What I've Been Reading: March and April 2008

Things have been crazy this year. I have been teaching an undergraduate class, taking a graduate class, teaching fourth graders all day, and my parents have been visiting from overseas. I have had very little time to read voraciously, like I normally do. I have been reading for my classes, with little time or energy to read for other things. But the nice thing is I can see the end of the horizon. By next week, almost everything will be done. Whew! Then I can gear up for the summer class I’m taking and the one I’m teaching. But hopefully, I’ll have more time for pleasure reading.

March

Picture books
Doctor Ted by Andrea Beaty, illustrated by Pascal Lemaitre (my review here)
The Other Side by Jacqueline Woodson

Middle Grade
Steal Away Home by Lois Ruby
The Willoughbys by Lois Lowry
The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron

Young Adult
The Game of Sunken Places by M.T. Anderson
A Pack of Lies by Geraldine MacCaughrean
The Boy Who Dared by Susan Campbell Bartoletti (my review here)
The Princess Bride by William Goldman
The Last Book in the Universe by Rodman Philbrick

Rereads
Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko
Hitler Youth by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse

April

Picture books
City Lullaby by Marilyn Singer
Nettie’s Trip South by Ann Turner
Stand Tall, Abe Lincoln by Judith St. George
The Secret of the Great Houdini by Robert Burleigh, illustrated by Leonid Gore
Cinderella’s Rat by Susan Meddaugh
Nothing Ever Happens on My Block by Ellen Raskin
Jazz Baby by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Laura Freeman
So Few of Me by Peter H. Reynolds
The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds
The Butterfly by Patricia Polacco
Dolley Madison Saves George Washington by Don Brown (my review here)
Young Jim Thorpe: Bright Path by Don Brown
Red Butterfly: How a Princess Smuggled the Secret of Silk Out of China by Deborah Noyes, illustrated by Sophie Blackall (my review here)



Poetry
Family Reunion by Mary Quattlebaum
Boshblobberbosh: Runcible Poems for Edward Lear by J. Patrick Lewis
Jesse Owens: Fastest Man Alive by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Eric Velasquez (my review here)
Mother Goose’s Little Treasures collected by Iona Opie, illustrated by Rosemary Wells (my review here)

Nonfiction
Miracle: The True Story of the Wreck of the Sea Venture by Gail Langer Karwoski
Ox, House, Stick: The History of Our Alphabet by Don Robb, illustrated by Anne Smith
What Do You Do When Something Wants to Eat You? By Steve Jenkins (my review here)
Vulture View by April Pulley Sayre, illustrated by Steve Jenkins

Young Adult
Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie

Adult
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
Made from Scratch: A Memoir by Sandra Lee
Salem Falls by Jodi Picoult

What I've Been Reading: February 2008

Picture Books
Walt Disney’s Cinderella retold by Cynthia Rylant, illustrated by Mary Blair (my review here)
The Tale of Pale Male: A True Story by Jeanette Winter
Emily by Michael Bedard, illustrated by Barbara Cooney
Sootface: An Ojibawa Cinderella Story retold by Robert D. San Souci, illustrated by Daniel San Souci
Bear Hunt by Anthony Browne
Pumpkinhead by Eric Rohmann
Edna by Robert Burleigh, illustrated by Joanna Yardley
How Tom Beat Captain Najork and his Hired Sportsman by Russell Hoban, illustrated by Quentin Blake
The Little Worm by Janet and Allan Ahlberg
One Thousand Tracings: Healing the Wounds of World War II by Lita Judge
Eleanor by Barbara Cooney
Would You Rather by John Burningham
Black and White by David Macauley
Shortcut by David Macauley
In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak
Babar’s Museum of Art by Laurent de Brunhoff
Voices in the Park by Anthony Browne
Mysteries of Harris Burdick by Chris Van Allsburg

Early Chapter Books
Summer Reading is Killing Me by Jon Scieszcka
Piper Reed, Navy Brat by Kimberly Willis Holt (my review here)

Middle Grade
Feathers by Jacqueline Woodson (my review here)
The Quikpick Adventure Society by Sam Riddleburger (my review here)
The Hoboken Chicken Emergency by Daniel Pinkwater
Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren, translated by Tiina Nunnally, illustrated by Lauren Child
Seeing Sky-Blue Pink by Candice Ransom
Cicada Summer by Andrea Beaty (review forthcoming)
Letters from Rapunzel by Sara Lewis Holmes

Young Adult
New Moon by Stephanie Meyer
Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer
Houdini: The Handcuff King by Jason Lutes and Nick Bertozzi (graphic novel)

Nonfiction
We are the Ship by Kadir Nelson (my review here)
Walt Whitman: Words for America by Barbara Kerley, illustrated by Brian Selznick (my review here)
Living Color by Steve Jenkins (my review here)
Stealing Home: Jackie Robinson Against the Odds by Robert Burleigh, illustrated by Mike Wimmer
The Laugh Stand: Adventures in Humor by Brian Cleary (my review here)
Lazily, Crazily, Just a Bit Nasily: More About Adverbs by Brian Cleary (my review here)
Stop and Go, Yes and No: What is an Antonym by Brian Cleary (my review here)
The Wall: Growing up Behind the Iron Curtain by Peter Sis
Tibet through the Red Box by Peter Sis
Black Whiteness by Robert Burleigh

Poetry
Birmingham, 1963 by Carole Boston Weatherford (review forthcoming)
Your Own, Sylvia: A Verse Portrait by Stephanie Hemphill (my review here)
Here’s a Little Poem edited by Jane Yolen and Andrew Fusek, illustrated by Polly Dunbar

Adult
The Annotated Secret Garden edited by Gretchen Holbrook Gerzina


Rereads
The Giver by Lois Lowry
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
Stinky Cheeseman and Other Fairly Stupid Tales by Jon Scieszcka
Haunting in Williamsburg by Lou Kassem

What I've Been Reading--January 2008

It's been a great month of reading. I think I may have set an all-time record for number of books checked out of the library. Everytime I walk in people watch me with eyes bugged out and mouths dropping. I'm sure it will slow down in February though. I'm taking a graduate class in postmodernism in children's literature for my MFA and I'm teaching an undergraduate children's literature class. So most of my reading will be focusing on those two classes from now until May. I'm hoping I'll still get to post, but perhaps not as frequently.

Projects in the works:
As you can see by my lengthy picture book list, I have been overdosing on picture books. I am currently working on some illustrator series to feature an illustrator's work with a book a day. I've got several I'm working on and there will be more to come soon. Also, I'm working on an annotated list of folktale and tall tale retellings. I know there are thousands of books, but I'm reading what I can get my hands on and writing short summaries on each.

Picture Books
The Kiss that Missed by David Melling
Move by Steven Jenkins and Robin Page (my review here)
Meerkat Mail by Emily Gravett (illustrator series forthcoming)
Rainstorm by Barbara Lehman (my review here)
Punk Farm on Tour by Jarrett Krosoczka
The Princess and the Pea written and illustrated by Lauren Child (my review here)
Dog Blue by Polly Dunbar (illustrator series forthcoming)
Not Just Tutus by Rachel Isadora
Very Hairy Bear by Alice Schertle, illustrated by Matt Phelan
Lili at Ballet by Rachel Isadora
On Your Toes: A Ballet ABC by Rachel Isadora
Cowboy Ned and Andy by David Ezra Stein
How to Catch a Star by Oliver Jeffers (illustrator series forthcoming)
Library Mouse by Daniel Kirk
He's Got the Whole World in His Hands illustrated by Kadir Nelson
Edwina: The Dinosaur Who Didn't Know She Was Extinct by Mo Willems
Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers (illustrator series forthcoming)
Do Not Open this Book by Michaela Munteam, illustrated by Pascal Lamaitre
Billy's Bucket by Kes Gray and Gary Parsons
Flyaway Katie by Polly Dunbar (illustrator series forthcoming)
Sunshine by Jan Ormerod
The Secret in the Dungeon by Fernando Krahn
The Red Book by Barbara Lehman (my review here)
Museum Trip by Barbara Lehman (my review here)
Anno's Journey by Mitsumasa Anno
First Snow by Emily Arnold McCully
Imagine a Day by Sarah Thomsen, illustrated by Ron Gonsalves
Time Flies by Eric Rohmann (illustrator series forthcoming)
The Cinder-Eyed Cats by Eric Rohmann (illustrator series forthcoming)
Clara and Asha by Eric Rohmann (illustrator series forthcoming)
My Book Box by Will Hillenbrand
Jitterbug Jam by Barbara Jean Hicks and Alexis Deacon
Dear Fish by Chris Gall (my review here)
Heat Wave by Eileen Spinelli (my review here)
Workshop by Andrew Clements (my review here)
The Princess and the Pea by Rachel Isadora (my review here)
The Dumpster Diver by Janet Wong
Strong Man: The Story of Charles Atlas by Megan McCarthy
Jack and the Beanstalk by Steven Kellogg
Rumplestiltskin by Paul O. Zelinsky
The Talking Eggs by Robert D. San Souci, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney
Smoky Mountain Rose: An Appalachian Cinderella by Alan Schroeder, illustrated by Brad Sneed
John Henry by Julius Lester, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney
Once I Ate a Pie by Patricia Maclachlan and Emily Maclachlan Charest, illustrated by Katy Schneider
The Ugly Duckling by Jerry Pinkney
Mike Fink by Steven Kellogg
Cendrillon: A Caribbean Cinderella by Robert D. San Souci, illustrated by Brian Pinkney
The Jack Tales by Ray Hicks, as told to Lynn Salsi, illustrated by Owen Smith
The House in the Sky by Robert D. San Souci, illustrated by Will Clay
Brave Margaret: An Irish Adventure by Robert D. San Souci, illustrated by Sally Wren Comport
The Hired Hand by Robert D. San Souci, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney
Tree Ring Circus by Adam Rex (illustrator series forthcoming)
Walter was Worried by Laura Vaccarro Seeger (illustrator series forthcoming)
Jack and the Beanstalk retold by Ann Keay Benduce, illustrated by Gennady Spirin
Beauty and the Beasty retold and illustrated by Jan Brett
Paul Bunyan by Steven Kellogg
Town Mouse, Country Mouse by Jan Brett
I Was Born 10,000 Years Ago by Steven Kellogg
The Mitten adapted and illustrated by Jan Brett
Sally Ann Thunder Ann Whirlwind Crockett by Steven Kellogg
The Three Little Pigs by Steven Kellogg
Adelita: A Mexican Cinderella by Tomie dePaola
The Frog Prince Continued by Jon Scieszka, illustrated by Steven Johnson
The Book that Jack Wrote by Jon Scieszka, illustrated by Daniel Adel
Johnny Appleseed by Steven Kellogg
I Miss You Everyday by Simms Taback
Sleepover Larry by Daniel Pinkwater, illustrated by Jill Pinkwater
No Laughing, No Smiling, No Giggling by James Stevenson
City Hawk: The Story of Pale Male by Meghan McCarthy
The All-I'll-Ever-Want-For Christmas Doll by Patricia McKissack, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney
Hewitt Anderson's Great Big Life by Jeradine Nolen, illustrated by Kadir Nelson
Straight to the Pole by Kevin O'Malley
Buzzy's Balloon by Harriett Ziefert, illustrated by Emily Bolam
Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr., illustrated by Eric Carle
Ellington Was Not a Street by Ntozake Shange, illustrated by Kadir Nelson
Two Bad Ants by Chris Van Allsburg
The Very Smart Pea and the Princess to Be by Mini Grey (my review here)
Chicken Sunday by Patricia Polacco
The Cowboy and the Black-Eyed Pea by Tony Johnston, illustrated by Warren Ludwig (my review here)
The Chicken Chasing Queen of Lamar County by Janice N. Harrington, illustrated by Shelley Jackson (my review here)



Middle Grade
(I swear I'm going to start reviewing more middle grade. There are so many I love).
Me and the Pumpkin Queen by Marlane Kennedy (my review here)
How to Steal a Dog by Barbara O'Connor
Miss Spitfire by Sarah Miller
Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village by Laura Amy Schlitz
The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex (my review here)
The Princess Test by Gail Carson Levine (my review here)
The Entertainer and the Dybbuk by Sid Fleischman



Young Adult
A Swift Pure Cry by Siobhan Dowd
Taken by Edward Bloor
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne
My Mother the Cheerleader by Robert Sharenow (my review here)
Click by Linda Sue Park, and many others
Things Not Seen by Andrew Clements

Poetry
Big Talk: Poems for Four Voices by Paul Fleischman, illustrated by Beppe Giacobbe
Peacock and other Poems by Valerie Worth, illustrated by Natalie Babbitt (my Poetry Friday entry here)
How Beastly! A Menagerie of Nonsense Poems by Jane Yolen, illustrated by James Marshall (my Poetry Friday entry here)


Nonfiction
The Perfect Wizard: Hans Christian Andersen by Jane Yolen (my review here)
Lightship by Brian Floca

Audio
The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing by M.T. Anderson

My Favorite Books of 2007

I had lots of favorite books of 2007. Here are just some of my very, very favorites. If they have links, they are linked to my reviews.

Picture Books

Mama’s Saris by Pooja Makhijani, illustrated by Elena Gomez
I’m the Biggest Thing in the Ocean by Kevin Sherry
Chester by Melanie Watt
Penguin by Polly Dunbar
Orange Pear Apple Bear by Emily Gravett
Leaves by David Ezra Stein
Psst! By Adam Rex
The Incredible Book Eating Boy written and illustrated by Oliver Jeffers
Four Feet, Two Sandals by Karen Williams and Khadra Mohammed, illustrated by Doug Chayka
Go to Bed Monster by Natasha Wing, illustrated by Sylvie Kantorovitz
Scribble by Deborah Freedman
Glass Slipper, Gold Sandal: A Worldwide Cinderella by Paul Fleischman, illustrated by Julie Paschkis
Henry's Freedom Box by Ellen Levine, illustrated by Kadir Nelson

Middle Grade

Edward’s Eyes by Patricia MacLachlan
No Talking by Andrew Clements
Iron Thunder by Avi
Aurora County All Stars by Deborah Wiles
The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
Lawn Boy by Gary Paulsen
Middle School is Worse than Meatloaf by Jennifer L. Holm
Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Stuart Little by Peggy Gifford
Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis

YA

Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult
Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt

Poetry

Jabberwocky reimagined and illustrated by Christopher Myers
Dogku by Andrew Clements, illustrated by Tim Bowers
Today and Today haiku by Issa, illustrated by G. Brian Karas
Hey You! Poems to Skyscrapers, Mosquitoes, and Other Fun Things by Paul B. Janeczko, illustrated by Robert Rayevsky
This is Just to Say: Poems of Apology and Forgiveness by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Pam Zagarenski

What I’ve Been Reading: December 07

Picture Books
I have been reading and rereading lots of Cybils titles. The shortlist for the fiction picture book category will be announced tomorrow, January 1, 2008.

Other Picture Books:
Patience Wright: America’s First Sculptor and Revolutionary Spy by Pegi Deitz Shea, illustrated by Bethanne Andersen
Jabberwocky reimagined and illustrated by Christopher Myers (my review here)
Pezzetino by Leo Lionni
Water Dance by Thomas Locker
Nothing but Trouble: The Story of Althea Gibson by Sue Stauffacher, illustrated by Greg Couch
Sweet Land of Liberty by Deborah Hopkinson, illustrated by Leonard Jenkins
The Red Thread: An Adoption Fairy Tale by Grace Lin
Cowboy and Octopus by Jon Scieszkca, illustrated by Lane Smith

Middle Grade
Red Moon at Sharpsburg by Rosemary Wells
How to Write Your Life Story by Ralph Fletcher (my review here)
Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff (a reread for me right before the Hallmark Hall of Fame movie came out)
The Aurora County All-Stars by Deborah Wiles (a review forthcoming)
The Worst Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Jr. Edition by David Borgenicht and Robin Epstein (review forthcoming)
Edward’s Eyes by Patricia MacLachlan
Iron Thunder: The Battle Between the Monitor and the Merrimack by Avi (review forthcoming)

Young Adult
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexi (my review here)
Revolution is Not a Dinner Party by Ying Chang Compestine

Adult
Alexander and the Wonderful, Marvelous, Excellent, Terrific, Ninety Days by Judith Viorst (my review here)
Book of the Dead by Patricia Cornwell

What’s to come: Tomorrow I'll post the Cybils fiction picture book shortlist, which I am VERY excited about. I'll also post my favorite books of 2007.

I’ll be teaching a class in children’s literature and taking a graduate class in postmodernism in children’s literature, so much of my reading for the next 5 months will be geared toward those two classes. I hope I’ll be able to post on some of my reads.

I've already posted about my favorite new-to-me authors of 2007 and my favorite illustrations of 2007.

What I've Been Reading--November

Picture Books
I have read over 20 of the Cybils books that have been nominated. For the full list, go here.

Glass Slipper, Gold Sandal by Paul Fleischman, illustrated by Julie Paschkis (my review here)
I Lost My Tooth in Africa by Penda Diakite
Little Red Riding Hood retold and illustrated by Jerry Pinkney (my review here)
Pictures from our Vacation by Lynne Rae Perkins

Early Chapter Book
Ruby Lu, Empress of Everything by Lenore Look

Middle Grade Fiction
*While I didn't manage to do reviews on any of these books, I would highly recommend them all.
Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis
The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney

Nonfiction for Kids
Writing Magic by Gail Carson Levine (my review here)
E. E. Cummings: A Poet's Life by Catherine Reef (my review here)

Young Adult
Keeper of the Night by Kimberly Willis Holt
A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly (my review here)

Adult
What to Eat: An Aisle by Aisle Guide to Savvy Food Choices and Good Eating by Marion Nestle
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver
Mosaic: Pieces of My Life So Far by Amy Grant

What I've Been Reading--October AND Mystery Solved

A few days ago I reported that a journal had gone missing! The mystery is solved. I found in the middle of a large stack of picture books that have been nominated for the Cybils in the picture book category. I had an AHA moment this morning when I walked into my office this morning and groaned at the unsightly stacks of books around my office. They are in organized piles, but they are not pretty. I thought--hmm, I never checked in the middle of these stacks. Sure enough, there was my tiny journal, sandwiched between the picture books I had already read.



In that lovely journal was my list of books I read in the month of October.



Picture Books (I also read about a dozen Cybils picture books, but I didn't include those on the list):

In Aunt Giraffe's Green Garden by Jack Prelutsky, illustrated by Petra Mathers

A Closer Look by Mary McCarthy

Stars Beneath Your Bed: The Surprising Story of Dust by April Pulley Sayre, illustrated by Ann Jonas

Fire! Fire! said Mrs. McGuire by Bill Martin Jr, illustrated by Vladmir Radunsky

Aliens are Coming: The True Account of the 1938 War of the Worlds Radio Broadcast by Megan McCarthy

Good Boy, Fergus! by David Shannon

Beauty and the Beaks: A Turkey's Cautionary Tale by Mary Jane and Herm Auch

I Spy Colors in Art by Lucy Micklethwait

Dreaming of America: An Ellis Island Story by Eve Bunting, illustrated by Ben Stahl

I See a Kookaburra! Discovering Animal Habitats Around the World by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page

What Do You Do with a Tail Like This? by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page

The Boy Who Loved Words by Roni Schotter, illustrated by Giselle Potter (my review here)



Middle Grade

Lawn Boy by Gary Paulsen (my review here)

Horns and Wrinkles by Joseph Helgerson

Middle School is Worse Than Meatloaf by Jennifer Holm

Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy



Young Adult

The Poet Slave of Cuba: A Biography of Juan Francisco Manzano by Margarita Engle, illustrated by Sean Qualls (my review here)



Poetry

Comets, Stars, the Moon and Mars by Douglas Florian

Today at the Bluebird Cafe: A Branchful of Birds by Deborah Ruddell, illustrated by Joan Rankin

What I've Been Reading--August and September

August

Picture Books (I read about 50 more than this as bedtime stories, but these are just some of the ones I wrote down).

Max's Words by Kate Banks
Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late by Mo Willems (my review here)
Once Upon a Time, The End (Asleep in 60 Seconds) by Geoffrey Kloske and Barry Blitt (my review here)

Poetry
Hey You! Poems to Skycrapers, Mosquitoes, and Other Fun Things selected by Paul Janeczko
Dogku by Andrew Clements
Dirty Laundry Pile: Poems in Different Voices selected by Paul Janeczko

Middle Grade
The Neddiad by Daniel Pinkwater
No Talking by Andrew Clements
The Big House by Carolyn Coman

Young Adult
The Minister's Daughter by Julie Hearn
Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult

Adult
Picture Perfect by Jodi Picoult
Vanishing Acts by Jodi Picoult
Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult
Once Around the Track by Sharyn McCrumb
Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier

September

Picture Books
(Once again, I read about 50 more than is listed here, but I only wrote a few down that I read for JUST me--the others I read over and over again with my daughter and we both enjoyed them).

The Memory String by Eve Bunting
Freedom on the Menu: The Greensboro Sit-Ins by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Jerome Lagarrigue
Bubba and Beau Meet the Relatives by Kathi Appelt
Duck and Goose by Tad Hills
He Came with the Couch by David Slonim
Love and Roast Chicken: A Trickster Tale from the Andes by Barbara Knutson
Mrs. Watson Wants Your Teeth by Alison McGhee
Russell and the Lost Treasure by Rob Scotton
Three Pebbles and a Song by Eileen Spinelli

Middle Grade
The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall
Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree by Lauren Tarshis
Firegirl by Tony Abbott
Jack Plank Tells Tales by Natalie Babbitt
Eggs by Jerry Spinelli
On the Wings of Heroes by Richard Peck

Poetry
This is Just to Say by Joyce Sidman

Young Adult
The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt
Feathers by Jacqueline Woodson

Adult
The Pact by Jodi Picoult
Perfect Match by Jodi Picoult
Second Glance by Jodi Picoult
Waiting for Daisy by Peggy Orenstein

What I've Been Reading--July

One of the great things about leaving the country is that you also sort of leave all of your stress behind. Meaning--I thought little about work. I was so far removed from it all that I could really de-stress. I read LOTS of books, many that have been on my "to read" list for years. A few new ones too. Here's what I read in July:



Picture Books

Sadako by Eleanor Coerr (Anyone ever seen this movie? I'd like to hear about it)

** We have missed being near a library. I read a bunch of Little Golden Books to my daughter that my parent had in their collection, but other than that, we have been picture book deprived. I'm heading to the library today to get some more books for her.



Middle Grade

Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Stuart Little by Peggy Gifford (my review here)

Night of the Twisters by Ivy Rickman

Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes by Eleanor Coerr (I actually read this book first, then read the picture book. Much of the text is the same. I expected the picture book to be a very abbreviated version. It was abbreviated, but not so much that the reader loses the feel of the story. And of course, the picture book has Ed Young's beautiful paintings as illustrations.)



Young Adult

Twilight by Stephanie Meyer (I didn't think I would like a vampire book, but I loved this one. I just bought book number 2 and 3 in this series. Can't wait to read them. Thanks to Madeline at Buried in the Slush Pile for the recommendation.)

The Tenth Circle by Jodi Picoult (I'm becoming a Jodi Picoult addict, I just ordered more of her books from the library. I WILL make my way through all of them. She's going to be my new favorite adult/YA author. I still love Patricia Cornwell--the only other adult author I read religiously. Oh and by the way, My Sister's Keeper is going to be a movie!)

The Counterfeit Son by Elaine Marie Alphin

Open Your Eyes: Extraordinary Experiences in Faraway Places edited by Jill Davis (a collection of stories by YA authors)

Kampung Boy by Lat (my review here)

The Lightning Thief: Percy Jackson and the Olympians Book 1 by Rick Riordan

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper (Okay, I'm ashamed that I hadn't ever read this book. I read it this summer so I would be ready when the movie comes out. Better late than never, right?)

Horseradish: Bitter Truths You Can't Avoid by Lemony Snicket (weird, didn't love it)



Poetry

Boris by Cynthia Ryant

Something about America by Maria Testa

Paul Revere's Ride by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow illustrated by Monica Vaschula

Cool Salsa: Bilingual Poems on Growing up Latino in the United States edited by Lori M. Carlson

A Maze Me: Poems for Girls by Naomi Shihab Nye

Canto Familiar by Gary Soto

What is Goodbye? by Nikki Grimes (my review here)

Worlds Apart: Traveling with Fernie and Me by Gary Soto

Words Under the Words by Naomi Shihab Nye

Reaching for the Sun by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer (my review here)



Nonfiction

Escape: The Story of the Great Houdini by Sid Fleischman (If you are looking for an entertaining biography, this is a great one. Boys will love this book about this interesting magician.)

Reflections: Ralph Fletcher, Author at Work by Ralph Fletcher (my review here)



Adult

Paula Deen: It Ain't All About the Cookin' by Paula Deen and Sherry Suib Cohen

June's Read-a-Thon

I didn't get to participate in the 48 Hour Book Challenge sponsored by MotherReader because it was the last weekend before school was out, and I was totally swamped. I knew I couldn't do it justice. But I have been reading with my 2 year old for the summer reading program at the library. We've had to write down all of the books and the time we spent reading. So, since I was doing it for her, I decided to do it for myself. I wrote down all of the books I read this month. I read more than I thought, but I'm only a fraction of the way through my "To Read" pile for the summer.

Here it goes:

June 2007

Pictures books (These are ONLY the ones I read for myself for craft purposes and general enjoyment. I read about 75 other ones to my daughter.)

1. Only Passing Through: The Story of Sojourner Truth by Anne Rockwell
2. The Last Brother: A Civil War Tale by Trinka Hakes Noble
3. Freedom School, Yes! by Amy Littlesugar
4. Knock on Wood: Poems about Superstitions by Janet Wong
5. Jazz by Walter Dean Myers
6. A Bird or Two: A Story about Henri Matisse by Bijou Le Tord
7. Wolves by Emily Gravett (my review here)
8. Appalachia: The voices of sleeping birds by Cynthia Rylant
9. The Flying Bed by Nancy Willard
10. The Last Resort by J. Patrick Lewis and Roberto Innocenti (my review here)
11. Henry's Freedom Box by Ellen Levine (my review here)

Middle Grade Novels

1. Ghost Cadet by Elaine Marie Alphin
2. Ghost Soldier by Elaine Marie Alphin
3. Clementine by Sarah Pennypacker

YA

1. American Born Chinese by Gene Luan Yang (my review here)
2. Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I The Pox Party by M.T. Anderson
3. The Perfect Shot by Elaine Marie Alphin
4. An Unlikely Friendship: A Novel of Mary Todd Lincoln and Elizabeth Keckley by Ann Rinaldi

Nonfiction

1. Tracking Trash: Flotsam, Jetsam, and the Science of Ocean Motion by Loree Griffin Burns (my review here)
2. Pocahontas: Princess of the New World by Kathleen Krull
3. Down Cut Shin Creek: The Pack Horse Librarians of Kentucky by Kathi Appelt and Jeanne Cannella Schmitzer
4. Who's Saying What in Jamestown, Thomas Savage? by Jean Fritz
5. 1607: A New Look at Jamestown by Karen E. Lange (my review here)

Poetry

1. Ludie's Life by Cynthia Rylant (my review here)
2. Come with Me: Poems for a Journey by Naomi Shihab Nye
3. Autumnblings by Douglas Florian
4. 19 Varieties of Gazelle by Naomi Shihab Nye (my review here)
5. Ordinary Things: Poems from a Walk in Early Spring by Ralph Fletcher