Red & Lulu by Matt Tavares*

 A pair of cardinals love their Norway spruce tree in a small backyard. Red, the male cardinal, and Lulu, the female cardinal, especially love Christmas. The house owners decorate their tree with lights. People gather at the front door to sing a song about the tree.  One day a group of people chop it down and haul it into the city. Red follows the truck because he hears his beloved Lulu singing from inside the tree! This Christmas is one they will never forget!

The illustrations are stunning.

RAR is featuring this book during one of their Christmas School weeks this December.

If the readers have been to NYC, they will have fun identifying sites in NYC.

*Highly recommend.

-Borrowed from the library. 

If I Built a Town by Chris Van Dusen

 I love Chris Van Dusen's books! He, however, included two dads in the illustrations throughout the book.

Jack relays to Mayor McKay how he would build a town. Very imaginative (& modern-lots of robots doing the work of humans!).

Warning/ points to discuss: two dads (not mentioned that they are two dads in the text-just in the illustrations- walking together with a girl in between them), vs fossil fuels, robots doing most jobs, "everything is free" concept! 😉

-Borrowed from the library

The Together Tree by Aisha Saeed illustrated by LeUyen Pham

 Rumi is a new student. The other students do not protest when Asher, a bully, is mean to him. When Asher throws a rock, and it scrapes Rumi's knee, other students finally gather their courage and befriend Rumi. 

A didactic story  Based on the author's son experience

-Borrowed from the library.

The Railway Children by E. Nesbit**

 I loved every moment I was reading this book. It is delightful and enchanting! I am bummed that I did not read this book aloud to my sons when they were younger. 

Roberta, Peter, and Phyllis experience an idealistic life in Edgecombe Villa, where Mother creates delightful stories and humorous poems to share with them over tea after school. Then one day men come for Father and take him away. The children have no idea where he has gone. Mother moves them to the country, near a railway. Although they are poor, and Mother has to write stories so they can eat, the children adjust to the life in the country along the rails.  Adventures and friendships await them. 

I loved how the children would spend most of their days outside without adult supervision, problem-solving and risk-taking. Readers will relate to each of the children even though they lived in 1905.

 A timeless novel

Discuss: British slang/words, British customs, a father being taken away

**Highly, highly recommend.

-Borrowed from the library (I would like to buy this one.)

The Peddler and the President by Ann Diament Koffsky illustrated by Pedro Rodriguez*

 Harry Truman and Eddie Jacobson are quite different from each other-seven years apart, Christian vs Jewish. But both of them had stopped attending school to work to support their families. During this time their friendship forms. They part ways but resume their friendship during WW I where they train at the same base in Oklahoma. Over the years their friendship endures challenging times (a failed business, the Great Depression, a wife that doesn't like Jews).  Eventually, Harry becomes president of the United States! Eddie is welcomed to visit President Truman at the White House whenever he wants. He, however, is careful not to take advantage of the friendship and ask for favors. But when President Truman is trying to discern if he should support an independent Jewish state/nation, Eddie knows he must speak up and convince his friend to support his people.

An easy to read biography with a lot of substance and also with a lot of ideas to discuss.

*Highly recommend.

-Borrowed from the library (I asked my library's director to buy it for my library. She did!)

Three by the Sea by Edward Marshall illustrated by James Marshall*

 Lolly, Spider, and Sam are enjoying a day at the beach. After eating they are too full to resume any activities. To pass the time, Lolly reads aloud to them from her reader. They declare the story too boring and create their own stories.

Fun and humorous! Perfect for reluctant and transitional readers

*Highly recommend.

-Borrowed from the library.

Persuasion by Jane Austen*

 Disclaimer: I started reading this book over a month ago while staying in the hospital with a loved one who had a complex surgery. Hospitals are not the best place to focus! 

Almost a decade ago, Anne was persuaded by a mentor to break off an engagement. In the meantime, Captain Frederick Wentworth, her former finace,  has become quite successful. Now at age twenty-seven, she is resigned to a life without a husband or family. The years have dulled her countenance. Although she is often overlooked within her own family, when any of them has an issue, they turn to Anne for a resolution or for support. When her prideful, foolish father realizes he cannot afford their estate, Kellynch, he rents it out to Admiral Croft and his wife Sophia Croft. Sophia is Frederick Wentworth's sister. Will Anne encounter her former finace on a routine basis now? Will he still care for her?

  It took me awhile to organize and remember all of the characters and also how they were connected. I should have a created a character map! At first I thought this novel was inferior to Pride and Prejudice. I love the witty dialogue, the humor, and the fast pace in Pride and Prejudice. Persuasion is more contemplative and serious. The reader is privy to Anne's thoughts. After talking about it with a friend who loves this novel, I concluded that I will remember this novel better than Pride and Prejudice. I admire Anne as a character whereas Elizabeth was fun but not as memorable. I thought the ending was a bit abrupt.

*Highly recommend.

-I own this book.