The Year of the Book (2012)

The Year of the Book. Andrea Cheng. Illustrated by Abigail Halpin. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 160 pages. [Source: Library]

The Year of the Book has a cozy feel to it, perhaps because of the hopeful outlook. Though Anna, our heroine, isn't absolutely loving all the changes that come with being in fourth grade, she has much to be thankful for. Anna gets great joy out of reading. Almost every chapter in this one includes Anna reading a new book or talking about a new book. Sometimes she's sharing memories of a book she loved, loved, loved long ago like Little Blue and Little Yellow (by Leo Lionni), and other times she's talking about her newest favorite-favorite book like A Wrinkle in Time or From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. I love her approach to life, if she has vacation, of course, she's going to spend it reading a new library book each day?! What else would she do?! But a love of book isn't all there is to Anna. She also loves to sew and make crafts. And it isn't hard to see that Anna cares about people deeply too. Sure, at the beginning, Anna seems like she is guarding herself a bit, hesitant to trust her old friend, Laura, since Laura has seemed so different, not quite herself since the start of the new school year. I love how open her heart is, though. How Anna takes time to care for people that may not receive a lot of attention or notice or care. There is something real about Anna and that is what I appreciated most in this tender novel.

© 2013 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

Clementine and The Spring Trip (2013)

Clementine and the Spring Trip. Sara Pennypacker. 2013. Hyperion. 160 pages.

 Clementine has to be one of my favorite heroines. I just LOVE spending time with her. I love reading about her family life AND I love reading about her school days too. She always has an opinion, and she's always got something on her mind! In this book, Clementine is excited but nervous about an upcoming field trip to Plimoth Plantation. At first she felt comfortable about going because she was going to partner with fourth grader, Margaret. (Clementine is in third grade.) Clementine was going to help Margaret by doing all the "dirty" work, and Margaret was going to help Clementine by teaching her to eat quietly. The "rule" of the fourth graders being that no noisy foods are ever allowed. But when a new student arrives, a girl named Olive, well, plans change. The teacher assigns Olive to Clementine, and with the teacher and the principal telling Clementine that this will be a GOOD thing, she has to accept her disappointment. But noisy eating isn't the only thing worrying Clementine and her classmates, no, there is the dreaded bus number seven with "the cloud." This is the SMELLIEST bus ever, a thing of nightmares. And oh how the kids like to make comparisons as to what it smells like and why!!!

The novel is great fun focusing on Clementine at school and home. I would definitely recommend this series.

Read Clementine and the Spring Trip

• If you love children's books
• If you're looking for a heroine to love and adore (like Ramona, Moxy Maxwell, or Ida May, etc.)
• If you've enjoyed Clementine, The Talented Clementine, Clementine's Letter, Clementine, Friend of the Week, Clementine and the Family Meeting.

© 2013 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews