Raymie Nightingale by Kate DiCamillo

In less than a month my husband accepted a job across the country, we prepped and staged our house, sold our house, packed all our belongings, drove from Florida to Idaho with three kids in a small car, and lived slightly homeless for a week. We've been living out of suitcases, and we finally got all of us stuff two days ago. So now I sit among boxes and stuff unpacked from boxes that I'm not sure where it should go. I've had very little time for reading and zero time for blogging.

But amidst it all, I managed to read Raymie Nightingale by Kate DiCamillo. I saw it on the Indie Bound Summer 2016 List and knew I had to read it. It's by one of my favorite authors and it's set in Florida. I was trying to focus on going local in my reading. (Anyone know of any good books set in Idaho?) Though I lived there less than four years, Florida is such a unique place that you can't help but be changed by it and I loved reading a book with those familiar elements. It had a touch of the Southern Gothic about it.

Raymie is a great character and this book is my new favorite DiCamillo book (which is hard to do because I really love her books). It's a sweet and funny coming-of-age story. Though so many of her books have had at least a touch of fantasy, DiCamillo is apparently also really good at understanding children and how they think (much like Beverly Cleary). I would have loved this book when I was younger, I loved it as an adult, and I recommend it to anyone middle grade or up.

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Raymie Nightingale
By Kate DiCamillo
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Year: 2016
Ages/Themes: Middle Grade Books, Coming-of-Age

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.

Kid's Indie Next Spring 2016 Picks

One of the places I like to find good new kids' lit is Indie Bound' Kid's Indie Next List. Owners of independent bookstores make their recommendations that is an alternative to big lists like the New York Times. There are some crossovers, but the Indie Next List often gives attention to books that I might otherwise miss. They only come out with a kids' lit list a few times a year, so I'm always excited to read it. Here are a few books I'm going to check out from their Spring 2016 list:

Pax by Sarah Pennypacker
I'm not always a huge fan of books focused on animals, so at first glance, I was not interested in this one. But it's recommended for those who love The Giver, so I might have to give it a chance.

Summerlost by Ally Condie
I already read, loved, and recommended this book. If you needed any more encouragement to check out this middle grade novel, here it is.

The Night Gardener by Terry Fan and Eric Fan looks pretty. Which is reason enough to check out a picture book in my opinion.

Hour of Bees by Lindsay Eager is about family and memory and storytelling, all things I love. The description of the book brought to mind the movie Big Fish.

Let's Play! by Herve Tullet. We already own and love Press Here and Mix It Up!, so we'll definitely be checking out Tullet's newest book.






Do you think you'll check out any of these books? Where do you like to find book recommendations?