WWW Wednesdays – December 7, 2011

My bookshelf

– What I’m currently reading
The Christmas Wedding by James Patterson. I’m reading this book for my upcoming book club meeting in a couple of weeks. The reviews on Amazon are not very kind and so far this book is super easy to read but mostly fluffy and not well written in my opinion. Let’s see where this goes…

– What I recently finished reading
Out of Our Minds: Learning to Be Creative by Sir Ken Robinson. This book was very interesting but I don’t think it went far enough to explain what really needs to be changed about our educational system to help kids get ready for the 21th century economy. I recently found out Robinson’s book called The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything is supposed to be excellent so I’ll be reading it very soon.

Never Have I Ever by Sara Shepard. After reading The Lying Game and being sucked into the story of Sutton’s mysterious disappearance and Emma’s awkward replacement for her long lost twin sister, I couldn’t wait to read the sequel. And I’m so glad I did! I read this book in a couple of days and had a hard time putting it down (my kids got in the way…). The mystery continues and unfortunately I just saw there’s not only a #3 but also a #4 book in the works. Argh, I want to know who killed Sutton, although I now have a picked suspect. I hope it’s not whom I think it is though, because I really like that character, but it would make for a very shocking ending. If you like fast paced mysteries and nailbiters, this book is for you, but read The Lying Game first.

– What I think I’ll read next
The Christmas Thief by Mary Higgins Clark and Carol Higgins Clark. I impulsively grabbed it off the shelf at the library since I’m a Mary Higgins Clark fan. It’s supposed to be funny and mysterious, so we’ll see. I love reading books about Christmas this time of year.

My kids’ bookshelf

– What they’re currently reading

– The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg. We’re actually reading the French version right now, called Boreal Express. It’s one of our favorite books about Christmas and the magic of Santa Claus, with beautiful illustrations to go along the sweet story.

– Oliver and Amanda’s Christmas by Jean Van Leeuwen. A cute, short chapter book about Oliver and Amanda getting ready for Christmas. My favorite part? Oliver making a list of 22 toys for Santa, not because he needs them but because he wants them. Jean Van Leeuwen KNOWS kids.

– The Adventures of Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey. Two fourth-grade boys who write comic books and love to pull pranks manage to turn their school principal into their superhero Captain Underpants. This is a chapter book with very funny illustrations. My five-year old can’t stop looking at it and asking us to read it. I’d say it’s a hit. Should I add we’re fans of Dav Pilkey? The guy is brilliant.

 

– What they recently finished reading
– Penguin and the Cupcake by Ashley Spires. This is the funny story of a Penguin who decides to head North to satisfy his cravings for cupcakes with pink icing. On his way, he meets Polar Bear and Walrus who can’t help but interrupt the story as they think Penguin’s storytelling skills are a little far-stretched.

– How Chipmunk Got His Stripes by Joseph Bruchac and Raccoon’s Last Race : a Traditional Abenaki Story by the same author. Both books are inspired from Native American stories that explain how the chimpmunk and the racoon managed to look the way they do today. They both start as teasing, arrogant animals who can’t keep promises and learn the consequences of their poor behavior the hard way. These books sure make my kids think about a few things.

 

– What I think they’ll read next
I hope to get more books with a Christmas theme soon.

What about you? Any books you or your kids are reading you’d like to share?

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