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 to share what you’ve been reading!
As I mentioned last week, my mom is in town for two weeks and so I have barely read anything since her arrival on Wednesday. That said, this post will be especially brief. Thanks for stopping in and I’ll make the rounds over the coming days!
Patron Saints of Nothing
Randy Ribay
June 18, 2019
Kokila
The Patron Saints of nothing is a contemporary novel about a Filipino-American teenager named Jay who is in his senior year of high school. For a long time, he was penpals with his cousin in the Philippines named Jun. But when his cousin turns up dead, and no one wants to talk about it, Jay feels an intense need to travel to the Philippines and get to the bottom of his mysterious death. I finished this book in one night — it was gripping! I admit to having known practically zilch in regards to President Rodrigo Duterte or the war on drugs, so it was a lot for me to take in. And there were important points about American journalism coverage of other countries that were spot-on. Overall it’s heart-breaking and yet quite healing in many ways.
You can add it to your Goodreads list HERE.
If you do not have a local bookstore, you may purchase it through IndieBound HERE.
You may also choose to purchase it through Amazon HERE.
My Life as an Ice Cream Sandwich
Ibi Zoboi
August 27, 2019
Dutton Books for Young Readers
This is Ibi Zoboi’s debut middle grade novel about a young girl named Ebony-Grace Norfleet who lives in Huntsville, Alabama. It’s now 1984 and, years ago, her grandfather was one of the first black engineers to integrate NASA. Today, he and Ebony-Grace spend a lot of time using their imagination while discussing outer space and all things related to science fiction. So when she is sent to Harlem to spend a few weeks with her father, she seems to freak out with nothing to anchor her imagination. She struggles to get along with the other children and keeps falling back into her science fiction world. The other children think she’s weird and sometimes it’s hard to understand what she’s thinking or seeing because she’s sincerely that caught up in her imaginary world. I was quite drawn to the beautiful cover of this book, but I really struggled to connect with Ebony-Grace. Some reviews have suggested that maybe she is on the spectrum because she talks about sensory overload and struggles to communicate with other children her age due to her hyper focus on science fiction. Otherwise, she just appears incredibly immature for her age.
You can add it to your Goodreads list HERE.
If you do not have a local bookstore, you may purchase it through IndieBound HERE.
You may also choose to purchase it through Amazon HERE.
Fletcher and the Falling Leaves
(Fletcher the Fox #1)
Julia Rawlinson
Tiphanie Beeke, illustrator
August 29, 2006
Greenwillow Books
This week I picked up an older picture book title that was new-to-me and it was simply delightful. It’s the story of a young fox who is experiencing autumn for the very first time. As the leaves begin falling off the tree, he attempts to save them and keep them tethered to the tree. Knowing nothing about this season, he can hardly imagine the surprise right around the corner. This book shares the precious innocence that children will easily relate to and the gorgeous artwork is such a treat. The pages are full of subdued browns, deep reds, yellows, and oranges — truly providing the feeling of fall. Pastels were used to prepare the full-color art. I’ll provide one page spread as an example, below:
You can add it to your Goodreads list HERE.
If you do not have a local bookstore, you may purchase it through IndieBound HERE.
You may also choose to purchase it through Amazon HERE.
To Be Read:
I’m hoping to finish Roll With It by Jamie Sumner. I’m just about half way into this audiobook and I’m thoroughly enjoying Ellie’s voice!! I also have an e-ARC of Friend or Fiction by Abby Cooper that I’ve started and really hope to squeeze the rest in over the coming week.
Reading Challenge Updates:
Goodreads Challenge 2019 – 226/250
#MustReadin2019 – 29/42
The Miller Memo 
Have fun with your mom! I’m going to look for Fletcher and the Falling Leaves at our local library for my preschooler, she’s been asking about autumn and why leaves turn color and fall from the trees. Patron Saints of Nothing and My Life As An Ice Cream Sandwich both seem like books I’d enjoy, I’m adding them to my TBR. Thanks for sharing!
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The artwork is so lovely in Fletcher and the Falling Leaves — hope you enjoy it! And I hope you enjoy the two novels, too. Really, really liked Patron Saints of Nothing. Thanks for visiting, Wendi!
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Hope your mom is having a great visit! I somehow thought Roll With It was a graphic novel, but I’m guessing not if you are listening to the audio. Have fun reading!
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I’ve noticed a number of books, lately, that look like graphic novels from the cover. I’m never sure until I pick the book up. I’ve not held a hardcopy of this one, so I cannot be certain. But on the audiobook it sure read like a traditional novel. It’s such a great book. Hope you enjoy it, Beth!
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