Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata

I had the idea that this book was going to be too sad to read, so I'd put it off until now. I think I'd read the blurb describing the book and got the sense that something sad was going to happen to the two sisters, so I was ready for it to be depressing. And it was sad, since Katie's sister Lynn dies of cancer as a teenager. But somehow, maybe since the book was being narrated from the perspective of the younger sister Katie, most of the book was hopeful and joyous and filled with her memories and stories of how their lives were when they were growing up together and how much they loved each other. I loved how kind the siblings all were in their family, and how they looked out for each other while their parents were working so much. I also loved how they did their best to be a happy family, even in the face of these terrible odds, with no money and awful jobs and a daughter sick with cancer. I really liked her parents and their determination to make ends meet and to be good people. I also really liked how the characters and setting were unique: a Japanese family in Georgia in the 1960s--not a combination I would have expected--and how the narrator had Katie speaking with a Southern drawl, even though they were Japanese. This was one that I enjoyed a lot more than I expected and that probably would have made me cry if I hadn't been listening to it. 

Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins

I had been feeling like I wanted to re-read these books lately, so I did. There is definitely nothing new for me to say about them that I haven't already written about multiple times here on this blog, but just so I know I re-read them. Ha!

Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos

This book seemed to me like it was similar to A Long Way from Chicago and A Year Down Yonder--maybe it was the time, or the characters--but it was not nearly as enjoyable and magical. The story is about a boy named Jack Gantos (it's some weird mix of novel and autobiography) who is growing up in a town created by Eleanor Roosevelt and he gets grounded over the summer for helping his dad tear up his mom's cornfield. The only thing he can do is help his elderly neighbor, Mrs. Volker, write the obituaries for all of the old people in town. Mrs. Volker was the best part of this book--she was feisty and smart and talented at amazing things and not at all sentimental. I want to be like her when I grow up and grow old. I was confused by how some of the book seemed like history/autobiography, and some of it seemed like fiction, like the Hell's Angels driving through town and burning houses down, but I did really appreciate the message of how important it is to know and learn history so that we don't repeat our mistakes. I enjoyed this story and thought it was worth a read, but it was not my favorite of the Newberys I've read. 

The Summer of the Swans by Betsy Byars

I had never heard of this Newbery winner, and I just picked it off my stack of library books because it was short and I could tell it would only take me a few hours to get through it, haha. It was a surprisingly good--and short--story about a girl entering her teen years and her little brother, who has a disability. When Charlie gets lost by wandering out of the house during the night, Sara knows she has to be the one to find him. I loved how this book was slow and very much about the characters, and I loved how Sara was going through many of the same wild mood swings that any teenager can relate to. Even though it wasn't very long, I found myself rooting for them and hoping that Charlie was found, and that Sara and Joe would find a way to get together. I really enjoyed it, but I don't know that this is one that most kids would want to read.

By the Great Horn Spoon! by Sid Fleischman

I loved, loved this book as a kid. But I hadn't read it for probably two decades, and all I remembered about it was that they went around Cape Horn in a ship. I barely even remembered that it was about the California Gold Rush. But I thought it seemed like it would be a great book to read to the boys, and we had SUCH a good time reading this aloud. I absolutely loved reading this with them, and they were totally entranced and begged to keep going every chapter that we stopped at. We actually read probably 8 chapters aloud today, because it was a snow day and everything was canceled and we were stuck at home with nothing else to do. They totally fell in love with Praiseworthy (and so did I), and how he and Jack were so brave and tough and intrepid. This book was also such a great education on the Gold Rush, which was fun for me and them. This was just a total win and I am so glad we read it together. 

The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron

This book was sweet and kind of weird. I liked Lucky, the main character, and her interest in science and in creating a museum. I liked her determination and her attempts to find her "higher power." I thought the setting was very vivid and it was really interesting to imagine growing up as a child in that weird place. But I did have some questions about this book, like, why would Lucky try to run away during this very dangerous dust storm? She's a smart, science-oriented kid and knows how dangerous they are, so she doesn't seem like she would do that. But I liked how the main plot of the book was very minimal and just focused on what Lucky does in her everyday life with the people that surround her. I wouldn't say this was my favorite Newbery winner, but it was a cute and short read. 

Atomic Habits: An Easy and Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones by James Clear

I've read several books about habits over the years, mostly including The Power of Habit and Better than Before, and yet I still have habits I'd like to improve. Maybe I should just read all of them at the same time to really make a dent in improving my habits once and for all! But seriously, I think books like this always seem like such a motivator. I really liked this book for how practical and applicable it was. The beginning section was focused on the "why" of improving our habits, and the rest of the book was specific ideas on the "how" to do so. The title "atomic habits" comes from the idea of a tiny atom and how tiny habits can make big changes over time. Some of the quotes and ideas I liked best (that I underlined) in the book were:

• "Goals are good for setting a direction, but systems are best for making progress... If you are having trouble changing your habits, the problem isn't you, the problem is your system."
• "The ultimate form of intrinsic motivation is when a habit becomes part of your identity. It's one thing to say I'm the type of person who wants this. It's something very different to say I'm the type of person who is this... Your behaviors are usually a reflection of your identity." 
• "Your habits are how you embody your identity. Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become... The most practical way to change who you are is to change what you do." 

A lot of these ideas really stuck out to me and reminded me of my favorite quote from Elder Scott: "We become who we want to be by consistently being who we want to become each day." Our habits are the way we become who we want to be. I love this idea and I love this reminder to improve my daily habits and choices. I had a lot more thoughts but not enough time to write them all down right now. 

Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Since I loved Americanah, I wanted to read more of Adichie's works. I checked out a couple of her books, and Purple Hibiscus was the next shortest one I had left, so I started it (sometimes my motivation is low so I reach for the shortest possible book I can). And once I got into it, I couldn't put it down and breezed through it in two nights. I think part of it was the car crash aspect of it--I couldn't look away from the horror story of Kambili and her abusive father and how she and her brother were treated for so long. But Adichie also wrote with such poetry about their lives and the good and bad parts and what they began to learn after they went to stay with their aunt in another town. I loved the character development and the slow shift in how they grew over the book. And again, just like in Americanah, I loved this look into the culture and world of another country. And it clearly wasn't written by an outsider looking in, who is secretly explaining to you what each non-English term means and describing things in a way that a visitor might see them. Nothing is handed to you, none of the foods are described for an American and the places are explained for someone who lives there. I love how authentic Adichie's writing is. This was such an amazing book and an engrossing story--even though it was dark and hopeless at times, because I felt like it was going to end well. And it did. (I'm not sure why this book was shelved in the "romance" section--there was a little bit of a crush in the middle of it but it was definitely not a romance.)

Lift by Kelly Corrigan

I don't know where I heard about this one, but I've listened to or read several of Kelly Corrigan's books by now, and always enjoyed them. So I guess I added this one to my to-read list, and then the library had an audiobook copy, and it was less than 2 hours, so of course I'm going to listen to it when I can knock it out so quickly! But this really didn't feel like it was worth the read. It was supposedly a letter to her daughters about how much she loves them, and it was really sweet in that way. What she had was well-written and sweet. But it just felt so short, kind of pointless, and not necessarily something that needed to be published. And I hate when people write about kids dying (her nephew, I think). This was nice, but nothing to write home about.

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor

I honestly have no memory of reading this book as a child, and I feel like that was a huge shame. Not meeting Cassie Logan as a kid is such a missed opportunity. I loved Cassie's fiery character and personality, and her decision and determination for justice and fairness, even while growing up Black in the South. I loved the Logan family, and how they were all close and good and hard-working and determined to hold on to their land, even against all odds. Each of the children in the Logan family had such a great, distinctive personality, and I particularly loved Stacey and Little Man. I thought this book had one of the best evidences and explanations of what racism is and why people are racist, for kids to be able to understand, that I've ever come across. The ending was heartbreaking and scary and believable and real all at the same time. I am definitely going to get a copy of this to have on my shelf, and going to read this to my boys sometime when they're ready for it. 

Amos Fortune, Free Man by Elizabeth Yates

This book was an interesting one to read not long after I, Juan de Pareja because it was also about a slave who was happy being enslaved. This one felt way more egregious than I, Juan de Pareja though, since it was set in America and started with Amos being kidnapped from his tribe in Africa. It really rankled that Amos was so fine being enslaved, even when his owners auctioned him off after they promised they would free him. I feel like it would have been easier to read if the author had only acknowledged and emphasized how lucky Amos had been to live with two different families who treated him kindly and didn't beat him and who taught him his trade and how to read. I am glad that this was Amos's story, and I thought it was fascinating to learn about his life and the fact that he was a real person, but there was not enough time devoted to explaining that Amos's situation was NOT the norm in America for slaves, and most people were treated much worse. I thought that would have made this book much more readable and less cringe-y.

The Self-Driven Child by William Stixrud and Ned Johnson

I am surprised by how much I loved this book. I really, really loved it. This is definitely a parenting book I want to buy, and to revisit again and again. It was all about children's need for autonomy, and our need (as parents) to allow them their autonomy and the ability to make informed choices about their lives. The authors work with a lot of kids who are super stressed out and struggling with their mental health because they feel like they have one shot to get into their college of choice and if they make one mistake or miss out on one type of extracurricular, they will have ruined their whole future. But the whole message of the book was that this is a FALSE assumption, there are plenty of paths to success, and everyone succeeds in different ways and at different times, and is it really worth it if you're giving up your happiness and mental health forever just to get into college? They said, "Agency may be the one most important factor in human happiness and well-being." This seemed like it went along really well with the message of Parenting with Love and Logic, about giving your children choices and allowing them to decide what they want to do. 

Two quotes I really liked (there were plenty more, but I didn't take great notes): "How do you capitalize on positive or tolerable stress while avoiding the bad kind? It is simple in theory, but tricky in execution: kids need a supportive adult around they need time to recover from a stressful event, and they need to have a sense of control over their lives." And: "When your home is a calm space, free of excessive fighting, anxiety, and pressure, it becomes the place to regenerate that your kids need."

It seems like one thing I can really work on as a parent--not that I think I'm doing a bad job at it yet, but I think I could always improve--is by making sure I don't TELL my kids what to do, but explain things to them and help them to come to the decision by themselves. I need to ask them to help instead of yelling at them to do it. I feel like this book gave a lot of great examples of how to talk to our kids (not explicitly, but in just the way they described things) that I think will/would be very helpful when we have teenagers.