Bad Magic by Pseudonymous Bosch

Years ago my oldest son read The Secret Series by Pseudonymous Bosch.  He loved them.  At the time they were quite thick books for a little guy to be reading.  I remember challenging him to read one of the books over Christmas break and if he did buying him the next in the series.  He really enjoyed the series.

I never did get around to reading The Secret Series myself but in June I bought the first book in the series for my school library.  So when I saw that there was a new series coming out I thought I would jump on it and read the first one.  I am making the assumption here that Bad Magic is a new series and not just a one off.  It ended in a manor that would imply there is more to come.

I enjoyed the book.  In the middle I wasn't sure which direction the book was going to go in.  The end was definitely a surprise.  As you might expect the book is about magic.  There's a good Shakespeare lesson buried in Bad Magic.  I liked that it was just a fun book with a mystery to solve.  I think kids that like Lemony Snicket would enjoy it although it didn't really have the humour that Snicket has.

Bad Magic is being published on September 16, 2014 by Little Brown Books for Young Readers.

Flora & Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo

I read Flora & Ulysses out loud to my son (starting grade 4) as our bedtime book.  This book had both of us eager to make sure story time happened every night.  We both equally enjoyed Flora & Ulysses.

The story is about a little girl named Flora.  She unexpectedly becomes friends with a squirrel that has some unique capabilities.  Great silliness and adventures begin.  It was a great story that we both enjoyed.  I think I might tackle it as a read aloud to a grade 4 class.  My only hesitation is that there are many big words that the kids probably won't know the meaning of.  But I think they are mostly used in a manner that the kids understand the meaning even if they aren't familiar with the word.  My son didn't interrupt to ask what words meant and I know he doesn't know many of these words.  I think he would have struggled to read the book on his own though.

The only other part I found slightly weird is that Flora's mother is a smoker.  It seemed unnecessary to the story.  Also, at one point it seemed that the smoking was almost romanticized when it is described how Flora's mother was blowing perfect O's.  It just seemed an odd addition to the book.

When I asked my son what he thought we should read next he told me he wanted to read book two next.  He was shocked when I told him there wasn't a next book.  It's up to you to create the next parts in your dreams.

The Brilliant World of Tom Gates by L. Pichon

The Brilliant World of Tom Gates by L. Pichon is wildly popular at my school.  I have the first four books in this series at my school library and they are always on hold.  I can see why the kids enjoy it.  The pages are short and funny with great little doodles all over the place that really add to the story.

Currently L. Pichon has 7 Tom Gates books as well as a handful of picture books available.  I will definitely be adding the rest of the Tom Gates books to my library collection.  These books are so popular with the grade 4 and 5 girls and boys.  I love when they all get excited and chatting about the same books.  This is a great series because it doesn't take them long to read it so it's normally changing hands every week which keeps the interest going.

The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E. Smith

The Geography of You and Me is a wonderful love story.  It's the story of two teenagers living in the same New York City apartment building.  Owen, the son of the building manager, lives in the basement apartment.  Lucy lives on the 25th floor in a spacious, beautiful unit.  Fate brings the two together in the elevator and luck gets them stuck in it.  Within a few short minutes a bond is formed but neither is certain what those feelings mean and what they other is making of them.  Both Lucy and Owen's lives are in an upheaval and they have to figure out their feelings from where ever they may be living at the time.

Recently I finished a book where I found I disliked just based on the fact that the title didn't reflect what the book was about.  The title misled me and I went into with a misconception of what this book was going to be about.  This is certainly not the case with The Geography of You and Me; it's a perfect title.  

The story is a perfect love story for those grade 7 and 8 girls that want to read romance.  There is no foul language and nothing leading or inappropriate.  I loved it and will certainly be adding The Geography of You and Me to my library shopping list for the fall.

I Need a New Butt by Dawn McMillan

One of the most popular books in my school library is a book about poop.  It's wildly popular with the grade 2's - girls and boys.  I take small comfort in the fact that the book is non-fiction and I suppose they are learning something.  I'm also known to say 'I don't care what you read, just read!'  But there are still some days that I've been known to hide the poop book just before the grade 2 class comes in.

If grade 2's like poop.  Kindergartens and grade 1's like butts and farts.  Especially the little boys.  I Need a New Butt by Dawn McMillan is a funny story about a little boy that thinks there is something wrong with his butt because it has a crack in it.  It was that last fart he had that did it.  Now he's on the hunt for a new butt.  I like the arty-farty butt best!

Speaking of art, Ross Kinnaird has done a great job on the illustrations.  They add to the humour of the book and each one just feels a perfect fit to the text.  

I Need a New Butt by Dawn McMillan is being published by Dover Publications and will be released September 17th, 2014.

Wave by Eric Walters

Wave by Eric Walters is fantastic!  It's a fictional story based on the real life events of the tsunami in Thailand at Christmas in 2004.  The story of the Beth Brooks and her family although fiction, seems so real.  While I was reading I kept thinking to myself that this really happened.  I then had to dig up more facts on the true devastation of the tsunami.  More than 200,000 people died.  That is so hard to comprehend.

Every year my grade 8 teacher asks for recommendations for literacy circles that he does with his class.  This year I am going to recommend Wave by Eric Walters.  

The Wolf and Me by Richard Scrimger

Things don't come easy for Bunny O'Toole.  He has a hard time understanding things that people say and  he takes everything quite literally.  He tries so hard though and he has a good heart.  But the bad guys are always attracted to him and trouble is like a magnet to poor Bunny.  

In The Wolf and Me, Bunny is out on parole for Christmas vacation.  Him and his brother Spencer decide to go skating.  Sounds innocent enough.  His brother turns his back for a minute and Bunny is kidnapped.  This sets off quite the chain of events.  All Bunny wants to do is get back to the safety of his jail.  

The Wolf and Me is written as though Bunny himself is writing the story.  Bunny's not a great speller but he's working on it.  It can be a bit tough to read at first but if you give it a chance and stick with it you will quickly catch on to reading through the spelling errors and be caught up in all Bunny's misadventures.

Readers may remember Bunny from reading Ink Me by Richard Scrimger.  The Wolf and Me is part of the Seven Sequels.  I love Seven the series and was so excited to get an advance reader copy of The Wolf and Me.  This will definitely be on my fall shopping list for my school library.  If I can get the kids to read one, they'll read them all.

One Plus One by Jojo Moyes

In One Plus One nothing comes easy for Jess Thomas.  She works really hard at two different jobs but she still can't stay on top of all her bills, never mind get ahead.  Her husband has moved back home with his mother because he’s depressed.  She’s claimed responsibility for a teenage boy, Nicky, that she loves like her own son.  Nicky’s a little bit quirky and the neighbourhood kids take every opportunity to pick on him.  Jess also has a daughter, Tanzi, that is bordering on the genius scale. 

Jess sees an opportunity to get ahead when Tanzi is invited to compete in a math competition with a cash prize.  Jess, Nicky, Tanzi and their dog Norman pack up the car for a road trip to race to get to the competition on time.  They don’t get very far when trouble ensues.  Thankfully their knight in shining armour arrives to the rescue.  Unfortunately, Mr. Nicholls, their knight, has troubles of his own. 

If you haven't yet read anything by Jojo Moyes I would recommend reading One Plus One first to set the bar for your expectations and then Me Before You.  One Plus One is a great book but Me Before You is just a bit better in my opinion.  Jojo Moyes is one of my new favourite authors that I will continue to look for new books from.