Guinea Pig Literary Society

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Guinea Pig Literary Society

An unconventional book review page featuring guinea pigs and the latest books read by Zach!

*Incurable Bookaholic
*Owner of 6 Guinea Pigs
*MLIS Student
*Married to my BF
*Elementary School Librarian
*ENFJ
*Hufflepuff
*Member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
*Always Open to Learning Something New

05/08/2026

My eighth school year is drawing to a close. Check out the latest books I've been reading personally and to my students!

Fly, Girl, Fly by Nancy Roe Pimm: This is the true story of the first female Afghan pilot and what she did to accomplish that dream. Her story was handled beautifully, the artwork was great, and my students were completely swept up in her journey.

Mary Wears What She Wants by Keith Negley: This is the true story of how Mary Edwards Walker made the courageous choice to wear pants instead of a stuffy dress. I was surprised at how much my students enjoyed this one — it's a quick read, and the illustrations are perfect for engaging young readers.

I Dissent by Debbie Levy: A book all about Ruth Bader Ginsburg and her remarkable story. The content is inspiring, though some of the vocabulary required pausing to explain jargon along the way — a great opportunity for discussion!

My Name is Bana by Bana Alabed: Written by a young Syrian blogger about why her name is special and how it has shaped her. After reading this one, I had a blast looking up what my students' names meant — even my kindergartners stayed glued to their seats to find out!

Bagels from Benny by Aubrey Davis: I wish I could have read this book to my classes but my school district doesn't allow me to read any books with religious themes in them. I loved how the story explores how we can help do God's work by simple actions and how we never know the impact we can make. Plus, I love bagels.

04/24/2026

Here’s our final roundup for March Reading Madness! 📚✨

📖 Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry
I didn’t realize there were more books after The Giver until recently! I really enjoyed this second installment and thought it held up just as well as the first. I couldn’t quite get into the third book in the trilogy, though.

📖 Beyond the Wall by Katja Hoyer
The Berlin Wall fell shortly before I was born, so this book gave me a powerful glimpse into what life was like in East Germany. It’s truly eye-opening.

📖 The Nine Moons of Han Yu and Luli by Karina Glaser
A dual-timeline story following two children in different eras—one trying to save her parents’ restaurant during the Great Depression, and the other racing to deliver life-saving medicine during a plague. I enjoyed this one, but fair warning: you will crave Chinese food while reading!

📖 Shark Lady by Jess Keating
The inspiring true story of Eugenie Clark, one of the first female ichthyologists. My students loved the illustrations and our virtual field trip to the Georgia Aquarium! One fifth grader immediately said, “I love this book!” and a second grader who’s obsessed with ocean animals couldn’t stop sharing facts.

📖 The Fall of Berlin 1945 by Antony Beevor
I’ve studied this battle quite a bit and even visited the site of Hitler’s bunker, so I wasn’t expecting to learn much more—but I was wrong. This book gave me a deeper understanding, especially from the Russian perspective.

📖 Wounded Tiger by T. Martin Bennett
A powerful true story about a Pearl Harbor pilot’s journey to faith. I appreciated how the book weaves multiple perspectives together to show how everything aligned. It was a meaningful reminder of how God works in the details.

What should I add next? 👇

04/17/2026

Part #2 of March Reading Madness has arrived!

Silenced Voices by Pablo Leon: The son of Guatemalan immigrants uncovers his mother’s dark past. This book shines a light on the terror and trauma of the Guatemalan genocide. It impacted me so deeply that Tania and I are hoping to get permission to visit the site of the Dos Erres massacre during our trip to Guatemala.

Illegal by Eoin Colfer: A graphic novel following Ebo, a Ghanaian boy desperate to reunite with his siblings. It powerfully shows the struggles immigrants face, though I didn’t feel especially connected to the characters.

Victoria: The Queen by Julia Baird: I usually struggle with biographies, but after watching The Young Victoria with my wife, I was inspired to dive in. Despite the many figures in Queen Victoria’s life, Baird does an excellent job keeping everything clear and engaging.

The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk: Wow. This should be required reading for everyone. It helped me better understand trauma and gave me even more compassion for those carrying painful experiences.

I Survived the Great Molasses Flood by Lauren Tarshis: An Italian immigrant girl is swept up (pun intended) in the Great Molasses Flood of 1919. Great for younger readers, though I wish it focused more on the aftermath and the community impact.

At Least She Stood by Erin Kelly: A Filipina woman with leprosy decides to resist the Japanese occupation of her island. Amazing true story but I wish the book was longer.

Any book recommendations for us?

04/08/2026

Welcome to Part 1 of our March Reading Madness! 📚✨

Here’s what we’ve been reading and reflecting on:

📖 Big Bad Ironclad by Nathan Hale
A fun, history-packed installment in a great series—full of interesting facts, though a bit sillier than my usual taste.

📖 Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts by Rebecca Hall
A powerful and insightful graphic novel exploring the often-overlooked history of women-led slave revolts—and the challenges in uncovering these stories. I finished this feeling deeply inspired by the courage shown in impossible circumstances.

📖 The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy
We read this for our church men’s book club and loved it. Simple yet profound, with beautiful artwork that sparked meaningful discussions about how its messages apply to our lives.

📖 I Am Ruby Bridges by Ruby Bridges
Many of my students had never heard of Ruby Bridges, and her story really resonated with them. The book vividly brings her childhood experience to life and highlights her role in school integration. The artwork is powerful and symbolic. One note we discussed: the book doesn’t depict Ruby’s mother walking her into school, which is an important part of her story. A highlight of this unit was students creating their own comics about Rosa Parks!

📖 Fire Road by Kim P**c Phan Thi
An emotional autobiography of the “Napalm Girl” from the Vietnam War. A moving story about resilience, forgiveness, and finding purpose after tragedy.

📖 Hidden Girl by Shyima Hall
A gripping autobiography of an Egyptian girl rescued from human trafficking. This story offered powerful insight into the realities many children face and stands as a testament to strength, vulnerability, and empowerment.

What have you been reading lately? 👀📚

03/25/2026

Here now is Part 2 of the books that took us places during the month of February ❤️

Tall Water by S. J. Sindu
A graphic novel about a Sri Lankan girl who witnesses the civil war and gets caught in a tsunami. Read it in one night and loved it.

I Am Princess Diana by Brad Meltzer
A stunning tribute to Princess Diana! His series teaches great life skills to youth and I plan to use it in my curriculum.

The Holocaust by Bullets by Patrick Desbois
A haunting account of a Catholic priest finding Holocaust killing pits across rural Russia and Ukraine - and discovering many witnesses still live nearby.

Night Angels by Weina Dai Randel
Based on the true story of a Chinese diplomat who saved thousands of Jews in Austria as WWII began. I wished there was more focus on him and less on his wife.

1666 by Rebecea Rideal
A fascinating look at the historic events of 1666, though it felt scattered and not thorough.

The Drillmaster of Valley Forge by Paul Lockhart
A great biography showing how General von Steuben was placed at the right time to help save the American Revolution.

Habits of a Peacemaker by Steven T. Collis
A book club pick that helped me become less reactive and taught me ways to empower myself.

The Miracles Among Us by Marc Siegel
An inspiring book about modern-day medical miracles.

The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket
I can see the appeal, but it didn’t hook me like other books.

Blue Box, Vol. 19 by Kouji Miura
Discovered this on Netflix and got hooked - the romance pacing and characters really stand out among manga.

The Incredibly Human Henson Blayze by Derrick Barnes
A powerful message about police brutality, though situations felt extreme and the ending rushed.

Confessions of an Adoptive Parent by Mike Berry
A humble and vulnerable account of a youth pastor and his wife adopting ten children.

Let the Children March by Monica Clark-Robinson
This was my students’ favorite book we read during Black History Month. They were shocked at how young protesters went to jail to help Martin Luther King Jr. We compared it to the ICE protests in our area and discussed how to protest meaningfully. My students are still talking about it weeks later.

03/19/2026

February has come and gone. Here is Part 1 of the books we devoured in February!

Measuring Up by Lily LaMotte
A graphic novel about a Taiwanese-American girl who enters a cooking contest to win money to help bring her grandmother to visit for her birthday. This book will make you hungry, so be warned.

The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors by James D. Hornfischer
An action-packed book showing the nitty-gritty of a group of American warships that faced an overwhelming Japanese force.

Rescue at Los Baños by Bruce Henderson
An interesting tale of prisoners being rescued from a Japanese internment camp in the Philippines that didn’t feel as epic as I thought it would be. I did love the story, though, of the former POW who worked hard to find former soldiers who had helped liberate her camp.

Mama Africa by Kathryn Erskine
My students loved watching the music videos of Mama Africa performing “The Click Song.” We had some lively discussions about racism today, the 1976 Soweto Riots, and police brutality. In one class, we only got through a few pages as several students became upset with the apartheid policemen and talked about some of the things they had faced in their own neighborhoods. The book itself is a beautiful tribute to Mama Africa’s life, but it can be long and contain tricky words that K–2 students may not know, despite what the book advertises.

One Summer by Bill Bryson
This was recommended by a couple from church as their favorite history book. Holy mackerel — I had no idea so much happened during the summer of 1927. This author does a great job explaining the events while also providing background without it becoming too overwhelming.

We Will Not Go to Tuapse by Fernand Kaisergruber
This is a memoir of a former Belgian SS soldier who went to the Russian front and came back alive. It started out well, but I ended up not finishing it, as it became drawn out and the war itself wasn’t told in an engaging manner. Even the battle engagements felt dry.

02/19/2026

Monthly reading recaps start now! January’s highlights 📚✨
📖
A Guardian and a Thief – Megha Majumdar (via ) | Food shortages, climate change, impossible choices.
📖
The Penguin Lessons – Tom Michell | Different from the movie, but a pleasure.
📖
Our Favorite Day of the Year – A.E. Ali | My students loved the diverse celebrations. I want to be just like the teacher in the story!
📖
They Thought They Were Free – Milton Mayer | Strong start; loses steam as it shifts from personal to general.
📖
Sons and Soldiers – Bruce Henderson | Jewish refugees who returned to fight the Third Reich.
📖
The Year of Less – Cait Flanders | Retail therapy tips—not very memorable.
📖
I’m New Here – Ann Sibley O’Brien | Students empathized with newcomers—some want to learn Korean after it was shown in the book!
📖
A Journey Toward Hope – Victor Hinojosa | Hit close to home for many students; sparked great conversations.
📖
The Cross of Iron – Willi Heinrich | Long-awaited, but I felt lost and despised the characters.
📖
The Gales of November – John U. Bacon | Fresh take on the Edmund Fitzgerald—centering families left behind.
📖
Für Volk and Führer – Erwin Bartmann | Wartime memoir, though parts felt implausible.
📖
Waltraud – Tammy Borden | Expected something more inspiring—the climax let me down.
📖
Something Happened to My Dad – Ann Hazzard | Opened great conversations on deportation.
📖
From Far Away – Robert Munsch | Students loved that the author was a young Lebanese refugee.
📖
Poland 1939 – Roger Moorhouse | Great primer on Poland’s opening days of WWII.
📖
The Dope – Benjamin T. Smith | Key read: the drug trade and anti-Mexican stereotypes.
📖
The Other Side of Change – Maya Shankar (via ) | Helped me view change positively.
📖
Japanese Destroyer Captain – Tameichi Hara | Action-packed naval officer’s memoir of the war.
📖
Passage to Freedom – Ken Mochizuki | Great discussions—many of my students had never heard of the Holocaust.
📖
Mustafa – Marie-Louise Gay | Sweet lesson on welcoming newcomers—not as impactful.
📖
The Girls Who Stepped Out of Line – Mari K. Eder | Great women’s history—I already knew many stories.

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Las Vegas, NV

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