Monday, March 23, 2020

It's Monday - Adventures in Books!


              Visit Kellee and Ricki at UnleashingReaders and Jen at Teach Mentor Texts to see what they've been reading, along with others who post their favorites.  Your TBR lists will grow! Happy Reading!
          Share with the hashtag #IMWAYR


Thinking of all of you during this challenging time, hope you are doing well and finding joy in your lives every day.





           It took me a while to read this, not because it wasn't a special adventure story set in the California gold rush days, but because of the challenging days we're experiencing. I'm fine, staying home except for a few trips to the grocery, but feel a little scattered! 
           However, this story by Avi is quite a wonderful trip back to the San Francisco of Gold Rush days where a young girl, Victoria Blaisdell of Providence, Rhode Island whose father has lost his job and gets the 'fever', opts to take only her younger brother along to California. "Tory" wants independence and hates the expectations of a 14-year-old girl, no school but dancing school, act like a lady, no outings without accompaniment. 
Thanks to Candlewick Press for the copy!
            Readers will be thrilled to see that Tory won't be stopped. She stows away on the ship, thus beginning the adventure that is not always easy, but her strength does not stop her will to be who she wants to be. You'll be surprised at the terrible conditions of that old San Francisco, most living in tents, mud everywhere, no schools for the younger brother whom Tory is left in charge of as her father takes off to the goldfields. It's a tale hard to imagine, but Avi says there really was a Blaisdell family that lived in Providence and his descriptions of "Rotten Row" where hundreds of ships were abandoned in the bay as men arrived to take off for the fields nearly defy belief. Those wrecks now at the bay's bottom have since served as a landfill for what is now land extended into the bay.
            Tory makes one good friend, a boy, and then another, who help her rescue her brother who's been 'crimped', kidnapped to serve on one of the few ships that leave for other destinations. 



She knows in her other life, she would never have been allowed to have such friends. But Avi creates a wonderfully strong girl who tells her own story, who only wants to survive in her own way. She then rescues her brother in a hair-raising finale. Avi's descriptions make the story come alive all through the book. Here's one example, a brief part of the sight of the bay as Tory and friends watch before they must start a most dangerous task in the rescue: "Bay waters flip-flopped against the ship. The quietude enhanced these meager sounds, and put brittle edges to my nerves, as if they were being plucked."
          I'm sure some might say that the tale is a bit far-fetched, but I also remember reading a memoir a long while ago when a young boy at fourteen had to take over the family farm when his father died suddenly. Teens, even young ones, are capable of much more than we realize. It's a tale that will touch young readers who may be having dreams of a life that differs from their family's.



           It's always been a positive skill to have the ability to distinguish between fact and fiction. Today it seems more important than ever. Perhaps some people never have learned exactly how to tell differences. Michael Rex has written and illustrated a brief and clear story of looking at a few differently-colored robots, learning which words about these robots are facts: This one is blue, this one has a square head, and this one is the silliest. It is for the youngest readers, and the way Rex has illustrated is bright and funny. I do wonder if those who read it can adapt some of the text and add examples for those students who will benefit from more complexity. I enjoyed the presentation and silly story with a lesson very much.


          Both parents of this young boy work as nighttime office cleaners and when his usual babysitter cancels, he must find the energy to go with them instead of tucking into his nice bed. He's sleepy and grumpy but his parents use imagination to take him into the "paper kingdom" where the Paper King has left so many papers that need to be cleaned up and the Queen sends all those papers to everyone. The bathroom feels a little scary because sometimes, there are little dragons. No, not there, but they love to eat. Perhaps they're in the kitchen? I imagine you know that this boy forgot his sleepiness at least for a while as his parents did the cleaning and made magic at the same time. Pascal Campion's illustrations manage to make even a double-page spread of bathroom stalls wondrous as the boy and his dad peek into a stall, looking for those dragons. Helena Ku Rhee adds an author's note about her own similar experiences made better when her parents told funny stories about the people who worked where her parents cleaned. Readers can't always understand other people's lives until they have stories like this one. And some readers will love if they see a part of their own lives in this story. It's a wonderful book. 

What's Next? Time for another from my "#MustReadin2020 list - Samira Ahmed's Internment.

13 comments:

  1. I'm glad I'm not the only one feeling scattered - I'm definitely not getting as much reading done as I thought. I still have Gold Rush Girl on the kitchen counter where I left it when it arrived. I might read it next. I didn't knew there was a connection to Providence, RI. I live very close to there!

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  2. I am in the same boat feeling scattered and hard to maintain focus. I really enjoyed Facts vs. Opinions vs. Robots and was eager to share it with students to launch an opinion writing unit. I haven't read The Paper Kingdom but it is definitely one on my TBR list. Stay well and safe Linda!

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  3. Thank goodness for books that help us escape from these stressful days! I'm feeling scattered lately, too. It's tough to adjust to our new normal. Anyway, I'll definitely need to check out the books you shared this week! Thanks for sharing. Stay healthy and safe!

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  4. The Paper Kingdom looks like a great book! Stay safe and have a great reading week.

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  5. I have been wanting to check out Facts vs. Opinions vs. Robots for a while, thanks for the other shares as well. Internment is on my list, but I don't have it. I might have to check out e-book lending options as we get closer to the end of the year. Thanks for the great post, and all the best to you and your family.

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  6. I am using lack of focus to describe my feeling for everything... It is tough!
    Facts vs. Opinions vs. Robots is in my picture book to read soon box.
    Happy reading and be safe this week :)

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  7. Thank you for coming by, everyone. I hope you're finding some peaceful hours while reading, being with family if you can, staying well. Best of wishes!

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  8. All three of these books sound neat! The Paper Kingdom sounds particularly neat, especially for kids with two working parents who might relate. Thanks for the great post!

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    1. You're welcome. Enjoy the books when you find them!

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  9. Lots of good books. Hope you are staying home and safe -- it's a worrisome time

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    1. Thank you, Beth, best wishes for being safe back to you, too!

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  10. Oh I sure hope you enjoy Samira Ahmed's Internment! I just saw that as of yesterday it's on clearance through Chirp audiobooks for $4.99 (do you use Chirp?). I'm looking forward to reading The Paper Kingdom! Thank you for all these wonderful shares, Linda! I hope Colorado has been hit hard in some areas. Hope you and your loved ones are staying safe! <3

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    1. No, I don't use Chirp. I really have so many books that using another source is not necessary. I just finished Internment, upsetting & so real, Shaye. It is beautifully done, but so sad considering our own things going on here in the US. I am fine so far, & hope you & your family are, too. Thanks!

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