Oh, the temptations.

You bought; I resisted. (We both know it's only temporary.)

Elizabeth Berg has a new book. So does Daniel Handler. (Shouldn't he be busy finishing the SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS????) And ever so hard to resist -- a new one by David Mitchell, author of CLOUD ATLAS.

I was bad in the bookstore. Barnes and Noble, but I won't say which one, to protect the reputation of the clerk. We were chatting about their summer reading program, and she told me that it was all based around THE SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS and Lemony Snicket, "because, you know, SHE would be completing the series in October." I let the faux pas pass, but when I ran across Daniel Handler's adult book in the new fiction, I couldn't resist taking it and showing her the author's picture on the back flap. I didn't rub it in, just said, "THIS is Lemony Snicket."

Is it pathetic, or wonderful, when we know more than the bookstore clerks?

New Books

So, I went and heard Ralph Fletcher speak today. It was an amazing workshop. A great day. And, of course, Sally from Cover to Cover was there selling children's books. SOOOO, here is what I bought--

WEEDFLOWER by Cynthia Kadohata--This is the new book by the author of KIRA-KIRA. It looks like a better concept to me. Friendship, racial tension, etc. One of my students shared it with me on Friday. She had picked it up at the bookstore. I am anxious to read it.

GOSSAMER by Lois Lowry--I was so happy! I didn't know that Lois Lowry had another book coming out. It is being compared to The Giver, I guess. I am sooo excited to read it. She is a favorite.

WHAT STINKS by Marilyn Singer--This looks like a great nonfiction book that kids will pick up and love. It is all about things that stink--mostly plants, animals and insects. It looks like it would be pretty funny to kids too. Great photos.

I LOVE OUR EARTH by Bill Martin Jr. and Michael Sampson--This is a great text written in poetic form with great photos to go along with each page. There seems to be a picture of a child on each page and they are great photos of kids from different areas in the world.

BUSY IN THE GARDEN by George Shannon--This is a fun book of garden poems for young children. They are great poems with great rhythm and rhyme. Just a fun, happy book!

WALK ON! A GUIDE FOR BABIES OF ALL AGES by Marla Frazee--This picture book is hysterical. It is a How-To book for babies on learning how to walk. Great illustrations too.

NOW AND BEN: THE MODERN INVENTIONS OF BENJAMIN FRANKLIN by Gene Barretta--This is a book that looks at Ben's inventions and how they are important to us now--how we used the things he invented. Great sharing of how his original inventions have evolved and how important they still are. Great, fun illustrations too.

FAMILIES by Susan Kuklin is a great book with photos and pieces about many different families. They are told in the children's voices and through interviews. The thread of love is clear throughout the book. The message of the book is strong. I may have to buy one for home and one for school!

So, I'll keep you posted as I read them.

Mixed Review

You asked for it, so I'll tell you about our discussion of HERE, THERE, AND EVERYWHERE.

Some liked it, some didn't.

Here's what I noticed: if a person loved TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE, they probably didn't like HERE, THERE, AND EVERYWHERE so much. And vice versa. And the person who only sort of liked TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE only sort of liked HERE, THERE, AND EVERYWHERE.

One thing is true, my book club is sick of reading time travel books!

So they probably won't want to read my Best Children's Book So Far in 2006: THE BOOK OF STORY BEGINNINGS by Kristin Kladstrup. It's reminiscent of INKHEART and INKSPELL and THE GOOD GREAT THING with some time travel thrown in.

Really?

Someone who didn't like BOLEYN GIRL? Hmmmmm. Oh, well. Maybe there is someone out there. I guess it is possible:-) You'll have to let me know what your book group thinks of HERE, THERE, AND EVERYWHERE. Maybe I just missed something. I liked the concept.

So, Sally is going to have lots of new books at the Literacy Connection event on Saturday. So maybe I'll get some new ones for our Newbery fun! Tell me more about BINDI BABES? I saw it a while ago and couldn't decide if it was worth reading. So, is it great?

Finishing NEVER LET ME GO tonight. I'll let you know.

Fair Enough

I'll put THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL on my to-read list and I'll keep your double recommendation in mind along with the almost guilty admission of another reader whose opinions I highly value who said she couldn't finish it. But I'll read it. And it will likely be an experience like the book that had terrorists and I didn't want to read it, but I did and it was fabulous and I'll eat crow yet again. (What was the title of that book?) No copies of Boleyn Girl are available at the library right now, and my reading life is jammed full, so it will be awhile.

My jammed reading life: our book club will be discussing HERE, THERE AND EVERYWHERE tomorrow night. (I'll spare you the details.) Our next book is TELL THEM I DIDN'T CRY by Jackie Spinner. From what I gather, the story is almost an exact parallel of the Christian Science Monitor reporter who was recently released after being held hostage in Iraq for 80 some days, and who has a twin sister. Maybe minus the hostage part. I'm sure it will make us think about current events in a more personal way, as we did when we read KITE RUNNER.

On the Children's Lit. scene, I am reading THE WRIGHT 3 with a literature circle group in my class, and I am reading BINDI BABES with a 5th grade India-Indian girl who is in my school "family." I gave her BLUE JASMINE to read (a book about a girl, like herself, who moves from India to a Midwestern city) on the condition that she would tell me if the story seemed "true" to her. She totally related to the book's character, and asked wistfully if I knew of any other books that had Indian girls as the main character. A treasure of a children's librarian at Old Worthington put me on to BINDI BABES and the follow-up book, BOLLYWOOD BABES.

I'm listening to MARCH in the car and loving it! I was so smart to listen to LITTLE WOMEN before this.

And, as usual, I'm hopelessly behind on reading professional journals and books. Don't ask by how many months.

A Repeat Recommendation

Okay, I like books like that lately too. Soooo, again, I will tell you, you have to read THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL by Philippa Gregory. Just like all of the ones you mentioned and as close to Tracy Chevalier as I've read. Since I read that "wonderful" HERE, THERE, AND EVERYWHERE, I think you owe it to me to try THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL. I am pretty sure you'll love it. I haven't heard of anyone who has read it that hasn't.

Bought some new children's books today. Have you seen OWEN and MZEE? Very amazing story. And ANTHONY AND THE GIRLS totally amused me.

Compulsive Behavior

No, it's not a LITTLE WOMEN kick, so much as it is my compulsion to read books "in order." You know the one. It forces me to read the first book in the series first, no matter what. So I had to go back to the source (LITTLE WOMEN) before I read the off-shoot (MARCH).

What it's really about is looking at an old familiar story (which I thought LITTLE WOMEN was, but about which I was proven totally wrong once I listened to it and realized I'd never persevered through the whole book) from a new point of view. Or the idea that an author can invent a whole new story from scraps in another. That's why I liked THE RED TENT, WICKED, GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING, LADY AND THE UNICORN, MISTS OF AVALON. These all give a different perspective, or a different back story to the more commonly known story. Lots of reading branches off into different directions, while this kind of reading seems to be a layering of sorts.

So...

So, you are on a Little Women kick? What started this? What made you decide to read this book and more about the March family?

Jo March

I finished listening to LITTLE WOMEN yesterday. One of the benefits of audio books in the car is that the reader keeps reading as long as I keep driving. I wouldn't have made it through this sappy, moralistic book otherwise. In fact, after listening to it, I'm pretty sure that in all the times I've tried to read this book, I never made it much past the part where Amy falls through the ice.

I thought of Jo when I got 14" of hair cut off on Monday. She brought home $25 to help out the family in a time of need; I put my hair in the mail to Wigs for Kids to help out a kid in need. She was all emotional after the fact; my greatest emotion was relief.

My next audio "read" will be MARCH, the story of the March family told through the father's point of view. He is almost completely invisible in LITTLE WOMEN, so I'm anxious to see what kind of character Geraldine Brooks creates.

Reading Slump

Well, I knew that it was coming. I was so lucky with all of the great books I found this winter, that I knew it couldn't last. I have been in a bit of a reading slump. None of the books on my bedside stack seemed worth reading right now--I started several and couldn't fall into a book. I did read HERE, THERE, AND EVERYWHERE after Mary Lee's recommendation. I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED the TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE so I figured this one would be just as good. Well, it wasn't. I loved the concept of the book--the whole time traveling through different world lines. I just didn't think the author developed the character or the lines as well as I would have liked. I guess I read for character and for theme. I have to know and love the characters--really connect with them. I never felt that with this book. Now, I admit, it could have been me and my reading mood lately, but I would not recommend Here, There and Everywhere to friends. I just started a new book called NEVER LET ME GO by Kazuo Ishiguro I picked it up at the airport. It is a pretty fascinating read. I guess it would be considered science fiction. I'll keep you posted. I am just happy that I found a book that I like! I was worried there for a while.

On another note, I found the most hysterical children's picture book. I would highly recommend it. It is called SCAREDY SQUIRREL and it is written and illustrated by Melanie Watt. It was recommended to me by friends in Canada and I am soooo happy that I found it. Can't wait to share it with my students. My 6 year old loves it and I am sure my 5th graders will too. Lots of funny adult humor too. Funniest book I've read in a while.