The calendar has turned to September, and I thought I would share with you what happened here in July and August. One of the great joys of my life is spending a month each year with my daughter Erin and her two daughters ... Sicily and Chelsea. They arrived on June 27 from Vancouver Island and were meant to leave August 1. Due to strike action at WestJet, they were unable to catch their return flight, which has afforded Sicily and I the opportunity to add another book to our list of books read while we were together. We fashioned our reading time on something Erin does with both girls throughout the year. They each choose a book a month to read ... together or apart. The purpose is to encourage reading outside of school, keeping up a reading habit, and discussing that reading with each other. It might be more than one book; the aim is to read at least one book each month of the school year. Chelsea was not so keen when she was here; so, she kept reading with her mom.
I will begin by telling you that over the years I have saved some of my favorite books to read again (never happens), or to share with grandchildren should I have them at some point in my life. I've been waiting for the time to be right. I should also tell you that Erin helped us choose the books that might appeal by reading them herself again before Sicily and I got started.
Our first book was Stargirl (Knopf, 2000) by Jerry Spinelli, a book I read more than 20 years ago. Every scene remains a part of my reading history. I was astonished by the power of Stargirl's persona. She is bright, friendly, a loyal friend, and different. Too different to be quickly accepted in a conformist high school setting; many students and teachers feel she is just too happy, and too weird for words. Her taste in clothes is bizarre, she plays her ukulele in the cafeteria, and she has a pet rat named Cinnamon. Leo falls in love with her as they spend time together. Can he hold onto those feelings against the tide of criticism and unpopularity that she faces every day? Will conformity force him to give her up and choose a different path? Thoughtful and heartbreaking, we agreed that we give it a 10 out of 10 for our book club. Deservedly, we were off to our favorite coffee shop for a treat and a short talk about its effect on us.
Moving on, we next chose Rain Reign (Feiwel and Friends, 2014) by Ann M. Martin. This is another of those books that I have never forgotten. Ms. Martin created such a cast of memorable characters to tell her story. Rose Howard is a 12-year-old with high functioning autism. Her main focus lies in prime numbers, rules, and homonyms. Life with her father is not easy, but her Uncle Weldon is a kind and supportive person in her life. Finding a rescue dog she calls Rain (reign, rein) makes her life happier; they are always together. When her father lets Rain out during a terrible storm, the dog disappears. Trying to find him, with the help of her uncle, Rose must live outside her comfort zone concerning rules. It takes time and a great deal of patience, but their search finally comes to a happy conclusion, or does it? Once found, Rose discovers that Rain has a microchip that names his owners. What will she do? It was a book that was more difficult to read unless we were both focused on the printed text together, as the constant mention of homonyms made reading it aloud without seeing the text more difficult. The story itself was powerful, and provided much food for thought and discussion at out next outing.
Our third book was Orbiting Jupiter (Clarion. 2015) by Gary D. Schmidt. It is the agonizing story of a young boy named Joseph, a father at thirteen, who has never been allowed to see his daughter, Jupiter. His story leading up to his coming to live with Jack and his family is heartbreaking: almost killed a teacher, incarcerated at a place called Stone Mountain, and desperate to find his baby girl. As the foster family gets to know Joseph, and finally hear the story he is reluctant to tell, they come to love and respect him, realizing that the circumstances of his life are almost unimaginable. His past cannot be forgotten. As the family works together to help Joseph, old wounds are reopened and place huge demands on everyone. Most especially for Joseph. Beautifully written and heartbreaking! It opened our hearts and made us cry. We gave it a 10 and had a pretty subdued conversation about misunderstandings and their effects on many lives.
Our fourth book was Katherine Applegate's Home of the Brave (Square Fish, Macmillan, 2007). I have loved it since I first read it, and this was my fourth time. It is a novel in verse about Kek, a Sudanese refugee who comes to Minnesota for a better life with his aunt and cousin after his father and brother died in the war and his mother was lost to him during a raid at their refugee camp. Everything is new to Kek and easily misunderstood as he tries to learn a new language in a new land where nothing is familiar to him. His cousin Ganwar is angry with all there is to learn in this country. Ever an optimist, Kek makes the best of this new life as he longs for his mother to find him again. He forms new friendships, helps an old woman named Lou with her farm work, and begins to appreciate the life he is leading. There is much to love about this book; we enjoyed the characters, the funny misunderstandings that Kek faces and his grit and determination to live a better life away from the war that ravaged his country. We gave it a 9 out of 10.
Our last book to read together was meant to be Tig (Tundra, 2024) by Heather Smith. Oh, I love this book! Tig has lived her short life with insecurity and abuse. Her mother has abandoned Tig (and her brother Peter), leaving them in a house with no electricity and with no means of caring for themselves. Her new home with her Uncle Scott and his partner Manny is everything her life has not been up until now. Peter is there to help her adapt; the two men do all they can to provide comfort and safety for her future. Tig rages constantly and does her best to make everything difficult. When they adopt a dog, named Guten Morgen, she finds comfort and unconditional love. New friends and a goal help her find community and acceptance. Tig's first-person voice is authentic and heartbreaking. She is reluctant to trust, causing issues with her caregivers who show patience, understanding, and love to help her through the trauma she has faced. It hurts to learn that Peter is imaginary, and has been the rock Tig needed from the time she was six. It is not an easy read, but worth the wonder and the tears. It led to a long discussion as we drank our chai lattes at Forbidden Flavors. 10, for sure!
When the strike led to a longer stay, we decided we would read another and chose The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise (Henry Holt, Macmillan, 2019). Unfortunately, we could not finish it this year. It is top of the pile for next summer. In the meantime, we will continue to add to our TBR Book Club books throughout the year. I have already started a pile for Chelsea, in hopes that she will be happier to read with me next time.
There is a constant concern these days that both children and adults are losing their love for reading. Tablets, phones and television provide distractions for many, and that is understandable. I cannot imagine a world where we don't turn to books for all they bring to our learning, our compassion, our ability to see and understand what is happening around us. There are many types of book clubs being formed for those who have a shared love for the written word. Ours is but one way to share some really special and memorable time together during a summer vacation.
