Completely Full Bookshelf

For MMGM, I am recommending The Year of the Book , written by Andrea Cheng and illustrated by Abigail Halpin. Here's the publisher's description: In Chinese, peng you means friend. But in any language, all Anna knows for certain is that friendship is complicated.   When Anna needs company, she turns to her books. Whether traveling through A Wrinkle in Time , or peering over My Side of the Mountain , books provide what real life cannot—constant companionship and insight into her changing world.   Books, however, can’t tell Anna how to find a true friend. She’ll have to discover that on her own. In the tradition of classics like Maud Hart Lovelace’s Betsy-Tacy books and Eleanor Estes’ One Hundred Dresses , this novel subtly explores what it takes to make friends and what it means to be one. I really enjoyed this book! Although it is aimed more towards the younger end of the middle grade spectrum, it can be appreciated by anyone of any age. One focus of ...

For Poetry Sunday, I am recommending "Summer Storm" by Dana Gioia. I hope you enjoy it!

For MMGM, I am recommending Hour of the Bees by Lindsay Eagar. (This cover is the redesigned version for the paperback.) Here's the publisher's description: While her friends are spending their summers having pool parties and sleepovers, twelve-year-old Carolina — Carol — is spending hers in the New Mexico desert, helping her parents move her grandfather into a home for people with dementia. At first, Carol avoids prickly Grandpa Serge. But as the summer wears on, Carol finds herself drawn to him, fascinated by the crazy stories he tells her about a healing tree, a green-glass lake, and the bees that will bring back the rain and end a hundred years of drought. As the line between magic and reality starts to blur, Carol must decide for herself what is possible — and what it means to be true to her roots. I really enjoyed this book. One of my favorite things about it is the amount of major topics that it discusses. Carol's family is Hispanic, and her...

For MMGM, I am recommending  Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life by Wendy Mass. (Note: The cover was redesigned when a movie based on this book was released.) Here's the publisher's description: Jeremy Fink has been obsessed with the meaning of life ever since a box from his father arrived at his house five years after his father was killed in a car accident. Jeremy is determined to find the missing keys that will open the box that supposedly contains the meaning of life. Jeremy and his best friend Lizzy make it their summer quest to get inside the mysterious box. But after getting into some trouble, they get stuck doing community service together, helping an antique shop owner deliver things to different parts of the city. It turns out that these deliveries aren't always ordered, the recipients react unexpectedly, some with anger, some with tears. As Jeremy and Lizzy's summer adventures continue, they begin to discover the meaning of life and themselves a...

For MMGM, I am recommending Flying Lessons & Other Stories  by various authors, and edited by Ellen Oh. Flying Lessons & Other Stories  is not a typical middle grade book. It is a collection of short stories from various middle-grade authors, some new and some well-known, with an emphasis on diversity. This is not shocking, considering that the book is affiliated with We Need Diverse Books (a cofounder of which, Ellen Oh, edited the book). I love this book! Each story is interesting, usually being about 20 pages, the perfect length for their plots. It is very satisfying to read short stories by some of my favorite authors, such as Grace Lin (whose books I have recommended here and here ).   Several of the authors are even Newbery winners! I also love the diversity of the stories, especially since it is actually a major part of each story, as opposed to simply being a meaningless statement that does not change the story. This book is perfect for anyone, whe...

For Poetry Sunday, I am recommending "The Waking" by Theodore Roethke. I hope you enjoy it!