When the Sea Turned to Silver | 
This middle grade trilogy by Grace Lin is a #fantasy adventure inspired by Chinese folklore. The writing is lovely, the stories are layered with good themes and surprisingly pack an emotional weight, and interspersed with beautiful illustrations. I still remember welling of tears in my eyes when I read the first book. Recommended for age 9 and up.
#fallfinds
“When the sea turned to silver and the cold chilled the light of the sun, Pinmei knew the Black Tortoise of Winter had arrived with his usual calmness.” #firstlinefridays @ShyBookOwl
My 10-year-old was given these two books as a Christmas gift, and I think I might want to read them, too. Are those covers gorgeous or what?! 🥰
#middlegrade #middlegradefiction #diversebooks #ownvoices
My son just yelled at me when I tried to get him to leave a book in his room, so I think it‘s safe to say he‘s mine.
#mydearwatson #librariesaredangerous #toddlersoflitsy
“The woman wiped her tear and closed her eyes as if she could not bear to see the land around her.”
The use of maroon colored in was interesting to me and really grabbed my attention. The color scheme used in this book are eye catching and unique, adding character to the story.
pickPinmei loved her grandmother and the stories she would share with her. One night the emperor's soldiers kidnapped her which led Pinmei to her journey of rescuing her beloved grandmother and personal story teller. She uses a white horse which transforms into a bird, which adds to the element of fantasy and magic in the story.
“She looked directly at Pinmei, and the love and longing Pinmei has carried for so long melted in her like a piece of Ice in warm tea.”
Story about the importance of imagination and storytelling. Also shows friendship and how to overcome obstacles.
pickModern fantasy, 2016. Pictures are colorful and very detailed. Story about Pinmei story telling grandmother who gets captured. Leads to an adventure of her rescue to save her grandmother. Goes with her friend Yishan who faces the obstacles with her.
pickFinally finished reading this out loud to the kids at bedtime. Beautiful kids book about the power of stories. It is based on Chinese folklore and has stories within stories. Kids loved it.
The cats approved and let me open the #BookOutlet box. So many pretties. 😍😍😍
pickEnchanting read that was an action filled page turner with a ton of heart to boot. Read this with my daughter - then she went on and finished it without me. I‘ve ordered the first two. This was amazing...!
pickThis is a beautiful and enchanting book. I think it would work especially well as a read aloud chapter book with children.
pickA charming middle grade fantasy that weaves in elements of Chinese folktale. Even for someone who is familiar with most of the stories, Lin‘s retelling was refreshing and enchanting.
pickPinmei‘s grandmother is a celebrated storyteller. When the emperor hears of her he thinks she may be able to find the luminous stone for him, and kidnaps her.
Pinmei and her friend Yishan are determined to find her grandmother and set out on an epic adventure.
While I loved this story, I saw a review about a problematic element I hadn‘t considered before- disfigurement as punishment and magical healing.
#crossculturalstories 28/100 read
Well, shit. I gave myself a concussion at work today by hitting my head on a bookshelf 😣🙄😒
After an Urgent Care visit and Worker‘s Comp paperwork I‘m limited to audiobooks for the rest of the day. See you tomorrow Littens.
Gorgeous art, exciting writing, and stories within the story. A very enjoyable read.
pickAn evil emperor with a secret past, a grandmother/storyteller who also has secrets, a granddaughter with more within her than she guesses, a friend who can't always remember his past, horses that are really dragons, gods walking among mortals, and beautiful stories within beautiful stories. Highly recommended.
Kids read in the first week of February (grade 6 and 3)
pickA drawback to taking turns which parent reads to each child is I didn't get to read all of it before returning it to the library but the half that I did read was wonderful. I love Chinese folktales and stories within stories and quietly brave heroines who use their wits and heart. My 8 year old loved it as much as The Wild Robot if not a little more which is high praise.
Next up for reading aloud to my 7 year old. School librarian recommended it and said it is loosely based on Chinese myths.
pickAnother engrossing tale that skillfully weaves folklore into the plot. The story and illustrations were as wonderful as I've come to expect from Lin. Plus I had a lovely dream where I was a mermaid princess after reading this book, so I'm grateful for that 😉
I spend most of my time either reading or writing. Sometimes I worry I spend entirely too much time inside my head.
pickI was excited when I heard this book was coming out. Excellent read. Not really a sequel to Where the Mountain Meets the Moon and Starry River of the Sky but connects the two stories.
Got to meet the awesome Grace Lin a few days ago, for her new, freshly nominated book When the Sea Turned to Silver. Always great to have more kid books out revelling in non-white, non-Western perspectives. Also she liked the sign I made.
pickA rich tapestry of Chinese tales wrapped up in a magical adventure story. Grace Lin's trilogy (this is the third but they can be read in any order, I think) is a treasure.
I got to sit down with my Kindergartener tonight and pick out books for her first Scholastic order at school! (I love knowing a group of people who will understand my excitement about this.) I was thrilled to see We Need Diverse Books listed as one of the categories. Also, while my kiddo isn't there yet, they have comics like Ms. Marvel & Moon Girl and the Devil Dinosaur. #weneeddiversebooks #comics #teacherlife
I love Grace Lin and am making a collection of her work for my daughter once she learns to read. This book was nominated for the National Book Award. Beautifully illustrated and great book for kids (8-12 years old). Loving the weaving in of traditional stories
This series is so beautiful. I can't wait to read this one. And it's on the long list for the National Book Awards for Young People's Literature. Even better, it's a diverse list of contenders. #diverseathon
The National Book Awards Longlist: Young People‘s Literature http://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/the-national-book-awards-longlist-you...
This series is so beautiful. I can't wait to read this one. And it's on the long list for the National Book Awards for Young People's Literature. Even better, it's a diverse list of contenders. #diverseathon
The National Book Awards Longlist: Young People‘s Literature http://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/the-national-book-awards-longlist-you...
