book talk tuesday

THE UNFINISHED ANGEL by Sharon Creech

IndieBound Description:

Peoples are strange!

The things they are doing and saying—sometimes they make no sense. Did their brains fall out of their heads? And why so much saying, so much talking all the time day and night, all those words spilling out of those mouths? Why so much? Why don't they be quiet?

In the ancient stone tower of the Casa Rosa, in a tiny village high in the Swiss Alps, life for one angel has been the same, well, for as long as she (or he?) can remember. Until Zola arrives, a determined American girl who wears three skirts all at once. For neighbors who have been longtime enemies, children who have been lost, and villagers who have been sleepily living their lives: hold on. Zola and the angel are about to collide. Figs start flying, dogs start arfing, and the whole village begins to wake up. Zola is a girl with a mission. And our angel has been without one—till now.

This hilarious and endearing novel by Newbery Medal winner Sharon Creech reminds us that magic is found in the most ordinary acts of kindness.

My Thoughts: Sharon Creech is kind of my idol, in terms of writing. I think everything she writes is wonderful, it's only comparing degrees of wonderful-ness when I say anything about her books. This book is heartwarming and sweet-- a wonderful read to begin your holiday season!

a family thanksgiving dinner

It's probably dull for people to read about my normal family doings, but it's these normal occasions that make life so lovely that I can't help chronicle them.

This year's Thanksgiving was especially fun as we spent it with my older sister's family. They had a full house with 19 people to feed!

(Notice the red envelopes? They are filled with fortunes--like in fortune cookies. They were written by the kids which is why the fortunes said things like, "You are a duck" and "You are a hot dog." It's our new Asian-American tradition.)

Most of the noise was made by the monkeys kids:
Who made the cliche, "My how you've grown," feel very appropriate:

Nephew Cappy about 3 years ago

Nephew Cappy now (I hope he still has the same pajamas next year).

And those great poems that we wrote became the highlight of the after dinner entertainment:





It was a great Thanksgiving! I hope yours was as fun and as happy!

on my desk monday

It's the Ling and Ting audiobook!

When I was learning how to read, my mother got me one of the books with a floppy record...I listened to it so much that the record warped and the narration got distorted. No worries about that nowadays with cd's and such; but I'm thrilled that perhaps somewhere some one will get the same joy as I did listening and reading to a book at the same time.

*And I just found out that Ling & Ting has also been listed as a Booklist Editor's Choice for 2010! Neat!

fortune cookie friday

“One who cannot tolerate small ills will never accomplish great things”
-Chinese Proverb

thanksgiving

I'm spending time with my family for Thanksgiving and so far the highlight has been writing poems with my young niece. At Bookmania I met Isabel Campoy and purchased her book, Pio Peep! with English and Spanish nursery rhymes:


I bought it mostly as a keepsake, but was delighted when my niece picked it up and started to read it with interest. We enjoyed it so much that we began to write our own poems:


My good friend Elaine has always advocated poetry to me as a great way to encourage reading and writing with kids, and now I completely believe it. It's created a Thankgiving memory I'll always remember with happiness.

bookmania!

Last Saturday, I was at Chicago Public Library's Bookmania event. There was a lot of books and a lot of mania, let me tell you. There was an incredible list of events going on, including meeting character Frog and Toad and a Golden Books Art exhibit. But I didn't get to see any of it because it was so busy where I was situated, at the THANKING THE MOON booth.

Not only was it incredibly busy, it was a lot of fun. My booth had the bunny lantern craft available for all to the kids to do:

which they made beautifully:


There were even glowsticks for everyone, so the lanterns glowed at night!

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!

book talk tuesday

THE SECRET VOICE OF GINA ZHANG by Dori Jone Yang

From School Library Journal: On Jinna's first day of school in this country, she is nervous and confused. Her parents expect her to learn English quickly, but when she is asked to repeat a word in her ESL class, she finds she cannot speak at all, not even in Chinese. The problem grows worse and worse, until Jinna's inability to talk leads her fifth-grade classmates and teachers to believe she is slow or just trying to get attention. Only at home, while inventing the story of Princess Jade-Blossom, which she acts out with characters made of yarn, can Jinna find the courage to speak English. But this is her own secret world, one that she doesn't want to share with anyone, not even Priscilla, the lonely outcast who gradually becomes her friend. Priscilla helps Jinna find the courage to speak in her own way, to prove that even though she finds it hard to talk, she is learning; and that she, too, is brave, clever, and noble, like the princess in her imagination. Wonderfully crafted, with believable and sympathetic characters, Gina Zhang draws readers into Jinna's world of fear and frustration. Princess Jade-Blossom's adventures in the Land of Far Away are interwoven throughout Jinna's own story, paralleling the challenges she faces in her new life in Seattle. This moving and absorbing novel conveys the terrors of having to adapt to a new school and a new language.

My Thoughts: This is an unusual pick for me. First, it's out-of-print and unable to find on IndieBound (which is why I linked to Amazon). Second, it skews older (I'd say 6th grade level) than the books I usually post about. Third, this is kind of a sad book. I cried and cried when I read this, feeling so bad for Jinna who suffers from selective mutism. But from the parents' seemingly unsympathetic attitude to the Priscilla's selfishness all the characters are so real and human; I feel anyone who reads this will come away with a more open mind and a feeling of needed compassion for immigrant children (and adults) who have come to make a new country their home.

on my desk monday

I finished the case for my Mac air! Isn't it pretty?

It took me a while--a lot longer than it should have. Mostly because I didn't use a sewing machine and did it all by hand (I have a sewing machine but I can't figure out how to work it...)

fortune cookie friday

“Sour, sweet, bitter, pungent, all flavors must be tasted”
-Chinese Proverb

school visit memories

My school visit season has begun and I have been running around madly. It's been lovely to meet all the students and teachers who enjoy my books, though!

I especially love seeing how the students get excited for my visits. From finding trivia on my website:


(the librarian made up a fun, little list of questions students had to answer from my website--so she was teaching them information finding skills as well as more about me!)

to learning about Chinese painting:

One girl even made the map of Minli's journey from Where the Mountain Meets the Moon!


What is really nice is that schools tend to inspire each other. This school in South Windsor read about how another (the school that threw me the red egg party with musical entertainment) had decided to use The Year of the Dog for their "One Book, One School" program (the whole school reads the same book). So, they decided to do the same thing!

Isn't that grand? Thanks so much for the lovely memories!