ASB Book of the Week

Remember this rhyme? “In fourteen hundred and ninety-two Columbus sailed the ocean blue.”  Well, this book investigates whether it really was Christopher Columbus who discovered the Americas.  Instead was it the Chinese?  Was it the Vikings?  What about the Mayans?  By looking at past legends, runes, stonework, and mysterious objects, this Russel Freedman examines who found the Americas. 

Here’s another DK must for all of you especially if you like any of the following: technology, gadgets, inventions, electronics, Web 2.0, exploration, science, transportation, and gaming to only mention a few.  This book is completely packed with cool stuff–just like the title claims.  With dynamic pictures and interesting text to accompany, this is a perfect book to read if you enjoy Cool Stuff 2.0.

Read this beautiful, sepia, wordless book by Shaun Tan to experience the traumatic yet adventurous journey that any immigrant must experience.  A man decides to leave his family and home for something better.  The prize and gold or in other words prosperity is never instant when transplanting one’s life.  This beautifully illustrated book tells the story of moving and leaving one’s home in search of a better life–which hopefully does happen for all immigrants.

PostSecretis an amazing book to browse through.  Imagine the secret you’ve never, ever told anyone.  It’s bottled up inside you.  Perhaps you’d like to release it.  Frank Warren gave many individuals this chance.  He left blank pre-stamped postcards all over–like 10,000 of them–telling the person who picked it up to share a secret and send it to the self-adressed destination.  People haven’t just written down their secrets; many artfully constructed a visual representation of their secret.  This book shares many of the postcards.  This blog, PostSecret continues showing new received postcards.  This edgy book brings out the secret in all of us.

This national book award winner is a must read.  It’s reminscent of The Perks of Being a Wallflower yet with a multi-cultural slant since the narrator is a Native American Indian from the Spokane, Reservation.  Many will be able to relate to the voice of this teenager for it is so real–his fears, feelings, and experiences are universal.  The big decisions he makes about his own education and the choices he makes to change his pathway in life are inspirational.  If we could all be so brave to tackle our personal and also cultural fears, we would be as successful as Junior.  However, the best part of this book is the ultra fun comics Junior creates to supplement what he is feeling and experiencing.  He’s sarcastic, witty, and just about genius!