I tend to avoid getting on the bandwagon with popular series. It took me forever to experience the world of Harry Potter and the Hunger Games saga. Why? I didn’t want to get swept up into the hoopla of the popular experiences. By waiting, the books are able to stand on their own merit and my encounter with the written word is mine alone.
To that end, I dove into Veronica Roth’s Divergent this summer….and I thoroughly enjoyed the first book of the series! The storytelling was engrossing and the plot easily kept my attention through its many twists and turns. Now I completely understand why Roth’s writing was so well received by the young adult audience.
For those who have no idea about Divergent, the novel is set in a world where people are sorted into factions — essentially a caste system — based upon skills that they possess. There are a select few, however, who have superior skills that cannot be manipulated by the sorting process. They are classified as the Divergent….and face constant danger if their status is discovered.
The adventures of Beatrice, Four, Will, Peter, and the others will keep the attention of every reader. Looking for an exciting adventure story? Look no further than Divergent. Need a little romance in your life? It’s here, too! Hoping for something that raises questions about bravery and selflessness? Roth’s novel addresses these topics splendidly.
I highly recommend that you and your teen read this book! However, be advised that there are scenes depicting violence, warfare, sexuality, domestic abuse and death that may be disturbing for some readers.
I finally managed to finish a novel this week! It’s an exciting accomplishment to say the least. This time, the novel was Lisa Scottoline’s After Anna. This gripping family drama tells the story of Noah, a pediatric allergist, and his wife, Maggie. Maggie lost custody of her infant daughter after her powerful ex-husband had her declared unfit. An unexpected call reunites Maggie with Anna, her long-lost daughter. Anna moves into Maggie and Noah’s home in hopes of beginning a new family.
Dandy by Ame Dyckman is a funny story about a little girl who finds a flower in the middle of Daddy’s perfectly manicured lawn. Unfortunately, Daddy realizes that the intruder is no flower, but actually a WEED! Whenever Daddy attempts to remove the weed from the lawn, his daughter is always there to protect her prized possession. With lots of humor, Dyckman expresses the lengths a father will go to in order to see that his child is happy and treasured.
The Very Impatient Caterpillar by Ross Burach is a hysterical book for adults disguised as a children’s book. The young caterpillar cannot wait to become a butterfly, but lacks the patience required. Children will be mesmerized by the vivid images and the carefully crafted science lesson about the metamorphosis process. I suspect they will enjoy watching Mom and Dad laugh as they read the book, too! The little caterpillar’s constant questions throughout the process will strike home with anyone who has spent time with a toddler.
In keeping with the Easter celebration this month, I couldn’t pass up Too Many Carrots by Katy Hudson. Rabbit collects carrots and cannot bear to be separated from them. There’s a problem though — there’s no room in the house for Rabbit now because of all the carrots! Rabbit decides to take the problem to his friends….but the problem continues to grow. Too Many Carrots quickly becomes a charming lesson about friendship and sharing.
The novel had been sitting in my TBR pile for several months. I had made several attempts to start, but life always tended to get in the way. That’s actually a fairly accurate summary of my 2019 reading life — everything else always seems to get in the way of my reading. When Spring Break arrived, I realized this was my opportunity to escape into the world of Jodi Picoult again and explore A Spark of Light.
Ellie by Mike Wu is the story of a young elephant and her animal friends in a zoo that is about to close. In an effort to save their home, the animals all begin to pitch in to make things better. The only problem is that Ellie is not able to help because she is too short and not strong enough. Just as she becomes convinced that she is simply too small to help, Ellie finds herself with a paintbrush in her trunk…and she begins to contribute to the world through her art! (Can’t imagine WHY I think this is such an important message for children to hear, can you?)
This month’s second selection hooked me as soon as I saw the cover with its graphic images and enticing title. After the Fall: How Humpty Dumpty Got Back Up Again by Dan Santat tells just that story. Humpty Dumpty has been completely repaired to his former glory — well, almost. Despite being a whole egg again, Humpty is now afraid of heights! He misses the view from high atop the wall. When he finally gets the courage to climb to the heights again, Humpty experiences an unexpected change and the answer is not given to the reader in the text. I love when a young reader has to look carefully at the pictures and deduce what happened to the hero. (If I’m honest, it took me a minute to figure it out in the bookstore today…..but when I got it, I GOT IT! The people sitting nearby might have thought I had lost my mind momentarily.) Make sure you don’t miss the image and statement on the back cover of the book either: “Life begins when you get back up!” Author Dan Santat is a Caldecott Medal winner for his 2015 book The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend, so the pictures in this book are also incredible.
Normally, that’s where I end these posts, but this month I have to give a shout out to another wonderful picture book that I read today. I Need My Monster by Amanda Noll with illustrations by Howard McWilliam was an incredibly funny read. In brief, a young boy has gone to bed and realized that the monster that lives under his bed has gone on a fishing trip for a few days. The boy realizes that he will miss his monster and begins interviewing others to fill in as a replacement. The creatures are initially somewhat scary, but quickly reveal that they are hysterical. Probably better for an older child, I Need My Monster can be a welcome return to reading for the child that likes more mature themes with incredible visual stimulation.
