by Rachel Toalson | Books
I picked up Enchanted Air: Two Cultures, Two Wings, by Margarita Engle, because I’m obsessed with poetry. This was a middle grade memoir written in poetry, and it was a wonderful offering to the literature world.
In her memoir, Engle detailed what it was like growing up as a child who lived in two cultures during the Cold War: the Cuban world and the American world.
My favorite thing about this book, of course, was that it was written in poetry. The poems were carefully crafted and carried a subtle message of history, freedom, acceptance, and love.
Here are three other things I enjoyed about the book:
- The story. We don’t hear much about the Cold War, and it was interesting to read something about a woman who was half Cuban and half American and how that affected her time in America. Engle included an author’s note at the end of the book that explained even more about her experiences.
- The speedy read. I love books in poetry, because they take so little time to read. This book is perfect for those reluctant readers who aren’t quite ready for a full page of text. But saying it was a short read isn’t saying it wasn’t filled to the brim with vital information and beautiful sentiments. Engle used her words well.
- The wondering voice of childhood. This was definitely a middle grade memoir written in an appropriate way for a child (I’ve read several that aren’t). It was lyrical and hopeful and contained all the wonder and optimism a child has.
Enchanted Air is one of those books that should go on every child’s reading list and, ideally, the whole family’s reading list.
The book mentioned above has an affiliate link attached to it, which means I’ll get a small kick-back if you click on it and purchase. But I only recommend books I enjoy reading myself. Actually, I don’t even talk about books I didn’t enjoy. I’d rather forget I ever wasted time reading them. (But if you’re curious whether I’ve read something and what I thought about it, don’t hesitate to ask.)
by Rachel Toalson | Books
I picked up The Sun is Also a Star, by Nicola Yoon, a few months ago because I kept seeing it everywhere—in friends’ tweets, on book store display shelves, and in the hands of someone in the coffee shop. The cover reminds me of when I used to play for hours with my Spirograph, and that nostalgia finally broke me.
And I’m glad it did.
The Sun is Also a Star, is a book about immigration, the choice to know someone different than yourself, and the power of love. It takes place in the life of two teenagers—Natalia and Daniel—over a span of one day. It follows them as they meet, get to know each other, and, of course, fall in love.
Here are three things I liked most about it:
- The personalities. I loved how different Daniel and Natasha were—they had completely different personalities, viewpoints, and ideas about love.
- The asides. I loved the short asides about what happened to other, minor characters. It was very entertaining to see the ripple effect of other people’s choices. Not only that, but some of the asides had information in them and contained titles like “Multiverses: a Quantum History,” “Love: A Chemical History,” and “Hair: A Korean American History.” They were entertaining and informative all at the same time, and I found it a very interesting organizing principle that drove the narrative.
- The occasional glimpses of the future. Every now and then Yoon gave her readers a glimpse of the future, like the following:
“Jeremy and Hannah’s children will grow up to love others in the simple and uncomplicated way of people who have always known where love comes from, and aren’t afraid of its loss.
“All of which isn’t to say that Jeremy Fitzgerald did the right thing or the wrong thing. It’s only to say this: love always changes everything.”
The Sun is Also a Star is, overall, a moving, lovely book that is worth putting on your reading list.
The book mentioned above has an affiliate link attached to it, which means I’ll get a small kick-back if you click on it and purchase. But I only recommend books I enjoy reading myself. Actually, I don’t even talk about books I didn’t enjoy. I’d rather forget I ever wasted time reading them. (But if you’re curious whether I’ve read something and what I thought about it, don’t hesitate to ask.)
by Rachel Toalson | Books
Recently Husband and I had a kid-less weekend in which we organized the entire house and tossed half our possessions (not really. But that’s what it felt like). During this organizational process, when Husband and I were working in two separate places, I listened to the audiobook of Norse Mythology, by Neil Gaiman, which was just as enjoyable as one might think.
Gaiman reads the audiobook himself, and at times he reminded me of Alan Rickman (pronunciation, tone of voice). It was pretty delightful.
Here are three things that stood out in Gaiman’s book:
- The stories. Of course the stories are fascinating. For the last year or so I’ve been entrenched in the study of mythology, and this was probably one of the best representations I’ve read of the Norse mythology. Rickman told the stories accurately and yet with much more imaginative elaboration and even some humor, which I found fun.
- The characters. The characters of Norse mythology have always fascinated me, but Gaiman has a way of making characters come alive on the page. He wrote as though he knew these characters, and you could tell, all throughout the book, what a deep love he has for the stories of the Norse gods and the history they represent.
- The addictive nature. Because my kids were gone, I read this book for hours at a time. It wasn’t plotted out like a normal novel, but the stories were so engaging that I couldn’t stop listening. There was tension in every collection, even though I ultimately knew how the stories would turn out. There is something so incredibly charming about the old way of storytelling—the way of the bards—and this book had that element.
Overall, Norse Mythology was a fantastic listen—and I’m sure it would be the same as a read.
The book mentioned above has an affiliate link attached to it, which means I’ll get a small kick-back if you click on it and purchase. But I only recommend books I enjoy reading myself. Actually, I don’t even talk about books I didn’t enjoy. I’d rather forget I ever wasted time reading them. (But if you’re curious whether I’ve read something and what I thought about it, don’t hesitate to ask.)
by Rachel Toalson | Books
One of the last things my boys and I did this summer was read Richard Atwater’s Mr. Popper’s Penguins together. While this is an old classic, it still stands as an entertaining middle grade novel about a poor family that gets a slew of penguins, makes some money on the show stage, and are changed somewhat in the process.
My kids laughed so hard in this book, simply enjoying the adventures of a family with penguins. The book proved to me that there can be silly books written strictly for entertainment that are worth just as much to kids as the books with an emotional component that will hook them forever.
Here are three things I enjoyed most about this book:
1. The ridiculousness. Mr. Popper’s Penguins was funny in places, and my kids couldn’t wait to hear the next chapter and what would happen to the penguins and the Popper family.
2. The events. The family wasn’t changed in any big and earth-shattering way; they just experienced event after event, adding up to an overall entertaining tale.
3. The choice. At the end of the book the Poppers face the choice between becoming rich and doing what was best for the penguins. I won’t tell you what they decided to say, but I’ll just say it was a wonderful moral dilemma to put before my children, who all guessed correctly and said they would do the same thing.
Mr. Popper’s Penguins is best read aloud, with your entire family.
The book mentioned above has an affiliate link attached to it, which means I’ll get a small kick-back if you click on it and purchase. But I only recommend books I enjoy reading myself. Actually, I don’t even talk about books I didn’t enjoy. I’d rather forget I ever wasted time reading them. (But if you’re curious whether I’ve read something and what I thought about it, don’t hesitate to ask.)
by Rachel Toalson | Books
I have been a fan of Adam Gidwitz ever since I read his A Tale Dark and Grimm series. He has a sense of humor that comes through loudly and clearly in every book he writes, and The Inquisitor’s Tale, is no exception.
Case in point:
“William pulled himself to his feet—like a tree falling in reverse—and stretched his long arms over his head. Jacob and Jeanne marveled at him, unfurled to his full length.”
Surprising and descriptive, all in one one.
The Inquisitor’s Tale is a wonderfully entertaining fantasy written in the style of the ancient Canterbury Tales, where different storytellers take over at certain points and contribute to the overall story using their distinct voices and points of view.
Here are three things I enjoyed most about it:
1. The humor. Gidwitz is a master at hilarity and humor. Here’s one of my favorite examples of the subtle humor in this book:
“What’s your dog’s name?” he asked the girl. What are you doing? he thought. Beware the daughters of Eve!
Jeanne said, “Gwenforte, the Holy Greyhound.” Be quiet! she shouted at herself. Why would you say that?
Jacob smirked. “The holy greyhound? A holy dog? Christians worship dogs?” Instantly he regretted it. God be merciful, what did you just say? Are you trying to get yourself killed?
Such a great use of internal dialogue.
2. Characters. Gidwitz has a fantastic way of drawing complete personalities of his characters using just a few lines. They each stand out as interesting, quirky, and lovable.
3. Heart. There was some great history mixed up in this book, but the thing that will make it memorable in the minds of readers is its heart—children battling for the right thing, which, to them, is living together in harmony.
Probably my favorite thing about the book was the opening lines:
The king is ready for war.
Louis of France is not yet thirty, and already he is the greatest king in Europe. He loves his subjects. He loves God. And his armies have never been defeated.
This war, though, is different.
He is not fighting another army.
He is not fighting another king.
He is fighting three children.
And their dog.
What a great way to start a sweet, charming story.
The books mentioned above have affiliate links attached to it, which means I’ll get a small kick-back if you click on them and purchase. But I only recommend books I enjoy reading myself. Actually, I don’t even talk about books I didn’t enjoy. I’d rather forget I ever wasted time reading them. (But if you’re curious whether I’ve read something and what I thought about it, don’t hesitate to ask.)
by Rachel Toalson | Books
What stands out most about As Brave as You, by Jason Reynolds, is that the main character, Genie, is a well-drawn adolescent—a quirky, innocent, curious boy who is stretching into himself.
Genie keeps a pocket list of questions and observations that are interspersed throughout the story—questions and observations like:
“#460: Poop. Poop is stupid. Stupid poo. Stupid. Poopid. Poopidity. Is Poopidity a word?”
I put this book on my 10-year-old’s summer reading list, because I knew he would love it. And I was right—he burst out laughing at the first line. Genie’s recorded observation was followed up by a scene that included, you guessed it, poo.
Perfect for a boy.
Here are three things I enjoyed most about it:
The bond between Genie and his brother, Ernie. Reynolds expertly portrayed the relationship between two brothers—how they could occasionally get on each other’s nerves but very much loved one another.
The overall premise. In As Brave as You, Genie and Ernie were two city boys going to see their grandparents in the country. They did country things—picking sweet peas, flinging dung, going to the flea market—and it all contributed to stretching them into stronger and braver boys. It was charming.
The voice. Every character Reynolds writes has a distinctive voice that rings through the pages. I loved getting to know Genie and his hopes, dreams, fears, and questions.
My favorite line in the book was this one:
“When it comes to devising plans, well, that’s for detectives and criminals. But when it comes to executing plans, well, that’s for ninjas.”
As Brave as You, is all the wondrous language, adventure, and real-life characterization that I’ve come to expect from Reynolds.
The book mentioned above has an affiliate link attached to it, which means I’ll get a small kick-back if you click on it and purchase. But I only recommend books I enjoy reading myself. Actually, I don’t even talk about books I didn’t enjoy. I’d rather forget I ever wasted time reading them. (But if you’re curious whether I’ve read something and what I thought about it, don’t hesitate to ask.)
