The Book Review Club (May 2012)
I'm not sure where April went! But here we are, gathered together on the first Wed. of the month for our monthly Book Review Club. And it's May! There's an interesting selection of books reviewed. Just scroll down past my review for the links. You'll be so happy you did!
(listed for 7-9 year olds, which makes no sense to me. I loved it!)
About a month ago, I found myself seated next to Wendy Kitts at a book signing here in San Diego. It turns out Wendy is a fellow Canadian, originally from Moncton, New Brunswick, but now living in Toronto, Ontario (my hometown). We started chatting and immediately hit it off. Love it when that happens! Wendy spends several months a year in San Diego, so we've planned to get together the next time she's down. I'm looking forward to it.
I bought SABLE ISLAND and had Wendy sign it for Child #4's upcoming birthday later this month. Then I snuck-read it for this review. SABLE ISLAND is 90-page, non-fiction book about Sable Island, a small island (42 kilometers by 1/2 kilometer), often shrouded by fog, in the Atlantic Ocean. The book is printed on thick, shiny paper with lots of fantastic photos (many taken by the multi-talented author!) and neat sidebars. This gorgeous book is full of cool tidbits.
Some cool tidbits:
-When you walk on Sable (means "sand" in French) Island, the sand actually sings. You need certain conditions for this (super dry sand, round quartz grains). Not all singing sand sounds the same. In case you were wondering.
-There is only one tree on the island. A Scots Pine. The tree's nickname? The Sable Island National Forest. Yes, we Canadians have a wry sense of humor! Make that humour!
-Between 200-400 wild horses live on the island. How they got there is a mystery. There's a great story in the book about how Diefenbaker, Canada's 13th Prime Minister, saved the Sable Island horses.
That's it. You'll have to read this seriously fascinating book for additional cool tidbits. ;)
Learn more about SABLE ISLAND and the author by visiting Wendy Kitt's website.
Oh, and speaking of cool things, be sure to check out the great reviews below!
MIDDLE GRADE/YOUNG ADULT BOOK REVIEWS
Staci of Life in the Thumb: PHANTOMS IN THE SNOW by Kathlee Benner Duble (middle school, adventure)
Stacy Nyikos: WHERE THINGS COME BACK by John Corey Whaley (young adult)
Ellen Booraem of Freelance Ne'er-do-well: AN ABUNDANCE OF KATHERINES by John Green
Sarah Laurence: FEED by M.T. Anderson (young adult)
ADULT BOOK REVIEWS
Scott Parker: EMPEROR MOLLUSK VERSUS THE SINISTER BRAIN by A. Lee Martinez (science fiction)
Patti Abbott: DEFENDING JACOB by William Landay
Beth Yarnall: NEARLY DEPARTED IN DEADWOOD by Ann Charles (mystery)
Jenn Jilks of Cottage Country: FALLEN by Traci L. Slatton
Prairie Rose of Prairie Rose's Garden: THE FLIGHT OF GEMMA HARDY by Margot Livesey
Alyssa Goodnight of the Writers' Road Less Traveled: THE RESTORER by Amanda Stevens (paranormal romance)
Note to Reviewers: Any errors (broken link, missed review, etc), just shoot me an email or leave a comment. Thank you so much for your reviews!
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I have this book, Sable Island, Barrie. I love it! It is a fascinating spot. I bought the book for the grandkids!
ReplyDeleteHere is my review.
I’m adding a visit to Sable Island to my Bucket List (which is rather paltry - this will boost its “spirit of adventure” factor).
ReplyDeleteI’m checking out the book – for me!
Mmm...my girls would love this book. If it's got a horse in it, they're all over it!
ReplyDeleteMy 8-year-old granddaughter is into Harry Potter and similar books now, but any mention of horses would be enough to interest her in this book. I'll have to check it out. Thanks for the great review!
ReplyDeletethat sounds like a great book! I'll have to look it up for my boys.
ReplyDeleteSable Island sounds really interesting. I love the idea of singing sands and the one-tree forest. :-)
ReplyDeleteSable Island sounds like Chincoteague Island in VA. Your daughter would probably love the Misty on Chincoteague books too. I did at her age. I also galloped through the Black Stallion series when I was a bit older.
ReplyDeleteThanks for hosting, and I'm so sorry for missing that code error earlier. Good to see everything working now. My brain is working better since I've caught up on sleep.
Ooo, wish this book had been around when I was experiencing my childhood Misty of Chincoteague fetish. And Sable's in my neck of the ocean, more or less...definitely on my wish list, and I will get my hands on that book. Thanks, Barrie!
ReplyDeleteSable Island has always fascinated me and I would love to go there one day. The book sounds like it will be a hit with the girls for sure, boys maybe, but they never seem to get the same sort of fetish for horses as girls.
ReplyDeletei'm reading all four of your books while getting over an illness they make me laugh and feel better writing a book review your marvelous characters movements settings and writing is a good tool for other novice writers to learn from recommending they study your books ;)
ReplyDeletegood stuff, barrie
ReplyDeleteback in s.ontario... new blogger look, same old crap - after google farted and blew away my old site...