Lyttle Lies: The Pudding Problem by Joe Berger

Sam has been known to tell a tall tale.  He will admit that he has a reputation for telling the truth.  The truth is complicated.  Like an elephant.  It's just too big to deal with.  So Sam chooses not to deal with the truth.  Instead he tells these elaborate stories that mostly get him into trouble.  Mostly everyone knows he's lying but even when faced with the pressure of telling the truth Sam still stretches the tale.

Fortunately though Sam (and the author Joe Berger) are great storytellers.  The Pudding Problem is a fun and enjoyable twisted tale.  Even though Sam is a compulsive liar, he is a likable character.  Most of his lies are harmless except when dealing with big mean Feeney.

I really connected with this story.  When I was in grade 2 someone stole my sandwich at school.  I ate a summer sausage sandwich every day.  Mine was missing from my lunch bag.  But Katie had a summer sausage sandwich in her lunch bag that looked like one my Dad makes me.  I'm inclined to believe that the teacher and principal believed me as I'm not a compulsive liar like Sam - and maybe how little Katie was.  In the end my parents were called and said there was definitely a summer sausage sandwich in my bag.  Anybody else have to deal with a Sam or Katie when they were a kid?  

Lyttle Lies: The Pudding Problem is a nice clean fun story.  I love the lie detector that comes at the back of the book.  I think this would be a real hit with my students and I will definitely purchase this book for my school library.  I think this story has the makings of a great sequel and I'm sure we will see more of Sam.  

This book is in stores now and is recommended for children ages 8-12.

All Our Wrong Todays by Elan Mastai

When All Our Wrong Todays popped up on my holds list I couldn't remember what had prompted me to put this book on hold at the library.  All Our Wrong Todays is science fiction and I don't read science fiction.  Then I had another thought - I don't even remember putting it on hold so it must be quite a popular books if I had to wait that long.  I thought I may as well try a few chapters.

Whew!  What a read it was!  This novel was a utopian and a dystopian and offered another life in between.  The novel begins in 2016 and Tom Barren is living the life the Jetson's had us envisioning for this year.  His father has been hard at work creating a time travel machine and has assembled the crew for the first trip.  With the mission seeming to be falling apart, Tom takes the time travel trip alone back to 1965.  It doesn't take Tom long to alter the path of the future.  Almost as quickly as he time travels, Tom also falls in love.  This novel has romance too!

The novel is written as a memoir by Tom.  I loved Tom's quote near the end of the novel "As I'm sure you're all too aware, trying to keep this time-travel crap straight in your head is a chore."  Although All Our Wrong Todays is science fiction I assure you that everyone can follow along and really enjoy this novel.

This was Canadian Elan Mastai's debut novel.  I really enjoyed the writing style.  The short chapters kept me moving through this novel quickly.  I still don't know what made me put this book on hold but I'm glad I did.  It was a nice change from my usual reads.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Evelyn Hugo is a self made success.  She suffered a tragic childhood and escaped her home town Hell's Kitchen as soon as she was able to successfully lie about her age.  Here begins husband number one.  Evelyn Hugo is determined to be a star and she will lie, cheat, get married and have sex with whoever she needs to in order to make it in Hollywood.  Fortunately, she is absolutely stunning and that helps her rise to fame.

Monique Grant is reeling from the recent separation from her first husband.  She's working as a journalist for Vivant Magazine.  She did one amazing article that got her a lot of recognition but since the undoing of her marriage she knows she hasn't written anything amazing.  That's why her and her boss are both shocked when after years of silence with the media, Evelyn Hugo agrees to an article, but only with Monique.

Evelyn reveals the untold story of her seven husbands to Monique over the course of several days.  Monique discovers the seven husbands aren't the real story at all.  It's not until the end that Monique uncovers why she's been summoned to write the story.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is a beautiful story of love and loss.  The movie stars and glamour of Hollywood make the characters so real you will be checking Netflix for the films.  The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo will be available in stores June 13, 2017.  It is published by Simon and Schuster Canada.

Bubble by Stewart Foster

11 year old Joe has never lived outside of the hospital.  He lives in a climate controlled bubble room in the hospital.  His life consists of electronics, the medical team that cares for him and visits from his sole surviving relative - his sister.  His life is consumed by monitoring the room temperature, air quality and his heart beat.

When a new nurse joins his medical team, Joe thinks he might be crazy.  He talks of alien visits.  Is he just being funny or does he believe aliens are coming?  Regardless, he's something new and exciting in his life.  But then the nurse constructs a plan to take Joe outside and he needs to decide if his new nurse is serious and if he can be trusted.  

I really enjoyed Bubble.  I loved all the characters.  It was fun and sad.  Bubble is being released May 2, 2017.  I will definitely be buying this book for our school library.

The Wild Robot by Peter Brown

The Wild Robot has been my most favourite read aloud that I've done this year.  I found myself always looking forward to seeing my grade 4 class because I couldn't wait to read more about The Wild Robot.  I think the students enjoyed it as much as I did.  I can always tell because if no one moves the light sensors turn off in the library and every single week the light sensors went off.  No one wanted to miss it.

There is a boat full of robots that crashes and sends crates of robots crashing with the waves into an island.  Only one robot survives - Roz.  Roz starts making her way around the island and scaring all the animals.  What is this monster they all want to know.  Roz watches and observes the animals in their habitat.  She soon learns how to speak to each of the animals and survival instincts from watching the animals adaptations.

When Roz finds an egg one day she knows exactly what to do from watching the other birds.  Soon Roz is a mother to a baby gosling - Brightbill.  The two form a mother and son relationship like no other.

This is a fantastic read aloud for a grade 4 class.  There is a sequel coming this fall.  The Wild Robot has also been chosen as the global read aloud.  I've never participated in this before but I'm motivated to join in this October.

I Found You by Lisa Jewell

I Found You by Lisa Jewell is NOT another Girl on the Train.  Sure, it's a mystery.  The only similarity is going to be that everyone is going to be talking about it - it's that good.  

I Found You tells three separate stories in alternating chapters.  Readers will not want to put the book down so they can read how it all comes together.  In one story line we have a man sitting on the beach for hours not moving.  It begins to rain and still he doesn't flinch.  Alice watches from the window and finally ventures down to find out what's going on.  There she discovers a man with no memory.  

Then there is a newly married couple.  Lily's new to London.  She doesn't know anyone except her adoring husband, Mark.  When Mark suddenly goes missing one night after work she doesn't know who to turn to.

There is also a flashback to 1993 where a family is vacationing.  They meet a man named Mark that begins obsessing over the family's young daughter.

The story has many likable characters and many twists and turns.  I Found You is very unpredictable.  You won't be able to sleep without one more chapter.  The book will be released in Canada on April 25th, 2017

Also, check out Lisa Jewell's The Girls in the Garden.

Phoebe Sounds It Out by Julie Zwillich

Phoebe thinks her mom made a mistake when she wrote her name on her backpack.  Phoebe obviously starts with the letter 'F' not a 'P'.  There is no 'O' sound in her name either.  At least Phoebe and her mom can agree on the 'B'.  But she's seen her friend Nicky spell his name and the ending sounds the same as Phoebe's so it seems her mom made another mistake.

Such a cute story about learning to sound out the letters and learning to write and spell.  It's so tricky!