Not All Princesses Wear Pink

In the tradition of  Do Princesses Wear Hiking Boots? by Carmela LaVigna Coyle, Jane Yolen’s Not All Princesses Dress In Pink is a wonderful picture book that tells girls that a princess does not have to fit a certain mold.  Written in rhyme, Yolen tells us "Some [princesses] play in bright red socks that stink,/blue team jerseys that don't quite fit,/ accessorized with a baseball mitt,/and a sparkly crown."

 

Princesses are shown riding bikes, doing carpentry, and getting muddy while dancing with dogs in the rain—all while wearing their crowns. The message is a good one for young girls and the illustrations are appealing.  If you have an unconventional or even a conventional little princess you should read this book with her.

Reading, Reading, Reading

It's hard to take time out to blog when you work full time and try to read full time as well. Several new books have arrived from the library this week. I've also received a couple of ARCs (advanced reader copies) as well.  This week I'm working my way through Maggie Stiefvater's Ballad, Charlaine Harris' Dead to the World (it's my audio read - I don't listen to music while driving anymore. I mostly listen to books on audio) and Jane: A Modern Retelling of Jane Eyre by April Lindner.  Jane is one of the ARCs I received. So far I'm absolutely loving it. Look for a full review by next week.

What are you reading?

Low Red Moon Giveaway

Confessions of a Bookaholic is giving away a copy of the Young Adult Novel - Low Red Moon by Ivy Devlin.  Check it out  Here.

Young Adult Dystopian Reading Challenge

I mentioned to a group of students that my son and I were in a reading race to see which of us could finish a book first.  It was a random comment as I was discussing books and authors with a group of fifth graders.  Over the following weeks several pairs of students mentioned at checkout that they were in a reading race.  It can be a good way to get a reluctant reader to finish a book.  Sometimes a little competition is good.


That's why I like reading challenges.  If you like young adult books (dystopian books in particular), check out the YA-DE Dystopian Reading Challenge at Bart's Bookshelf's YA-D2 Dsytopian Reading Challenge does.

The challenge starts October 1, 2010 and runs till December 19, 2010 so there is still time to sign-up. I have lots of books currently waiting to be read on my TBR shelf so I decided to go with level 3, which means I will be reading 5 books. 

Here is a list of books I am hoping to read for the challenge:

Floodland by Marcus Sedgewick

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

Lies by Michael Grant

Scorch Trials by James Dashner

Pretties by Scott Westerfield

What's on your reading list?

The Guardian Legacy: Back-to-School pack GIVEAWAY- two readers will win...

Ednah Walters is giving away a Great Back To School pack.  Check it out!

The Guardian Legacy: Back-to-School pack GIVEAWAY- two readers will win...: "To celebrate the release of AWAKENED, my debut YA fantasy, I’m giving away: 1). A signed ARC of Awakened. 2). A Guardian Legacy T-shirt (b..."

BlogFest 2010 - Continued

As I mentioned in yesterday's post is BlogFest 2010.  I don't know if I'll win any prizes, but already I've found several new blogs to follow.  For young adults books check out this blog: http://totalbookaholic.blogspot.com/2010/09/twins-daughter-by-lauren-baratz-logsted.html.  You should certainly add it to  your reading list.

BlogFest 2010

If you love books and want to stay up to date in the world of books, there are many wonderful book blogs to help you.  This weekend is Blog Fest: a wonderful way to sample some great book blogs and win prizes as well.  Blog Fest 2010 is being hosted by A Journey of Books.  Check it out: http://ajourneyofbooks.halfzero.net/2010/09/blogfest-2010-ready-set-go.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&

I start my day with a cup of coffee and a browse through the blogs. It's almost as relaxing as my morning walk.