Me and Momma and Big John by Mara Rockliff

This sweet semi-biographical book based on one of the builders of the cathedral of St. John the Divine and her son is really rich. I am not familiar with too many stories about stone cutters, and for those of us with a little experiential history under our belts (ahem, I mean that we who are a little older and a tad grey-haired) can easily imagine the trials a female stone cutter might have encountered in our country. The author ties in family and calling so genuinely that I thought it might be amazing to be a stone cutter. Rockliff tells this story so calmly, with such compelling presence, that I wondered whose story it was. The story is inspired by one of the first female stone cutters in the United States at a cathedral whose work continued for decades. A simple look at the website points to some stunning visuals within that beautifully, artfully created cathedral in New York.

Like so many amazing books that I find, this one simply glowed on the library shelves, quietly encouraging me to pick it up. So glad I did....so glad.

The Great Unexpected by Sharon Creech

I am a rabid Sharon Creech fan. I love her work!!!! Love how she writes, how she frames sentences, how she crafts messages into her writing. I love Walk Two Moons, The Wanderer, Love that Dog, Ruby Holler, Heartbeat....my list goes on and on for her work. So when I realized that she had a new book coming out, I immediately put the book on hold at the Multnomah County Library. Yep, even before they had received their copies.  He-he-he-he-he, I love the deviousness of that action, the curiousness of my need to read her new words. The magic day it came, I could hardly let the book out of my sight. I was busy with my usual after school duties, what with chatting with Alysa about her day at school (most important than ever now that she is in high school), making dinner, prepping for my next day at work, and taking Alysa to dance class. Every so often, I would walk by the book, touch the intriguing cover, and wonder when I would devour the book. Ironically this was not a devour book; rather, for me, this was a savor book for me. I loved the savoring story.

The Great Unexpected offers a glimpse into the unpredictable universality of life. Our lives to be more specific. To me, Ms. Creech has grown with her writing, molding more complex themes, and explorations into her writing, and this book offers the most complex yet. She weaves heartbreak, heartache, and intrigue into the dailiness of living, wondering, and interacting. This book seems totally different from her others to me, although a tad of the abstractness reminded me of The Unfinished Angel. In The Great Unexpected, she ties two orphan girls, some strange townspeople, and a bunch of birds into a calm life-changing adventure that most of us would love to lift up as a story. My take away: be not afraid. Be not afraid of the unpredictable trials life throws at you, be not afraid of how friends seem to step away, and be not afraid of boys falling out of trees, having emerged from nowhere. Oh, and those birds: well, don't fear them either. They tell stories in their silence.

I hear your fingers tapping on the keys already....Amazon anyone? Library in your area?

**Side note to a reader from earlier: Little Bee just arrived. My week is pretty busy but looking ahead to Thanksgiving week offers a breath of possibility!!! Thanks for the nudge.

Bully by Patricia Polacco

I love Patricia Polacco's work.  She is a master at opening conversations through her stories, and she captures important attention on dire issues in her writing. I seek her writing out for me FIRST and my students second (telling, yes?). I know her publications offer us all keen, critical entrances to the tensions of the human condition. Bully is no less than that.

Lyla seeks what every person in the world seeks: to be accepted, and she thinks she has that in the beginning of her middle-school experience. But then her "friends" start some wicked, underhanded means of ugliness, and she meanders the familiar line of what to do when others are not welcomed and she is. This is a familiar storyline, but it continues to be one that we see over and over across the U.S. Reading this story is painful at the very least, and I believe students and young people will want to find their own responses to Polacco's important book-ending questions.

Talking through the ugliness we continue to bring into our lives is never easy, and finding a way to fight back against the shame we in the U.S. create over and over again is relentless and crucially important. Polacco's wisdom in writing this book rises with a different light than in her other books. Sometimes the tensions of a society are carried effectively through a book. I believe Polacco does just that in Bully. I will be honest: this is not an easy read. And, and I know it is important.

We have more work to do.

Gold by Chris Cleave

In a rare jump into adult novels, I wanted to chat about this terrific little book I read recently. Chris Cleave is the author of Little Bee-- I am sure many of you have read this one before. I had not, but I had heard very good things about that and kept running into great reviews of Gold. The story line sounded just like I like 'em: a little Olympics, a little tension between friends, a little life and death edginess. And I was not disappointed.

Basically Zoe and Kate are track cyclists of Olympic medalist level. They are wicked good on the track, share the same coach, and have trained together for years and years. They share a bunch of things in addition to Tom-- a boyfriend, a daughter, a love of biking-- but it is only at the end, after years and years of Zoe kicking Kate's butt (barely matters a lot in track riding) or Kate choosing motherhood over winning that there is some resolution of how to live life without the rest of life getting in the way.

I loved Cleave's artful storytelling. Some books lift up the drama too much, but not Cleave. He holds a restraint in his writing that I really appreciated. The text was simple and complex at the same time, and I didn't want to put this book down. While fierce in the competitive levels framed and the dedication to one another, no matter some of the great challenges framed within, it still read as a quiet book for me. I am sure I am confusing you, but I could so see this happening in a sport. So see it.

I wonder what others thought of this....and Little Bee? Readers, advice?

Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson

If you are like me, you jump at each Jacqueline Woodson title. I have used several in my classroom practice, and each time, the books served us sooo well, like third things taking us deeper through major thresholds of being in community. Really powerful. Her new book, Each Kindness, is no exception, bringing the reader into an inner conflict familiar to many of us.

Chloe is an elementary student who makes a mistake but doesn't realize the inner ramifications until too late. A new girl enters Chloe's classroom community, but Chloe refuses to spend time with her. Maya, the new girl, tries again and again to connect with Chloe and her friends but the social price simply is too high for Chloe. Until Maya leaves.

Woodson takes us on an deeply personal and familiar inner journey in this book. It is a heartbreaking story, worthy of being told and then dug into with others. Find this one: it is a keeper. Each Kindness: yea, that.

Earwing and the Witch by Diana Wynne Jones

Seeking a laugh out loud and simple read for those new to reading on their own? Or a laugh out loud and simple read aloud as our evenings get darker and the season turns a little spooky? Diana Wynne Jones homered this one! I loved Earwig and the Witch: come on, with a title like that, you know you are in for a good read!

Erica Wigg, better known throughout the book as Earwig, is simply pleased with her life in the orphanage. She loves her days and nights there, and her best friend Custard (real name: John Coster) lives there too. One day a rather odd looking couple visits, and Earwig, ahem, Erica, despite her ugliest face- making goes home with the woman and the Mandrake. The surprising story continues with Earwig journeying into her birthright gift of being a witch and learning the hard and not-so-hard way of getting what you need and want from those around you. A talking cat, rather unpredictable adults, and a humorous storyline leads the reader well. This book is a blast. I encourage you to race right out, find this gem, and set with some youngsters who are ready to giggle. Your painful stomach muscles will not regret it.

Black Boy White School by Brian F. Walker

I couldn't stop reading this book. Brian F. Walker writes from his own experiences here in part although it is a book of fiction. I walk around every day, in white skin and white privilege, not knowing what I am missing. I pass through the world with folks not knowing I am gay, but people of color don't have that opportunity. Judgment rides a broad and demanding horse, and this book attempts to shed light on one person's viewing of that experience.

Ant lives in East Cleveland, in a neighborhood filled with violence and anger. In spite of all of the trials Ant witnesses and battles against, he still carries the truth of what "home" can be. He receives a scholarship to an elite, mostly white boarding school in Maine, and once there, he quickly realizes that racism is an ugliness that pervades every community, from inner city to deep forest. He battles back, sometimes in ways that cause people to shy away and other times in ways that invite them to lean in.

In an interview on You Tube, Mr. Walker talks a bit about how much of the book is based on his experiences. The original title of the book was Look Both Ways....wow. His story is only enlarged by listening to the words through his voice. Powerful. If you want to hear it from him, here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awznx8AEh_Y&feature=endscreen&NR=1

I loved how the author pulled few punches, and the realistic way he represents Ant's struggles expose powerfully the heft and tension an African-American male teen must carry these days. The story ends with some hope but no clear next steps. I appreciated the authentic struggles that the author uses to teach through this text, and I am glad he took the risk to name the bitter truth encapsulated and experienced within so many of the neighborhoods that fill our cities across the country. I most wondered how accurate the storyline holds with the author's experiences. I doubt if I would be surprised.