Top Ten Tuesday- October 25 2022: Halloween Picture books

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly post hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, where people like me who love lists and books can share our thoughts on fun bookish topics. This week’s topic is a Halloween Freebie. All month long, I’ve been meaning to write a post with the best picture books to read at Halloween. This is just the push I needed to get around to it.

Best Picture Books to read at Halloween

Goodreads Synopsis:

Stumpkin is the most handsome pumpkin on the block. He’s as orange as a traffic cone! Twice as round as a basketball! He has no bad side! He’s perfect choice for a Halloween jack-o-lantern.

There’s just one problem—Stumpkin has a stump, not a stem. And no one seems to want a stemless jack-o-lantern for their window.

As Halloween night approaches, more and more of his fellow pumpkins leave, but poor Stumpkin remains. Will anyone give Stumpkin his chance to shine?

Goodreads Synopsis

Halloween is the Bad Seed’s favorite holiday of the year. But what’s a seed to do when he can’t find a show-stopping costume for the big night? Postpone trick-or-treating for everyone, of course!

Can he get a costume together in time? Or will this seed return to his baaaaaaaaad ways?

Goodreads Synopsis:

Jasper Rabbit loves carrots—especially Crackenhopper Field carrots.

He eats them on the way to school.

He eats them going to Little League.

He eats them walking home.

Until the day the carrots start following him…or are they?

Celebrated artist Peter Brown’s stylish illustrations pair perfectly with Aaron Reynold’s text in this hilarious eBook with audio that shows it’s all fun and games…until you get too greedy.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Victoria Franken is a slime scientist.

Her experiments lead to amazing slimes. Until, one dark and stormy night, her latest experiment goes awry and her newest creation COMES TO LIFE!

A picture book twist on horror movies like Frankenstein and The Blob, that also explores the scientific method and the importance of recording observations and results. The author has also included a couple of Victoria’s best slime recipes, although you’ll notice the secret formula for making a Frankenstein slime is missing.

Goodreads Synopsis:

A humorous tale about the Halloween experience as remembered by the author himself, from bad trick-or-treat candy to pajama-like costumes, enhanced with vibrant illustrations.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Deep in the woods in an old white cabin, three friends make their pumpkin soup the same way every day. The Cat slices up the pumpkin, the Squirrel stirs in the water, and the Duck tips in just enough salt. But one day the Duck wants to stir instead, and then there is a horrible squabble, and he leaves the cabin in a huff. It isn’t long before the Cat and the Squirrel start to worry about him and begin a search for their friend. Rendered in pictures richly evoking autumn, Helen Cooper’s delightful story will resonate for an child who has known the difficulties that come with friendship. Included at the end is a recipe for delicious pumpkin soup.

Goodreads Synopsis:

One day in the pumpkin patch the strangest little pumpkin hatched…. Spookley the Pumpkin was different. All the other pumpkins teased him, until Spookley proved that being different can save the day!

Goodreads Synopsis:

When a 700-year-old woman and an 800-year-old man want to make pumpkin pie on Halloween, they can’t find their pumpkin. “Our pumpkin’s been snitched,” cries the woman. And off they go to find it.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Sam Bear invites his friends to an impromptu Halloween party and asks them to bring a treat.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Desmond and Clayton must work together to win the Biggest Pumpkin competition, in this popular bestselling picture book.

Once there were two mice who fell in love with the same pumpkin….Desmond the field mouse wants to carve the biggest jack-o’-lantern in the neighborhood with his pumpkin. Clayton the house mouse wants to win the Biggest Pumpkin contest with his. But when they discover that their choice pumpkins are actually the same one, Desmond and Clayton decide to work together to grow the biggest pumpkin ever! 

What are your favorite Halloween picture books?

Middle Grade Book of the Week: Crossover by Kwame Alexander

Summary

“With a bolt of lightning on my kicks . . .The court is SIZZLING. My sweat is DRIZZLING. Stop all that quivering. Cuz tonight I’m delivering,” announces dread-locked, 12-year old Josh Bell. He and his twin brother Jordan are awesome on the court. But Josh has more than basketball in his blood, he’s got mad beats, too, that tell his family’s story in verse, in this fast and furious middle grade novel of family and brotherhood.

Josh and Jordan must come to grips with growing up on and off the court to realize breaking the rules comes at a terrible price, as their story’s heart-stopping climax proves a game-changer for the entire family.  – Goodreads

My Thoughts

I only read this book because it was added to a novel unit we were teaching in eighth grade. It was not something I would have picked to read. I’m not a fan of novels in verse and don’t really like basketball. Therefore, I was shocked by how much I loved this book. The poems were engaging and unique. Even though Josh’s experiences are very different from mine, the struggles we all go through during adolescence are relatable. I’m so glad I read it.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Top Ten Tuesday 10/18/22

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly post hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, where people like me who love lists and books can share our thoughts on fun bookish topics. This week’s topic:

October 18: Favorite Words (This isn’t so much bookish, but I thought it would be fun to share words we love! These could be words that are fun to say, sound funny, mean something great, or make you smile when you read/hear them.)

Based on the words, you will see I focused on words I enjoy saying, more than their deep meaning. I got the etymology from Etymonline – Online Etymology Dictionary , a great source for “word nerds”

Onomatopoeia

  • definition: a word that sounds like what it refers to or describes
  • examples: Bang! Boom! Moo!
  • etymology: Greek onoma (word name) + no-men (name) +poein (compose, make)

Oligarchy

  • definition: a form of government in which all power is vested in a few persons or in a dominant class or clique; government by the few.
  • etymology: Greek oligos (few, small, little) +arkhein (to rule)

Plethora

  • definition: overabundance, excess
  • etymology: Greek plethore (fullness)

Ominous

  • definition: portending threat or harm, foreboding
  • etymology: Latin ominosus from omen (foreboding)

Malicious

  • definition: intentionally harmful
  • etymology: Latin mal (evil, ill, wrong)

Vivid

  • definition: strong, bright, intense
  • etymology: Latin (spirited, animated, lively, full of life)

Broccoli

  • etymology: Italian plural of broccolo (cabbage sprout)

Azure

  • definition: sky blue color
  • etymology: Persian Lajward (place in Turkestan where blue stone was found) –>Greek Lazour–>Latin Lazur–>Old French azure (the “l” was separated for as an article)

Platypus

  • definition: a small, egg-laying mammal
  • etymology: Greek platys (broad, flat) + pous (foot)

Aroma

  • definition: odor
  • etymology: from Greek aroma “seasoning a spice or sweet herb”, the modern meaning of fragrance came from 1814

Middle Grade Book of the Week: Ungifted by Gordon Korman

Summary:

When troublemaker Donovan Curtis pulls a prank that goes too far, it looks like he’ll be facing serious consequences. Then his paperwork is confused with students with a genius IQ. He ends up being placed in the Academy of Scholastic Distinction. It’s the perfect alibi, as long as he convince a group of geniuses that he’s one of them.

My Thoughts:

This is the classic Korman formula:

1.) Due to unusual circumstances a kid ends up with a group of other kids they would usually never associate with at school.

2.) Chaos insues.

3.) They find a passion project, that is somehow threatened

4.) They overcome the thread and everyone learns a lesson.

I am not saying this as a criticism. The formula works. Korman’s books are funny and appeal to both kids and adults. I love that his books are popular with kids who do not like to read.

Top Ten Tuesday- 10/11/22

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly post hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, where people like me who love lists and books can share our thoughts on fun bookish topics. This week’s topic:

October 11: Books I Read On Vacation (bonus points if you tell us where you were!) (Submitted by Dedra @ A Book Wanderer)

I read a lot on planes and buses while traveling, but Covid has limited my traveling over the last couple of years, so I had to search my goodreads for dates read to jog my memory. I mostly just bring whatever book I was in the middle of reading versus picking specific “beach read” type books.

I didn’t need to look up The Son of Neptune because I distinctly remember that I finished reading this book at The Elephant House in Edinburgh. I got to Edinburgh early before my tour was starting and found out my hotel was across the street from the cafe where Harry Potter was written. I automatically brought my book with me, then felt self-conscious that I was reading a Percy Jackson book. I told this story to a student and she said it was like wearing the other teams jersey to a game.

I read The Stolen Marraige on a flight to California.

I read The Jane Austen Project on the way home from New Zealand.

I read Renegades on the flight to Australia for the trip above.

I read One Taste of Scandal during the previously mentioned trip to New Zealand and Australia.

This one actually has a connection to the place, as I read Persephone in Greece.

I needed a book for the trip home, so I bought An Octopus in my Ouzo in the Athens airport at the end of the aforementioned Greek vacation.

I don’t remember now where I was when I ran out of books and purchased The Other Boleyn Girl , beginning my obsession with books set in Tudor England.

I had to include the Freshman Dorm Series because as a teenage my parents had to keep stopping to buy the next book on a family roadtrip as I tore the series.

Middle Grade Book of the Week: Crash by Jerry Spinelli

Summary:

John “Crash” Coogan is the star football player and one of the most popular kids in school. Crash can’t figure out his neighbor Penn Webb. He doesn’t fit in with the other kids. His family doesn’t eat meat or own a television, and he’s a cheerleader. Crash and his friends taunt Penn and pull mean pranks, but the kid can’t take a hint. Then when Crash faces family difficulties he starts to realize that Penn acts more like a real friend.

My Thoughts:

This is kind of a throw-back selection since it was written in 1996, but I decided to include it since I started reading it with one of my classes this week. We always focus on dynamic vs. static characters for this unit because Crash undergoes such a big transformation. Spinelli does a great job of writing from the viewpoint of a seventh grader. Crash makes impulsive decisions and is overfocused on what others think. But, he’s figuring out who he is and becoming a better person.

Top Five Wednesday- 10/5/22

Top 5 Wednesday is a Goodreads group that responds to weekly bookish prompts. This week’s prompt:

October 5th: Got You Into Reading

October is National Book Month and to celebrate this month-long “holiday,” what are some books that got you into reading? These could be books from childhood that had you hooked on reading at a young age or maybe as an adult you stopped reading and then started reading again years later. Or maybe you’ve always been an avid book reader, but you tried a book outside your favorite genres and discovered a new favorite genre that you absolutely love. Regardless of when, let’s highlight those books that showed (or reminded) us how great books are!

I loved reading from an early age, so the books of my childhood are what came to mind immediaitely.

Harry the Dirty Dog was featured in my very first ever blog post. My Journey in Books.

My favorite Little Golden book about a group of animal friends who try living together, but it doesn’t work out because of their different tastes. So, they go out searching for their own paths in life.

My favorite bedtime stories that Mom would read me each night.

I remember being so excited when one of the Sesame Street Library books arrived in the mail.

While I eventually read all of these books, my fondest memories of the first four involve being read to, usually at bedtime. The Fudge series is one of the first chapter book I remember reading myself.

Top Ten Tuesday- 10/4/22

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly post hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, where people like me who love lists and books can share our thoughts on fun bookish topics. This week’s topic:

October 4: Favorite Bookstores OR Bookstores I’d Love to Visit (The UK celebrated National Bookshop Day on October 1, so I thought it would be a fun topic!)

When I saw this prompt, the only thing that immediately came to mind was Jenny Lawson’s store, but I had so much fun researching other bookstores around the world.

10

Bertrand Bookstore (Lisbon, Portugal)

Established in 1732, this is the oldest bookstore in the world.

9

Birchbank Books (Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA)

Owned by author Louis Erdrich this Birchbank Books features on indigenous literature and goods.

8

The Last Bookstore (Los Angelos, California, USA)

The Last Bookstore bookshop features a tunned of books and gravity defying bookshelves.

7

Libreria Acqua Alta (Venice, Italy)

Liberia Acqua Alta uses bathtubs and gondolas as shelves and houses cats.

6

Bart’s Books (Ojai, California, USA)

Bart’s Books is the world’s largest outdoor bookstore.

5

Book and Bed (Tokyo, Japan)

Book and Bed is a hostel where you can sleep in a bookshelf surrounded by 5,000 books.

4

Books & Books at the Studios of Key West (Key West, Florida, USA)

Co-owned by Judy Blume and her husband, this is a bookstore combined with a nonprofit arts and culture center.

3

Hay-On-Wye, Wales

Hay-On-Wye is a town of 1,000 with over forty bookshops. I couldn’t settle on one, so I’m counting the whole town.

2

Atlantis Books (Oia, Santorini, Greece)

This is the only bookstore on the list that I’ve been to, but there was so much to see in Oia that I didn’t get to spend as much time as I would’ve liked.

1

Jenny Lawson’s Nowhere bookshop. (San Antonio, Texas, USA)

I love the Bloggess and her Nowhere bookshop in San Antonio has been on my bucket list since it opened.

Middle Grade Book of the Week: Prairie Lotus by Linda Sue Park

Summary:

Hanna is a half-Asian girl living in California during the 1880’s. At a time of extreme prejudice against Chinese people her simple dreams are nearly impossible: graduating from school, becoming a dressmaker and making a friend. As the story progresses, Hanna finds ways to fight for what she wants.

My Thoughts:

If you’re a regular reader, you know that I love Laura Ingalls Wilder. But, even as a young white girl in the 1980’s I recognized how insensitively Native Americans were portrayed in the novels. Park gives readers a more realistic view of pioneer life, while still paying homage to Wilder. Hanna faces prejudice ranging unintentional microaggressions to legalized racism. At the beginning of the novel, she is very timid. I love the way she finds ways to quietly stand up for herself. Rather than focusing on a major historical protest or legal case that promoted change, Prairie Lotus small ways change individuals hearts and the power of friendship.

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