So, it’s finally done, or at least I hope it is! My mini-library! Hurray!
I set it up today, and have put 55 books in. I know it isn’t a lot, but I have included a taste of everything from board books, to picture books to, early readers, intermediate fiction (and one non-fiction), young adult fiction and fiction and non-fiction for adults. I even added a few of my own books. Hey, why not!
Unfortunately, I couldn’t bolt my little library to my fence as no one would ever notice it, so I found a metal shelf to put it on and I have braced it with rocks. A windstorm has come up, so I’ll be able to test it out. I sure hope it works. A report of how things go will follow soon.
In my humble opinion, A Monster Calls deserves to be the monster hit it seems to have become, despite the initial reluctance on the part of some gate keepers who found it too dark and too sad for children. It is sad. It is dark. How could it not be? It’s the story of a thirteen year old boy whose mother is dying. Frankly, children sometimes need to read dark, sad books. Sometimes children have to deal with terrible things in their lives; the loss of a parent, bullying, poverty, rejection. Reading about sad things that happen to a protagonist in a book can make a child feel less alone. It can help children whose lives have not been touched by strife understand and empathize with those who have been less fortunate.
It’s confession time. I can’t write a damed thing. I’m just too absorbed with BEA (the annual Book Expo America for those of you who are book people). I’m such a groupie. I love hearing about the various goings on…the panels, the characters, the free books, and even the entertainment. For example, did you know of Libba Bray’s other talent outside of writing incredibly funny yet poignant books for young adults? Who knew she could also sing! I’m so sorry to have missed her bluesy five-song set at the Little, Brown Speakeasy. Beauty Queens is her most recent title, but she has another coming out in the fall, so definitely watch for it.
And to have heard Kadir talk about doing the research for Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” speech would have been awesome. It’s one of one of the ‘greatest of all time speeches’ that continues to resonate even after all these years. The only surprise is that it took so long for someone to come along and illustrate it and making it so much more assessable. Although I have not had the chance to browse through Kadir Nelson’s tribute to King, I have heard that it’s stunning.
And then there is Lois Lowry. She has has written so many books that have touched me. She has written so many books that help young people grapple with the big questions. I have heard her speak bravely and eloquently about how fragile memory is. I have heard her talk of how she used a family photo album to try to help her father remember who she and her sister were when he was in the later stages of Alzheimer’s disease. She talked about how that experience impacted The Giver, the book which she was working on at the time.
Lowry has always known that young people believe they can fix the world and her characters reflect that. They don’t give up and neither does she. She has a way of translating personal pain into stories that speak to young people. Although her son returned from war in a flag-draped coffin, the main character in her new book, Son fights and vanquishes evil. It’s no surprise to me that Lowry was given a standing ovation. I just wish I could have been there to cheer her on too.
I’ve been waiting for this one, and I suspect you have too! Lemony Snicket will be releasing the first of his new series, Who Could That Be at This Hour in the fall. Hungry for a taste? Visit the 
Meet a new author and a new illustrator on the Canadian children’s literature scene. 
Sheryl McFarlane 