Lety Out Loud

I saw Lety Out Loud by Angela Cervantes on the list of Pura Belpre award winners and presented it to Emmeline's book club as one of the possible books to read--and they voted to read it for this month! It's the story of Lety--an English Language Learner--who attends a summer day camp at an animal shelter. She decides to try to be one of the shelter scribes who writes profiles about the animals to help them get adopted. Unfortunately, grumpy Hunter wants to be shelter scribe too--so their friends make it into a contest to see whose profiles get the animals adopted quicker.

This was such a fun read. I'm not really an animal person, so I wasn't sure if I'd enjoy the book that much, but of course I was tearing up at the end as I was reading aloud to Emmeline and had to have her read to me for one page. I loved that the book shared the perspective of families who come to the United States and are learning English. I loved all the characters, and Emmeline always wanted me to keep reading extra chapters so we could see what happened. I also was happy with how things came together at the end. I'm glad we read this one.

Rating: * * * (3/3 = Loved it)

Macy McMillan and the Rainbow Goddess

I saw Macy McMillan and the Rainbow Goddess by Shari Green on the book award list for the Schneider Family Book Award (for books with a disability experience) and got it from the library. Here's the book description:  "Sixth grade is coming to an end, and so is life as Macy McMillan knows it. Already a “For Sale” sign mars the front lawn of her beloved house. Soon her mother will upend their perfect little family, adding a stepfather and six-year-old twin stepsisters. To add insult to injury, what is Macy’s final sixth grade assignment? A genealogy project. Well, she’ll put it off—just like those wedding centerpieces she’s supposed to be making. Just when Macy’s mother ought to be understanding, she sends Macy next door to help eighty six-year-old Iris Gillan, who is also getting ready to move—in her case into an assisted living facility. Iris can’t pack a single box on her own and, worse, she doesn’t know sign language. How is Macy supposed to understand her? But Iris has stories to tell, and she isn’t going to let Macy’s deafness stop her. Soon, through notes and books and cookies, a friendship grows. And this friendship, odd and unexpected, may be just what Macy needs to face the changes in her life."

This was a great book! It was written in verse (which I always love), so it was a quick read. I loved the characters and following Macy as she sorted through everything she was dealing with. I also enjoyed reading a book with a deaf character since I have some ASL background. I added this to a list of books I'd like Emmeline to read.

Rating: * * * (3/3 = Loved it)

Amina's Song

I recently re-read Amina's Voice by Hena Khan, this time with Emmeline for our book club. After finishing, I saw there is now a sequel and so got Amina's Song from the library. This book follows Amina on a life-changing trip to Pakistan where she gets to know Thaya Jaan's family and then her return home. The book description reads, "After she’s home, though, her friends don’t seem overly interested in her trip. And when she decides to do a presentation on Pakistani hero Malala Yousafzai, her classmates focus on the worst parts of the story. How can Amina share the beauty of Pakistan when no one wants to listen?"

I really enjoyed this book. It was fun to continue on the story of Amina, and I think Emmeline would enjoy reading this book as well. The book was engaging with a realistic, relatable storyline.

Rating: * * * (3/3 = Loved it)