SIXTEEN middle-grade books stood out to me last year! When I looked at my list, I did a quick count of how many books I read in all. I lost count at sixty! Of course, that includes picture books and chapter books that make for quicker reads. Here's my list, beginning with the books I gave five stars and then moving to those with 4.5. Willodeen What can one say about Katherine Applegate's writing that hasn't been said before? Willodeen is a stunning book, richly textured and beautifully detailed. It's a work of fantasy that brilliantly touches upon ideas and themes that are relevant to our very real world. Through hummingbears and screechers, she shows us what havoc we're wreaking on the world around us. Book review Gossamer Gossamer by Lois Lowry is another gorgeous book. I often find myself thinking that I … [Read more...]
Echo
Do you ever read the author's note and acknowledgements? I love reading them! For example, at the end of Echo, author Pam Muñoz Ryan writes:It was [in the German Harmonica and Accordion Museum in Trossingen] in a glass case that I discovered the letters from thankful family members of soldiers whose lives were once saved by Hohner harmonicas, and the mutilated instruments, some with bullets still embedded, that had protected them. Echo - AcknowledgementsI had gooseflesh as I read that because I would never have imagined that a harmonica could save a life. It made Echo all the more poignant because a harmonica, a very special harmonica, is what holds the whole story together.Echo is a blend of historical fiction and fantasy. It traces the story of an enchanted harmonica that finds its way to people who need it. In this gorgeous book divided into three parts, we read about … [Read more...]