It’s Labour Day, what are you reading?

Happy New Year to all my teacher and student friends who are starting back to school tomorrow. My family will be feasting to celebrate what we consider to be the real New Year. It is also the last week of Summer Reading, which is something that I look forward to each year. As much as I do love my job, and will enjoy going back to a new class (grade 6/7 this year and continuing in the school library) I will miss the extra time I had to spend with family (going through the Rockies and far too many games of Catan) and read. Here is my last update of the summer, thanks to Jen, Kellee and Ricki for hosting and head to their sites, listed above to see more great books that you will want to add to your TBR lists.

Books I Finished This Week

This is the second in the non-fiction picture books series Mothers of Xsan detailing the natural world of animals living in the traditional territories of the Gitxsan people. Xsan means river and the Gitxsan literally translates as people of the river. In the first of these books, sockeye was the subject and the importance of this salmon to the Gitxsan was shown through beautiful pictures and words. In this case, the grizzly is the subject and this series has fun facts and details and also great text features. Add the fact that this series details the ways of Indigenous people in my home province and this is a must buy for me.

This was a re-read for me as it was our family read aloud for much of the summer. The third in the Heroes of Olympus series in which Roman and Greek demigods are forced to come together to fight evil, it is typical of Rick Riordan’s style: fast paced, laced with humour and action. My nine and twelve year olds love this series (my twelve year old has already read them and is “totally fine” with reading them again).

I was really happy to see this in a bookstore over the weekend as I thought I would have to wait a little longer (release date is tomorrow). This is a must read series at my school. Kids love bears, and this grumpy bear is one of their favourites. Many of the forest creatures from earlier Bruce books is present as well. As usual, there are some surprises in store for Bruce.

From one of my favourite Canadian authors, who is coming to my district in late October, is a story I did not read when it first came out about Kenyan children trying to make it through clan violence. This story reminds me a little of A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park, which I also love. A brother and sister end up needing to look after themselves after losing their father to violence and seeing their mother unable to look after them due to illness. There are a lot of great messages and tense moments in this story.

They Saw a Cat was a Caldecott Honor book for Brendan Wenzel and this one will get strong consideration too. It also is a little about perspective and all of the ways something can have an impact. The stone really does sit still but there is still so many important things about it. There are so many neat ways to look at the world around a simple stone, and the art work is great too.

Last week I read There are no Bears in this Bakery and I loved it so much that I wanted to find this book, and I did at the next bookstore I entered (it did not have the Bakery book). I really enjoyed this one too, in which the bear has a hilariously accidental adventure that is triggered by his stomach.

I really love Andrew Smith’s two Winger books. They are YA. My 12 year old reads some YA but I would not hand her those books, yet. A secondary character in the second Winger book is Sam Abernathy, a kind soul who is bumped ahead by two years in school. This is his story. It is a sweet tale of trying to find your way and being able to stand up and say, This is me, and I am doing my thing with my head up. I really liked it, but it also made me really want to read Winger again, or find someone else who will. Smith is really funny.

Currently Reading

I am set to start some new books. We are going to read The Rule of Three at my nine year old’s request. She wants to make sure we read it before Eric Walters comes to visit. I am also looking forward to reading an ARC of The Tornado by Jake Burt. I have a few more picture books I have purchased leading up to the start of the school year as well. I hope to see what you all have been reading this week. Enjoy your long weekend!