Reading Abounds

Title: The Poet's Dog Author: Patricia MacLachlan Perma-Bound Catalogue #: 127678 Description:   An abandoned dog, able to speak only to poets and children, rescues a pair of young children stranded in the forest. Together, they find a way to overcome their losses. Rubric Rating: Level 4 - Love It Why I Read It: Poetry and Dogs... what more can I say.  Notes: This is one of those novels that I absolutely love.  It is written for a younger audience but there are deeper aspects to the story that are very appealing to an adult reader.   The story is encapsulated within 88 pages, and spells out the story of Teddy, the poet's dog, whose master has passed away, and Flora and Nickel, two children he finds lost in a blizzard.   The children are left in a car by their mother as she goes to look for help after getting stuck in the snow.  The children get scared and leave the vehicle and get lost in the woods where they are found by T...

Title: A Time to Dance Author: Padma Venkatraman Perma-Bound Catalogue #: 82094 Description: In India, a girl who excels a Bharatanatyam dance refuses to give up after losing a leg in an accident. Rubric Rating: Love 4 - Love It! Why I Read It: I read Climbing the Stairs by this same author and liked it so decided to read another selection by her. Lori's Notes: I was surprised when I opened the book to find the chapters written in verse rather than prose.  However, after the first couple of chapters the novel felt not like a book in verse but a book in song.  A song that made you see and feel Veda's dancing.  Veda lives with her ma, pa and Paati (grandmother).  While her mother wants Veda to become an engineer, Veda loves to dance.  And she is excited to learn that has been invited to compete in the Bharatanatyam dance competition.  Veda wins because of her amazing control over her body.  However, her greatest achievement is short lived....