Eat, Read, and Be Mommy

Tuesdays and Thursdays, that is? I guess we’ll see…

Anyway. Our Father’s Day was discombobulated, because after going to our church we hightailed it north to see two of my nephews speak at their church; one just completed a service mission for our church, while the other is leaving on a proselyting mission to Argentina today. And yesterday? I mostly had a very slow start, and the rest of the day continued in the same vein. I used up what energy I had taking care of the last PTA check I’ll ever have to write (knock on wood) and cutting up a watermelon with a bruised side, courtesy of my 11-year-old son standing on it. (Picture eyeroll emoji here.)

Today my littles and I are meeting friends at the park, since my 14-year-old left for Girl’s Camp yesterday (she was on the youth planning committee) and my oldest left this morning. (I’m pondering Taco Tuesday for dinner.) Since that’s not until more like 11, however, I have time to review Angela Cervantes’ Lety Out Loud, which I ended up reading aloud with my 14-year-old. It’s a Pura Belpre (picture an accent over that last “e”) Author Honor book from several years ago, which is why it was on my radar; I picked up a cheap copy at a library sale, I think, and my girlie picked it from the group of choices I presented to her last time we were starting a new book.

Here’s the thing–I think she really enjoyed it, while I thought it was, you know, good. Lety and her friends are thoroughly likeable, and the idea of volunteering at an animal shelter worked well for a setting; the conflict worked as well, although the turnaround by the end was possibly unrealistically positive. I think my problem is just that I wanted more, you know? A little more depth, a little more background, a little more detail in general…you get the idea. And yet, it was certainly enough for its target audience. I suppose the bottom line is this–animal-loving kids will really like this one, but it’s not a must-read for an adult reading on his or her own, partly because it skews a little young. Beyond that, you’ll have to be the judge!