The Song of the Stone Tiger by Glenn McCarty*

 Eleven-year-old Thomas loves living in Philadelphia, PA. His family, however, moves to North Carolina in the Appalachian Mountains for the summer with his aunt so his mom can rest from her recent bout with cancer. He anticipates a summer with a more energetic mom. She, however, begins to decline. 

As he processes this reality, he ventures into the woods behind his aunt's house (called Greenwood), a place his mom explored as a child and also a place that still provides fodder for her captivating stories. Here Thomas befriends a tiger, Shalomar, who turns to stone each night. To awaken him, Thomas must sing. Together they embark on a quest to break the curse over Shalomar and return him to his world.

Will Thomas be able to restore his own mother to this earthly world for a bit longer?

A serious book about losing a parent   A beautiful book about creation, friendship, and stories 

Consideration/discuss: Would a child who has lost a parent to cancer or has a parent suffering with cancer find this book difficult to read? Spoiler alert: When Thomas gives his mom water from Greenwood, it seems to have healed her (or at least make her feel better for that day). Would this incident create a false hope in a child whose parent has cancer? Would they long for water or a solution like this when in our world it does not exist? I may be overthinking it & being overly sensitive.

*Highly recommend.

This author graduated from the same college I did (a year behind me). I, however, cannot place him! I may have even had classes with him since I too was an education major with an English concentration. How wish I could remember him!!

-Borrowed from the library (I asked my librarian to purchase this book. 😊) I own Mr. McCarty's Tumbleweed Thompson book and Junction Tales book. They take place in the west in the 1800s and are more lighthearted.

The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs. Kip by Sara Brunsvold*

 Aidyn, a reporter for the Kansas City Star, asserts herself too far. Her superiors send her on an assignment that is perceived as insulting-writing someone's obituary. Clara Kip has been admitted to a hospice care unit. Intitially Aidyn assesses her subject as ordinary. As she begins to ask questions and research this woman's life, she discovers not only an interesting life but one that has impacted others for eternity.

I loved Mrs. Kip! She reinforced the importance of truly loving people and reminding oneself that each person before us are eternal souls. She also teaches the reader how to live and to die well. 

I did not think the character of Aidyn was well-developed. I did not connect to her or like her. It seemed like she was only necessary to reveal Mrs. Kip.

*Highly recommend but see my above assessment.

-Borrowed from the library.

Olivetti by Allie Millington

 Our main narrator is Olivetti, a typewriter. He holds all of Beatrice's memories, which she typed years ago before Everything That Happened. The other narrator, Ernest, is one of Beatrice's children. 

One morning Beatrice goes missing. The family has already endured a trial (it isn't revealed until the middle-to the end of the book). Can the disjointed family unit to find their mother? It may take a talking typewriter, dumpster-diving new friend, Quinn, a maintainence man, and a librarian to connect the family and rescue Beatrice.

A book full of heavy topics  A mom running away from her family did not sit well with me. A talking typewriter adds some levity. I liked that the main charater is a boy. A rare occurrence these days in middle grade novels! I also loved how before she was sick Beatrice used to encourage reading, writing, and imagination (& going to the library!).

Consider/discuss: parent abandonment, Spoiler alert- cancer (Beatrice endured three years of treatment. The cancer has returned. It is why she ran away), Was she trying to commit suicide on the rock? I don't think so, but it may make some readers infer that or bring up a discussion about suicide, Ernest lies, skips school, and steals

Isn't the cover beautiful?!-

The Christmas Table by Donna VanLiere

 Two stories, one from 1972 and one from 2012, are joined together by a handmade kitchen table. 

Joan, a young mother, is diagnosised with breast cancer which spreads to her lungs. She and her husband journey through the difficult days by supporting each other. Her husband discovers that he needs God and turns to him. During these days he attempts to build a kitchen table. 

Forty years later Lauren, a newly expectant mother, purchases a kitchen table. Inside the table drawer she discovers handwritten recipes. Growing up in the foster care system, she never learned to cook. She teaches herself how to cook via the mentorship of the anonymous recipe writer. Through clues within the comments on the recipes, she attempts to find the recipe owner.

This book was a "light" read, a Hallmark-type book with the perfect ending. A beach read, vacation read when you want to give your brain a break. A lot of the space was given to recipe directions/ingredients within the narrative. The author includes complete recipes in the back.

-Borrowed from the library.

Beat Cancer Kitchen by Chris & Micah Wark

 Our family is friends with a family whose husband/dad has a slow-growing cancer. To thwart its progress, the family is adopting a Mediterranean diet. When I asked the wife/mom if she had found any good recipes, she showed me this book.

Chris's story is interesting and amazing. Reading the different foods that prevent cancer was fascinating. Most of the recipes did not appeal to me at the moment,  but I am thankful to know about this resource. I did make "Supercharged Oatmeal" and really liked it.

-Borrowed from the library.

Cornelia and the Audacious Escapades of the Somerset Sisters by Lesley M.M. Blume*

 My friend recommended this delightful book to me.

Cornelia despises being known as the daughter of famous pianists. She rarely interacts with her traveling pianist mother; her father disappeared from the familial scene when she was young. To protect herself, she memorizes, utilizing them as weapons with annoying people.  Her loneliness dissipates when elderly Virginia Somerset moves in next door. Virginia fills Cornelia's afternoons with colorful stories about her adventures with her older sisters as they traveled the world. Slowly Cornelia emerges from her protective shelter of words and ventures into the real, exciting world.

This book certainly promotes vocabulary development! It also transports the readers to different countries and cultures around the world (Africa, France, England, India) from 1949-1954.

*Highly recommend.

Points to discuss: Cornelia's father does not involve himself with her and has numerous wives/girlfriends, Lucy, Cornelia's mother, smokes, a dear character dies

-Borrowed from the library.

Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes by Eleanor Coerr paintings by Ronald Himler

Recently we had homeschool friends over to present topics that interest them.  One of my youngest son's friend summarized this book and demonstrated how to fold a paper crane.  He allowed my son (and me!) to borrow this book.  

Sadako is determined to make the junior high running team.  As she trains, she begins to feel dizzy after her workouts.  She does not tell anyone until she falls over at school.  Her parents admit her into a hospital where it is discovered she has the "atom bomb disease", leukemia.  To bring her hope, her friend Chizuko makes her a paper crane, reminding her of the old story that if a sick person makes a thousand the cranes, the gods will heal her.  Sadako begins to make paper cranes out of any paper she can find. Unfortunately, she does die months later.

Based on a true story.  Step-by-step directions how to fold a paper crane are included in the back of the book.

A short but powerful book with admirable characters.  Readers will be exposed to Japan's culture.

Points to discuss: Japanese culture, WWII & the atom bomb/Hiroshima, worshipping ancestors/gods, relying on "good luck", death of a young girl, leukemia

-Borrowed from a young friend. 

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

I heard about this book on Anne Bogel's podcast What Should I Read Next?
It was well written, well developed and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.
After his wife dies in a car accident, bookseller A.J. Fikry spends his evenings getting drunk.  Then one evening someone steals his rare copy of Eager Allen Poe's Tamerlane. From that point on his life gradually begins a transformation . . .he resumes running, a two year old girl is abandoned in his bookseller, he adopts her, he meets a woman he loves. 
Before each chapter Ms. Zevin creates actual book summaries on which A.J. recommends to his adopted daughter Maya.  This addition is charming.
A great read for those who love books, bookstores and relationships.

What I did not like: some swearing, a husband (not A.J.!) repeatedly cheats on his wife, intimacy before marriage (no details are given or the "act" described in any way).
-Borrowed from the library.

Almost Paradise by Corabel Shofner*

Ruby Clyde wakes up on her 12th birthday in the back of mother's boyfriend's car.  He holds up a convenience store and is arrested.  Ruby's mother is also arrested.  Ruby and her stolen pig, Bunny, hide in the bushes outside the convenience store.   The next morning Ruby makes her way to her Aunt Eleanor's ranch.  Aunt Eleanor is a nun and very stoic.  Over time a solid relationship develops between the two, and in the end Aunt Eleanor  demonstrates sacrificial love.
I was a little sad at the conclusion of the book.  I wonder what will become of Aunt Eleanor.
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.
Points to discuss/warnings: one swear word; abandonment; stealing/hold up; cancer; lying

The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall*

Award winner
Before I began this blog, I read this book and thoroughly enjoyed it.  Recently my boys and I listened to it on CD while commuting to and from school.
We all laughed and relished in the humorous behavior of the four distinct personalities of the Penderwick sisters.
Mr. Penderwick takes his four daughters to a cottage on an estate for three weeks in the summer.  Soon Skye, the second oldest, encounters Jeffery, the son of the estate owner and an exciting friendship begins.  Jeffrey's mother has his entire life planned out, but unfortunately, Jeffrey has no interest in attending military school.  His adventures with the sisters bring the conflict to a head and resolution soon follows.
Ms. Birdsall is a superb writer developing each of the sister's characters very well.
*Highly, highly recommend.
-I own this book.  We borrowed the audio from the library.
Point to discuss/Warning: Throughout the book the girls say  "will kill me" or so and so "would murder her" to reveal how strongly they feel about something.  These phrases make me cringe.  Rosalind also develops a crush on an eighteen year old boy.  Nothing inappropriate occurs between them.

All the Answers by Kate Messner*

Ava perpetually asks "What if?" and her life is characterized by worry and fear.
Then one day during her math test, she discovers her seemingly ordinary pencil can give her the answers to her questions.  Initially she and her best friend Sophie delight themselves with fun questions (like who likes whom; what their favorite pop singer ate for dinner) but then the questions become a bit more personal.  Ava then realizes having all the answers may not always be the best.
Warning/points to discuss: Spoiler Alert-A sliver of Ava's deceased grandmother is the voice of the pencil-so really a spirit is talking to her via the pencil.  A family member passes away during the story and another family member has cancer.  One family member has a gambling problem but is not a main action of the book (a past addiction).  All the family members have different beliefs about God-one is an atheist, another one a Buddhist (an aunt), and the Grandmother who lives with them seems to have a personal relationship with God-always praying to Him about specific concerns.
*Highly recommend.
Lexile Measure: 720 L

Unstoppable by Tim Green*

What a captivating story!
Harrison, an eighth grader, has been in and out of foster homes all of his life.  The story begins with him living at a farm where he works hard and is treated with contempt and disrespect.
His anger gets the best of him one day and he finds himself on a path of despair.  One kind social worker sees through his anger and circumstances and provides a second chance. . .with her own daughter and son-in-law.  The son-in-law, "Coach", happens to be a junior high football coach and helps Harrison redirect his anger to the aggression needed to play football well.
Then Harrison finds a new challenge-cancer and an amputated leg.
A story of perseverance and unrelenting love.
The Coach and his wife pray before meals and regularly attend church but God is not mentioned in their daily lives and decisions.  Those added pieces (prayer and church) were refreshing in a secular, fiction book, though!

Points to discuss/warnings: physical/ental/emotional abuse; Harrison contributes to the farmer foster parent's death; some boys in the story are really mean to Harrison; cancer; death

Hair for Mama by Kelly A. Tinkham illustrated by Amy June Bates*

Marcus' mom has cancer and is losing her hair from chemotherapy.  When October arrives, the month of their annual family photo, his mom has no desire to be remembered with no hair. Marcus thinks of a solution that brings different but better results!
*Highly recommend.

That Summer by Tony Johnston illustrated by Barry Moser

That summer begins normal with two brothers running wild and free.  Then it comes to a screeching halt as one brother becomes sick with cancer and passes away.  This book captures the feelings of one about to lose a loved one and how this to savor any moment with loved one and to preserve the memories.
You will cry.

Sophie's Lovely Locks by Erica Pelton Villnave

Sophie loves her long hair but after a while it becomes annoying.  She donates her hair to "Locks for Kids".
Adorable illustrations!