Difficult Topics in Books
Reading Toward Reconciliation ~ a Blog Blip
For some time now, September 30 in Canada has been commemorated as Orange Shirt Day. It is now also the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, remembering and honoring First Nations people who were torn from their families and taken to residential schools, too many never to return. In the spirit of Truth and Reconciliation,…
Read MoreLION OF THE SKY by Ritu Hemnani — Book Recommendation
Title: LION OF THE SKY Author: Ritu Hemnani Publisher: New York: Balzer & Bray/HarperCollins, May 7, 2024 Genre: Middle Grade Fiction Audience Age: 9 to 12 Themes/Topics: Partition of India and Pakistan, Indian Independence 1947, family, political conflict, religious intolerance It is an honor to share this amazing book with you today. Thank you, Ritu, for…
Read MoreTHE FIREFLY SUMMER by Morgan Matson (MG) — Summer Reading
Your eyes are not deceiving you. This is an actual blog post. I know, I can hardly believe it, either. I read a book this week that I wanted to share with you, and here we are. (Note, which you’ve likely figured out by now: the image is not the cover image from the book.…
Read MoreTHE LONGEST LETSGOBOY by Derick Wilder, illustrated by Catia Chien — Book Recommendation
Title: THE LONGEST LETSGOBOY Author: Derick Wilder Illustrator: Catia Chien Publisher: San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books, October 2021 Genre: Picture book Audience Age: 3 to 8 years Themes/Topics: dogs, dying, love, pets, hope Opening Sentences: Mewmew wakes me, rumbledrumming my tummy. I strrrrretch my oldbones. Synopsis: This lovely, moving, heartfelt story tells of a much-loved old dog’s last day, from the…
Read MoreHEARTS UNBROKEN by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Title: Hearts Unbroken Author: Cynthia Leitich Smith Publisher: Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press, 2018 Genre: YA Fiction, #ownvoices Audience Age: 14 to 18 years Themes/Topics: Friendship, romance, Native American history and issues, racism Synopsis: Lou (short for Louise), is a high school junior in current-day Kansas. By the time the book ends, she is a senior.…
Read MoreThinking About the 100th Anniversary of the Armistice — with reflections on Rilla of Ingleside by L.M. Montgomery
Yesterday, November 11, 2018, was the 100th anniversary of the signing of the treaty that ended the 1914-1918 war, usually called World War I, known then as “the war to end all wars.” We all know now that although that name was filled with hope, that hope was quickly dashed. In ceremonies in many countries,…
Read MoreBooks to Help Kids Understand Dementia
Many, perhaps most, of us know someone who deals with dementia. My first encounter with dementia was when I was in my early teen years, although that word was not commonly used then. We’d go over to visit my paternal grandparents, and Grandma would say, “Father is confused today.” We accepted this confusion as part…
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