What an unexpected book!I've been meaning to read Flyaway Boy for a while, but technological problems came in the way. I bought a Kindle edition only to learn that the ebook is not compatible with my Kindle, which meant that I had to read it on my laptop. Sitting at my laptop and reading doesn't feel like reading at all. It feels like I'm working, even though I do so much that is not work when I'm at my laptop. I love to lounge and read and my laptop isn't really conducive to that.But Flyaway Boy was a delight. I took a while to read it, much longer than I would have over a physical book, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.I chuckled at the audacity of the book, revelling in how it surprised a laugh out of me at the oddest of places. The protagonist Kabir is a joy. He's a child after my own heart, a dreamer, an imaginer, a starry-eyed free spirit. But more, I love the storytelling, … [Read more...]
Crenshaw
Look at that gorgeous cover. It invited me in with all its charm, its wonder, its mystery. And the book was just as heart-warming.Jackson likes facts. He's the kid who runs backstage and then reveals to everyone just how the magician pulled a rabbit out of his hat. He knows facts about bats and cats and dinosaurs and all kinds of other creatures because facts are real. Facts are important.If only his parents would tell him facts too, instead of trying to be all cheery and optimistic, and pretending that everything is going well.The other problem with Jackson's factual, real, rational universe is a giant cat, Crenshaw. Crenshaw was his imaginary friend when he was younger. Surely, he should have outgrown something as un-factual as an imaginary friend! Crenshaw first made an appearance when Jackson's family had to move out of their house and into a minivan for four weeks, which … [Read more...]