AQUANAUT by Dan Santat The Aquanaut by Dan Santat is a graphic novel about freeing the marine creatures from a local marine park called Aqualand. The book begins with a sinking ship and 2 brothers, marine scientists who had desired to save endangered marine life, are on it. One brother survives, and one, who has a daughter named Sophia, goes down with the ship. Now Sophia and her uncle must keep the dream of Aqualand alive, but their investors want to make money by turning it into more of an attraction than a research facility. Enter in the Aquanaut. The Aquanaut is a group of endangered sea creatures inside an old diver's suit. They found Sophia's father's journal after his ship sank and are looking for a safe place to live, so they head to Aqualand. What they find is a fractured relationship between Sophia and her uncle and a theme park with animals that need to be freed. Lots of chaos, humor and a resounding "family comes first" message make this book a fun read.

APPLE: SKIN TO THE CORE by Eric Gansworth Apple: Skin to the Core by Eric Gansworth is a book that caught my eye on my most recent trip to the bookstore. Flipping through it I discovered Gansworth is Native American and he is sharing his life story in free verse poetry. He begins by telling about his great-grandparents and their five children. One day a man comes offering them an "opportunity" to send their children 300 miles away to a boarding school for 5 years that would give them the ability to learn the white way of life.(What they actually learn is how to work for white people.) His great-grandparents agree to this, and the result is two children never return to the reservation, one who lives on the outskirts, and two that come back including Gansworth's Grandfather. What launches from there is the author's heartfelt words on being strung between two worlds, the Native American culture that is being lost and the white that is almost impossible to break into due to how a Native American is viewed. Gansworth shares his journey on the reservation where it can be difficult to fit in. His father is often absent. His small home is a revolving door to different siblings and family members needing a place to live. School on the reservation is lacking and then after 5th grade students from area schools join together at an integrated school. Gansworth continues sharing his journey into adulthood that takes him somewhat away from his people and the difficulty of that. So what does the term "apple" mean? To the Native Americans the term apple means "red on the outside, white on the inside." Note that Gansworth's subtitle is "Skin to the Core." Heads Up- There are a handful of words in the 323 pages including two F-bombs in quotes. He talks a couple of times about physical puberty changes. He has a friend later in life that poses nude for an art class, and he agrees to pose 1 time for a sculpture. He does mention towards the end of the book that " I've been writing a lot about reservation life, and being in love and my partner Larry, who is not the right age, or the right class or the right race or the right gender." This is not something that is discussed really past that. I think what I appreciate the most about this book is the straightforward manner that the author speaks. He doesn't blast whites. He just tells his story and lets the reader decide how they will react. I found it very thought provoking.

MEL FELL by Corey R. Tabor Mel Fell is a sweet picture book about a Kingfisher fledgling that decides it's time to fly. She takes a step out of the nest and down she goes! There are a whole host of creatures that try and help her on the way down, but she ends up surprising everyone with what happens. This fun book starts sideways, but then you have to turn the book around to continue the journey! Mel Fell is a Caldecott Honor Book. Great fun!

Every child has their go to books. Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales are my son, Isaac's. These are historical graphic novels written mainly about events happening in wars. These are not your typical fluff, comic books. They are packed with lots of text, sometimes even using actual quotes from historical people. They are well done and tend to be very engaging for upper elementary and middle grade readers. Heads Up- Sometimes the quotes will include a swear word. These are few and far between.

THORN by Intisar Khanani Thorn by Intisar Khanani is a middle-eastern retelling of the fairy tale Goose Girl for YA readers. Princess Alyrra has no value in her kingdom. Her queen mother is always upset with her, because she doesn't know how to be political. She's too honest. Her brother, the crown prince, is physically abusive towards her and hates her. (Her father is dead.) So when a prince from a neighboring kingdom asks for her hand in marriage, she jumps at the chance to escape her world and hopefully enter a better, more loving one. What she doesn't know is that the prince's family is cursed. Little by little they are killed off and no one says why. (There is a revengeful sorceress at the source.) Needing a chaperone to travel to the new kingdom with, Alyrra's mother chooses one of Alyrra's peers who she had a falling out with, Valka. The sorceress approaches Valka for help in getting to the prince and lays a trap that ultimately ends up switching the two girls' identities. The true Alyrra is removed from the castle and becomes the goose girl. Happy in her new identity where she finds friends and peace, she knows that ultimately the prince's life is hanging in the balance, and she can't hide away forever. Heads Up- There is approx. 5-6 d***s in the book including 1 G-d****. There are also "snatchers" in this book who abduct young women and children. They are rarely seen again. One of Alyrra's friends is taken and beat up. You do know that she was raped but not a lot of focus is put on that. The friend ends up dying.

A MIDSUMMER'S NIGHT DREAM by William Shakespeare Ahhhh Shakespeare. We can't complete our school year without turning our attention to The Bard! Annie and I read A Midsummer's Night Dream this year, and Callie's reading I'll share in a separate post. All truth be told my kids are NOT big fans of Shakespeare. It's because it takes work to understand what he is saying in the Old English wording. That doesn't stop me from putting it in our lineup! I definitely don't want all their reading to be difficult, but I do want them to dig in and learn how to use resources. I make sure they understand what is going on or we sit down and discuss it! After all our founding documents are written in Old English, and we need to be able to understand it, so we don't lose our freedoms! Okay off my podium and onto the book at hand! Midsummer's Night Dream is the story of lots of love, rejection, a play (yes inside the play), and a rascal named Puck (whose master Oberon is the real rascal). King Theseus is about to marry Hippolyta. They are happily looking forward to their wedding. In the middle of the planning you have Demetrius, Lysander, Hermia, and Helena. The two guys love Hermia. Hermia only loves Lysander, and Helena loves Demetrius who can't stand her. Then throw in Oberon and Titania, the king and queen of fairies, who hate each other. Meanwhile you have another group who are trying to prepare a play for the upcoming wedding. They are seriously stupid but hilarious. When several of these different characters fall asleep in the woods for different reasons, Oberon commands his servant Puck to put a magical juice on certain ones' eyes that will cause them to fall in love with the first thing they wake up and see. This causes a complete rearranging of loves and hates and complete chaos! So why is this called A Midsummer's Night Dream? When everything is finally righted it all seems like a dream! Don't be afraid to goggle summaries or notes when you get hung up on a spot! It's not a fail! You will find yourself growing the more you familiarize yourself with Shakespeare. There is also a wonderful series by Folger that gives you the original text on one side and the explanation on the other. I would encourage you to read the original text first and then check yourself. Don't just read through the explanations.

CIRCUS SHIP by Chris VanDusen Sometimes on a slow Saturday morning I'll tell Callie to grab a book, and we curl up in bed and read together. This time she chose The Circus Ship by author/illustrator Chris Van Dusen (illustrator of the Mercy Watson series). Written in rhyming verse this picture book tells the story of a ship carrying circus animals that sank in a storm. The animals make it to shore and are hidden by the towns people, so they don't have to return with the uncaring ringmaster. Part of the fun is a 2-page spread where all the animals are hidden, and you get to find them around the town! Although highly embellished for our enjoyment, there actually was a ship that sank off the coast of Maine!

THUNDERCAKE by Patricia Polacco What a perfect day for reading Thunder Cake by Patricia Polacco! Do you have a child that is afraid of rain or thunderstorms? Grab this book and snuggle down with a blanket together! Polacco is a master story teller with most of her books dedicated to true events in her life. Her books share triumph and tragedy and usually highlight a person in her life that walked through the event with her. Thunder Cake shares her fear of thunderstorms and her grandmother's plan to help her overcome that fear. Alongside Activity- Bake the cake! The recipe is included at the back of the book. There are some very unique ingredients! Talk about what normally is in a cake and what is not. The kids and I will be doing this sometime soon!

AN UNEXPECTED COOKBOOK: THE UNOFFICIAL BOOK OF HOBBIT COOKERY by Christ Rachael Oseland We kicked off reading The Hobbit tonight, so Callie and Claire made a Hobbit meal from the cookbook An Unexpected Journey: The Unofficial Book of Hobbit Cookery. It was delicious! There was spiced, hot apple cider, meat pie, and a lemon pie. Tons of fun on a rainy evening! If you want some good hardy recipes of stick-to-your-ribs styled food, this is your cookbook!

MADE IN HEAVEN: MAN'S INDISCRIMINATE STEALING OF GOD'S AMAZING DESIGN by Ray Comfort and Jeffrey Seto When we finish our science curriculum for the year I read science oriented books to Callie and Isaac to finish up the school year. This year we started Made In Heaven by Ray Comfort and Jeffrey Seto. The idea of this book is really cool. It gives 32 mini lessons on how scientists are looking to God's creation to invent new technology. According to Master Books this book is written on a 12 and above age level. However, we often found ourselves laughing at the technical jargon we were having to wade through. We completed approximately half the book and did learn some amazing things about the complexity of creation's design. I am going to contact Master Books and let them know how much we enjoyed the concepts, but maybe they would want to step down the scientific terminology a level so the layman could appreciate it a little more. All that being said it did launch us off on some cool internet searches such as safety features on the $100 bill and appreciation for our moisture-wicking athletic clothes. If you have a child who is very scientific this could be a great fit!

JOHN RONALD'S DRAGONS:: THE STORY OF J.R.R. TOLKIEN Once upon a time there was a boy named J.R.R. Tolkien who loved dragons. As he went about his life he looked for them everywhere. Life was not easy as he dealt with the passing of his mother, boarding school, the war, etc. His imagination helped him through the difficult times. Then one day, he discovered his own dragon. John Ronald's Dragon: The Story of J.R.R. Tolkien is perfect if you have a child who loves dragons, if you want to introduce your child to Tolkien, or if like us, you are starting The Hobbit. T The Author's Note and Illustrator's Note at the end of the book offer lots of extra fantastic information.

THE SCHOLAR by Dervla McTiernan When a student at Galway University is found dead from a hit-and-run accident on the college grounds, and Detective Cormac Reilly's girlfriend, scientist Dr. Emma Sweeney discovers the body, you know you are in for a serious ride. The victim has the ID card in her pocket of one Carline Darcey, granddaughter of the owner of one of the most powerful pharmaceutical companies. Is it her? Everyone must tread carefully as this case will be in the media spotlight. Twists and turns abound in The Scholar by Dervla McTiernan. Heads Up- approx. 25 f-bombs, ample use of Christ, one suspect is thought to be gay since she doesn't have a boyfriend (she's not), and Sweeney and Reilly live together (there's no scenes).