TBTB Secret Santa 2015!!!

Today is Wacky Wednesday at Bookmarks and Coffee Mugs, which means that I get to share something with y'all that's outside the norm!

It's not a secret that I'm crazy about Christmas! One of my favorite holiday activities is doing Secret Santa gift exchanges with my friends and family. For me, it's the thrill of the hunt - looking for just the right gift for your person. Love it. 

This year, I signed up to participate in a Secret Santa hosted by one of my absolute favorite blogs, The Broke and the Bookish! Seriously, guys. Go check them out, they are beyond awesome at what they do! All I had to do was give them my info and a wish list of the books that I might like to receive. I also got to tell them a little about myself and my interests. Then they did the work, matching me up with a SS and then also giving me an opportunity to play SS for someone else! 

I received the most thoughtful package from my Secret Santa, Gina! She went above and beyond anything that I could have ever imagined. She included handmade items, and personalized them just for me! I was blown away. It felt like I had gotten a present from my best friend, even though she and I have never met!

I also had a blast playing Secret Santa for Allison. Go check out her blog! She loves to do calligraphy and bake, so I looked for little things like notebooks, pens, cupcake liners, and mini cookie cutters for her gift. I also got to pick out which books from her wish list to send. I went with At the Water's Edge by Sarah Gruen and Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher. 

Perhaps the best part about the whole experience was getting to meet two lovely ladies with whom I have a lot in common, and I'm so happy to be able to call them my new friends! If you're looking to meet new people and want to spread some smiles next Christmas, I highly recommend signing up!

Top Ten Tuesday - My Favorite Books of 2015

Hello Everyone,

2015 is soon drawing to a close! It was a great year filled with fun memories with my favorite people. It was also a year filled with great books! My goal was to read 30 books in 2015, and I ended being 8 short of reaching that goal. Of those 22 books, there are 10 that really stand out in my mind. So to wrap up the year, these are my Top Ten Favorite Books of 2015!

1. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
2. Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
3. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
4. Hollow City by Ransom Riggs
5. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher 
6. China Dolls by Lisa See
7. The Romanov Sisters: The Lost Lives of the Daughters of Nicholas and Alexandra by Helen Rappaport 
8. Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan
9. I am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban by Malala Yousafzi
10. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

What was your favorite book of 2015? Comment below!

Happy New Year :)

Hannah Reviews: "The Hidden Girl: A True Story of the Holocaust" by Lola Rein Kaufman and Lois Metzger

Title: The Hidden Girl: A True Story of the Holocaust

Author: Lola Rein Kaufman and Lois Metzger

Published: 2008

Genre: YA Literature, Nonfiction

Hey y'all. I'm bringing Hannah back with a long overdue review that she has so graciously put together for your reading pleasure.

Prepare yourselves. I am about to say something incredibly controversial. I, Hannah, have never been a fan of The Diary of Anne Frank. This is not to say I do not like Anne Frank her self or that I am a heartless human being, I simply do not think that it is the best book to use to teach children about the Holocaust. The first time I read The Diary of Anne Frank I was probably about 12 and I remember thinking how mad I would have been if my Dad had decided to publish my diary. It seems to be mostly about a girl coming of age than about the Holocaust. I think that if I used it in my classroom one day, I would only use parts of the book that are related to the time of history in which she lived. 

At this point you may be wondering why I am talking so much about a book I am not even reviewing. That's a great question. It is because since reading The Diary of Anne Frank I have been trying to find a book that would be more suitable for the classroom. I believe that The Hidden Girl: A True Story of the Holocaust may be the one. This book was written by Lola Rein Kaufman with the help of Lois Metzger. Lola Rein Kaufman was only six years old, the German army invaded her hometown in Poland. Within a very short amount of time, some of her family members die and she goes into hiding on her own. For a while she is able to stay with a family who claims her as their distant relative, but as time goes on some of those in the family get too nervous, and they send her to hide at the farm of someone they know. You would think that she would be able to run and play on a secluded farm, but because of the fear of someone finding out Jews were there, she was forced to live in a hole in their barn floor for nine months. If this were not incredible enough, the hole is six-and-a-half feet by six-and-a-half feet and is barely tall enough for her tiny body to sit up in. Additionally, she shares the hole with two adults and another little girl. In this grave-like compartment she sits until she is told that the Germans have left and she leaves the hole for the first time in nine months.

Not only is this an amazing account of Lola in hiding, it also is about the struggles she faced after the war: a part of the suffering we do not always consider. Throughout the time she spent in hiding, Lola wore a dress on which her mother had embroidered a colorful design. This dress she would save throughout her life would end up in the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C. 

This story is enlightening. Before reading this book, I had heard that some people had to hide in very small places during World War II, but this story helped me realize how terrifying the circumstances really were. I would say that, depending on the maturity level of the child this story could be read by a student in 5th-8th grade. The story itself is only 98 pages long, but there are several pages of suggested resources in the back of the book. This book has many Social Studies and History connections, and as a teacher, I have found that there are YouTube videos in which Lola Rein Kaufman addresses her experiences, so the students can put her face with her story. I would highly recommend this book to all students and teachers who would like to learn more about the experiences of children in hiding during the Holocaust.

Hannah says:

Know of any other good Holocaust stories either for the classroom setting or just pleasure reading? Comment below!

"The Midnight Visitors" by Juliet David

Title: The Midnight Visitors
Author: Juliet David, Illustrated by Jo Parry
Published: September 2, 2015
Genre: Children's Literature

Confession time: I am a Christmas fanatic! I love preparing for this special season by decorating my dorm room, shopping for presents for my loved ones, and setting my sights on the coming Christ Child with my daily Advent devotions and midweek church services. 

I'm kicking off the the holiday season here at Bookmarks and Coffee Mugs with a review of Juliet David's new children's book The Midnight Visitors. 

The story follows Miriam the cow as she settles into her her cozy barn for the night. However, she is unable to fall asleep because visitors keep knocking at the door, asking to be let in. First comes a happy family of rabbits and then a lone fox named Freddy. Once they've drifted off to sleep, they are wakened once more by the innkeeper as he escorts a young couple to the barn. Miriam notices right away that the lady is going to have a baby! Once more, the animals fall asleep, and when they wake up again, there's a beautiful baby boy lying in Miriam's manger! Soon shepherds arrive at the stable after hearing about a special child from an angel and kneel before the baby. Miriam knows that this baby is special and she says that she'll never forget that special night before drifting off to sleep for good.

On the surface one assumes that this is going to be a cute retelling of the nativity story from Luke 2. And it is. Still, there are some serious issues about this particular children's book that I can't seem to get over. First, while the illustrations are lovely, the cover image is misleading. I though that the fox was going to be the main character. He's not. Instead it's Miriam the cow who doesn't appear anywhere on the cover. Second, in the scene where Freddy arrives at the stable, Miriam agrees to only let him in if there is absolutely no hunting in the barn. Remember, at this time the rabbit family is already inside. I'm all for kids understanding the predator/prey relationships that exist in the animal kingdom, but I don't want to find it in a children's book about the birth of Jesus. Third, there are places within the text where the vocabulary is beyond what a child of 4, 5, or 6 can understand. For example, the word "bedraggled" is used to describe the donkey on which Mary and Joseph arrive. Miriam also says "What a cheek" in response to a comment made by the innkeeper. No child is going to get that.

The book does have a few redeeming qualities in the charming illustrations and the fact that the second half focuses more on the arrival of baby Jesus and the visiting shepherds rather then the animals who just want to get some shut-eye. But with the three points mentioned above in mind, I have to give this one 2/5 coffee beans.

Kaylee says:

I want to know what your favorite Holiday children's book is! Share it with me in the comments below! One of mine is The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg!