YABookNerd

Wednesday, April 19, 2017

Picture Book Review: Barnum's Bones

A nonfiction picture book - perfect for dinosaur lovers.

Barnum's parents named him after a great man, hoping that he would do great things too.
Working as a paleontologist for the American Museum of Natural History, he had a knack for discovering bones - including the first remains of the T-Rex.

While this one is a longer picture book, it's great for older kids. Barnum's Bones captures the excitement of finding dinosaur bones - and their importance of understanding the past.

Tuesday, April 18, 2017

Top Ten Tuesday: Words that Make Me Pick Up a Book

This week's topic is books that make me want to read a book. I have several of these. Check them out.

- meme from The Broke and the Bookish

Monday, April 17, 2017

Reading without Walls

Reading Without Walls this April -- a month-long, nation-wide program to promote diversity in reading, inspired by National Ambassador for Young People's Literature Gene Luen Yang and his ambassadorial platform. Thousands of schools, libraries, bookstores, and comics stores are joining in to help celebrate Reading Without Walls.

This month, Gene is challenging us all to:

Read a book about a character who doesn't look or live like you.

Read a book in a format you don't typically read -- graphic novels, poetry, audiobooks, plays.

Read a book about a new subject you don't know much about.

And we'll be sharing our thoughts with the #readingwithoutwalls hashtag on social media.

Wanot to know more? Check out the website.

What will you be reading?

Thursday, April 13, 2017

Review: Ever the Hunted

According to societal rules, Britta has no inheritance after her father has been murdered - including the land. During the mourning period, she's not allowed to leave the house. In most cases, neighbors bring food. But Britta's parentage make her an outcast. In order to survive, she's forced to hunt for meat. She's caught poaching by the royal guard.

Instead of killing her, they make her a deal. She's to find her father's killer. Her childhood friend has been accused of the crime, she's to hunt him down and the guards traveling her will arrest him.

Finding Cohen isn't too hard, he left her a trail. When he convinces her of his innocence, they must find the real murderer to clear both their names - while avoiding the royal guard.

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this book. I loved learning more about Britta and Cohen's past and what went wrong between them. I loved learning about Britta's family and the secrets her father kept from her. The politics between the two nations were intriguing. In that way, this book reminded me a little of the Poison Study series. That dog scene almost broke me. And I'm super curious about the cliffhanger ending. I'm so looking forward to reading the next book in the series. (December is so far away!)

Cover Thoughts: Pretty! I like the scroll work.
Source: My Library

Library Recommendation: Perfect for libraries with readers clamoring for a high fantasy read with a strong girl and romance.

Wednesday, April 12, 2017

Drop Everything and Read Day

Today is Drop Everything and Read Day!

From the website:

What is D.E.A.R.?
D.E.A.R. stands for “Drop Everything and Read,” a national month-long celebration of reading designed to remind folks of all ages to make reading a priority activity in their lives. Because, what’s more fun(damental) than reading, really?

When is D.E.A.R. celebrated?
D.E.A.R. programs have been held nationwide on April 12th in honor of Beverly Cleary’s birthday, since she first wrote about D.E.A.R. in Ramona Quimby, Age 8 (pages 40-41). Inspired by letters from readers sharing their enthusiasm for the D.E.A.R. activities implemented in their schools, Mrs. Cleary decided to give the same experience to Ramona and her classmates. As D.E.A.R. has grown in popularity and scope, the program has expanded to span the entire month of April . . . offering classrooms and communities additional time to celebrate!