Book Shelf

My book club is now reading Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda.  It's a novel about Asha, a baby girl born in India to a poor family, whose mother must sneak her away from the village to take her to an orphanage in Mumbai to spare her life.  Little girls were not valued in Asha's family because a son was needed to work in the fields, and there just wasn't enough money to pay for a dowry for a daughter.

Luckily, Asha is adopted by a childless couple in the US.  Somer is a pediatrician in California, and Krishnan, her Indian husband, is a neurosurgeon.  They raise Asha with love and care, but Asha always yearns to learn the truth about her past.  By the time Asha goes to college, she wins a Watson fellowship to study and travel to India.  This is her first trip back to India to meet her relatives, and she finds many answers there.

I enjoyed reading the book.  Seeing India through Asha's eyes and learning about the culture was enlightening.  I would have loved to delve deeper into the characters within this book.

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Heard about a new book called Goodnight iPad:  a Parody for the Next Generation by Ann Droyd (a.k.a. David Milgrim) on Cool Mom Tech.  It's perfect for the "hopelessly plugged in" people of the world.

This book mimics the classic board book Goodnight Moon by Margart Wise Brown.  In it, a big bunny family uses their iPads, video games, Nooks, HDTVs, BlackBerries, MP3s, Netflix, Facebook, Androids, desktops, MacBook Airs, video clips, emails, and tweets until the "fed-up old woman" puts an end to it and puts all the bunnies to bed. 

At the end of the book, one little bunny is still up in bed reading Goodnight Moon by flashlight.  So cute!

You can read Goodnight iPad for free at www.wegivebooks.org. 

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The school had a book fair last week, and my little one picked out the cutest book.  It's called Press Here by Herve Tullet, initially published in France under the title Un Livre.

The book starts out with a singe yellow dot and asks you to press here.  You turn the page, and another dot appears.  You do it again, and another dot appears.  When you rub the dot, it changes color.  When you tap it five times, it multiplies.  When you shake the book, the dots disperse.  And so on.

I can't tell you how fun this little book is.  The kids love it, and so do I.

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While looking for some ideas for my Book Club, I came across the No-Obligation Book Club at RealSimple.com.  They chose Unbroken for their September book pick.  What a coincidence that I had just read it.

Check out their Reading List if you're looking for suggestions for new books to read or join their Book Club if you're interested in an online Book Club.  What a great idea for those who don't have the time to commit.

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I came across this Book List for Young Gifted Readers (up to age 7) who are ready for long chapter books but are emotionally sensitive. 

Some of them we know well, such as James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Harriet the Spy, B is for Betsy, Pippi Longstocking, Betsy-Tacy, Winnie the Pooh, The Trumpet of the Swan, Charlotte's Web, Stuart Little, and Little House on the Prairie. 

Others are new to us, such as Jenny and the Cat Club, No Flying in the House, Freddy Goes to Florida, Big Susan, and Kildee House.  We look forward to checking them out.  Take a look at the full list at Examiner.com.  There's also a Book List for Pre-Teen Gifted Readers.  Which books would you recommend?

*Disclosure:  This post contains affiliate links.