The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo

By Maureen Tai, 13 April 2018

“I honor you,’ whispered Despereaux. “I honor you.” He put his paw over his heart. He bowed so low that his whiskers touched the floor. He was, alas, a mouse deeply in love.

IMG_1149At its core, The Tale of Despereaux is a love story.  But in typical Kate DiCamillo fashion, it is SO many love stories, all expertly and magically weaved into a rich and colourful tapestry that wraps around you and envelopes you within its folds.

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Ghost by Jason Reynolds

IMG_1756By Maureen Tai, 2 April 2018

“I don’t know a whole lot about sunflowers, but I know they’re pretty and girls like them, and I know the word sunflower is made up of two good words, and that man ain’t got two good words in him, or anything that any girl would like, because girls don’t like men who try to shoot them and their son.”  – Castle “Cas” Cranshaw

Life-changing childhood events are universal, some benign, some momentous. Castle’s is pretty extreme.  As a result, he is an exceptional voice in middle-grade fiction.  Continue reading

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

By Maureen Tai, 26 November 2017

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“It took me some time to recognise all those human sounds, to weave words into things. But I was patient. Patient is a useful way to be when you’re an ape.  Gorillas are as patient as stones. Humans, not so much.”     – Ivan

Ivan is a silverback gorilla. When we meet him in The One and Only Ivan, he has already been captive in a cage for a staggering 9,855 days, equivalent to 27 years.

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Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

IMG_5467By Maureen Tai, 3 November 2017

“… he learned the most important rule of survival, which was that feeling sorry for yourself didn’t work. It wasn’t just that it was wrong to do, or that it was considered incorrect. It was more than that – it didn’t work. When he sat alone in the darkness and cried and was done, all done with it, nothing had changed. His leg still hurt, it was still dark, he was still alone and the self-pity had accomplished nothing.”
–  Narrator

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