Once November arrives, I always get in the mood for some holiday reads. Here’s a random collection of holiday titles – something for everyone! Merry reading!
Category Archives: Books & More
Native American Heritage Month
November is Native American Heritage Month here in the United States. First officially designated in 1990 by President Bush, the month is designed to give space for Native people in the United States to share and celebrate their culture. Finding books with honest portrayals of Native people (especially those written by Native authors) is not an easy task. With the help of Debbie Reese’s blog, American Indians in Children’s Literature, here’s a list of our favorites.
The Girl Who Helped Thund
er and Other Native American Folktales by James Bruchac
An anthology of Native American folk tales from across the country. Bruchac includes important historical and cultural context for each tale, and tales are kept short ensuring that they can be read in one sitting. Beautiful oil-on-wood illustrations can be found throughout. Recommended for ages 8+
Crossing Bok Chitto: A Chocta
w Tale of Friendship & Freedom by Tim Tingle
In the early 1800s, the Bok Chitto river separated the sovereign Choctaw nation from Mississippi plantations. Enslaved people who were able to cross the river were free, and according to legend the Choctaw people has built a path of stones just underneath the water to help them escape. This picture book tells the story of a Choctaw boy who helps save his enslaved friend. Heart-warming, exciting, and beautifully illustrated. Recommended for ages 7+
Walking on Earth & Touchi
ng the Sky: Poetry and Prose by Lakota Youth at Red Cloud Indian School
This collection of poems was written by middle schoolers at Red Cloud Indian School and assembled by their teachers. It gives their personal accounts of their experiences and identities as Lakota people. Recommended for ages 11+
Tallchief: America’s Prima B
allerina by Maria Tallchief
Maria Tallchief was America’s first major Prima Ballerina, and the first Native American to hold the rank. Her parents worked with her to help her become the best dancer she could be. In this picture book, she tells her story of how she came to dance and the success she found in her career. Recommended for ages 7+
The Birchbark House by Lo
uise Erdrich
Erdrich is Ojibwe, as are her characters in the Birchbark House series. The Birchbard House is the first book, and it follows Omakayas and her family as they live on an island in Lake Superior around 1847. We learn about their stories, traditions, and ways of life. Great for fans of the Little House series who want an accurate representation of some Native American lives during pioneer times. Recommended for ages 9+
Sweetest Kulu by Celina Ka
lluk
Kalluk writes a sweet, lulling bedtime story about an Inuit mother singing her baby to sleep. Readers learn about Inuit values, with people and animals coexisting together. Written by acclaimed Inuit throat singer Celina Kalluk, this is a beautiful #OwnVoices pick, perfect for young children and new parents. Recommended for all ages.
Review: When We Were Young
When We Were Young
by Karen Kingsbury
5 stars
Another amazing book by Karen Kingsbury! Kingsbury tells a wonderful story of second chances; tackling the subjects of divorce and social media. What if we could truly see our future if we chose to walk out? What if we could remember all the reasons we said I do in a single night? This story is a continuation of the beloved Baxters, but can be read as a standalone. The book centers on Noah and Emily, who from their first meeting to their amazing wedding, it is clear they are meant to be together. They have a special love they want the whole world to know about. Millions of fans follow their daily lives on Instagram since their engagement. But behind closed doors, their fairy tale is dissolving because Noah has become obsessed with sharing their lives on social media. So much so, that the greatly loved and admired couple has decided to call it quits. Kingsbury takes one of my favorite stories and weaves it into her own to create something that will inspire so many people. Highly recommend!
Read-alikes
A Month of Summer by Lisa Wingate
Mulberry Park by Judy Duarte
Review: The Women in the Castle
The Women in the Castle
by Jessica Shattuck
4 stars
Shattuck expertly weaves together a story set at the end of World War II in Germany that shares the tragedies and the secrets of three widows who barely know each other. After Germany’s defeat, Marianne von Lingenfels returns to the crumbling castle called Burg Lingenfels that was once her home. Her husband was a resister and was hanged for trying to assassinate Hitler. Marianne promised her husband and the other co-conspirators that she would find their widows and help them. As Marianne, finds them (Ania, Benita and their children) and tries to create a home she discovers that each have secrets and repercussions that will make their lives complicated. The story does go back and forth in time and ends in 1991 with everyone reuniting back at the castle and allowing the reader to discover where everyone ended up. I liked the way the author examined the aftermath of Germany’s loss on the citizens and that the story was told from the Germans’ prospective, some who really thought Hitler was insane while the others were just trying to survive. Each woman reacted to the moral dilemmas that impacted each of their lives and the stories showed how they came to terms and how each moved on. The story starts out slow but picks up the second half. Recommend!
Read-alikes
The Blindness of the Heart by Julia Franck
The Good at Heart by Ursula Werner
The Aftermath by Rhidian Brook
Review: Ten
Ten
by Gretchen McNeil
4 stars
Based loosely on Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, YA novel Ten by Gretchen McNeil is like a slasher movie in print. I felt like I was in the middle of a 90s teen horror movie like Scream or I Know What You Did Last Summer. Meg and her best friend Minnie head off for a weekend of partying at their friend’s house on Henry Island. They soon find themselves without a way to communicate with the mainland and trapped on the island due to a storm…then people start dying in increasingly gruesome ways. The killer is obviously among them, but who is it?!
Ten is a fast-paced thriller with plenty of whodunit drama, best friend drama, and boy drama. It was a fun bit of escapism that kept me entertained!
Recommendations:
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus
There’s Someone Inside Your House by Stephanie Perkins
