Monday, February 20, 2017

The Secret Life of Squirrels - A Love Story by Nancy Rose

29775347Have you ever had a chance to interact with an author?  Whether it be in person at a book signing/talk, a little back and forth on Twitter or maybe an email exchange?  I LOVE when I get to chat with an author about their work.  I have visited many book conventions and had some amazing interactions.  My youngest son was so fortunate to get a large drawing from Dav Pilkey of his signature toilet from Captain Underpants.  It's framed on his bedroom wall and he treasures it.  This week Veronica Roth was coming to our local Chapters.  I have no idea how the store pulled off getting such a big name - well done!!  I recommended to a few people that they should go and the feedback was amazing.  Their teenage children walked away in awe and inspired.

All this does relate to Nancy Rose and her The Secret Life of Squirrels series.  Nancy Rose is a talented author and photographer from Canada.  If you have a young person in your life - kids LOVE her books!!  Her books lead to great discussion on 'Do you think the squirrels are real?' and 'Do you think the squirrels can really talk?'  or 'Do you think the squirrels really sit at tables to eat?'  It's a great book for fiction vs. non-fiction talks.  Nancy Rose's latest book is The Secret Life of Squirrels - A Love Story.  I've been hiding this book from my students for a couple of weeks waiting for Valentine's Day.  As expected as soon as they saw the cover there were shouts of excitement.  Needless to say they were not disappointed with the latest Mr. Peanut's story.

When we were done one of her biggest fans asked if she might create a St. Patrick's Day story.  I thought this was highly unlikely.  St. Patrick's Day would be a bit tricky to write a whole story around.  But I took the time to message Nancy Rose the request anyway.  She very quickly responded with some personalized photos of Mr. Peanuts for my student.  I'm so excited to give them to her!!  This is exactly why I say don't hesitate to reach out to an author and tell them how much you enjoy their work.

Thursday, February 9, 2017

Himself by Jess Kidd

33023729This book had so much wrapped all into one book.  It was funny.  There was a murder mystery.  Himself has romance.  A child searching for answers to who his parents were.  There are ghosts.  It's so much all wrapped up into one.  I wasn't certain where it was going when I first began and the first few pages I wasn't sure it was a book for me.  But I'm so glad I stuck with it because it was definitely a book for me.  I really enjoyed Himself.  The quote on the cover indicates it's original and it certainly is.  Himself is a book that draws no comparisons.

Himself is available in Canada as of today - March 14, 2017.