A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

from goodreads

4 stars

There was a really good post on Reading for Sanity about how we like books differently depending on the time and place we are in our lives. That is so true. There are some books that I loved as a kid but now as an adult I don't find them as great. Or, I could not read them at all as a kid but now I love them. Books, and our enjoyment of them, are so dependent on what is happening in our lives, what our family situation is, what our time situation is, what else we are reading at that moment. I guess that is why you feel you put yourself out there when you recommend a book or rate a book. Not everyone is going to agree with you. We are all in different places. You can't generalize with books. When you recommend books you are showing that person a glimpse into your soul, your inner workings. Books you love speak to you about a certain time and place in your life.

As part of the post there was a great link to an article which gave reading suggestions based on books you liked as kids. It was a fun article, and I now have many more books to add to my list. You can check out that article here.

Synopsis

Meg's father has been missing for a long time. He was a leading scientist working on something top secret for the government and one day just vanished. That has been hard on Meg, who doesn't like the knowing looks and the taunts that are said.

One night during a storm and interesting woman called Mrs. Whatsit comes to the Murray home. That meeting changes everything. Mrs. Whatsit and her friends take Meg, her brother Charles Wallace, and new friend Calvin on a rescue mission to get Meg's father back.

My Thoughts

This has been a favourite of mine since I first read it when I was twelve. It is science fiction and fantasy at it's finest. So if you are looking for a book to make complete scientific sense, this book is not for you. But if you are willing to let your mind bend a little and take in possibilities, I think you will enjoy it.

The writing is simple, descriptive, yet sometimes forgettable. I just finished reading this last week, and I remember the gist of it, yet some of the pictures are not as clear in my mind as they are from other books I read longer ago.

What I love the most about this book is the whole exploration of agency, our ability to make choices for ourselves, and with those choices the possibilities of making mistakes. That gift of agency is so important. While it may be easier to let someone else make all your decisions for you, you will not grow, you will not learn and you will not love. L'Engle does a great job of showing us that, and making it fairly easy to understand.

As an adult reading this book, I got so annoyed with Meg. I found her at times to be whiney and pessimistic. As a teen I was able to understand her a bit more and found her less annoying. As an adult I grew to like Calvin's character more, but was left thinking "you seem so nice and normal and you want to get together with whiney Meg?" Oh well, times and seasons.

This is one of those books that you should read at least once in your life. This is the first of a series with the same family of characters. I think I will reread those soon to see if my thoughts of them have changed. But, from what I remember, it was an excellent series, great for age twelve and up.

Good Thing You're Not an Octopus! by Julie Markes Illustrated by Maggie Smith

from goodreads

4 stars

I love having books around. Just seeing lots of books on a shelf makes me feel smarter. I probably am not, but I feel smarter just the same. Even with the Twilight Saga, next to Tolkein. (No judging.)

But there comes a time when even old friends need to be changed out. As a single income family, money can be tight. Raising three munchkins means that my book buying budget is pretty non-existent, even if buying secondhand. So, when my kids' school did a book swap I was super excited. You drop off your books and get the same number of tickets then you can go and get up to that many books back. It was great. We got to get rid of books that weren't our favourite, and were given the possibility of finding new favourites. I think that is a win-win all-round.

So if you have books that you are not loving get friends together, or your neighbourhood together or your kids' school together and have a book swap. I free way to change up your book shelves. This busy mom likes!

Synopsis

This little boy doesn't really like getting ready for the day, or having a bath, or brushing his teeth. So his parent helps him realize how good he has it.

My Thoughts

This is one of the books we got at the book swap. This was a cute book. My kids thought it was really funny. I didn't find it nearly as funny as my kids but I was still mildly entertained and I don't mind reading this over and over.

I liked the variety of animals used, especially the use of animals that don't often get into kids books, like the octopus, and caterpillar.

The pictures themselves were nice and colourful, but not ones that you are going to remember or be wowed with. In a way, this whole book was just your run of the mill children's book. I would have given it just a 3 but, because my children really liked it, I gave it a 4.

I like the message, "be grateful you are you". It shows kids that sometimes we do things that we don't always want to do or particularly like, but it could be worse, so be happy with your lot. I'm trying to teach that to my own kids. Maybe I should read this book to them everyday and hope the message sinks in?

No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith

from goodreads

3 stars

Well, it is official! Only one more week and then it is SUUUMMMERRR! No more lunches to make! No more making sure I have nut free options available! No more having to convince my daughter that pyjamas are not the best thing to wear to school. No more having to wake up because of said lunches to make! This is going to be awesome.

Now that summer is super approaching I am trying to figure out what my reading list should be. A few months ago I felt like I would be going through books like a kid with a cold goes through kleenex. But now, after the week I have had, I will be lucky if I get through my book club books. My 15 month old has decided that she is going to be the craziest, sneakiest, most dare-devilest baby ever! Seriously, you stop looking at her for a second and she has run 20 ft. and is climbing something or trying to get to the sharp knives or has climbed onto the table and is eating leftovers. Like seriously! What is up with her. She looks so angelic, and when she smiles it seems she can do no wrong. Then Wham!!! she shows you her true colours, and believe me they are not angelic white.

Oh well. That is the fun thing about being a busy mom. Never a dull moment. Now, if only I could find more time to read. What are your summer selections for either yourself or your family?

Synopsis

Mme Ramotswe has decided to open a detective agency using her inheritance from her father. As her clients slowly trickle in she has to use her wits and gut to solve the mystery. The backdrop of Botswana is a supporting character throughout. This is the first of a series of books.

My Thoughts

Well, I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it either. It was rather a quaint, cutesy story. To me it was a mystery for people who can't handle too much intensity. I like a gripping, rough around the edges mystery that keeps me guessing until the end. This was not that. I figured out what the answers were very quickly. All the stories in the book seemed to all get wrapped up in a nice cute little package with a bow on it.

While I was reading it I was also feeling unsettled about the fact that the author was a white, male, Scotsman. Now I understand he spent a lot of time in Botswana as a teacher, and that is great. But does he really know the culture inside and out. Is this really what a woman from Botswana would be thinking? I know that I am probably reading into this too much but, it was just weird for me. It made it hard for me to settle into the story and just try to enjoy it.

I found the book to be choppy as well. It is written more as a series of short stories rather than an over arching story. There was  a little continuation sprinkled throughout but not enough to make a really good story arch.

I did like the picturesque backdrop of Botswana. If it wasn't for the snakes I would probably be there. It made me want to watch the movie The Gods Must be Crazy, which can be seen on youTube! I love that movie, it makes me laugh every time, especially with the doctor has to go pick up the new teacher! Classic.

This is not a series that I am going to continue with anytime soon. Now that the characters are a bit developed perhaps the next books might be better, but I am in no rush. I have other books on my never ending to-read list that I would much rather get to.

Hogg, Hogg, and Hog by Margie Palatini

from goodreads

1.5 stars

Well the school year is winding down here. Every summer I have these grand plans in my head. Each week we will have a theme with activities and it will be so cool and I will win the super mom of the year award. Then reality hits, or rather the humidity and we are lucky if we get out of our pyjamas.

Well this year is no different. I have these grand ideas still in my head. The trick will be to have them prepared before school ends so I am not scrambling during the actual summer. We will see how it goes.

I guess that is the great thing about summer. Being able to just chill and take a break from it all. It is nice not having to worry about schedules or getting lunches made in the morning. I just want to make sure that my children don't turn into turnips by watching to much youTube!

Synopsis

Well, from what I can gather, these three pigs moved from the farm into the city and had a great marketing ploy that made everyone think that oinking was the greatest thing ever. When oinking began to be passe they begin to think up the next great thing to become relevant.

My Thoughts

I don't mean to be harsh, and I am sure that the author worked hard crafting this story and making the illustrations, but, for a kids book, this was a waste of paper. This almost seemed to be a adult book masquerading as a children's book. My kids did not like this book at all. When we finished reading it (which is a miracle because I wanted to give up multiple times through and it is only like 30 pages or something) my 5 year old looked at me and said "I don't get it". Me neither.

The story did not flow at all which made it hard to know what was really happening. It was so choppy going from headlines, to story, to some other format. It was hard for me to follow, let alone kids. How did these pigs convince people to oink? Wouldn't people notice that they are pigs?

I think what the author was trying to do was show kids the importance of thinking for themselves and not just doing things because it is the current fad because fads come and go. That is an important lesson.  But, unless you have a really exceptional kid who is good at reading behind the lines, no child is going to get it. They are just going to say, "well, that was a weird book".

If you see this at the library, don't bother bringing it home. If you want to see for yourself why I gave it 1.5 stars, quickly browse it there and then put it back on the shelf. Sometimes when I see people give something a bad review I think "surely it can't be that bad". Sometimes it isn't, a lot of the time it truly is. Happy Reading! (Hopefully not this book.)

Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein

from goodreads

5 stars

Growing up I loved playing the board game Clue. I loved the little papers that made me feel like I was a real detective. I loved the board layout an the different prints for each room. Our board was really old and had real people's pictures for the characters instead of drawings. Miss Scarlet looked so sophisticated lying on the chaise lounge holding her long and sleek cigarette holder. (Now I'm like, come on Miss Scarlet, don't smoke you will age prematurely.)

So as I was saying, I loved playing clue. Then I realized that my parents did not teach me the actual real rules of clue and that everyone else knows a different way to play than me. We didn't use the die, we just put whoever we wanted in whatever room with whatever weapon we wanted. I thought the die was just for deciding who went first.

Has that ever happened to you? You think you know how to play something only to realize your family is the only one who ever played it like that?

Synopsis

Kyle Keeley loves to play board games, especially games made by Mr. Luigi Lemoncello. The news of his towns new public library doesn't interest him until he finds out that it was built and paid for by Mr. Lemoncello. When he and twelve other twelve year olds are chosen to spend the night in the library they discover they are in for the adventure of their life.

My Thoughts

I loved this book. It is like Clue, meets Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, meets Survivor. It was fast paced, exciting and, for me, unpredictable. I loved how he references other books or uses other book titles throughout the novel. I was even happy because I had heard of most of them and had even read quite a few.

The main take home message of this story is that you should check out your local library and discover the magic of reading. The best part is the author doesn't do this in an obvious way. The book is so fun it doesn't feel like it has a moral. Yet it is there. I now want to read a lot of the book mentioned because they seem so much fun.

I also like how the author shows collaboration and sharing is better than trying to win at all costs. Once again the book is so much fun you don't realize you are learning this, but you get the message just the same.

It is nice when a book is full of morals but you aren't beaten over the head with them.

The characters seem like average twelve year olds which is so nice. Sometimes you read books with preteens as characters, yet they seem to be too old for the age. They do things or are responsible for things that normal preteens would not be. Here the characters are normal, everyday diverse kids.

The story has great flow. I like the use of board games and clues. The reader is given the clues as well so you are trying to figure things out at the same time as the characters. I like how he refers to classic board games as well. I think I need to go to my parents out and break out our game of Husker du. The setting of the library is really cool. I would love to be in an awesome library like that. The library has an almost Wonkaesque feeling to it, a magic that anything could happen.

This book is just such a great read. I think I will have this as a summer read for my kids when they are a little older. I think this would be a great book for kids 9 and up. I think this would be a great book for boys to read. It is exciting and has puzzles so I think it would hold their interest. (Of course it would be great for girls too, it just is hard to find books for boys it seems.) I highly recommend this book. Even if you don't have kids this would be a great read.

Jamberry by Bruce Degen

from goodreads

5 stars

Growing up I loved July. At the beginning it was strawberry picking time. We had wild strawberries on our property and then there was a farm not too far away where we could pick strawberries. I love picking strawberries. It is hot work but so delicious.

Near the end of the month the raspberries were ready. We had two or three bushes of wild raspberries. Nothing is better than fresh raspberries over vanilla ice cream. Yummy! I loved picking the raspberries because I felt I was surrounded by them and was part of the bush. They were everywhere just waiting to be picked.

In late July, early August, we started picking blueberries. There were bushes at our favourite beach and at the farm again.

I'm not sure if we actually made anything with the berries. I think we might have just eaten them as is. Personally I think that is the best way to have berries anyways.

Synopsis

This is a fun, whimsical book about a boy and a random bear. They flit along through finding the joy and fun in berries.

My Thoughts

I love this book. I have loved it since the first time I read it when I was six. The pictures are so beautiful. There are little gems hidden all over the page. I love how lily pads are crackers with butter. Trees have bread fro leaves. The cattails are marshmallows. As a kid reading this it was simply magical.

Now as an adult I appreciate the actual words and flow of the poem more. As a kid I really had no idea what the book was about I was just drawn by the illustrations. Now I appreciate the soft lull and then crescendo that the words of the poem convey.

This is simply a beautiful book. It makes me want to go berry picking every time I read it.

Bossypants by Tina Fey

from goodreads

3 stars

When I was young and playing with friends if one of us was too bossy, we would be like "you aren't the boss of me, quit being bossy!" I don't think I ever said that to my parents, not even as a teenager. Now my husband and I have a 7 and 5 year old who are always letting us know that we aren't the boss of them. It is usually around bed time when we say they need to stop talking and go to bed right now. Their response of late as been, "you aren't the boss of my body, only I can decide when to go to bed". Oh the joys of parenthood. I think my kids think that my husband and I could be labeled as bossypants. But I think we all know who really personifies that label.

Synopsis

Tina Fey gives us a quick look into her life growing up, being part of Saturday Night Live, and creating her own show, 30 Rock. She is down to earth, funny and makes you realize a lot of luck goes into life.

My Thoughts

This was my second time reading this book. I liked it better the second time round. The first time I read it I was expecting to be rolling on the floor laughing the whole time. While it was humourous I didn't find it all that funny. While reading it the second time I had lower expectations and so enjoyed it more.

I think one reason why it was not my favourite is that she had to make everything into some weird joke.  Like she could be talking about some mundane thing and then put a sentence in about picking her nose or something like that, and I was like what, where did that come from? Now I am all about jokes, and laughing and being witty. But, if you are getting bombarded by one-liner after one-liner it gets kinda old. I like the parts in the book where she is telling a story, that is funny, and it is well crafted and you are laughing along with it.

I think my favourite story is when she is describing her fashions of the early 90s. She described wearing bike shorts, a baggy t-shirt and using a fanny pack as a belt! It was hilarious, and I think I probably wore that ensemble too! (Except I would have been ten, so it is okay to have weird fashions, in your twenties, for shame.)

Her take away message is to chill out. Do what you can to live the life you want, but don't beat yourself up if you aren't living the perfect life right this second. It will come.

If you want something that is simply gut busting, this book isn't it, but, if you want mildly humouous observations about life and the things we all go through, this book's for you.

The Pigeon Needs a Bath! by Mo Willems

from goodreads

5 stars

Bath time in my household is either awesome or a living nightmare. It varies from week to week. 

My 1 year old either loves splashing in the water and has a grand old time, or she screams like a banshee and is constantly trying to climb out of the tub while you are trying to wash the shampoo out.

My five year old only wants baths, she doesn't like showers and she usually wanst my seven year old to have a bath with her. 

My seven year old, feels that she is too old for baths now and only wants to have showers, which makes my firecracker of a five year old not very happy about the whole situation. Yay! Bath time!!! On the plus side, I usually get my bathroom floor washed with little effort.

Synopsis

Well as the title says, the Pigeon needs a bath, yet he doesn't think so. You need to help this stubborn pigeon realize that he needs a bath.

My Thoughts

Mo Willems, he does it again. I love his Pigeon series. I think they are hilarious. My kids think they are hilarious. That my friend is a winning combination/endorsement. 

Any parent who has to rationalize why their child needs to have a bath will appreciate this book. Willems gets every nuance right, as he does in all his other books. He knows all the excuses children make and personifies it through the pigeon. 

Through this story, and the other pigeon books, the kids get a chance to laugh at how silly the pigeon is being and hopefully that will translate into them realizing how silly they are sometimes when their parents are asking the same thing of them.

My favourite page in this book is when the Pigeon finally decides to take the bath and is trying to get the water just right. It is funny and painful at the same time because it speaks truth.

The Pigeon series is definitely one you should check out and this latest book in the series is the greatest. Happy baths everyone!