Colored pencil on blue paper.
 Adventures in wood burning with Lucy and Mr. Tumnus.
 And…. just in the nick of time - I’ve finished SSYRA title no. 15 / Summer Reading no. 22. The Raven Heir by Stephanie Burgis. Nice fantasy about triplets fleeing dukes who want them to sit on a cursed throne. (The triplets aren’t the pushovers they think.)
 Summer Reading no. 21 / SSYRA no. 14 (I to go!): The Curse on Spectacle Key by Chantel Acevedo. I enjoyed this one. A ghost story with some unique twists. I liked the Florida lighthouse setting and that the main character, Frank loves books (and libraries!)
 Summer Reading no. 20 / SSYRA no. 13 (2 to go!) Honestly Elliott by Gillian McDunn. I liked this one better / it seemed much more realistic than the last SSYRA title I read. The main character Elliott has ADHD and is dealing with a lot of changes, his best friend has moved, he’s about to have a new little brother, and he’s really struggling to keep up with middle school classwork. It seems that no one wants to work with him on a big spring project, until Maribel also finds herself without a group. Can they successfully work together to make pies in time for a local festival? A great title to build empathy for others’ differences.
 Summer Reading no. 19 / SSYRA no. 12 (3 to go!). Parts of this I liked, particularly the relationship between Marvel (main character) and Butter (the goat), but as an adult reading, I had a lot of trouble suspending my disbelief during several parts of the book. Would a school really threaten a student with documented anxiety that she will fail sixth grade if she doesn’t perform public speaking in front of an audience? Seems like at least one caring staff member would have suggested an alternate assignment.
 Summer Reading no. 18: Ben Yokoyama and the Cookie of Perfection by Matthew Swanson and Robbi Behr. Another worthy sequel. In this one, Ben must reconcile with the fact that perfection, like the perfect batting average, is always just out of reach.
 Summer Reading no. 17: The Last Mapmaker by Christina Soontornvat. Beautifully written book. A little darker / more intense than I was expecting in parts (could’ve done without the description of the whalers in the middle), but all in all, a great high seas adventure.
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Melissa TisonI'm an aspiring author / illustrator. Archives
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