Read previous chapters here. Chapter 14 Leda drives Walt to the physical therapist several times a week. His mobility seems to have improved, although lately he is less agreeable and more uncontrollable. His body is rejecting its treatment, telling him that he is no longer the master of it. This frustrates Walt, a man who... Continue Reading →
My kids and I are ready for summer. Perhaps even a “crazy summer.” But I suspect that any summer plans we make or carry out will not be as crazy as the summer the Gaither sisters have in Oakland, California, in Rita Williams-Garcia’s book One Crazy Summer (2010). Delphine, age ten, and her younger sisters... Continue Reading →
I love this bookmark. My eleven-year-old and I just finished Lord of the Flies, and now we are reading One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams Garcia. My 6-year-old and I just finished Ribsy by Beverly Cleary, and we are reading a lot of picture books lately. What are you reading with a child?
Read previous chapters here. Chapter 6 Soledad climbs the pepper tree in their new backyard, a small house Mama has rented down the road from Abuela’s. The rough bark cuts into her hands, a feeling of adventure and hard work accomplished. Francis is below her, whining that her finger is bleeding, a tiny spot of... Continue Reading →
We finished reading Lord of the Flies (1954), number 49 on the BBC book list, by William Golding. I read it to my 11-year-old daughter, who has been recovering from a tonsillectomy and an adenoidectomy this week. I've read it before, but I had forgotten most of it. Oh my. I feel a loss of... Continue Reading →
Late last night, an owl arrived at our door with an invitation for my oldest daughter. It was for a Harry Potter birthday party! The invitation is so clever and delightful, I had to share it with you. (I kind of wish I had been invited!) This theme reminded me of when my sister got... Continue Reading →
From as early as I can remember, I was taught to be proud of my Spanish heritage. My siblings and I all have Spanish middle names. “You are a quarter Spanish,” my mother would always say. My dad would teach me words and phrases, and Spanish colors and numbers were a regular part of my... Continue Reading →
When my oldest daughter was a baby, and I was bored being at home all of the time, we used to go to the thrift store and look at books to pass the time. And we'd buy them. Who am I kidding? I wasn’t just looking. I was buying. I'd put my little daughter in a shopping... Continue Reading →
Being afraid is exhilarating. I had just dashed up the carpeted stairs of our hundred-year-old house, pushing the laundry chute closed as I passed. I made it to my purple room and crashed into my dresser. I began scooping up all of the contents, throwing them into my small My Little Pony suitcase. I could... Continue Reading →
I don’t even know where to begin in describing and reviewing All the Light We Cannot See (2014) by Anthony Doerr. It is a sweeping and gorgeous novel about Germany and France during World War II. In some ways, it is "just" another one of those novels capitalizing on the horror and tragedy of our... Continue Reading →
The Bookshelf of Emily J. 