It's Monday! What are you Reading? is a kidlit meme hosted by Jen and Kellee at TEACH.MENTOR.TEXTS. There are so many great posts to read, so many good books to discover!
Plus, there is a terrific meme hosted by Sheila at BOOK JOURNEYS that offers more reviews of all kinds of books, adult and children.
Don’t forget to tweet at #IMWAYR
It was a terrific week of reading finishing a wonderful middle grade book and reading both some books I found at the library that had been recommended by some bloggers here on Monday, and discovering other books from friends.
Chapter Book:
Hold Fast – written by Blue Balliett
How can I show off this book enough to have you read it? Perhaps if you know that I would use the title and write you should “hold fast” to it? Maybe if you saw how many sticky notes I used marking passages I wanted to re-read? It is a poignant story of a family who dreamed for a home more than one room, of a man who was both smart and innocent who made a decision for good that was not, of the language “free and plentiful”-threading its way through the story and so, so important.
Early Pearl, the main character, is as strong as a young girl can be, keeps her family, and herself, surviving the biggest challenge, homelessness. We read her thoughts as she looks out a car window, being transported to a shelter: “how lucky the other people in their cars must be: people who knew where their fathers were, people with homes to go to, people who talked and laughed as they drove, people who weren’t scared for their lives.” and “Their cozy one room rental in Woodlawn now seemed luxurious. Privacy! The freedom of choosing what and when to eat, of knowing that when you closed your eyes at night, you were safe from strangers!” Finally, the poetry of Langston Hughes plays a large part in this book, and Early thinks, “How can dreamers hold fast to their dreams when every part of life goes to survival?” It’s a beautiful book, not to miss!
