The Book with no Pictures by B. J. Novak

This week I've been reading The Book With No Pictures to all my primary classes.  They love it!!  Today I even read with a grade 5 class and they begged me to read it again.  I'm sure anyone walking by the library would have wondered what we were up to because they kids were so loud!

I start off by apologizing for picking such a boring book.  Some of the kids buy into this but most of them don't believe me because I always read the best books.  I start reading and I hear some mumblings.  Well as the rules of reading state, the person reading the book must read every word, no matter what.  BLORK!!!  Totally ridiculous!!  This books gets the grown up readers to say silly words and the kids are laughing hysterically.  So much fun.  So simple.  It's a must read.  Now all the kids at school are dying to take it home and trick their parents with it.

Got the kids loving books.  Got them all worked up shouting and laughing.  Sent them back to their teachers.  Love my job!  Love this book!

Adult Onset by Ann-Marie MacDonald

Adult Onset is a beautifully worded story of relationships.  Adult Onset tells the story of Mary-Rose MacKinnon and all the roles that she plays in the span of a week.  Mary-Rose is a mother, a spouse, a sibling, a daughter, a friend and an acquaintance.  Mary-Rose is a constant worrier and thinks often about her relationships past and present.  One of her most complicated relationships is the one she has with her mother.  Mary-Rose is a successful young adult author and she really should spend more time working on the final novel of her best selling trilogy but there are so many distractions and she’s not sure she’s got a third one in her.  She spends a great deal of her time alone with her two young children.  Life with a two year old can certainly be complicated at times and something as simple as going out for a short walk in the neighbourhood can quickly turn into such a mess.  Mary-Rose hasn't been feeling well lately either, and although she knows better, she can’t resist the temptation of looking up her symptoms on Google and self diagnosing.

Reading Adult Onset feels like having coffee with a good friend that’s having a bad week.  You listen to how they’re coping; perhaps you can relate to certain aspects of the week.  If you’re a great friend you’ll know when they need their space and when to show up at the door unannounced and take over.

Ann-Marie MacDonald is an extremely talented Canadian writer.  Her previous novels Fall on Your Knees and The Way the Crow Flies have won numerous awards.

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

A Man Called Ove is about the ultimate grumpy old man.  He's had a hard life.  He lost his mother and father at a young age.  He's really worked hard to make it in the world.  Once his wife dies though he loses his will to live and is determined to join her in heaven soon.  But there are so many neighbours that need him to do things for them that he can hardly find the time.

A Man Called Ove also makes you think about the people around you.  First, that you don't know what anyone is struggling with and a little kindness can go a long way.  Second, how lonely some seniors can be.  We should all take the time to spend some time with the elderly in our community.  The days can be long and lonely for them.  Give them a purpose and make them feel loved and needed.

Fredrik Backman lives in Sweden and this is his first novel.

The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

The Remains of the Day is one of those books that I wanted to read but it just never got to the top of my list.  Thank you to Random House Canada it worked its way to the top when they mailed me a copy of the latest edition.  The Remains of the Day was originally published in 1989 and previously won the Man Booker Prize.  Random House Canada is encouraging everyone to re-read the novel but for many it is a first time read.  

The story takes place in 1956 as Stevens, the butler of Darlington Hall, sets out on a road trip. Stevens and is about a butler who takes great pride in his job.  In fact, his commitment to hard work is so strong he won't allow friends, family or love to interfere with his performance on the job.  

As I eagerly anticipate the release of The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion's  I can't help but compare the two main characters; both are so awkward in social settings.  Does anyone else see the resemblance?

Random House Canada is twitting about the re-read using #RemainsReRead if you wish to follow along.  There will be online discussions as well as everyone works through this award winning classic.  Enjoy!

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.