Top Ten Tuesday - All-Time Faves of X Genre

This week's TTT theme over at Broke and Bookish is All-time faves of _______genre. I chose all time fave audiobooks. 

I adore reading with my ears. Sometimes I will reread with my ears and will occasionally reread with my eyes if I have loved a particular book. These are the ten that popped into my head:

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie. I can't tell you how many times I have read this book with both my eyes and ears. Sherman Alexie narrates. I cry every time. One of my all-time favorites, period.

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray. Another fabulous narration by an author. Bray's performance is nothing short of spectacular. Sly humor, often laugh-out-loud funny. Check out Bray's video on narrating a book.

 

The Chaos Walking Trilogy by Patrick Ness. Nick Podehl narrates the first and is joined by Angela Dawe in the second and they are joined by MacCleod Andrew in the third. Riveting and terrifying.

 

The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater. I got an arc of The Raven Boys and read it with my eyes. Then, I read the second with my ears and fell in love with Will Patton's gruff and gravelly performance. Even though I had the opportunity to read an arc of the third, I waited till the release of the audio. Love!

Vango: Between Earth and Sky (and its sequel, Prince without a Kingdom) by Timothee de Fombelle. Gripping historical fiction!

Scowler by Daniel Kraus. Yikes! This gave me nightmares for weeks! Kirby Heyborne, a favorite of mine really went above and beyond with this performance. I believe the audiobook won an Odyssey Award.

How It Went Down by Kekla Magoon. This thought-provoking story is told from multiple perspectives and with a full-cast. 

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys. Four narrators-one sweeping saga. There will be tears.

The Diviners series by Libba Bray. I gobbled up the first with my eyes and read the second with my ears. I want to reread the first with my ears but haven't had the time!

What's New? Stacking the Shelves

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews. Hop on over there to ogle what other bloggers got this week.

Purchased: I recently read An Ember in the Ashes with my ears and was riveted. The only good thing about not reading hyped books as soon as they release is the shorter wait time for its sequel.

A Torch against the Night by Sabaa Tahir. Ember in the Ashes #2. Unabridged audiobook on 13 compact discs. 15 hours. Read by Fiona Hardingham, Steve West and Katharine McEwan. Penguin/ Random House Audio Publishing, August, 2016. 9780147525031.

Box back synopsis: Elias and Laia are running for their lives. Following the events of the Fourth Trial, an army led by Masks hunts the two fugitives as they escape the city of Serra and journey across the vast lands of the Martial Empire. Laia is determined to break into Kauf-the Empire's most secure and dangerous prison-and save her brother, whose knowledge of Serric steel is the key to the Scholars' future. And Elias is determined to stay by Laia's side, even if it means giving up his own chance at freedom.

But Elias and Laia will have to fight every step of the way if they're going to outsmart their enemies: the bloodthirsty Emperor Marcus, the merciless Commandant, the sadistic Warden of Kauf, and, most heartbreaking of all, Helene-Elias' former friend and the Empire's newest Blood Shrike.

Helene's mission is horrifying, unwanted, and clear: find the traitor Elias Veturius and the Scholars slave who helped him escape...and kill them both.

That's what's new with me. What's new with you?

Waiting on Wednesday: Best in Snow by April Pulley Sayre

WoW is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine in which we share the titles we can't wait to release.

Best in Snow by April Pulley Sayre. 40 p. Beach Lane Books, October 11, 2016. 9781481459167.

Publisher synopsis: Discover the wonderful world of snow with this companion to the celebrated Raindrops Roll!

With gorgeous photo illustrations, award-winning author April Pulley Sayre sheds sparkly new light on the wonders of snow. From the beauty of snow blanketing the forest and falling on animals’ fur and feathers to the fascinating winter water cycle, this nonfiction picture book celebrates snowfall and the amazing science behind it.

I enjoy Sayre's work. Her playful use of words and her imagery are a sure cure for nature deficit disorder. 

Non-Fiction Monday: My First Book of Hockey by the Editors of SIKids

My First Book of Hockey by the Editors of SIKids. A Rookie Book. 48 p. Liberty Street/ Time Inc. Books, September 20, 2016. 9781618931771. (Review from finished copy courtesy of publisher.)

My First Book of Hockey is the third in the Rookie Book series and the second of which I've read. I enjoyed My First Book of Baseball, so when I opened the package containing My First Book of Hockey, I was psyched, especially because I know very little about the game. 

As in My First Book of Baseball, a young player provides color commentary starting on the end-papers as he suits up. Design and organization are similar in that each section is color coded and corresponds to the period of play. Full-color photographs, often accompanied by humorous speech bubbles, of a variety of teams and players (not identified) illustrate positions, equipment, shots, etc. Fundamental terminology, such as face-off, pass, check and icing are explained. 

Quite a few action shots are highlighted with helpful arrows such as the physics of a slap shot or the split-second dynamics of a rebound. 

This series is sure to be popular among young fans as well as would-be fans. Entertaining as well as educational. Surely every collection needs this series.

How This Book Was Made by Mac Barnett

How This Books Was Made by Mac Barnett. Illustrated by Adam Rex. unpgd. Disney-Hyperion, September 6, 2016. 9781423152200. (Review from finished copy courtesy of publisher)

I've hosted quite a few authors over the years. Most come to us for free for an hour while on tour promoting a new book, a few have been hired for the day to deliver large group presentations and small group writing workshops. One valuable takeaway for students next to seeing a real live author, is learning from each and every one of them that even professional authors are not immune to the often painful process of revising and revising and revising. I will never forget the reaction my students had to the slide Kenneth Oppel showed of a four or five foot high stack of revisions for This Dark Endeavor. 

Can't host an author? The next best thing is grabbing this book! Metafiction at its very best, How This Book Was Made is a hoot! Let's start with that cover! What a mess! Adam Rex is holding the letter E and Mac Barnett is holding the letter M, but a tiger is front and center, looking askance at a hamburger. Astronauts float up top. There are rainbow and masking tape and lots of cut paper scraps. Ask your students, "What's up with that?"

Endpapers = tiger fur. 

Don't miss the front jacket flap. Hyperbole? Hook?

Use the title page as a geography lesson.

Of course the book began with an idea. "Ideas can come at funny times." Yes, they can and the tiger is a great example of metaphor.

Once Mac's idea was born, he went to a quiet place and wrote. And wrote and wrote.  He wrote 12 drafts! And still the tiger was not done with him.

Oh how I laughed and laughed at the pages depicting Mac's editor wearing a tiara and lunching on the terrace of a fancy New York City skyscraper! 

Don't miss the chance to teach allusion with the lines, "I love this! This is perfect! Now, here are all the things you have to change."

"I took some of her advice. And I ignored some of her advice." Kids will really relate to that. The following pages chronicle the back and forth between editor and author "until most of the United States of America was crossed out."

Once both Mac and his editor loved all his words, enter Adam Rex, the illustrator. He worked very (hilariously) hard while poor Mac sat around and waited and grew a long beard. Once the art was done, the book needed to be printed. It was not printed in the United States. It was sent to Malaysia. We take a detour into space, get waylaid by pirates, deal with an eagle who tries to feed the book to her chicks, who reject it. Then, a toad uses it for cover only to have it picked up by a dog who brought it to his owner, who lost it in a poker game, who...

Looking for a fun, metafictive read-aloud to hammer home some language arts (or art or geography) lessons in a fun, palatable way? Look no further than How This Book Was Made. Your students will love you for it. Highly recommended for all ages. #nevertoooldforpicturebooks!

Want other metafiction treats? Try:

Chloe and the Lion by Mac Barnett & Adam Rex
Let Me Finish by Minh Le
Frankencrayon by Michael Hall
The Book with No Pictures by B.J. Novak
Open This Little Book by Jesse Klausmeier

What's New? Stacking the Shelves

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews. Hop on over there to ogle what other bloggers got this week.

For review:

Sports Illustrated Kids: My First Book of Hockey: mostly everything explained about the game. A Rookie Book. Liberty Street/ Time Inc. Books, September 20, 2016. 9781618931771.

Publisher synopsis: Next up in the fan-favorite Rookie Book series, Sports Illustrated Kids explains the coolest game in the world to its youngest fans.

The puck drops, skates flash, and sticks fly-a hockey game is underway! With a fun mix of Sports Illustrated action photography, simple text, a full glossary of terms, and cool graphics, My First Book of Hockey introduces readers to the basics. Kids (and maybe a few adults, too!) will learn how power plays work, how the three-period game flows, what a hat trick is, what's up with the referee's crease, and more.

An illustrated "rookie" character appears on every page, guiding the reader moment by moment, and helping to make My First Book of Hockey an ideal shared reading experience between parents and their young rookies before, during, and after the game.

Purchased:

Run by Kody Keplinger. Unabridged audiobook on one MP3 CD. 7 hours, 30 minutes. Performed by Em Eldridge and Elizabeth Evans. Brilliance Audio, August 9, 2016. 9781501200892.

Publisher synopsis: Bo Dickinson is a girl with a wild reputation, a deadbeat dad, and a mama who's not exactly sober most of the time. Everyone in town knows the Dickinsons are a bad lot, but Bo doesn't care what anyone thinks.

Agnes Atwood has never gone on a date, never even stayed out past ten, and never broken any of her parents' overbearing rules. Rules that are meant to protect their legally blind daughter—protect her from what, Agnes isn't quite sure.

Despite everything, Bo and Agnes become best friends. And it's the sort of friendship that runs truer and deeper than anything else.

So when Bo shows up in the middle of the night, with police sirens wailing in the distance, desperate to get out of town, Agnes doesn't hesitate to take off with her. But running away and not getting caught will require stealing a car, tracking down Bo's dad, staying ahead of the authorities, and—worst of all—confronting some ugly secrets.

That's what's new with me. What's new with you?

Friday Memes: The Inquisitor's Tale by Adam Gidwitz

Book Beginnings is hosted by Rose City Reader and Friday 56 is hosted by Freda's Voice.

The Inquisitor's Tale: or three magical children and their holy dog by Adam Gidwitz. 360 p. Dutton Children's Books/ Penguin Young Readers Group, September 27, 2016. 9780525426165.

Publisher synopsis: 1242. On a dark night, travelers from across France cross paths at an inn and begin to tell stories of three children: William, an oblate on a mission from his monastery; Jacob, a Jewish boy who has fled his burning village; and Jeanne, a peasant girl who hides her prophetic visions. They are accompanied by Jeanne's loyal greyhound, Gwenforte . . . recently brought back from the dead.

As the narrator collects their tales, the story of these three unlikely allies begins to come together.

Their adventures take them on a chase through France to escape prejudice and persecution and save precious and holy texts from being burned. They’re taken captive by knights, sit alongside a king, and save the land from a farting dragon. And as their quest drives them forward to a final showdown at Mont Saint-Michel, all will come to question if these children can perform the miracles of saints.

Beloved bestselling author Adam Gidwitz makes his long awaited return with his first new world since his hilarious and critically acclaimed Grimm series. Featuring manuscript illuminations throughout by illustrator Hatem Aly and filled with Adam’s trademark style and humor, The Inquisitor's Tale is bold storytelling that’s richly researched and adventure-packed.

First Line: The king is ready for war.


Page 56: Silence settles over the table. I say, "That did not happen."
     The little nun shrugs. "Indeed it did."
     "He beat them to death with a donkey's leg?"
     "That's the craziest thing I ever heard," Marie puts in.
     I try to sound nonchalant when I turn to the old monk. "Jerome, you're a man of God. Do you consider what William did-a miracle?"

I had the privilege of hearing Mr. Gidwitz speak about this book twice and am very excited to read it. It has already received a ton of starred reviews. Here's a link to a book trailer.