Verdict: Angie Thomas’ first book is a gem. Although aimed at young adults (YA), it is sharply written, entertaining and packs a real punch on social issues. Review: A member of my book club chose this for our first read of 2019 and I’m so glad she did. I was reluctant to dive in because I thought the subject matter- the police shooting of a young black man and ensuing fallout – would be heavy. While the subject matter was heavy, and deservedly so given […]
Abner and Ian try to get it right (side up)
Dave Eggers has at least two new books for kids this year with Abner & Ian Get Right-Sided Up is the second one I read. The first, Most Likely Tomorrow was not a huge hit for me story wise, but I enjoyed the illustrations greatly. However, I enjoyed the story immensely more than Abner & Ian. I was amazed that both books were done by the same author considering how radically different the stories are. Plus, they are being publisher by two different publishers and […]
Mostly Likely you’ll love this book if you give it a try
A coworker asked me if Tomorrow Most Likely was as cute as it is supposed to me. I said, “Weeeellll… My logic is taking over.” How do you explain that maybe you will not have met Cousin Todd today? Or the sky is not blue today? After all the text of Dave Eggers makes it seem like it will happen. But then I thought, that this is a good discussion book. He does say “most likely” and when you do not meet a squirrel named […]
If you love fairy tales
I’ve always enjoyed fairy tales and became a bit obsessed once I discovered the darker original Grimm Brothers and Hans Christian Anderson collections. This book evokes those tales but the stories have been spun in different and interesting directions, in part because it was created as a volume of fairy tales that the characters in the Grishaverse (the world setting Leigh Bardugo created) would know. In 2012 Leigh’s publisher asked if she would write a prequel story for her first novel Shadow and Bone. But instead […]