A
I see this book go out often and this is my first time reading it because I saw it on the banned book list for 2018 for “Reason: challenged for depicting stereotypes of Mexican culture” according to ALA So, not being a part of the Mexican community, I wanted to do some research to get some others perspective on it.
https://soundstudiesblog.com/2014/05/...
This link in particular I thought was insightful.
I did read the book 1st before I was looking online. The book was kinda meh for me. I didn't read it out loud and I think that's the point of the book is that it has fun sounds and imagination adventure in it. There was something I couldn't put my finger on - it is the mock Spanish and the “put on his best Spanish accent” line in the book kinda hit me oddly. I was kinda torn between him, a kid, playing make believe and having limited knowledge has to make assumptions and use stereotypes about the culture to play? OR is this was written by someone who has an fun word play idea, uses stereotypes and mock-spanish because she (the author) may not understand how this could be portrayed as hurtful to a community? To be fair, i don't think there was any ill-will when writing this and I can't speak for her own experiences.
Anyway!
I would love to know what you guys think about this book!
We like to read banned books and celebrate them and check them out here at the library!
~Ashley
wish i read this as a j - ya level kid
This book is on the Banned Book display we have going on at the library right now so I decided to pick it up! I must say this book is great for anyone looking for a story about life, is your first love your best love? This book would be a great learning tool for anyone wanting to experience relationships and sex. This book promotes consent, addresses the responsibility that comes with being sexual active (like using contraception) and that the plot doesn't used sex = negative consequence. I recommend this book to responsible YA and up! Express your freedom to read and pick up a banned book this September! ~Ashley
A quick read with some nice character development. Nothing like starting a friendship to save your life!
Brain Camp is a quick read with nice illustration. It was nice to see the two protagonists who started off disliking each other becoming good friends and solve the mystery of their camp. The story is a little scary and great graphic novel for a junior reading level
This is about Marianne Moore, who is a poet. I've never read anything of her (that I remember) so, It was kind of interesting reading a bit about her. Unfortunately, the story itself was a bit boring. It was about a boy who had returned her hat and that leads to a discussion. If I knew more about Marianne I think I would have enjoyed it more. The illustrations were very nice.
~Ashley
I remember reading this and liking it. This is one I should take the time to re-read.
A fantastic book series about a boy who discovers he is a wizard and attends the magical school of Hogwarts. This story is truly an adventure, the characterization is amazing, dialogue is genuine, plot is always exciting, descriptions of the settings, classes, characters, spells and studies are very easy to visualize. This series is also available on audio book, which i strongly suggest, the narrator does an incredible job reading and seems to have a voice for every character!
Update: 12/15/2020 Learned an interesting thing from a book talk about “the ones we're waiting for” about millennial's who are political involved quote this book un-prompted that inspired them. something about thinkless & thankless adults who let evil run rampant and do nothing about it. And puts into words why I also liked this book. I hope this message continues with future generations. LOL i'm sure this has backfired on J.K. Rowling because readers stand by this message as she continues to fall off the wagon and land in crazy terf land and we continue to call her out. RIP to Rowling.
There is no written text in these book, you will use your eyes as you experience the images presented to you in this heartfelt story. The illustrations are magnificent and it's hard to describe all the care, craftsmanship, and imagination it probably took to make this book. Definitely a must see!
This book is makes me cringe and a whole range of emotions. Mostly WTF are you doing?? and sadness for this poor girl. Girl who had to grow up with out a strong home life, unguided, and getting raped by her mom's 35yo boyfriend. (you might say she consented but it's not. It's rape, she was like 13 and he was a FULL ADULT who also helped raise her.) This ended up being her life...trying to figure it out in some ways painful.
If you happen to like R.Crumb (he's mentioned in this book) then you'll probably like this. It's based off her life and I hope it's a lot better. I'm glad this is out there, maybe someone could connect with it more than I ever could who needs it. I feel like it's very honest, written an illustrated by the same person some work was def. put into this. That's why it gets an extra star from me
I remember a patron came in and checked out this book, apparently this use to be a book that school made them read for summer that she liked and wanted to re-visit. It was actually pretty short and good...yes, tim and I cried.
Rec. by patron at the library
It was really good, little sinister, and haunting in a way I didn't quite see coming but, not really scary. I really enjoyed learning and having the secrets and the characters. After reading The Haunting of Hill House I was expecting an unreliable narrator. [ But I mean it was super obvious anyway right? How is Merricat not a witch? She buries things and does simple witchcraft, is a part of nature, and has a familiar, Jonas the cat! (hide spoiler)] Many things are very subtle and relationships are a bit complicated. This is a good read! ~Ashley
It's not a full 5stars (4 for sure) BUT I think about it all the time. This was my first Shirley Jackson read and she's queen of the unreliable narrator and I still shiver at the hand holding portion of the book. If I ever read a campfire story that portion would “Shirley” be it!
A book of short stories with a paranormal or fairytale feeling. I am not a big fan of short stories but I really enjoyed a majority of these! ~Ashley
Pretty interesting tale especially if you like stories that have a different spin on fairy tales...this was particularly dark. I read that this feels like Over The Garden Wall which was a TV series on cartoon-network, which I agree. (Also if you liked this I super recommend you check out Over The Garden Wall it's about 10 episodes long) It feels very similar with a child protagonist in an unknown world filled with wonder and fear, having a brother, and a great evil figure wanting to extend his life force except I would add a hint of vague familiarity because David recognizes some book characters.
I would recommend the audio book. The narrator is pretty chill sounded and was really pleasant to listen to even surprisingly when things got brutal. I think they made a really good choice with him. ~Ashley
Very powerful piece about family members with very destructive patterns. A mother with forceful good intentions, a daughter who is a frail as her glass menagerie, and a son who feels burdened and often escapes at night to the movies.
If you like to compare pieces of fiction I suggest you read A Raisin in the Sun These books are very similar slice of dysfunctional family life. Both are run by a matriarchy, both have an absent husband, both families struggle with finance, and both have a male character who wishes for so much more. If I could run a book club these would be the first two books to discuss side by side.
If you ever get the opportunity to see a live performance of this I highly recommend you go or listen to a performance audio book! ~Ashley
Wow, Ashley really likes a book about a coming of age story that is set at a summer camp...WHAT A SURPRISE! If you couldn't tell from my previous reviews some kid getting to learn more about themselves in the summer is my jam!
Anyway, this book is based on the experiences of Vera Brosogol when they were young. Be sure to read the authors notes at the very end. I was impressed that she took so much time to accurately describe her experiences and talk to other people who also were a part of it. She also took the time to visit the camp again to make sketches. Memories change over time, it's good to admit that and make a good story out of it too connect with the reader.
The illustrations are cute and expressive, obviously there was a lot of care put into this entire book. I really enjoy the whole roller coaster of emotions, really reflects childhood search for self and friends. I could really connect with this book, especially the parts with angst, trying to make friends, and being lonely.
I also love the humor in this book. My favorite is when she was at the birthday party and gifted a beautiful card and her ‘friend' who tossed it in the trash. She opened the next gift, ecstatic that is was a chamber pot accessory for her doll! Has some fun bits like that and subtle expressions or non-verbal ques that add to this read.
I highly recommend! ~Ashley
A Story about a young boy who witnesses his sister being bullied because of their faith. Bilal becomes scared and embarrassed about his culture because he has the bullies in his class and even lies that his name is Bill. A trusted friend and teacher talks with Bilal and encourages him to read a story and reignites his courage. He stands up to the bully but also when he sees the bully watching him and others play basketball he extends his hand of friendship and they form a bond.
I think this is a good introduction about bullying and islamophobia, but also extending a friendly hand and encouraging to make a connection that people can have the opportunity to learn and be friends. This was a great story for it's message, it has Muslim culture in the back of the book with more information, and charming illustrations. ~Ashley
Tim and I laughed so hard at this. It's not all the time I find a book I can't stop thinking about reading - I finished this in about 2 days, i'd read segments out loud.
Put in POC reads because of Tipp and she's a main character
This a strange, but riveting mystery adventure story is even more engaging with the pictures in the pages. When a boy finds out that finds out his grandfather's tall tales are true he goes to seek his grandfather's friends from his stories and finds himself in a time loop.
Brian Selznick writes amazing historical fiction that also feels like magic. This book is a really fun experience. The illustrations are beautiful and are able to tell a story with no dialog that make it feel cinematic. Reading this book you will learn about an early film maker named Georges Méliès who made a film called A Trip to the Moon in 1902! At the end of the book there is a references page so you can continue to learn about the person and events that inspired the book! ~Ashley
If you like illustrated historical fiction I would recommend Matt Phelan to read next!
I think this book has some wonderful wording, believable characters (even though I really didn't like any of them, except the Colonel), and descriptions. That's what really kept me reading. I'm not big into YA type reads, especially about high school students being pointlessly youthful as the plot, but it was so well written and that's what hooked me. If you have the chance the audio book was a real treat! The narrator was really easy to listen to and had some great voices! I loved the Colonel's voice was very nice angst-y bass sound.
This was my first John Green book and I can see why people like to read him. I also read this because it's been on the banned book list for a while. We celebrate banned books here at Colona Library and I try to read one off the list every year. ~Ashley
This book is a force of nature where it is beautiful and terrifying at the same time. Each page had something surprising and the illustrations made a lasting impression on me. On the back of the book one of the reviews said something to the extent of ‘read it outside for maximum effect' and I couldn't agree more! ~Ashley
This was actually a really fun idea, It's basically a genius girl meets clifford the big red dinosaur! It has some really nice character development that happens in this book, story to start was a little rocky and leaves you on a serious cliffhanger (the good kind!). Really great if you love kids who are very capable, independent, and of course DINOSAURS! ~Ashley
I saw this book in an article that listed some books about self-improvement for the new year (Jan. 2018 is fast approaching!) And I thought this book was an incredible idea! I see and talk to so many patrons and when they are experiencing a loss or some hard times and I always wondered if I'm saying or doing the right things. If you can remember that your kindness is your credential, listening speaks volumes, and small gestures make a big difference then you will go a long way. This book covers a lot, has examples of conversations, the pages have an easy reading format (some fun fonts and illustrations occasionally), and I like the reviews of what was covered at the end of chapters. This book was very helpful, there are a few things in here that are going to stick with me for sure! I highly recommend! ~Ashley
This book is a delightful read! The characters are SO cute and shows how love is just living and enjoying each other in many ways that can be small and not only those big romantic gestures we only see on TV and movies. I think this book is lovely, cute, and practical guide to what soppy love stories should be. ~Ashley
I read Philippa Rice's My Cardboard Life online. I didn't know she did this book until until I read about the author! I was really happy to see that she has so many projects I really like! If you like this book I highly recommend checking out the web comic!
[This was also kinda of a weird read because there are so many scenes that Tim and I have lived through almost exactly! I thought who's watching me? lol! (hide spoiler)]