Review: Hello, Universe

Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Wonderful book! I love the idea and the message of the book. It is about friendship and it is about fate and it is about the universe listening to us. All of it is beautiful! I love the way it all weaves together and I LOVE the ending!


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Review: Chef Roy Choi and the Street Food Remix

Chef Roy Choi and the Street Food Remix by Jacqueline Briggs Martin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this book well enough. It is interesting to read a children's book about a chef I was familiar with.
The illustrations were wonderful and added to the entire vibe of the book.

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Review: Restart

Restart by Gordon Korman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read my first Gordon Korman book a year ago.... I know late to the party. I loved the Mastermind trilogy. I ordered all his books that my distributor had in stock and this was one of those books. I was immediately intrigued.
The premise is that a horrible bully wakes up from an accident with total amnesia. People are afraid of him and small children cry when he is near and he has no clue why. He starts from scratch and makes friends that his football buddies tormented.
This story is great on many levels. For one, I really like the notion that we can reinvent ourselves. This wasn't the case here necessarily, but at one point it was stated that he pretty much got a do-over on his life. This is also a story of redemption and forgiveness. There is true change and through actions feelings change, including the feelings of those once bullied. I don't think we as adults necessarily would be so willing to forgive.
It also explores in a small way that we really know so little about the brain and what a traumatic injury to the brain can do to a person's personality.
I had started this back several months ago and quit reading it for a variety of reasons, but one of the students recently read it and told me I should finish it because it was very good and she had read it in two days. I will be very glad to tell her tomorrow that I finished the book, and I agree it is really good.

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Review: Wedgie & Gizmo

Wedgie & Gizmo by Suzanne Selfors
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was such a cute book. I found myself giggling throughout the story.
Wedgie is a corgi, who may or may not be a little intellectually challenged. Gizmo is a genius guinea pig, an evil genius, bent on world domination... Hilarity ensues.
The story is told from the point of view of the animals in alternating chapters. The humans are met, through conversations that they have and how the animals see them. In addition to just being a silly book, it also deals with very real issues like a blended family and moving to a new place. The feelings the humans have in this story are very real and realistically portrayed.

I found myself wanting to read this book aloud, which is great, I will work hard to get multiple teachers to read it aloud to their classes next year. It will be a great read aloud for third grade and the older grades will enjoy reading it independently.

All in all this is a great addition to the Bluebonnets and I look forward to hearing the author speak more about the book.

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Review: Bravo!: Poems About Amazing Hispanics

Bravo!: Poems About Amazing Hispanics by Margarita Engle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Beautiful! I felt tears welling up a few times. I have spent my entire career working with Hispanic children and I knew of so few of these people. I felt some shame at that. I want to share this book with students. I hope many will read it. I will definitely be highlighting this one!

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Review: Step Right Up: How Doc and Jim Key Taught the World about Kindness

Step Right Up: How Doc and Jim Key Taught the World about Kindness by Donna Janell Bowman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I love this book! It is a mark of a great book when you instantly want to go and research and learn everything you can about the subjects of the book. This book did that for me. It is beautifully written and the illustrations are wonderful.
I can see this book appealing to many students and the fact that it is a true story makes it all the better.
Briefly, the story is about a man and his horse who inspired and shored up the humane movement for the treatment of animals. In addition, it is a great story of kindness.
Great addition to the Bluebonnets!

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Review: Grandpa's Ha-La-Loo-YA Hambone

Grandpa's Ha-La-Loo-YA Hambone by Joe Hayes
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This book was okay, but it wasn't even enjoyable enough that I would highlight it in the library. I don't know what exactly I didn't like about it, but it was just meh for me.

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Review: Garvey's Choice

Garvey's Choice by Nikki Grimes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I finished this book and I am crying and smiling and filled with hope and wonder. Get ready because this might be my longest review yet!
I love children's books, I am in a field where I read them often and spread the love for them I hope. This book however, I will recommend to EVERYONE! Adults and children alike should read it. There is a message for all of us in this book. Those who know me, know that I often have to mark up books I read and there are often a multitude of tape flags marking things I love. This rarely happens with children's books. I read them differently and for a different purpose, but this book is marked up.... I will have to keep this one.
The first quotation I marked was only a few pages in, "Do friends make better mirrors"? I often don't listen to my friends when they say nice things to me because I figure they are biased, but maybe I have it all wrong and they see me better than anyone. It makes you think, doesn't it.

This is a book of poetry, Tanka to be precise. The word imagery is beautiful and haunting, here are but a few... "drown the ordinary sound of meanness flung my way", "sneak past any rough wall of words I'm at risk of slamming into" and "ugly name-calling leaves me with bloody bite marks."

The shift and change in tone as the title character gains a new view of himself is beautiful and uplifting.... I need to stop gushing. This book is beautiful, it is a quick read and it can lift your spirit and make you think, both are good qualities in a book.
Read this book. Shed a tear. Smile and maybe be changed a little.... Pretty great for a little Children's book!

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