I am excited to be a part of the conversation at #IMWAYR! Thank you to Sheila, Jen and Kellee for inspiring and hosting this meme.
I read a beautiful book of poetry this week called Dear Wandering Wildebeest which is an exploration of all the varied creatures you might find at an African watering hole. With poetry on one page and short bursts of informational text on the facing page, this book would be great for discussions. It includes a glossary and extensive bibliography; I loved it!
I am a huge fan of Joanne Rocklin's The Five Lives of Our Cat Zook. Thus, it was with eager anticipation that I dove into her new book, Fleabrain Loves Franny. The premise is quite fantastical - a young girl is recuperating from polio in 1952 and she befriends a talking flea. And Fleabrain isn't just any flea, but rather a highly literary and sensitive one. With a nod to Kafka, Rocklin develops the relationship between Franny and Fleabrain, while at the same time showing the loneliness and sadness that Franny experiences as she is shunned by her peers for having polio. I really enjoyed the historical setting and the somewhat madcap adventures that girl and flea have. I'm curious to see how kids respond to this book!
Kenneth Oppel's latest is an adventure/fantasy/mystery set on a 900-car train traversing through the Canadian wilderness. Reality is ever-so-slightly different, though, as sasquatches and other weird wildlife periodically attack the train. When Will, the son of one of the train engineers finds himself in possession of a key to a very important train car, he becomes instantly an enemy to some and a friend to others. This is a fast paced adventure, with great character development.
Happy reading to all!
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