Drums, Girls, & Dangerous Pie

My niece (an 8th grade teacher) recently recommended that I read the YA book titled Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie. Although the novel was first printed in 2004, this was the first time I had heard of the book. Sadly, I wish I would have read this years ago, because I could have shared it with many of my students.

Super quick summary: The plot is about Steven (age 14) and how his world gets rocked when he discovers that his brother, Jeffrey (age 5) is diagnosed with Leukemia.

As I read the book I had a mix of emotions...from sadness to outward laughter. Sonnenblick did a great job making this book real for the readers. He took us through the day to day struggles that a middle school boy might go through while dealing with this difficult situation and other typical middle school trials.

Rating:

Keep Reading,
Dr. Quinn

The Witch's Guide to Cooking with Children

I have always been intrigued by the the fairy tale "Hansel & Gretel". So recently I started collecting various versions of the story (primarily in picture book format)...please note that it is a very small collection, so feel free to send books my way.

About a week ago I was sent The Witch's Guide to Cooking with Children by Keith McGowan. So off course I was very excited to receive this modern version of the tale to read and add to my collection. Here were some of my initial thoughts: great looking cover, creative title, & fantastic potential. I was anxious to get started.

However, it took me a little while to get into the book. Of course I understand that McGowan needed to set the stage for this story, but it just wasn't working for me. Although the book is only 176 page, it actually took me several days to finish it. I'm sure it is because it was not what I was expecting. The book did have some creative and interesting parts, but overall I found it very average. I am glad that I read it, but I do not think I will do much with it.

Keep Reading,

Dr. Quinn