Read, Write, Repeat.

My daughter, Sonia, has adored pigs since she was small.

So she gets pig-related items for every gift-giving occasion. Believe it or not, the pigs she’s surrounded by on the right are only a small part of her collection.

She likes real pigs too, as the photo on the lower left shows.

So when I discovered Little Pink Pup by Johanna Kerby (Putnam, 2010) there was no doubt in my mind who should review the book.

And Sonia was more than happy to talk about this true tale of Tink, a dachshund that welcomes Pink — a pig who’s the runt of the litter – and treats him just like the rest of her puppies.

Our reviewer: Sonia

Age: 8

Things I like to do: Play with my stuffed pigs. Play my D.S. Read books, watch TV and play on the computer.

This book was about: A little pink pig with a doggy mama who’s a dachshund.

The best part was when: Pink ate puppy food instead of pig food.

I laughed when: Pink grew up to be really big – way bigger than Tink, his dachshund mother.

I was worried when: Pink didn’t get enough to eat at the beginning of the book.

I was surprised when: Tink became Pink’s mommy.

This book taught me: It’s OK to be different. And, it doesn’t matter what size you are.

Three words that best describe this book are: “Pigs.” “Dachshund.” “Love.”

My favorite line or phrase in this book is: “She made him feel right at home.”

Other kids reading this book should watch for: The picture where Pink has his foot on Tink’s nose.

You should read this book because: It has cute pictures. And it’s a true story.

Thanks, Sonia!

If you’d like to learn more about Johanna Kerby, you can visit her website. She has more pictures of Pink and Tink there.

Or, you can read what another blog review from a school librarian has to say about the book.

About two years ago, Laura Schaefer’s first novel, The Teashop Girls (Paula Wiseman, 2008) came out. Even though I live near Madison, Wisconsin, where the book is set, I somehow missed its release.

So when I discovered it a few weeks ago, I made up for lost time. I read it and soaked in the Wisconsin references. Then, I shared it with my daughter, who is today’s guest reviewer.

As you’ll see below, Gwen likes Starbucks coffee. But she also likes chai and green tea and said that if Madison really had a teashop called The Steeping Leaf, she’d be a regular customer.

So take it away, Gwen!

Reviewer: Gwen

Age: 13

I like: Playing basketball and volleyball. Listening to all types of music. Playing piano, singing and fixing my hair. I like to go on YouTube and watch funny videos. I love to hang out with my friends and go shopping. Starbucks rules!

This book was about: The Teashop Girls is about a girl named Annie Green who tries to help save her grandmother’s teashop that has been in the family for a long time. Annie absolutely loves tea, so she and her two best friends, Genna and Zoe, became the Teashop Girls when they were young and have stuck to their handbook of club rules ever since. As the best friends work to keep the teashop going, the girls deal with boys, growing up, and finding their Zen.

The best part was when: The best parts in the book were the different recipes, side stories or old tea advertisements. Whether they are about Zoe’s Power-Up Tea Smoothie, Lipton’s Teas, or All About Japanese Tea Ceremonies, they are definitely entertaining and fun to read and maybe try. I also liked how in the beginning of each chapter, there was a quote about tea by many different writers or famous people.

I laughed when: I laughed when the girls were dissing a mean boy named Zach who goes to their school. He and his major rich parents were going to buy the teashop and maybe get rid of it (plus he was just rude and obnoxious) so they didn’t really like him.

I was worried when: The grandmother was feeling sick for the day because I thought something bad was going to happen to her.

I was surprised when:  Zach’s parents decided to buy the teashop and stabilize the rent.

This book taught me: If you put your mind to something, you can make big things happen.

Three words that best describe this book are: “Fun.” “Real.” “Yummy.”

My favorite line or phrase in this book is: “I understood, at that moment, why Genna loved boys so much. I gulped.”

Other teens reading this book should watch for: Other teens should watch for the other characters and their personalities. For example, there is a man who comes to the teashop, and he likes to read big, old books. He gives Annie a book, but that’s pretty much the only main time you hear about him. It’s interesting, because I can just picture this old man, pocket-watch type of person with antique glasses, always hidden behind a giant book that’s falling apart at the binding.

You should read this book because: It’s lighthearted, and there is a good message behind the story.

Thanks, Gwen!

If you’d like to learn more about author Laura Schaefer, visit her website. Or check out her profile at Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers.

One cool thing about this book are the dessert illustrations sprinkled throughout. They’re courtesy of Sujean Rim. You can learn more about her on this website.

If you, like me, were enough of a word geek to watch the National Spelling Bee recently (The brainpower! The drama! The quirkiness!) you probably noticed that in the vignettes featuring the spellers, they asked them their favorite words.

The spellers’ choices included words like schadenfreude, pfeffernuss and onomatopoeia. As each speller named the word, he or she spelled it out using giant letter tiles. So, of course, this prompted conversation in our house. What were our favorite words? And were we picking them based on what they meant, how they sounded or a combination of both?

Apparently, choosing a favorite word is not that uncommon. In Eat, Pray, Love, Elizabeth Gilbert describes how she learned to speak Italian and fell in love with the word ”attraversiamo,” which means “Let’s cross over.”

And, in one of my favorite “Calvin and Hobbes” comic strips, Calvin and Hobbes are using modeling clay and Hobbes is going on about how much he likes his smock. Then he says, “Actually, I just like to say smock. Smock, smock, smock, smock, smock, smock.” To which Calvin replies, “What on earth is wrong with you?”

Well, rest assured, you’re among friends. If you tell me your favorite word, I will not ask what’s wrong with you. So leave a comment if you wish and share YOUR favorite word.

I’m still trying to figure out my favorite word. “Perpetuity” is fun to say. So is “litigious.” And I like “bassoon” for reasons I can’t fully describe. Then, there’s “bibliophile.”

So get out your own giant letter tiles and tell us. What’s your favorite word?

I love to see my daughter reading. Fortunately for me, she does it a lot. Here are just a few of the poses I’ve caught her in.

1. Reading with our cat, Vince. In case you’re wondering, the book she’s so focused on is The Case of the Mixed-Up Mutts, the second in Dori Hillestad Butler’s series The Buddy Files. (For a review of the first book in the series from Cora, read this post.)

2. Reading in the laundry basket. Why? I have no idea. It doesn’t look very comfortable to me. This is a book of scary stories one of her school classmates lent her. In general, I am not a fan of scary stories, so I don’t remember the title. My apologies to the author.

3. Reading in the bathtub. I have to admit it. She gets this habit from me. I’ve cropped the photo judiciously, so she doesn’t hate me when she’s older. Here, she’s hanging out with Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans.

I’ve also walked in on her sound asleep on the floor of her room hands still holding whatever book she’s been reading. I’ll have to remember to take a photo next time.

Where’s the most unusual place you’ve ever read a book or seen a child reading a book?

To my mom, Jean Zietlow, who is wonderful in more ways than I could list here. Case in point. She never told me to stop reading and do something productive and has always believed I can do anything I might attempt.

To my friends’ moms who were especially nice to me while I was growing up. Here’s to you Mrs. Gosz, Mrs. Weber, Mrs. Lajcak, Mrs. Schallhorn, Mrs. Stowe and Mrs. Boushley.

To my friends who are moms and encounter the same joys and struggles I do. I always learn things from you. And, OK, sometimes I laugh, but only because I can relate.

And to my two daughters who help me put life in perspective on good days and bad and who write me things like the poem below:

Mommy
Snuggling, reading, baking.
In our house.
In the library.
In my heart.
Best mommy ever.

Oh, and finally, a song to put the day in perspective from Sweet Honey in the Rock.

Happy Mother’s Day to everyone.

Photo courtesy of Anna Cervova.

When I was a kid, my sister and I spent summers at the library. We went every morning and checked out as many books as we could carry. We’d read all afternoon, then go back the next day and start over. We read so much the librarian in charge of the summer reading program thought we were padding our numbers and asked to speak to our mom.

My oldest daughter is nothing like that.

Don’t get me wrong. She’s a great kid. Musical, athletic, outgoing and talented in ways I’ll never be. But reading is not her big thing.

This pains me. I did all the things parents are supposed to do to raise a reader. I read to her, took her to the library, filled our house with books and let her see me reading. No dice.

So this summer, I resorted to bribery. Now in middle-school, she’s old enough to want certain things but young enough to lack the necessary cash. She especially wanted these shoes. I admired their fabulosity, but questioned their practicality and wasn’t about to buy them. Sulking ensued – hers and mine.

Enter, The List.

It contained 26 books. For each book she read, I promised $5. I spent a lot of time crafting the list. I wanted books she’d like and books I’d feel good about her reading. I drew from many sources. My favorites. Books getting a good buzz now. Topics that matched her interests. And a few I hadn’t read that seemed promising.

My disclaimer: In no way do I claim this is a comprehensive review of middle-grade or YA literature. It’s not. It’s just one mom’s attempt to match her daughter with some books that might get her excited.

Did it work? Yes and no.

She started with dollar signs in her eyes and a pledge to read every book on the list. She didn’t make it. Some of the shorter books got read first. Some she finished only for the money.

But there was only one book she just couldn’t make herself finish. And there were others she didn’t like at first, which grew on her. And we talked. About whether we’d want a savvy like Mibs had and why John and Lorraine acted the way they did to Mr. Pignati.

She learned to reserve books online. And found other books, not on the list, that she read and enjoyed, including two graphic novel series.

Then, at a bookstore, she said, “A lot of those books on your list are displayed here. That’s cool.”

She earned enough to buy the shoes, which made her the happiest pre-teen in Wisconsin for a few days. And we agreed to continue our deal during the school year, which made me a happy mom.

She’s currently on page 54 of My Side of the Mountain and just informed me she’d have to be very hungry to trap and kill a deer.

Oh, and she wants to know when we can visit the library. She has more books to pick up.

Maybe my work here is done.