The Way to Stay in Destiny by Augusta Scattergood

Augusta Scattergood authored a favorite book of mine, Glory Be. Now she changes course by connecting Theolonius Monk and baseball while keeping her amazing knowing of kid smart in her new book, The Way to Stay in Destiny.

What a treat of a read! I love how Scattergood seems to weave her books. Her writing is so well thought out as well as an inspiring example of storytelling; she creates a tapestry of experience, living, and crafting through the eyes and hearts of young people. It is obvious she studies them when she writes...or else she just knows kids really with ultra-clarity. Take Theo for example. The main character in Scattergood's new book, Theo is stuck with his seemingly deadbeat uncle. Uncle quit life in Alaska to come take care of young teen Theo, and he is none too happy about it. Theo's parents died in a car wreck years before, and now his grandparents (Uncle Raymond's parents) are unable to care for him. Theo left everything (friends, dog, relations) because Uncle forced him. Theo meets a girl who just happens to love baseball as much as he does within the first few days of being in Destiny, Florida, and with the possibility of a real friend, his thinking turns from regret (like Uncle's) to maybe- I- could-have-a-friend and maybe-I- can-do- this. He also begins to take life into his own hands, realizing what he wants to do and where he wants to live. He finds ways to stand up to bitter and overpowering Uncle Raymond, he keeps playing the piano much to the disgust of said uncle, and he finds out more about himself in the process. Baseball, loss, music, history, life without support, life with support.....Theo keeps popping up in my mind as does his sooon-to-be-sidekick Annabel and wonderful room-renter Miss Sister. And the story ends with important questions, exactly like I like.

I could keep going but I think I have said enough. Scattergood simply writes clean and steady storylines that keep me massively engaged. The Way to Stay in Destiny is a new favorite of mine. Can't wait to read more from this author. 

Ghost Medicine by Andrew Smith

I write from Port Angeles, Washington on a ferry to Victoria, BC. One of the great trials I am working through is carving enough time to 1). read and 2). write about the great books I am reading. Ahh well, the gift of time a beautiful ferry and drive time offers!!

Andrew Smith wrote the book Stick, an enticing YA morsel that I loved reading:  http://bookpeepwonders.blogspot.ca/search?q=Stick+by+Andrew+Smith.  I recently stumbled across Ghost Medicine, written in 2008. It has been a perfect read for me this last week leading up to and beginning our trek North. I frequently feel blessed to be able to read in the car, and this trip has offered me multiple opportunities to dive right into those patiently- waiting books. I finished up Ghost Medicine in the first hour, heartily grabbed by Smith’s ability to grow plot tension.

Troy Stotts is a young upstart teen, eager to figure out life and find his place as he grows up. He loves most veins of working with horses, but he is battling his own inner demons on loss. He decides to talk with a rancher who owns a ton of horses and loads of acres of land for a job. It doesn’t hurt that the rancher just so happens to be the father of the girl of his dreams. Side story with bully Cha……, deputy sheriff’s son filled with ugly  meanness, grows to center stage by the end of the read. Other teens fill in Troy’s inner circle: Tommy who also works on the ranch and Gabe and Luz, siblings and children of big-daddy rancher with love, friendship, and protection. Oh and there’s that little cautious romance going on with Luz….just sayin’. Author Smith does a sweet job of really building tension in this book, all the while surrounding the teens with the dreamy world of horses. I imagine this book listed as a coming-of-age novel, focusing more on how Troy lives his life without his brother and mother, both of whom have died during his lifetime; his father ungracefully meandering through his own grief after losing his wife and Troy’s mother but absolutely doing his best. The storyline takes us through protagonists and antagonists, all while Troy tries to make sense of life and loss. A cabin way up in the woods offers key solace and treachery, and a neighborly widow offers support in surprising ways as well.

I really enjoyed this one, especially to start off spring break. I escaped into a whole ‘nother world. This is a worthy read for those of us who dream about horses and the lives of living on a ranch, of course with twists and turns and survival. 

Zombies in Love 2 + 1 by Kelly DiPuchio

I never thought I would write about zombies on this blog. Never say never, right? Mentor text on zombies....hmmmm.

Zombies in Love 2 + 1 by Kelly DiPucchio cracked me AND my students up. The illustrations support the storyline in hysterical and immesely engaging ways. The storyline offers both surprises and comfort. And the not-so-subtle humor enveloping the entire piece is both surprising and exciting. My students loved this book and demanded I read it again immediately.

Two zombies discover a human baby on their front step one morning. They have no idea what to do and are most distressed that the child will not sleep through the day. They take him to Dr. Frank N. Stein who determines the baby is healthy. The zombie family does not know what to do....until the magic begins to happen. 

I loved this book, and I loved even more how much my rather zombie/rough-and-tumble class loved this book. I have already put Zombies in Love  by the same author on hold.

BirdWingFeather by Siri Schillios

Looking for a wordless picture book on perspective? Searching for a unique way to look at details in the natural world? Eager to explore how centering in on mental snapshots changes view and knowing? BirdWingFeather might be a great tool for you.

Author Siri Schillios offers a sweet entrance into zeroing in on birds in particular to enhance viewing and support exploring pictures/illustrations and potentially the natural world in a very unique way. Each spread of her book offers both an illustration of a whole bird and up-close photographic images from within the same illustration. That is a really awkward of trying to say what the clip above shows. 

A truly beautiful offering, BirdWingFeather encouraged me to slow down and to notice details while studying birds. Honestly the only time I look at talons is on carcasses of roadkill and dead birds I find while exploring. What might I notice if I studied more than colors on a bird? Enjoyable, simple, complex, BirdWingFeather made me stop and pay attention--and I appreciate that.

The Misadventures of Sweetie Pie by Chris Van Allsburg

I read everything by Chris Van Allsburg. I love his work. His writings are brilliant and insightful, curious and touchable. He is a literary rockstar to me.  I stumbled across The  Misadventures of Sweetie Pie last weekend at the library. Laughing out loud in delight at seeing the author, I added the book to my growing stack. SA-WEET!!

The book frames the life of Sweetie Pie the guinea pig through the animals' eyes. The pig experiences a wide range of loving gestures from young people, all well intended but not always well-acted upon. Van Allsburgs' drawings offer a unique window in through the eyes of the guinea pig, a perfect perspective that allows readers to consider what life might be like for a small animal cared for by a number of school-aged folks. The ending is a surprise and I had to read the book a couple of times to make sure I got it. That trait is typical Van Allsburg for sure.

A fun and engaging read, check out Sweetie Pie!

Falling from Horses by Molly Gloss

I have long loved Molly Gloss' stories. Her way of writing captures my imagination and enlivens my mind to create images of the text. She is an Oregon writer, lives right here in Portland, and wrote Wild Life and The Jump-Off Creek among others. I always read her work slowly....a serious sign that I love the book.

Falling from Horses is set in the late 1930's. Bud, a young man eager to get away from his home ranch and explore Hollywood and the moving picture lifestyle. He hopes to make it big on the screen, figuring he can ride his way into pictures as a stunt rider. Although times are pretty tight (I think the word tight meant superslim wiggle room where money is concerned back then), Bud finds his way from being beat up in the middle of the night sleeping in a giant park in LA to working with the horses that were filmed in movies. His first Hollywood friend, Lily Shaw, stays important to Bud throughout the book, and their relationship as friends and lives as individuals revolves around and centers on movies. Bud is a steady character, slowly finding his way newly on his own and figuring out how to date (sort of), make a living (sort of kind of), and make the best choices he can(hmmmm). Gloss brings her best in this story, helping us almost live in Bud's shoes, particularly when the story touches into the deep well of family. Bud's ranching family who also lives hard-scrabble lives, and loss and love intertwine at the slowly intentional speed of hard work and hard living often found on ranches of the times. The story indeed takes Bud home again; I won't spoil a thing here about why or how.

Gloss helps me live into that inner cowgirl that lives inside of me. I have read The Jump-Off Creek a number of times and may return to it soon after reading Falling From Horses. Loved it, just loved it. 

Have you heard of this book? I have from a variety of sources: literacy conferences, teacher blogs, friends who are as rabid about books as I am....so on a whim I sent it to my 6-year-old nephew for Christmas sight unseen. Ahem. Let's just say his older brother thought it was hysterical. When it arrived at the library for me, I raced to get it, eager to see how funny it was.

Oh it's funny. It is unique. It is different. And no, I do not plan to read it to my kindergartners. Reading it would cause utter anarchy. The young people would take over, demanding I read more racy, saucy, edgy-to-young people books. They would demand I read things with real humor. No more kid humor for them, no siree....And really I am not gonna read a book out loud to a bunch of kindergartners who would never stop laughing at me for the silly things it makes the reader do (and yes, it is funny!).

Rather I think I will play it safe. Stick with the more comfortable. Stay a little sane in the classroom. Keep it mellow. I mean really, what do I want? For my students to fall in love with humor and books? UH-UH, not on my watch. No making too much fun of me....

Just joking. Maybe. We'll see if I find enough bravery to read it. Maybe on the last day of school....maybe. This one is just as funny as folks say. Find it. Read it. See what you think.