marmalade mayhem
in the old times
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Gus:I don't think I want to drive a car when I'm a teenager.
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Arielle:Why?
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Gus:Because I don't want to get into an accident in the wintertime.
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Arielle:You could just walk or bike then.We live close enough to the high school.
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Gus:Did you ride a bike to school?
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Arielle:I did a few times but we lived far away from my school so I usually drove.
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Gus:Well did they even have bikes back then-like in the 1970s? You know-in the old times...
Debate commentary
Straight from the mouth of a four-year-old:
Where does he learn this stuff?
Book 16 - 21.
Only 29 to go. We’ll see ;)
16. The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker
Audience: Adult (maybe older teens)
Format: Book
Popping up on everybody’s “must read this summer list”. Maybe it got too overblown because I certainly wasn’t blown away by it. An interesting read though. I liked the fact that it took place in Southern California because, as a Cali girl myself, I could really relate to the setting. I loved reading about ice plant, bougainvillea, earthquakes, etc. Made me feel as home for parts of it.
17. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
Audience: Adult (older teen)
Format: Audio Book
If you are going to read this (and you should because it’s epically awesome) do yourself a favor and *listen* to it. Will Wheaton does a wonderful job narrating.
18. Found by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Audience: Young teen/older child
Format: Book
Haddix is like the gateway to dystopian fiction for children. I really enjoy most everything she creates.
19. Junonia by Kevin Henkes
Audience: Children (Grades 3 - 6)
Format: Book
This simple and sweet little book reminded of something from my childhood. I’m always in awe of Kevin Henkes. He writes beautifully and is a great illustrator too. So talented. This was a gentle read. Great for the summer.
20. Return of the Dapper Men by Jim McCann and Janet Lee
Audience: Teen/older children
Format: Graphic Novel
I may not have been in a graphic novelly mood. I dunno. This pictures were very pretty but the story just didn’t grab me.
21. Size 12 and Ready to Rock by Meg Cabot
Audience: Adult
Format: Book
Having read the other books about Heather Wells I felt obligated to read this one. It was just okay.
Books 11-15 (out of my goal of 50 for the summer).
Too behind/lazy to review…didn’t really care for Going Bovine or The Guardians of Ga’Hoole though. Enjoyed the other 3.
Don't be a butthead
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Gus:One time, when I was going to the dentist, I saw somebody smoking and they threw their cigarette on the ground.
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Me:Did you say anything?
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Gus:No, but I gave him a serious look.
6. The Book of Blood and Shadow by Robin Wasserman
Audience: Teen
Format: Audio
Length: 14 hours, 18 minutes
Review: It’s like Scooby Doo meets The Da Vinci Code meets The Volturi. I was drawn to it because a lot of it takes place in Prague and Jake and I vacationed there in 2007. That definitely made it more interesting for me since I was able to have a vivid picture of the setting. I was warned by a co-worker that it was a little over the top (think Dan Brown) so I went into it with a healthy amount of skepticism. Overall I enjoyed it although it went a little long towards the end.
7. Freckle Juice & The One in the Middle is a Green Kangaroo by Judy Blume
Audience: Children
Format: Audio
Length: 36 minutes
Review: We listened to this on the way to get pizza at Ole and Lena’s in Rothsay for Father’s Day. I read these two super-short books by Blume when I was little and was happy to listen to them with Gus. He’s been a little obsessed with his new freckles lately so was really into Freckle Juice :)
8. How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell
Audience: Children
Format: Audio
Length: 1 hour, 53 minutes
Review: I can’t believe this book is almost 40 years old! It’s another one I read (and loved) as a kid and Gus really enjoyed listening to it. It still holds up and can pass for a modern-day story (with only a few dated references) and I think fans of The Diary of a Wimpy Kid would like it. Unfortunately, Jake and I both thought the narrator was super-annoying so I would definitely recommend the print version instead!
9. Life of Pi by Yann Martel
Audience: Adult/Older Teen
Format: Book
Pages: 319
Review: The second selection for the book club that I’m in. It had been on my “to-read” list since it was published in 2001 so I was so glad I was finally going to read it. A very interesting story. The first part was a little slow-going although I did like hearing about Pi’s backstory. The rest of the book was really intense and became a quick-read! I’m glad this was a discussion book because I definitely had questions at the end and it was lovely to be able to talk about them!
10. Wonder by R..J Palacio
Audience: Children (grades 4 & up)
Format: Book
Pages: 313
I can’t say enough good things about this book. One of the best I’ve read in a long time. I wouldn’t be surprised if it won the Newbery Award. Ack! So good. So many important messages about kindness and acceptance and bullying. An extremely well-written first novel. I’m glad I believed the buzz and purchased 2 copies for my library because I will be recommending this one a lot. Just read it already.
1. An Elephant in the Garden by Michael Morpurgo
Audience: Children (grades 4 & up)
Format: Book
Pages: 199
Review: A lovely and captivating story from the author of War Horse. Set in Dresden, Germany, during WWII, this book follows one family’s journey as they try to escape enemy bombing and attacks on their city. This task would be difficult on its own but is made more challenging due to the fact that they are traveling with an elephant.
2. I Think I Love You by Allison Pearson
Audience: Adult
Format: Audio
Hours: 12.25
Review: Read by Sian Thomas, the Welsh actress who played Amelia Bones in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I love listening to audiobooks with foreign readers. It just adds a certain je ne sais quoi, non? I really enjoyed this story. It contrasts the main character, Petra, in 1974 and 1998. The younger Petra is a teenager obsessed with David Cassidy. The older Petra is a mother of a teenager (obsessed with Leonardo DiCaprio), has a failing marriage, and is finally getting the chance to meet her teen idol. The author did a great job weaving the two story lines together.
3. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
Audience: Teen/Adult
Format: Book
Pages: 390
Review: A re-read for me. Much darker than I remembered it being when I first read it in 2010. Still enjoyed it although it left me with a sad and heavy feeling.
4. Chopsticks by Jessica Anthony and Rodrigo Corral
Format: Book
Audience: Teen
Pages: Unknown. Pages aren’t numbered.
Review: I wanted to like this book. I really did. I think the concept is fantastic. A novel told mostly in photographs. Pictures, and limited text, give clues to help the reader solve the mystery. I just wasn’t satisfied with it. Not because of the ambiguous ending. I don’t have a problem if things remained unsolved. I just wasn’t connected enough to the characters. Parts of it were confusing and I needed more depth and backstory. Also, the model they used to play the father looked like a 20-something hipster trying to play an overpowering & controlling father. Didn’t buy it. The cover is brilliant though.
5. James & the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
Audience: Preschool and up
Format: Audio
Hours: 2.5
Review: Gus and I listened to this during the course of a weekend. In the evenings while working on puzzles, in the mornings while eating breakfast, and while he was in the bath. We both loved it. I read most of Roald Dahl’s books as a child and it’s fantastic to now listen to them with my own son. Jeremy Irons narrated this one. How can you go wrong?
