A Place at the Table is a story told in two voices by two authors. Elizabeth and Sara are both starting middle school and aren't ready for all the changes that this transition brings. Elizabeth is trying to keep her elementary best friend while Sara is adapting from her small Islamic school to this giant new public middle school. The two girls meet when Sara's mom begins teaching for the cooking club and Elizabeth enrolls. Both girls are going through transitions in their friendships as well as problems at home. As they struggle with these changes they realize that they are the friend that the other one needs. I love how both authors infuse this novel with aspects of their religion and traditions. Elizabeth is Jewish and Sara is Muslim and in this story readers will hear how both characters celebrate as well as struggle with their religious traditions. Immigration also plays an important role because both girls have mothers who are applying for citizenship. Elizabeth's mother from England and Sara's mother from Pakistan. Sara's mother faces more criticism and xenophobia than Elizabeth's and I think that this is dealt with really well in the story. Particularly how Elizabeth brings up why this is so and what she thinks about it. This is a wonderful story about friendship, immigration, and sharing the food that you love. Middle grade readers will connect with the characters in this book and everyone will delight in the delicious descriptions of all of the tasty foods. I can't wait to share this book with students.
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This was one of those books that I chose based on the title and the cover. Everything about it seemed so beautiful and magical. The inside text lived up to the outside plus some! What a gorgeous and thoughtful novel about two young women who fall in love and find happiness in one another despite the sadness surrounding their lives. I love that the story is written in vernacular for Audre. It made her come alive on the page and gave the reader a sense of place and Trinidad, where Audre is from. The island is described so beautifully that the reader feels transported and can almost taste the mangos that grow there. I love how Petrus uses poetry to divide the book, as well as many aspects of magical realism. Petrus is involved with the Pleasure Activism movement and this shows in how she writes with such passion and heartbreak. You will immediately fall in love with the girls and the families that support them. Audre and Mabel are strong, yet hurting, because of the tragedies that surround them. We are left with a story that feels so rich in complexity and I was left in awe of the beauty of the ending. I was so excited when Nic Stone announced that she was writing a Middle Grade novel. FInally I could share her wonderful writing with my students. Kids will love this adventurous story of a young boy and his G'ma as they travel across the south in an RV. Kids will also love the fun drawings found throughout this book. Scoob has had some recent trouble at school, so after he gets grounded by his father he decides to hit the road with his G'ma and her new RV. Little does he know, byt Scoob is in for the ride of his life as he discovers the secret past of his grandfather he never knew, as well as some secrets that make him question if he really knows who his G'ma is. Nic Stone does a fabulous job weaving together a fun adventure with the history of the Green Book and what it was like to travel in the south during segregation. G'ma, who is white, shares the difficulties her and her black husband faced existing as a couple during the era of Jim Crow. The challenges her husband faced, and the mistake she made that changed her and her family's life forever. So join Scoob and G'ma as they road trip across the American South during the present and reminisce about the past. Samira Ahmed takes on art history, family secrets, and romance set in Paris and spanning the lives of two Muslim women across time. Khayyam arrives in Paris, like she does every summer, feeling the weight of failure and criticism after her art school admission essay is ripped apart. Not only is she crushed by this defeat she is also feeling the sting of a recent breakup between her and her not-quite boyfriend. When she runs into a descendent of Alexandre Dumas her life begins to take an adventurous turn. Is it fate that brought them together? Together they work together to uncover the mystery of the woman, Leila, who brought together Lord Byron, Delacroix, and Dumas. This book was impossible to put down. I love how Ahmed tied together the stories of Khayyam and Leila and made connections between two Muslim women trying to find their place in the world. Leila's story is tragic, yet she is one of the strongest characters in the book. Her voice and her convictions rein true throughout her story and Khayyam's desire to honor her shows her deep respect for Leila. The romance and tension between Khayyam and Alexandre, as well as Khayyam's ex Zaid, will keep readers engaged beyond the mystery of the story. This story will lead the reader down a rabbit-hole of internet research to uncover more about the history of Dumas and his connection to other artists of the 19th century. But this story isn't just about mystery and romance. Ahmed brings identity to the forefront as she discusses the complex identities that people have. Khayyam is a young woman whose Muslim mother's family was from India and whose white father is from France. She is constantly trying to figure out her place in the world that constantly challenges her identity. Colonialism and Orientalism are also discussed as it related to Khayyam's family in India during Partition as well as the history of Dumas, whose mother was a slave. This book is ultimately about feminism and giving a voice to the silenced. I am a His Dark Materials fanatic. My first tattoo is a quote from The Amber Spyglass and I'm currently sketching a new tattoo that has elements from the book placed together. Pullman creates such a fantastical world that children and adults will fall in love with. Alternate realities, conspiracies, adventure! Plus every person has a Daemon which is basically your soul represented in animal form. I wonder what mine would settle as? With HBO currently airing season one of His Dark Materials I figured it was time that I put the first Book of Dust La Belle Sauvage on the top of my TBR. I don't know why I waited so long. This book tells the story of infant Lyra and how she came to be placed in the care of Jordan College. You will find familiar characters throughout and understand more about the world of daemons, dust, and Lyra. The story focuses on Malcolm Gladwell and his introduction to Lyra. I don't want to give anything away, but get ready for an adventure through the flooded English countryside filled with intrigue and deception. If you're a fan of His Dark Materials, then this is a must-read. While this book takes place around 10 years before The Golden Compass the next book in The Book of Dust is The Secret Commonwealth which is set around 10 years after The Amber Spyglass. Being in a reading frenzy is nothing new for me. However, the past few days I have felt the need to read almost an endless craving. Luckily for me I am an elementary school librarian, so reading is my actual job.
I tend to fluctuate in the genres and age ranges of the books I read. I obviously read tons of picture books every year. I would say that the majority of novels that I read would be categorized as Middle Grade. YA also takes up a lot of my shelf space which is more surprising to me because when I was a teen I hardly ever read YA. Now I find it to be one of the most enjoyable categories to read. I love the way YA authors tells stories and build their characters. They do the best job of turning reluctant readers into lifelong lovers of books. I always try and squeeze in an adult book every once in awhile as well. I think sticking to the same thing over and over again doesn't stimulate my mind as much as reading a variety of sources and styles. In terms of genre historical fiction tends to be a favorite of mine, along with realistic fiction. Fantasy and Sci-fi are becoming new favorites that I hadn't explored as much in the past. Sorry to all the Romance readers out there, but this just isn't my thing. Don't get me wrong, every once in awhile a little thrown into the story is fine, but I tend not to gravitate to this genre. I guess the best way to get a glimpse into my reading style is to head on over to my Goodreads 2019 Challenge to see what I've most recently read. What are your favorite genres? Do you read across age groups? What should I include on my TBR? |
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