasai

Alexandria of Africa and Beverly Hills Maasai focus on Alexandria Hyatt, a spoiled and rich fifteen-year-old girl. When she is caught shoplifting, she is faced with the decision of going to a juvenile detention center or joining a diversion program in Africa. When in Africa, Alexandria befriends Ruth, the daughter of a Maasai warrior. Throughout her entire life-changing trip, she learns about the difficult conditions people in third world countries live in and becomes a different person.

I would recommend this book to people who enjoy Eric Walters' writing, but find some of his books scary. This book is "lighter" than his others and doesn't have the same tension and suspense. I would also recommendd this book to people who like inspiring books, that make you see a new perspective to events or situations. Overall, this book was a good read, even though I prefer some of his other books.

Rating: ****

*When we met Eric Walters at the Silver Birch Awards, we mentioned that we had read We All Fall Down for our Mother/Daughter book club. He suggested that Alexandria of Africa would also be a good choice.

Reviewed by Kate

48-Hour Book Challenge: Update #1

2011-06-03T23:26:00.000-04:00

My update:
Hours of reading: 4
Hours of listening to audiobooks: 0.5
Books finished: 0
Books in progress: 3

Kate's update:
Hours of reading: 3
Books finished: 1
Books in progress: 1

Kate and I had a full evening of reading. I'm alternating between Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay and Bone China by Roma Tearne. I'm also listening to an audiobook version of The Tiger by John Vaillant.

Kate might be doing an all-Eric Walters weekend. She zoomed through Beverly Hills Maasai tonight, the sequel to Alexandria of Africa which she'd read earlier in the week. She is now working on another Walters book, Flyboy. She promises to post reviews later this weekend.

48-Hour Challenge: The Starting Line

2011-06-03T16:59:00.003-04:00

It's 5pm EDT and we're about to start MotherReader's 48-Hour Book Challenge. Kate and I have a pile of books at our side and Todd graciously offered to make supper, so we're ready to go!

48-Hour Book Challenge

2011-05-31T21:58:00.004-04:00

It's time again for MotherReader's 48-Hour Book Challenge! This event will take place June 3-5, and the goal is to read as much as possible over a 48-hour period. Related activities include writing reviews on one's blog and visiting other participants' blogs to read their reviews.

Last year, I read for 17 hours and finished 4 books, and Kate read for 10 hours and finished 2 books. This year, although we have a few commitments on the weekend, we're going to try our best to match those numbers.

We plan to donate a dollar for each hour we read to UNICEF Canada. Please join us for this fun event if you can. It's the perfect excuse to neglect housework for the entire weekend and curl up with a few good books instead. If the weather's good, I'll be on my patio with a glass of wine (Orangina for Kate)!

The 2011 Festival of Trees

2011-05-15T10:54:00.001-04:00

Kate and I have shamefully neglected this blog, but that doesn't mean we haven't been reading! This year, I again offered to take her out of school to attend the Festival of Trees event in Toronto if she were to read 10 books from one or more of the Silver Birch lists. The Silver Birch reading lists are part of the Ontario Library Association's Forest of Reading programs. Every year, the OLA selects 10 book nominees in each of a number of categories. The Silver Birch program, which includes fiction, non-fiction and "express" (easier reading) categories, is meant for readers in Grades 3 to 6. You can check out all the lists here. Students all over Ontario participate by reading the books from a particular list and then voting for their favourites. The winners are then announced at the Festival of Trees.

Kate ended up reading all 10 from the fiction list and 5 of the non-fiction books, and so we were on our way to the festival. The trip this year was even better, as we were joined by Kate's good friend Sarah and her mother Ruth, both members of our parent-child book club. Kate and Sarah are big fans of Eric Walter, and here are pictures of them showing off his books and with the man himself. We have to thank Sarah for introducing us to Eric Walter by proposing We All Fall Down as one of our book-club selections. That book and its sequel, United We Stand, are both excellent stories based on the events of September 11, 2001.

The festival itself is a wonderfully fun event if you can tolerate the crowds. The organizers estimate that they get over 8000 visitors to the two-day event. There are workshops run by authors and illustrators, book-signing tables, a variety of children's activities and a marketplace with all the nominated books. Workshops can fill up quickly, and there are huge lines for signatures of the most popular authors. If you go, the trick is to pick a few activities most important to you and line up early! Normally, kids attend as part of school groups, but I'd discovered that individuals are welcome to attend on their own. Because we live some distance from Toronto, our local schools don't usually send kids to this event.

The award ceremonies are a key part of the festival, and for these, you must purchase tickets as seating is limited. All other activities are free. Last year, we attended the Silver Birch non-fiction awards, but this year, I managed to get tickets for the fiction awards ceremony, which is always the first to sell out. At the ceremony, the authors arrived on the stage, one at a time, to tremendous applause, cheers, hoots and whistles from their fans. Here, the authors get the rock-star treatment that they truly deserve. Who would have thought that book-loving kids would be such an enthusiastic, rowdy bunch?? Each author is then introduced by a student. Most of the students are very articulate, and I enjoyed their introductions as much as I did the authors' speeches.

This year, Kevin Sylvester won the Silver Birch fiction award, and as his name was announced, young fans cheered loudly and waved copies of his book, Neil Flambe and the Marco Polo Murders, over their heads. Kate actually voted for The Hunchback Assignments by Arthur Slade, but she also loves the Neil Flambe series. We met Kevin Sylvester at a literary event last year, and his talk was both interesting and funny. As there was a smaller crowd then, Kate and Sarah were fortunate enough to chat with him and get their books signed. On the day of the festival, though, he was very much in demand!

We had great fun at the festival and we plan to go back. Next year, we'll hopefully be attending the Red Maple awards ceremony, as Kate will be going on to the next level. I'm sure she'll enjoy that list as much as the Silver Birch selections she has read over the past few years.

Airman

2010-10-31T16:20:00.002-04:00

by Eoin Colfer

After a very, very long break, I'm finally back to posting reviews.

Wow! All I can say is "wow" after reading Eoin Colfer's Airman. This book is amazing and is perfect for adventure, romance, action, and history lovers.

Airman is a book set on the Saltee Islands about a boy named Conor Broekhart who is destined is to fly. As a friend to King Nicholas's daughter, Isabella, Conor spends his childhood playing with Isabella and studying with his tutor, Victor Vigney, on fencing and building flying contraptions. When he discovers a plot to kill the king, the murderer, Marshall Bonvilain, blames Conor instead, and Conor gets put in the Saltee Island Prison. He ends up being cellmates with Linus Wynter, a blind composer and musician, and joins a tough gang called the Battering Rams. Will he ever escape? Is Conor going to die? Will he save Isabella and his parents from poisoning from Bonvilain? Those were the questions circling through my head while reading Airman.

The author describes the living conditions in the prison on Little Saltee Island so well, I felt I was actually a prisoner myself. Eoin Colfer hooks you into the book right away, and I couldn't put down the book for hours!

Reviewed by Kate

Dewey's Read-a-Thon: The End

2010-10-10T08:16:00.003-04:00

Kate slept through the final 10 hours of the Read-a-Thon, but I managed a final hour this morning. Kate did get up in time for us to read one last book together before 8am EDT, a 4-page story written on Storybird by my nephew Oliver and his friends. What a great way to finish off the read-a-thon!

Our final statistics are below.

Paulina's stats:

Partially finished: The Murder Stone by Louise Penny and Never Look Away by Linwood Barclay (audiobook)
Finished: Under This Unbroken Sky by Shandi Mitchell, Storm Warning by Linda Sue Park (started prior to Read-a-Thon), and my nephew's book.
Total hours read: 7.5 hrs + 2 hr audiobook
Total pages read (not counting audiobooks): 474
Mini-challenges done: Hour 1 meme, Hour 2 Back-in-the-Day Children's Book Challenge, Hour 4 Indie Pride Challenge, Hour 11 Attempting Audiobooks Challenge, Hour 12 meme

Kate's stats:

Partially finished: The Borrowers by Mary Norton, Alexander the Great by Penny Worms
Finished: The Secret of Terror Castle by Robert Arthur, The Mystery of the Stuttering Parrot by Robert Arthur, Storm Warning by Linda Sue Park (started prior to Read-a-Thon), and her cousin's book.
Total hours read: 4.5 hrs + 1 hr audiobook
Total pages read (not counting audiobooks): 384

I read (or listened to audiobooks) a total of 9.5 hours this year, which was the exact same total as last year. However, I did (at least) an hour of cheerleading this time, so my overall participation increased. Kate didn't meet her goal of finishing her research reading, but I didn't really expect her to. (That's based on my own experience. How many times have I put aside the research/work reading for a good mystery?) Still, she managed 5.5 hours of reading (including audiobook time). Together, we read for 15 hours, so we'll be donating $30 to UNICEF.

Many thanks to the organizers of the event and mini-challenges, as well as to the cheerleaders and other readers who visiting my blog during the event! I'm looking forward to doing this again next year.

Dewey's Read-a-Thon: Update #4

2010-10-09T23:23:00.000-04:00

It's hour 16 now and it's bedtime for me. Kate went off to bed two hours ago. I finished Under This Unbroken Sky, and Kate finished her second book, The Secret of the Stuttering Parrot, another Three Investigators mystery. She ended the night by reading with her Dad a few pages from Saturday Evening Pearls (A Pearls Before Swine collection) by Stephan Pastis.

Kate and I had an hour left on an audiobook that we've been listening to together over the week, and we finished it off earlier in the afternoon. This was Storm Warning, the 9th book in the 39 Clues series, written by Linda Sue Park, and superbly narrated by David Pittu. We had commented on this in the Hour 11 Attempting Audiobook challenge.

Paulina's stats:

Currently reading: The Murder Stone by Louise Penny and Never Look Away by Linwood Barclay (audiobook)
Finished: Under This Unbroken Sky by Shandi Mitchell and Storm Warning by Linda Sue Park (started prior to Read-a-Thon)
Total hours read: 6.5 hrs + 2 hr audiobook
Total pages read (not counting audiobooks): 410
Mini-challenges done: Hour 1 meme, Hour 2 Back-in-the-Day Children's Book Challenge, Hour 4 Indie Pride Challenge, Hour 11 Attempting Audiobooks Challenge, Hour 12 meme

Kate's stats:

Finished: The Secret of Terror Castle by Robert Arthur, The Mystery of the Stuttering Parrot by Robert Arthur, Storm Warning by Linda Sue Park (started prior to Read-a-Thon)
Total hours read: 4.5 hrs + 1 hr audiobook
Total pages read (not counting audiobooks): 380

Dewey's Read-a-Thon: Update #3

2010-10-09T20:42:00.003-04:00

It's almost the end of hour 13, and I'll do the update by answering the questions for the hour 12 mid-event meme.

1. What are you reading right now?
I'm reading The Murder Stone by Louise Penny and Kate is reading The Mystery of the Stuttering Parrot (a Three Investigators mystery) by Robert Arthur.

2. How many books have you read so far?
I've almost finished my first but decided to take a break and move onto another one for a while. Kate has finished one. We both finished listening to an audiobook (39 Clues #9: Storm Warning by Linda Sue Park) that we had started before the read-a-thon.

3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon?
I'd been looking forward to reading the Louise Penny book (the fourth in the Inspector Gamache series) for a while now, so I hope I can get through a good part of it before I fall asleep. Kate's bedtime is coming up soon, so she won't be able to look forward to reading any more in the second half, but maybe she will squeeze in a bit more in the morning if she gets up early enough.

4. Did you have to make any special arrangements to free up your whole day?
I did as much housework as I could the night before, and I warned the rest of my family that Kate and I will be ignoring them and all other responsibilities for the day!

5. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those?
Compared to last year, when I had to rush to Montreal on the morning of the read-a-thon for a family emergency, today's interruptions were very minor ones.

6. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far?
The number of people participating is surprising and wonderful!

7. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?
It's terrific as it is.

8. What would you do differently, as a Reader or a Cheerleader, if you were to do this again next year?
I signed up for an hour of cheerleading but might consider doing more next year. It's great fun to visit all the blogs. It's also been great having Kate read along with me this year, and next year, I'll try to get more family members involved. (No one else is as addicted to reading as the two of us, though.)

9. Are you getting tired yet?
Yes, but I will try to persevere for another couple of hours. A glass of wine is making the experience more enjoyable but is not doing much to increase my energy level.

10. Do you have any tips for other Readers or Cheerleaders, something you think is working well.
Don't worry about pages read or books completed and just enjoy the hours of reading!

Dewey's Read-a-Thon: Update #2

2010-10-09T15:02:00.000-04:00

We're just starting hour 8 now.

As well as reading on my couch, I went for an hour-long run in beautiful weather, while listening to Never Look Away by Linwood Barclay on my iPod.

For the Hour 2 Back-in-the-Day Children's Book Challenge, I wrote that the Anne of Green Gables series and the Little House series were my favourite childhood books. Kate's favourite is the Percy Jackson series.

For the Hour 4 Indie Pride Challenge, I posted a photo of Lesley Crewe's novel, Her Mother's Daughter, published by Nimbus Publishing, based in Atlantic Canada. I'm about half-way through this novel and hope to read more of it later today.

Paulina's stats:

Currently reading: Under This Unbroken Sky by Shandi Mitchell and Never Look Away by Linwood Barclay (audiobook)
Total hours read: 3hrs + 1 hr audiobook
Total pages read: 175
Mini-challenges done: Hour 1 meme, Hour 2 Back-in-the-Day Children's Book Challenge, Hour 4 Indie Pride Challenge.

Kate's stats:

Currently reading: The Mystery of the Stuttering Parrot by Robert Arthur and The Borrowers by Mary Norton
Finished: The Secret of Terror Castle by Robert Arthur
Total hours read: 3
Total pages read: 260

Dewey's Read-a-Thon: Update #1

2010-10-09T08:50:00.004-04:00

I'll start off with the Hour 1 meme from the Read-a-Thon blog:

Where are you reading from today?
Kate and I are doing most of our reading on our comfy couches in our living room, in Ontario, Canada!

3 facts about me …
I knit ... a lot. I've also posted some free designs on Ravelry here.
I used to play Scrabble competitively.
I make lists compulsively.

... and 3 facts about Kate ...
She plays violin, piano and guitar.
Her favourite food is Nutella.
Her favourite colour is purple.

How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours?
Way too many. I have about 10 novels to choose from, though I expect to get through only a few of them. Kate has a stack of books for her research projects and another 5 or 6 fun books to choose from.

Do you have any goals for the read-a-thon (i.e. number of books, number of pages, number of hours, or number of comments on blogs)?
Last year, I managed 9.5 hours. I'll be happy if I can exceed that number this year. I also hope to visit all the blogs on my cheerleading list. Kate's goal is to finish her reading for her research projects.

Advice for those new to read-a-thons.
Alternate between heavy and light reading. Listen to audiobooks when your eyes get tired or when doing housework (though it is better to avoid housework altogether if you can).

Current progress:
I've read for an hour-and-a-half and I'm almost 100 pages into Under This Unbroken Sky. Kate has read for an hour. She is reading (and making notes on) Alexander the Great by Penny Worms and she has started The Borrowers.

Dewey's Read-a-Thon

2010-10-09T07:31:00.002-04:00

It's 8am EDT, and we're ready to start Dewey's 24-Hour Read-a-Thon! I'm planning to start with Shandi Mitchell's Under This Unbroken Sky and then move onto something lighter after an hour or two. Kate will be reading The Secret of Terror Castle (an old Three Investigators mystery) and books for her research project on Alexander the Great.

Dewey's Read-a-Thon

2010-10-05T20:54:00.004-04:00

It's time again for Dewey's Read-a-thon! On Saturday, October 9, Kate and I will attempt to read for as many hours as we can in the 24-hour period starting 8am EDT. We will donate a toonie to UNICEF for every hour that either of us reads.

My first attempt last year resulted in 9.5 hours of reading. Most of that was done on the train to Montreal and in the ICU visiting my Mom, who was seriously ill at the time. I am happy to report that she has now fully recovered and is in good health, so this time, I can read under more pleasant conditions.

I have a pile of mystery/thriller and YA books (always good for these intensive reading sessions) ready. Kate has had a very busy school year so far (that's why she's been rather quiet on this blog but she promises to write some reviews soon). She plans to kill two birds with one stone by reading books for an upcoming research project and for her classroom book-club.

If you have nothing to do on Saturday, or if whatever you need to do is less appealing than spending the entire day reading, then please join us! You can sign up as a reader and/or as a cheerleader. Cheerleading involves visiting other readers' blogs and leaving encouraging comments. It's a great way to discover new book blogs and get book recommendations.

City Lights Bookstore

2010-10-02T12:28:00.003-04:00

Todd and I were in San Francisco for a brief vacation, and I discovered the historic City Lights bookstore. City Lights is also a publisher and it was here that the Beat movement flourished. Among its publications are works by Allen Ginsberg, William S. Burroughs and Jack Kerouac.

The bookstore is in a building as unique as its history. Located at the edge of San Francisco's Chinatown, the building is triangular in shape and features a large Zapatista mural on one side. Inside, it has what I'd expect from a good independent bookstore: thoughtful staff recommendations, an eclectic mix of books on a variety of subjects and a feeling of being totally surrounded by many, many books. While it is refreshing to walk through a spacious and orderly Chapters or Borders store, there's nothing like going into a place where books are jammed into every square inch possible, and there's something interesting and perhaps unexpected to catch your eye every time you turn around.

I was tempted to pick up some beat poetry but I ended up getting a mystery novel by Arnaldur Indridason, set in Iceland. The latter is more my style, but I left the building with a greater appreciation of what this bookseller/publisher had contributed to American literature.

Word on the Street

2010-09-29T21:56:00.000-04:00

On Sunday, Kate and I attended Word on the Street in Kitchener. This festival occurs simultaneously in several other Canadian cities. The Kitchener festival is much smaller than some of the others, but there was a terrific line-up of authors, both for adult and children's literature.

I started the day volunteering at The Literacy Group's booth, where people who gave a donation of any amount could take away a bagful of books, chosen from the piles of used books we had scattered around the booth. There were some real gems there, including a dozen Dr. Who books that were snatched up fairly early in the day. We were located right across from the authors' tent, and I initially had some hope of hearing the readings from the booth, but we had so much traffic (a good thing, of course) that I didn't have a free moment the entire time.

Kate joined me in the afternoon and we went to hear Erin Bow (in the photo above) reading from her debut novel, Plain Kate. All the reviews of this book that I've seen so far have been very positive, and we were excited about getting a copy and having it signed by Erin. How cool would it have been to have a message addressed to Kate on a copy of Plain Kate, and from an author who had once studied particle physics! Alas, there were no more copies available for sale at the reading, so we'll have to pick up a copy from our local bookstore and track down Erin Bow another time.

I missed seeing Louise Penny because she was scheduled to read the same time as Erin Bow. I'm a big fan of her Inspector Armand Gamache series, and it seems that a great number of other people are fans too, as her tent was packed. I did catch the last five minutes of the Q&A session, and was amused to hear that she too was annoyed with the narrator's pronunciation of tuque as "toke" in the audiobook version of her books. I should add that this is the only complaint I had about the audiobooks. Ralph Cosham does a fine job otherwise.

There were several more authors I would have liked to see, including Claire Holden Rothman, author of The Heart Specialist, but we had to take off early because of another commitment for that afternoon. All in all, it was a good event and I look forward to going again next year.

Never Let Me Go

2010-09-23T21:35:00.005-04:00

Unlike the books Kate and I have reviewed so far for this blog, Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro is neither recently published nor written by a Canadian, but I had to say something about it, as it was part of my TIFF 2010 experience. I'd been meaning to read one of Ishiguro's works for a long time. After all, he is a Booker prize winner and several of his works are on Peter Boxall's 1001 list. In July, finally, I picked up Never Let Me Go in an Ithaca, NY used-book store, and after finishing it, I couldn't help regretting that I'd waited so long to discover this author's works. Never Let Me Go is well-known and has been thoroughly reviewed, so I won't say too much about it here, except that it was haunting and subtle, and the story stayed with me for a long time afterward.

When I bought the book, I had no clue that a movie was forthcoming. My older daughter, Julia, who keeps a closer eye on Hollywood than I do, was the one who informed me of this fact, and she mentioned that Keira Knightley was starring in it. Well, when I saw it on the TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival) schedule, I just had to go see it. It was one of the premium showings, which meant that it cost twice as much as the regular showings, but the whole TIFF experience, including the after-film Q&A (featuring, among others, director Mark Romanek and Ishiguro himself!) made it very worthwhile.

Usually, seeing a movie based on a book I loved is a huge disappointment, so my expectations were low, but I went away reasonably satisfied. Knightley as Ruth was good, but Carey Mulligan and Andrew Garfield, playing Kathy and Tommy, were fantastic. There were some minor disappointments: the pacing is different compared to the book, a few significant scenes were cut, and certain pieces of information were given to us upfront, rather than revealed slowly as in the novel. Still, the film is beautifully shot and really does capture the essence of the novel, which explores the innocence of childhood and the definition of humanity.

Here is a final book-related anecdote. In my last post, I talked about my new BookCrossing experiences. A few weeks before TIFF, I finished Ishiguro's Remains of the Day, and I decided that the showing of Never Let Me Go would be the perfect place to release it into the wild. I arrived at Ryerson Theatre half-an-hour before the start of the film, and the queue went most of the way around a city block. Figuring that someone in the queue would want to take the book home, I gave it to the person in front of me and asked her to either keep it or pass it along to the front. I have no idea where the book ended up but I hope it now has a new owner who enjoys it as much as I did.

How I (Re)Discovered BookCrossing

2010-08-26T21:42:00.000-04:00

Three years ago, Julia picked up a book on someone's doorstep as she was trick-or-treating on Halloween night. She showed me the book, All-of-a-Kind Family by Sydney Taylor, and the BookCrossing.com sticker that someone had pasted on it. I had good intentions of checking out this site but never got around to it. The book ended up somewhere in the black hole that we call Julia's room.

When summer break began, Julia decided to do a major clean-up of her room, and this book ended up on top of one of the many piles scattered throughout the hallway. Kate spotted it and insisted we look it up on the BookCrossing site. Well, I did just that and ended up joining as a member. I even shamefacedly admitted in my journal entry that we'd kept the book buried away for all those years. In the week that followed, Kate and I both read the book, a classic children's story about a Jewish family growing up in New York. Then we released it by passing it onto my sister-in-law Jill. It's now in Singapore, after some brief stops in Western Canada.

Since then, I've had loads of fun releasing books "in the wild". I've never liked hoarding books and I've regularly culled my shelves and given books away to friends, family members and charity shops. However, it's much more exciting leaving them in coffee shops, food courts, highway rest stops and other places, where anyone might find them. I've had two catches so far out of a dozen books released. That's not too bad, considering that only 10% of released books get follow-up journal entries. However, I'm sure many of the released books get read and passed around, even if the readers don't record the experience on-line. That, of course, is the point: to share books we love and spread the joy of reading!

Interview with Nan Forler

2010-07-24T19:38:00.005-04:00

Nan Forler has answered some questions about her book, Bird Child, and her life as an author.

Q: What inspired you to write this book? Did the story come from a personal experience?

A: I am often asked this question, but to be honest, Bird Child did not come from a particular incident. As a teacher, I see a great deal of bullying. I wanted to empower kids with the knowledge that we can each make a difference in the life of another. The idea of standing up for someone who needs you is a message that has always been close to my heart and this came across through my writing.

One day, I was driving home through the country, listening to Erik Satie, and the idea of flying beyond these difficulties came to me. I pulled over and jotted down my ideas and this was the beginning of Bird Child.

Q: Do you think you are more like Lainey or Eliza?

A: First of all, I must tell you that I love this question. No one has ever asked me this before!

I think growing up, I was probably more Lainey. I was quite shy and I am not sure I would have had the confidence to stand up and say stop. I remember both bullying others as a bystander within a group, and also being bullied. Bullying seemed to be an accepted part of growing up back then. I think we are finally seeing it for what it is: cruel anti-social behaviour that can destroy the life and self-esteem of another.

As an adult, I believe I have become an Eliza and I really focus on convincing others - my children, my students, or groups of students at a reading - to speak out when they see injustice. My husband and I have done some traveling in developing countries and this has made me painfully aware of the global injustices in the world. We really try to live our lives and raise our kids to be aware of injustices in our community and in our world and to do something about it. Craig and Marc Kielburger and Greg Mortensen have some great books for kids and adults on these topics. One of my favourites for parents is “The World Needs Your Kid” by Craig and Marc Kielburger.

Q: How did you come up with the message, "Look down and see what is. Now, look up and see what can be." Was this told to you by your own parents?

A: No, this message did not come to me from my parents, though my parents did instill in me a deep respect for all and a belief that everyone should be treated with equality and dignity. I think the message came from the idea of flight. I am big on description and after I described what Eliza was seeing from the air, both above her and below her, the line about looking upwards toward possibilities evolved.

Q: What do you suggest to people who are being bullied or watching someone get bullied?

A: I think the most important thing you can do is to not be silent. Talk with an adult about the bullying you are experiencing or the bullying you are witnessing. Speak with a parent or a teacher or anyone you trust. If that adult doesn’t seem to listen, or does nothing, tell another adult. Not only can an adult intervene to stop the situation, if necessary, but he or she can also give you the courage, support and guidance for you to stand up to the bully.

Speaking up and telling the bully to stop and challenging the bully to see the point of view of the person being bullied is also a brave and important step to stopping the bully. When we do nothing, we are giving the bully more and more power.

And finally, befriending the person who is being bullied, even standing close to that person, takes some power away from the bully and gives the person being bullied greater confidence and a needed sense of belonging.

I recently read an amazing quote by Martin Luther King Jr. that said, “It’s not the violence of the few that scares me. It’s the silence of the many.”

Q: Do you write full time? Or do you have another job?

A: In addition to being a writer, I am a mother and a teacher. I currently teach Kindergarten in Kitchener. Though it takes time away from my writing, teaching and being out in the world gives me much inspiration. I also get ideas from my own children and the things they say and do.

Q: What is the first thing that you think about when you sit down to write? How do you start a story?

A: I rarely start a story by sitting down and writing. I usually take little notes on the backs of napkins, scraps of paper, sticky notes. I notice something when I am out somewhere or think of an idea I want to explore. That idea keeps growing and changing in my mind and in notebooks long before I actually sit down to begin the story. With a picture book, I like to have the entire arc of the story in my mind before I begin. With a novel, I write little chapters and excerpts, not necessarily in order, until a story begins to form.

When I have the story ready in my mind, I like to read the very best books I can find, in the style I am trying to achieve. This seems to give me a rhythm for my writing and something great to strive for. Just as watching Sidney Crosby can improve your hockey game, reading great books can really improve your writing abilities!

Q: Are you working on any other books now?

A: I do have a couple of new books coming out. In Fall 2011, I have another picture book forthcoming with Tundra Books about an Old Order Mennonite girl. This is a subtle coming-of-age story told through a series of narrative poems. The poems go through each month of the year and describe little happenings in the life of Naomi, such as trying to ride her brother’s bike that she is forbidden to ride, attending her first quilting bee, and imagining a dress in a more “worldly” fabric. There is a recipe, using seasonal ingredients, to accompany each month.

I am especially excited about the illustrations for this story. Peter Etril Snyder is an amazing artist, specializing in artwork depicting Old Order Mennonites. He has come out of retirement for this commission. He is using my 9-year-old daughter as the model, as Old Order Mennonites cannot be photographed because of their faith. We take specific pictures and he sends us the sketches and paintings. It has been an exciting process.

I also have something coming out for the educational market this fall that will be in the form of a Big Book and CD for classroom use. Scholastic is actually setting my kid’s poem to music and I am looking forward to that!

After that, I will hand my editor some more of my work and see if something catches her eye. I have a number of picture book manuscripts completed and I have some partial novels on the go. As my children are getting older, I am spending the summer reading as many novels for young people as I can find, and I may see if this genre wears off on me a bit. A novel is a big commitment and I want to make sure I find a topic I can live with for an extended amount of time.

My mom and I would just like to say a big thanks to Nan Forler for answering all our questions!

Bird Child

2010-07-24T17:06:00.006-04:00

My kids are in their preteen/teen years now, so I haven't kept up with newer picture books. However, I kept running into author Nan Forler, who lives in my community, and decided to pick up Bird Child, published by Tundra Books.

The story is about Eliza, a girl who can "fly". Ever since she was a baby, her loving mother has been encouraging her to see all the possibilities in her life. One day, she sees children bullying the new girl at school, Lainey. Summoning her courage, Eliza shows how she can indeed "see what can be" and make things better in the world.

The writing is lovely and lyrical, and the story conveys a great message for kids. With the stunningly beautiful illustrations from Francois Thisdale, this book would make an excellent gift for a special child.

Coming soon: Kate's interview with author Nan Forler!

Reviewed by Paulina

Two by Marthe Jocelyn

2010-07-09T22:13:00.004-04:00

I had the good fortune to win recently two books by Canadian writer Marthe Jocelyn through LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program. Both novels are published by Tundra Books.

Folly was released just this spring, and it is a young-adult historical novel based in the late 1800's. The title refers to the folly of Mary, a young woman working as a servant in a London household. Through Mary's eyes and those of three other characters, we see how the consequences of her actions are played out.

This is a well-written, easy-to-read and engaging story that shows the brutal reality of life for the very poor in Victorian London. The paths of the characters intertwine and slowly work toward a satisfactory, if perhaps somewhat predictable, ending.

Would You?, published a year earlier, is also written for teens. It is set in contemporary times and it is an honest account of how a teenager deals with the days following an accident which sends her older sister into a coma. It is a short, intense novel, in which the ordeal is seen through the eyes of the narrator, Claire.

One aspect of the novel I particularly liked is how Jocelyn contrasts the unthinkable with the mundane. This is not so much a novel that one enjoys but rather experiences, and I found at times, it was hard to put down. Would You? is a fast, easy read in simple language suitable for a reluctant teen reader.

After reading both books, I am most impressed by Jocelyn's range. If there's one thing that Jocelyn does particularly well, it's that she gives characters believable voices, whatever the setting may be. On a personal note, I was pleasantly surprised to find out from the bio on Jocelyn's Web site that she spends her summers in Stratford, Ontario, a town I visit regularly to attend the Shakespeare festival. It's always nice to find talent just around the corner.

Reviewed by Paulina.

Horrible Histories: Amazing Aztecs

2010-06-19T12:58:00.001-04:00

By Terry Deary Illustrated by Martin Brown

Horrible Histories: Amazing Aztecs or Horrible Histories: Angry Aztecs is another phenomenal book chock full of trivia facts and witty jokes in the Horrible Histories series. Just like other Horrible Histories books, there are tons of quizzes and lots of facts to stump your teacher. Some other books in the series I have read are: Horrible Histories: Awesome Egyptians, Horrible Histories: Rotten Romans, Horrible Histories: Measly Middle Ages, Horrible Histories: Frightful First World War, Horrible Histories Handbooks: Trenches, Horrible Histories Handbooks: Knights and one of my favourites: Horrible Histories: Rotten Rulers. I can't wait for the next one to come out!

I would recommend this book to both history lovers and non-history lovers, since it makes history sound exciting instead of boring. This book tells you facts that your teachers might not tell you (plus a lot of ways to kidnap teachers). Personally, I think this book is called Horrible Histories because it tells you all the gory details of history.

Reviewed by Kate

Everything Asian

2010-06-17T16:50:00.001-04:00

Sung J. Woo's first book, Everything Asian, is about a 12-year-old Korean boy, David (Dae Joon) Kim, who settles in New Jersey with his mother and older sister. They are reunited with David's father, who had left Korea five years earlier. Much of the story takes place in the mall where the family's shop is located. Here, David encounters and interacts with the other shopkeepers, some of whom are immigrants like himself. He has to learn how to survive in this new, strange land and at the same time, deal with his parents' struggle to live as a family again.

The book is basically a series of vignettes from David's childhood and reads more like a set of short stories featuring the same characters than a full-length novel. There are a few characters who are featured prominently in a chapter or two and then they disappear for the remainder of the book. As a result, I felt at the end that there were threads left hanging. I expect that the author could develop at least one of the subplots into a full novel of its own.

Unlike many novels about the Asian immigrant experience that I've read, this one isn't filled with sorrow and tragedy. Certainly, there are poignant moments and heavy topics (separation, betrayal, loss), but for the most part, this is a light-hearted, nostalgic look at how a child learns to adapt to living in his new country. Having spent much of my own childhood in my parents' Chinese restaurant (also in a suburban strip mall), this novel seemed comfortingly familiar.

When I first picked up this book, I had thought it was meant for younger readers, as the main character is a 12-year-old boy. However, there is some mature content, so I'd recommend this novel to older teen and adult readers.

Reviewed by Paulina

Mother-Daughter Book Club: Year One

2010-06-10T18:46:00.001-04:00

Year One of our Mother-Daughter book club is over and we've had a fun time. Here are some things about our book club.

Books:

-Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin
-I Want To Go Home! by Gordan Korman
-Alone On A Wide, Wide Sea by Michael Morpurgo
-The Emerald Wand of Oz by Sherwood Smith
-The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchet
-The Hidden Staircase by Carolyn Keene

Number of Members: 13

Books Read: 6

Families: 6

Brownies Eaten By Kate: too many to count!

Books Enjoyed: 6

If you have read any of the books chosen above, feel free to add your thoughts!

The Spider Bites

2010-06-10T17:27:00.003-04:00

The Spider Bites by Medora Sale is from a new series of books called Rapid Reads. Part of the Raven Books line from Orca, this series is intended for adult literacy students and reluctant teen readers. In The Spider Bites, ex-cop Rick Montoya returns to his former home, only to discover that it has burnt down and contains a corpse inside. As he works to unravel the mystery, he encounters friends and foes from his past.

This book is a great choice for the intended audience. The reading level is at a preteen's or teen's level, but the characters and content are more appealing to adults. Because the novel is so short, there is not much room for character development. However, I can see this evolving into a successful series in which a few main characters continue to grow. This novel follows the style of a traditional mystery, with a small cast of characters, a suspenseful plot and a satisfactory conclusion in which all is revealed.

On the publisher's Web site, it is suggested that Rapid Reads would also appeal to people simply looking for a fast read. I suspect that this particular novel would not be complex or detailed enough to satisfy those who normally enjoy regular-length mystery novels, but it is possible other books in the series will have wider appeal. Most reading series for adult learners offer condensed versions of well-known books or are written by authors who primarily write this kind of graded reader. The Rapid Reads series differs in that the books are written by well-established Canadian writers. Medora Sale, for example, has published crime fiction as Caroline Roe.

I would definitely recommend The Spider Bites to adult learners who would enjoy a contemporary mystery, and I look forward to seeing more titles in this new series.

48-Hour Book Challenge: The Finish Line

2010-06-06T17:07:00.004-04:00

My final numbers:
Hours spent on the challenge: 22 (17 reading, 3 audiobook, 2 blogging)
Books finished: 4
Pages read: 1226
Donation: $44 to the Literacy Group of Waterloo Region

Kate's final numbers:
Hours spent on the challenge: 11 (10 reading, 1 blogging)
Books finished: 2
Pages read: 748
Donation: $27.50 to the Central Asia Institute

Paulina's list of finished books:
- Come, Thou Tortoise by Jessica Grant
- Say What? The Weird and Mysterious Journey of the English Language by Gena K. Gorrell
- Wondrous Strange by Lesley Livingston
- Everything Asian by Sung J. Woo

Kate's list of finished books:
- The Kane Chronicles: The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan
- No Small Thing by Natale Ghent

The 48-hour-challenge is over, and it was even more fun this year, with Kate joining me. She quit a couple of hours ago to join her friends for band practice, but I read up to the very end, finishing Everything Asian (to be reviewed later) in the last minutes before my 5pm deadline. I'd originally planned to donate $1 for every hour that Kate or I have read but will increase this to $2 per hour. Kate offered 50 cents from her allowance money for each hour she has read.

Many thanks to MotherReader for hosting this terrific annual challenge!

48-Hour Reading Challenge: Update 5#

2010-06-06T13:27:00.009-04:00

Hi! Kate here again. Unfortunately, we've run out of pie, but luckily, we have brownies.

Here's the latest update.

My update:
Hours of reading: 9.5
Books finished: 2
Books in progress: 2

Paulina's (Mom's) update:
Hours of reading: 14.5
Hours of listening to audiobooks: 2.5
Books finished: 3
Books in progress: 2

Paulina's list of finished books:
- Come, Thou Tortoise by Jessica Grant
- Say What? The Weird and Mysterious Journey of the English Language by Gena K. Gorrell
- Wondrous Strange by Lesley Livingston

Kate's list of finished books:
- The Kane Chronicles: The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan
- No Small Thing by Natale Ghent

Mom has started another book called Everything Asian. She continues to listen to Wolf Hall on her iPod.

I have started on the sequel to No Small Thing by Natale Ghent, All the Way Home. We had our Mother-Daughter book club earlier this morning, so I wasn't able to read much. I'll give more details later. I'm also reading an Abby Hayes book in french for school.

No Small Thing is a moving book about Nat, Cid and Queenie- three siblings. Their father had left them and their mother four years ago, and their mother was struggling to pay for hydro, electricity, food, etc. One day, they find an ad in the newspaper offering them a free horse, and they jump to the chance. Luckily, their mom lets them keep it, but, a few months later, the barn catches on fire.

I thought the year the book was set in, 1977, was an unusual choice for a kid's book. Parents of kids reading this book would have likely been kids then, and my dad already tells me enough "Back in the old days...." stories.

However, the book turned out to be better than I expected. It was not one of those My Little Pony books for younger kids. It even had a bit of romance. It also surprised me that the kids stole a lot, but I guess when your mom can't even pay hydro, you might feel tempted. This book overall was great. I recommend this book for ages 10+.

48-Hour Book Challenge: Update #4

2010-06-05T22:06:00.003-04:00

My update:
Hours of reading: 11.5
Hours of listening to audiobooks: 2.5
Books finished: 3
Books in progress: 2

Kate's update:
Hours of reading: 9
Books finished: 1
Books in progress: 1

Paulina's list of finished books:
- Come, Thou Tortoise by Jessica Grant
- Say What? The Weird and Mysterious Journey of the English Language by Gena K. Gorrell
- Wondrous Strange by Lesley Livingston

Kate's list of finished books:
- The Kane Chronicles: The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan

Eyes are starting to get a bit sore now, but I'm still persevering. Kate went to bed an hour ago, but managed another hour-and-a-half of reading. She is near the end of Natale Ghent's No Small Thing now. Needing some instant gratification after Come, Thou Tortoise, I've turned to young-adult books and include below a couple of short reviews.

Fantasy set in the world of Faeries is not really my thing, but I decided to try Lesley Livingston's Wondrous Strange for several reasons. She is a Canadian author that had been recommended to me, the Shakespeare element seemed appealing and the book cover really is gorgeous. (Shallow, I know, but it does have an effect.) The novel is about how 17-year-old Kelley Winslow, understudy for the part of Titania in Midsummer Night's Dream, gets caught in the intrigues and battles of the Otherworld. The story, which is sprinkled with characters, lines from and references to Shakespeare's works, has some predictable moments and limited character development, but it will probably appeal to fantasy fans.

Say What? The Weird and Mysterious Journey of the English Language by Gena K. Gorrell is a non-fiction book that traces the history of English. It presents fun and fascinating facts about the origins of the language and shows many examples of how it has borrowed and adapted from other languages. In addition to describing the history, the book also describes a number of common errors in usage that people make today, and it includes several entertaining quizzes testing your understanding of a word's origins. I would recommend this book for ages 12 and up.

48-Hour Book Challenge: Update 3#

2010-06-05T16:05:00.009-04:00

Hi! Kate here. I've been so absorbed in my book that I haven't been able to make a post until now.

My update:
Hours of reading: 7.5
Books finished: 1
Books in progress: 1

Paulina's (Mom's) update:
Hours of reading: 8
Hours of listening to audiobooks: 2
Books finished: 1
Books in progress: 2

Paulina's list of finished books:
- Come, Thou Tortoise by Jessica Grant

Kate's list of finished books:
- The Kane Chronicles: The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan

Paulina is half-way through Wondrous Strange but also started reading another book, Say What? by Gena K. Gorrell, a non-fiction book about the history of the English language.

I've finally finished The Red Pyramid after 7 hours! Right now, I'm in the midst of reading No Small Thing by Natale Ghent. My mom and I have been celebrating with apple crumble pie. Can't wait until next pie break!

The Red Pyramid is the first book in the series The Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan- author of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. Personally, I liked the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series more, because I love Greek mythology. But for those who are interested in Egypt mythology, this is the book for you.

The Red Pyramid is about two children, Carter and Sadie, who are on a mission to save the world and get back their father from the Egyptian God of Evil- Set. Carter, the oldest, has been traveling the world with his father- an egyptologist, while Sadie has been living with her grandparents in England. Their mother died when they were young and their father lost the court battle to keep Sadie, so the Carter and Sadie were separated. When their father brings then to the British Museum, he releases 5 major Egyptian gods and gets captured by Set. Carter and Sadie have to now release their father and prevent Set from taking over the world.

I found Rick Riordan didn't explain Egypt's mythology as well as in The Lightening Thief; therefore the book was a bit difficult to keep up with. I do believe that Rick Riordan did keep up the same suspense as his previous books. He also did a good job on the British words (for example, crisps instead of chips and lorry instead of truck). Overall, this is a wonderful book.

48-Hour Book Challenge: Update #2

2010-06-05T14:15:00.000-04:00

My update:
Hours of reading: 7
Hours of listening to audiobooks: 2
Books finished: 1
Books in progress: 1

Kate's update:
Hours of reading: 6
Books finished: 0
Books in progress: 1

I've finished my first book, Jessica Grant's Come, Thou Tortoise. I had to take care of a few chores this morning, including the Saturday morning run to our local bagel bakery. I did mange to get in another 3.5 hours so far today, and I continued listening to Wolf Hall on audiobook while going for a run.

Kate took a break to practice with her string trio, but got another 3 hours of reading done. She is nearing the end of The Red Pyramid.

Here is a brief review of Come, Thou Tortoise.
This is an offbeat, witty novel about a young woman who is dealing with the loss of her father. Through her recollections, we learn about her relationships with her father, uncle, ex-boyfriend and pet tortoise (who herself provides part of the narrative). This was a fun read but seemed to drag in places, and I occasionally lamented the total absence of question marks (reminiscent of Booker winner, The True History of the Kelly Gang, which had no commas). This novel, set partly in St. John's, Newfoundland, has done well in Canada and is on the Ontario Library Association's 2010 Evergreen list.

48-Hour Book Challenge: Update #1

2010-06-04T23:06:00.000-04:00

My update:
Hours of reading: 3.5
Hours of listening to audiobooks: 1
Books finished: 0
Books in progress: 2

Kate's update:
Hours of reading: 3
Books finished: 0
Books in progress: 1

It's been a good evening. Kate got through half of The Red Pyramid. I am more than halfway through Come, Thou Tortoise, and I also took a break from it to read a bit from Lesley Livingston's Wondrous Strange. I listened to Wolf Hall on audiobook while doing the evening chores.

48-Hour Book Challenge: The Starting Line

2010-06-04T17:00:00.001-04:00

It's 5pm EDT, and our 48-hour book challenge is underway! Kate is starting with Rick Riordan's The Red Pyramid, and I have Jessica Grant's Come, Thou Tortoise in my hands. We intend to ignore homework, housework, computer and telephone for the next few hours.

2010-05-31T16:04:00.003-04:00

Kate and I will be participating in MotherReader's 48-Hour Book Challenge on June 4-6. The goal is to read as much as possible over a 48-hour period. Related activities include writing reviews on one's blog and visiting other participants' blogs to read their reviews.

I had so much fun doing this last year that I'll be joining again. Last time, I read for 16 hours and finished 4 books, and I hope to increase those numbers this year. Kate will be an "unofficial" participant, so her hours won't count for prizes, etc., but she still hopes to finish a good number of books!

For every hour I read/review/blog, I'm going to donate a dollar to The Literacy Group of Waterloo Region, an organization that provides adult literacy training. For every hour Kate reads, I will donate a dollar to her pick, The Central Asia Institute, which she describes in her review of Three Cups of Tea: The Young Reader's Edition.

Please consider joining us for this fun event or donating to these two very worthwhile charities!

Three Cups of Tea: The Young Reader's Edition

2010-05-30T13:14:00.002-04:00

by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. Adapted by Sarah Thomson. Foreword by Jane Goodall. Includes interview with Amira Mortenson

Three Cups of Tea: Young Reader's Edition was our selection for our Parent-Child Book Club. The man who this book is about, Greg Mortenson, won the Sitara-e-Pakistan award from Pakistan and was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. Three Cups of Tea has won several awards. You can visit his websites: Three Cups of Tea, The Central Asia Institute, and P ennies for Peace.

Three Cups of Tea is about Greg Mortenson's mission to build schools and give education to poor children, especially girls, in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Greg was climbing K2 to put his sister's amber necklace at the top of the mountain. Christa, his sister, had died of seizure on her twenty-third birthday in 1992. In attempt to climb the mountain, he got lost and drifted into a small village, Korphe. He met the people of Korphe and he promised to build a school. Fortunately, a mountain climber and scientist, Jean Hoerni, gave him a check for twelve thousand dollars, enough to build his school. When he went to Korphe again, he had to first build a bridge, but luckily, on December 10th 1996, the Korphe School was finished. After that, he kept on building more schools. Now, Greg Mortenson is the director of the Central Asia Institute and is still building more schools.

This book was a fantastic read and I am sure that everyone will enjoy this book- adults or kids. But, I felt that at the start, the speed of events went very slowly, as it was written with phrases that explained very little action that happened. About halfway through the book, the speed changed. Another point is that most of the characters introduced into the book were very hard to keep up with. Some of them were mentioned at the start and then not mentioned until the very end. However, Greg Mortenson is a fabulous character and I know that everyone will enjoy reading about his adventure.

Reviewed by Kate

Word Nerd

2010-05-29T14:18:00.003-04:00

Being a huge Scrabble fan, I have to use, for my first blog review, one of my favourite young-adult books of this past year. Word Nerd by Susin Nielson is published by Tundra Books and, just a couple of weeks ago, it won the Ontario Library Association's 2010 Red Maple award.

Word Nerd is a wonderful book about 7th-grader Ambrose who, friendless and bullied, lives a lonely life with his over-protective mother until he meets an ex-convict neighbour and discovers the world of competitive Scrabble.

Nielsen describes the same competitive Scrabble subculture that Stefan Fatsis portrays so brilliantly in Word Freak (mentioned in Nielsen's acknowledgments) but from a teenager's perspective. Having been a tournament Scrabble player myself, I can confirm that Nielsen gets it right. She succeeds in describing the eclectic mix of personalities that get drawn in by this game and conveying the reasons why it's so easy to become obsessed by it. However, the book is about so much more than Scrabble. It's about gaining your independence, casting aside your prejudices and finding the place where you really belong.

There are a few mild and humorous references to Ambrose's emerging sexuality, so even though some booksellers include this book in the 9-12 age category, parents of younger children may want to wait a bit before introducing this book. It is certainly an appropriate and easy read for middle-school children.

Reviewed by Paulina

Welcome to Our Blog!

2010-05-29T13:46:00.000-04:00

Welcome to our new blog! We're looking forward to sharing our book reviews with you. We read all kinds of books and our reviews will probably cover a variety of genres and authors, but in particular, we hope to introduce you to some of our favourite Canadian and young-adult books. We are big fans of the Ontario Library Association's Forest of Reading programs. In the past few months, Kate has read all the Silver Birch fiction and non-fiction nominees for 2010, and currently, Paulina is working through the adult Evergreen list. We hope to write reviews for some of these and other books we come across.