Kellee Moye, of Unleashing Readers, and Jen Vincent of Teach Mentor Texts, decided to give Kathryn’s (at Book Date) “It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?” meme a kidlit focus, reviewing books in children’s literature (picture books, chapter books, middle grade novels, young adult novels, or anything in the world of kidlit). If you enjoy this type of reading, join us every Monday!
The Mad Wolf’s Daughter
Diane Magras
March 6, 2018
12-year-old Drest is the youngest child in a family of Scottish warriors. In the opening pages of this book, knights from another kingdom are invading the land. Drest’s father tells her to hide while he and his sons are all captured by the enemy and shipped off to Faintree Castle. Once the dust settles, Drest decides to take a wounded prisoner and head off to rescue her family. Over the course of her journey she learns that her father is known as the “mad wolf” of the North. He is both hated and loved by different villages based on the various stories told from town to town. She and her companions face many dangers on their path. But time and time again, Drest is proven brave and noble–willing to risk her life to do the right thing:
There is not a Knight Truer more more chivalrous in Faintree Castle than you, Drest. I could not ask for a better guard.
As Drest nears her family’s captors, an uncomfortable question grows in her heart as she wonders about her father’s and brothers’ past choices. Is her family honorable or not? This story moved quickly and definitely kept my attention. I was impressed with the character development for a middle grade book and I’m really looking forward to book #2.
The Adventures of a Girl Called Bicycle
Christina Uss
June 5, 2018
A young girl called Bicycle is taken into a “mostly silent” monastery and is raised among the nuns and monks. One day they discover a used bicycle for sale which Bicycle purchases and names Clunk. After some time, her guardian, Sister Wanda, realizes that Bicycle does not have any friends outside the monastery. Therefore, she signs Bicycle up for a camp where she’s guaranteed to develop some relationships. But Bicycle wants nothing to do with forced social interaction and she intends to make friends with her idol, Zbigniew Sienkiewicz, a famous bicyclist. So she packs up Clunk and heads off on the adventure of a lifetime — riding from Washington D.C. to California to meet Zbigniew. Talk about ADVENTURE!! Plus, there’s a bit of bad AND good luck that will guide her on her journey.
Have you ever noticed that? Something seems like bad luck at one point, but it turns out to be good luck later on. Or vice versa. Luck is a very tricky thing.”
Overall, this story was incredibly clever and witty (even if completely bonkers at times). While mostly realistic fiction, there were some rather unusual characters on this adventure — along with an unexpected twist with artificial intelligence. This one was a fun read!
Zora and Me
Victoria Bond
T.R. Simon
October 12, 2010
This story captivated my heart, this week. It probably helps that I already adored the writing in Their Eyes Were Watching God, because this story revisits Eatonville, Florida (an all-black community) where a young Zora Neale Hurston is coming of age with some of the most delightful, wise, and dependable friends you’ll ever meet in middle grade literature. In this tale, full of mischief and myth, the town of Eatonville faces a murder mystery that Zora, Carrie, and Teddy attempt to solve. Zora loves to read, explore the woods, listen in on adult conversations, and spin stories that even SHE believes. However, is Zora telling one of her fantastic stories this time, or is she telling the honest truth? Only time will tell…
There were so many meaningful moments I wanted to capture in this story. I’ll just share a couple quotes that hit home for me:
Until that moment, I believed that what I carried inside of me was just myself and nothing of other people, not even the ones I loved. If I ever had the nerve to open up my heart, I thought I’d be faced with nothing but a tall, round-faced brown girl with coal-black hair. I felt that alone. But on the hem of this experience, wrapped in Mrs. Hurston’s embrace, I got up the nerve to take a peek into my heart, and to my surprise I didn’t find that lonely picture of myself. What I found there was much bigger. I found all of Eatonville.
One more that initiated a conversation with my husband this past weekend. Such truth:
I don’t know how to explain that moment except to say that, before the moving pictures and before the radio, folks were accustomed to silence; we even used to hug up on it once in a while. I never thought of it as special then, that we could just sit and stare and luxuriate in the comfort of our own thoughts. Without time to think, we wouldn’t have had anything to talk about in the first place.
Ahhhh, such a creative, fictional depiction of Zora Neale Hurston’s childhood life! The detailed descriptions of conversations felt authentic for the post-Civil War era. Additionally, the childlike interpretation of adult black/white racial interactions was well crafted — quite valuable for middle grade historical fiction. I felt a special connection to Carrie as she narrated this chapter of her life with Zora. I should also add that this novel is the first project ever endorsed by the Zora Neale Hurton Trust that wasn’t authored by Hurston, herself. I’m very much looking forward to reading book #2 which will be published in September.
Who Says Women Can’t Be
Computer Programmers?:
The Story of
Ada Lovelace
by Tanya Lee Stone
Marjorie Priceman, Illustrator
February 20, 2018
I was excited to get my hands on this book, this week. What is well known about Ada Lovelace is that she fully understood the whats and ifs behind the modern computer well over 100 years before it became reality. But her childhood and family happenings were quite interesting, as well. Her father was THE Lord Byron who fled England when Ada was still a baby. So her mother, Lady Byron, did everything she could to make sure Ada didn’t develop a “dangerous” imagination, like her father. So she pushed her to study mathematics and abandon her imaginative interests. Eventually she met Charles Babbage and they developed a long, close friendship where they encouraged each other as thinkers. And from this growth Ada eventually wrote her famous notes on the “Analytical Engine” that she believed would process not only numbers, but could also create pictures and music. The back of the book provides two pages of “More to the Story,” information about Ada’s many names, and more reading sources. In the colorful, flowery artwork we often see a bright-eyed Ada surrounded by mathematical equations. These illustrations were created with gouache and india ink on hot-press watercolor paper. Here’s one example of the sweet artwork:
After reading Cheriee’s review of this book last week, it makes me want to read Enchantress of Numbers by Jennifer Chiaverini to learn even more about her life!
To Be Read:
I’ve just discovered I’m teaching a new college course this coming semester, so I’ll be a bit busy over the next month devouring a new textbook and outlining the fall semester. Still, I’ll make some time for personal reading. I didn’t get to Zora and Me: The Cursed Ground last week, so that’s first on my list. Then I hope to at least start into A Reaper at the Gates (An Ember in the Ashes #3).
Have a wonderful reading week, everyone!
The Miller Memo 
The Adventures of a Girl Called Bicycle is on my list. It sounds very interesting! The author is from my state and she’s done a few events at bookstores here, but I haven’t been able to catch any of them.
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It’s a highly unusual story, but entertaining. I really hope you enjoy it! Thanks for visiting, Lisa!
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Thank you for this list. Many are new to me and I’m looking forward to finding them. The Mad Wolf’s Daughter sounds exciting and I like the idea that she needs to face and judge the deeds of her family as she is taking for own brave Journey.
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The Mad Wolf’s Daughter was really well-written and I agree — having to face what others say about you family (and reconsider whether you’re in the right) is important. We don’t see that a lot in kidlit. Thanks for visiting, Stacy!
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My sister is a teacher who most recently got moved to a STEM position that she is psyched about. I am going to tell her about the Ada Lovelace book. She wants to do a spotlight each month on a STEM pioneer and this would be a great book to read to her class. The Mad Wolf’s Daughter sounds awesome. I’m a sucker for things with a Scottish setting.
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That’s wonderful, Sara! I hope she enjoys the Ada Lovelace book! I got to listen to the audiobook of The Mad Wolf’s Daughter and hearing the accents really helped lure me into the setting. 🙂
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I really enjoyed the Mad Wolf’s Daughter and Bicycle for totally different reasons, but I love that both novels have strong and determined female characters. Have a great week!
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Absolutely!! The same is true of the Zora books. In fact, much of what I’m reading these days have strong female leads and I’m thankful to see it’s quickly becoming more of the norm. Just as it’s important for young girls to see themselves in these stories, I’m soooo glad that our young boys get a chance to peek through that window to witness bright, determined females taking the lead. Thanks for visiting, Laura!
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I think I read Zora and Me, but now I really can’t remember. Maybe I just bought it! Adventures of a Girl Called Bicycle sounds excellent. Are all of these at the public library?? I checked and Rapid has nothing…. That’s primarily where I library, but of course I’ll use your library too! I am also supposed to be busy developing the new reading course for fall, but I find myself getting sucked into reading that has nothing to do with that class instead!
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I haven’t yet written my next IMWAYR, but I already have to say that I loved book #2 of the Zora series even more. Oh my. I just loved the development of the relationships and the revealing of history. I’m glad it can be read as a stand alone (even though having read book #1 was a great background to better understanding more of the relationships). I already have a soft spot for Zora Neale Hurston, though. I’m sure that helps… 🙂 Bicycle and Mad Wolf’s Daughter were from Overdrive e-library (CPL) and Zora was ILL’ed from Wayne State.
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I’m glad you enjoyed Who Says Women Can’t Be Computer Programmers? My granddaughter is named Ada after her because of the other picture book biographies about her. A girl needs a strong name and Ada works in Korean as well as English. The novel shows the darker side of her upbringing, but I found it to be a fascinating read.
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Oh wow, Cheriee! That’s really neat to be named after her. I thought it interesting that the picture book pointed out how hard her mother was on her (but also explained why). I’m also curious about her illnesses. How sad to think of her spending so much time in bed from illness. 😦 Thanks for dropping by!
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Oh, how funny – my Grandad’s name was Zbigniew, before he Canadianized it to “Fred” – you don’t typically read about too many characters named Zbigniew! “Zora and Me” is a new one to me, I’m going to see if my library has a copy!
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That is cool, Jane! I’ve never met anyone by the name of Zbigniew (and, of course, I’ve never read the character name before this week). I hope more people are able to read Zora and Me. I haven’t yet composed my next IMWAYR, but I just finished book #2 and loved it even MORE!! I think it’s very important work for examining history. Thank you for swinging by my blog, Jane! Hope you’ve had a wonderful reading week!
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I need to get to A Reaper at the Gates. I love that series.
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I’m enjoying it, too. I think it’s supposed to be a four book series, so I’m interested in seeing how it all ends. Also, I think you’ve been reading the Zora series. Did you enjoy book #2? I liked it even better than book #1 — that back/forth narrative was quite intriguing. I’m wondering if there will be a book #3! Thanks for visiting my blog, Crystal!
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I missed Zora and Me when it came out. I am going to add it to my list promptly. 🙂
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I’m so glad I started it… The development of friendships and examination of history are both so wonderful. I loved book #2 even more! Thanks for dropping by, Ricki!
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Zora and Me looks like something I would definitely enjoy reading. The computer programmer book is one that I often recommend – I feel that I could find a way to include that in our current reading theme, though it’s a bit of a stretch. hehehee. 🙂 Have a great reading week!
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I hope, hope, hope to get the Zora series at more libraries. I think it’s important historical fiction work for the middle grade years. Thanks so much for dropping by, Myra!
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I’ve heard both the Bicycle book and Mad Wolf’s Daughter as being potential Mock Newbery books. My goal over the next two weeks is to read a lot that may be Newbery quality. Need to get that list ready for the fall!
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That does not surprise me at all. Both were so well written. While Bicycle was unusual, it was smart and witty — I felt like there was always a tongue-in-cheek joke just around the corner. Mad Wolf’s Daughter sometimes bordered on the MG/YA line, but really examined some important themes. Plus, strong, smart, capable female lead… 🙂 Thanks for visiting, Michele!
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Lots of good book for my TBR list here!
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I’m so glad to hear that!! This is what I love about our #imwayr community. My TBR list grows by leaps and bounds every single week.
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I also read The Mad Wolf’s Daughter this week and really enjoyed it! I will add Bicycle to my list. Thanks for the great post!
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