Being a young adult is to inhabit a complex and confusing world. When books address this phase of life beautifully, they can be breathtaking. Here are my top ten YA books of 2019.StargirlWriter: Jerry SpinelliPublisher: Laurel LeafThinking about Stargirl makes me smile, for the character of Stargirl is impossibly sweet, impossibly wonderful. Leo loves her, but unlike her, he is bound by this world. He seeks the approval and acceptance of people around him and he wants Stargirl to be normal, even though he assures her that he loves how not-normal she is.For a while, Stargirl tries, for she loves Leo too. But that is not who she is. How can Stargirl be normal? In a different context, I could ask, how do you keep a wave upon the sand?Read my review of StargirlBuy StargirlWolf CryWriter: Julia GoldingPublisher: Frost WolfFrom an author I love comes … [Read more...]
Catching Up – Reading
Picture booksThe thing about picture books is that I read so many delightful ones one after the other, particularly thanks to Storyweaver. I finish one, another is recommended to me and I read it ... And so, I don't end up writing about any of them! Here are a few that stayed with me.The Best House of All, written by Natasha Sharma and illustrated by Kaveri Gopalakrishnan, is a delightful read, with the best kind of protagonist of all - an enterprising little girl. I love the repetition and the illustrations, and I think the book is perfect to use in class too.The Grand Patch-up, written by Karthika G and illustrated by Tasneem Amiruddin is another lovely story, a story of friendship, quarrels and making up. Quarrels may be simple, but to the children involved, they're always silly. Sometimes, a little extra effort is required to make up after an argument - and … [Read more...]