Where the Wind Leads by Vinh Chung

Let me start by saying that this book is written for adults. It is not intended for a YA audience. This book is the story of Vietnam refugees and talks about a lot of difficult things. War, killings, beheadings, rape, miscarriage, dehydration, starvation. But none of it gratuitous or graphic. It's up to you if you think your older teen is mature enough to read a book with these elements in them. Even so, I highly recommend this book to anyone with the maturity to handle it.

Where the Wind Leads is the story of a family of refugees who escaped from Vietnam in 1979. The story of what they overcame before, during, and after that time is incredible, heartbreaking, and inspiring.

This book is important in that it can help you understand another human experience and make you profoundly grateful for what you've been blessed with. This book is also timely because though the details are different, the issue of refugees is very much relevant today. This would be a good book to read and discuss with your older teen, or to just read on your own if your children are still too young.

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Where the Wind Leads
By Vinh Chung with Tim Downs
Publisher: W Publishing Group
Year: 2014
Ages/Themes: Young Adult Books, Diverse Books, Refugees

I Really Like Slop! by Mo Willems

Yes, another Elephant & Piggie book. Why? Because they're always funny and kids love them. I Really Like Slop! by Mo Willems is another good one. My kids are really into gross things right now, so this book is perfect for them. Laughing and saying "ewww!" just seem to go together these days.

Mo Willems has a quirky video about how to make Piggie's slop:





Warning! Spoilers Alert:
As a parent, my favorite part of this book is that Gerald tries Piggie's slop even though he doesn't want to. And though he doesn't like it, he's glad he tried it for Piggie's sake. There may be a dinnertime manners lesson somewhere behind the smelly of stinky shoes here.

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I Really Like Slop!
By Mo Willems
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Year: 2015
Ages/Themes: Picture Books, Young Children, Mo Willems, Elephant & Piggie

Indie Bound's Summer 2016 List

As I've mentioned before, Indie Bound is one of my go-to places for book recommendations. They have a new list of adult books every month, and a seasonal list of children and YA recommendations. Here are a few books from their Summer 2016 Kids' Indie Next List that I've put on hold at my library:

Raymie Nightingale by Kate DiCamillo. I would read anything by Kate DiCamillo. I honestly can't choose a favorite. My kids love reading her Mercy Watson series and I love The Tale of Despereaux, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, and The Magician's Elephant, among others. You can count on memorable characters, fun stories, beautiful illustrations, and often lovely tales when you read Kate DiCamillo. I'm even more excited to read this book because it is set in Florida, where I live right now. I've been wanting to read more books set here. 

Reviews of Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk have compared it to one of my favorite books of all time, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Though that's a tall order to fill, it intrigues me enough to check it out.

Towers Falling by Jewell Parker Rhodes is a middle grade novel that tackles the difficult topic of 9/11. As someone who was an adult when it happened, it's hard for me to make sense of. And as a parent, I have no idea how to talk to my kids about it. This book has been praised for opening up a dialogue about this turning point in American History with children who weren't even born when it happened. It's recommended for teachers to use in their classrooms, but I'm looking forward to reading it as a parent.

These are the books I'm most looking forward to from this summer's list. What new releases would you add to it?

For some adult recommendations, check out this NPR List.

Sam & Dave Dig a Hole by Mac Barnett

Sam and Dave are on a mission to find something spectacular. So they dig a hole. Sam & Dave Dig a Hole is written by Mac Barnett and illustrated by Jon Klassen. The illustrator is just as important as the author here because much of the humor of the book is in its visuals.

This was a random library find that my children have loved. We've read it every night for the past week. And we've noticed more things each time we've read it. Check it out at your library, or watch this video of the book being read from the YouTube channel NomNomReadRead:



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Sam & Dave Dig a Hole
By Mac Barnett
Illustrated by Jon Klassen
Publisher: Candlewick
Year: 2014
Ages/Themes: Picture Books, Young Children, Caldecott Honor

Newbery Books Worth Reading: Ramona Quimby, Age 8

I loved the Ramona books when I was a child. I was excited to see that there would be reprintings of some Beverly Cleary books to celebrate her 100th birthday. One of those was Ramona Quimby, Age 8. I just started reading it with my daughter. Childhood memories came flooding back and I really saw why Beverly Cleary is such a great children's writer: she remembers what it's like to be a kid.

If you or your kids have never read Beverly Cleary books, you need to add them to your to be read list. Ramona appeals to girls because she's a girl, but Cleary has many books with boy protagonists too. Check the shelves for her books the next time you're at the library.

Did you grow up alongside Ramona?

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Ramona Quimby, Age 8
By Beverly Cleary
Illustrated by Jaqueline Rogers
Foreword by Amy Poehler
Publisher: HarperCollins
Year: 2016
Ages/Themes: Early Readers, Newbery Honor Books, Newbery Books Worth Reading

It's Ramadan, Curious George by H.A. Rey and Hena Khan

Today our Muslim friends stopped by with a present for Eid--the day of feasting and celebration that ends the month of fasting (Ramadan). With that gift came It's Ramadan, Curious George.

My kids love Curious George, so it was a great way for them to learn about their friends' celebrations. After reading the book and explaining Ramadan and Eid to my kids, my youngest daughter made plans to share our celebrations with them by bringing them Christmas cookies.

This book would be great for Muslim children, but I also think it's good for non-Muslim children. It's a fun and easy way to learn about other traditions, other faiths, and other people.

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It's Ramadan, Curious George
By H.A. Rey and Hena Khan
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Year: 2016
Ages/Themes: Picture Books, Young Children, Ramadan, Eid, Diverse Books

Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson

This year I was introduced to Brandon Sanderson and have become a big fan, especially of Steelheart and the other books in the Reckoners series. My brother told me I had to read Mistborn next.

Let me clear up something that confused me: the first Mistborn novel is called The Final Empire. I was thrown off by the word "final" and thought that must be the last one in the series. The title makes sense in context of the novel, but the book marketer side of me just sees the confusion it can lead to.

On Brandon Sanderson's site this book is described as "a hybrid epic fantasy heist story." I couldn't have said it any better myself. In fact, I'm not sure how I would have described it by myself. Note the word epic, which means really long. I was a little daunted by the length, and it took me a while to get into the book. It's set in a world with completely different rules than ours, so it took a while for the author to establish those rules and for me to understand what was happening. But with a promise to my brother that I would read it, I pushed on.

And I'm glad I did. By the end I was immersed in the world and invested in the characters, which will make the other books in the series easier to get into. This is not a light read--you have to invest time and thought into it. But if you (or your kids) are into hybrid epic fantasy heist stories, it's a great read and a fun world to be a part of.

Have you ever read a book that would qualify as an epic fantasy? What was it?

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Mistborn: The Final Empire
By Brandon Sanderson
Publisher: Tor
Year: 2006
Ages/Themes: Young Adult Books, Fantasy, Epic Fantasy