Welcome to Litsy!

Thanks for the tag @Karisimo #middlegrademonday

I invite everyone to join us!!

This is a story about a boy named Neftali who had a dream of becoming something that his father didn‘t want him to be. His father was very hard on him as well as his siblings and forced them to do something in business or law. He wanted them to indulge in their studies. However, Neftali had bigger plans of becoming a writer. He indeed did just that and went on to eventually win a Nobel Peace Prize. This is a Pura Belpre Award winner.

Inspired by the childhood of Pablo Neruda, this middle grade novel is beautiful and an inspiration to young children who don‘t fit in or follow the norm, sometimes despite outside pressure to do so. I highly recommend this for classroom libraries.

I really enjoyed reading Muñoz Ryan's retelling of how Pablo Neruda found his genius. While reading I had to research a little about his life. I thought I knew who he was. Certainly a fascinating character.

Just starting Dreamer. I don't know what took me so long to get to this book. While the kids at school make #smashbooks, I'm decorating words.

Because I didn't look at the description of this book before I read it, I didn't know it was about Pablo Neruda until the very end when Neftalí chooses his pen name. Like Muñoz Ryan's other novels, this one takes us satisfyingly into the depths of the characters, which I find especially impressive because these are real people rather than purely fictional characters (but then, are there any purely fictional characters?).
Build Your Library Level 7

This has been in my library for probably 10 years. Glad to have finally read it.

Day 2 of #7days7covers #covercrush

@Geeklet want to play? 7 days, 7 covers, no explanation. Tag someone new every day!

Neftalí‘s journey is inspiring and heart breaking, thrilling and oppressive, hopeful and ultimately uplifting. There are common conflicts we can all see ourselves in - family politics, bully assignments, self loathing, just to name a few. The way Neftalí navigates all of those struggles makes you worry at times. But it also makes you happy at times. The seemingly simple prose is the perfect backdrop for all of the sophisticated issues dealt with.

I love this defiant little boy.

“Frantically, Neftalí waved. And the boy waved back.”

Something about this reminds me of Haroun and the Sea of Stories or maybe even The Alchemist, seemingly simple storytelling that is trying to communicate so much more...

The writing style of this book gave me Little Prince vibes and for that I gave it bonus points. A unique biographical take on the life of poet Pablo Neruda. It was refreshing and informative.

#ReadingResolutions Day 2: Central to this rendering of Neruda‘s life is the glorious sight of the sea during #SummerLove. Ryan & Sis luxuriated in Neruda‘s ruminations – filling that space with their own shades of magical realism and artful rendering of truths. It really is Neruda‘s book and his traveler‘s soul and his words. Anyone who has an ongoing romance with wordswordswords would fall in love with this gem of a book. https://wp.me/pDlzr-2aq

“Pablo Neruda‘s poems tramped through the mud. The field worker read his words and said, ‘His hands have moved the earth as mine have.‘”
I‘d heard of him of course, but haven‘t read him. Gonna fix that in short order. Recommendations??

Something a little lighter after a number of heavy topics addressed in my last several audiobooks. Lovely narration, very similar in tone to the last of hers I listened to, Echo, tagged below.

#LitsyAtoZ #D✔️

I'm desperately trying to catch up on my reviews. I'm quite a few behind. Ah life why so you get in the way. 😉 I actually think this is better than So-So but it not quite a Pick for me. Its about a boy finding his way to become a poet. Its based on the childhood of Pablo Neruda, a poet I hadn't heard of until this book.

5⭐️! I can't pick a favorite book of Pam Munoz Ryan- they are all so unique and beautiful in their own way! What a magical book, inspired by the life of poet's Pablo Neruda's life and his love for life and learning. Make haste- READ IT!

Yeah, I really need to use another app to crop pics on here... LOL

Anyway, I finished The Dreamer on audio today after @xicanti spoke so highly of Pam Munoz Ryan in general. And it was really good! A bit of the magical set against a very bleak world. Neftali has a very over powering father who always believed he should be a doctor or work in business, but he loved to write and managed to find beauty in everything. Great book! Great narrator!

Casey and my current diverse read, The Dreamer. Good so far! #booktober

I've inherited an ecclectic library... just went through box 4 of 16. Finding all sorts of pretty treasures. #HelloOctober #SoManyBooks #NeverSayTooMany