It's Monday! What are you reading?

I am still trying to catch up on the 19-20 Bluebonnet Award Nominees list, so this weekend I started reading The Adventures of a Girl Called Bicycle by Christina Uss.

The story opens as Sister Wanda of the Mostly Silent Monastery walks through the doorless entry (the monastery is being rebuilt) and finds a small child sitting in the entry.  The child doesn't speak, so Sister Wanda decides to call her by the word on her teeshirt--Bicycle.

Bicycle does eventually speak, and becomes a part of the quirky group of monks.  Sister Wanda is worried about Bicycle's lack of friends her own age, and decides to send her off to camp to make some friends.  But Bicycle has other, grander plans!

I am thoroughly enjoying following Bicycle's escapades in this part adventure, part mystery, improbable story of a girl who is not only named for the two-wheeled leg-powered vehicle, but loves to ride them as well.  One day in, and I'm pretty sure I'll finish it by tomorrow--just to find out what happens in the end!
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I met Christina Uss at our Texas Library Association Conference last April, in the "Speed Dating the Bluebonnets" session.

Uss told us that she completed a cross-country bicycle ride as a young adult, raising funds for Habitat for Humanity.  Some of the places in the story are real; Uss said, "Geography is so interesting if you have stories about the places." Some of the people are real, too (like The Cookie Lady!).  She wants kids to wonder if they can have the same experiences as Bicycle, exploring the mysteries of friendship.  Uss specifically wrote this book as a fictional "escape"--no tragedies, just a fun read.

It's Monday!  Are you working on finishing our Bluebonnet Nominees list as well?