I Survived the Battle of D-Day, 1944: An exciting account of D-Day from a child's point of view

I Survived the Battle of D-Day, 1944 by Lauren Tarshis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

An exciting account of D-Day from a child's point of view

I read this book as part of a kids' book club. It was chosen, by popular vote, by five young boys ranging from 9 to 11. I'm glad we chose this book. Boys tend to get excited about World War II. I don't know what it is about war and boys. Even my son, whom I haven't exposed to any sort of violent media in the past, somehow made everything into guns, even paper. I was hesitant at first. However, while I was reading it, I soon saw the appeal. It also describes a tender relationship between a son and a mother a boy's longing for his best friend who was taken away by the Nazis. It was also timely to read this book while we are all going through the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. It's the first time that kids are going through something challenging on a global level. The assignments I gave the group were: a time capsule, a recreation of a fortified castle described in the book (using coloring materials, blocks, or even Minecraft), and a decoding of a Caesar Cipher. Overall, a great book for young boys.

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Hello, Universe: In celebration of introverted kids, friendship, and intergenerational relationships

Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

In celebration of introverted kids, friendship, and intergenerational relationships

I read this book as a facilitator of a book club for kids and it really struck me how four out of six of our all-girl book club members chose Virgil Salinas as their favorite character. They all mentioned that they could relate with his reticent nature. We enjoyed reading this together and some of our assignments were: to come (to the Zoom session) dressed as our favorite characters, create a zoological diary of our pets (inspired by Valencia Somerset), create horoscopes for each other (inspired by Kaori Tanaka), and tell intergenerational stories about different topics (inspired by Lola). The points of view of diverse characters, including that of the bully, made it an interesting read. The Filipino myths, legends, and memories of Lola also provided a unique flavor to the story telling. As a group, we discussed the book's themes of family, fate/ destiny, choices, and courage. Our book club members wrote very insightful essays on these. Overall, a great read for young readers.


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