Stuff by Margie Palatini Ilustrated by Noah Z. Jones

from goodreads

3 stars

Today I signed the kids up for the summer reading club at the library. My kids loved doing it last year. They were always excited about what their next prize would be. I liked it because Miss V won a pizza dinner! No cooking for me that night!

And while my kids should want to read with out getting prizes, I will take whatever encentive I can get. Sometimes in the summer our days can be so lazy that it will be the end of the day and I will realize we haven't done any reading or anything. So, if the kids can help remind me, so much the better.

Synopsis

Edward the rabbit loves is stuff. He has so much stuff that it comes between himself and his friends. Then something happens that makes him rethink his hoarding habits.

My Thoughts

To be completely honest I got this book for my husband. We are slooooowly decluttering our space and  I thought this would be a cute book to help as a motivator. Not sure what he thought about it, but he definitely identified with Edward and not wanting to get rid of stuff.

This definitely wasn't a wow book and sometimes didn't make the most sense to me. While it is a children's book it looked at the whole hoarding thing with a rather simplistic approach. People with major hoarding issues can't just get rid of their stuff just like that. They hoard for complex issues and if their friends came and just had them get rid of stuff they would probably harbour resentment.

So, this was an okay book. Definitely nothing to write home about though.

The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

from goodreads

4 stars

Today is the last day of school! YAY!!!!! I have been done with making lunches and for that matter any form of food for the past three weeks. And now the end is here and I am so glad.

It is funny how something as simple as making lunches can really wear on you. But, in today's world it is more than just slapping a few things together, throwing it in a bag and saying here you go. A lot more thought has to go into it.

Lunches have to be peanut free and litter free. As well, they have to have variety, be healthy and be something that the kids will eat. Also at our school they have a balanced day format so that means that the kids eat twice. So then you have to decide what goes in the first break pouch and what goes in the second break one. So for each lunch for each child a lot of thought and care has to go into each one. After a while it gets to you.

So now I am looking forward to my two month respite of having to make prepared lunches. I think PB&J sandwiches will be on the menu for most of the summer because the kids can make those themselves. Maybe I will have them make me my lunch for a change. Now, there's a thought.

Synopsis

Cassie Hobbes has a special talent. She looks at someone and know exactly what type of person they are. It is so second nature she can't help it. She is then contacted by the FBI to be part of a talent development group. This group works on cold cases, but they become much more real.

My Thoughts

This was a really fun and enjoyable read. My book club friend summed it up the best way. She said "it's Criminal Minds meets Nancy Drew with a bit of the Scooby gang thrown in." It is a great blend of the dark side of humanity and the lighter side of being a teen. Some of the romantic feelings seemed a bit contrived or forced. But other than that I enjoyed the characters and found them to be relatively believable.

This book did have a bit of a feel of the "set up" book, where you were getting through the necessary facts so the rest of the series can flow. So this story wasn't as deep as it might have been. But it was still enjoyable and it has set up what I think will be a really neat series.

The main character was a real hard one to figure out. She seemed sort of flat yet interesting. I know those are kind of polar opposites but it's the way it is. I found her hard to picture at times. Perhaps more description would have helped. Yet the dialogue she had was great. She stood up for herself without seeming to pushy or rash. It was nice seeing a young female heroine who didn't feel she had to do everything herself or have a death wish. Strong but a team player, I liked it.

The rest of the characters were rather steerotypical, the physically aware and attractive girl who liked to stir the pot, the quieter nerdy girl who could spout out stats like nobody's business, the quiet and aloof boy, and the boy of many layers. Though they seem like characters that could be in any YA fiction their certain mesh worked and helped carry the story along.

While this is not going to win a pulitzer it was still an engaging, fun, twist and turn mystery ride. I am looking forward to reading the next installment soon. The third book in the series is due out sometime this year.

Nuts to You! by Lois Ehlert

from goodreads

4 stars

Growing up in the country squirrels weren't a bit thing. Yes, I knew they were around, but they were definitely few and far between. Now living in the city squirrels are everywhere. I can usually always see at least one whenever I look out the windows. And man can they be a nuisance.

One summer I had a tomato plant growing in a planter. Even with wire and fencing around the plant the squirrels always managed to get the tomatoes right before I would pick them. That year I was only able to pick one tomato from the plant and even it had a tiny squirrel chew mark on it.

I guess I should be happy that I was able to help feed nature, I just wished nature would have let me partake of one unblemished tomato. Oh squirrels, they sure can be wily.

Synopsis

This book follows a squirrel doing all the normal things squirrels like to do when they are out on the town.

My Thoughts

I could totally identify with the narrator of this book. Seeing the squirrel digging up bulbs and creating a nuisance is something I can relate to.

I love how on each picture there are labels to what each thing is. What a great way to identify plants and animals that some kids might not have had experiences with yet. It helps to open up the world of nature to them.

I loved seeing how the squirrel moved. He was hopping into a planter and hanging from a window sill. I felt that the author/illustrator really captured squirrels move and how they like to sneak around.

I loved the pictures and the medium used. They are so bright and beautiful.

My two-year-olds favourite part was the cover. It has a hole that makes it seem like the squirrel is in a hole in a tree. She would open up the cover and put her face in the hole to play peek-a-boo. It was really fun. A lot of the time we never ended up reading the story because she was having so much fun with the cover.

All in all, this is a cute book with some educational qualities. If you think squirrels aren't a plague on this world you will probably like it. If squirrels are not your favourite thing in existence I would just leave it.

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

from goodreads

4 stars

I am so ready for summer vacation. I think I have hit my threshold for making lunches. Well I think I have hit my threshold for making dinners too. I am just done. Making menus week in and week out is very stressful. You need to make sure that the food is healthy and that everyone will eat it. It also has to fit into the time schedules, some nights get busy earlier than others. And right now, I don't feel like doing prep work or anything. I just want the food to magically appear. I think if I could have some magical power it would be that. With a snap of my fingers a healthy delicious meal would just appear. Now that would be awesome.

Synopsis

Enter a world divided into Silvers and Reds. Silvers are an elite life form, their blood is silver and they have special capabilities. They rule the roost. The reds are subserviant slaves. Their lives have little meaning to the silvers except for their man power.

When Mare becomes a servant in the royal court, she realizes that despite her red blood she has special powers too. When found out she becomes a pawn in the King's arsenal, but also a secret help to the red rebellion.

My Thoughts

I really did enjoy this book. With the YA genre, you never know what you are going to get, is it going to be too sappy or too predictable, or too ridiculous. This book was great. It kept me on my toes. It had a lot of twists and turns. I thought it was going a certain way and then it totally changed.

I did find the main character to be a bit obtuse. Seriously how blind and naive can you be! There was definitely some head smacking at some points.

The author has quite a few neat ideas. The different colour of blood is very interesting. It makes it so no one can hide who they truly are. The different Silver Houses with their different powers was also really cool.

The revelation at the end, totally called it at the beginning.

Some negative things I have heard about this book is that it is similar to other books. I have never read the ones that the commenters were talking about so I don't know if it is or not. However, I still really enjoyed this book.

This is the first of a trilogy and I am looking forward to how this all plays out. Now I just have to wait for the next one to be published. Let the count down begin.

Even Aliens Need Snacks by Matthew McElligott

from goodreads

3 stars

It always amazes me how different my kids taste buds are from each other. It also amazes me how one of my kids can eat some really weird flavour combinations but won't eat shrimp or fish. Like, really? This particular daughter of mine loves eating marmite. For those of you who don't know what marmite is, it is a yeast extract that is popular in Great Britain, and is quite often spread on toast and bread. It kind of reminds me of a really strong soya sauce, but more tar like in consistency. I am a not a fan, but my husband who grew up with it is. Well this daughter loves the stuff and will even eat it off a spoon. That even grosses out my husband.

My other kids have some certain likes and dislikes, but they seem obvious and ones I can understand. How weird it is.

Synopsis

A young boy likes making different creations in the kitchen. His sister thinks their disgusting and no one would ever want to eat it. Then a certain cliental comes a long that he can definitely cater too.

My Thoughts

This was a cute book. It was kind of funny how the aliens liked the stuff his sister liked and then at the end there was a flip. But even with that flip I found the ending just felt a bit flat.

It also frustrated me about how this kid was up all night feeding the aliens. Was he sleeping all day? Wouldn't his parents get a bit suspicious? I know I am probably reading too much into it but it bothered me!

All in all this is a fine book, especially for a budding experimental chef.

A Thousand Farewells by Nahlah Ayed

from goodreads

3 stars

The Middle East has always fascinated me. I am in no way a dedicated student of its history but, whenever there is a tidbit of information about the Middle East my ears prick up and I want to learn more.

It is definitely a region that my heart goes out to. There are beautiful histories and beautiful people there, yet horredeous things happen that makes me shake my head and go why? European colonial powers didn't really help the situation at all, instead it has made it into a bit of a powder keg.

How things play out will be interesting and hopefully the innocent and beautiful cultures will be safe and be able to thrive again.

Synopsis

Journalist and CBC reporter Nahlah Ayed talks about her life as a Palestinian-Canadian, her time in a Jordanian refugee camp, and her time back in the Middle East covering events post 9-11.

My Thoughts

This is a book that is really hard to review. Some parts were flowing and engaging and compelling to read. Other parts were confusing and full of people's names that I had to try and place and seemed more like a boring history text. But, I am glad that I read it, I didn't feel like I wasted my time, so it is definitely a solid 3 stars.

The beginning sections when she was talking about her family and her time in Winnipeg and in Jordan were great. They were interesting and allowed you to glimpse who Nahlah the person was. It was very nice to see.

The rest of the sections that dealt with her on the job as a journalist. It was written in a more journalistic style, and you lost a bit of Nahlah the person in the writing and instead it was Nahlah the journalist. The writing became a lot more concise and in a way clipped.

It was interesting to learn how foreign journalists have to navigate the region, with drivers and fixers and finding people who are willing to put it all on the line to help them capture a story for a 3 minute newsbit back home. I definitely have a new found respect for those journalists. They are amazing.

I liked the background that she gave to the region. It helped me learn a bit more about the region and why certain groups don't like others. Man, some grudges last centuries and that is pretty crazy. I almost want to say "enough already let's all play nice and just chillax".

So if you want to learn more about life in the Middle East, refugees and their struggles and all that this is definitely a worthwhile read. If you are looking more for an engaging memoir, this isn't your best bet, but you still might like it.

Loula is leaving for Africa by Anne Villeneuve

from goodreads

3.5 stars

I don't know why there is such an allure about running away. But, there is. When I was little I remember wanting to run away into the woods and live as I pleased. That was squashed when the box of toys I wanted to bring was too heavy and no one was willing to help me carry it.

Every now and then I day dream about running away to a hotel, just me, room service and a good book.

Do you have any running away fantasies?

Synopsis

Loula has horrible brothers and she has had it. She is going to go to Africa. With the help of her mother's driver, Gilbert, she sets off on her adventure.

My Thoughts

I enjoyed this book. My kids, they could take it or leave it. It is definitely not one of their favourites.

I think this book would be enjoyable when you realize the characters are using their imaginations. For some younger kids they might take it too literally and not get it.

I love the character of Gilbert. How lucky all children would be if they had a Gilbert in their life. He is kind and generous and knows how to make Loula feel special. Gotta love him.

This is a great book that captures the art children have of being able to create their own worlds. They don't actually need to be in Africa to go there. I think sometimes we as adults forget that.

Girl Runner by Carrie Snyder

from goodreads

3 stars

I have a girl runner. My little two year old, Miss P, runs and runs and runs. I always wait for her to trip and fall and come to her rescue but some how her little feet and legs move in such an awkward precision that she manages to keep upright. (Thank goodness). She rarely walks. She usually only walks if we are late for school! She runs to pick flowers. She runs to the dinner table she runs to get into the car. She runs to get away from mommy. (I must say that I am getting pretty good at sprinting because of her, but, I would prefer she not like running away from me so much.) For such a little thing, she is like in the 3rd percentile for weight, she sure can move with a locomotive type intensity. I wonder where this running will take her. Will she be an olympic champion or the next Forrest Gump? Who knows?! It will be fun to see.

Synopsis

This is a story about Aganetha Smart a former olympian now a centurian. Her story is told through a series of flashbacks as she is taken to her family's farm one last time. We see her as a farm girl in rural Ontario, a working girl in the Toronto of the '20s and as an Olympic gold medalist from the 1928 games.

My Thoughts

Despite what any of my other thoughts may be on this book, the history that made up this story was interesting. There are not many books about women athletes from this period and it was interesting to see how women's sport was back then and how these women helped evolve the idea of women as athletes. It was this history and the "want" to like it that made me keep reading.

That being said, I found the book to be rather predictable and, in a way, rather Canadian. While there are many great Canadian authors writing very dynamic things, this book seemed quintessentially Canadian. The main character was a farm girl whose mother was a midwife who knew how to deal with unwanted pregnancies, there was the aloof father and the rather creepy step-brother. It almost seemed a marriage of The Cure for Death by Lightning and The Birth House with some running thrown in. (I read The Birth House years ago and really enjoyed it.) I know not all Canadian literature is set in rural communities, but so many are.

The characters weren't the most likable. I felt that with some we were only getting mere shadows of who they were. We got glimpses but were left to our own devices to really understand who they were and what was going on with them. I was left with the feeling of wasted lives. Aganetha and some of the other characters just didn't live and that is sad.

This was one of those stories that will not going to stick with me. It will not shape me or define me or cause me to reflect on anything. Perhaps if I was a runner or more of an athlete I would have appreciated it a bit more. But I'm not. So, there you go.