April Wrap-Up
Book News/Progress:
Book Events: I had a few different events over the last few weeks. I did an IGLive interview with B&N Classworks that was great fun, an interview with a fantastic kids’ writing organization called The Society of Young Inklings, and an event for Drop Everything and Read Day at B&N Oswego.
What I Read:
Since it’s been a while since I’ve posted, I’ve read a lot!
- I read two MG NIVs: All the Blues in the Sky by Renee Watson and Louder Than Hunger by John Schu. Both were excellent, and I highly recommend them!
- Then I listened to Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins because I had heard it was so good – I did not disagree!I loved hearing Haymitch’s story, and I feel like this brought me back to all the things I loved about the first book in the Hunger Games trilogy.
- Next I read Ghost Scout’s Honor by Carey Blankenship-Kramer, who is a member of my Middle Grade Escapades group. This book is a fun paranormal story, but it also focuses a lot on the main character’s mental health (it’s one of the few books of this type that actually depict her therapy) which I loved. Carey is going to be featured on the Middle Grade Escapades blog tomorrow with a post about the experience of launching a debut novel, and you should definitely give it a read!
- Then I read another book by a MGE member! This one is a graphic novel by Angela Hsieh called Lu and Ren’s Guide to Geozoology, and let me tell you, it’s fantastic! Imagine a world with geofauna – where animals and landforms combine in incredibly creative ways. This book is utterly gorgeous!
- I listened to The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley because it’s one of the B&N monthly picks this month. I’m a sucker for time travel stories!
- Next up, I listened to When We Flew Away by Alice Hoffman, which is a story about Anne Frank before the diary.
- Then I listened to Take the Shot by Amar Shah. This series will absolutely appeal to basketball fans out there, but this installment also focused a lot on the main character’s family, which I think broadens the appeal even more.
- The next book is yet another one from a Middle Grade Escapades member, Ollie In Between by Jess Callans. Can I just say that I’m so in awe of the talent we have in our group? This book about a student questioning their gender perfectly encapsulates the insecurities of adolescence in a way every kid will relate to.
- Finally, I listened to Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones. A friend lent this book to me, and I’m going to see her on Tuesday, so I wanted to be able to get it back to her, but I didn’t have time to actually read it – this was a perfect solution. Really glad I finally had a chance to read this classic, since I loved Miyazaki’s film adaptation!
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