Hello All,
What an outstanding book We Are the Ship is. The illustrations are absolutely amazing, I can't get over how beautiful they are. The text is wonderful too; it gives a lot of information in a very interesting, conversational way. I couldn't quite name the style, but the author did that for me in his Author's Note: "I chose to present the voice of the narrator as a collective voice, the voice of every player, the voice of we." It's perfect for this book.
I knew very little about the Negro League before reading this book, but I have always loved baseball. In Detroit, the Detroit Tigers have been playing a game every year the last few years in honor of the Negro League, wearing the uniform of the Detroit Stars for that game. Despite this, I had no idea how popular the League was in its heyday, with both black and white fans, and how it was acknowledged for a very long time that the Negro League players were every bit as good, and some better, than the white players playing major league baseball.
In addition to both the 2009 Coretta Scott King Awards for author (winner) AND illustrator (honor), this book also won the 2009 Robert F. Sibert Medal from the American Library Association. "The Sibert Medal honors the author(s) and illustrator(s) of the most distinguished informational book published during the preceding year."
I can't recommend this stunningly beautiful book enough to all ages, both for the illustrations and for the writing!
Happy Reading!
Patti
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Monday, February 9, 2009
Shanghai Moon by S. J. Rozan
Hello All,
What a terrific book, with wonderful storytelling. S. J. Rozan has long been one of my favorite authors, and this book was well worth waiting for. It's been about six years or so since the last entry in the Lydia Chin/Bill Smith series.
What made this so wonderful to me was that Rozan tells two stories. The reader gets the PI novel with Lydia & Bill, but also an interesting historical story told in letters about Jewish emigrants to Shanghai just before WWII. Rosalie and her brother Paul are young people who leave Europe as Austria is invaded by Germany. On their journey to Shanghai, they are befriended by a Chinese gentleman named Kai-Rong. The friendship continues in Shanghai, as Rosalie and Paul go through some tough times adjusting to their new surroundings. Friendship turns to romance, and despite cultural differences, Rosalie and Kai-Rong marry. This story is told through letters Rosalie writes to her mother; not all the letters are sent, as the situation in Europe evolves, but Rosalie continues to write.
Lydia is hired by an old friend, another detective, to assist in a case using her connections in the Chinese community in New York. The case involves recovering assets from WWII, the Jewish community in Shangai, and missing jewelry, specifically a piece called the Shanghai Moon. Lydia's detective friend, Joel, is killed during the course of the case, and although she is fired, Lydia, now assisted by Bill, pursues Joel's murder and the missing jewelry.
Again, this book is terrific, and involved, and very, very interesting. I enjoyed all that I learned while reading it, and Rozan told two wonderful stories within one book. Very, very highly recommended.
Happy Reading!
Patti
What a terrific book, with wonderful storytelling. S. J. Rozan has long been one of my favorite authors, and this book was well worth waiting for. It's been about six years or so since the last entry in the Lydia Chin/Bill Smith series.
What made this so wonderful to me was that Rozan tells two stories. The reader gets the PI novel with Lydia & Bill, but also an interesting historical story told in letters about Jewish emigrants to Shanghai just before WWII. Rosalie and her brother Paul are young people who leave Europe as Austria is invaded by Germany. On their journey to Shanghai, they are befriended by a Chinese gentleman named Kai-Rong. The friendship continues in Shanghai, as Rosalie and Paul go through some tough times adjusting to their new surroundings. Friendship turns to romance, and despite cultural differences, Rosalie and Kai-Rong marry. This story is told through letters Rosalie writes to her mother; not all the letters are sent, as the situation in Europe evolves, but Rosalie continues to write.
Lydia is hired by an old friend, another detective, to assist in a case using her connections in the Chinese community in New York. The case involves recovering assets from WWII, the Jewish community in Shangai, and missing jewelry, specifically a piece called the Shanghai Moon. Lydia's detective friend, Joel, is killed during the course of the case, and although she is fired, Lydia, now assisted by Bill, pursues Joel's murder and the missing jewelry.
Again, this book is terrific, and involved, and very, very interesting. I enjoyed all that I learned while reading it, and Rozan told two wonderful stories within one book. Very, very highly recommended.
Happy Reading!
Patti
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