Welcome to Litsy!

Thank you for the tag @Cupcake12 and apologies for the delay.
1. Planning to catch up on blog posts.
2. Horror and erotica.
3. The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

Finished this yesterday and really enjoyed it. It was a little predictable and some of it felt repetitive, but this is such an important book, and I am so thankful that I‘m able to offer it to students in my 8th grade classes. This will be 1 of 7 books dealing with issues of justice and varying perspectives that my English dept is using for a new book club unit. Making my way through the rest of the books this week before we start mid-Feb.

When a book makes ypu tear up in your car on the way to work, you know it is a good one. This book felt like a squeeze to the heart and a big hug all in one. It was sweet, diverse, sad at times, and fun at times. Lily and Dunkin felt, to me, like great representations of a transcender child and a child with mental illness in the form of bipolar disorder.

#DiverseMiddleGrade #Booked2019

When Dunkin sees a #beautifulstranger in the form of a blond girl, in a red dress, with eyes as blue as forest lakes, he becomes instantly interested in learning more about her. But the next time he meets the girl, she is wearing boy‘s clothes and says her name is Tim. Which is the name Lily was given at birth, but not the name of her real self.

And so begins the story of Lily and Dunkin, which is shaping up to be just wonderful ❤️

#MOvember

I did a quick search for diverse middle grade novels for the #booked2019 summer prompt and this came up. It‘s a book I had in my stack and I decided to give it a try. This book tackles so many issues - mental health, transgender identity, suicide, etc. This is the type of book that we need to be read to raise awareness and break boundaries. Excellent writing and storyline. 5 stars from me.

🍩☕️🏀🌳💄👗👫
Dear Lily and Dunkin,

Don‘t let anybody try and #FixYou. You‘re both wonderful the way you are. Anyone who can look past stigmas associated with “gender identity” and “mental health issues” can see that. A person shouldn‘t be measured just based on looks, or diagnoses on a piece of paper. A person is so much more than that. 💞

#JulyColdplay

I‘m so glad I read this MG novel of two friends: Lily (born Timothy) just trying to live her truth among bullies all around, and Dunkin who is navigating life in a new town and bipolar disorder.

My heart is ugly crying right now. 😭❤️

This was a super sweet, cute, emotional book. It totally reads as a middle grade/YA book but it does a wonderful job of addressing some serious topics. I fell in love with Lily and Dunkin and their families, as well as Dare.

Already recommended it as a wonderful choice for a book about diversity and friendship! Do yourself a favor and spend a weekend reading this. 😊

#CurrentlyReading

My April reads have been a little all over the map 🤪

~Planning on finishing Pillow Thoughts tonight so I can crack open another book!

When you can‘t have 🍩s, you settle for 🍪s.

#LitsyAtoZ

This book was a good read. I really enjoyed it. Lily and Dunkin is a story about two peoples lives. Lily is a boy but wants to be a girl and Dunkin has a secret he doesnt want to share. When they run into eachother their lives change... I rate this book a 8/10

This ended up being a hardcore read, between the lives of two 13 year old kids, one a trans girl and the other a boy dealing with bipolar. And it was decent portrayal of both, even if Dunkin does go hero complex a bit and Vasquez never really gets his returns but...otherwise really good

So glad Lily and Dunkin came into my life! Lily, transgender, trying to be her true self going into 8th grade; Dunkin, trying to find his place in a new town, living with bipolar disorder.

The author gets middle school — Lily and Dunkin are struggling while assuming the other has it all together.

The last part of the book tore out my heart then mended it beautifully.

all middle schoolers read this!

#2018mglgbtq #huggable #lgbtq #caudill2019

My librarian asked me to read this book to help determine whether we should keep it on our shelves (Davis County, Utah can be pretty conservative). Absolutely we should keep this on the shelf. Knowing that my state ranks highest in teen suicides, I think it‘s important that ALL students are reflected in what they read, and that they know they are loved. This was a cute story about being true to yourself.
#IReadYA #ReadDiverse #TeachersofLitsy

We‘ve spent the weekend at Lake Arrowhead in the San Bernardino National Forest, and today was the first decently warm day where I could lay in the hammock and read! So while the rest of the fam is kayaking at the lake, I am in my happy place. #ReadingWeekend #IReadYA #LakeLife

The dedication page and I‘m already tearing up. I had a student who witnessed his brother commit suicide this week, so this is hitting particularly close to home today. I have no words for how completely useless I sometimes feel when faced with the battles my students fight every day.

“You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson

Norbert, aka Dunkin, has a past filled with more bad experiences than you would expect for an 8th grader. Will he be able to turn his #sorrowintotreasuredgold by befriending Lily? #AdelesMayMashUp @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

It all started with a #Hello between the pretty blond with a red dress, and the tall boy with a mop of brown curls waving a Dunkin Donuts bag. Will they make a friendship work, or will one end up on the other side? I started this one at work last night and I'm really enjoying it so far. #AdelesMayMashUp @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

"Don't do what you think will make them happy. Do what will make you happy. It's not that complicated, McGrother."

I liked parts of it. I liked the heavy topics involved. It wasn't my favorite, I skimmed quite a bit of it at the end. I'm sure I would've loved this in highschool or middle school. But it just wasn't my thing.

#CurrentlyReading 💕

This book tackles quite a lot of heavy material for the two main characters. As a 30-something, Cisgender Woman I have to admit that I don‘t see the negatives in the storylines that some of the reviewers point out. I feel for all the characters; the children, the parents, and even the bullies. I thought back on my young self when I had a transgender classmate and how I thought of them. Being a young adolescent is the worst. I cried.

Now reading

NOPE. Lily's transition centers cis feelings, and the author doesn't differentiate between gender expression and gender identity. Once Lily confides in Dunkin, his narrative (not dialogue, yet) should have changed. But he didn't refer to her as Lily until the END, when she shows up at the school dance in a dress, wearing makeup. This reinforces the harmful idea that you have to look a certain way before others will see you as "really truly trans."

This MG novel about two brave kids - one transgender (Lily/Tim) and one bipolar (Dunkin/Norbert) - is tender, big-hearted, and well-written.

I love that kids who are struggling with their own identities might be able to recognize themselves in these characters, and that kids outside of this experience might gain some insight & understanding.

"I need an iced coffee and a doughnut before I pass out. Caffeine and sugar. Breakfast of champions. Maybe two doughnuts and a really large iced coffee. Maybe two iced coffees."

...Is it bad that I suddenly feel connected with this middle-school character on a spiritual level?
#treatyoself

"I wish the world were made of dogs."

I have tears running down my face and I want to gift this book to everyone I know.

"Why can't they put a neutral color hat on the baby and wait to see what happens?"

First of all, a book with high schoolers who knit? Yes, please!
Second, why is this such a scary concept to so many people?!? The whole pink/blue thing drives me nuts...

I think Gephart really nails the middle school experience - each so hopelessly insecure while thinking the other has the confidence and ease they're lacking...

My book cover collage is starting to wrap around the pillar! Here's a few titles I read recently...

I wasn't thinking when I wore ENTER TITLE HERE, but the next time I borrowed a book from my niece who had borrowed it from her school library, I realized I didn't know who else might have been wearing it, so decided to...not. #bookhats #booksandcats

I wish this was required reading in schools. #thankfullyreading

Important story about a transgender youth and a friendship built with another youth suffering from severe loss and mental trauma. Powerful and much needed diversity... wish the story had been a bit better crafted, and the writing as well.

#somethingforsept It's September Wrap up with a Three way tie between Lily and Duncan, The Ocean at the End of the Lane, and The Melancholy Death of Oyster boy. They are all so special and awesome in their own ways. ✨💗✨

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I'm not a crier but this one got me. Reading this makes me feel more empathetic and I genuinely believe this book will do some good in the world. I will be recommending it to as many people as possible💘🌎

My little reading buddy seems to have found a cozy place for napping😾💤

This book has a nuanced plot that deals with issues not normally found in middle school fiction. Lily is a transgendered eighth grader and Duncan has bipolar disorder. Their lives are conveyed in a realistic, touching, heartbreaking way. This book should be read by most students so that they understand the struggles some of their peers face.