Book: Lily & Dunkin

Lily & Dunkin
by Donna Gephart

Length: 352

Format: eBook
Price: Free -downloaded from Overdrive

How I heard about it: it's on the book list I made from my YAL conference

Basic Premise: Two outcast middle schoolers find that, amidst their struggles, joy can be found in friendships if they will take time to look closely.

My Take: 7 out of 10 (scale here)

This book was recommended at my young adult literature conference. I would definitely categorize as elementary it in terms of readability and style. However, it deals with a very controversial issue, which may be better suited for older readers. Ordinarily, I wouldn't have chosen a book like this, but I had a student this year going through some of these issues, and as I believe that reading is one of the best conductors of empathy and understanding, I checked it out on Overdrive and started it on the flight.

Like many middle schoolers, the two main characters have social issues that isolate them from their peers. Dunkin is bipolar and hallucinates. His father is out of the picture, but the reason for this is unclear until the end of the story. Tim was born a boy but is a girl in his heart and has renamed himself Lily. His mother and sister are supportive, but his father doesn't understand and the kids at school have begun to target him. The friendship that develops between the two is unlikely and painfully awkward at times, but the ending is quite heartwarming.

I think the author handled this delicate topic quite well. I was particularly interested to read the note to the reader following the conclusion of the story. In it, she discusses her own personal struggles with her son's bipolar disorder and her interest in a transgender girl she encountered when she was young.

1. Scythe by Neal Schusterman
2. Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson
3. Seeds of America Trilogy by Laurie Halse Anderson
4. Front Lines by Michael Grant
5. Steeplejack by AJ Hartley
6. The Girl I Used to Be by April Henry
7. Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige ABANDONED (reason here)
8. The Girl from Everywhere by Heidi Heilig
9. The Reader by Traci Chee
10. Nine, Ten: A September 11 Story by Nora Raleigh Baskin
11. Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
12. Kill the Boy Band by Goldy Moldavski (review here)
13. The Distance to Home by Jenn Bishop
14. The Best Man by Richard Peck
15. Lily and Dunkin by Donna Gephart
16. Ghost by Jason Reynolds
17. This Is Where it Ends by Marieke Nijkamp
18. The Bitter Side of Sweet by Tara Sullivan
19. The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon

20. The Serpent King by Jeff Zetner

The Magician's Nephew

My earliest memory of being read to is being curled up on my parents' bed in our house in Montera. My dad was reading the beginning of The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe to me, and I remember being mesmerized by the concept of a fawn. Half goat, half human? How was that possible? (Of course, I was to learn later on that it is not.) The excitement and wonder of that moment was enough to not only stick with me (I couldn't have been more than four at the time), but it sparked a lifelong interest in stories.

As I grew older, the Chronicles of Narnia became favorites of mine, not just because they were great books, and not just because of the sentimentality that tied them to both my father and my childhood. I loved the writing style. CS Lewis had a way of storytelling unique and unmatched by any of his contemporaries. He also seemed to understand children better than perhaps most authors. As if all of this weren't enough, his stories, though often incorrectly labeled "allegories" are, in fact, "suppositions." This means that, instead of directly representing a story already familiar to our culture, he wrote a story "supposing" that there was a world like Narnia, and there was an evil that had snuck in (the devil), and the land needed to be redeemed. If that were the case, let's suppose that God sent his Son in the form of a Lion...

As Brother took off with chapter books this school year, I decided it was time to introduce him to these favorite books of mine. He's watched the animated movie with which I grew up, but he was completely unfamiliar with The Magician's Nephew, which is the first chronological book in the series and possibly my very favorite. I gathered both kids on the couch this morning after breakfast, and we read chapter 1. Brother begged me to keep going. Sister wasn't quite as interested, so she went to play with dolls. But we kept going, and went all the way to chapter 4 before we had to run some errands. I have the audiobook upstairs, so I asked brother if you like to listen as we drove. He said "Ooo yes, please!" so we listened and listened. By the time we got home, we were on chapter 7… halfway through! "Mom, can we please keep reading?"

As you can imagine, my mommy/teacher heart was exploding. Thankfully, we didn't have any big plans today other than a few things around the house and some errands, but even if we had, it's likely that I would've canceled them to stay curled up on the couch with my boy reading one of my very favorite stories of all time.

As it was, we finished this evening, and Brother immediately pronounced "Let's start the next one! I'll go get it." It was getting late by now, so I told him I would read the first chapter and he could take the book to bed with him if he would like to continue to read. I have no idea how far he got, but I have a feeling we will be reading the entire series in the coming weeks (days?).

I had always hoped my children would be readers. I had also look forward to introducing them to my very favorite stories. We called Pepa (my dad) and told him how we read an entire book in one day and how awesome it was.  It was an exciting thing to share with a third-generation! 

It's hard to put into words what today meant to me. ❤

Book: Dorothy Must Die

Dorothy Must Die
by Danielle Paige

Length: 480

Format: Paperback
Price: I can't remember...I ordered it off Amazon several months ago

How I heard about it: it's on the book list I made from my YAL conference

Basic Premise: The story of Dorothy Gale from Kansas as we know it is a complete sham. Dorothy is the witch, and she must be stopped, or Oz will be ruined forever.

My Take:

I normally don't review books I abandon. It doesn't seem fair, as if I didn't give a book a fair shake. And perhaps I didn't. But I stuck with my 10% rule (I actually think I read more like 20%), and I just couldn't stick with it. Here are a few reasons why.

#1 - I wasn't a fan of the protagonist. The things that happened to her in the story are pretty outrageous, and rather than reacting with shock and consternation, like a normal person would, she seemed to accept strange turns of events with little concern. That made the story pretty unbelievable and made her an unreliable narrator. Now granted, I'm dealing with fantasy, so maybe I'm being too harsh here, but the things that should be unbelievable in a fantasy should be things like mythical creatures and magic, not personality traits.

#2 - I probably could've recovered from the protagonist thing, but what I couldn't do was deal with the writing style. It was sloppy and uneven, and it makes for confusing reading. And I find this particularly frustrating because I think this is a brilliant concept! Dorothy as the bad guy? The witch was in the right all along? Who wouldn't want to be about that? Stories like this in the hands of writers like this make me scratch my head. (I feel compelled to note here that I also felt this way about the Twilight books. They are some of the best selling books of ever. This book, also, is a relatively well selling book. So it appears that few folks agree with me. But there you have it.)

1. Scythe by Neal Schusterman
2. Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson
3. Seeds of America Trilogy by Laurie Halse Anderson
4. Front Lines by Michael Grant
5. Steeplejack by AJ Hartley
6. The Girl I Used to Be by April Henry
7. Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige ABANDONED
8. The Girl from Everywhere by Heidi Heilig
9. The Reader by Traci Chee
10. Nine, Ten: A September 11 Story by Nora Raleigh Baskin
11. Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
12. Kill the Boy Band by Goldy Moldavski review here
13. The Distance to Home by Jenn Bishop
14. The Best Man by Richard Peck
15. Lily and Dunkin by Donna Gephart
16. Ghost by Jason Reynolds
17. This Is Where it Ends by Marieke Nijkamp
18. The Bitter Side of Sweet by Tara Sullivan
19. The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon

20. The Serpent King by Jeff Zetner

Days 13-14: Going Home

Previous posts:
Getting There
Welcome to Singapore
Singapore City 
Telunas

Paradise

Marina Bay Sands

On the morning of our departure, we headed out early to catch the sunrise over the city. We actually beat it up, so we got to see the lights and watch the city wake.

 

 

 

We shared breakfast:

 

And after a few hours, began the bittersweet process of preparing to leave this place. Bitter because we had loved every second of the journey, and sweet because by now we were DYING to get home to our babies.

We took a taxi to the airport to catch our 1 PM flight to Taipei. It was uneventful, but I did begin my 5th book of the trip, so that's cool. We arrived in Taipei four hours later, FaceTimed with the kids while we had wireless, and boarded the 13 hour flight back to the states. We were pretty cramped, but THANK GOD Husband's video wasn't working, so she moved us to the back where we could spread out a bit and I got a window seat! SCORE! I stayed up for as long as I could make myself (almost 11 PM Singapore time, guys) and slept fitfully until about 4 AM. We landed in LA at 3:45 PM local time. We FaceTimeed the kids again, who were finishing a movie with grandparents and then heading to bed, and told them we would see them in the morning! We boarded our flight to Dallas at midnight, and because of the time change, we arrived at 6 AM in Dallas. A quick breakfast at Starbucks and we boarded our plane home at 7:30. I was hugging my children at 9:40. It was glorious!

Days 10-12: Marina Bay

Previous posts:
Getting There
Welcome to Singapore
Singapore City 
Telunas

Paradise

Because we stayed with family the entire trip, Husband suggested we splurge for the last two days of our trip and stay at this place:

 

The Marina Bay Sands Hotel. It was INSANE!

We got back from Telunas around noon and were able to check in early. CHECK THIS OUT:

 

 

 

And the view out those windows??

 Whaaaaaaaaat?

But most spectacular of all was that pool.

 

We spent the afternoon up there before meeting Aunt and Uncle for dinner. We wanted to take them out as a thank-you, and they chose Din Tai Fung. I am so glad they did because it tied with prata for my favorite food!

The dumplings were AMAZING!

 

We then went outside to watch the light show:

 

And ended the evening with some frozen yogurt.

 

These two people are so incredible. I have always thought this, but spending time with them in a trip like this brought it to light like nothing else could. What a special experience this has been!

Our last full day began with sleeping in and then walking to the Gardens by the Bay. They were BEAUTIFUL!

 

  

 

 

I then summoned all my courage and mounted this, the Singapore Flyer:

 

Whaaaaaat? It was both terrifying and awesome.

 

And that's us, eye-level with the hotel. 

We returned to the bay mall for lunch. I talked Husband into Din Tai Fung again because ohmygoshthosedumplings.

And, predictably, we spend the afternooon at the pool. Because, well, why wouldn't you??

 

For our last evening in Singapore, my wonderful and romantic husband suggested a dress-up date. I did my hair and my make up (for maybe the third time the whole trip) and wore a fancy dress. He wore slacks and a collared-shirt and we made reservations for Italian.

 

 

After dinner, we took a nighttime stroll though the gardens (and check out that view of the hotel!) 

 

 

And headed back, planning to wake early and head up to the pool in time to watch the sunrise before cleaning up and heading home.

Days 7-9: Paradise

Previous posts:
Getting There
Welcome to Singapore
Singapore City 
Telunas

If I had a dollar for every time one of us has said "Wow," or "This is so incredible," or the like, we could probably afford to come back next summer. I mean, it doesn't get better than this. This is our chalet:

 

And this is the view from our balcony:

 

Each morning, we are served our hot beverage of choice (coffee for Husband, tea for me):

 

And a glorious array of breakfast foods. During the day, we have hiked in the jungle, kayaked, and walked along the beach, but mostly we have enjoyed the sun and scenery. One morning we got up, went to breakfast, and then took naps in the hammocks until lunch time.

 

Husband also read a book! Whoohoo! And one night, a guest caught what they thought was a sea snake, but ended up being an eel. They were able to free it and return it to the ocean, but what excitement!

 

Best of all, though, I have gotten to spend some good, quality time with my dear cousin, who has been overseas for the last 14 years. She was still working during our visit, but we were able to snatch some moments talking and praying together. She is one of the people I admire most on the planet.

 

And my favorite night was when they brought out the guitar and we sat in the midst of one of the most beautiful displays of God's creation. Under the stars with our faces to the sea, we praised His Name together, and I was again reminded, as I am every time I leave the US, of the passage in Revelation chapter 7:

I looked again. I saw a huge crowd, too huge to count. Everyone was there—all nations and tribes, all races and languages. And they were standing, dressed in white robes and waving palm branches, standing before the Throne and the Lamb and heartily singing: Salvation to our God on his Throne! Salvation to the Lamb! 

What an incredible way to close out our trip.

 

We hope to come back some day!

Day 6: Telunas

Previous posts:
Getting There
Welcome to Singapore
Singapore City 

OHMYGOODNESS.

That is pretty much the gist of this place. Husband and I keep looking at each other like, "Is this real life?"

 

We arrived in Batam via ferry just before 11. There, we met Jennie, her husband, and a member of their staff.

 

We boarded a longboat (so cool!) and journeyed from Batam south through the Straits of Macala. It was such an adventure! 

 

This is the "southwest wind" season, so the waves were "choppy," which made for fun bounces in the boat on the waves. After perhaps an hour, we arrived.

 

The plan had been to stay at Jennie's house, but upon arrival, Jennie informed us that we had been upgraded to a chalet. 😍🤗

 

Whaaaaaaaaaaaat? You mean we get our own little stilt cottage thing with a private balcony with a hammock and this view?

Yup. Enter freak out mode. Jennie sent us to our rooms to settle in and we probably walked around fist-bumping and OHMYGOODNESSing for like 20 minutes.

After a delicious lunch, Jennie asked if we wanted to go on an "expedition" (my word) to an uninhabited island nearby to evaluate its potential as a campsite. Part of her job involves bringing school groups to the island, and they are always looking for new campsites. Um...that's a big yes, Jen.

We took a longboat to the island, but because it was low tide, we couldn't get up very close. So we jumped in. It was awesome! We spent about an hour and a half hiking the island so Jennie, Paul, and Bella, one of the guides employed by the resort, could determine whether there was enough room for the fire pit, how many hammocks could be hung here, where the bathroom facilities would go, etc. Husband and I were mainly just there to watch them work and enjoy the scenery. Around 5PM, we headed back to the resort, showered, and explored the beach before dinner at 645. We ate this delicious meal:

 

And visited with Paul and Jennie until it was time to turn in. Once we did, we opened the balcony doors and windows and fell asleep to the ocean breeze and the glorious sound of the sea.

Day 3-5: Singapore City

Previous posts:
Getting There
Welcome to Singapore

I didn't sleep so well on our second night, so I was rarring to go when it was time to get up. We decided to head for the Treetop walk, something I read about that was close by. Aunt rode the bus with us and walked us up to the start point. It was beautiful and deserted. A great combination! 

We hiked until we reached the cable car station that goes to Sentosa Island. We boarded the cars (SO MUCH FUN), and headed for Sentosa.

 

Sentosa houses several amusement parks, including Universal Studios and a water park, but they also have an aquarium. We enjoyed mosying through and looking at the wildlife:

We had lunch at a delicious Mexican place. I wasn't sure what to expect from an Asian Mexican food restaurant, but they pretty much nailed it with these fish tacos (I ordered a burrito, which was good, but I had plate envy).

We ended the evening by meeting friends for dinner. This particular boy had been a boy in our youth group, and now he is working with YounngLife in Singapore. We loved connecting with him and his sweet family at scenic Clarke Quay!

 

The next day, Aunt and Uncle introduced me to my new favorite thing...PRATA!

 

It's this delicious Indian bread stuffed with whatever you want (egg and cheese and "hot dog" and cheese, in this case) and dipped in this delicious fish sauce. It was INCREDIBLE. I mean it - one of my favorite foods the whole trip!

 

From there, we took the MRT to Chinatown, where we bought a ton of stuff! I got some bracelets and some cute things for my classroom, and of course we got gifts for the kids.

 

After all that walking and shopping, we were tired, so we hit up the movie theater and saw he new pirates movie.

 

You can't tell from here, but they had SWEET popcorn! It was delish!

Our last full day in Singapore began (at my insistence) the same way as the previous day:

 

More prata!

 

Today was devoted to visiting the Urban Renewal Authority. It's a museum dedicated to the development of the city, past, present, and future. Aunt and Uncle had never been, and we were happy to join them!

It was such a cool place and it's such a neat city! They have a 50-year-plan that is revisited every five years. Amazing.

And, since we were so close, we went back though Chinatown to grab a few more things and get some pics:

 

 

It was so much fun! We then spent some time down by the bay. This is the part of Singapore we'd be staying in after we returned from Telunas, so we didn't do much, other than walk around and get some pictures:

 

This is the famous Merlion, the symbol of Singapore. 

 

And right across from it is the Marina Bay Sands Hotel. Holy Moly!

That's a pool on top of that building, people!

After all this adventure, we were off to get a good night sleep before our trip to Telunas!