ain’t burned all the bright by Jason Reynolds and Jason Griffin

 Poetry. Fulfills Poetry Published After 2000 category in the Pioneer Book Challenge. 

I have to confess poetry is not always my cup of tea and I wondered what I would choose to fulfill this category in the book challenge. I took two of my kids to the library the other day and we were browsing the new young adult books that were on display. My son picked up this one and was intrigued by what it said on the inside cover flap, "jason reynolds, using three longggggggg sentences, and jason griffin, using three hundred pages of pocket-size moleskine..."  This is literally what this book is, three sentences in 300 pages. I read it in about 15 minutes. Reynolds focuses on feelings that many teens have had during this pandemic and other unrest in the world today. The brevity of the text and the compelling collages on each page really brought feelings and worries to life, but also infused hope that things will get better along with glimpses of how to deal with said feelings and worries. If poetry books were like this one, I'd be all over them!

Recommend: Yes

More snow days and the end of diving days

 Our President's Day weekend turned into 5 straight days of no school because of the snow storm which has caused much rejoicing in our home!  What do you to with no school and no where to go? Here is one solution:

BEFORE

AFTER

Lucy completed her diving season at Liberty North High School. She did really well at the Conference meet and qualified for Districts!  She didn't move on to the state competition, but we are proud of her for improving so much over the season. Here are some of her best dives:

Beheld by Alex Flinn

 Young Adult fantasy fiction. Fulfills Title Begins With a "B" category in the Pioneer Book Challenge.

I really enjoy Alex Flinn's fairy tale retelling, she puts a nice spin on those traditional tales. This story is told from the point of view of what we sometimes think of as the wicked fairy or wicked witch in those tales. What if she wasn't wicked at all, but had humankind's best interest at heart? I love thinking of these stories from another point of view and thoroughly enjoyed reading this book yesterday as we had a day off because of the snow storm. 

Recommend: Yes. 

The Game by Diana Wynne Jones

 Junior fantasy fiction. Diana Wynne Jones is one of my favorite fantasy authors and I've read most of her books. Her imaginative plots never seem to go in the direction I'm assuming and I love how she mixes real life with magic. 

This book mixes real life with Greek and Roman mythology in an interesting way. The plot is fantastical and other worldly. It's a very short read being only 176 pages. If I could recommend my favorite books of hers it would be the Chrestomanci Series and Howl's Moving Castle. 

Recommend: yes

Night by Elie Wiesel

 Non-Fiction. Fulfills Oprah Winfrey Book Club List category in the Pioneer Book Challenge. 

This is a must read, but not an easy read by any means. It's a brief, barely over 100 pages, but very powerful first person account of several concentration camps during World War II. Wiesel was a Jewish Hungarian and was just 16 years old when the Allies liberated the concentration camps. The things he and the million others endured is unimaginable. My hope is to learn from their experience and to not repeat it. 

Recommend: Yes.

Dream a Little Dream by Kerstin Gier

 Teen fantasy. Fulfills First in a Trilogy category in the Pioneer Book Challenge. 

Kerstin Gier is a German author whose books have been translated into English. I read her first trilogy, Ruby Red, and absolutely enjoyed it. When I saw this book at the library I immediately picked it out. I'm not sure what it is about this book that didn't draw me in like her previous ones. I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it enough to read the second and third book. 

It's based on a group of kids that can travel in their dreams and visit other people's dreams. There is a demon involved that is very non-descript and vague. There is a fair amount of teenage angst and popularity posturing. Perhaps that is what put me off. I wouldn't turn people away from it, but I wouldn't go out of my way to recommend it either. 

Recommend: maybe