“Until the very end.”

July 31st is a big date in any millennial reader's literary calendar.  Especially this year.

(Wait. You don't know? Oh, sorry... it is J.K. Rowling's birthday and thus Harry Potter's birthday and thus the release date for the new book)

This new "8th Harry Potter book" is really hard NOT to get excited about.  I mean for those of us who grew up on Harry Potter this is it- the next chapter, the story continuing, all the excitement, all the feels.  But I'm scared of getting my hopes up too high and being SOOOOO disappointed.  I mean it's the script to a play... different format, different characters, different time.


I have such vivid memories of the world basically stopping when the next Harry Potter book came out.  Kids sitting at the pool, completely engrossed.  I remember a summer at camp when the book came out and parents were driving out to camp to drop off a copy for their daughter.  Social media wasn't really much a thing so there weren't concerns about #spoilers.  It was just fun to see so many people caught up in one thing (kinda like how Pokemon is this summer).

When I was a freshman in high school I had to read a book "for fun" as part of an assignment for my English class.  I chose the first Harry Potter book, hated it, and never finished.  My brother and mom had both read it (and I'm pretty sure all of books 1-4, which were out at that point) and were fans.  When the first movie came out that following November we all went to see it.  Annnnd I was officially hooked.  I quickly caught up on my reading (starting with book 2 of course) and stayed a loyal fan since.  I have vivid memories of the summer of 2007 when the final book and the 5th movie both were released.  I waited until my work as a camp counselor ended and read the book on our beach vacation.  Mom even let me keep reading during dinner because of the part I was at.  We went as a family to go see that movie at the beach* (and we never go to the movies at the beach).  Harry Potter is part of our family culture.

When Husband and I started dating, he had not bought in to the HP phenomenon yet.  (#dealbreaker) He told me that he wouldn't start them until he finished reading Narnia.  Needless to say, we kept dating, he finished HP in record time (a self-proclaimed slow reader) and Narnia didn't get finished until after we were married.

As a teacher, I clearly remember a girl my second year who always had a HP book with her (and was ALWAYS reading it).  I also met a parent who was extremely opposed to HP (a type of person I had heard about but never really met until then) and wanted their son to have no part these books. By the time I finally starting allowing kids choice and really pushing independent reading, it was several years later and HP was often one of my first suggestions (except for one kid- the younger brother of the boy from my second year... his parents never got on board).  

I made teacher friends who had a shared love of HP.  For months I got together with several of them (+ spouses) every week for dinner and we would watch something together- often the HP movies.  I went with 5 of them to HP World in Orlando for a bachelorette party.  (And yes, it was epic)

My 6th year of teaching I finally got a whole group of students who were already big fans.  I was working hard at that point to read lots of new (to me) YA fiction in an effort to help guide and encourage my independent readers.  But by December, I gave up and joined this group in re-reading HP together.  We listened to the HP soundtrack Pandora station frequently in my second block class that year**.  They used to guess which movie particular songs were from (and were usually right). 

The Harry Potter Book Club started that year.  Six boys- 2 of whom were already fans and four reluctant converts, read through the books together, "met" with me during our library time to discuss them, and stayed after school to watch the movies together.  Oh the power of peer pressure. 

A few of the girls from that group, who were not already fans, also became converts, under the pressure of their soccer coach.  One girl went home that summer with the first few books (as a total HP hater) and showed up at Open House a few months later ransacking our classrooms looking for the next book.  

One of the last things we did as a grade level before I left teaching was have a HP day (as a way to assess their knowledge of reading signposts, obviously).  The kids got sorted into their houses (I'm a Ravenclaw), wore HP related clothes (which was a huge bummer for me as I didn't fit in to any of my HP shirts being so pregnant), and watched one of the movies.  Siblings of students from my 6th year were in my class by then and it felt like a full-circle thing.


Little Man is obviously too young (at only 8 months) to care anything about this new book (or the movie that comes out near his birthday).  But I hope (and fully expect) that one day we will be able to share it as well.  It will become part of our own family culture.  After all, the only thing I bought for my future child (before I even conceived) was a complete set of HP books. 
They are already in his room. 
Waiting. 
Until Hogwarts can welcome him home. 

And let the magic live on.



*that was the worst movie theater experience I can remember. Half of the screen/film was shaking for the first half of the movie.  Then the other half of the screen/film was shaking for the rest of the movie.  People were furious, demanding refunds... it was crazy.
**not HP related, but I have a great picture of them doing the Hunger Games salute during class when a HG song came on one day

10 Favorite Picture Books for Babies

Hey there!

First up- a big announcement!  The LittleMamaBee Etsy shop is now open!  Currently, I'm just clearing out some of the old Pink Birdie merchandise but keep an eye out in the coming weeks for lots of new stuff!  Ok now on to today's post...

I think the one thing that most people can agree on when it comes to parenting, is that reading is important.  (All the nitty-gritty details are another issue.)  I could spout lots of statistics for you about the importance of reading after being a middle school teacher.  But I truly believe that developing a love for reading begins early.  We started reading a very short bedtime story to Little Man by the time he was 3 months old.  When Baby Storytime started up again at the library in May we started going.  Now, Wednesdays are library days.  We get there early, check out some books, go to story time, and head home in time for his morning nap.

Finding books for babies isn't easy.  Board books are great, but I like to make sure we get a healthy mix of board books and picture books.  I had a really hard time finding suggestions for babies (mostly because I imagine most people start with board books or wait all together).  The suggestions I did find were short lists (which we quickly exhausted).  Also, unlike YA, I feel very out of the loop with picture books.  I have no idea who the "good" authors are.  Plus illustrations are key with picture books (duh) so books by an author may not look the same if they have different illustrators.  It is also hard to separate the book from the pictures so both really have to be taken into account.

When looking for great books for babies I tried to find ones that met some of the following criteria:
-easy to follow story, told with words (books that need the pictures to understand the story and require more interaction I assume will be great in another year or so)
-bold pictures
-diverse (every picture book we read does not need to be about people that look like us)
-teaches something (colors, animals, numbers, shapes, etc.)
-doesn't make me want to pull my hair out

[All of the links in this post are affiliate links (which means I get a tiny commission if you click on them and buy something.) As always, I only represent brands/companies I truly use and love, and I SO appreciate your support!]

So... (drum roll please) here is the first edition in Little Mama Bee's Favorite Picture Books for Babies!

1. Hurry, Hurry! by Eve Bunting
A short repeating story that shows the farm animals gathering for the birth of a chick.

2. Friendshape by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld
Shapes, colors, and puns... oh my!

3. Baby Bear, Baby Bear What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr. and illustrated by Eric Carle
You are probably familiar with the classic Brown Bear by the same people but this variation is great too with North American woodland animals.
4. Book! by Kristine O'Connell George and illustrated by Maggie Smith
A darling little introduction to handling/reading/using books.

5. Peekaboo Morning by Rachel Isadora
Babies love to play peek-a-boo!

6. Little Bitty Friends by Elizabeth McPike and Patrice Barton
Short lyrical story. Varied races of children in the illustrations.  Points out every day things (many that we could find in our neighborhood).

7. Blocks by Irene Dickson
Cute story of sharing.  Also focuses on colors. Plus has diverse characters!

8. Where is the Green Sheep? by Mem Fox and Judy Horacek
Quirky and adorable but not annoying.  Great for pointing out relationships (up, down, etc.).

9. Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson
One of many Bear stories by Karma Wilson.  Bear is asleep and many woodland animals gather in his den for a party, which he sleeps through. 
                                                                                                                                                                                  
10. Jack by Tomie dePaola
In this traditional "Jack" story, Jack makes his way to the king picking up different animals on the way.  Great for animals and their sounds.

Books I Read: May and June

Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella

To begin with, I think it is important to note that (just about) any YA book that deals with mental illness is a good thing.  Audrey, the main character in this book, suffers from Social Anxiety Disorder.  She is on medication, she sees a therapist, she is working on her issues.  Meanwhile, her mother is obsessed with getting Audrey's gamer older brother Frank to stop playing on his computer.  I like that this book doesn't ever give details explaining WHY Audrey is this way- there are hints about a bullying situation at her old school, but instead focuses on the aftermath and recovery.  I like that it portrays therapy and medication in a positive light.  But it wasn't perfect.  The parents seemed way too sitcom-y / exaggerated stereotypes.  I hate that it is a new boyfriend that helps Audrey make the most progress.  It isn't a romance story at all so I wish there was a different catalyst.  For the most part it felt realistic and modern without being annoyingly tech-y.  Overall it was a good book (I gave it 3 stars), just not one I'm rushing out to recommend to everyone I know. 

Bellweather Rhapsody by Kate Racculia

Since I started reading again (4 years ago?) I mostly focused on YA because... teaching.  Now that I don't have to read with a middle school audience in mind, I have an overwhelming vast sea of books available to me (with no real idea where to start).  So I decided to use Modern Mrs. Darcy's blog as a reading list for the summer.  I also am utilizing the library (#free) and their e-book library.  This book was on MMD's list of 11 hot YA novels for the summer and immediately available as a library e-book.  All of that to say... I was totally not prepared to this book.

First of all, I don't read "creepy" things and I don't watch scary movies.  So the fact that there was a strong reference to The Shining almost made me completely stop reading.  [Instead, I just finished it the next afternoon (and watched 2 episodes of Gilmore Girls before bed) so I wasn't totally freaked out.]  This book IS really good.  It is a murder mystery with some crazy characters stuck in a giant hotel due to a big statewide chorus/band festival.  It reads like YA despite being technically an adult book.  There were quite a few times that I had to suspend disbelief but I figured that is probably the case with most murder mysteries. I did wish we had found out more about certain characters by the end of the story (specifically Minnie's sister) but I did enjoy it.

Every Exquisite Thing by Matthew Quick

Another good book that I finished in a few days.  The author also wrote Silver Linings Playbook (didn't read it but saw the movie).  I felt like this was a nice mixture of The Perks of Being a Wallflower,  Catcher in the Rye, and a John Green novel (specifically The Fault in Our Stars... but no cancer).  The main character is an unhappy, privileged white girl who befriends the author of an out-of-print cult classic book recommended to her by her English teacher.  Through the author she meets her boyfriend and his friend.  The author helps Nanette's inner rebel surface as she comes to terms with "finding herself" (in true YA novel fashion).  I liked the range of emotions the book covered, would totally recommend it (specifically thinking of some former students), and (again) how it handles mental illness.  Possibly this is even a book I would re-read.

The One-in-a-Million Boy by Monica Wood

An 11 year old boy (who is never named and probably on the autistic spectrum) forms an unlikely friendship with Ona, a 104 year old woman he is assigned to help via the Boy Scouts.  When the boy suddenly dies, his often absent father takes over the assignment.  Together they try and accomplish the boy's dream of getting the the Guinness Book of World Records.  (Too much more info on this book and I'll give too much away.)  This story is the epitome of heart-warming.  It is beautifully told and a pleasure to read.  I highly recommend it.

What I Read: March/April 2016

Well if I said I didn't read much in the first two months of the year, I REALLY didn't read much in the next two.  In fact I only read ONE book.  Embarrassing.  (Therefore, I included the only other book I read in this post.  Of course this book wasn't even published until May so obviously I didn't read it in April. #myprerogative)

All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely

Good young adult books that address racism in America are rarely set in present day.  Sure there are books where a character questions their identity or experiences challenges as a minority, but this is the first book I've seen that carefully and appropriately deals with the current racial issue in America.  The story starts with a young African-American boy getting wrongly accused and beaten by a white cop.  A white schoolmate of the boy witnesses the exchange and is horrified, even more so when he realizes that the police officer is his best friend's brother and has been a father figure in his life for years.  The story goes back and forth between these two boys over the course of the week after the incident.  I found the story compelling and a great read.  I then promptly sent it to school for some kids I felt needed it.  

The Crown by Kiera Cass

I don't think I've blogged about this series before on here so I'll start at the beginning.  Two years ago I went to the Scholastic book sale and picked up the first 2 books in this series- The Selection and The Elite.  Each book has a girl in a beautiful ball gown on the cover and the description on the back... well... it sounded terrible.  I pulled out each new book I had gotten in my homeroom and shared how excited I was about each one, until I got to this set.  "These books look awful," I remember saying.  I insisted I wouldn't be reading this weird cross between dystopian lit and The Bachelor TV show.  A girl in my class offered to read them and report back.  In full disclosure, this girl had read most of my favorite books that year and I respected her opinion.  That afternoon when she came in, I checked in on her progress. "Um... yeah, you have to read these.  This book is pretty much amazing."
I'm sorry, what?  I tried to show my students the same courtesy they show me with book recommendations however so when she came in the next day with this 300+ page book completed, I took it.  Yeah, I finished it that afternoon.  

I'm not going to lie- the premise is cheesy, the character names are ridiculous, the fandom for the author is seriously out of control, and the ending is predictable.  However, they are very satisfying and absorbing quick reads.  I have two distinct sets of students who were obsessed with this series.  So when the final book came out a few weeks ago, I downloaded it and finished it that day.  

For those of you who have read the rest of the series, I found Eadlyn's character to be unbearable in The Heir.  I wasn't sure I would be able to stomach her narrating this final book.  I also wasn't convinced I knew who she would be choosing so I still had to read it.  I found her to be MUCH more likeable in this book, a family crisis can do that to you.  There were at least two times in the story I yelled, "Hold up!" (or some variation thereof) in surprise.  And I was satisfied with the ending.  I in no way this Kiera Cass is the next great American novelist, but I look forward to reading anything else she puts out.  An excellent (cheesy) page-turner.

What I Read: January/February 2016

I didn't read much in January.  In fact, I really didn't read at all.  I did finish a book on the first, but I really read most of it during December.  In January I tried to figure out the pumping/parenting thing and ended up not having much time or brain power to focus on reading.  I finally got back in a groove in February and read 3 books! 

Also Known as Harper by Ann Haywood Leal

This book looked like an easy read- clearly intended for upper elementary/middle school readers so I was hoping to breeze through it.  Turns out I really didn't enjoy it that much which kind of made it drag on.  The story focuses on Harper, a poor girl in an unfortunate living/family situation that wants to be a poet.  School is incredibly important to her because she is dying to read her poetry at the writing contest.  I have no idea why this contest was such a big deal.  The characters were cheesy and the plot was weak and predictable.  There were also a lot of issues (homelessness, absentee father, loss of pregnancy, tent community, and more) addressed in the book, although by addressed I really mean glossed over.  Overall, I found this book to be a little too hokey to appeal to most students.

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

Having seen the previews for the upcoming movie, I figured maybe I could jump start my reading with a novel intended for adults, instead of children (since I had such a unpleasant experience with my previous read).  I enjoyed this book and hope the movie is done well (Finnick from HG is the main character?  Yes, please).  Louisa Clark tells the story.  There are a few odd chapters told from other characters' perspectives, but mostly Lou is the narrator.  She is in her mid-twenties and when she loses her job as a waitress, since she has no ambition to become or do much else, she ends up taking a high-paying job as a caretaker to a quadriplegic named Will.  The story was sad, yet I didn't find it super depressing and I certainly didn't cry.  I did like the moral/ethical questions it raised.  Final thoughts- yes, I would recommend it.

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys

Sepetys is freaking amazing.  I thought Between Shades of Gray was incredible and Salt to Sea was no different.  Each chapter is extremely short (just a few pages) meaning that it is really easy to get sucked in.  Just one more chapter?  Of course! (And suddenly I'm 100 pages further ahead) The chapters alternate narrators; there are 4- Joana (the same one mentioned in BSoG) the nurse, a young pregnant girl, a Nazi, and a psychopath.  The characters are all brought together on the Wilhelm Gustloff, the most deadly maritime disaster in history.  Why did I never learn about this in school?  I have no idea.  I also felt that way about the history in BSoG.  I'm continually impressed with Sepetys and the unique, little known history that she captures and makes accessible.  I did feel like this book would be challenging for some of my more emerging readers.  It starts almost in the middle of the story (they are already on a journey), requires some WWII knowledge, and demanded some serious inferencing in the very beginning.  Overall, a beautiful and captivating story.

Stars Above by Marissa Meyer

I actually met Marissa Meyer when she came to our local independent bookstore after the release of Winter.  She announced then that Stars Above would be coming out and I was pumped.  A reluctant fan of The Lunar Chronicles, I was sad that it was over.  Stars Above was definitely not my favorite.  It felt really cheesy and some of the stories just seemed redundant.  I had not read any of them before although about half had been published previously.  I was not a fan of The Little Android (The Little Mermaid); it was kind of dumb.  The Princess and the Guard was my favorite- I love Winter.  The last story, which takes place two years after the series, was satisfying.  If you are a fan of The Lunar Chronicles, then this is obviously a must read!

41 Books in 2015

As a 7th grade teacher, after reading The Book Whisperer, we challenged our students to read 40 books over the course of the school year.  Any book over 300 pages gets to count as 2 and books over 700 pages count as 3.  Therefore, my goal each year is to read 40 books (cover to cover).  Last year, I just barely made it with 41 titles completed.  Counting using the page number method it would be 60 books!

Just Listen // The One and Only Ivan // Stella by Starlight // The Other Side of the Island // 

Notice and Note // I Was Here // The Moon and More // Just One Day // Just One Year

Just One Night // Almost Home // Pie // Rain Reign // The Heir //  

Juggling Elephants // Saint Anything // Dreamland

Off the Page // Cinder // Scarlet // What Happened to Goodbye // Counting by Sevens // 

Every Soul a Star // Curveball: The Year I Lost My Grip // Forged by Fire // 

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Keeping the Moon // Flush // Cress // Fairest // The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding //  

Babywise // Loot // Winter // Zen and the Art of Faking It

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) // Notes from the Midnight Driver // 

Why Not Me? // The Crossover // The Outside of a Horse

Favorite Book/Series: Just One Day (series)

Least Favorite Book/Series: Juggling Elephants

Biggest Disappointment Book: Zen and the Art of Faking It

Book that made me cry: Dreamland

Book that made me laugh: Why Not Me?

Book that surprised me: Outside of a Horse

Book I got bored reading: Loot

Biggest Beach/Fluff Read: The Heir

Book I couldn't put down: I Was Here

Book that challenged me: Forged by Fire

Most likely to recommend: Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles Series)

What books should I add to my TBR list for 2016?

Paper Towns

About a week after it's debut, I went with two of my teacher friends to see the new John Green movie Paper Towns.  I had read the book about a year or so earlier and had been following much of the movie updates and news.

The basic premise of the story is Quentin (Q) grows up across the street from Margo.  They bond as small children over finding a dead man, but it affects them very differently.  The bulk of the story takes place, however, during their senior year.  They are all but strangers at this point.  Margo is super cool and popular while Q is smart and nerdy.  Margo sneaks into Q's room in the middle of the night, asking him to help her get revenge on her now ex-boyfriend and friends.  He agrees, they have a fantastic adventure, and he hopes that from now on things will be different between them.  Instead, Margo completely disappears, causing Q to become somewhat obsessed with finding her.

Source

The book is an exceptional YA story and I enjoyed it.  I think that John Green does a nice job of articulating the thoughts and fears of smart teenagers.  The teens in his books aren't the trashy, stupid, stereotypes often portrayed in teen movies.  Paper Towns is a very different book than The Fault in Our Stars and people who were hoping for a similar epic romance were sorely disappointed when they read this one.  The story has a great message about how you see people and identity.  It is also a great story of male friendship, which can sometimes be hard to find.  (While this book is recommended for children ages 14+, I did have several 7th grade TFIOS fans read it this past year.  It also worked well as John Green book that my male students weren't ashamed to be seen reading.)

Source

 The movie was good, just not amazing.  As a fan of the book, I liked it.  However, the movie did not do well in theaters.  Honestly, I don't see how it could.  The story itself doesn't contain either of the two things that make a blockbuster- an epic love story or an action packed adventure.  It is a good movie.  I really like Nat Wolff, Cara Delevingne is not in much of the movie, and Austin Abrams totally steals the show.  He's funny and quirky and a great friend.  If you've read the book, I would recommend the movie.  Otherwise, eh, wait to RedBox it.

What I Read: June/July

Confession: I really haven't read much this summer.  I had great intentions.  I even brought home a huge bin of books to read.  But I haven't really touched them.  I wish I had a good excuse, but it really comes down to I'm pregnant, I'm packing to move, and I didn't want to.  Oh well...

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

This is the second book in the (Cinder) Lunar Chronicles series.  I was incredibly hesitant to start this series as most of my students who love it, also are fans of books I don't really care for.  Besides... cyborgs? That's really probably not my thing.  But it turns out the books were really good!  I like the fairy tale allusions throughout (Cinder is loosely based on Cinderella and Scarlet is Little Red Riding Hood) and the cyborg/alien thing is actually kind of cool.  There's lots of adventure, deception, strategy, and a little romance- an excellent dystopian series!  I haven't been able to get my hands on Cress yet, but I plan to before Winter (the final book) comes out later this year.

What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen

Do you follow Sarah Dessen on Twitter?  If not, you should.  She lives in NC and I've had the privilege of seeing/meeting her at several local book signings.  I find Dessen's books comforting and relate-able in a way that few young adult authors have managed to accomplish.  Her heroines often embark on a journey of self discovery that while often includes a romance, never requires one.  These are not girls who need a boyfriend (thank goodness).  They have real families and real problems.  What Happened to Goodbye is about McLean, who moves frequently with her father.  Her parents divorced (after quite the scandal) and mom is remarried.  McLean and her mother have a strained relationship and dad is often so focused on his job that McLean is forced to take on a little more adult responsibility.  I also love the allusions Dessen makes to her other books.  She doesn't write series or even sequels, but her characters often pop up in other books.  This book has characters from more than 5 other of her books. Plus, it isn't a real beach trip if you don't read a Dessen book.

Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan

This book has appeared on several lists of excellent middle school books and was a popular pick at our school book fair.  I wasn't super familiar with this author, but it turns out she was a screenwriter for Angels in the Outfield (what!).  The story follows Willow Chance, an adopted genius (possibly on the spectrum?) and several other characters who are impacted by Willow after tragedy strikes her life.  It's a feel good (although sometimes emotional) story, about different kinds of people coming together and building family and community.  It was an easy read, but I did enjoy it and will be recommending it to my students who aren't quite ready for true YA stories.

Every Soul a Star by Wendy Mass

This was another book I read simply because I need to be able to recommend middle school books to my seventh graders.  I am a fan of all things I've read by Wendy Mass and she is an author I recommend frequently.  Every Soul a Star is about a family who lives on and runs a campground.  They picked this particular spot because it will be the best place to total solar eclipse.  There are several characters who wind up together on the campground for the eclipse and form and unlikely friendship.  It's a cute story and I like the science element thrown in.  It also has 2 main male characters so I could easily recommend it to a boy or a girl and not really have to fight them too hard on it.


Hopefully, while I'm at the beach next week I'll read a few more and then we'll be back in school so I'll be reading more often again.

What have you been reading?  Thoughts on any of those books?

Find me on Goodreads!