Growing Bookworms Newsletter: December 20: 12th Blog Birthday Edition

Today, I will be sending out a new issue of the Growing Bookworms email newsletter. (If you would like to subscribe, you can find a sign-up form here.) The Growing Bookworms newsletter contains content from my blog focused on growing joyful learners, mainly bookworms, but also mathematicians and learners of all types. The newsletter is sent out every two to three weeks.

Newsletter Update:  In this issue I have three book reviews (all early chapter books) and one post about my daughter's latest literacy milestone (understanding someone else's need to read). I also have three posts with links that I shared recently on Twitter. 

Blog Birthday: This edition of the Growing Bookworms Newsletter marks my recently passed 12th anniversary of starting this blog. It's hard to imagine now that on December 17th I somehow had time to start a blog, but that seems to have been the case. Many thanks to those of you who have been stopping by the blog over these past 12(!) years. Recently my blogging (and especially reviewing) has been a bit more limited than usual. I'm hoping to get my groove back after the New Year. 

Reading Update: In the last three weeks I finished fifteen middle grade, and five adult titles. Most of the  middle grade were actually early graphic novels that I read aloud to my daughter. I read/listened to: 

• Jennifer L. Holm (ill. Matthew Holm): Babymouse #11: Dragonslayer. Random House Children's Books. Early Graphic Novel. Completed November 29, 2017, read aloud to my daughter.
• Emily Ecton: The Ambrose Deception. Disney-Hyperion. Middle Grade Fiction. Completed November 29, 2017, print ARC. Review to come, closer to publication. 
• Jarrett J. Krosoczka: Lunch Lady and the League of Librarians (Book 2). Random House Children's Books. Early Graphic Novel. Completed November 30, 2017, read aloud to my daughter.
• Jarrett J. Krosoczka: Lunch Lady and the Author Visit Vendetta (Book 3). Random House Children's Books. Early Graphic Novel. Completed December 1, 2017, read aloud to my daughter.
• Jarrett J. Krosoczka: Lunch Lady and the Summer Camp Shakedown (Book 4). Random House Children's Books. Early Graphic Novel. Completed December 3, 2017, read aloud to my daughter.
• Jarrett J. Krosoczka: Lunch Lady and the Bake Sale Bandit (Book 5). Random House Children's Books. Early Graphic Novel. Completed December 4, 2017, read aloud to my daughter.
• Jarrett J. Krosoczka: Lunch Lady and the Field Trip Fiasco (Book 6). Random House Children's Books. Early Graphic Novel. Completed December 5, 2017, read aloud to my daughter.
• Jarrett J. Krosoczka: Lunch Lady and the Mutant Mathletes (Book 7). Random House Children's Books. Early Graphic Novel. Completed December 5, 2017, read aloud to my daughter.
• Jarrett J. Krosoczka: Lunch Lady and the Schoolwide Scuffle (Book 10). Random House Children's Books. Early Graphic Novel. Completed December 6, 2017, read aloud to my daughter.
• Jennifer L. Holm (ill. Matthew Holm): Babymouse #5: Heartbreaker. Random House Children's Books. Early Graphic Novel. Completed December 8, 2017, read aloud to my daughter. My review.
• Jennifer L. Holm (ill. Matthew Holm): Babymouse #10: The Musical. Random House Children's Books. Early Graphic Novel. Completed December 11, 2017, read aloud to my daughter.
• Jennifer L. Holm (ill. Matthew Holm): Babymouse #9: Monster Mash. Random House Children's Books. Early Graphic Novel. Completed December 12, 2017, read aloud to my daughter.
• Jennifer L. Holm (ill. Matthew Holm): Babymouse #12: Burns Rubber. Random House Children's Books. Early Graphic Novel. Completed December 13, 2017, read aloud to my daughter.
• Jennifer L. Holm (ill. Matthew Holm): Babymouse #9: Puppy Love. Random House Children's Books. Early Graphic Novel. Completed December 14, 2017, read aloud to my daughter.
• Jordan Sonnenblick: The Secret Sheriff of Sixth Grade. Scholastic. Middle Grade Fiction. Completed December 18, 2017. Review to come.
• Carlene O'Connor: Murder in an Irish Village (Book 1). Kensington. Adult Mystery. Completed November 30, 2017, on MP3. This is a new series that I listened to on audio and enjoyed, despite occasionally wanting to shake the protagonist by the shoulders and tell her to wise up. 
• Lee Child: The Midnight Line. Delacorte Press. Adult Thriller. Completed December 7, 2017, on MP3. This I liked much better than Child's last couple of Reacher installments. 
• Chris Knopf: The Last Refuge (Sam Acquillo). Permanent Press. Adult Mystery. Completed December 11, 2017, on Kindle. This one dragged a bit for me, though I did finish it. 
• Carlene O'Connor: Murder at an Irish Wedding (Book 2). Kensington. Adult Mystery. Completed December 12, 2017, on MP3. 
• Janet Evanovich: Hardcore Twenty-Four. G. P. Putnam's Sons. Adult Mystery. Completed December 15, 2017, on MP3. This installment of the Stephanie Plum series had an even less plausible plot than usual (involving zombies), but still a fun listen. 

I'm currently listening to Blood Hollow (Cork O'Connor series, book 4) by William Kent Krueger. I also have a stack of new children's and YA books on my nightstand, and haven't decided which of those to read next.

After a period where my daughter and I read nothing together but Lunch Lady and Babymouse books during her breakfasts, I've just started reading her The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis. I'm happy that she is engaged in it, despite the relative dearth of illustrations. This is interesting for me, too, because it's been decades since I read it. And yes, I'm going by the original book order, starting with this one. One thing that contributed to her interest in reading the book, I should note, was that it's mentioned in one of the Babymouse books. This makes it cool, I think. 

For her own reading, she is continuing to work her way through the Dork Diaries books. Yesterday we borrowed Dork Diaries 8 from her friend, and she stayed up late reading until she had finished (it's almost vacation, right?). 

Thanks for reading, and for growing bookworms. Wishing you all a joyful Christmas, or whatever holidays you celebrate, and a book-filled New Year. 

© 2017 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved. You can also follow me @JensBookPage or at my Growing Bookworms page on Facebook.