This is one of my favorite quotes about reading! The best thing about books and reading is falling so deeply into a story that the characters feel like friends. In April, I read seven books... so I guess I experienced seven lives!
Here are my favorite reads from the month of April:
Savvy by Ingrid Law
During the late spring, the kids in Name That Book club get to choose the books we read, and this was one of the kid-selected choices. Savvy is an adventure story with a touch of magical realism to it. In Mibs's family, everyone has a special power, or "savvy," that is revealed on a child's 13th birthday. On the eve of Mibs's birthday, her dad is in a terrible accident and Mibs believes her savvy can save him, but what an adventure ensues! This is a great middle-grade read for kids who like adventure or a touch of magic.
Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly
This is one of my favorite reads so far this year! Lilac Girls is a World War II novel based on real people and real events. Told from three perspectives, we hear from New York socialite Caroline Ferriday, who is trying to help French orphans; Polish teenager Kasia Kuzmerick, who is involved in the resistance; and German doctor, Gerta Oberheuser, who finds employment in a concentration camp. The novel explores a part of Nazi history that I did not know about. I highly recommend this novel!
The Screaming Staircase (Lockwood & Co. #1) by Jonathan Stroud
This was Will's pick for Name That Book club and, wow, is it a fantastically spooky story! Ghosts have been haunting England for the past 50 years, and psychic apparitions agencies, staffed by children, have sprung up to help eradicate the ghostly figures. Lucy Carlyle heads to London to seek employment at Lockwood & Co. After a case goes terribly wrong, the firm has one last chance to avoid bankruptcy... but only if they can conquer the ghosts in the country's most infamous haunted mansion. Stroud is a masterful storyteller, but this is not for the faint of heart! (Recommended for upper middle grade/young adult.)
Exit West by Mohsin Hamid
This book reminded me of The Underground Railroad, in that much of what is happening is real with a healthy dose of the unreal thrown in. In Hamid's novel, Saeed and Nadia meet and begin a romance while their country (likely Syria, though it is never named) is on the brink of civil unrest. Their relationship progresses and the city falls to rebel forces. At the same time, doors are discovered that literally lead to other places. Nadia and Saeed decide to try their luck with a door, and the story follows them as they travel to different places. In the light of the immigrant issue in our world today, this novel is definitely worth exploring.
My Life as a Gamer (My Life #5) by Janet Tashjian
This was another Name That Book club selection, and it was so much fun! Written in the style of Diary of a Wimpy Kid or Big Nate, the My Life series would be a good choice for reluctant readers, but was one that I thoroughly enjoyed as well. In this story, Derek Fallon has the chance of a lifetime to participate in testing out a new video game called Arctic Ninja, but that opportunity doesn't come without some problems. A cute middle-grade series.
What have you read lately?
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