This
memoir stuck with me for weeks after finishing it. Maclear leads us on an intimate
reexamining of everything about her life after a DNA test reveals that her
deceased father is not her biological one.
Maclear’s quest takes many twists; I
genuinely had no idea how this journey would turn out. There is such raw
vulnerability in Maclear’s telling, which is seeded with beautiful metaphors of
gardening and growth.
Even though I do not have the same sort of storied past
of Maclear’s family (her mom was once good friends with Yoko Ono, and her father
was a journalist during the Vietnam War), I had many personal connections to
her tale.
Perhaps that’s not a stretch, though—haven’t we all, at one point or
another, engaged in a search for who we are?
For readers of Crying in H Mart and Wintering, an unforgettable memoir about a family secret revealed by a DNA test, the lessons learned in its aftermath, and the indelible power of love.
Three months after Kyo Maclear's father dies in December 2018, she gets the results of a DNA test showing that she and the father who raised her are not biologically related. Suddenly Maclear becomes a detective in her own life, unravelling a family mystery piece by piece, and assembling the story of her biological father. Along the way, larger questions arise: what exactly is kinship? And what…
This story delves into family secrets and the
legacy of racial violence—two elements that rise to the surface in the main
character’s life and take a central role in the narrative.
There is also
Avery’s romance with her neighbor Simone, but, in my opinion, the heart of the
book is the relationship that Avery forges with her grandmother, Mama Letty.
It
grows and takes a few twists and turns, and just when you think you have a
handle on the situation, there is a surprising revelation at the very end of
this book that still has me thinking.
Seventeen year old Avery Anderson is convinced her senior year is ruined when she's uprooted from her life in DC and forced into the hostile home of her terminally ill grandmother, Mama Letty. The tension between Avery's mum and Mama Letty makes for a frosty arrival and unearths past drama they refuse to talk about. Every time Avery tries to look deeper, she's turned away, leaving her desperate to learn the secrets that split her family in two.
While tempers flare in her avoidant family, Avery finds friendship in unexpected places: in Simone Cole, her captivating next-door neighbour, and Jade…
Even though
I’m a writer and artist, I don’t tend to read books on building craft, but I love books about how we approach creativity. This book fits that bill
perfectly, offering, as the title claims, a way of being—not just in our
careers but in our daily lives.
Creativity isn’t a part of us—it IS us, and I
appreciate this message being driven home, page after page. This is the perfect
book to boost your creative health.
From the legendary music producer, a master at helping people connect with the wellsprings of their creativity, comes a beautifully crafted book many years in the making that offers that same deep wisdom to all of us.
"A gorgeous and inspiring work of art on creation, creativity, the work of the artist. It will gladden the hearts of writers and artists everywhere, and get them working again with a new sense of meaning and direction. A stunning accomplishment.” —Anne Lamott
“I set out to write a book about what to do to make a…
Most wizard kids spend their days practicing spells and wielding wands, but Cara? She’s on the fast track to becoming a MOP (a.k.a. Magical Occurrence Purger). You see, when a real wizard casts a spell, it leaves behind a residue called spell dust—which, if not disposed of properly, can cause absolute chaos in the nonmagical world. It’s a MOP’s job to clean up the mess.
And no one makes more of a mess than Harlee Wu. Believed to be the Chosen One, destined to save the magical world, Harlee makes magic look easy. Which makes her Cara’s sworn nemesis. Or she would be, if she even knew Cara existed.
Then one of Harlee’s spells leaves something downright dangerous behind it: a rift in the fabric of magic itself. And when more rifts start to appear around the school, all in places Harlee has recently used magic, Cara is pretty sure the so-called “Chosen One” isn’t going to save the world. She’s going to destroy it.
It will take more than magic to clean up a mess this big. Fortunately, messes are kind of Cara’s thing.
This book
takes the concept of the first day of school and turns it into an
imaginative and humorous romp.
From the under-the-flap and end-page
artwork to the story within the story taking place through the classroom
window, this book leaves nothing “on the table”—well, except the classroom
teacher. Who is a sandwich? Yes, a sandwich.
2
authors picked
Mr. S
as one of their favorite books, and they share
why you should read it.
This book is for kids age
4,
5,
6, and
7.
What is this book about?
Prepare for plenty of giggles as a kindergarten class arrives for their first day of school, but can't find their teacher-only a delicious-looking sandwich and the words "Mr. S" scribbled on the chalkboard. Chaos ensues as the kids argue whether or not the sandwich must be their teacher. A comical, first day of school book of mayhem and chaos by Monica Arnaldo, perfect fans of Miss Nelson Is Missing.
"This might be the funniest first-day-of-school book I've ever read." -Adam Rex, New York Times bestselling author of School's First Day of School
This is a
classic retelling of the Japanese folktale Peachboy, in which an elderly
and childless couple finds a son in a peach pit who goes on to save the
realm from a terrible ogre.
My son loves the story, which features
distinctive animal characters and a surprising ogre. The text is charged with positivity, and the illustrations are vibrant.
In this reimagining of a Japanese folk tale, Momoko is born from a peach to make the world a better place. Despite rumours of a terrible ogre that lives nearby and eats children, Momoko bravely sets out with a pocketful of dumplings and the timid Monkey, Dog, and Pheasant to find out the truth for herself.
When the farmer and her husband find a giant peach at their door, they can't imagine how it got there. But they are even more surprised when the skin bursts open and out leaps...a girl. Momoko is here to make the world a better…
This
is a graphic novel that relies largely on visual storytelling with minimal
text. It’s filled with gorgeous, sumptuous illustrations. Within
the story, the main character enters a dream-like world—and so do we.
It
follows the emotional journey of a character bonding with her Lao Lao
during a visit overseas and then discovering a way to keep that relationship alive
after returning to her home city.
Urban landscapes are contrasted with the
pastoral beauty of her grandmother’s tranquil seaside realm, where soft greys
and browns are punctuated by the vibrant pink of the titular flamingo.
It’s a
beautiful tale that almost any age can connect with.
A stunning graphic novel filled with gorgeous, whimsical illustrations about an imaginative girl and a bright pink feather that leads to a journey with a baby flamingo. A "perfect" (Shelf Awareness) chapter book from the highly acclaimed creator of the New York Times Best Illustrated Book of the Year, The Only Child.
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR • Kirkus Reviews • School Library Journal • Shelf Awareness • Horn Book
A little girl arrives, excited for a beachy vacation with her Lao Lao. The girl and her grandmother search for shells, chase crabs, and…
