Welcome to Litsy!

I have no idea why I put this on hold because I‘m not much of a middle grade reader but this came in for me at the library and it sucked me in!

What a beautiful way to tell a story, the stream of consciousness approach worked so well. The lighter moments & poop stories helped break up the heavier aspects, which were told so well.

4 ⭐️s
a stream-of-conscious narrative of a middle school immigrant from Iran living in Oklahoma. heartbreaking and raw, but also funny and gross and wholesome and mournful. this story will stay with me for a long time.

Loved this. Such a heartfelt and personal depiction of what it's like to be new, different, displaced. It felt real, though I don't know that works. It was humanizing and unconventional

Nonfiction #readingbracket2023 update
This was an easier decision this month

I started this for #MiddleGradeMarch but I couldn't get into it. The writing style was a bit stream of consciousness. Something told me the audio would be better and I was correct! Once my library hold came in, I listened to this so quickly. Such an immersive, engaging story of a young refugee from Iran. He shares his experience of bringing his culture into unsympathetic US life, while mixing in Persian myths and family legends

This middle grades text is a great way to explain an immigrant story. Some cute, and thought provoking questions for young ones. There is a whole chapter on poop, so while I did not find it funny, I am sure young readers will.

Everything Sad Is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri was published in 2020 and is Domestic Fiction. This book won the Michael Printz award and is about the two lives that Daniel lived in just 11 years. His life in Iran, where his family was wealthy, and went hunting. Then his life now, in Oklahoma, where he must learn to survive the bus ride, where his mother must learn to survive her new husband, and where his memories of his first life are slipping away.

I never go more than a few days without thinking of this lovely book. The cover perfect depicts the contents: swirling stories of Nayeri‘s experiences as a sudden refugee from Iran, Persian folktales, and middle school poop observations. Nothing else like it.

Interesting and quirky book from the author about his childhood experiences leaving Iran for Oklahoma. There were many layers to the book—I enjoyed them all. It was eye opening to read his experience and how he was treated. He was so confident and yet so unsure at the same time. Really enjoyable and recommended.

This one deserves all the praise and awards. A treasure of a book, and for everyone. ❤

Another exciting day. The return of the book sale enables a return of my old “feature.” Breakfast in a Book Fort: the “what have I done??” edition - starring the book I‘m actually reading, the very pretty-covered Everything Sad is Untrue, just to prove that I do actually read books on occasion, too. 📚😜

Text: Suddenly evil isn't punching people or even hating them. It's all the stuff you've left undone. All the kindness you could have given. All the excuses you gave instead.
This book had several passages like this, that struck at the heart of something so beautifully. Somewhere between memoir and historical fiction, a fascinating look at a boy trying to piece together what his family history means when they have been displaced from it.

Deserving of every bit of praise and Printz Award and more, this is the soulful, hilarious, and heartbreaking (true story) of Khosrou “Daniel” Nayeri, who fled his native Iran as a refugee and had to navigate middle school in 1990s era, Jared and Jennifer-filled Edmond, Oklahoma. The author narrates the audiobook and his voice is full of so much warmth, humor, and tenderness. True, wise, funny, real, beautiful, and important—don‘t miss this one.

This book is well deserving of its Printz award. It's beautifully written but also rife with comedic touches that makd the story's juvenile narrator feel all that more real. It's also a great book to recommend for those looking for immigrant and refugee narratives. I also highly recommend listening to the audiobook which is read by the author.

Highlights from my February reading are on my blog: https://lindypratch.blogspot.com/2021/02/february-reading-round-up-2021.html

Loved this middle grade/YA memoir of an Iranian refugee boy. Daniel tells his story from the point of view of when he was 8. He wrote it when he was in his 30s. Highly recommend.

At church potlucks they play a secret game of dumping random cans of food into casserole dishes and pretending their grandmothers gave them the recipe. Jello is their favourite. Campbells mushroom jello goes on everything. So does velveeta, which is cheese jello that only sort of hardens.

A warm, funny and poignant autobiographical novel about the author‘s experiences as an Iranian refugee in middle school in Oklahoma. He tells this as a class project in the style of 1001 Nights, incorporating ancient lore with family history and stories about poop. The #audiobook read by the author is a great choice for family listening.

All Persians are liars and lying is a sin.
That's what the kids in Mrs. Miller's class think, but I'm the only Persian they've ever met, so I don't know where they got that idea.
My mom says it's true, but only because everyone has sinned and needs God to save them. My dad says it isn't. Persians aren't liars. They're poets, which is worse.

I keep darning these favourite socks. #audiocrafting

Here is a list of the foods from Iran that they have never heard of here: all of it. All the food. Jared Rhodes didn‘t even know what a date was.

(Internet photo)

The shame of refugees is that we always have to explain ourselves. It makes our stories patchworks, not beautiful rugs.

(Internet photo)

This is the winner of the Printz award!! (Best YA book of 2020).

So I got lucky and @HarperCollins sent me some galleys from their new imprint Levine Queriso. It seems to focus #uniquestories some #ownvoices some #booksintranslation. The tagged book has shown up in #coverlove so I‘m excited to have a copy and Blue wings looks interesting. Plus I love how they formatted these galley cover. The black design rather than the standard white. Can‘t wait to read them. Check out their catalog because the PB look fun.

I don't know what to think about this, just that I like it.

Out August 25
#CoverLove #MGedition