I’m not really sure what to say about the political events of this past week, in my country. It’s been one of the more shocking experiences for the United States (and that’s really saying a lot, considering the last few months). The division is unnerving, and I’m not certain our wounds will fully heal any time soon. But my hope is that the coming months will bring optimism, empathy, and peace all across our nation as we look for common ground.
On a positive note, I finally read my very first books of 2021, this week. The novels I chose were the perfect start to the new year as they both dealt with questioning life choices and having a fresh start. Overall, it was a really great reading week, so hopefully you’ll find something of interest in this post to add to your reading list.
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!
The Midnight Library
Matt Haig
August 20, 2020
Canongate Books
I’ve had this one on “hold” for a while and was surprised when it became available this last week. With the discussion of regrets and life decisions, it ended up being an excellent first adult novel to kick off my new year of reading. Nora Seed’s life hasn’t ended up where she’d hoped. And today is an exceptionally bad day. So Nora decides she’s had enough and she attempts suicide. When she wakes up, she discovers she’s arrived at The Midnight Library — a timeless space between life and death where she must face her personalized Book of Regrets. The bookshelves appear to go on forever, and every other book in the library allows her to visit a parallel universe where she’s made a different choice at some point in her life.
“Doing one thing differently is often the same as doing everything differently.”
Some choices landed her in vastly different places in the world with different careers, friends, partners, work associates, and even children. Some are incredible experiences for her. Some not so much.
“Sometimes the only way to learn is to live.”
The librarian explains that once she finds a parallel life that she loves and accepts completely, she can stay there.
“…a pawn is never just a pawn. A pawn is a queen-in-waiting. All you need to do is find a way to keep moving forward. One square after another. And you can get to the other side and unlock all kinds of power.”
I don’t want to spoil the ending, but I really enjoyed The Midnight Library and am not surprised, at all, that it won the Goodreads Choice Award for Fiction. I still find it very hard to believe this book was under 300 pages because it packed a whole lot of lives in a very small space. I picked up a number of beautiful quotes and the story made me think a lot about life choices and the small things we can do in the ‘here and now’ to impact our lives later.
“The thing that looks the most ordinary might end up being the thing that leads you to victory.”
Awards: Goodreads Choice Award for Fiction (2020)
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.
Restart
Gordon Korman
May 30, 2017
Scholastic Press
I decided to make Restart my first middle grade novel of 2021. It was published back in 2017, but seemed an appropriate read this month, considering this time of new year’s resolutions and the opportunity to consider what we’d like to change about our lives. Chase Ambrose is a school bully. There’s really no way around this fact. He and his buddies pick on the little guys. As football heroes of the school, they’re given a lot of grace, and they lie their way through most of the poor decisions they make to avoid punishment. One day, while climbing across his roof, Chase falls on his head and is diagnosed with amnesia. The only thing he remembers is a girl dressed in white with ribbons in her hair. Therefore, when he heads back to school, he has to slowly discover who he is — who his friends are, what he likes to do, and what is most important to him. It’s a full restart of his life, which means he must decide whether to take advantage of the opportunity to change or to assume the role of being the person he was, before the fall.
The story had laugh-out-loud scenes, so well described that I could see it all happening perfectly. For example, when Chase’s new friend Brendan (who he used to bully, pre-amnesia) is trying to get his Youtube channel to go viral, he concocts a number of crazy stunts to film, like: riding his tricycle through a carwash (HILARIOUS!!), jumping into a pile of leaves while covered from head to toe in pancake syrup, and “one man band,” where Brendan plays all the instruments of the band at different times, but edits them together where he’s playing the entire piece at once. But there were also heartfelt moments, like when Chase is meeting a “Dumbledor” (the word bullies use to identify the elderly — a pop culture reference from Harry Potter) from WWII who is incredibly grumpy and mean-spirited. However, in time they quickly discover he won the highest honor for his actions in the war. Gordon Korman is an amazing writer for the middle grade crowd. He “gets” the complications of this age and so eloquently relates those coming-of-age feelings of confusion, devastation, and even humor.
AWARDS: South Carolina Book Award Nominee for Junior Book (2020), Manitoba Young Readers’ Choice Award Nominee for Sundogs (2019), Rebecca Caudill Young Readers’ Book Award Nominee (2020)
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.
Luci Soars
Lulu Delacre
August 4, 2020
Philomel
Is your shadow trapping you? Does it prevent you from soaring? Luci was born without a shadow, so she hid herself from the sunlight so as not to be ridiculed. But once she stops caring about having no shadow and what others think, she find her super power. The very last page depicts Luci staring directly at the reader, challenging them to stop looking at what’s missing to find their strength. I really liked the artwork in this book and am disappointed that I couldn’t find out how it was created. Portions look like charcoal was used as everything is in black and white until Luci discovers her strength.
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.
After Squidnight
Jonathan Fenske
July 28, 2020
Penguin Workshop
What a wonderfully creepy little story! Squids need a space to let out their creativity (because it won’t stay in the water), so in rhyming text, we learn about how the squids creep into a child’s house at night, leaving doodles and notes all over the place. When the parents wake up, they believe their child did it and so the clean-up begins throughout the house (except for one special spot that the child leaves hidden behind stuffed animals). I LOVE that Jonathan Fenske dedicates the book: “For those who draw on walls.” The artwork for this book was created on illustration board with #2 pencil and India ink.
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.
Dozens of Doughnuts
Carrie Finison
Brianne Farley, illustrator
July 21, 2020
G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers
In rhyming text, we hear the story of LouAnn the bear, who is preparing for her winter hibernation. She’s just baked up a batch of a dozen doughnuts when her doorbell rings. So she splits the batch with her first friend, Woodrow. But pretty soon, the doorbell rings again. And again. And again… LouAnn begins mixing up batch after batch to feed all her friends, until she runs out of ingredients and there’s no doughnuts left for her. But never fear, there’s a sweet ending to this one! And I think it would pair nicely with The Doorbell Rang by Pat Hutchins. The artwork for this book was done in gouache, colored pencil, and charcoal, with some help from Photoshop.
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.
Planes USA!
Jo Parker
Tara J. Hannon, illustrator
July 21, 2020
Grosset & Dunlap
In this simple board book, each page spread depicts scenes from different famous cities in the USA. Readers will witness planes passing through New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Chicago, Atlanta, Miami, Dallas, Phoenix, Seattle, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. The artwork is bright and bold — sure to keep the attention of young readers.
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.
First Day Critter Jitters
Jory John
Liz Climo, illustrator
July 7, 2020
Dial Books
Hey kids, guess what! EVERYONE is nervous on the first day of school! Sloth is super slow and may not make it on time, snake can’t get a backpack to stay on his back, mouse is extremely small, kangaroo isn’t used to being out how mama’s pouch, parrot tends to repeat things, mole has poor eye sight, bear is sleepy, and rabbit is full of energy. In fact, there’s an adult in your classroom that may be just as nervous as you are! But in this cute little book, classmates figure out how to work together as a community to meet everyone’s needs. Lots to discuss in this book, so it will be a wonderful start-of-year read aloud. The illustrations in this book were done with digital magic.
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.
Hey, Who Made This Mess?
Primo Gallanosa
June 30, 2020
G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Someone walked through a pail of purple paint and made a MESS! They did something to disrupt all the animals at the zoo, so it was probably a monster — a sleepy, thirsty, stinky, scratchy, hungry monster! P.S. If you look closely on most pages, you’ll figure out who the culprit is before the zoo keeper does! 🙂 The art was done in gouache, watercolor pencil, ink, and Photoshop.
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.
Tiger Wild
Gwen Millward
June 30, 2020
Viking Books for Young Readers
Young Lily has an imaginary friend named Tiger. Any time something bad happens, she tells Penny (her older sister?) that Tiger did it. After painting the furniture, eating the special strawberry Fairy cakes, and unraveling Penny’s knitting, Tiger is sent to his room until he is ready to apologize. Instead, Lily and Tiger run away to be wild and free. But when Penny arrives to take Lily back home, Lily admits that she shouldn’t have left the house without asking permission and that she’s sorry for having been “naughty,” too. In the end, we learn that she never again left without permission, but that sometimes Penny went to “the wild” with Lily and Tiger so that she could also be “wild and free.” There’s a lot to discuss, here. I definitely wouldn’t just hand this off to a child without having a chance to discuss hidden meanings, but overall it’s about personality, creativity, and feelings. However, it’s also about taking responsibility and being safe. I’ll provide one page spread as an example of the artwork, 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.
Sky’s the Limit:
Words of Wisdom
from a Young Champion
Sky Brown
June 16, 2020
Penguin Workshop
This little book (it really is very small) is all about becoming the best you can be and pushing limits and not letting anyone stop you. If you’re not yet familiar with Sky Brown, she’s a skateboarder from Japan who took part in the Vans US Open at the age of 8 and became a “professional” athlete at the age of 10. Today, she rises at 5am to surf, has won Dancing with the Stars Juniors, and is now dabbling in music (see her video, below). She is represented by Nike and appears to truly believe the Sky’s the Limit!
The artwork throughout the book appears to all be edited photography of Sky Brown. Every page spread has text on the left-hand side and a photo on the right side. 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.
Max and Marla Are
Going on a Trip
(Max and Marla #4)
Alexandra Boiger
June 16, 2020
Philomel Books
This fourth book in the Max and Marla series is definitely all about living in the moment. Max wants to take photos of everything, but when he can’t get the lens to focus or when his camera gets jammed, he misses some of the best sights. Eventually, his camera fall off their little boat. And from that time on, he is an active participant and doesn’t miss anything. The artwork for this book was rendered in watercolor and ink on Fabriano paper, then scanned and further overworked in Photoshop by adding spot textures and colors.
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.
A Family for Louie
Alexandra Thompson
June 1, 2020
G.P. Putnam’s Sons
This debut picture book is all about little Louie and his hunt for a new family. His life seems pretty perfect in the beginning as he gets delicious foods all day, a nice daily bath, and a hot cocoa before bedtime (please don’t give your dog cocoa!!). Yet, as soon as he realizes what is missing, he goes on the hunt. It turns out that it’s not easy finding the right family, but it’s well worth the wait. The sweet artwork was done digitally. 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 am currently finishing up The Boys in the Back Row by Mike Jung and I’ve just started reading Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke, after Earl of The Chronicles of a Children’s Book Writer shared the title a couple weeks back. And I’m still working on a small stack of picture books, primarily from 2020.
Reading Challenge Updates:
Goodreads Challenge: 12/200
The Miller Memo 
The Midnight Library is a book I keep considering reading because I’ve heard people say they like it, but I’m not a big fan of fantasy when it comes to adult reading. It does sound interesting thought!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh it was very thought provoking, Lisa. I don’t get to read much adult fiction, but this one really fit my need for a “fresh new year” read. Thanks for visiting!
LikeLike
Oh, so many good reads here! Hey, Who Made This Mess? looks like a great storytime book, I’ll definitely be picking up Sky Brown, and Gordon Korman is always a favorite. Thanks for sharing!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I just had to see what the fuss was about with Restart — so glad I did! 🙂 Thank you for swinging by, Annamarie!
LikeLike
Except for Dozens of Doughnuts, which I loved, every other picture book is new, Shaye. Thanks for all of those, love reading about them. The Midnight Library is on my list & I’m really looking forward to it! Yes, we, the country, needs a lot of healing and consequences for many as well. What a week it was, & I guess this week won’t be calm either. Wishing you & your family some good things happening!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I feel so lucky to have access to some great new picture books through our ILL college system since our local libraries don’t carry many newer titles. They have a grant that covers all the postage costs this year, so YEEHAW! And I don’t get to read much adult fiction, but I was pleased that The Midnight Library became available on Overdrive at the perfect time. I am certainly hoping for calmer weeks ahead (while feeling a tad nervous about rumored threats in each state capitol). Thanks for visiting, Linda!
LikeLike
How did you get so many good books packed into such a stressful week?! I’ve seen a lot of praise for The Midnight Library, and it sounds great! Restart sounds excellent as well—I need to read more of Gordon Korman’s books, since I’ve only read Ungifted and the Swindle series (which were both great!). Dozens of Doughnuts, First Day Critter Jitters, and A Family for Louie also sound excellent! Thanks for the great post!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Korman has some fantastic reads! I recently LOVED his Unteachables, War Stories, and Restart. I started Unplugged back around September as an advanced audiobook through Netgalley, but the publishers synthesized narrator just didn’t work for me and so I struggled to keep the characters apart. I’ll just have to wait for the book release to finish it. I really liked what Karen Yingling recently said about Gordon Korman — that his works are “the hoodies of middle grade literature.” And she suggested we crowd fund a personal chef and personal trainer for him “so that he lives to a healthy, productive old age!” ❤ I went into The Midnight Library not exactly sure what to expect, but I definitely enjoyed it. It was short enough to finish pretty quickly, but carried a lot of heavy thought. A very nice read to start my 2021. Thank you for swinging by!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I can’t wait to read The Midnight Library. I hope you get something from Letters to a Young Poet. I’ll be listening to the audiobook this week I think. But I never thought I’d say this but So many books, so little ears.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I was excited to find a copy of Letters to a Young Poet in my library — it will make nice “night reading” just before bed this week. And I really hope you enjoy The Midnight Library, Earl. I feel pretty lucky that it became available just in time for me to start my first reads of the year. Have a wonderful reading week!
LikeLike
The Midnight Library was already on my list, but not high on a to read list. Now I will try to actually get to it. I’m in the middle of reading Strong is the New Pretty. Sky Brown is the kind of girl who is in it! All of these picture books are completely new to me!
LikeLiked by 1 person
The Midnight Library really initiated some great conversations, here. And WOW is Sky Brown talented. I was stunned when I read more about her on the Internet. Fantastic athlete — so courageous. Thanks for visiting, Cheriee!
LikeLike
OOH, you read a LOT! I am adding The Midnight Library to my list! Sounds like I’d like the librarian.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh yes, she was fantastic! Hope you enjoy it, Jennifer. 🙂
LikeLike
I can’t wait for my copy of The Midnight Library to come in. It sounds like a wonderful book! I read Restart a few years ago, and then encouraged my stepson to read it over the summer. We both enjoyed it!
LikeLiked by 1 person
In Restart, it was so interesting to see the previously bullied kids respond to Chase’s transformation. I mean, how do you trust something like that? I’m so glad these two titles were what kickstarted my new year! Thanks for visiting, Wendi!
LikeLike
Lots of good picture books here. With our libraries still closed I have to request books rather than browse, so I’m glad to have titles to put on my list.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m in the same boat as far as requesting books. I mean, our college library is open for browsing, but I still ILL at least 95% of my books (because we don’t have many new books). But our public library does this weird thing where they close for 15 minutes of every hour. And that’s just not enough time to hang out and fully browse. So I request everything online and they offer to place it out on their bench for a contactless pick-up. But we still can only check out three books at a time. Grrr! Thanks for dropping by, Beth!
LikeLike
Ah, these Sunday evening visits to Monday posts are becoming a habit for me! oops ….
Glad you enjoyed The Midnight Library so much, too – I agree it is very thoughtful and thought-provoking. That’s what I like best about novels that play with time.
I always enjoy Gordon Korman’s novels, but I somehow missed Restart! It sounds great – he comes up with such unique premises but like you said, he really “gets” kids and his characters always feel real.
Hope you had a good reading week!
Sue
Book By Book
LikeLiked by 1 person
It looks like you have nothing to worry about since I’m responding to this comment soooo late. But it’s the time of year where I’m going back through all my comments and seeing what I’ve mised. I LOVED The Midnight Library and believe I first heard about it from you. So THANK YOU! It’s one I wouldn’t mine re-reading some time.
LikeLike